Dragon Education (5)
“Oh, so you were a female dragon!”
Ser-Aria spoke as if genuinely surprised. She took a light swig from her bottle and continued.
“I just assumed you were male since you left the nest the moment you got past the hatchling stage!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Females can breed, right? The species tends to protect them on its own.”
“…That isn’t protection. It’s oppression.”
Apparently female dragons had their freedom rather restricted. So her being here meant she’d come out on her own?
“So you ran away? Hope that doesn’t cause trouble later…”
“It does not. My parents did not wish for me to live that kind of life. That is why I was free to leave the nest.”
If that was the case, no other dragons would come looking for her.
More than that, the blue dragon had become a far more beautiful woman than I’d expected. Even standing next to my party members, she didn’t look out of place.
Her sky-blue hair cascaded past her waist, yet it didn’t look messy—instead it gave her a mysterious air. The horns on her head made it clear she was a dragon, but at a glance she looked like a noblewoman of high station.
“Hmm…”
Erinn in particular was giving a very complicated reaction. She looked thoroughly displeased. Caesius, reading that expression, carefully asked,
“I-Is it a problem that I am a woman?”
“No, well…”
Whether a dragon was male or female didn’t really matter. Gender wasn’t an issue when it came to harvesting byproducts. Caesius bowed her head and said,
“I-I look forward to working with you.”
“…Yeah.”
Somehow it felt like there might be a problem. Looking at her like this, it was getting harder to ask her to hand over claws and teeth…
She touched the Dragon Jade beside her and asked,
“But what will you do with this…?”
“How should we handle it?”
When I asked, Letisia answered.
“If we put it up for official national auction, every major magic organization will come running with their eyes on fire to buy it.”
“So we have to take it to the Empire to sell?”
“No?”
“Huh?”
We were clearly affiliated with the Dern Empire. If not there, where else would we sell it?
“We sell it here~.”
“Why?”
“Because the Empire will definitely try to take a cut.”
“Even so, we brought it in. I don’t think they’d skim that much…”
“Pfft♡”
Erinn said,
“The Empire doesn’t only have nice people. You’re so naive~♡”
Meaning they would skim a lot.
“Since we’ve already agreed to give half to the principality, they won’t charge extra fees… so selling it here is the most profitable option.”
“We’ll need an auction, then.”
Commander Ben Griff spoke up.
“For the sale of the Dragon Jade, it would be best to discuss it with His Grace the Grand Duke.”
“That makes sense~.”
I’d just seen the queen’s face not long ago, and now I was going to see a grand duke’s too.
“We will dismantle the lair. Please head to the Grand Ducal Castle first with your party.”
“Ah, Commander?”
I called out to Ben Griff.
“When you dismantle the lair… could you collect those husks for me?”
“No problem, but why those scraps…?”
“Haha, I just need them for something.”
“They won’t be good for anything but kindling. Understood for now.”
Unlike dragon byproducts, the materials from a lair got this kind of treatment. That was why most players only ever combined dragon byproducts into elixirs and never used lair materials.
Who would’ve guessed they were ingredients for a hidden recipe.
I gave Caesius an order. It was the first command I issued as her master.
“Pick that up and follow me.”
“…Understood.”
Caesius easily lifted the Dragon Jade, which was as large as her own body. It wasn’t anything grand, but it was still strange to see a dragon obeying me.
“And drop that old-man speech. You were talking normally just a moment ago.”
Caesius lowered her eyes slightly and asked,
“…Is that all right?”
“Yeah.”
This wasn’t some historical drama. Listening to her talk like that felt awkward.
It had been less noticeable when she was in dragon form, but as a human it was…
“Understood. I will speak more casually.”
“Good.”
Her normal way of speaking was still a bit stiff.
“Allen, Allen!”
“What?”
“Can I get some scales?!”
“Her scales?”
“Yeah! I’ve always wanted to use arrows made from dragon scales!”
At Ser-Aria’s request, Caesius flinched and looked at us.
“If you give me just a few, this Noonim will buy you some delicious booze later!”
Hearing Ser-Aria’s offer, I turned to Caesius and said,
“Skip the booze—just buy me a meal. I needed scales anyway.”
“So you’re giving them?”
“Yeah. Scales grow back even if you pull them out, right?”
“I-It hurts a little, though…”
“Come on.”
I grinned.
“It’ll hurt less than dying.”
Hearing that, Caesius gulped dryly.
“…A-All right.”
“Thanks for cooperating. Then give me some teeth, claws, and a horn too.”
“…All at once? Horns really hurt…”
“Probably less than a Holy Spear, right?”
“….”
Caesius seemed to have nothing left to say and nodded with a gloomy face. Seeing that, Freya spoke with a slightly awkward expression.
“Allen… your face looks a little vicious.”
“Did it?”
I must have gotten a bit carried away realizing I’d acquired such a convenient slave.
“But why do you need those? Just hearing the materials, it sounds like you’re planning to make a magic elixir…”
…How did she know?
Come to think of it, dragon scales, horns, teeth, and claws were famous elixir ingredients, so it made sense she’d recognize them. I should have brought it up separately later. I’d been too careless with my demands.
“Um, well…”
“…I asked him to get them for me before.”
Just as I was about to make an excuse, Clara spoke up from beside me.
“…I thought I might need a little more magic power.”
“Ah, was that it?”
Freya nodded as if she understood.
“I thought Allen had somehow gained magic power himself.”
“…Haha, as if.”
Her intuition was unnecessarily sharp… but I should be grateful to Clara. I gave her a small nod of thanks, and she answered with a faint smile.
Caesius, who had been watching us quietly, grumbled,
“It seems I have fallen for a fraudulent contract…”
She only just realized? How quick of her.
But there was nothing she could change now. The contract was already established, and it couldn’t be voided unless I agreed.
“Then transport to the Grand Ducal Castle.”
“…I know.”
Carrying the massive Dragon Jade into the Grand Ducal Castle, we drew every eye. Part of it was that we were the Hero’s Party, but most of the stares were fixed on the dragon and the jade following behind us.
“Those horns… is that a dragon?”
“Don’t tell me they brought the one from the capital as-is…?”
I could hear the servants and maids of the castle whispering. The place was so large and had so many workers that I’d already overheard the same comments more than ten times just walking through.
Those who understood the value of the Dragon Jade reacted a little differently.
“A Dragon Jade that size…”
“If that’s the spoils from this incident… we might actually get a bonus this month?”
…Some people were extremely practical.
Perhaps because it was a grand duke’s residence rather than a king’s, the path to the audience chamber was shorter and far simpler than a royal palace.
Commander Ben Griff, who had escorted us, said,
“I sent a messenger ahead. You may enter immediately.”
Erinn gave a light nod and stood before the door.
“Your Grace, Hero Erinn and her companions have arrived.”
“Let them enter.”
Two knights opened the doors of the audience chamber themselves, and starting with Erinn, we stepped inside.
“Welcome, Hero Erinn. And a welcome to your companions as well. I am Robert Bastien, lord of the Bastien Principality.”
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Grace.”
Erinn spoke again in that unnaturally serious voice.
I’d heard it last time too, but I still couldn’t get used to it…
Along with Erinn’s greeting, the rest of us offered our respects as well. The moment the greetings ended, Erinn cut straight to the point without delay.
“You’ve already heard, but we have decided to tame the dragon and keep her with us. This is the blue dragon in question.”
“Hmm. Is she safe?”
“We formed a contract. She cannot act freely without her contractor’s orders.”
“I see. If there is no issue with safety, that is fine… though the people may push back a little.”
“That is why we propose to split this Dragon Jade half-and-half with the principality. We may not be able to heal the wounds of the heart, but the damages from this incident will be more than fully compensated.”
“I have heard the story. This Dragon Jade of yours…”
Grand Duke Robert’s gaze turned to the enormous Dragon Jade Caesius was holding. Even the grand duke seemed to be seeing one of that size for the first time.
“An incredible size.”
“It will likely fetch a considerable price.”
“Indeed.”
Grand Duke Robert seemed to grasp its value.
“Shall our principality handle the auction?”
“As long as the price is paid properly, there is no problem.”
“Will the Empire not object?”
“It is fine. The Empire will not be able to make a major issue of it.”
Meaning the Empire couldn’t freely dictate what the Hero’s Party did? Considering the importance of a hero’s party and the actual strength of Erinn’s group, that was probably true.
Grand Duke Robert seemed to accept that as well.
“If the Empire’s hero says so, I shall trust it.”
“We would like the auction held as soon as possible. When would that be feasible?”
“Even with the fastest preparations, it will take two days. We must gather participants for the auction, after all. Of course, given the item, attendees will assemble quickly, but preparations are still required.”
“Two days is fine. Until then, we will keep the Dragon Jade in our custody.”
“Very well.”
Grand Duke Robert and Erinn quickly reached an agreement.
“Make yourselves comfortable while you stay. Our head lady-in-waiting will guide you to the finest guest rooms.”
“We are grateful for your consideration.”
The short audience ended, and true to the grand duke’s word, the head lady-in-waiting guided us to our rooms. But where was I supposed to put this Caesius?
“Would it be safer to keep her in my room?”
Freya spoke up.
“Even if she’s a dragon, a woman sharing a room with a man is not acceptable.”
I’d love for her to apply that standard to the way she usually walked around half-naked. She was extremely open about her body and fashion, so why was she suddenly conservative about this?
Erinn piled on after Freya’s opinion.
“That sounds good. The scrub might order the dragon to do something perverted~♡”
“I wouldn’t…”
I didn’t have a hobby of making lizards do weird things.
Still, her outer appearance was that of a woman, so sharing a room might indeed feel a bit uncomfortable.
Just as I was about to go along with Erinn and Freya, Letisia spoke.
“Mm, I understand what you’re worried about… but it would still be better for Allen to stay beside her. Without Allen, the dragon literally can’t do anything.”
“Huh?”
What was that supposed to mean?
“You contracted her not to act without orders, right? Allen has to control everything about the dragon.”
Then did that mean…
“Even sleeping—she only sleeps if I tell her to?”
“Yes. That’s how the contract was made.”
What kind of contract had no flexibility… no, contracts weren’t supposed to have flexibility. I wasn’t sure whether to call that thoroughness a good thing…
“So if I put her in another room, I’d have to go over every time and tell her to sleep…?”
“That’s about right.”
Just imagining it was exhausting. Not only sleeping—eating, resting, everything would require me to say something…?
“Even now, she’s only following because Allen told her to follow earlier.”
“…Right.”
Then we had no choice but to share a room. I couldn’t keep running to a separate room just to tell Caesius what to do.
“Hmm…”
“That’s a bit…”
When Erinn and Freya looked thoroughly displeased, Letisia smiled and said,
“Don’t tell me you’re worried Allen will do something weird to the dragon.”
“With the scrub’s perverted nature, it’s possible~♡”
When had I ever shown a perverted side…
“I’m not doing that.”
“…I trust Allen.”
As expected of Clara. You’re the only one who believes in me. Naming you was worth it.
Ser-Aria… seemed completely uninterested in this conversation while drinking. From my perspective, indifference was better than opposition.
“…If you do anything weird, I’ll kill that dragon on the spot~♡”
“W-Why kill me…?”
Yeah, why?
“Then I don’t die?”
“So you’re planning to do it? If you actually try, I’ll half-kill you~♡”
…Never mind.
But who was she to control whatever I did or didn’t do? It was a bit unreasonable, yet she was far stronger than me and saying she’d do it, so I couldn’t really argue.
If you don’t like it, get stronger yourself…
Anyway, thanks to Letisia and Clara believing in me, I was able to bring Caesius into my room in the end. I was nothing but grateful to the two of them.
“…Should I give the scales now?”
I turned to Caesius and said,
“The scales and the rest can wait until we’re somewhere you can return to your original form.”
“Understood.”
When I tried to lie down on the bed, Caesius followed. For a moment I wondered what she was doing, then remembered the order I had given her was still in effect.
“There’s nothing particular to do right now, so rest comfortably.”
Even this required an order. Only after hearing it did Caesius stop trailing me. She moved away from the bed and plopped down on a plush sofa.
Then she stared at me quietly before calling out, as if something had made her curious.
“…Human.”
“I told you to call me Allen.”
“…Allen. I have one question.”
“Go ahead.”
Caesius looked at me steadily, then asked with a puzzled expression,
“That body—is it truly yours?”
“…What?”
“Ah, never mind. I was asking something unnecessary…”
“Hold on.”
Right now she was talking as if she had realized I was a transmigrator.
“Whatever you think you know, don’t bring that up with the others. That’s an order.”
“…Understood.”
“So what did you mean? Asking if this body is mine?”
“Well…”
Caesius spoke carefully.
“A dragon’s eyes are special. Did you know?”
“A little.”
“If we wish, we can even see the soul of a living being. That is why there is a saying never to lie before a dragon. Most souls waver when they speak falsehoods.”
“You saw my soul and it doesn’t match this body… is that what you’re saying?”
Caesius nodded. So a dragon’s eyes could even detect a swapped soul.
If she’d brought this up somewhere else, it would’ve been a disaster.
Caesius said,
“So it is not your body after all?”
“…I didn’t take it because I wanted to.”
“…Mm. As I thought.”
“As you thought?”
What kind of reaction was that?
“Ah, there is an old magic of that sort. A spell that forcibly swaps the soul of a target with another’s… You cannot designate which soul enters, but it is possible to forcibly replace the soul dwelling in a body.”
This was… something I had seen in the Estire Kingdom library. One of the things I’d read when I accessed the restricted section.
And she was telling me this now…
“Are you saying I ended up in this body because of that magic?”
“Well… there is nothing else. Unless a god was playing a prank…”
So my possession of the world of Dungeon in Evil was because of that magic? That would mean I had been brought here by someone’s intent.
Who would cast such a spell on me…
“Caesius, can you tell who did it?”
“What are you talking about?”
Caesius looked at me as if I were saying something strange.
“How would I know? I never saw the magic being cast, and it has not been recent enough for residual magic power to remain…”
“…Useless.”
“U-Useless…!”
I’d thought I might find the culprit who forced me here. Too bad.
“…Ah, right.”
She was a dragon. A master of magic—a dragon.
When I looked at her, Caesius’s expression hardened as if she sensed something ominous.
“What is it?”
“Teach me some magic.”
“…I am sorry, Allen. Dragon magic is difficult for humans to comprehend. The calculation methods are different from the start, and it is designed to be suitable for dragons. Even if I taught you, there is no telling how many years it would take to learn a single spell.”
“Ah… is that so?”
Caesius nodded.
“There are occasional human mages who wield Dragon Tongue, but even they usually only manage to learn one or two. That is how hard it is for the rock-headed humans to understand the magic of us great dragons…”
“Rock-headed?”
When I pointed it out, Caesius glanced at me warily.
“…A slip of the tongue.”
“Humans are rock-headed and dragons are great… so you still look down on humans as lesser beings? You said you didn’t, but it was all a lie?”
“N-No! It truly was a slip…”
Not a slip—just her habits coming out.
I had to thoroughly educate her on things like this. If you didn’t correct them early, it only got harder later.
She was already an arrogant, slightly chuunibyou dragon. If I let small things slide, that arrogance and chuunibyou attitude would never improve.
“Slam your head on the floor and get into a push-up position.”
The moment the order fell, Caesius slammed her head onto the floor with a thud.
“Rest like that.”
“…H-How is this resting…”
“The fact that you’re still opening your mouth means you’re comfortable enough.”
“….”
I said,
“Rest in that position. Execute.”
“…E-Execute.”