Chapter 307 - Chapter Eighteen: The Black Dragon ④
The third battle is with a human. There's no way we can win.
Despite that, the monster who has transcended humanity is getting motivated.
"Since we're doing it, let's win."
No, that's absolutely impossible. In the first place, Eleanor-sama is operating the bowl, so she can't use magic, right?
"While we're acting as decoys, let's have Roberts and the others attack."
"Doesn't the Black Dragon think it's just us?"
"That's the aim. Or rather, I can't find any other way out."
"No cheating."
Eleanor-sama fell silent after Dune warned her. It seems there's no way other than running away, but she can't achieve high speed alone. Even if she runs around making sharp turns, her speed is slow, so she'll likely be hit by a shockwave and blown to bits. At the very least, there's no win.
Wait? Hold on a second... is there a need for an aerial battle?
I have Dune translate and ask if we can choose a ground battle.
The corners of the dragon's mouth clearly went up. It probably thinks it can win this time. It must intend to easily trample the humans who cannot flee.
"Jeanne, do you have some good idea?"
Eleanor-sama asked.
"At the very least, Eleanor-sama will be able to use magic freely."
"That's true, but it's not guaranteed my magic will work. Surely, Megiddo Fire..."
Harris-sama and I can use high-level Holy magic. If the two of us release full-power Holy Lances at the same time as Prominence, we could somehow make Megiddo Fire. However, if we use it, a forest fire will break out. Even if we managed to extinguish it, Serena and Renata would surely be upset.
"Let's keep that as a trump card..."
A trump card is only a trump card if you keep it hidden.
I guide it to the open field where we did the magical beast extermination. When we landed and deactivated the bowl, the dragon landed right nearby.
It... it's huge...
The Water Dragon was something, but its face is at an even higher position. Not only is it large, but it's standing on two legs. Looking at it from the front, perhaps because it has folded its huge wings, it has an unexpectedly slender physique. The Fire Dragon's lower belly was more swollen.
"Jeanne. Are you going to be okay? This is a duel, so we can't support you."
Dune is worried about me.
"It's better than running around."
I'm talking big, but let's just do what I can.
Before the dragon enters a combat stance, I bring out a Firefly, and it brings its head close.
I let it roll onto the ground with a korori.
When I manipulate it to roll along with a koro-koro, the dragon began to chase it.
It fell for it!
In short, it's the same as a cat chasing a moving object.
Firefly-lovers chase Fireflies. It's the same as the Elf Prince.
"If you catch it, it's your win!"
When I shouted at the Black Dragon, it cried "Gyaon." Mel and Dune are nodding while laughing. The competition has been decided with this.
With Eleanor-sama's support, I move a single Firefly here and there.
I float it in the air and move it unexpectedly with wind magic. Just when it thinks it's grabbed it with its large hand, I deactivate it and immediately let the next one I've prepared drift right before its eyes. The dragon thinks it missed and chases the new one.
The dragon probably won't release a shockwave at the Firefly. Eleanor-sama is also only using mid-level magic. Her breath will hold out. It should get tired while chasing it with "Gyaon, gyaon." When it's exhausted, I'll have Dune and Mel give a draw judgment.
"I see. You've thought it through. In short, we just need to not lose."
"Yes. I believe the dragon will also be convinced that it hasn't lost."
The dragon isn't the only one I need to convince, though...
"Very well. Let's take it to a time-out. It's not satisfying, but it's better than losing."
Good. Eleanor-sama is also convinced. When I looked at Henry-sama, he gave me a light wink.
In life, compromise is also necessary.
Roberts-sama and the Elf Prince also came over.
When I explained the situation, everyone was laughing.
Since the Elf Prince was looking at the dragon enviously, I gave him a small one with weakened light, and he's playing with it while hiding behind a tree so the dragon won't find him. As I thought, they were of the same kind.
In the end, it continued until near dawn.
By the time the eastern sky was turning white, the dragon also seemed to have become sleepy and began to yawn.
"Time's up. Neither the dragon nor the humans lost. Since the match itself was decided by our two wins, it's all over for today."
The dragon is also nodding at Mel's words. It's already so sleepy its eyes are half-open.
It played enough. Eat well, play well, and sleep well. It's the basics for a good child.
It probably doesn't care about the match anymore. It just lay down on its side and began to sleep.
Unexpectedly, it doesn't seem to snore, but its sleeping breath is incredible. With every breath, it's like a wind blows, and the grass and trees rustle.
"What should we do with this guy?"
"It's quite pathetic for the strongest."
Mel and Dune are exasperated.
It's extremely defenseless, but no one would be foolish enough to wake a sleeping dragon.
That said, we can't just leave it and go home.
If we aren't there when the dragon wakes up, it might go looking for us here and there.
Since it couldn't be helped, I had Eleanor-sama dig a hole, and we decided to take turns resting while maintaining a simple barrier.
When I woke up before noon, the dragon was gone.
When I asked the lookout, they pointed to the sleeping spot.
In the sleeping spot, Henry-sama and Eleanor-sama have woken up and are sitting up.
Next to them... I should have been sleeping next to Eleanor-sama, but someone covered in a boar pelt is sleeping there. Will is next to me. This means someone slipped in between me and Eleanor-sama.
The spirits, except for Alex and Renata, were asked to go home for now. They should be observing the state of the forest now. The combat-oriented members like Roberts-sama, excluding Will, turned to monitoring after the sun rose, so they've already started their activities and are making food with the Paratroop Jaegers. The number of people doesn't match.
Which means.
With a heave, I stripped off the pelt, and a black child was sleeping there. Their age looked to be about five or six.
"Um, could this child be..."
"It's the dragon, surely. It seems it came looking for Jeanne. When I told it you were sleeping there, it slipped in beside you."
"Has it grown fond of me?"
It's the first time I've heard that a dragon can take a human-like form. No, I've seen it now.
Moreover, it seems to have come through easily without breaking the barrier.
In other words, it's not a magical beast.
I don't know if it can't transform well or if this is its limit, but it has a tail covered in scales.
Its body surface is covered in shiny, lustrous scales, and for some reason, from the neck, wrists, and ankles down, it has dark human skin, just like Renata when I first met her. The two long strands of short-cut black hair extending like antennae might be horns.
It's drooling profusely, and its mouth is all sticky.
When I wiped its face with a cloth soaked in water, it said "funyu-funyu" with half-open eyes and went back to sleep.
"What should we do?"
"Hmm. It seems it's still a child. Let's feed it when it wakes up."
"It's cute."
Both of them have eyes like they're looking at a grandchild.
This lightheartedness might be what makes them heroes.
I thought about calling Dune and Mel, but Henry-sama and the others stopped me. If it intended to do harm, it could have done so at any time.
More than that, they seem to want to observe its state.
Though, its target is likely the Fireflies. If I just let them glow appropriately, it'll surely play with them. In a sense, it's not much different from the Elf Prince.
The scouts are roasting boar meat and making oatmeal porridge with wild herbs. It'll surely wake up lured by the smell.
When we deactivated the barrier and were all eating in a circle, it woke up as expected.
After walking over with small steps, it sat on my lap as if it were natural.
Then, it grabbed my boar meat and began to gnaw on it.
"Hey! You can't eat other people's food!"
I slapped its hand and took it back.
Whether it's a dragon or whatever, if it's going to join humans for a meal, I'll have it learn manners.
It has a surprised look on its face. I wonder what kind of upbringing it's had until now.
"Look, there's some for you too. Don't take other people's, eat your own."
There's more on the plate. Just because it can't reach, what is it doing taking mine?
"I'm strong!"
It tilted its head and looked at me. We had two wins and one draw last night, but there's no point in saying that.
"I know very well. That you're incredibly strong. So, eat this. This one is mine."
Convinced by being told it was strong, it began to eat what I picked up for it.
"Is it good?"
"Yeah."
It's eating in a good mood. What does it usually eat? Surely it's not bottomless like Dune or Fiona.
I noticed then that its heel was scraped and a little blood was oozing out. It was red blood, different from a magical beast's.
"You're injured. What happened?"
"When I take this form, I get injured easily."
I don't know if Heal will work, so I washed it with water and tied it with a cloth.
Since Renata and Alex also returned, I invited them over.
"Is... is that the dragon?"
Alex backed away. He probably didn't expect it to be with us.
"Oh my. It's sitting on Jeanne's lap, what happened?"
Renata asked, but I'm the one who wants to ask.
"I'm strong!"
Does it only say the same thing?
It finished eating the boar meat in its hand and is burping.
"Here, drink this."
I can't give it alcohol, so I handed it a leather bag with water; it's observing it, turning it over as if it's never seen one.
I took off the plug for it, saying "this is how you do it," had it hold it with both hands, and brought the opening to its mouth.
"Tilt it slowly. Yes, yes, good job. See, you could drink it?"
After about two gulps, it seemed to understand the knack. Perhaps it was thirsty, as it began to gulp it down. Water is overflowing from its mouth, but it doesn't care.
"No, you shouldn't. You're spilling it. Here, look this way."
I wiped its face with the cloth. It was closing its eyes and saying "no, no," but it's happy that the area around its mouth, which was greasy, has become clean.
Isn't it just like a human child?
"Well, that's true. It looks to be about five thousand years old. In human terms, it's five. It matches exactly with the period when magical energy overflowed. But why is it sitting on Jeanne's lap?"
Five thousand years old? It takes another ten thousand years to become an adult? Another one with a different order of magnitude has appeared.
While Alex and Renata joined us and we talked about various things over the meal, the dragon's circumstances became clear.
"My dead mother told me. She said to leave the nest and find a human who uses light magic."
According to the spirits, dragons have no distinction between male and female. Since everyone lays eggs, you could say everyone is female. Even after being laid, eggs remain eggs for a long time, and the mother dragon protects them. The mother's memories are passed down to some extent to the child inside the egg, so they can live even if the mother dragon dies and they are left alone.
Magical energy overflowed while the mother dragon was protecting the egg. The dragons that had formed a pack all scattered and fled as soon as the magical energy overflowed. The egg was affected by the magical energy, and a black dragon was born.
The remaining mother dragon, while still being affected by the overflowing magical energy, desperately protected and raised her child, and finally made something like a cocoon, placed her child inside, and put it to sleep.
The cocoon was like a barrier made of solidified magical energy, likely utilizing the overflowing magical energy. The mother dragon died shortly after, and the dragon continued to sleep.
"Maybe the dense magical energy was lost because the magical energy was depleted."
Alex says that when the magical energy thins, the cocoon probably loses its role as a barrier. Originally, it was made using the excessive magical energy. When the outflow of magical energy ends, the cocoon breaks.
"It's the cocoon my mother made. It won't break that easily!"
"Hey! You shouldn't! You can't just suddenly act violent like that!"
Since it was about to pounce, I grabbed its tail to hold it back.
"That's right. The cocoon your mother made is sturdy."
"That's right. Recently, the outflow of magical energy stopped completely. So, the cocoon judged it was safe and dissolved."
I don't know the principle, but that's how it seems to be.
"My mother's soul protected me. She was talking to me the whole time. But she said she was going back to heaven, so I should find a human who uses light magic."
It began to pout. Is a soul like a ghost? She probably ascended after confirming it was safe.
"I see. You did your best."
"I did my best. I'm strong!"
Since it said it while crying, I hugged it.
After Alex apologized to the dragon and the scene settled down, we decided to discuss the future.
We called Dune and Mel, and also the Cait Sith.
"Oh? You can transform."
When Dune said that, the dragon hid behind me.
It seems to be scared.
"How rude! You'll never really become strong like that!"
Scolded by Mel, it reluctantly came forward. Its left hand is gripping my right hand.
"You. You didn't win even once last night. The match is decided, so weren't you supposed to give up on the orb of light?"
Scolded by Mel, its body trembled with a biku, but it began to say it wasn't over.
It seems it personally intends to keep going.
"It's fine now. Because you didn't lose."
"I didn't win."
"It's fine as long as you don't lose. Even if you don't win."
It's not like everything has to be decided in black and white. Sometimes, mouse-gray... no, gray is fine too.
"Is it okay as long as I don't lose?"
"Yes. Because you didn't lose."
"I see. I understand."
It's a good, honest child. Surely its mother dragon was also a kind-hearted dragon.
"So, what are you going to do? With this child?"
As usual, Mel gets to the heart of the matter.
"Apparently, its mother told it to find a human who uses light magic."
"Light magic, could it be, a reproduction of Renata?"
If I illuminate the Black Dragon, will it return to being a Wyvern?
The mother dragon had lived there for quite a while. In other words, it wouldn't be strange if she had seen the magic of the Ancient Priestess whom Renata met long ago. No, in Finis, she was on good terms with the Water Dragon. Perhaps with the Wyverns too...
"What will it do after meeting a human who uses light magic?"
When Eleanor-sama asked, it replied that it didn't know.
Surely the Priestess would have known. Unfortunately, I don't know.
"Dune. Can you examine this child for a bit?"
"I can, but what are you going to do?"
"If there are no problems with its body at the moment, I'm thinking of illuminating it just a little. There are various places I have to go for investigation, so I might find out something later."
When she examined it, the diagnosis was that it's like a mass of magical energy.
I illuminated its tail for half an hour, but there was no change.
"But it seems to be okay. It seems it was able to naturally incorporate it because it was affected by magical energy since it was an egg."
There seem to be no bad effects.
"It's injured. Is it okay to apply Heal?"
"I think it'll be fine. It's not a magical beast."
When I actually applied it, the wound closed up beautifully.
It was looking at the place where it was injured with surprise, but it honestly said thank you.
Now, the question is what to do next. Even if it's a dragon, it's still a child. It probably doesn't know anything because it was in a cocoon. It's more like a three-year-old than a five-year-old.
There must be a reason why the mother dragon told it to meet a human, even if they use light magic, which it dislikes.
Of course, I understand the Priestess was a special existence, but the mother dragon would have known she had already passed away. I want to investigate as much as I can.
There's a problem. The dragon child is gripping my sleeve and won't let go. I can't walk around with someone who clearly doesn't look human.
"Shall I take care of it? Since there's the forest restoration, Jeanne will be coming here often."
Renata offered. It's exactly what I wanted.
"I'd be grateful if it could occasionally fly through the air and drive the magical beasts toward the north. Preferably within a modest range. Of course, I don't mind if it drives them toward the human side once every two times."
The Cait Sith also agreed. It'll make hunting easier. It'll be helpful for humans too.
"That's right. Rather than being involved with humans or the demon race, it's better to live with the spirits. Elf, Alex, teach it hunting and magic."
Dune said.
The Elf is one thing, but Alex is again a collateral hit. He's looking up at the sky.
"You too, okay? You won't become a splendid dragon unless you study a bit more."
Dune says it, but it's sulking.
"It'll be fine. You can meet at least once a month. I'll find out the meaning of why your mother told you to meet me."
It won't nod its head no matter how much time passes.
"You. Do you think it's okay to hog Jeanne all to yourself? Be patient."
Finally, Mel intimidated it into a conclusion.
For a dragon, it seems strength is indeed justice.