Proofreader: Xemul
When Loren stepped into the chamber, he wondered about one thing.
The chamber was shaped like a semi-circular dome, and as far as Loren could see, there was no place to exit other than the entrance through which they had entered.
The Ancient Dragon he had encountered in the past was very large, and her habitat naturally had a large opening for such a huge body to enter and exit. But there was nothing like that in this space, and Loren wondered how the dragon living here came and went in and out.
But the question was immediately answered when he saw the dragon.
“Is there something wrong with my appearance?”
The dragon, who tilted his head as everyone looked at him, was much smaller than they had imagined. He was small for a dragon, not to mention an Ancient Dragon: Sitting in the centre of the space like a dog, he was at most the size of a young horse.
If he was just this big, he would be able to walk through the cave they had passed through to get in and out. However, it was also hard to believe that this was an Ancient Dragon.
“So tiny.”
It seemed like Loren was not the only one who had this impression, but Lapis and the others also felt the same way. As Lapis unintentionally murmured those words, Loren observed the dragon, who was looking at them from a lower perspective than his own.
Appearance wise, he looked just as what you would imagine when you heard the word ‘dragon’. His body was white, the colour so pure that it seemed to glow a little. There was not a speck of dirt on it, and every part of the body, such as limbs, claws and fangs, were in good condition.
However, he was still too small. To Loren, he looked like the Ancient Dragon they had met in the demon realm, shrunken down to a smaller size and bleached of all colours.
Having been stared at by everyone, the dragon thumped the floor with his tail.
“Are you admiring me? Good gracious, it makes me shy.”
“We’re surprised. Aren’t you a bit too small?”
The dragon named Konin looked up at Gula curiously when she expressed her honest impression.
“Is there something wrong with being small?”
“It is too different from the Ancient Dragon we’ve met before.”
The Ancient Dragon they had met in the demon realm was a very large specimen. For Loren and his companions, who still had that image in mind, the specimen they encountered this time was much smaller in comparison. Even if they were told that he was the Ancient Dragon they were looking for, they were still unable to accept that fact.
“I have been living here in hiding.”
Squinting, Konin said as if he was recalling something.
“It would be inconvenient to hide if you were too big, wouldn’t it? And if you don’t eat enough for your body, you’ll starve. With this body, I don’t need as much food, so it was more convenient for me.”
“Why were you hiding again? If I was as powerful as you, I wouldn’t have had to run and hide.”
From what Loren understood, Ancient Dragons were one of the most powerful beings in the world. An Ancient Dragon was an existence that could not be countered even with an army. So, it was incomprehensible that such a powerful creature would go to the trouble of hiding his existence. If there was something that tried to provoke him, he should have the power to make them yield, Loren thought.
“I am a pacifist.”
Konin said this in a nonchalant manner, but Loren’s eyes did not fail to notice a momentary shift in his gaze. Even without that, Loren believed that no one who claimed to be a pacifist was really a pacifist. He stared at Konin in silence, and after a while the dragon muttered quietly as if to add.
“Actually, I was badly wounded by the kingdom a long time ago. I was recovering from that, and I am also a hikikomori that is scared of going outside…”
“Was it the Magic Kingdom of Nuuna?”
“They were very scary. They saw dragons only as a source of materials.”
It was no exaggeration to say that the body of a dragon was a treasure trove of materials that can be utilized to the extent that there was no waste. Not only scales, claws and fangs, but bones and internal organs could also be used. Dragon meat could be used to make medicines, and it was also very tasty to eat.
“It is said that dragon steak was a favourite dish of the royalty of the Ancient Kingdoms, and that they hunted dragons.”
Lapis said to Loren as if sharing some trivia, and Konin nodded his head.
“So, this dragon here. Is there anything to eat, I wonder?”
If a dragon was as huge as Emery, the amount of meat and materials that can be obtained from it should be substantial. But Konin, the dragon in front of them, was very small. He was so small that even if you took the trouble to kill it, you might not have enough to eat, or so Loren thought.
Konin replied in a somewhat displeased tone.
“I was a huge dragon myself until about 300 years ago.”
According to Konin, even such a huge dragon could only manage to drive back the forces of the Ancient Kingdom. Seriously wounded, he built a dwelling inside Mt. Fire Flute, where Loren’s party was currently at, and began to hide there for many years to heal his wounds.
“The smaller you are, the less power you have to use to heal wounds.”
“Poor dragon.”
“Oh, you understand, don’t you?”
When Nim said this, Konin walked up to her and rubbed his head against her chest as if he was nuzzling her.
Nim’s face stiffened at first at the experience of being nuzzled by a dragon, but when she realized that it really was similar to being nuzzled by a young horse, perhaps because Konin was being moderate in his strength, she began to stroke his neck tenderly.
After a while, Konin pulled away from Nim and walked back to the centre of the chamber.
“Hm, somewhat lacking.”
“Loren, can I shoot that dragon?”
If voices did have temperature, the temperature of Nim’s words would be the same as the Frozen Hell, one of the hells where evildoers were cast down after death as stated in mythology. Loren stopped her as she was getting her bow ready.
“No, don’t do it. That bone arrow won’t penetrate dragons’ scales anyway.”
In the current state, Nim might be able to shoot through the dragon’s scales. But as long as Loren had information he wanted to extract from this dragon, he could not let her shoot him dead.
“Well, it wasn’t much, but thank you Elf lady. And thanks for destroying the magic circle. I couldn’t go out because of that circle.”
“Was that magic circle really that powerful?”
In Gula’s opinion, that magic circle, which was probably created by Noel, was just a substitute for the continued exercise of the power of Lust, and should not have been the reason for the Ancient Dragon’s actions. However, since the dragon was unable to go outside because of it, there might have been something else that even Gula did not know. In that case, Noel’s ability must be considerable, and it was necessary to check what that magic circle could do.
“No, that magic circle itself just gave off a strange smell. The orcs that were attracted by it were the problem.”
“How can orcs give problems to an Ancient Dragon?”
Even though orcs were not as low-ranked as goblins, individually they were not very powerful. However, should they gathered in greater numbers, they would be a force to be reckoned with. Still, they should not be feared by an Ancient Dragon at any price.
“They stunk. And the orcs under the influence of that magic circle have lost the ability to make distinction.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ordinary orcs only attack females, but those orcs…”
“Oh, forget it. I don’t want to hear any more about it.”
Sensing that he was going to regret it if he heard it, Loren interrupted Konin and made him stop talking.
“You’re a male, right?”
Loren thought that the dragon would not be a female, seeing that he had rubbed his head against Nim’s chest and insinuated that it was not good enough. If the dragon was actually a female despite all that, Loren would have a lot to unpack, but his worry was for naught.
“Yeah. As a male, I’ve never thought that I’d be frightened of orcs.”
Konin’s voice trembled as he looked into the distance, perhaps he had once tried to get through the orcs’ dwelling place.
Watching the dragon being like that, Loren was convinced that the annihilation of the orcs here and the destruction of that magic formation, which Noel must have made, was definitely a good thing.
“If you’re going to thank me, I have a favour to ask of you.”
“Oh, what is it? I’ll do it if I can.”
With a casualness that made Loren wonder if he was being a little too hasty, Konin nodded at Lapis’ words. But with ‘if I can’ being added, Loren wondered if his reply could be considered hasty at all.
Lapis told Konin the reason why they came here. The dragon, who had been quietly listening to Magna’s story and actions, and their desire for information from Konin in order to get a head start, let out a low groan when she finished speaking.
“I see. So maybe that’s why they came here.”
“They came here?”
Loren shook his head in surprise, wondering if they had already made the first move.
“I don’t know if they were the ones you are talking about, but there was someone who tried to open the entrance to this place when that magic circle was formed. I didn’t open the entrance because I didn’t like the way they built their crazy magic circle in the corridor of someone else’s dwelling, but it was probably them.”
“So, you haven’t seen them?”
“I didn’t see them or speak to them.”
That was good information, Loren thought. At least regarding the information this Ancient Dragon had, they knew that they had a head start on Magna.
“Now, you were talking about the ruins and relics of the Magic Kingdom of Nuuna, which you call the Ancient Kingdom. Well, then, I know one thing. I have information about a relic, perhaps the most powerful relic I know. I will tell you about it.”
With the air of a teacher teaching his students, the Ancient Dragon, who called himself Konin, tuned slightly and puffed out his chest in pride.