CH 59

[Small Cloud Whale]

“We’re about to reach the place where the Small Cloud Whale was witnessed, but… It seems that the herd of the war horse isn’t here. Dimol, let’s rise a little bit higher.”

“Kueee!”

In order to find the whereabouts of the Small Cloud Whale, which subjugation request we took, I was scouting ahead, riding on Dimol who was waiting at the garrison.

The vast green of the Orwell Grassland spreads out below.

While looking for the big and easy-to-find Small Cloud Whale, I was also looking for the herd of the war horse that understood human language.

Noelia and others should be slowly heading to the meet-up place by wagon, so since we’ll be arriving first, we should do the search in a little more detail.

[Master, is the Small Cloud Whale delicious? What type is it?]

As I was flying Dimol toward the meet-up place, Dayle, who couldn’t wait to fight the Small Cloud Whale, spoke to me.

“Eh? What type Small Cloud Whale is? Err, since it is of the cloud whale species, it is a type of fish… no, perhaps it is a type of beast. The meat inside is muscular and lean, but the child Small Cloud Whale’s meat is tender, so it’s a high-class meat that is traded as expensive as dragon’s meat.”

[Ah, no. I’m not talking about the taste of the meat… I’m talking about the factor of the Small Cloud Whale. Dayle can’t eat meat after all.]

I realized that I had misunderstood the meaning of Dayle’s question.

“Ahh, sorry. That’s right. It was about factor, right. I wonder, isn’t the factor should be of poison or paralysis? And I also feel that it has a recovery type.”

[Master is unexpectedly a glutton, so you can’t make fun of Dayle you know.]

“No, I’m really sorry. I honestly thought that it was a talk about meat.”

Embarrassment surges up in me, and I couldn’t stop my cheeks from getting flushed.

I can’t say that I was talking normally thinking that Dayle was a person…

Come to think of it, Dayle was a sword.

It can’t eat meat.

[Is there something wrong? Master?]

Dayle blinked its eye-like purple magic stone, calling out to me.

“N-nothing. I’m just a human being, so I often make mistakes.”

[Strange Master… Haa~, I want to absorb factor quickly~. If I absorb a lot and become stronger and smarter, I will be more useful for Master after all~. Then, I can also get more maintenance—]

“I always maintain you every night though?”

[Apart from the nightly maintenance, I can have as many additional maintenances as possible. If you polish me, I will become the Shiny Dayle.]

No, you will certainly be sparkling if I maintain and polish you.

However, overdoing it will also damages your blade.

I tsukkomi-ed Dayle in my mind.

“The matter about the number of maintenances will be on hold.”

[Eh~, stingy~]

Dayle was blinking its magic stone in dissatisfaction, but as a swordsman, I’m in the faction who thinks that over-maintain is not good.

In order to be able to use Dayle for a long time, I have to be careful and limits the numbers of its maintenance.

In truth, the blade was so beautiful that I wouldn’t get tired maintaining it from morning until night, so even I was holding myself back, deciding to do it only once a day.

“Kuee!”

While I was talking about maintenance with Dayle, finding something ahead, Dimol cried.

When I squinted my eyes looking ahead the clouds were moving.

“Is it the Small Cloud Whale?”

The distance is still far away, I’m staring at the sesame seeds-like clouds.

The moment I thought it was just a clump of cloud—

An eyeball popped open, and its body began to bend and move in the sky.

“We found it! That’s it! That’s the Small Cloud Whale! Dayle, get ready! We’re going to battle!”

[Y-yes! I’m ready anytime!]

“Dimol, get close to that cloud at full speed!”

“Kuee!”

I pulled out Dayle, and drove Dimol toward the subjugation target, the Small Cloud Whale.

Thanks to the speed Dimol boast of, the distance between us and the opponent is rapidly narrowing.

As we got closer, the body of the Small Cloud Whale grew bigger and bigger.

Huge… Looking at its size, rather than a Small Cloud Whale, isn’t it more like a Cloud Whale?

When I came near it, I realized that the size of the Small Cloud Whale I was chasing was as big as the mansion where Noelia lived.

The sense of distance sure makes people confused.

This may be difficult.

It seems that the opponent, the Small Cloud Whale, also noticed that we were approaching, and as if being alerted, the color of the cloud covering its body, which was pure white, was dyed black in attack color.

“The other party also recognized us as an enemy! It’s coming!”

“Kuee!!”

Before the Small Cloud Whale attacked us, I gave instructions to Dimol and decided to take the upper position.