Master of the Dragon Vein (2)

The dragon called Garnet ordered me to die as if it were only natural that I should.

According to Grace's knowledge, that was average for a dragon.

A race that regarded every species other than their own as lesser beings — insects, essentially. Grace, who treated a human as her master even though he had saved her life, was the exception.

Apparently there are dragons who hide what they are and play at amusement among other races…

But amusement was still only amusement. Looking down on other species seemed to be universal among them.

Anyway.

"……"

Grace was trying to protect me from Garnet.

And the hand she held out to shield me was trembling.

That Garnet is stronger than Grace.

Maybe their raw power was equal, and Grace simply hadn't fully recovered from the wounds the heroes had dealt her. Or maybe she could match Garnet in a straight fight, but fighting while protecting me was another matter entirely.

Either way, the situation was bad.

"……"

And yet, for some reason, my body wasn't shaking.

I didn't even feel fear. At most, the murderous intent pouring off Garnet raised a few goosebumps.

What is this?

A certainty settled over me — the absolute conviction that, as I was right now, I could kill the dragon called Garnet.

Is it the Inn Management skill? No. That skill has no offensive power whatsoever.

It wasn't a skill.

Not a skill, but—

"Ghk—?!"

Garnet clutched her own throat and dropped to her knees.

"…Sister Garnet…?"

"Nngh…! What in the world…!"

"…Master? Don't tell me — did you do something?"

Grace turned to look at me, and I nodded.

"Titles have power of their own… don't they?"

"Ah…!"

Dragon Master — the title that proved I had contracted with Grace and become her master. That title wasn't affecting Grace alone. It was exerting its influence on Garnet as well.

No. It isn't just Dragon Master.

Dragon Master by itself couldn't leave someone gasping for breath like that. Other titles were lending it their weight.

"Master of the Forbidden Inn. And Master of the Dragon Vein."

Master of the Forbidden Inn pressed down on Garnet as if determined to exercise absolute authority within these walls. And Master of the Dragon Vein was pouring power into both of the others.

"Is this mana?"

The near-infinite mana flowing from the Dragon Vein was amplifying the effects of my other titles. The result was this: I was overwhelming a dragon who was clearly stronger than Grace — a dragon who, by all appearances, had originally been the Master of the Dragon Vein herself.

"Nngh…!"

Garnet tried to resist, but she couldn't even keep her body upright.

"So that's it…. The reason Master's mana recovers so quickly inside the inn…."

Grace murmured as something clicked into place for her.

Crrrk….

"…! Gyaaaaah…!"

Even as she spoke, Garnet screamed as if gravity itself were crushing her body flat. No — that was exactly what was happening. She looked utterly ruined.

Seeing her like that, my resolve wavered for a moment despite myself—

"Master, don't go soft."

Grace stopped me.

"Sister Garnet tried to kill you. You must not forgive an enemy like that so easily."

"…Weren't you two acquainted?"

"Acquainted or not, as I am now, Master comes first."

Grace drew a sword of bone from her hand as she spoke.

"If Master is reluctant to take a life yourself…."

Then I'll do it for you.

"……"

The blade that emerged from Grace's hand was, quite literally, forged from dragon bone. The knowledge I had inherited from her told me as much: a weapon like that could kill even a Jewel Dragon for certain.

The term Jewel Dragon was unfamiliar, but what it meant was obvious enough.

Dragons whose names carry the names of gemstones — like Grace, or like Garnet here.

In other words, that sword could kill Garnet without fail.

"Sp…."

And then—

"…Spare… me…."

From Garnet's mouth — her body already half crushed — came a voice.

"…I'll do… anything… just… please… my life…."

Looking at her, I remembered—

Please… I'll do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anything….

The first time I met Grace.

Please… spare… me….

The way she had begged me for her life.

"Wait, Grace."

"Master?"

As things stood now….

I waved Grace back and stepped up to Garnet. Then I crouched down and asked the dying dragon,

"You want to live? And you'll do anything for that?"

Grace, realizing what I intended, quietly sheathed her sword.

"If you're a dragon like Grace — no, a Jewel Dragon — then you already know about the Dragon's Contract."

"…That…!"

"I'll spare your life. In exchange, you offer me your body and your heart."

At that, she fell silent. A moment ago she had been begging for her life, and now ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she was hesitating?

The thought crossed my mind — but only briefly.

"…The contract… is made…."

In the end, she accepted.

"……"

I was certain I had heard Garnet say the contract was complete. And yet, somehow, I was lying in bed.

"You're awake?"

"…Did I pass out for hours again?"

"Ahaha… Thanks to the Dragon Vein, your mana is practically infinite — but the body using it is still an ordinary human's."

Still, this time you woke up in only an hour.

"Really?"

"Yes. Proof that Master's body is growing accustomed to the Dragon Vein's mana."

Would you like to check your status window?

At Grace's suggestion, I opened it.

…A new title, Dragon Tamer, and a new trait, Power of the Dragon Vein, had appeared.

"I can't see it myself, but according to Sister Garnet, a trait called Power of the Dragon Vein has appeared. She says that trait is proof you've grown accustomed to the Dragon Vein's mana."

"Then what's this Dragon Tamer title about?"

"Well…."

Grace looked at me and trailed off, as if the answer hardly needed saying.

…Fair enough. I was the one who drove Garnet to the brink of death, and I was the one who offered to spare her afterward….

In practice, it had been the stick followed by the carrot. Close enough to taming.

"…So where is Garnet now?"

"She went back to her lair for a bit to prepare for the move. Unlike my lair, which the heroes cleaned out, Sister Garnet's should still be intact."

"Any sign of her resenting me?"

"There will be some, I'm sure. But the contract is already sealed, and quite apart from that, she was reduced to that state without being able to do a thing to you — so even for the sake of her pride, she won't try anything that would harm Master."

Or perhaps she simply decided it doesn't matter, since even under contract she'll only have to serve Master for a hundred years or so, until your natural lifespan runs out.

"…So that's how dragons think about time."

Still, I was lucky it had ended this way. If I hadn't been Master of the Dragon Vein — if my other titles had had no effect on Garnet — I'd be dead right now.

…No. She came to kill me precisely because I was Master of the Dragon Vein, didn't she?

If I hadn't been Master of the Dragon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Vein, none of this danger would have—

Ah. That wasn't true either. Without being Master of the Dragon Vein, I would have spent years in a coma after reviving Grace.

Looked at that way, Master of the Dragon Vein had clearly helped me. It had simply brought threats along with the benefits.

"With great power comes great responsibility, is that it?"

I let out a sigh. I had a feeling the trouble this title would bring wouldn't end with Garnet alone.

Just as Garnet herself had lost the position of Master of the Dragon Vein and been demoted to its Guardian….

"…This is Garnet's knowledge, isn't it."

"Pardon?"

"You didn't seem to know about the Dragon Vein, Grace. So the knowledge about it floating up in my head right now must be Garnet's — she knows about it."

"Ah, since Sister Garnet also formed a Dragon's Contract with Master…. Her knowledge must have passed to you as well."

Demoted from Master of the Dragon Vein to its Guardian, huh….

"I can understand why Garnet came to kill me over having the Dragon Vein taken from her."

If something that had been yours suddenly belonged to someone else, and you were left not using it but only guarding it… of course you'd be furious.

Understanding it didn't mean I planned to forgive her, though. One wrong move and I really could have died.

"…Grace."

"Yes."

"From now on, you're the manager of this inn. Understood?"

And Garnet is your subordinate.

"…Heh. Looks like life at this inn just got a new source of entertainment."

Shall I start her off with cleaning the bathrooms?

Grace understood perfectly, and a wicked little smile spread across her face. Apparently she had a bit of a grudge against Garnet herself.

"Alright."

I couldn't stay in bed forever. I got up and headed downstairs.

"Let's see…."

On the first floor, I went straight to the counter where I could use the Inn Management skill and checked it. A certain possibility had occurred to me.

…Just as I thought.

The visitor count was one higher than it had been after the orcs left. Garnet had come to the inn intending to kill me — but the moment she stepped inside, she had still been counted as a guest.

"If I had Garnet go in and out of the inn over and over, I could fill this number by—"

"Ah, I already tested that."

After Master fainted, I shared your authority and had Sister Garnet leave and re-enter the inn.

"The fact that the number only went up by one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠means that kind of loophole doesn't work."

"That's a shame."

If the exploit had worked, I could have raised the inn to Level 3 right away.

"When the inn reaches Level 3, the second-floor guest rooms open, right?"

"That's right."

Once the guest rooms opened, it would finally start feeling like a proper inn. Right now it was closer to a tavern that happened to serve meals.