Toltoli (2)
“If, after you and the child head into the forest, I were suddenly to collapse and die on the spot, I’m afraid that would be terribly unfortunate for our Toltol-i. She’d have to grow up all alone, with neither mother nor father… yes, truly unfortunate. Puhehahahat.”
Dialugia’s wavering pupils came into view.
At first, she looked merely flustered, but before long a killing intent began to creep slowly into her eyes.
It was easy to see what she was thinking.
She was gentle by nature, almost to the point of being a pushover, but no one could predict what a mother might do when her child was on the line.
“I trust you won’t, by some chance, choose the option of locking me away somewhere while keeping me alive. Poor Toltol-i would be stuck growing up without a father, and you don’t seem foolish enough to leave any safety measures undone.”
“I had no such thoughts….”
“I don’t know whether you understand power, but among humans, I’m considered rather important. There are quite a few people who cherish me, and… I receive an absurd amount of love from the women around me, so it won’t be easy for you to do whatever you please.”
“I did not… think such things.”
As if.
I decided a little more explanation was necessary. I quietly tugged Toltol-i a little closer to me, and Dialugia, startled, came back into view.
She didn’t seem to stop me, of course. That was probably because she could see her child, tail wagging dumbly and panting without a care in the world.
I drew a small circle on the floor, and her gaze lowered to it, silent and wary, as if asking what it was supposed to mean.
“This is Castle Rock, the city where you’re currently staying.”
“…….”
“And this medium-sized circle is the Free City of Lindel, where the players live… and the largest circle encompassing both of them is the country of humans. The Benigore Holy Empire.”
“What does that have to do with our current conversation?”
“It means it’s not just the size of the land you’re dealing with. The larger the territory, the greater the population, and naturally, the greater the number and quality of troops available for war. Whatever the reason, you attacked Castle Rock, and after losing a battle against an entire city, you’re here now.”
“If we had fought at full strength, the outcome would have been different.”
“Humans are persistent by nature. And despicable, too. Ah! I’m not talking about myself, so there’s no need to glare at me. If we assume you could somehow kill every single person in this great nation, then the story might be different—but from where I’m standing, that doesn’t seem likely. In other words, I’m in a rather high position even in this enormous land. You understood that, which is why you chose me as your spouse.”
“Humans….”
“Let’s say, hypothetically, that you abducted me and locked me away somewhere. A few humans would probably come looking for you in order to rescue me. Of course, most of them would be reduced to ashes under Dialugia’s ferocious attacks, but humans are persistent. They know value when they see it.”
“What value are you talking about?”
“The value of your body.”
Her surprise was plain to see.
Her face had gone faintly red for some reason, and I caught her beginning to edge away as if she wanted to escape the conversation. Unfortunately for her, that wasn’t what I meant.
“To be blunt, what matters more than the fact that I was abducted is the fact that a legendary-grade monster known as Dialugia was discovered. Your towering horns, your beautiful and sturdy scales, your elegant tail, even your heart and those jewel-like eyes of yours.”
“Y-you can’t just compliment me like that….”
“I’m not complimenting you.” I gave a light laugh. “Everything I just mentioned is quite useful to humans. And, well… it can also fetch a tremendous amount of wealth. Do you understand the concept of currency?”
“I don’t know much about it, but I think I understand what you mean.”
“Your body is worth money. Your hide can be made into armor, your horns into weapons. Every organ in your body can be used as excellent experimental material, and all of it has astronomical value. The only reason humans hadn’t gone looking for you until now is simply because no one had discovered Dialugia as an individual.”
“…….”
“Humans are greedy. A legendary-grade monster like Dialugia suddenly appearing out of nowhere means that, even if you do escape this place, humans will eventually come after you. Most of the people inside this great circle already know about you now, and if the shield protecting you disappears, I can guarantee they’ll swarm you like a pack of dogs.”
“…….”
“It’ll probably be a long fight. There may be disgusting, filthy humans who’ll try to kill you by taking our cute Toltol-i hostage.”
“Y-you’re the one doing that, aren’t you? And as I keep saying, her name is Dialuria.”
“In any case, the conclusion is that whichever choice you make, things don’t really improve. You’ve already stepped deep into human society. You can come as you please, but you can’t leave as you please.”
“That’s unreasonable.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s unreasonable. Humans were the ones who persecuted us in the first place. We have nothing to do with them. It was humans who stole my egg and ran, and humans who tore me and my child apart. I never wanted to fight.”
Her face had twisted slightly.
I could feel the quiet force of her anger, and that was enough; no further words were necessary.
“I just wanted to live quietly with my child. I have no desire to wage war against humans.”
“I already told you that that isn’t something you get to choose anymore. It’s not a perfect example, but don’t you hunt other monsters in order to survive?”
I slowly stroked Toltol-i, and the little thing came panting back to cling to me once more.
Dialugia didn’t seem to like the sight of me and Toltol-i like that, so she took the child from my hand and continued speaking.
“That is a fundamentally different act from selfishness born purely of greed.”
“From where I’m standing, it’s not all that different. If you want to dig too deeply into it, the conversation will get too long, so let’s stop there. I think that was enough background explanation. Now, let’s change the subject for a moment. Toltol, come here.”
“Kiek.”
“Who do you think is the reason you’re alive right now?”
“That….”
“You probably know better than anyone. The legendary-grade monster Dialugia invaded Castle Rock, caused countless casualties and injuries, and dealt damage you could call astronomical. Of course, there are incidental gains to be had, like monster corpses, but strictly speaking, you’re an enemy of humanity.”
“I keep telling you, humans persecuted us first.”
“That doesn’t matter to humans. To them, you aren’t a sapient being—you’re just a monster. Strictly speaking, I’m doing you a favor. Even if your lives are linked, the fact that our Toltol-i and you can spend time together, and the fact that you can live your life in relative comfort in the underground prison, are all due to one reason only: you’re connected to me.”
“…….”
“To put it extremely, if you hadn’t chosen me as your spouse, both you and lovely Dialuria would have lost your lives. You understood that, which is why you bound your life to mine, didn’t you? In other words, as long as I don’t kill you, I’m in the clear as well.”
“Grrr….”
“There’s no problem as long as we keep you alive, right? You already know that cutting off your tail or horns, or even skinning you alive, won’t kill you. To put it bluntly, if I kept holding Toltol-i here, what exactly could you do? In the end, I’ve been treating you with remarkable courtesy. Isn’t that right, Toltol?”
“Kiek! Hek hek hek!”
“I’m allowing you to live with your child without inflicting a single ounce of pain. Hahaha!”
She would probably begin to realize something.
Because none of what I said was wrong.
She had not yet fully recovered her body, and she was in the special position of having to protect her child.
“I know nothing about dragon ecology. Still, I can infer a few things. For instance, why a dragon would need a spouse.”
“…….”
“Why, in the first place, did a legendary-grade monster like Dialugia have her egg stolen?”
“That’s….”
“She probably needed nourishment. Dragons are creatures that consume energy too, and being stuck by a child’s side twenty-four hours a day must have been exhausting. She would also have needed to prepare for childcare, and maybe to survive the winter. She may have had to build a nest and do several things at once.”
“That’s right.”
“Child-rearing isn’t something one can do alone. The forest may not have posed any problem for you when you were alone, but once there’s something you need to protect, the situation changes. What if dragons, who can bear children alone, are able to choose spouses for exactly this reason? How does that sound as a theory?”
“That’s… r-right.”
“I’m glad to hear it. That explains why a spouse who seems unnecessary would appear in the first place. You need to protect the child from the enemies around you, so naturally you need someone who can help raise and protect the child together with you, don’t you?”
“That’s right.”
It felt good to get the answer right.
Now it was her turn to answer correctly.
“As I said earlier, you’re already in a relationship with humans. Whether you wanted to get involved or not, you’re already in a position where you can’t help being tied to us. When the environment you live in shifts from the deep forest to a human city… who do you think would be the ideal spouse?”
“…….”
“Who would be able to keep our Toltol-i safe, grant at least a minimum of freedom, and provide the education she wants along with good food in generous quantities? Where is the capable head of a household who can give a sturdy, safe nest to his beloved family? Who is the ideal spouse you were searching for?”
From the way she was biting down on her lip, it was obvious she didn’t want to admit it.
Toltol-i, who couldn’t possibly understand the conversation between us, was busy licking my hand, but I wasn’t wrong.
If she had chosen to live in the forest, then of course she wouldn’t need a spouse like me.
By beastly standards, I was a weak, selfish, powerless human.
I didn’t know whether there were other dragons around, but the mate suited to her was probably another dragon, or maybe an even higher being.
A strong, overwhelmingly powerful legendary-grade monster capable of protecting Dragon’s Nest in complete safety.
But the situation had changed dramatically. It wouldn’t all go exactly as I said, of course, but she was already tied to a human and had been forced into a life where they had to live together.
When all was said and done, she had, in her own hands, chosen an exceptionally ideal spouse.
“You….”
“That’s right!”
I slowly approached her, and she flinched, but I only meant to help her up; I had no other intentions.
Apparently she still couldn’t understand why I was helping her to her feet, so she allowed herself to be quietly led by my hand.
“For now, let’s get out of the underground prison. Toltol-i would get bored if she stayed in here too long.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve had a hard time, so you ought to stretch your body a little and eat some delicious food, don’t you think?”
“But….”
“We should think carefully about how to explain things outside, but telling everyone you’re my spouse would be uncomfortable for you too, so it’d be better to come up with something they can accept. In truth, I ended up starting a family against my will too, so I’d appreciate a little consideration. I had a female companion I was personally seeing as well… well, there are all sorts of complications. I may not make a good husband, but I think I can be a good father, so don’t worry. You’d prefer that, wouldn’t you?”
“N-no….”
“There’s a lot to do. First, we need to get a document assigning you to me as property… and we also need to discuss what to do about the damage you caused. Human society is a little complicated. Right. Toltol, let’s go outside.”
“Kiek! Kiek! Hek hek!”
“Our cute Toltol-i has a lot of problems that need dealing with too.”
She seemed a little bewildered by my sudden change in attitude, as if she couldn’t keep up with how quickly things were moving.
Still, it seemed she had at least come to understand that both she and Toltol-i were safe now.
Her mind must have been a mess.
After all, the me she had found so irritating seemed to be showing her the very things a spouse ought to show.
She spoke only after we had left the underground prison.
“I have… one question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Humans are greedy.”
“Yes, yes. That’s right.”
“You’re the same. There’s no need to lie. I can see what I see with my own eyes.”
“Yes. I’m a greedy human too.”
“What do you want?”
“Hahaha. Nothing much. Just your attention to our safety and your own… and your cooperation with my experiments. At worst, it’s just a few needle pricks, and it won’t affect your life at all. All you’ll have to do is lie still.”
“Experiments?”
“Ah. I hadn’t told you. I’m an alchemist.”
“I don’t really know what an alchemist is.”
“Then let’s learn together, slowly.”
“Is that really all it takes?”
“Pardon?”
“All it takes is that, and you’ll provide a nest, food, and our Dialuria’s safety?”
“If you follow directions well, I can provide even more than that. From the very beginning, that was my intention anyway… and I want to be a good father to our cute Toltol-i too. I’ll do my utmost to make sure you don’t have to lift a finger and can enjoy a happy family life. And let me say it again: it’s not just “all it takes.” Didn’t I tell you?”
“…….”
“Your body is worth money. If you just lie there, everything gets solved. Hahaha.”
Even as I said it, it sounded kind of trashy.
Dialugia, looking as though she had made up her mind about something, came into view.