Chapter 119: The Elder Dragon’s Request

"When one has lived as long as I have, it becomes possible to understand the languages of humans. Humans are short-lived creatures, so they cannot understand our speech."

"Ah, I see. Thank you." Qiu Nuoya bowed politely to the Elder Dragon.

However, the young dragon who had brought them here looked confused.

[ Elder, that boy has been able to hear our voices from the very beginning. ]

"Hm? That cannot be. Humans cannot understand our language."

[ But I spoke with that boy normally all the way here. At the very least, that boy clearly understands what we say. ]

The Elder Dragon’s eyes fixed sharply on Qiu Nuoya at the younger dragon’s words. ℯℯ𝑙.

"Boy, is that truly the case?"

"Um, yes. I can hear you."

The Elder Dragon’s eyes widened in surprise and he blinked several times.

"Could this also be due to the Creator God’s blessing? What is your name, boy?"

"My name is Qiu Nuoya."

"I see, Qiu Nuoya. The fact that we have met here must be fate. Since you can understand our language, would you be willing to grant me one request? Of course, I do not expect you to do it for free. If you grant my request, I will grant one of your wishes in return."

"A request? Is it something I can actually do?"

"If you can understand the language of us dragons, then it is something only you can do."

The Elder Dragon’s request was for Qiu Nuoya to protect his fellow dragons.

"Our dragonkind is currently on the verge of extinction. A single dragon can destroy thousands, even tens of thousands, of soldiers. We are powerful, and because of that power, we became too arrogant. Humanity came to regard us as enemies of the world, and whenever we appeared before humans, we were hunted down without question. Of course, we fought back and killed millions of our enemies as well. But that only added fuel to the flames. For some time now, we have not even been able to safely give birth to and raise our young. Humans cannot understand our language. Even if they find a dragon hatchling, they immediately hunt it down. Parents whose young are killed naturally come to hate humans, do they not? Humans simply brand us as evil, yet they never consider that we are only resisting because they hunt us in the first place. Perhaps the very idea that humans and dragons can coexist peacefully is misguided."

The Elder’s words were understandable. If someone’s family were killed without reason, it would be only natural for those left behind to become enraged and lash out. But that only caused dragons to be viewed as even more dangerous and persecuted in turn. It was a vicious cycle, making it even harder to find a path toward coexistence.

"I know that this land is an alternate dimension that protects us. Adventurers who hunt us cannot enter this place. This is our sanctuary. I have heard from those who visit this land that certain adventurers gathered willing volunteers and developed this place. Here, we can live in peace. So please, would you guide my brethren who have not yet been protected to this sanctuary?"

"Um... I would like to help if I could, but I don’t actually have direct access to this place..."

"What!?" The Elder’s eyes widened in surprise.

Qiu Nuoya had only been invited here by chance that day. In other words, he was merely a "guest." It would be difficult for him to casually accept such an enormous responsibility without even knowing whether he had the authority to fulfill it.

"I believe only a select few people within the Tamer’s Guild are responsible for managing this place. I am not even a member of the guild at present, so it would be difficult for me to give you an immediate answer..."

"Young Master! Just say yes! I’ll take care of all the necessary procedures!" Qiu Nuoya flinched when someone suddenly spoke up. Come to think of it, the guild employee had come along with them too. He had been so inconspicuous that Qiu Nuoya had completely forgotten about him.

"Protecting rare monsters is one of the fundamental principles of the Tamer’s Guild. There is no way we could hear a request like this and say no. I’ll speak to the higher-ups, so you accept the request!"

Um... does that mean he doesn’t really have a choice?

Still, Qiu Nuoya wanted to help anyone who was in trouble, even if they were monsters, and he did not think this was a bad cause. But could they not have given him a little more time to think about it?

[ Who is that person? ]

The Elder Dragon’s question echoed directly in Qiu Nuoya’s mind.

"He’s one of the humans responsible for managing this place," Qiu Nuoya answered.

The Elder Dragon shifted its massive head slightly and asked the guild employee, [ Will you take on this request? ]

"Absolutely! I will do everything in my power to help!"

[ The younger members of our dragonkind cannot speak the language of humans, which has made communication with humans difficult until now. With this, I can finally lay down the burden I have carried on my shoulders. ]

With those words, the Elder Dragon quietly lowered its eyes and looked at Qiu Nuoya. "Ah, now that I think about it, I did promise to grant you a wish in return for fulfilling my request. Qiu Nuoya, do you have anything you wish for?"

"Um..." Qiu Nuoya hesitated at the Elder Dragon’s offer. Even if he was told he could have anything he wanted, nothing immediately came to mind. He also had no idea what kind of wishes an ancient dragon like this could actually grant. He could perhaps ask for gold, silver, or other treasures, but that would have nothing to do with the reason he had come here in the first place.

After thinking it over, Qiu Nuoya decided against it. "I came here looking for a tamed monster that can fly. Since I heard that the monsters here choose their own tamers, I would be happy if you could introduce me to someone suitable."