Reincarnated as the Strongest Dragon

Chapter 21: To The Capital

“What is that supposed to be?” Liz asked and pointed at the mattress I had pulled out and put down in the tent.

“Uhm, it’s a magitech sleeping bag and mattress combo, I guess? I got it from the owner of a store, who specialized in adventurer goods many years ago when I did him a favor.”

“It uses magitech?” Liz said and curiously inspected it.

“Yeah, you see this on the side?” I asked and pointed to two slots with buttons above them, “In this slot, you can put a non-attribute magic stone to power these three. If you press the first button, it will inflate the mattress so you can use it. Pressing it again will deflate the mattress so you can roll it up, making it easier to carry. Quite handy if you have a small magic bag. The second one activates [Purify] and [Cleanse], so you don’t have to wash it. The third one turns on a bug repellent. Who would want something crawling on you when you wake up, right?”

“That sounds almost absurd for camping equipment,” Liz said and pointed at the last slot, “What about this one?”

“That slot is where you put a fire-attribute magic stone to power this one,” I said before pointing to the last button. “If you turn this to the right, you can raise the temperature. That way, you can use it even in the winter.”

Liz tried turning the button. “... Was something like this common back in the day?”

“I wouldn’t say common. It was somewhat of a luxury for higher ranks, I suppose? With today's standard, maybe it was something B or A ranks splurged on.”

“I only have a normal sleeping bag,” Liz said, dejected.

“We can share mine if you don’t mind sleeping close to me, it's quite big, after all,” I said in a coy tone.

Liz immediately put away her sleeping bag. “I think I can agree to that.”

I got naked and slid into my sleeping bag.

Liz looked at me with a slight frown. “Are you sleeping naked here too?”

“Is that bad? Just feel how soft it is, it's basically a crime to wear clothes.”

“Doesn’t it feel weird to sleep naked while camping deep in the middle of the forest?”

“I always sleep naked, so it feels natural for me. But you can wear clothes if you want,” I said and shuffled down further under the cover.

She turned off the magitech lantern, which covered the tent in darkness, the moonlight hitting the tent between the trees being the only thing that gave us any hint of light. I could see the silhouette of her taking off clothes before she slid down next to me. 

I hope she isn’t forcing herself to do that just because I do. I would hate it if she went out of her comfort zone to accommodate me and my antics.

“I told you that you could wear clothes,” I said while putting my arm around her. “You aren’t forcing yourself to do something, right?”

“I’m not,” She said in a reassuring tone. “I have always been so reserved because of… That, so this feels rather liberating.”

“That’s good then,” I said and pulled her closer. “How are you feeling? I can only imagine how sore you must get from getting carried for so long.”

“It’s more comfortable than I thought, but it takes its toll, I guess? It honestly feels really nice to lie down.”

“Let's cozy up and get some sleep then. Feel free to turn up the temperature if you get chilly.”

“Are you sleeping already?” Liz said in a slightly disappointed tone.

“Oh, what kind of insatiable monster have I unleashed upon this world?” I said and giggled. “We still have a long way to travel tomorrow. Would you settle for some kisses and snuggles for tonight?”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I was just surprised. But you’re right, let's get some sleep.”

I woke up in the morning with a still-sleeping Liz as the little spoon. I didn’t want to wake her since it was still early, so I figured I would update my [Note] Since it has been some time.

I can cross out the register part and gather funds. I got plenty of money, even without selling any materials in the capital. The maps will probably be difficult to come by. I know that Kaydossa are a bunch of jerks. Haven’t had time to think about the Beast Nation yet, same with the status inspect spells. Maybe I can find something about that in the capital? Should I show the drug to the guildmaster? Any new points to add? Maybe add some telenode locations? I could have used the behemoth magic stone to create one in Baruda, but I don’t know if I will stick around there. Non-attribute magic stones that are large enough to power telenodes for a few years are rare as it is. I will write it down for the future. That will do for now.

[Note] To-Do List:

• Register as an adventurer
  • Push my rank to SSS
• Gather funds
• Buy maps over the continent
• Get information about any possible wars or political tensions between countries
  • Kaydossa sucks
• Information about the Beast Nation
• Information about status inspect spells
• Telenode locations

After finishing my [Note] updates, I closed my eyes again while stroking Liz’s hair, contemplating if I should go back to sleep when I felt Liz move her hand frantically under the cover.

“Good morning, Slept well?”

“It was better than the bed at the inn,” She said as she turned around to face me. “I have a question.”

“And what would that be?”

“Is this your tail?” She asked while moving her hand along my tail.

“Yeah?”

“Why is it around my waist?”

“You tried to roll away in the middle of the night, and I didn’t want that?” I said and batted my eyelashes.

“I… See?” She said and rolled her eyes. “Can you release me so we can get up?”

“You don’t have to rush,” I said and tightened my tail around her waist, “It’s still quite early, so you can sleep for a bit longer if you want.”

“It sounds like you are the one who wants to sleep longer, ”Liz said and poked my cheek.

“Pfft, fine then, let's get up,” I said while shifting my tail. “No more tail for you.”

“Aaw, it actually felt quite nice,” Liz giggled.

We got up and had breakfast. “How do you want to travel today?” I asked while munching on a small loaf of bread with some cheese and meat stuffed into it.

“Hmm, I’m not exactly sure where we are now, but if we ride your foxlings it will probably take two or three days to get there. We could probably get there today if you fly, but I don’t know if I can manage a full day of being carried.”

“How about I fly in my dragon form? Then we could probably get there in a few hours.”

“Really? Are you that much faster?” Liz asked, surprised.

“Yeah, I can’t go full speed though. Don’t want you to fall off.”

“Can you use [Erase Presence] in your dragon form? Otherwise, there would probably be widespread panic incoming.”

“Yeah, that won't be a problem. I will land some distance from the capital and shift back, though. Since it cannot erase things outside of its influence, wind drafts and rustling leaves are a thing if I fly low. Wherever I land will also look weird to outsiders.”

“Let’s do that then,” Liz said and pondered. “Is it weird that I’m not even afraid but rather excited to ride a big dragon?” 

“Maybe I have finally broken you?” I said with a grin.

We packed up our things and got ready to leave. I canceled the barrier and picked up Liz to find a place with fewer trees where I could use [Shift]. After shifting, she climbed up on me and I took off. It only took three hours to get close enough to see the massive capital. I found a spot to land and shifted back to human form.

“That was amazing, you are so fast it’s insane!”

I puffed out my chest, “I sure am! Feel free to praise me more.”

“This dragon,” Liz said and rolled her eyes.

“How do you want to enter the town? Fly or gate?”

“Hmm, there will probably be a line to get into town but maybe we should go through there anyway.”

“How so?”

“An excuse to act normal?” Liz said and tapped her chin. “Also if we walk, we can go through the streets and look around instead of flying over everything and going to the guild. Would be a waste if we only saw the guild hall when we are here.”

“You could have just said you wanted to go on a date,” I grinned.

I picked Liz up, flew within walking distance of the gate where we landed, and walked the rest of the way.

“Hey Liz,” I said and looked at her. “I’m not saying I didn’t like it or anything, but nibbling on my neck and ear while I fly can be dangerous.”

“But the position to do it is perfect! I held back all day yesterday,” Liz said with a pout.

“I’m putting it on your tombstone if I drop you because you do that.”

“What, death from falling?”

“Nibbled on a dragon and paid the price,” I said and grinned.

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