Encounter with a Boy (?)

I logged in. After our discussion, I was quite exhausted, so I logged out. Since I couldn't log in on my first day back at work after Golden Week because of overtime, I had left a day between logins. Jigoro might be bored by now.

――――――――――

Your tamed monster's Race level has increased.

Your tamed monster's Job level has increased.

――――――――――

Oh, it looks like Cal leveled up again while I was away. The same thing happened during the event, but apparently No. 18 took Cal, who seemed bored, out with them. As expected of an ancient magical Android.

Incidentally, Iris has been repairing No. 18 as much as possible, using No. 18's own knowledge as a reference. So No. 18 probably can't withstand intense combat, but can move well enough to handle miscellaneous chores. That's why No. 18 was able to accompany Cal, and I really can't thank Iris enough.

"Oh, there you are, brother."

"Yeah. Good evening, I suppose."

"Good evening. It's so bright outside, though."

When I stepped outside my room, Jigoro and Iris, who would be traveling with me, were waiting. It seemed they had logged in before me. I felt bad for keeping them waiting.

"What about the others?"

"Ruby and Genjuro are taking Ruby, Kanna-san, and the others to explore the area around the 'Ancient Ruined City.'"

"The surrounding area? Not the ruined city itself?"

"We took out the Harpy boss, but the ruined city is pretty big, right? So there are still plenty left. If anything, it looks like they've already replenished the numbers they lost."

"Sio is the only one good at ranged attacks, but without Cal-kun and Izaam around, it'll be difficult."

It would be pretty tough for Sio, the only one with an anti-air option, to handle that many. The others were undoubtedly better suited to fighting on the ground, while Kanna and Raga would unquestionably be at their best while mounted. In that case, a ruined city full of cover would be terribly difficult for them to fight in.

Fortunately—or so we could call it—we hadn't explored much of the area around the ruined city, either. They might make new discoveries, or an unseen event might occur. They should be able to enjoy themselves in their own way.

"Then let's set out as well. Those two are probably waiting for us, too."

"The desert... I wonder what kind of enemies we'll find. I'm looking forward to it!"

"Um... aren't we planning on staying all that long?"

Iris gave a wry smile at Jigoro, who was grinning as he imagined the powerful enemies he had yet to encounter. We had intended to pick up Eiji and the others and immediately turn around, but Jigoro would probably complain if we didn't get to fight at least a little. I hoped we'd find an enemy of just the right strength. With a slight sense of unease remaining, we left the clan house.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

"Hmm, this is a problem."

"It certainly is..."

"Who'd have thought this would happen..."

After meeting up with Cal, we immediately headed for the 'Ancient Spring.' First, we planned to teleport to the 'Ancient Moving Tower,' then fly through the sky to where Eiji and the others were. He had transferred the map data to me, so there was no need to worry about getting lost. Everything would proceed exactly as planned. None of us doubted that.

"Never expected Cal wouldn't fit..."

Our only, and greatest, miscalculation was that Cal had become too large to fit inside the warp device itself after evolving. Come to think of it, he had been about the size of a horse right after evolving, but now he was nearly twice Raga's size. He had grown little by little, so I had forgotten about it.

"Grrrrrrrr..."

"No, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it, Cal."

Cal seemed to feel responsible for leaving us stranded. If anything, it was my mistake, so it wasn't worth worrying over. Besides, it wasn't as though we had no solution.

"Besides, you've got magnificent wings, don't you?"

"Wings... Hey, brother? Don't tell me..."

"Yes. I think you know exactly what I mean."

"Y-you mean we're going to fly there!?"

Iris cried out in surprise, but that was exactly what I meant. My equipment let me use 【Flight】, so Cal could carry Iris and Jigoro and accompany me. It might take quite a while, but there should be uninhabited islands where we could rest along the way. If there weren't... we'd think of something when the time came!

"Cal, show us the strength you've gained."

"GROOOOOOOOON!!!"

I gently stroked Cal, and he let out a happy roar. Yes, yes. I was glad to see he had regained his spirits.

"Traveling through the sky isn't half bad."

"It's a little scary, but I'll do my best!"

Jigoro seemed enthusiastic, while Iris seemed reluctant, but both agreed to travel through the sky. Now that it was decided, there was no time to dawdle. We would depart at once!

◆◇◆◇◆◇

After leaving the 'Ancient Spring,' we immediately began our aerial journey. Jigoro straddled the base of Cal's neck, while Cal held Iris in his arms. That didn't mean she was doing nothing, however. She was clinging tightly to Cal with her tentacles to keep herself secure.

"This is boring..."

"It is rather boring..."

The journey through the sky was very safe... and therefore extremely boring. There were even bird monsters flying in flocks, but perhaps because they feared Cal, they showed no sign of approaching us.

You might think we could simply enjoy the scenery. And certainly, we had at first. The Vetus Floating Island was at a considerable altitude, so we kept flying at that altitude to avoid being spotted from the ground.

As a result, the scenery hardly changed at all. Looking down over the vast ocean was undoubtedly spectacular, but it was a different matter when it went on forever.

"Grrrrrrrr!"

Cal was the only one of us who was still energetic. He seemed to enjoy the act of flying while carrying his companions, and remained in high spirits the entire time. It was hard to believe he had been depressed earlier.

"Hmm, you two. I see a huge cloud ahead."

"Is that... one of those thunderheads?"

As I was thinking that, an enormous cloud began to appear ahead of us. Just as Jigoro said, its shape was very much like a thunderhead, or cumulonimbus cloud. That kind of cloud was supposed to cause heavy rain fairly often. Should we detour so we wouldn't pass directly beneath it?

"Um... no, it's probably just my imagination. Yeah."

"What is it?"

I was about to tell them that we should change our flight path when I heard Iris say something in a small voice. Had she noticed something strange about that cloud?

"I may be imagining it, but I thought I saw a huge leg through a gap in that cloud..."

"Huh?"

"A leg?"

A leg visible to the naked eye from here...? If it wasn't my imagination, how tall would the owner of that leg have to be? This was just like...

"You mean there's a giant up there? Just like in that picture book I read as a kid."

Jigoro seemed to have been reminded of the same fairy tale as I was. It was the story where someone climbed a beanstalk reaching to the heavens and stole a goose that laid golden eggs from a giant living above the clouds. Looking back over the plot now, I hadn't thought much of it as a child, but even if the other party was a man-eating giant, the protagonist had trespassed into its home with his shoes on and stolen its master's treasure. He was unquestionably some kind of thief.

"No, that's not it! What I saw wasn't a human leg; it looked more like an animal's foreleg!"

"What?"

"An animal's leg?"

It seemed Jigoro and I had completely misunderstood. But if so, what on earth was living over there?

"Gwoah! Grrrrrrrr...!"

At that moment, Cal bared his fangs and gums and began to growl low. This was the sound he made when warning us to be on guard. Knowing that, we immediately assumed battle stances and followed Cal's gaze.

All I could see there was the cumulonimbus cloud from before, but I gradually realized that something was approaching. Yet as it drew nearer, I wondered whether something was wrong with my eyes. No, that wasn't it. Jigoro and Iris were staring blankly as well, so this was no illusion!

"Hey, brother. That looks like a human, right?"

"Yes, it does."

"What it's riding is... a sheep, right?"

"Yes, it is."

"But isn't it huge?"

"Isn't it enormous?"

"Yes, it is."

All I could do was agree with them. Just as they said, what I saw approaching looked like a human riding a sheep.

There was no doubt, however, that both of them were unbelievably enormous, just as they had said. Going by appearances, wasn't the sheep's shoulder height about that of a skyscraper? That gigantic creature was currently charging straight toward us.

"This isn't the time to stand around stunned! At that speed, we can't escape!"

"It's ridiculously huge, but I'll smash it to bits!"

"I-I'll do my best not to be a burden!"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Though the ever-growing sheep filled us with fear, we weren't about to let it kill us without a fight. We might not be able to win, but if we couldn't escape, we had no choice but to fight. Just as we steeled ourselves for that possibility, it happened.

"Hey, hey! You there, little person!"

"A child's voice?"

The one riding atop the sheep was, astonishingly, a gigantic child. How did we know he was a child? His voice had the high pitch characteristic of children, but his clearly visible childish features and proportions were also a giveaway. In human terms, he looked like a boy in the lower grades of elementary school.

"Wow! Even though you're little, you can fly! And you have a cool little Dragon, too! Who are you? Where did you come from? Tell me!"

The gigantic boy—or perhaps a boy from the race of giants? In any case, the child approached us with curiosity sparkling in his eyes and fired question after question at us.

Maybe he wasn't an enemy. Perhaps he had simply come over to speak to us because he found people flying through the sky unusual. All right, then. I would try having a friendly conversation with him. What, hadn't I avoided danger through communication countless times before?

"Nice to meet you. My name is Izaam. My companions and I are traveling from a continent called the Vetus Floating Island toward the Luxresia Continent."

"Oh! My father told me about that! The Vetus Floating Island is where the Dragon God lives, and the Luxresia Continent is where the Tree God lives, right?"

"T-Tree God...?"

Tree God...? It was a term I had never heard before. Was there really such a being? No, wait a moment. Could he be referring to the giant tree we had seen from the Ancient Moving Tower? Its size certainly made it believable that it would be called a tree god.

"The place you're thinking of is probably correct."

"Yay! I was right!"

The boy was delighted with innocent joy. Good, good. We would keep things peaceful and avoid making waves at this rate.

"By the way, we're traveling—"

"Your Highness! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Gah!? Gramps!?"

Ah, this was one of those situations where we weren't getting away anytime soon. The three of us realized that as we watched an even larger sheep approaching, with a heavily armed giant riding astride it.