Dragon Blood
Deep in a forest where crimson maple leaves bloomed in lavish abundance, the place looked peaceful at a glance—yet this, too, was land where monsters made their home.
Of course, the monsters of this land looked a little different from the ones I knew.
The maple-drenched undergrowth shook violently. Sensing Nightmare’s presence, the creatures fled in a noisy scramble.
Following the dirt path worn smooth by countless travelers, I kept crossing paths with all sorts of people. There seemed to be quite a few mages journeying through this land just like me, so the beastmen didn’t find me strange.
Nightmare, of course, was the exception.
A full week after setting out with no destination in mind, I finally discovered a new city. This was my first journey alone in a strange land. Recalling the day I first ran away from home, I approached the towering main gate.
“Halt!”
The moment I drew near, two soldiers with massive horns sprouting from their heads barred the way with their spears. Their expressions weren’t hostile; they seemed used to visitors like me. Eyeing Nightmare’s imposing bulk, they asked carefully,
“Purpose of your visit…?”
I lowered my gaze to examine their gear. Scale armor pieced together from monster hides and spear blades that glowed a cool blue left a strong impression.
“I’m a tourist.”
I pulled the Magic Tower’s token from my pocket and gave it a casual wave. Wendy had told me that showing the Tower’s seal while traveling this land would earn me decent treatment. She hadn’t been wrong.
“Hmm. Spell-slingers, are you? Fine. Go on in.”
I nodded and entered the city.
Aside from the slightly different clothing and architecture, the way people lived was surprisingly familiar. Wide street stalls, puppet shows that captivated children’s eyes, taverns thick with the scent of liquor and powder. The name of this place was… Giru, was it?
I walked on, gazing up at the tall buildings.
Finding an inn with a stable attached wasn’t difficult. I waved to the employee who stood gaping in open admiration at Nightmare.
“Meat for the feed, one room, and a meal, please.”
If I had charged straight into this world without a week of language study, I would have been in real trouble. Thinking back on my time in the savage lands of Greenfall, I stepped inside the inn.
The rich aroma of broth made my mouth water. I licked my lips and followed the employee to a seat.
One problem remained. Even staring at the menu on the wall, I had no idea what would taste good. Fortunately, there was a solution: ask the staff for a recommendation.
“Whatever’s best here.”
I was waiting for the food when a tall man staggered over and dropped heavily into the seat across from me.
“Here for sightseeing?”
I frowned and looked him over. The faint smell of alcohol and his calmly settled hair made an odd combination. Silver ears rose sharply from his head, and a long, lush tail swayed behind him. A man who resembled a fox.
“And you are?”
“Baekgwang. I show outsiders around this city—what you people call a guide, I believe?”
“I don’t need a guide…”
“Hmm. You don’t know much, do you? First time in this land?”
I kept my mouth shut. If he hadn’t reeked of liquor, I might have continued the conversation.
After a good while, the food finally arrived: pork braised in a dark sauce and vegetables stir-fried spicy. Looking around, I saw most people eating the same thing.
As I picked up the chopsticks and started eating, I felt Baekgwang’s strange stare. Even though I had refused conversation, he still hadn’t left his seat.
“What are you looking at?”
“Your speech is oddly short… Not used to the common tongue?”
“Yours is short too.”
“Hmm…”
Baekgwang gave a light laugh at my retort. The weak, sighing sound of it somehow grated on me.
“You’re clearly new here, yet you handle chopsticks like an old hand… Practice, perhaps?”
I glanced down at my hands. Without thinking, they were working the chopsticks with easy familiarity. This body had never held them before. So what? Once again, I didn’t answer.
“Well, no need to keep your guard up so high. You’ll only invite trouble that way.”
In the end Baekgwang let out a small sigh and stood. He gave up sooner than I expected.
After unpacking in my room I went out to browse the market, only to find beastmen doing the same job as Baekgwang constantly latching onto me. Looking around, I saw other mages each trailing one of these self-appointed guides as well.
In a land where everything was unfamiliar, having a guide would certainly be convenient. But I wanted to feel the full thrill of the unknown. The joy of discovering things one by one couldn’t be replaced by anything else.
I refused every beastman who offered to guide me. But of course it wasn’t that simple. They refused to leave a lone outsider alone.
Finally fed up, I abandoned the market and returned to my room—though not before buying a bottle of dye. The bright red dye reminded me of the maple leaves coloring the surrounding mountains.
I poured the vivid red dye over my blond hair. The harsh chemical smell stung my nose, but I endured it for the sake of shaking off those persistent beastmen.
When I began rinsing my hair in warm water, the water turned red. I dried it with a soft towel and checked my reflection in the large mirror.
Could changing hair color really alter the whole atmosphere this much?
I ran my fingers through the crimson strands that slipped between them and began circulating mana. Circles spun rapidly, sending mana racing through my entire body, and the traces of a dragon gradually surfaced on my human form.
Horns sprouted through the red hair; my pupils sharpened like a reptile’s. Fine red scales rose across the backs of my hands. I looked little different from the beastmen commonly seen outside. Anyone who didn’t know me would take me for one without question.
At this point I could finally understand Haven and Rain’s misunderstanding.
The red long coat I had bought at the market recently suited me remarkably well. Golden embroidery added a touch of splendor that made my appearance even more striking.
That finished the basic work. Now it was time to test whether real beastmen would accept this look. Fluttering the red coat, I opened the door and headed down to the first floor of the inn.
Even though lunchtime had passed, the ground floor was still bustling with late diners.
The moment I stepped onto the floor, someone who had been chatting and cheerfully raising a cup of wine dropped it in shock.
Clang!
The sound of the shattering cup drew every gaze in the room. Silence spread immediately afterward. Only the mages tilted their heads, clearly unsure what had just happened.
When I turned, the beastmen wore strange expressions and averted their eyes—as if meeting mine was forbidden.
“Hmm…”
I examined their reactions while touching the horns on my head and the scales on my hands. Nothing seemed particularly odd. Did I really look that strange?
Just then the receptionist emerged from the back, startled so badly that the dishes she carried crashed to the floor. The inn’s floor was a mess, yet no one pointed it out.
I approached the employee who kept his head down, avoiding my gaze.
“Hey.”
“Y-yes…!”
He answered in a stiff, tightly wound voice. I tilted my head. The first time he had spoken to me he had been fairly casual… Could there really be something wrong with this appearance?
“Do I look weird?”
“N-no, not at all! Absolutely not!”
The employee shouted like a soldier at full attention. I frowned at the volume, and he flinched, hastily bowing his head.
At that moment a middle-aged man appeared from deeper inside. A beastman bearing the traces of a deer all over his body.
“Th-this is…!”
He rushed to me in an instant and bowed so low his head nearly touched the ground.
“W-welcome! It is an honor to receive one of the Dragon Blood!”
I crossed my arms and tilted my head. Apparently my appearance didn’t register as an ordinary beastman. Even the densest person could tell how things stood by now.
Beastmen who manifested a dragon’s form outwardly clearly held very high status.
“I-is there anything that displeases you…?”
“No. Nothing.”
My silence must have made him anxious. I gave a small smile to the pale-faced middle-aged man looking up at me and continued,
“I’ll be out for a bit. Oh, and the food was delicious.”
“P-please enjoy yourself! That the meal suited your taste… truly an honor!”
As I turned and left the inn, I overheard the conversation between the employee and the innkeeper behind me.
“H-huh… She was clearly an outsider before…”
“You fool…! Don’t you know? Those born with thick Dragon Blood can hide the dragon’s traces at will…!”
“H-how was I supposed to know that…?”
Sure enough, when I walked the market in this form, no beastmen clung to me. Some even bowed their heads and stepped back as I approached—almost as if clearing a path for my convenience.
It felt like being a king. I strode down the main street, red coat fluttering freely. Watching everyone bow toward me was somehow deeply satisfying.
“Hmm…”
Even the street food vendors insisted on giving me their wares for free. When they refused payment no matter what, what choice did I have? I accepted.
I wandered, watching the people while eating two skewers of unknown meat and drinking cheap liquor that was easy to come by.
As the high-proof cheap alcohol settled inside me, my vision began to blur. My senses dulled, yet my mood only improved.
Just then a group in blue martial attire approached. I stared blankly at the swords at their waists as a middle-aged man stepped forward, clasped one fist in the other hand, and gave a short bow.
“…Thus. We… are honored…”
Through the haze I couldn’t make out his face properly. His voice, too, only drifted away in a blur.
A rapid string of difficult words. The language of this country that I still hadn’t fully learned came pouring out.
At that moment a gentle breeze brushed the tip of my nose.
“Achoo!”
With the small sneeze, a hot tongue of flame shot from my mouth toward the sky.
Fwoooosh—!
I rubbed my nose and scowled. The middle-aged man, greatly flustered, bowed deeply and quietly withdrew with the group he had brought.
Strange man.
I tilted my head and staggered onward.
Was it the alcohol?
Every so often flames flickered along the breath that escaped my lips. Spitting fire now and then, I made my way back to the inn.
Fwoosh—