The Crimson-Eyed Noble Lady (4)
By the time Erzena and Elaine finally awoke from their long slumber, evening had already fallen.
"Ugh, my back hurts so much... I think I slept too long..."
"Mmmnnn..."
Erzena, apparently having freshened up, looked reasonably presentable. Elaine shuffled over, her brown hair still a bird's nest on her head. I greeted the two of them as they descended to the living room, yawning in drawn-out stretches.
"Ah, you're both awake. Good evening."
"Haaahm, Nathan... how long were we asleep?"
"It's around seven now, so roughly fifteen hours, I'd say."
"Wh-what? F-fifteen hours? Then what about the office!?"
Really, the moment she realized she'd slept through an entire day, her first worry was the processing office. She's practically one of us now.
My face full of pride, I turned to Erzena. "You two aren't formally employed there, so it's no problem. Besides, I've already spoken to them on your behalf. Don't worry about it."
- Grrroooowl.
The familiar sound, coming suddenly from the two of them.
[I'm hungry.]
Elaine admitted it plainly. Erzena hurriedly gathered the hem of her clothes over her stomach to hide it.
"Th-this is because I slept too long... I haven't eaten anything..."
Well, she had skipped food for an entire day and done nothing but sleep — it was only natural her stomach was sending up signals.
"Either way, you're awake at a good time. Hannah is cooking right now, so you can head straight to the kitchen."
"Th-then, excuse us."
The two women hurried past me with quick little steps. "Hannah, sorry to trouble you — is there dinner for us?"
[Chicken.]
But the answer that came back was in an entirely different voice.
"One more bowl!"
A vigorous, hearty shout rang out from the kitchen.
"Hm? That's... I don't think that was Hannah's voice."
"Mm-hm."
The moment they rounded the corner, the two women froze in place. And then they saw it.
A woman with crimson eyes, seated at the dining table, devouring eight whole chickens in the blink of an eye and calling for one more.
"Chomp, chomp... gulp. One more bowl!"
"H-here you go!"
Menassil emptied her ninth plate in a single bite and declared: "This cooking is extraordinary! Meat seasoned like this — in my nest, I would swallow things whole in one gulp and taste nothing at all. Truly astonishing. One more bowl!"
"Noooo... y-you've already eaten a week's worth of groceries..."
"I have slept a full twenty years and just awakened! I haven't eaten so much as a single rat in all that time, so this is hardly enough. One more bowl!"
Hannah, tears welling in her eyes as she refilled the pot yet again, sent me a pleading look. Now that I thought about it — she'd been preparing all that mountain of food single-handedly for two hours already.
"A-hem! Lady Menassil."
"Oh, Central Officer! Come and sit with us. This maid of yours is a truly gifted cook."
Menassil paid my pointed cough no mind whatsoever. At last, her gaze lifted from her plate and turned toward us.
"Hm? Ah, you must be the ones the Central Officer spoke of. So you've finally opened your eyes. I have been waiting."
"..."
"..."
The two women held their silence for a long moment. Then, at last, it was Erzena who spoke first.
"...Who are you?"
Her voice was a mixture of pure bewilderment, surprise, and wariness.
"N-Nathan? Who is this woman? Who is she, and why is she in our house? And why is she eating that much?"
I'd never seen Erzena this flustered before.
[Chicken...]
Elaine alone couldn't tear her eyes from the food the crimson noblewoman was eating.
"Ahem. Allow me to make formal introductions."
I gestured to each side as I spoke. "The two here are Erzena and Elaine — the ones who healed you. And this is Menassil Terenas, the dragon you rescued."
The reactions came instantly.
"A d-dragon!? So it wasn't a dream!?"
[I also want chicken...]
Hoping to prevent full-scale shock, I quickly added an explanation. "Otherwise, there'd be no reason you two would have slept that long, would there?"
"Oh... my goodness..."
"If you can't believe it, then look for yourselves. At her appearance."
I turned my head toward Menassil. Scales scattered across her skin like a dragonewt's, small horns rising from her head. And finally, the tail of a dragon.
It matched, feature for feature, the exact appearance of that enormous dragon Erzena had seen just the day before.
"...It's really her."
Meanwhile, the noblewoman herself gave a small, intrigued smile. "Oh-ho. These specimens are far younger than I expected. I had assumed they were at least in the twilight of human years."
"Lady Menassil, this one is a former Saintess. And this one is a princess of her homeland."
"Quite the capable male, aren't you, Central Officer? No wonder the spirits speak of you."
She rose slowly from her seat and approached us. The princess's and Erzena's heads tilted up along with her height. Erzena was already a bit taller than the average woman, yet she still had to look slightly up at Menassil.
The dragon's tail thumped against the floor.
"Well met! I welcome you to my nest. Make yourselves at ease."
"This is not your nest, Lady Menassil. And the first to arrive here was Erzena, if I recall."
"If the place where I and my egg dwell is not a nest, then what would you call it?"
"My house. And I have one request — please stop eating. Can you not see that Hannah is on the verge of collapse?"
"Sharp-tongued, aren't you? You suit that personality of yours."
Already she'd adapted, parrying my retorts with practiced ease. Erzena stared at the scene in disbelief, then asked in a voice that cracked:
"What on earth is going on here? Wasn't healing you the end of it?"
"Well, you see..."
Summarily, I explained everything that had happened after they'd fainted — including, in particular, the matter of the egg.
"An egg!? That enormous egg I saw back then? That wasn't a dream either!?"
"What kind of ghost-talk is that? How could that be a mere illusion?"
Menassil pointed her tail toward the fireplace. There sat two fire spirits frantically gobbling up freshly laid firewood, and before them, a single enormous egg basking in the warmth.
"Good Lord above..."
Erzena staggered, stunned for a moment. "Nathan, no matter how you look at it, isn't keeping a dragon in the house far too dangerous?"
"I thought so too at first, but she simply barged in, uninvited."
"But still... if a body like that stays here, it might draw attention. No — it absolutely will!"
Having overheard our conversation, Menassil tilted her head. "My body? Is something wrong with this flesh?"
"No. Nothing at all. It's just..."
But Erzena's gaze was nailed to one spot, refusing to budge. "It seems... somewhat exaggerated in places."
Directly below Menassil's head. Above her stomach. Where the symbols of womanhood sat prominently displayed.
"Hmm. I should think this is the most well-suited body imaginable for a human female."
Menassil lowered her head, following Erzena's gaze. She looked at her own chest, then at Erzena's and Elaine's.
There was a considerable difference.
"...Ah-ha. So that's it."
Slowly — very slowly — her eyes narrowed, as if grasping something.
"Yes. Let us simply ask 'our' Nathan."
The way she addressed him changed in an instant. Erzena's brow twitched.
"Nathan, tell me — is my body unsightly to look upon?"
"Uh..."
Unsightly? Absolutely not. It was the most devastatingly gorgeous body of any woman I'd ever seen.
But I couldn't deny it outright.
"Hmmm......."
Because Erzena, with an unreadable look in her eyes, was staring straight at me from right beside him.
So I managed, barely, to say this:
"I-it's fortunate you carry no wounds or scars."
Before I'd even finished, Erzena seized the initiative.
"Anyway — you've been treated, so why are you staying here? This place is far too cramped for a dragon."
"The Central Officer and I made a pact. He is to look after my child."
"Y-your what!?"
Erzena nearly jumped out of her skin. Her reactions were unusually intense today.
"Nathan. Is that true!? She has a child!? You should have told me that first!"
"I'm sorry — what?"
Rather, it was I who asked back. "Does the existence of an egg... matter that much to you?"
"Of course it does!"
I mean, what's the problem with a dragon having an egg?
Then she suddenly deflated, mumbling gloomily. "I should have noticed from the start... the dragon didn't come looking for you for nothing, did she..."
"What does the dragon coming to meet me have to do with the egg—"
Wait a moment.
Ah.
No way.
I shook my head furiously and shouted. "It's NOT my child! What are you thinking!?"
"...It isn't?"
"That egg was laid by Lady Menassil more than thirty years ago!!!"
I'm only twenty-four. Thirty years ago, I was six years from being born.
In the end, it took about five minutes to clear up the misunderstanding and let the situation calm down.
"So then... the volcano collapsing means your nest is gone as well, I take it."
Having finally regained her composure and heard the broad strokes of the explanation, Erzena spoke. Menassil nodded.
"Sad to say, it is so. To protect my egg, there was no other choice."
"Then all the countless treasures inside..."
"They will have sunk beneath ash and earth, I imagine. It is a loss, but what can be done? Consider it the price paid for my egg's safety."
"You're less greedy than I'd expected? According to legend... dragons treasure valuables as much as dwarves do."
One of the most widely known traits of dragons was their fierce obsession with treasure and gems. Pick any fairy tale or legend, and there's always a story of a dragon's nest piled high with gold and jewels.
When Erzena pointed this out sharply, the crimson noblewoman gave a wistful smile.
"Greed, you say... There was a time I had it. I heaped up priceless fortunes, looked down upon the world, and lived a life nearing immortality. Back then, I was a being who always wanted more."
As if recalling the distant past, she gazed into empty air for a moment.
"But when time finally took me by the throat, I came to understand. That it was all meaningless. That even if I died clutching the world in both hands, I would leave it empty-handed all the same — save for one single thing."
She pointed the tip of her finger to the space behind us. At her own egg.
"The sole way to overcome time, and the most precious treasure I possess. So long as that remains, nothing else matters to me now."
Her crimson eyes softened into a warm gaze.
"Had it not been for the two of you and the Central Officer, my body would already be buried and my egg would have passed into the hands of greedy wretches."
"Yet you hesitated not at all to help a dragon with no bond to you whatsoever. Even though you could have taken everything I owned, you did not."
"Let me offer my thanks once more. I have received a deep and immense debt of gratitude from every one of you."
For the first time, she bowed her head before us.
"Truly, I thank you for buying back my time."
A voice of pure sincerity. So much so that even I was taken aback into silence.
"I shall repay this grace with a great reward. Please, accept the gratitude of an aged dragon."
"..."
At this solemn posture, so different from everything she'd shown before, Erzena held her silence for a long while. Then, slowly, she opened her mouth.
"...I'm just glad you're safe."
At this entirely unexpected answer, Menassil lifted her head in surprise. "...I did not expect to hear such words. Then name what you desire. I will surely repay you."
"You came seeking help. I simply answered that request."
"..."
Erzena let out a sigh, then gave a faint smile.
"If I gave you new time, that's enough for me. My holy power exists to help people."
"But I am no human. I do not even believe in your god."
"That doesn't matter. Whatever you were, I probably would have done the same. So keep your reward — I wasn't asking for one."
And then she added one last thing:
"Only — from now on, please cherish yourself as much as the egg. A child loses its way without its mother."
At that, Menassil stared at her blankly for a moment.
"You... give the same answer as the Central Officer."
Then, with an enormously satisfied laugh, she thumped the floor with her tail. "Erzena, was it? You are quite an interesting creature yourself. I like you."
She turned her head toward me. "Central Officer, you've found yourself a most excellent female. To think she'd speak so exactly as you do. Perfectly suited to be your mate."
"Wh-what!?"
The greatest shock yet struck Erzena. Having wiped away her solemn expression entirely, Menassil answered with a snicker.
"What else would be the reason a male keeps a female in his nest?"
"Um... Lady Menassil? That's sexual harass—"
"Shh. Silence, male. The females are speaking."
She slid her tail around the legs of Erzena's chair and yanked it sharply toward herself.
- Screeeee.
"Kyaaah!?"
Without a moment to resist, the distance between the two women closed to almost nothing. Menassil whispered in a low, suggestive voice.
"Tell me, Erzena Selaphe. A pair of male and female, living together as hot-blooded saints — how far have you gone?"
"Wh-wh-wh-what are you saying!? We're not in that kind of indecent relationship! We haven't even had our w-wedding..."
"Do not lie. I watched the face you made just now when you looked upon the Central Officer. That was unmistakably the face of a female in heat—"
"WAAAAAH! AAAAAH!"
"There, there — how about this, then? From the look of you, you still lack confidence. I know well what drives male dragons mad. East or west, ancient or modern, whatever the species — males are all the same in the end. Let me teach you a little secret of mine."
"..."
Another of the greatest traits of dragons, as told in legends and fairy tales. The stories of dragons who crushed countless heroes into despair and terrorized entire kingdoms were not accomplished by strength alone. It was possible precisely because of their superb eloquence and their mastery of temptation impossible to refuse.
And I was watching it happen in real time.
"How about it? Learn this, and even that statue of a Central Officer might react, I should think."
And Erzena...
"...I-I'll give it a listen, then."
"You shall not regret it."
She was falling for it, too.
"In most males, the weak point is here..."
"Eeeeek!? Y-you do that there!?"
"Indeed. Especially toward the back—"
"..."
And so an extraordinarily gloomy and lewd lecture on attributes continued for roughly two minutes.
"Bear this well in mind. Right after waking in the morning is when it is largest and firmest. Aim for that moment. Do you understand?"
"B-but how would I even—do that? Normally, one should have the wedding first..."
"Tut-tut. Look here. Who was the first female Nathan took into his nest? Was it not you? By the laws of dragons, the first female bears the first egg. This is the immutable law of all ages."
She looked at me with a knowing, deeply meaningful expression.
"Think humans are any different?"
"...They're probably not."
The way the two women's eyes bore into me was terrifying.
I'd better start locking my door when I sleep from tomorrow on.
Meanwhile, amid all that commotion, Elaine was...
"Chomp, chomp..."
...happily eating the last of the chicken Hannah had cooked for her. Because to her, her own hunger still mattered more than the existence of a dragon.
Two days after that.
A strange rumor began circulating in the western reaches.
— From the collapsed volcano, an unbelievable torrent of treasure is pouring out.
The dragon's nest had been swept away along with the mountain, and all the rare and precious things within it were said to be buried beneath the slopes. And that rumor began to spread from the west into the north and the south.
"Did you hear? When the volcano collapsed, a hidden vein of gold was uncovered."
"They say every time someone digs into the earth, ancient treasures come out by the heap. Like a dragon's nest buried whole."
Tales rose and fell in the taverns, at the entry processing stations, and along the streets.
"The volcano's master is gone anyway, they say. Then whoever gets there first is the rightful owner, no?"
"Wasn't that a myth? There really was a dragon? Then where did it go?"
Truth and invention mingled, gaining flesh, fanning the flames of people's hearts.
"Dunno. No time to think about that. Hey, grab your tools!"
"B-but they say that place is cursed now..."
"Idiot. You have to go NOW to claim the gems and gold the dragon left behind first!"
"If the rumor's reached even us, it might already be too late. Hurry!"
And so the unprecedented disaster of the volcano's collapse drew attention from a direction no one had foreseen. It did not end with merely the mass emergence of refugees and the displaced, nor with a quarter of the western territory left in ruins.
No — it was the marching of those with their eyes on gems and treasure.
The Gold Rush was about to begin.