Chapter 121: If Dialogue Doesn't Work, Let's Change the Conversation Partner
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: If Dialogue Doesn't Work, Let's Change the Conversation Partner
Horaru, dripping with cold sweat, pressed her palms together.
She was attempting to commune with the Dragon Hatchling.
Crackle!
"Wh-whoa...!"
"What was that just now?!"
"The mana fluctuations are visible to the naked eye. This is insane. All that from just a hatchling? It’s not even an adult yet!"
"I asked what that was!"
"The hatchling... it twitched."
Just a twitch caused sparks to fly?
Shit, what exactly is that thing? Are dragons really that strong?
—They are. You can't truly know until you've seen one for yourself.
Just how strong are we talking?
—With a single breath, they tear the air apart. With mere killing intent, they can stop the heart of a Hob Goblin Shaman.
“...”
It was practically a living natural disaster. It seemed they were on a completely different level from the weaklings in stories that get their heads lopped off by a hero’s sword.
"Mmm... Should I really keep going? This might end up waking a catastrophe."
"Can you not do it?"
"Hmph. It’s not that I can’t. But I can’t predict the outcome at all."
Horaru asked again, warning that a single mistake could lead to an irreversible disaster.
In the first place, neither Horaru nor Mable knew anything about dragon ecology. They didn't even know if the Dragon Hatchling’s current state was a natural part of its molting process.
"Is there nothing in Monster Dismantling Savoring?"
"Only strange things, like how to cook a dragon or how to effectively dodge a dragon’s breath. There’s no record of a hatchling’s growth process."
"We’re really stuck, then."
There was no answer. If I didn't have Helena with me right now, the Magic Tower’s fate might have ended today.
It’ll really work, right?
—It will. Probably.
If I followed the method Helena taught me, I could make the Dragon Hatchling mine. It wasn't a hundred percent guarantee, but Helena said the probability was quite high.
—It’s possible if you have the Spirit Beast's Heart.
The Spirit Beast's Heart I had purchased from the Frogman.
According to the original plan, I was going to take it to the Druid Club President, as Olivia advised, and use it as a catalyst for a Spirit Beast contract.
Until a moment ago, a part of me wondered if it would be better to just get a regular summon instead of using it to tame a dragon.
But seeing that lizard cause sparks in midair just by twitching, I was convinced that using the Spirit Beast's Heart here was the right move.
—If the spiritualization fails, you will lose the Bracelet of Growth. Are you still going through with it?
You said the failure rate is only about ten percent.
—True. But one must always assume the worst-case scenario.
If the failure rate is only ten percent, it’s worth the risk.
There was a ten percent chance the Bracelet of Growth would shatter and the Dragon Hatchling would die.
Conversely, that meant there was a ninety percent chance I could keep the hatchling alive and make it my familiar.
I had to do it. If the failure rate had been fifty percent, I wouldn't have tried. Even at thirty percent, I probably would have given up.
"Mmm. Then I’ll try communing again."
"Right. I’ve prepared defense magic, so let’s begin."
While Helena and I were planning for failure, Horaru began communing with the Dragon Hatchling once more.
Mable looked anxious as she chanted an 8th Circle protection spell, her eyes darting between Horaru and the Dragon Hatchling in her hands.
Horaru would likely succeed in communing with it. But she wouldn't be able to control it.
What Helena and I were aiming for was the moment the Dragon Hatchling went berserk.
"Uuuuung."
"What is it? Is something wrong?"
"That is... I’ve definitely connected. But. Something... something is strange... Hmph."
Sometimes it was hard to read Horaru’s expression because she was a bear, but right now, she looked visibly distressed.
Fidgeting and trembling as if breaking out in a cold sweat, Horaru’s body suddenly jerked.
"Mmm. Th-this is...!"
In an instant, Horaru was flung backward. Simultaneously, an unidentified mark began to form above her head.
"Roar! ROAAAAAAR!!!!!"
At Horaru’s roar, the glass jars inside the lab shattered.
Her eyes flashed with a brilliant, burning light, and she hovered half-suspended in the air, her limbs trembling as she let out a cry of agony.
Smoke began to drift from her mouth.
The mark... a curse is being etched.
And I already knew that mark. No, it was impossible not to know it. It was a mark representing a curse quite famous even within the Labyrinth City.
"No way...!"
The high-grade curse, 'Fire of Self-Abandonment,' was being etched into Horaru.
The moment the mark was completed, Horaru would lose all her memories and her ego would collapse.
Her personality would be thoroughly burned away, beyond the reach of even a Goddess’s Authority.
It would essentially be the death of the being known as Horaru.
I had expected failure, but I didn't expect that insane curse to suddenly pop out. The situation was wrong. I had to act fast.
"Mable!!!"
I urgently shouted at the Tower Lord to do something, and Mable, dripping with sweat, began to cast a spell.
"I offer the blood of a sinner to summon the subject of pain."
After the activation words, Mable began to spout a torrent of glossolalia like a madwoman.
Then, just before Horaru’s mark could unleash the curse...
Slash!
Mable drew a dagger, sliced her left hand, and splattered the overflowing blood onto the floor.
With that, an ancient sorcery—not magic—was completed.
"Sacrifice yourself."
A statue began to be summoned in the center of the lab.
It was a stone statue of a man with twisted limbs.
The moment I saw the statue distorted in agony, I realized it immediately.
That thing is alive.
Wait, could it be?
My suspicion was correct. Mable placed her bloodied left hand on the statue’s back, then pointed at Horaru as if indicating a target and whispered into the statue’s ear.
"That impurity is yours. Take the curse into your foul flesh."
WHOOOOSH!
A wind blew in the sealed room where no wind should be.
The mark forming above Horaru’s head wavered and then distorted as it was swept away by the wind.
Simultaneously, the wind that had swirled around Horaru returned to the statue, and the statue swallowed both the curse and the wind.
"Return. To your place."
As the Expulsion Order was given, the statue that had been forcibly dragged out vanished, sinking back into the floor.
Carrying the Fire of Self-Abandonment with it.
What was that just now...
—She swapped the target of the curse. It’s a trick that can only be used before the curse activates. She used to talk about human rights and justice, spouting useless idealism and swearing she’d never use it... but look at her now, using it perfectly.
Did you teach her that too?
—Yes. One cannot simply sit by and let a curse take hold. When there is no other way, one must summon a sinner to act as a scapegoat.
Wait, that was sorcery. Doesn't sorcery always demand a price?
—That is for that girl to pay. You must not involve yourself.
“...”
Right, it wasn't my business. This incident stemmed from the Tower Lord’s greed, so it was only right that she solved it and took responsibility.
Getting nosy and worrying about it would only make things harder for me. I knew that well. I just had to be an opportunist and chase my own profit. I didn't come here to do charity work, after all.
"Horaru! Are you okay?!"
"Ugh... it hurts... I think I have a bruise on my back."
"Is everything else okay?"
"Mmm? Oh. My head feels clear."
"Ha. Haha... That’s a relief."
Fortunately, Horaru seemed fine. She even smiled pleasantly, saying her head felt refreshed.
In contrast, Mable, who had used a sorcery with an unpredictable price, was sweating as she put the Dragon Hatchling back into the glass tube. Then, she apologized to Horaru.
"I’m sorry, Horaru."
"Mmm? Did something happen?"
"Do you not remember anything?"
"Uuu?"
"Horaru, how much do you remember?"
"Oh. I was treated to tea, and the Dragon Hatchling... hmm. I see. I’ve lost a few minutes of memory."
Only then did Horaru realize there was a gap in her memory.
"It was because of that thing, wasn't it?"
"...Yes."
"Hmph. Tower Lord. I’m washing my hands of this. If I’ve already lost some memory, if we go any further, I’ll die before I can even get married."
"I understand...."
The Tower Lord, now in utter despair, became visibly dejected.
With even Horaru backing out, using the Dragon Hatchling had become nearly impossible.
Now, it was time for Helena and me. They say you should always buy when the market is at its lowest. Let’s ask for the Dragon Hatchling, whose expected value had just plummeted.
"Lady Mable."
"Hmm..? Ah... right... you came to talk about the bracelet...? But... I’m a bit distracted right now... Can we talk next time...?"
"No. I’m not here to talk about the bracelet. I’m talking about that. The Dragon Hatchling."
"Huh? Yes. What about it...? It’s a failure. If I wake it up, it’ll be nothing more than a killing machine... I should dispose of it before the city leadership finds out... I even named it Yong-yong..."
Her naming sense is absolute shit.
"That Yong-yong thing. Are you just going to throw it away?"
"I have to... It’s a killing monster that can’t be used..."
"If you’re going to throw it away, give it to me."
".....?"
"I said, if you’re going to toss it, give it to me instead."
"What are you talking about...?"
"Because I think I can tame it."
At my words, life began to return to Mable’s face, which had looked like it was about to wither and die.
Her eyebrows also shot up in anger.
"What? You want it for free? How are you going to tame it? Even Horaru, the foremost authority on communion, failed."
"I can't do things like communion. Instead, I’m going to dominate it."
"So, how...?"
"I have my ways. So, give it to me. My situation is quite tangled right now, too. I have to pioneer the Underground City and conquer Utopia. If you give that to me, I’ll open up the 'New Era' you want, Tower Lord."
"Conquer Utopia? You?"
"Yes. I have to go down there whether I like it or not."
"Can you really tame that thing? As you just saw, if you fail, it’s over. Just waking the sleeping brat triggers a high-grade curse."
It was probably a security measure placed by the hatchling’s parent dragon.
To ensure their child didn't fall into the hands of lesser beings easily. If someone tried to touch it with ill intent, it would immediately blast them with a high-grade curse.
"It won't be a problem."
It didn't matter. I wasn't going to talk to that thing, nor did I have any intention of becoming friends with it.
What I was going to do was rip that hatchling’s soul right out of its body.
"So, what will it be? Will you give it to me, or just scrap it? If you give it to me, I’ll grant a few of your requests while I hold ownership of the dragon. If you want to scrap it, go ahead. But the Magic Tower will likely fall apart that very day."
"The Magic Tower won't fall apart. I’ll just be dismissed, and that’ll be the end of it."
"Do you want to be dismissed, or do you want to join hands with me and save Yong-yong?"
Mable bit her lower lip, lost in thought. She was weighing the options with a doubtful expression.
"...You’ve become quite bold. You’ve lost a lot of your fear, haven't you?"
"I’ve spent a lot of time working with the Inquisitors."
"Hah. Fine, give it a try. But if you die from a high-grade curse, I won't help you like I did Horaru. And if you succeed in dominating it, you must let the Magic Tower have a stake in the Underground City pioneering you mentioned."
"You’ll cooperate with the pioneering project? I was going to ask for that anyway, so thank you."
"I feel like I’m the only one losing out here... but I suppose there’s no other answer but you."
The Tower Lord stepped back, signaling me to do as I pleased.
"Mmm. Can you do it? It’ll be dangerous. Dialogue doesn't work. It’s blindly trying to attack humans. It’s like... it just hates people in general."
"It’s fine. I’m not going to talk to the brat."
If dialogue doesn't work, you just remove the conversation partner.
"Well then, let’s begin."
The hatchling’s current state could be described as 'debilitated' and 'hypersensitive.'
The state Mable called a 'Dragon Hatchling' was proof of that.
In short, its mind and body were weak, and because it was in a place lacking mana, its physical growth had stopped, leaving it half-withered.
Therefore, its soul was extremely weak. I didn't know about the defense system on its body, but since the soul was weak, I could just bind it with Spirit Chains and pull it out.
—Have you taken out the Spirit Beast's Heart?
Yes.
—From now on, I shall borrow your left arm. Some of the mana circuits in your left arm may burn out. Is that alright?
Yes. I can sacrifice that much.
It wasn't like I was going to live as a mage. And if they weren't all burned, but only half, I could probably restore them later.
—Good. Let us begin.
Above all, this was a chance to obtain the ultimate summon; I could afford to give up the mana circuits in my left arm.
If I could get a calamity-class dragon hatchling, it was no loss.
"Hup...!"
I shot out Spirit Chains with my right hand.
Simultaneously, Helena, taking control of my left hand, crushed the Spirit Beast's Heart and converted it into a catalyst.
The key was to let the Spirit Beast's Heart permeate her soul. From this moment on, Helena would become my summon. At the same time, she was linked to the Bracelet of Growth.
For a dragon to survive without withering in an environment lacking mana, it needed a nest that met certain conditions. We decided to use the Bracelet of Growth as a temporary nest.
Got it!
The chains touched the weakened hatchling’s soul.
Sparks flew everywhere, searing my right arm. My teeth chattered from the intense pain.
—Pull it out harder!
Shit...!!!
I gritted my teeth and yanked the chains.
Gradually, the soul of the baby dragon began to be pulled out of the hatchling’s body.
An act of extracting only the soul without touching the body at all, causing no damage to the hatchling’s physical form.
As calculated, the defense system etched into the baby dragon did not activate. This was it.
I could pull it out.
Now!
The moment the soul was pulled from the hatchling’s body, I thrust Helena’s soul, which I was holding with my left hand, into the dragon’s body.
"Cough...!"
Blood poured from my mouth like water.
My left arm felt like it was burning up. I felt dizzy. My right arm trembled and wouldn't respond, as if the nervous system had melted, and my left arm shook from the extreme pain of the mana circuits burning out.
"T-Tower Lord."
"Did you succeed?!"
"Please... call a doctor."
I had succeeded.
I had put Helena into the baby dragon’s body.
Furthermore, by crushing the Spirit Beast's Heart before inserting her soul, I had made her my subordinate and summon...
Through the Bracelet of Growth, I can summon her anytime, anywhere.
Since I had even avoided the worst-case scenario of the Bracelet of Growth exploding, it was a grand success.
It was done.
I had a dragon in my hands.
By putting my companion’s soul inside it.