The Scent of a Father
Dragon Speech “Sniff sniff sniff-! Hoo-eu-eup…!” A wave of hot breath brushes against my waist. At the same time, I feel vigorous movement—something heavy pressing and rubbing insistently against my lower abdomen.
“Uh, Derke…?”
Derke has buried her face in my shirt and keeps sniffing away like a puppy greeting its long-lost owner. She refuses to let go of me for even a second.
“Daddy…! Daddy’s smell…!”
She keeps murmuring “Daddy” over and over. Did I really smell like a lonely bachelor? More importantly, what on earth is going on here? A guy who has never even seen a marriage registration form is being called “Daddy”?
‘Or maybe this Breeder character… was he actually a married man?’
—Rub rub…!
While I’m lost in speculation, Derke simply continues rubbing her face against me without a word, completely intoxicated by that so-called “Daddy smell.”
Watching her nuzzle against me like a cat while sniffing around, I can’t help thinking that even if she isn’t my daughter, having a little sister like this wouldn’t be so bad. Above all, she’s adorable and pretty. Her appearance is clearly youthful, yet there’s an inexplicable maturity to her that’s hard to put into words.
“Hey, Derke…? Why are you suddenly calling me Daddy? I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding here.”
“Hehe-♪ You smell just like Daddy, oppa-!”
Derke lifts her head for a moment and answers brightly. Her eyes shimmer with a brilliant green light.
“So what exactly is this ‘Daddy smell’ you’re talking about?”
“I don’t really know the details either-!”
“……?”
Even her confident “I don’t know” leaves me speechless for a moment.
“Hmm…! Ah-! It’s a lot like the thick scent of grass mixed with Daddy’s body odor…!”
Reading the bewilderment on my face, Derke offers a somewhat more detailed explanation anyway.
“Grass smell?”
Could it be because of the green tea scent? At least it’s not the smell of a lonely bachelor—that’s a relief. I was worried I might have suddenly become a father.
Well, there’s no way he could have been married. How could a mere human marry a dragon and have a child?
“Heehee, hehet, hoo…♬”
Whatever has put her in such a good mood, Derke keeps giggling while clinging to my leg like a leech, showing no intention of letting go.
Seeing her like this somehow lifts my own spirits. Is it because of the “Blind Faith” favorability stage? Maybe that’s why she’s showing me such boundless affection.
‘If I play this right, maybe I can use S-rank Beast Taming to win over other dragons too?’
The gacha I could never try in reality—maybe it’s possible here? Of course, arrogant and prideful dragons won’t make it easy. Derke is still young and innocent, which is probably why we clicked so quickly.
Just as I’m organizing my thoughts, a familiar voice calls out from behind.
“Breeder! Are you there?”
I didn’t even need to turn around. It was Erdin’s voice—the one I’d been waiting for.
“Erdin, you’re here.”
“Sorry I’m late. I had to wake up the night-shift staff.”
When I turn my head, I notice a gray ball of fur standing on two legs behind Erdin. It’s a wolf beastkin with perked-up ears—probably one of the security staff on night duty. His fur looks messy, as if he’d dozed off while on watch.
“You came at the perfect time. I was just checking the condition of the barn.”
“How’s the barn looking? And the livestock inside—Haaah…?!”
The moment I fully turn around with a tired expression, Erdin’s face goes deathly pale.
“Erdin? W-what is that…?!”
The wolf beastkin who followed her also freezes in place. Both of their gazes are fixed on Derke, who is clinging to my leg like a cicada.
“Ah, don’t be so surprised. This little one is a new student.”
“A… new student…?”
“Yes. And I just found out—the barn sank because this new student, Derke, landed on it.”
I quickly point at Derke and explain, making sure to clarify the responsibility for the collapsed barn. I had no intention of taking the blame for something I didn’t do.
“…….”
Yet for some reason, both Erdin and the gray-furred beastkin remain frozen after hearing my explanation. Erdin’s expression in particular looks grave. Though her body is stiff, her face grows increasingly pale. She looks utterly bewildered, as if she has no idea what to do.
“W-watch your words…! No matter if she’s a new student, how dare you speak the young lady’s name so casually…!”
Her lips finally begin to move. Her usual gentle tone is gone, replaced by a trembling voice filled with fear.
“M-Miss Erdin…! I’ll detain this human right away! He must be the one who wrecked the barn!”
Oh? Now the beastkin beside her joins in.
“Yugo?”
“That Breeder guy—I’ve heard he’s been nothing but complaints ever since he was brought here! He’s definitely the culprit!”
“……?”
Something about this situation feels off. The real culprit is right here, so why are they blaming me? And how many times has this wolf beastkin even seen me today to be spouting nonsense like this?
“Hold on. I think there’s a misunderstanding here…”
—Thud thud thud…!
Before I can even finish my protest, Yugo kicks off the ground and charges straight at me. The wolf beastkin dashes forward on all fours, gray fur flying everywhere. He may be a beastkin, but he moves just like a wild animal. Action clearly comes before words with him.
Since they couldn’t blame the dragon, they were trying to pin everything on me—the slave. If they made it all my fault, they could wrap things up neatly. After all, one human slave doesn’t matter to them.
‘Damn it… Are beastkin always this hot-tempered?’
He’s probably even had coffee I served him at some point. Even without personal ties, how could he so easily try to frame me like this…? Being the only human here already feels lonely enough, and now I’m dealing with other races ganging up on me too.
“No, wait! There’s a misunderstanding…!”
“Shut up and just accept your punishment-!”
The beastkin is already right in front of me. As expected from a race with beast blood, his physical abilities far surpass those of an ordinary human.
“Stop right now-!!”
At that moment, Derke—who had been clinging to my waist like a cicada—shouts in a scolding tone.
“…Kuh, kuhk-?!”
Surprisingly, Yugo’s charge comes to a complete halt at Derke’s single command. He’s left suspended in mid-air, having leaped toward me.
“D-Derke…?”
“If you don’t want to stop breathing too, then hide those fangs-!”
Whatever the reason, Yugo obeys and retracts his teeth. Only pain remains on the wolf beastkin’s face now.
“Kuhk…! Y-young lady? Please… withdraw your Dragon Speech…!”
Still frozen in his charging pose, Yugo can only move his mouth with difficulty. Dragon Speech. I’d heard about it before while chatting with the staff at the café. It’s the language unique to dragons—more precisely, their ancient tongue. A language composed of ancient spells. Only dragons can use it fully. The voice of the supreme beings carries dense mana, and simply speaking can release a powerful killing intent capable of controlling lesser beings.
“How dare you try to attack oppa…! How insolent-!”
“Young lady-?! We lowly ones cannot understand Dragon Speech. S-so please have mercy…!”
Erdin steps forward in front of the beastkin and bows deeply, almost prostrating herself.
“Kuhk…! O daughter born of the Drango Continent, our guardian deity… Please show mercy to this humble one…!”
Even the frozen beastkin begs Derke for his life while standing upright. The staff members are groveling before a new student who hasn’t even enrolled yet. Now I understand why the staff were so reluctant to talk about dragons. This is a world where power completely reverses the hierarchy. Even though they’re staff and not professors, they can’t move a muscle in front of a new student. Rank and authority mean nothing—pure strength alone determines everything.
“Breeder oppa-?! Is it okay to punish this insolent livestock-?!”
Calling him “livestock” makes it clear that Derke doesn’t even see the staff member as a proper employee.
“Uh, punish…?”
“Please allow me to carry out a punishment worthy of the Death Dragon’s name-!!”
Derke raises one hand into the air and clenches her fist, as if twisting a chicken’s neck. The moment she fully closes her fist, Yugo’s breath will probably be cut off.
“That’s enough. Stop. No matter what, killing him is going too far.”
“Huu~ As expected, Breeder oppa is a good person-! I’ll follow oppa’s will-!”
Part of me wanted to ask her to snap his neck, but as I said, it was too severe a punishment. Besides, we’re already short on staff. If he disappears, the most convenient person to fill his spot would probably be me. I have no desire to take on even more work.
—Thud!
When Derke releases her hand, Yugo collapses to the ground, gasping for air. He can only wheeze and breathe heavily.
“I offer my gratitude and reverence for the young lady’s mercy……”
Erdin keeps bowing repeatedly. Then she immediately checks on Yugo’s condition.
“Ah, Erdin? Sorry for startling you. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this either…”
I approach her as well. It wasn’t my fault, but for some reason I feel a strange sense of kinship with the foaming-at-the-mouth Yugo. After all, my future of directly dealing with dragons might end up looking just like that.
“I’m fine. B-but, Breeder…?”
“Yes?”
Even though the situation has been resolved, Erdin’s expression remains deathly pale. She stares at me with eyes full of fear.
“How were you able to talk with the young lady just now…?”
“Sorry? What do you mean?”
“I mean the conversation you just had with her. You used Dragon Speech too, didn’t you?”