Chapter 172

Like many dragons, the Loftsdrake does not obtain lift by flapping its wings, but by some kind of magical power.

The Loftsdrake with Yuri onboard slowly floated up into the sky on the spot without even moving its wings. Its behavior was stable, and the vibration was much less than I had imagined, so the ride was not bad.

Following the lead Loftsdrake carrying Yuri, the five Loftsdrake carrying the following Lizardmen also slowly soared into the sky.

It is said that lizardmen are the most habitat-independent demons, and can live in grasslands, oceans, swamps, lava fields, and even deserts. They may not have had any experience flying in the sky. As their bodies rose to the surface, each of the five lizardmen shouted with a mixture of astonishment and joy.

On the ground, the people of the Rostine Trading Company and the head of the company, Rubetta, were waving at us. Yuri also responded by waving from the sky.

『 Well, I’m off to do a test flight. 』 

After saying something to the people of the Rostine Chamber of Commerce using [Bond]. The six Loftsdrake, carrying Yuri and the Lizards, flies even higher into the sky.

It seems that what Rubetta had said about not being able to fly very high was true.

It may be more appropriate to say that Loftsdrake himself does not want to fly, rather than saying that he cannot fly.

If Yuri were to give a strong order, he might be able to make it fly higher, but there would be no need for that.

The point is that the greatest advantage of air transport is that it does not depend on trade routes, and only needs to be able to reach its destination in a straight line.

(The current altitude… probably about 70-80 meters above the ground.)

I have little experience in measuring altitude from an overhead perspective, so this is a very rough estimate. It’s not too far from the ground, so it’s probably not more than 100 meters high.

In general, it is said that if you jump from a high place, you are almost certain to die at about 45 meters above the ground, so even at this height, if you fall, you will not be able to save yourself.

However, the people of this world, especially the citizens of the Yuri Empire and its allies, have grown to a certain level, and many of them are no longer normal.

According to Rubetta, if your level is 40, you will not die even if you fall. At this height, even half that level would probably be enough.

However, if the destination of the fall is on hard rock, or if the body is pierced by a tree in a bad way, a person of level 20 might not be able to withstand it.

The level 40 that Rubetta mentioned was probably a figure that took into account a sufficient safety margin.

There aren’t too many explorers in the “Labyrinth” who have reached level 40 or above. However, they are not so rare.

If you advertise a job as ‘flying between cities,’ you’ll probably get a flood of applicants, even if it’s limited to level 40 and above.

―――It is one of the natural desires of human beings to yearn to fly.

(But then again, it’s really not that fast…)

Yuri sighs a small sigh on the back of the Loftsdrake as it flies leisurely through the sky.

In Yuri’s mind, the slow-flying demons are the war dragons that the children of <Shirayuri> use as their cavalry, and the cockatrices that the children of <Kikyou> use as their cavalry.

Even though the two monsters are slow, they can both reach speeds of around 200 kilometers per hour. In contrast, the Loftsdrake’s flight speed is probably only about 50 to 80 kilometers per hour.

If you think of it as the speed of a car on a regular road, it doesn’t seem like a bad number. Flying in the air at this speed, I hardly feel like the scenery is moving.

Well, it’s not a bad feeling when you think of it as a leisurely trip in the sky.

『 Is everything all right over there? 』 

Yuri asked via [Bond]. The five lizards answered that there was no problem with each of them.

『 I’m very excited to be having this flying experience. 』 

『 Really? I’m glad to hear it. Is the ride comfortable? 』 

『 Yes, I barely feel any shaking. At this height and speed, I don’t feel any anxiety or fear if I were to fall. 』 

『 I see. 』 

Yuri and the rest of the Yuri Empire are used to fly. But for those who are not, it seems that they are more comfortable with a monster that flies as slowly as a Loftsdrake.

If you think about it that way, the fact that the Loftsdrake can’t fly high and can only fly slowly is not all that disadvantageous.

『 Master. Is that the city we see in our direction is our destination? 』 

『 … You have a good eye. With my eyesight, I still can’t see clearly. 』 

『 I’m sorry. 』 

Lizardmen are known for their overall physical abilities, especially their life force and defense, which are much higher than those of humans. It’s not until just now that Yuri realized that they have a high vision.

I’ve always prided myself on my knowledge of the demons that appear in the game Atros Online. ―――Yuri was reminded that there were still many things she did not know.

『 I’ll notify them to clear the landing area for a bit. 』 

『 Yes, please. 』 

After telling the lizardman that, Yuri selected the [Bond] to send telepathy.

After setting the [Bond] so that the voice would reach the people in the city of Ulysses, her destination, Yuri spoke slowly in telepathy.

『 I’m Yuri, the Empress. The resident of Ulysses, I know it’s sudden, but I’d like to make a few announcements in voice only, without visuals.

I am currently conducting a test flight from the vicinity of Yuritania to the city of Ulysses, using a dragon that I captured from a certain nation the other day. Six dragons will soon be visible from the city of Ulysses, but there is no need to be alarmed by this. I would also like to ask those of you who are near the central square to please leave a large space for the dragons to land. 』 

Because of the【Life-Saving Ward】that has been deployed in Ulysses, there are absolutely no fatalities in the city.

So even if someone is stepped on by a dragon or crushed by a dragon’s hanging luggage, there is no danger. However, there is no better way to avoid unnecessary accidents, so Yuri told the citizens in advance and asked for their cooperation.

『 If the impact is too strong, the barrel in the box may be damaged. Please be very careful when you land. 』 

『 Yes, understood 』 

After warning the lizardmen further, Yuri slowed down and approached the sky above the city of Ulysses.

(… The journey took roughly 25 minutes.)

The distance from the ruins of the old city of Nildea to the city of Ulysses is roughly 20 kilometers.

If we assume that we’ll be landing slowly for the next five minutes or so to preserve our cargo, the total time it took us to travel would be 30 minutes.

By simple calculation, we could have traveled at an average speed of 40km/h.

Including the time it took to take off and land, this is not a bad time.

If we traveled by land, it would have taken us less than three hours. Even though Loftsdrake can’t fly very fast, it’s much faster than a horse-drawn carriage.

After circling a bit above the city, Yuri and the others gradually lost altitude toward the central square.

They landed slowly until they were about 10 meters above the ground, and then took more time to land so as not to damage their luggage. 30 minutes had passed since their departure.

When the six Loftsdrakes landed safely in the central square, the people gathered around cheered and applauded.

I couldn’t understand what the cheers were about, but I guessed it was good entertainment for the citizens of Ulysses.

“Thank you for your hard work, Master.”

As Yuri disembarked from the Loftsdrake, Partita, the captain of <Nadeshiko>, who was waiting at the landing site, gave her a word of thanks.

Yuri had contacted the guild chat and invited some of the <Nadeshiko> girls to the central plaza of Ulysses, the planned landing site.

“Thank you, Partita. Have you prepared cups for the citizens?”

“Yes. We have enough for 2,000 people.”

“That’s enough. Thank you.”

While I was talking to Partita, the other <Nadeshiko> children with their dexterous hands removed the packages that were suspended from under the dragon’s feet and unpacked them.

Inside each of the packed boxes, there are twelve large barrels.

These are all ‘sake barrels’. The Rostine Chamber of Commerce had prepared them as suitable test cargo for airlifting to Ulysses, as they were ‘moderately heavy’ and ‘vulnerable to shocks’ to a certain extent.

Rubetta has told me that I can dispose of this barrel as I please.

Then―――there’s only one use for it.

“Thank you very much for your cooperation, citizens. Especially for the people in the central plaza, thank you for opening up the space for the landing. We tried to transport sake barrels by air for this test, but it seems to have gone well, none of the barrels were broken and the contents seem to be safe.

―――The sake barrels that we used this time will be served here to the citizens. If you would like to enjoy the free sake, please pick up a cup from one of the maids in the vicinity and enjoy it.”

Yuri’s words were greeted with another round of cheers.

It was still a little early in the evening. ―――Sometimes it’s not a bad idea to enjoy a drink with the citizens when the sun is low in the sky.