Dragon or Dog?
“I know you seem selfish and lazy, but in truth you’re a good and courageous person. I believe in you—that you’re someone who recognizes injustice and understands goodwill.”
Listening to him, I couldn’t quite tell if it was praise or an insult, but Ash’s eyes as he gazed at me were unmistakably filled with trust and faith.
For some reason, that look always weakened my resolve.
“Jeanie.”
This was bad.
Ash had figured out that when he called my name in that low, quiet voice, I softened a little. Maybe I should smack the back of his head hard enough to make him forget.
“Look at how pitiful Rai looks right now.”
Rai was shamelessly clinging to Ash’s side, whimpering like some tragic creature.
True to his quick-witted nature, he’d realized that sticking close to Ash earned him better treatment. Even if I smacked him on the head, a spirit wouldn’t lose its memories.
Having these two troublesome beings join forces against me left me in a difficult position.
Yes, leaving him behind beyond the canyon had definitely been my fault. I probably owed him an apology. And Ash was the first person who believed in a crooked human like me so purely, without any misunderstanding.
His kind eyes stared straight at me, unwavering.
I could see they were full of expectation for my character.
“Sigh… Fine, Rai.”
Yes, Master!
“You thought I was about to say I’m sor— as if! Undine!”
Yes! Master.
That’s right. I’m arrogant, selfish, and downright unpleasant.
I plan to stay that way. It’s more comfortable for me. If Rai goes on strike, I’ll just use Undine instead.
It’s not like there’s only one spirit!
“There should be a lake nearby. Go find it.”
After sending Undine off, one spirit and one man immediately started whining.
That’s too much, Master!
“Jeanie! Is saying sorry once really that difficult?”
“Both of you shut up! Even if I do apologize, I won’t do it just because Ash tells me to! I’ll do it when I feel like it!”
“So when exactly is that…”
“When Rai stops making me angry!”
That means never!
Ash had no idea it was a case of like master, like spirit.
“You’re basically admitting you’ll keep making me angry!”
But it’s fun!
“…I knew it!”
Think of it as an expression of affection?
Die! Unable to contain the boiling murderous intent, I grabbed Rai’s neck, but the sensation was no different from gripping an iron pillar.
This was like throwing eggs at a boulder.
Unable to release my anger, my temper only grew worse.
“My personality ended up like this partly because of you, you know!”
No way! You’ve always been like this!
“Damn it! You’re actually an assassin, aren’t you? Trying to kill me with a stress-induced illness!”
“What are you doing?! Jeanie? Stop it. Please maintain some dignity… Stop, I said stop!”
Ash forcibly pulled me off.
He didn’t know that a spirit wouldn’t die from a little choking.
I grew furious at the fact that the one being I could never kill was the one who angered me most.
“Aargh!”
Sigh, that temper. Whose master is she, really.
“I hate you so much I could die!”
I couldn’t even attack my own spirit with spirit magic!
That wasn’t on the level of spitting while lying down—it was more like throwing a knife. If Rai got hurt, I got hurt too. We were inseparably linked.
With my attack instincts completely sealed off, my rage exploded. When I truly began to lose it, Ash handled me like someone trying to calm a wild horse.
“Jeanie, Jeanie…! Stop seriously fighting with a dog!”
“He’s taunting me!”
“No way. No matter how smart a dog… even if… of course he understands speech like a ghost, pops up everywhere in a flash, and… is incredibly sturdy and… does all sorts of amazing things that aren’t very dog-like at all… Wait. But Rai… is a dog, right?”
In my extreme anger I had spoken to Rai out loud and even confessed that he could talk.
Oops. But Ash wasn’t an idiot, and his expression said he had already pieced something together.
Once suspicion rears its head, it grows at a frightening speed.
Rai had never been an ordinary dog to begin with.
“…He is a dog, right?”
“…Is that what’s important right now?”
“Now that I think about it… he’s golden, isn’t he?”
Ash’s complexion visibly paled.
Turning blue, he stuttered with fearful eyes, as if terrified by whatever thought had struck him.
“The dragon that kidnapped you was also golden… and dragons can polymorph into all kinds of living creatures… No way!”
As if uttering a forbidden word, he covered his mouth. The theory he landed on was that Rai was a dragon.
“Huh?”
Uahaha! My dignity is no ordinary thing! Of course I’m greater than a dragon, though? What an adorable misunderstanding.
“……”
Still, this human knows a thing or two, doesn’t he? Right, Master? To notice that my identity is extraordinary. Hehe, hehehe, heheheheung.
Forgetting he had been sulking, Rai let out a bizarre laugh that I really didn’t want to hear.
After hearing nothing but “yellow mutt” and “mangy dog,” being called a dragon seemed to have improved his mood considerably.
Meanwhile Ash began trembling as if someone had dug a grave for him.
“What kind of nonsense am I hearing? Relax. What he is remains a secret, but he’s not a dragon.”
“That’s a relief, but… no! If he’s not a dragon, that means he’s not a dog either!”
Sigh. Why are there only quick-witted people around me? Is it because like attracts like and my own wits are sharp?
“Ash, what did I tell you before? About men who ask annoying questions?”
“…They lack charm.”
“Right. And how should a man be?”
“Quiet, but not like Robenin…”
“Correct! As expected of a model student. Make sure you remember it.”
I wondered which part embarrassed him. Ash lowered his gaze and blushed like a newlywed bride.
I approve of this marriage.
“What did he say?”
Ash seems pure. I think he’ll listen to me well.
I agreed. I crossed my arms and nodded.
Our Ash had grown up so nicely. Kind, smart, handsome—what more could you want? Whoever ends up with him is truly blessed. If he tries to marry some strange person, I’ll have to stop it.
I can’t just hand him over to anyone! Is this what a sister’s heart feels like?
Master! I found the lake!
Just as I suddenly grew curious about who Ash might marry, Undine brought news that delighted everyone.
“Kids! She found the lake!”
Of course I was happy too. The words burst out louder than I intended.
Sending Undine instead of Rai had clearly been the smarter choice.
I habitually made Rai do everything, but he had one fatal weakness.
His metal body bound him tightly.
In contrast, the stronger I grew, the freer Undine became from physical limitations.
She could turn into clouds, become rain, or flow along with the wind.
The water spirit Undine led us to a place that smelled of water.
This way!
We left the wasteland and kept riding. After galloping for about fifteen minutes, a small forest appeared. We followed Undine into the woods, and the birds there took flight all at once, startled by the horses’ momentum.
While I watched the small birds flapping away, a familiar scent brushed my nose. It was a strong smell of water—slightly salty and refreshing, heavily mixed with seawater.
I was far more sensitive to it than ordinary people. Not as much as Undine, of course.
Passing through the green-glowing tree path under the strong sunlight, a vast lake finally unfolded before us. Lox shouted first.
“It’s a lake!”
The enormous blue lake, holding the exact color of the sea, immediately told us it had been there for a very long time, making our desperate search seem almost comical.
It was serene and majestic.
It possessed a lake’s unique silence and was peaceful like a god. A good lake that generously embraced healthy life within it.
It might sound stupid, but even when looking at lakes or ponds, I felt something like a first impression, the same as when I met people.
“There… really does seem to be something here.”
I muttered without thinking.
It was just an ordinary lake connected to the sea at one edge, yet my instincts were tickling, whispering quietly.
There’s something there.
This was the first time I truly thought we might actually find the Cup of the Golden Star.
“R-right! It’s the lake mentioned in the letter! This has to be the place!”
“Really, Lox?”
“We actually found it?”
“Yes! At least the lake!”
As everyone grew excited, my own mood lifted naturally.
We stopped the horses and dismounted by the water. A cool breeze washed over my whole body. While the men cheered noisily, I walked closer to the lake.
I wanted to define this strange feeling.
Tilting my head, I stared hard at the spot that bothered me. There was a waterway connecting the sea and the lake.
That was what had been nagging at me.
From here it looked about as wide as two fingers, but up close it would surely be quite broad.
A dungeon? A monster? Mermaids? A spirit stone?
The treasure hunt wasn’t over. Discovering the map had been the beginning; finding the lake only told us which path to run down.
When that run would end, we could only find out by locating the dungeon entrance and opening it.
And finding the dungeon entrance was the hardest part.
The door would naturally be hidden, possibly armed with all kinds of traps. If we were lucky enough that there were no traps, it would instead be concealed that much deeper.
“The lake… is bigger than I expected?”
“It’s enormous. And it’s connected to the sea.”
“It couldn’t be that the treasure is under the lake, could it?”
“It’s an old lake, so the depth must be considerable…”
Before I knew it the men had lined up beside me, already pondering how to find the dungeon entrance in that vast expanse. It seemed they understood there were still obstacles ahead before they could celebrate.
“Ash? Let me see the marker.”
“Lox has it.”
“Hey. Hand it over.”
“…Excuse me. Don’t you think the temperature difference is a bit extreme? Between how you treat Ash and how you treat me.”
“Kind words return with kind words. When have you ever been nice to me?”
I’m not a saint. Do I have to be kind to every person in the world? What a ridiculous guy.
When I looked at him like he was a troublesome customer, Lox twitched his eyebrows with clear displeasure. He looked like he had a lot of complaints about me.
“…What do you need the marker for?”
“I told you not to ask questions because it’s annoying, didn’t I? Hand it over before I take it by force.”
In the end Lox grumbled even as he gave it to me. For the weakest member of the group, he had quite a stubborn streak.
“Could you not say it in a robbing tone?”
“Give it when I ask nicely.”
“Can’t you listen when someone speaks?”
“Do I have to hit you?”
“I’ll give it, but… this is our treasure, so please handle it with care.”
After the verbal battle, I took the necklace-like marker and walked straight toward the lake.