Chapter 95
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: The Power Contained in Words (1)
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"Alright, let's give it another try."
As the sun began to set, Mnatsil placed the spoon upright on the dining table once more and looked at me with eyes full of anticipation.
Elaine and Erzena, who had come home a bit early with me, were hiding behind the sofa, peeking out just their heads to watch us.
"Try bending it."
"..."
Instead of answering, I stared at Mnatsil and the spoon, focusing all my concentration.
That familiar tickle deep in my throat.
I slowly opened my mouth.
"Patam Hruyila. (Bend.)"
A pronunciation utterly alien, nothing like a human voice.
A heavy language I'd never heard before poured from my lips.
Everyone's gazes turned to the spoon.
- ...
Silence. Stillness.
The spoon stood rigid, unmoving.
My eyes met Mnatsil's.
"Your pronunciation and breathing were perfect... One more time."
"...Daro Supu. (Spoon, fold yourself.)"
"Daro Supu. (Spoon, fold yourself.)"
This time, I changed the incantation.
Just in case, I even reached out with my right hand.
- ....
But once again, only silence lingered.
That was when it happened.
- Swish, clatter.
Instead of bending, the spoon suddenly toppled sideways.
Mnatsil clapped, her eyes widening in delight.
"...!! Oh! Finally, some progress! Look, you did it!"
"No. That's not it."
I let out a deep sigh and glanced toward the princess hiding beyond the sofa.
"Elaine. Stop secretly using telekinesis."
[...!!! S-Sorry.]
Elaine slyly hid her hands behind her back.
Finally losing my patience, I stood up.
"Let's call it a day. There's zero progress."
"You still haven't felt it? That whoosh, like fizzle-crackle-pop surging from your heart, wrapping around your whole body, and bursting from your mouth?"
"...No."
What the hell was whoosh and fizzle-crackle-pop supposed to mean?
I'd come to realize Mnatsil had zero talent for teaching.
It made sense, though. Born a dragon with immense innate power, she'd awakened it all instinctively.
Just because someone's a master doesn't mean they're a great teacher.
'And I... have no clue what this even is.'
I shook my head.
"Damn it. This isn't working."
"Central Officer?"
"It's been two weeks already. I've given it a fair shot."
Fourteen days.
Quite some time had passed since I'd started learning Dragon Tongue.
Not a single day skipped—even after work, I'd sit here with Mnatsil, cursing that damn spoon, commanding it to bend or fall hundreds of times.
Believing, finally, that I too had some ability.
"No progress after all this? Dragon Tongue just isn't for me."
"Oh dear. You must be extra tired today, Central Officer."
Mnatsil gently wrapped her tail around my arm like a comforter, sat me back down, and continued.
"Dragon Tongue isn't just words. What you spoke was mere draconic language. True Dragon Tongue runs far deeper."
"What's the difference? Isn't it the same meaning?"
"Not at all. Dragon Tongue is language and power, phenomenon and declaration. It must happen—no, it declares what has already happened."
I looked at her with a troubled expression.
"To speak it, you must stake everything. Infuse it with desperate will."
"So you're telling me to pour my soul into bending a spoon, like it's my destiny."
"...It sounds weird when you put it that way. But yes."
What, did bending a spoon require my full power?
At first, I'd gone all out, fully expecting it to work.
I'd been thrilled, honestly.
Power through words? Finally, an ability of my own.
But two weeks in, with nothing to show, her words weren't helping.
Willpower grows with desperation and conviction, doesn't it?
A sudden question popped into my head, and I threw it at Mnatsil.
"To infuse will, doesn't it need something grander than this? Like when you collapsed a volcano to protect your egg."
She furrowed her brows and stated firmly.
"Don't talk nonsense. You know better—there's no such thing as free in this world."
"I know."
"Same here. Dragon Tongue bends the laws of the world, so the greater the power, the fiercer the backlash."
She placed a hand on her chest.
"Even dragons don't use it lightly. The mana surging from the heart is hard to bear. For a human like you, it's an even greater burden. Start small."
"So, you're saying do that small thing now."
"I've never taught this before, so it's awkward. But there's surely a way. Your 'Linguistic Prodigy' isn't for nothing."
She hesitated, searching for words, then smiled faintly.
"Coincidences don't exist."
"...True. But it's wearing on me now."
I'm exhausted.
Explaining abstract concepts like will and power is impossible.
'Mana incompatibility makes these abilities feel alien to me.'
How do you wield something invisible and unfelt?
I repeated her words.
"Infuse it with will..."
"How about speaking your deepest desire?"
"Pardon?"
"All intelligent beings have desires and dreams—the greatest driving forces of life. But will dwells in dreams, not desires."
What do I desire most?
The answer came instantly.
"A week off, performance bonus, and for you to head to the capital, Mnatsil."
"Still hung up on that? You're one persistent bastard."
Mnatsil scowled, thumping the floor with her tail.
"Dreams stem from the past. Speak the longing born from your strongest memories. But nothing too big—your body couldn't handle it."
Erzena pondered deeply, then murmured.
"Come to think of it... Nathan, you've hardly ever talked about yourself. Not even why you became an immigration officer."
[You've never said what you wished for, either.]
I fell silent for a moment.
What I wished for.
Why did I become an immigration officer?
- Do you have a dream?
Suddenly, Haillin's question from our first meeting echoed.
- Nathan Kell. What is your dream?
'I wanted to see the world.'
Son of a merchant. Destined to lead the Kell Merchant Group.
Greed. Sorrow. Pleasure. Joy. Rage. Pain. Hope. Futility.
Countless emotions wrapped in words, goods, gold, and weapons.
I saw them all.
"I..."
I slowly opened my mouth.
Just seeing the world wasn't enough anymore.
One step further.
I wanted to stand on that merciless border line drawn on the earth and reach out a hand.
- What is your dream?
That's why I became an immigration officer.
And one step further.
The broken and wounded.
The collapsed and fled.
Those seeking new lives, fresh starts.
I remember the laughter of those crossing the border.
'I've seen it all—the joys and sorrows.'
How beautiful when one world meets another.
In this role, facing people beyond that merciless line first—what do I wish for now?
'I...'
- Nothing too big. Your body couldn't handle it.
Mnatsil's warning flashed.
'Right. Changing the world is greed.'
Unattainable dreams are mere desires.
But wishing well for these women before me? That should be fine.
"You've all had tough times so far, and more ahead... but at least here."
In this country. At least in my home.
At least in these moments together.
Slowly, sunlight streamed in from behind me.
"May you..."
In that instant, an alien sensation crawled up my spine.
Ah.
This is it.
I finally understood what Mnatsil meant.
That whoosh, fizzle-crackle-pop energy.
A warm something rising from my heart.
I infused it and spoke my true heart for the first time.
"[May you all live happily.]"
⟨ Dragon Tongue: Blessing of Happiness ⟩
My voice uttered two languages at once.
Human speech.
And dragon speech.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The three women stared at me in shock.
But nothing happened.
Just our gazes intertwined in the quiet.
And about fifteen seconds later...
"...I'll just grab some water real quick."
[B-Bathroom...]
Erzena and Elaine muttered as if entranced and abruptly stood.
"H-Hey, where are you two going?"
"..."
"..."
No reply—they just headed upstairs.
Mnatsil alone slowly clapped with an admiring look.
"Central Officer. You're truly... a natural."
"Pardon?"
"Why not just court us outright?"
"You told me to say what I wished for!"
I'd done as asked, so why that reaction?
But Mnatsil raised one eyebrow at my outburst and countered.
"Oh? So you truly wished for our happiness?"
"..."
Whoa.
Thinking back, this was mortifying.
Telling the women living with me 'be happy here.'
"Ugh...!"
My face flushed red in an instant.
But the words were out.
No taking them back. I didn't want to anyway.
They were sincere.
I pouted and muttered.
"...What's wrong with that?"
"No, it was a splendid wish. Nearly had me falling for you."
Mnatsil giggled like it was the funniest thing, then tilted her head.
"But it's strange."
"What is?"
"That felt like true Dragon Tongue. I sensed it—whoosh, fizzle-crackle."
She tapped her chest.
"So why didn't anything happen? And why no backlash on you?"
"Who knows. Means I'm just not cut out for Dragon Tongue."
I'm done. Totally spent.
I waved her off.
"Really calling it here. I'm beat."
And my mental stamina's shot too.
Noa would've lost it if she heard.
- You crazy playboy! Why not just propose!?
Shivering at the thought. Good thing she's in the west.
"See you tomorrow, Mnatsil."
As I headed to my room, Mnatsil called brightly.
"Let's try again tomorrow!"
"No way!"
I'm done for real.
- Slam.
Elaine hurriedly flung open the bathroom door and started filling the sink.
- Gush...
Staring at the rising water, she took deep breaths.
"Huuuuu... Haaaa..."
But one thing wouldn't calm.
- Thump-thump.
Her heart, pounding like mad.
Looking up at the mirror, her face appeared redder than the fading sunset outside.
She clutched her chest unconsciously.
'What... is this?'
A feeling she'd never known.
[May you live happily.]
Nathan had said it in common tongue—and that incomprehensible language.
But hearing it, an inexplicable swell rose to her throat.
"Euh?"
She tilted her head, eyes rimming red.
What was this?
Why did thinking of Nathan make her heart race harder than ever?
Why did she want to cry? She wasn't sad.
Elaine hurled these questions at her reflection endlessly.
Searching for an answer she'd never find.
And at the same time, in the next room, Erzena was...
"~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!"
...burying her face in a pillow, screaming silently like mad.
[May you all live happily.]
"He's insane, insane, insane, insane!!! "
Practically a confession.
Subject omitted, but she'd felt it.
'It was sincere. Truly sincere!'
Nathan had smiled softly as he spoke.
Not his usual weary calm, but a defenseless, genuine smile.
A face she'd seen only twice before.
The first time she promised to abandon her saintess role for him.
And when she'd sung him to sleep after his overwork.
'I'd only seen it when I did something for him.'
Simple yet wistful, stinging the heart.
This time, he'd worn it while voicing a wish for her.
[May you all live happily.]
Sincere.
From countless wishes, he'd chosen one for them.
As if it were his most important.
Erzena clasped her hands and knelt.
Pouring her all into prayer.
"I-I too want you to be ha, ha-happy with..."
But before finishing,
"~~~~~~!!!!!!"
Overcome by embarrassment, she buried her face again.
Holy power surged wildly, filling the room like fog.
But one thing both knew for sure.
They were living more peacefully, carefree, and happy than ever.
Dragon Tongue or not, that was undeniable truth.
"As happy as we are... I wish the same for you."
Erzena whispered hoarsely.
And the next day.
Elaine and Erzena were late.