Dragon-san Wants a Friend

Volume 5 Chapter 4: Dragon-san and Guardian’s Affair

Translator: Mii

Editor: [QueenieZhuz]

「Really, I thought that there was a raid happening here……」

For the time being, as we walk out of the shrine’s road, we took her into a sweet shops nearby, and Carla let out a loud sigh.

However, when the food we ordered arrives, Carla grabs the freshly baked Imagawayaki with joy.

And when she stuffed her cheeks with the food, she immediately relaxed her expression.

During our stay in Kayou, ever since I found out that she likes sweet things, I have been indirectly paying for her sweets expenses.

Great, it looks like she has cheered up, and I exchanged my gaze with Nectar while feeling relieved.

Nectar, who just took a break of her work is currently accompanying me.

Ligurila sulks as she obediently tidies up the devastated room, while Senjiro helps her with it. Kyle took Belga out to patrol around the forest’s outskirts.

Even when we are having our Iwayagaki’s share, Carla-san continues to drink something from her unglazed cup.

…If I’m not wrong, what’s inside her cup is sweet sake, though. As expected from someone with super sweet tooth.

When Nectar and I twist our face, Carla looks satisfied. She fixed the rim of her glasses, returning to her neat appearance.

「I finally understand what is the premature white ghost’s overflowing source is, and I found a solution for that, but…」

「Yeah. I am currently preparing for that.」

Even though I said that, most of the preparations were taken care by grandpa, so I only have to have him teach me the ceremony to start the operation.

Ten already sealed the other side of the space-time. According to Grandpa and Ten, the erosion that spreads over Towa this time is a response to Adversa’s awakening.

Bur since the emperor and Carla-san isn’t related to this matter, we only discussed about the outline of the problems.

「Is that so? Then I’m relieved.」

Carla-san lets out a breath of relief, but I don’t think that she will come to this place just to ask for that.

「Carla-san, do you perhaps have another business here? 」

「Yeah. Me and my covenant thought that it would be better to request you for this matter, so…」

Even when Nectar gave her a look of warning, Carla-san looked like she was already determined to say it.

The moment Carla-san snapped her fingers, a barrier that keeps voices from leaking out spreads out around us.

「I got reports about something that made me feel uneasy, so I wanted to ask your opinion about that.」

「What is it?」

「Do you know about an illness where one will just keep sleeping, and never wake up?」

Nectar and I exchanged our glances towards Carla-san’s bewildering words.

Carla-san took out some papers that might be connected with her subspace, and gave them to us. We widened our eyes after looking at the list of numbers.

Nectar, who is more familiar with this kind of thing, uttered.

「What is this graph……?Is this the number of people in each village with this sickness?」

「That’s right. This is a table that lists the number of people who have been confirmed that they can’t be awakened from their sleeping in Kayou.」

I made a sidelong glance towards Carla-san, and I read the table carefully, without rushing.

「There’s not much……」

The total number written in the list of people is only on two digits at Kayou alone. You can say that they’re not many, but this certainly could not be ignored.

「What kind of symptoms do the people with the sleeping sickness specially have in common?」

When Nectar asked her that question, Carla-san turned over the pages and showed him the paper, then started to explain.

「The symptoms are simple. They just fell asleep one day and won’t wake up no matter what. Even if you call and shake them, or even with Miko’s purification technique, there’s no effect. Other than that, their breathing is normal, as if they are really sleeping.」

The confused Karla continued even further.

「The outbreak was first identified three days after the magical disaster. It was a carpenter who came to work to Kayou. Someone consulted to the nearby clinic about him not waking up from his sleep.」

The carpenter was a big drinker, so they thought that the person brought for consultation is just having a hangover.

But the carpenter won’t wake up even when they shook his body, slap his face, or threw water on him.

There is a possibility that this case is connected to magic, so they also consulted with practitioners. But, no one knew the cause.

And people of the same condition were found regardless of race. Since this number is researched on the side of the reconstruction, there is also the possibility that there may be a bit more. The problem is that this may be widespread at the village level

「And then, the same symptoms was found in humans, regardless of their race. Since this numbers investigation was done at the restoration period, there is possibility that it should be some more people with this phenomenon. But the problem is, this may spread into another village around.」

「What does that mean?」

Fixing her glasses, Carla-san explains to the puzzled us.

「Even though we had our hands limited with the restorations, we tried to prepare as many people as we could to investigate this matter. However, the common things the people with this phenomenon was that they have spent a long time in Kayou, so we dispatched practitioners and doctors to find out where their hometown is located. Then, we found out that all of the outbreak hometown villagers had fallen asleep too.」

The summer heat felt a bit distant.

A phenomenon where one will only sleep without waking up… I don’t think we can call this a disease.

However, according to the data Carla-san had described to us, there are two villages with this kind of phenomenon, just beside Kayou.

I feel like something I don’t know is silently creeping in towards us, making me feel restless.

「My covenant is laying down this matter from the public so they could focus on the restoration. However, I am in the midst of hurrying the confirmation from the compatriot and shrine maidens from another branch shrine. Also, the number of people who are affected are increasing steadily.」

There was an incomprehensible feeling in Carla-san’s red eyes, and I wondered if what she was currently feeling was the same as mine.

「There are rumors saying that in the near future it will spread out to greater number of people. Until now, there hasn’t been those kind of influence from demonic disasters. I want to ask your opinion from the perspective of dragon, is this a new magical disaster, or is this an epidemic going on?」

I can’t help to make a smile towards Carla-san who became frustrated, even though just now she still looked very neat.

I know that Carla-san is bad with dealing dragons since Ten told her off about it, but I won’t bite… Don’t be scared…?

Well… I’m very worried about this sleeping sickness.

Is it just a sickness or something magical? Or maybe… No, it’s too early to make a conclusion.

I turned my face to Nectar who was looking at the documents seriously.

「I can’t say anything about this. How about you, Nectar?」

「I’m not specialized in medicines, and even from my standpoint as a doctor, I can’t say anything without actually looking at the patient condition directly. This matter has been investigated well, but the data are too few.」

「Yeah, I agree with you. Well then, how about we go take a look for a while?」

「Sounds good.」

「Well, Carla-san, can you tell us where is the closest village with the outbreak?」

After getting Nectar’s approval, I asked Carna-san, but she was making a surprised face towards me and replied.

「A-Are you okay with that?」

Uh, what does Carla-san actually thought of me as?

「I have a great versatility so I’m sure I’m suitable to help you, and since you can’t investigate this completely in the restoration time, I’m willing to lend you this dragon’s hand that won’t turn into cat’s hand. And also, I’m not that heartless, though.」

「Er, we had been endlessly told by the Tempest Dragon that, 「Do something on your own!」 and we can’t help but feel that we should solve every matters alone… Before my covenant told me to ask you, you can say that I had completely forgotten the option to ask for your help…」

Finding out Ten’s influence in a surprising place, I thought secretly that Ten’s spartan mode should be passed down by Makoto and Mikoto after all, then I spoke tentatively.

「You can say this is compulsory, but I’ll be thankful if you could introduce me villages as close as possible from this place, so that we can return on a day trip.」

I don’t really want to leave Aru alone.

「I’ll be glad if you could find my substitute to help everyone in the clinic too, if possible.」

「I understand, I’ll make adjustment. As for the location, there is an affected village not far from here. I think if you go at once, you can also go back on a day trip.」

Since we won’t know the danger of this matter before we look at the situation once, so Nectar and I could make space transitions through Layline. The difficult phase would be the first day alone, the second day and the third day should be much easier.

Carla-san sighs in relief, and her silver hair sways as she bows to us.

「I will be troubling you.」

With that, Nectar and I went to investigate the mysterious sleeping disease.