The Art of Bribery and Dragon Education
“No thanks.”
“……Even though I’m a Spirit Master, I’ve got a pretty good head on my shoulders, you know!”
“Nope.”
“Come on! It’s not that I’m bored or anything—I just want to do something meaningful, okay?”
It was a decent distraction I’d stumbled upon right before dying of sheer boredom.
But Magi shook his head with the resolute expression of someone who had zero intention of giving in.
Even his own mother seemed unable to break through that stubbornness.
Fortunately, I had one trump card up my sleeve.
“Magi, you like making swords, right?”
“I do! Mom says it’s pointless, though.”
She wasn’t wrong.
Looking at him now, it seemed like he’d turned to smithing because magic was too difficult.
“Then think about it. The ultimate sword is an ego sword, isn’t it? A blade with a soul dwelling inside it.”
“So?”
“Granting will or a soul to an object can only be done through magic. Therefore, you need to learn magic too!”
“I can just ask Mom to do it for me.”
“No, no! Magi! It only means something if you do it yourself! If you rely on someone else’s help, it can’t count as your own achievement!”
“But it’s not someone else—it’s Mom…?”
“Still no! Mom helping you with homework doesn’t count—teachers won’t accept it either!”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Whoops. My opponent wasn’t an elementary schooler—he was a dragon.
“Anyway, the point is you have to learn magic! It’s your destiny!”
“I have a destiny like that?”
“You do!”
“Since when?”
Argh! If he weren’t a dragon, I would’ve smacked some sense into that thick skull of his. What a waste of talent.
“Let’s do this. Magi! If you learn some basic math and magic theory from me, I’ll let you do something really fun.”
“Something fun?”
“I’m going to make Rai a new body. Have you ever done anything like that?”
“A new body?”
His ears perked up. He was already hooked.
“Metal spirits are different from other spirits—they need a physical body suited for the middle realm. Naturally, it has to be made of metal.”
“Whoa, how do you do that?”
He was practically sold already.
“You melt down various metals and gemstones, then put the carcass of whatever animal you want the body to be inside. That becomes Rai’s new form.”
“……That’s awesome!”
“I knew you’d like it.”
“I want to do it too! Me! Let me do it too!”
“If you listen to me properly, I’ll let you join in.”
[Master! What about my opinion?!]
It was about time Rai learned that he didn’t get one.
“In exchange, you just have to play with me a little. How about it?”
“Hmm…… Can’t we play something that isn’t studying?”
“What else is there?”
I asked, genuinely curious.
I’d searched the entire place, but there wasn’t a single form of entertainment to be found.
Magi spent all day hammering away, and my only daily activity was sitting in the corner watching him.
At first I’d been grateful he wasn’t trying to eat me, but I soon discovered that boredom could actually make you physically ill.
“We could make swords together……!”
“Rejected.”
“Why!”
“Let’s just study. I’m kind of frail, you know.”
I was definitely not a musclehead, and I had zero interest in lifting anything heavier than a fork. I’d much rather study.
“But that’s not fun at all!”
“I know that very well, but it seems like you need it.”
“Ugh……”
“Magi? Trust me. It’ll only take a little bit. I’m the type who doesn’t bother with hopeless causes.”
After some hesitation, Magi eventually took the bait I’d dangled in front of him.
“Really? Just a little, right?”
“Of course, of course. Once that’s done, we’ll have a fun crafting class.”
[Why does that crafting class have to use my body?! Master! Master! What about my rights?!]
That was a new one. Since when did spirits have rights?
[Sacrificing oneself for the Master is a spirit’s happiness!]
[No it isn’t!]
More importantly, it was clearly written in the beginner’s spiritology textbook.
‘The Master’s will is the spirit’s will!’ I knew that wasn’t meant to be taken literally!
I simply ignored Rai’s fierce protests.
All that remained were Magi’s sparkling, expectant eyes.
In many ways, Rai made the perfect offering for Magi. For a dragon with the unusual hobby of blacksmithing, nothing would be more tempting than a metal spirit.
Rai, who worked tirelessly day and night to extend his Master’s lifespan, really was an excellent spirit.
“Hey! Jeanie!”
“Yeah? What?”
“Can’t we start with the crafting class first?”
“Hmm……”
“Pleeease?”
If it weren’t for that old dwarf face, the way he clasped his hands together, eyes sparkling as he looked up at me, would have been downright adorable.
“Should we? We’re still a bit short on materials, though.”
“What do you need? I’ll help!”
“A large cauldron, some gemstones… Yeah, perfect. Magi, you have lots of gems—can you share some with me?”
I spoke in an especially sweet voice.
“Sure! I’ll give you some!”
And he didn’t ask if I wanted to borrow them. He asked if I wanted him to give them. Because I needed quite a lot of gems.
“Thank you. Now go wash your hands.”
“Okay!”
“Hey, stop licking your fingers.”
I stopped Magi before he could stick his fingers—still slick with ogre blood—into his mouth.
Magi nodded obediently, which filled me with pride while simultaneously making me feel a twinge of pity for his parents.
To think there would come a day I felt this way toward a dragon. I genuinely felt sorry for Magi’s parents.
How worried they must have been, sending this clueless child out into the world on his own.
It must have felt like leaving a toddler by the river…….
I stroked Magi’s silky golden hair and whispered in his ear.
“And you know, Magi, since we’re doing this anyway, why don’t you try polymorphing into a different form?”
“A different form? Like what?”
“Not a dwarf… something cuter.”
I’d have to coax him into transforming into a beautiful boy that suited my tastes.
Something with an artistic charm so lovable that it would make anyone forgive whatever mischief he got into.
Magi, in his innocence, was cheerfully jumping headfirst into every trap I set for him.
At this rate, I was going to have to teach him how to be wary of humans.
I was starting to feel more like a nanny with each passing day.
***
The candidates for Rai’s new body included the wolf boss we’d caught most recently, a massive eagle I’d killed for food but left alone because preparing it seemed like too much hassle, a baby fox, and a squirrel.
I’d stored them in the ice locker, so they’d frozen solid. I took them out to thaw and laid them all out in a row.
Then I asked Rai.
I wasn’t going to take his opinion into account, but it seemed polite to at least ask.
“Which one do you like, Rai?”
[The wolf, please!]
“Huh, we actually agree for once?”
I’d been planning to go with the wolf no matter what he chose anyway.
It looked a bit like a dog, so it would be easy to take around, and it was large enough to ride. It seemed the most practical.
[The fox and squirrel are too small. The eagle looks cool, but I might not be able to fly.]
“Huh? Why wouldn’t you be able to fly?”
[Because I’ve never flown before.]
“But it’s an eagle’s body.”
[I’m not an animal spirit, remember? I can only imitate the appearance. Actual flight is beyond me. Totally impossible.]
So that’s how it was. Too bad. I stroked my chin and muttered.
“Then quadrupedal movement would be the safest bet.”
[Yeah.]
“Hmm, I got used to the snake form, so it’s a little disappointing to change now.”
[Why? Can’t you just swap the shell?]
Rai, charred pitch-black from getting struck by lightning, looked less like a snake and more like a crawling lump of charcoal.
His once-smooth scales had become rough and damaged, so I’d forbidden him from crawling on me.
“Won’t the snake body disappear once you make a new one?”
[No? Once I’ve made a body, I can bring it out again anytime.]
“……Wait, really?”
[Yes! No matter how many I make, they all get stored!]
“So I could turn all of these into bodies for you?”
[Of course! As long as we have enough gems!]
Gems we had. This was a dragon’s lair, after all—there were more than enough to go around.
The reason I’d put off making Rai a new body until now was partly because gathering the materials was such a pain.
I had to collect all sorts of different gemstones, toss them into one big pot, and melt them all down.
“I had no idea you had a function like that……”
I continued stroking my chin as I looked down at Rai, who was coiled at my feet.
[Like I keep telling you! You don’t pay enough attention to me, Master! My abilities don’t end here!]
“Come on, it’s because you’re too weird. What kind of spirit has transformation abilities? It’s completely outside common sense. Even the fact that you need a body for the middle realm to begin with……”
[Uhehehe!]
“Why are you laughing?”
[It means I’m this multifunctional and cutting-edge!]
It wasn’t exactly a compliment, but since he looked so pleased, I guess it didn’t matter.
Ever since he started hanging around Magi, Rai’s laugh had gotten strangely obnoxious.
He used to laugh in a silly way, but it had never been this frivolous.
“In that case, we’re going to need a really big cauldron. If we’re going to melt all of these down.”
[That won’t work.]
“You just said it would!”
[Creating a body for the middle realm is a rather sacred process. It’s a kind of offering. The rule is one creature per cauldron.]
“Seriously, I don’t see what’s sacred about any of this.”
Metal spirits really were incomprehensible creatures.
And this was coming from someone with doctoral-level knowledge in spiritology.
It wasn’t as if I hadn’t actively researched Rai.
But the more I delved into spiritology, the clearer it became just how exceptional Rai was.
[I keep telling you! Pay more attention to me, Master!]
“I’m doting on you plenty, aren’t I?”
[Where?! Master, you like that Undine more than me—even though I’m rare, versatile, cute, and adorable!]
“What’s wrong with Undine?”
[Lower-tier spirits like that are as common as pebbles in the spirit realm!]
“I don’t care if they’re common. I like both Undine and you the same. You’re both my spirits. It’s just…… Rai, you’re so rare that I can’t really use you in front of other people.”
Rai rolled his eyes back and forth, trying to figure out whether that was a compliment or not.
I crouched down in front of him and gave his soot-covered head a couple of light pokes.
“You’re my secret weapon, Rai. Like a hidden ace, you know!”
[……S-secret weapon?]
“Good things should be saved for special occasions, Rai.”
[I see! I didn’t realize Master had such deep intentions! You’re right. It’s better if I stay a secret! Because I’m Master’s one and only secret weapon!]