《I Reincarnated and Became the Daughter of a Dragon?!》 Volume 1 - CH 1 ¡°Gah¡­?!¡± ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö stared at the bloodstained sword sticking out from his stomach. Only after he vomited blood did he finally realize that he had been stabbed from behind. ¡°Don¡¯t think badly of us, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö.¡± He heard a voice from behind, the tone suggesting that the owner held not a shred of guilt over what he had done. ¡°Instead of all five of us dying, it¡¯s better for the four of us to survive and obtain the treasure. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a logical decision? The mountain monsters are sensitive to the smell of human blood, so they¡¯ll gather at your corpse, and we¡¯ll be able to survive.¡± Gemel spoke and kicked ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö in the back as he pulled out his sword. ¡°Is this really okay?¡± ¡°Hah?! Isn¡¯t this guy to blame for everything anyway? It¡¯ll be harder to survive with this baggage with us. But no one says a word about this, you hear? We¡¯re all accomplices once we return back.¡± The other three that were with Gemel didn¡¯t stop or blame him either. Adventurers. They were people who made a living by diving into the monster-infested hills and fields to exterminate the monsters and collect the resources. Gemel¡¯s group had formed a party named ¡°Seventh Dice¡± and made a living as adventurers. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö was also part of the ¡°Seventh Dice.¡± However, strictly speaking, he wasn¡¯t an adventurer. He was registered as one at the guild for convenience, but he was a ¡®manager¡¯ in charge of the administrative work. They were currently in the innermost parts of Mount Kuguse where a dragon lived. Monsters loitering here were frighteningly strong. A place where even inhumanly strong adventurers could lose their lives. The ¡°Seventh Dice¡± had snuck into this mountain that had a ban on entry. But as expected, they were cornered by the gradually increasing monsters, until eventually, Gemel came up with the ¡®breakthrough plan¡¯ and implemented it. ¡°Don¡¯t forget his adventurer card.¡± ¡°Oh, right, almost forgot.¡± Gemel snatched ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s luggage after the other member reminded him of it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) He rummaged through the bag and grinned when he found a silver plate inside. ¡°Now, even if someone finds you, they¡¯ll just think you¡¯re some dumbass poacher that sneaked into the forbidden mountain.¡± Then, Gemel drew close to ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s ear and whispered, accompanied by foul breath. ¡°You¡­son of a¡­¡± ¡°Well, you were quite a good handyman, I¡¯ll give you that. But we don¡¯t need you anymore. I¡¯m much obliged.¡± Once he had his fill of malicious remarks, Gemel took the other three and disappeared beyond the trees in a sneaky manner to avoid monsters. And that was the last time he saw them. ¡°T-Those b?a?s?t?a?r?d?s?¡­! F?u?c?k?, I can¡¯t die! I can¡¯t¡­! I can¡¯t die in a place like this¡­!¡± Screeching cries, hard to tell whether a bird¡¯s or a monster¡¯s, resounded through the place. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö grabbed the undergrowths and crawled through the untouched, verdant mountain. Deep red blood oozed out of the hole in his abdomen and dyed the grasses as it pulsated. His breathing was trembling and he was gradually getting colder. His hands grew weaker, and his crawling speed that would¡¯ve barely outpaced a turtle would now lose out to a slug¡¯s. But even so, his mind was filled with the thought that he could not die, he must not die. When he lost the sensation of the ground below and felt as if he was floating up, he thought that was it. He thought that his spirit had broken free from his body and started the ascension. However, that wasn¡¯t quite correct. Something big and rugged had seized ......¡¯s body and carried him away somewhere. Volume 1 - CH 2 The next time ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö opened his eyes, his body felt heavy as a stone, and he felt like his life would fade away and he¡¯d actually turn into a stone if he lost his concentration even for a second. But still, he was certainly alive still. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö was lying on a natural bed made up of dry branches that could probably fit twenty people. The skies were clear and a tranquil wind was blowing. This weather-beaten bed was like a bed of birds and animals if you ignored its sheer size. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö was too weakened to think properly, but he still desperately tried to grasp his current situation. But there was no need to even think about it¡ªhe just needed to turn around to be hit with the overwhelming reality. Right next to him, a giant body that was dozens of times bigger than a human¡¯s, was squatting down while balled up in a skillful way. Its graceful and strong body was covered with red, glossy scales, which were arranged as if melted together, forming a thick carapace. Its long neck and tail looked like flexible whips and even appeared somewhat sensual. It had an angular head, with a pair of eyes that blazed like the sun, and horns that stood tall as if to pierce the heavens. On its back were mighty membrane wings that were currently folded¡­ ¡ªA dragon¡­! It looked so dignified he forgot to breathe from fear and wonder. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö came to an understanding. In short, he was currently lying in the dragon¡¯s nest. This was Mount Kuguse. A mountain where a dragon lived. A place that humans couldn¡¯t approach. He was on death¡¯s door in a place like that, so it wasn¡¯t hard to figure out what would happen next. ¡ªWill I become the feed¡­? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) He remembered that the dragon living on Mount Kuguse was raising an egg. A weakened, dying human¡­ it probably planned to feed him to the newborn dragon as its first meal. The dragon noticed ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s awakening and stretched its long neck, drawing its gigantic face closer. And then, it started sniffing him. Its fangs, thicker than an adult¡¯s arm, neared him, making him think that a bite would be enough to kill him. However, the dragon didn¡¯t try to bite him at all. Instead, it lifted something large with its mouth and dropped it next to ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö. That something was like a strange, black-skinned beast that looked like a mix of a bear and a boar. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö had never seen a monster like this. It was probably a monster that mutated due to the aura that the dragon emitted. It had a large wound in its abdomen and was already dead. It was undoubtedly the dragon¡¯s doing. The dragon placed the monster¡¯s corpse before ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s eyes and pushed it with its nose. ¡°Grrr¡­rrr¡­.¡± The dragon growled as if rolling its breath in its throat. It didn¡¯t sound threatening at all. Rather, it sounded like a coaxing voice in human terms. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö didn¡¯t understand what it wanted. As he stared at the corpse in dumbfoundedness, the dragon moved its head as if tilting it, and then bit into the monster¡¯s abdomen. Its giant fangs easily pierced through the monster¡¯s thick skin which would repel most arrows, and tore it off while holding the body down its strong forefoot. The monster¡¯s blood-dripping flesh got exposed. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) But the dragon didn¡¯t eat it, but instead pushed it toward ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö. ¡ªW-What the? What does it¡­?¡± ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö wondered whether it was trying to fatten him up and then eat him. But what was the point of doing that when it already had the monster¡¯s meat? Either way, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö knew that he had to eat something or he would die. He had bled too much. His body lacked energy. He could feel a stomach-piercing hunger. He had to eat something¡­ even if that something was the raw flesh of an unknown monster. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö lifted his head a little and crawled to the flesh, and bit into it. The flowing blood spread a metallic taste in his mouth. But then, he ran out of strength right away. It was too hard. A human¡¯s biting strength was far too lacking compared to carnivores that lived by eating raw flesh. And now that he was so weakened, eating it was simply impossible. ¡°¡­.Rrrr¡­.ooo¡­¡± For some reason, the dragon was making a sound above the fallen ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s head. This time, the dragon bit into the corpse. It tore part of the flesh and chewed it down, then spit it out instead of swallowing it. Minced meat piled up in front of ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö. It was mixed with blood and the dragon¡¯s saliva, but it was now far softer than its original state. Now he could indeed eat it. He didn¡¯t know why the dragon was going to such lengths to feed him, but before pondering on that he first needed to eat the meat before his consciousness faded, or this time he would die for sure. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö took a bite of the minced meat. But then, he choked on it as he tried to swallow and vomited it out. ¡°Bleh! Bleeeh! Bwah!¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) The swallowed flesh and the gastric juices mixed with the dark blood spilled out from his mouth. Raw flesh that reeked of blood wasn¡¯t something a human¡¯s body could take in from the start. ¡°A-Aaghh¡­¡± ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö once again collapsed with gasping breaths. He felt like he vomited the little life he had left in him and could no longer move. ¡°¡­Uu? Uu? Uu?¡± The dragon raised a strange voice and started fidgeting restlessly, poking ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö who lay feebly with its nose, and then once again chewing the minced meat. ¡°¡­Uugrrrr!¡± Suddenly, a wave of momentary heat brushed ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s cheeks and hair. The dragon seemed to have spewed flames toward the monster¡¯s corpse as a way to vent its frustration. The foliage dyed in the monster¡¯s blood started to smoke, and the pitiful lump of flesh¡­ Gave off a good smell of burnt oils. ¡ªCould it be¡­?! The smell of life ticked his nostrils. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö mustered all his remaining strength and moved his body. The minced meat that was showered in the dragon¡¯s breath was half-roasted, and the flames more or less penetrated it, boiling the oils on its surface. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö reached out for the meat and desperately stuffed it into his mouth. It still had the strength of blood, and it was quite rare. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) But still, even a little scorching managed to transform it into something that humans could eat. ¡°Ruu?¡± The dragon groaned a little and carefully observed ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s behavior. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö was only grabbing the roasted pieces of meat and thrusting them into his mouth. The heat spread through his body which was growing cold. As he was too desperate to eat he ended up choking on it and finally stopped at that. His abdomen felt heavy, and his fatigue ultimately won over his hunger. ¡ªWait a second¡­ Didn¡¯t I have a hole in my stomach¡­? As he was worrying that the food would spill out of his wound, he finally noticed that the wound was gone. It was a wound that would normally be fatal, certainly not something that could heal so easily. If it was a magical drug or some high-ranking recovery magic, it would be possible to patch it up right away, however. ¡°Rrrrrrr¡­.Grrrr¡­.¡± The dragon rubbed its rugged nose on ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö. It was panicking earlier, but it had regained its calm now. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö had no energy to move, so he offered no resistance. ¡°Ruu¡­.uruuu¡­¡± The dragon gently murmured something. He didn¡¯t understand it at all, but the moment he heard it, his heart thumped as if being set ablaze, and a word appeared in his mind as if it was forcibly carved into it with a branding iron. ¡°Lucella¡± He also somehow understood through nuance that it was a woman¡¯s, or more accurately, a female¡¯s name. The dragon addressed ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö as such. ¡ªLucella? Who¡¯s that supposed to be? I¡¯m¡­ my name¡¯s¡­¡­¡­? ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö noticed something. He should have spent over twenty years of his life as a person. But he just couldn¡¯t remember the name he used during that time. ¡°Lucella.¡± That name had painted over everything like oil paint. Then, Lucella finally noticed one more thing. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Huh¡­?¡± His voice was small and high-pitched. The sleeves and size of the clothes he wore were now too large for him. The belt barely hanging on his bony waist was too long, and it would no longer serve its function to keep the pants in place no matter how much he tightened it. Lucella definitely used to be a man, but how he was turned into a child. Moreover¡­ his certain thing was no longer there, and he had turned into a girl. Volume 1 - CH 3 A little before Lucella woke up in the dragon¡¯s nest. A town that faced Mount Kuguse, Kugutfulm. There, in the rented room on the second floor that the party ¡°Seventh Dice¡± used as the base for their operations. ¡°S?h?i?t?! In the end, we lost the best treasure.¡± Gemel was looking regretful as he stared at the gold coin pouch before him. This amount of money was a big sum. However, if things went as planned, this pouch would¡¯ve been four times bigger. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. Didn¡¯t we get a ton of precious herbs?¡± ¡°Yeah, the dragon mountain lives up to its name.¡± Unlike Gemel, who was lamenting about letting a fish escape, the rest of the members were all smiles. Kugutfulm was the closest town to Mount Kuguse. It flourished through the river that flowed from the mountain and agriculture, and was also a famous hot spring resort. However, Mount Kuguse itself was mostly untouched. Adventurers tended to rush into every cave and ruin they found, but the branch of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of this town had prohibited entry into the mountain. The first reason was simple¡ªMount Kuguse was far too dangerous due to the red dragon that lived there and the swarming monsters that ¡®mutated¡¯ into stronger beings. Another reason was, the kingdom on the mountain¡¯s north side, Maltgartz, and the one on its south, Setulev, were both claiming rights over Mount Kuguse, so the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, which had a principle to stay out of politics, found it hard to make a move on a mountain that belonged to both kingdoms. However, some of these problems stemming from this confrontation were simply shelved because both kingdoms had a ban on entering it. At any rate, banned danger zone it may be, it was also a treasure trove of resources. Poachers blinded by money occasionally went in and often ended up dead. The ¡°Seventh Dice¡± was one of the lucky cases. They entered with five people and came out with four, and made a huge profit with the resources they brought back. They were quite an ill-minded party and often made money through dishonest means. They were well knowledgeable in how to convert valuables into money in a way that they couldn¡¯t be traced when they didn¡¯t want to disclose the origins. This coin pouch was the result of that. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) ¡°Getting this much money at the expense of one handyman is quite a nice deal if you ask me.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡­¡­¡± As the members spoke with smiles, the giant Gemel also broke into a flippant smile. But then, he suddenly turned serious. ¡°Hey, what was that guy¡¯s name again?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Come on now, even if he was an incompetent parasite, did you actually forget his¡­¡± Then, silence followed. The ¡°Seventh Dice¡± employed a manager. A manager for adventurer parties was actually a pretty rare job. But ¡°he¡± always went around asking various parties to employ him as one. The reason Gemel hired ¡°him¡± was simply because he needed someone to clean the house they were renting as their base. ¡°He¡± worked well. Given that he called himself a manager, ¡°he¡± didn¡¯t only do the chores but also handled the procedures at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Gemel had thus paid ¡°him¡± a wage suitable for a handyman. But what made him fed up was that ¡°he¡± started to butt in on their adventurer work. ¡°He¡± kept saying things like ¡®this is dangerous,¡¯ or ¡®don¡¯t do this,¡¯ asking to let money making ideas slip away, and instead bringing bothersome jobs, which Gemel himself had to reject. ¡°He¡± even researched about monsters they were going to face during the commissions and even proudly blabbered on about the knowledge that served no purpose in actual battles, making Gemel feel like shutting ¡°him¡± up with a punch. ¡°He¡± had no talent for fighting, not even magic. But Gemel thought ¡°he¡± was under the conviction that adventuring with first-class adventurers (that Gemel considered himself to be) had turned ¡°him¡± into a skilled adventurer too, thus Gemel ended up nicknaming ¡°him¡± a parasite. A parasite like ¡°him¡± ended up willingly accompanying them to Mount Kuguse, and eventually became a scapegoat. Gemel thought ¡°he¡± should¡¯ve been satisfied after doing something adventurer-like at the very end. He considered ¡°him¡± trash, so he didn¡¯t particularly feel bad about killing ¡°him¡±. But he couldn¡¯t remember ¡°his¡± name now. ¡°Huh? I can¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Same here¡­¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) They all had expressions of people during the morning of a hangover. They had met many ominous things during their adventures, but this was ominous in a different sense. The process aside, the ¡°Seventh Dice¡± had spent over a year with ¡°him.¡± How was it possible to forget his name? ¡°We have his adventurer card, right?¡± ¡°O-Oh, yeah. It should have his name on it¡­¡± Gemel took out the silver plate from the backpack left in the corner. It was the adventurer card that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild issued. It contained the owner¡¯s name and numerical figures called the ¡®Stats¡¯. If you found the adventurer¡¯s card near the skeleton during your adventures, you¡¯d be able to tell who it was. Adventurers had this concept of Stats. It was the numerical representation of a person¡¯s individual abilities, and it was based on the ability calculation technique that was reproduced using a relic that the ancient prosperous civilization supposedly used in some sort of game. The adventurer¡¯s cards that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild issued had this technology implemented at some point, and they automatically displayed the owner¡¯s abilities in numerical form. By adopting this concept of Stats, certain aspects of the adventurers¡¯ abilities were accurately visualized, making it impossible to lie about your skills. It served as a fixed standard both for the clients and the management, and it also served for the adventurers to show off their skills. However, it was also pointed out that it caused people to make light of the abilities not represented through the numerics¡­ One such adventurer¡¯s card now displayed something very strange. ===== Name: ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö Lv3 HP 27/27 MP 0/0 ST 0/60 STR 10 MAG 0 AGI 11 DEX 10 VIT 11 RES 14 ===== ¡°His¡± name should have been displayed on it in soot-like characters. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Say no to content thief!) But now, it had disappeared as if something had painted it over. ¡°Why¡¯s his HP still there? Shouldn¡¯t it be 0 since he¡¯s dead?¡± ¡°Wait, rather than that, his name¡­ isn¡¯t this weird? What the heck¡¯s going on?¡± The four of them peered into ¡°his¡± adventurer¡¯s plate and held their breaths. ¡°Adventure¡¯s plate is some kind of toy of the ancients, right? God knows how that thing actually works, so maybe it broke in some unexpected situation¡­¡± ¡°It ain¡¯t gonna break so easily.¡± They wanted to confirm ¡°his¡± name but it was broken, but what bothered Gemel more than that was the HP part. HP was the numeric form of one¡¯s life force. It decreased if the body suffered damage, and hitting zero meant death. Gemel had certainly stabbed ¡°him¡± to death. He didn¡¯t deal the finishing blow to make ¡°him¡± a more appealing bait, but ¡°he¡± was at death¡¯s door nonetheless. He should have died as is. ¡°Did that b?a?s?t?a?r?d? keep a recovery potion on him?¡± ¡°W-What do we do?! If that b?a?s?t?a?r?d? returns alive, we¡¯re goners¡­!¡± ¡°Calm the f?u?c?k? down! Did you forget where we left him?¡± Gemel yelled to calm down the flustered members. ¡°Even if he managed to survive, he¡¯ll just end up as a monster or the dragon¡¯s food. If he¡¯s still alive, he¡¯s probably hiding somewhere, but he¡¯ll just starve to death in the end. We should just keep observing this and wait until it hits zero. Once that happens we can finally raise the toast for the profit we made.¡± Volume 1 - CH 4 Translator¡¯s Note: I will be using the male pronoun to refer to Lucella in narration as his mental state is still that of a guy (talks with male pronoun and tone) until the raw clearly refers to him as a girl or shows girly characteristics. For now, the raw intentionally avoids using a pronoun and only uses the name, which doesn¡¯t work in English, so the only other choice would be ¡°they¡± which doesn¡¯t feel right here. He was carried to the dragon¡¯s nest, fed meat, and the next thing he realized he was turned into a girl. No matter how many times he reconfirmed the situation in his head, he still didn¡¯t know what happened. He didn¡¯t even know why the dragon took Lucella to its nest. ¡ªLucella. Lucella¡­ Feels weird. I¡¯m starting to feel like I¡¯ve always had this name¡­ For some reason, that name just felt right. It was as if his body was forcibly altered so that this name could fit perfectly. Lucella was wondering if being at death¡¯s door was the reason for this confusion. But soon, a bigger problem showed itself. ¡°¡­¡­¡­C-Cold¡­¡± The food only managed to warm Lucella¡¯s body for a moment. Now he was wrapped in the repulsive cold. His senses were numbed until just a while ago, but after ingesting food and warming his body, his body finally recognized the fact that it was freezing. It was still a warm season. Mountains normally grew colder the higher you climbed, but this mountain was relatively short and had abundant vegetation, so that shouldn¡¯t have been the cause. And yet, it was cold. Lucella felt as if he had fallen into a pile of snow. His body was burning as if it was set ablaze. But he felt cold instead. ¡°U-Ugh¡­¡± Lucella curled up his body above the bed of foliage. He wanted to make sure as little heat escaped as possible. Naturally, it was only as effective as a droplet on a hot stone. His fangs didn¡¯t align together and the molars were making a rattling sound. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation and stop supporting the content thief!) ¡°¡­Grrrr¡­¡± The dragon drew its face closer to Lucella and observed him. It rubbed its nose on him to get a reaction, but Lucella had no time to react to it. He was busy curling his body to endure the cold. He didn¡¯t have a coat or a blanket to protect his body from the cold, so the only way to resist it was to curl up. ¡°Grrr¡­.rrr¡­¡± The dragon seemed to have murmured something. The next moment, it felt like flames were poured into Lucella¡¯s mouth. An incomprehensible amount of energy was being poured into the body. ¡ªIs this¡­magic¡­? Lucella remembered receiving recovery magic several times in his life as a human. This felt similar to that sensation¡­ but it was incomparably more powerful. Dragons were monsters with immense magical powers. What would happen if one such dragon used its power to cast magic on a human? The answer was, it would most likely bring life back even into someone at death¡¯s door. I see now, Lucella thought. The fact that his wound was gone, as well as the fact that he was alive, must have been all thanks to the healing magic of this dragon. But magic wasn¡¯t some kind of miraculous power that could create something from nothing. Rather, Lucella¡¯s condition was so bad that he was at death¡¯s door even after being cast in such magic. He really was in such a state that he should be dead. After being cast that spell, Lucella¡¯s breathing improved a little. His body still continued to shiver, but the shadow of death seemed to grow a bit more distant. The dragon lay next to Lucella and winded its long neck, taking Lucella¡¯s body in as it curled up. Its neck, which was covered in fine scales, gently pressed down on Lucella¡¯s back. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen. Please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°¡­So warm¡­¡± As he wondered what was happening, Lucella¡¯s back started to warm up as if it was exposed to the warmth of the fire. The dragon raised a bellow-like voice as it breathed. Flame bits escaped from its mouth adorned with fangs. When you thought of what represented dragons best, it would be the powerful breath they could spew from their mouths. Their flame breath that could burn down anything was the target of fear. But this dragon was instead revolving the flames in its throat to warm Lucella up. Though Lucella himself only realized that fact much later¡­ In the first place, if a dragon tried to warm up its egg with its giant body it could end up crushing it, and its thick carapace and scales made it hard to transfer the body heat too. Their throats, however, had relatively thinner scales, and they could also heat it up at will by passing a flame breath through it. For that reason, dragons that could use the flame breath sometimes used their throats to warm up their eggs or hatchlings. As the coldness tormenting his body abated, Lucella started to feel like it was bothersome to even think. Thus, he fell into a slumber as if sinking into a marsh. Volume 1 - CH 5 The memories of the next few days were a blur. The dragon seemed to have memorized what to do so Lucella could eat the meat, so it chewed the meat that it brought from somewhere, fried it with flames, and offered it. Lucella ate it in a fussy state caused by fever and fainted to sleep once eating his fill. The Dragon continued heating Lucella up with its throat. He felt like some cold water was poured down his throat too. He didn¡¯t remember it clearly, but he could recall soiling himself a few times and then getting licked all over by the dragon. When Lucella woke up one morning, he finally felt like he was alive. He dragged his sweaty, tiny body and got up while leaning on the dragon¡¯s neck, and looked at the morning sun. The newly risen run permeated Lucella¡¯s eyes, and there were also birds in the cry that chirped to announce the morning. The dragon was sleeping while spewing flames like the smithy furnace. The dragon¡¯s nest was a particularly open spot in this mountain, and the terrain was also unnaturally elevated. As Lucella took a staggering step forward, something entered his vision right away. It was the remains of a big egg with a thick shell. The fragment was covered in dry mud all the way, and moreover, there weren¡¯t enough of them for the egg¡¯s full size. There was a cliff visible above the trees from where Licella was standing. And there was a massive collapse there. It was something that happened before Lucella came to this mountain. It was a heavy rain that was considered a once-in-a-century event even for this relatively rainy area. It caused flood disasters like landslides and river overflows in the Mount Kuguse vicinity. Most likely, the remaining fragments, as well as the hatchling dragon that had yet to be born, were swallowed under that landslide. The story went that the dragon had made its nest halfway on this cliff and was incubating its egg there. That position would normally protect the egg from beasts and scoundrel attacks, as well as from submerging by the rain. Save for the once-in-a-century torrential rain that could collapse the entire cliff. ¡ªHuh? Why do I know where the dragon¡¯s nest was? Lucella just knew it for some reason. He felt like he heard it somewhere from someone, but couldn¡¯t remember from who or in what circumstances. Lucella¡¯s memories, memories spent as a human, were blurred in his mind as if someone had roughly erased them with an eraser like a pencil writing. But seeing the broken egg, Lucella silently understood it. ¡°I see, so it had ended.¡± For some reason, he was convinced of it. A sense of loss spread through his limbs. ¡°Lucella.¡± That was surely the name the mother dragon was supposed to give to her child. Lucella had previously heard about name-bestowing from a certain practitioner. Bestowing a name meant to define an existence and give a clear shape to something indefinite and vague. If so, then¡­ What if a grand existence like a dragon were to define Lucella as her own daughter by giving him her ¡°daughter¡¯s name¡±? It would most likely become labeling with a kind of compelling force to it. Even after coming to that realization, Lucella didn¡¯t particularly feel startled. Rather, he even felt moved. Though he did have some reservations about being turned into a girl. The dragon saved Lucella¡¯s life. It had nursed him devotedly like its own ill child. He never thought a dragon of all things would care for him as much as it did. He felt warmth spreading in his heart at that thought. However, as if he had swallowed a fragment of ice, or a small thorn stuck in his finger, something in him found it hard to accept this situation. He himself didn¡¯t understand why that was, however. When the dragon woke up and saw Lucella walking with his own feet, it was overcome with emotions and snuggled its snout closer. Volume 1 - CH 6 Several days have passed since. Though Lucella had escaped the grips of death, he was still far from the normal state. Lucella entrusted himself to lethargy and lay in the dragon¡¯s nest all day long, sleeping and waking up in turns. It was comfortable, but there was nothing to do. With so much time, his thoughts focused on one thing¡ª¡°just who am I?¡± Maybe because he received its daughter¡¯s name from the dragon, or because he suffered near-mortal wounds, Lucella¡¯s memories of life until now were blurred. He didn¡¯t remember why he came to Mount Kuguse, or even why he was dying there. However, he felt like he had to return alive at any cost, and also felt a burning grudge toward someone. His only lead was the clothes he wore. They were adult clothes with a bloodstained hole. He also had a knife on his waist, but it looked like an outdoor knife you could buy anywhere, and it wasn¡¯t a combat knife either. ¡ªI wasn¡¯t some hero who came to slay the dragon, right? Uhh¡­ I don¡¯t remember much, but I doubt I¡¯d be on the verge of death if I was that strong. There should be a place where Lucella used to lie dying. He thought he had to go find that place, but it was far too unrealistic to search for a specific spot on this vast Mount Kuguse. The rainstorms and vegetation would also erase the traces if he couldn¡¯t find it soon. ¡ªSeriously, why was I about to die in a place like that? Why did I even climb a mountain where a dragon lived? Lucella had the bloodied, pierced shirt wrapped around his body, clearly meant for an adult and too big for his body. He was looking at it quizzically now. It had a piercing wound that passed through the body. Whether he was stabbed by a sword or a monster with a long horn he didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t remember himself being strong, and as such, there were countless reasons that could¡¯ve led to his death on this mountain. The main question was why would a guy who couldn¡¯t even fight come to a dangerous mountain like this? ¡°Grrroooarrr!¡± There was a roar that shook the mountain and Lucella looked toward the source. ¡°Oh, did she take something down?¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Mount Kuguse had a narrow field of view due to its abundant vegetation, but the dragon¡¯s nest was located in a somewhat elevated spot, and the target also had a mountain-like body, so it was easy for him to find it. He looked to the distance while shading his eyes with his forearm, and beyond the sea of green trees, he saw a deep crimson back and wings of a gigantic body. The dragon had swooped down on her prey from above and seemed to have finished it off in a quick close fight; she eventually soared up while holding something. Just by flapping her wings, she caused the trees around to start creaking. She was a red dragon so big that even her silhouette was clearly visible even from afar. She gradually grew closer and closer and grew so big Lucella had to look up at it. Her big and strong feet were tightly grasping a monster¡¯s corpse with claws that could even pierce Mythril. ¡°Agh!¡± Lucella almost got blown away by the wing pressure generated by her wings. The owner of this nest, the queen of the mountain, had returned. The mountain trembled just from her landing. The giant red dragon was impressive as is just by crouching next to her, but seeing her moving figure was too overwhelming. She was most likely about twenty meters long. Her rugged body had an overall sharp impression and looked refined as a living being. Dragons were known best for their breath attack but seeing one like this made it secondary. The very weight of her existence was on a different level. A single light swing of her claws would shred a human being like paper. But she didn¡¯t use her claws and fangs to tear Lucella up. Instead, she rubbed her giant snout at Lucella to announce that she was back, and then proceeded to butcher the game she just hunted. The game in question was a bear-like monster with colorful fringes all over its body. As monsters underwent mutation near the dragon¡¯s habitat Lucella didn¡¯t know what kind of monster it used to be, but it was most likely frighteningly strong. Though it had met its end by the dragon¡¯s claw. The dragon seemed to be able to move freely both on four legs and on two while standing up, and she was able to move her forefeet which were equipped with sharp claws quite skillfully. The red dragon inserted her claws between the monster¡¯s hide and flesh and proceeded to skin it. The monster¡¯s corpse got separated into hide and meat in an instant. She then tore off and chewed part of the meat to soften it, and grilled it with fire inside her mouth. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) This is probably the most magnificent furnace in the world, Lucella thought. Before long, she presented the well-roasted meat to Lucella. ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± Lucella looked up and thanked the dragon. But she didn¡¯t show a reaction. It seemed that the dragon didn¡¯t understand Lucella¡¯s words. It was said that dragons were more intelligent than humans and could even take on a human form. But Lucella had never seen this red dragon do that. It didn¡¯t seem like this dragon was particularly unintelligent. It could be that she didn¡¯t know human words since she spent her life without coming in contact with humans, but then that would mean the other dragons managed to contact humans in some way to learn their language. Lucella continued pondering about things he had no answer for. At any rate, Lucella started to eat the offered meal. The dragon-cooked monster meat had an indescribably peculiar taste. It was freshly-hunted meat that wasn¡¯t even drained of blood. Lucella felt a strange sense of heat spreading in his stomach as he ate. The dragon observed Lucella as he started to eat while lightly swinging her head. Lucella couldn¡¯t tell her expression but she seemed to be happy at least. This was quite an odd situation. A dragon that had lost her egg in a rain disaster had picked up a dying human, giving him her daughter¡¯s name and caring after him. She took care of Lucella devotedly, just like a real daughter. And, she seemed to be¡­ enjoying it too. ¡ªI suppose even dragons would feel lonely when they lose their child. I mean, I guess that¡¯s obvious. Maybe it could be called a whim. Or maybe it was cherishing. Or maybe even just a way to fill up the loneliness. Or perhaps all of that combined. Lucella was grateful that she saved him, but he didn¡¯t know how to understand her emotions. After all, he couldn¡¯t even communicate with her. Neither knew what the other was thinking, so they had to communicate with gestures. As the dragon observed Lucella¡¯s meal, she started to peel the bear monster¡¯s skin further. She cut off its limbs, and head, and scraped off the meat. What was left was the clean hide of its torso. It was a dark gray hide accented with colorful fringes. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) She then picked the hide up with her fingers and after checking it, she suddenly dropped it over Lucella¡¯s back. ¡°Woah?!¡± It was quite heavy. ¡°Huh, what? You want me to wear it?¡± Looking up, the dragon was gently swaying her head. Lucella was currently wearing the overly large shirt like a dress, and looked both a little improper and lacked protection against cold. It was still a warm season, but when fall came the nights would get pretty cold. A single shirt wouldn¡¯t cut it. It was hard to tell how much of that the dragon understood, but she at least seemed to have realized the need to deal with cold and specifically hunted prey with a warm hide. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Lucella thanked her but he knew she wouldn¡¯t understand it. ¡ªI¡¯m thanking her but I doubt she¡¯s getting it. A human would¡¯ve understood it through the nuance but¡­ But then, Lucella suddenly stood up and approached the burly dragon, and rubbed his face on her leg. Seeing that, the dragon did the usual to Lucella. ¡°¡­¡­Mrrrrrr¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ahahaha, s-stop¡­ Wah!¡± She quickly responded back. She gently hummed and reached out, rubbing her head at Lucella. But a giant dragon doing that resulted in Lucella falling back on the foliage and doing a spin. He got entwined in the hide he wore in the process. ¡°¡­¡­¡­It smells like blood.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) The hide, which was roughly stripped off with no proper manufacturing, had a choking bloody smell. ¡­But it was better than freezing. As for the smell¡­ Lucella could only hope that it¡¯d go away with time. ¡°¡­.Ruo¡­wooo¡­¡± The dragon spoke something. It was an extremely simple sound, but the moment Lucella heard it, his head was filled with so much information it made him sick. There was a magic that allowed people to communicate with mind and heart alone called telepathy, so perhaps it was something akin to it. But the dragon¡¯s words were mercilessly pouring down on Lucella and crammed information in his head. Needless to say, Lucella didn¡¯t understand the dragon language. It felt as if some difficult code was being forcibly decrypted in his head. ¡®Lucella.¡¯ He only understood that name alone. The name that the dragon bestowed on him. ¡°¡­Lucella. Lucella.¡± Lucella repeated that name while touching his body in a patting motion. ¡®Tell me your name,¡¯ he was trying to say. It took the dragon a few moments to understand the meaning. She bared her fangs and groaned something shortly. ¡°¡­Grrrr¡­.aurrrr¡­¡± ¡®Kafal.¡¯ Lucella clearly heard that. ¡°Kafal? Kafal¡­¡± As he repeated the name, she ardently rubbed her nose at him. Had she made a mistake in strength, Lucella would¡¯ve most likely been crushed to death. Volume 1 - CH 7 Adventurer¡¯s Guild in the center of Kugutfulm. The receptionist on the shift was startled when Gemel showed up in the lobby that didn¡¯t lose out to a bank. She quickly switched to the customer service smile, but it still managed to piss Gemel off. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°I-It has been some time, Mr. Gemel of Seventh Dice. You haven¡¯t shown up at this branch for a while.¡± ¡°Yeah, the handyman was in charge of all that. But he kicked the bucket so I¡¯ll have to do it until I find a replacement. I¡¯ll mention it just in case, but I did try to stop him, okay? But he stubbornly insisted on coming along on the quest.¡± The guild was already aware that he had died. He always showed up at the Guild, but stopped doing so for the past few days, so the guild went directly to Gemel to inquire about it. ¡°Oh, yes. My condolences for¡­ um¡­ your manager.¡± ¡ªShe paused? Did she forget his name as well? He couldn¡¯t care less about her condolences. He just found it strange that his name didn¡¯t come up. That said, he had a feeling that he¡¯d find out something frightening if he focused on that, so he just stayed quiet. ¡°Well, whatever¡­ Give me some quest. Are there any nominated quests for us?¡± ¡°Not at the present.¡± ¡°Then just give me some good one.¡± ¡°Then what about this investigation and subjugation quest? The estimated threat level is five.¡± ¡°That sounds like our level. The reward¡¯s gotta be quite high, right?¡± The receptionist showed him the quest paper. The quest paper written in a formal style was very hard to understand, but it could be summarized as, ¡°the cattle were attacked so thinking it was monsters we issued a quest, but no one¡¯s coming due to the low threat level it was assigned. With no other choice, we dispatched a vigilance squad but three people were killed. It must be some ferocious monster, so someone come and save us already.¡± It was filled with resentment and irritation. ¡°The preliminary investigation assumes it to be the work of legion wolves. Here is the investigation report. The reward is, as always, the basic amount plus a piece-work system based on the subjugation target and the number.¡± ¡°Not bad. I¡¯ll take this one.¡± Following that, Gemel had to wait for twenty minutes and then had to sign a few times to accept the quest. ¡ªWhat a f?u?c?k?i?n?g pain. I really need a handyman. No way in hell I can endure coming here every f?u?c?k?i?n?g time for the procedures. Gemel was completely fed up after handling the procedures that his manager used to handle. The Seventh Dice was rapidly distinguishing itself (at least in Gemel¡¯s mind) fast enough to overtake a dragon let alone a bird. They would do high-paying quests one after another, and Gemel¡¯s divine money management skills (at least, in his mind) would make it so that the money would just keep coming no matter how much they spent. He had enough leeway to hire one handyman. A single servant that he could push the chores on wouldn¡¯t hurt. But he also thought that he should choose an obedient guy who wouldn¡¯t butt in on their work. A young girl with big ***** would be even better. ¡ªAh well, let¡¯s just think about it once we finish this quest. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Gemel took the quest paper and returned back. It would be a week until he would return to the guild raging and screaming. £ª¡¡£ª¡¡£ª ¡°You f?u?c?k?i?n?g tricked me, you b?i?t?c?h?!!¡± ¡°Eek!¡± Gemel slammed down his fist on the counter with all his strength. He was a huge man, and his strength was already near the physical limits of a human after adventuring for so long. The counter that was supposed to be sturdy got cracked like a field after drought. ¡°Legion wolves my a?s?s?, there weren¡¯t even any wolves there! Just f?u?c?k?i?n?g goblins! And just a trash group of six without a single superior species!! I¡¯m from Seventh Dice, you know?! How could you give me a cheap-a?s?s? quest like this!!¡± The guild¡¯s lobby turned noisy with Gemel¡¯s raging. Instead of the powerful monsters that the investigation assumed, they turned out to be worthless small fries. It was an easy job, but from Gemel¡¯s standards, it was a chore of a quest that didn¡¯t pay more than a pocket change. If he had time to take on jobs like this, he would instead want to take on the work more suited for their level and earn more. ¡°M-My apologies! But it was all according to the guild¡¯s regulations¡­¡± ¡°Then go and f?u?c?k?i?n?g hire whoever investigated it!! Ace adventurers (in Gemel¡¯s mind) like us are wasting our time on it!¡± ¡°But t-there are many cases where different monsters than what the investigation assumed show up, and it also serves as the minimum safety baseline for the adventurers¡¯ safety¡­!¡± ¡°Stop making excuses! I haven¡¯t taken a high-paying quest that turned out to be trash in over a year, you know?!¡± Gemel¡¯s yells were heard by the adventurers in the lobby and they exchanged glances. ¡°Huh, what is he on about?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that normal¡­?¡± ¡°Huuh?¡± Everyone stared at him like he was crazy, making him a bit chilly. An elderly staff member came out from the office behind the counter and took the place of the young female staff member who was curling herself from fear. ¡°My apologies but that is normal. Adventurers of your level often get the bust quests like that.¡± ¡°Then, why¡­¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) Gemel was taken aback. ¡°Your party had¡­um, Mr. Manager? He¡­ used to turn down all such quests.¡± The teary-eyed female member mustered her courage and said so clearly. The older staff member also gave a deep affirmative nod. ¡°Yes, he really had a miraculous insight. He read the investigation reports without missing a single letter and even grasped the habits of the reporters and investigators, allowing him to see the truth behind the test, and saw through the bust quests. We also asked for his opinions, and he would start with, I don¡¯t have conclusive evidence for some of them but then continue to present his reasoning¡­ which would turn out to be incredibly accurate. In fact, we used his pointers for the assessment of the investigators of our branch.¡± ¡°That guy¡­ did all that?¡± Gemel couldn¡¯t understand any of that, as if she was speaking elvish. The only thing he understood was that the handyman he killed the other day had some strange skill. ¡°Also, Sir Gemel. Please be quiet in the lobby. In addition, intentional destruction of our equipment is punishable according to the guild¡¯s contract.¡± The older staff member glared at Gemel with a cold light in her triangular glasses. He then felt a presence behind and turned around, only to find two large men that wouldn¡¯t lose out to him standing with folded arms and glaring his way. ¡°¡­F?u?c?k?! I need booze!¡± Having lost a target to vent at, Gemel kicked the floor and scuttled back. ¡°That was scary. Thank you for saving me, Chief.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Good grief¡­ that Mr. Manager is to blame here for letting him get so carried away.¡± As the signs of disturbance faded away, the guild¡¯s lobby started to regain its ordinary bustling. The two Guild staff members sighed. Gemel was originally infamous for his bad attitude ¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t particularly rare for adventurers¡ª so many staff members were relieved ever since the manager he hired started to show up instead of him. ¡°¡­Did you remember that manager¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Not yet¡­ I¡¯m really a failure as an administrator for forgetting our own adventurer¡¯s name.¡± ¡°No need to feel that way. Even I forgot his name.¡± ¡°But still, why would a person like that work with Gemel of all people?¡± ¡°Who knows¡­ People have various circumstances. Perhaps other adventurers didn¡¯t want to hire a manager. It¡¯s apparently common in Maltgartz in the north, but it¡¯s quite rare for adventurers to hire a manager here.¡± ¡°If he could do all that he should¡¯ve just become the guild¡¯s staff member¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know about the guild¡¯s academic meritocracy?¡± The elderly Chief rubbed her temples as if to loosen her head which was tormented by the abnormalities that were happening for the past few days. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) ¡°All the guild documents with his name on them have disappeared¡­ He couldn¡¯t have simply died. I wonder what really happened to you, Mr. Manager¡­¡± Volume 1 - CH 8 A few more days passed since. At first, Kafal was carefully detaining Lucella from going out, releasing low groans every time he tried to and pushing him back into the nest, but after learning that Lucella sat still whenever she was out hunting, she gradually allowed him to leave the nest when she was with him. One day, Kafal called Lucella a step away from the nest. Lucella was curious but still went to her, and then Kafal continued her advance while crushing trees and bushes alike underfoot. Before long, the dragon and human duo reached the bank of a beautiful river. Mount Kuguse was a mountain full of spring water. Massive rains like the recent one were a rarity, but it still was rich in water due to abundant rainfall. The flowing river was the source of life for the people downstream. The filtered sunlight shone on the river¡¯s surface and reflected on it like a mirror. A clear wind blew and played with Lucella¡¯s hair, and then escaped away. Kafal thrust her head into the river and started to gulp down the water along with the pitiful fish that happened to be present. She was drinking so much that one would worry the river¡¯s level would fall. Raw water was said to be harmful to the body. Maybe it was safe for dragons, but Lucella was just a human. He hesitated on drinking it, but he couldn¡¯t afford to be picky when living on a mountain. Thinking he just had to get used to it, Lucella walked next to Kafal and prepared to drink the water. But then, a beautiful girl with freely grown red hair stared back at him from the mirror-like river surface. ¡°¡­Who the heck is this?!¡± The girl reflected in the water said with a cramped smile. He looked completely different. He didn¡¯t clearly remember how he used to look, but he at least knew that it was nothing like this. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) In human terms, the girl looked to be around ten years old. Her deep scarlet hair, the same color as Kafal¡¯s scales, reached down to her waist like the wool of a grazing sheep. Her features were like her age¡ªher outward age to be specific¡ªlovely and innocent. Her clear tawny eyes like Kafal¡¯s, unlike a human¡¯s, had a vertical slit in them like that of a cat¡¯s under the sun. Her skin was sharp and pure white, similar to the dragon¡¯s horns. Her body was both slim and flexibly firm, giving off a sense of functional beauty of a wild animal. Incidentally, what the girl wore now was the hide of a dark brown wolf-like monster that was ripped into two. He had wrapped the belt that he had on him when he came to this mountain over half of the hide and put it on his upper body, while wrapping the other half on the lower half. He did have second thoughts about not wearing underwear at least now when he looked like a little girl, but he didn¡¯t have any tool that could handle such delicate craftsmanship so he gave up. As for the bear-type monster¡¯s hide that Kafal gave to him initially, it was far too big so he used it for protection against cold and a sleeping bag. ¡°Groar¡­¡± ¡°Huh, what?¡± While he was busy staring at the girl in the water in shock, Kafal poked Lucella on the back with her knuckle. Flames were born in her giant hand that could even crush a boulder, eventually converging into a ball of fire. ¡°Graah!¡± ¡°Woah!¡± As Kafal roared, that flame ball flew across the river¡¯s surface and caused a giant explosion. It didn¡¯t even touch the surface but the river ended up denting in, producing large waves. Lucella¡¯s ears started to ring. Many fish floated on the surface with their bellies up and got carried away by the clear currents. ¡°It¡¯s¡­not a breath. Is this magic?¡± It had a huge scale and might, but Lucella knew a similar spell. It was a spell that attacked enemies with exploding flame ?Fireball?. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°¡­Grrrrr¡­¡± Kafal hummed her throat and a huge numerical formula, or perhaps some kind of blueprint showed up in Lucella¡¯s head. There was so much information his head seemed like it would burn off. This was a different voice from her usual one, as if she was trying to convey something. Kafal once again produced a flame fall in her hand and threw it. Another mountain-shaking explosion followed and the scorched river started bubbling as if screaming. ¡°¡­Grrrr¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­ are you perhaps trying to teach me?¡± The same information entered his head once again, but Lucella guessed what it was despite failing to understand it. Kafal was trying to teach this to Lucella. ¡°¡­Grrrr¡­¡± ¡°No way. I feel like I¡¯ve been told I had no talent for magic¡­¡± Magic was¡ªat least for humans¡ªnot a handy skill that anyone could use. To start, one in ten had no talent at all for it. And most of the rest may be able to use some trivial spell or two if they train for it. They would have to train a lot to finally reach even a remotely decent level. There were only a handful of people who made success in life with magic. But even among them, there was a wide gap in talent¡­ and most likely, Kafal¡¯s magic far exceeded even those practitioners of the highest level. ¡ªAll the dragons can use powerful magic, after all. She probably doesn¡¯t even realize that there are people who can¡¯t use that power¡­¡­ Seeing Lucella becoming gloomier, Kafal started restlessly shaking her head. ¡°Whimper.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, fine, I¡¯ll give it a shot!¡± Seeing the dragon¡¯s expectant gaze, Lucella desperately faced the river and held out his hand. He tried to take a stance for starters. Lucella didn¡¯t know how to even cast magic. But the most important part, when it came to magic, was envisioning what should happen in your mind accurately down to every grain of sand. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Did that mean he just had to strongly imagine the earlier explosion? He started to regurgitate in his mind what seemed to be the formula that Kafal taught him without understanding the meaning. But then, the heat started to gradually revolve in his body. ¡°?Fireball?!!¡± Lucella screamed, his voice flaring up. A dazzling flame produced from his palm flew straight and exploded. ¡°Huh?¡± As Lucella stood in mute amazement, the gust of wind from his own explosion clashed against him. ¡ªWasn¡¯t ?Fireball? quite a difficult spell¡­ An adventurer skilled enough to use it wouldn¡¯t have trouble putting food on the table, you know? How can I use it? Because a red dragon directly taught me?! Red dragons, just like their burning crimson scales suggested, were monsters closely related to flames. If one such red dragon personally taught the basics to them, even an incompetent person could use magic¡­ maybe. ¡°¡­Grrr¡­rowl¡­¡± ¡°Waph!¡± Kafal restlessly shook her head while approaching and licking Lucella with her big tongue. The soft, lukewarm giant tongue zealously slammed on his body, toying with it. ¡°Eugh, I¡¯m all gooey now.¡± Lucella got licked all over and got drenched. This has happened several times so far. It was perhaps a way for the mother dragon to clean her hatchling and fend off diseases. And perhaps also an expression of affection. But in this case, she was probably praising him. And zealously at that. It didn¡¯t feel or smell as dirty as human saliva, but it had a hard-to-describe fragrance. Speaking of which, dragons were like big lumps of magic, so even their saliva was an ingredient for some kind of medicine. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°¡­I guess I¡¯ll take a bath.¡± Thinking no one was looking anyway, Lucella stripped off the fur and jumped into the river stark naked. Volume 1 - CH 9 When it was nearing noon, Gemel finally woke up and visited the guild branch, which made the female receptionist in charge startled. She quickly switched to her usual business smile, but it still proved enough to irritate him. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°G-Good morning, Mr. Gemel.¡± ¡°Are there any nominated quests?¡± Gemel had been visiting the guild once every two or three days lately, and asked that same question. ¡°None so far¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­Sigh. Are you even f?u?c?k?i?n?g trying? You better not be hiding them from me, you hear?¡± He drew his face closer like a threatening chicken, making the receptionist hang her head while trembling. ¡°I used to get nominated quests all the time. Are you b?a?s?t?a?r?d?s? stopping quests directed at me?¡± The quests aimed at specific adventurers had a larger share of the fixed reward appropriate for their rank. For the Seventh Dice which was slightly above the middle ranks, nominated quests looked very attractive. Since they couldn¡¯t bear doing the normal quests which had busts mixed among them, Gemel had decided to just wait for a nominated quest instead. He completely believed that there would be work waiting for him whenever he came. However, nothing showed up no matter how long he waited. Previously, there used to be so many nominated quests that he even had the option of turning down the ones he didn¡¯t like. It was natural that Gemel started wondering whether this was the guild¡¯s retaliation for the previous incident. ¡°Um, we¡­ the guild is not involved in the acquisition of the nominated quests. Your manager most likely negotiated with the clients directly and asked them to issue the quests through the guild¡­¡± ¡°Huuh?¡± The receptionist refuted his claim while trembling. And she once again reminded him of the one guy he didn¡¯t want to remember. ¡ªThat guy again? This makes me sick¡­ Gemel didn¡¯t for a moment think that he had done something wasteful or wrong. However, the realization that the incompetent ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö that he¡¯d been looking down on used to actually support his livelihood made him feel as if a part of him was made of that incompetent parasite, and that made him extremely displeased. ¡°Um, are you looking for other quests?¡± ¡°Forget it!¡± He clicked his tongue with saliva spitting and left the guild with rough footsteps. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°Gemel, you¡¯re back!¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Just as Gemel returned to his party¡¯s rented house with a bunch of booze to wash off his worries, the three of his party members all rushed to the entrance to meet him. Their expressions were tense like those of newbie adventurers when fighting monsters for the first time. Certainly not expressions skilled adventurers like them would make. ¡°Hey¡­ Look at this.¡± Gemel was dragged inside by them and shown a silver plate lying on the table. ¡°Is it that b?a?s?t?a?r?d?¡¯s adventurer¡¯s card?¡± Gemel quizzically lifted it up, but then, his expression immediately turned similar to the rest. ===== Name:¡¡¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö Lv3 HP ¨C 621/621 MP ¨C 1090/1090 STR ¨C 17 MAG ¨C 43 AGI ¨C 15 DEX ¨C 12 VIT ¨C 39 RES ¨C 78 ===== ¡°Wha¡­¡­the heck is this.¡± Gemel¡¯s face paled at the impossible numerical figures listed on the adventurer¡¯s card with a blurred name. ¡°We were rummaging through that guy¡¯s luggage to deal with it and we found it like this.¡± ¡°Gemel, what are your stats?¡± Gemel pulled out his own adventurer¡¯s card at that question. ===== Name:¡¡Gemel Lv22 HP ¨C 139/139 MP ¨C 5/5 ST ¨C 112/112 (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) STR ¨C 24 MAG ¨C 3 AGI ¨C 14 DEX ¨C 14 VIT ¨C 19 RES ¨C 16 ===== 10 was considered average, excluding magic. 20 was considered first-class or talented. 30 was considered superhuman, or perhaps a heroic person. Humans had differences in growth based on talent, but everyone honed their abilities through training. And eventually, they would exceed the limit of their body. In terms of the ability score, 30 was already considered to be beyond the physical limitations of the human body. It was already at the level of magic in the form of a body. However, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s values on his adventurer¡¯s card easily crossed even those. His HP and MP were particularly extreme. Even heroes that each kingdom only had a few who had values in the 200s. Even 300 was already impossible. Gemel had been working on good jobs lately so his body was polished well. Frankly, his stats were something to brag about. The clients who knew how to read the stats would be impressed and trust his strength just based on those numbers. However, even if some of his stats were winning, they were still trivial compared to ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s stats. ¡°This is crazy. His magic power and MP¡­¡± ¡°How many first-class magician¡¯s worth is this?¡± ¡°His vitality is also off the charts.¡± ¡°It feels like he¡¯d shrug it off even if he gets bit by a dragon.¡± ¡°Actually, what the heck is with his resistance being 78?¡± The adventurer¡¯s card they knew well had impossible values listed on it, making it feel eerie. Everyone was staring at the silver plate as if their eyes were glued to it. ¡°M-Maybe it broke, after all. There¡¯s no way humans could become this strong. Much less that parasite.¡± ¡°Gemel, you¡¯re the one who said adventurer¡¯s cards don¡¯t break.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not like it can never happen, alright?! I just meant in general!¡± Gemel realized his voice was stiff. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s just throw this away already¡­¡± Before long, someone said that. ¡°How? It¡¯ll be dangerous if someone finds it. And it¡¯s not easy to break it.¡± Calmly, very calmly and carefully, Gemel made his decision. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Frankly, he wanted to throw an ominous thing like this just like them. But unless he came up with a proper way of getting rid of something this troublesome, it would just invite trouble down the line. ¡°We can just ignore it. Let¡¯s just put it away somewhere.¡± ¡°Yeah, no one¡¯ll find it.¡± Everyone nodded. But none of their faces had any confidence or composure. ¡°And what if this isn¡¯t broken¡­?¡± Someone spoke up. Maybe it was even Gemel himself. That should have been impossible, but no one could speak up to deny it, as if some invisible boulder had crushed their throats. Volume 1 - CH 10 ¡°?Heat Wave?!¡± Along with Lucella¡¯s yell, bright red heat rays burst forth and scorched the stones on the dry riverbed while flicking them off and carving out a straight ditch. It had already been a month since Kafal taught him magic. Lucella had done nothing but train spells since then. It was because the ability to create flame would drastically improve his standard of living. He could roast the meat and such on his own, and could warm himself up without relying on Kafal. The ability to use fire at will in the mountain drew a thin line between living like an animal and living like a civilized human. ¡­That said, he was probably far beyond the level of ¡°lifestyle flame¡± already. Lucella was no magician. Probably. His memories were hazy, so he couldn¡¯t swear on it, but he felt like he wasn¡¯t. However, he somehow had some knowledge of magic even so. He managed to recreate some of those spells that he had simply heard about. He had never learned the proper formula for them so his way of doing it was probably nonsensical, but for some reason, he could still do it. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll call it a day with this.¡± Lucella wiped the sweat off while looking at the burnt and devastated riverbed due to the recent training. He was training magic near the river to not cause a forest fire. Kafal also allowed Lucella to come to this riverbed that was close to the nest. In fact, it was too close to it and no monster approached it. ¡°Now, I think I¡¯ll go around the other side on the way back today.¡± Lucella took a big detour on the way back to the nest, inspecting the surroundings. It was partly because he thought he had to get familiar with the mountain¡¯s geography as soon as possible, but he had a bigger goal too. As he made his way through the bushes, other colors started to mix in the verdant greenery around. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Red, orange, purple. The trees around were filled with vibrant fruits of all colors and shapes, their beauty putting even blooming flowers to shame. ¡°Amazing. I wonder what fruit is this. Did even the vegetation mutate on top of monsters because of Kafal¡¯s presence?¡± The trees around Kafal¡¯s nest bore abundant fruit that he had never seen before. They were too small for Kafal to even consider as food, but for Lucella they were welcome blessings of the earth. Lucella spread the extra pelt he had on hand on the ground. Then he nimbly jumped atop a thick branch and started to pluck off the fruit at random, and lightly threw them down on the pelt. ¡°Even if the birds and insects eat some, there¡¯s still plenty for me too. Maybe I should just harvest everything before they overripe¡­¡± The fruit piled up on the pelt in the blink of an eye. Lucella decided it was enough and bit into the last fruit he grabbed. ¡°So good!¡± The fruit filled with nectar was juicy and sweet. The freshly-plucked fruit was divinely tasty. ¡°I really ought to thank the mountain for its blessings.¡± He jumped down to the ground, wrapped the fruits with the pelt, and carried it, which was far heavier than his current weight, on his back. Kafal still only brought meat, but humans were omnivores, and as such, eating only meat was probably somewhat unhealthy. Not to mention, it was autumn, the harvest season now. He had to think of a way to store all these resources and prepare for the inevitable winter. ¡°I¡¯m back¡± ¡°Groowl¡­¡± When Lucella returned to the nest, Kafal bent herself forward from her sitting position and drew her face closer. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) She rubbed her snout which was covered by rough scales on her for a while, but then she curled up like an animal getting ready for sleep. While Lucella was out, she had her head raised high and watched over him while sitting. There were about five pelts spread out near the nest that came from the monsters Kafal defeated recently, and above them were cut fruit that Lucella gathered. ¡°Good, they have dried well.¡± The first batch she had lined up was already dry of moisture and all shrunk up. ¡ªI¡¯ve never made dried fruits before so I just did everything my way¡­ It would definitely be hard to get over the winter with just meat. Presently, Lucella was working on making preserved food along with his magic training. For the present, he made the dried fruit using the abundant fruits all around. Then again, all he did was dry them under the sun. He picked up one of them, which had turned smaller than he expected, and bit into it. ¡°Yeah, I think it came out well considering the lack of effort put into it.¡± It had a strange elastic texture and rich, concentrated sweetness. ¡ªIf it¡¯s just cold, I can pull through with magic and Kafal¡¯s help, but it¡¯s still hard to spend winter with only mountain food. Agh, dammit. I don¡¯t care whether it¡¯s bread or rice, just give me something that can be preserved better than meat. Wonder if I can go to the city for shopping. Like, if I sell these pelts, I could probably get more bread than I can eat, right? Looking at the pelts of magic beasts that were wastefully used as carpets, Lucella started calculating the profit in his mind. They could be sold off to some rich collector, and they should also be first-class ingredients for adventurer armor. If he just took one of them to the city, he could probably buy everything necessary for winter. Rather, he could probably even build a house with it. ¡°I wonder how much of the human ecology Kafal really understands¡­ She tried to feed me raw meat at first, so I don¡¯t have much faith in that¡­¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) The dragons were too strong. Even if they just lived on instincts, they could trample the world and rejoice in life. But Lucella was a human. In order for him to live with a dragon in an unforgiving nature, he had to always prepare to a degree¡­ ¡°Ruh.¡± While Lucella was thinking, Kafal stretched her neck and drew closer. She started sniffing and poking the dried fruit Lucella was holding with her snout. ¡°Huh? What? You wanna eat this? ¡°Ruh.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I feel like it¡¯s too small to sate a dragon, but here you go.¡± Maybe even dragons wanted to eat unusual things like dried fruits once in a while out of curiosity, Lucella thought. He picked up a big pile of dried fruits with both hands and unloaded it in Kafal¡¯s mouth through the space between her fangs. Kafal chewed and swallowed them down, then suddenly pressed her head at Lucella with the force of a headbutt. ¡°Gruuhh¡­.Ruuuhh¡­¡± ¡°Huh? You liked it that much?¡± The amount he fed her was insignificant considering her giant size, but Kafal still looked unusually excited and rubbed her cheek at Lucella. And then, she started licking him with her tongue which had a faint fruity fragrance. ¡°Oh¡­ Did this feel like being treated to home cooking?¡± Lucella suddenly realized it as he lay surprised. A small being that she treated like her child had given her a meager present using her utmost, so it was no wonder that she was so happy. ¡°I see¡­ it made you happy, huh¡­¡± Perhaps he managed to pay her back a bit for saving his life by making her happy like this, Lucella thought to himself. Volume 1 - CH 11 It was late in the autumn when the mountain took on red and orange colors when Kafal brought back a game that was in a different state from usual. ¡°Welcome¡­ Wait¡­¡± She brought it by holding it with its strong hind claws, but that monster was actually still moving. ¡°Grah¡­Grrrrrrr¡­¡± It was a wolf-like magic beast that was bigger than a bear. It was bleeding from its head and abdomen, dyeing its fresh green fur red. But even so, it was glaring at Lucella ferociously while foaming through heavy breaths. ¡°Gruh.¡± ¡°¡­Are you telling me to fight it? Wait, could this be¡­¡± Kafal let it go without finishing it off. The green wolf sprung to its feet and immediately rushed at Lucella as it set its indiscriminate gaze on him. ¡ªNo way! Even if it¡¯s at death¡¯s door, no way I can take on a Variant magic beast! He screamed internally but the wolf beast didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Agh! Fine, I¡¯ll show you my magic then! ?Fireball?!!¡± A ball of flame manifested from Lucella¡¯s hand and intercepted the charging wolf. Clash! Boom! ¡°Gyaaaaaaugh!!¡± ¡°W-Woah!¡± However, the wolf pierced through the blast and flames and continued charging. It was no wonder¡ª the Variant magic beasts roaming near the dragon¡¯s habitat were on the level where superhuman adventurers needed to join hands to hunt. A mid-grade attack spell would only graze it. It was far lacking as a restraining measure! The wolf beast bared its fangs and leaped at Lucella while scattering bloody drool. ¡°Waah!¡± Lucella somehow avoided the attack by slipping under its claws and fangs with a roll. Nevertheless, the wolf beast was fast, very, very fast! By the time Lucella rose up, the beast¡¯s deadly jaw was already before his eyes. ¡°Grah!¡± ¡°Gya!¡± But just before it could reach Lucella, Kafal¡¯s forefoot predicted its movements and accurately captured the magic beast. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Even this giant wolf was helpless before the dragon¡¯s herculean strength, squirming desperately to escape her grasp. ¡°Grooowl¡­¡± ¡°I told you it was impossible! I¡¯m just a human, okay?!¡± Lucella shook his head at Kafal who seemed to want him to try a bit harder. He knew this was that kind of place. Kafal was protecting him now, but unless he became able to fight with these magic beasts, he wouldn¡¯t be able to freely move around through the mountain. Be it going down to the city, or searching for his origins. Not just that, if the nest was attacked while Kafal was out, he¡¯d just die helplessly. Nevertheless, Lucella thought this training was far too unreasonable. ¡°Gruh.¡± She slumped her shoulders in slight dejection and then crushed the giant wolf in her grasp. ¡°Gyaan!¡± It seemed that the wolf beast¡¯s bones broke and its heart ruptured, it spasmed several times and stopped moving. ¡°Thank god¡­ I¡¯d die if I was forced to fight something like this.¡± Lucella heaved a sigh of relief, thinking he narrowly escaped death. Giving him a sidelong glance, Kafal flapped her wings and soared up. ¡°Hm?¡± Then she overlooked the mountain and suddenly swooped down, attacking something. Trees shook and birds scattered around, and a shriek and roar reverberated from the place. ¡°Hmm?¡± Before long, Kafal flew up holding something. Hanging from her feet was a big two-headed spider covered with dark bristles which was spilling semi-transparent fluid. ¡°Hisssss!!¡± ¡°Gruh.¡± ¡°So you brought something slightly weaker this time?!¡± Kafal threw the large spider down near the nest. It quickly got up after the clumsy landing and rushed at Lucella, rattling its twelve legs adorned with claws. ¡°F-¡­?Fireball?!!¡± ¡°Hissss! Kiaaaaa!¡± ¡°W-Waaaahh!?¡± The enemy¡¯s movements were dulled due to the injuries, so he could just barely handle it. For that reason, Kafal didn¡¯t intervene and continued observing the majestic figure of her child as she swayed her head around. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) The game of tag around the nest involving Lucella¡¯s life continued until evening. Volume 1 - CH 12 (Title TL Note: This title starts like a Haiku (a type of poetry focused on seasons/nature)) Rain frequently visited Mount Kuguse. ¡°It sure is pouring¡­¡± There was a heavy sound of droplets. The deciduous trees whose leaves were on the verge of falling were probably finished off by this rain. Kafal¡¯s nest had good drainage, and there were no cliffs that could crumble nearby. It hinted at her precaution as someone who had lost her egg to the rain disaster before. She stood with her wings spread out. She was using her wings like a roof. It seemed like Kafal didn¡¯t mind the rain or wind at all, but she probably knew that a child losing heat would be dangerous. Thus she stood at attention, protecting Lucella. She was always like this when it rained. ¡°Don¡¯t you get tired standing like that? A human would find it extremely hard to stay still like that during rain.¡± ¡°Ruh?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t need to do that if we had an actual roof though.¡± Lucella looked up at Kafal after confirming the state of the dried fruits that were sandwiched between the pelts. Preserving food hygienically in this wind-swept nest was actually hard as is. If they got wet from the rain on top, everything would be spoiled. ¡ªShe did lose her egg in a landslide caused by heavy rain, after all. I doubt Kafal would be willing to live in a cave or something any longer. Then I guess there¡¯s no other way but to build a hut here, huh? Lucella really felt the need for habitat now that he started working on food preservation. Having said that, he had no construction knowledge, and he only had Kafal, who he could barely communicate with, to consult¡­ So he had to start by thinking about how to convey his intentions. Lucella started devising a plan. He pulled out a branch from the pile of foliage making up the nest and started drawing with it on the damp ground. ¡°Look, have you ever seen something like this? Humans call these houses. They build these houses and live in them. You can endure the rain if you have a house, and you can fend off the winter¡¯s cold too¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t particularly good, but Lucella drew rain and a house on the ground. Kafal observed the drawing with her wings still spread as a roof. ¡ªI wonder if it¡¯ll get across¡­ I think she at least realizes that I¡¯m trying to tell her something¡­ Lucella pointed at the image and supplied it with gestures. Kafal tilted her head for a moment. And after that, she roared. ¡°¡­Grrrrrrr¡­rooar!!¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Suddenly, the ground split. The foliage gathered for the nest cracked and split apart, and a big boulder rose up from below it. Lucella remembered seeing the illustration in some book before, there were apparently houses made with hardened clay in desert regions. This looked just like one of those, but it wasn¡¯t made of clay but instead was a solid rock house that was smoothed and hollowed out. It had one room, with an entrance with no door and simply holes serving as windows. ¡°I-I-I¡­ If you could do something like this, you should¡¯ve told me sooner!!¡± ¡°Ruh?¡± The stone house suddenly grew inside the nest. She most likely used earth elemental magic to alter the terrain. ¡ªWait, could the reason behind the unnatural elevation of this nest also be Kafal¡¯s magic? He just noticed it, but the nest was on a well-elevated spot in an even area of the mountain, making it unnaturally aligned with Kafal¡¯s wishes. She probably just made a convenient terrain for the nest with magic. Lucella hurriedly headed inside. It was just a room with windows and an entrance, with no furniture or fireplace, but it was still enough for keeping out of wind and rain. But then, the stone house shook. Kafal had shoved her snout through the entrance. ¡°¡­Gruuuu¡­¡± ¡°H-Hey, why do you look so sad¡­¡± She blew air through her nose. Kafal yearned for Lucella who holed up inside and tried to get as physically closer as possible. ¡°Right! Uhh, I mean¡­ no need to get fixated on a human-sized one¡­ Like, if you can do it, maybe¡­¡± Lucella avoided the entrance where her head was stuck and jumped outside through the window. And then he drew a giant house on the ground, and drew a dragon and a small human inside it. ¡°Ruh!¡± This time, the whole mountain shook with force. Stone rode up from both sides of the nest and connected above Kafal¡¯s head, making an arc that covered three sides of it. If you excluded the fact that it was made of rock and was gigantic, it looked just like a stone hut that children made during the snow. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) She didn¡¯t create it out of nothing, but rather, simply altered the shape of the terrain. The surrounding terrain was shaved off the same amount of materials that was spent on making the roof, and the area around the stone hut turned into a giant ditch similar to the moat of a castle. ¡°Woow¡­ So cool!¡± Lucella could only stand with his mouth open as he gazed up at the disorientingly tall roof. Humans also utilized magic to a degree when building big structures, but something this rough and strong was most likely a rarity. ¡°¡­Actually, if she could do this but didn¡¯t until now, does it mean she really didn¡¯t think about making a roof until now¡­¡± ¡°Ruh?¡± Lucella couldn¡¯t help but give Kafal an exasperated look. She spread her wings to protect Lucella, but for a mother dragon¡­ Or put differently, for the young dragon she protected, the rain only amounted to that level of threat. If they lived in a cave, she wouldn¡¯t need to spread her wings, but that was it. Her standard was fundamentally different from that of humans. Well, she understood what he wanted so all ended well. Kafal crouched down under the roof and Lucella leaned back on her neck as usual. ¡°With this much space, the wind¡¯s just gonna blow in¡­ but oh well.¡± Winter was already approaching. But the dragon scales were warm. ¡ªI suppose I can handle winter like this¡­? Storing the preserved food shouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore, and the snow wouldn¡¯t matter either. With the stone dome this wide, he could just make a bonfire if it grew cold, and he had as much kindling as he wanted for that. Having grown quite used to fire magic, Lucella was confident. But as he was getting relieved, he thought back on it. ¡ªWait wait, hold up. Should I really be so nonchalant about this? If I had a family or something, wouldn¡¯t they be waiting for me to return? He always thought about it but had pushed it to the corner of his mind. He spent days preparing for winter and took on the ¡°teaching materials¡± (¡­hazardous materials?) that Kafal brought back. He was busy every day. They were quite hectic but happy days nonetheless. Kafal sometimes did things the dragon way and it brought some risk, but it was because she was giving her all to raise Lucella. Thus, he almost forgot about it. About his time before he became Kafal¡¯s child. About the fact that someone somewhere might be waiting for his return. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) ¡ªI feel like I had to return alive no matter what. I want to at least confirm why I thought that. If my investigation shows that I was actually all on my own, well, that wouldn¡¯t be so bad either. At that time, I¡¯ll just settle on this mountain for certain. The downpour rain continued without an end. Among its bustling yet calming sound, Lucella fell into a slumber. Volume 1 - CH 13 ¡°I¡¯m not leaving the mountain for good¡­ I just wanna go to the city for a bit¡­. Will she understand that¡­¡± Lucella drew several pictures on the rain-soaked ground. A human going down the mountain. A human entering the city. A human coming back to the mountain. Lucella wanted to go to the human habitat. He wanted to patch his fragmented memories together and find out who he was. He wanted to clear away the feeling that he had something left undone. The reason he also drew the part where he would come back was that Kafal seemed to fear that Lucella would leave for good. Whenever he separated from the nest for good, she would fly to him right away and try to bring him back. The dangers that lurked away from the nest were part of the reason, but he thought that there might be more to it. Kafal stared at the pictures he drew. Eventually, she added a drawing, even more realistic than Lucella¡¯s, to the ground with a surprisingly skillful use of her sharp claw. It was a figure of a small person¡­ Lucella, being attacked by a bear-like monster. It¡¯s still impossible, she seemed to say. ¡°Ugh, I see¡­¡± He had fought with the teaching materials that Kafal brought many times now. He felt that he had at least become pretty good at fleeing from them. However, Kafal had judged that it wasn¡¯t enough to descend the mountain. ¡°T-Then, how about this?¡± Lucella stamped out the drawings of him going down and back, and instead drew a flying dragon with a small person on its back. It should¡¯ve been easy if he borrowed Kafal¡¯s strength to make the trip. Or so he thought. However, Kafal quickly erased the second half of the drawing with her finger. And then, she replaced it with a dragon surrounded by humans in armor and helmets. ¡°¡­I see.¡± Dragons were powerful. Kafal was naturally no exception. However, they were neither immortal nor invincible. In fact, there were heroic tales of human heroes slaying evil dragons. Someone defeating a dragon was a rare event, but not enough that it would shake the world to the core. Thinking about it, Kafal was a dragon not belonging to a group. It was said that there were dragon strongholds where dozens of them lived together, but most likely no hero could ever set foot in there. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) But what about Kafal who lived alone? If, for example, she was judged to be a dangerous dragon for descending near the human settlement, it was possible that skilled dragonslayers would be called from all over the world which would lead to the start of dragon subjugation. ¡°Okay, I understand¡­¡± ¡°¡­Groowl¡­¡± She responded with a sad cry. Then she drew her nose close and attentively rubbed it on Lucella. She seemed to be apologizing for the hopeless situation. ¡°I got it! Then this should do, right?¡± Lucella drew a new picture. It was a picture of him having beaten a magic beast. ¡°Gruuuh¡­¡± ¡°Agh!¡± Kafal gave a happy cry and started licking Lucella all over. She must have been happy that Lucella acted in consideration of her feelings. ¡°Ahaha¡­ But well, I¡¯m a human so I don¡¯t know how far I can go. But I¡¯ll try my best.¡± The training that Kafal imposed was generally dangerous, but it, fortunately, was effective too. Lucella decided that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to try harder if it was necessary for going to the human habitat. Until then, it should be fine to just savor this stagnant happiness. ¡°Ruh.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± With a short cry, Kafal suddenly flew up. Just as she did one revolution around the mountain, she suddenly swooped down and landed with a force that shook the mountain. And then, she flew up again after grabbing something from the trees. ¡°Hissssss!¡± ¡°Shhhhhhh¡± ¡°Meeeeeeeh¡± Seeing a sheep with four snakes on its head and poison drooping from its mouth, Lucella turned on his heel and ran. Volume 1 - CH 14 ¡°GAAAAAA!¡± A mop-like black magic beast with fangs rapidly advanced toward Lucella. Its dark fur momentarily shone in seven colors like water mixed with oil. The next moment, lightning gushed out of its body and headed for Lucella like a thrown spear. ¡°Hah!¡± Lucella dashed with a low posture. ¡ªSo it¡¯s basically the same sensation as using magic! Gotta spread magic power and make it part of my body! So this is how it feels to accelerate¡­! The lightning bolt burst and burned the ground black. But Lucella was no longer there. He was running in zigzags. The beast got flustered and did a follow-up attack. This time, it was a big swing of its forefoot. But it was slow. He slipped under it. Lightning, claws, fangs. Lucella could estimate their timings. He was already perfect at fleeing practice. However, he had gained enough leeway to do something in addition to just running. ¡°Okay, next I should raise my power and¡­¡± It felt like flames were swirling inside Lucella¡¯s body. He grabbed the magic beast¡¯s fur and stopped its advance while grappling with its body. And then, he drove a palm heel in the beast¡¯s head with enough force to leave a handprint below. ¡°Haaah!!¡± ¡°Gugi-!¡± The magic beast staggered greatly with a clearly abnormal shriek. It stood like that for a little while, but before long, it suddenly tilted to the side and fell to the ground with an earthshaking thud. ¡°I-I did it¡­ I did it¡­!¡± Lucella gasped for breath as he stared down at the beast¡¯s corpse with feelings of disbelief. Though it was wounded and slowed down due to being caught by Kafal, it still remained a fact that Lucella had won against a dreadful Variant which were rampant on Mount Kuguse. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°Gruuuh¡­.Rroaahh¡­¡± ¡°Wah, sto-, agh!¡± Kafal, who watched the battle unfold, drew her face close and started licking Lucella with unprecedented vigor. She seemed unbelievably happy, and Lucella worried she¡¯d end up eating him accidentally. ¡°¡­Oh, my wounds are gone. Humans tend to say the wounds would heal if you lick them, but it looks like they actually get healed when a dragon licks you.¡± Before he knew it, all the pain had gone away. Kafal used magic to heal him when he got injured during the training, but she sometimes just healed the graze wounds with a lick. ¡°Gruh.¡± ¡°Now hold up!¡± Kafal spread her wings preparing to fly off but Lucella hurriedly stopped her. ¡°I¡¯m tired already, so let¡¯s end it for today! Let¡¯s rest! Please?!¡± Kafal clearly planned to bring more teaching materials but Lucella¡¯s desperate pleas made her fold her wings back and crouch. ¡ªI¡¯m saved¡­ Given the direction it was heading, I bet she would¡¯ve dragged the strongest magic beast of the mountain or something¡­ His wounds were healed, but the sense of tension from the fact that a single mistake could cost him his life had put a big strain on his mind. He wanted to call it a day with this. Lucella heaved a sigh when he saw Kafal had given up, and then went to check on the stove installed on the side of their house. This was also something he asked Kafal to make. Just approaching the steaming stove a little, a strange aroma ticked his nose. There was a pile of wood chips inside the stove raising smoke. ¡°Oh, it progressed pretty well while I was fighting! I just half-a?s?s?e?d? it but it might turn out alright.¡± ¡°Ruh?¡± ¡°Hehehe, if I do this the flavor will improve and it will last for longer. It¡¯s the wisdom of humans.¡± He had skewered magic beast meat with thick sticks and hung them on the stove. The jetting smoke and heat licked the meat, changing it into a light brown color similar to polished lumber. In short, this was a smoking tool. The kindling it was using came from the trees around that Lucella punched and broke, and then further smashed into bits with fists. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) The wood that was transformed by a dragon¡¯s power had an exotically good fragrance. Lucella tore off some meat and bit into it. The contrast between the white inside and the glossy outside seemed like the shine of a gem. As he chewed down the meat filled with umami, the flavor of fragrant wood filled his mouth. ¡°Here, Kafal, you should try it too.¡± ¡°Gruuuh¡­¡± He tore off a big chunk and threw it and Kafal dexterously caught it with her mouth. She didn¡¯t seem to be familiar with smoked food so she chewed it with a strange expression, but once she swallowed it down she snuggled her snout close as usual. ¡°Maybe I should turn the magic beast I just defeated into smoked food too. Maybe I can make a bed if I can clean its fur. It looks pretty fluffy and comfortable to sleep on.¡± The magic beasts that Kafal brought for Lucella to train already exceeded twenty. Kafal always stripped and presented their pelt to him, so he already had more than he needed, and they were folded and piled up in the corner of their house. There was no worry of freezing if he wrapped himself in those. ¡ªIt¡¯s calm¡­ I just can¡¯t get into the feeling that I have time to just not do anything¡­ That said, I¡¯ll probably just kick the bucket if I don¡¯t rest when I can, given this lifestyle. He didn¡¯t remember his previous lifestyle, but he did feel that he used to be awfully busy. That he used to run around with not even time for proper sleep. Because of that, Lucella wasn¡¯t very used to ¡°resting¡±. But he did feel that these tranquil days were quite pleasant. ¡°Ruh.¡± Kafal drew her face close to Lucella. She used to sit still in the nest a lot. Most likely, half of the reason was to watch over Lucella, but Lucella also supposed that it was because she didn¡¯t want to expend energy needlessly. Dragons had huge bodies, so even just staying still expended far more energy compared to humans, to say nothing of moving. Humans would be able to stock up money, but the food you could obtain in the forest was always ready goods, so stocking up more than necessary would just make them rot. For that reason, Kafal apparently stayed still until growing hungry to save up and efficiently use her energy. However, there was a huge amount of dried fruits packed in a pot-like boulder that Kafal made with magic. He tried to dry as much fruit as he could under the sun, but the trees bore almost limitless fruit, so they eventually became overripe and fell down. The fallen fruit released a peculiar fragrance, and perhaps they had received the energy of the dragon, the Variant magic beasts gathered around to eat them. As those Variants were nearby, Kafal lately stayed in the nest all the time, remaining ever vigilant so Lucella wouldn¡¯t get attacked. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) ¡°Oh right, Kafal. Stay still for a moment.¡± ¡°Ruh?¡± Lucella took out the thing she was hiding in the storage space of their house. It was something made of hard nut fragments, the most vivid parts of the monster fur, and well-shaped bones, all tied together with intertwined monster fur. It was about the size of a ¡®loose necklace¡¯ in human terms. It looked ethnical or primitive in a way. Lucella used the bumps on Kafal¡¯s body to climb up on her head and put it over her right horn. He coiled it three-fold around the thick part of its base, and tied it with a vine to make sure it stayed in place. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can really do to pay you back, but I feel bad to be constantly on the receiving end. Anything that I can give is probably trivial to a dragon¡­ but I guess something this intricate would be hard to do with the hands of a dragon. How is it? I hope it doesn¡¯t feel irritating, is it? Do dragons even put ornaments on their horns?¡± Kafal, being a dragon, already possessed the perfect beauty as a living being as is. There was no need to add anything to it. It needed neither decorations nor any kind of fixing. But still, it felt a little desolate as is. Kafal tilted her neck to touch the decoration on her horn. She stoked it a few times with the ball of her finger to confirm the sensation, and then thrust her nose at Lucella. ¡°Roooooahh¡­ruuuuh¡­¡± ¡°Waaahhh!¡± Lucella got pushed down on the bed of belts and kneaded by Kafal¡¯s nose and licked as a bonus. ¡°Groaah¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re happy. But please don¡¯t crush me.¡± Volume 1 - CH 15 The cold wintry wind blew through the city of Kugutfulm, carrying with it a lonely sound. On a street that was at quite a distance from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s branch was a new and artistic building of the McGregor Adventurer Support Office. Gemel was currently in that office. ¡°¡­This is too much.¡± A young man in a suit was being glared at by the giant Gamel from across a big desk. The man with smoothly combed hair leaned back into the leather-covered chair and folded his arms. ¡°Too much, you say?¡± The suited man remained arrogant and dissatisfied even under Gemel¡¯s overbearing glare. ¡°Yes it is! It¡¯s four f?u?c?k?i?n?g times what I paid to my previous manager!!¡± Gamel spoke and slapped the desk. This McGregor Adventurer Support Office that opened up recently here aided the adventurers in office work and intelligence gathering¡­ In other words, they were a management company. Given how rare it was, they seem to have gone through rough times until they were understood, but the Adventurer¡¯s Guild acknowledged their cooperation, and work started sporadically coming to them as of late. It was hard to say that they had established themselves solidly just yet. And yet, they were acting quite-self importantly. They built a flashy building on the main street, and this man who was their representative had quite a high-handed attitude too, and the remuneration he asked from Gemel who came to request work was also absurd. All of that pissed Gemel off. He¡¯d been constantly annoyed as of late. He was unable to work as he wished lately, and their party assets only continued to decrease. There were still no designated quests for them, so they were subsisting on the subjugation quests alone. But that was far off from the glorious activities they wanted. As of late, the guild had warned that his attitude toward clients was bad, so sometimes he was even denied some quests, which only served to irritate him further. Gemel thought there was no need to lower his head to a client who didn¡¯t pay well, but the guild¡¯s opinion turned out to differ. The party Seventh Dice was gradually falling from ¡°a party with bad behavior but good at work¡± to ¡°a party with just bad behavior¡±. It wasn¡¯t that he decided a manager was necessary to break out of that situation. It was just that the cumbersome routine tasks and duties were adding to his irritation and he was the one who could no longer endure it. Even the house they were renting as their base (which they may need to vacate and find something cheaper) was in a mess and he wanted something done about it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) And thus, he came to search for a manager, but the other party was extremely arrogant. ¡°So you want someone to judge quests for you and get designated quests for you. In other words, you want a first-class manager.¡± The representative of this office, Ivar McGregor waved his finger at Gemel in a condescending manner while remaining seated. ¡°So I¡¯m demanding the appropriate price for what you¡¯re lookin¡¯ for. Looks like the adventurer manager¡¯s work still has a ways to go in this country. But still, or rather, exactly because of that, I¡¯m not budgin¡¯ on this. If you wanna drive a bargain, go somewhere else. We don¡¯t do cheap work. And you even want ¡®em to clean your room for you? Take your sleep-talking somewhere else and never come back!¡± If Gemel had a sword he might¡¯ve drawn it. It was a miracle that he held back on punching Ivar. ¡°Don¡¯t f?u?c?k?i?n?g get carried away! You¡¯re just handymen with no other skills but parasitizing us adventurers¡­! This damn place will fail soon enough! When that happens, I¡¯ll hire you as a cleaner!!¡± Gamel slammed the door shut as loudly as possible and left the office behind. When the uninvited guest left, Ivar heaved a sigh. ¡°That must¡¯ve been tiring, representative.¡± A young employee who held her breath in the office¡¯s corner showed appreciation towards Ivar while still looking frightened. ¡°That guy must¡¯ve been the one that the rumored manager worked for.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°I did talk to him a few times, and he seemed to be doing authentic training¡­ Good grief, why was he selling his work short like that? That even lowered our value down now, dammit.¡± Ivar remembered the man who was said to have worked for Gemel. He estimated that the reason Gemel valued managers so lowly was that he only knew that man. Universally, managers for adventurers were mostly used in minor regions, and it was the same in this kingdom too. Ivar had brought the manager concept in. Ivar remembered talking a few times with him who worked as a manager in this city before he came. ¡°I wonder if he was from Maltgartz.¡± ¡°He had to be. I heard he got the adventurer qualifications there so he could work as a manager. In Maltgartz, the adventurer work is mainly done by the officials, so the kingdom is big but the Adventurer¡¯s Guild there is weak. So manager work was created to take over the work that the guild should normally do¡­¡± Ivar, who was also doing authentic training, poured his complex feelings into his knife and cut off the tip of his cigar. ¡°People who don¡¯t know their value and undersell themselves are, at the end of the day, incompetent. But well, I guess he just picked the wrong time. If he started when the adventurer managers were already widely accepted, then perhaps¡­¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) He lit the cigar with the ¡®lighting pot¡¯ (a small, pot-like magic item that simply put fire on the things you put inside) and puffed off smoke. It then fleetingly melted and disappeared into the air. ¡°Agh, dammit! Why do only valuable people die so prematurely? What was his name again?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°It feels weird¡­ the way I forgot about it¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t really mess up his hair so he just settled with doing the grabbing gesture emptily. He was supposed to be good at remembering faces and names because of his work. However, his name that Ivar even remembered saying before had completely disappeared from his memory. Volume 1 - CH 16 White. White, white, silver, and more white, and a cold wind. ¡°Damn, it sure piled up.¡± Come winter, Mount Kuguse got covered in snow. The snow that kept falling all night long gave the mountain a thick make-up, transforming the wintry-desolated mountain into a snowscape. The dome-shaped house had started to look like an actual snow hut now. Just one step outside that house was a thick carpet of snow. ¡°I guess this is training too¡­¡± ¡°Ruh?¡± ¡°I bet dragons are fine with this, but a human¡¯s thin legs would normally get frostbite!¡± He took a breath and calmed himself down. Lucella had been barefoot ever since he started living on this mountain. Because he had turned into a little girl, his legs had become even smaller, tender, and frail. In fact, at first, his legs were irritated even by pebbles, so it was tough just to walk. But before he knew it, he got used to it. He had to get used to walking above snow similarly. He already knew the method. ¡ªI have to imagine moving my magic power¡­ No, that¡¯s not it. It would put less burden on me if I imagine lighting a flame to keep the warmth in my body. Lucella made a mental image of how to run his power through his body. He imagined the powerful flame breath of Kafal running about inside his body. And then, he took a step forward. ¡°Okay, this will work!¡± He did feel cold from the leg he pushed into the snow, but it didn¡¯t come with stinging pain, nor did it feel life-threatening either. He started walking and leaving footprints on the area that could be considered the front yard of their house. His feet sank into the snow up to the top of his ankles. When he turned back and saw his footprints on the pure snow, he became strangely elated and he started feeling like doing something he shouldn¡¯t have. ¡°Ruh? Ruh?¡± As he started to roll a snowball and increased its size, Kafal peeked her head out of the house, puzzled at what he was doing. ¡°It¡¯s human culture. I bet dragons would find it hard to make and roll snowballs.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Lucella piled up three large snowballs and made a snowman for starters. ¡°Then this, and this¡­¡± Then he started carving the lump of snow with his knife. He stretched its neck like a spire while leaving the top part a bit bigger. Then he roughly added a big mouth and horns to it. Then he piled up the snow behind it and made it sharp and long like a whip. ¡°Look, it¡¯s you, Kafal!¡± ¡°Gruh!¡± He finished making a small and rough dragon sculpture that was about as big as Lucella¡¯s body. Kafal moved her neck and closely inspected it from every angle. ¡°Mm?¡± Eventually, Kafal sluggishly came out of the house and pushed her hand into the area that Lucella hadn¡¯t touched yet. ¡°Woah!¡± The snow exploded¡­ Or so he thought, but that wasn¡¯t quite correct. Kafal had manipulated the snow with magic and made a big lump just like the time when she made the rock house by piling up the ground. ¡°Groo¡­Roo¡­¡± She was shaving off the lump of snow with her strong claws while purring similarly to how humans hummed. Her workmanship was surprisingly detailed. The three-meter tall lump of snow was shaved down into the figure of a slim girl in the blink of an eye. ¡°Ruh!¡± ¡°Ohh¡­it¡¯s me. I look bigger than you, though!¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) A figure of a girl, white down to the pelt she wore, stood there, its height being double of the dragon sculpture. The details were accurate and realistic. It seemed that dragons could accurately perceive even the details that humans grasped superficially. But the giant claws of a dragon couldn¡¯t match humans in terms of dexterity. ¡°Sigh¡­ So there is such a peaceful snow too.¡± Lucella¡¯s body was fine even as he rolled on the snow with nothing but a roughly worn pelt on him. He threw his body on the snow and gazed up at the clouds that still sprinkled light snow here and there. He felt like his memories of snow weren¡¯t very good. But this place was peaceful. As Lucella lay for no reason, Kafal walked next to him and lay down in a similar fashion. But the space around their house was a little too narrow for a dragon to lie down, so some of the unfortunate trees got squished under and were moved down. ¡°¡­Yaah!¡± Lucella jumped to his feet and threw a lump of snow he scooped up with both hands at Kafal. Kafal looked wide-eyed at Lucella. He quickly went and rubbed his face at her to show that he wasn¡¯t dissatisfied or hostile. But then, Kafal swung her tail and sent a big wave of snow at him as payback. ¡°Aagh!¡± Lucella did a spin, swallowed by the white mist. He landed with a defensive posture and jumped to his feet, quickly scooped the snow, rounded it up, and threw it. The white snowball hit the lying Kafal¡¯s face and broke into pieces. ¡°Uu?¡± ¡°Hehehe, we call this snowball fight.¡± Lucella rounded up and threw the snowballs in succession. Kafal rose up in response and pushed her hands into the snow. And then pulled them out. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) ¡­Holding a snowball with a diameter of 2 meters, apparently having gathered together with magic. ¡°Groar.¡± ¡°Wait, sorry! Time out! I¡¯ll die! I¡¯ll die if I get hit by that! Did you misunderstand this as training?!¡± Kafal amusedly threw the giant snowball at the retreating Lucella. ¡°Wahh!!¡± The snowball cut through the wind and toppled a tree. Mount Kuguse saw more rain in the summer than it did snow in the winter. But be that as it may, when it snowed it snowed a lot. ¡°It really brought a lot of snow.¡± The snow was coming down with a heavy sound. From the slightly open entrance of their house, he could see the white wind mowing down everything in its path. ¡ªBut it¡¯s warm here. Lucella leaned against Kafal¡¯s neck and gazed absent-mindedly at the blizzard outside. Kafal didn¡¯t bring magic beasts to have them fight Lucella in this weather. The time merely passed idly. ¡°Ruuh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not cold.¡± Lucella patted Kafal who called out anxiously. It was quiet and warm here, and the time passed gently. The wind roared and dyed things in white. When Lucella was given that name as a dragon¡¯s daughter, his memories as a human faded away, but he still didn¡¯t remember having any fond memories of the snow and snowy mountains. ¡ªI feel like I have some depressing experiences associated with it¡­ The snow was white. And so was that woman. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°What is an amateur like you doing on a mountain in a season like this? Do you have a death wish?¡± A long, white and flaxen spotted hair danced in the blizzard. White clothes and white skin that melted into the snow. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö also remembered that she was taller than him. A little older too. The blade of the sword she held was equally white, however, it was dyed by a ghastly red. ¡°You¡¯re lucky. Normally, you¡¯d be eaten by the monsters before you even manage to freeze to death. Meeting me was your luckiest event. Since we met, I will at least save your life.¡± A calm voice, hard to discern whether it was gentle or harsh, reached ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s¡­ ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡± Lucella suddenly raised his face, apparently having dozed off at some point. He felt that he saw something between dreams and reality. ¡°It¡­felt like I almost remembered something¡­¡± It was a fragment of his broken memories. His heart was thumping hard. That was an encounter that changed ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s world. The intense emotions that were burned into his heart were inexplicably sorrowful¡­ ¡°Groah¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Lucella heaved a disarrayed sigh and relaxed his body. Back when he was dying, before Kafal saved him, he seemed to have been thinking that he had to return. And now, he might have found the reason behind it. Volume 1 - CH 17 The adventurer party Blue Flag was in a serious bind. There were four of them. They lost one of their invisibility magic items called Undershade Overcoat, only remaining with three now. They also wasted their magic stones which served as their power sources, so most likely, only one of them could reach the foot of the mountain with the Undershade Overcoat. They were currently in a demonic region full of magic beasts ¨C an area about 70% up on Mount Kuguse. In other words, they were in a completely hopeless situation. ¡°How¡¯s the compass?¡± ¡°Still not working. It¡¯s going all around.¡± ¡°This is why I said we shouldn¡¯t take a magic compass!¡± ¡°It should¡¯ve been fine even on Mount Kuguse in theory. Didn¡¯t we all agree on that!¡± The winter had passed, and the lingering snow disappeared with it too, and the mountain entered the season full of life. The adventurers hid behind the bushes and checked their remaining luggage. ¡°Be quiet. We¡¯ll die if the magic beasts find us now.¡± ¡°¡­And what if the dragon finds us?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll die, brutally at that.¡± The female magician, their party leader, dressed in a white witch getup consisting of a white mantle and white witch¡¯s hat, Emeralda, analyzed the situation in an indifferent tone. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s just bet everything on it and fire the signal flare, after all.¡± The middle-aged thief with a beard, Bram, took the signal flare launching pipe from their luggage. ¡°If we do that, the dragon will definitely find us first.¡± ¡°B-B-But it might not notice, right?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re doing it, it should be at night when the dragon might be sleeping. That thing shines so it could be seen from afar, better to launch at night too.¡± ¡°Will¡­ Will we even survive until the night?¡± ¡°And even if someone does see it, who would even come to Mount Kuguse to save us?¡± A dwarf fighter wearing rock-like armor, Gadon. A slender man dressed in colorful, theatrical light armor (which was all dirty now), who was better with a sword than with songs for a bard, Lufus. They were normally lacking tension, but now that they were pushed to the brink of death, even their tension had flared up. ¡ªThis is bad. Everyone¡¯s overwhelmed by this situation. At this rate, the next time we encounter a monster will be our last. Everyone in the party Blue Flag was fourth rank. In other words, they were experienced adventurers who could be entrusted with any normal job. Rising in ranks that high obviously meant that they had walked the line between life and death a few times. But their experience didn¡¯t mean anything in the face of this monster-infested place. The shaken Blue Flag members had already lost without even fighting and only awaited their ultimate deaths. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) But fortunately, their luck hadn¡¯t run out just yet. ¡°Who¡¯s there!!¡± ¡°Aagh! Save me! I won¡¯t taste good even if you eat me!¡± Suddenly, they heard a questioning voice, and everyone became alert, their legs on the verge of giving in. But what greeted them there was not a monster. It was instead a girl of about ten years old who wore some kind of pelt. ¡°¡­¡­¡­A girl?¡± ¡°W-What is a girl doing here¡­¡± Her flaming red hair reached down to her waist, looking like a mane of a beast. Her body was white and slender, but gave no signs of weakness. The paleness of her skin was instead like the brilliance of the steel. She was walking barefoot and with exposed arms in a place like this, but oddly enough, there was not a single graze on her. Her features were innocently lovely, but her clear, light brown eyes looked odd. Her pupils were slitted like a cat¡¯s. Given the situation, she didn¡¯t seem like a normal person, so Emeralda remained vigilant. Above all, it was her strange presence. Emeralda didn¡¯t sense her until she came this close due to Mount Kuguse making it hard to detect presence, but¡­ This girl was giving off an aura so intense it could even disturb the flowing dragon aura. Emeralda even felt nauseous from it, similar to carriage sickness. ¡°Adventurers?¡± The mysterious girl was also observing Emeralda¡¯s group with surprise. But that only lasted for a moment, and it was replaced by a stern expression. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous on this mountain. I don¡¯t know what Kafal would do to you! Hurry up and head down!¡± ¡°Kafal?¡± ¡°¡­The red dragon that lives on this mountain. The queen of this place.¡± The Blue Flag members looked at each other. Mount Kuguse was where a dragon lived. Her words didn¡¯t come as a surprise because they came here knowing that fact, but what about this girl? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) How did she even know the dragon¡¯s name, in the first place? No one should have known that. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± The strange girl took a small pause. Then she continued with a slightly embarrassed tone. ¡°Lucella. A foster child of the queen.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ the dragon¡¯s?¡± The four were dumbfounded by the unbelievable truth. The short answer of the girl calling herself Lucella only explained a fragment of the mysteries surrounding her. ¡°Kafal is out, hunting away from the mountain for the first time in a while now. But I don¡¯t know what she will do when she comes back and finds the intruders. I don¡¯t know what reasons led you here, but I suggest you turn back while you can.¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯d like to do that, but we got lost.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ so that was the case after all, huh.¡± Lucella shook her head at Gadon¡¯s answer, then turned her back on the four and started to walk. ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll guide you halfway.¡± Volume 1 - CH 18 Lucella guided the four adventurers down the mountain. This was the first time he had come this far down the mountain since Kafal saved him, but he had already grasped the terrain to a degree after overlooking it from a high place. The place where the river flowed was easy to follow, so you just needed to walk along it. Normal people tended to lose their way in detours around the cliffs and such, but these victims were still adventurers. As long as they could tell the path, they wouldn¡¯t find it difficult to follow it. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a no-entry rule on this mountain?¡± ¡°Now it only extends to the area near the dragon¡¯s nest. The rest is allowed now. Only since recently, though.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so? Well, I guess it¡¯s fine as long as you know you¡¯re stepping into a dragon¡¯s habitat.¡± Lucella asked them about the circumstances while cutting branches with his knife to secure the shortest path for the adventurers behind. Mount Kuguse used to be off-limits according to his memories, but the ban seemed to have been lifted at one point. And the adventurers entering it were brought to a standstill and fell into distress as one would expect. ¡°Just who are you? You did say you were the dragon¡¯s foster child, but¡­¡± The young, slender man dressed like a troubadour asked, unable to contain his curiosity. ¡°I meant what I said. She saved me when I was at death¡¯s door on the mountain.¡± ¡°Why would a dragon do something like that¡­¡± Lucella suddenly stopped. That was a question he had shelved too. ¡°¡­Beats me. Maybe it was a whim, maybe it wasn¡¯t.¡± It was the end of last summer when Kafal saved him from death. They had been together for almost a year now. Lucella already had complete trust in Kafal. But that understanding only extended to the fact that Kafal was his ¡°guardian¡±, but it was hard to claim that he had understood all her heart. Humans and dragons had different ways of thinking, and they couldn¡¯t even communicate, after all. He found even the reason why she picked him up hard to fully understand. ¡°But that¡­¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) The bard tried to ask something else, but Lucella quickly silenced him. Even if Kafal was out now, the mountain was still full of her presence. For that reason, it was hard to sense the other presences on Mount Kuguse. But there were things he could tell. The rustling of the grass, the noise of the trees. The sounds of insects and birds were different from the usual. ¡°¡­What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eventually, the sound reached the adventurers¡¯ ears too. The sound of the bushes being trampled, the ground being stepped and twigs being broken as it approached and grew louder. ¡°GROOOARRRR!!¡± Its powerful roar spread through the mountain. An ashen-colored giant bear pushed the fresh verdure aside and showed itself. Its body exceeded three meters when standing on its hind legs. Its eyes blazed and its fangs and claws were sharp like the blade of a guillotine. Its face and abdomen had rough cuts and the fur was dyed by its blood, but it showed no signs of weakening. The adventurers pulled their weapons but still shrunk away. ¡°I-Its the berserker bear from before!¡± ¡°We were attacked by it! We lost our way because of it, and then our magic stones and items ran out too¡­!¡± According to what Lucella heard later, the certain victory pattern of Blue Flag was the following: the thief Bram would get things ready, the bard Lufus and the wizard Emeralda would give support to the fighter Gadon, who would deal a killing blow. Blue Flag had risen to the fourth rank using this as their strong point. Their strategy was brute-forcing, so to speak. But they had no way of winning against the opponents whose ¡®brute force¡¯ was even stronger. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) Unlike the adventurers who stepped back, Lucella instead stepped forward. And then he looked up at the huge, bloodied beast, directly staring into its eyes. ¡°¡­Go back to your nest. I already have enough meat for tomorrow, so I don¡¯t need to kill you.¡± ¡°Graaaah, gaaaaah!¡± ¡°Tsk¡­ it¡¯s turned ferocious due to injuries. I guess there¡¯s no way it¡¯ll come down until it dies.¡± A wounded animal was the most desperate. Lucella also knew that this bear in particular grew more aggressive the more injured it got and exhibited its latent energy at the expense of its life force. Once it has become like this, it would continue indiscriminately attacking everything in its excited state. Lucella only knew one way of stopping it. The berserker bear raised its muscular forefeet and opened its mouth, and attacked Lucella, intending to sink all the weapons at its disposal into his tiny body. It was unbelievably fast for a monster of that size. ¡°Watch-¡± However, Lucella slipped past its attack, jumped on its shoulder, and attacked. He simply kicked its head with all his strength, twisting and tearing it off. It couldn¡¯t even raise a scream. ¡°¡­¡­out?¡± Its twisted head tumbled to the ground. Its standing body also slanted and fell down with a thud. ¡°Oh well¡­ I guess it¡¯s useful, actually. The other monsters will be attracted by its smell and won¡¯t show up along the way.¡± Luccella muttered while looking down on its corpse, then turned around, only to see the four adventurers frozen with bewildered expressions. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I-It just took you one hit¡­¡± ¡°I mean, this guy¡¯s not that strong among the mountain monsters.¡± There were many Variant monsters that mutated abnormally through the dragon¡¯s power on Mount Kuguse. However, there were also normal monsters too. The bear that Lucella just took down was one such ordinary monster, so it was a small fry by the mountain¡¯s standards. ¡°I-I mean, sure, but it¡¯s still a berserker bear, you know?! It¡¯s designated as danger level 5, so you need a party of fifth-rank adventurers to subjugate it¡­!¡± ¡°The four of us could only run away, but you¡­¡± ¡°I see, so this was a berserker bear, huh?¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Seeing the exaggerated emotions of the adventurers, Lucella felt like he did something unwarranted. He felt like he had heard about berserker bears before. That they were frightening monsters. He never expected this weak bear to be it. ¡°Why did you decide to come to Mount Kuguse when you can¡¯t defeat simple monsters that aren¡¯t even Variants.¡± Lucella dodged the topic with a question. ¡°I-I mean, we never intended to fight from the start. Look!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± The bard took out the mantle shining in faint rainbow gradient and put it on. The next moment, his figure disappeared like smoke. When he removed it, he once again became visible. ¡°¡­Amazing. Isn¡¯t that quite a rare item?¡± ¡°Our quest was to sneak in wearing these and gather medical herbs.¡± ¡°Yeah. This guy said we¡¯d all loan the items and it would be safe, and the reward was crazy too¡­¡± ¡°I mean, everything went well, didn¡¯t it?! Then you just had to fart before the monster¡¯s eyes of all things!¡± ¡°I-I mean, I can¡¯t control the physiological things!¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± The dwarf fighter and bard started arguing, but the white witch reprimanded them. The dwarf fighter was wearing the torn remnants of the rainbow-colored cloak around his neck. They apparently lost it after successfully sneaking into the mountain depth while remaining hidden, so they fell into a dilemma. ¡°Do you have a storage item on you?¡± ¡°We do¡­¡± ¡°Then, take this.¡± The white witch took out a big shoulder bag. It was an item that was connected to a subspace and could hold more things than its appearance suggested. With the rank of their item, it could at most hold three times its outward appearance. Lucella tore off the berserker bear¡¯s arms and passed it to the white witch. ¡°It¡¯s a gift. Take it if you want. This guy has pretty delicious hands.¡± She accepted the bear¡¯s arms while feeling a little put-off, and stored it in the bag. When they reached the 40% mark from the base, Lucella decided to part ways with the adventurers. Because this was simply the limit of how far he could go until the sun would set. There were Variants that only became active at night, and they were often strong. Kafal always remained in the nest at night, and didn¡¯t allow Lucella to separate from the nest either. It was too dangerous for him to walk through Mount Kuguse at night. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) He didn¡¯t know how these adventurers would fare¡­ but he couldn¡¯t take that much responsibility over them. ¡°If you just follow the river downstream you should reach the city. It¡¯s not exactly safe past this point, but I think it¡¯s relatively safer, so the rest is dependent on your luck.¡± ¡°You really saved us. Thank you. I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t become adventurers who died because of a fart.¡± The dwarf fighter exchanged a handshake with Lucella with his hard, rock-like hand. ¡°I wish we could repay you in some way¡­¡± ¡°Repay me, huh¡­ I can still use my knife, I don¡¯t need mountain equipment any longer, maybe food or¡­ Oh!¡± Something that Lucella would want from people who he met after so long. That was not food, but information from beyond the mountain. ¡°Do you¡­ maybe have heard of a person ¡®awaiting the return¡¯ of someone who went missing on this mountain during this one year?¡± Lucella asked silently. He felt his heart beating coldly. The four adventurers pondered for a bit and answered. ¡°¡­Haven¡¯t heard of anyone like that.¡± ¡°This one year, huh¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± They couldn¡¯t remember anything despite searching their memories, remaining quizzical. Lucella was a little relieved from that. The possibility of someone suffering in his wait had gone down a little. He wanted to believe so. ¡°Thanks. Well then, take care.¡± Volume 1 - CH 19 Lucella returned back to the nest before the sun had set and Kafal¡¯s shadow soon showed up on the afterglow sky too. ¡°Welcome back, Kafal.¡± She flapped her wings greatly and landed, and started sniffing around Lucela so restlessly in human terms you¡¯d have described her as pale-faced. ¡°Grooar¡­.rooar¡­¡± Kafal¡¯s giant face moved in every direction so fast it almost slammed into Lucella. Her mouth opened, revealing her fangs little by little. ¡°Grrraaah¡­¡± Lucella could feel anger towards something detestable and frustration toward her own carelessness from Kafal. It seemed that she realized that Lucella had met with humans. And the invaders of the mountain also turned out to be unforgivable enemies for her. ¡°Ah, well, I met some humans¡­ but it¡¯s okay. They didn¡¯t do anything to me and I think they didn¡¯t damage the mountain either.¡± Lucella spoke in defense while waving his hands around. It was true that they came here to gather herbs, but there were ultimately harmless adventurers who were chased around by a single monster. Nothing like what Kafal feared would happen¡­ or so Lucella thought. Kafal stared at Lucella attentively, but then she held up her giant hands over the ground. Magic power gathered and shone in her hands that were loosely wrapped around it, and once it ended¡­ Inside her hands, there stood a single woman who appeared as vague as a heat haze. ¡°¡­Who¡¯s this?!¡± That was not a living being ¡ª Lucella immediately realized it. It was a lump of power so great it felt like it would rupture at any moment. If you ignored its size, it gave off a similar presence to Kafal. But it was hard to describe it¡­ perhaps it having no ¡°outline¡± was the closest way to put what Lucella was feeling into words. It was similar to putting burned sand into a temporary human shape. In human terms, she looked to be in her late thirties. She had rich red hair similar to Kafal¡¯s mane and wore a deep red dress made of unknown material that had a silhouette similar to flickering flames. Her skin was as white, glossy, and perfectly molded as Kafal¡¯s horns. Among her dignified facial features, her clear, light brown eyes left the biggest impression. Her pupils were slitted like a cat¡¯s under the sun. All in all, she looked like what Lucella seemed would turn out after growing up. ¡°Is this an illusion made by magic?¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) There were many spells in the world that could display illusions. There were spells that created illusions by manipulating light, and there were also spells that interfered with the target¡¯s senses to show them what didn¡¯t exist. Though the principles behind it were unknown, Kafal had used magic that created illusions¡­ or so Lucella thought for a moment, however¡­ ¡°Lucella.¡± ¡°It talked¡­?!¡± With a clear and gentle sound like the crack of bonfire firewood, the illusionary human spoke Lucella¡¯s name. ¡°Humans¡­ come here?¡± ¡°W-Wha¡­ Wait, before that, what¡¯s going on?! You¡­ you can speak human words?!¡± As Lucella got flustered by the unexpected event, the red humanoid and the giant dragon laughed in unison. ¡°Surprised. Hehehe! Lucella is surprised!¡± She spoke as if she succeeded in a trick. ¡°So, you didn¡¯t go out to hunt, but instead to learn this magic from some other dragon¡­?¡± After twenty minutes of talking, from Kafal¡¯s broken speech Lucella summed up that she had gone to an acquaintance dragon. Dragons were said to be able to take on human forms. Kafal had gone to learn that spell. However, that magic was apparently not something you could learn overnight even if you were a dragon, so at the moment she couldn¡¯t transform into a human but only produce an illusion that was her personification and manipulate it like a puppet. ¡°Magic¡­ takes on¡­ human form. Can only¡­ make¡­ fake body. Impossible¡­ for Kafal¡­ to enter it¡­ yet.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it works.¡± ¡°Human language¡­ speak¡­ necessary. Lucella¡­ not understand¡­ dragon words¡­¡± Sitting with her back on Kafal¡¯s giant dragon body and speaking with the human-shaped ¡°Kafal¡± felt like talking to her clone and felt quite strange. Or rather, talking with Kafal itself was strange. Until now, Lucella could only guess her intentions by the nuance of her voice and gestures. It was hard to say that it was enough¡­ it was closer to a compromise. Being able to speak was obviously a far better choice. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°¡­Can be¡­ useful¡­ now. Lucella¡­ what happened¡­¡± It was hard for humans to read dragon expressions. But now, Lucella could tell the human-shaped Kafal¡¯s expressions very well. What she was displaying was a clear and intent worry as would a mother toward her child. ¡°Adventurers came. They came to gather herbs. They got lost and I guided them halfway.¡± Lucella explained as simply as she could. ¡°Lucella¡­ okay? Safe? No pain?¡± Kafal touched Lucella all over using human hands to make sure. Her touch felt strange to Lucella as if a cloud was touching him. ¡ªI thought she hated that the adventurers came to the mountain, but was she just worried about me? I thought she¡¯d tell me why I let them return alive or something¡­ ¡°I¡¯m okay. The adventurers were weak enough to lose to magic beasts.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯m glad.¡± Kafal sighed in relief and hugged Lucella using the human body. It felt very vague as if being hugged by a plushy. ¡°¡­Did you study human words too?¡± ¡°A little. But I memorized it¡­ hearing Lucella¡­ speak.¡± Kafal said it matter-of-factly, so Lucella felt a little surprised and a little awkward. ¡ªMeanwhile, I don¡¯t understand the dragon language at all, and I never even tried to learn it¡­ Lucella had given up on it, thinking the dragon language was too difficult so it would be impossible to learn without any guidance. So hearing that Kafal was trying to learn the human language all this time made him feel like he had pushed his own responsibility on her, and that made him feel awkward. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ Thank you for learning the human language.¡± But he couldn¡¯t tell all that to Kafal herself, so he decided to just express his thanks. She had studied the human language for no one else but Lucella and even obtained a way to use said language. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) ¡°Kafal. Can I ask you about the time I arrived at this mountain? I just can¡¯t seem to remember it¡­¡± Lucella asked since it was a rare chance, but Kafal hung her head. ¡°This is¡­ very difficult. Kafal¡­ human language¡­ not good. I may¡­ say wrong¡­ so unable.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ a little. Until¡­ I am¡­ better.¡± Perhaps there were complicated circumstances involved or there was something she had to convey. Whatever it was, she didn¡¯t want to speak about it with imperfect language. ¡°Human words¡­ inconvenient. Hard to¡­ convey¡­everything. Need to¡­ become¡­ better.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± Instead of words, Kafal hugged her tightly with the humanoid figure and wrapped her dragon throat around her body, drawing her face closer. It was clear to Lucella that she treasured him greatly. But knowing that alone wasn¡¯t enough. Volume 1 - CH 20 The world could easily collapse at times, and a cold wind could blow even into a warm bed. ¡°Intruders? And when Kafal¡¯s away again.¡± That day, Lucella once again discovered adventurers trespassing in his home range. The party called Blue Flag that he met the other day said that the dragon nest¡¯s vicinity was still off-limits, but the strict border was apparently still vague. In the first place, it was hard to grasp its accurate terrain as even just investigating this mountain was dangerous as is, so it was hard to say where the off-limits area stretched. Nevertheless, it was still too careless to start cooking and raising smoke in a place which they could actually see from the dragon¡¯s nest, Lucella thought as he looked at the smoke rising from between the trees. ¡°Come on now. Strong magic beasts are generally clever, so you¡¯re basically telling them to come and find you¡­¡± Lucella headed to the source of the smoke, pushing his way through the trees as he went down the slope. But he couldn¡¯t find anyone there. ¡ªWhat the? This isn¡¯t cooking smoke. Is it a smoke signal? There was a meager bonfire set up in a somewhat open field and the smoke was rising from it. But it was smoking in a way that was impossible by just burning firewood, it was smoking due to some drug or something which was used for smoke signals. The question still stood¡ª for what? It was at that moment. ¡°Are you Lucella?¡± ¡°Woah?!¡± A pale-bluish humanoid ghost-like figure suddenly appeared next to the bonfire. But it didn¡¯t seem like it was a ghost that mistook when to appear or anything. There was a small box-like thing on the grass with a lens attached to it. The pale-bluish figure of a man was projected through it. ¡°Illusion magic¡­? No, is this a magic item?¡± The man wore solid armor like a steel mountain range. He was most likely an adventurer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for leading you here like this. I had something I had to talk about.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the leader of an adventurer party called Golden Helmet, Tim. I¡¯m a senior¡­ or rather, a friend, of the adventurers that you saved the other day.¡± As the illusion talked, a voice was reaching from somewhere in sync. He seemed to be projecting his form and voice using the magic item. Most likely, he judged that it would be dangerous if anything other than Lucella came, so instead of waiting under the smoke, he prepared a way to converse from a distance using magic. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°The party I saved¡­ You mean that party called Blue Flag?¡± The armored man raised the visor of his helmet. He had quite a stern face. His stern face grew even sterner and moved his thick brows together. ¡°A danger is approaching the mountain queen. If you, her foster child, treasure her, then I want you to stay calm and listen.¡± Golden Helmet was a party of three. Their leader was the fighter, Tim. He was a man clad in full-body armor that was as solid as a mountain range which shone in metallic blue, and carried a large sword on his back which looked like a giant cleaver. The second member was the thief, Wein. He wore a mask over his eyes, a black top hat, and a black cloak¡ªa phantom thief getup which was clearly not suitable for mountain travel. Despite his gloomy getup, he gave off quite a frivolous atmosphere. And finally, the sole woman, the wizard, Viola. She wore glasses that looked like they were cut off from the bottom of the bottles, a robe that seemed like someone took the word unfashionable and boiled it into a jam with sugar, and a purple coat that was just barely qualified to be called witchy. She had several tools of questionable nature fitted into her belt. After smothering the signal smoke and calling Lucella to the hiding place behind a rock, he cut the introductions short and got to the point. ¡°This Mount Kuguse is a mountain on the national border. Do you know about that?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Lucella recalled a map in his head. Mount Kuguse was part of the mountain range zone that stretched east and west. It was also a border separating south and north. ¡ªYeah, looks like my knowledge itself isn¡¯t gone, unlike those related to the incident. When he received a name from Kafal, Lucella had lost most of the memories related to the past events and people he had met. However, the memories that could be classified as ¡®knowledge¡¯ separate from personal matters were mostly retained. ¡°There is the major nation Maltgartz in the north and the water kingdom Setulev in the south.¡± ¡°Oh, so you know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I was born and raised on the mountain. I know about the outside circumstances.¡± Tim nodded and his expression grew increasingly stern. ¡°Then, do you know that Maltgartz plans to eliminate the red dragon, in other words, who you call ¡°Kafal,¡± cross the mountain and invade Setulev?¡± It took a second for him to process it. And one second to be hit with the shock. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) Their strange yet peaceful and happy life which seemed like it would last forever as if time had stopped was no longer stable. ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡­Maltgartz has been in a long war with the Gufare Union of the east. The lifeline for that union for receiving aid from friendly southern kingdoms is Setulev. Setulev is merely a third party that acts as a passage for people and things, but it¡¯s because of their existence that the war situation has reached this quagmire. Maltgartz considers it a thorn in their side, and they can crush them easily considering the difference in war power. Not to mention, they are adjacent geographically. And yet, the demonic region of Mount Kuguse has been preventing them from attacking Setulev.¡± ¡°But why so suddenly?¡± He asked it purely as a question, but Tim¡¯s already stern expression turned even worse as if he ate a grass dumpling garnished with living bugs. ¡°We¡¯re the ones wanting to ask that. Just what is going on in this mountain?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Places where dragons live are rampant with powerful Variants. Monsters that undergo abnormal mutations after eating the scattered scales, fangs, and feces of the dragons¡­or being exposed to their dragon aura. The reason why they couldn¡¯t enter Mount Kuguse was that those Variants were crawling here. It was one thing to sneak in with a few people, but doing so with an army would¡¯ve certainly ended in a great disaster. But lately, those Variants suddenly decreased.¡± Everything connected in Lucella¡¯s head with that. ¡°Decreased¡­¡± It was as if the gears meshed together. Or perhaps, as if those meshed gears started collapsing in a chain after a single screw came loose. Lucella understood everything. ¡°Kafal¡­ hunted them¡­ to feed them to me¡­¡± Volume 1 - CH 21 ¡°I see! Leader, I¡¯ll take over from here.¡± ¡°S-Sure.¡± The female wizard Viola with thick glasses bent herself forward while taking out a notebook and writing materials. ¡°Dragons that live alone narrow down their field of activities during child raising. This is of course to protect their child. This tendency grows more striking the weaker their children are. However, in extremely rare cases when a feeble child is born, dragons have shown a tendency to start a targeted hunt of the variants around their nests.¡± She spoke as if she had a literal academic book in her head. She continued speaking fluently without a stop. ¡°There are mainly three reasons for this! The first reason is that the Variants that received the dragon¡¯s own power are the perfect feed to make their feeble child stronger. The second reason is that the powerful Variants seek further strength and eat even the dragon¡¯s fledglings! In other words, they thin them out to lower the threat to their fledglings. The third reason is simply the fact that they can hunt without separating from their nest. Putting it like this makes it seem quite rational, but normally it¡¯s the last resort. After all, the Variants are convenient bodyguards for dragons.¡± There was a reason behind everything. The fact that Lucella grew so strong so suddenly. Even the fact that he could have a happy life. Just how big a price had Kafal paid for that tranquility? The more he learned, heavy feelings akin to a determination of some kind started to gather in his heart. ¡°In fact, the red dragon in question didn¡¯t use to hunt on Mount Kuguse and instead went somewhere else to hunt. However, lately, she had been secluding herself on the mountain all the time. The guild apparently holds some information that the dragon was brooding an egg, so I considered the chance that a feeble fledgling was born and she was trying to protect it.¡± ¡°¡­Lately, Kafal suddenly started going on distant trips.¡± ¡°Then that means the threat to the hatchling had decreased sufficiently due to the decrease in Variants. Ah, well, in this case, that hatchling would be you.¡± To add, Lucella had grown sufficiently strong after eating Variants over and over, so that was one other reason why Kafal went on (or became able to go) on long trips. Lucella lately started to walk a bit farther away from the nest. He thought the reason behind not encountering many Variants was that he skillfully avoided them. And even if he met and fought some, they were fortunately weak monsters. But it was different. ¡°You monster nerd!¡± ¡°Ehehe¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not praising you. Consider how the other party feels for once.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Tim nudged Viola to silence her. ¡°Wait, could the reason behind adventurers being allowed to enter the mountain now be that too?¡± ¡°Setulev¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild learned about the decrease in variants and lowered Mount Kuguse¡¯s threat level and lifted the ban. To put it simply, even without special objectives adventurers are allowed to enter the mountain to do investigation and gathering quests. The mountain filled with the dragon aura is full of good medicinal herbs, and if you luckily managed to hunt a Variant, you could make a killing if you butchered and sold it, so it¡¯s a happy outcome from our perspective.¡± Tim spoke with a bitter face. ¡°We actually hunted three of those Variants that showed up at the foot of the mountain. We were happy since we made a big profit, but we couldn¡¯t stay happy. ¡­Because Maltgartz made its move.¡± Volume 1 - CH 22 Kafal¡¯s home was currently facing its very first incident. Three uninvited guests had shown up there. ¡°¡­Grrrrrrr¡­¡± ¡°Kafal, wait, hear me out! These people mean no harm!¡± Kafal groaned while glaring at the invaders, ready to attack any second. But Lucella was covering them and desperately appealing to her. ¡°Oh great mountain queen, we wish to speak of a certain matter. Please, hear us. Danger looms over you!¡± Tim spoke up but Kafal remained baring her fangs. However, Lucella guessed this was more because she couldn¡¯t understand his words properly. ¡°Sorry, Kafal isn¡¯t great at human speech. I think she heard it for the first time when she picked me up. She only just became able to speak too.¡± ¡°I see, quite interesting. Dragons living in groups generally learn the human language in case they have to wage war or negotiate with humans, but it makes sense for dragons living independently to not know it.¡± ¡°Can you just shut up for now?¡± Viola was vigorously inspecting Kafal with sparkling glasses even in this situation. Wein couldn¡¯t help but elbow her to hush her. Kafal and Tim, who was looking up at her, stared at each other. Normally, a staring contest with a dragon would¡¯ve frightened one and some could even faint under its pressure and die. But Tim didn¡¯t falter here, which showed that he was first class. ¡°Sorry, Lucella, but can you grab the sword on my back and throw it away?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, sure.¡± Lucella took his greatsword, which looked like a giant cleaver and was hard to imagine how one would even swing it, and threw it outside of the nest. The weapon flew with a spin and sliced through the first tree on its path and stuck into the second one and stopped. Even after losing his weapon, Tim remained unwavering. And then, Kafal made the first move. Light gathered before Tim and a red, flame-like humanoid manifested there. ¡°Oh my! Not the transformation but its preliminary step, Puppet! I knew of its existence, but I never thought I would see it with my very eyes!!¡± ¡°I told you to shut up!¡± Wein finally snapped and bound Viola¡¯s hands behind her and plugged her mouth. ¡°Human¡­ why¡­ come.¡± Kafal¡¯s expression remained stern and vigilant, but she decided to hear them out at least. Lucella signaled Tim with eyes and stepped up in his place. ¡°Kafal, do you know the northern¡­ Wait, you know what north is, right? There¡¯s a human kingdom there, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Very¡­ big¡­ kingdom.¡± ¡°Those guys are trying to kill you! These people came to warn us about it!¡± Maltgartz had apparently proclaimed to the Adventurer¡¯s Guilds yesterday that Mount Kuguse was their territory. In other words, if you translated that political language into layman¡¯s words, it was an official notice for the Adventurers Guild to treat Mount Kuguse as disputed land. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild which had a noninvolvement policy in politics couldn¡¯t step foot in politically troublesome places. They drew away the adventurers aiming for the mountain¡¯s blessings and banned investigation from the Setulev¡¯s side of the Adventurer¡¯s guild too, so the question was, what would they do next and when? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Everything was in place now, and their next move would come sooner or later. ¡°That¡­ human¡­ can trust?¡± Kafal asked Lucella. Lucella had just learned all this from Tim, so there was a possibility that Tim was lying to them with some goal in mind. Thus, Lucella couldn¡¯t guarantee its validity. ¡°I speak the truth. I swear on my life and honor.¡± ¡°Kafal, I want to go down the mountain and head to the city. We have to confirm whether these people are telling the truth. And if it is¡­ we have to think of a way to stop them.¡± ¡°Stop¡­ them¡­ how?¡± ¡°I have an idea.¡± Tim¡¯s voice turned tense at this critical moment. ¡°Setulev also wishes to stop Maltgartz. They would find it delightful to join hands with Mount Kuguse¡¯s red dragon.¡± ¡°Uhh, I think you should explain that with simpler wording¡­¡± ¡°R-Right. In other words, cooperate with Setulev¡¯s king and fight together.¡± Kafal seemed to understand that and looked puzzled. Then she looked at Lucella, as if to ask whether it would really be alright. ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry. It depends on what that king thinks of this.¡± Lucella felt like he knew how frightening and despicable influential people tended to be. He also understood the danger of relying on a kingdom and making an alliance, not to mention fighting. But regardless, be it forming the alliance or fighting, he first had to leave the mountain and grasp the situation before doing anything. ¡°At any rate, I have to go down to the city and gather information.¡± ¡°Kafal¡­ will¡­ follow.¡± ¡°¡­So it comes down to that, after all.¡± Kafal answered without hesitation. It wasn¡¯t to confirm things with her own eyes and ears, but rather out of pure worry for Lucella. Even now, she was worried about Lucella instead of herself. ¡ªKafal¡­ Did she know it would turn out this way? Even if she doesn¡¯t understand human politics, dragons normally leave the Variants be to protect themselves, right? Yet she fed them to me! She prioritized my safety over her own. I didn¡¯t think she considered me so important¡­! What Lucella felt was a little different from regret. Instead, he felt irritated at himself for failing to realize just how much Kafal treasured him. Volume 1 - CH 23 Lucella had yet to travel too far away from the nest, his furthest trip so far being the time he escorted the four from Blue Flag. However, with Golden Helmet members accompanying him on the way down, they barely encountered any monsters. ¡°¡­There really are only a few magic beasts. It¡¯s my first time coming this far, but it looks completely okay.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never come this far?¡± ¡°It was too dangerous. I was just constantly training to get strong enough to go down on my own. And before I knew it¡­¡± The three of Golden Helmet and Lucella, as well as Kafal¡¯s clone, left the nest and descended the mountain while leaving Kafal¡¯s main body there. Monsters that weren¡¯t Varians could be seen here and there, but even a single glare of Kafal¡¯s clone, which only held a mere fragment of the original¡¯s strength, was enough to scatter them away. The mountain had turned far safer than what Lucella remembered of it without realizing. But even so, the group nevertheless paid attention to their movement speed to avoid being discovered and chased about. Kafal¡¯s clone with no physical body was naturally fine, but even Lucella, who obtained dragon-level power, and the trio of high-ranked adventurers (in other words, superhumans), found traveling on the steep mountain a trivial task. They were descending as fast as a galloping horse. If you could move fast, that was the safest option, in the end. ¡ªIf it¡¯s like what Ms. Glasses (Viola) said, Kafal never considered making me strong ¡°enough to descend the mountain¡±. Her goal was to simply make me strong. Thinking that far, Lucella felt a slight sense of discomfort. ¡ªWas it because I was too frail compared to dragons¡­? I mean, I guess humans are too weak by dragon standards, so you¡¯d think no training would ever be enough¡­ Humans and dragons were fundamentally different. But was Kafal really only worried about that? ¡°Human. Do not¡­ approach¡­ Lucella¡­ too much.¡± ¡°R-Right, my bad.¡± Tim took a step away from Lucella after Kafal¡¯s glare. ¡°She adores you a lot, huh¡­¡± ¡°Well, yeah¡­¡± Lucella answered, wondering whether it would be appropriate to smile wryly. It felt like Kafal was excessively vigilant about Lucella coming into contact with humans. Thinking about it, that might¡¯ve been a little odd. After all, Lucella was still a human in the end, and they were of the same species. ¡°At any rate, we¡¯re heading to Kugutfulm. Kugutfulm is¡­¡± ¡°The closest town from the mountain, right? That should be the case given our direction.¡± Oh? Tim was a little confused, so Lucella added an explanation. ¡°I said it before, but I¡¯m not actually born and raised on the mountain. I know about the outside world. I was on the verge of death here and Kafal saved me¡­ and a year has passed since.¡± ¡°Oh, you became that strong in such a short time? It has already been confirmed that taking in the dragon aura has a physical strengthening response, but does ingesting the Variants on a daily basis have this much effect? No, no, this has to be due to living together with a dragon aft¡ª¡± ¡°Just shut up already!!¡± As always, Viola¡¯s glasses started to shine and Wein plugged her mouth and locked her hands. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°¡­Hmm? Then why did you even enter Mount Kuguse?¡± ¡°Right. It has been off-limits until just recently, so you should¡¯ve come here around then.¡± Tim and Wein looked even more puzzled. It was something even Lucella wondered about. ¡°Well¡­ Actually, I don¡¯t really remember the things prior to my collapse here. I wasn¡¯t even a fighter so entering the off-limits mountain must¡­ have had¡­ some¡­ reason¡­¡± It was necessary. ¡ª¡°¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö, what are you thinking?¡±¡ª For her. ¡°UIgh¡­?!¡± Lucella felt as if he received an impact that almost blew his head off and reflexively held it. He could hear a voice. There were curtains fluttering. Beyond them spread a town of water. She was looking out of the window at the town. From behind, her silhouette appeared to be slender. Her hair, originally flaxen with white spots, was already pure white as if bleached. ¡ª¡°I believe you have already repaid your debt to me. You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Go and live freely wherever your heart takes you. I¡¯ll at least choose how I want to die.¡±¡ª She murmured so. ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö nodded, all while knowing she was just pretending to be tough. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know. I was about to remember something¡­¡± Lucella shook his head at Tim¡¯s question. The blurry memory fragments were like hot stones. If you tried to grab and arrange them, the heat would make you reflexively drop them. ¡°Lucella.¡± Kafal hugged Lucella from behind in worry. ¡°Lucella¡­ painful?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ don¡¯t worry.¡± Lucella had yet to learn what she was so worried about. Volume 1 - CH 24 Foot of Mount Kuguse. There, on the lowest part of the mountain, there was the town Kugutfulm which partly sat on the foot of the mountain. The party that descended down the trackless path entered the highway from a slightly elevated place where the eastern highway crossed the ridgeline. It was also the place that offered a view of the town at the mountain¡¯s foot. ¡°Wow¡­¡± They had artificially expanded the river flowing down the mountain, stretching it into east and west to create the river crossroads and turning it into a canal. Kuguse spread out from the foot of the mountain while encompassing the canal. The canal sparkled under the setting sun and looked like a gem that decorated the town. The shining rooftops stood in a line as if sticking close to the river. ¡°The town of water, Kugutfulm. I mean, most of Setulev¡¯s towns are called towns of water.¡± Tim spoke proudly seeing Lucella acting impressed. However, Lucella wasn¡¯t moved just due to its beauty, but because this scenery resonated with him in some way. ¡°This scenery¡­ I feel like I know it. I came to this town and¡­¡± He had seen it. He knew this scenery. The scenery from this place. At that time, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö hadn¡¯t been alone. ¡ª¡°This is a nice town. I just can¡¯t come to like the sea, but I like the rivers and canals. And the best part is that a dragon lives nearby. Don¡¯t you get excited at the thought that a dragon resides on the mountain you can see from the window?¡±¡ª He remembered her saying that and smiling innocently like a child. ¡ª¡°It may be impossible to depart from this town¡­ Still, it if¡¯s this town, that might not be so bad.¡±¡ª She then faced him¡­¡­ ¡°Who¡­? Who was it? Who was with me when I saw this scenery¡­?¡± Memory fragments. The things he should have seen by connecting them were nowhere to be seen. When he tried to force himself to remember it, it felt like his head would burn. ¡°Lucella¡­¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Kafal muttered in concern. ¡°This town is the base of operations for our party. It¡¯s a good town.¡± Hearing Tim¡¯s voice, the memories coiling around Lucella¡¯s head like mist disappeared just like dreams of night forgotten during the morning. ¡°We adventurers are by nature wanderers with no connection to kingdoms and towns. I couldn¡¯t care less about how many of the knights and nobles of this kingdom end up dead. But still, I¡¯d hate to see this familiar scenery to be swallowed by the flames of war and the soldiers I got to know to end up dead¡­ Right now, I¡¯m doing what I can for that reason.¡± Tim raised the visor of his helmet gilded to a shine and overlooked the town with a stern expression. ¡°Doing what he could.¡± Did he mean borrowing the strength of Mount Kuguse¡¯s dragon¡­ Kafal? ¡°¡­And so, it¡¯s a little questionable, but I¡¯ve heard of a rumor that there¡¯s someone in this town who can interpret the dragon language.¡± ¡°Someone who can interpret the dragon language? Is that even possible?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re talking about possibilities, it is possible! However, it is extremely difficult for humans to learn it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if the person I¡¯ve heard about is the real deal or not.¡± Even Tim himself seemed half-dubious. ¡°It helped that you were here, but when it comes to talking with bigshots, communicating with imperfect human language could lead to problems, don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°True¡­ it could lead to poor misunderstandings. Embarrassed as I am to admit, I have no knowledge of the dragon language.¡± Lucella felt like Tim somewhat hoped that Lucella would be able to interpret, but unfortunately, he didn¡¯t understand Kafal¡¯s speech well. Kafal would be willing to listen with Lucella mediating between them, which was valuable, but he wasn¡¯t confident that it would be enough to overcome the language barrier during the negotiation with someone like the king. ¡°So yeah, I¡¯m planning to try finding that interpreter for the time being. I actually commissioned for intelligence gathering at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild before we came to the mountain, so we first have to go and confirm what they found out.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Lucella suddenly gleaned at Kafal. She was watching him anxiously from a little away. ¡ªDragon language interpreter¡­ If there¡¯s someone like that out there, will it allow me to learn Kafal¡¯s feelings properly? It was a complete coincidence. At this point, his adventurer card had been hidden in the depth of the storage container and wasn¡¯t ever meant to be seen again. However, Gemel was looking for something and just happened to stumble upon it by chance. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) And then, he noticed that the impossible numbers that it used to show had turned even more absurd. ===== Name: ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö Lv40 HP¡¡¡¡852/852 MP¡¡¡¡2398/2398 ST¡¡¡¡716/716 STR¡¡¡¡58 MAG¡¡¡¡75 AGI¡¡¡¡60 DEX¡¡¡¡19 VIT¡¡¡¡52 RES¡¡¡¡93 ===== In a room of the guild-designated inn (as they had vacated their rented house) the members of Seventh Dice were looking dumbfounded at the adventurer card. It would be absurd to even call it superhuman. The written parameters were already far beyond the concept of a human. ¡°The numbers have gone up again¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just the attributes, even the level.¡± ¡°Wait, 40¡­¡± Level was the numerical representation of one¡¯s combat experience. However, this also was not absolutely credible either. It simply represented the aggregate amount of one¡¯s experience, so putting it bluntly, the level would rise whether you ran about trying to escape from a strong foe or whether you took down said strong foe which was already at a death¡¯s door. A high level was a prestige point of course, but nothing really changed even if it did rise, so adventurers didn¡¯t give it much importance even if it was one of the indicators of skill. However, that was only true if said numerical fell into the common sense territory. Raising your level gradually grew harder. If a ¡®normal adventurer¡¯ steadily did adventurer work and retired in his thirties due to age doing its thing, their level would normally be around 20¡­ To get into higher levels like 30, you would need to do what would be considered heroic deeds. In fact, Gemel who was still young yet already level 22 was among the better adventurers. At this rate, he could reach 30 before retirement, and use that number to move on to a good occupation for the second part of his life. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Levels were things you raised at such a pace. If one were to raise it from 3 to 40 in such a short time, they would need to subjugate dozens of great foes. Yes, for example, the Variants that lived on Mount Kuguse¡­ ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go throw it away!¡± Gemel grabbed the adventurer card and stood up as if he was repelled by something. ¡°Huh?! Didn¡¯t you say we shouldn¡¯t do that¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask an acquaintance merchant to introduce me to someone that can take care of things like this!¡± He just said that much and flew out of the room, walking away at a fast pace. The sensation of the plate in his hand felt cold and unpleasant. ¡°Move, you¡¯re in my way!¡± ¡°Kyaa!¡± He found the pedestrians walking nonchalantly an annoyance. Gemel pushed his way through them and rushed madly ahead through the crowded street. But then, he felt like he collided with a stone pillar head-on. ¡°Agh?!¡± Colliding with a silhouette that gave off an absurd sense of weight, Gemel took damage due to his own fast pace and was blown back, falling on his backside. ¡°Ouch, you b?a?s?t?a?r?d?, watch where you¡¯re go-¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who needs to watch it, Gemel. What are you saying after crashing into a small child like her.¡± ¡°Geh?!¡± Gemel was dumbfounded and stared wide-eyed while still sitting down. The reason behind his shock was half the fact that he was criticized by the leader of the town¡¯s top party, Golden Helmet, Tim. He was someone Gemel couldn¡¯t match. And the other half was that, the one who crashed into and repelled Gemel, was a girl barely half his size. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) That girl with long red hair wore an overcoat long enough that it was being dragged along. Despite the fact that someone as huge as Gemel crashed at her, she remained nonchalant as if it was nothing but the brush of the wind against her cheek. ¡°Sorry, you dropped something.¡± The girl gave a lovely smile and calmly picked up and returned ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s adventurer¡¯s card that Gemel dropped. ===== Name: Lucella Lv40 HP¡¡¡¡852/852 MP¡¡¡¡2398/2398 ST¡¡¡¡716/716 STR¡¡¡¡58 MAG¡¡¡¡75 AGI¡¡¡¡60 DEX¡¡¡¡19 VIT¡¡¡¡52 RES¡¡¡¡93 ===== But the name which used to be blurred out was now clearly displayed on it. Volume 1 - CH 25 ¡ªCrap¡­ Should I have pretended to fall down? Looking down at the giant man who had fallen on his backside, Lucella racked his brains on how to get out of this situation. He had dropped the adventurer card (He didn¡¯t check it assuming it was the man¡¯s as you normally didn¡¯t carry other people¡¯s cards on you), so he must¡¯ve been an adventurer. The man had boulder-like arms laid bare, giving off the air that he had trained quite a bit. A man like that had crashed into Lucella at a significant speed, but he was the one getting flung away while Lucella didn¡¯t even feel it. If the pedestrians paid attention they would¡¯ve been puzzled by this event. But the fact was that a ramming attack from a guy like that was too meager compared to the charges and leaps of the Variants in the mountains, so Lucella didn¡¯t so much as feel it. But Lucella was well aware that it would be strange from the point of common sense. Lucella, who looked like a feral child wrapped in nothing but pelts, had borrowed an overcoat to cover it and put the hood on top of it to make her characteristic slitted eyes less noticeable. It was all to avoid gathering attention and causing a ruckus. So he didn¡¯t want to stand out due to an accident like this. ¡°Who¡­ is this?¡± ¡°R-Right. She¡¯s, well¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Lucella. I was in the middle of discussing certain work with Mr. Tim here.¡± Lucella gave a pretty random excuse. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go then, shall we?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± While the large man was still dumbfounded, Lucella grabbed Tim by the hand and urged him forward. He wanted the man to just not overthink it and move on. ¡ªWhat¡­? Why does my stomach feel heavy and somehow painful¡­ Lucella didn¡¯t think he received damage from that impact, but he felt a strange sensation on his abdomen. ¡°Grrrr¡­¡­¡± Kafal seemed like she couldn¡¯t forgive the man for crashing into Lucella and was glaring past the crowd while breathing with the sound of the bellows. ¡°Who was that? Your acquaintance?¡± ¡°He¡¯s Gemel. He¡¯s an adventurer who has the skill¡­ but that¡¯s his only redeeming part. Even adventuring is ultimately a business. The higher you go the more manners, planning, and patience become essential. But he has none of those.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Tim criticized him in lament. ¡°Things were going well for him for some time, but I can¡¯t even look at him lately. If he comes and asks me for help I could do something for him, but¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re too soft, Leader. It¡¯s better to not get involved with a scumbag like him!¡± Unlike Tim, Wein showed clear scorn towards him, wanting to have to do with him. Thump. Lucella heard a burning pounding in his head as if his heart had moved there. ¡ª¡°Alright, I¡¯ll hire you.¡±¡ª A detestable voice like the sticky old oil resounded in his head. ¡ª ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll leave all the odd jobs to you. Don¡¯t even dare slack off. ¡­What was that? Salary? Hah, if you think this is too low you can do whatever. There are more than enough people out there to replace a handyman.¡±¡ª He was condescending, convinced of his own superiority, and domineering. He toadied to people above him while acting oppressive like an evil god with subordinates and lower ranked people¡­ It was the voice of that man. ¡°This voice¡­ Was it the guy from earlier¡­?¡± He felt like he remembered it. Yet, the memories disappeared as soon as they surfaced like bubbles and fell through Lucella¡¯s hands. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re here. This is the branch of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.¡± As Lucella was absorbed in gathering memories, they arrived at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s branch in Kugutfulm for some reason used a big building ¡ªone that was originally a temple¡ª with a clock attached to the bell tower that had its bell removed. As expected, he felt like he remembered all of this. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) The remodeled temple lobby was illuminated by the colorful light from the stained glass of the skylight high above. In that lobby, on the other side of the counters, there was a pleasant sound of simultaneous explosions. ¡°Woah, the magic aptitude measuring tool blew up¡­!!¡± ¡°Kyaa, all the elemental detectors too¡­?!¡± The office area turned noisy and the adventurers in the lobby started wondering what was going on. Meanwhile, Tim called out to the staff member over the counter. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s quite lively here today.¡± ¡°Ah, Mr. Tim! I¡¯m not sure why, but all kinds of things broke all of a sudden¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­? Well, I guess things like that happen sometimes.¡± Tim answered with a cramped smile and then leaned in and whispered in Lucella¡¯s ear. ¡°Hey, try to hide things better, will you¡­ There are sharp people here so you¡¯ll get found.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡± Erasing your presence was unnecessary during the training on Mount Kuguse. In the first place, the mountain was filled with the dragon aura that could be said to be Kafal¡¯s presence itself, so sensing others was fundamentally hard. He had no trouble sneaking by just by erasing his sound and smell. But now that he was no longer on the mountain, that method couldn¡¯t work anymore. ¡°Did you hear anything about that rumor I mentioned?¡± ¡°You mean the dragon interpreter? We did investigate it as best as we could.¡± A staff member that seemed close to Tim (perhaps the one in charge of Golden Helmet?) put several notes with neatly written texts on the counter along with some documents. ¡°There were no records within the guild. However, several adventurers gathered information and we have mostly identified the source of the rumor.¡± ¡°I expected no less. And so?¡± ¡°¡­It seems that it started from one adventurer saying they knew someone who could talk with dragons.¡± ¡°Oh? And who is it? Stop putting on airs and out with it already.¡± Tim spoke with a wry smile at the staff for keeping him in suspense. ¡°We don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s refer to them as he for convenience¡¯s sake¡­ He who said to know a dragon interpreter certainly was registered as an adventurer in the guild. However, last year he was attacked by monsters during a quest. And for some reason¡­ everyone forgot his name at that moment.¡± Tim and Lucella were dumbfounded. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) It felt like someone taking a walk only to end up in a labyrinth. ¡°It was one thing to simply forget his name, even the guild¡¯s documents that mentioned his name had disappeared. Not simply lost, but disappeared. Even things that were bound with strings had only the concerned pages missing. ¡­And since all documents concerning his name disappeared, so did practically all the records about him, and we currently no longer know anything¡­¡± No magic could normally do something like this. Moreover, they didn¡¯t even know why it happened, and assuming it was erased by someone intentionally, they didn¡¯t know the goal behind it. The situation was simply that eerie. ¡°¡­However, what we do know is that he belonged to the party Seventh Dice.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ you mean that guy¡¯s party?¡± Tim spoke, his expression going beyond stern and turning bitter. Volume 1 - CH 26 After leaving the guild¡¯s branch, Lucella decided to part with Tim for the time being. ¡°I¡¯ll go have a little talk with Gamel. I alone will be enough. Meanwhile, can you guys try and make Lucella less conspicuous?¡± ¡°Gotcha.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± The armored man walked away with a wave of his hand, leaving behind a confused Lucella who couldn¡¯t follow their conversation. ¡°What do you mean less conspicuous?¡± ¡°Look, you¡¯re not gonna tell me you plan to keep walking around wrapped in pelts like a feral child, are you?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it deviant to wear a cloak while mostly exposed underneath?¡± They were absolutely right. If Lucella removed the robe, it would definitely draw the eyes of the pedestrians from around. ¡°You almost went and stood out at the guild earlier too. So you should at least try to look normal. Standing out is unavoidable but at least make it moderate.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± Viola had a point. The world¡¯s common sense was that any kind of oddball could become an adventurer, so it would make the situation more swallowable compared to a simple weird child walking around. Either way, he had to get clothes to live in a civilized society. ¡°The problem is that they don¡¯t sell a lot of child-sized armor.¡± ¡°About that¡­ we have the pelts of the Variants that Lucella brought, right?¡± ¡°We certainly do.¡± ¡°I know a pervert that will get off from seeing them.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ you wanna make her do it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just around the corner too.¡± Wein and Viola chatted and nodded in understanding with no regard to Lucella. ¡°What? Who?¡± As you would expect, there were many stores around the guild¡¯s branch that were aimed at adventurers. Big towns like Kugutfulm act as hubs for the adventurers working in the smaller towns and villages in the vicinity, so this tendency was even stronger here. Adamant Sewing was one such store, and it focused on custom-made non-metal armor manufacturing and repairs. Colorful threads, strips, skins in the middle of making, rolls of clothes, and many such things filled the inside of its workshop walls and ceiling. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaa! C-Can I? Can I r-really cut it?! And sew it?! And dye it too?! Really?! Y-You¡¯re serious, right?!¡± Seeing so many varieties of pelts lined up on the low work table, the workshop¡¯s owner, Midum, let out a shrill while squirming. Based on her outward appearance, Midum appeared to be the same age as Lucella, but she was an adult in reality. Dwarven women generally grew up until they looked like humans in their early teens, after which they stopped growing altogether. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) There were countless pelts piled up in Lucella and Kafal¡¯s house. It was the result of Kafal accurately peeling each monster she took down and gifting the pelt to Lucella. Lucella took a few of those with him. Even a single pelt of a Variant cost a fortune, and they were first-class articles as armor materials too. Lucella brought them just in case they came in handy, and they quickly did. ¡°Are you fine with us paying the processing costs and hush money with the leftover scraps of it?¡± ¡°W-W-W-What are you scheming?! Y-You¡¯re not only letting me sew this, but e-even giving me the scraps?! A-Are you a devil trying to trick this little Midum?!¡± ¡°Like hell I am.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re going to have this adorable girl wear it?! Ahhh, my hands are trembling already!¡± The dwarven girl with her hair up and the work apron on her was so excited that Wein who approached with the request was put off by it. She breathed wildly through her nose and stared at Lucella with a feverish gaze. ¡°Measurements taken!¡± ¡°You did it with just a glance?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s just how she is¡­ a pervert, that is.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, Viola, you seem to have gained 1.1 kg since the last time we met! Did you eat a bit too much?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll slaughter you!!¡± Viola leaped at Midum and started stretching her elastic cheeks. ¡°How many days will it take?¡± ¡°Hehehehehe, don¡¯t look down on this great Midum. I can¡¯t possibly do any other work, so I¡¯ll close the shop and continue nonstop and it should take 4-5 days.¡± ¡°That fast? You have to start by processing the pelts right? They are rare materials so I expect good-quality armor, okay?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how long it would take to just shape them into gear. Enchanting is not my specialty so I¡¯ll just make the slots for it. Besides, a Variant¡¯s pelt is a magic item on its own, so I¡¯m not sure if it even needs any enchanting.¡± She rolled up and fixed her sleeves in place and started cutting the pelt with scissors that glowed with a peculiar light, no longer turning around. The speed she was working at was fast even to an amateur¡¯s eye. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. She¡¯s a pervert but her skills are trustworthy, so you can just leave the rest to her.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Thanks.¡± ¡°That leaves normal clothes. We should go for the ready-made goods for this one¡­gulp.¡± ¡°¡­¡¯gulp¡¯¡­?¡± Viola licked her lips as her glasses flashed. Volume 1 - CH 27 It has been a long time since the factories equipped with artifacts took over clothing production. Thanks to that, the commoners living in the present day could obtain clothes relatively cheaply. ¡°Um, Ms. Viola.¡± ¡°What is it!¡± Naturally, the made-to-order system still remained as luxurious goods, but once the concept of ¡°size¡± came to be, the made-to-order retailers were overpowered and the mass retailers started to stock up on all kinds of things from cold protectors down to socks, and their customers simply chose what to buy from their selections. ¡°¡­¡­What is this?¡± ¡°Panties.¡± In the women¡¯s changing room of one such store which was slightly large like a locker room. Lucella was having a staring contest with the clothes Viola brought with her. More specifically, with pure white underwear that was extremely lacking in the cloth area. Or well, it lacked cloth from Lucella¡¯s point of view. Women¡¯s clothes might have generally been like this, and given his childish body, it may have been perfect too¡­ maybe. ¡°Lucella, did you really grow outside of the mountain? Aren¡¯t panties normally worn by civilized humans?¡± ¡°Err, let¡¯s just say there are very complex circumstances involved here.¡± ¡ªI was originally a guy! I never had to wear something like this! Lucella screamed internally from the bottom of his heart. Lucella removed her pelt and overcoat, becoming stark naked, and then gently put his legs through that unreliable-looking underwear. As it tightly clung to his body, it gave him an unfamiliar ticklish sense. ¡°Feels mysteriously adhesive.¡± ¡°Would you like to try on the bloomers too? They cover more body area, so it may distance you from the no-panty doctrine, but that adhesive sense will decrease.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just brand people as no-panty religious believers.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t allow to try on the underwear but I already bought everything so it¡¯s alright. You would be needing several pairs anyway.¡± Viola tossed loose, trouser-like underwear at him. The white bloomers that were dainty and soft like flower petals had a small red ribbon as an ornament on the front side. This time it was too big instead. He went and put it on anyway, but it felt like he was wearing loose trousers over bare skin. Without longer trousers or a skirt, its hems would be visible for sure. The underwear for the upper part that he was handed over seemed like it was not much different from men¡¯s shirts¡­ but it felt a little loose. Looking closely the chest part of it was slightly wider. The thin cloth was sewn apart under the chest part and it swelled out like a bag, giving a slight sense of roundness even to Lucella¡¯s body which didn¡¯t require that space. ¡ªWhat¡¯s with this childish and lame yet cute underwear¡­ I feel like what I¡¯m wearing is worse than not wearing it at all¡­ Lucella was hit by an indescribable ticklish sense of embarrassment. It was better to just wear a pelt compared to this for sure. ¡°Are you fine with these clothes? Everyday clothes for girls are generally like this around these parts.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Viola had left the dressing room while Lucella wasn¡¯t looking and brought clothes. The first was a white dress that could be used as loungewear too. Above it, he wore a simple long cloth that only had a hole for the head which was fastened with a thin belt at the waist. It had a tartan pattern with a heavy focus on red, and it served as a coat. Viola had dressed him before he knew it and was sparking her eyes at her creation. ¡°Good¡­! This is very good! That wild pelt gave you an aggressive and a kind of pure aura, which was good too, but this is something else! As expected, the innocence that everyday clothes bring out has no equal! This combination should be the best match for you!¡± Viola was speaking even more energetically than before now that Wein was not here in this woman-only area. ¡°It just makes me want to dress you in red, despite the fact that it overlaps with your red hair. So, what does your dear mother think?¡± ¡°Err¡­¡± Kafal, who didn¡¯t know anything about clothes, just stood and watched Viola¡¯s work from the side. Seeing the dressed-up Lucella, she opened her eyes wide. ¡°Lucella¡­ amazing. Look¡­ like¡­ other¡­ humans¡­ but¡­ still¡­ Lucella.¡± She gently touched Lucella, brushing his hair that had been combed and put into a slightly better shape. It felt quite ticklish. ¡°And what about your own impressions?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better since it¡¯s lighter than the pelt¡­ but the ground feels unsteady and I can¡¯t calm down¡­¡± ¡°Come, look in the mirror!¡± Lucella thought he could tell what he was wearing by looking down, but once Viola dragged him to the mirror, he swallowed his breath. There stood a beauty decorated brilliantly in red. Viola¡¯s evaluation was by no means an exaggeration¡ª the girl in the mirror was pure and beautiful. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Cute.¡± Lucella muttered due to shock but then came back to his senses. Viola was grinning with a shine in her glasses. ¡°D-D-Don¡¯t misunderstand! I didn¡¯t mean it like that!¡± ¡°So it¡¯s not cute? What do you find problematic?¡± ¡°I mean, I would sound like a narcissist if I admit it¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with calling cute things cute? You have to recognize the reality for what it is.¡± Cute things were cute. That was certainly the truth. However, sensing his own cuteness was an unknown feeling for Lucella. His heart was beating faster than ever before. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°It is¡­ cute?¡± Kafal asked while tilting her head. ¡°Indeed. When you see something lovely that you want to hug and cuddle up to, we call it cute. Well, there are many examples and definitions for this word but¡­¡± ¡°Lucella¡­ cute!¡± ¡°Mggh!¡± Kafal leaped at Lucella with her chest and tackled, or rather, hugged her tightly. She seemed to have liked Viola¡¯s idea to hug and cuddle her and did just that. ¡°Cute¡­ cute¡­ cute.¡± ¡°Hey, come on, leave it at that¡­¡± But then, Kafal who was drowning in her cuteness suddenly stopped moving as if she came to her senses. As Lucella wondered what was going on, Kafal, still hugging her, looked at the pelt that he removed and folded. ¡°Pelt¡­ hate?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case!¡± Lucella vigorously shook his head. ¡ªI see, this is what Kafal gave me and what I wore all this time¡­ I guess it would feel bad to toss it away just because I came to the town. Thanks to the pelt Kafal gave him, Lucella managed to overcome the cold and maintain some self-esteem instead of running around naked in the mountains. However, it was a different situation now. He couldn¡¯t walk around dressed like that in a human town. ¡°Look, the people are all dressed like this here¡­ People, I mean, humans, have to dress according to the location. Just wearing a pelt isn¡¯t suitable in public, but it¡¯s fine on the mountain.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± He thought he explained it enough, but Kafal still remained feeling down. ¡ªHuh? That wasn¡¯t what she was concerned about? Kafal¡¯s hands felt almost like they were clinging to her. ¡°Come now, let¡¯s go and have everyone see it! As expected, my glasses were unerring! We have a peerless beauty here who can turn every head on the street in just everyday clothes!¡± ¡°What happened to not standing out?!¡± Lucella got cold feet but Viola forcibly dragged her out of the dressing room. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) The shelves lined up in the interior like that of a general store were displaying not accessories but ready-made goods, and a few customers were right in the middle of inspecting them. The women who reacted to Viola¡¯s voice and looked toward Lucella lost their words and even the passerby staff member did a trouble-take, while the parent and child who were not sure what to buy instantly decided to go with what Lucella was wearing. ¡ªWhat do you mean by peerless beauty¡­ What do you mean by peerless beauty?! Lucella felt so embarrassed his face was burning. It wasn¡¯t like he blundered or looked unsightly. He opened a door to a new world where he learned of a different type of embarrassment. ¡°You girls sure are excited there.¡± ¡°Oh, Tim.¡± The armored man who should have been gone to question Gemel was in the corner of the store and was engaged in a conversation with Wein. When he saw Lucella¡¯s appearance he gave a superb smile. ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s really cute. Color me surprised¡­ Huh, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, well¡­ hearing your reserved impressions felt more objective and I felt like my escape got blocked¡­¡± ¡°Escape? What are you talking about?¡± Lucella looked spent rather than happy from their compliments. ¡°¡­Err, did you find out anything about him?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, I was just discussing that with Wein.¡± Lucella decided to get to the main topic to try and forget about the clothes and this embarrassment. ¡°According to Gemel, he was never interested in his circumstances, and he never mentioned it either, so he didn¡¯t know it. And it seems like he was affected like everyone else with his name and records forgotten and erased.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it pretty cold to be so unfamiliar of your party members?¡± Wein shrugged exaggeratedly as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. It would be one thing if it was a temporary party member that joined for some goal, but it was rare not to know anything when it came to long-standing members¡­ Lucella somehow knew that much. Adventurer party members were in the same boat. Party members who entrusted their lives to each other not knowing about the others would need to have serious reasons. ¡°I already heard it in the guild, but he was apparently the manager of Seventh Dice.¡± ¡°A manager?¡± ¡°Basically he was doing stuff like the procedures at the guild and all kinds of odd jobs. So he got the adventurer qualifications and joined their party for that reason, but he didn¡¯t follow them to the quests. And the members of Seventh Dice also considered him a partial member.¡± I see, if he wasn¡¯t a member who fought alongside but instead a servant, that might make more sense¡­ Lucella started to think so, but it was still strange even then. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it strange? That nameless person got attacked and died to monsters in the middle of a quest, right? Why would a manager that normally didn¡¯t fight join on a quest?¡± ¡°My thoughts exactly¡­ According to Gemel, he was killed during the subjugation quest of the twin-headed skyshark last summer, so he apparently joined them on that day alone for some reason. Seventh Dice did actually accept the quest during that time, but something doesn¡¯t feel right here.¡± ¡°In other words¡­ Are you saying they might¡¯ve accepted that subjugation quest just so they could publicly attribute his death to that quest while hiding the real cause of it?¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t want to consider that, but¡­¡± One of them seemed to swallow the saliva. The conversation headed in a weird direction, the smell of intrigue drifting about. ¡°Well, our goal isn¡¯t to investigate how he died. If there¡¯s something fishy there it¡¯s the guild¡¯s job to investigate. Our goal is to follow his footsteps and gather information about the dragon language interpreter.¡± ¡°Do they really exist, though? Maybe the stuff about the dragon interpreter was just something he made up?¡± ¡°It seems that he wasn¡¯t known to be a liar, though.¡± With no real leads on their hands, Wein was showing some anxiety already. Lucella didn¡¯t know him either so he couldn¡¯t say for sure, but from the view of someone who had spent time with a dragon, he couldn¡¯t even imagine how anyone could learn a language so hard and half-doubted the existence of said interpreter. ¡°Speaking of which, Lucella, Gemel asked¡­¡± Tim started to say something but shook his head and disregarded it. ¡°Actually, never mind. He was probably just curious.¡± ¡°Huh? Okay then.¡± Lucella decided to not pay it any mind. Volume 1 - CH 28 Being in the bustling town of Kugutfulm, this building stood out for its noticeable silence. The gentle illumination of the magic lamps even gave it an atmosphere that made you sleepy. ¡°Library¡­ I feel like I remember this place too¡­¡± Lucella visited the library where bookshelves stood silently side by side. It was a small library managed by the town. The cheap-looking carpet spread below erased even the footsteps of the visitors and produced silence. ¡°I don¡¯t expect much, but let¡¯s search the town records to see if there are any records of them. Even if we can¡¯t find the info about the person, if there are records of someone searching for a dragon language interpreter it could still serve as a lead.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not the one who¡¯d be searching but the librarian.¡± Viola lightly waved her hand and disappeared to the library archive room along with a familiar librarian. The rest remained behind with too much time and nothing to do. In the silence that made you almost hear the book¡¯s breathing, Kafal observed the surroundings with keen interest. ¡°Books.¡± ¡°Yeah, these are books.¡± ¡°Lucella. Humans¡­ why¡­ make¡­ books?¡± She suddenly threw that fundamental question at Lucella, making him pause to think. ¡°¡­Humans have short lives and die easily too, so they may want to pass on their thoughts even after they die. But as there are too many humans, it¡¯s impossible to talk to everyone about it. So they needed a way to convey the words to many people without speaking by themselves.¡± Lucella considered the differences between dragons and people (particularly humans) and gave an answer based on what Kafal must have been puzzled about. This was a small library, but every book must have been filled with such hopes. ¡°Books¡­ record¡­ what?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, a lot of things. These ones are books about monsters. Those over there are geology-related¡­ This is a hot spring town so they must be substantial. And those are novels, in other words, story books.¡± ¡°Many¡­ kinds.¡± ¡°Yeah, there are a lot. But this library is still on the smaller side. Libraries are generally created by kingdoms and lords. So the stronger, bigger, and more forward-looking a kingdom is, the bigger its library. The royal library of Maltgartz for example is tremendously big¡­¡­¡­¡± Lucella was surprised by the words that slipped from his own mouth. ¡ªMaltgartz¡­ royal¡­ library? I know about it¡­? If you were to climb Mount Kuguse, you¡¯d need to come from either Maltgartz (north) or Setulev (south). Since Lucella remembered this town he felt like he climbed it from Setulev, but then why did he have memories about Maltgartz too? Setulev and Maltgartz were geographically close, but as Mount Kuguse was impossible to cross they were in reality very separated. Not to mention, Maltgartz considered Setulev a collaborator of their enemy nation, so what circumstances would have made him drift from there all the way here¡­ ¡°Lucella¡­ what is¡­ that? Kafal looked at a parent and child sitting nearby and asked. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°?Let¡¯s go stargazing? said Mr. Mouse. ?Yes, yes. Let¡¯s do that? answered Mr. Cat¡­¡± A young mother had her small child sitting on her lap and was reading a picture book to her. ¡°That¡¯s a picture book. They have many pictures, simple writing, and many tales intended for small children¡­ Small children ask their parents to read for them, and once they grow a bit they read on their own, and in the process, they learn how to read.¡± Feeling a sense of responsibility as a representative of humans, Lucella explained about picture books like an encyclopedia record, while Kafal¡¯s eyes remained on the parent and child reading one such picture book. The child was looking cheerfully at the picture book while the mother read it out for her quietly and with love. ¡°That¡­ I want¡­ to try.¡± ¡°¡­You mean, you want me to read it to you?¡± ¡°Will read.¡± ¡°Errr¡­¡­¡± Kufar suggested something tremendous and headed towards a bookshelf on her own. It was a short bookshelf so that even children could take out books on their own. ¡°Found. Same¡­ book.¡± Kafal took out the same book that the mother and child were reading and sat on the chair. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°¡­You want me to sit?¡± Here.¡± She was tapping on her lap repeatedly so Lucella was overpowered by the pressure. Once he timidly sat on her thighs, Kafal opened the picture book. There was a light watercolor drawing in it, hard to tell whether it was a cat or a girl. ¡°?Let¡¯s go stargazing? said Mr. Mouse. ?Yes, yes. Let¡¯s do that? answered Mr. Cat¡­¡± Kafal started reading the picture book with a sentimental voice like that of a lullaby. ¡ªShe¡¯s rote learning it?! I¡¯m not sure if she understands the meaning, but holy crap the dragon memory is something else! Kafal had probably never read the human language before. The reason why she chose the same book as the earlier family was that she could just read it aloud as she remembered hearing it even if she couldn¡¯t read it. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°Mommy, that girl is bigger than me but she¡¯s having the book read to her.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t say something like that. Everyone starts out learning like that.¡± The family finished their book and went to return it. The child pointed at Lucella dubiously but her mother remonstrated her for it. ¡ªT- The one learning here is Kafal, okay?! Lucella felt like he¡¯d turn into a human torch from the extreme embarrassment. ¡°Oh dear, oh my!¡± Viola who had returned at one point was looking at him with a blissful smile. ¡°Wh-, Ms. Viola¡­ help me¡­¡± ¡°Help you? How exactly?¡± ¡°Under the beautiful starry sky, Mr. Cat gave a kiss to Ms. Mouse¡­¡± Lucella felt like she was being tickled all over. Volume 1 - CH 29 It had been an hour since Kugutfulm was dyed by the evening glow. ¡°This¡­ Money?¡± Kafal held a coin shining in silver and analyzed it in detail with her slitted brown eyes. Dragons instinctually liked the treasures and were said to even snatch and gather the gold coins that humans made despite having no real use for them. Kafal, however, was seeing even this silver coin for the first time. ¡°Yeah. You know what money is, right?¡± ¡°Humans¡­ trade¡­ money¡­ for goods. Does¡­ not rot. Easy¡­ to carry. Can¡­ trade¡­ with¡­ unfamiliar¡­ people. With¡­ money¡­ trust¡­ unneeded. Invention¡­ to¡­ strengthen¡­ society.¡± Kafal expressed her opinion about money, her understanding was deep despite her poor language handling. ¡ªShe is not familiar with human society but grasps the concept really well. As expected, Dragons really are smart. While Lucella was impressed, Viola seemed like she had something to say about that. ¡°Is money really something so good? The world gets divided into people with and without money. On top of that, there are even those who resort to murder for money. Isn¡¯t it more like a necessary evil, if anything?¡± ¡°Fools¡­ bad. Money¡­ not bad.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I suppose that¡¯s true too¡­¡± Kafal¡¯s statement was tinged with a certain nuance. Rather than a philosophic statement, it felt more like her words contained something akin to irritation. ¡°Lucella. With this¡­ buy¡­ what?¡± Kafal returned the small silver coin to Lucella. They were having a little break now to fill their stomachs. Tim headed to the lunch vendor that sold extremely large portions, while Wein went to buy skewers at the stalls. It seemed that they commonly bought seven people¡¯s worth of food and ate with the three of them. They offered Lucella to buy his share too, but Lucella wanted to eat something different so he declined it. ¡°Those sandwiches over there.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Those?¡± Lucella pointed at the food cart on the outer edge of the fountain square, and Viola¡¯s expression turned bitter even though she wasn¡¯t the one who was going to eat them. ¡°Are you sane? Why would you buy those sandwiches that are filled with more leaves than meat?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what makes them good. I couldn¡¯t eat bread or any delicious, human-made vegetables in the mountains. It¡¯s been nothing but meat and fruit. Delicious they might be, I¡¯m longing for some sandwich now.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Viola seemed convinced after hearing the reason. Now that he returned to the civilized world, Lucella really wanted to eat bread and vegetables. ¡°Kafal¡­ too!¡± ¡°¡­You wanna eat? Actually, can you even eat with that body?¡± ¡°No¡­ problem.¡± Lucella hadn¡¯t included Kafal in the picture since human portions would be too small for her for one, and even if she could eat it, the one right now was just her clone, but it appeared that she was quite eager to try it. ¡°What do you wanna eat?¡± ¡°Same¡­ as¡­ Lucella. Will¡­ try.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± It seemed that she didn¡¯t particularly need to eat but just wanted to try eating what Lucella did. Holding the money, Lucella walked to the middle-aged woman at the stall. ¡°Give me two portions of ¡®vegetable and fish special sandwich¡¯ please.¡± ¡°Oh, little lady, is the second one for your mother?¡± The stall lady responded amiably. However, her smile dealt a shocking blow to Lucella, as if someone punched him from an unexpected direction. ¡°Errr¡­ yes.¡± Mother. That¡¯s what she called Kafal. The current Lucella and Kafal did resemble each other so much they would be identified as mother and child at a glance. So objectively, they would be thought of as such. In the first place, Kafal had given the name of her daughter to him and raised him. Lucella did see his current position as the foster child of a dragon. But still, even then. The middle-aged lady in front of him was the first person who referred to Kafal as his mother. ¡ªWhat the¡­ why do I feel this unfamiliar sense of embarrassment¡­ Not paying attention to Lucella feeling embarrassed, the lady started making the sandwiches with a hearty smile. ¡°That¡¯s so admirable. I¡¯ll give you some extra fish as a freebie.¡± ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) With skillful movements, she made two sandwiches packed full of vegetables and pieces of fish. Lucella received them in a bag and returned with tottering steps, still not fully recovered from the earlier shock. ¡°I bought it.¡± ¡°What¡­ did¡­ human¡­ tell¡­ Lucella?¡± ¡°Oh, uhh, nothing bad. Uhh¡­ ¡®you¡¯re a good girl to buy for your mother too so I¡¯ll give you some extra¡¯¡ª or something like that.¡± Seeing the anxious Kafal, Lucella quickly provided the explanation. ¡°Good¡­ human.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah. Probably.¡± ¡°Will go¡­ praise.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t! You don¡¯t have to do that!¡± Lucella stopped Kafal from going to the stall while acting three times more flustered compared to earlier. If she did something like that, his face would be set on fire for three days and nights. ¡°We brought lunch boxes¡­ huh, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Motherly love was about to explode.¡± The other two came back with this timing, each holding a big wrapping. The five people (or maybe four people and one dragon) sat at the edge of the big fountain and reached for their respective meals. ¡°Let¡¯s start then¡­¡± Looking at it again, the sandwich was fairly big. Or perhaps it was better to say that Lucella¡¯s body had grown smaller now so it looked bigger in his eyes. He opened his mouth wide and bit into the sandwich spilling with fresh veggies. ¡°¡­So good¡­ I never thought I¡¯d find bread and vegetables this delicious¡­¡± The vegetables felt crunchy with a pleasant tinge of bitterness. The bread was soft and wafted the scent of wheat. It if was grass that was just bitter, you could get as many as you wanted in the mountain, but the vegetables that had their taste adjusted through selective breeding were a product of a civilized society, to say nothing of bread and such. ¡°By the way, what do you think, Kafal?¡± Asked Viola who was devouring her lunchbox while sitting with a poor curled posture. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) ¡°Strange. This is¡­ new.¡± Kafal was eating the sandwich in slow bites as if to confirm its texture and taste. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯ve never eaten proper cooking? I have heard that dragons sometimes live like human nobles while served by countless monsters¡­¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, the famous Four-Colored Group was like that. They say dragons normally live using human forms.¡± ¡°Kafal¡­ different.¡± ¡°There are humans that prefer living primitive lives in uncivilized lands, but is Miss Kafal something like a naturalist category among dragons? Because I think it¡¯s quite rare even for independent dragons to be this thorough about it.¡± Lucella never thought about the matter this much, but it was certainly true. Dragons were often considered high-class and noble beings beyond humans. But their nobility differed in nature¡ªthere were some that were known for their graceful wild nature as Legendary Beasts, and there were also civilized ones that lived refined aristocratic lives, interacted with humans, and weaved dramatic tales Kafal¡¯s way of life was the former. Indeed, she led a life where she used her fangs and claws to hunt, strip and eat her prey raw and slept under the sky, so she probably didn¡¯t have experience eating properly cooked meals. ¡°How is it? Does it fit a dragon¡¯s taste?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know¡­ yet. But¡­ eating¡­ same as¡­ Lucella¡­ happy.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°What are you acting all embarrassed for? Oh you~!¡± Violla elbowed Lucellla. He could do nothing but continue munching on his sandwich. But then, when he saw Kafal in the corner of his vision, it felt like his face was brushed by a cold hand. ¡ªKafal¡­? Kafal¡¯s eyes, as she stared at the partly-eaten sandwich, were strangely serious and strangely lonely. Volume 1 - CH 30 Meanwhile, Gemel had drowned himself in alcohol. ¡°T-That monster¡­ It¡¯s him! It¡¯s definitely him! The mountain turned him into a monster and he came back, I tell yoo-woah! Bleagh! Hic¡­ H-He¡¯s gonna kill me¡­¡± Dangling a practically empty bottle with him, he wandered through the night city from street light to street light. He was alive. He survived in the dragon¡¯s mountain, consumed the dragon¡¯s power to grow strong, and now, he came down to the city. He got some details about that girl called Lucella from Tim and everything coincided. There was no doubt. That Lucella was ¡°he¡± whose name he had forgotten. Normally, this would be an absurd thing to even consider. But Gemel was someone who never thought too deeply about the details and this time it just happened to work in his favor to see through the truth. According to Tim, Lucella had lost the memories prior to entering the mountain. ¡ªMemories? He has no memories? Am I safe then? But if he remembers it, I¡¯ll become a murderer. Before that, that monster will kill me¡­ will kill me for sure¡­ In his fear, Gemel thought about what would be the best move now. But after drowning in alcohol and turning his simplistic thinking even worse, he came to a decision. ¡°Burp! Hic¡­ right, let¡¯s run¡­ Yeah¡­ I¡¯m gonna survive this, haha, wahahahaa!¡± Run somewhere far away. That was it. Adventures weren¡¯t bound to a place from the start. The Seventh Dice had enough power to go anywhere¡­ ¡°You¡¯re Sir Gemel, the leader of the Seventh Dice, yes?¡± When he was addressed, Gemel finally noticed the existence of a man standing before him. In the spiraling, rainbow-colored alley, he saw three men in black with two heads and four arms. ¡°Who¡­ outta the way, imma keep drinkin¡­¡± ¡°I heard you entered the depths of Mount Kuguse back when it was still off limits.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Those words made Gemel sober up a bit. Now the man before him appeared as one, with one head and two arms. Nevertheless, there was still a man in black. ¡°Agh? Da heck are you¡­¡± Gemel gauged the distance with the man in black, still holding the bottle of alcohol. Some people did know that Seventh Dice entered the mountain since he talked with some traders about it when selling the herbs, but someone approaching him in an alley like this about it would mean they had some kind of a motive. It could be a threat, or a threat, or maybe a threat. ¡°Please relax. I didn¡¯t come to blame you for it. Rather, I even admire you and would like to borrow your strength.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Gemel put his guard up but the man in black didn¡¯t move. He continued talking unconcernedly. ¡°I want a guide. How about it? Of course, I will provide appropriate compensation¡­¡± It was an honest and dry invitation like that of a thickheaded government official. Mount Kuguse was a silent mountain, but it was said that flames dwelled inside it. And that was the reason why the red dragon settled down on it. To back that claim up, hot water¡­ apparently gushed out of it from here and there. Lucella unfortunately never witnessed any of it during his stay on it, however. Building a hot water fetching facility there and creating a pipeline to the city would be a next-to-impossible task, but fortunately, there was a spring source at the foot of the mountain near where Kugutfulm was, so the hot water drawn from there was spread through the city. For that reason, this city had been known as a hot-spring resort since the old times. ¡°Is the water temperature good, Lucella? The water here is too hot so they cool it down before using it, but the equipment isn¡¯t maintained anywhere other than the place we use, so I¡¯m not sure how it is here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good¡­ I mean, I probably wouldn¡¯t get a burn even if it was boiling¡­¡± ¡°Ahahaha¡­ you have a point. I mean, boiling water wouldn¡¯t put a single wound on my beautiful skin either. You who lived on the mountain would totally be fine.¡± Inside the bath that was three times bigger than an average household¡¯s, Lucella was enjoying his first bath in a long while. Viola¡¯s voice came from the outside of the window where she was tinkering with the equipment. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) This was the inn that the Golden Helmet used as their base. This was the indoor bath attached to one of the guest rooms. ¡°So you¡¯re using the entire inn as a base? That¡¯s amazing. I guess that¡¯s to be expected of the city¡¯s top party¡­¡± ¡°I mean, this is Wein¡¯s grandma¡¯s inn. She¡¯s already old and couldn¡¯t handle the strain so she closed it down, but then we said we would use it. We have meals prepared for us and pay the ¡®hotel charges¡¯ too, but we can be flexible with it and choose not to accommodate guests when we are not feeling well.¡± ¡°¡­Mr. Wein¡¯s appearance made me think he was a fugitive or something, but he was actually a local huh?¡± Viola peered in through the window while laughing loudly. She was peeking quite shamelessly. However, the steam from the room quickly clouded her glasses. ¡°Ms. Kafal isn¡¯t with you?¡± ¡°She said she would come, but I told her not to.¡± ¡°Oh my, why did you do that?¡± ¡°Do you even need to ask¡­¡± Viola already understood Kafal¡¯s behavioral pattern very well. Kafal wanted to follow Lucella to the bath, but Lucella declined it. It was probably because he found it embarrassing in various ways, but Kafal was dejected by it for some reason, so Lucella felt like he had done something bad. ¡ªIs it really that shocking to be denied following me in the bath? For a Dragon, I mean¡­ She did lick my body all over in the mountain. Was she trying to do something similar in a human way? In the mountains, perhaps that was acceptable. But this was a human city. ¡°I think¡­ Kafal really wants to keep caring for me with all she has.¡± ¡°Perhaps. Why not let yourself be spoiled?¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± ¡°Is it embarrassing?¡± ¡°That¡¯s part of it¡­¡± To say it accurately, it was because he was embarrassed about being treated as a kid so much. But there was a reason why he started feeling that way. ¡°I¡­ feel like¡­ she spoiled me more on the mountain¡­ But that¡¯s because I was overwhelmingly weaker in the mountain, so I had to rely on her to even survive¡­ But this is a human city, and I¡¯m acting to protect Kafal now¡­ so maybe it¡¯s because my feelings are a little different now¡­ I mean, I guess part of the reason is the public gazes too¡­¡± If Kafal was still spoiling Lucella as before and simply chose the human method for it, this would probably make her very lonely¡­ ¡°Lucella!¡± ¡°Wah?!¡± But then, Kafal suddenly pulled the door open and entered the bathroom. She was originally a fake body being manipulated by magic, but the flaming dress was now gone from her body, leaving her stark-naked. Her skin was sublimely white. Her youthful and supple body had a perfect molding that gave a sense of functional beauty, but a certain part of her was in a heavyweight class, as if it was the symbol of motherhood. ¡°Wein¡­ taught¡­ me. Humans¡­ learn¡­ true¡­ feelings¡­ by¡­ ¡®naked relationship¡¯.¡± ¡°What did that b?a?s?t?a?r?d? teach you!!¡± ¡°Wash.¡± ¡°Wait, hold it for a second!¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Kafal, with a sponge in her hand, dragged Lucella out of the bath and had him sit before her, and then proceeded to polish every part of her body. ¡°So passionate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s normally something you say about lovers¡­¡± The spectator peeking from the window expressed her impressions. Volume 1 - CH 31 The dining hall where all twenty-odd guests likely dined together in the past now looked vast and empty, most of its desks and chairs packed in the corner. The men were on the rooftop downing the alcohol after the bath and playing Lord of the Tiles. Kafal seemed to be observing that while being taught half-truths about human culture by Wein. Lucella thought nothing fatal would occur since Tim was with them, but he decided to thoroughly ask what he taught her and correct it as needed. Lucella himself was now drinking milk after Viola¡¯s strong recommendation. ¡°Milk is tasty¡­ I don¡¯t remember liking it that much, but it sure tastes great after not drinking it for so long¡­¡± ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± ¡°I wonder why they drink milk at hot springs?¡± ¡°Who knows? I heard it was originally an eastern tradition.¡± Even condensed droplets in the glass felt pleasant. Lucella was cooling his flushed body with the cold milk. In the end, he ended up getting thoroughly cleaned by Kafal, and then stayed in the bath for a while in her embrace. ¡°¡­I wonder what I am to Kafal?¡± ¡°Where did that come from?¡± ¡°I¡¯m wondering why Kafal picked me up.¡± Lucella suddenly started wondering about that as if in reaction to her doting. It was something he kept asking himself even on the mountain. Since he couldn¡¯t ask Kafal, he had no choice but to just guess it, but now he at least had someone he could consult (¡­or at least hold a conversation with) about it. ¡°Ms. Kafal lost her egg last year in a flood disaster, right? Then maybe it was to compensate for the loneliness she felt?¡± ¡°Yeah, but I wonder if that isn¡¯t just a guess based on human standards¡­¡± ¡°¡­I have always been too absorbed in my monster research hobby and adventuring so I have no experience in love¡­ but I think, if she had sworn to offer everything to her child once it was born yet lost it, she would feel as lonely as her love was strong.¡± ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s true for dragons too¡­¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they feel even more sadness? Hued dragons (a general term for dragons like red dragons that are called by their colors) usually take forty years to raise their children.¡± That did make sense. But even so, Lucella¡¯s feelings were still hazy. ¡°But why was it me? There are countless humans in this world.¡± He felt happy on the mountain with only him and Kafal. But now that he came down to a city full of people, he finally remembered that there were more people in the world than just him and Kafal. Once he returned to the world of humans, Lucella felt like he awakened from a dream and found his mountain life very unnatural and insecure, as if all of it was something brittle that could crumble away at the faintest stimulus. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Viola also drank two cups of milk and lightly brushed down her flat-as-a-cliff chest. Being just out of the bath she wasn¡¯t wearing her unfashionable robe. She was instead in loungewear which was practically just underwear and had her short golden hair tied into a bun. Her bottle-bottom glasses were still on her, however. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine for there not to be a particular reason? Maybe because you just happened to be there. Fateful encounters don¡¯t need that kind of drama. Most of the world revolved through coincidences, after all.¡± It sounded like quite a bit of an extreme view of life. However, those words managed to convince Lucella. He even understood why he was feeling so uncertain. He wanted his encounter with Kafal to have some kind of special meaning. He wanted some kind of reason for the two to be together. In other words, Lucella didn¡¯t want to part from Kafal. When he realized that their relationship was unnatural ¡ªat least from the common sense perspective¡ª he had become anxious. Despite acting all embarrassed about being spoiled, he wanted to be spoiled in reality. But Viola said it was fine for it to be a coincidence. That it was plenty enough to connect Lucella and Kafal. That even if it was a chance meeting, that was no reason for the two to part. ¡°¡­..Ms. Viola, you turned out to be¡­ quite mature.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re praising or making fun of me there¡­¡± Sitting opposite him, Viola laughed while lightly pushing her glasses up. Volume 1 - CH 32 The room allotted to Lucella and Kafal for that night was extremely simplistic. It has one wardrobe, one small desk, two chairs, and¡­ ¡°One double bed¡­ I see, so they¡¯re telling us to sleep together.¡± In the compact room, a fluffy double bed stood imposingly. ¡°This¡­ is?¡± ¡°Uhh, well you lie down on it¡­ Oh, you don¡¯t have to curl up. Human bodies can¡¯t do that. Anyway, you then put the blanket over you and¡­¡± Though she obtained a temporary human body, Kafal was an existence beyond a human¡¯s common sense. She seemed to have trouble understanding how to use a bed meant for humans, she took a pillow and started swinging it around, so Lucella pulled her to the bed and lied down with her. ¡ªWait, what am I doing¡­ There were no problems. It¡¯s not like he hated sleeping together. They always snuggled together in the mountains, after all. But still, Lucella wondered whether this was really okay. Would imitating a human parent and child really be meaningful to Lucella and Kafal? He couldn¡¯t calm down, feeling as if he was suspended in mid-air. ¡°This¡­ size¡­ Lucella¡­ close.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± ¡°We¡­ slept¡­ together¡­ a lot. But¡­ now¡­ feels¡­ new.¡± Kafal hugged Lucella as if he was a hug pillow. Because Kafal wasn¡¯t used to creating a body yet, this magical body looked human on the outside but felt transient to the touch similar to a plushie. ¡°Kafal¡­ when small¡­ Lucella¡­ big. Full¡­ of Lucella.¡± Held to her soft chest, Lucella didn¡¯t know what face Kafal was making. ¡°Lucella. Does¡­ Lucella¡­ hate¡­ Kafal?¡± She spoke timidly. Yes, timidly enough to tell from her tone. The mighty dragon that trampled the mountain and dominated the skies¡­ was afraid. She uttered the world she feared. Her state had been a little strange since they came to the city. She appeared conflicted at times, and one moment she distanced herself and the next she clung close to Lucella. Her heart was filled with anxiety and had difficulty gauging the distance with Lucella. ¡°¡­No. I love you¡­ I think. I¡¯m not quite sure.¡± Those were his honest feelings with no falsehood or dodging the topic. He felt indebted, he learned of her gentleness, and thought she was a charming being. Even if he couldn¡¯t describe it, he still wanted to stay with her forever. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) If he had to express it with one word, ¡°love¡± should be appropriate. Though he did feel embarrassed about it. Hearing Lucella¡¯s answer, Kafal seemed a little relieved. ¡°Why did you ask me that?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± She stared at the dim ceiling for some time to collect her words. The gentle light of lamps or such was reflected by the river and gently spilled in through the window. ¡°Sorry. Human¡­ words¡­ difficult.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Instead of words, Kafal hugged Lucella tight. And then. ¡°Ngh.¡± She suddenly licked Lucella¡¯s cheek, so he ended up twisting his body. ¡°Do you¡­ hate¡­ it?¡± Seeing her so saddened, Lucella thought he screwed up. ¡°L-Listen, that¡¯s not it¡­ Humans don¡¯t lick like dragons do, because it has a different meaning. Uhh, w-when you¡¯re in your dragon form, you can do it.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Kafal hugged her once again, but a little moderately now. Lucella, too, lightly rubbed her cheeks on her chest in affection. Volume 1 - CH 33 A few days passed since Lucella and Kafal came down to the city. What they found out about Maltgartz was that it looked more suspicious the more they looked into it. The notice made by Maltgartz to the adventurer guilds of both kingdoms, which Tim had mentioned earlier, had also been published in newspapers, thus becoming accessible to the wider audience. At first, people were treating it like it was someone else¡¯s business, but once the rumors spread that several major merchants fled from the city, the atmosphere transformed completely. When it comes to moving a large number of people, there arises a need to supply them with food and daily necessities. When you get a hold of such information, it would allow you to figure out that a foreign nation¡¯s army was on the move. In other words, the merchants who sensed the danger through their merchant network crossed the borders and fled south to save themselves. The degree of certainty regarding Maltgartz¡¯s invasion was uncertain. Nevertheless, the actions of the prominent figures in the city had a significant impact on the public¡¯s perception, leading to a shift in awareness. Maltgartz was really trying to cross Mount Kuguse, and swallow Kugutfulm and Setuleve in one go¡­ There were some who fled while taking practically nothing but what they wore with them. There were some who started planning their escape. There were some who stayed in the city and prayed for nothing to happen. Either way, it was already a common understanding that if nothing changed Maltgartz was bound to attack sooner or later. There was news that the royal palace and the lord would make some kind of statement in regard to this so many people decided to wait and see for now, but it felt like they were looking up at a silent sky before the storm. Meanwhile, there were no leads about him who had talked about the Dragonian interpreter, and Tim had half-given up already. He had used an intermediary to contact the royal palace, but it was doubtful whether they would manage to get a lead on the Dragonian interpreter until the reply would come. It happened when they had just about checked every place that could have leads related to him and were running out of ideas. ¡°Adventurer manager¡¯s office?¡± ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a place like that in the city. They received the guild¡¯s authorization recently and started getting the guild¡¯s subsidiary fee whenever work is entrusted to them.¡± Lucella and co¡¯s destination was the McGregor Adventurer Support Office. This time, it was just Tim, Wein, and Lucella, while Viola stayed behind to look after Kafal. It was because, Golden Helmet, being the top party around, was quite famous, so having a conspicuous parent and child (in other words, Lucella and Kafal) along would attract even more attention. For that reason, they limited the members to the Golden Helmet people as much as possible and took only Lucella along when it was necessary. Kafal was quite reluctant to part from Lucella though. ¡°There aren¡¯t many adventurer managers in this city. I thought they might know about him through the same trade relationship.¡± ¡°I see.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) The adventurer manager work was quite rare worldwide, and Setulev was no exception. Perhaps because of that, their office was on the main street away from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. It was a little questionable why they specifically established the office in such a good place, but at any rate, that office was an artistic building that had a giant glass wall on the other side of thin white arch plates folded together like a spiderweb. ¡°I¡¯m the representative, Ivar McGregor. You must be Sir Tim, the leader of Golden Helmet. I¡¯m honored to meet you.¡± A suited man with combed-down hair welcomed Tim amiably. ¡°Oh, it seems that I¡¯ve become quite famous.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so modest. Of course, everyone would know the leader of the city¡¯s top party. Are you visiting for a manager request?¡± ¡°Ah, sorry, that¡¯s not it. We¡¯re investigating a bit of a strange case, you see¡­¡± In the glassed reception room with few items other than stylish ornamental foliage, Tim drank his tea from a strange container while explaining how he was searching for him and about the strange situation that he was involved in. Ivar listened to it with deep interest. ¡°¡­I see. I had my doubts about him too. I remember meeting him several times, but I couldn¡¯t even remember his name.¡± ¡°It seems that some strange power is at play here. I¡¯m not sure what it is, however¡­ Is there anything you can tell me about him?¡± ¡°I could only say that he was an excellent manager. And also, he worked here before I opened the office.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Ivar, who always acted in a calculated way and maintained the service attitude that smelled of hypocritical courtesy, seemed to praise him honestly. But he had no information to give. Even if he was someone of the same profession, he was still a mere acquaintance¡­ As Ivar thought up to that point, he suddenly remembered something. ¡°Oh yes, I remembered something. He seemed to often visit the Reiner Clinic.¡± ¡°The Reiner Clinic?¡± ¡°Mr. Charles Reiner. He quit at the end of last year, but he used to run a private clinic nearby. If I¡¯m not mistaken, he once cut our conversation short to visit the Reiner Clinic before it closed for the day.¡± ¡°I see, interesting. If it¡¯s a doctor there might be records left.¡± The guild had already confirmed that documents mentioning his name disappeared. But still, if there were documents without his name¡­ for example, if a file containing several sheets only had his name on one of them, you might be able to learn about him from the rest of the documents. Or, maybe they heard personal information about him during a chat in the examining room or something and knew more than Gemel. ¡°Thanks a lot.¡± ¡°Not at all. This much is not a problem. While you¡¯re here, Sir Tim, would you consider using one of our managers for your party?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. I now know about your excellence.¡± ¡°Your words are wasted on me¡­ Ah yes, one more thing. If you plan to run, I would suggest doing it fast.¡± Ivar suddenly dropped a bombshell as if to bring the conversation to the end. Tim, who was about to get up, remained in place as if bound and held his breath in silence. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) It was unknown how he obtained that information, but it was clear what he was implying. Maltgartz will attack so run. ¡°Are you fine staying?¡± ¡°I am from Maltgartz. I have connections there, so I can manage.¡± ¡°I see, got it. Thanks for the advice.¡± Ivar gave a hard-to-read business smile and Tim responded with the composure of a skilled adventurer. ¡°¡­Adventurer manager, huh¡­¡± As Lucella listened to their conversation, he thought about the ¡°manager¡± work in question. He seemed drawn to that concept for some reason. It felt like he was about to remember something. ¡ª¡ª¡°You already got the adventurer¡¯s license? Geez, I take my hat off to your dedication.¡±¡ª¡ª He was praised as such, he at least remembered that much. ¡ª¡ª¡°It makes me really happy that you¡¯re trying to save me so much¡­ But let me say this still. It¡¯s not a simple thing to follow someone leading a reckless life like me. If at any point you think you¡¯ve reached your limit, you should¡­¡±¡ª¡ª It was a gratitude mixed with a wry smile as if to hide one¡¯s embarrassment. Did he want to repay her? Did he want to be useful? True, that was part of it. But no, that wasn¡¯t all. If he was a manager, then even someone like him with no power could accompany¡­ ¡°Lucella? We¡¯re leaving.¡± Tim¡¯s voice brought Lucella back from his happy yet sorrowful reverie. The undying flames in Lucella¡¯s head licked and burned his memories emerging from the ashes. Volume 1 - CH 34 While Tim was investigating the Reiner Clinic, the rest of them headed to Adamant Sewing. It was because they were contacted that Lucella¡¯s equipment that they ordered was completed. Adventurers, for better or worse, were full of misfits and heretics that didn¡¯t fit in common sense. Tim suggested that Lucella, who had obtained the power of dragons, could somewhat alleviate his abnormality if he dressed like an adventurer. Thus, they ordered the equipment to be made using the pelts of the Variants that he brought back, but¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Eek!¡± Lucella raised that cramped shriek and became speechless. The pervert (Midum), on the other hand, looked self-satisfied. After putting the finished ¡°armor¡± on, Lucella was frozen from shock. If you were to describe it overall, it was a deep crimson dress, or maybe a mini-dress, that gave a similar vibe to the dress Kafal¡¯s clone wore. Under the exposed shoulders, the torso was tightly bound with a decorative belt, which was tied into a giant ribbon at the back akin to spread wings. The skirt with exaggerated frills had a hard texture and was quite short. It at least guaranteed that Lucella¡¯s underwear wouldn¡¯t be seen directly. The arm guards that looked like long, fingerless gloves had frilly flowers on the upper arms, and the leg guards that were like thigh-high stirrup leggings (tights-like garments with exposed heels and toes) were suspended like a garter belt. And what finished the set was a headdress that gave off both fancy and countryside vibes. Coupled with her red hair, she looked like a blooming flame flower. It looked childish, girlish, and, despite its low exposure, a somewhat indecent masterpiece where the artisan¡¯s skills shined in the uncalled direction. ¡°Right¡­ I forgot¡­ I forgot to tell her to make it an inconspicuous design¡­¡± ¡°Despite knowing that would end awfully if you left the design choice up to an eastern human or a dwarf¡­¡± ¡°H-H-H-How could I do something so blasphemous?! This! Is! The cutest! Design!!¡± ¡°I agree that it¡¯s cute but you¡¯ve overstepped into a territory that makes it impossible to defend you, you know?!¡± Adventurers sometimes dressed eccentrically to make themselves known. But this getup would most likely stand out as eccentric and peculiar even among them. It was equipment you could only wear if you abandoned some of your shame. In the mirror stood a cute girl whose getup would put something at risk. ¡°Oh my. I wonder who¡¯s that cute girl with such a humiliating getup?¡± ¡°Please face the reality¡­!¡± ¡°Is embarrassing the first thing you need to say? This is cutting-edge equipment!¡± The dwarf that looked no older than Lucella inspected the equipment state with heavy nasal breathing. ¡°Hear me out, ufufufufu! Adventurers tend to wear equipment with artistic designs, gehehe, to call attention to themselves, so this much falls in the normal category, uhehehehe.¡± ¡°Maybe I would¡¯ve believed you without that shady smile and laughter.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t it cute?¡± Lucella was stumped for the reply to that direct question. The problem was something else entirely, so if you asked whether it was cute or not, the answer was yes, it was indeed cute. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) The beauty¡¯s face in the mirror got flushed red. ¡°It¡¯s c-cu¡­ Um, was there a need to make the skirt this short? A little jump could be enough to make it visible¡­¡± ¡°Huh? It¡¯s supposed to be visible.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that weird?!¡± ¡°Listen. If an adult wore that it would give off indecent vibes. But if it¡¯s a child wearing it, people would just pass it off as ¡®cute¡¯!¡± Midum said something incomprehensible so Lucella decided to change her direction of protest. ¡°The exposure would just lower the defensive power¡­¡± ¡°The material is too strong, so if you imprison your body in it, that is, if you don¡¯t add any exposure it would negatively influence the biological magic power cycle. It wouldn¡¯t matter if an amateur with a weak body decided to wear it, but you have power that corresponds to that armor, right? Your torso which has many vital parts and limbs that are easily injured are properly guarded. So with that, I needed a bigger exposure on the lower part, and the relatively safe area was the thighs. If it was a guy just exposing their upper arms would¡¯ve done the job, but the biological flow of magic power is different in girls, you see.¡± ¡°¡­I-I see, so this armor is on that level¡­¡± ¡°It could be handled if I turned them into loose clothes, but those wouldn¡¯t work for a vanguard.¡± Lucella¡¯s argument was shot down with reason even in the functionality department, so he was stunned and speechless. Top-class female adventurers had a high degree of leg exposure. The reason for that was the functional aspect. ¡°No wait, even then, couldn¡¯t you have gone for a more subdued design or some¡­¡± ¡°Lucella¡­ cute.¡± ¡°C-cu-¡­ agh.¡± ¡°See! Even your esteemed mother likes it!¡± Since Kafal seemed happy, Midum found an excellent justification for herself. ¡ªFor dragons that fundamentally live naked, the threshold for shyness is something else¡­ Lucella didn¡¯t object that it looked ¡®cute,¡¯ but dragons and perverts¡¯ viewpoints were apparently irreconcilable with that of humans when it came to the problematic issues outside of that. ¡°I also made a few underwear using the material stock, so I¡¯ll hand them over too. Everything will be paid with the scraps of the pelt that remained. They look fragile but are actually stronger than steel and wouldn¡¯t be damaged be it using fire or acid.¡± ¡°T h a n k y o u¡­¡± Incidentally, regarding the underwear issue that was temporarily settled with bloomers, they would be completely visible with clothes like these. The underwear that Midum passed over to match the armor was naturally ¡®tight¡¯ and ¡°lacking in coverage.¡± Despite that, the ornaments imitating lace and cute ribbons attached to it made them quite ominous. ¡°Heey, are you do-¡­ woah!¡± Then suddenly, Tim entered the workshop, and bent backward in surprise when he saw Lucella as if he was smacked with an ogre¡¯s club. ¡°You said ¡®woah!¡¯ just now! You definitely said it!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it suits you and it¡¯s cute.¡± ¡°Look me in the eye!¡± The armored man decided to make no comment about the problematic aspect of it. ¡°B-By the way, I found that Charles Reiner guy.¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Wow, that was fast.¡± ¡°I mean, compared to the Dragonian interpreter that we aren¡¯t even sure exists, it¡¯s a former doctor even if he closed the clinic. It was easy to track him by tracing the rumors.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) Tim skillfully changed the topic. But as usual, his stern face turned bitter. ¡°But it seems he¡¯s famous in a bad sense. He apparently quit being a doctor due to some reason, and has been constantly drinking ever since¡­ They say he even attempted suicide once.¡± Volume 1 - CH 35 The entrance of that house had no signs of being cleaned for at least a few months. There was various garbage spilling out from the trash can outside and there was also an exhibition of alcohol bottles. It seemed that the owner at least had enough sanity remaining to take the trash outside, but he had no willpower or self-respect to throw them out. When Tim started knocking on the door, it took three knocks for the owner to finally show up. ¡°Y-Yea, what is it¡­? I should¡¯ve paid for the alcohol already¡­ right? I think I did¡­¡­¡± It was an unshaven, completely withered man. The man who looked both middle-aged and old looked timidly at Tim with unfocused eyes and sighed a breath reeking of alcohol. ¡°Are you Doctor Charles Reiner?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t call me doctor. I¡¯ve had enough of it. I¡¯m not qualified for that¡­¡± Charles looked away as if avoiding something awful smelling and waved his hand as if swatting a bug. But Tim and the other four (or maybe three and one animal? Kafal was together so she came too) didn¡¯t move. ¡°What do you want? Just go back already. I won¡¯t examine anyone anymore.¡± ¡°Do you remember the manager that worked with the party Seventh Dice?¡± His reaction was dramatic. Despite his drunk and hazy state, his eyes shot wide open on the verge of popping out of his thin face, then collapsed and started shouting while plucking his white-streaked hair. ¡°E-Eeek! Aaaaaaagh!!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?!¡± ¡°Hey, calm down!!¡± Tim practically seized him to lift him up as he writhed. ¡°Do you know what happened?!¡± ¡°I¡­I¡­ I¡¯m practically the one who killed him!¡± ¡°Calm down. Calm down and explain everything. We¡¯re searching for him.¡± Charles still had unfocused eyes, but he started speaking as if a dam had broken by water. ¡°He¡­ used to live with a girl ¡ªmaybe sister, maybe girlfriend¡ª called Giselle. Giselle was my patient. She suffered from a continuous curse¡­ and the only thing I could do was to extend her life slightly and relieve her pain¡­ When it reached the point of hopelessness¡­ he came to me and asked¡­ if there was a way to heal Giselle. And then¡­ ahh¡­ ahhhh¡­¡­¡± Charles¡¯ voice was mixed with regret so deep it seemed to reach the depth of the earth. ¡°And then I said it¡­ that a medicine made from a dragon¡¯s egg may be able to save her¡­! That guy definitely entered Moun Kuguse after that!! I¡¯m a murderer!!¡± Dragon¡¯s egg. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°Ah¡­¡± A voice leaked from Lucella¡¯s mouth. An egg before a new dragon would be born from it. It was the most condensed life force in the world. It was said that eating it would even bring someone from the brink of death. But it was nigh impossible to obtain a dragon¡¯s egg. As if to compensate for their longevity and mighty power, dragons rarely raised their young, so attempting to steal their eggs would be equal to provoking the wrath of the frightening and powerful dragons. But now, the red dragon of Mount Kuguse was incubating an egg. Given that she lived alone, perhaps it was possible to do it without being seen. ¡ª¡ª¡°Huuh? On Mount Kuguse? What business do you have there¡­¡±¡ª¡ª He knew. Gemel was a man not worth trusting. So he carefully avoided talking about his objective. He even kept the information regarding the location of the dragon¡¯s nest which cost him a lot to himself without sharing it. ¡ª¡ª¡°Okay, got it. Let¡¯s go with that. Whatever we obtain is all ours. You¡¯ll buy the thing you need for a reasonable price. It comes with a guiding fee, though. Can you afford it? Oh well¡­ prepare yourself to work your a?s?s? off for free for the rest of your life. If you run away, I¡¯ll catch you for sure and sell you off to a slave merchant or something, you got it?¡±¡ª¡ª He didn¡¯t care. If he could save Giselle, he didn¡¯t care what came after. No¡­ if he could only save her, he didn¡¯t care even if he had to offer up his life for it. ¡°I remembered¡­¡± And then. Finally, seeing the broken egg, Lucella silently understood it. ¡ª¡ªI see, so it has ended. For some reason, he was convinced of it. ¡°Lucella?!¡± Lucella turned his body around and broke into a run. He knew the location. He knew the path. He remembered the place where he used to live with her! He remembered it! ¡ª¡ªGiselle! Lucella dashed through the city like a crimson gale. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) He jumped over the buildings that were in the way like a dragon flying above them, shocking the passersby along the way. ¡ª¡ªHow could I ever forget you, Giselle!! Lucella pressed forward, urged by the months of impatience swooping down on him in one go. It was one of the old apartment buildings that overlooked the canal. A rectangular building stained dark by raindrop marks. It had a narrow hallway with mailboxes standing in a row. There was an item of artwork on the ceiling which apparently served as a magic lamp thirty years back. The stairs were dark as if sooty. And the door of room 202 which was left half-open. ¡°Giselle¡­!¡± A wind filled with moisture blew through. It blew inside as Lucella opened the door, rustling the window curtains inside. There was no furniture. Nor the window-side bed. Neither the chair before the hearth. The room was miserably empty of everything. Seeing how there was a single broom there, it seemed to be in the middle of a clearing. ¡°What are you doing, missy? There¡¯s no one in that room.¡± The manager appeared behind Lucella holding a dust cloth and a bucket. ¡°T-There used to live someone named Giselle here, didn¡¯t she?!¡± ¡°Oh, are you her acquaintance?¡± The old woman opened her eyes wide, finding the situation quite rare. And then continued. ¡°She died. Quite a while ago too.¡± Volume 1 - CH 36 This was a story from before Gizelle and ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö would drift to Kugutfulm. ¡°You can speak Dragonian?¡± ¡°Yeah. Well, it¡¯s nothing that great. There¡¯s just a little trick to it.¡± During their travels, one time when they were resting under a big roadside tree, Giselle brought up that topic. She pinched her peculiar hair spotted with white and flaxen. The ratio of white seemed to have increased in it¡­ at least compared to the time ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö and Giselle first met. ¡°You know, I used to be in the Maltgartz military at one point. I once used this hidden skill to negotiate with a dragon. But those guys went and did a sneak attack on it¡­ The dragon would obviously hold a grudge after that. Toward me, I mean.¡± ¡°Because of that, my body carries a curse. It is gradually being eaten away and I probably don¡¯t have much left. And given my state, no dragon would ever trust me again. Thus, they discarded me, and I¡¯m just one unimportant adventurer now. I mean, I¡¯d never wanna cooperate with those guys ever again anyway.¡± Strangely enough, Giselle¡¯s words contained neither resentment nor tragic resolve. She looked innocent like a kid feeling proud after telling an interesting story, which ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö found strange. Everything became clear. He whom they chased after turned out to be the former Lucella. It also became clear why Lucella was on the mountain. ¡°I see. So the Dragonian interpreter¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, it was Giselle.¡± They were in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s branch¡¯s consultation room that they borrowed. Lucella, Kafal, and Tim were now in that room, which appeared even more coercive with only chairs and a desk and no people in it. Giselle was an adventurer. And her roommate ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡­ in other words, Lucella, despite being a manager, was an adventurer too. Because of that, Giselle¡¯s belongings were looked after by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild now. That said, other than part of the articles that could become mementos, they had already disposed of everything else. Currently, Wein and Viola were searching for those items along with the Guild¡¯s staff. Lucella spoke everything he recalled. To Tim and others¡­ In other words, to Kafal too who was with them. Kafal was looking down in dejection. Lucella wondered whether she would despair and fly into a rage once she learned that Lucella who she adored like her daughter was actually an egg thief that aimed for her real daughter, but it didn¡¯t happen. What she was thinking¡­ he didn¡¯t know. ¡°Giselle was a frighteningly strong adventurer. But the curse had been eating her away for a long time, so by the time we came to this city she couldn¡¯t hold a sword anymore. So then¡­ I started working for her sake¡­ But of course, her situation only grew worse, and then¡­¡± Tim grit his teeth and slammed the desk. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°Gemel, that f?u?c?k?i?n?g¡­! I knew he was an awful b?a?s?t?a?r?d? but I never expected him to be such a scum!! That b?a?s?t?a?r?d? and his whole party vanished ever since he encountered you. He probably fled when he learned we would investigate your¡­ I mean, the former you, his situation, whose name has been lost. It would be over for them once everything was exposed.¡± Tim burned with righteous indignation as if it was about himself, but Lucella had no energy to even get angry. He was shocked after remembering about Giselle only to learn that she had died. He felt mortified for failing to save her. And regretted the fact that he wasn¡¯t with her at the moment of death. Along with all that, he was burning with feelings of guilt for having betrayed Kafal before they even met. He wished she would just tear him into pieces. ¡°Leader! Lucella! We found Ms. Giselle¡¯s belongings!¡± Viola barged into the room that was filled with the funeral atmosphere. Opening the box that she brought, there were small articles and personal accessories inside, along with a sealed letter. ¡°For some reason, only the first sheet of her testament is missing.¡± ¡°The first sheet of the letter¡­ That¡¯s where you normally write the name of the recipient, right? Is that why it disappeared¡­?¡± Lucella picked up the remaining part of the will for the time being. £½£½£½£½£½£½ Anyway, let¡¯s leave the talk about my boring story at that. My life after I met you was completely different from my previous one. I had already given up on everything and planned to just live what little life I had left, but because you were there with me, that time turned out to be surprisingly fun and unexpectedly long. I thank you for that with all my heart. The time I spent with you was a treasure more precious to me than that of any dragon. To be honest, I felt quite annoyed and uncertain about you at first. In this field, you get to save people many times, so I didn¡¯t consider you particularly special. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) But you turned out to be extremely obstinate. You followed me everywhere and even took the manager¡¯s qualifications to help me. Before I knew it, I felt happy about it, and eventually, instead of what you did, it was your feelings itself that made me happy. Truly, thank you. If you¡¯re reading this letter it means that you returned safely, but I failed to live long enough to see you. It saddens me that I can¡¯t meet you one last time, but I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re safe. But still, I won¡¯t tell you to forget me anymore, but I want you to be freed from me at least. Your life is yours to live. I died already, so there¡¯s no longer a need to be tied down by me. If you¡¯re up to it, go back to Maltgartz and seek a man named Shun. If you mention my name you should get good treatment. You should be able to live plenty well as an adventurer manager. Finally, I¡¯d like to repay you a little. The skill to converse with dragons that I kept a secret even from you¡­ I¡¯d like to give it to you as a present. I hid it in a place where we shared our first memories of this city. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to find it. You¡¯re free to use it however you wish. Goodbye. This parting brings me loneliness, but I knew it would come to this eventually. You¡¯re too kind, so this will probably bring you grief. But I pray that you overcome that grief and live strong. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) With Love ¨C Giselle Volume 1 - CH 37 It was the place where the highway from the east crossed the ridge. A place that offered a full view of Kugutgulm. The place ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö and Giselle first saw this city from. ¡°The place of memories¡­ should be here, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. At least I can¡¯t think of any other place¡­¡± Feeling the breeze, Lucella gazed up at the sky that filled his vision. His long hair and dress fluttered with the wind. Since it was such a good viewing spot, the travelers of the highway seemed to use it to catch breaks as there were things like logs that could be used as chairs and a stone encirclement for a bonfire. Looking around, Lucella wondered if there was any hiding spot here. ¡°¡­Giselle wouldn¡¯t even hold her sword anymore, so she couldn¡¯t have done anything extreme. But she did have a little bit of affinity for earth elemental magic¡­¡± Lucella sharpened his senses and probed for the signs. He was trying to read the invisible flow that constantly traveled through the world. And then, he found a place that stood out a little. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± There was a single rock that was just big enough to sit on. Lucella moved it away and carefully dug the ground under it with his hands. It didn¡¯t seem to have traces of being dug up, but eventually, after he dug about 30 centimeters down, his hand reached something. It was a small gunny bag, a storage magic item. It could only store things about as big as its appearance suggested, but since it was a magic item enchanted with storage magic, things that were put into it were thrown into a sub-space and could be preserved without deterioration. Lucella turned the bag inside out. And then, a gold ring with a meshed pattern rolled out of it. ¡°A ring¡­?¡± ¡°Excuse me for a bit.¡± Viola inspected the ring with a shine in her glasses. ¡°It¡¯s a magic item. There are many precedents of magic items bestowing linguistic competence to their equippers, but one that bestows Dragonian is normally unheard of. It¡¯s extremely precious.¡± The ring was heavy, cold, and small. ¡°I suppose¡­ we¡¯ve accomplished our goal.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Lucella responded half-absentmindedly. The reason they traveled all around the city the past few days was to find a Dragonian interpreter. That said, they didn¡¯t actually need the person, but instead, they just needed it to make high-degree mutual communication possible with Kafal who was bad at human language, so looking at it that way, finding this magic item fulfilled that condition. Setting aside whether that was actually something to be glad about. ¡ªKafal¡­ I wonder what she¡¯s thinking about all this? Did she understand that I went to the mountain to steal her egg? Or did the language barrier get in the way¡­ Yeah, no way. Kafal simply stood there and watched the situation unfold. She seemed calm, but Lucella couldn¡¯t even understand the reason for that. Lucella decided to try the ring. With it, they would overcome the language barrier. He would be able to hear her true feelings. But before that could happen¡­ ¡°Ah¡­!!¡± Kafal suddenly screamed with uncharacteristic urgency. All four of them glanced at her. But by then, her clone form had already faded and had a hazy contour. ¡°Kafal?!¡± ¡°No¡­ Dangerous! Humans¡­ coming! Lucella¡­ run¡­!!¡± And that was the end. Kafal¡¯s body disappeared abruptly, leaving behind a terrific silence with only the sound of the wind. ¡°She disappeared¡­ huh? Disappeared¡­?¡± ¡°Hey, look!¡± No. There were sounds of violent battle mixed with the wind. A giant silhouette took off from Mount Kuguse. The giant crimson dragon roared in pain and shook the mountain. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°Wait¡­ it can¡¯t be¡­¡± Something akin to winged insects were coiling around her. What was necessary to hunt a dragon? The most important thing was to not let it escape. If it escaped to the skies it would make attacking difficult and the situation would turn on you. You could end up facing its magic and breaths from the sky one-sidedly. Thus, the best plan was to deal a preemptive strike and bind it so it wouldn¡¯t escape the ground. The giant dragon flapped her wings and squirmed like a butterfly caught in the spider¡¯s web. There were several giant harpoons like horseback lances stabbed into her wings. The harpoons had garbs and were connected to adamantine chains on the back which stretched from the ground below. ¡°GROOOAARRRR!!¡± ¡°Surround it!¡± In the world there was a magic called ?Air Step? and those using it could run on the empty air. Learning how to freely walk through the sky needed long training, but the masters that accomplished it could even battle the dragons that dominated the skies. Several warriors dressed in strange armor similar to black raincoats were circling around the red dragon¡¯s giant body three-dimensionally. She swung her sharp-clawed arms around and moved down with her tail. A direct hit would lead to great damage, or in the worst case death, regardless of how tough they were. However, these people were dragon-hunting specialists that underwent hellish training. They already had experience battling a dragon before and belonged to a clan that had dragon-slaying skills handed down through generations. Maltgartz had paid them good money to invite them and have them battle together with their army. ¡°Weaken it! Bind its wings more!¡± ¡°Fiiire!!¡± A man holding some kind of small canon fired a harpoon from it. The chained harpoon put another hole through her wing. ¡°Graah!¡± ¡°Hit confirmed!¡± The man attached a long extension chain to the chain at hand and threw it toward the ground. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) The Maltgartz soldiers positioned there grabbed it and tied it to a stake nailed into the ground there. There were already several such chains there. The dragon Anchors stabbing into her wings not only tied her to the ground but also restricted her wings and dulled her movements. ¡°GRRROOAAAAA!!¡± The red dragon spewed flames toward the ground forces. A gigantic fireball fell down as if the sky had burned and crumbled. However¡­ Several walls of light manifested and connected together like a roof, protecting them from the breath. They were defensive arms that used magic power to deploy. Dragon¡¯s breath was also a type of magic, and its power had decayed due to the distance. As she was flying as high up as she could to escape, she wasn¡¯t able to pierce their defenses. ¡°Heal the wounded! Just don¡¯t stop restricting it!¡± ¡°The second unit, deploying! The first unit, cover! Its right side is shorthanded. Do a pincer attack!¡± The Maltgartz army also moved to cover the dragon hunters working as vanguards. Their aerial cavalry that rode hippogriffs charged toward the sky. The hippogriffs had the head and wings of the eagle, the lion¡¯s upper body, and the horse¡¯s lower body, and were the most popular mounts for aerial combat. They were two sizes bigger than horses, so though they weren¡¯t good at close-quarters maneuverability, they were good enough to compete with the current dragon with its dulled movements. A hippogriff rider avoided her poor-timed breath and closed in, stabbing a giant lance into the dragon¡¯s abdomen. ¡°GROAAAR!¡± Blood burst out along with a roar of anguish. This spear was no ordinary spear either, but instead was a magic item ¨C Anti-Dragon Weapon, which was enchanted specifically to deal big damage to dragons after researching and analyzing their body structure. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time now! Keep up the attacks! Once it gets tired and drops to the ground, it¡¯ll be over!¡± The commander issued the manifesto on the ground. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) When it came to an army as big as Maltgartz¡¯s, they had a certain number of superhumans that could fight with dragons. Those warriors were currently observing the battle of the dragon hunters and the aerial cavalry, waiting for the aerial battle to end like tigers lying in wait for their prey. Volume 1 - CH 38 Maltgartz¡¯s stronghold was located in a place somewhat separated from the battlefield. Under the tent that protected him from arrows and magic, Marquis Kenneth Angus who commanded the dragon ¡°elimination,¡± listened to the subordinate¡¯s report. ¡°What is the situation?¡± ¡°It is going favorably at present, General.¡± ¡°I see. His Highness will be delighted.¡± Kenneth, who donned luxurious armor and had his beard fixed in a curled shape, nodded over and over, and then glanced at the four people standing by in the corner of the tent. ¡°You did well, adventurers. Your guidance was truly accurate.¡± ¡°Oh, glad to hear that¡­ I mean, we have gone to the depth of the mountain before.¡± The leader of the party Seventh Dice, the giant fighter Gemel, looked appreciative of Kenneth¡¯s words. Mount Kuguse was the biggest obstacle in attacking Setulev. Even for hunting the dragon, they needed a guide who knew the terrain well, but they couldn¡¯t find anyone useful in Maltgartz. In Maltgartz, where the officials handled most of the work that adventurers normally did, there were few freelance adventurers who stepped into unexplored regions seeking money or adventure, and their relations with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, which held the information about them, was poor. Thus they tried searching for ones in Setulev instead, and immediately found them. Adventurers who were familiar with Mount Kuguse, had at least above-average skill, and would stop at nothing for money, even breaking the ban to enter the mountain. ¡°So, uhh, about the officer thing we talked about¡­¡± ¡°Oh yes, I will put in a good word for you. It¡¯s a cheap reward to pay. We in Maltgartz always welcome skilled exterminators, so by all means. You will be welcomed with the highest recognition.¡± ¡°Thanks for that¡­!¡± ¡°Right. You may withdraw already. Have some rest.¡± The candy they used to bait Seventh Dice, which seemed to be troubled by money, was the talk about officers. Monster exterminators belonging to Maltgartz weren¡¯t quite recognized as knights but still served royalty, in other words, they were officials. The kingdom would be covering their cost of food. ¡°Hehehe, do you know? Maltgartz exterminators make even more than average adventurers. I mean, they get a salary even when there¡¯s no work. If we became the highest ranks¡­ hihehehe! Well, that evaluation fits us perfectly!¡± ¡°Yeah! The Kugutfulm b?a?s?t?a?r?d?s? had no eyes, I tell you! But those who can tell know it right away!¡± The four adventurers talked about money and laughed sleazily as they left. ¡°It¡¯s good that they¡¯re such a naive bunch.¡± As Seventh Dice left, Kenneth spoke with a cold, condescending tone. ¡°Are you sure it would be a good idea to recommend scoundrels like them?¡± ¡°Those with adventurer origins are ultimately all like that. I have no expectations. But they have some skill, so we can just keep sending them to the front lines until they die.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Officers had their duties. They were outlaws that seemed to fail to realize even that. Did they really think Maltgartz would properly treat people like that? They took the officer matter at face value without considering anything, so it saved them quite a big trouble. Four people were going up the road they came down a few days back. They crossed the thickets, ran up the boulders, and ran up the waterfalls using protrusions as footings. ¡°F?u?c?k?! This is too damn quick!¡± Tim, who was casually charging through the mountain road despite his heavy armor, cursed openly. It happened while they were taking their time to search for the Dragonian interpreter. No, they weren¡¯t taking their time. This simply happened too fast. According to Tim¡¯s hearsay about the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s judgment, Maltgartz didn¡¯t seem to have information about Mount Kuguse, so they would be doing the investigation first based on how they acted. Lucella, who knew Maltgartz¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s situation also agreed to this point. They moved faster than was estimated. It felt like that. ¡°What should we do?! I mean, what do you plan to do?! I will help if I can¡­ but we¡¯re up against an army that came to kill a dragon, you know?!¡± Given the situation, Lucella was now dressed in that embarrassing combat outfit that he had previously taken off. They weren¡¯t in the city so no one would see him. Rather, the short skirt instead made it easier to move compared to the dress if he dashed without care about his panties being seen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Adventurers have their way of fighting. I wouldn¡¯t even dream of getting on Maltgartz¡¯s bad side by getting in their way, but it can¡¯t be helped if it¡¯s out of our hands.¡± The armored man gave a calculated stern smile. ¡°They¡¯re trying to take down a mighty dragon as humans, so dragon subjugation is very delicate work! I doubt they have leeway now. In other words, there¡¯s a high chance that we can throw their entire plan off if we just break one gear of it!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be another story if we directly get in their way¡­¡± Wein, dressed as a phantom thief, looked behind to confirm the situation. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°If the monsters chasing us just happened to head their way, we wouldn¡¯t be at fault, would we!! You f?u?c?k?i?n?g Maltgartz b?a?s?t?a?r?d?s?¡­ You made a blunder with this quick action. Setulev¡¯s Adventurer¡¯s Guild will issue the restricted area designation the day after tomorrow! They will prove that we¡¯re not to blame for this!¡± ¡°Grrrraaahhhhh!¡± ¡°Grooooaaaahhh!!¡± Several roars arose like an echo. The four weren¡¯t running as fast as before. There was a giant lizard dripping poison from its head. A fierce beast that looked like a combination of lion and tiger with an octopus on top. A flamethrower rhinoceros beetle the size of a cow. And many many others. They were adjusting their speed so that the Variants chasing after them would be able to keep up. ¡°Come now, come! Doesn¡¯t it smell real nice you b?a?s?t?a?r?d?s?!¡± ¡°Roooaaar!¡± ¡°Hissssss!¡± Wein scattered the pink sand from a large bag as he ran. That caused the monsters to get even more agitated and charge at them in half-frenzy. They were rushing at them so madly they just crashed through the trees without a care. ¡°That¡¯s the monster attractor and stimulant! Only crazy people would use it in this situation, though¡­¡± ¡°No worries! We¡¯re crazy enough!¡± Their group which kept growing larger and larger rushed on toward the dragon¡¯s nest with enough force to almost split the mountain in two. Volume 1 - CH 39 A loud sound shook the mountain. ¡°¡­Roooooooaaaaarrrr¡­¡± The soldiers trembled with fear from the dreadful tune akin to the wind blowing through a cave. ¡°W-What was that? That wasn¡¯t a dragon, right?¡± ¡°Calm down you all. We¡¯re on Mount Kuguse. It¡¯s not strange to hear monsters around. The exterminators protect our encampment, so stop fearing. If you start trembling and lose mobility, you¡¯ll end up as the dragon¡¯s food all the more.¡± Spoke the knight commanding the soldiers. They had bound the dragon to the ground and were supporting the aerial battle with magical arms. If the soldiers started making mistakes in agitation the dragon hunt could end in failure. However, the Variants had already decreased in number and they hardly ever approached the dragon¡¯s nest anyway. And there were finely selected hunters standing by to hunt the dragon when it fell down, so even if the monsters found their way here, they could just scare them away. ¡­But that plan crumbled away the moment he saw adventurers noisily rolling out of the bushes. ¡°Adventurers?! You b?a?s?t?a?r?d?s?, this place is off-lim-¡± ¡°Run! It¡¯s dangerous! Actually, help us pleaseee!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Following that, abnormally deformed monsters started flooding out, and in an abnormally excited state at that. ¡°GROAAAAAR!!¡± ¡°A-Aaaagghhh?!¡± Several soldiers were instantly turned into bloody lumps of meat by the fangs and claws of the bests. This unexpected abnormality threw both the soldiers and the knights into confusion faster than they could feel fear. ¡°What the?!¡± ¡°Variants are attacking!¡± ¡°What are the exterminators doing!¡± ¡°Why are there so many?!¡± Even a single Variant was strong enough to be beyond a normal person. But now, there were at least ten of them. No, there were still more¡ª there were sounds and presences of more things coming toward them while toppling trees and bushes along their way. The soldiers here had no way of knowing it, but the exterminators that were guarding them while standing by had already fled in defeat. Even if they were strong warriors, they had no hope of taking on this number of Variants at the same time. ¡°Move! Move!¡± ¡°Aagh! Don¡¯t come heree!!¡± ¡°Gyaaaahhh!¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Even as the monsters chased the fleeing adventurers, they still attacked anything in their path due to their excited states in every possible way. They bit, they crashed, they tore. They spewed flames, dropped magical lightning, and spit acid. The surroundings quickly turned into a scene of hell. The adventurers were running about like drunk bees, so everyone around was getting rolled up into the monsters¡¯ rampage. ¡°S?h?i?t?, the dragon!¡± They finally noticed it once someone screamed. The stakes that were binding the dragon to the ground had been turned useless, either mowed down and rooted out or melted and rotted by the acids. Being freed from her restraints, the dragon flapped her wings with all her might despite the harpoons and chains still dangling from her wings. ¡°GROOOOAAARRR¡­!¡± The sky flared up. Her claws and tail danced in the air as she spread her breath around, mowing down three hippogriff riders coiling around her with one shot. The dragon hunters got wrapped in flames and also started to withdraw. ¡°It¡¯s a lost cause, run!¡± ¡°Where do we even run?!¡± ¡°You b?a?s?t?a?r?d?, you stepped on my foot!¡± ¡°Moooomyyyy!!¡± The ground units could no longer support the aerial fight either. Amidst the instinctual rampage of powerful monsters, those that barely survived threw down their weapons and ran away. They failed to even realize that the adventurers had disappeared somewhere during all this. ¡°We did it¡­!¡± ¡°Haha! That¡¯s how you do it!¡± The four of them were overlooking the situation from a little distant elevated point. Once they led the Variants there, they used Viola¡¯s teleportation magic to lose them by taking distance, and by erasing their smell, they also erased the stimulant they had been scattering on their way, so the monsters had switched their target to those present on the scene. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) As a result, the ground unit that had caught Kafal was destroyed. ¡°Lucella!¡± They heard a familiar voice from behind. ¡°Kafal, are you okay?!¡± Kafal¡¯s clone with a flaming red dress stood there. The battle was still ongoing in the sky, but she had prioritized creating a clone and coming here over finishing the battle. She was in dismay and worried for Lucella as if she had witnessed the ruin of the worst kind. ¡°Why¡­ come. Dangerous. Human¡­ kingdom. Lucella¡­ will be seen¡­ as enemy too¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say something like that. I came because I wanted to save you¡­ That¡¯s all there is to it.¡± If Lucella fought with a human kingdom, he would no longer be able to stay in human society. Yes, Kafal was worried about that. However, it was a needless worry. ¡°Thank you. For telling me to run when you were in a life-or-death situation. I¡­ now understand that you value me more than yourself.¡± ¡°Lucella¡­¡± Lucella looked at the thing he was holding. It was an ornament made out of hard shells of nuts, the most vivid parts of a monster¡¯s skin, and well-shaped bones. It has gotten torn, scattered, and stepped on during the chaos, so many parts were broken. The horn ornament that Lucella gifted Kafal. Or what used to be that horn ornament. It probably fell off her horn during the battle. It had fallen at that place, and he picked it up. ¡°Tim. You said that adventurers have their own way of fighting, right?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± Lucella spoke with a hoarse voice akin to a burning hammer hitting the steel. ¡°Then from here on it would be a dragon¡¯s fight! Screw the laws and kingdoms! We don¡¯t need humans! I¡¯ll let them experience it firsthand¡­ what happens to fools who lay waste to our domain!!¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Lucella¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, not even knowing whether it was from anger or sadness. Volume 1 - CH 40 *Japanese uses the term Äæ÷[ (gekirin) which literally means ¡°reverse scale.¡± It is said that dragons have a single scale growing in reverse under their chin/neck, and touching it enrages them, thus it¡¯s used figuratively as something that shouldn¡¯t be touched. Adventurer managers knew that when fighting against an organized group of monsters, it was better to start by defeating their leader first. In the mountain, a little separated from the hunting ground. In the headquarters of the Maltgartz army, the exterminators and hired dragon hunters who survived the raid were gathered along with the knights and soldiers that guarded the general. The soldiers were preparing the defensive magic items and shifting their formation so they could retreat while fending off the attacks. ¡°Everyone be silent! Get ready to evacuate. As long as you remain calm, running away from a dragon is nothing! The ones who panic will be the first to die!!¡± The general with a spiral mustache and luxurious armor commanded the agitated subordinates. If some people started running away aimlessly in fear, they wouldn¡¯t be able to evacuate properly, and those who fled while leaving them behind would too die in their failed attempt. In that sense, what the general was saying was correct, and judging by his resonant way of speaking, he had a decent commanding ability too. ¡°Wrong. You¡¯ll be the first one to die.¡± Lucella boldly made his way through the soldiers who were preparing to flee and stood before the general. ¡°What did you say, little girl? Who are¡­¡­¡± The moment their eyes met the general¡¯s eyes shot open and he shrunk back in fear. ¡°E-E-A-Aeeeek¡­!¡± ¡°Oh, so you can tell the difference in strength.¡± ¡°H-Hewp¡­Hewp me¡­¡± ¡°I can tell it too¡­ that you¡­ are a weak little garbage compared to me!!¡± Lucella leaped at the general who was begging for his life while trembling, slapped him through the helmet and knocked him down, and slammed down the sole of his foot into his armored chest with all his strength. ¡°Gphaa!¡± His gaudy armor felt heavy and thick. Since a general wore it, it must have been quite a valuable magic item, so it should¡¯ve been strong enough to block an elephant¡¯s charge at least. But the armor cracked and broke with just one kick from Lucella, and even what was inside was a mess. The blood spurted from the general and he never moved again. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± Lucella lost his interest in the general already and glared at the dumbfounded people all around. It felt like his breaths were accompanied by fire. ¡°W-Wha-¡­ D-Dieeeeee!!¡± The ones who moved first weren¡¯t the superhumans who were used to dealing with monsters, but rather the knights who were anti-human specialists. It was an incomprehensible situation, but they bared their swords in desperation in reaction to their general¡¯s murder. They wouldn¡¯t get careless or merciful even if the opponent looked like a little girl. Even if they were confused, their actions were those of warriors well experienced in killing humans. However¡­ at almost the same time¡­ There was a strong flapping sound of wings. ¡°¡°GRROOOOOOAAAARRRR!!¡±¡± Kafal in the skies, and Lucella on the ground. Their overlapped roars split the heavens and shook the earth. The clouds got shredded and disappeared, and trees raised creaks as their leaves and branches got blown away. Ground cracked around Lucella, fissures running like a spiderweb. All who lacked courage were robbed of their consciousness in one go, while those who had it collapsed with their ears spurting blood. Kafal lowered her altitude as the winds roared. Then she inhaled from the gaps in her fangs, swelling up her belly. ¡°GRAAAAAAHHHH!!¡± And then spewed the fire breath toward the knights. It was no mere fireball. It crashed down with so much pressure that it turned into a flaming mass that crushed everything to death. Several armored knights got blown away while burning. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) Lucella immediately searched for the signs of life. Those that were already dead. Those that were drawing their last breath. And there it was¡ª someone still alive! Without a moment¡¯s delay, Lucella snatched a short spear that was leaning on a wall inside the encampment. ¡°Yaaaahh!¡± The spear flew with so much force it scorched the atmosphere, and skewered a knight in the air along with his armor before he could hit the ground. ¡°¡­Actual weapons sure are sturdy, huh? The spears I made by tying magical beast fangs to a pole were sharp but they broke right away.¡± The one he threw was a relatively common mythril spear, but thrown with Lucella¡¯s might it was a deadly weapon. As it seemed, human technologies weren¡¯t without their worth when it came to mass-producing durable things. As Lucella was thinking of such things. ¡°Shoot heeeer!¡± ¡°Ah-?!¡± The exterminators released their bows. Adventurers that entered unexplored lands couldn¡¯t thoughtlessly increase their luggage so they tended to just focus on mastering a single weapon they are best at, but the exterminators from Maltgartz used several weapons to deal with different situations. Bows were effective weapons to take down¡­ or at least wound the enemy that shouldn¡¯t be approached. Drawn by their superhuman strength, the bows would turn into fearsome weapons that could even pierce the thick skins of the magic beasts. Not just the bows, even their arrows were specially made. Arrows that had not just arrowheads but even their shafts made of adamantite were quite heavy and expensive, but they were powerful! And several of such arrows were flying sharply at Lucella now! Before long, they collided with Lucella¡¯s body¡­ and fell flat to the ground. ¡°¡­.S?h?i?t?¡­ I thought my new clothes would get torn up!¡± ¡°Huuh¡­?!¡± ¡°Actually, that hurt a little. What was that for, you b?a?s?t?a?r?d?s?!¡± The defensive clothes made of Variant skin boasted a frightening level of defensive power. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Its power was drawn out by elaborate processing, so they were even stronger compared to when the skin owner was alive. Even if the armor deflected the arrows, with so many sharp attacks hitting you, the shock transmitted to the flesh under it would normally deal significant damage, but Lucella was in no way normal. He immediately moved to pay back for the attack. ¡°Get burned!¡± It was a feeling falsely similar to using magic. He controlled the power revolving inside his body and connected it to this world. Heat flowed into the earth, spreading cracks through it. ¡°Gyaaaaaa!¡± The surface spurted the flames. They spewed out as cracks continued to form. Those flames coming from the spiderweb-like fissures around Lucella continued to turn the surroundings into the kiln of hell. ¡°What is that magic?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not magic. I only just realized I could do things like this, though.¡± Lucella¡¯s attack seemed like something magic-related at first glance. But the exterminators seemed to have realized that it was different. In the case of magic, it was possible to read the flow of magic power and react to it at least at the same time as it activated, even if it was an instant spell with the omitted chant. But Lucella had created flames as naturally as if blinking, so they failed to react to it in time and took the blow. ¡°It¡¯s a fire breath.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the throat of a dragon, so sorry about the improvisation!¡± Lucella suddenly swung his arm. The next moment, the flames gushing out of the ground moved as if they were sentient, attacking the exterminators that luckily managed to avoid a direct hit before. Mount Kuguse was a mountain that slumbered with the flames it carried. The flame factors contained in it were dense and woke up by using a dragon¡¯s roar as a catalyst. What Lucella caused was not quite on the level of a volcanic eruption, but the squirming, spreading torrents of red were just like a flash flood of fire. ¡°Aaaaagghhhh¡­.!¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) They were squashed. Lucella¡¯s flames burned even the superhuman bodies of the exterminators. ¡°GROOOAARR!!¡± A genuine breath came from above at the same time, scattering and scorching the fleeing soldiers to death. There was no longer a single person who stood up to fight them. They were all betting on their small chance of survival and fled. But that was no reason for angry dragons to stop fighting. ¡°Hmm?¡± Lucella spotted someone among the fleeing men. ¡°Gemel.¡± ¡°Eeek!¡± It was a man he remembered. ¡°You already realized who I am, right? I also remembered¡­ Everything that I had forgotten.¡± The giant man donned in adventurer armor froze in place as if his feet got sewn to the ground and timidly turned around. Volume 1 - CH 41 ¡°I¡­ endured it. I thought¡­ it was all I could do, so even if you called me a f?u?c?k?i?n?g parasite, handyman or whatnot¡­ I still tried my best so you¡¯d think it was worth hiring me¡­¡± Lucella¡¯s head was filled with memories of Gemel, which were 90% unpleasant and 10% neutral at best. He once worked hard under Gemel. He had to work for Giselle¡¯s sake. Given his rare occupation as an adventurer manager, he had nowhere else to find employment, so he was grateful to him to a degree. Everyone in Seventh Dice including Gemel were the type of adventurers that really needed a manager, and ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s support did in fact help them rise to fame like a meteor. It was hard to say that his efforts reflected his pay, but he still felt it was worth it. He didn¡¯t know whether they were actually thankful for it. But he at least knew that he was needed. ¡°But you killed me. And what did it achieve? You could no longer do anything and ultimately became an underling of the aggressors. How could you stoop so low¡­ Gemel!¡± The party Seventh Dice was in a dire situation. There were four of them. The opponent was one. Just a single angry dragon. ¡°Then I assume that the retribution is also part of the conclusion that you desired.¡± ¡°How!¡± Gemel yelled as if he couldn¡¯t hold back his emotions any longer. ¡°H-how d-did you t-turn into that and r-return!¡± It was certainly an incredibly lucky (or unlucky, for Gemel) development if you thought about it rationally. Lucella, who had been practically dead was saved, while Gemel, who accomplished a perfect crime, had all his plans thrown into chaos. While this predicament was something he sowed, it was still understandable for him to lament about this kind of outcome. ¡°I¡¯m puzzled myself, but this is apparently what they call fate.¡± ¡°You¡¯re open!¡± Suddenly, someone suddenly attacked Lucella from the side. It appeared as though they believed Lucella was too preoccupied with conversing with Gemel. The grappler Antony, a member of Seventh Dice, struck Lucella with a gauntlet. Despite his imperfections, he was an adventurer who was close to being classified as first-rate. His punch was powerful enough to render even magic beasts that far outweighed him unconscious. However, it only made Lucella flinch a little. ¡°Aaaagh?! Ouuuuch! Too haard¡­¡± Despite wearing gauntlets, Antony was the one who ended up holding his hand in pain and stepping back as if he had punched something unbelievably hard. Lucella glared at him. ¡°I see. Let me hurt you some more.¡± ¡°Gkh?!¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Lucella caught Antony¡¯s trained hand which was far bigger in comparison and simply gripped it. Antony could feel his bones breaking and the muscles shredding. ¡°Aagyaaaaaaaa! It huuuuuurtss!¡± He collapsed with that shriek. ¡°?Thunder Javelin?!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± A beam struck the back of Lucella¡¯s head but got deflected, creating a new source of illumination that was distinct from sunlight and casting a shadow. It failed to burn even a single strand of Lucella¡¯s red hair. Turning around, Lucella saw yet another member of Seventh Dice, the wizard Gregor, standing ready with a staff. He could use some recovery spells, but he specialized in wind magic that controlled lightning. His attack magic had felled many enemies until now. But the lightning bolt released from his staff couldn¡¯t even graze Lucella. Then, Lucella took a step toward him. ¡°Eek¡­ S- ?Spark?!¡± The lightning attack exploded while scattering sparks. But Lucella, who was at the center of it, came out unscathed. And then, he took another step toward him. ¡°C-C-Ca-?Call Lightning?!!¡± The sky flashed and a thunderbolt immediately fell on Lucella. The flash was strong enough to momentarily dye the surroundings in white and black. Still, even then, Lucella was unharmed. And finally, Lucella had already arrived right before Gregor. ¡°Gah!¡± Lucella roughly kicked at him. It was a simple kick, with no technique or anything. It broke his staff, bent his body, and threw him flying and rolling. Lucella didn¡¯t even confirm whether he was alive or dead. Lucella would just finish him off later if he was still breathing. ¡°T-This is impossible!¡± ¡°Huh?! You b?a?s?t?a?r?d?, don¡¯t run without m¨C¡± ¡°Gyaa!¡± Another member, the ranger Jean, instantly made up his mind to flee once he saw the two were taken down. From the start, he was an exploration supporter. He lacked battle power a little, and specialized in running. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) Seeing the two taken down in succession, he seemed to have judged that running was the only option. That was probably the correct decision. But a spear immediately pierced through his fleeing back. Lucella had picked and thrown a nearby spear. Jean collapsed. He crawled a little and came to a halt. Red stained the ground under him. ¡°You¡¯re next.¡± ¡°Eeek!¡± Finally all alone, Gemel started trembling on the spot, unable to run or fight as if his feet were glued there. ¡°P-P-P-Please wait! I-It¡¯s true that I killed you¡­! But i-it was also me who picked you up, right?!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth. Your words repulse me.¡± ¡°I-I fought, while you handled the background work¡­ W-We did well, right? Why not restart it?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who ended it. What would you want from a handyman at this point?¡± ¡°Eek¡­ F-Forgive me!¡± Lucella indifferently rejected his unsightly appeal to show gratitude. Surprisingly enough, Gemel prostrated himself with his forehead on the ground. ¡°P-P-Please spare me! I-I¡¯ll change and live an honest life! I¡¯ll never do something like this again, and I wouldn¡¯t even attempt to get involved with you! So, p-please don¡¯t kill me!¡± ¡°H-Huh?¡± He spoke rapidly with a stiff tone. Gemel threw everything away and begged for life. The way he curled his giant body and kissed the ground was so pathetic Lucella was dumbfounded. Lucella¡¯s emotions went beyond anger to feeling desolate. He thought the world was too unreasonable, as someone as insignificant as Gemel was able to use and ultimately almost kill him off. For a moment, all Lucelle felt was emptiness, making him lose even his fighting spirit. ¡°¡­True, you¡¯re just a lowly scoundrel. You got swayed by money and committed a crime, but you don¡¯t even have a proper determination to commit evil. You¡¯re just a lowly scoundrel that¡¯s less than the rubbish, one that would only stain my honor if I kill you. And, if I let you off, you¡¯re probably gonna live secretly somewhere and never get involved with me.¡± ¡°Y-Yes, that¡¯s right, hehe¡­¡± If you saw a dog poop on the ground before you, would you want to touch it? If it was at the entrance of your house, you¡¯d most likely pinch your nose and clean it up, but you¡¯d ignore it if it was just on the roadside that¡¯s unrelated to you. What Luella was feeling right now was similar to that. Gemel¡¯s expression turned into an obsequious smile when he saw the hope that he would be spared. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) ¡°But sorry.¡± The next moment, something gigantic descended while making the mountain tremble. ¡°Kgh¡­¡± ¡°Looks like Kafal isn¡¯t as lenient as me.¡± Kafal stared down at Gemel with eyes burning with anger and tore his body to shreds. Volume 1 - CH 42 The giant dragon was silently looking down at Lucella with her wounded wings folded. The mountain that used to be in a frenzy had regained its calm now, and a human and dragon now stood face to face. Lucella swallowed his saliva, took a breath, and put on Giselle¡¯s ring. ¡°Can you understand my words?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Yeah.¡± Kafal¡¯s voice sounded like a simple hum, but Lucella understood the meaning of it. Thanks to the ring¡¯s power, Lucella now understood the essence of Dragonian. If human languages were like a shape drawn on paper, then the dragon language was a three-dimensional object. Dragonian seemed like some sort of telepathy joined together with humming, but it was actually much more layered than that and was hard to understand unless you knew how to hear it. ¡°The reason I entered the mountain¡­¡± Lucella spoke words that would have sounded like an incomprehensible series of sounds to human ears. But the current him knew how to mix meaning into it. The crimson dragon silently cast down her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m aware of it. While I could only understand half of what you were saying, it¡¯s not hard to understand the situation through deduction.¡± ¡°Then why! Why didn¡¯t you do anything to me when you learned that! I tried to steal your precious egg¡­¡± That all came out as a small sound. Dragon conversations worked by putting many nuances and dense emotions into such sounds. Lucella had regained his memories after going to the city and coincidentally investigating his own past. Learning that he had aimed to steal Kafal¡¯s egg dealt a big shock to him. And Kafal should have learned of that at the same time as him. However, her reaction made it hard to guess what she was thinking. It was something she had every right to get angry and kill Lucella for. He even thought he wouldn¡¯t mind it if it could serve as an atonement. He even wondered whether Kafal failed to understand what Lucella had done. But it seemed that she understood it well. ¡°If you had managed to steal my egg, I would have made you suffer through every pain this world has to offer. However, there is a distinction between anger and hatred. If you attempted to steal it to save someone dear to you, then it was simply a clash between two lives as part of the natural order. Although you were an enemy I had to repel, that would be the extent of my hatred towards you. But as you have failed in your attempt, that issue is closed.¡± ¡°But still¡­!¡± ¡°If we were to compare sins, the act of carrying out a wrongdoing would be greater than the sin of attempting it and failing.¡± When Kafal spoke the word ¡°sin,¡± it seemed to carry a tangible weight to it. ¡°What do you¡­?¡± ¡°I mean the fact that I took away the human world from you.¡± Lucella took a moment to comprehend the weight of Kafal¡¯s astonishing statement. Yet Kafal¡¯s voice contained a deep regret. ¡°When I discovered you on the mountain, I thought that you had lost everything and were filled with resentment towards the world. It resonated with my own suffering of losing everything, and I felt a strong urge to protect you¡­ It was the first time I had encountered a human who was so fragile and endearing. Until then, I had only met humans who were strong enough to compete with mighty magical beasts or resilient enough to survive in areas where dragons lived.¡± ¡°I see. There are few who come to places like this, and those that do are generally all like that¡­¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) It was probably her first time seeing someone sneak in who may not even beat a giant rat to say nothing of Variants. ¡­Even if someone like that sneaked in, they would normally die before even encountering Kafal. That¡¯s the kind of a place a dragon¡¯s habitat was. And thus, she decided to cherish the small thing she had found. ¡°I made the decision to isolate you from the human world, with the intention of providing you with a sense of contentment and happiness in my care, and helping you forget your resentment towards the outside world¡­ Thus, I named you after my daughter who I lost before she was born, fully aware of the significance of this action and its consequences. I brought you into my nest not as a human, but as a dragon¡¯s replacement.¡± ¡°Are you saying¡­ that my old name vanished from the world along with my memories, not as an unintended side effect, but rather, as something you had planned from the very beginning?!¡± The significance of a dragon bestowing a name. The dragon in question knew too well what it was. Lucella knew the significance of the name better than anyone else. The name that was supposed to be given to her child was bestowed on him. Dragons were lifeforms heavily intertwined with the workings of the world. When Kafal bestowed a name upon him, he was marked as the ¡°dragon¡¯s daughter,¡± which established this truth in the world. That caused Lucella to undergo a transformation into a young girl, as well as allowing him to possess draconic powers that surpassed humans, and finally, blurred his memories of once being human and removed ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡¯s name from the world. ¡°But it turned out that you hadn¡¯t lost anything. You had left many things in the human world, which I deprived you of. I even took the ¡®death¡¯ of your loved one from you¡­ I¡¯m truly sorry¡­¡± Lucella held his breath. While he was searching for himself in the city, he had come to learn that he wasn¡¯t seen badly by people around. He also learned that he had left a clear mark on this world. And Kafal knew that too. If Lucella went to a human city, he would ultimately be able to live as a human. That was the reason behind her acting so depressed. She thought she had picked up a human who had lost everything, but it turned out that she was the one who robbed him of what he still had left. Lucella failed to save Giselle. Then again, he never had a way to save her from the start. Lucella failed to see Giselle during the moment of death. However, had Kafal not picked him up, he would have died either way, so it was hard to put the blame on Kafal for this. Lucella had forgotten about Giselle entirely. This was¡­ certainly akin to stealing her ¡®death¡¯ from him. After all, he wasn¡¯t able to grieve for her until now. Perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be entirely wrong to call Kafal¡¯s affection self-centered. ¡°Tell me. Answer me. I¡¯m a dragon and you¡¯re a human. Are we supposed to live¡­ as we¡¯re meant to?¡± Kafal asked with great intensity, her eyes ablaze with the color of the setting sun. Lucella wanted to refuse, to say that it was absurd. But why was it so? He had a clear answer, but couldn¡¯t explain the reasoning behind it and found himself at a loss for words. While thinking about it, he for some strange reason felt amused by the situation. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°Heh¡­ hahaha!¡± ¡°¡­Why are you laughing?¡± ¡°I mean, we finally got to have a meaningful conversation, but it just had to be about us parting ways. It sounded like something straight out of a tearjerker novel and I couldn¡¯t help but be amused.¡± Thinking calmly, Lucella found the whole situation amusing and couldn¡¯t help but laugh. He realized that the heavy burden he was carrying in his heart was pointless and felt relieved to finally let go of his feelings. ¡°Earlier¡­ I said that I wouldn¡¯t mind if you killed me because of the egg matter.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I have several reasons. My first feeling was pity toward you for cherishing someone who wanted to steal your egg.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°But that didn¡¯t happen. We decided to apologize and come clean with our secrets for each other¡¯s sake despite the fact that knowing about our respective deeds could break us up. That¡¯s¡­ what it boils down to, isn¡¯t it?¡± They each attempted to resign themselves for each other¡¯s sake. Should it be called a tragedy or a comedy? No, neither of those was needed here. How could this human and dragon settle for anything but a happy ending!! ¡°We met after doing selfish things. Perhaps our transient family relationship was built upon deceit. But that doesn¡¯t mean that the happiness and warmth and everything else we felt during that time was fake too. In the end, we saved each other without thinking about ourselves. So don¡¯t say something so sad as this being our farewell. Or what, do you want me to say it properly?¡± Lucella laughed very naturally as he looked up at Kafal. Kafal apologized, feeling the pain of an insignificant, small being. If so, it was now Lucella¡¯s turn to take a step forward. So he could graduate from being a mighty dragon¡¯s cherished and become her daughter. ¡°¡­If you¡¯re willing to forgive me, then I¡¯ll be your daughter. So, let¡¯s stay together, mom.¡± ¡°Lucella¡­!!¡± Overwhelmed, Kafal brought her giant snout close to Lucella, who accepted the gesture. Volume 1 - CH 43 ¡°You little! Look at you acting all cute!¡± Lucella got a rough welcome from Viola once she finished her talk with Kafal. Viola rubbed and ruffled Lucella¡¯s hair. ¡°W-What? Do you have a problem with it? Actually, you understood Dragonian?¡± ¡°No, but I got the gist through nuance.¡± It turned out that she had been eavesdropping on their conversation. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t wanna ask her to return your old appearance?¡± Tim posed a question. When Lucella recalled her memories, she had told everything that happened so far to them. Hence, they knew that Lucella wasn¡¯t originally a girl. ¡°Hmm¡­ Well if she restores my name, I would go back to my old self but my current strength would disappear with it too it seems, so I gave up on it. If I was this strong from the start I wouldn¡¯t have been killed by people like them. I never wanna experience that again.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Besides, my current appearance is proof that mom named me, so I¡¯m fine with it.¡± Lucella¡¯s words brought warm smiles to the three¡¯s faces. ¡°¡­You said ¡®mom¡¯, huh?¡± ¡°Oh you spoiled little¡­!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine!¡± At that moment, Lucella had called mom without much thought, but now that she was being teased about it, she suddenly felt embarrassed and her face flushed with heat. Having said that, they weren¡¯t trying to be malicious but were happy for her instead. ¡°Hehehe¡­ If that¡¯s what you¡¯ve decided, this Viola will lecture you so you can become a proper daughter.¡± ¡°Stop it. I can¡¯t see that leading to anything good.¡± Wein elbowed Viola whose glasses were shining, nipping her evil schemes in the bud. But as humans remain humans, history could repeat itself. ¡°I wonder what we should do from now on¡­¡± ¡°We succeeded in annihilating the fellow that sneaked into the mountain, but if Maltgartz is serious about this, they might come again. Since we have means of communicating with a dragon now, why not just follow our original plan and negotiate with Setulev?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine, but I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± The immediate threat had passed for the time being, so Lucella was thinking about what was next. She didn¡¯t know what it meant to live as both a person and a dragon¡¯s child. And how she had to do it. She still had questions, but she had one idea. ¡°Mr. Tim, what do you say about hiring me?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Tim seemed completely taken by surprise and looked stupefied even by his standards. Wein and Viola were just as surprised. ¡°W-Wait a second, what kind of turn of events is this?!¡± ¡°I-I mean, I have some adventurer manager experience.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean that! Why are you suddenly looking for employment?!¡± ¡°¡­Well, isn¡¯t it better to have some position in human society? Plus I have a debt for saving me and my mom to repay you guys.¡± It wouldn¡¯t do to just stay and spend the days silently on the mountain with just the two of them. They couldn¡¯t obtain peace without any hard work. In order to protect the peaceful life of a human and a dragon, she had to step into human society on her own. Lucella, who was both a dragon¡¯s foster child and a human, might be the only one who could protect Kafal from threats that even the power of a red dragon couldn¡¯t handle¡­ Her opinion remained unchanged in the end. For that reason, she couldn¡¯t remain an outlaw. And Lucella was also aware that she wasn¡¯t someone that could fit into common sense. Adventurer manager was a work she was very familiar with, so she thought starting doing it again wouldn¡¯t be so bad. ¡°Uhhh¡­¡­ Well, first forget that thing about returning the favor. It¡¯s not like I helped you out of pure kindness either. But if you still wish to join our party with that considered, then you¡¯re very welcome to. Wise adventurers don¡¯t jump at every too-good-to-be-true deal, but they wouldn¡¯t say no to something actually good.¡± Tim pondered for some time and then answered while poking his finger into the visor of his gilded helmet and scratching his head. One couldn¡¯t go on being an adventurer by just moral obligations and humane feelings alone. Tim most likely arrived at his decision by evaluating the benefits of having Lucella in the group and the drawbacks of any possible issues she might bring, while only considering the neutral aspects based on his personal beliefs. If Tim was still willing to welcome Lucella despite all that, she couldn¡¯t be any happier and honored. ¡°Then, let¡¯s get along.¡± ¡°Likewise! In that case, each person¡¯s burden is everyone¡¯s burden in the party. We¡¯ll definitely protect your mother.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Lucella exchanged a firm handshake with Tim. Their handshake drew quite a steep arc. ¡°Thanks¡­ you.¡± Then, another hand overlapped on theirs. The hand belonged to Kafal¡¯s clone. Her original body was supposed to drive away the Variants from the vicinity of the nest since it was unsafe to venture out at this time. As a result, the three of them would have to spend the night in the nest. However, Kafal¡¯s clone had come back to this location at some point. ¡°S-Sure¡­ A dragon thanking me feels like it¡¯s wasted on me.¡± Kafal, who looked like a noblewoman, thanked him with a carefree smile, so Tim felt a little embarrassed. ¡°Lucella. Kafal¡­ will¡­ remember¡­ human¡­ words¡­ more.¡± Lucella had that convenient ring now, but Kafal still chose to show up in human form and speak as a human. It was clear what this meant. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°We aren¡¯t gonna use the ring?¡± ¡°Talking¡­ to¡­ Lucella. Realized¡­ importance. If¡­ ring¡­ gone¡­ would be¡­ trouble.¡± ¡°I see¡­ you¡¯re right.¡± Thanks to Giselle¡¯s ring, Lucella and Kafal could fortunately talk now. It wouldn¡¯t be unfair or bad to rely on it for sure. But she knew how irritating it was to be unable to convey her feelings, so she wanted to increase the means as much as possible. Lucella was of the same opinion. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll also work on my Dragonian, so teach me.¡± ¡°Will teach!¡± Lucella found the thought of studying together extremely delightful and glomped Kafal, making her spin around. ¡°You really look like a real parent and child.¡± ¡°Because we are. We were strangers only until earlier. Right¡­ mom?¡± Kafal was here. Lucella kept hugging her and didn¡¯t let go. Volume 2 - CH 1 Going back a little in time. It was said that half of the world was inhabited by dragons while the other half was by humans. In reality, the number of dragons was limited, and they did not require much living space. However, they needed vast hunting grounds to survive, and the Variants that increased in proportion to their number turned the lands into monster dens uninhabitable for humans. To make matters worse, intellectual monsters called demons formed a cooperative relationship with dragons, settled in their territories, established kingdoms, and posed a threat to humanity. The Volcanic Group of Belmar, composed entirely of red dragons, controlled an area around the size of the largest human kingdom, centered around Mount Belmar as its name suggested. While humans controlled the wild, natural energy using specific methods to preserve habitable regions, dragons powered the world instead. The red dragons, who had a strong affinity for fire, increased the potency of fire elements. The ash-colored Belmar constantly spewed flames day and night, and the rivers of not water but lava it produced illuminated the land with a dazzling glow. Not only were dragons and Variants ruling the land, but the landscape itself was so ominous and forbidding that no human should venture into it. One day, in a cavern of Mount Belmar. The cooled-off lava had turned into sharp and complex pieces of art, sticking out both from the ceiling and the ground, creating an illusion as if you had jumped into a gigantic dragon¡¯s maw. A large lava waterfall flowed by the wall, releasing enough heat for an average person to dry up and die. Deep inside that large space, a giant, deep crimson dragon crouched majestically. His carapace and scales were weathered like a rock exposed to ten thousand years of wind and rain. However, the dragon didn¡¯t look decayed at all. On the contrary, he exuded an overwhelming aura that could only be attained by beings that had endured a long test of time. Before that old dragon sat a young dragon with glossy scales and a mane, bowing her head to him. Its body was two sizes smaller compared to the old one too. Her name was Kafal. ¡°Please impart the knowledge of human transformation to me.¡± She implored with a slightly trembling voice. Seeing that, the old dragon heaved a sigh mixed with sparks. ¡°Well well¡­ Is this the initial utterance upon our reunion after several decades? Pray tell, what brought this?¡± The old dragon, Shurei1, spoke with a majestic voice that seemed like the roar of the world itself. He was the head of the Volcanic Group of Belmar. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Kafal remained silent with her head still hung. It was hard to say whether she was searching for words or simply didn¡¯t want to answer at all. ¡°Did Luja die?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°I shall not extend my condolences, for those who fall by the hands of humans have none but themselves to blame for allowing it to happen. Not to mention, one who willingly left the group and made a nest within the human territory. Luja and you should be well aware of this fact.¡± Kafal said nothing and bent her long neck further down. She was originally from the Volcanic Group of Belmar but had run away several decades prior. She had departed with a dragon from a different collective ¨C a blue dragon named Luja, to be exact. Despite being a red dragon herself, she had eloped with a blue dragon, abandoning her own group. That said, this was not exactly forbidden by her group¡¯s laws. A region controlled by a group of a single color was generally influenced by a single elemental factor, which made it hard for dragons of different colors to form a pair and settle there, but it could be realized if they found a suitable environment and moved there. Adventurous dragons leaving the nests to live near humans would be advantageous for their species as a whole in the long term, so they weren¡¯t exactly banned from it. Mixed-race offspring sometimes turned out failures but sometimes were blessed with wonderful wit and intelligence, which served to further strengthen the blood of their group. As such, Kafal forming a pair with Luja wasn¡¯t a problem in itself. The problem was that Kafal, who was a young dragon that hadn¡¯t even laid eggs before, was completely infatuated with Luja and followed him along on a thorny path without much thought. Dragons rarely spent their entire long life with a single companion, so it was normal to maintain a special relationship with someone they once paired with while still changing companions several times. Some dragons tried to gently stop her saying that she shouldn¡¯t choose a dragon of a different color as her first partner and flee, but rather gain experience as a mother first and then form a pair with them¡­ but Kafal chose to flee and join him. And during the third breeding season, Kafal finally produced an egg. However, Luja soon fell into a human trap and was killed. And then¡­ ¡°Then, what of your child?¡± Hearing Shurei¡¯s words, who seemed to have guessed the situation, Kafal¡¯s giant body trembled. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) Before long, she mustered a groan. ¡°I¡­ failed to protect her¡­¡± ¡°¡­It was to be anticipated. That child inherited the blood of Red and Blue. Your flames alone have been inadequate to quell her without resulting in her demise.¡± It could be said that Luja died at the worst time possible. The birth of a dragon was a world-shaking event. When an egg hatched, the power of the very world awakened and went wild. Unless the parent properly controlled it, the power would attack even the baby dragon itself. Kafal, being a red dragon, could subdue the flames. However, controlling the rampaging water factors was impossible with her strength. Mount Kuguse experienced its once-in-a-century flood. It went beyond a simple flood disaster and became the embodiment of a water catastrophe that destroyed and washed away everything. Kafal controlled her flame output to be just a step away from burning her child to death, and drove the water¡¯s power back to protect the egg. However, for just a moment, her love for her child caused her to make a mistake and lower the flame¡¯s output. That instant was enough for the water to rob the life of the fledgling. ¡°For what reason have you refrained from seeking help?¡± ¡°I was¡­ arrogant. If I asked the Blue group for help, they would have surely taken her away once she was born. I believed that to be no dissimilar fate from death¡¯s separation¡­ Oh, how wrong I was. It was only after losing her that I realized it ¨C even if we were never to reunite, I yearned for her survival! I¡­!!¡± Her regretful scream reverberated in the lava tube. Tears fell from her eyes like jewels and evaporated as they hit the surface of the rocks. ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± Shurei muttered silently. Had Kafal not been regretful he would have pressed further. But rubbing salt into her was just a distraction. ¡°Alas, it is an unchangeable past now. Now tell me, why have you come before me to seek human transformation all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Speak. You do not expect me to listen to your request without an explanation, do you?¡± ¡°Then, if I explain it, will you teach me?¡± Shurei pondered for a moment. The technique to transform into a human was not something he was reluctant to give¡­ but it was natural for him to feel something was up for Kafal who left their group to suddenly come back just for that. ¡°¡­So be it. It remains contingent, however. Should I hear that you have succumbed to the charms of a human man this time, I may be compelled to contemplate locking my youngest tomboy daughter away.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Kafal raised her head slightly. She saw the sharp gaze of her father directed at her. Volume 2 - CH 2 The sun had long set on Mount Kuguse. Before Kafal¡¯s house, which was like a snow hut made of boulders, a bonfire was burning magnificently. Meat skewered on branches and iron spits were set against it and dropped oils with a fragrant aroma. ¡°Can we really eat all this?¡± ¡°Of course! You¡¯re my party members now and my mom¡¯s lifesavers, after all.¡± What they were being offered was the smoked food that Lucella had painstakingly saved up. Maltgartz¡¯s army was repelled but it would be too dangerous for humans to descend the mountain after sunset. Thus, Kafal instead invited the Golden Helmet members into her nest to spend a night there. Viola was moved at the sight of the grilling meat, readjusting her glasses. ¡°Oh boy! I never thought I¡¯d get to experience the luxury of comparing the tastes of the Variants! I have to write down all the flavors and pass them down to the next generation!¡± ¡°What would passing them down even achieve¡­?¡± ¡°Your thinking is too sweet1, Wein. You never know which study has worth until the end of the world, so one must research anything and everything.¡± Tim stripped well-heated meat off the skewers and placed them on portable plates, and seasoned them with the spices from their luggage. Lucella took a bite of the meat she was offered and couldn¡¯t help but widen her eyes in shock. The perfect saltiness enhanced the umami of the meat and the sweetness of its oil, while the punchy herbal flavor added to the aftertaste. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, it¡¯s completely different. I used to just roast them as is, so this is a new experience¡­¡± ¡°We have a bunch of spices here. You can try everything. During adventures, we sometimes end up subsisting on just the portable food provided by the guild for a whole month, so we keep the spices to add some variety to it.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, I wonder what mysterious meat is in that portable food or how they even make it.¡± ¡°There¡¯s even rumors that everyone who found out is erased by the guild¡¯s covert undercover unit.¡± The adventurers started devouring the meat with unbelievable vigor while entertaining themselves with a silly topic. Lucella was also eating well considering how hard she had worked out¡­ or so she planned to, but there was a limit to how much food a little girl¡¯s body could fit. They were eating incomparably refreshingly compared to that. ¡°¡­I wish we had alcohol.¡± ¡°Yeah, we haven¡¯t brought it as expected¡­¡± ¡°I can cast the ?Moonshine2? spell on you if you want.¡± ¡°No thanks. No point if I don¡¯t actually drink.¡± Lucella suddenly wondered if Kafal drank alcohol. Dragons with water attributes loved not just treasures but even alcohol, so much so that she had even heard of a mythical anecdote about an ancient evil dragon that loved to drink so much it fell into a trap and was slain while it was dead drunk. ¡°Errr¡­¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Lucella picked up well-grilled meat and took it where Kafal was. Her main body was crouched inside the hut-like house to rest her wounded body, but her clone was near the bonfire like everyone else. Lucella recalled the sensation she felt when using Giselle¡¯s ring to converse in Dragonian before and spoke. ¡°Meat. Your share¡­ mom.¡± ¡°Oh, XXXXX ***. But I already ate XX XXXX two days ago, and we XXXXXXX want everyone¡¯s XXXXX to lack, right?¡± Kafal also responded using Dragonian. A torrent of meaning that had a completely different level of denseness that human words couldn¡¯t achieve assaulted Lucella all at once. She repeated the words she heard in her mind and finally understood about half of what Kafal said. ¡°But¡­ eating¡­ together¡­ important.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­!¡± Kafal hugged Lucella with a lovestruck smile. ¡°That looks so heartwarming.¡± ¡°You said it.¡± The adventurers watched them with gentle smiles. ¡°But we can only rest for a moment. As much as I¡¯d hope for Maltgartz to give up with this¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make them give up. We have to make them give up the idea of attacking. For that, we first¡­!¡± ¡°Everyone, XX XXXXXXX! Something is approaching!¡± It happened suddenly. Kafal¡¯s clone looked up at the night sky, while her main body also quickly raised its head and groaned with a sharp, vigilant voice. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Mom said something¡¯s approaching¡­¡± A little after Kafal¡¯s warning, Lucella also noticed it. The night sky raised a scream. ¡ªWhat¡­ is this sensation¡­! It¡¯s like the atmosphere turned heavy¡­ (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) A strong pressure came from the sky. The real nature of it soon became clear. The sound of winds, which were not quite on a dragon¡¯s level but still plenty overbearing, cut the night wind. Lucella had good night vision. She could clearly see it clearly. A pterosaur with a sharp form dancing in the sky as it approached them. As well as the silhouette riding on its back. ¡°A minor dragon Variant?¡± Minor dragons¡ªthey were pseudo-dragon monsters that have inherited a fragment of a dragon¡¯s power. It was said that in the distant past, they were made either by dragons themselves as manservants or products of a mad alchemist. No one was sure nowadays, but even if they were not on the level of genuine dragons, they were still in a different league compared to ordinary monsters. A Variant of a minor dragon would be expected to be frighteningly strong. And who could the rider on its back be? The pressure that seemed to be distorting the world was being released by that rider. The pterosaur made a sharp glide. They thought it would just attack as is, but once it neared the ground, the rider jumped off its back while it ascended. Lucella imagined a shockwave forming with his landing that would crack the ground. But in reality, his landing was as light as a dancing flame. It was an old man with a stern face. Though he was bald, his hermit-like robe and long beard were both red like flames. His body was like a thick rope knitted with steel, and his gaze penetrating like the flames of a smelting furnace. ¡°It appears that a disturbance has occurred, yet it has been successfully resolved. Excellent. However, it seems that the number of humans present exceeds the information that was conveyed to me.¡± He opened his hands magnanimously and addressed Kafal. ¡°Ah, would *** prefer if I XXXXX in the XXXXXX of the dragons?¡± ¡°Father!¡± ¡°Huuuh?!¡± Volume 2 - CH 3 He was her father, according to Kafal. The old man that suddenly showed up gave off an impression as if he was carrying a violent energy akin to a caldera during an eruption. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Mom called him father.¡± Both the adventurers and Lucella were frozen stiff as if bound by invisible chains, feeling like they weren¡¯t allowed to carelessly move a single finger. The crimson old man glared at Lucella¡¯s group and spoke in fluent and majestic human tongue. ¡°I am Shurei, the head of the Volcanic Group of Belmar. I cannot show my true form here, but you should naturally guess who I am.¡± Leader of a dragon group, that¡¯s what the man called Shurei addressed himself. Dragons were already strong beyond normal people, but the leader that controlled their groups must have been a transcendental existence that accumulated power over many years. Even in human form, he was hiding power akin to the tyranny of a disaster. Amid the strong pressure and tension, Viola was the one to move first. She took a step forward and bowed by bending her knee while pinching her skirt in a strangely accustomed manner. ¡°Greetings, your highness the Dragon King, I am¡­¡± ¡°No need. I am well aware that you are but normal humans.¡± Shurei interrupted Viola¡¯s greeting, as if saying it would be a waste of time. Shurei¡¯s flaming red eyes observed the four of them. Eventually, his gaze pierced Lucella. ¡°Is it you?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± ¡°I see, quite mysterious. Quite shabby but still closer to us than to humans.¡± He smiled in amusement. That alone made death cross Lucella¡¯s mind. ¡°What are you waiting for, introduce yourself. Do you plan to stay silent after I introduced myself? That is impolite.¡± Shurei urged, nay, ordered Lucella to speak. With that Lucella¡¯s dry tongue finally moved. ¡°¡­I am¡­ called¡­ Lucella.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Lucella gathered her obstinacy and courage and introduced herself in Dragonian, all while knowing she was being looked down on. She was well aware that there was enough gap in their power to warrant being looked down on, but she still couldn¡¯t allow it. She decided to become Kafal¡¯s daughter. As such, even if she was facing a mighty dragon, she wanted to act as an equal, even if a bit, only a bit. ¡°Gahahahaha! XXXX impudence to XXXXXXXXX in Dragonian!¡± Shurei laughed, quite loudly at that. Lucella was almost blown back by it, but she endured it somehow. ¡°Father¡­ what XXXXXX *** here?¡± ¡°That is a XXXXX question. *** thinking a XXXXXX.¡± Kafal seemed bewildered by her father¡¯s visit. This place was between two human kingdoms and far away from Belmar Volcano. Certainly not a place where the leader of a dragon group who rarely showed up before humans would just drop by casually. ¡°I too XXXX my daughter¡¯s life XX mere human¡¯s XXXXX. You may XXXXXX helping ***. However¡­¡± Lucella tried to process their conversation with all she had, but she quickly lost track of it. With Kafal she could still handle it since she was matching her pace, but a conversation between two dragons was too fast-paced for her. ¡ªI¡¯m really reluctant, but I¡¯ll use this¡­ This is probably something important. Lucella threw away her stubbornness and put on Giselle¡¯s ring. Immediately, a torrent of meaning flowed into Lucella¡¯s head as if a monochrome world had turned vibrant. ¡°You should know this already, but the dragon groups do not involve themselves in human quarrels. If you wish to survive, you have to either fight by yourself or return to our group.¡± ¡°Return? That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°I imagine it is inconvenient.¡± Kafal momentarily glanced at Lucella while talking with Shurei. It seemed that he was already aware of Lucella¡¯s circumstances. ¡ªLiving where the dragons are would be¡­ impossible for me¡­ That¡¯s why mom is¡­ Lucella had never gone away from the human regions and seen the world of dragons, but she could imagine it to be a place incomparably more dangerous than Mount Kuguse which was simply overrun by Variants. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) If Kafal abandoned Mount Kuguse and went back, she could avoid the Maltgartz threat, but she didn¡¯t know if Lucella could accompany her there. ¡°In that case¡­ I shall increase the dragon aura and Variants on this mountain a little. I cannot do anything more, but I can do that at least.¡± ¡°Really?! Thank you very much!¡± It seemed like Kafal didn¡¯t expect him to offer help and couldn¡¯t contain her surprise and delight. However, her smile soon was shadowed by colors of confusion. And Lucella was the same. ¡­It all sounded too good. Her intuition as a manager was screaming that something was up. ¡°Now now. While I have pledged my aid, the distance to my mountain is considerable. Transporting Variants to this location would prove to be a formidable task. Therefore, I must implore the assistance of those who dwell in the vicinity to lend me their strength.¡± ¡°In the vicinity? You can¡¯t mean¡­¡± It happened just as he spoke the plan. Lucella felt the atmosphere¡¯s pressure turn twice as heavy. The wings dancing in the sky multiplied by one, two, and three. Silhouettes flew toward them with the moon floating above their backs. They were pterosaur Variant riders similar to Shurei. The three mounts carried one person each. They looked human in appearance, but only in appearance. ¡°These individuals are not unfamiliar to you, and we have forged an alliance with them. Upon hearing my entreaty, they have expressed their willingness to hear you at least.¡± The pterosaurs glided through the sky all at once and their riders jumped off as they neared the mountain. ¡°Whether they will be convinced or not would be up to you.¡± Shurei folded his arms and smiled so ferociously it could kill a lion. Three people, nay, three dragons swooped down from above. Unlike Shurei who was in a hermit-like getup, the three looked like young and refined nobles. They were dressed in blouses with frilly jabots and trousers that emphasized their slim leg lines. They had blue ornaments in various places on their bodies as if some kind of symbol, with decorative swords on their hips, and each of them had short, vivid blue hair. The most spirited of them stepped out while glaring toward them with eyes as sharp as a blade. ¡°It has been too long, Kafal, the one who robbed Luja from our clan.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Kafal¡¯s expression turned pale. Volume 2 - CH 4 The Blue nobleman approached briskly, his abyssal eyes twisting into a sharp glare. ¡°The dragon king of Belmar is your father. As such he may feel sympathy for you, but we are different¡­ Did you call it true love?! Do two idiots together turn four times idiotic?! It was your first time forming pairs and you both decided to just run from your groups! And in the end¡­¡± He suddenly turned his face and glared at Lucella. His hand grasped her neck before she could even feel any fear. ¡°Aaggh!¡± ¡°Lucella!¡± The nobleman wrapped his hand around Lucella¡¯s thin neck and lifted her up. Lucella¡¯s current body was closer to a dragon than a human in strength. But this man¡¯s hand was unbelievably strong. Lucella¡¯s spine raised creaks and the word death passed her mind. Shurei didn¡¯t try to stop it and simply watched on. ¡°K-Kh¡­¡± ¡°Even Luja¡¯s child died due to your negligence, and the world lost the proof of his existence. And then¡­ What is this feeble thing? Is this supposed to be your daughter?! Stop fooling around!!¡± ¡°Aagh!¡± Fortunately, the Blue nobleman tossed Lucella down in annoyance before she died. She clumsily fell on her backside and started coughing violently while Kafal knelt and cuddled closer to her. The Blue nobleman glared down coldly at the two. ¡°¡­Our groups are allied with each other. We cannot overlook the fact that humans are trying to hunt our allies. Even if that someone is you, doing so would stain our honor. Thus, we heeded the request of Belmar¡¯s dragon king. However, that is only if you make up for what you have done. We cannot clean up after your foolish act!¡± ¡°What¡­ do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Dispose of that pet of yours.¡± ¡°!!¡± He looked at Lucella with nothing but scorn. ¡°After all, the reason why the Variants decreased on this mountain is that you fed them to that thing, is it not? Variants are ultimately mere beasts, but they are still our property related to us through flesh and blood. Asking us to hand those Variants over is the same as asking us to cut off our fingers and give them to you. It is not something we can do so wastefully.¡± Lucella was dumbfounded by how he put it. Even so, she couldn¡¯t say it was a false accusation or an unreasonable demand. Lucella didn¡¯t plan to lower the Variants any further and Kafal thought the same, but the other party had no way of knowing that so his apprehensions were natural. ¡°Belmar¡¯s dragon king also agreed to our conditions.¡± ¡°Father¡­!¡± ¡°It is unavoidable.¡± Shurei also shook his head with no apparent regret. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°We cannot ask them to protect even your pet that you are raising as a pastime. You either abandon that one and protect the mountain, or you return to our group. You have those two choices. The expanse of our mountain is so great that allowing a small being such as her to dwell there would be a trifling affair¡­ Assuming, of course, that she manages to survive there.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡­ will not stay on this mountain. I will search for a place where I can live together with this child.¡± Kafal hugged Lucella protectively and spoke without hesitation. ¡°What nonsense are you speaking¡­!¡± ¡°That would prove to be a life-threatening journey. Do you realize this?¡± He looked at Kafal like she was an unreasonable child. The lands that were governed by humans had weak power and were mostly unsuitable for dragons to live on. Places like Mount Kuguse that were near human habitation¡­ In other words, environments where dragons could live even away from their group¡¯s sphere of control were precious. And once she abandoned this mountain, it would most likely be occupied by Maltgartz and she wouldn¡¯t be able to come back to it. A wandering dragon that lost a place to return to was bound to either be hunted down by humans or grow weak and die. ¡ªIf that¡¯s what it takes, I¡¯d rather leave this mountain. Lucella immediately thought so. She wasn¡¯t sure if the dragons would be convinced by that, but she thought it was worth negotiating at least. Even if they parted ways, it¡¯s not like they would never meet again. If Lucella left Kafal¡¯s side while the current danger persisted, then someday¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Please wait.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Hah?¡± But before she knew it, Lucella¡¯s mouth attempted to say something else. The Blue Nobleman seemed bewildered, not expecting Lucella to even speak up. Lucella raised her voice to be just short of violent and puffed out her chest. ¡°Were you not the one who said the Variants were your property that shared your flesh and blood? Then would it not stand to reason to make use of me who gained strength by devouring said variants? What is the reason behind wanting me disposed of?¡± ¡°Such insolence! Shut your mouth, human! We have an order that we must protect!¡± The nobleman¡¯s handsome face twisted in displeasure. The two surrounding him were similarly glaring at Lucella. They looked at Lucella like a dog barking at them. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) Humans were in fact no more than garbage in the dragons¡¯ eyes. But what if those words contained some truth? ¡°The Variants are but loyal guard dogs, but I have wisdom too. And if it¡¯s for mom¡­ No, if it¡¯s for surviving together, I am resolved to fight to the bitter end. If we are to protect this mountain and mother from humans, getting rid of me would serve no purpose! If disposing of me is something inevitable, it wouldn¡¯t be late to do it afterward!¡± Lucella answered back without retreating a single step. ¡ªI have to push here! Unlike the blue dragons, the red dragon king seems somewhat interested in me. Then he may accept me with one more push! Besides, blue dragons probably just want to punish mom and calm down their relatives by killing me. They are just pushing the point with sophism, so I¡¯ll just crush them with logic! Negotiation was something adventurer managers were masters of. Even if the other party were mighty dragons, it should¡¯ve still had some effect. The scale of their thinking was certainly bigger than that of humans, but it wasn¡¯t something Lucella couldn¡¯t comprehend. ¡°You sure are eloquent¡­¡± ¡°If¡­¡± Lucella put a hand on her flat chest and yelled. ¡°If you doubt my strength and resolve, please test me as you wish. I certainly can¡¯t come close to you dragons, but do I really have no worth at all?!¡± Half of that was the logical conclusion from Lucella¡¯s standpoint. The other half was her stubbornness speaking. She couldn¡¯t endure being treated as worthless. She couldn¡¯t allow herself to consent with such standing. She was formerly a human, but she decided to become Kafal¡¯s daughter. She had to act impudent here. Unless she tried to appear at least somewhat equal to them, she¡¯d remain as nothing but a pet in their eyes. Lucella¡¯s heated speech had the blue dragons at a loss for words. Their expressions were dyed in the colors of shock, exasperation, anger, and humiliation from the fact that someone as small and insignificant as Lucella dared to talk back. But the red dragon king was the first to break the silence. ¡°¡­You bark well.¡± Shurei was finally looking at her. Lucella thought so for some reason. He had a broad smile. But his gaze directed at Lucella was menacing enough that it made her shiver. A lion that would toss its child in the bottomless ravine would¡¯ve surely made that kind of face. She felt something far more frightening from him compared to before. ¡°What do you think, Blue ones? I myself think her words hold some truth.¡± ¡°You support her?!¡± ¡°Do it in consideration for me. Though I cannot ask the same for your anger.¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Shurei accepted the proposal surprisingly easily. The blue noblemen had a hard time believing it. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Lucella reflexively thanked him, but Shurei was looking at her with frighteningly sharp eyes. It made her flinch back. ¡°I am incurring a debt with this, and my honor is not to be taken lightly. You must display sufficient nobility to earn it¡­ Kafal, I shall be borrowing this mountain.¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± ¡°Within a span of seven days, I shall make ready the location for you. And subsequently, you shall be put to the test. I pray you will not only persuade me, but also them.¡± That day, Lucella learned that there existed a smile far scarier than a glare. Perhaps due to the sudden change of their plans, the dragons decided to pull back for the night. ¡°¡­I thought I would wet myself.¡± ¡°That would still be the better outcome. I was on the verge of spitting out my internal organs.¡± ¡°The dragon aura was dizzyingly strong indeed. If we drank alcohol we would¡¯ve spat everything out. Even I was in a pinch there.¡± Ace-level adventurers they made be, Golden Helmet members could do nothing but watch from the sidelines. They only regained enough composure to speak up once the dragons left. Kafal, who sat on her main body¡¯s tail in place of a chair, had Lucella on her lap. ¡°Lucella¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I ended up involving you in my circumstances¡­¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry. I¡­ I was just a little surprised.¡± ¡°I was happy when you spoke like that.¡± Kafal was very depressed and hugged Lucella. She seemed like she hoped to never let go. ¡°Would you listen to my story? Of what took place, and what I have done¡­¡± With that, Kafal started to narrate. About how she fell in love with a blue dragon. How they each fled from their groups and settled near a human world. How she finally laid an egg. How her pair, the blue dragon, had gotten killed by humans the very next moment. And how she failed to incubate the egg¡­ Before they knew it the bonfire disappeared and the black of night covered the surroundings. The grilled smoked meat grew cold without any of them touching it. Volume 2 - CH 5 That night, Lucella had a strange dream. She was curled up in some kind of hard, narrow, and warm place. Despite having her eyes closed on top of it, she for some reason could tell what was happening around her. Perhaps dreams were such irrational things, to begin with. ¡°You¡¯re wearing something weird today, Luja.¡± ¡°Yeah, I saw humans wear it and thought it would be interesting to imitate.¡± A red dragon was crouched in a large cavern. Before the dragon stood a young man. His most distinguishable feature was his vividly blue hair. He was dressed in an outfit that was best described as office-type rather than an outgoing one, and also wore glasses. Because of that, he gave off the atmosphere of a scholar. ¡°I¡¯m happy that you followed me to Mount Kuguse, but your human form is so small it leaves me somehow unsatisfied.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. You¡¯re raising an egg so we can¡¯t carelessly provoke the humans¡­ We should have come to Kuguse much earlier and developed the surroundings better.¡± That young man¡­ Luja, smiled intimately as he looked up at the big dragon. ¡°It¡¯s troublesome to be this close to a human settlement, but it¡¯s worthwhile for sure. Setulev¡¯s land has a strong water affinity. Mount Kuguse meanwhile is a dormant volcano and has a rich flame smell.¡± ¡°Indeed. This place that you have found will surely bestow our child with supreme power.¡± The crouching Kafal, who had her neck wrapped around the egg, poked it with her nose. Lucella¡¯s world shook gently. ¡°But what¡¯s important¡­ is that regardless of what kind of child will be born, we have to raise her with love. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re quite right.¡± *¡°Perhaps one with no talent would be even better¡­ Our groups will be scrambling for our child. My group has some debts for Belmar¡¯s dragon king, so she might end up in their hands, but they might not give up, considering there¡¯s a lack of females in the group¡­ After all, our group¡¯s policy is strong blood, regardless of whether it¡¯s pure or not.¡± Luja¡¯s slender face was shadowed by sorrow. Dragons held mighty powers and extremely long lifespans, but in exchange, their reproductive powers were extremely low. For that reason, reproduction was a big concern for all dragons. Which group would end up taking their child in? They didn¡¯t think that the two groups would resort to war because of it, but being in a conflicting situation would prove no benefit to their yet-to-be-born child. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Luja grieved about that fact. ¡°¡­Have you decided on a name?¡± Luja noticed that Kafal started to feel depressed too and switched the topic. He asked that question while trying to act as cheerful as he could. ¡°Not yet. I wanted to ask your opinion too.¡± The two found extreme glee in such a simple conversation. Luja knelt near the egg and caressed it. ¡°May the heavens and earth bless you, my beloved, and our treasure yet to be born¡­¡± He spoke so kindly it appeared sorrowful. When Lucella woke up and the contents of the dream vanished into mist, she still appeared to remember the sensation of his hand. Volume 2 - CH 6 Marquis Angus¡¯ domain was located on the southeastern edge of Maltgartz, north of Mount Kuguse. It used to be a strategic location controlling the mountain pass to the south, but its importance declined after the red dragon settled on Mount Kuguse. Nevertheless, Marquis Kenneth Angus, its lord, continued his reign with no major issues, maintaining stability both politically and economically. It was a peaceful land that was separated from Gufare¡¯s war front. But that peace was suddenly shattered. Marquis Angus had failed in his attempt to slay the Mount Kuguse dragon which was conducted as a surprise attack without any particular political propaganda, and both he and many of his warriors perished in the battle. The territory of Marquis Angus was plunged into a state of shock and confusion, with the full extent of the impact of this event still unknown. However, amidst that chaos, there were already those who had begun to move. In the joint clinic of a temple located in the capital of Marquis Angus¡¯s territory, Tortomia, there was a man bandaged from his upper body to his arm sitting on a bed in a secluded private room (which could only be used if you made a large donation) of the clinic. He was gazing vacantly at the floor while enduring pain, but then, loud footsteps started to approach him from the corridor. Before long, several men entered the room without bothering to even knock. ¡°He¡¯s one of the returnees from Mount Kuguse. He used to be the Marquis¡¯ knight.¡± ¡°I am the Marquis now. I haven¡¯t succeeded it officially, however, it is an unshakeable outcome.¡± ¡°Yes sir¡­¡± The one who appeared with several retainers was a gallant youth in his mid-twenties. His tall height and energetic conduct suggested he was a military man. His eyes looked sharp like a wolf¡¯s and an unapproachable dangerous aura like that of a drawn blade emanated from him. His name was Julian Angus, the heir of Kenneth Angus. The knight remained dazed even after Julian¡¯s appearance as if he couldn¡¯t process what was happening. Seeing that, Julian furrowed his brows in displeasure. ¡°What are you spacing out for? You refuse to bow before your lord?¡± ¡°Fue¡­ he¡­haa.¡± Julian kicked the sitting man¡¯s shin. That brought the knight to his senses and he sluggishly stood up and knelt on the floor with a bow. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Julian¡¯s eyes looking down on him held not a hint of respect, consideration, or appreciation for the man. What they held was nothing but disdain towards a survivor and ridicule at his dispirited attitude. ¡°I have roughly understood the situation from the rest of the survivors. But there is still one unclear factor. The power of the one called Lucella.¡± ¡°Lucella¡­? Who is that?¡± Julian threw a metal plate on the floor where the knight was looking. It was the adventurer card that adventurers held. It had impossible values on it, and the owner¡¯s name written on its surface in sooty letters was ¡°Lucella.¡± ¡°According to the story of the adventurers that Father picked up, we know that this person was originally an adventurer. He went missing last summer on Mount Kuguse, and when he showed up in the city recently he had become a little girl for some reason, and with an abnormal power too. Someone like her had been sighted in the battle on Mount Kuguse. It was a girl with blazing red hair. Do you know anything?¡± The knight that looked like a cripple reacted to Julian¡¯s words. He held his head and curled like a fetus and started to shout. ¡°A-Aaahhhhhh¡­! T-That¡¯s the one! No, she¡¯ll come for me¡­ aaaaghhhh¡­¡± ¡°¡­Hey, put this guy in a cooperative mood..¡± ¡°As you command.¡± An imperial knight accompanying Julian did as told and took out a short polished wand similar to a baton. It was a magic item that allowed one to use magic even without talent, charged with lightning magic. The imperial knight swung it and hit the curled-up man. ¡°Gyaaaaaaaah!!¡± A flash was produced and the wounded knight faints in agony. ¡°Talk. What happened there. What is this Lucella?¡± Julian grabbed his hand as he panted from the electric shock. He then squeezed out the answer. ¡°She has¡­ no scales. No fangs. No wings¡­ But she¡¯s¡­ still a¡­ dragon¡­¡± Those words were enough for his spirit to reach the limit and began to cry on all fours. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) The holy magic that the priests used specialized in healing arts. For that reason, temples also served as medical institutions to heal people. Julian walked gallantly with loud steps through the corridor of the temple¡¯s clinic filled with patients on complete bed rest. ¡°I understand the situation. We will get ready to conquer Mount Kuguse.¡± ¡°Could you repeat that?¡± The imperial knight next to him doubted his ears. ¡°The Variants on the mountain have undoubtedly decreased in number. If we don¡¯t exterminate the red dragon in question now, when else could we? If we prepare to take on two dragons at worst, it¡¯s not an impossible task.¡± ¡°S-Still! The Marq-¡­ Even your father has failed! We also lost our vassals and exterminators. We can only depend on the lords around us, but they would think twice about taking this challenge a second time.¡± It was too reckless no matter how you looked at it. In the first place, exterminating the red dragon of Mount Kuguse was an order that Kenneth received from the royal palace. Naturally, the order came with full support to hire the dragon hunters and they also loaned him outstanding exterminators. But Kenneth still failed, and many lives were lost along with his own. What would the royal palace be thinking regarding Mount Kuguse now? It wasn¡¯t clear whether they would give up or not. Julian, on the other hand, was proactive, however. ¡°We will use the Regalia. Then everyone will follow after us. Perhaps we might not even need their cooperation.¡± Julian¡¯s words made the knights freeze up. Regalia. That was the cornerstone that allowed kingdoms to exist. It was an item that suppressed the raging energy of nature and created regions where humans could live. Practically all human kingdoms had their own Regalia and used it to maintain their lands. However, these Regalia had one more important trait. ¡­.What would happen if you brought a superweapon strong enough to influence nature into a battle? (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (You can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) Certainly, if he borrowed the Regalia from the royal family, he would be able to conquer Mount Kuguse. However, that was no more than an impossible wild tale that you told to children. ¡°¡­My lord, we are barely maintaining the eastern war front by investing all four Regalia that our kingdom possesses. If we moved even one of them here, they would certainly take advantage of it. Even if that didn¡¯t happen, politically it would still be¡­¡± ¡°You fool. Who said we would use the Regalia of our kingdom?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± It seemed like a wild tale. For a second, he looked confused. The next second, he realized it. And in the third second, fear took him. ¡°It can¡¯t be.¡± ¡°I have once suggested it to Father, and it was dismissed with a laugh¡­ And here I thought we were at war. Both Father and everyone else thought a war between kingdoms is nothing more than an extension of a tournament. That¡¯s quite an idyllic and fine take. Perhaps it would lead to fewer deaths.¡± The knights couldn¡¯t object to anything. It wasn¡¯t because they were convinced by Julian¡¯s words. Rather, it was because they feared that the world they believed in, and the order they thought existed, would crumble. Their fear was directed at Julian too. Was this man a fool, or a revolutionist? Either way, they knew he was not a normal person. ¡°I¡¯m different from my foolish father. I shall swallow something like Setulev in one fell swoop.¡± Julian declared and clenched his fist as if crushing something. Volume 2 - CH 7 Under the clear early-summer sky, a box-shaped, two-horse carriage was traveling on the highway to the south. Commonly known as a high-speed carriage, it was a magic item that reduced the resistance of the wheels, shaking, and the overall weight of the passenger carriage. For that reason, despite it being a carriage, it could travel at roughly the same speed as a horse galloping freely. Those who would travel using them tended to be the royalty and titled nobility, great merchants, or first-class adventurers accompanied by dragons. Inside the carriage, the trio from Golden Helmet, and Kafal¡¯s clone and Lucella were sitting on the three-person seats that faced each other. Their destination was the royal capital of Setulev ¨C Alhurra. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± Tim, who still wore his mountain-like armor even inside the carriage, asked Lucella who had grown silent. ¡°I mean¡­ We¡¯re meeting the king after this, so¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we just decided on it today. Calm down.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fiiiineee. The king won¡¯t catch and eat you or anything.¡± The reason they were going to the royal capital was to discuss the matter of the hunt on Mount Kuguse. There was still time until the day of the trial that Shurei assigned to Lucella, and it was also that they needed to talk to the royalty if they planned to protect Mount Kuguse. It was unknown how he did it, but Tim managed to get in touch with the royal palace and secured a meeting with them, so the rest was Lucella¡¯s work. It was natural for her to be nervous. ¡°Lucella¡­ will¡­ protect.¡± Kafal said with eyes burning with determination with Lucella sitting on her lap. The carriage grew silent once again. They were going so fast that the scenery outside the window was flying by, but the inside of the high-speed carriage was surprisingly calm. If not for the thundering wind and the cries of the trampled road, it would be easy to forget that the carriage was traveling. ¡°Why don¡¯t we do something to kill time? I¡¯ve brought a bunch of things with me.¡± Viola, who could no longer endure the silence, expanded the folded table on the wall and lined up game boards and cards on it. The Golden Helmet apparently had several magic items that could store items in subspace, but there was still a limit to their capacity so most of the things they had there were things that could be stored and carried compactly. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°Woah, there¡¯s a lot.¡± ¡°We travel a lot on carriages, after all. It¡¯s a lot of time to kill.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pretty basic one, but how about Old Maid?¡± Lucella took the cards in hand, thinking of starting with something she knew, but Wein shrugged and shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s not. Tim¡¯s face just revealed everything. It¡¯s pointless to play a card game with him.¡± ¡°Say what?!¡± ¡°Now now, let¡¯s just see how it goes. Let¡¯s just enjoy when that happens too.¡± Viola shuffled the cards with a smile and dealt them with experienced movements. Kafal took the cards too and inspected them with curious eyes. ¡°Hey Mom, do you know about Old Maid?¡± ¡°I do. I saw¡­ dragons in human forms¡­ playing it.¡± ¡°Oh! So even dragons play cards, huh? Then again, dragons living using human forms would naturally reach for the human amusements too.¡± Kafal discarded the pair she formed and smiled apologetically. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think¡­ humans can win. Is that¡­ okay?¡± ¡°Bring it on. Humans may not beat dragons using swords, but we can¡¯t go losing even in games too.¡± ¡°Wait a moment, why are you suddenly representing humanity so smugly there, Tim?¡± Tim¡¯s stern face grew more dignified and the sparks flew in the not-so-wide passenger carriage. Ten minutes later. ¡°¡­¡­How can this be?¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s instead harder to pull the maid from these two¡­¡± It was an intense battle. Tim, who unluckily was the first with the old maid (and it was obvious by his expression), would turn slightly happy whenever it was about to be pulled, so the game continued for a while as everyone pulled every card but that one. However, that balance was broken by Kafal. When she ultimately pulled the old maid from Tim¡¯s hand, her eyes opened wide and the other three instantly realized which card it was. Following that, whenever someone was about to pull it away her expression would become slightly happier like with Tim, so it remained in her hand until the end. As time went on, Lucella, Wein, and Viola¡¯s hands got complete, and only Tim and Kafal remained. There were three cards left. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) And it was Tim¡¯s turn to draw. ¡°She has shown growth during this fight¡­ The only reason why I could push the old maid on her earlier was that she wasn¡¯t used to reading human expressions¡­! But if I draw it this time, I dare say there will be no next time for me. In other words, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s backed into a wall here. If I can¡¯t finish this now, it will be my loss!¡± ¡°My pride as a dragon¡­!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Leader making the most serious face in the past year?¡± ¡°That sounded cool for a moment, but it¡¯s just a showdown between the absolute worst players, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tim glared at the cards with a stern face like that of a bust sculpture, while Kafal was stiffened so nothing would show up on her face, looking as if she had taken the full course of every bitter medicine this world had to offer. Tim¡¯s fingers squirmed in the empty space, invisible swords clashing between the first-class adventurer and the dragon. Expression, breathing, the flow of the atmosphere, and presence. They were anticipating each other¡¯s moves, hundreds of battles happening in the span of a second. Their low-level, yet pointlessly advanced and unproductive battle had met an abrupt end. ¡°It¡¯s this one!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Tim¡¯s hand slipped past Kafal¡¯s, which was in hot pursuit, and pulled a card¡­ and it wasn¡¯t the old maid, but the Ace of Hearts that depicted the silhouette of a dragon with spread wings. ¡°Oh yeaah!¡± Discarding his final pair, Tim raised his fist in the air. Kafal stared at the sole old maid remaining in her hand and dropped her shoulders. ¡°I lost¡­¡­¡± ¡°L-Let¡¯s practice later! If you do, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll grow stronger!¡± ¡°¡­This is the first time in my 27 years of life that I heard anyone thinking of training in Old Maid.¡± With an expression mixed with exasperation and admiration, Wein stared at Lucella who was consoling Kafal. Volume 2 - CH 8 True to the name ¡°Kingdom of Water¡± that it was known as, Setulev had many rivers throughout its territory. The water factors were naturally strong on its lands. For that reason, even if it wasn¡¯t a big country in pure size, it still took people a long time to travel across it. It was convenient when moving things through the rivers, but that made it hard for fast horses and carriages to travel in a straight line. That day, the group stopped at an inn town that overlooked a river. They already had their evening meal, but it was still a languid period of time where it was too soon to sleep. Lucella was immersed in playing Old Maid with Kafal. ¡°Could it be this?¡± Being full of confidence, Kafal pulled out the old maid that depicted a devil from Lucella¡¯s hand. ¡°Too bad! That¡¯s a bust!¡± ¡°Whaa? You looked so happy just now I was XXXX it would be this one!¡± As she said before, Lucella was helping Kafal practice the game. However, Kafal fell for even the slightest of tricks, while when it was Lucella¡¯s turn to draw, she couldn¡¯t maintain the poker face. Presumably, Kafal couldn¡¯t use these little communication tricks just yet since she had only just obtained a human-form clone. Lucella was amused by that at first, but gradually, she started to wonder whether this would put her at a disadvantage during the negotiations. They were about to meet the king after this, but she suddenly got worried now. ¡°So humans deceive each other even in games.¡± Kafal hugged Lucella while looking a little disappointed. ¡°I guess¡­ you could say that.¡± It sounded like the statement of a sore loser, but Kafal seemed to be lamenting the fact quite seriously. In reality, the spirituality of the dragons had many obscure parts, but there have been examples in the legends and tales of them forming contracts with humans. And Lucella had never heard of a case where the dragon had broken one such agreement, though she lacked knowledge in this field. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) She thought that was the nature of the dragons, but Lucella wondered whether it was simply a difference between humans and dragons as species. ¡°¡­Dragons are strong. Humans are weak. Dragons have¡­ little gain¡­ big loss¡­ to lie. Humans are different.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Perhaps I was thinking in dragon XXXX. Maybe it¡¯s not that humans are ***, but because it¡¯s more XXXXXXXXX to live that way.¡± Lucella obtained power that surpassed the common sense of humans. And after reaching that level, she understood some things by feeling. Most likely, dragons had few merits in deceiving other dragons. They were individually strong and lived for a very long time, so any makeshift lie would leave them with more losses than gains. As such, they respected their contracts. Perhaps as Kafal said, humans weren¡¯t deceiving each other out of foolishness, but as a structural flaw of the human race as a whole. ¡°Even Dragons¡­ though they don¡¯t deceive each other, it¡¯s not like they never XXXXXX mistakes, after all.¡± The way Kafal hugged her was full of sadness for some reason. Perhaps she was talking about losing her egg. Or perhaps her decision to leave her group. ¡°I also get¡­ deceived many times¡­ and sometimes deceive others too.¡± Lucella said so, feeling like comforting her would be a bit wrong now. ¡°I see¡­ But as long as I¡¯m with you, I won¡¯t let you do that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never deceive you¡­ Mom.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ thank you.¡± Kafal flopped onto the bed while still hugging Lucella. Since their wallet was full they decided to go for a slightly luxurious room. For that reason, the bed was quite pleasantly bouncy. ¡°I wonder what kind of person Setulev¡¯s king is.¡± ¡°I hope¡­ a good person.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The Golden Helmet members seemed to have quite good faith in the royal palace. Lucella judged that they had a good reason for their trust, but since she had never met them directly, she was still vigilant. She wished that their relationship wouldn¡¯t become one where they would need to deceive and be deceived by each other. Volume 2 - CH 9 Next day. The Golden Helmet trio and Kafal headed straight to the royal palace, but only Lucella decided to act separately in the meantime. It was because a message arrived from the communications bureau that summoned Lucella. She sprinted from the inn town to a nearby city (while overtaking a fast horse on the way) and then took a carriage from there. The high-speed carriage had no decorations and features, appearing ominous instead, and inside it sat one man aside from Lucella. ¡°Good grief I came to Setulev to have a quiet life running the manager business, but I was thrown back into the bloody world.¡± ¡°Sorry for the trouble¡­¡± ¡°Oh no, I can¡¯t just ignore it when something so weird is happening before my eyes.¡± The suited man with smoothed-down hair smiled nihilistically. If you were to describe him in a nutshell, it would be ¡°a refined hoodlum.¡± He was Ivar McGregor, the man who was running the adventurer manager business in Kugutfulm. Lucella was acquainted with him due to having the same occupation. Before they headed to the royal capital, Lucella traced her memories from before she met Kafal and went around explaining the situation to the few acquaintances she had. Ivar was one of those few, and once he heard her story, he pondered for a while and then offered his cooperation in information gathering. After that, he headed to the royal capital before Lucella¡¯s group. ¡°Still, you¡¯ve returned even cuter than before¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Being told it straight, Lucella felt embarrassed and restless. Ivar gleaned at the scenery outside and then the look of a frivolous hoodlum disappeared from his eyes, replaced by a strong aura like that of steel. ¡°Now, this place should be good. The hottest information I have is that Julian Angus is apparently planning to come to the capital unofficially.¡± ¡°Julian Angus?¡± ¡°There¡¯s Marquis Angus¡¯ domain north of Mount Kuguse. That marquis was the one that commanded the dragon hunt the other day, and Julian is his eldest son. Since the previous marquis died, he¡¯ll soon become the next one.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s that guy¡¯s son¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s quite hasty, so it seems he¡¯s already in Setulev. The route he used is the one that crosses Mount Tado through the connection of teleportation circles. It can pass about ten people a day at best, and can only be used with Setulev¡¯s agreement, but it¡¯s the fastest route if one plans to come here.¡± Any large-scale traffic between Setulev and Maltgarz had stopped during the past few decades ever since Kafal settled on Mount Kuguse. More accurately, Kafal didn¡¯t particularly care about humans crossing the mountain initially, so Maltgartz took its time and put off settling the situation, while Setulev never had the power to deal with them from the start, so by the time they noticed it, Mount Kuguse was overtaken by Variants and could no longer be touched by humans. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) That didn¡¯t mean that the traffic between the two kingdoms was completely severed, however. There was still the route between north and south via Mount Tado which was next to Mount Kuguse. But that one was a dangerous road even if it had no Variants, so other than part of the reckless merchants that exclusively used that path, the only other travelers were important people who used the teleportation circles set up in various parts of the mountain to travel through it. Lucella suddenly wondered whether the Seventh Dice members also used that route to get into Maltgartz. Maltgartz and Setulev had territorial disputes, and they also looked at each other as ¡°the ally of the enemy¡± and ¡°the enemy of the ally¡±, but they weren¡¯t officially warring nations, and they also had diplomatic relations. If the Maltgartz side made up some excuse, the Setulev side would most likely avoid latching too hard on the case. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem to let a few adventurers ¡°defect¡± there. ¡°So, what is Julian Angus¡¯ goal for coming here?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain since it¡¯s a secret visit, but thinking rationally, it would be for easing tensions. A de facto apology, if you will. The tension should have increased after they moved the army to Mount Kuguse, and trying to hunt the dragon was clearly to harden their scaffold for the invasion. But they failed. If they have no follow-up means of attack, it would be the least damaging to apologize and have them sheath their swords now. They can still make an excuse and pull back now.¡± ¡°The next marquis came here while disregarding the Maltgartz imperial palace? ¡­I mean, I guess it is possible. If we assume this isn¡¯t the imperial palace¡¯s will but the marquis¡¯ individual action.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also thinking that to be the case. It would be the most peaceful way to settle this situation. I wonder if he¡¯ll say he came to apologize after the imperial palace kicked his butt, while conspiring behind the scenes.¡± Lucella wondered what she would do in Julian¡¯s place. If it could be treated as one noble¡¯s rash act, it would be able to avoid the cross-national breakdown. Setulev was certainly a small kingdom, but Maltgartz who was stuck in a quagmire war would most likely want to avoid gaining more enemies. If Setulev, who was just sneakily offering its support so as to not get rolled up in genuine war, were to lose the reason to be careful with Maltgartz and proactively join hands with the Gufare Union¡­ It would certainly turn into a troublesome situation for them, even if it didn¡¯t quite lead to their ruin. Marquis Angus¡¯ household got the short end of the stick to suffer disgrace in order to avoid that, but the marquis in question was already dead, and dead men tell no tales. If he pretends that his father was to blame for everything and that he was different, Julian could mitigate the damage that would befall him. Lucella agreed that move would be able to settle everything in one go. ¡°So everything might be settled already. Even so, there¡¯s a need to prepare for the next time.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°The reason I voluntarily came to the royal capital was to check how active Maltgartz¡¯s information network was here. If we can find this out, we can more or less figure out just how serious they are.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re helping us.¡± ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± He was really competent in all fields. Lucella showed her appreciation in genuine admiration, but Ivar looked away while scratching his head as if he lost his presence of mind. ¡°Goddamit, even if I know it¡¯s you on the inside, I don¡¯t feel unpleasant when a kid shows appreciation toward me.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ I¡¯m not sure what to say¡­¡± ¡°Ah well, I won¡¯t complain as long as you give me what I want.¡± Lucella took out two gold coins from her wallet and flicked them with her fingers. Incidentally, she got this money after selling off the Variant pelts. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) Ivar snatched the gold coins as they drew a sparkling arch. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°I should be the one to say that.¡± ¡°Good grief¡­ You shouldn¡¯t be so trusting of informants, you know? Those who sell the enemy information to their allies often sell the information about those allies to the enemies too.¡± ¡°If you do that you¡¯ll get stabbed one of these days.¡± ¡°Bring it on. I¡¯ll know when someone¡¯s out for blood for me three days before they get to me. If I didn¡¯t I wouldn¡¯t be alive by now.¡± Ivar said with a ferocious smile of a lone wolf that didn¡¯t rely on anyone to protect him. Lucella only learned it recently, but it turned out that Ivar used to be an informant with both his feet firmly stepped into the underworld before he became an adventurer manager in Maltgartz. He was using that experience and the few connections he had left. ¡°Also¡­ about Setulev¡¯s king. I hope he¡¯s someone reasonable. Even if he said he¡¯d cooperate, if he only planned to take advantage of Mom, I¡¯d obviously refuse it.¡± ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I mean, In Golden Helmet, there¡¯s¡ª¡± Suddenly, a thunderous roar occurred. With a sound like something large being crushed, a jolting vibration hit the passenger side of the high-speed carriage, which was supposed to be equipped with vibration-damping technology. ¡°Hyaa!¡± ¡°What the-?!¡± Volume 2 - CH 10 Lucella jumped off the carriage that was traveling on the river bank and looked in the direction of the sounds. The tragedy was happening on the other side of the river. Beyond the embankment of the opposite shore, a box-shaped high-speed carriage was being attacked by a monster twice the size of the passenger wagon. From afar it seemed like a giant wrapped in a magic beast¡¯s pelt. And it was swinging around a huge club the size of garden trees. ¡°A monster?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s huge!¡± There were armed guards around the carriage, resisting with all they had. However, as they ran around, the mysterious giant¡¯s club continued to swat them away. Moreover, the giant stopped moving for a moment and suddenly released a fireball from its mouth. It caused a large explosion and blew the guards away, and even toppled the carriage itself. The sound Lucella heard earlier had come from that. ¡°S?h?i?t?!¡± Without even thinking, Lucella discarded her raincoat-like overcoat and broke into a dash. The overcoat disguised like a natural traveling coat was hiding a crimson dress, or perhaps a mini dress, under it. The dress featured tightly bound chest coverage under exposed shoulders with an ornate belt tied into wings at the back. Her skirt with an exaggerated amount of frills had a rough texture and was quite short. But at the very least, it guaranteed that her panties wouldn¡¯t be seen from the front. She didn¡¯t really want to show that getup to people, but it was still an adventurer attire made by an artisan (pervert) from the pelts of Mount Kuguse¡¯s Variants. It was one of the best armor in the world made specifically for Lucella. She took three steps to gather momentum and then kicked off from the ground, feeling the wind whizzing past her ears. In a single bound, she cleared a massive river and dashed at full speed as soon as she landed on solid ground. Before her eyes, both the carriage ¡ªnow appearing like a diorama-sized object¡ª and the monster attacking it grew bigger with each passing moment. ¡ªWhat is this monster¡­? Despite having approached close enough to take note of its features, Lucella remained puzzled by this creature¡¯s identity even while running at breakneck speeds. Given that she had managed adventurers for quite some time now, she should have been more knowledgeable about monsters than most adventurers. However, there was one more strange point. While this monster did have a lot of similarities to the so-called ¡°Giant¡± race, there should¡¯ve been no habitat for such monsters in Setulev. (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (Please visit Re:Library to show the translators your appreciation!) Moreover, giants were categorized as demons and were frequently found in demon kingdoms. Yet, Setuleve was far from any of these kingdoms; therefore, it would be highly improbable for a stray monster to venture this far into their territory. In essence, the monster¡¯s presence in this area was unusual. Regardless of its origin, one thing remained clear ¨C it posed a significant threat that required immediate action. The mysterious giant clad in pelts had already eliminated the guards and now had set its sights on the toppled carriage. It began to demolish the passenger wagon with ease, much like a child tearing apart wrapping paper from a present. ¡°A-Aaahhh¡­!¡± Inside the carriage wasn¡¯t a winter solstice present, but a human girl of about 13-14 years of age. Despite being thrown about during the attack, she retained delicate and charming doll-like features with dazzling blonde hair and blue eyes. The white and pink dress that adorned her figure wasn¡¯t overly decorated, appearing more appropriate for an outing than a formal event. She emitted an air of aristocracy despite Lucella¡¯s lack of knowledge regarding her identity. Fortunately, thanks to some form of protection mechanism built into the carriage, the girl only suffered minor injuries from its collapse. However, paralyzed by fear at the sight before her eyes ¡ªnamely, the giant monster¡ª she could not even stand on her own two feet. As soon as it detected her presence, the monstrous creature slowly extended its massive hand toward her helpless frame until¡­ ¡°¡­Hyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!¡± Lucella delivered a powerful drop-kick directly onto its arm using all of her running momentum. Despite putting all her might into it, Lucella¡¯s small frame could not generate enough power to deliver a significant blow like a cannon. The giant merely staggered back slightly from the impact of her attack. As soon as she kicked it, Lucella felt an unnaturally hard sensation in her leg accompanied by a metallic ring. ¡°¡­Is this a golem?¡± Everything clicked into place. Why was there only one giant-like creature in an area where none should exist? And why couldn¡¯t she identify what type of monster it was? This was a simple humanoid combat golem that operated on magic, clad in a pelt and its frame covered in leather that imitated skin. It remained unclear why such a massive weaponized golem would be attacking a carriage; however, since they moved only when someone controlled them, it wasn¡¯t entirely unusual for one to be present here compared to the presence of stray giants loitering around. The golem quickly regained its balance and assumed a defensive stance, ready to carry out any orders it had been given. It appeared to have recognized Lucella as a threat and an obstacle. ¡°In that case¡­ I¡¯ll crush you to bits!¡± (This chapter is provided to you by Re:Library) (If you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. Please support us by visiting our site.) Lucella positioned herself in front of the young girl protectively and addressed the golem. Volume 2 - CH 11 the golem slowly raised its massive club shining in black luster. slowly? nay, it simply appeared that way because of its size, but it was actually surprisingly fast. the ground trembled under the weight of the weapon as it swung downward. lucella quickly assessed the situation and managed to dodge the attack with ease. if the creature had aimed to hit both her and the young girl behind her, lucella was determined to stop it at all costs. however, since the golem hadn¡¯t come too close and seemed more focused on crushing only lucella. ¡ªhmm? is this guy trying to avoid getting the girl rolled up in this? she wasn¡¯t sure why it held back, but since it was attacking so halfheartedly, there might be an opportunity for counterattack. lucella quickly leaped onto the club itself using it as a springboard of sorts. ¡°yah!¡¯ lucella sprinted up the golem¡¯s arm and delivered a swift kick to its chin, causing it to recoil and produce a metallic sound. she had intended to twist its neck with that blow, but the golem began moving its head upwards. ¡°kikiki¡­gigigigi¡­¡­¡± ¡°here! come here!¡± the creature produced an eerie creaking gear-like noise as it turned its head in lucella¡¯s direction. as lucella moved away from the girl, the golem ignored the girl¡¯s presence entirely and focused solely on following lucella. this time around, it placed both hands firmly on the club and swung horizontally, attempting to mow down everything in front of it. lucella leaped over the thunderous swing of the club with ease, but it didn¡¯t end there. ¡°gigaa!¡± without warning, the golem opened its mouth and spewed forth a massive fireball. it appeared to be a mechanism similar to that of a magic projection cannon, with the flames aimed directly at lucella¡ª even deviating from her jumping trajectory in an attempt to hit her. ¡°uwah!¡± cried out lucella as she was caught in the blast¡¯s violent explosion. the shock wave and raging flames knocked her down, sending her flying through the air like a kemari ball while leaving behind a trail of smoke. she bounced off the ground once before rolling safely on impact, scraping against it with both feet as she slid back to slow down. ¡°damn¡­ i¡¯m so glad it was just fire,¡± muttered lucella under her breath. ¡°i see now¡­ i can¡¯t jump around carelessly when my opponent has ranged attacks.¡± despite everything though, she remained practically unscathed by the attack. lucella¡¯s body possessed an abnormal resistance to flames and magic, rendering her impervious to the fiery attack. not a single hair on her head was singed by the flames. the golem appeared unfazed by lucella¡¯s resilience, showing no signs of surprise or emotion. nonetheless, it seemed capable of assessing the situation and refrained from using any further flame attacks. instead, it raised its club high up in preparation for another strike. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°good grief, you¡¯re being reckless here!¡± exclaimed ivar as he arrived at the scene after somehow crossing the river. ¡°mr. ivar, it¡¯s too dangerous here!¡± warned lucella. ¡°don¡¯t worry about me, i won¡¯t die that easily! more importantly, i had to see this for myself,¡± replied ivar with a sense of urgency in his voice. ¡°can¡¯t you tell? this is most definitely a golem. something big is going on!!¡± it seemed that even ivar had realized the truth behind the situation. it was indeed a golem, which meant there should be a user controlling it somewhere nearby. this wasn¡¯t some random coincidence or accident like running into wild monsters by chance; rather, it appeared to be an intentional incident or perhaps even part of some larger conspiracy. for someone in his line of work, finding out the truth behind such events was crucial. ¡°then stay near that girl! you most likely won¡¯t be attacked there!¡± instructed lucella, pointing towards the young girl who had taken shelter behind the ruins of a carriage. ¡°gotcha!¡± replied ivar as he quickly scurried over to her side. once she was certain that ivar was safe, lucella turned back to face the golem once more. she took a deep breath and focused on channeling all the dragon power within her body into the ground below. ¡°burn!¡± she shouted with determination as flames erupted from beneath her feet. the ground cracked open, unleashing a crimson wave of fire that surged forward towards the golem like an unstoppable force. the giant creature attempted to fight back but was soon engulfed by flames and reduced to nothing more than a burning ball of metal and leather. despite this, however, lucella couldn¡¯t sense any significant damage based on its movements, even though its metallic frame lay exposed amidst burnt remnants of pelt and leather. shhhh¡­¡­ ¡°¡­i can¡¯t output much power,¡± she murmured to herself. ¡°using fire breath here would be too hard.¡± despite her best efforts to strike and burn the golem¡¯s internal mechanisms, it seemed as though her attack was too weak to cause any significant damage. unlike real dragons, lucella didn¡¯t possess an organ for releasing breath attacks. however, she could still manifest a pseudo-breath by manipulating natural factors. unfortunately, setuleve was a kingdom of water ¨C which meant that fire-based abilities were at their weakest here. the only exception was mount kuguse, a dormant volcano where lucella¡¯s flame powers could reach their full potential. but in this current location, her abilities were limited to just average flame spells. ¡°gigigi-gi¡­¡± ¡°kya!¡± cried out the young girl who had been observing their battle, letting out a stifled scream as she watched on. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) despite being engulfed in flames, the golem managed to break through and charge towards lucella with its club raised high above its head. to any observers from the side, it might have seemed like lucella was about to be crushed by the creature¡¯s brute force. however, at that very moment, lucella leaped closer towards the golem and passed underneath its crotch. with lightning-fast reflexes, she reached out and pushed her hand into a tiny gap behind its right knee joint. ¡°doryaaa!¡± she shouted triumphantly as she grabbed onto whatever she could find inside and pulled it out with all her strength. with a tearing sound, a round part with something cylindrical attached to it came out from behind the golem¡¯s right knee joint. the mythril wirings in its way were destroyed in the process, causing the giant creature to suddenly break posture and become sluggish it attempted to swat lucella away like an annoying fly, but her nimble movements made it seem dull and slow in comparison. she leaped over its upper body with ease before thrusting her hand into another joint and pulling out yet another component, much to the amazement of both the young girl and ivar. ¡°a-amazing¡­¡± ¡°she¡¯s really nonsensical.¡± despite all this destruction, however, lucella was growing increasingly frustrated. ¡ªit¡¯s just too tenacious¡­ i can break whatever i can get my hands on, but it¡¯s so huge that i can¡¯t seem to reach its core no matter what. the golem¡¯s movements had grown awkward due to her attacks ¨C but even so, it still managed to move around somehow. despite her superhuman strength, breaking through the heavy armor of the giant golem proved to be no easy task for lucella. her lack of weight made it difficult to use her body as a weapon, and she had no actual weapons on hand to make efficient use of her strength. ¡ªthe inside! i have to find a way to break it from within!¡­! with that in mind, lucella slipped past the golem¡¯s giant arm as it tried to catch hold of her tiny form. she then jumped onto its shoulder and straddled its neck like she was on a shoulder ride. ¡°behold, radiant wisdom! // i am one who destroys foment // the pinnacle of infallibility / a river of glass / beyond the reaches where the golden wheel ends //¡­!¡± suddenly, lucella began to chant an incantation for a spell. ¡°geh¡­ hey, miss, this is dangerous, get down!¡± ivar suddenly grew concerned and urged the girl to get down. ¡°e-eh, w-what?¡± replied the young girl. ¡°plug your ears, cover your eyes, and open your mouth!¡± ivar instructed as he quickly prepared for what was about to come next. before departing on this trip, lucella had properly studied a few spells, including one that would prove useful in this situation. with lightning-fast reflexes, lucella pushed back against the golem¡¯s palm as it attempted to crush her in place. she then thrust one of her arms into its mouth just as she finished chanting: (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (you can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) ¡°scream, o child of grace!¡­ ?ground zero?!!¡± for an instant there was a sense of weightlessness before a deafening roar filled their ears. the explosion spell that lucella had cast was released inside the golem¡¯s stomach, blowing apart its armoring and scattering burnt gears and mechanical parts everywhere. the pressure created by the blast couldn¡¯t be contained within the creature¡¯s metallic frame, resulting in a massive crater being formed where it once stood. the force of the explosion even threw lucella high up into the sky before landing safely on the ground below with little harm done. ¡°huh?¡± the young girl exclaimed in confusion as she watched on. ¡°you idiot!¡± ivar suddenly yelled, emerging from behind a roadside tree. ¡°you were just going on about how dangerous it was for us, and then you do that! don¡¯t use a crazy spell like that with noncombatants nearby!¡± lucella hung her head in shame. ¡°s-sorry,¡± she replied. ¡°i didn¡¯t prepare properly and failed to hold back.¡± ¡°well, at least you managed to take it down thanks to that,¡± ivar conceded begrudgingly before kicking the golem¡¯s severed arm away in frustration. he then inspected the surrounding debris and shook his head in dismay, ¡°agh, look at this mess. how can i even begin to determine where it was made now that it¡¯s nothing but ruins?¡± ¡°i used my caller to get in touch with the adventurer¡¯s guild through the communications bureau,¡± he said grimly. ¡°we really need to investigate this situation as soon as possible.¡± ¡°thank you¡­¡± lucella murmured quietly as she gazed upon what remained of the once-mighty golem ¨C realizing that this incident was likely only just beginning. on a hill quite some distance away from where the battle had taken place, julian lay on the ground panting heavily. ¡°haa¡­ haaaa¡­ what was that! why is that monster here?! damn it, damn it, damn it! this can¡¯t be real!¡± in a fit of rage, julian stood up and threw his magic binoculars down onto the ground before crushing them underfoot. the ¡°marquis group¡± ¡ªwhich had secretly entered setulev¡ª had been discussing their plans with the royal palace and were making their way towards the capital disguised as travelers. naturally, no one at the royal palace knew about their secret mission. their strategy had been going smoothly until this unexpected intruder showed up out of nowhere and ruined everything. julian watched in horror as a single girl managed to reduce an anti-army combat golem into fragments, rendering all their previous efforts completely meaningless. ¡°m-marquis, please calm yourself!¡± pleaded an imperial knight who was also disguised as a traveler. ¡°shut up!¡± julian barked back before punching the knight in anger. ¡°gyaa!¡± the man cried out in pain and fell to the ground. julian breathed heavily as he tried to regain his composure. ¡°fuu¡­haa¡­my plan was perfect,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°it was perfect ¨C unlike my foolish father¡¯s plans.¡± he shook his head in frustration. ¡°who could predict something so random? damn it¡­¡± the young marquis scratched his head wildly while grinding his molars together with rage. his body was pulsing with a pure bloodthirst for lucella, but he managed to keep himself composed enough not to act on it just yet. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°haah¡­i¡¯m perfect,¡± he finally declared after a moment of silence, determination flickering in his eyes. ¡°i¡¯ll change the plan next time and succeed for certain! remember this! heh, hehe. hehehehe¡­¡± a twisted smile spread across julian¡¯s face as he laughed to himself maniacally, failing even to register that some of his followers were trembling with fear at their leader¡¯s sudden outburst of madness. Volume 2 - CH 12 lucella¡¯s group left the scene to the adventurers that came after ivar¡¯s report and headed to the royal capital with their carriage. they believed that they needed to get the attacked girl to a safe place fast. ¡°i never asked you to save me. you just jumped in and meddled in it on your own, so i won¡¯t thank you for it.¡± the girl in question didn¡¯t seem very grateful about it, however. ¡ªher ego really inflated once things calmed down¡­ there were three of them riding the high-speed carriage. lucella, ivar, and the mysterious girl. the girl in an outing dress crossed her legs in a bad manner and was staring hard at the two with her sky-blue eyes. be it her glossy golden hair, well-tended skin, or luxurious dress, they were all suggesting she was a young lady of a prestigious family, but her attitude ruined that appearance. ¡ªactually, doesn¡¯t she resemble someone? lucella felt like her looks resembled someone from her memories, and it bothered her. ¡°it looked like you would die if we didn¡¯t help, though?¡± ¡°indeed. maybe dying there would¡¯ve been better. after all, compared to those who would grieve for me, ten thousand times more people would¡¯ve been happy about it.¡± ivar seemed a little annoyed and asked it sarcastically, but the girl responded with a nihilistic smile and turned away. dying there would¡¯ve been better. she had no expectations from the world from the start. her words sounded like some sort of self-defense. perhaps it was better to leave her be, but lucella couldn¡¯t ignore it. ¡°you shouldn¡¯t say such things.¡± ¡°what? are you planning to lecture me now?¡± she glared sharply at lucella after hearing her rebuttal. it was a little different from coercion. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) it felt more like she was saying not to touch her and to stay away. a dog that was continuously chased by humans with stones and sticks would¡¯ve surely had the same threatening gaze. ¡°i should be the one to decide whether i have any worth or not.¡± ¡°but¡­ you were scared when that monster had you cornered.¡± ¡°i wasn¡¯t scared!¡± ¡°being scared isn¡¯t a bad thing. it¡¯s normal to be scared of dying. when humans truly exhaust all their options and give up on everything else¡­ they stop fearing everything and die in silence. if you think back on why you were scared of dying¡­ you should be able to find out what it is that you need to do.¡± lucella tried to convince her with all she had. she had known a person who had accepted her own death. compared to giselle, it was clear that this girl hadn¡¯t accepted her death. she said such a thing because she was seriously considering dying but then realized she didn¡¯t want to die. this girl was surely standing at the edge of a cliff and simply peering down from there, but lucella felt a destructive premonition from her suggesting that she would one day end up jumping down from there. ¡°¡­you¡¯re quite impudent.¡± the girl seemed to have no words to return and muttered so in weakened spirits. ¡±by the way, isn¡¯t it a good time for you to tell us your name already?¡± but once ivar asked for her name, the girl seemed to have regained her willpower and shrugged in displeasure. ¡°oh my, you don¡¯t even recognize my face? are you bumpkins, perhaps? i¡¯m not obliged to give my name.¡± ¡°but if we don¡¯t know who in the world you are, we wouldn¡¯t be able to take you home.¡± ¡°in that case, just hand me over to the gatekeeper at the city walls. that would be plenty.¡± the royal capital could already be seen ahead of the carriage. a deep, clear moat, and strong and high city walls that were like a fortress, were surrounding it. the highway was drawn in towards the gate tower that served as an exit and entrance of it. ¡°look.¡± the girl pointed before the gate tower. there stood not low-rank gate guards, but instead, knights dressed in luxurious armor, waiting for someone¡¯s arrival. the girl got off the carriage on her own and headed to the knights. the knights received her silently, surprisingly silently. but the girl didn¡¯t seem bothered by that either. it seemed as if they had a tacit understanding of the situation. ¡°good work. are you adventurers?¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) one of the knights asked overbearingly with his helmet still on. ¡°yes, technically.¡± ¡°me too!¡± ivar and lucella showed their adventurer cards. ivar also had adventurer status for convenience to aid his adventurer manager work. lucella also originally had adventurer qualifications for the same reasons too. afterward, things turned complicated, but they confirmed her identity so she was reissued a temporary card for the time being. but when the knight saw her card, he couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. ¡°what¡¯s with this adventurer card? it¡¯s not broken, is it?¡± ¡°no, uhh¡­¡± ===== ===== the knight seemed to suspect the adventurer card after seeing those impossible values. these stat values were in fact completely accurate, in reality¡­ ¡°it¡¯s them. they saved me, there is no mistake.¡± ¡°ah, i see¡­¡± surprisingly, the mysterious girl offered a helping hand and the knight backed down. ¡°i shall reward you for your deed.¡± the knight pushed a gold coin pouch to the two without asking for their consent. the size of the pouch was just big enough to fit in lucella¡¯s hand¡­ but if it was full of gold coins, the total sum would be quite a bit shocking. ¡°you have done well. now then, if you wish to enter the city, follow the fixed procedures.¡± with that, the knights turned their backs without waiting for their response. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (you can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) the mysterious girl glanced at lucella for a moment but it ended at that. she quickly disappeared beyond the gate with the knights. ¡°is this supposed to be hush money¡­ or perhaps not to pry into it?¡± ¡°wonder what¡¯s up with that girl¡­¡± ivar confirmed the pouch contents and started counting the gold coins without looking particularly happy. this situation was screaming that there was more to it than it appeared. ¡°oh well. we¡¯ll find out after investigating it. i¡¯ll tell you if i learn anything. about that golem too.¡± ¡°thank you. then i¡¯ll head back to where mom and others are.¡± ¡°right. well, do your best.¡± still having apprehensions, the two headed to the gate tower checkpoint to deal with the entry procedures. the mysterious girl had already disappeared from their view. Volume 2 - CH 13 1this is a japanese expression that refers to something that only appears once but has no other value/substance. it is most likely figuratively referring to monica, who is like an empty shell. royal capital of setulev ¨C alhurra¡­ true to its standing as the royal capital of the kingdom of water, setulev lived up to its reputation, resembling a colossal fountain when viewed from above. it could even be likened to a magnificent cake constructed from stones and water. nestled at the center of the city, the royal castle occupied a slightly elevated position, with water cascading from beneath it, forming a circular waterfall. this spectacle represented the might of the regalia¡ªthe wisdom eye vortex, a force that governed the land and was safeguarded within the castle during times of peace. water flowed through the city¡¯s intricate network of waterways, eventually spilling out from the wall¡¯s drainage pipes into the surrounding canal. the city exuded a vibrant and lively atmosphere, mirroring the resplendent beauty of the waterways. the roads and waterway banks in setulev were notable for their radiant stone paving, while the majority of the buildings were actually constructed from wood. this choice was attributed to the kingdom¡¯s affinity with water, as wood was abundant and its natural ability to regulate humidity made it well-suited for a region characterized by frequent rain and high humidity. lucella strolled along the inner perimeter of the city wall, following a 45-degree angle, until she stumbled upon a gathering of people near the northern gate where she was expected to rendezvous with the others. intrigued, she approached the crowd to get a better view, only to discover that it was merely a minor congestion caused by weary travelers taking a brief respite in that area. amidst the bustling crowd, a familiar voice called out, ¡°lucella!¡± to her surprise, kafal seamlessly blended in with the group, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. although tim¡¯s armor resembled a range of mountains, he didn¡¯t attract too much attention on the bustling main street of the capital, as armed adventurers were a common sight in the city. on the other hand, kafal stood out even more, her radiant appearance resembling flickering flames. her real body was far away on mount kuguse while this here was just a clone, but she still shone with extraordinary aura and brilliance like a ruby mixed among the riverbed stones. positioned on the outskirts of the gate, kafal eagerly awaited lucella¡¯s arrival. as soon as she caught sight of lucella, her face lit up like the sun, and she hurried over with an infectious smile. spontaneously, the human bystanders parted to make way for her. approaching from the front, kafal embraced lucella, lifting her up, and playfully rubbed her cheeks against hers. ¡°¡­hey mom, what¡¯s this about?¡± ¡°this is¡­ to make up¡­ for the time you were away.¡± ¡°the warm gazes from people around are stabbing into me¡­¡± kafal was already gathering attention as is, but now everyone was focusing on them. everyone was watching over them warmly. some of them seemed to be making up wild guesses about it and had tears in their eyes. perhaps they thought it was a moving reunion between parent and child that had been separated. it wasn¡¯t a mistake, per se. but they were separated by less than a half day. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) ¡°what about wein and viola?¡± ¡°they went to handle some procedures. i¡¯m about to go to the adventurer¡¯s guild though.¡± tim answered lucella who was still in kafal¡¯s embrace. ¡°that¡¯s perfect then. i got into some trouble on my way here and wanted to head to the adventurer¡¯s guild regarding it.¡± ¡°oh, what happened?¡± ¡°well¡­¡± the adventurer¡¯s guild in the royal capital served as the central hub that connected all branches and adventurers across the kingdom. despite being labeled as a small kingdom, the guild building itself was of considerable size, resembling a fortress or stronghold rather than a mere administrative office. within its walls, a large number of personnel tirelessly carried out extensive clerical work. the fundamental principle of the adventurer¡¯s guild was ¡°political noninvolvement.¡± however, this principle primarily meant that the guild should refrain from engaging in direct political conflicts. nonetheless, they still received numerous quests from the royalty, titled nobility, and administrative bodies. in fact, they maintained close ties with the authorities, particularly in matters concerning monster countermeasures, occasionally even acting as an extension of the government. sadly, such collaborations often led to compromising their principle of political noninvolvement, as collusive relationships emerged. for these reasons, the guild¡¯s headquarters were strategically located in the heart of the royal capital, not far from the royal castle. the expansive lobby, where both clients and adventurers congregated, offered ample space for interactions. adventurers clad in various attires mingled within, some even approaching clients who arrived to issue quests directly, engaging in business discussions to secure quests tailored to their unique skills and abilities. as the three entered the guild, a somewhat large armored man came running over with a pale face. ¡°tim! you b?a?s?t?a?r?d?, when did you get married and get a daughter¡­!¡± ¡°you¡¯re wrong, you dumbass! how could i have a big daughter like that all of a sudden!¡± he had a hairstyle similar to a chicken¡¯s comb, and appeared to be tim¡¯s acquaintance. ¡°sorry, lucella. this dumbass is martin from night-crying drizzle. he¡¯s an adventurer active in the royal capital, and while he¡¯s dumb he¡¯s skilled.¡± ¡°shut up, i¡¯m smarter than you!¡± ¡°martin, this is lucella, our new member.¡± ¡°nice to meet you. i¡¯m working as a manager for golden helmet.¡± ¡°manager? what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°oh, uhh, i¡¯m supporting them with office work¡­¡± ¡°¡­also, this is kafal. she¡¯s lucella¡¯s mother and she came with us to the capital because she has some business here.¡± when martin looked at kafal he felt something was amiss and looked puzzled for a moment, but he then did a quick bow without delving into it. perhaps he had sensed kafal¡¯s non-human aura, but he probably figured that if she was with tim she wouldn¡¯t be anyone suspicious. ¡°hey, martin. looks like lucella here saw something a bit suspicious¡­¡± lucella conveyed the events that transpired on the highway before she reached this place. tim told it as is to martin, and he nodded once he heard it all. ¡°yeah, people have been talking about it. apparently, her highness monica encountered some scary monster.¡± upon hearing this, tim¡¯s expression grew even more grave. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°¡­i see, so it was lady monica that lucella encountered¡­¡± ¡°who¡¯s that? someone famous? i didn¡¯t know¡­¡± martin and tim seemed to understand everything with her name alone, while lucella was lost. tim hesitated for a moment whether to say it or not. ¡°i suppose it¡¯s natural you don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve only been in setulev for two or three years. but it¡¯s quite a famous story inside the kingdom. some ten-odd years ago, the queen who was the legal wife had an affair and was confined.¡± ¡°¡­i thought it was common for aristocrats who married for political reasons to surround themselves with lovers¡­¡± ¡°but there was a problem this time. the queen had inherited the royal blood and held a high affinity with the regalia.¡± ¡°oof¡­ now that¡¯s bad.¡± yikes, lucella covered her face. human kingdoms maintained their lands with the powers of the regalia, and those regalia also held a power that could be called a trump card in cases of emergency during wars. however, not everyone could control them. in most kingdoms, the regalia could only be used by the royal family¡¯s lineage. this wasn¡¯t because their blood held some special power. it was simply because, for some reason, when making regalia, it was necessary to designate who was allowed to use it using blood, and it was normally the royal family serving that purpose. it was practically impossible to overwrite this, and every kingdom¡¯s royal family was careful so that the blood compatible with their regalia wouldn¡¯t die out while also making sure it wouldn¡¯t chaotically spread. every kingdom controls the bloodlines of those that can use it very strictly. and the queen was one of those. ¡­and yet¡­ she found herself entangled in a complicated situation when she had a child with a married man. the other party involved did not belong to the royal bloodline, but the child inherited the mother¡¯s exceptional talent. and that caused drama. the kingdom would be troubled if there were too few individuals capable of wielding the regalia. however, if those individuals emerged from external sources, it could undermine the legitimacy of the reigning monarchy. as a result, the queen was confined, and her child was kept in close proximity, subject to strict limitations. the queen had an older daughter, born legitimately from her union with the king. however, even the legitimacy of this child¡¯s birth came into question, leading to a series of restrictions that eventually prompted her departure from the royal palace. upon comprehending the entire story, lucella couldn¡¯t help but comment, ¡°it truly evolved into an ugly and complicated situation, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°should i add something even more depressing? the queen was childhood friends with that married man in question, and her marriage with the king was purely circumstantial for keeping her bloodline in check.¡± ¡°that¡¯s really messed up!¡± humans had a tendency to complicate their relationships when they had an abundance of food, clothing, and leisure time. the situation became even more distressing when the foundation was already marred. lucella firmly believed that infidelity was not morally acceptable. however, she couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that, at this point, everyone involved had become victims of the circumstances. ¡°afterward, the concubine gave birth to a prince, effectively fulfilling the queen¡¯s purpose. so yeah, i think you¡¯ve already caught on, but the child born between the queen and her lover is lady monica.¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (you can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) everything finally connected. it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the girl named monica had been carrying a curse from the moment she was born. even referring to her as ¡°her highness¡± felt laden with sarcasm. the title seemed less of an honorific and more of a biting irony. ¡°her existence is like an open secret¡­ she is treated with caution, and everyone pretends she isn¡¯t there wherever she goes. but deep down, everyone knows about her and the circumstances surrounding her birth. it must be incredibly tough for her¡­ i think i would have lost my sanity by now.¡± tim said bitterly. lucella felt a bit apologetic toward monica. they said that if you suddenly fed a starving person, it would only kill them. unknowingly, she had offered encouragement without fully understanding the situation, and now she realized her words may have been poison to the girl. simultaneously, a new thought emerged in lucella¡¯s mind. who would target monica, whose very existence was viewed as a disaster? lucella had some theories and possible explanations, but the central question remained: why was all of this happening now? Volume 2 - CH 14 ¡°wow!¡± lucella couldn¡¯t help but exclaim when she entered the room. while the group was staying in the royal capital, the lodging they chose was an apartment-type room close to the city center. the room was so spacious you could even hold a practice match with swords, and it was polished like a jewel with not a hint of dust or scratches. it was also moderately filled with what looked like luxurious furniture. you could go out straight to the balcony through the wide window, offering you a view of the royal capital¡¯s townscape where buildings were packed together inside a wall as if floating in the river. but the thing that captured lucella¡¯s attention the most was something that was hard to find in normal inns¡ªthe kitchen space. ¡°amazing. i never knew there were inns that had kitchens with a magic stove¡­¡± in the room was a stove that emitted fire without a need for firewood by just flipping the switch. most cities had magic power supply networks. they prepared mana mines by restrictively releasing the regalia¡¯s control on the natural world, then drew magic power from it and used it for daily life. that said, inns normally used magic-powered lamps at most. something like a fire-emitting cooking stove cost a lot, so you would rarely find it outside of grand mansions. ¡°we wouldn¡¯t mind staying at a budget inn, but appearances matter when we¡¯re in the capital,¡± tim explained. ¡°however, if we opt for luxurious accommodations, the staff becomes overly attentive, and it¡¯s too sparkly for me to calm down. so, we prefer places like this to avoid all the glitz and glamor.¡± wein nodded in agreement. ¡°indeed, even this inn comes with a hefty price tag.¡± setting their luggage down, tim and wein proceeded to remove their armor with practiced ease. apparently, even this armored man didn¡¯t keep wearing his armor in his daily life. ¡°i brought the ingredients for dinner¡­ but can you cook, lucella? i never asked.¡± viola only removed her tool belt and the rest of her appearance remained witch-like. she put down a large paper bag on the kitchen table and took out more things from the storage bag. all of it was ingredients. ¡°i can! you can¡¯t go on without knowing how to cook when it comes to outdoor activities.¡± ¡°too naive. that¡¯s not quite correct. when it comes to outdoor cooking, it¡¯s normally things that simply restore stamina and can be cooked with few tools. that¡¯s simple survival cooking, and it¡¯s only falsely similar to actual cooking,¡± viola said as she shook her finger and glinted her glasses. ¡°i assume miss kafal has no experience either.¡± ¡°i have¡­ never tried cooking.¡± ¡°figured as much,¡± nodded viola in understanding. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) for dragons, cooking was just an indulgence at best. they sometimes employed demons as servants and made them cook, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough to account for their giant bodies no matter how you looked at it. unlike humans who needed to know how to cook to survive, it was something outside of the daily life of dragons who just devoured their prey wildly. perhaps they did sprinkle some seasonings on their prey sometimes. ¡°in that case, this viola will have to hold a cooking class for you now.¡± ¡°could it be that you¡¯re actually good at cooking?¡± it might be a bit rude, but lucella imagined her as someone who wouldn¡¯t even dress properly and be reading books while subsisting on biscuits and such. ¡°so it¡¯s unexpected, huh? when i was a kid, i never touched cooking, but one day, i resolved myself to learn everything that you need for living and put in the effort.¡± ¡°her cooking¡¯s actually something else. even we trained under her.¡± ¡°i keep saying you don¡¯t need to help me with it.¡± ¡°but i¡¯ll feel bad if i don¡¯t.¡± tim sighed for some reason. ¡°let¡¯s go with setulev¡¯s specialty, fish dumplings. lucella, can you prepare the fish?¡± viola took out raw fish wrapped in waterproof paper from the storage bag in succession. living things couldn¡¯t be put into the storage bag, so the fish should have been dead, but they looked so fresh it felt like they would start swimming if you put them into the water. the black eyes of the fish seemed to be screaming ¡®try to eat me if you dare¡¯ at lucella. ¡°i-i can do the whole roast.¡± ¡°ahaha¡­ then since it¡¯s a good opportunity, how about learning a bit? miss kafal, please chop these root vegetables into thick slices like this.¡± she gave a simple task to kafal who had no experience. she took out a cutting board and demonstrated by chopping a root vegetable that could be eaten along with its skin into bite-sized slices, and then handed over the knife to her. kafal stared at the cooking knife for some time, and then stabbed it into the vegetable. ¡°hah!¡± and brought it down. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) the blade split the vegetable into two and slammed into the board under it, but it still failed to endure kafal¡¯s excess power and snapped at the base. kafal swung the handle of the knife all the way down to her waist, but the blade was propelled away by the recoil and fell on the floor with a loud sound. ¡°¡­holy¨C!¡± ¡°i-i apologize!¡± the broken blade almost stabbed tim, barely dodging it by sticking to the wall. ¡°¡­it broke¡­¡± ¡°a kitchen knife isn¡¯t something that cuts by putting power into it, but rather by pulling on it. i should¡¯ve mentioned that beforehand¡­¡± ¡°y-you¡¯ve had such power in that body¡­¡± ¡°can¡­ adjust.¡± viola passed her another knife and this time kafal started chopping it carefully. ¡°lucella, you handle this.¡± she put an impressive-looking fish before lucella. ¡°when you want to remove the head, insert the knife from behind the gills¡­ yes, that¡¯s it, you¡¯re doing great. this time we¡¯ll only be using the flesh, so let¡¯s remove the entrails.¡± following her instructions, lucella inserted the knife¡­ but it didn¡¯t go quite as smoothly, and the fish¡¯s body and skin twisted and got dragged along by the knife, but she still managed to filet three slices of it. viola put the bony parts into the pot and tossed the rest of its body in a big bowl. ¡°now we¡¯re going to mince this.¡± ¡°mom should be able to handle that much, right?¡± lucella was a little worried whether kafal would break the bowl, but she seemed to have properly reflected on her previous mistake. she properly held back and ground and stirred the fish meat with the pestle, turning it into minced fish. adding seasonings and binding agents and kneading it into appropriately-sized lumps, it turned into a dumpling. then another dumpling, and another dumpling. the fish dumplings lined up one after another. lucella remembered having played making mud balls during childhood. ¡°let¡¯s make a soup out of half. as for the other half, let¡¯s change the flavors a bit and grill them.¡± meanwhile, the vegetables were boiling in the soup made with fish stock. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (you can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) they threw half of the dumplings into the soup while lining up the rest in a frying pan. ¡°will grill!¡± ¡°oh, we have an open fire now.¡± ¡°so that body could spit fire too¡­¡± they ended up using kafal¡¯s breath to grill them instead of the stove. it was incomparable to the breath of her real body, but the flames filled with dragon aura would add nourishment to the cuisine¡­ probably. before long, the room was filled with a hunger-stimulating smell. ¡°okay, done! i have to say, cooking is like torture in a way. you have to stare at the food while you¡¯re hungry, after all.¡± ¡°you have a point.¡± men who couldn¡¯t fit in the kitchen went and lined up the food at the table along with baguettes to at least be of some help. meanwhile, lucella¡¯s side soaked the bowl and the frying pan in water to prepare it for cleaning. ¡°lucella. remember¡­ the first time?¡± ¡°the first time?¡± speaking of cooking, kafal didn¡¯t do much cooking and whenever she brought meat, she just grilled it and gave it to lucella, but initially she only learned to do that by pure coincidence. ¡°what are you two talking about?¡± ¡°listen to this! when mom first picked me up, she tried to feed me raw meat!¡± viola¡¯s glasses glinted curiously, and lucella recounted the events of that day¡¯s ¡®meal¡¯. ¡°i ate it because i was on the brink of death, but i ended up vomiting it.¡± ¡°i¡­ didn¡¯t know¡­ about humans¡­ back then.¡± ¡°yeah, that sounds¡­ disastrous.¡± ¡°even i can¡¯t stand raw meat¡­¡± everyone smiled wryly. it was just a funny story at this point. lucella intentionally made it sound like a funny story. though she was about to tragically die then, she was still saved in the end, so she didn¡¯t want kafal to feel down about it. the dishes on the table were steaming. it was also thanks to kafal that she would get to eat them today. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) in the world of saidora (the abbreviation of the title), the natural world is rich with magical power, to the point that humans have to control it to make the environment habitable, but in exchange, magic power as a resource/fuel is available extremely cheaply. there are equipment costs and taxes, but the magical energy itself is almost free. by the way, magic items and spells that store objects are not completely incapable of holding living creatures. they can hold creatures on the level of ants. however, the interior of the storage which is turned into a subspace is similar to a vacuum (or vacuum-packed), and most living things that are placed inside die. it is moderately useful for storing raw materials, but attention must be paid to the growth of anaerobic bacteria. as an option, there are also storage items that can stop time for the contents placed inside (but they are expensive) and are suitable for storing raw materials. these are power techniques that can only be done because the storage destination is in a subspace. Volume 2 - CH 15 next day. a carriage arrived before their inn and lucella rode it to the royal palace together with tim. the strong white horses pulling the carriage were donning ornamented helmets like knights, and the passenger wagon was solid like a fortress and was colored in an overbearing black color. the seats were so comfortable you sank into them the moment you sat, almost assimilating with them. ¡°¡­in short, the royal palace is all uptight with its bothersome customs and etiquette, but they have no idea how to welcome a dragon.¡± ¡°right¡­ so basically they called me first to ask me how to go about it?¡± tim without his armor looked so different you¡¯d mistake him for someone else. today, he wore an indigo-blue formal dress that he had borrowed from somewhere. in setulev, a kingdom closely tied to water and reliant on the regalia known as the ¡°wisdom eye vortex¡± to maintain stability, shades of blue held immense significance. lucella on the other hand wore the everyday clothes that viola had specifically commissioned for her. her clothes didn¡¯t look shabby at all, and it was also on point with viola¡¯s insistence that she shouldn¡¯t abandon the ¡°red¡± color that represented red dragons. lucella did feel some dread at the thought of becoming viola¡¯s dress-up doll once again when she heard her say she would prepare a formal dress for the future, but they were just meeting up in advance today so her current outfit was fine. after this, kafal would hold an audience with setulev¡¯s king. but what form would it take? everything other than the topic that would be discussed was still up in the air. they had to properly decide on everything. ¡°to begin with, mom only just recently learned to take on a human shape, so she has no idea about human conduct.¡± ¡°yeaah. viola mentioned this, but perhaps it would fit her better if she looked dignified rather than polite. it¡¯s just a secret discussion this time and the ceremony where things would go public is still ahead of us.¡± ¡°i get your point, but we have to try to keep the king¡¯s dignity intact, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°well, yeah. so basically we have to confirm the royal palace¡¯s intentions and think about how to handle that part based on that.¡± it was extremely bothersome, but lucella also understood that it was the necessary cost for the world of big-shots to work. this was also a battle to protect mount kuguse. fights weren¡¯t only about slashing, hitting, and burning. ¡°also, they have to inspect your ring. the king would be wearing it, so they can¡¯t allow him to put on something weird. they would need to inspect whether it¡¯s cursed and all that.¡± ¡°they¡¯ll return it properly, right?¡± ¡°maybe. i don¡¯t think the royal palace¡¯s officials are so reckless not to. probably.¡± ¡°that ¡®probably¡¯ worries me¡­¡± while they chatted about this and that, the carriage leisurely arrived at the front gate of the royal castle. it stopped there and let the two off. ¡°we shall inspect the luggage. remain where you are.¡± two gate guards parted and one of them inspected lucella and tim¡¯s luggage, while the other one looked at the two through some kind of heavily ornamented magnifying glass. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) and his eyes opened wide. ¡°w-what¡¯s going on? is her entire body a magic item?¡± ¡°oh, that¡¯s a magic power scanner, right? you won¡¯t understand anything if you look at lucella with that. the magic power in her body is denser than everything else, after all.¡± tim answered with a wry smile. for the security of important facilities including the royal castle, it was extremely important that no dangerous magic items would be brought in. the gate guard was apparently confirming whether they had any magic items on their person through an item that allowed one to see magic power, but that item was visibly made with humans in mind, so it reacted to lucella who was filled with dragon aura. ¡°¡­hmm. no helping it, then. state if you have any magic items on hand.¡± ¡°uhh, just this ring, i suppose¡­ but the people from the palace told me to bring it.¡± ¡°ah yes, i am aware of that.¡± after magic items, they gave them a general check over the clothes for any hidden weapons. that said, when it came to skilled warriors, their very bodies (and magic power) were fearful weapons already, so it could be said that carrying weapons wasn¡¯t that big a deal. it was more important to manage the people involved instead. ¡°alright, you may pass.¡± they finished a relatively simple inspection by royal castle standards and the two passed through the gate while listening to the sounds of water flowing down the castle walls. setulev¡¯s royal palace had a solid rampart, but this was because it was also a magical defensive mechanism to protect the palace. it was not a fortress meant for battle, but instead, the interior consisted of a magnificent and elegant palace made of wood and mortar and a garden with flowing spring water and seasonal flowers blooming in profusion. tim casually barged in without anyone guiding them, and took lucella to the gazebo in the corner of the garden. under its canopy-like roof, there were chairs and a table made with elaborate workmanship. perhaps tea parties were normally held there. ¡°wait here a bit, please. i¡¯ll go call the person in charge.¡± ¡°okay.¡± tim left lucella there and headed towards the palace. lucella gazed at the garden for some time. the man-made stream flowing through the neatly arranged trees sparkled, and a path of hydrangeas was built in front of the gazebo. it seemed like a view one would never grow weary of. there was a silhouette standing in the garden. he who appeared from behind a hedge saw lucella and walked towards her. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°oh, what a coincidence. i didn¡¯t expect i would be able to meet you here.¡± he was a gallant youth in his mid-twenties. he was tall, and gave a military-man expression through his energetic behavior. the jacket with numerous decorative buttons was a blindingly pure white. lucella remembered that this was the latest fashion among the upper class of maltgartz. setulev should¡¯ve been sultry in this season, but he still wore a scarf around his neck that looked like a cloak. he slightly bowed. ¡°could you be lucella?¡± ¡°y-yes¡­ who may you be?¡± ¡°excuse me for my late introduction. i am julian angus.¡± julian smiled gently, but the moment lucella heard his name it felt like her blood flowed backward. ¡ªso it¡¯s this guy¡­!! he was the son of the general that attacked mount kuguse under gemel¡¯s guidance. ivar supposed that he came here to apologize, but it would be unreasonable for lucella not to be wary of him. she didn¡¯t think he would try to pull something in a place like this, and lucella herself didn¡¯t intend to do anything either. ¡°how do you know me?¡± ¡°oh, is it something so strange?¡± ¡°well, yeah¡­¡± ¡°the adventurers that my father hired spoke about you.¡± ¡ªso it was that b?a?s?t?a?r?d? gemel¡­ lucella remembered the face of a man who was once his comrade with intolerable emotions. ¡°i have heard that you are the foster daughter of mount kuguse¡¯s red dragon, is that true?¡± ¡°¡­¡­it is.¡± given his tone that implied he was just confirming what he already knew, lucella didn¡¯t feel a need to lie and confirmed it. when he heard that, julian sighed with a depressed expression. ¡°then i have to apologize to you about my father.¡± ¡°h-huh? okay?¡± ¡°i have no face to show you as his son. please forgive me for my father¡¯s mistakes.¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (you can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) with that, he put a hand on his chest and bowed. it was a deep bow with no excuses. that apology was both expected and unexpected for lucella. for the royalty and nobles, their honor and reputation were like merchandise for trade. their apologies weighed heavily. but he didn¡¯t think anything of his actions. he didn¡¯t hesitate at all. it¡¯s like he didn¡¯t care about what he was discarding¡­ or perhaps he had nothing worth discarding. ¡°i only desire permanent peace. i wish for setulev and mount kuguse to forever be our good neighbors.¡± ¡°¡­i also wish for it to be that way.¡± julian offered a handshake with a smile. lucella returned it as a conditional reflex. but she felt something off about that handshake. julian didn¡¯t wait for lucella and just shook the hand at his own pace. it was nothing more. it could be called a trivial event. but lucella didn¡¯t overlook that. she couldn¡¯t feel even the instinctual level of consideration from him towards her who, at least outwardly, was a child. perhaps it was his intuition as a manager who was experienced in negotiating with clients. but lucella was convinced¡ªthis man only thought about himself. his gentle demeanor and sincere apology¡­ if all of it was just appearances, what was this emptiness that this man was full of? ¡°well then, i have some business here¡­ so i will excuse myself.¡± lucella gave a quick bow and left julian behind. he saw her off in a half-daze. as julian walked through the garden, he smiled silently to not be noticed. ¡ª¡°how do you know me?¡± huh? so she doesn¡¯t know anything, after all. i expected as much. if she did, she would have already reported it to setulev¡¯s royal palace. even if mount kuguse¡¯s route was closed, ¡°being on the lookout for setulev¡± was still the duty of marquis angus¡¯ household. they had a collaborator among setulev¡¯s marquises as well as spies slipped in their ranks. even if he didn¡¯t see everything, he was still able to learn even the movements of the royal palace to a degree. julian had somehow obtained information about monica¡¯s scheduled outing, which had been arranged a week in advance. and he matched his own travel plans with its date. moreover, the defensive precautions in setulev were relatively relaxed. in a kingdom like setulev, where internal politics remained stable, individuals of importance, be it noble ladies or those with the bloodline of regalia users, seldom felt the need to fortify their defenses intentionally. however, in the case of those with the regalia-user bloodline, they were often subjected to internal and external threats due to the complex circumstances surrounding their abilities. in fact, if monica died, the proof of the scandal would disappear and many would feel happy about the outcome. however, their attempt to abduct monica using the golem had failed. initially, the golden helmet group, which included lucella, was supposed to take a direct route from the north to the royal capital. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) yet, lucella had circled to the northeast side of the capital city all of a sudden and prevented the attack. he wondered whether the information had leaked from somewhere. however, this plan was known by a few even on the angus household¡¯s side. (he later discovered that she had unbelievably used her own two legs to run alone on the highway.) julian immediately started gathering information once the attack failed. what he learned from it was that the adventurer¡¯s guild had only just contacted setulev¡¯s royal palace and they started preparing to receive her. and not just the royal palace, even lucella herself seemed oblivious to what happened. if she knew she would have contacted the royal palace, and they would¡¯ve been faster in their response, so this was as julian expected. in other words, the prevention of that attack was an unplanned event. it was quite an unlucky outcome, but as long as julian¡¯s aim wasn¡¯t discovered his strategy could still continue. he only needed to change the plans a little. ¡ªeverything is still within my palm. there will be no second unfortunate coincidence like that. the reason he met lucella here was that he had obtained the information that she would be arriving today and used it to pretend that it was an unexpected meeting. julian believed his eyes were seeing many things and he had everything under control. ¡­in reality, it wasn¡¯t entirely a coincidence that lucella happened to be present during the attack. ivar had stayed at the inns where julian did on his way to the capital and gathered information. then he called lucella, and they headed to the capital, so it was inevitable that they would take the same route as julian. neither ivar nor lucella expected to encounter that attack, however. julian was certainly excellent. however, his attitude had several problems. one of them was that he believed he was the smartest person in the world and never considered that there could be someone as smart or smarter than him. Volume 2 - CH 16 the escorts came right after breakfast and they headed to the royal palace right away. still, by the time various advance arrangements ended the sky was already taking on the evening hue. leaving tim, who apparently still had things to discuss, behind, lucella returned to the inn a step ahead. kafal greeted her in the lobby of their inn which looked more like a high-class apartment building. ¡°good work, lucella.¡± ¡°no problem.¡± kafal approached while hiding her hands behind her, suddenly presenting what she was hiding to lucella. it was a conical pastry with a bright red paste on top. ¡°here¡¯s your reward.¡± ¡°wow. is this ice cream?¡± ¡°i bought it over there. so humans make things like this. it¡¯s so strange. it¡¯s like ice but it¡¯s sweet.¡± ¡°so they sell such things at the inn stalls¡­ i have seen it in specialist shops in kugutfulm too, but¡­¡± as tim had mentioned, this inn was known for its peaceful ambiance, where the staff refrained from being overly intrusive. however, it still had all the necessary facilities to support the guests¡¯ stay. the stalls in the lobby offered clothes, foodstuff, lunch boxes and sweets, and even other daily necessities. it turned out that even ice cream was included among them. ¡°this seems to be raspberry flavored. it was the most delicious.¡± ¡°¡­the ¡®most¡¯?¡± lucella felt something off about how kafal called it ¡®the most delicious¡¯ while acting happy. ¡°don¡¯t tell me¡­ did you try all types?¡± ¡°yup. i did while i was staying here.¡± ¡°woah. does your body have no capacity limit¡­?¡± she could understand the feeling of wanting to try out all of it when discovering unfamiliar food. but actually managing to carry it out put her sweet-eating scale in the dragon class. ¡ªthe king would never imagine that the dragon he¡¯s going to meet tomorrow is going around eating ice cream in the city. maybe the report will reach him later. i bet they are at least monitoring her. what did the stall owner think when he saw it? lucella decided to stop thinking about that. ¡°take it.¡± ¡°okay, i¡¯ll have some¡­¡± in the corner of the first-floor hall with few humans around, lucella sat down on the sofa, but kafal quickly sat next to her, lifted her up, and put her on her lap. ¡ªi wonder how long it has been since i last ate ice cream. i hadn¡¯t eaten it for a while even before i changed into this form¡­ i was single mindedly focused on working and living, and i couldn¡¯t spend any money recklessly since every coin was needed for giselle¡­ (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) lucella suddenly started looking back on the life she had spent, then looked down at the small artistic sweet in her hand. then, she took a bite, delicately savoring it on her tongue. ¡°¡­sweet.¡± it was chillingly cold, but had a permeating sweetness. the sweet and sour raspberry flavor mixed with the dried fruits, delivering a taste that tightened her chest. kafal meanwhile was nibbling on dark green ice cream. putting it positively, it was hearty. putting it negatively, it was improper. but analytically speaking, it was truly befitting of a dragon. ¡°they said this is tea-flavored. it¡¯s a strange taste but delicious. would you like a bite?¡± kafal moved her ice cream near lucella¡¯s mouth, which was missing about forty percent after her one bite. ¡ªi wonder when she learned about sharing food¡­ then again, there are more than enough family groups and couples around to serve as a reference. after the urging, lucella took a bite of the ice cream from the opposite side of kafal¡¯s bite. ¡°yeah, it¡¯s good. it¡¯s a little bitter, but it makes the sweetness stand out even more.¡± ¡°lucella, you got some on your cheek.¡± ¡°oh, really?¡± ¡°don¡¯t move.¡± the pressure from her soft and elastic chest pressed against lucella¡¯s back. kafal arched her back while still having lucella on her lap, peering into her face. her breath brushed against lucella and her crimson hair tickled her neck. and then, kafal licked her cheek as if pecking at it. ¡°wah!¡± ¡°i removed it.¡± it was natural but lucella jumped up when her cheek was suddenly licked. ¡°wh-, mom i told you humans don¡¯t normally do that stuff¡­¡± ¡°parent and child¡­ was doing it.¡± ¡°ugh¡­ so you saw one¡­ w-well, there are some people like that¡­¡± kafal was full of confidence in her decision after seeing humans actually doing it. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) she wasn¡¯t wrong there, but it was very situational and also embarrassing to do it in public. it needed a lot of supplementary explanation. but it was something people understood by feel, so asking for thoughtfulness from her in that regard was a little too soon, and lucella didn¡¯t want to exactly forbid her from doing it either. ¡°jeez¡­¡± ¡°are you angry? did you hate it?¡± ¡°i¡¯m not, and i didn¡¯t hate it.¡± lucella looked away with puffed cheeks. she didn¡¯t hate it. dragons didn¡¯t go around licking each other clean regardless of who it was either. to put it frankly, she felt love from that action. kafal could do something like that calmly because she loved lucella. thinking about it like that made her feel like she was being tickled from the inside. but she still didn¡¯t really want to be seen in that state by her acquaintances, not to mention people who used to know her previous self. ¡°¡­i came here on business but¡­¡± a sharp-looking man in a suit with combed-down hair just stood there. lucella stiffened as if frozen in place, her heartbeat doubling in speed. ¡°so you can make such faces.¡± ¡°wait.¡± ¡°sorry for intruding on your parent-child time.¡± ¡°wait.¡± ¡°still, it seems that people can really get used to their situations, huh¡­¡± ¡°don¡¯t abandon me heree!¡± in the intentionally spacious and deserted lobby, lucella¡¯s scream echoed hollowly. the fantasy world i¡¯m writing is intended to be one where the incorporation of magic into everyday life has brought about a civilization level similar to the industrial revolution, but with the abundance of ¡°cooling magic,¡± advancements in technologies like air conditioning, refrigeration, and freezing have progressed even further. by the way, in real history, mass production of ice cream began around the mid-19th century. also, i wonder if it¡¯s acceptable to use ¡°sharing food¡± in a fantasy world. ¡­i struggled with this, but i felt that trying to rephrase it would make it too heavy. so, i decided to stick with ¡°sharing¡± as it is. japanese is hard. Volume 2 - CH 17 ivar didn¡¯t seem to consider coffee ice cream as anything other than fuel for his brain and was just shoveling it without even considering its taste. ¡°i see, so you encountered him at the royal palace¡­¡± ivar made a difficult face when he heard about lucella¡¯s encounter with julian in the royal palace¡¯s garden. on the surface, julian was certainly friendly. however, something was off. even ivar who only heard it from lucella felt something was amiss there. ¡°he was talking about ¡®desiring peace¡¯ and all that as you suspected. i¡¯m not sure what he really thinks, though.¡± ¡°well yeah. even if a temporary peace is formed, maltgartz will definitely aim for setulev if an opportunity arises. but both kingdoms are aware of that and speak of that temporary peace as if it was permanent. that¡¯s just how politics work.¡± indeed. even if it was a temporary peace built on deceit, implementing and trying to maintain it might be what politics was all about. but even then. would the emptiness lucella felt from him really fit the description of that typical word? ¡­it was in the end but a faint impression which was hard to verbalize that lucella got by actually meeting julian. but lucella wasn¡¯t convinced of it, no matter what. ¡°what kind of fellow is this julian angus?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know about his political skill, but he¡¯s rumored to be a shrewd man. ¡­honestly, i just can¡¯t like him. based on the leaked tales, it seems like he¡¯s quite egoistic, and while he¡¯s certainly smart, he seems like he¡¯s the type to look down on everyone around thinking they are fools.¡± lucella recalled the conversation in the royal palace. she couldn¡¯t deny ivar¡¯s comment. ¡°i don¡¯t know anything else. after all, this guy has rarely been on the front stage. normally, the lord¡¯s heir would be given more experience.¡± ¡°no, that¡¯s enough. thank you.¡± lucella shook her head slightly. she couldn¡¯t let julian¡¯s matter off her head like a spiderweb getting caught in one¡¯s hair in the thickets, but nothing would be solved by worrying about it here. for the time being, she just prayed that julian would accomplish the peaceful resolution with setulev as he claimed and peace would return on mount kuguse too. and that she wouldn¡¯t need to get involved with that disturbing man any more than this. ¡°by the way, about the attack from before, that young lady is¡­¡± ¡°i heard. her highness monica, it seems she¡¯s called.¡± ¡°oh, so you heard it.¡± ¡°what about the origin of the golem?¡± ¡°as expected, we still don¡¯t know yet¡­¡± ivar sighed bitterly in irritation, crunching down the ice cream cone. ¡°the adventurer¡¯s guild recovered the wrecks at first, but it was left in the hands of setulev royal palace. they must want to put the situation under control too. the pros and cons of an official announcement could become their trump card depending on who they are dealing with, after all. well, the adventurer¡¯s guild is politically uninvolved, so if the royal palace told them they were investigating it as an assassination attempt they couldn¡¯t refuse it.¡± ¡°hmm¡­ i see¡­¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) the people involved, namely lucella and ivar, could be said to have the right to the information from the guild, but even without that, ivar would get hold of the information from somewhere. thus, lucella giving her support here was purely just in case. all that was left was to wait for the information. the technical analysis that required knowledge couldn¡¯t be solved even with draconic power, so she could only entrust it to a suitable institution. ¡°before that, you have a meeting with the king.¡± ¡°right. honestly, i¡¯m really nervous.¡± ¡°maybe there being only one ring is a blessing. that means the conversation would only happen with the king. that avoids any uncalled interruptions.¡± ¡°you have a point¡­¡± giselle¡¯s ring had been entrusted to the royal palace at present. after investigating it, the imperial magicians judged that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for the king to wear it, but all that research would be pointless if it got replaced before the conversation happened, so it was entrusted to them instead. this wasn¡¯t because the royal palace didn¡¯t trust lucella, but because it was a difficult situation. when tomorrow came, the king wearing that ring would converse with kafal and they would decide on the hereafter of mount kuguse. and while kafal was the leading actor here, lucella would also be there in case she had to intervene in their conversation. though she had the experience of the adventurer manager, she still never confronted a kingdom¡¯s royal palace. ¡°do you know what kind of person setulev¡¯s king is?¡± information was what controlled the battles. when adventurers accepted quests, what allowed them to come back alive was the information about what type of monsters they might fight and preparing countermeasures against their patterns. that didn¡¯t change even in the negotiations between people. ¡°i think he¡¯s roughly how he is reputed to be. a ¡®king with 65 points in all subjects,¡¯ basically.¡± ¡°is that praise? or a criticism?¡± ¡°who knows¡­ at least i intended it as praise. he is reputed to be a person with a gentle demeanor, but that basically means he¡¯s the type to trap people. even if he seems like an old man you could find anywhere, don¡¯t let your guard down.¡± ¡°of course.¡± lucella hardened her determination. nervousness was the flip side of her sense of duty. in this negotiation she would have more experience than kafal, so she thought she would have to protect her if push came to shove. seeing her like that, ivar gave a lukewarm sigh. ¡°¡­your face really looks different from the one you had earlier when your mother was spoiling you.¡± ¡°i wasn¡¯t acting spoiled! mom just did that on her own¡­¡± ¡°incidentally, what are the parent¡¯s impressions?¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) kafal didn¡¯t let go of lucella, so this conversation happened while she still sat on her lap. ¡°cool¡­ lucella¡­ also cute.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± ¡°ugh¡­¡± kafal seemed to adore seeing lucella doing her best for her sake, she started rubbing their cheeks together from behind. lucella could do nothing but resign to her will. Volume 2 - CH 18 that day, the courtyard of the royal palace had taken on the appearance of the headquarters of a battlefield. the enclosures, erected to cover the surrounding buildings, were made of white fabric with blue lines. they were magic items to fend off arrows and spells, but in this case, they served more like ornaments. the distinguished lineup of nobles (though lucella only knew their titles) were dressed up flashily, sitting in the outer circumference of the place. and in the very back, sat the king of setulev himself, even his outdoor chair looking too extravagant. he was in his late forties. his hair, which was a dark shade of brown, was quite curly, while his beard was neatly cut short. the first impression that would come to mind would perhaps be ¡®serious¡¯. though it did feel like he lacked some dignity that the term ¡®king¡¯ brought into one¡¯s mind. but his crown, royal staff in hand, and dignified sitting posture made him look the part. he had received the teachings of the previous king since birth and had been ruling for fifteen years already, so his experience was sufficient to give him a dignified presence. he was wearing a luxurious jacket with loose sleeves, and his mantle, draped around him, featured vivid depictions of flowing water-like patterns. it was not by intent, but the sky was cloudy that day. ¡°what is that¡­?¡± one of the nobles looked at the sky. the clouds were burning. there was a hole in them far above where humans could not reach. the flames devoured the clouds and fell down like a meteor. people raised voices of fear. it seemed like the flames would crash into the ground and explode, but as they descended to the height of the royal palace¡¯s roof, the flames gently dissipated and took on a human shape. the voices of fear changed into ones of admiration. her hair was blazing red, and her dress reminiscent of the swaying flames. being an artificial product, her sublime pure skin had not a single defect. she was tall by the standard of human females, and possessed an artistically balanced figure. her features exuded a wild and majestic air, as if completely untouched by the impurities of the mundane world. she was both elegant and dignified. as she observed from the ground, lucella couldn¡¯t help but inwardly exclaim, ¡°who is this person?¡± the stark contrast between the way she looked and behaved now compared to her demeanor when showing affection towards her was so striking that it left lucella utterly bewildered. as she descended in a swirling blaze of flames to the center of the ¡°meeting grounds,¡± kafal raised her hands, causing the ground to tremble and rise. what emerged from the ground was a throne with a design resembling frozen, solidified lava. it had been created by manipulating the earth through magic. as kafal seated herself on the rocky throne, setulev¡¯s king, facing her from a distance, put on the ring entrusted by lucella. ¡°king of humans. there is something i should *** before we begin. our language is not suited for deceit and concealment. especially for someone like you who is not accustomed to it.¡± ¡°i see. it is wonderful that we will get to converse xxxxxxx without any cover-ups.¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) the king answered pleasantly to kafal¡¯s warning. and then, he spoke clearly and loudly. ¡°i am lazarus karliste liet setulev, the king of setulev. today is a joyous day for me.¡± ¡°i am kafal. the daughter of shurei, the chief and xxxx of volcanic group of belmar, and kuria, who is acquainted with xxxx. i presently live on mount kuguse.¡± lazarus stood up from his throne and walked midway to the second throne. kafal remained seated. ¡°¡­excuse me. in situations like this, humans ask for a xxxxxxxxx. is this different from the xxxxxxx of dragons? in that case¡­¡± ¡°no.¡± kafal also stood up. ¡°you are a human, while my current self is using a human form. i should act according to human xxxxxx here. i was simply perplexed due to the lack of experience.¡± she then walked forward and exchanged a handshake. meanwhile, lucella was focused not on the two, but on the spectators around. most of them held their breath as they watched over the king and dragon¡¯s handshake. but not everyone was like that. among the assembled nobles and high-ranking officials stood one individual. he did not react to the ¡°actions¡±, nor did he seem as tense as the others. ¡­for those who do not understand the language of dragons, they can only observe the actions and later deduce the nature of the conversation. however, if one understood the flow of the conversation, they wouldn¡¯t be surprised by the events. ¡ªis he making out their conversation¡­? no, since he¡¯s not interpreting, perhaps he can only hear it. dragonian is easier to listen to rather than speak, after all. maybe they brought someone who could understand it from somewhere. it was indeed a prudent measure for the palace to prepare someone who could understand the language, but it was quite audacious to hide them. ¡°have you heard that someone laid waste to my garden?¡± ¡°i am aware of it.¡± ¡°which side is in the right and which is in the wrong¡ªthat is something humans decide arbitrarily. it is of no concern to me. however, what i do desire is that foolish hunters will not be allowed onto the mountain.¡± they did not forget their manners towards each other, but did not abase themselves either. dragonian language conveyed nuances heavily, but neither lazarus nor kafal arrogantly looked down on the other, and were simply acting self-confident and collected. ¡°what i and your kingdom seek appears to align. what do you say?¡± ¡°yes, indeed. there is a xxxxx that maltgartz plans to take over mount kuguse and invade setulev. however, this is a pure xxxxxxxxx. after all, setulev and maltgartz have never crossed swords.¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) it was a deception. setulev was backing up the gufare union which was engaged in a war with maltgartz. and in opposition to that, maltgartz attempted to cross the mountain. the two kingdoms were not on friendly terms by any means. but even then, they had to shake their hands with a smile until something decisive occurred. that¡¯s just how politics were. that was simply in the national interests. behind the scenes, however, they were getting ready for the potential enemy. ¡°setulev is small while maltgartz is mighty and big. we must act prudently. if mount kuguse is taken from us, we will be pinned to the ground, leaving us in a state no different from having fangs at our xxxxxx. could one feel safe in such a state even if they were reassured that they would not be killed?¡± ¡°i understand your point. every beast on mount kuguse flees in fear at the mere sight of me. it should be similar to that.¡± ¡°we wish to xxxxx the risk of invasion. in other words, make it so that the maltgartz army does not enter mount kuguse. that should serve to our mutual benefit.¡± lazarus who sat imposingly leaned forward a bit. ¡°if so¡­ i am considering having our army enter mount kuguse before maltgartz.¡± he finally breached the main topic. if julian¡¯s visit could help ease tensions, then until the situation escalates again, it should be impossible to deploy a large-scale military force. sustaining a continuous deployment of troops would pose both human and financial burdens, and setulev did not seek to unnecessarily heighten tensions either. however, it should be possible to establish a de facto defensive stronghold, with valid excuses, and station guards along the borders. furthermore, by establishing a cooperative relationship with kafal, they can gain accomplishments in the form of time. this way, when the time comes, setulev will be fully prepared to defend mount kuguse with all its might. cooperation and building a defense structure¡­ both setulev and kafal desired that outcome itself. however, the issue lay in the approach. the alliance must be kept within reasonable bounds. the ultimate desire of kafal (and lucella) was a peaceful life in mount kuguse. it was essential to avoid being excessively controlled or used by setulev. lazarus was well aware of this, which was why he cautiously broached the subject after a roundabout preamble. ¡°queen of mount kuguse. there are monsters that serve as your soldiers on the mountain. should they fight alongside our soldiers and knights, we would be able to repel any xxxxx.¡± ¡°alright then¡­ if your words are sincere, then i shall allow humans to enter the mountain.¡± ¡°and there is one more matter. i have to once again declare to the human world that mount kuguse belongs to setulev. this has been our claim from before you have settled there, so i ask that you understand.¡± as lucella was positioned behind kafal she couldn¡¯t see her expression, but she realized that she was frowning based on her following words. ¡°xxxxx. it should be clear to human eyes that the mountain in question belongs to me, is it not? and i have no plans to relinquish it.¡± ¡°***, that is indeed the case. however, we would need a reason in case of a battle. if we claim mount kuguse as ours, then we would have a reason to fight the invaders of it. it is nothing more than that. i am not attempting to change anything. naturally, i would not even dream of attempting to steal it from you.¡± lazarus¡¯s words felt somewhat disturbing. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (you can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) ¡ªjust now¡­ you would suspect some scheme even if it was told using human language, but in dragonian you can see his intentions clearly¡­! he¡­ most likely didn¡¯t plan to steal it. that much should be true. stealing it would mean no other option but to eliminate kafal, but that way they could no longer use mount kuguse as a breakwater, so it wasn¡¯t realistic. however, if they were allowed on the mountain, they could use the mountain to a degree regardless. but what if they can establish vested interests based on that fact, making it their own? even without stealing mount kuguse, they would still be able to suck its sweet nectar. lucella could see such ulterior motives. ¡ªdid he let that slip just now? or was it intentional? as the head of a nation, one also represents the national interest. to be able to respond with that so casually, even under the gaze of a dragon, lazarus was not to be underestimated, after all. was this what it meant to be a king who leads a nation? kafal did not respond for some time. it felt like the heat was whirling up around her like coiling snakes. ¡°¡­so be it. however, i will not xxxxxx if your soldiers ruin my garden. make sure to discipline them well. their behavior shall be taken as your own.¡± ¡°naturally.¡± ¡°additionally, human laws have nothing to do with my mountain. all who enter the mountain should obey my orders. if i tell them to withdraw, they shall withdraw¡­ and die if i tell them to.¡± ¡°that is¡­¡± lazarus¡¯s expression sharpened in tension. kafal was stating that if humans resorted to petty schemes and cunning behavior, she was prepared to respond with untamed violence. whether one interpreted it as a deterrent or a threat would depend on the circumstances. ¡ªshe added ¡®though i do not wish to kill them¡¯ nuance to that, but i wonder if it was conveyed? it might ultimately be setulev that gained merits from the mountain¡­ but it would be the mountain that would flourish initially. it was to keep things within limits. and to be able to bring judgment without problems if something happened. she warned the leader of the other party here. however, lazarus couldn¡¯t just nod to that. ¡°i ask that you xxxxxxxxx about controlling their life and death. even if there was a just reason for that, soldiers would grow restless if someone was killed.¡± ¡°i am not trying to find faults in xxxx actions of small beings and bring judgment on them. should anything happen, i shall first relay it to your general using words.¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) she showed her fangs. that was enough. kafal was an outlaw in the human world¡¯s standards. in a civilized world, you weren¡¯t allowed to kill people so lightly. setting aside whether that rule was always adhered to, it was still a fundamental premise. a society where humans kill each other could not thrive and progress. cruel rulers face condemnation, and murderers are sent to the gallows. however, as kafal herself has conveyed, she was not bound by such restraints. she didn¡¯t need to fear being apprehended for murder, so they had to be very careful and sincere with her. ¡°however, even i cannot fully control the variants. i shall arrange it so that your soldiers are as safe as possible, but there are no absolutes. i will not be able to fully protect them, especially those that ignore my orders and act arbitrarily.¡± ¡°understood. then let us talk about xxxxx agreement for a bit¡­¡± when lazarus signaled with his gaze, an official handed over a piece of parchment with something written on it. magical contracts were considered more suitable for parchment than regular paper, and by extension, the use of parchment had become common for important agreements, even when there were no magical bindings involved. lazarus began reading out the specific requirements, which seemed to have already been prepared by the administrative staff, and kafal listened to them analytically. ¡ª¡­so there was no need for me to intervene, in the end. lucella had already switched into spectator mode. her determination had lost its target and ran idle. she was playful and a little absentminded at times, and lost her reason whenever lucella was involved, but she was a dragon. her wisdom and experience from her long life were not to be underestimated. lucella was made aware of it. Volume 2 - CH 19 ¨C gazebo of the royal garden which lucella visited yesterday. on the table, beautiful bluish-white porcelain tea utensils were neatly arranged, while the three-tiered wagon was stacked with an abundance of gem-like sweets. there were three individuals present. perhaps it was two people accompanied by a single animal. alternatively, it could have been one person with two animals. after various discussions had concluded, lucella and kafal were invited to a ¡°modest tea gathering.¡± indeed, it could be considered modest, at least in terms of the number of attendees. ¡°my apologies. being a king means that i can¡¯t decide on things arbitrarily. i can¡¯t even have a discussion without everyone present like that.¡± after the conclusion of the discussions, lazarus, dressed in a slightly more casual attire than before, took it upon himself to prepare the tea for the guests, lucella and kafal. in this setting, there were no attendants to serve. the royal guards, maintaining a considerable distance, were scattered throughout the garden, ensuring security without intruding on the intimate gathering. ¡°please be at ease. i¡¯m the only one here now. i can finally get to speak not as the king of setulev but as lazarus. ¡­oh, it seems we only have dilated dayflower tea. it¡¯s good for the throat, but it has a strong taste¡­¡± ¡°u-um, please don¡¯t worry. we can drink it.¡± ¡°i¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± lazarus skillfully poured the tea in such a good mood that it seemed like he¡¯d start humming. even lucella, who was not familiar with the royal palace etiquette, could discern that such behavior was far from ordinary. it seemed risky for lazarus to act in a manner that could potentially provoke the nobility and risk the loss of the kingdom¡¯s authority. however, when facing a dragon, it appeared that social standing held little significance to him. lucella was not naive enough to wholeheartedly believe in the deception of ¡°merely a private tea gathering.¡± however, she believed that forming a connection with lazarus at this moment would surely be advantageous. ¡°¡­by the way, are you sure speaking using human language is alright?¡± giselle¡¯s ring was already returned to lucella. lazarus reveled in delight, much like a curious and adventurous young boy, as he experienced the use of the magical item that bestowed language abilities. it seemed like he left his majesty and dignity somewhere. ¡°here you go.¡± ¡°i-i¡¯ll have it¡­¡± ¡°thank you.¡± lucella accepted the tea timidly, it having been served by none other than the king himself. there was a mythril-silver spoon in the cup. it was most likely poison-testing tableware that reacted to the poisons and changed color. upper-class people normally used mythril-silver poison-testing tableware for eating and drinking, but as this cup was made of porcelain, they provided it in the form of a spoon instead. lucella and kafal would¡¯ve easily digested the poison even if they were fed it, though¡­ (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) the tea was most likely moderately warm. it had a strong astringent taste that adults liked. it seemed like sweets would go well with it. once lazarus saw kafal starting to drink, he took a sip from his own cup. ¡°lucella. temperature¡­ good?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not hot.¡± ¡°okay.¡± as she said so, kafal blew a fragrant and thin breath towards lucella¡¯s teacup. it wasn¡¯t the so-called fire breath, but it still brought forth a choking heat. ¡°wait, dragons blow on their food to heat it up?!¡± the tea in the teacup lucella was holding started to boil. ¡°not hot¡­ i thought¡­ not hot enough.¡± ¡°t-thanks¡­¡± ¡°¡­hahah.¡± lazarus couldn¡¯t hold back and started chuckling. lucella drank the boiling tea. normal humans would get their throats burnt by its temperature, but lucella only found it slightly stimulating. if you could drink tea at that temperature so nonchalantly, you could perhaps experience a unique flavor of it. ¡°i have heard the rough situation from tim, but i¡¯m personally interested in you two as well. could you tell me about it?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t mind.¡± as requested, lucella began recounting the incredibly peculiar events of the past year to lazarus. she shared her near-death experience on the mountain, her encounter with kafal, and everything that had led up to the present moment. although lazarus likely had a rough understanding of the overall situation, hearing the story directly from the person involved allowed for a deeper understanding of the intricate details. he listened with great interest, captivated by the narrative unfolding before him. ¡°i see, that¡¯s very interesting. sometimes reality can be more eventful than the stories¡­ ah, perhaps this was a rude way to put it.¡± ¡°not at all, even i can¡¯t believe it was all real.¡± lazarus¡¯ impressions were quite on point. lucella was here now due to many lucky and coincidental events as well her own choices. the story at least served as something to pay back for this tea and snacks. ¡°¡­ah yes, i forgot to thank you. thank you for saving monica.¡± lazarus suddenly thanked her. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°monica¡­ you mean¡­ that girl?¡± it was the girl that lucella saved from the mysterious golem attack on her road to the royal capital. she didn¡¯t expect lazarus to mention her name here. monica wasn¡¯t even related to him by blood. not just that, she was even a child born from his wife¡¯s adultery. ¡°umm¡­ that girl¡­¡± ¡°yeah¡­ i¡¯ve done something pitiful to that girl.¡± lazarus looked towards the magnificent palace beyond the garden with eyes dyed in sorrow. ¡°the system we call a kingdom has to sacrifice many things to function. loreina could not endure that. both she and monica are just victims in my eyes. and that is also my sin as someone carrying the setulev kingdom on his back. after all, they too are the residents of this kingdom.¡± loreina. that was the name of monica¡¯s mother. her situation weighed on lucella¡¯s mind so she looked into things like old newspaper articles a bit, but she got tired of seeing so much irrelevant information. the palace scandal had become a ¡®sensational¡¯ event that rocked the serene and peaceful kingdom, feeding the public¡¯s insatiable curiosity. it was no wonder that everyone seemed to know about monica. a regalia user bloodline implied that loreina¡¯s duke household had strongly inherited the royal blood from the time of making the regalia, so their status was appropriately high. she was a suitable marriage partner for lazarus, who was the first prince at the time, but when that turned into a scandal, it became a huge incident that shook the entire kingdom. ¡°she and i had to marry for the kingdom. everyone approved and blessed us, and everything should have fallen into place¡­ but if as a result, the situation has taken a turn for the worse, then i must have made the wrong choice.¡± lazarus spoke with sighs mixed in. she was forced to marry the next king just because of her aptitude for the regalia. it was not something she herself wanted. lazarus seemed to be regretting that outcome. ¡°could i ask you to become monica¡¯s friend? this is just an unworthy request of me.¡± the king, having removed his crown before attending this tea party, lowered his head with slightly thinning hair towards lucella. Volume 2 - CH 20 as lucella and kafal were escorted back to the inn with a royal palace carriage, they were greeted with a fragrant smell of fats and herbs. ¡°hey, good work out there. i decided to put my all into today¡¯s cooking, so i hope it helps to restore your energy.¡± ¡°wow!¡± behind viola in an apron and glasses, the dining table was filled with extravagant and gorgeous cuisine. river fish wrapped in herbs and baked in steam. another iteration of the same fish, adorned with a glistening caramel-hued glaze and expertly grilled to achieve a tantalizing crispness. baked chicken, expertly stuffed with cheese. a scarlet-hued stew, infused with tantalizing spices, captivating the senses. a dish featuring pat¨¦, baked by meticulously grinding and then grilling select organ meats. a salad composed of leafy greens and bacon cubes. a pie made with seasonal fruits¡­ ¡°¡­i¡¯m first shocked before being delighted. did you make all this on your own, viola?¡± ¡°leader and wein helped me with it.¡± ¡°we only really just helped!¡± ¡°she¡¯s really a pro at this.¡± meanwhile, tim was sprawled on the sofa, engrossed in reading the newspaper, while wein was meticulously doing maintenance on his thief-related tools. ¡°well, i had nothing to do today.¡± she was unbelievably enthusiastic to do so much just out of boredom. kafal and lucella had learned some cooking basics from her, but this made them realize that she had lowered the level of the menu at that time to a beginner level. lucella, who had a strong frugal mindset, couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the cost of the ingredients. it was not a special occasion or a celebration, yet they were casually investing such a significant amount of money. the financial sense of first-class adventurers was truly astonishing. although, it should be noted that lucella herself now possessed a fortune equivalent to a national budget, just from the fur and bones of the variants¡­ ¡°let¡¯s dig in already before it gets cold. you returned later than planned. did something happen?¡± ¡°the negotiations itself ended without problems. but we had a little tea party after that, and then they asked us to wait¡­¡± lucella took out a small treasure chest from the luggage which could fit on both hands. it was a storage magic item linked to a subspace. storage magic and storage magic items were often used for transporting a large amount of luggage, but in this case, the goal seemed to be to put your luggage in the subspace to protect it. ¡°what is this?¡± ¡°it¡¯s apparently the king¡¯s present for lady monica. he asked me to take it.¡± ¡°oh my.¡± after the tea party, she was made to wait a little to prepare the item, and then was told to just take it home. errands from big shots were common quests for the adventurers. but well, in this case, it seemed like it was just a pretext so lucella could meet with monica upon delivery. ¡°he told me he wants me to become friends with her.¡± ¡°that sounds nice! i see, adventurers are often described as people outside of social standings, but they are still limited in various things, in reality. but with the other party being a dragon, no one can say anything.¡± viola nodded in self-satisfaction. ¡°hey, lucella. don¡¯t you think even something as simple as being able to share a meal with close friends and family is happiness in itself?¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) viola let out a sigh, her gaze distant as she looked at the spread of dishes on the table. lucella was taken aback by the sudden question, but she couldn¡¯t help but agree. she had always desired the presence of friends and family, just like anyone else. she understood the joy of sharing a meal together. the abundance of dishes clearly emanated an atmosphere of being meant to be shared among everyone. if one were to eat all of this alone¡­ it would be luxurious but empty. besides, it would be impossible to finish it all. ¡°yes¡­ indeed. i completely agree.¡± ¡°eating alone is comfortable and good, though. but what i¡¯m trying to say is¡­ it brings you happiness when you have people you can eat with. when you do it all the time you start taking it for granted, but it¡¯s not like that at all. let¡¯s savor this kind of happiness once in a while.¡± viola said earnestly. her words felt strangely heavy. high-class living quarters of the royal capital¡­. amidst the array of nobles¡¯ mansions designated for the stay of the royal capital and the grand estates of wealthy merchants, there stood a particular residence. it had long forgotten its elegant name, ¡°willow mansion,¡± and the townspeople cynically referred to it as the ¡°mansion prison.¡± originally owned by the foster ducal family, the ancestral home of queen loreina, it was now under a shared management arrangement with the royal palace, which leased the property. only one person, monica, resided there. but would it really be called living there? every aspect of her schedule was controlled by the palace, and she couldn¡¯t even go out freely. it was akin to being under house arrest. there were only servants who took care of them there, and no visitors ever came. for the foster ducal family, monica was seen as evidence of betraying their loyalty to the royal family. she was an indelible stain, and contact with her own mother was forbidden. maintaining the lineage of regalia users as marital partners for the royal family was an important task for the high nobility. fortunately or unfortunately, the foster ducal family was not in such dire straits regarding bloodline management that they had to rely on monica. from the perspective of the royal palace¡­ in other words, speaking purely from the viewpoint of steering the country¡¯s affairs, as long as monica didn¡¯t go around creating children in strange places and scattering the regalia bloodline, she was an inconsequential figure. the palace¡¯s underlying sentiment was likely that the foster ducal family should take responsibility for handling her matters internally. however, there were several vassals who vocally expressed their discontent, deeming such measures insufficient. this issue was not unrelated to the turmoil surrounding the selection of the bride for the then-crown prince lazarus. despite the establishment of a gentleman¡¯s agreement and the formation of a conference for the selection of a bride, the foster ducal family pursued parallel negotiations with the palace, leveraging discussions on domestic cultivation taxes for imported green tea as a bargaining chip. through these strategic maneuvers, they managed to outmaneuver other noble families who had their own candidates and successfully pushed loreina into becoming the legal wife. it is worth noting that the ultimate decision in this matter rested with the then-king, who happened to be lazarus¡¯ father. to conceal the true nature of events, the decision was portrayed as an outcome reached during the aforementioned conference. lazarus himself remained unaware of the hidden circumstances until it was too late to intervene. in reality, loreina possessed the necessary qualifications in terms of her family background and aptitude for the regalia. even if fair competition had taken place, she would have had a strong chance of securing the position of legal wife. however, the fact that this outcome was guaranteed through such manipulative means understandably caused resentment among those who had been outmaneuvered. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) for noble families like them, loreina¡¯s alleged infidelity became a perfect weapon for attack. at the time of monica¡¯s birth, king lazarus and queen loreina already had francesca, their eldest daughter. however, doubts were cast upon francesca¡¯s bloodline, as some suspected she might have been fathered by a man other than king lazarus. nevertheless, those who publicly attacked francesca did not genuinely question her parentage; rather, they exploited it as an excuse to find fault. both lazarus and the ducal family vehemently defended her. as a result, francesca, despite being stripped of her title as a princess, was allowed to be released under the supervision and responsibility of the foster ducal family. however, the situation differed for monica, the younger sister. as monica was not a child of king lazarus and had been partially abandoned by her maternal family, the ducal family, she became subjected to a disciplinary measure under the guise of ¡°managing the bloodline of the regalia.¡± this measure involved strict restrictions on her activities and constant surveillance to prevent any contact with the opposite sex during her ¡°eligible years,¡± a vague and wide-ranging criterion. unfavorably, monica could be viewed as a sacrificial pawn meant to appease the anger of disgruntled nobles and conveniently resolve the situation. she remained on display in the capital as a stain on the reputation of the foster ducal family. lazarus vehemently opposed this treatment. regardless of her biological lineage, he couldn¡¯t allow the palace to subject an innocent newborn baby to vindictive measures. from the perspectives of national dignity and basic human decency, such treatment was simply unacceptable. unfortunately, it was during this time that the friendly country of gufare in the northeast and maltgartz beyond mount kuguse plunged into war. setulev was a small kingdom, and in the face of major powers clashing, even a slight misstep in governance could spell swift demise. pressured by the discontent of the disgruntled nobles and with the international situation growing increasingly precarious, the young king was faced with a difficult decision. however, jeopardizing the stability of the country for the sake of a single infant could potentially put the lives of countless people at risk¡­ ultimately, that was the decision reached by the young king. ¡°that¡¯s enough. good work.¡± as those words resounded in the room, monica abruptly dropped her fork onto the table. the luxurious feast before her was spread across a dining table that could easily accommodate ten or more individuals. it was an extravagant display of food, far beyond what she could consume on her own. there were three varieties of bread and two types of soup. a meuni¨¨re dish featuring river fish adorned with a delectable bean paste sauce, roasted pheasant, and a cake generously frosted with whipped cream were among the array of dishes. curiously, a basket of store-bought biscuits sat on the table as well. monica hardly touched most of the food before standing up from her seat. the chef nearby kept their head lowered, clenching their fist in frustration and disappointment. ¡°¡­my lady, i have confidence that today¡¯s meal turned out well. just¡­ what did you find dislikable?! please, tell me! if it does not fit your palate, i will adjust accordingly!¡± ¡°i simply grew bored of eating. i¡¯m not sure what to tell you about my impressions of its taste.¡± monica took a single biscuit from the basket and left the dining hall with it in her mouth. these biscuits were prefaced according to her tastes. even if they weren¡¯t particularly delicious, she sometimes felt like nibbling on them when she didn¡¯t feel like eating proper meals. she could hear a fist being smacked on the dining table. ¡°goddammit¡­! i should just quit this damn job¡­!!¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (you can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) the chef assigned to the residence kitchen was strictly told to get monica to eat properly. but making her eat properly was more difficult than passing a dragon through the eye of a needle. monica wasn¡¯t very motivated to live. even if she was hungry and you put her favorite food before her, that still didn¡¯t guarantee that she would eat it. any reasonable tactic, such as preparing multiple options in the hope that she would eat at least one or offering a masterpiece that would surely entice her, was completely shattered. ¡°you sure like saying that over and over. yet you lack the courage to quit.¡± monica headed to the living room while munching on the biscuit. its cheap flavor spread in her mouth, but she couldn¡¯t care less about the taste. ¡ªi suppose i¡¯m the same. i keep thinking how i want to die yet i lack the courage to do so. if i was so against being pointlessly kept alive, i would be able to die whenever¡­ within the confines of the mansion prison, monica resided alongside the attending staff, creating an environment devoid of any other inhabitants. as a result, the corridors echoed with an unsettling silence. the spaciousness of the mansion served no purpose for monica. it only made her feel empty if anything. it was a blank space with no one in it. the servants were hired by the palace just for the formality¡¯s sake, and were periodically replaced. she didn¡¯t even have time to deepen friendships. that was in fact the reason why the replacements happened so frequently. it was so they wouldn¡¯t conspire with monica and accommodate her. one time, her mother, loreina, had tried to secretly deliver a letter to her, but once that was discovered, the regulations grew even stricter. monica was all alone. her only means of distraction was the occasional long journey where she was permitted to leave the mansion. however, even then, she was not allowed to step down from the carriage, and she was accompanied by a swarm of observers disguised as guards. that fact seemed a little laughable to her, considering those guards ultimately failed to fulfill their role. ah, yes. there was an incident like that. a windhole was blown open in her stagnated, bottled world. though it was plugged back all too quickly. ¡°if you think back on why you were scared of dying¡­ you should be able to find out what it is that you need to do.¡± the world of the strange girl that saved her sent ripples in monica¡¯s heart. ¡ªit¡¯s not anything that grandiose¡­ when she reached her home, she just rushed and dove onto her bed. through the frame-like window, she always witnessed the bustling streets, filled with people brimming with hope and happy families. with these scenes before her eyes, she began to nurture the expectation that one day she too would attain such a radiant life. thus, she clung to that hope, unwilling to let go of her existence. it was a simple but powerful sentiment that kept her going. it was something as simple as that. ¡°¡­hm?¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) she heard something knocking on the window and got up from the bed. this was the second floor. the only thing outside of the window was one large tree. ¡°what was that? did the tree¡¯s branch grow all the way here? i should call a worker and have it cut¡­¡­¡± she neared the window to check the situation, but ended up seeing something she couldn¡¯t believe. ¡°huh?¡± ¡°u-uh¡­ good evening.¡± a fiery girl was holding onto the projected window frame and dangling down from there. Volume 2 - CH 21 king lazarus had given one directive to lucella for when she would visit monica. it was to give the present to monica directly instead of entrusting it to someone else. well, his goal was to introduce lucella to monica, so that was natural. having said that, going straight to her still left the possibility that monica would refuse to meet her. thus, lucella decided to head for her directly. she aimed for the time when she would return to her room and climbed up to the window from the outside. normally lucella would¡¯ve probably gotten called by the guards, but she had the certificate from the king, and she also started realizing lately that having the body of a young girl allowed her to get away with various things. ¡°in other words, that guy asked you to see me?¡± ¡°yes.¡± lucella was let inside for the time being, and she explained the chain of events up to that point. monica had a lot to say about the matter but she reconsidered and sighed, thinking it would be pointless to argue with someone who¡¯d resort to visiting through the second-floor window. lucella opened the treasure box-shaped storage item and took out the contents. ¡°is this the present you speak of?¡± ¡°oh, no. this is from the members of my party. take it if you like.¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡± what she first took out was a small basket. it counted the fruit pie that viola baked, as well as sandwiches made with her cooking ingredients. when she heard lucella was going to monica, viola prepared them in a hurry. she made them after the food was cold so that it wouldn¡¯t steam while it was stored in the subspace, but this was delicious even as cold. monica observed the flaked fish sandwich and then took a casual bite. ¡°ah! are you not going to use some poison testing tool?¡± ¡°what, did you poison it or something?¡± ¡°n-no, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± ¡°then why would i need it? besides, i wouldn¡¯t mind even if it was poisoned.¡± lucella felt like she heard her mutter, ¡°so this is how it tastes¡± in an extremely tired tone. ¡°so¡­ it¡¯s this, huh? heh.¡± next, she took a small box covered with something like velvet. this was the gift from king lazarus. opening it, something shining in golden color was enshrined within. ¡°a necklace?¡± ¡°the popular kind, yes. speaking of berg brother company, they are the top-class¨C¡± ¡°hmph.¡± ¡°ah!¡± monica snorted and threw the small box to the floor as if tossing a miswritten letter into the hearth. ¡°w-what did you¡­¡± ¡°it¡¯s so transparent. i can see that this was decided in thirty seconds, thinking a girl my age would like a present like this. and he most likely didn¡¯t even think of it himself, but just nodded when some servant chose it for him.¡± (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) lucella thought she was being cruel, but she couldn¡¯t deny anything she said. it seemed like something he would have done, thinking it was for the best. ¡°do you get it? you are being skillfully manipulated. if you become acquainted with me, there will be more connections between you and that guy. and that by extension would mean having the red dragon on his palm. even thin threads can turn into a spiderweb once woven together. he¡¯s the type to do that. ¡­to accomplish that, he would be willing to show pity to me who he himself locked up.¡± she glared at lucella with sharp, sky-blue eyes, criticizing her harshly. it seemed that she already knew who lucella was. among the tricks that swindlers used, there was apparently one where they did a favor and earned the target¡¯s trust. king lazarus might have had such a motive. lucella was also astonished at monica¡¯s intellect which managed to see through the nature of the others. perhaps she grew up this way due to being cursed since birth and living while surrounded by malice. ¡°he¡¯s trying to pretend to be a father and drag me into this. i wonder whose fault it is that i can¡¯t meet my actual parents.¡± saying so, monica waved some kind of invitation paper in the air. ¡°what is that?¡± ¡°invitation for a meal. it arrived yesterday. it was asking me to come since something was happening in the palace. random invitations like this sometimes reach me. ¡­but even if i go there, i just end up dining in a separate room while they are making merry at the banquet. i¡¯m not allowed to show my face in public, after all. that would just make me feel more miserable.¡± ¡ªthe palace banquet¡­ ah, right, there was some small-scale party that was quietly arranged to welcome julian. lucella had already heard about this matter. the royal palace served as a venue for hosting elaborate meals to entertain guests. it acted as a hub for negotiations, facilitating communication and fostering unity among participants. the palace¡¯s role extended beyond mere discussions; it acted as a lubricant, smoothing the interactions and strengthening the bonds between individuals. this time it served to welcome and entertain julian. as for why lucella knew this, it was because the members of golden helmet were also invited, though to the lowest-class seats. they were most likely invited as distinguished figures who protected mount kuguse. naturally, they couldn¡¯t be too blatant with the fact that adventurers got involved with the cross-national problem. it seemed like it was awful timing given that it was hosted for julian¡­ but perhaps it was intended as some sort of restraint or a show of spite towards him. however, lucella and kafal didn¡¯t participate in it. they would be the main guests when invited, so it was apparently too soon for that. lucella also wanted to return to mount kuguse for shurei¡¯s trial with some time to spare, so she planned to leave the three, who were participating in the banquet, in the capital and head north ahead of time. at any rate, it seemed like monica was also invited there. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) ¡°this time, i did say that i would go, though. they are saying they would let me meet my half-sister whom i have never met, so well, i decided to see her face. ¡­and, i suppose the king will come to see me during his work break for the sake of formality. i¡¯ll go ahead and count how many minutes he spends with me.¡± seeing monica smiling coldly, what passed through lucella¡¯s mind was that she had to stop her. it was probably inevitable considering the life she had lived, but she was far too sensitive towards ill will and deception. even among close friends, calculated actions and disagreements still tended to happen. but monica wouldn¡¯t allow even that. it was the stubbornness of the nobles that pushed her into a life of solitude, but she herself was trying to cut off the final remaining ties. that was surely not good. her self-defense mechanism was inflicting self-harm in this case. ¡°i think it would be better if you talk to him, even for a short time. the king is most likely not without a fault¡­ but at least he didn¡¯t seem like an evil person.¡± that was her honest impression. even if he had an imperfect and dirty side to him, all humans were like that, in the end. lucella believed that lazarus was in the category of ¡®good people.¡¯ ¡­however, that was something lucella only felt after hearing him speak dragonian, so it was hard to describe it to others using words. ¡°are you siding with him?¡± ¡°i just think it is too pitiful as it stands.¡± ¡°are you trying to lecture me?¡± monica¡¯s gaze turned hostile. ¡°¡­you¡¯re an adventurer, right? you have fought battles with your life at stake, right?¡± ¡°huh? w-well, yes.¡± ¡°then how could you understand it? while i live comfortably in a safe city, surrounded by many people who protect me, i still contemplate whether to live or die. it sounds like an envious dilemma to you, right? you think it¡¯s an insignificant dilemma, don¡¯t you? i won¡¯t be cut by a sword, or die to the jaws of a monster. i won¡¯t ever starve or freeze! i just ran away from mountains of food served to me! can you say that you don¡¯t, even a little, think that i have a blessed and the most ideal life there is?!¡± ¡°that¡¯s¡­¡± monica talked on and on as if what was holding her had come loose. she rejected to be understood while damaging her own worth. it was as if she was trying to drown the other party in her own blood. her voice was pitiful like the screams of someone in their final moments. lucella felt like she was the one being reproached. currently, she looked younger than monica, but she was in reality older and had more experience as a human. so she thought she had to guide her as her senior in life, but monica saw through that fragment of arrogance. however, if she backed down here, monica would only grow lonelier. now that it had come to this, lucella had no intention to tuck her tail and go back. Volume 2 - CH 22 ¡°can you put this on for a bit?¡± lucella handed over giselle¡¯s ring which was adorned with a golden mesh. ¡°what¡¯s that supposed to be?¡± ¡°it¡¯s a ring that allows you to understand dragon speech. i¡¯ll try speaking with you using it from now on.¡± ¡°what¡­?¡± monica was confused, but did as told and put on the ring. it was a little too loose for her finger. looking at it, she started rotating her hand in puzzlement. while she was doing that¡­ ¡°i¡¯m worried¡­ about you.¡± ¡°gh¡­¡­!?¡± lucella said straightforwardly in dragonian which she was still bad at. monica flinched back as if she was knocked away. for human ears, the dragon¡¯s words only sounded like a short and incomprehensible series of sounds. however, those sounds carried three-dimensional and profound meanings, and could convey everything including intent, fine nuances, and even the feelings of the speaker, without leaving anything behind. as kafal told lazarus, this language wasn¡¯t suited for telling lies. ¡°i¡­ just can¡¯t¡­ leave you be.¡± no matter how many annotations you added, monica¡¯s circumstances were still undeniably tragic and cruel. having become involved with her by chance, lucella felt pity and wanted to save her. what could possibly be wrong with that? even if monica didn¡¯t believe it, there was no falsehood in lucella¡¯s feelings. thus, lucella decided to convey those feelings. using the dragon¡¯s words which could convey even the speaker¡¯s feelings. she wanted to tell her that it was too soon to despair, that there were still people out there worried for her. lucella, at least, was one such person. ¡°stop! stop it!¡± ¡°ah!¡± suddenly, monica spoke up in dragonian. naturally, this ring allowed one not only to understand but even speak the language. don¡¯t make me hopeful. i¡¯ll only get disappointed in the end. trusting would only bring me pain. that¡¯s not it. in truth, i¡¯m lonely. please make me believe you. will you be able to do that? don¡¯t touch me. don¡¯t go. a torrent of meaning flowed out through her words of rejection. it crashed fiercely against lucella, like dammed-up water bursting through and overflowing. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) monica reflexively covered her mouth with a beet red face, and then remembered about the ring she was wearing and hurriedly pulled it off her finger. ¡°haah¡­haah¡­¡± she gently brushed her flat chest. lucella felt as though she could hear the intense rhythm echoing in her own ears. after that, she glared at lucella while trembling. ¡°¡­what did i just say?¡± ¡°uhh¡­ if you translate it directly into human words, it was just ¡°stop it!¡± but¡­¡­ you ended up conveying everything about why you want me to stop¡­¡± ¡°waah! waaaaah!¡± monica started screaming while holding her head. it seemed that she only realized what she said after saying it. ¡°i¡¯m, uhh, sorry¡­ i only wanted to convey my own feelings¡­ it¡¯s difficult to lie while speaking dragonian. and there is a very profound meaning in small statements. if you try to hide something, it ends up sounding unnaturally hollow, so it¡¯s easy to notice it.¡± ¡°how¡­could you¡­shame me so¡­wh-¡­!!¡± she was beet red as if boiling, and even tears started to form. the words of the dragons weren¡¯t suited to hiding things¡­ in addition, monica wasn¡¯t used to speaking it, so she couldn¡¯t even choose what meaning to put in her words. she ended up conveying even the things she wanted to hide, putting all her emotions in the open. it felt awkward. ¡°go back! go back at once! go!¡± ¡°woah!¡± lucella caught giselle¡¯s ring that was thrown her way. monica then started throwing every cushion and plushie she could find in the room at her. ¡°i¡¯m sorry for troubling you¡­! i¡¯m going, good night!¡± lucella lightly jumped off the window frame and took shelter in the night. it was a storm-like period of time. as lucella departed, the moon gradually ascended the night sky. in a room where magic lamps were extinguished, monica lay on the bed, but was not asleep. she was wide awake. she didn¡¯t feel like she could sleep. amid the days that seemed painted in dull gray, today had been a day that shone brilliantly and vividly, almost blindingly so. ¡°a friend, huh?¡± while sprawled on the bed, monica picked up a nearby plushie and held it up in the air. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) it was a bear plushie that someone had sent her five years ago, when she had turned nine. she didn¡¯t know who it was and how they managed to get it delivered to her, and it didn¡¯t come with any message card either. but well, she could care less about who had sent it. she didn¡¯t even feel like thinking about it. and she didn¡¯t particularly like or hate this particular gift, so she had put it as part of the furniture in the room. ¡°hey. do you think i could become friends if it¡¯s with a dragon¡­?¡± monica asked the plushie. it naturally couldn¡¯t offer any answer. a mysterious girl who was said to be the foster child of mount kuguse¡¯s dragon. she had battled a monster and saved monica without being asked to by anyone. she thought that it was just a whimsical action of a strong person and didn¡¯t consider it to be anything special. she thought lucella wouldn¡¯t have cared whether she lived or died. she was surprised when she found out her identity later on, but that was it. however, it was different now. monica had seen her feelings. she alone wouldn¡¯t make her despair. lucella didn¡¯t think of monica as a special human. she merely got involved with her by chance. and yet, even someone like lucella was genuinely concerned for her well-being. ¡°no way i can believe it so easily. but¡­ maybe it¡¯ll be alright if it¡¯s her?¡± monica posed her question to the plushie, fully aware that it wouldn¡¯t be able to provide any response. ¡°¡­what am i doing?¡± she suddenly noticed that what she was doing was childish and threw the plushie at the wall to hide her embarrassment. the fancy bear slammed against the wall with a dull sound, then slid down and hit the floor, ending up upside down. monica decided to just sleep like that, but it bugged her too much so she went and put the plushie upright. Volume 2 - CH 23 next day. lucella planned to leave the royal capital early afternoon, but she was free for half a day until then. she considered going to monica¡¯s place, but reconsidered, thinking it was better to give her some cooling-off period after what just happened yesterday. she planned to come back to the capital right away once she finished shurei¡¯s ¡°trial¡± anyway. she could visit her at that time. ¡°and so, if you know any fun places i can easily go, i¡¯m all ears.¡± ¡°so you wanna have fun because you have half a day free, huh? kids sure have crazy vitality, eh.¡± ¡°half of the reason is to teach mom about the world. i thought it would be better for her to see as much of human civilization as possible.¡± ¡°ah, that¡¯s a good point.¡± it was seven in the morning. wein was munching on golden brown toast with sunny-side-up egg and bacon on top while reading the newspaper, and tim was doing push-ups while wearing armor. viola was still asleep, and kafal was struggling to figure out how to grind the coffee beans without breaking the coffee mill. frankly, lucella didn¡¯t know about the setulev kingdom outside of kugutfulm. this was her first time coming to the royal capital, so she didn¡¯t know the environment at all. thus, she decided to ask her party members who were familiar with the capital for their opinions. ¡°hmm, let¡¯s see. well, there are a bunch of things here, but¡­¡± ¡°it¡¯s gotta be that, right?¡± ¡°that?¡± ¡°¡­by the way, there are two choices before you.¡± tim, maintaining a cool demeanor as he continued with his push-ups, cast a subtle glance toward the bedroom where viola was sleeping. his expression turned somber. ¡°the future where you¡¯ll get treated as a dress-up doll and may get some advice, and the future where you walk a free and tranquil yet trackless path. which do you prefer?¡± ¡°come again?¡± just then, there was a loud crack, and the handle of the coffee mill that kafal was holding snapped. there were ominous signs. setulev was abundant in water and had sultry summers. it was quite obvious what people would do in a place like that. ¡°whoa! people, people, and more people!¡± the river created by the power of the regalia flowed through the capital areas and had swimming spots established along its banks. artificial sandy beaches, conjured by magic, were adorned with parasols, where people in swimsuits were enjoying themselves in various ways. some were swimming, others were sunbathing, playing with balls, building sandcastles, or indulging in food. taking advantage of such a crowd, stalls selling toys and food gathered like ants attracted to sugar. looking down at the beach from the embankment, lucella was in awe. it was her first experience witnessing water activities so meticulously transformed into a leisurely affair. incidentally, lucella, and kafal accompanying her, were both already in swimsuits. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) lucella was wearing a red one-piece swimsuit¡­ well, could it even be called a one-piece? it was a mere cloth mass that covered only her torso, with frilly decorations that couldn¡¯t even be called a skirt attached to it. it was still better since it was at least trying to hide her body. this swimsuit was a ready-made product selected from a nearby store. lucella had endured a tough battle with viola, who tried to reduce even a square millimeter of fabric in her swimsuit, and barely emerged victorious, earning herself some self-esteem. the material of the swimsuit was woven from the processed silk thread of an iron spider, treated with a special resin and chemicals. it dried quickly even when wet and didn¡¯t become heavy when soaked, making it a popular choice for swimwear. in the past, harvesting iron spider silk had been a common quest for adventurers, and swimsuits had been considered luxury items. however, with the establishment of the technology to domesticate iron spiders (albeit with occasional escape incidents), humanity gained access to affordable swimsuits. kafal, like lucella, was also wearing a bright red swimsuit, but its design was a bit more daring. it had a top that resembled a hammock, suspending her ample bosom, and bottoms that resembled lingerie. she wore a pareo that flickered like flames. unlike lucella¡¯s swimsuit, this one wasn¡¯t bought; it was a replica created by a clone generated through the ¡°human shapeshifting method.¡± the swimsuit the store clerk intended to sell was instantly duplicated before their eyes, leaving the clerk astonished. and so, the two of them had walked here in their swimsuits. when viola told them it would be fine, lucella questioned her sanity. however, lucella had been so busy and hadn¡¯t walked much around the city until just now when she realized that during this season, it wasn¡¯t uncommon to see people walking around in swimsuits. so there shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­ she couldn¡¯t help but feel that they had attracted the heated gazes of people passing by, regardless of age or gender, but she wanted to believe it was just her imagination. as they descended onto the sun-heated sandy beach, they felt the presence of splashing water blending into the air, relieving the warmth on their skin. the guys who caught sight of kafal stood there dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open as they watched her walk by. some even let out a soft whistle in admiration. ¡°now then¡­ we came without much thought, but what should we do?¡± ¡°¡­this is¡­ deeper than i expected¡­ and it has a current too¡­¡± lucella suddenly noticed that kafal was glaring at the river so much it felt like she was growling at it. the river indeed had deep sections where even adults failed to reach the bottom. ¡°hey, lucella. are you really planning to swim?¡± ¡°that¡¯s why¡­ i¡¯m here.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve heard that humans can drown even in knee-deep water. and this place is worse¡­¡± she was firmly holding lucella¡¯s hand. ¡°hey, how about we give up on swimming and do something else on the waterside?¡± ¡°don¡¯t worry¡­so much. i used to¡­ bath in the river¡­ near our home.¡± ¡°i mean, that¡¯s because i¡¯m familiar with that place. and i had a good grasp of the vicinity¡­ and there weren¡¯t so many people around¡­ besides, i can use my original body to help on the mountain.¡± kafal refused to budge on the matter, acting anxious. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (if you are reading this from other sites, that means this content is stolen without consent. please support us by visiting our site.) kafal should¡¯ve been well aware that the current lucella was far more tenacious compared to average humans. perhaps she simply didn¡¯t know how to evaluate the danger on a human level, as dragons practically didn¡¯t have ¡®drowning¡¯ among the causes of death. lucella thought for a while, and then¡­ ¡°eiyaa!¡± ¡°ah, wait lucella¡­!¡± she broke into a run while pulling kafal with her by the hand she was grasping firmly. kafal stumbled along as she was pulled, and the two of them jumped into the river together. water splashed and bubbles danced wildly. the two felt a sense of floating. they got completely drenched and floated up. ¡°pffah!¡± the pleasantly cold water cleansed lucella¡¯s body. kafal also raised her head out of the water and shivered like a drenched dog. her long hair soaked up the water and clung to her body. ¡°hehehe. you can¡¯t¡­ match me in strength¡­ as a clone.¡± kafal didn¡¯t seem to understand what lucella was trying to say. lucella was treading water while still holding hands with her. it wasn¡¯t like she excelled at swimming, but with her current body, any physical movement came easily to her. ¡°it¡¯s okay.¡± lucella said once more. she could understand her feelings. this was¡­ water. lucella knew the circumstances in which kafal lost her egg. most likely, the fear of losing a child was linked with ¡®water¡¯ in her mind. because of that, she had grown overly timid in allowing lucella to come into contact with water. lucella was happy that she was worried for her, but she didn¡¯t want to waste having fun in the water because of that. in the first place, even a dragon¡¯s heart might not take it if she started worrying about every little detail like that. kafal attempted to say something, but she just sighed without saying it. the strength left her shoulders along with it. ¡°right¡­ i got it. let¡¯s swim together.¡± ¡°okay!¡± with that, lucella got her official permission. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (you can support us by leaving words of appreciation on our site!) as lucella was about to start swimming while testing her capabilities¡­ she suddenly realized something. ¡°¡­mom, can you¡­ swim?¡± she forgot to confirm whether kafal could swim in that form. ¡°that much is nothing¡­¡± kafal dove into the water like a diving beast, disappearing into the depths. then, resurfacing with only the lower half of her body visible, she propelled herself forward with a fluttering motion, almost as if she was flying across the water. ¡°mom?!¡± ¡°oh my. why is this happening?¡± kafal, fixing her posture, submerged completely underwater and began tracing a spiral trajectory as she made her way back. after swirling around in the depths for a while, she finally planted her feet on the riverbed and rose up, pushing herself up from the bottom. ¡°i won¡¯t get washed away like this!¡± ¡°mom, that¡¯s not swimming.¡± only kafal¡¯s head peeked out of the water, spreading her flame-like hair on its surface. ¡°can¡¯t be helped. i¡¯ll teach you¡­ the human way¡­ of swimming.¡± ¡°¡­alright.¡± kafal¡¯s expression changed three times in an instant. taking into account the nuances of her words, it seemed to transition from frustration, thinking ¡°i can¡¯t even do something like this,¡± to a sense of disappointment, ¡°i came here to have fun with lucella,¡± and then to a change of heart, thinking ¡°but it seems enjoyable to learn how to swim from lucella.¡± lucella smoothly glided through the water, demonstrating the breaststroke. considering the high abilities of kafal¡¯s clone, once she showed her the technique and gave her some pointers, she would quickly be able to swim. ¡°do dragons¡­ bathe?¡± ¡°i suppose ones that live at the sea or large lakes do. as for me, there¡¯s no place on mount kuguse for me to swim, as you know.¡± ¡°true.¡± ¡°so i instead cleansed my body with flames. when i was in my group, i used to take lava baths. red dragons are considered adults once they can do that.¡± ¡°l-lava bath¡­ that¡¯s on¡­ a different scale.¡± lucella flinched back a little hearing kafal¡¯s strangely happy explanation. as ¡®proof of adulthood¡¯ suggested, that would be fatal even for fledgling red dragons whose scales and carapace were still undeveloped. as expected, even lucella wasn¡¯t confident she¡¯d come out safe if she jumped into the lava. but well, even the lava-bathing red dragons could most likely be unable to do butterfly strokes in the lava. it was natural for her to be unable to swim. (this chapter is provided to you by re:library) (please visit re:library to show the translators your appreciation!) i¡¯m digressing, but unlike kafal who hasn¡¯t learned the anthropomorphization method, blue dragons in general can all shapeshift into humans. after all, if they transform into human forms, even a single barrel of alcohol would turn into an amount they can¡¯t fully consume.