I gazed at the gradually weakening snowfall and spoke.
“It looks like it’ll stop completely soon.”
They’d said the blizzard would ease off by afternoon. Amazingly, the Floating Island’s weather forecast was spot-on once again.
If I hadn’t known in advance, I wouldn’t have been this calm. I’d probably have been seriously stressing over how to get back to the Floating Island.
“Y-yeah… it does.”
I tilted my head. For some reason, Philip looked quite flustered.
“So… how exactly did you end up getting lost?”
“Ah, I was pursuing a dragon.”
“A dragon?”
My eyes widened. I hadn’t expected the word “dragon” to come out of his mouth.
“Recently, a fire dragon appeared near the Empire’s borders.”
Twitch.
He had specifically said “fire dragon.”
It was obvious he was referring to the time I rode Vivita to rescue Dorori.
“The council dispatched me to track the fire dragon. But then I ran into this sudden blizzard.”
“Ah, I see.”
My heart pounded violently inside, but I forced myself to stay composed.
“But why exactly are you pursuing a dragon…?”
“Because a dragon poses a threat to the Empire.”
His expression turned quite serious.
“Y-yeah, I suppose so.”
It seemed my actions had caused some misunderstanding. I needed to explain things carefully to clear it up.
“Still… I don’t think the dragon will attack the Empire.”
For a moment, his eyes narrowed.
“…You say that with remarkable certainty.”
Twitch.
“Ah, just a feeling, you know.”
“Like the weather?”
“Huh? Yeah. Like the weather.”
“…If Fabir-ssi says so, then perhaps it’s true.”
He nodded as he answered.
…What is this conversation?
It felt completely disjointed.
I had no idea which part he’d suddenly accepted.
“But the council’s concern isn’t just that.”
“There’s another reason?”
“The Monster Wave.”
“Monster Wave?”
“You’ve never heard of it?”
“I’m a bit short on formal education, you see.”
“…You’re hiding quite a lot, aren’t you?”
“…?”
“I understand.”
The conversation grew more and more bewildering.
What exactly was I supposed to be hiding?
…Is this guy just from another dimension?
Anyway, it seemed certain he didn’t know I was the one involved in the fire dragon incident.
“The Monster Wave refers to the mass migration of monsters fleeing from an apex predator like a dragon.”
“Ah… so in that case…”
“Yes. We have to prepare for the possibility of monster hordes raiding human lands.”
My hands turned ice-cold. The mere movement of a dragon could trigger such a catastrophe. I bit my lip hard.
“If it were me, I’d never let something like that happen!”
This misunderstanding and worry were my fault.
There was no way the dragon would ever leave the Floating Island.
I’d make absolutely sure of it.
This was a serious issue—for the Floating Island and for all of humanity.
A burning sense of duty erupted in my chest like a volcano.
Pfft.
Philip let out a small laugh.
“You’re right. We absolutely cannot allow that.”
Determination blazed in Philip’s eyes.
Soon after, he stood up.
“The snow’s stopped outside, so I should get going.”
“Huh? You barely rested. At least have something to eat before you leave.”
“No, it’s fine. Thanks to you, Fabir-ssi, I’ve once again realized just how important my mission is.”
“…?”
I blinked.
That wasn’t what I meant. Had he misunderstood?
The conversation seemed to have slipped straight into a labyrinth.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Then let me walk you to the entrance. I was heading out anyway.”
“There’s really no need.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay going alone? This is still inside a beastkin village.”
“Ah… right, I forgot. I’d appreciate it.”
I escorted Philip to the village entrance.
Along the way, I endured some sharp stares from the beastkin, but nothing escalated.
“Piiiit!”
“Dorori!”
As soon as we reached the entrance, I ran to Dorori and threw my arms around him.
“You worked hard coming all this way.”
“Piit!”
Being wrapped in Dorori’s warm feathers melted away all my worries.
“That bird…?”
“This is my friend Dorori. He’s the kind one who always escorts me here.”
“You ride a bird?!”
Philip’s voice rose in genuine surprise.
I promptly climbed onto Dorori’s back.
“I’ll be heading off now. Oh—and just so you know, the Empire is that way.”
“Thank you. If you ever come to the Empire, please look me up.”
“I will.”
Flap flap.
Dorori beat his powerful wings and soared high into the sky.
At that moment—
“Huh…? Whaaat?!”
From below, I thought I heard Philip’s startled voice drifting up faintly.
I glanced sideways downward.
Philip was muttering something and waving his arms wildly.
…
I briefly wondered if I should turn back, but I needed to hurry home and prepare dinner for everyone.
I was already an hour late—they were probably starving by now.
He seemed like the type who overthinks things anyway. It was probably nothing.
I casually headed back toward the Floating Island.
***
Philip watched the massive bird ascend. Taming a bird like that—what an extraordinary person.
“We should head back too.”
He mounted his dragon horse and turned to leave.
Pause.
“Dorori…?”
The name sounded vaguely familiar.
“…Whaaat?!”
Suddenly, realization struck. Philip’s eyes widened to the point of tearing.
Dorori. A man who vanished riding a giant bird. Golden hair gleaming in the sunlight.
Green eyes that seemed to hold the essence of nature itself.
“D-dragon rider?”
The pieces clicked together in his mind.
The man named Fabir matched the description of the rumored figure perfectly.
Haa… so that’s why…
Now the earlier conversation made sense. That was why he’d spoken with such certainty, as though he knew the fire dragon well.
There was no doubt. This was the dragon rider Philip had been searching for.
“W-wait!”
He whipped his head around, frantically scanning the sky. But the man was already gone.
“Dragon Rider-nim…”
Philip stared blankly at the heavens. The blizzard had ceased, and sunlight poured through the clouds. One of Fabir’s words suddenly echoed in his mind.
“…I’ll never let that happen.”
A faint smile spread across Philip’s face.
It seemed there was no longer any need to hunt down the red dragon.
“Dragon horse. Let’s head home.”
He turned his mount toward the Empire.
***
Philip returned safely to the Empire.
However, the news he brought threw the imperial council into an uproar.
Ahem…
A heavy groan settled over the meeting hall, and the atmosphere grew tense.
“I can hardly believe it even after hearing it. A dragon rider actually exists.”
“Could he have been mistaken?”
“He is one of the Empire’s elite dragon knights. There’s no way he’d make such an error.”
Everyone clicked their tongues in disbelief at the unbelievable tale.
At the center of every discussion was the mysterious man.
“Fabir… Could that person truly be a dragon rider?”
The first dragon rider since the legendary Ryan had appeared. His mere existence was enough to set the entire Empire ablaze.
But what shocked them even more was that the being he rode was none other than one of the ancient dragons—a fire dragon.
“More importantly… is this really alright?”
“He said not to worry, didn’t he?”
“Are we seriously going to trust his word?”
Ahem…
No one in the room could answer readily.
They knew only the title “dragon rider.” Everything else remained shrouded in mystery.
Blindly trusting his words in such a situation felt deeply unsettling.
And there was another reason they were even more anxious.
“I’ve heard he’s particularly close with the beastkin.”
“That’s correct. They even call him a hero.”
His closeness with the beastkin was the problem.
Considering the relationship between the Empire and the beastkin tribes, this was terrible news for the Empire.
Of all things, close ties with beastkin…
“This puts the Empire in an extremely precarious position.”
“If the beastkin persuade him to turn against the Empire…”
“The Empire could face the worst crisis in its history.”
The councilors let out deep sighs.
Until now, they had regarded beastkin as primitive savages unworthy of standing at the Empire’s feet.
No matter how skilled their hunters or how superior their physiques, the Empire had mighty dragon knights.
A single village could never compare in scale to the Empire—they hadn’t even considered the beastkin villages a threat.
But Fabir’s appearance had completely overturned that balance.
“Let us sign a peace treaty with the beastkin villages.”
At the sudden suggestion from one councilor, everyone’s eyes widened.
“What did you say?”
“A peace treaty?”
“They’re savages!”
The previously somber council erupted once more. It split into two factions, clashing fiercely.
“Then do you have a better option?”
“It’s still impossible!”
“We are facing an unprecedented threat! Think of the Empire’s future!”
“I cannot accept this! The citizens will revolt!”
The century-long territorial disputes had built up deep-seated resentment between the beastkin tribes and the Empire.
The idea of the Empire taking the first step toward reconciliation was especially galling.
At that moment, a deep, resonant voice like rolling thunder filled the chamber.
“A difficult decision indeed.”
Blood-red eyes. A colossal frame reminiscent of a giant.
The Emperor of the Empire, who had been silently observing the councilors from the head seat, finally spoke.
“But the time has come to decide.”
At his weighty words, the councilors who had been venting their dissatisfaction instantly fell silent. The Emperor’s sharp gaze swept over them.
Gulp—
Everyone held their breath, awaiting his decision.
After a brief silence—
“…Proceed with the peace treaty.”
The Emperor’s voice dominated the hall.
“And furthermore—”
His lava-like eyes flashed as he emphasized strongly.
“Bring Fabir before me. Without fail!”
“““For the Empire!”””
The councilors bowed their heads in unison, accepting the Emperor’s will.