Chapter 178
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You defeated the Field Boss, David MacFarlane.
Everyone has been awarded a special reward and 6 SP.
Starting next time, you may choose whether to fight the Field Boss.
Your Race level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your Job level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your tamed monster's Race level has increased.
Your tamed monster's Job level has increased.
【Health Recovery Speed Increase】 level has increased.
【Magic Power Recovery Speed Increase】 level has increased.
【Precise Magic Power Control】 level has increased.
【Enchantment】 level has increased.
【Trap Magic】 level has increased.
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MacFarlane finally succumbed when Jigorou broke his neck. We had already defeated the Imitation Bone Dragon before they destroyed the enhanced armor, so the long boss battle finally came to an end.
"This should be the end... shouldn't it...?"
"We can't move on because of this barrier-like thing."
The mist that the Imitation Bone Dragons had been clawing at still had not disappeared. Eiji and the others had tried touching it and attacking it, but nothing changed at all. The same remained true even after the boss battle ended.
"If you think about it normally, I guess that means we still haven't met the conditions needed to pass through?"
"That's probably it, but what are the conditions?"
"Who knows? I haven't got a clue."
We had been desperate just to get this far, and we had no idea how to get through the physically solid, mysterious mist. In the first place, even Bardy Perch, where we had gathered information, had not possessed any detailed information about the 'Black Death Ice Forest.' There was no way anyone would know how to reach its depths.
"What do we do? Once we're recovered, should we all just beat the hell out of it?"
"If it has a physical form, we should be able to cut it."
Jigorou and Genjuro made those suggestions. It could hardly be called a smart approach, but was that really the only option?
'Well, could you spare me that?'
Just as we were about to resort to force, someone stopped us. The voice belonged to an unfamiliar woman, and it came from above our heads.
"Grrrraaaaaaaaaah!!!"
Before I could look up in surprise, Karu suddenly let out a threatening roar and moved between us and the source of the voice. It was unusual for Karu to show such blatant wariness. But I immediately understood why when I saw who had spoken.
"A white... Dragon!?"
"Beautiful..."
A gigantic Dragon was floating overhead, so enormous that it was hard to believe none of us had noticed her until she addressed us. She had two horns resembling transparent, colorless crystal and a pair of wings rounder than Karu's. Her entire body was covered in beautiful pure-white fur. Each individual hair gave off a faint glow, making her seem almost divine.
She had a generally slender build and the appearance of a Western-style Dragon, but we could not afford to let down our guard. Her body was even larger than Agnasrelim-sama, whom we had encountered before. He had been about fifteen meters long, whereas she was more than twice that size.
'Hehehe, thank you for the compliment. Shall I introduce myself? I am Langhort, an Ancient Light Dragon Lord and the guardian of the "Dragon's Sanctuary" ahead.'
Langhort-sama seemed pleased by the praise, her voice carrying a hint of happiness. She landed on the ground; apparently, she really was an Ancient Light Dragon Lord. That meant she was a Dragon of the same rank as Agnasrelim-sama. In other words, her level was in the eighties.
Can you imagine how frightening it was to think that she was more than sixty levels above Karu? Dragons can fight level-sixty-plus Imitation Bone Dragons while at levels in the twenties. As their Dragon Lord, her strength was beyond measure.
"Nice to meet you, Langhort-sama. I am Izaam, the leader of a clan called 'Nightwalker' and a Chaos Abyss Dragonbone Elder Lich."
'Ha ha ha, you must be wanderers, then? You're more polite than I'd heard... huh?'
It would have been a bad idea to pick a fight with a superior opponent who showed no hostility. With that thought in mind, I replied as respectfully as possible, and Langhort-sama laughed in apparent good humor. But then she suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked us over as though examining us. A few seconds later, she opened them wide in surprise.
'Hold on, you're a friend of Agna's and acquainted with Wind Dragon Emperor-sama? What a big shot we've got here.'
"Agna... Do you perhaps mean Agnasrelim-sama?"
'That's right. Was he well?'
Apparently, she had sensed that some of us possessed Titles such as 'Friend of the Water Dragon King' and 'Acquaintance of the Wind Dragon Emperor'. The description had said that highly intelligent Dragons would welcome us unconditionally, and it seemed that was exactly what had happened.
"Yes. Though I didn't get many opportunities to speak with him..."
'Ha ha ha! That's just like that serious man! You must have been acknowledged as a friend for saving the Lizardmen from their crisis, right?'
"Exactly as you surmise."
'I see... Very well, you pass without question.'
When Langhort-sama gave her wings one powerful flap, the white wall blocking our path began to change. Until then, it had merely looked like drifting mist, but it slowly began to swirl. Apparently, she was controlling the wall of mist.
'It would have been enough simply to deal with the remains of that persistent Human, but among you are even people recognized by Agna and Wind Dragon Emperor-sama. You are more than qualified to proceed beyond this point. Besides...'
"Grrrrr..."
Langhort-sama cast a sidelong glance at Karu. Karu responded with a threatening growl. Seeing that Karu had refused to let down his guard from the very beginning, she smiled wryly, though she seemed to find it amusing.
'If that little one is so attached to you, that alone tells me what kind of people you are. Now, follow me.'
With that, Langhort-sama turned her back and began to walk. She entered the swirling mist, and her form disappeared from sight. But it was certainly possible to pass through now. We had no choice but to proceed. We nodded to one another after making eye contact, then followed her.
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After proceeding for about a minute along a path where the mist made it impossible to see even a few meters ahead, our vision suddenly cleared and everything came sharply into view. The scene spread before us was so magnificent that words could hardly describe it.
"This is... the 'Dragon's Sacred Land'..."
'Some people call it paradise, though.'
We were standing in a grassland covered in lush greenery. Warm sunlight poured down from the clear blue sky, and a pleasant breeze occasionally made the hems of our robes dance. It was a peaceful, comfortable place, perfect for a picnic or a hike.
"Kyu! Kyu!"
"Kururuu!"
"S-so cute!"
Numerous Dragon Pups were playing in the grassland. This vast grassland must have been the perfect playground for those children. The women in our group were utterly smitten by the sight of them innocently running and flying around while making adorable cries. Even normally cool Toji was grinning. The charm of Dragon Pups was truly terrifying!
That aside, while observing the Dragon Pups, I noticed that some of them preferred to run while others did nothing but fly. It was probably a matter of individual differences. Their builds, scale colors, whether they had fur, their horns and wings, and even the shapes and numbers of their tails varied slightly from one individual to another, so I never got tired of watching them. I found it extremely fascinating to imagine how they would evolve.
'It's a nice place, isn't it? And you can probably tell without my saying so, but that building is the palace where the Dragon God resides.'
Langhort-sama puffed out her chest proudly and directed our attention toward a single high-rise structure towering in the exact center of the grassland. It was quite different from the modern-looking skyscraper in the Ancient Ruined City, taking the form of a pure-white cylinder. It had no windows; instead, several blue-glowing lines ran vertically along it. They blinked on and off at regular intervals, so we could assume they served some kind of function. It must have dated from the era in which MacFarlane and the others had lived.
Even so, this place alone looked like something out of a futuristic science-fiction work. Yet the white building standing serenely amid the grassland somehow seemed to fit perfectly, which was strangely fascinating.
'Well, this is as far as I go. I have my own duties as a guardian. Someone should come to escort you, so I'll leave the rest to them.'
"Someone to escort us?"
'Yes, that's right. Then, perhaps we'll meet again if the opportunity arises. Farewell!'
Leaving those words behind, Langhort-sama took flight and departed. She flew incredibly fast, and her enormous body had already become a bean-sized speck in the distance. Perhaps Dragon Lords were capable of flying at high speeds.
"An escort, huh? What do you think will come?"
"Probably an Android, right? This facility seems to still be operational, and it wouldn't be strange if Number Eighteen-san's companions were active too."
Toji voiced his question exactly as he was thinking it, and Eiji offered his prediction. That possibility certainly seemed plausible. The Androids were presumably manufactured by ancient Humans, but one now followed us. It would hardly be strange for another to serve the Dragon God in the same way.
"If that's the case, perhaps they could give us repair parts for Towa-san."
"Towa? Could you mean...?"
"Yes! Shio-chan gave her that name!"
"It would be sad to leave her as 'Number Eighteen' forever, wouldn't it?"
"Ten is 'too' and eight is 'wa'—not exactly a creative name, though."
Shio was unusually embarrassed. Apparently, without my knowing it, Number Eighteen had been given the individual name Towa. She spent almost all her time supporting Iris or Shiitake in the workshop, so those of us—including me—who were constantly occupied with combat and exploration did not interact with her much. That was why I had not known this had happened.
"A name, huh... Well, she's one of us, so why not?"
"Exactly! Towa's one of us too... Ah! Something's coming!"
"Above!"
As we talked, Ruby and Shishu, who served as scouts, sensed something approaching before the rest of us. We looked up as instructed and saw several human-shaped silhouettes flying with wings growing from their backs.
"Birdians...?"
"No! Birdians aren't supposed to have wings like bats!"
"And they've got tails, too."
"They've got horns, too."
"Could this really be what I think it is?"
Ignoring our confusion and anticipation, the human-shaped silhouettes landed right beside us. A man who appeared to be their leader stepped forward, bowed, then proudly announced himself.
"Welcome, honored ones, you who have been recognized. I am Matis Drachen. I am the leader of the Dragonnewt tribe and serve as an attendant to that god."
The male Dragonnewt spoke in a ceremonious manner as he introduced himself.