Chapter 87: Is that... a dragon?

The sun finally disappeared behind the horizon.

Darkness began to spread rapidly among the enormous rocks. Although Noir could see perfectly well thanks to his [Night Vision] ability, Arlene had to turn on a small lamp to continue guiding the horses.

However, after traveling a few more minutes, he finally slowed the carriage down.

They finally found a small clearing among several monoliths. It wasn’t a particularly comfortable spot, but it had enough room to stop the carriage and set up a small camp. The horses were tied up near the carriage.

Arlene began taking out some supplies, while Uki hopped down and walked a few meters away to check out the surroundings. The golden sphere remained floating near Noir.

And the little demon princess... continued to hug his tail.

Noir decided to ignore it.

For the sake of his sanity.

While Arlene was building a small campfire, Noir walked slowly around the camp, examining the enormous rocks. Up close, they were even stranger than they had seemed.

Some had symbols engraved on them. Others featured figures that seemed to depict unknown creatures. And on several of them, the marks were so deep that it seemed impossible they could have been made with tools.

Noir stopped in front of one of the stones. A strange circular symbol was engraved on its surface.

The young dragon tilted his head slightly.

"What does this mean?"

Arlene looked up from the campfire.

"I don’t know."

"Nothing?"

"No."

Noir looked at the symbol again.

"This world needs better archaeologists."

"What’s an archaeologist?"

The young dragon stood motionless; he was so used to using terms from his past life that he had forgotten Arlene didn’t know them. And he said:

"Someone who knows things."

Arlene raised an eyebrow.

"That doesn’t answer my question."

"Then we’re even." Noir kept his smile—which told him he wouldn’t reveal any more—as the golden sphere began to spin slowly. "Don’t get involved."

Night had fully fallen.

The campfire lit up the small camp and cast shadows on the enormous rocks surrounding them. The place looked completely different in the darkness.

During the day, the Silent Stones had seemed mysterious.

At night... they seemed to be watching them.

Noir narrowed his eyes; something didn’t sit right with him; there didn’t seem to be any monsters. His Draconic Senses weren’t picking up anything. But the place was too quiet.

No small animals moved through the grass... Just the wind.

The young dragon looked over at Uki.

The white wolf seemed to have noticed it, too. His ears twitched slowly as he sniffed the air.

"Do you feel something strange, too?"

Uki lifted his head. For a few seconds, he remained completely still, and then let out a low growl.

Noir tilted his head.

"That doesn’t answer my question."

Uki growled again.

Arlene approached slowly and said, "I don’t think he likes this place either."

Noir looked once more into the darkness among the stones, as his curiosity began to stir. But he did nothing; he was more eager to see how things would unfold in this place, which had a profound story to tell, and he was in no hurry to uncover it.

For a while, everything was quiet again, with only the whisper of the wind as it swept through the flowers and rocks.

Gazing at the moon—and, of course, with his stolen tail—Noir enjoyed the moment just as he always had; not for a single second had he forgotten his former life. Although he is sometimes driven more by curiosity or gets bored easily, whenever he has the chance, he savors these moments.

Breathing without the aid of a machine was a great blessing he would never forget.

Arlene finished preparing the meal and handed each of them a plate.

The little demon received her plate.

Uki settled down near the campfire.

Noir, who had devoured the entire Cerdor, didn’t get any food; he was more than satisfied with what he’d already eaten.

The little girl stayed by his side. And, naturally, one of her hands was still holding onto his tail.

Noir decided it wasn’t worth arguing about anymore. He had lost that battle the moment he decided it was a good idea to save a little girl in distress.

"Someday I’ll get my tail back."

The little demon shook her head.

"No."

For several minutes, no one spoke.

The little demon princess ended up leaning against his body.

Uki slowly closed his eyes.

Arlene was studying the map by the light of the campfire.

The golden orb floated above Noir.

Everything seemed calm.

Then... A sound came from the darkness.

Noir opened his eyes immediately. He wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. It sounded like... a stone slowly scraping against another.

Rrrrrrr...

The young dragon stood still as his senses began to expand further and further, picking up on every disturbance around him. He felt the same way he had when he entered his first dungeon.

Arlene slowly raised her head.

"Did you hear that?"

Noir didn’t answer; he couldn’t sense any creature or living thing, which caused his scaly brow to furrow slightly.

The sound was heard again.

This time... a little closer.

Rrrrrr...

The little demon immediately approached Noir. The young dragon spread one of his wings slightly in front of her, without giving it much thought.

The sound was heard again.

This time it was much clearer.

Rrrrrrr...

Noir stood still as his red pupils slowly scanned the darkness that stretched between the monoliths. His Draconic Senses were active. He could sense the movement of the wind, hear the soft rustling of the grass, and even make out the sound of the horses shifting restlessly near the carriage.

But there were no monsters.

No creatures hid among the rocks.

And yet, the sound kept getting closer.

Uki stood up next to the campfire. The white wolf had stopped growling and now stood completely still, its ears pricked up and its gaze fixed on the darkness.

The little demon moved even closer to Noir, clinging to a part of his tail while staying sheltered behind one of his wings.

The young dragon lowered his head slightly.

"Arlene."

"Yes."

"How many monsters can you see?"

The woman frowned as she scanned her surroundings.

"None."

Noir narrowed his eyes.

"Excellent."

"Why is that excellent?"

"Because that means I have no idea what’s going on."

Arlene looked at him for a few seconds.

"That doesn’t sound great."

"No, now that you mention it, it doesn’t sound great to me either."

The sound could be heard again.

Rrrrrrr...

This time, something appeared between two enormous monoliths.

Noir immediately extended his claws. Uki bared his teeth, and the golden sphere began to spin slowly above his head. For several seconds, no one moved.

Then a small creature emerged from the darkness.

The creature also seemed to freeze—it was... a squirrel?

The young dragon watched it. The little creature’s body was made entirely of a kind of bluish energy. Its fur seemed to be composed of tiny particles of mana that constantly floated around its body.

Its enormous tail swayed slowly behind it. And its small eyes shone with an intense blue light.

Noir slowly lowered his claws.

"...A squirrel?"

The little creature tilted its head.

Noir tilted his head. For a few seconds, they both stood there staring at each other in complete silence.

Arlene finally spoke.

"Was that what was making the noise?"

Noir didn’t respond right away. His eyes remained fixed on the little creature as he tried to sense it with his draconic senses.

And then he realized something. He couldn’t sense it, but he could hear the faint sound of its paws on the grass. Yet his draconic senses detected no living presence.

’This is strange... Why can’t I sense her?’ Noir frowned.

The squirrel took a small leap and moved a few centimeters closer.

The golden sphere slowly descended until it was directly in front of it. For a few seconds, both creatures remained motionless. The little squirrel began to wag its tail rapidly.

The golden sphere responded by spinning.

Noir opened his eyes.

"Do they know each other?"

Arlene raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you asking a sphere that?"

The young dragon turned his head.

"Because it’s my friend."

The golden sphere spun faster.

"See?"

"That doesn’t prove anything."

The mana squirrel took another leap. This time, it passed by the campfire and headed straight for Noir. The young dragon stood still as the little creature lifted its head to look at him.

Then... it jumped onto his leg.

Noir slowly looked down.

The squirrel began walking across his black scales as if it were completely normal. Finally, it reached his shoulder and settled in comfortably.

The young dragon looked at Arlene.

"I think it’s adopted me."

Arlene opened her mouth. But before she could answer, a completely different sound came from the darkness.

This time it wasn’t a rock.

Nor was it an animal.

It was a voice.

"Is anyone there?!"

Everyone froze.

The mana squirrel immediately raised its head.

Uki bared his teeth again.

Noir spread one of his wings in front of the little demon as he gazed into the darkness between the monoliths.

A figure slowly emerged from among the stones.

It was a man.

His clothes were completely covered in dirt, and several pieces of fabric were torn. His hair was long and unkempt; he had a scruffy beard, and he walked with such difficulty that it seemed as though he had gone several days without rest.

The man saw the campfire.

Then he saw Arlene.

Uki.

The little demon.

And finally...

Noir.

He stood completely still.

Noir tilted his head slightly.

The man slowly opened his mouth.

For a few seconds, he seemed unable to decide what to say.

Finally, he pointed at the young black dragon.

"Is that... a dragon?"