[Original Novel] Ilm the Sea Dragon and Reef the Sky-dweller ⑤

Chapter 5: An Overly Enthusiastic Reaction, and Hungry Travelers

Sky-dwellers and Earth-dwellers.
Ilm, a sea dragon living in the ocean, does not know much about these two types of humans.

Now, both of them are right in front of him.

Ilm thinks that now that he has come to the surface, he will likely meet many more Earth-dwellers from here on out.

Even though it felt as if time had stopped while he was trapped in that narrow place—the scenery he sees for the first time, the experiences he has for the first time, the words he exchanges for the first time. It is as if he is dreaming.

The moment he transformed into a human, he was naturally able to understand the language of the "Earth-dwellers." As for the language of the Sky-dwellers—the words spoken by Reef and his father when Reef was a boy—it seemed they had been adjusting to him, but now he can understand that naturally as well.
By the way, there are few of his own kind, the sea dragons, and he had not encountered them very often. Therefore, even though he could vaguely communicate with sea creatures and sea monsters, the very fact that a conversation with another being could take place was a rare experience for Ilm.

It is not bad, actually.

And then, he thinks about smiling. He was surprised at how pleasant it was to be able to express emotions more richly than in his sea dragon form, and to have someone smile at him.
Whether that is a change of heart brought about by the physical changes of becoming a human, or something he feels as a sea dragon soul, Ilm himself does not know.

If I were to compare it, let's see. It is like the feeling I had earlier, leaping between the sea and the sky while bathed in the sunlight.

Back then, my body was leaping. Now, I suppose my heart is leaping, Ilm thought.

Grumble.

Perhaps it is because time has started moving again. A sudden sensation of hunger attacked him.

"Ilm-san."

Sol, the young Earth-dweller traveler, smiles at him. It was a friendly smile, as if directed at an old acquaintance.

"I'd like to treat you to lunch as a thank you for saving me—what do you think?"

It seems he heard the sound of Ilm's stomach. Upon hearing the word "lunch," Reef, the Sky-dweller boy by his side, immediately broke into a beaming smile.

"Lunch? Earth-dweller food... er, I mean, lunch? Wow, I want to try it...!"

It seemed he had accidentally almost said "Earth-dweller food," and Reef hurriedly covered it up while excitedly frolicking.

Ah. I see. He wants to keep the fact that he is a Sky-dweller a secret.

Ilm once again sensed the delicate relationship between Sky-dwellers and Earth-dwellers. Reef's father, who seemed completely unconcerned about the Earth-dwellers being swallowed by the rough waves at that time, and Reef, who conversely tried to save Sol without any hesitation. That must surely be a difference in personality, even between parent and child. However, Ilm felt there was something symbolic in Reef's father's words and actions.
From the fact that they go out of their way to call each other by separate names, "Sky-dweller" and "Earth-dweller," even though they live in completely different worlds, Ilm felt that there might be a clear wall between the two types of humans.

Perhaps it's something like territorial awareness? The land must be the territory of the 'Earth People.' And perhaps Sol perceives both me and Reef as fellow 'Earth People.' It seems best to keep that hidden for now.

Sea dragons also have territorial awareness, even if they don't encounter each other often in the sea. In some cases, fierce battles can occur. That is why I understood it that way. However, Sol himself didn't seem to notice Reef's slightly flustered state.

“It looks like there's a fishing town over there. I'm sure there's a diner, too. Let's go.”

Beyond the rocks and trees in the direction Sol pointed, where the sea breeze was blowing, several roofs were visible. Ilm and Reef decided to follow Sol, who started walking along the sandy beach with a refreshing smile.

“Whoa.”

Ilm couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.
He thought there were more nests than he had expected. They were houses, though. And humans.

Do humans really have such different appearances and movements from one another...!

Young and old, men and women, wearing all sorts of colorful clothing, with countless different hairstyles, and some were holding things or carrying things. Some were pulling something complex made of wood that was smaller than a boat—a cart—while others were leading large animals—horses.

The humans I had seen in the sea were all different from one another, but I didn't think they were this different...!

I kept asking Reef in a whisper what this was and what that was. Since I asked every time I saw something, it might have been hard for Reef, who took it all on, but Reef answered as much as he could.

“There are so many people in this town!”

It seems their life isn't much different from the world of the Sky People, but there are so many people, Reef said, his eyes shining.

“Is this town that unusual?”

Sol, walking in front, tilted his head slightly and looked back at the whispering pair, who seemed to be having fun.

“It smells so good...!”

Reef's nose had found the diner first.
Even after entering the diner, it was a struggle in its own way.

What is this, and what are they eating with what...!

Tableware, forks, knives, spoons, glasses, and so on. Unknown tools to Ilm. The humans were using them skillfully while enjoying their meal.

To begin with, there was this thing called a chair.

Sitting in a chair was a bit of an adventure for Ilm. When he pulled out a chair, imitating what he saw, and finally sat down, he couldn't help but groan at its convenience and rationality. The next hurdle was the menu. Thanks to the magic that turned me into a human, I could read the letters. However, I didn't know what the words represented. Even if I understood the content, I didn't know the dishes themselves, so I had no way of knowing which one was good.

“Would it be okay if you ordered for us?”

Seeing that Ilm and Reef were struggling—though Reef could probably imagine the dishes to some extent, he seemed unable to choose because he wanted to eat everything—Sol kindly ordered for them.

What is this deliciousness—!

Ilm was in agony. Clutching the spoon—he had mastered using a spoon right away—he hung his flushed head and his shoulders trembled violently.

“Ilm... sir? A-are you okay...?”

Sol asked timidly, wondering if he had suddenly taken ill.

“What is this called—!”

Ilm stood up as if to grab Sol, asking with his entire being.

“Uh, simmered redfish.”

Simmered redfish...!

Ilm carved the spell-like sound into his brain. It was the first human dish he had ever tasted.

I shall never forget this in my entire life, simmered redfish...!

“This one is delicious too! Simmered bluefish.”

It seemed what Reef was eating was simmered bluefish.

Simmered bluefish...!

Ilm’s eyes widened. A strange, similar yet different sound.

“By the way, my plate is simmered whitefish. This is good too.”

Simmered whitefish...!

Yet another new phrase assaulted him.

What an incredible thing, the simmered fish series...!

Within Ilm, the simmered fish dishes were understood as the “simmered fish” group, and they came to reign as the highest priority in his mind, demanding to be eaten above all else. Facing the empty plate he had devoured in a frenzy,

Now then. Which “simmered fish” was it that I ate...?

The rapid-fire rush of red, blue, and white—he had forgotten the all-important color names.

In the end, because Ilm and Reef were eating with such enthusiasm and looking so delicious, Sol had ordered additional dishes for them.
Ilm was moved every single time, but,

"I'm really glad you enjoyed it."

Sol didn't seem annoyed by Ilm and Reef's overly intense reactions; he seemed to think of them as just a couple of slightly eccentric, hungry travelers, and didn't seem suspicious at all. Though, is 'slightly' really the right word for how eccentric they were?

"Sol, why are you looking for magic stones?"

Once they had calmed down after drinking their tea, Reef asked.

"This, you see."

Sol pointed to the sword at his waist, which looked like his partner.

"The decorative part on the hilt of this sword. It's empty here. I'm going to embed a magic stone into this hilt. By doing that, this sword will be complete."

Sol spoke with a serious expression.

"It will surely be able to cut even monsters like that one on the beach that my sword attacks didn't work on earlier; it will become an invincible sword that can fight any monster—"

It can save many people, he concluded, and Sol's intense gaze was filled with powerful determination and youthful hope.

The tea is good, too.

At that moment, Ilm almost accidentally let his mind be stolen away by a different thought.

◆Work published on Shousetsuka ni Narou◆