There's No Way She'd Come Back
There's no way she'd come back, right?
"Well, there goes my sleep."
Five days had passed since that strange human's visit. I was still in my polymorph form, arms folded, reclining against the wall of my nest. The original plan had been to sink into a proper five-year slumber and then head for the fairy realm—but that odd little human had yanked me out of it. I could have gone back to sleep, of course, but deep rest was hard to come by once you'd been jolted awake like that.
"Damn human."
If it hadn't been for that Haring person, or whatever her name was, I'd still be sleeping like a rock.
Thump. Thump.
I drummed idly on the nest wall with my knuckles and quietly shut my eyes.
"…It was impressive, though."
A human—and a scrawny-looking young mercenary at that—climbing this towering Red Mountain. Even a seasoned sellsword, a hardy dwarf, or a barbarian would have found the ascent punishing. And yet that girl Haring had managed it. I felt a flicker of genuine admiration… right up until I remembered that all that grit had been spent on a petty theft attempt. The sheer absurdity of it left me speechless.
"What was she really after…?"
I'd settled on "thief" as the verdict, but her manner and reactions hadn't quite fit the mold. For a mercenary, her face had been oddly open and unguarded. She'd trembled, yes—but she hadn't seemed terrified of death the way most people were.
More like she found it unpleasant than truly feared it?
Even the most battle-hardened mercenaries I'd known had bawled like children when death stared them down.
Flutter. Flutter.
"Flame Dragon! Flame Dragon!"
"Tiria, is it?"
"Yes! It's me, Tiria!"
While my thoughts wandered, fairies had begun settling around me one by one. Each was a little larger than my hand—elf-like creatures with luminous butterfly wings trailing behind them.
Kyarr~
"We didn't come while you were sleeping~ We were good, right?"
"Mm. Though it looks like some of you already came by earlier."
"Whaaat~? Who? Which little brat interrupted Flame Dragon's nap?"
That's right, that's right. So naughty. Those ones deserve a scolding!
The fairies chimed in one after another, spinning lazy circles around me. I grinned at the one bouncing on my shoulder with tiny fists.
"Yeah. So I scolded them."
"Good job! But who was it?"
"A human."
"A human? How does a human even get into Flame Dragon's nest?"
"Right! It's so high up here…"
"Beats me. Must have been ridiculously stubborn."
Nothing else would explain scaling a mountain like this. After knocking her out, I hadn't bothered with any special precautions—just dumped her at the foot of the mountain.
She didn't die, did she?
I'd cleared out anything truly dangerous, so it shouldn't have been a problem… though the occasional fierce wild animal still roamed the slopes. Judging by how she'd climbed the mountain in one piece, she at least had enough strength to look after herself.
We traded a few more idle remarks before Tiria, the leader of the little group, clapped her hands and peered up at me.
"Oh, Flame Dragon. Did you know?"
"Hm?"
"Lately a whole bunch of outsiders have been pouring into the kingdom down below. Sounds like they came from another continent."
"Outsiders?"
"Yep~"
"Humans?"
"Humans, and other races too, apparently. Weird, right?"
"Hmm…"
Another continent, was it. From my perspective—having wandered every corner of this world—there wasn't exactly a "new" continent left to discover. Cultural differences, ethnic differences, even species differences didn't really justify calling anyone an outsider. And the Legion Kingdom at the base of Red Mountain was one of the more cosmopolitan places around, with lively trade among other kingdoms and non-human races alike.
"…That can't be right."
"Pardon?"
"When was the last time I went down there…"
I scratched my head. Roughly thirty years ago, if memory served. There had been a few informal contacts in between, but my last official visit to the Legion Kingdom had been three decades past. Something could have changed in that time.
"Did the king of Legion die? He didn't look that old."
"Nope? He's still alive and well."
"That's right~ Lately he seems even spryer than before~"
"Really? Then never mind…"
Well. Simplest explanation: more outsiders had started arriving from the Eastern Continent. For all I knew, that innocent-faced little mercenary Haring might have been one of them herself. Either way, it wasn't something I needed to worry about.
There's no way she'd come back, right?
Unless she was completely unhinged—or had more than one life to spare—she'd never ignore a warning from me.
"Flame Dragon, Flame Dragon~ When are you coming to the fairy realm this time? The Fairy King is waiting so patiently for you~"
"In five years. I want to sleep for a bit."
"Really? I'll tell the Fairy King exactly that!"
Kyarr~
Tiria chattered on for a good while longer before departing with the rest of the fairies. Alone again, I yawned and shifted back into my true form. Polymorph wasn't uncomfortable, exactly—but for sleeping, a dragon's body simply felt better. The difference between pajamas and day clothes, maybe? Day clothes weren't hard to wear, but a proper night's rest called for something softer.
If I just kept my eyes closed for about a month, sleep would come again…
Knock. Knock.
"Is anyone home…?"
"…?"
She came back?
"Ehehe… Hello!"
"……"
She was back. Five days after the first visit—which meant she'd started climbing the mountain the moment she woke up.
This isn't a mountain a human can climb in a day or two.
So why on earth had she returned? The height alone was one thing, but no matter how I turned it over, I couldn't make sense of a second trip. Dragons might not be as active these days, but that still didn't mean a human—let alone a greenhorn mercenary—could just stroll in and out without a shred of fear…
I looked down at Haring with open displeasure. She wore an awkward little smile.
"Well, you see…"
"Did you not understand me the first time?"
"N-no! I really, truly didn't come here to steal anything!"
"Lie."
"It's true! I mean… ah! Dragon-nim, you're so incredible, and amazing, and magnificent… basically super-duper strong, right?"
"Mm."
That much was accurate.
"And?"
"There's that legend, you know? The one where someone trains under a great dragon and becomes this incredible dragon knight, or whatever…?"
"There is."
I nodded at Haring's eagerly expectant face. A handful of non-humans really had trained under dragons that way. The Ice Elf princess who'd been shaped by the ice dragon of the Northern Continent, the ogre warlord who'd studied under the earth dragon of the south… even the former emperor of Legion, now retired, had received instruction from dragons.
Though "received" is putting it generously. More like he got put through the wringer.
For the record, I'd done some teaching myself. Proper instruction, though—that had been so long ago I barely remembered it.
"So. You want me to teach you?"
"Yes! That would be totally awe—"
"No. Too much of a hassle."
Hwaaaaah…
I stretched my jaws in a massive yawn and sank even deeper into the plush nest. Moving was already a chore—when was I supposed to find the energy for teaching anyone anything? All I wanted now was to sleep.
"Too late… way too late…"
If she'd wanted training, she should have shown up at least a hundred years ago. Even then I'd been half-retired, but if someone had asked nicely I might at least have considered it based on their potential.
So sleepy…
Living for thousands of years really was exhausting. I waved a hand at the flustered Haring.
Whoooosh~
At my gesture she fluttered like a candle flame in a gale. Sending her back down the mountain again was going to be such a pain…
"Leave while I'm still being nice… and spend the rest of your life being grateful for this."
"In that case—"
"Tsk."
"Ah—no! I'm going! Of course I'm going, but I was just wondering if I might be permitted to inquire about the possibility of making one small request regarding—"
"Spit it out."
Too many words. Exhausting to listen to. I'd hear her out and that would be the end of it, so she could say whatever she liked. If she kept being a nuisance, I wouldn't dump her at the mountain entrance—I'd hurl her clear to the opposite side of the continent…
"Th-that transformation mode, just once…"
"Hm?"
"You know. Your human form. The one you were in when you gave me that knuckle sandwich."
"…?"
Why would she want that? It was just a polymorph—nothing special about it. If anything, the body was weaker and softer than my dragon form, made of pliant flesh rather than anything particularly sturdy.
Not that it's as fragile as a real human's, either.
Most people who met me begged to see the dragon, not the girl. Someone who specifically wanted the human form was genuinely rare.
"I just want to see it once. Is that okay?"
"……"
"Really just once! One look and I'm gone. Real true for real."
"…Fine."
Annoying, but a single transformation was no great burden. If tossing her down the mountain was like walking to the convenience store on the corner, changing forms was more like swapping into day clothes. The latter was easier, so I'd do that and send her packing. And if she still refused to leave after that, convenience store be damned—I'd fling her all the way to some distant restaurant on the far side of the continent if I had to.
Fwaaaah…!!
My body shifted once more. It shrank without limit, and my two wings unfurled toward the sky as if announcing themselves. Instead of a dress, I wore a plain set of red clothes—closer to pink, really—something like pajamas. Another gift, as it happened, but that didn't matter. When I'd given her that knuckle sandwich I'd deliberately dressed up to make an impression; right now there was no need.
What a hassle…
I'd simply chosen the more comfortable option. The moment the change finished, Haring started trembling as if she'd been struck by lightning.
What was her problem?
"Satisfied? Now go. I'm going to sleep."
"…You won't take a picture for me, right? So this is the only way…"
"?"
Haring clenched her teeth as if steeling herself, then charged. How a body that couldn't even use mana produced that kind of speed was a mystery, but I simply watched her come. Even if she ran at me full tilt, she couldn't leave so much as a fingernail's worth of a scratch. Bring a fine sword, bring any weapon she liked—she'd only end up toppling over from her own force.
She closed the distance until we were practically nose to nose…
"Hahp!"
"?"
Click. Click. Click!
She struck a few poses right beside me—then bolted straight out of the nest.
"What the…?"