Badlands Saga: Reincarnation in a Different World with Extreme Charisma - Chapter 31

Chapter 31   Funky Dealer 5

When faced with a creature like a dragon, how should one respond?

Should you flee, hide, or perhaps kneel and pray to the gods?

In reality, any of these options might be futile.

The truth is, flying dragons are incredibly fast creatures.

Just a few seconds after someone shouted…

The red dragon had already flown past the wasteland.

A few seconds later, a massive explosion echoed from the mountains — BOOM!!

The red dragon, leaving even sound behind, was already a tiny speck on the horizon, far out over the sea.

“…Did it go?”

“Yeah, as impatient as ever.”

“Huh?! Where’d the dragon go!?”

“It’s already out at sea.”

Unlike Kintman, Isara and I were calm for good reason.

It wasn’t the first time we had seen that dragon flying over this land.

“That dragon heads to the sea from time to time. It doesn’t bother coming down here.”

“Really… You guys are so calm because you knew that, huh…”

Kintman muttered this, sighing deeply as he clutched his chest and crouched down.

If even he was this shaken, the ordinary folks must have been absolutely terrified.

I’d better explain it to them properly.

“Isara, amplify my voice.”

“Is that necessary?”

“For those who don’t know, it must be utterly terrifying.”

“…Understood.”

I spoke to the terrified and panicked Makiano people, using my amplified voice:

“Furi! Calm down, Furi! Calm down! The Mesquis monster has only gone to the Gorm Sea, that’s all!”

As I kept speaking, the Makiano people, who had been panicking and running, began to look my way… Slowly realizing they were no longer in danger, they collapsed to the ground in relief.

Well, their reaction was understandable, really. After all, it was a flying dragon.

Earthquakes, lightning, gods, and fire dragons — those are primal fears.

Unlike the massive, sluggish land dragons that resemble giant golden lizards, flying dragons wield magic, and they’re unbeatable by mere humans.

“How long has it been since Kuiwaina, that red dragon, last went diving into the sea? Two years?”

“About that, I suppose.”

“Diving into the sea?”

“Whether it’s to eat or bathe, the dragon occasionally dives into the ocean. They say if you send a boat out when it does, you’ll get a good haul of fish.”

“Couldn’t it mistake the boat for a fish and eat it?”

“Humans fear hunger more than being eaten.”

“Is that so?”

As we chatted, I saw the large barrel of sake being lifted again in the distance, slowly making its way back toward us.

“See? People fear not drinking more than being eaten by a dragon.”

“I’m more afraid of being eaten, though…”

Kintman, still sitting on the ground, glanced at the sea, then at the sake barrel, and back at the sea again.

“It’s coming back.”

“Huh?”

“The dragon’s coming back!”

“That’s fast… maybe it spotted a whale or something.”

“Hey! Hey, hey, hey! Aren’t we supposed to be running?”

“It’s fine.”

“But look at it… it’s different this time! It’s flying back slowly!”

“What?”

I turned to face the sea, just as Kuiwaina was gliding back over the harbor from the ocean.

Looking up at the red dragon flying slowly overhead, I couldn’t help but think how its relatively small front legs were kind of cute, or how the white scales on its belly gleamed blindingly in the sunlight.

And then, at that very moment, its head tilted, and its golden eyes seemed to lock onto mine.

“…Did it just look at me?”

“Huh?”

I could definitely feel its gaze from the sky, and it wasn’t just my imagination.

Instead of heading toward the Karakan Mountains as expected, the red dragon started to circle back, kicking up clouds of dust in the wasteland and coming straight toward us.

“It’s… it’s coming back!!”

“RUN FOR IT!!!”

What the heck!?

Why is it suddenly so interested in us today!?

“This is bad!!”

“Let’s get out of here!!”

I was so stunned by the situation that I froze, and before I knew it, Kintman had hoisted me onto his shoulder and started running toward the sea.

It seemed like my father and brother, along with the knights, were already running in the same direction.

“Damn it! Damn it! What kind of place is this!?”

“Why is it coming this way!?”

“If you keep talking, you’re gonna bite your tongue!”

From Kintman’s shoulder, I looked up at the sky and saw that Kuiwaina was circling above the harbor, causing a loud gust of wind as it flew.

“Why’s it flying in circles?”

There wasn’t anyone left under the circling dragon; only the abandoned barrels of alcohol remained.

“…Could it be after the alcohol?”

“Alcohol!? Do dragons even drink alcohol!?”

“Look, it’s clearly circling right above the barrels.”

As Kintman and I talked about it while rushing onto the boat, my family and the children had already boarded. The moment we stepped on, the boat pushed off from the harbor.

“Look, it landed! It landed!”

“Ah, so it really was after the alcohol…”

Kuiwaina slowly descended onto the wasteland, grabbed the large barrel with its front claws, and leisurely flapped its wings as it took off again.

Hovering at the same height for a moment, as if gathering strength, the red dragon turned its head towards the sea.

Its golden eyes, flickering like flames, seemed to glare right at us. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Kuiwaina was locking its gaze on me, and I instinctively took a step back on the boat.

Eventually, Kuiwaina began to ascend, flying toward the Karakan Mountains at a much slower pace than when it first arrived.

…To be honest, the tasting event was a complete disaster.

In the end, we couldn’t even let them drink properly, and, although it was out of our control, we ended up putting their lives in danger.

At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if the investment deal with the Makiano merchants that Harriett had set up were to be canceled.

That’s what I thought, anyway.

However, after the dragon left and everyone calmed down, what came out of the mouths of the Makiano guests and merchants was something completely unexpected.

“We want to buy the dragon’s sake! We’ll pay with Folk gold!”

“We’re willing to pay in advance! Reserve the dragon sake for us!”

“We’ll even provide the ingredients! We’ll buy whatever you produce!”

“I just need one bottle! Is there any left? It’s a good luck charm! I want to bring it home for my son to drink!”

Amazingly, they were now clamoring desperately for the alcohol.

And it wasn’t the same kind of demand as before the dragon showed up. This was as if they were feverishly obsessed with it.

“Medubal, what is this about?”

“The reputation has grown. A tale of the dragon seeking out the alcohol—one cannot acquire such a story easily. Truly, Lord Fusha, you are a fortunate man…”

“No, I don’t think this is about luck…”

“It is luck, my lord, the luck of the heavens! This is good news. If you make more sake, you’ll never have to worry about something as trivial as taxes.”

“Well… that’s certainly good news…”

While the tasting event had been a failure, we were now much closer to the goal of making money from the sake.

In any case, despite how things turned out, we were still moving forward.

Now, all that’s left is to actually make the money and pay off the taxes.

If the story ended there, it might have been a fitting conclusion.

But, the story didn’t end there.

The dragon came back.

And this time, it landed directly on top of my tower.

“You have to escape right away!” Isara exclaimed, tugging at my collar as I tried to climb the stairs to the rooftop.

It had been about a month since the tasting event, and suddenly, today at noon, Kuiwaina had flown directly to the top of my tower. While everyone in the castle was fleeing like startled rabbits, I was the only one trying to head up to the tower, with Isara desperately trying to stop me.

“If it’s come all the way to my tower, it must want something from me.”

“If you go out there, it’ll eat you!”

I didn’t know what its intentions were, but the red dragon had come directly to this tower. This was the tower that my wife and I mostly occupied, and as the lord of this place, it was only natural that I should meet the guest.

Besides, if the gaze I’d felt from it that day wasn’t just my imagination… then Kuiwaina had specifically come here for me.

If that were true, there’d be no point in trying to escape. No one in this world could outrun a dragon once they were its target.

“Isara, whose knight are you?”

“Yours, Lord Fusha…”

“Then let me go. If it wanted to kill me, it would have already burned the castle to the ground without warning.”

“But it’s a dragon! What do you plan to do if you go?”

“I’ll talk to it.”

“You can’t just talk to a dragon! It’ll eat you… but, I’ll go with you.”

Reluctantly, Isara said this as she drew her emerald sword and rested it on her shoulder. I nodded in response, and then, from the bottom of the stairs, I heard the sound of someone else coming up.

“Ah! You two are still here? Hurry up and escape!”

It was Kintman who had come up the stairs.

“We’re going to meet the dragon, Kintman,” I said.

“What!? Why?!”

“This is my tower. I need to see what the guest wants.”

“Guest!? It’s a dragon!”

I didn’t answer and continued climbing the stairs. Isara followed behind me.

“Wait, wait, wait! I’m not being left behind again!”

Kintman, grumbling as he ran up the stairs, caught up and walked alongside Isara. I wasn’t planning to drag him into this, but we had made a promise that I wouldn’t leave him behind again.

Oddly enough, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to die. The gaze of that dragon hadn’t struck me as dangerous.

“Let’s go.”

I opened the door to the rooftop, and there sat Kuiwaina, coiled like a serpent. Its enormous face was right next to the door, and its fiery, golden eyes were fixed directly on me.

“O guardian dragon of the Karakan Mountains! I humbly ask, what business do you have at my tower?”

As I addressed it, Kuiwaina raised its head slightly and pushed its nose right in front of me. A hot breath blasted over me, nearly knocking me back, and its scaly snout grazed my body.

In that moment, neither Isara, Kintman, nor I could move. Whether we attacked it with swords or magic, we knew that not a single scratch would land on Kuiwaina. The sheer difference in power as living beings was overwhelming.

“……”

Kuiwaina, who had been pressing its nose against me, silently opened its mouth. A bright red tongue extended between its sharp teeth. The long, thick tongue flicked around near me for a moment, then gave my face a quick lick before swiftly retreating.

Then, slowly raising its body, Kuiwaina extended its massive front paw in front of me, presenting a large, perfectly white egg.

“…What is this?”

The dragon rolled the egg towards me, then pressed its snout against my body once more. Despite being dropped onto the stone rooftop, the egg showed no sign of cracks or even a single scratch. It was enormous, about the size of my navel, and clearly extraordinarily tough.

“Are you giving this to me?”

In response to my question, Kuiwaina let out a deep rumbling sound, retracting its neck. Then, with a great flap of its wings, the enormous creature gently lifted off the ground. It soared higher and higher, turning gracefully in the air before flying away, its tail streaming behind.

“…What was that all about?”

“Did it leave us the egg?”

“I thought I was gonna die, for real…”

As the three of us sat there, collapsed on the rooftop, we suddenly heard a familiar laugh from somewhere.

“Heh heh heh… Amusing, very amusing, these young ones here.”

Laughing as if in high spirits, the figure of Isrotrep appeared out of the void.

“Hey! You old hag! While we were about to get eaten by a dragon, where the hell were you hiding?!”

“Calling a beauty like me an old hag? Watch your mouth, Kintman, or you’ll lose it.”

Though she furrowed her brow, she didn’t seem all that angry.

“But, my oh my, first a beast, now a flying dragon wanting marriage? You’re quite the lustful one, even before you’ve properly matured.”

“Marriage?”

“A dragon can reproduce on its own, but it can also choose a mate. When a female dragon offers an egg to another, it’s a proposal, a show of its reproductive capability.”

“…Huh?! I’m a human!”

“When it comes to a creature as powerful as a winged dragon, it doesn’t care about the species. There are dragons that have paired with whales, and some with bears. So why not humans?”

Wait… What!?

But how would that even…?

“So, does that mean Kuiwaina will come back here?”

“Who knows. Dragons aren’t like humans, rushing into things like mating after just a few minutes. It could be a year from now, ten years, or even a hundred.”

“So basically, no one knows when she’ll come?”

“Ah, you’re so impatient, young one. Well, just be prepared. Once the dragon decides, no one can stop ot.”

After delivering her cryptic remarks, Isrortep disappeared just as she had appeared—fading into the air.

A proposal, huh?

What on earth did that dragon see in me?

“…Ouch!”

As I sat there, I instinctively placed my hand on the egg. It was so hot that it felt like I might get burned.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, the egg’s really hot… Oh!”

Come to think of it, Isrortep mentioned earlier that dragons can reproduce on their own…

Does that mean this egg is fertilized!?

“You’re right, this egg is insanely hot…”

“Could it be that if we leave it alone, a dragon might actually hatch from it? What the hell am I supposed to do with this…?”

I asked that question to the towering curtain of the Karakan Mountains, but of course, no answer came.

Even though summer was approaching, a cool breeze swept across the rooftop, stealing the warmth from my sweat-drenched body.

Shivering slightly, I decided to lean my back against the hot egg beside me, trying to warm up.

◆◆◆

It was rumored that the young lord of Tanukan would be distributing alcohol.

This buzz spread through our small town around mid-spring.

“What’s alcohol?”

“Apparently, it’s something really nice. They say my grandfather once got to drink some from the fishing net owner.”

“I wonder if it’s tasty?”

“It seems to be. They say alcohol is made using sweet potatoes and barley, and since they use good ingredients, it must be delicious.”

“Dad, I want to drink a lot!”

“Alcohol is supposed to be quite precious, so we might not get much.”

Our family has been living in this town since the time of the first Lord Kent, a historically established but poor family.

Since the rumors started circulating, my dad, my sons, and I have been filled with thoughts of alcohol, something we’ve never tasted before.

“How much does Mom drink?”

“Let’s just have her stick to one cup. If she drinks something too delicious, it might upset her stomach.”

“I wonder if it’s made from the sweet potatoes we grow in our fields?”

“I heard it’s made from the barley the Makiano folks brought over.”

“If it’s barley, we could’ve just eaten it as is.”

After talking about it day after day, the long-awaited day of the alcohol finally arrived.

Dressed in our finest clothes, our family headed to the port, which was incredibly crowded.

There were more Makiano people who had come from beyond the wasteland than townsfolk, making it feel a bit scary to be out and about without this event going on.

“Listen up, you two! Don’t let go of your dad and mom’s hands! You could get kidnapped and sold to the Makiano!”

“Look! Over there! They’re handing out food! Sweet potatoes!”

“If we don’t drink some alcohol first, we’ll regret it for life. Just look at the size of that barrel; there won’t be enough for everyone!”

The boys, who had never seen so many people gathered before, were buzzing with excitement. We pulled them along, managing to get close to the barrel.

“Okay, what do you say when you get some alcohol?”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you very much!”

“That’s right! You two, make sure to be polite!”

I reminded the kids, who were holding their teacups around their necks with straw ropes, as we lined up for the alcohol that had finally started being distributed.

While we waited, I worried that they might run out, but our family was able to get some alcohol from Lord Koutasma without incident.

“Alright, take small sips. It might surprise your stomach.”

“Ugh! It tastes weird!”

“What is this?!”

“It smells strange!”

“Hey! You shouldn’t say things like that! It’s an adult drink, and you just aren’t ready for it yet!”

But as I scolded my sons, I couldn’t help but notice that the alcohol had a strange smell.

The taste was rich and refreshing, and I felt like I could drink it endlessly, but the aroma was something I found a bit off-putting too.

“Oh, I can’t handle this.”

“If you won’t drink it, should I have it instead?”

“Then I’ll give it to Mom.”

After taking a sip from Dad’s cup, the flavor felt much more pronounced. It was as if a flower bloomed in my mouth, reminiscent of fruits I had eaten before. I felt a warmth spreading through my body.

I began to understand why people said alcohol was good.

“I drank it all!”

“Me too!”

“Hey, let’s go get some sweet potatoes!”

“Okay, okay, but don’t let go of my hand!”

After drinking, we enjoyed a warm pot of sweet potato stew together as a family.

Next to us, they were serving Makiano dishes with meat that were so delicious they made my cheeks feel like they might fall off.

It was a fun and satisfying day—until suddenly…

“There’s a dragon!”

Someone shouted that.

In an instant, I crouched down with my sons in my arms, hugging them tightly.

It’s been said for ages that looking into a Kuiwaina’s eyes while heading to the sea can bring a curse.

Children, being fearless, will do what they’re told not to do.

So we covered our kids’ eyes and waited for the Kuiwaina to pass.

“Is it gone?”

“It’s gone, it’s gone! We’re okay now.”

“I wanted to see the dragon!”

“Don’t say such reckless things! If you make eye contact, you’ll get cursed!”

“But it’s flying in the sky, so how would that happen?”

“What if it looks over here?”

While we were discussing this, I heard someone else shouting again.

What on earth is going on now?

“Run for your lives!!!”

A fisherman sprinted past, shouting that.

“It’s back!”

Others yelled while pointing at the sky.

Curious, I looked up, and there was the Kuiwaina swirling around.

Oh no, what a situation…

We’ve lived on this land for generations, and I’ve never heard of a dragon flying like that.

“Is it… not going to come down, right?!”

“What, what, what do we do?! Mom!”

“We have to run!”

“Where to?!”

“To our house!”

My husband and I scooped up our sons and ran like mad.

We dashed through the town alongside the villagers and the Makiano people.

We tumbled into our home, dove into bed, and huddled together, trembling as we fell asleep.

So it wasn’t until the next day that I finally heard about how the Kuiwaina had taken the big barrel of wine.

“Apparently, the wine we drank is called dragon wine. The merchants say they’d pay gold coins for a single bottle…”

“Today in the fields, Riza said he overslept that day! He missed out on drinking the dragon wine!”

“Looking back, it was actually pretty good; I mean, even a dragon drank it!”

“The people at the castle got sweets from Harriett-sama! How unfair! Sweets!”

Even after some time had passed since that harrowing day, our family was still consumed with talk about the wine and the Kuiwaina.

Though my husband and sons didn’t find the wine particularly delicious, it became a cherished memory for them.

I found myself feeling a bit closer to the Kuiwaina, knowing that it liked the wine.

But no one could have imagined that soon after… the castle would be attacked by the Kuiwaina.