✧
The moment I heard we were going to face a dragon, I thought, "Everyone must be out of their minds. How are a group of inexperienced young people supposed to fight a dragon?"
But reality exceeded my expectations.
I had heard how earth dragons were responsible for the devastation of entire villages and towns with their sheer power, and my mind clouded with pessimism. "Will we really be okay?" I kept asking myself.
But Kerl... that imposing man never let his gaze waver. His confidence was immense. I never doubted, not once, whenever I looked at his face.
That's what confuses me the most: feeling certainty just by looking at someone.
As my attack pierced through the dragon's mouth, I felt a deep sense of relief.
We did it. We truly defeated it.
That Terimaru... he's a genius. He analyzed the situation and came up with a plan in mere seconds.
"We need to make sure it's dead," I heard him say.
And as he leapt to confirm it, he froze, visibly shocked.
"What the hell...?" he muttered.
"What is it, Terimaru?" asked Kerl, quickly jumping up beside him.
Seeing his reaction, the rest of us—except Keia, who ran to tend to Darel and Yeroy, still wounded on the ground—hurried to climb up onto the rock.
The sight was staggering. At least twenty dragon hatchlings, clustered together in a makeshift nest.
They were nesting here...
And that explained everything.
That's why we were able to defeat the dragon.
That's why it didn't ravage nearby towns or rain destruction down the valley, like in the stories.
It was only protecting its home.
"Master, what should we do in this situation?" I asked, turning my gaze to Master Kerl.
"There's only one thing to do. We can't leave these hatchlings here, and we don't have the time to take them elsewhere—especially not without their mother... They're dangerous. And there are too many of them," Kerl answered, his eyes heavy with sorrow.
"We could ask my grandfather to take care of them. Luckily, they're small enough that removing them from here shouldn't be too difficult," Terimaru suggested.
"But can we trust that they'll actually do something about it? I think—" I began to say, but the master cut me off abruptly.
"There's no need to worry about that. The earth dragon's body and its Lysae are essential for crafting various devices. Some of its organs are even used in medicine," Kerl explained firmly. "I believe it's best to leave the decision to them. Our task was to take care of this... and move on."
He paused briefly, then muttered, almost to himself:
"We need to tend to those two idiots who thought charging in headfirst was a good idea."
After listening to the master, we decided to head out. But just as I was about to turn around, I saw something in a corner...
A black egg, speckled with small golden spots.
I glanced at the others. They were all focused on helping Darel and Yeroy. I took the chance—hurried over, picked it up carefully, and slipped it into my bag.
"Hmm? What are you doing, Aethen? Come on, we need to go," said Keia, turning around.
"Coming! I was just... checking something," I said as I stood up and ran toward them.
I didn't know why I did it. I just... felt like I couldn't leave it there. As if something inside me knew that egg was important. Or dangerous. Or both.
When we arrived at the inn where we were staying, everything turned into chaos thanks to Yeroy and Darel, who were seriously injured. They called one of the best healers in the area—someone Terimaru had praised quite enthusiastically.
"You'll see, he's an excellent healer. By tomorrow, we'll be able to leave without any problems!" he said, singing the man's praises.
"Sure... Let's hope you're not just bragging to show off your country," I replied with a blank expression.
"Excuse me? Do I look like someone who brags?" said Terimaru, clearly annoyed.
He really seemed to have complete faith in that healer.
"Hello, I'm Yuishida Hen. A pleasure to meet you all," said a man slightly shorter than me.
"Amikenirui-sha! It's an honor to have your help with our friends. With you here, we can resume our original destination much faster," Terimaru said, his eyes genuinely bright with respect.
This man... he doesn't look particularly extraordinary, though he does seem quite kind. But I shouldn't judge someone by their appearance... he might surprise me.
"It's been a while, Kerl. I see you're still built like a tank, still with that look of someone who wants to master the primordial fire arts," Yuishida said with a somewhat sinister smile.
"I left that dream behind long ago for another one... something more evocative," Kerl replied in a soft tone. Serene? Without a trace of arrogance?
Kerl barely smiled... but for a moment, his eyes seemed to remember something. Or someone.
Am I... missing something here?
"It's been a long time since I've seen your face. Seems like you didn't want to come back after what happened, right?" the man said.
"Forgive me for interrupting your warm reunion, Master Yuishida. But our friends are waiting for you upstairs..." I said with a cold stare.
He returned my gaze, equally cold... but then he smiled.
"You're right, kid. Though I can sense great energy up there. Someone must be working hard to give first aid... or maybe healing your friends completely," he replied with a small smile, eyes half-closed.
"Let's go upstairs, Master Yuishida," said a woman, indicating the way with hand gestures in this country's sign language, not a single word of which I understood.
"Master... who's that bastard with the sinister face?" I whispered.
"An acquaintance. And an old rival..." he replied.
His expression changed for a moment. But as soon as we reached the room, his attitude returned to normal.
"Well? Can you do something?" asked Kerl with a broad smile.
"Of course. Don't you know what they call me these days?" Yuishida said, arrogance gleaming in his eyes.
"I bet they call you Amikenirui. You chased that nickname pretty intensely," Kerl said, crossing his arms.
They kept talking while Yuishida carefully observed Darel and Yeroy, who appeared to be sleeping.
Then I leaned toward Terimaru and whispered:
"Do you know what happened between those two? They seem to know each other very well..."
"No. I don't know about their friendship. But it's clear they were quite close... they seem like enemies, or friends. It's confusing," he replied in a voice only I could hear.
"The truth is, it looks like they used to get along well, but something drove them apart," I thought.
"How should I address you, sir? I have no idea about your customs... Though, now that I think about it, you seem to speak our language," I said.
"You speak so fluently I almost forgot we're in a foreign country," I added, placing my left hand on my chin and looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.
"You may call me Amikenirui-sha. The '-sha' is an honorific used in this country for doctors, scholars, and strategists," Master Yuishida explained.
"So Yuishida-sha is fine? Amikenirui-sha is way too long," Kerl said mockingly.
Immediately, Master Yuishida sighed.
"You kids. Call me Hen-sha. Don't be like this bag of muscles and disrespect people. Here we call people by their family name, not their given name. Unless you're close, of course," the man stated.
"Enough chatter. These boys suffered some pretty deep wounds, but it seems you taught them to control their Lysae well. The circulation is somewhat erratic, but unconsciously, it looks like they reduced it almost to the point of appearing dead... a monstrous and peculiar technique I've only seen in your clan," he added.
As soon as he said that, a powerful blue light illuminated everything. It was fascinating to watch Master Hen-sha treating the two of them. His clothes began to look as if they were floating in water, and his hair—which reached mid-back and was tied only at the ends—also began to rise slowly.
The entire room became light and cold. Yeroy and Darel's bodies began to float just a few centimeters off the ground, and their wounds began to glow. It looked like they were closing... but suddenly, Hen-sha pulled out a large needle and thread and began stitching them anyway.
I had never seen anything like it.
"Damn... now that's incredible," I said, my eyes shining.
"Hey... what's that glowing in your bag, Aethen?" Terimaru asked.
"W-what? Oh, that's nothing. It's just a device that reacts to magical particles left by Lysae," I replied, trying to sound convincing.
"Wow! You guys really do have curious things..." Terimaru said with an innocent smile, turning back to watch how they were healing the two boys.
"I told you the Amikenirui-sha was good," he added, his smile growing even wider.
"I'll be right back. I need to use the bathroom," I said as I left, holding my crotch with one hand and the bag with the other.
As soon as I took the egg outside the inn, it stopped glowing. It really did seem to react to magical particles... or to the power of Lysae.
So I decided to apply some of my own Lysae, but I had to get out of everyone else's range.
I went into an alley between houses so close together that barely any light got through. There, the glow returned.
I held the egg with both hands and began transferring Lysae into it. Instantly, the egg began to glow intensely and grow warm.
Maybe that's one of the ways dragon mothers warm their eggs: by simply investing magical Lysae particles in them.
"Why did I bring this egg...? And why did I feel like it was calling me?" I thought as I felt the gentle heartbeat inside the shell and the warmth enveloping my hands.