Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Dragon's Godfather (3)
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I followed Tondra to another space.
Most of the lair was lined wall-to-wall with crystals, but the place Tondra led me to was packed tight with all sorts of magic stones instead.
The varied mana emanating from each one made my stomach churn like I was seasick.
“Ugh……”
「Ah, of course.」
I clamped my hand over my mouth, and only then did Tondra seem to realize, flicking his tail once.
The mana from the magic stones calmed down, and my condition improved noticeably.
Ah, dragons. To think they could handle this kind of pressure without batting an eye…
-Whirrr.
Tondra touched one of the magic stones, and a thin membrane of mana enveloped the space.
Since no sound could be heard anymore, it seemed he had cast a soundproofing spell.
That meant what came next was something Tondra wanted to say only to *me*.
「Theodor.」
“Yes, Lord Tondra.”
「The place I visited today is where the ‘Great Fragment’ was discovered.」
Great Fragment.
In other words, the Fragment of Earte.
「Aquila. Her great-grandmother found the ‘Great Fragment’ buried deep in the Silver Mountains.」
“And she informed you, Lord Tondra.”
「Yes. It might sound arrogant, but my protecting the ‘Great Fragment’ was practically a stroke of luck for this world.」
“I think so too. Without you, Lord Tondra, who knows whose hands it would have fallen into or what chaos it would have caused.”
「In exchange, I had to fall into an excessively long and deep slumber… But I have no regrets.」
“……”
Tondra had lost countless lives he cherished because of that ‘excessively long and deep slumber.’
He said he had no regrets, but the deep sorrow in his heart must be an indescribable pain.
「The place where the ‘Great Fragment’ was found was known only to me and Aquila’s great-grandmother. I went back today to check if I had missed anything…」
“Yes.”
「And there were ‘traces’ left behind.」
Traces!
「The moment I got my hands on the ‘Great Fragment,’ I cast a preservation spell on the spot. No matter snow, rain, or wind, that place should remain unchanged. Only the footprints of Aquila’s great-grandmother and me should be there.」
“But other ‘traces’ were left behind.”
「Indeed. Dozens of irreverent footprints had defiled the eternal snow. The hideous struggles of those seeking the ‘Great Fragment’…」
“The Crows.”
「That’s just one of their many names.」
“Do you know their true identity?”
「Hmm… I’m not sure if you could call it ‘knowing.’」
“This isn’t the time for humility.”
「It’s not humility. I don’t know their true nature either.」
“……”
「‘Learning about them’ would be more accurate.」
“Then…”
「Of course, I intend to share everything I know with you.」
“…Thank you. I was planning to do the same.”
Tondra’s blue eyes looked down at me. It was hard to discern what lay within them.
Trust? Faith? Or… distrust?
「Theodor. You handled the ‘Great Fragment’ with stability.」
“Yes. But I don’t really know why I could.”
「Even I had to sacrifice much to seal the ‘Great Fragment.’ For a mere ‘human’ like you to handle it so casually…」
“……”
「It implies a great many things.」
I responded with a wry smile instead of words.
Even if I explained that I’d been hit by a truck in a traffic accident and ended up in this damn pseudo-medieval land, suffering all sorts of hardships, Tondra wouldn’t understand.
「You already had one. What’s that?」
“The first fragment I got in the Dark Forest. Selem… The young dark elf was nearly swept away by its power and destroyed all of Luset.”
Of course, it wasn’t just Selem’s issue—there were problems with the queen, the elders, racial discrimination, and more tangled up in it…
“It’s not much different from Rubaf. The Crows. They lure desperate people and turn them into hosts for the ‘Great Fragment.’ It’s not about helping them. They’re just using their sorrow and rage to get the fragment.”
「Hosts who overuse the fragment’s power burn up and vanish in it. That’s the moment they’re after. If Rubaf’s plan had succeeded, they would have surely returned here to ‘retrieve’ it.」
“That’s what I think too.”
Tondra knew far more than I’d expected.
And it felt like his concern for this world’s safety was genuine.
After much hesitation, I finally spoke the words I’d been holding back.
“Tondra. You’ve already sacrificed no small amount of time protecting the Silver Mountains from the ‘Great Fragment.’ I want to trust you like that. As you know, this will be a long and grueling fight.”
「…」
“The fragments aren’t just this one. They’re scattered all over the world.”
「But the only one who can handle them stably is you alone.」
“Yes. That’s exactly what I wanted to say. I need help. I desperately need help from a being like you.”
「Help…」
“If I hadn’t helped, you might have had to sleep beneath the Silver Mountains for hundreds, no, thousands of years just to seal one fragment.”
「I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Theodor.」
“Gratitude isn’t enough. Now it’s time for you to help me.”
I declared firmly to Tondra.
It might come off as a bit presumptuous against a dragon, but I had to push hard.
“Great Dragon. I won’t ask you to become my limb. Just help me. Like I helped you.”
「…」
A brief silence fell.
Tondra knew well the power and danger of the fragments. He had sealed one before, after all.
That’s why he also knew how much of a hassle this would be.
One reason Tondra was friendly toward me was that he could ‘pass this hassle’ to me.
He probably hoped to find someone more suitable and step back from the responsibility.
Tondra had tried to elegantly withdraw in true dragon fashion, but I couldn’t let that happen.
I absolutely refused to shoulder this alone.
「…Very well.」
Tondra, realizing I had seen through him, slyly turned his head as he replied.
「I will help you as much as I can.」
“Thank you, Lord Tondra.”
「I’ll ask my kin for help too.」
“That would be a huge help.”
「That’s if they ‘respond.’」
“Hahaha. I see…”
「…In times like these, Legion choosing you might indeed be a ‘fate.’」
*I hope so. If you grow strong quickly and sweep away the Crows like the ‘Legion (army)’ you’re named for, I’d have nothing more to wish for.*
“By the way…”
I rummaged through my pocket. Ah, here it is.
What I pulled out was the USB I’d obtained in the ‘dream’ at Didier’s cabin.
Even after waking from the dream, it was still in my pocket.
*Even if it was just a dream, this definitely held information on the Crows.*
But in reality, or rather in this pseudo-medieval land, a pinnacle of modern civilization like a USB was worth less than scrap metal.
However, a highly intelligent being and master of magic like a dragon might be able to read something from this junk?
Its form was a USB, but ultimately, it was one fragment of my ‘memories.’
Surely, it contained information about the ‘Crows’ that lingered in my mind, even if I couldn’t recall it—info I’d unconsciously picked up while working or gaming!
That might be why the Crows who invaded my dream desperately tried to stop me.
I handed the USB to Tondra.
He took the speck-sized thing—compared to his claw—and examined it from every angle with great care.
“This is… well, think of it as a kind of magic stone containing ‘information.’ To read that ‘information,’ you need a ‘computer,’ a sort of… magic tool, but it’s impossible to get one here…”
「You speak amusingly, Theodor. Talking of ‘magic tools’ before a dragon.」
“That’s exactly what I’m counting on, Lord Tondra. I thought someone like you might be able to read the info inside without a ‘computer’-like magic tool…”
「Hahaha! Are you testing me? Of course… Ho, wait a moment.」
“…Is there a problem?”
「What is this magic circle? It’s a form I’ve never seen…」
“…”
「Theodor, who made this magic tool?」
“Uh, well, people from a place called ‘Earth’…”
「Fascinating…!」
Good, Tondra’s interested. Great, then I can leave the USB info to him.
“…Anyway, please let me know if you discover anything.”
Tondra was completely absorbed in the USB, waving his claw at me dismissively as if answering was a bother.
Geez, dragons. The moment they get hooked on something, they’re like that…
「Ah, Theodor.」
“…Yes?”
I thought we were done, but what now?
I stopped on my way out and looked back at Tondra.
This time, he casually drew a circle in the air with his claw.
-Zzzzt…!
Tondra’s blue lightning wrapped around my hand, glowing brightly. What, what is this?
「A gift.」
The light faded, and when I checked my hand again, a crystal dragon ring with a blue gem clutched in its middle finger came into view.
The fragment was so intricately crafted it seemed like the dragon might come alive any moment.
Stunned, I alternated between looking at the ring and Tondra.
「You broke through my spatial magic by destroying the magic tool. I never imagined someone would use such a brute-force method.」
Brute-force… No, I thought I’d used my head pretty well?!
「That ring is a token of respect for using a method even dragons hadn’t conceived. I hope you like it.」
So it’s a ‘subspace ring’?!
Karid wasn’t about to give me another ring, and I’d been agonizing every night over where to buy one of that caliber and how much it would cost…!
“…Thank you, Lord Tondra!”