Chapter 199

Coming In (2)

What animal comes to mind when you hear the word "wings"?

Most people would probably think of birds.

Animals that soar freely through the sky on wings enormous compared to their small bodies.

Insects have wings too, but they aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind.

There are rare exceptions like bats, mammals that possess wings, while conversely, there are also birds without wings.

This world was much the same. In fact, it had quite a few winged creatures.

Pegasi, dragons, harpies, and so on.

There were plenty of exceptions, but even the people of this world generally regarded wings as the domain of birds.

"Piiiiing...."

And right now, there was a winged animal before my eyes.

Its wings were small compared to its body, but they looked remarkably sturdy.

And then there was its body. Its skin looked cracked and segmented like that of a reptile.

I couldn’t tell whether I should call it skin or scales.

"What the hell is this thing?"

A winged reptile. Upon closer examination, I noticed even more distinctive features.

Vertical pupils befitting a reptile, and horns growing from its head.

When I combined those traits one by one, a particular creature immediately came to mind.

But I might have been mistaken, so I silently looked at Ludwig to gauge his reaction.

"...."

Ludwig seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Despite his gravely stiff expression, he was tilting his head in puzzlement.

If our guess was correct, this was an extremely serious problem. Even if it wasn’t, this was clearly no ordinary animal.

"Mister. It looks like a baby dragon to you too, right?"

"..... @=$%"

"I heard on the Gallery that dragons are fiercely protective of their young."

What did that mean?

There was a high chance that its mother was combing through the entire Forest of Four Seasons in search of it.

I didn’t know how this baby had ended up here, but it definitely wasn’t good news.

I could be seriously screwed if this goes wrong.

What kind of beings were dragons?

They were so immensely powerful that calling them walking disasters wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Wasn’t Kadir revered as the "Mage King" precisely because he had led a subjugation against a dragon?

There was a very high chance that every individual dragon was far stronger than Fast Sloth or the gorilla boss.

"Piiiing...."

The creature I suspected to be a baby dragon cried pitifully.

Whether it was a baby dragon or not, its entire body was covered in wounds, making it difficult to look at.

It had probably entered this cave in a desperate attempt to survive. I sighed inwardly.

Damn. It’s not like I can pretend I didn’t see it.

It wasn’t shameless like the raccoons from last time, either. Besides, I was afraid of the potential consequences.

I decided to treat the baby dragon. I still had some of the animal elixir the Starlight Princess had given me.

Ludwig gave me a look that seemed to ask if this was really a good idea, but I couldn’t exactly drive it away. This was the best I could do.

Its scales really do sparkle.

Up close, its scales looked incredibly tough.

Meanwhile, the baby dragon slowly raised its head. Its vertical pupils stared directly at me.

"Piiiiik...!"

The moment it saw me, it spread its wings in warning.

But even the membranes of its wings were torn, so it wasn’t particularly threatening.

Holding the bottle of elixir in one hand, I slowly approached it.

The closer I got, the louder the baby dragon’s cries became.

"Beak!"

Snap!

When I reached out, it tried to bite me with all its might.

The densely packed teeth inside its snout looked vicious.

However, its strength was completely spent, and it was badly injured on top of that.

I dodged several of its desperate snapping attempts and waited until it lowered its guard.

Perhaps it had exhausted itself, or perhaps it had finally stopped being wary, but it gradually folded its fully spread wings.

Then it even lowered its raised head, looking as though it had half given up.

This was my chance. I slowly poured the elixir over the baby dragon’s head.

Drip—

"...Pii?"

Feeling the strange sensation, the baby slowly raised its head. It seemed to have noticed the changes taking place in its body.

Not only were its numerous small wounds healing, but the torn membranes of its wings were also gradually mending.

Apparently, the elixir worked on dragons too. It was probably only enough because the creature was still small.

Once all its external wounds had healed, I brought over a small bowl.

I mixed some honey with a little elixir in the bowl and pushed it toward the creature’s mouth.

"Eat that and leave, or stay here if you want. Just don’t call your mother."

"...."

The baby alternated its gaze between me and the bowl.

The bowl contained honey and elixir, giving off a sweet fragrance.

As the saying went, one should never accept food from strangers.

"Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp! Chomp, chomp!"

But that was a different story when you were starving to death.

The creature practically buried its snout in the bowl as it devoured the honey.

Judging by how frantically it ate, it must have been starving for quite some time.

Is it really a dragon?

While it ate the honey, I made a post on the Gallery.

I suspected it was a baby dragon, but there was still a chance it wasn’t.

Title: Is this thing a dragon?

Wild Grylls

(A photo of the injured baby dragon)

(A photo of the baby dragon acting wary)

(A photo of the baby dragon gobbling down honey)

(A video showing it from every angle)

It came into the cave while Ludwig and I were sheltering from the rain.

Judging by its appearance, it looks like a baby dragon. Is it really one?

└ Heavenly Demon: Dragons are beings that ascend from imoogi. Do dragons lay young? This one has learned something new.

└ SwordMaster: Then dragons don’t have babies?

└ Heavenly Demon: Imoogi become dragons. That is why they are spiritual creatures, unlike western dragons.

└ SwordMaster: Aren’t western dragons technically spiritual creatures too? Their intelligence is comparable to that of humans.

└ Heavenly Demon: A spiritual creature is an ordinary beast that has evolved. It is different from creatures born that way. You would not call a monster a spiritual creature, would you?

└ Why is she suddenly saying something intelligent?

└ She actually knows her stuff when it comes to subjects she’s familiar with.

└ But is that really a hatchling? If it is, this might be Grylls’s greatest crisis yet;;

└ Starlight Princess: Judging solely by its appearance, it does seem to be a hatchling. Considering that it’s injured as well, I don’t think anything good has happened....

└ Wild Grylls: I want to send it back as soon as possible too, but it’s raining and the hatchling has no strength. I heard dragons cherish their young. Is that true?

└ Starlight Princess: Yes. If their young are in danger, they’ll search for them with bloodshot eyes. The Iris Kingdom nearly fell because of that long ago.

└ It really would’ve been destroyed if not for Kadir.

└ Why did the dragon attack back then?

└ Illegal poachers captured and sold a hatchling. But the hatchling was frail and ended up dying.

└ Those bastards were lower than animals.

└ Come to think of it, haven’t all the dragon slayers throughout history been human?

└ Yeah. Neither elves nor demons have ever killed a dragon. Humans just have unusually high potential.

└ It’s because dragons are nearly immune to magic. Elves and demons both specialize in magic, so their greatest advantage completely disappears.

└ Why are they immune? Is it because of their scales?

└ That’s part of it, but dragons can use magic themselves. They appear often in myths too.

└ Those are just myths.

└ No, wait. They’re immune to magic? Then how did Kadir kill one when he’s a mage?

└ I heard he dropped a meteor on it. They’re immune to magic, not physical impact, lolol.

└ Highly advanced magic is indistinguishable from physics. Damn.

└ Besides, Kadir defeated the dragon in a battle of wits too. He was several moves ahead of it when it came to magic itself.

└ PraiseTheSun: Wow. Are you going to raise a hatchling now? You get to raise something even I’ve never had. I’m jealous.

└ Hey, are you trying to get his country destroyed?

└ PraiseTheSun: Dragons are intelligent, so they won’t harm someone who saved them. Besides, it might be an orphan whose mother is dead.

└ I wouldn’t believe that under normal circumstances, but since it’s the Forest of Four Seasons, it sounds pretty plausible, lolol.

└ You mean there might be a creature in there capable of killing a dragon?;

They sure were spouting ominous possibilities without restraint.

The problem was that most of what they said might be true.

This was a place where even sloths were monstrously powerful, so what about a dragon that was already powerful to begin with?

And what if there was a creature that had managed to put that dragon in danger? That would be the worst-case scenario.

A single breath attack from a dragon would roast me golden-brown on the spot, yet there might be something even stronger than that.

If I carelessly drive it out, the baby dra—no, the hatchling might hold a grudge against me.

I looked at the hatchling. Perhaps it had finally calmed down, because it was sleeping peacefully.

And where was it sleeping?

"Piiiing...."

"Kyu?"

On Wonmo’s fluffy back.

Perhaps because it was smaller than Wonmo, it had curled itself up comfortably and fallen asleep.

Wonmo stayed perfectly still, either because he was bewildered or because he knew the hatchling meant no harm.

"Sir?"

Once the situation had more or less settled down, Ludwig quietly called to me.

He looked at the hatchling sleeping on Wonmo’s back and spoke with a complicated expression.

"You’re asking if it’s dangerous? Of course it is."

"#%%#?"

Then why are we just sitting here? Shouldn’t we come up with some way to deal with it?

That seemed to be what he was asking. Honestly, I felt exactly the same way.

But...

"So what can we do?"

"...?"

"I’m asking what we can possibly do to that juvenile delinquent dragon."

Sadly, there was absolutely nothing we could do.

In fact, the hatchling was beyond even a juvenile offender.

The moment we laid a hand on it, its mother would come and teach us a lesson. Physically.

Even if the hatchling had been the one who misbehaved first.

"...."

Perhaps Ludwig understood the gist of what I was saying.

Looking somewhat dazed, he trudged over to the wall and sat down with his back against it.

Apparently, even a former paladin commander was afraid of dragons.

"Hey, Fast Sloth. Aren’t you afraid of dragons?"

What about Fast Sloth, then? Would he be afraid of a dragon?

Fast Sloth wore the same relaxed expression as always.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t seen a dragon in person, or perhaps he didn’t even know what one was.

Just when I thought I understood him, he became a mystery again. Still, he would probably warn me immediately if there was any danger.

The best outcome would be for the hatchling to recover completely and leave....

But could it really survive alone in this terrifying forest? The fact that it had made it this far was already a miracle.

More importantly, did it even know where its home was?

That was my greatest concern.

"Piiiiing."

About an hour later, the hatchling sleeping on Wonmo’s back woke up and stretched.

It looked much healthier than before, so it seemed to have fully recovered.

"Bei?"

"...."

It really was cute.

Its cuteness was different from Wonmo’s.

Wonmo inspired the urge to protect him with his fluffy fur and owl-like face.

The hatchling possessed both the adorableness unique to young animals and the majesty of a dragon.

It was like the difference between dogs and cats. Both were equally cute.

"Coochie-coochie-coo. Come here."

"Pii?"

I beckoned for it to come over with a curl of my fingers.

Behind me, Ludwig looked at me as though I were insane, but I ignored him without a second thought.

Now that things had come to this, there was no harm in befriending it.

"Piiii...."

Perhaps the hatchling had realized that I meant it no harm after I treated its wounds.

Despite looking slightly frightened, it slowly approached me.

It had also spread its wings wide, as if prepared to flee at any moment.

Stroke—

"There, there. That’s it. Good little dragon."

"Piiiiii~"

But all that caution became meaningless in the face of a good petting.

There were very few animals that continued to dislike a human’s touch once they had lowered their guard.

Judging by the way its tail swished from side to side, it was clearly enjoying itself.

These scales are soft and hard at the same time. Fascinating.

Its scales somehow combined softness with toughness.

Its wings were similar. I had expected the membranes to be soft and pliable, but they were surprisingly firm.

Even a baby dragon was still a dragon, I supposed.

At the same time, I became curious.

Why did it come all the way here?

Had it left home out of curiosity like Wonmo? Or had something happened to its parents?

I would probably find out soon enough. Until then, I would keep a low profile.

"Kyu! Kyuuuu!"

Perhaps he was jealous because I was only petting the hatchling.

Wonmo came over to me and began protesting fiercely.

He planted his small forelegs firmly on my thigh, as though ordering, Pet me at once!

Judging by the anger written all over his adorable face, he was definitely jealous.

"Okay, okay. I get it."

"Kyuuuuu~"

With two babies around, things had become rather hectic.

"Mister, would you like to pet it too?"

"...."

"You don’t often get the chance to touch a dragon."

"Ahem."

After some gentle coaxing from me, Ludwig reluctantly crept closer.

But perhaps because it was Ludwig rather than me—

"Piaaaaak!"

The moment Ludwig approached, the hatchling opened its jaws wide and roared.

Fwoosh!

A tiny breath attack even emerged from its mouth.

The flame was no stronger than a candle, but its message was clear: Don’t come any closer.

"...."

Crushed by the hatchling’s adamant rejection, Ludwig slumped back into his corner.

Perhaps Wonmo felt sorry for him, because he quietly approached Ludwig.

Ludwig proceeded to heal his wounded heart by hugging Wonmo.

I could’ve sworn this man used to be dignified.

I couldn’t tell whether abandoning everything had put his mind at ease, or whether Wonmo was responsible for the change.

In any case, the hatchling had opened its heart to me. All that remained now was to wait.

Either its mother would come looking for it, or the hatchling would leave on its own.

As for food... fish should be enough, right?

Since it was primarily carnivorous, fish would probably be better than fasting pills.

I had wondered how much it would eat. Despite its small size, however, its appetite rivaled Wonmo’s.

With all the recent rain, my stockpile was beginning to run low, which was worrying.

I’ll head upriver first thing tomorrow morning.

That brought the day to an end.

The rain that began in the afternoon meant I hadn’t accomplished much.

Still, I had encountered an extraordinarily rare creature, so the day hadn’t been entirely unproductive.

[Let’s name the hatchling.]

[How about Alexander II?]

[Honestly, Draggy is the safest choice.]

Why are these people already trying to name it?

And every last one of their naming ideas was terrible.

I closed the Gallery and went to sleep. I would have to wake up early the next morning.

And so, morning came.

"Nnngh~"

I stretched and checked the time through the Gallery. It was currently six in the morning.

I just needed to head upriver and set the fish traps.

With that in mind, I slowly made my way toward the cave entrance.

I had covered the entrance with cloth to prevent insects from getting inside.

Since it had rained yesterday, surely today would greet me with a clear, beautiful morning—

"Grrrrrr."

Instead, I was greeted by a pair of ruby-red eyes.

They were so enormous that they filled half the cave entrance.

Their vertically slit pupils glared at me as though they wanted to kill me.

"...Oh my."

The hatchling’s guardian had come to pick it up.