Chapter 108 - Episode 24: "Securing Yakiniku at a Matchmaking Party"
Gokigenyou. I am Violia Nico Fortesia.
I am currently dressing up my dragons.
"I have thoroughly polished their horns, claws, and fangs, removed unnecessary scales to beautifully arrange the line of their tails, even adjusted the shape of each individual scale, and decorated the horns and tails of the female dragons with flowers... it is perfect!"
Before my eyes are my pet dragons. Each one is a most beautiful dragon, perfectly groomed by my hands!
The dragons, with every single scale polished and arranged, have a nobility and beauty that those common wild-gons do not possess!
"Heh. They've become pretty."
"Naturally! They are dragons I have polished!"
After all, these dragons have grown completely large even though a year hasn't passed, and they are already bigger than humans. Therefore, polishing them was a great deal of work. But they have become more beautiful than the effort was worth. That is sufficient compensation.
"...So, are you going to make these guys work?"
"Yes. You are, that is."
...Yes.
There is a reason why I polished these dragons to such beauty.
It is currently March. Come to think of it, nearly a year has passed since the House Fortesia mansion was burned down... well, it is spring. It is spring now.
And speaking of spring, it is the breeding season for dragons. Right around now, dragons become pairs, and through early summer they lay eggs... that is how it goes. Therefore, right now, the wild-gons are looking for brides and grooms.
...However, dragons are high-minded even in the wild. No matter how many dozens of members of the opposite sex there are who do not meet their ideals, they will not become a pair.
Even so, dragons are long-lived creatures, so there is no problem at all even if they continue their search for a bride or groom for a year, two years, or even five or six years.
...Yes. That is it. Dragons are creatures for whom it is no problem at all if breeding is delayed by five years or so, they have high pride and ideals, and on top of that, they are reasonably intelligent.
In other words.
If there is a beautifully groomed dragon at just the right time, no matter if it is a bit of a youngster or whatever... there are many wild-gons who would think to capture it, keep it, raise it, and make it their preferred bride or groom! What a very human-like way of thinking!
Now then.
My objective is to secure a large number of dragons to release into the Kingdom of Asumbra.
For that purpose, I shall aim for this breeding season and set out on a strategy to lure the wild-gons with my pet dragons!
"Then, the final confirmation! Chesta, the dragons will listen to what you say, right?"
"Well, they'll listen to 'stay quiet' or something. Probably."
Then it is fine!
"Doran! Have you become able to ride a dragon!?"
"I have."
Then it is fine!
"Keeb! Onii-sama! Is the modification of the Spatial Bags finished?"
"It's finished. When something over a certain size gets on top, it'll automatically go inside, right? I also made some small ones."
"I helped him! There is no way we could not perform this level of illegal modification!"
That is wonderful!
"And Giovan is staying behind!"
"Yes, yes, have a safe trip—"
With this, preparations are complete! All that's left is to take the pet dragons and go dragon hunting!
...The trap I am thinking of this time is of a very simple construction.
Spatial Bags are set up in a circle around the pet dragons, and when a wild-gon lands nearby, that wild-gon will be stored inside.
In the unlikely event that an impolite wild-gon comes from the sky without landing, I shall shoot it down and make it my food! It is a simple yet perfect plan!
"Then, let us go! The dragon matchmaking party begins!"
Of course, all the wild-gons who come to the matchmaking party will either be captured alive or turned into yakiniku! Just as a beautiful rose has thorns, a beautiful dragon has a trap!
Movement will be done by riding the dragons.
This time, the ones heading to the site are myself, Doran, and Chesta—three people. In short, personnel who can fight reasonably well and can ride dragons.
Keeb cannot ride a dragon, and Giovan is unsuitable for combat, so they are staying behind.
Onii-sama can also fight and ride a dragon... but he has other things to do this time, so he is staying behind. Specifically, he has gone to the Kingdom of Windry to spread bad rumors about the Kingdom of Asumbra and worsen public sentiment. If this can prove that the Kingdom of Windry will not support the Kingdom of Asumbra, it will be a total win!
"This child has also come to fly quite obediently."
"True. I've finally become able to ride as well. It's been a long road to get here."
Previously, when I rode them, these dragons would shrink back completely and be piteously frightened, but now they seem to have realized that as long as they fly obediently, there is nothing scary about me, and they are flying leisurely through the great sky.
As for Doran, the dragons were frightened of him, but he has become quite close to them by interacting in a friendly manner. Chesta goes without saying. For some reason, he has been quite liked by dragons for a long time. Why is that?
"...Ah. A shadow visible in the distance. Isn't that a dragon?"
"Oh. A wild-gon, I see. What a good start."
In early spring, if you leave the Royal Capital and come to the rugged mountains in the deep countryside, dragons and wyverns are flying in the sky. Once spring passes and it becomes early summer, the dragons will all start nesting, and the only ones left will be the sad dragons who failed to form a couple and were left out... but now is the season for dragon hunting!
"...A good start, huh. As expected, you are fearless."
Only... well.
Dragons at this time of year are bloodshot in their search for a mate... so their ferocity has increased somewhat.
Specifically, they are ferocious to the extent that adventurers almost never go dragon hunting during this period...
The dragon that was visible in the distant sky, but before I knew it, its shadow has become larger...
"...The dragon ahead, isn't it heading this way?"
"Yeah... it's approaching. What should we do?"
"We shall capture it. It would be a waste of a dragon to kill it one by one in a place like this."
It seems we have caught one immediately. Well, since there are three such beautiful dragons here, it must be a golden opportunity for a wild-gon.
And of course, it is a dragon hunting opportunity for me as well.
I nock an arrow to my bow and steadily aim at the dragon ahead.
The dragon is coming straight this way. It will likely judge its preferred dragon of the opposite sex the instant it approaches, and come to knock it down with its wing or tail. And then it will try to become a pair at the place where it knocked it down. A dragon's courtship is quite a mess. It is not gentlemanly at all!
"It's coming."
"Yes. No problem at all."
But that posture of rushing straight ahead with such honesty is not bad. After all, it makes it incredibly easy to aim!
I drew my bow to the limit... and then, at the very last second when the wild-gon approached and was about to attack our dragon, I released the arrow.
By the way, this arrow is a special make.
Surprisingly, a minimum-sized Spatial Bag is tied to the tip of the arrow.
"It went well!"
Having landed on the ground by maneuvering the dragon, I recovered the Spatial Bag from the arrow that fell to the ground and confirmed that the dragon was securely contained within!
The memorable first one! To think I could capture it so quickly, what a good start!
"...Hey, if you're going to set traps, you'd better hurry. Quite a few are coming."
"Oh. Is that a wyvern over there? They are not as good as dragons, but if we can capture them, the sky of the Kingdom of Asumbra will become quite lively."
"Violia. You should hurry. Dragons' territories are all around. We've already been noticed."
Oh dear. If I look around, I can see shadows of what look like dragons here and there in the distant sky.
Then, let us get to setting the traps around here. And then we shall capture a massive number of wild-gons and quickly head to the next dragon habitat!
Our pet dragons were indeed very popular. If the time with the Pin-Hane Girl was like single-line fishing, this one is like seine fishing, perhaps?
The appearance meticulously groomed by human hands has a difference like heaven and earth compared to the wild-gons. If such dragons are flying in the sky for a bit, several wild-gons are lured and come in no time. If we just guide them appropriately and make them land, they are already tucked away inside the Spatial Bags. It is easy and good!
"Breeding season dragons really are ferocious... ow, it went quite deep."
"Are you okay?"
...Well, on the other hand, there are some injuries. Even now, Chesta was grazed by a dragon's breath, and his right leg has a burn. Well, it cannot be helped to some extent. This is the best point when weighing danger against efficiency.
"From a distance, they don't seem to notice us much. But once they get close, they'll realize there are humans riding on top, won't they..."
"Dragons are harsh toward humans, after all."
Naturally, when a dragon sees a human, it is normal for it to attack immediately. The only dragons that do not attack are the ones hatched from eggs. Well, humans frequently hunt dragons, capture them alive, and steal their eggs, so we must be natural enemies to dragons.
"Well, just a little more patience. We shall reach the target number soon."
"Which means, fifty of them...? Ugh..."
Yes. Fifty dragons. If we include the wyverns and Shikotama-Dondokosho-Wings we captured to kill time along the way, the number will be even higher.
...The sky where fifty dragons fly will surely be a magnificent sight. I am quite enchanted...
"...Hey. A large swarm is making its appearance."
While I was enchanted, before I knew it, a shadow of considerable size had come into the eastern sky. That is... a swarm of dragons!
"Oh. With that size, is it the boss of this area? Which means, the surrounding dragons are females?"
"Yeah. It looks like it's on its way back from forming a harem."
Dragons are creatures that readily practice polygyny, so it is not uncommon for a swarm to be formed by a harem.
However, with that many dragons... the dragon at the center of that harem must be...
"A very attractive male dragon, is it not...?"
If we can capture that and make it fly in the sky of the Kingdom of Asumbra, it will surely make for a good picture!
"We shall capture that!"
"Are you serious? I want to run away, is that no good?"
"It is no good! Or rather, it is too late to run away now!"
...That is likely a dragon over a hundred years old. The magic power I feel is in a different league.
The giant dragon that appeared above us glared at us... and to prepare to exhale its breath, it began to take a deep, deep breath in.
"As expected, it is all about the Spatial Bags."
"...The idea of tying a Spatial Bag to an arrow was the right answer."
Well, even for a dragon over a hundred years old, if I put it in a bag before it can exhale its breath, that is the end of it!
"Now, now, now! We shall capture all the remaining female dragons too! If they cannot be captured alive, I shall turn them into tonight's yakiniku!"
"Ugh... hey, Doran. I'm counting on you. If Violia finishes them all off, we won't be able to eat."
"It can't be helped..."
Until I have obtained plenty of soldiers to incite against the Kingdom of Asumbra and tonight's dinner, I am not going home—!