Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: With the Dragon (2)
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No one could understand those words.
They didn't even know what a dragon speech organ was.
If Hernando had been there, he might have had some information, but Yuri suddenly missed his absence.
At that moment, Simon asked,
"My humble mind struggles to follow the words of the great dragon. So, does the dragon speech organ refer to an organ that speaks like a dragon? Isn't that something only a great dragon like Cruar possesses?"
It was Simon, of all people, stepping in to unravel the situation in Hernando's place.
His glib tongue, honed from a lifetime of living off his wits as a bastard son, was working perfectly on the dragon, who seemed to crave admiration more than any noble.
Yuri wanted to applaud Simon, not Cruar.
[Originally, the great dragon Cruar is cold and taciturn, but for a human this polite and humble, it might be worth explaining at length...]
"Thank you, great Cruar!"
[Dragon speech means the power of the Word of Authority. The dragon speech organ exists only in dragons originally, but its form isn't all that different from the vocal organs of humans or other creatures.]
As Cruar explained, he ran his hand over Cory's entire body. Cory, who had been wracked with fever, gradually regained a peaceful complexion.
Simon asked again,
"Hearing the great dragon Cruar's words, I think I understand. So, does Cory have vocal cords that happen to resemble that organ by chance?"
[Not exactly vocal cords, but something similar. Because this half-human is...]
Cruar's light tone grew a bit heavier.
[A half-orc with orc blood mixed in.]
Humans and orcs are the same yet different.
Yuri knew that orcs originated from humans, which made Cruar's words all the more meaningful.
[Humans are inherently chaotic beings, and mixing in orc blood maximizes that nature. Chaos means infinite possibilities, so a mutation emerges with extremely low probability.]
Yuri and the others vaguely understood Cruar's explanation.
They had seen other half-orcs.
Half-orcs had no fixed form. Every individual was like a mutation. Some had multiple arms, others clumsy wings. Some even had antennae instead of eyes.
Compared to other half-orcs, Cory was remarkably normal.
Thus, Cruar's words boiled down to: amid that bizarre chaos, the pieces happened to fall into place by chance, resulting in Cory possessing something akin to a dragon speech organ.
[To put it in the great dragon Cruar's words, it's a miracle wrought by formless genes.]
Then Cruar looked up at the sky.
It was hard to read a dragon's face, but it seemed steeped in melancholy.
Silence followed.
[...]
Yuri, no longer eager to play along, elbowed Hose and Rolang standing beside him.
The two clapped awkwardly.
Simon had already moved beyond clapping to prostrating himself fully.
"A miracle of formless genes—such poetic words. They strike my heart..."
While Cruar looked pleased, Yuri approached Cory to check his condition.
Thanks to Cruar, he was improving, but not fully recovered. Heat still rose from his body.
Yuri asked Cruar,
"Cruar, then how can Cory be cured?"
[Hmm...]
He scratched his cheek with a claw.
[Ask a bit more politely and courteously, and I might give a hint...]
"Cruar."
Yuri had no desire to cater to Cruar's whims anymore. That role was Simon's.
Someone had to speak to the dragon as an equal.
Yuri said firmly,
"Cory is my precious comrade."
[Hmm? Hmm...]
"Please tell me about Cory's condition."
Cruar scratched the back of his head.
[I was going to tell you anyway, no need to get so serious... Might feel a bit hurt...]
"... "
[Those cold eyes... As expected of that monster human's son, perhaps...]
Cruar fidgeted before placing a massive hand over Cory's body.
[Ahem, once the dragon speech organ starts activating, it doesn't stop, so there's only one way to cure it.]
"What is it?"
[Fully utilizing the dragon speech organ.]
In other words, Cory had to awaken the power of the Word of Authority, granted only to dragons.
Cory's fate now rested with Cruar.
Cruar crossed his arms and glanced sideways at Yuri.
[Ahem, hmm... What to do...]
"Cruar, please save Cory. I beg you."
[Remembering that serious face from earlier makes me not want to...]
At that, Yuri promptly dropped to one knee.
Cruar flinched.
[Whoa, a prince doesn't need to kneel...]
"I beg you, Cruar."
[He truly values his comrades...]
Cruar nodded.
[Fine, stand up.]
"You'll save Cory?"
[Since the monster human's son knelt, I suppose I must...]
"Thank you, Cruar."
Yuri rose and extended his hand to Cruar.
Cruar tilted his head.
[What's that?]
"A handshake."
[Handshake?]
"Humans shake hands with those they've built rapport with."
Cruar's eyes widened.
"And I'm not the monster human's son—I'm Yuri Brioll. Call me Yuri from now on, Cruar."
[First human to boldly ask me to use his name...]
"Don't you like it?"
[No issue. Yuri human...]
"Just Yuri."
Yuri's hand and the dragon's massive claw didn't quite fit, but he managed a handshake, shaking it up and down.
Yuri said,
"Cruar."
[Hm?]
"I knew from the start you intended to save Cory."
[Is that so?]
"That's why you came here yourself."
Yuri had gauged Cruar's personality from the moment he shrugged off obvious flattery and dove into lengthy explanations.
What else could explain him flying in the instant Cory collapsed?
And as seen in Gerdt's memories, why else would he cast the magic of the Word of Authority to revive the fallen man?
Fearsome in appearance, but deep down, the dragon was kind-hearted.
"If I'd known Cruar was this gentle, I'd have sought you out sooner. Glad to learn now. Thank you."
[Hm, ahem...]
Cruar's expression visibly brightened.
Simon had prostrated from the start, but Yuri hadn't been so compliant. Hearing such praise from him felt genuine to Cruar.
[This half-human is precious to you—Yuri?]
"Yes."
[One who can wield the Word of Authority is rare. Even for me, it's an uncommon opportunity. I'll take responsibility and teach him properly.]
"Thank you."
[This half-human's name is Cory?]
"Yes."
[Yuri, Cory. I'll remember.]
"Thank you."
With that, the matter of Cory was settled for now.
Cruar lowered his head to meet the group's eye level and asked,
[By the way, what was Gerdt's end like?]
"That is..."
Yuri explained the recent events to Cruar.
Hearing that Gerdt had perished with the demon flower, Cruar nodded silently, lost in reminiscence.
[A man with will like a mountain. Too pitiable to ignore...]
He knew black magic was disrupting the world but claimed not to interfere in human affairs. To Yuri, it seemed more like laziness.
Thus, he knew little about black magic beyond the Adelbine incident.
But he dropped a intriguing hint.
[There's a grimoire infused with black magic. It has a will of its own and changes owners. That parchment might be a page from it...]
"A grimoire?"
Cruar tilted his head at Yuri's question.
[Just glimpsed it in an ancient text, so not sure. I'll check my library later and pass any info through this half-human, Cory.]
"I sincerely thank you for your kindness, Cruar."
[Ahem...]
"When will Cory be fully healed?"
[Depends on his will, but with a great dragon like me teaching, it won't take long...]
"As expected of Cruar."
[Kuhum...]
Yuri glanced up at the sky.
Sunset was falling.
"It's getting dark."
Time to leave Adelbine.
With Cory on his back, Cruar basked in the cheers and admiration of the rest of the group, soaring proudly into the sky.
As if showing off his flight, he circled several times before heading toward the distant sunset.
Watching him go, Jared muttered,
"Cory will come back safe, right? That dragon won't suddenly get hungry and eat him?"
"Do dragons eat meat?"
"Probably? With that size?"
"Elephants are herbivores..."
"Those teeth looked like they could crunch bones."
"Beings that use words of power live off ambient mana from nature or something..."
"Nah, no such thing."
"Hope Cory's okay..."
"Hahaha, Cory will handle it."
Hose burst into laughter before saying,
"Well, shall we head to Bursen?"
"Hm?"
"Didn't you say after this, you'd treat us to a full course? Before returning to Brioll, stop by Bursen."
Yuri nodded.
"Sounds good. Finally getting that full course in Bursen I've only heard about!"
"I'm looking forward to it."
"Sir Hose will treat us properly."
"Sir Jonathan and Sir Proin will be thrilled too. Or how about paying respects to His Majesty while we're at it?"
"Not a bad idea."
Meeting Bursen's king would aid future efforts against the Empire.
The group's destination was set: toward Bursen, not far from Adelbine.
"By the way."
"Yeah?"
"Where did we leave the horses we rode in on?"
"Ah..."
"We fed them mandrake and hid them..."
Yuri's group looked around blankly.
The Great Library's destruction had wrecked the surroundings. The changed landscape made orientation difficult.
Yuri cleared his throat.
"First, let's rescue the horses."
"Yes!"
Cory, who had lost consciousness, slowly opened his eyes.
"Ugh..."
A dim light flickered. Torches on the stone walls cast shadows, revealing the rough texture.
As he sat up, he realized he was in an unfamiliar place.
"Wha..."
He lay on a bed, surrounded by antique furniture.
A large mirror straight ahead reflected his bewildered face.
The environment screamed cave, yet the furnishings were luxurious.
He recalled the events before passing out—and gasped involuntarily.
Not fully clear, but the outline came back.
He had met a dragon.
And come to its lair.
"What happened..."
At that moment, a voice echoed from beyond the space.
[Waking up and not coming to greet me right away might make me feel slighted...]
Only then did the dreamlike encounter sharpen into vivid memory.
After slaying the demon flower, he collapsed, and a dragon named Cruar appeared. They came to the lair together.
Cory jumped up and headed toward the voice.
Faint torchlight illuminated the cavern, where Cruar lay curled in the center. His yellow eyes followed Cory's steps.
Cory bowed in greeting.
"H-H-Hello... I-I'm C-C-Cory."
It was bizarre. Standing before the dragon stirred primal fear.
Yesterday, illness had blurred his vision, but facing the form now, instinctive terror gripped him.
Even speaking properly was hard.
"Th-Thank you f-for s-saving me..."
[Ahem...]
Cruar's soft rumble froze Cory further.
"S-Sorry... I'm j-just n-nervous..."
[Not only the dragon speech organ, but innate fear of dragons too. Remarkable. Humans truly are flawed yet wondrous...]
Cory couldn't even comprehend the words. The scales, the form, the yellow pupils shattered rational thought.
[No helping it...]
"S-S-Sorry..."
[The great dragon Cruar shall show mercy. Wait, Cory.]
Cruar even used his name.
And murmured something.
"Huh...?"
Light burst forth.
Eyes stinging, Cory covered his face. When the cave darkened again, he lowered his hands.
What he saw was unbelievable.
"Wha?"
The terrifying dragon was gone.
In its place stood something Cory never imagined.
"This form should be fine, right? Kuhm, ahem... Bow in awe at my mercy, and the great dragon Cruar's mood might improve... "
A beautiful woman in a dress, red hair cascading down, gazed into the void while sidelong glancing at him for a reaction.