Chapter 28

“Um, you said the dragon skeleton runs at eighty ‘km’ per hour, right? If I mess up the steering and accidentally enter a village, I’ll trample the whole place… I’m too scared to move this thing!”

One wrong move and a village could be wiped off the map.

“That’s why I’m right here beside you—to make sure you don’t make a mistake like that. You just stand tall and drive this dragon skeleton.”

Senior Tototo clearly had no intention of letting me back out. Judging by her attitude, she must be a veteran driver… or pilot?

“She’s right. Tototo-san is the best driver in the company. She’s been doing this for over twenty years and hasn’t had a single accident yet,” the President added.

“See? The President said so too. Relax, relax! It’s so easy I could drive it in my sleep.”

“Drowsy driving is actually incredibly dangerous, so please don’t do that!”

I suppose this is another assignment meant to help me grow. Legally, there isn’t any rule saying you can’t ride a dragon skeleton, and since it’s my job, I just have to do it.

“I understand… I’ll do my best to get used to it…”

“Alright, we depart tomorrow at 9:00 AM. Since it’s your first time, you don’t need to push the speed; just treat it like a training session. Also, make sure to dress warmly. I’ve prepared some gear, but still.”

Receiving Tototo’s instructions, Cerulia and I both nodded. Though, I didn’t think the region we were heading to was particularly cold.

That night, Cerulia and I shared our anxieties while in the bath.

“I wonder if I can really handle it…”

“I have no experience with this either, so I’m not sure… but if we’re about to hit a rock face, I’ll grab you and escape into the sky, Master!”

“Even if nobody dies, if the dragon skeleton breaks, the damages would be astronomical. I’ll be careful…”

●

The next day, I arrived at work thirty minutes before departure. When I went to the front of the dragon skeleton, Senior Tototo was standing there—in her underwear.

“Wait! Why are you dressed like that?!”

Even though I’m used to Cerulia’s outfits, this was still bizarre.

“Oh, I’m washing the dragon skeleton. He’s my pride and joy. I’d just get wet if I wore clothes while washing him.”

Sure enough, Tototo was holding a water-soaked towel, carefully wiping down the skeleton’s bones.

“Gugugu, gugugu, gugu…”

A sound like a low growl vibrated through the air.

“Oh, he seems happy. By the way, this boy’s name is the Tensho-go (means: the Soaring Heaven). We’ve been together for over fifty years.”

Hearing that, something clicked.

“So, you were running with this dragon skeleton even before you joined the company?”

“That’s right. This boy is both my ‘dark history’ and my ‘bright history’ at the same time.”

Tototo stared off into the distance with a nostalgic look in her eyes.

“Senior Tototo, let me help with the wiping.”

“Thanks. But don’t call it ‘cleaning,’ call it ‘bathing.’ This boy is alive, after all.”

A dragon skeleton is… alive…? It’s literally just bone…

Cerulia tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear.

“People who utilize skeleton-type monsters often get angry if you say they are dead. I know you want to point out the logic, but just let it slide for now.”

“Ah, I see… Thanks for the tip…”

I guess I shouldn’t get too hung up on biological definitions.

Once the “bathing” was finished, it was finally time to drive. It looked like nothing but bone, but observing closely, the interior of the dragon skeleton was a functional framework divided into several rooms with stairs installed.

Climbing the bone stairs, we reached a small cage-like room with chairs. If the dragon were alive, this would be where its brain was located. The “floor” was made of finely spaced bones, so there was no danger of falling through. There was something resembling a ship’s helm inside. Underneath the helm lay a rug with a magic circle drawn on it.

“You grip this to drive. It won’t react unless you have an aptitude for Dark Magic. The fact that the President assigned you this job means she’s judged that you can handle it.”

Senior Tototo had thrown a coat over her underwear, but that was literally all she was wearing. I really wished she’d put on a bit more.

Still… I couldn’t let President Kelkel down.

“I’ll teach you the incantation to move it now. I’m only saying it once, so listen closely.”

“Gah, only once…?”

“That’s to make sure you focus!”

The incantation was quite long; I felt like I’d forget it if I blinked.

“—Hanave Okofonda… Is that right?”

“GUUUUUUUUU.”

The growling sound echoed again.

“Perfect! The Tensho-go reacted! Alright, let’s go! Grab the helm!”

I put strength into my grip on the helm. Please work…

The helm glowed, and the dragon skeleton began to move.

“Good, everything’s smooth so far. You’ll only hit about thirty km at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll be able to hit seventy by the end of the day. Beyond that depends on your compatibility with the Tensho-go and your Dark Magic skill—wait?”

The Tensho-go began to accelerate rapidly, reaching a speed that made my life flash before my eyes. We were in the outskirts with few buildings, but we were whizzing past farmland in the blink of an eye.

“Hey, what’s happening?! We’re doing a hundred and eighty km!”

“I’ve never done this before, so I don’t know!”

“GUGUGUGU, GUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!” A massive roar thundered.

“The Tensho-go is overjoyed! You must have incredible compatibility and way too much talent for Dark Magic!”

“I’m honored, but isn’t this speed dangerous?!”

“Yeah, if we hit a rock wall, we’re dead instantly…”

The blood drained from my face.

“Senior Tototo, please do something to slow us down!”

“Even if you say that, I’ve never seen a case where someone was this fast from the start, so I don’t know how to coach you! Usually, if you just relax your grip, the speed drops naturally…”

How irresponsible!

“Slow down, please slow down…”

But the Tensho-go continued to bolt across the plains like an arrow.

“Geez! Why do you have to be so talented?! You’re like a dragon skeleton street racer! Lower your talent a bit!”

“I can’t do that on command! Look, Senior, you take over!”

If she took over, surely she could slow it down without any problem. But Senior shook her head.

“No, this is a rare opportunity. You need to understand how to control it.”

Before I could protest that her teaching style was too harsh, Senior Tototo pressed herself right up against my back. She grabbed my arms with her hands.

“Listen. Calm your mind. The worst thing a driver can do is panic. Take a deep breath and match my rhythm.”

“Y-yes…”

However, even if she told me to calm down, in this position, her chest was pressing firmly against my back… and I could feel it through just her underwear…

“Ah, the breasts are making contact. That is the first of the Forty-Nine Tactics of Succubus Seduction,” Cerulia provided a strange commentary from behind. Not now!

“Ignore the distractions. I’ll let you touch them as much as you want later, so focus on the driving for now.”

I felt like Senior Tototo just dropped a bombshell, but she was right—this was not a situation where I could afford to ignore the road.

“Understood.”

Little by little, the speed began to stabilize and drop.

“Good. That’s it.”

Senior’s voice softened.

“You’re a bundle of talent. But you’ll have to be careful from now on, or your talent will cause accidents. Be on guard. Don’t go summoning the ‘Indescribable Ancestor of Nightmares’ that nobody can deal with, okay?”

“I understand…”

I guess being too talented at Dark Magic can be a problem too…