I didn't tell mom what happened. I don't know how she'd react if I told her. This is the first time I've ever kept a secret to my mom before. I don't know how I should feel about this. Mom had to make do with the small amount of mushrooms that we found. She said it's enough just for me.
I enjoyed dinner that night and slept uneasily. I couldn't stop thinking about what happened this afternoon. How I almost fell off the river... and, how... a small black dragon saved our lives.
The next day, we told the rest of our friends what happened. Some didn't believe, and others were shocked beyond belief. There are seven of us, and only Zach, Esnov, and me... us three were the only ones who experienced it firsthand. The other four didn't join us because they had other stuff to do.
Aunas: "Hah?! You fought a dragon? I'm not buyin it."
Zachary: "I never said I fought it! But, it did ran away when I ran towards it."
Aunas: "Heh. It probably saw an even tastier food than you. You stink after all."
Zachary: "Say that again?!!"
The two boys continue arguing. Meanwhile, the other five talk softly.
Selle: "Were you really saved by a dragon?"
Alice: "Yes. I'm sure of it. We almost fell off the river, until that dragon caught us and carried us back to land."
Selle: "My! How heroic!"
Esnov: "Well... it did pounce on her when she tried going near it."
Selle: "Really, now? Alice dear, are you hurt?"
Alice: "No, it's okay, I'm fine. It flew away after it caught a lot of fish."
Hal: "Guess it was just hungry."
Kamil: "Then, why didn't it eat Alice though?"
Aunas, Selle, Hal, and Kamil are four of my friends who didn't join us in looking for mushrooms. Aunas always sounds like he's trying to start a fight and the way he talks sometimes offend others, but I'm sure he can't help it if he was raised that way. Zach lives with Hal's parents because his father is busy, being an adventurer and all, and his mother passed away years ago. Hal is completely unmotivated to do anything. He lounges around most of the day doing nothing. That's why he didn't want to join us yesterday.
Selle and Kamil are... a bit special. They're both adapted and they live right next to each other. Selle sounds and acts like a princess. Her refined words and actions make it hard to believe that she's living here inside a small village like ours. Kamil is just the same. He's very good-looking. He's a kind-hearted, good-natured, and honest boy who smiles all the time and often helps people. Yesterday, he was too busy helping too many people that he couldn't help us, his friends, out. [A.N: In Japan, the term to describe Kamil would be "ikemen", meaning "hot guy" or "handsome" =3]
Alice: "I'm... thinking of going back there."
Everyone went silent. And then, Zach cut in.
Zachary: "You're going to meet that dragon again, right? I'm going with you!"
Esnov: "W-w-wait a minute! You're going back?! W-why?! It's too dangerous!"
Hal: "Why would you go back to a monster that nearly ate you?"
Alice: "I'm sure it was just scared. I approached it without warning after all... I was going to say thank you. That's why I'm going back. So I can properly thank it again."
Hal: "Ee~eh...?"
Aunas: "Did you hit your head or somethin?"
Selle: "Alice..."
Kamil: "I'm not sure if that's a good idea."
Alice: "............"
Zachary: "Don't worry, Alice. I'll go with you, so you won't be alone."
Esnov: "Z-Zach! You know you shouldn-...!"
Zachary: "Just ignore them, Alice. Let's go."
(Everyone): "........................"
In the end, everyone came along.
Hal: "How did I end up tagging along with this?"
Kamil(smiling): "Wasn't it because you were worried and that you also want to meet Alice's dragon friend?"
Hal: "I-I did not!"
Selle: "But, you did. Didn't you?"
Hal: "I-I... did... NT! I didn't! I mean, I..."
Aunas: "Quit hiding your embarrassment, Hal. You sound annoying."
Zachary: "So, how do we go about finding it anyway? It went back to the other side of the river."
Alice: "Then, I'll just call it here. I'll keep calling out until it actually shows up again. You guys can help out too."
==========================
(Meanwhile...)
==========================
So, I learned from Garg that not all humans are as strong as the ones we encountered in the cave. Only a few of them are strong, and a vast majority of them are fairly weak and helpless. Oh, and... Garg won the contest. I happened to come across a large gorilla on the way back, so I decided to kill it and show it to Garg, with confidence that I was going to win... but, it seems his catch was much bigger since he brought back an oversized boar. I lost... against Garg... against that know-it-all bat... but, that boar meat was still good, nonetheless.
The next day, after a quick breakfast, I decided to finally start my training. I was too busy enjoying this hunting life these past few days that I almost forgot about becoming stronger. I started out with releasing raw flames at the sky and tried to tire myself out. After several minutes, I finally got tired. It seems that I can continue spewing flames at a max of seven minutes. That's quite long. Did I even remember to breathe during that time?
"Say, Garg... are you going to train too? Niks would laugh at you if you came back without getting any stronger. She might end up getting more powerful than you the next time we meet."
Garg: "Oh, don't worry about me, Boss. I've also been powering myself up after I got beaten badly by those two humans before."
"Ah... I see..."
Garg: "Hm?"
Garg's large ears start to twitch.
"What is it? Something heading our way?"
Garg: "No... it's... umm... you told me you saved a bunch of small humans yesterday, right?"
"Yeah...?"
Garg: "I... think they came back looking for you. They're on the other side of a river."
"What?!"
I immediately run towards the direction of the river.
Garg: "Boss, wait!"
When I arrived at the river, I see them in the other side. There are more of them now. They're screaming "Dragon! Dragon!". I guess they really were looking for me. But, why? And, also... wouldn't screaming like that only attract monsters to attack them?
That blonde-haired girl from before saw me back. Alice... was her name, right?
Alice: "Ah! It's here! We meet again!"
Zachary: "It actually came."
Selle: "Oh my, it really is a dragon."
Kamil: "This is the first time I've seen one."
I count six of them. No, wait... there's another one from behind. This makes seven of them. He's trying to push the others back so he can be in front.
Aunas: "Hey, hey. Move it. Let me see it too."
Alice: "Ah..."
That Alice girl was pushed forward. She slipped and fell down the river again. That spiky-haired kid tried to reach her just like before, but this time, he didn't make it in time, and the rest only gasped at their plummeting friend. Could these humans get any more pathetic?
I jumped at the river and caught her before she fell on the water. I flew over them and dropped the girl abruptly.
(Everyone): "Alice!"
Esnov: "Are you okay?"
Selle: "That was scary."
Hal: "My heart almost stopped."
Zachary: "Aunas! Apologize to her!"
Aunas: "I-... I-... I'm sorry."
Alice: "It's okay. I'm fine now. But, did you see that?! The dragon saved me again! Thank y-..."
"What is wrong with you?!"
(Everyone): ".................."
Alice: "...... Heh...?"
"Why do you always keep falling on that river?!"
Kamil: "Ah."
Zachary: "It talked."