North.
The Great River of Quadrad.
The dragon twists its body in the middle of a big river that you can't see on the other side.
As a result, the water surface waves heavily.
"That's the dragon."
Almark murmured.
As if after the storm, the water of the river overflowed to the foot of the horse, and in a hurry Almark followed his father and fled further up.
"I'm glad you came out here."
Raise said.
"If I run into you on the way across the river, I can't even see you."
"Dad."
Almark keeps an eye on the dragon and asks.
"Dragons attack people."
"Dragons are not monsters."
Raise answers.
"I don't eat people. People don't attack without a reason."
I see.
Almark nodded.
"I don't know. I've been seeing you for a while now, but you're not coming after us."
Almark felt the deep red eyes of the dragon pointing toward him many times.
His eyes, like a jewel, didn't have any expression on them, but they also looked like they were deeply emotional and could be drawn to it for some reason.
I won't be attacked.
Raise laughs.
"Even you couldn't crush one because of the insects crawling on the ground far away."
Raise's words are always clear.
"For a dragon, that's what we are."
I see. We're like bugs to him. "
Almark saw the dragon shine every time he twisted his body.
The color of the scales changes infinitely as the sun shines with the rising blisters.
The dragon was as beautiful as any other creature in the world.
It was the opposite of the dark monsters who trekked through the forest at night.
"Almark"
Raise calls out his son's name.
"You thought it was beautiful."
Feeling the echo of the words, Almark looks back at his father.
Eh?
"You think the dragon is beautiful now."
Almark nodded bewildered.
"Yeah."
Raise closed her eyes and shook her head with a slight, unusual, gentle expression.
"I can't do that. We are mercenaries."
Raise points to a water dragon that dances freely on the water.
"If you're a mercenary, think this way. What am I supposed to do to hunt him?"
Hunt.
I felt that Almark had been struck by falsehood.
Hunting?
That giant, divine, beautiful creature.
"I've hunted, Dad."
"Yes."
Raise nods.
"Of course I'm not alone. It takes 100 warriors to hunt a dragon, and if five survive, it's a good job."
That would be the case.
But has my father ever hunted a dragon?
Almark looks at his father's side again.
My father looked at Almark sideways.
"What would you do? How do you hunt?"
Almark turns his eyes to the dragon.
A dragon that dances freely on the surface of the water cannot be fought with a sword or spear.
Arrows.
Almark answers.
But the glare of that crystal doesn't look like an arrow.
If so, it is aimed at.
Eyes.
Almark points to the beautiful red eyes that attracted her earlier.
Aim for that eye with an arrow.
I see.
Raise nods.
"Closing your eyes is a constant stone when hunting dragons."
But he and Raise went on.
"That's not enough. The dragon won't die just by closing his eyes."
"But the rest."
Almark sees the body of the dragon.
"Where? I can only walk through an arrow in my mouth."
"Look closely."
Raise said.
"Beautiful, horrible, you don't need those feelings to fight. My eyes are cloudy when I see things."
Raise looked at the dragon with his harsh eyes. It was the eyes of a warrior.
"Keep your eyes closed. Use your head. On the battlefield, you die from someone who stops thinking."
"Yeah."
Almark glances at the body of the dragon.
Almark tried to stay calm as he restrained his rising emotions. And then...
"Ah."
"Did you notice?"
Raise smiles.
"Yeah."
Almark nodded.
"The scales are falling out."
Around the sparkling scales of the dragon, there was a place that did not shine.
It's a slight gap that you'll miss if you don't close your eyes, but the scales are peeling off.
"Yes, it is."
Raise nods.
"I don't know how many years the dragon scales are, but they peel off in turn, and new scales grow there. Sometimes, however, scales fall out early and your body peels out. That's what I'm after. It will reach your body."
"Arrows in such a small scale gap of dragons that move so hard."
Almark opens his eyes.
It was almost impossible.
"Do you practice bows?"
I nodded to Raise's question.
"Yeah, it's not going to get any better."
"Practice your bow."
Father said.
"But it's not just the arrows. Come closer and stab me with something heavier."
Are you getting close to that dragon?
You risked your life.
Raise laughs.
That's what dragon hunting is all about.
In front of Almark, who loses his word, the dragon dances like a river playing in the water.
"Look, Almark."
Raise said.
"A living creature must die. Death means there's a way to kill."
Raise says it is.
"That dragon is no exception."
"Yeah."
Almark nodded and tried to think of a dragon hunter himself.
However, Almark couldn't suppress his feeling that the scales shining on the body of the dragon in front of him were beautiful, and his eyes danced gracefully.
When I turned away from the dragon, my father and I met.
The strange expression of my father at that time.
Almark hurriedly opened his mouth.
"Dad, I'm going to hunt dragons one day."
My father laughed low and said nothing.
Eventually the dragon disappeared into the water, and the river regained its calm as if nothing had happened.
The water level goes down in no time.
The children of the Mother Corps rushed into the quiet river cheering.
"Almark!
Mary called Almark with a full smile.
Mary proudly hoisted something like a shiny thin board on both hands.
It's a dragon scale.
Raise said.
There are still sparkling scales in the river.
The children cheer and pick it up.
"Ah, the dragon takes off the old scales. Dragon scales are precious. It sells well."
When Raise said so, Garba, who was back in time, raised her voice.
"Wow, so if I hunt dragons, all those scales will be mine?"
Ah.
Raise laughs.
I see.
Almark loses his words to his father's smile.
"Look with your own eyes and value what you feel."
Raise tapped Almark on the shoulder.
"Almark. Don't forget what you saw today."
Almark opened his eyes.
"Yeah, I got an image."
Almark nodded with a smile to Leila, who peeked worriedly.
I'll do it.
"Yeah."
Almark gently poured magic into Mars' wand.
I'm worried about Wendy. Test anxiety.
Drive the extra stuff out of your head.
As my father put it, such feelings are unnecessary now.
The dragon's supple body. Glowing scales. Eyes with deep emotions.
The beauty, to the divine.
Instead, imagine them carefully.
Dragons are beautiful.
I can't deny that I feel guilty.
Dad, the dragon looked beautiful to me.
You look beautiful.
Slowly, slowly, slowly pour magic into it.
Over time, Mars' wand gradually changes shape.
Leila took a breath.
Dragon hunting.
But I didn't feel like I could hunt it like a dark monster.
Almark projected a dragon burnt in his eyes onto his cane.
I saw the dragon alongside my father.
"This is the dragon."
Leila murmured.
"Wow, it's not what you see in a book."
Almark reached out to what was Mars' wand, which had completely changed.
The little divine creature slowly twisted itself around Almark's arm.
"Beautiful"
Leila murmured.
"Dragons are so beautiful."
Yes, it is.
Almark saw his dragon.
I'm glad Leila said it was beautiful.
"That's what you think."
Almark turned to Leila and smiled.
"Leila, dragons are beautiful."