I, Viretta, Am Going to Hunt a Dragon-Chapter 67

Five days was too short a time to entrust their lives to.

"And you only met Iola less than two weeks ago? People usually don’t get engaged without knowing each other first."

"That’s why I ran away."

Iola’s smile, as refreshing as summer sunshine, shone down on Saffron. But being of the dark side, Saffron remained unaffected and muttered grimly.

"I’ve never seen someone run away from an engagement after knowing each other for just a few days. To challenge such a grand feat with only that kind of relationship... you have guts, almost like a divine trait."

"Hehe. You have a good eye."

Viretta shyly scratched her neck, taking the compliment only in the sense that the words were flattering. Saffron, about to lose his mind dealing with her, stared up at the sky and squinted his eyes.

"To think that I trust people like this, and we’re heading to a dragon’s den... Hah, hah, one day, I will surely sue them."

Despite clutching the reins tightly to prevent falling, Saffron’s body swayed precariously on the horse, letting out a dry laugh.

The next day, after the stormy night when Iola almost attacked Moslin, the group placed twenty assistants at the entrance to the mine and sent only five into the mine.

The five were slowly approaching the mine, riding horses Viretta had arranged for the journey.

Despite the danger of not knowing when or where the dragon might appear, no one could stop Viretta when she insisted that she could handle the risk.

Basically, Viretta didn’t listen to Saffron, and the most vocal member, Ranken, had already decided, saying, "Let’s just watch."

"If you’re scared, you didn’t have to come. It’s fine for just us to go and see the dragon."

"Hah, stop with the silly talk. You should take care of your precious lives, young master and lady. My life, on the other hand, is nothing but a rag I can throw away in an instant."

Saffron gritted his teeth and lowered his posture, urging the horse forward.

Despite his cold and calculated self-awareness, it was impossible for him to not follow when Viretta, who thought optimistically about everything, stepped forward.

If only the skilled Moslin or Iola were going, he could step back. But since someone who wasn’t particularly outstanding like Viretta was going, he couldn’t just sit it out.

Even Ranken, who lacked martial skill and had a weaker face than the others, was going along! To be left behind would be a huge embarrassment.

Grumbling and throwing negative comments, Saffron tried to pull away, but he couldn’t bear to be the one too scared compared to Viretta.

So, in the end, he voluntarily threw himself into the journey.

Viretta had a way of pushing people into dangerous situations like this, tempting them to follow her.

When someone like Viretta, who didn’t seem all that strong, steps up, their pride is hurt, and they have to follow along.

"Is she being cunning or not?"

Realizing the dangerous side of Viretta, Saffron sighed and ground his teeth.

Even while talking, the horse kept charging through the forest.

"Still, I’m not throwing my life away recklessly. Iola explained it to us."

"The dragon isn’t fast if it’s not flying, and when it does fly, it doesn’t watch the ground much. It doesn’t care much about humans, so if we’re on horses, we can hit and run."

The risk was there, but it seemed like something comparable to digging through a mountain with wolves in it.

That being the case, scouting on horseback seemed entirely doable.

Since Iola, who had rich knowledge about dragons, had said so, Viretta decided to trust him.

"Hah, really. After giving me advice, I have to follow the orders of someone who gets mad at me. Do mercenaries have no common sense as humans?"

Moslin, who had been ambushed unexpectedly the previous night, kept grumbling, but she was a reliable mercenary. She wouldn’t do anything that would cause trouble.

Viretta trusted her, but Saffron wasn’t so sure. His brows furrowed.

Even the best hunters tend to split apart in the face of danger.

While Moslin and Iola were undoubtedly great warriors, they weren’t particularly skilled hunters.

They were excellent individually, but how would they function as a team? If one person changed their mind in a crisis, it could cause a problem.

‘Fundamentally, there’s only one person here who is genuinely trying to catch the dragon…’

And that person was none other than Viretta.

Iola’s goal was research about dragons. He aimed to learn about their habits, diet, appearance, and other aspects to write a paper, with the hunting being a secondary goal.

Moslin had jumped in out of curiosity, and Ranken was forcibly recruited. As for himself, he had been dragged along as a slave but was just an opportunist hoping for a quick fortune.

It was an attractive plan, so he decided not to complain, but the outlook wasn’t bright.

There were five key members. The leader was Viretta Medlit.

The result? At best, bankruptcy; at worst, annihilation.

‘This is doomed.’

Saffron’s switch was flipped early on.

Once the switch was flipped, Saffron calmly guided the horse.

If it was going to be like this, then according to Iola’s words, it was best to follow along and guide the horse carefully. Since the one who knew dragons best was here, he had no choice but to believe him.

"Finally, I see the mine. The dragon should be there..."

The mine was now in sight. As the dense trees cleared, the view opened up.

Under the wide open sky, a large pit with many layers appeared.

"Ugh."

Saffron, who had never seen an open-pit mine, swallowed in awe.

A pit the size of a small village had been dug into the barren wasteland, and it was only natural to be amazed.

The terraced cliffs that looked like they could cause a fall into the abyss with a single misstep evoked both fear and admiration.

"Is this the mine?"

"Yes, but it’s the dragon’s nest now."

Viretta looked down at the deepest part of the large pit with layers of steps. It was hard to see clearly from a distance, but there were nests made of gathered wood and bone fragments.

It was the fact that the dragon had made its nest right in the center of the mine that led to the mine’s downfall.

If the dragon had chosen a valley or mountain peak, the mine might have managed to survive.

But when it settled right in the center, there was no chance.

Even though dragons supposedly weren’t interested in humans, they wouldn’t tolerate humans getting too close to their nests.

"Looking at it this way, the dragon’s nest almost looks like a bird’s nest."

"If we estimate the size using a wagon, it’s actually a huge nest with a diameter of about 30 meters."

Even from high up, it didn’t feel small, so it must be an enormous nest.

Looking down from a height, it did indeed look like a bird’s nest, and both Moslin and Saffron, who had no particular interest in dragons, quietly showed some curiosity.

Iola took out his notebook and diligently wrote, while Viretta and Ranken leaned over the cliff, peering down at the dragon’s nest.

Though it was large, it was covered with leather and sand, and the interior couldn’t be seen clearly. Even squinting as much as possible, nothing was visible.

Unfortunately, the dragon they had imagined would be inside the nest was nowhere to be seen.

It had been a safe opportunity to observe from a distance, but it turned out to be a wasted effort.

"Hmm, no dragon? We came here all tense, but there’s nothing. This is disappointing."

Though she said that, both Viretta and Ranken clearly let out sighs of relief, patting their chests.

The tension they had felt, thinking it could be dangerous, had dissipated, leaving a sense of emptiness. Viretta smacked her lips and swept her chest.

Moslin also had a dissatisfied expression, and Ranken looked disappointed, not having seen the dragon. He whispered in Viretta’s ear, "So, when can we see the dragon?"

Iola, in front of his disappointed companions, raised his voice cheerfully.

"No, this is great! There’s so much we can learn just from the dragon’s nest. The size of the nest corresponds to the dragon’s size, you know."

"Really? But couldn’t there be dragons that like smaller nests or larger nests?"

"An interesting hypothesis, but unlikely. Being an animal, instinctively, they’ll make their nests the right size for their bodies when they curl up. So, by looking at the nest, we can deduce the dragon’s size."

"That’s amazing! So how big do you think this dragon is?"

"Probably somewhere between 20 to 22 meters. A new record."

"......?"

Iola had said countless times that the average size of a dragon was around 13 meters.

The largest recorded dragon had been between 16 to 17 meters.

Yet, Iola was estimating this dragon’s size to be above 20 meters.

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A strange sound, unmistakably the cry of a dragon, echoed from somewhere nearby.

Thirteen days since they left for the dragon hunt after the engagement.

For the first time, Viretta felt the primal fear of an animal.