Chapter 317 - Fifth Story: A Talk with Alex
I go to the Northeastern Forest with the Henry Party and Flora. It's for the forest's recovery, and Renata, Alex, and the Elf should be there.
When we went to Renata's tree, it was completely surrounded by saplings grown from sprouts. Whether the efforts of the Elf for over half a year bore fruit, the saplings grown from the first acorns have grown to about the height of a person and are lush with green leaves. Various things are planted as undergrowth to prevent the soil from washing away. It apparently takes decades to become a fine mature tree, but there is a tree spirit there. They'll apparently shorten it to about a tenth and make it produce acorns in a few years.
I don't know how much help I can provide during my lifetime, but at a hundred trees a month, it would be one thousand two hundred trees a year. Using the large amount of acorns harvested there as capital, we'll grow seedlings and plant them to create patches throughout the Northeastern Forest, removing the black trees. We'll gradually expand that. From there on, it will regenerate over hundreds of years.
Eventually, surely, the green forest will regenerate.
When I called out to Renata, who was giving instructions to the Elf working there, she approached with a smile.
"You seemed busy. You've finally come. The Black Dragon child has been waiting with its neck stretched out."
Perhaps because I had been away for a long time, the Black Dragon child seems to be in a bad mood.
I was scheduled to come once a month, but the stay in Northern Gram was extended by a month. The change in schedule was transmitted from Evans-sama to Roberts-sama, and then to the Elf Prince and Renata. The Black Dragon child also knows, but as expected, it didn't seem to accept it. It's all Eleanor-sama's fault.
"Where is that Black Dragon child staying now?"
Eleanor-sama, who caused the delay, asked. I thought it was commuting from its nest, but apparently not.
"At my place. It seems to be following its mother's words to leave the nest and find a human who uses light magic, and it won't go home."
According to what Renata heard, just after leaving the nest, it was at a loss nearby when it saw my [Light]. Before it knew it, getting a Firefly... an orb of light, became a higher priority than finding a human, but after the duel, it woke up and noticed.
"The plan was to return around the full moon. Every night, every night, it was waiting while looking at the moon. Then, you know, it got postponed."
"Did it get angry and go on a rampage?"
"It's just angry. You told that child not to go on a rampage easily, right? That child is following it properly. It's saying it'll give you a piece of its mind, with tears in its eyes."
Cute! Isn't it a honest and good child! Recently, it apparently wears shoes so it won't get hurt when it's in human form.
When I met it after a long time to pet it, I was scolded for being late.
"You've kept me waiting quite a while. What were you doing!"
"Sorry. For being late."
I hug it and stroke its head. It's sulking, but it doesn't resist.
"Work was busy."
I haven't done any monster extermination, but since I received a reward, it should be fine to call it work.
"Work? What's that?"
It doesn't seem to know what work itself is.
I look at Alex, Tutor Number Three. He sighed, but he explained it in an easy-to-understand way.
"Look, you flew in the sky and chased magic beasts, right?"
"That's right. Because I'm strong, bears and boars ran away."
Once a week, it apparently flew in sections decided for humans and for the Demon Race. Additionally, it caught a boar for itself. It seems to like boars. Its mother dragon had also told it that boars are the most delicious.
Alex told me secretly later, but it also apparently said its mother dragon taught it that humans aren't delicious, so even if it gets angry, it should only kill them.
"Because of that, the ones that ran away were hunted by humans and Fenrirs, right?"
"That's right."
"Thanks to that, everyone got food and fur. You also ate meat, and you got the fur you cover yourself with when you sleep and the shoes you're wearing now, right?"
"That's right. It's because I chased the magic beasts."
"Doing something and getting food. That's work."
"I see. That's work. It's easy."
"It's easy because you're strong. Only you and Jeanne can do that kind of thing."
I was pointed at. Well, certainly, it's a fact that I drove away magic beasts with [Light].
"I see. Jeanne is also strong. Because we tied."
In the end, it's a talk about winning and losing, but it seems to understand what it's doing. Compared to when it snatched and gnawed on someone's boar, it's a great improvement.
"Isn't that amazing? You were working hard."
When I stroke its head saying "Good, good," it looks happy. Alex is also acting proud.
"Since you worked hard, here's a reward."
When I produce a larger Firefly, it puts it on its palm and looks at it with a smile. It crouched down and started playing by rolling it on the ground. I gave Alex the smoked trout from Finis as a souvenir.
A cough was heard. It's Tutor Number Two, the Elf Prince.
"Ah, Jeanne. This dragon child learned one magic. I taught it."
It apparently learned Wind Cutter.
"Ah, is that so? That was fast."
It learned it in a month. Lindwurms use powerful lightning magic and breathe fire from their mouths. Wyverns are a rank above that. Eventually, it will likely learn powerful wind magic.
The Prince who taught it is glancing at the Firefly the dragon child is looking at.
"Ah, yes. Good work."
I produce a Firefly for him. This one is easier because it doesn't need a souvenir.
"It's small."
He looks dissatisfied. It's clearly smaller than the one I gave the dragon child.
"If it's big, you'll fight over it. I'll make it bigger for you later."
"I-I see. Then it can't be helped."
Since he signaled from behind a tree, I made it bigger. He entered the bushes without a sound.
"He's something else too."
Renata crossed her arms, and Alex laughed.
While the one person and one beast were playing, I told them the story I heard at the Water Dragon's temple.
"In other words, there's an island where Wyverns live at the northern tip, and its mother's companions might be there."
There's a possibility.
"And the Wind Sister is going with you."
"That's right."
"Then it's easy. You just have to have her mediate."
"That's right. That's the plan."
Mel said nonchalantly. Dragons apparently have a role because they are the strongest creatures. However, they have become rare. Now their numbers have decreased significantly, and they have become semi-legendary.
"But I don't get it. Why did the Wyverns go to such a place?"
"Is there something strange about it?"
Eleanor-sama asked Alex, who tilted his head.
"No, you know. Wyverns, as you know, live in high mountains. If they fled from those mountains, aren't the mountains north of Nakanohara or the Great Mountain nearby? I don't understand the reason for going all the way to the tip of Finis."
That's exactly right. For a move, it's quite a bold one. Going south leads to current Engrio, but it's all plains. To the east are Medioland and Former Septanaquila, but there are high mountains on the peninsula jutting into the eastern sea. To the north, you don't find high mountains until you go to Finis. To the west, there are high mountains on the borders of Engrio, Primordia, and Regnentes. In any case, the closest are the Great Mountain and Northern Nakanohara.
"Weren't there other dragons?"
Dune said that if there were already residents, they would usually refrain. Otherwise, since they are different species, it would end in mutual slaughter.
"There was a Fire Dragon on the Great Mountain."
Mel said. After it died, it became a Revenant, and Roberts-sama and the others returned it to the earth.
"In other words, were there dragons in Northern Nakanohara too? Come to think of it, there was a large cave. It's the place where we fought the Demon Race as the Demon Lord Subjugation Force."
In the large cave Eleanor-sama is talking about, we defeated the Earthworm Tamer and the Spider Tamer. If that's the case, there was a Demon Lord in the north and a dragon in the south.
"What kind of cave was it?"
Alex asked Eleanor-sama. When she explained this and that, he said, "It might be the Earth Dragon."
"There was a huge vertical hole, right? According to legend, only the Earth Dragon would dig such a hole."
Other dragons apparently have horizontal holes as a base and don't dig straight down.
"However, there was no sign of the Earth Dragon in that cave. The Demon Race was coming and going, so did it already die?"
"Probably. But maybe it moved."
"What do you mean?"
"It's called the Earth Dragon. It must be good at digging and filling holes. Maybe it just changed its dwelling because something didn't suit it."
In other words, it might be in that area, just not confirmed yet.
"We dwarves of the Western Plains live not so far from that mountain range, but we've been told since ancient times not to go to that area."
The reason is apparently unclear because the story itself is too old.
"Maybe it's because it was the Earth Dragon's dwelling."
The Earth Dragon apparently doesn't usually come to the surface. If dwarves dug a deep hole to look for ore, it might get angry and come out. They probably concluded it's better not to get involved.
When they hear that kind of story, there are two people who suddenly get motivated.
"We'll have to investigate soon."
"Yes. We might find out something. Let's have Alex cooperate too. We'll prepare a reward that will satisfy you."
Henry-sama produced a document delegating full authority for diplomatic negotiations.
"But the Fire Dragon was also in a quite deep vertical hole. It was inside the mountain, though."
If it comes to investigating the former Earth Dragon's cave, [Light] will be needed. Since I'll definitely be dragged out, I have to change the subject before the talk becomes serious. Recently, my schedule has been full. Eleanor-sama is glancing this way, but I decided not to notice.
"The Great Mountain is a former volcano. Up to a certain height, there's soil and trees grow, right? But from the middle, a mass of rock juts out like a different mountain, and that rock face continues to the summit. That's evidence of a former volcano."
Alex also seemed to dislike the Earth Dragon hunt and jumped on my story. However, when you say volcano, there's an image of it constantly exploding and blowing out smoke from the top of a high mountain. At least, that's how it is in fairy tales.
"That's an active volcano. Most volcanoes on this island are extinct volcanoes, so they don't blow smoke."
I didn't know volcanoes had life and death. In any case, the Great Mountain was a former volcano, and that's apparently why the Fire Dragon was there. The inside of a volcano is high temperature and living things can't live there. Only the Fire Dragon can apparently live there. To summarize, Fire Dragons are in volcanoes, Water Dragons are in lakes, Wyverns dig horizontal holes in the cliffs of high mountains, and Earth Dragons dig vertical holes in the ground. It perfectly overlaps with the Four Great Elements.
"If there were also dragons in Medioland to the east and Primordia to the west, it would explain why they went north."
"But I've heard there are volcanoes in Finis that aren't dead yet. If so, it wouldn't be strange if there were Fire Dragons. Plus, there's even a Water Dragon, right? There shouldn't be a place for Wyverns to live."
Everyone was about to agree with Eleanor-sama's words, but Alex wouldn't back down.
"Has Alex ever been to Finis?"
"No. The mines in the Western Plains are our workplace. As long as there's work, we don't go that far."
I see. He has abundant knowledge because he has lived long, but Eleanor-sama, who repeatedly enters countries illegally, might know more about the island as a whole.
"Finis is vast. And most of the northern part is truly a series of steep mountains. The proportion of plains is small. It wouldn't be strange if there were dragons here and there. Won't you go with us? Please give us advice. The reward... let's see, how about all-you-can-drink Finis alcohol during your stay?"
"Is that okay? Saying such a thing. Even if the local alcohol runs out... ah, no, Fiona and the Water Sister have been there many times, right? Then it's fine."
He's being smacked on the head by Dune, but I understand his feelings well.
In the end, in addition to Dune and Mel, Alex also decided to go.
"By the way, there's something I want to ask Renata."
"Me? What is it?"
Together with Flora, I talk about the story of the Dryad's Forest in Northern Gram.
"There might be Alraunes there. I was thinking of calling out to any who would be willing to live in the medicinal herb garden Saxburg is involved with."
If they suddenly moved to the forest near the villa, they might suffer damage from unscrupulous people. But if it's the royal medicinal herb garden managed by Saxburg and the Bishop, it should be fine.
"Hmm. I wonder. I won't know until I meet and talk with them. Shall I send a clone?"
If there's a clone, she'll know the Dryad's Forest and can talk with the other party's clone. If it goes well, the talk might be settled.
By the way, Serena and Renata casually call them clones, but how do they make them?
"How to make a clone? It's easy. You do it like this."
As she said this, she grabbed the pinky of her left hand with her right hand and suddenly pulled it out.
"Eeeeeee!"
Eleanor-sama gasped, and Henry-sama stared at the pulled-out pinky. Flora seemed to know and was laughing at us being surprised.
"I-Is it okay?"
"It's fine. Humans also cultivate from scions, right? It's the same as that."
The pulled-out finger apparently grows back and returns to normal after a while. When she planted it in the ground and chanted something, it transformed into a palm-sized Renata. However, the clothes she's wearing are different. Renata is all black even after treatment with [Light], but the new one is wearing a light green, fluttering outfit like a human priestess. It's apparently for negotiations. She showed it to us on her palm, so we all said our first greetings.
"If I pull out an arm and use it, it becomes the same size as me. This time we're going far, so I made it small."
An arm... I see. Plants are deep, aren't they?
Whether it's ghosts or Dryads, it's convenient to be able to use clone techniques. However, unlike ghosts' illusions, it seems they can't knead it to change its appearance or stick it back on after use. As for humans, if they use [Transform], they can change their physical appearance. Of course, it's only the appearance and the inside is completely different. Ghosts' illusions and Dryads' clones have the same inside but different appearances.
Wait? Hold on a second.
If the inside is the same, that means...
I thought of something good. I'll consult the Priestess next time.