Chapter 139: Flight Stone

The kingdom mission had been successfully completed, and as a bonus, the branch chief’s romance had also come to fruition.

With their duties done, Ryu and his companions decided to travel throughout the Kingdom of Garcia until the academy term began.

Following Esther’s request to sample some truly delicious seafood, the group quickly set course for a prominent port town within the kingdom.

They were now flying over the northeastern skies of the kingdom. Ryu’s mastery of magic had improved, and the space atop the dragon’s back had become quite comfortable for travel.

Esther was busy rummaging through the Thunder Emperor’s item bag.

“Unbelievable! Absolutely incredible! Nuhuhuhuhu!”

“Perhaps you should do that on the ground instead?”

“No need. It’s actually harder to drop anything from this enormous back than it is on the ground.”

“Gyaou.”
(If anything does fall, I’ll fetch it!)

“Among these mountains of materials, there are occasionally S-Rank monster parts and rare plants… and that’s not all. Weapons, potions, and jewels are all here, to your heart’s content!”

“Jewels, huh… now that you mention it, that Thunder Emperor really did seem to like flashy things…”

Ryu pictured the late Thunder Emperor’s malicious expression, now long gone.

“Materials and potions will be used for my research. Weapons can go to the Arden Knights, and the jewels can be gifted to Rena and my mother… as for all this gold, what shall we do?”

“…Esther’s dessert fund. If S-Rank assets were placed in the Viscount’s treasury, outsiders would start asking questions.”

“Nuuuooooohhh!!! We’re set for the next hundred years!!!”

Esther raised a celebratory toast atop the back of the silver dragon.

Thus, most of the Thunder Emperor’s legacy had been assigned a purpose.

“The real problem is the flight stone… if we leave it like this, it’ll just rot in the item bag.”

“How about a small, low-altitude mini airship?”

“No. If we stole the flight stone, Her Majesty would notice immediately. And besides, we’d need the cooperation of researchers and craftsmen to even make one.”

“Grrr… such selfishness…”

Even contacting the researchers carried the risk of leaking information.

“Hey, Esther.”

“What is it?”

“Remember our conversation about the floating islands?”

“Of course. The nests that dragons instinctively seek once they evolve, right?”

“Yes. About that floating island—there’s a high probability that a flight stone identical to this one is buried at its center.”

“…So the mystery of the floating island has been solved rather quickly.”

“Gyaou.”
(What if we made a second floating island?)

“My magic alone isn’t enough… we’d need at least someone like Sanjo Kokaji Munechika (dragon version) to make it work.”

“By now, she probably doesn’t remember her human memories or the memory-retaining potion, but surely Munechika could manage it.”

“…Well, the Human-Dragon War has been resolved for now, so we’ll leave the floating island for another time.”

“Indeed… you’ve worked too hard this past year. It’s best to live a little leisurely for a while.”

For now, without the flight stone, humanity cannot make further progress in the skies. For this moment, Ryu had achieved a clear victory with his strategy.

As Esther suggested, perhaps they could try a slow, leisurely life… though the likelihood of that was slim.

Ryu thought to himself:
(Creating a floating island exclusively for us and spending our remaining years there… it could be one path. Though technically, I don’t have a lifespan…)

He had no intention of enduring alone; there were many considerations still ahead.

The group eventually arrived at a sizeable port town.

“The Kingdom of Garcia sits at the northernmost tip of this continent, directly opposite the Empire. Currents flow here that the Empire knows nothing of. Unknown seafood of all kinds can be caught here… in other words, this town holds the potential for seafood so extraordinary it will blow our minds!”

“Ohhh~”

“Gyaou.”
(My time has finally come.)

Walking along the main avenue while listening to Esther’s enthusiastic lecture, the group noted that although it was called a “town,” it was one of the kingdom’s major trading ports, far surpassing typical towns in both area and population.

“Last time, Mondo’s port town was a bit cold… but this place is a comfortable temperature.”

“Indeed. Everyone on the street is in short sleeves and shorts.”

They frequently passed townsfolk with muscular arms, tanned skin, and the rugged appearance of fishermen.

Among them were fishermen walking amicably with adventurers.

“This time, the relationship between adventurers and fishermen seems good.”

“Ah, that explains it… before, in Mondo, their fishing zones overlapped with the adventurers hunting sea monsters, causing frequent disputes.”

Now, the two groups appeared to coexist peacefully.

“By now, Arden’s port town should also be lively. The adventurers’ guild might request to open a branch. We should keep the relationship between fishermen and adventurers in mind. Worst-case scenario, we can send a B-Rank party, White Wolf, if trouble arises.”

“White Wolf…? Who are they?”

“A B-Rank party operating out of Arden, who assisted us during the Baron Manthester conflict. Led by a swordsman named Suzaku, they’re a solid group.”

“Ohhh~ someday I want to visit Arden… since I am the lawful wife, after all.”

“I’ll take you there eventually. You’ll like it.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Gyaou.”
(I want to go too!)

The group found a pleasant inn.

“Oh, this inn looks really nice. Shall we settle here for now?”

“Agreed. This will do nicely.”

“Gyaou.”

“I’ll go reserve the room. You two wait outside a moment.”

“Hold on!”

“Hm? What is it?”

“What kind of room do you intend to reserve this time?!”

“A large double room with a double bed.”

“Of course! At the very least, make it a twin! I don’t want the receptionist saying, ‘Did you enjoy yourselves last night?’ again!”

“Well, I’ll do my best.”

“Grrr… I can’t trust you…”

While Esther and Homura sat on a bench outside:

“The most expensive double room with a double bed, please.”

“Certainly~”
(Oh my… will he be bringing his bride later? How nice.)

Ryu left the inn and rejoined them.

“How did it go?”

“I secured the best room.”

“Well done! I commend you!”

“Gyaou.”

Afterward, they began exploring the local eateries…

“Right now, I’m thinking the same thing as Esther.”

“Let’s say it together on three. One, two, three—”

““If only Axel were here…””

At last, the two fully appreciated the value of their beloved steed.