Chastity-Reversed Hard Mode: Surviving as a Steel-Minded Adventurer in Another World - Chapter 32: Enjoying an Air Trip with a Steel Mentality

Chapter 32: Enjoying an Air Trip with a Steel Mentality

Hello there.

At the moment, we were enjoying a rather lovely journey through the sky.

No matter how much you tried to improve it, traveling by land was always rough and bumpy. Compared to that, flying was unbelievably comfortable. The view from the cargo hatch of the carriage was spectacular. The wind was cool against my face. It honestly made me want to shout “Yahoo!” at the top of my lungs.

Well… aside from the minor detail that the dragon might drop the carriage at any moment.

“Hey. Don’t you dare drop us. If you do, I’ll seal your mana again and drag you down with us.”

“O-Okay, I get it…”

When I called out from inside the carriage, the dragon brat answered in a clearly frightened voice.

…For some reason, he had suddenly surrendered earlier, so we ended up calling a truce.

To be honest, I had already been mentally preparing myself for a three-person wilderness survival arc, where I’d personally straighten out both the dragon brat and Deabolica.

So this peaceful resolution felt almost anticlimactic.

Did he really hate the idea of living with me that much?

Well, less work for me.

Still, even if he admitted fault, I couldn’t just let him walk away like nothing had happened. Since he had smashed our carriage into the ground, the frame was warped and one of the wheels had come off entirely. Even if we repaired it, there was no guarantee it would ever ride the same again.

So for now, we made him carry us all the way to Thousand Leaves as compensation.

On top of that, the horses that had been pulling the carriage woke up from their fainting spell—only to completely freak out at the sight of the dragon.

They panicked so badly that no one could control them.

So I gave them [Mental Resistance].

It was my first time granting that skill to another living creature, but it worked perfectly. The horses calmed down instantly.

…Actually, maybe a little too calmly.

Their eyes looked like enlightened monks who had just attained nirvana. I had to wonder—was this really a skill ordinary animals were meant to have?

Right now, they were being carried gently by the dragon brat, utterly serene, as if they had transcended worldly desires and achieved spiritual enlightenment.

To be honest, I didn’t love the idea of entrusting our lives to someone who had been our enemy just a short while ago.

But we couldn’t exactly abandon the broken carriage and the horses, so we didn’t have much choice.

The dragon brat seemed to believe I was some terrifying transcendent being who could seal mana instantly, use powerful magic freely, and completely conceal my own magical presence.

Because of that misunderstanding, he was terrified of me. A small threat here and there was enough to make him obedient.

If only he knew I was actually a complete weakling.

More concerning, though, was the atmosphere inside the carriage.

Everyone—including the adventurers who had been on the upper seats and the driver—had now squeezed into the warped body of the carriage.

And not a single one of them would meet my eyes.

Irene and Ursna were still glued to my sides as usual.

But the others were very obviously keeping their distance.

Especially the leader and the other mage—they chose the seats farthest from me and deliberately looked away.

On the trip here, they had chatted with me constantly.

Getting cold-shouldered like this all of a sudden… honestly, it stung a little.

“Um… Leader. Did I do something wrong?”

“Ah… no, it’s not that. Don’t worry about it…”

When I didn’t understand something, I figured the best option was to ask directly.

But even after I did, the leader answered without meeting my eyes, her voice awkward and stiff.

Hmm?

As I tilted my head internally, Ursna, sitting beside me, gave a wry smile.

“Give them a break, Eugene. You can’t expect them not to be scared. Especially mages.”

…Huh? Oh.

Right.

It clicked.

They were afraid of my mana-sealing ability.

Of course they were.

As adventurers—and especially as mages—their high mana was essentially their lifeline. If someone nearby could instantly shut that down whenever they pleased, there was no way they could relax.

In modern Japan terms, it was like sitting in a car next to someone casually holding a loaded gun.

No one would feel comfortable in that situation.

Though, if you thought about it, this was just the reverse of how things had always been. Powerful mages like them on one side—and me, the total weakling, on the other.

The difference was, thanks to [Mental Resistance], I never showed any fear toward them.

But the truth?

I had been scared of them the whole time.

…Wow.

Was my empathy really that dulled, that I couldn’t even tell how I was coming across?

“Sorry about that, Yuji. I guess I still have a lot to work on.”

The leader gave a small, embarrassed laugh.

“It’s fine. I understand.”

I nodded lightly.

“More importantly… how are you two so calm about this?”

One of Ursna’s fellow mages glanced at Irene and Ursna, who were still pressed close against me. She carefully avoided looking at me directly—perhaps worried that making eye contact might trigger something.

Irene and Ursna exchanged a look, then smiled.

“It’s fine. Yuji would never attack his friends without a reason.”

“Yeah. If he ever attacks someone, it means they deserved it.”

…Wait.

Why was that so warm?

My chest actually skipped a beat.

As I stood there feeling strangely moved by their trust, Deabolica—sitting across from me—shot me an irritated glare.

“Excuse me!? He attacked me! He absolutely attacks his own allies!”

“You had it coming,” Ursna muttered casually.

Deabolica puffed up in outrage.

But the sight of her, wrapped tightly in a blanket and clutching the cloth pouch containing the Springwater Orb like it was her lifeline, made her look less like a fearsome guild master and more like a sulky child.

As for why she was wrapped in a blanket—

Well.

When she had desperately begged for her life earlier, she had lost control a little.

So now she was sitting there in spare underwear with a blanket draped over her shoulders.

Honestly… was she regressing into childhood or something?

“I’m working hard for the development of the city, you know!”

“Uh-huh. Sure you are. Good job.”

I replied in the same tone you’d use to humor a toddler.

Deabolica stomped her foot in frustration.

“Damn it…! I won’t forget this! Just you wait!”

“You’re the one who got saved. Why are you still acting so arrogant? If Yuji hadn’t been here, you’d be dead.”

Irene muttered that under her breath.

Deabolica immediately shot her a glare, and Irene quickly looked away.

Honestly, though… I had already gotten over my anger toward Deabolica.

Sure, I had been furious when she cheated the Count and took the orb that was meant to be part of Midra’s marriage arrangement.

But after seeing her cling to me, soaked in her own accident, crying, “P-Please forgive me! Give my mana back, pleeeease!” while wiping her nose on me…

Yeah.

That was more than enough revenge.

If anything, I almost admired how she could snap right back to acting high and mighty the moment the danger passed.

After embarrassing herself that thoroughly, most people would hide in shame for weeks.

She simply reset.

Maybe she was just an idiot.

But such a straightforward idiot that it was… oddly endearing.

Her cool, intellectual beauty paired with these childish outbursts created a strange gap that tugged at something.

So in the end, I returned the orb to her.

After her pride had been shattered that completely, I figured she had earned the right to keep it.

“Oh—hey, isn’t that Thousand Leaves? Deabolica, that’s it, right?”

I leaned toward the cargo hatch and spotted the walled city in the distance.

Then I lightly tugged on the edge of Deabolica’s blanket to get her attention.

“H-Hey! Don’t pull on it! Y-You… how can you just stand up without any safety rope!? If you fall, you’re dead!”

“Seriously? You’re an adventurer and you’re this scared?”

Deabolica slowly stood up, clinging tightly to the seat while peeking down at the scenery below.

Was the view from this height really that terrifying for people in this world?

Well, I suppose they didn’t have skyscrapers or airplanes. Maybe it was simply unfamiliar.

Or maybe Deabolica was just a coward.

“By the way, isn’t there magic that lets you fly in this world? Like riding a broom and going whoosh-whoosh?”

“There is but it’s not common. Some have tried using it for travel, but it’s said that flying attracts bird-type monsters, griffins, and dragons. So generally, people are discouraged from doing it.”

The leader answered.

“Ohh…”

I looked up toward the sky.

“…You attack travelers in the air too?”

“W-Well, the sky is Drayg territory! If creatures that usually crawl on the ground come up there, that’s basically an invasion!”

“So you have attacked them?”

“Eek—! N-No! I haven’t! I’ve never even seen anyone traveling through the sky…!”

As the dragon brat hurried to defend himself, I let out a small sigh.

At this rate, even if someone invented airplanes in this world, monsters would probably shoot them down immediately.

Not that aviation technology was anywhere close yet—but when the time came, spreading air travel would likely be… complicated.

Meanwhile, people were rushing out of houses in the city below and looking up at us.

Some were even pointing.

Getting this much attention wasn’t a bad feeling.

I wonder if Wes was somewhere down there, watching?

“Yaaahoooo!!”

I leaned out and waved both arms wildly at the people below.

From this height, I could still see a few noticing me and waving back.

…Wait.

Was someone covering their mouth and collapsing?

What was happening down there?

Oh.

Now the city guards were gathering.

Hold on.

Were those bows?

And… were some mages forming magic circles!?

“Hey, Deabolica? A lot of people are gathering. What are they doing?”

“KYAAAHHH!? They’re about to intercept us!?”

The moment Deabolica screamed, all the adventurers jumped up, faces pale.

“This is bad! They think it’s a dragon attack!”

“Everyone lean out and wave! Show them we’re not hostile!”

“A white flag! Make a white flag out of a sheet and hang it out the cargo hatch!”

“Hiiiii!? The wind’s so strong I’m gonna get blown off!”

“Use wind magic to send a message down! We have to communicate somehow!”

“Ah—! The captain of the guard just gave an order! He’s saying, ‘The dragon has taken Lady Deabolica and the Saint hostage! Gather those capable of flight magic into a suicide squad and rescue them!’”

“We’re harmless! We’re harmless, okay!?”

“Oh, look. A bunch of them are flying up on brooms. Bold, aren’t they? Should I burn them?”

“DON’T YOU DARE!!”

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There was a brief moment where the city guards attempted a full-scale rescue operation—but somehow we managed to clear up the misunderstanding and land safely in front of the city gate.

“To think you’d come back riding a dragon… Yuji, you never fail to surprise me.”

“I was more surprised by Ami charging in like that.”

Amithia, who had led the rescue squad and stormed straight into the carriage, now stood beside me, staring up at the dragon brat.

When she had yelled, “That’s the man who makes my lunch!” and rammed her broom straight into the carriage with murderous intent in her eyes, I genuinely thought my heart would stop—even with [Mental Resistance] active.

And when I say “broom,” that was just a nickname. It was actually a flying device with a booster and a seat attached.

To me, it looked more like an air bike than a broom.

Apparently, the guards used them for aerial combat—mainly against flying enemies like wyverns.

Seriously, city guards were impressive.

The way they stormed in was like a special forces team breaching a hijacked aircraft.

I had only ever seen them patrolling streets or guarding the gates, but they were capable of this too? Their combat level might actually be quite high.

…Well, that made sense.

If adventurers ever went out of control, it was the guards’ job to restrain them. They couldn’t afford to be weak.

In fiction, adventurers were usually the strongest force around.

But in reality, if the guards weren’t stronger, society would collapse. If a bunch of lawless fighters ran wild and no one could stop them, ordinary citizens would live in constant fear.

Still, I really did seem to have some kind of connection with Ami.

It was probably just my imagination to think she rushed out because she was worried about me… but still, I appreciated that she came to help.

She seemed to enjoy the lunches I made for her too. Maybe I should bring her another one as a little gift next time.

“And on top of that, it’s a Red Dragon—one called the King of Dragons. Yuji, this is going to make your popularity as a Saint explode even more.”

“Why? I didn’t even do anything.”

Ami let out a long sigh and lightly flicked my forehead.

“Yuji, from now on you absolutely must not walk around the city alone. Always bring guards with you. Honestly, it would be better if you didn’t go out at all. And if you do, ride in a closed carriage so people can’t see you… though I know that’s unrealistic.”

“Yeah… Oh, right.”

Speaking of carriages…

I called out to the dragon brat, who looked ready to take off the moment he thought his job was done.

“Hey. Don’t leave yet.”

“Ehh…? I did exactly what you told me. I, a noble Drayg of royal blood, even lowered myself to serve as your carriage. What more do you want from me?”

“Compensation. You’re paying for the carriage you broke.”

“…How much?”

Even in dragon form, I could tell he was making a bitter face.

When I glanced at Deabolica, she let out a sharp little snort.

“One hundred and eighty gold coins. Not a single coin less!”

“Whaaat!? That’s way too expensive! There’s no way I have 180 gold coins! Aren’t you taking advantage of me while I’m weak!?”

“I’m not overcharging you! I paid 180 gold coins to have it made!”

“That’s the original cost! Repairs should be cheaper, right!?”

“It’s beyond repair! It has to be rebuilt from scratch! And if you hadn’t smashed it, I could’ve already taken Yuji to the next client! If I calculate the lost business opportunities, the damages would be even higher!”

“That’s not my problem! That’s your situation!”

The two of them started yelling back and forth.

Honestly, why did their energy match so perfectly?

Ami stared wide-eyed at Deabolica, who was now practically nose-to-nose with a dragon, arguing about money.

Without context, the scene looked completely insane.

I cleared my throat deliberately and fixed the dragon brat with a sharp look.

“Hey. You admitted you were at fault. That means you accept the other side’s demands. Don’t act pathetic. Take responsibility for your own words.”

“O-Okay…”

He shrank slightly.

“But I seriously don’t have 180 gold coins.”

“Don’t dragons collect treasure? You were just saying you’d add the orb to your collection.”

“Ugh… I do like pretty magic items… but I only get a monthly allowance. I don’t carry that much cash.”

[Breaking News] The Dragon Prince Is on an Allowance System!

For a dragon, he was basically a grade-school kid.

Well… maybe he really was about that age.

Hmm. In that case…

“Then have your parents pay for it. Tell them everything and get them to cover the cost.”

Time to involve the parents.

No matter how indulgent they were, if their son came home with a massive debt like this, they would at least scold him properly.

This was originally their responsibility anyway.

I had no idea whether dragons even used human currency, but if they couldn’t pay in gold, we could negotiate with magic items instead.

At my suggestion, the dragon brat began trembling violently.

“W-What!? You expect me to tell them I lost to a human!? You want me to expose that shame to my own parents!? Y-You’re heartless! My pride—my future—it’ll all be ruined!”

He stared at me in shock.

I answered in an especially calm tone.

“You already lost. That’s a fact. Listen carefully—you will pay. If you don’t, I’ll personally visit your village and collect the debt myself. Understood?”

“Eek…! Y-Yes… I understand…”

Shivering, the dragon brat finally took off into the sky.

He clearly wanted to get away from here as fast as possible.

Still… better make sure.

“Just so we’re clear—don’t even think about coming back with your clan for revenge.”

“…………”

He didn’t answer.

Yeah.

He had definitely been thinking about it.

So I added one final, cold warning.

“I can seal the mana of as many people as I want at the same time. If your entire clan wants to live as ground-crawling lizards, go ahead and try it. …Now get lost.”

“H-Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!”

The dragon brat shot off into the distance at full speed.

His silhouette grew smaller and smaller against the sky.

I watched him disappear, feeling a deep wave of exhaustion.

Honestly…

I really shouldn’t do things I’m not used to.

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[From a Local Newspaper Column, Several Hundred Years Later]

In a previous column, we introduced the legend of the Angel.

But in this town, there is also another well-known tale—the story of the Saint who tamed a dragon.

Coincidentally, just like the Angel legend, this story is said to date back to the late medieval period, when Brishav Island was troubled by a fearsome dragon.

Today, the Drayg are recognized as part of humanity. But at that time, they were viewed as a minority race living in the mountains, and they would often take dragon form to attack human towns and villages.

Back then, people believed dragons were terrifying monsters that couldn’t even speak the same language. With no way to communicate, they had no choice but to endure the damage.

Then one day, an extraordinary event occurred.

A young man arrived in town—riding a dragon.

The young man was originally a resident of this very town. He had set out on a journey by carriage, but along the way, a dragon destroyed his vehicle.

So he defeated the dragon and made it carry his carriage in place of a horse.

It is said that the dragon carefully held the carriage containing the young man and flew through the sky like a loyal dog.

No one knows exactly how the young man managed to subdue the dragon. However, the townspeople began calling him a Saint. Rumors spread that he must have sealed the dragon’s mana with holy words granted by the Lord Himself.

The townspeople, remembering all the destruction the dragon had caused, demanded that the Saint deliver the final blow.

But the Saint instead made the dragon swear never to attack humans again—and then released it.

The people were deeply moved by the Saint’s mercy and felt ashamed of their own narrow hearts, which had been consumed by thoughts of revenge.

The dragon kept its oath.

From that day forward, dragons were said to have stopped attacking human settlements.

This legend closely resembles the Orthodox tale of Saint Georgius and the dragon. Because of that, many scholars believe that religious figures of the time borrowed elements from the older Orthodox story to spread their own faith.

However, some researchers point out an interesting detail.

Records show that before this period, dragon attacks were not limited to Brishav Island but occurred throughout Naroppa. Yet after the time when this legend supposedly spread, reports of dragons attacking human settlements suddenly disappeared.

Because of that, debate over whether the legend is true continues to this day.

Interestingly, the story became more popular not in this town, but in other towns and villages that had once suffered under dragon attacks.

The image of “the Saint traveling on the back of a red dragon” later inspired countless artists. Paintings and statues featuring this motif were produced in large numbers.

At the time, dragons were believed to be evil demons in physical form. So an image of a Saint who subdued and commanded a dragon became a powerful symbol. People treated it as a charm to ward off fire or to pray for safe travels.

Some artworks from that era even depict the dragon with a strangely cheerful expression—as if it were enjoying the journey.

Perhaps the legend spread to distant lands through trade, because paintings and antique pieces featuring this motif have occasionally been discovered overseas.

Even now, centuries later, they continue to capture people’s imagination.

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That wraps up this arc.

I’ll be building up the next batch of chapters before the next update, so if you can, please bookmark the story and wait for it.

And if you’ve enjoyed it so far, I’d really appreciate a ☆ or a ♥!

Oh, and Deabolica’s chain explosion of disasters?

That’s still coming.

So look forward to it.