Dragon Trouble
Rock Will dragons are a breed with scales as tough as stone. Their dark gray armor is overgrown with plants, creating the illusion of a soft, mossy carpet. Towering in size but slow in movement, these dragons are gentle giants by nature.
Though they lack wings and cannot fly, they are keepers of the land—plodding steadily through the earth, scattering seeds from their backs, and bringing greenery to barren terrain.
But one of them was currently on a rampage.
“Woooooooooo—!”
“Ahhh! Stop it!”
“Thompson! This one’s yours!”
“You want me to go near that thing when it’s like this?!”
I knew it. Swallowing down the curse on the tip of my tongue, I broke into a run.
“Hey! Lithia!”
“Who called her?!”
“Dengshin-ah, if you can’t handle the dragon yourself, of course someone had to call for help.”
Thompson flushed with embarrassment at the pointed remark.
“Who said that?! Show yourself!”
“Quiet. Do you want to make things worse?”
I scolded Thompson, who glared furiously in all directions—until his gaze landed squarely on me.
“You!”
“Can you manage this? If not, I’ll go ahead and proceed with the scheduled training.”
Thompson grumbled but didn’t stop me. At least he had enough sense to recognize the situation was beyond him.
The earth trembled under the dragon’s massive weight as it stomped and roared, plants flinging off its back in tufts, unable to hold on through the chaos.
Something was wrong. The dragon’s cries weren’t just wild—they were laced with pain.
I narrowed my eyes, taking a closer look.
“Ah.”
I sighed. The problem was clear now.
Reaching into my vest pocket, I pulled out a small pellet of pain-relieving herbs, lit it, and let the smoke drift gently into the air. The fragrance—soft and sweet—began to spread as I rolled the burning wreath toward the agitated dragon.
The moment the scent reached him, the great beast lowered his nose to sniff, drawn in like a moth to flame. His heaving breaths slowed. His eyes, once wild, dulled into calm.
Slowly, carefully, I approached the dragon—soothed, yet still tense.
“Grrrrr…”
“You did well… I’m going to take the pain away now.”
I stroked his cheek gently, then down to his neck and legs. The thick, stone-like scales twitched as I reached the forelegs.
“It’s alright. I’m just making sure you don’t get hurt.”
I felt sweat bead down my back as I approached the saddle. I loosened the strap around his belly, and with a heavy thud, the saddle fell to the ground.
The dragon blinked and shook his body. The compressed grass beneath the saddle rustled and released a fresh, green scent.
He lowered himself to the ground slowly. I gave him a pat on the nape and climbed up onto his broad back.
“…Just as I thought.”
I frowned at the sight beneath me. Large seeds were wedged between the flattened grasses where the saddle had pressed.
No wonder he was in pain. Being a mild-mannered species, he must have endured it for as long as he could before lashing out in agony.
I pulled a small trowel from my pocket and gently began to dig.
The dragon trembled under my touch.
“Just a little longer, alright?”
He turned his head slightly, watching me anxiously, but stayed still as I carefully dug the seeds out from between the scales. His massive body occasionally shook, but he never moved away.
“You did so well. You’re amazing.”
I jumped down and scratched his cheek. Though his scales were rock-hard, he closed his eyes and let out a low, contented rumble at the touch.
“Lithia, is it over?”
“Yes. This was the problem.”
I returned to the trainers, holding out the seed I’d extracted. They stared at it, dumbfounded.
“A sun plant seed? Those should be removed regularly, shouldn’t they?”
“But it was still there.”
All eyes turned to Thompson.
He flinched, clenching his fists, his face twitching with rage.
“Rick! Get over here now!”
A skinny, timid-looking trainee trainer flinched and hurried toward him, face pale.
Without warning, Thompson kicked him in the shin.
“Argh!”
“You damn idiot! What kind of trainer doesn’t care for his dragon properly?!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“That’s it?! You think sorry is enough?! Do you know what you caused?!”
Rick bowed repeatedly, stammering apologies, but Thompson’s fury only grew.
“That’s enough, Trainer Thompson.”
“You stay out of this!”
“Don’t I have a say in how this is handled?”
Thompson scowled. But I stood firm.
“Apprentice trainers make mistakes—it’s part of learning. But not knowing a basic rule like checking for sun plant seeds near the saddle area of a Rock Will? That’s not just the trainee’s fault.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying the fault lies with the trainer in charge.”
Thompson’s face turned beet red.
“What?!”
“If you didn’t get it, I’ll say it again. You’re the one who overlooked the basics and saddled the dragon. You let it suffer.”
He marched toward me, fists clenched.
“What, you think you’re so great for pulling out a single seed?! Acting like you’re special?!”
“If basic care feels like showing off to you, I can see where your standards lie.”
“Lithia!”
“If I hadn’t stepped in, who would’ve cleaned up this mess? You? You, who dumps everything on a trainee and just lounges around?”
“That’s enough out of you!”
“Oh, I’m not done yet. Don’t call yourself a trainer if you won’t even train. It’s pathetic.”
As expected, he swung his fist.
I took a step back and he stumbled forward, missing me completely.
“Argh!”
I stuck out a foot just slightly. He tripped over it and landed hard on the ground.
“Y-you—!”
“Get out of my way!”
Thompson staggered back up, swearing furiously.
“If you didn’t have any skills, you’d have been fired by now!”
“Thanks for the compliment, then.”
“Tch! Just an orphan playing with dragons—should’ve been stuck with baby ones instead of real work!”
I shrugged, laughing at the familiar insult.
I wasn’t going to waste my life getting hurt by every little word.
“I might just be sitting here doing nothing, but work always finds me.”
“Unlucky wench.”
With that, Thompson gave Rick one last glare and stormed off, stomping like a child.
“Lithia, are you alright? If you go against Thompson…”
“What, I’ll get fired?”
“The manager’s not happy either… He’s constantly fretting over not being able to satisfy Thompson’s father.”
“Who caused today’s incident again?”
“True. Still, Thompson’s background is troublesome.”
I let out a long sigh. There was no arguing with that.
“If he’s from a noble family, shouldn’t he be doing something more dignified?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Honestly, it’s amazing you’re still here.”
“What, me? I’m just the one they leave all the dirty work to. While Thompson gets away with doing nothing.”
Count Harris really is something. Like father, like son?
“Don’t let it get to you, Rick. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Trainer Lithia…”
“You alright? Can you stand?”
Rick wiped his eyes with his sleeve and rose to his feet, still unsteady.
“I’m okay.”
“Good. For your future reference—sun plants grow on Rock Wills’ backs. If their seeds wedge into the area under the saddle, they’ll dig into the scales and cause pain. Always check that area carefully.”
“I see…”
“Also, those seeds are valuable in alchemy. If you collect them early, the plants won’t grow—but if you leave just a few, you’ll have a steady income.”
Rick nodded earnestly, repeating the advice to himself like a mantra.
He was eager to learn. Shame about his mentor.
“Well then, I’ll head out. I came in a rush after training Lou.”
“You got here early.”
“I flew in on a Roo.”
At that, the other trainers laughed and waved me off.
“Go rest. We’ll clean up here.”
“Thanks.”
“No, thank you.”
After casting a glance at the now peaceful Rock Will, I turned and headed toward the airfield, where Lou was waiting.
If I didn’t hurry, he’d probably start vomiting. We were already late for snack time.
“Kuuuuh!”
“Okay, okay. Let’s go. I’ll get you your snack.”
I climbed onto Lou’s back and, with a powerful beat of his wings, we soared into the sky.
