Chapter 37: 30k miles to Find a Dragon (II)

Louis struck his palm with his fist at this realization.

That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that earlier?!

Pablo was correct. If they encountered another adult dragon, they could simply ask it to take them back to their continent. No Adult Dragon would refuse to protect a hatchling.

However, Louis’ bright expression quickly turned somber again due to one crucial problem with Pablo’s suggestion.

He scratched his head, looking troubled.

”…I don’t know.”

“Pardon?”

In response to Pablo’s query, Louis’s voice grew softer.

”…I have no idea where other dragons might be located.”

“Ah…”

Louis was a homebody who preferred survival over exploration. The extent of his travels had been limited to areas near his home, and the only dragons he knew were the twins. Naturally, he couldn’t provide any leads on finding additional dragons.

Pablo’s shoulders slumped as his plan of quickly escaping slavery by handing Louis and his group to another dragon went up in smoke.

“Fin, do you know anything about dragons?”

“No… I don’t really—”

Louis glanced at the sleeping twins before turning back to Fin. “It’s not like they’d be much help anyway.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Dragons… Dragons, huh?”

His eyes slowly closed.

This could work, couldn’t it?

If they found any dragon, getting home would be a piece of cake. The problem was locating one. After racking his brain for some time, Louis suddenly brightened.

He asked, “Pablo.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Do you know any legends or myths about dragons?”

“Myths?”

“Yes, myths. Like stories about finding dragons on mountains or discovering their hidden treasures, that kind of thing.”

“Hmm…” Pablo pondered for a moment before nodding. “There certainly are some. Off the top of my head, I can think of one or two, and if we ask the information guild, there could be dozens—maybe even hundreds—more.”

“What?! Really?” Louis’s face lit up with excitement. “Where is the nearest information guild?”

“That…I’m not sure about, but there’s a decent-sized town five days’ walk from here that happens to be on our way. Would you like me to inquire there?”

“Ohhh! Great idea!” Louis clapped his hands enthusiastically.

Legends, myths, folktales—there were countless stories involving dragons. With thorough research, they might find something truly related to their quarry.

And just like that, Louis’s group had decided on their next course of action.

“Let’s keep our eyes open as we travel!”

“Yes, sir!”

With newfound hope that he might finally be freed from his leash, Pablo eagerly agreed to help.

Five days later…

At the entrance to the small city stood guards who stopped Louis’s sleigh.

“Where do you hail from?”

“We’re coming from the east.” Pablo spoke on behalf of the group.

“What brings you here?”

”…We’re taking these children to Luft Haguen.”

“Hmm…”

The guards inspected the carriage closely. Inside were kids huddled together and fast asleep. The guards’ expressions hardened as they eyed them suspiciously. Caught off guard by their intense gazes, Pablo stammered.

“T-these are my sons… No, n-nieces!”

“Hmph…”

The guards’ eyes narrowed even further. Given Pablo’s rough appearance versus the cute, tiny children, no one would believe they were related by blood. As their suspicions grew, however…

“Uncle…hungry…” Louis rubbed his eyes as he sat up.

Pablo gently poked the twins’ sides.

“I’m soooo huuuungry…”

“We want saaaardines…”

The twins whined while rubbing their eyes just like Louis had done. Louis smiled inwardly at their convincing act.

Finally convinced, the guards stepped aside to let them pass.

“You may enter.”

“Th-thank you!” Pablo hastily urged on the horses, worried they might change their minds.

Clip-clop, clip-clop!

As the carriage entered the city…

“Oh, wow?” Suddenly wide awake and full of curiosity, Louis stuck his head out of the carriage window.

This was the first small city Louis’s group had visited since leaving the grand duke’s feudal territory; until now, they’d only stopped by tiny villages nestled in the mountains.

“Maybe we can find something here?”

Over the past five days, they had visited several villages and asked about dragons, but all they heard were old, unsubstantiated tales. Despite their efforts to uncover any truth, it felt like a waste of time. Thus, Louis hoped this bustling town might yield better results.

Shortly after arriving at a small inn, Pablo headed out immediately upon checking in.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“All right!”

Louis waved goodbye as Pablo set off to gather information.

Excellent! Absolutely excellent!

Hiring Pablo seemed to have been one of his best decisions recently. What a useful talent he was!

“Have fun!”

“And bring us some snacks when you get back!”

The twins mimicked their father’s gesture until Louis grabbed them by the backs of their necks and brought them inside the room, where they continued waving their hands as he dragged them along.

Later that evening…

Slam!

“Sir Louis!”

Pablo burst through the door, his face beaming with excitement.

Louis’s anticipation rose accordingly. “What?! What happened?”

“I’ve got news!”

“Ohhh!”

Waving both arms, Louis hurried over to Pablo. “Quickly, tell me everything!”

Seeing how thrilled Louis was, Pablo couldn’t help but grin even wider at having accomplished something noteworthy.

“So…” He paused briefly for dramatic effect before eagerly continuing. “I managed to get some really high-quality intel!”

“Ohhh! What is it?!”

“I met this hunter at a nearby tavern who told me something interesting!”

“What, what?! Spill it already!”

“It sounded quite credible from what I could tell!”

“…Just get to the point!”

Pablo continued his dramatic pause while Louis’s expression grew darker and darker. Pablo, however, remained oblivious to Louis’s impatience.

“So after buying him a couple of drinks, he spilled everything…”

“You little—!”

Whack!

“Agh!”

Finally, Louis kicked Pablo hard on the shin. Clutching his leg, Pablo rolled around the floor in pain.

Louis glared icily at him. “Stand at attention.”

“Y-yes, sir!” At Louis’s cold command, Pablo sprang up immediately, standing stiffly before him.

“Get to the point.”

“So…according to that hunter, he saw some kind of monster believed to be a dragon about twenty years ago in his hometown…” Pablo yelped as Louis clamped a hand over his mouth after noticing how much colder Louis’s expression had become than before.

Louis crossed his arms and growled, “A dragon? Did you say draaaagon?”

“I-it’s just—”

“And ‘monster’?”

“…Hic!”

“A dragon is your friend? Why, aren’t we cozy? I’m feeling particularly offended by this dragon right now!”

“…Hic!”

Grrrumble…

Behind Louis, the image of a ferocious dragon rippled like an aura. To Pablo, it transformed Louis from an adorable child into a monstrous demon. His face paled, and he waved his hands frantically while apologizing desperately.

Desperately…

“I-I’m sorry! I’ll correct myself!”

“Good. Now say it again properly.”

“A-a hunter claimed that about twenty years ago, some villagers saw a noble ‘being’ they believed to be a dragon ‘sir’!”

“What exactly did he describe?”

“It was as big as a house and had a majestic roar.”

“Hmm…” Finally satisfied, Louis nodded.

“So, twenty years ago… That’s not too long, right? Is this story reliable?”

“It seems to have been quite famous at the time. The hunter wasn’t the only one who knew this tale. Several people in this village were aware of it, and many claim to have witnessed what they believe was a dragon ‘sir’.”

“Hmm… Still, that doesn’t sound very convincing.”

“Ah, and one more thing! I heard that a large military force was dispatched to where the ‘Sir Dragon’ was last seen. They even hired mercenaries specializing in taking down massive monsters.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve been told it was over five thousand soldiers. Quite a few people witnessed their departure.”

“Hmm? A military expedition… What happened after that?”

“That’s just it…” Pablo hesitated at Louis’s question.

“What is it?”

“Well, since there were no reports of them reappearing afterward… It seems they were annihilated.”

“Annihilated?”

“Yes. The feudal estate went bankrupt due to hastily assembling such a large force.”

“I see… And the location?”

“There’s a mountain called Cash Tower about two weeks west from this city. The hunter’s village was situated at its base.”

”…Was?”

“It was a village established by hunters, but after their forces were annihilated twenty years ago, people started leaving due to fear. Eventually, the village disappeared.”

“That’s it? Anything else?”

“Um… Currently, there have been continuous reports of missing persons around Cash Tower Mountain, so no one dares to venture near it.”

“Hmm…” Louis appeared intrigued.

This is fascinating.

Witness accounts of what could be a dragon, along with the annihilation of a large army—it strongly hinted that something significant lay hidden there.

Louis uncrossed his arms and asked, “Did you say west? If it’s westward… then it would be on our way to Luft Haguen?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Currently, Louis’ group was heading towards Luft Haguen, the largest port city on the winter continent, located at its westernmost edge.

Since their destination was westward, it wouldn’t be out of their way. The only issue was the potential danger involved. If the creature on Cash Tower Mountain turned out to be a dragon, there would be no problem. However, if it wasn’t, that could spell trouble for them. Venturing near something powerful enough to annihilate such a large army would be akin to throwing themselves to the lions.

What should we do…?

Louis debated whether risking their lives at Cash Tower Mountain would be worth it. After much deliberation, he finally reached a decision.

“All right! Since it’s along our route anyway, let’s head slowly and think things through.”

“Yes, sir!” Pablo nodded firmly.

Seeing their conversation seemingly wrapping up, the twins rushed over to him.

The twins politely held out their hands to Pablo.

“Give us something tasty!”

“You promised you’d bring back some yummy treats!”

“…”

Despite their polite gestures, they sounded more like they were threatening him. Pablo was at a loss for words as he stared into their twinkling eyes and slumped his shoulders helplessly.

“…I’ll be right back.” He grabbed the doorknob with a woeful expression on his face, stepped outside dejectedly, and closed the door behind him without much energy.

An hour later, Pablo returned.