The students who were cleaning the scales of the Tess Nigella had already gone inside and were nowhere to be seen.
I looked up at the completely darkened sky and nodded. Raiden, noticing my surprise, comforted the trembling Ina Dellaf.
The journey continued smoothly from the first day’s peace. (There were no health issues, which I had been worried about!)
It was probably thanks to the two dragons.
The Tess Nigella would shoot down monsters when flying, which was good practical experience for the students before the tournament.
However, the first time someone was injured was in the forest beyond the border of Bellpepper, two days into the journey to Chantal.
It had been raining heavily since the day before.
We put special raincoats for the dragons so they wouldn’t catch a cold.
Due to the thick rain clouds, it got dark quickly, so we decided to prepare for the night early.
After finding a flat land where the rainwater didn’t collect, we set up a base camp and I, shivering, put on layers of outerwear and helped Dr. Ren with medicine and medical tools to keep them from getting damp.
“I think a storm is coming.”
I could hear a growling sound from outside the carriage.
I looked out the window, but there was no lightning. I
soon realized that the sound I had thought was thunder was not thunder at all.
“I don’t think this is thunder. It’s the dragons. They seem to be fighting.”
I immediately called for Raiden.
If there were wild dragons nearby, especially if they were aggressive, we were in big trouble.
Giving up at this point would mean the end for me.
Fortunately, Raiden seemed to have guessed as well.
He saw the anxious Tess Nigella and immediately ran to the head of the expedition. But before that, a tree near our tent fell faster.
A tree, as thick as two fattened stocks, fell and the tent collapsed. As the tree fell, revealing the forest, giant wing scales were visible.
A black body, wings that seemed short in comparison, and a long tail sweeping the wet ground.
It was clearly Odeltio, a native dragon of the Bellpepper Empire.
It was as common as Ina Dellaf of the Ginger Kingdom, but it was a difficult and strong breed to raise. Of course, once raised, it would greatly enhance the national power.
Members of the same species compete by bumping their thick, armor-like shells together until the shells crack.
So, the sound that Dr. Ren had mistaken for thunder must have been the sound of their shells colliding. If so, it means the other one is coming here soon.
The mercenaries quickly rescued the people inside the tent.
Thanks to the sturdy support, no one was seriously injured. I took Dr. Ren and the Nephthalene students to a makeshift hospital tent.
Odeltio, who showed off his hard, blue shell, flew over the sky and stood next to the collapsed tent.
A torn raincoat hung on his back.
The Tess Nigella growled as they approached, but the caretakers and students stopped them.
Before the wild Odeltio, which seemed untamed, could rampage any further, Raiden struck it down with a hunting knife.
I don’t know if it was dead or unconscious, but either way, the dragon fell.
“Helennium! Stop it!”
Helennium, it seems to be the dragon’s name, scratched the mud pool in frustration before giving up and becoming docile.
I fixed a student’s broken arm with a splint and gave them medicine, watching a man who seemed to be a dragon keeper approach Raiden.
I treated and revived five patients quickly.
My clothes were completely soaked, and my damp feet were uncomfortable.
It was because water had gotten into my shoes.
The smell of mana was spreading strongly, either because of sweating or because of the humid weather.
I wiped my head with a dry towel that Ren handed me and went outside, where I saw people who seemed to be with that dragon keeper approaching. There were almost as many of them as us.
Morgan, the head of Nephthalene, was talking to the caretakers and headmasters of the opposing school.
I asked about the students’ condition, and I reassured them that they would be fine in a week.
Of course, there would be aftereffects.
The Odeltio caretaker was amazed that a broken bone injury could heal in a week.
I am such an amazing person.
While the headmasters were discussing compensation for the damage, I watched as the collapsed tent was cleared and a new one was set up to accommodate the additional people.
The carriage that brought out the tent equipment had a flag with a golden dragon of the Bellpepper Empire on it.
It was not just a passing student group from Chantal, but a school of the Bellpepper Empire.
“Elly, are you okay?”
I was wearing a raincoat now, but because I had been soaked by the rain earlier, my hands, which Raiden held, felt so cold that Raiden’s hands felt warm.
