Lair Under the Bridge (10): The Dragon's Secret Spreads
Finally, three days had passed. The embargo on Serpina's information had been lifted. Everyone who had been in the examination room that day was itching to talk about the overwhelming sight they had witnessed. The moment the contract magic enforcing the embargo came undone, stories about the dragon spread like wildfire. A woman claiming to be a dragon had scored over 100 points on the mana test and broken the measuring device.
Posts began appearing on the intranet used throughout the world of magic and other races. Most users simply wrote it off as nonsense. After all, people claiming to have Rank 1 mana capacity on the intranet were weekly regulars who showed up just to stir up trouble. This time it earned a few points for novelty since the poster wasn’t claiming the score for themselves but for someone else, but the general reaction was little more than a shrug.
The leadership of the major guilds, however, reacted very differently.
“Chairman, the Association’s official reply regarding our request for information on the woman claiming to be a dragon has arrived. The answer is refusal.”
“I see. And unofficially?”
“According to the spy we planted inside the Association, no new Rank 1 mages have been registered. I’ve ordered them to gather every scrap of information possible on all mages registered in the past week.”
“Find her. Even if the rumors about her race or mana are false, it doesn’t matter. The fact that she can destroy our company’s custom tiles is more than enough reason to scout her.”
The chairman of Moonlight Corporation—a massive enterprise wielding enormous influence in both the shadows and the open world—had taken a personal interest.
…….
“Grand Witch. What are you going to do about that?”
“Hm? About what?”
“The dragon business. It’s been all over since this morning.”
“Umm… I wonder if there’s any way to get some scales or blood. I’m curious what kind of magic potions we could brew with dragon ingredients.”
“Do you actually believe the dragon is real, Grand Witch?”
“It feels that way. Hehe. It’s been a long time since my intuition screamed this loudly—since the witch hunts when the church was chasing me.”
“The witch hunts? That was hundreds of years ago. Then your age, Grand Witch…”
“Hm? Did you say something?”
“Ah, nothing! I’ll tell our people not to touch her for now. That works, right?”
“Yes. It would be nice if we could bring her to our side… but since we can’t be certain, it’s safer not to touch her at all. At least then she won’t become an enemy.”
The Grand Witch of Hexennacht, the worldwide guild of witches, had sensed the dragon’s power through pure instinct.
…….
“Deputy Director. I’ve manipulated the records as ordered… but will this really be enough?”
“How should I know! Damn it, something this important happens and that old director is off wandering who-knows-where?”
“He is running unusually late this time. No matter how long the Association meeting ran, he shouldn’t be gone this long.”
“It’s probably that tiresome factional fighting again. Just live comfortably, what’s the problem? Tsk. Can’t be helped if he’s not here.”
“Um, Deputy Director.”
“What now?”
“Are you sure this is okay? No matter who you are, forging official records like this…”
“So what! Should we act like idiots and advertise ‘Hey, we’ve got an insane talent here!’ so some guild or corporation can snatch her? If we lose a talent the security chief himself swore was that strong, the entire balance between guilds will collapse! Forgery, whatever—it doesn’t matter. We hide her. We keep the status quo! Luckily the person named Serpina hates anything troublesome, so if we play our cards right it’ll work out!”
The deputy director of the Korean branch of the Wolha Association was pouring every resource into concealing the information. Countless other organizations were also buzzing with Serpina’s name. Some had already verified through private channels that the rumors were true, while others had dismissed them as nonsense. Yet every single one of them shared one common thought: they needed more information. Serpina was worth the time and effort to investigate thoroughly. The sudden appearance of a dragon had captured the full attention of every mage and every other race on Earth.
So what was the dragon in question—Serpina—actually doing at that moment…?
- Ring ring-
“Welcome! Huh? Senior? What are you doing here?”
“It’s Ayoung. You work part-time here? Perfect timing. Got any Churu?”
She was running an errand for cat treats.
“Churu? Yes, they’re on that shelf over there. But why did you come yourself?”
“Yeah, I know. To think I’d live long enough to run errands for a kid. Whoever can order me around must have some serious nerve.”
About thirty minutes earlier, Heerin had shown up with the usual stack of cardboard and started cutting and taping it to renovate Serpina’s cardboard house. Today, however, the glue smell was especially overpowering. Even after the renovation was finished the stench lingered so badly that Serpina couldn’t stand to go inside. A single cleaning spell would have taken care of it, but she couldn’t exactly cast magic openly in front of Heerin, who knew nothing about magic. So Heerin had sent the loitering Serpina on the errand with a bright, “Sis, since you’re going for a walk anyway, pick up some snacks for Heemang at least!”
“This is exactly what they mean by a newborn puppy that doesn’t know to fear a tiger.”
“I was bored anyway, so it worked out.”
Ayoung rang up the Churu Serpina had brought and said, “Oh, I had something for you, Senior. The registration card finally came from the Association.”
Serpina took the item Ayoung offered her. The words Night Outing Permit were printed on it.
“Night Outing Permit? Sounds familiar.”
“It’s the term we use for the outside world. If you’re out at night and run into regular police, flashing an Association registration card at them wouldn’t mean anything.”
When Serpina let a trickle of mana flow into the card, the text changed. It now displayed her name, Rank 3 Mage, and the registration date.
“Rank 3?”
“Rank 3…? Ah, this must be what they explained when I got mine. They said mana capacity alone can only get you to Rank 3. From Rank 2 onward you have to prove yourself with real achievements.”
“Hmm. That so? Got it.”
Intuitively, Serpina could tell that everything Ayoung had heard was true. Still, it didn’t feel like the whole story. She could always press the person in charge later. With that thought, she nodded and slipped the card into her pocket.
- Plop.
The registration card smoothly slid through the hole in her pocket and dropped to the ground.
“……”
“Uh… would you like a plastic bag?”
“…Just give me that.”
“I’ll buy you some clothes next time. At least ones with intact pockets.”
“Maybe I should try taking a request or two…”
Serpina pondered the idea quite seriously. It wasn’t a sudden whim. She had already been thinking that she would need to earn money eventually. After coming back to the modern world, it would be a shame not to enjoy the peak of modern civilization—the internet. She was curious whether the pirate manga she had loved as a man had finally ended, and whether the third volume of the story about the engineer who fought monsters had been released. She had held back until now because she knew once she started she wouldn’t be able to stop. But after getting tangled up in various incidents lately, it really did feel like time to make some money.
“Senior, are you thinking about taking requests? When my shift ends, want to go together?”
“You’re going to do requests with me?”
“Come on, how could someone like me take requests with you, Senior? I know my own limits. I just meant we could walk to the Association together.”
“I’m not going right now. The kid hasn’t gone home yet.”
“Ah, right. Then would it be all right if I stopped by tonight?”
“Tonight? I don’t mind, but is that okay with you? You’re already working part-time all day and then taking requests at night.”
“My stamina recovers quickly if I drink the potions the witches sell. The fatigue can’t be helped, but… well, if it gets too bad I just take a day off and sleep instead of accepting work.”
“I see.”
Fatigue from lost sleep wasn’t something easily endured. Serpina decided to at least remember that Ayoung was pushing herself.
“Then come tonight. If I’m asleep, just wake me up.”
“Yes! See you later!”
Serpina returned under the bridge. Time passed, the sun set, and night arrived. Heerin picked up her bag and headed home along the streetlights.
“Sis, see you tomorrow! You too, Heemang—be good!”
And a few hours later.
“I’m here! Senior!”
Ayoung, fresh from her part-time shift, had arrived. Unfortunately she had brought an unnecessary extra with her today.
“Ayoung. Behind you.”
“Huh? What’s behind… Hiek!”
Ayoung turned, let out a shriek, and shrank back. Anyone would have reacted the same if they spun around to find a hulking man with a flushed face huffing angrily.
“Found you, you damn bitches!”
It was the man Serpina had knocked out with a single blow in the Association building lobby before. This time his arms and legs were noticeably covered in thick hair.
“I’ve been searching everywhere. Did you really think you could escape the nose of this proud werewolf?!”
Hearing the man’s words, Serpina turned to Ayoung with a puzzled look.
“Werewolf? That guy?”
To Serpina, the man looked nothing like a werewolf. At best he resembled a very hairy Westerner; he completely lacked the sharp ears or protruding snout typical of wolves. Ayoung whispered softly.
“Um… I heard he does have some werewolf blood. But they say it’s extremely diluted. He probably can’t even transform.”
“Like those snacks? Human. Wolf scent added 0.0016 percent. That kind of thing?”
“Pfft!”
Ayoung tried to hold back her laughter. The man’s face turned crimson with rage.
“Y-you bitches… Don’t expect the same luck you had last time!”
He pulled a kitchen knife from his coat and charged.