The next morning, after finishing breakfast, we headed to the harbor. The moment I arrived, I was struck by the sheer number of ships—compared to other ports, this place was on a completely different scale.
"Jacob, aren't there way too many ships here?"
"It's the main port. Geographically, this is the fastest route to other countries, so ships from all over gather here."
"I see."
No wonder most of the ships had different designs. Some had figureheads shaped like the goddess of fate, others like lions, and even some with knives and forks. What kind of countries did these ships come from?
"It's Fatelis's statue!"
The devout Alice suddenly shouted in excitement the moment she saw the goddess of fate. Then, as if drawn by instinct, she started walking toward it.
I quickly grabbed the back of her collar to stop her and asked flatly, with a hint of annoyance,
"Where are you go?"
Alice pointed at the statue and said,
"I want to take a closer look at Fatelis's statue."
"Shouldn't you say something first?"
She'd already gotten lost once before. I'd told her clearly to let me know before going anywhere. She really never learned.
If I hadn't noticed her just now, who knows who might've taken her away this time?
"...Ah, sorry. I forgot. Mr. Karen, could you come with me?"
She paused for a few seconds before remembering what I'd said, then hurriedly apologized and asked me to go with her.
Good—at least she remembered. Otherwise, I would've scolded her.
With phones, we could contact each other if someone got lost—but if something actually happened, having a way to communicate wouldn't matter. Alice was just too much of a handful. I couldn't let her wander off alone.
I let go of her collar and nodded.
"Okay."
After that, I took Ethefelis and Alice to look at the ships, while Jacob and Grace went to buy tickets.
At 10:30, we boarded a ship with a knife-and-fork figurehead. It seemed to be a passenger ship from Dilibrash. What kind of country was that, anyway?
Along the way, while watching the ocean, Ethefelis spotted a pod of dolphins and pulled me over to take a look.
But what she saw wasn't dolphins—it was a type of monster that looked like them. Orange-skinned, with beaks like woodpeckers. The passengers called them Sharpbeak Dolphins.
Their goal was to attack the ship, but the crew clearly had countermeasures. A loud blast rang out from pipes along the hull, scaring the creatures away.
Individually, they didn't seem that strong—but like goblins, they moved in groups.
At 4 p.m., the ship sailed around the continent, arriving at a southern port. The capital was supposed to be in the southeast, though—I didn't quite understand why we docked here instead.
After disembarking, we went through immigration. Thankfully, there were no fox-eyed knights this time, so we passed without trouble.
We went for lunch, and the food was incredible. Bite after bite, we finished everything in no time. Even the lemon tea was delicious—sweet and tangy, making me want another cup.
That evening, while having dinner at an inn, I turned to Jacob, our walking encyclopedia.
"Jacob, what kind of country is Dilibrash?"
"A food paradise."
The moment I asked, Ethefelis suddenly answered first.
We all stared at her in surprise as she calmly continued eating, as if nothing had happened.
After a few seconds, Jacob, still puzzled by her sudden interruption, gave a more detailed explanation.
"...That's right. This is a country that constantly creates new cuisine. Every year, countless new dishes are invented. And Dilibrash is also a peaceful nation, untouched by war."
"Why?"
"Over a thousand years ago, a dragon came here. After tasting the food at the time, it decided to stay and eat every dish it could find. But the dragon—"
"Wait."
I cut him off.
"A dragon that big would be spotted instantly. How did it even get to eat the food?"
Jacob answered casually,
"You didn't know? Dragons can take human form."
That completely shocked me.
A dragon… turning into a human? That meant it could blend into human society without anyone noticing.
More importantly—Lani could do the same.
That meant when we traveled abroad, she wouldn't be mistaken for some pet by clueless idiots. That was huge.
I felt a surge of excitement at this valuable piece of information.
"I see. Go on."
"But the dragon wasn't satisfied. It wanted new flavors. So it used the fear people had of dragons to negotiate with the king at the time. In exchange for serving the country, it demanded the creation of a grand culinary competition, called—"
"The Food King Tournament."
Ethefelis cut in again.
She really seemed interested in this country… unsurprisingly, since it revolved around food.
Jacob paused again before continuing.
"...Right. The Food King Tournament. It's a cooking competition—whoever creates a dish that satisfies the dragon wins."
"I get it now. That explains why the country is so peaceful. What about the dragon's name and current status?"
I wasn't interested in cooking competitions. I was interested in potential threats.
Dragons were powerful beings, second only to gods. I couldn't be sure I could defeat one. Samidoride had only lost because it underestimated me—not because I was stronger.
If Kaiden, the blacksmith, could fully unleash the power of that thousand-year magic core, then maybe I wouldn't have to worry. One ancient magic, backed by millennia of power—it would've made hunting down Samidoride effortless.
But for now, the best option was simple: avoid the dragon altogether.
Jacob continued,
"The dragon's name is Arakeya Diklar. The king at the time granted it the title of General. As long as it doesn't leave or die, it remains the General."
So the dragon—Arakeya Diklar—was still the General of Dilibrash to this day.
Which meant it was still here.
Then all I could do was gather information.
"Has the General ever attacked another country?"
Jacob shook his head.
"No. Or rather, it's never had the chance. No one wants to go against good food. Dilibrash maintains excellent diplomatic relations with every nation."
Nothing at all?
That was… incredibly peaceful.
Well, it made sense. No one would deny one of humanity's basic desires—appetite. If you could enjoy delicious food, why wouldn't you befriend the people who provided it?
Dilibrash sounded like the perfect place to live. No war, no hunger.
"...A country that avoids conflict entirely, huh. Peaceful indeed."
Resting my cheek against the back of my spoon, I let out a quiet sigh.
At that moment, Grace, who hadn't even finished eating, set down her spoon and asked seriously,
"Mr. Karen, would you ever consider moving here?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I'm satisfied with my current life. There's no reason to move."
I had family, a home, and access to dungeon transport magic in Amebisalon. I could go to any level I wanted. Why would I leave?
Sure, it was summer all year round there—no seasonal changes, no seasonal outfits.
But we also didn't have to deal with seasonal illnesses, and farming was possible year-round.
Health mattered more than variety.
And most importantly—natural disasters.
Dilibrash's peace had nothing to do with disasters. Even a dragon couldn't control those.
I'd never experienced a natural disaster in Amebisalon. So I had no reason to leave.
"I see… then Ms. Lina wouldn't move either. Does that mean I can visit her often?!"
"...You haven't even met Lina yet, and you're already thinking that far ahead?"
So that was her reason.
Since Lina and I were together, if I moved, she'd move too. And Grace, who couldn't leave her country, wouldn't be able to see her idol anymore.
Honestly… I thought Grace wanted me to stay in Amebisalon for some strategic reason.
Guess I overestimated her.
And was she planning to visit Lina even when she got old? She had way too much free time.
"I'll make sure to become good friends with Lina! Karen, is that okay?!"
"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead."
It wasn't like I had any reason to object. It wasn't a guy, after all.
We continued eating dinner. As for the General… I decided to drop it.
As long as I didn't cause trouble, I wouldn't attract attention. I'd just quietly regain the brave power and leave.
Later that night, as I closed my eyes to sleep, inspiration suddenly struck me.
I decided—I'd build an electric motorcycle.