I left Shizuko-san and the others at the cottage and came to the sea alone.
The crops had been taken care of.
Since this is an island, the surroundings are all sea.
Seafood wouldn't be a problem.
But, just like in my previous world, unlike my past life, this sea is full of dangerous creatures.
That's why, this time, it's just me.
Well then... maybe I'll try diving in.
As I prepared to leap from the rocks into the water...
"Isn't this the great Dragon Lord-sama?"
A voice echoed from the sea.
"I am indeed the Dragon Lord... a yellow dragon, but I came from another world. I can't be sure if I'm considered royalty here."
"The title of Dragon Lord depends heavily on the species. It doesn't matter where you live."
If it can speak this much... could it be a dragon—a sea dragon?
Without hesitation, I jumped into the sea and dived deeper.
It's huge... before me was a massive plesiosaur-like dragon, almost the size of a small island.
"Are you the one who will speak with me? You're so big..."
"I appear large only because I am in the sea, Dragon Lord-sama."
"I've just arrived in this world. If you know anything, could you tell me? I want to go greet them."
"Dragon Lords live freely in hiding. It's hard to meet them. I've lived around 600 years, yet I've only met the green dragon once, a hundred years ago."
"I see..."
Is it like a black dragon?
No, black dragons wander, but they still visit the underworld dragon Bauer-sama, so it's not that they're impossible to meet. So maybe it's different.
"However, I cannot meet Orphes-sama, the sky dragon who leads them. But Dragon Lord-sama can meet them."
I could meet them?
"Why?"
"Orphes-sama resides in the floating castle, the Sky Castle. Any dragon with wings can fly there to see them."
I see... so Orphes-sama is the dragon king who rules this world.
"Thank you for telling me."
"No, it is I who am honored to meet Dragon Lord-sama! May I ask your name?"
"Maybe... a yellow dragon?"
"Yes, Yellow Dragon-sama. Then, may I ask why you came to the sea?"
"I came to get fresh seafood."
"Seafood, you say? In that case, my clan of sea dragons will deliver as much as you wish whenever you wish."
"Really? Then... may I request that?"
"Consider it done. If you have a holding pen made nearby, we will place it there."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. I shall take my leave here then."
With that, the seafood situation was settled.
For now...
I asked the Earth Spirit to make a holding pen in exchange for some dragon energy.
In less than half an hour, a fine holding pen had been built.
With seafood secured, only the meat remained.
Meat...
Heading toward the mountains, I found creatures like wild boars and deer.
For some reason, I hadn't encountered any monsters yet.
This area needs further exploration.
Returning to the cottage...
"I'm home."
Shizuko-san and the others greeted me with smiles.
"Ceres-kun, welcome back... Haruka saw a wild boar and caught it."
"Oh, Haruka-neesan did? Impressive!"
Truly, she is an adventurer.
The boar had already been butchered, and some of the meat was already on the grill.
"Well, leave this to me!"
As she said that, Haruka-neesan continued cooking alongside Sayo-san and Misaki-san.
Marianne-san, Frey-san, and Cecilia-san were beside them, learning to cut the meat under Shizuko-san's guidance.
"Then, I'll help too!"
Dinner was a wild boar barbecue.
It looked incredibly fun.
Notes:
• Cecilia - Former saintess. Ceres' wife.