Chapter 220

Dragon (1)

This was only my second time meeting her, but every time I saw her, I had the same thought.

She was absurdly huge. This must be how an ant felt before an elephant.

Her appearance radiated charisma as well, so the pressure she gave off was immense.

It was difficult even to open my mouth, but we had met before, after all.

"H-Hello...?"

I raised a hand and quietly greeted her. Her fierce golden eyes immediately fixed upon me.

I wished she would at least say something.

A gorilla was an ape closely related to humans, so I could understand Kkobong speaking—but surely a dragon couldn’t.

"Piiiii! Piiiii!"

Regardless of my reaction, Tyrano happily greeted his mother the instant he saw her.

He flew over on his tiny fluttering wings and promptly clung to her face.

Judging by the way he nuzzled against her, he was genuinely delighted. He was at the age when children adored their mothers, after all.

The moment Tyrano’s mother saw that her child was safe, her expression softened.

Her eyes curved slightly and the corners of her mouth rose. Anyone could tell that she was smiling.

[Hmm! She is an extraordinarily powerful specimen, even among dragons. It would be best not to antagonize her.]

I can tell that just by looking. One stomp of her forepaw would kill me instantly.

Perhaps she had heard Cain, because Tyrano’s mother shifted her gaze toward him.

Then she immediately ignored him.

He was a stone statue far smaller than me, so that was probably why.

Cain merely shrugged as though it were no big deal and began to speak.

[In the distant past, dragons could transform into humans. Technically speaking, they were once treated as another race. But that is all a thing of the past now.]

"You’re talking about polymorphing, right?"

[Indeed. I cannot speak for everything else, but Lady Ares personally took measures regarding polymorphing. She made it impossible for dragons to live and act as humans.]

"Why did she do that?"

[Because they were too powerful. Every individual dragon was more powerful than a strategic weapon. It was only natural.]

That was an extremely convincing argument.

Imagine a nuclear bomb capable of walking around and living like a person.

’This world is surprisingly realistic in ways like this.’

In all sorts of fantasy stories, dragons wandered around after polymorphing into humans. Apparently, that would be difficult here.

Then again, this was a world where the disparity in power was so extreme that even democracy was regarded as an illusion.

Democracy had supposedly taken root in Wither, the nation of beastfolk, but even that was closer to a half-measure.

’More importantly...’

I looked at the dragon bonding with Tyrano—or, more precisely, at the area beneath her face.

There was a golden glow beneath her long neck, where her heart was located.

’The original Dragon Heart really is on a different level.’

Usually, the gleam my eyes detected did not possess any clear shape.

It generally looked like specks of stardust clustered together. Otherwise, the object simply shone brightly.

The Dragon Heart was different.

It was as if countless points of starlight had gathered to form a distinct shape.

That must mean it contained an extraordinary amount of power. There was a reason it was called a Dragon Heart.

’Is Tyrano leaving now?’

As Tyrano’s mother became gentler, the atmosphere relaxed as well.

The animals that had been trembling in fear quietly entered the house.

Only two remained outside: Fast Sloth and the deer.

I had no idea where those two found their courage, but they were strolling around as though nothing had happened.

The deer, in particular, was peacefully grazing.

Where did that confidence come from?

Swoosh.

The dragon finished reuniting with Tyrano and turned her head toward me.

I flinched as soon as I met those sharp golden eyes. I had braced myself, but there was simply no getting used to them.

It was fortunate that she was friendly toward me. Otherwise, I would have already—

—I offer you my gratitude, human.

"...?"

—I would have already died, but what was that?

I stared blankly as a voice echoed directly inside my head rather than reaching me through my ears.

It sounded as though someone were speaking inside a cavern. The voice was also startlingly deep.

What on earth was happening?

I looked at the others and found them reacting much the same way.

Even the normally composed Ludwig was repeatedly glancing around.

[Ah, she must have projected her thoughts. There is no need to worry. It is how dragons communicate.]

"...Dragons can communicate?"

[There is no reason they should not be able to. Dragons are masters of magic. Furthermore, since she is projecting her thoughts, no interpreter is required. She reads the intent contained within your thoughts and words.]

"Then why don’t the dragons outside the Forest of Four Seasons...?"

I stopped before finishing my question.

After thinking about it, I realized how strange the question was.

Dragons were exceptionally rare creatures to begin with, and no one even knew where they lived.

The dragon Kadir had defeated had been a mother driven into a rage after losing her child, so that case had to be treated as an exception.

’It’s not as though I ever researched them myself.’

If I asked the gallery, I would probably receive vague answers like, "There are stories that say this or that."

Most importantly, this was the Forest of Four Seasons.

Even a gorilla could speak like a human here, so why couldn’t a dragon?

It would be best to accept it and move on.

This might even be a tremendous opportunity.

The dragon could tell me things I didn’t know.

And because I had protected Tyrano, I had already earned her goodwill.

"Um... Hello. My name is Park Jong—no, Grylls."

—Call me Banir.

So she even had a name.

It was certainly a name befitting a dragon.

That meant Tyrano must have had a real name too... but I had already named him however I pleased.

The bigger problem was that Tyrano now believed his name was Tyrano.

It wouldn’t be strange for Banir to become angry after learning that.

—Has my child caused you any trouble?

"Well... no? We had a good time together. If anything, I’m the one who has something to apologize for..."

—It does not matter. The child appears to like that name as well. Besides, as his mother, I should have named him first. I delayed even that because I was preparing for potential threats.

She was a very reasonable pers—no, a very reasonable dragon.

Honestly, I was a little moved.

Our first encounter had been the very embodiment of living terror, yet she was this kindhearted.

That lifted a great weight from my mind.

Still, I couldn’t let my guard down.

The disparity in our strength was as vast as heaven and earth, so I had to remain alert and behave respectfully.

—And judging by how plump my child has become, you must have kept him well-fed. As his mother, I am pleased.

All I did was feed him a mountain of sweet potatoes.

I decided there was no need to mention that.

I had given Tyrano sweet potatoes every day during snack time, and his belly had grown round and plump.

It wasn’t only Tyrano, either. The other animals were the same.

They had all gained weight over the winter.

"You entrusted him to me, so of course I had to take good care of him."

Otherwise, you would have killed me, wouldn’t you?

I swallowed the rest of that sentence.

Fortunately, Banir didn’t seem to notice what I was thinking. She smiled warmly.

—Then I can safely leave him in your care for longer.

"Pardon?"

Then she struck me with a bolt from the blue.

She wanted me to keep looking after Tyrano?

It wasn’t that I considered him a burden. I simply couldn’t understand why.

Apparently reading my confusion, Banir explained her reason.

—Several days ago, I fought a desperate battle against a creature that invaded my lair. I managed to defeat it, but its poison has spread throughout my body.

"Then..."

—I will not die. I merely need to rest for an extended period. I awoke early because I was worried about my child, but...

Banir briefly turned her head and looked at Tyrano.

Tyrano, whose belly had grown round over the winter, tilted his head.

—It appears I no longer need to worry. Once again, I offer you my gratitude.

"How long do you need to rest?"

—I consumed the creature’s essence and neutralized the poison, but I will still need to witness at least one hundred morning suns.

That meant at least one hundred days.

It could take even longer.

"Up we go. Up we go."

Whether Tyrano understood what was happening or not, he began climbing up my body.

Soon, he settled on top of my head.

The things he did really were adorable.

Banir smiled at his behavior before speaking to me.

—Therefore, tell me what you desire. Even if there is nothing you want at present, I shall grant it to you when I awaken again.

"What I need is information. Do you know how to escape this forest?"

Finding a way out was more urgent than receiving whatever reward I wanted.

If I could escape, gold and treasure would be meaningless.

Besides, Banir must have lived in the Forest of Four Seasons for a long time.

Even if she didn’t know the geography, she would know which areas were dangerous and which were safe.

—A way to escape... Then I must ask you a few questions. First—

Banir stared intently at me before asking her first question.

—Can you simultaneously perform dozens of calculations within ten seconds?

"Calculations...?"

—I am referring to the formulae required for magic. Are you capable of it?

"...No?"

Wouldn’t even the Starlight Princess, who was supposedly a once-in-a-century genius, struggle with that?

Explaining fire through the laws of physics was considered basic magic here.

I had given up the instant I heard that much, yet now she was asking me to perform dozens of calculations at once.

That was absurd.

—Then the second question. What units do humans use to measure distance? Please use the largest commonly used unit.

"Approximately this much is one meter, and one thousand meters is one kilometer."

I drew a line on the ground as I explained.

Banir stared at the line for a moment, then nodded and spoke.

—Then I shall ask: Can you travel several thousand kilometers in a single hour?

"...No."

—Final question. Can you subjugate countless monsters, including me?

"...No."

—Then we have our answer. You cannot leave. It would be easier to give up.

You can’t escape.

A dragon herself had officially confirmed it.

I wasn’t so much devastated as dumbfounded.

Having her declare it so definitively only made me more determined to prove her wrong.

I took a moment to organize my thoughts, then exhaled.

Afterward, I cautiously asked her a favor.

"Could you help me, Lady Banir?"

—For reference, even though I satisfy all three of those conditions, I am still unable to escape this place.

For fuck’s sake.

It was a situation that made me want to do nothing but curse.

No wonder she had remained here instead of going outside.

From a dragon’s perspective, the outside world would surely be far more comfortable than this hellish place.

Then why was Banir here in the first place?

That was another mystery.

"Then how did you end up here?"

—I entered against my will. It was one of the conditions imposed by the invaders.

"...The invaders?"

—Indeed. We were given a choice: live like wild beasts outside, or preserve our society here.

This was a story from the Age of Myth itself.

Hearing it left me uneasy.

I couldn’t even begin to understand what she was talking about.

—Originally, we could mingle among humans and live within their societies. We generally referred to it as "recreation."

[Most of the heroes who left great achievements during the Age of Dragons were actually dragons engaged in recreation.]

Cain added an explanation from the side, speaking as though it were simply something that had once happened.

I could infer that the dragons had subsequently lost their war against the gods.

Then what happened afterward?

What conditions had been imposed upon the dragons, who were essentially a defeated army?

’No, before that...’

How old was Banir?

She was a dragon who remembered the Age of Myth.

Furthermore, the "invaders" Banir mentioned were undoubtedly the gods.

People normally wouldn’t refer to gods as invaders, so I had no idea what that implied.

—My kin live throughout this place. Do you know of an area where space constantly shifts?

"Yes. It’s like that on the other side of the river."

—That is the boundary dividing our respective territories. However, due to the nature of this forest, there are creatures stronger than us within the desolate regions.

"Places like the desert, the snowy mountains, and the volcanic region?"

—No. Those are still natural environments. They are not desolate regions.

Just how hellish were these "desolate regions" if even a volcanic wasteland didn’t qualify?

Last time, I had seen a green area that looked as though it had been contaminated by radiation. Perhaps she meant that place.

Otherwise, she might have been referring to the gray region right beside it.

I would find out as I continued exploring.

—Hmm. It is time for me to conserve my strength.

While I was lost in thought, Banir quietly murmured to herself.

I turned my gaze toward her.

Flash!

Banir’s entire body gleamed and began to shrink.

Her body, which had been far larger than a building, continued contracting until she was smaller than a tree.

Her form also changed dramatically.

She went from a four-legged beast to a race that stood proudly on two legs.

’D-Don’t tell me...?’

Cain had said that dragons from the Age of Myth could polymorph.

I didn’t know whether this dragon was truly from the Age of Myth, but one thing was certain.

She could polymorph.

Despite myself, I grew excited.

’Polymorphed dragons are usually incredibly handsome or beautiful.’

Filled with subtle anticipation, I watched Banir’s human form emerge.

—Hmm. Becoming smaller certainly is more efficient.

—Why are you looking at me like that?

I couldn’t hide my disappointment when I saw a human torso with a dragon’s head attached to it.

Fantasy really was nothing more than fantasy, huh?

Reality was cruel.

READ MORE ChapterS HERE : https://beastnovels.com/