Chapter 87
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The Lady with Red Eyes (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
By the time Erzena and Elaine finally stirred from their long sleep, evening had already fallen.
"Ugh, my back hurts so much... Guess I overslept..."
"Uuuuh..."
Erzena looked surprisingly tidy after washing up.
Elaine trudged in, her brown hair a tangled mess like a bird's nest.
I greeted the two as they yawned their way down to the living room.
"Ah, you're both awake. Good evening."
"Yaaawn... Nathan... how long did we sleep?"
"It's around 7 p.m. now, so about 15 hours, I'd say."
"Whaaat? Fifteen hours? What about the office!?"
She noticed right away that we'd skipped a whole day—and her first worry was the office.
She's one of us now.
I beamed proudly at Erzena.
"You're not officially employed, so no issues there. And I already cleared it with the office, so don't worry."
- Grrrrumble.
A familiar sound suddenly emanated from them both.
[Hungry.]
Elaine said it bluntly.
Erzena hurriedly tugged her clothes to cover her stomach.
"Th-this is just because we slept so long... and haven't eaten anything..."
Of course. They'd gone all day without food, just sleeping. No wonder their stomachs were protesting.
"Perfect timing, though. Hannah's cooking right now—just head to the kitchen."
"Th-then, excuse us."
The two hurried past me.
"Hannah, sorry, but is there dinner for us too?"
[Want chicken.]
But the reply came in a completely different voice.
"One more plate!"
A hearty, booming shout echoed from the kitchen.
"Huh? That doesn't sound like Hannah..."
"Yeah."
The moment they rounded the corner, they froze in place.
And then they saw it.
A red-eyed woman sitting at the table, devouring eight whole chickens in the blink of an eye and calling for a ninth.
"Munch munch... gulp. One more plate!"
"H-here you go!"
Mnatsil Teranas emptied the ninth plate in one bite.
"Your cooking is phenomenal! Marinated meat like this—back in my nest, I'd just swallow them whole without tasting a thing. Truly astonishing. One more plate!"
"Uwaaaah... y-you've already eaten a week's worth of groceries..."
"I slept for a full twenty years! Haven't had so much as a mouse in all that time—this is nowhere near enough. One more plate!"
Hannah shot me a desperate look as she grimaced and refilled the pot with meat.
She'd been handling all that food alone for two hours straight now.
"Ahem! Lady Mnatsil."
"Oh, Central Officer! Come sit. This maid of yours is an absolute whiz in the kitchen."
Even my pointed cough didn't faze Mnatsil.
Her gaze finally lifted from the plate and turned toward us.
"Hm? Ah, you must be the ones the Central Officer mentioned. You've finally opened your eyes. I've been waiting."
"..."
"..."
The two women stayed silent for a long moment.
Finally, Erzena spoke first.
"...Who are you?"
Her voice mixed pure bewilderment, shock, and wariness.
"N-Nathan? Who's this woman? Why is she in our house? And why's she eating so much!?"
I'd never seen Erzena this flustered.
[Chicken...]
Only Elaine kept her eyes glued to the food the red-eyed lady was devouring.
"Ahem. Allow me to introduce you properly."
I gestured to both sides.
"These two are Erzena and Elaine—the ones who healed you. And this is Mnatsil Teranas. The dragon you all rescued."
The reactions were immediate.
"A d-dragon!? That wasn't a dream!?"
[Me chicken too...]
To keep the shock down, I quickly added an explanation.
"What else would explain you sleeping so long?"
"Oh my god..."
"If you don't believe me, see for yourself. Look at her form."
I turned toward Mnatsil.
Scales dotting her skin like a dragon's, small horns sprouting from her head.
And finally, a dragon's tail.
It matched exactly the massive dragon Erzena had seen yesterday.
"...It's real."
Meanwhile, the lady herself gave a small, intrigued smile.
"Oh ho. Far younger than I expected. I thought they'd at least be in human old age."
"Lady Mnatsil, this is the former saintess. And this is our kingdom's princess."
"Quite the capable male, Central Officer. No wonder the spirits keep mentioning you."
She rose slowly from her seat and approached us.
The princess and Erzena tilted their heads up to meet her eyes.
Erzena was already taller than most women, but Mnatsil was tall enough that even she had to look up a bit.
The dragon thumped her tail against the floor.
"Pleased to meet you! Welcome to my nest. Make yourselves at home."
"This isn't a nest, Lady Mnatsil. And Erzena was here first."
"If it's not a nest where I and my egg live, then what is it?"
"It's my house. And please, for the love of—stop eating. Can't you see Hannah's on the verge of collapse?"
"So prickly. Suits your personality perfectly."
Mnatsil was already bantering back like old friends.
Erzena stared in disbelief before asking in a hoarse voice,
"What in the world is going on? Wasn't healing you yesterday the end of it?"
"Well..."
I gave a quick rundown of everything since they passed out.
Especially about the egg.
"An egg!? That huge one I saw? That was real too!?"
"What nonsense. How could that be an illusion?"
Mnatsil pointed her tail at the fireplace.
There, two fire spirits were greedily devouring freshly added logs, warming a massive egg in front.
"Lord have mercy..."
Erzena staggered, stunned.
"Nathan, even so—isn't bringing a dragon home way too dangerous?"
"I thought the same. But she just barged right in."
"But with a body like that... she's bound to attract attention. No, she definitely will!"
Mnatsil tilted her head at our conversation.
"My body? Is there something wrong with this form?"
"No. Nothing at all. It's just..."
But Erzena's eyes were fixed on one spot.
"It seems... a bit exaggerated in places."
Right below Mnatsil's head. Her upper chest.
The epitome of feminine curves.
"Hm. The most suitable human female form, I'd think."
Mnatsil followed her gaze down to her own chest, then glanced at Erzena and Elaine's.
The difference was stark.
"...Ah. I see."
Her eyes narrowed slowly, realization dawning.
"Right, let's ask our Nathan about it."
The honorific changed suddenly.
Erzena's eyebrow twitched.
"Nathan, does my body look ugly to you right now?"
"Uh..."
Ugly?
Absolutely not.
The most devastating figure I'd ever seen on a woman.
But I couldn't affirm it right away.
"Hmmmm........."
Erzena was staring right at me with an inscrutable look.
So I barely managed,
"I-it's a relief there are no scars or wounds left."
The second I finished, Erzena jumped in.
"But after being healed, why stay here? It's too cramped for a dragon."
"I made a deal with the Central Officer. He agreed to look after my child."
"Wh-what!?"
Erzena jolted in shock.
She was extra reactive today.
"Nathan. Is that true!? She has a kid!? You should've told us first!"
"Pardon?"
I was the one questioning now.
"Does the egg's existence... mean that much to you?"
"Of course it does!"
What's the big deal about a dragon having an egg?
She muttered glumly, as if deflated.
"I should've realized from the start... No wonder the dragon came to you..."
"What does the dragon visiting me have to do with the egg—"
Wait.
Oh.
No way.
I shook my head wildly.
"It-it's not mine! What are you thinking!?"
"...It's not?"
"That egg's over thirty years old—from Lady Mnatsil!"
I'm twenty-four.
Even at six, I wouldn't have been anywhere near fatherhood.
It took about five minutes to clear up the misunderstanding and calm things down.
"So... the volcano collapsing means your nest is gone too."
Erzena, finally composed, spoke after hearing the gist.
Mnatsil nodded.
"Sadly, yes. I had no choice to protect the egg."
"What about all those treasures inside...?"
"Probably buried under ash and earth. Regrettable, but what can you do? I traded them for the egg's safety."
"Less greedy than I expected. Legends say dragons hoard treasures like dwarves."
One famous dragon trait: an obsession with treasure and jewels.
Every fairy tale and legend depicts dragons' lairs overflowing with gold and riches.
Erzena hit the nail on the head, and the red-eyed lady gave a wry smile.
"Greed... I had it once. Piled up a fortune, looked down on the world, lived near a thousand years. Back then, I always craved more."
She gazed into space, lost in memory.
"But when time finally gripped my throat, I realized. It was all meaningless. Even clutching the world in my hands at death, I'd end up empty-handed. Except for one thing."
She pointed with a fingertip to her egg behind us.
"As long as I have that—the only way to defy time, my most precious treasure—nothing else matters."
Her red eyes sent a warm gaze its way.
"If not for you two and the Central Officer, my body would be buried, and my egg in greedy hands by now."
"But you helped this stranger dragon without hesitation. Even though you could have taken everything."
"Allow me to thank you once more. You've granted me a profound debt of gratitude."
She bowed her head before us for the first time.
"Thank you for buying me time."
Her voice rang with sincerity.
Even I was too stunned to speak.
"I'll repay this favor handsomely. Please accept this aged dragon's thanks."
"..."
Erzena fell silent before her grave demeanor—so different from before.
Then, slowly, she replied.
"...I'm just glad you're safe."
Mnatsil looked up in surprise at the unexpected response.
"...I didn't expect that. Tell me what you desire. I'll make it happen."
"You came asking for help. I just listened."
"..."
Erzena sighed, a faint smile forming.
"If my holy power gave you new time, that's enough. It's a gift for helping people."
"But I'm no human. I don't worship your god."
"Doesn't matter. I'd have done the same no matter what you were. So no need for repayment—it wasn't for that."
She added,
"Just... treasure yourself as much as that egg from now on. A child without a mother loses its way."
Mnatsil stared blankly at her for a moment.
"...You give the same answer as the Central Officer."
Then she thumped her tail happily, grinning with satisfaction.
"Erzena, was it? You're quite the interesting one. I like you."
She turned to me.
"Central Officer, you've found yourself a fine female. She even speaks just like you. Perfect mate material."
"Wh-what!?"
Erzena's biggest shock yet.
Mnatsil dropped her serious face and chuckled.
"Why else would a male bring a female into his nest?"
"Uh... Lady Mnatsil? That's sexual ha—"
"Shh. Males, stay out of this. The females are talking."
Her tail coiled around Erzena's chair leg and yanked it closer.
- Drag.
"Kyaa!?"
No time to resist—the two women were suddenly face-to-face.
Mnatsil whispered slyly.
"Tell me, Erzena Selaph. When a hot-blooded adult male and female live together, how far have you gone?"
"Wh-what are you talking about!? We're not in some indecent relationship! We haven't even had a w-wedding..."
"No lies. I saw that look you gave the Central Officer. Pure heat—"
"Waaah! Aaaah!"
"Now, now, how about this? You seem short on confidence. I know what drives male dragons wild. East or west, all males are the same across species and eras. Let me share a secret."
"..."
Another infamous dragon trait from legends and tales.
What frustrated countless heroes and terrorized kingdoms wasn't just raw power.
It was their silver tongues and irresistible temptations.
And I was witnessing it live.
"What do you think? Might even get a reaction from that statue of a Central Officer."
And Erzena...
"...Fine, I'll hear it."
"You won't regret it."
"Males' weak spot is usually here..."
"Eek!? Y-you do that!?"
"Exactly. Especially from behind..."
"..."
Thus began a deeply shady, explicit lecture for about two minutes.
"Remember: right after waking in the morning, it's at its biggest and hardest. Strike then. Got it?"
"B-but how? Weddings usually come first..."
"Watch closely. Who was the first female he brought in? You. By dragon custom, the first female lays the first egg. It's an eternal law."
She gave me a meaningfully loaded look.
"Even humans can't be that different."
"...Probably not."
The two women's gazes toward me turned terrifying.
I'll be locking my door from now on.
Amid the chaos, Elaine was,
"Nom nom..."
peacefully eating the last chicken Hannah had made.
For her, hunger trumped even the revelation of a dragon.
Two days later.
Strange rumors began circulating in the west.
- Treasures were spilling out from the collapsed volcano.
The dragon's nest had been swept away with it, burying countless rarities at the mountain's base.
And the rumors spread from the west to the north and south.
"Heard? They found a hidden gold vein when the volcano collapsed."
"Ancient treasures popping up every time they dig—like a whole dragon hoard got buried."
The talk buzzed in taverns, the immigration office, and streets.
"The volcano's owner vanished anyway. First come, first served, right?"
"Wasn't that a myth? A real dragon? Where'd it go then?"
Truth and fiction blended, fueling imaginations.
"Who cares? No time for that. Hey, grab the tools!"
"B-but it's cursed now..."
"Idiot. Gotta go now to snag the dragon's jewels and gold first!"
"Rumors reached us—might already be too late. Hurry!"
And so, the unprecedented disaster of the volcano's collapse drew interest from an unexpected direction.
It wasn't just mass refugees and a quarter of the west ruined.
A horde of treasure hunters marched for jewels and gold.
The gold rush was beginning.