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I climb up the cliff in reverse order of the scenery I fell from. Every flap of the dragon girl’s wings changes the view so drastically that it makes me aware of just how high I fell from.

Even when I peek down, the fog that just wouldn’t disappear starts to scatter under the gusts that come from the dragon’s flaps.

And finally, I emerge from the canyon, having climbed back up to the very cliff where I originally fell.

As I soar into the open sky, the surrounding sights come into view at a glance, from the entrance of the mountain range we first entered to the city, and all the way to that mountain range beyond, which is our destination.

Excluding the place I just flew up from, the fog that blanketed the entire mountain range created a mystical atmosphere.

“Wow….”

“It’s nothing much for someone like me, just a typical view, but for mortals like you, it must be a sight hard to see in a lifetime.”

As she said, soaring high in the sky and looking down is inherently unfamiliar. Humans don’t have wings; to fly through the sky, one must use magic, spirit magic, or some special method.

“Yeah. Thanks to you, I’m having quite a rare experience.”

“Wait! You again…!”

With gratitude, I gently patted the back of her neck, which was resting beneath my hand.

“Eek!”

At that, the dragon girl stumbled greatly and began to lose her balance in the air, starting to plummet downwards. The momentary sensation of weightlessness sent a shiver down my spine, but it was brief, and I soon stabilized back on the dragon’s back.

Still, she was a big girl. If someone said the terrifying dragon from stories and legends had a weakness to tickles, I doubt anyone would believe it.

“Ah! Just drop me off where my friends are!”

As I looked around, I spotted my friends not far from where we had ascended.

Fortunately, the other friends, unlike me, seemed to have safely reunited without any accidents in the fog, all gathered in one place.

The girls huddled together were taken by surprise at the appearance of the dragon, all looking up at me and the dragon flying high in the sky.

“…This treatment of a royal is unacceptable. If you weren’t a hero, I would have dropped you right away.”

“Hey, come on. You know I’m grateful, right?”

“Stop! If you do that again, I really will drop you!?”

Tch.

I clicked my tongue quietly and withdrew my outstretched hand.

Fortunately, instead of dropping me, the dragon gently descended towards where my friends were.

Even if she was a smaller dragon, her size still made a loud thud as she landed.

I could see my friends’ confused expressions as they tried to grasp the situation.

As I jumped down from the dragon’s back and stepped forward, their looks of confusion turned into concern and eventually relief.

“Haha… sorry, sorry. I got startled by the sudden fog and slipped off the edge of the cliff.”

I opened my mouth with an awkward smile to reassure my friends. However, my words seemed to backfire; the relief in their eyes transformed into surprise and worry.

Some even drew their swords despite having just seen the dragon drop me off. If left unchecked, it looked like we were about to have a real showdown, so I quickly stepped in to stop them.

“See! I’m safe! The dragon here… oh, by the way, I didn’t catch your name? I can’t just call you ‘you’ or ‘dragon’ forever.”

“…You’re quick to ask. My name is not something so cheap I tell mortals, but for a hero, I suppose it’s alright.”

The dragon said this and tilted her head, glancing down at me as she spoke.

“Olivier Drania. Let it be known that I take honor in hearing your name.”

Her name is as beautiful as her appearance. It’s surprisingly a name one could find among humans, which is rather intriguing.

“By the way, it’s quite uncomfortable looking up at you; could you return to your earlier form? Because of what you look like, my friends are on edge.”

“Why should I follow your words? Moreover, you think I’m intimidated by their caution…?”

With an arrogant tone, Olivier looked around before stopping mid-sentence.

Looking at my friends gazing up at the suddenly appeared dragon and Olivier looking down at the ones cautioning her.

The clear aura rising from Selian’s sword, the elite spirit behind Lindy ready to launch an arrow, the colossal fireball behind Frecia… All sorts of threatening and perilous things were in plain sight.

It wouldn’t be weird for a dragon raid to start at any moment.

Then, a bright light started to emanate from Olivier, just as when I first saw her, shining brightly before she vanished, and only a girl remained in her place.

Long, flowing blonde hair and sparkling golden eyes. Even her dress exuded nobility. Seeing her again was admirable, but she still had a tail, indicating she was indeed a dragon.

“…Hmph. Don’t misunderstand; I changed because I worried you might step on my feet. If I was to kick a hero, Serena might get angry… or rather, Ms. Serena.”

Olivier, who would never admit to being scared, had her reasons; after all, this party was united with the purpose of defeating the Demon King. Regardless of individual differences, they could be considered the continent’s best fighting force.

No matter how legendary and fearsome a dragon might be, they are not invincible. There have indeed been dragon slayers throughout history who vanquished evil dragons.

Even Olivier, who hadn’t completely matured, would struggle to handle us all alone.

“Yeah, sure. Our Olivier is so kind.”

“Your tone is like you’re speaking to a child, but let’s just stop the hand heading towards my tail.”

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue again and lowered my hand.

“In any case, it just sort of happened. Like I mentioned, I slipped off the cliff, but thankfully, Olivier is a kind dragon who helped me. So you don’t have to be on guard.”

Despite my explanation that she was a kind dragon, for some reason, my friends began to sharpen their weapons and spells even more instead of backing down.

“Uh… hey, everyone…?”

“…Are you really sure they’re your friends? Quickly talk them down. I’m definitely not scared….”

Olivier pressed her face against me as if using me as a shield, her grip on my clothes trembling slightly.

In the meantime, her whispering to avoid letting my friends notice her fear was just adorable.

A fiery ball floating above Frecia started burning brighter, seeming like it would incinerate everything around us.

Maybe she was worried that I was captured as a hostage by Olivier or something.

“I really am okay! Look! Kind dragon! I said kind dragon!”

To prove that Olivier really posed no threat to us, I started petting her head. If she had any malice towards us, she would surely throw a fit the moment I touched her.

But the more I patted Olivier’s head, the more my friends’ expressions turned increasingly grim.

Realizing this method wouldn’t suffice, I began to pet Olivier’s head even more vigorously, almost excessively.

But look at that; despite my vigorous hand motions, Olivier remained calm.

Of course, as a dragon, she had a bit of arrogance, so she would flinch every time I stroked her head, but thankfully she recognized the peculiar situation and stayed still.

“Ha…”

Then, a sigh escaped someone’s lips. A sound of deflation.

Soon, one by one, my friends began to lower their swords and let go of their spells. Thankfully, it seemed the misunderstandings had cleared up.

“I got really worried when you suddenly disappeared, and now here you are again… I told you, you can’t wander alone.”

Lindy, whose eyes glistened, said in a disheartened tone, revealing her concern for me. Knowing her heart, I felt nothing but gratefulness and guilt.

“Seriously… what if you’re clumsy and slip again? You should be more careful….”

Selian said that as she began to check me for injuries, looking me over from head to toe.

“Well, comparing that, haven’t all of you slipped numerous times because of the fog?”

Although I appreciated Selian’s concern, I had my points as well.

Thinking back, although I did fall off the cliff, I only slipped once, while my friends all fell several times, making my plight seem worse than theirs.

“Th-That’s… uh, anyway, I’m just glad to be back safely!”

“Y-Yeah! As long as you’re not hurt, that’s what matters!”

Fortunately, recalling their own slips, my friends quickly switched their tones and shouted. There was no room for rebuttal to my points, so they decided to deflect.

“Hehe, right?”

Though I understood their intent, I didn’t press the issue. After all, for a man, it’s better to let such things slide and be magnanimous.

And to begin with, it’s meaningless to argue over who handled things better or worse.

“Heh… the fog does hinder visibility and mana perception, but it shouldn’t affect balance…”

Olivier clung tight behind me, panting nervously as she tried to explain something, but she must have misunderstood.

If that were the case, there would be no reason for Selian or other friends, who are sword masters, to slip multiple times.

No matter how much of a dragon she might be, she can’t know everything.

Perhaps, just as I managed to keep my balance thanks to my unusually keen senses, Olivier misjudged things by applying her own standards.

Instead of punishing her for her errors, I gently pushed away the hand she held on to while forcibly continuing to pet her head.

“Heek… please stop now…”

While my friends tried to intervene to stop me from petting her, I couldn’t help but want to keep stroking her.

Ah, I really want to keep petting her like this.