CH 141

Chapter 141 – Grande And The Elven Village

“W-who the heck is that girl…?”

“Do you remember the Grand Dragon who came with us to this village? She’s that dragon. Her name is Grande.”

“Umu, I’m Grande. Please take care of me.”

As soon as we entered the Elven village, we were stopped by the Elven soldiers who were guarding the gate. The Elven soldier was stunned by Sylphy’s explanation and Grande’s greeting, his mouth agape.

“D-dragon…?”

“Indeed, I’m a dragon. Would you like me to show you my breath?”

“Eh, you can do that in that state?”

I was surprised by that remark. Grande, in humanoid mode, is about the same height as Isla. To be honest, I can’t imagine her spitting out a dragon’s breath.

“Umu, I have not done that since I’ve been in this body, but… I’ll give it a try.”

She then turned her back to the Elven village gate and looked up into the sky.

“Suuuuuhhh… nojaaaaaaaaa!”

Something like a pure white, ultra-thick laser came roaring out of Grande’s mouth with her distracted scream. The temperature around us rose quickly, and my cheeks tingled as if they were burning.

“Phew, I can still do it.”

“Was that a breath…?”

Sylphy let the words slip out as she groaned, dripping with cold sweat. I thought it looked more like a laser cannon or something than a breath. A laser cannon? I wonder if it could make a big hole in the mountain?

It was flashy, but I’m very curious to know how powerful it really is. I wonder if a 3-meter thick brick wall would be able to prevent that…? It looks impossible, right…?

When we turned around, the Elven soldier’s face had turned pale, and he was sweating heavily. Yeah, I know the feeling. Dragons are dangerous, but the current Grande looks even more dangerous than that.

“Anyway, that’s how it is.”

“A-ah… she’s not dangerous, is she?”

“I’m a rational dragon. I would never go on a rampage in the Elven village.”

“Yes, that’s right. Grande is rational.”

There is no doubt about it. Although she is a bit stubborn, Grande is extremely rational and peaceful. You can say that she’s timid and vulnerable.

“That’s right, that’ s right.”

Grande nodded her head with a satisfied look on her face. Hmm, I think it would be a bad idea to take Grande into battle. If I take her out on the battlefield, I’m going to die of guilt. At least I’ll be able to move around with her so that I don’t have to do that.

“A-alright. Just be careful, okay?”

“Yeah, no problem. Come on, you two.”

“Aye.”

“Okay.”

We followed Sylphy into the Elven village. The destination is the artisan district, a district near the center of the Elven village.

There is always the sound of knocking, grinding, and the thumping of some kind of machine in the artisan district. Some Elves stop their work to take a break, and sometimes they chat and drink in the daytime.

“Hello, Sylphiel. How was your trip deep into the forest?”

“There was a lot to see. There was a waterfall that made rainbows and a fairy tree that was bigger than our meeting place.”

“Who’s the young lady over there? She looks like an unfamiliar race.”

“My name is Grande, and I am a Grand Dragon! The dragon that brought these two to the Elven village.”

“Oh, dragons can take on the appearance of humanoids?”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“I’m sorry, do you mind if I make a quick sketch of you?”

The craftsmen immediately gathered around her and started to make a fuss. Me? I’m squatting in the shadow of an abandoned barrel some distance away, in stealth. If the craftsmen see me, they’ll surround me and try to beg for gems and mithril from me!

“Where is Kosuke-dono?”

“He must be here somewhere.”

“There he is! Surround him!”

“Uwaaaaaaaa!”

Sylphy and Grande are here, so there’s no way I’m not present as well. They found me immediately and surrounded me. It’s not like I was hiding for real; it was more like hide-and-seek.

“Actually, I need you to make something for me.”

“I’ll help you with anything.”

“Is it energy pills? I have something that works great.”

“If you’re going to give a woman a gift, it should be jewelry.”

“No, no, no, it should be gold or silver work.”

“Beautiful fabrics and clothes.”

“Well, I’m interested in all of them, but no. Sylphy.”

“Umu, we want you to make us a magic tool.”

With that as a preamble, Sylphy consulted with the Elven craftsman about the possibility of applying the slave collar mechanism to create a magic tool that would limit Grande’s unconscious and excessive body enhancement.

“Hmm, I see.”

“An application of the slave’s collar, huh…? No, wait? Couldn’t you use the Bracelets of Protection?”

“Oh, yes. It’s also a tool that can be used to adjust the magic circuits in the body.”

“But wouldn’t a simple material be able to withstand the magic of a dragon?”

“As for the material…”

The Elven craftsmen’s gazes are drawn to me. Right?

“I’ll give you whatever materials I can provide.”

When the Elven craftsmen heard my words, they smiled a filthy… wicked smile on their faces. That’s scary.

☆★☆

In the end, I had to offer a certain amount of mithril, gemstones, and pieces of magic sparkling stone. At first, I tried to deal with it with magic stones, but when the Elven craftsman measured Grande’s magic power and its output with a magic tool to check the amount of magic power, it turned out that the magic stones would need to be about the size of Grande’s head, or about eighty of normal size, to be able to catch Grande’s magic power. So it was decided to use something else.

When I asked for opinions on what other materials could be used to solve the problem, I was told that the magic sparkling stone would work… so I offered it. There was a huge commotion. I had to lie and say that this was all I had. I want them to just give up on it. Yes, please give it up!

“I’ve had it rough.”

“They were so greedy, weren’t they…?”

When we arrived back at Sylphy’s house, Grande and I let out a sigh. An Elven painter was asked Grande to draw a picture of her, to record the oddities that happened in the village, and the Elves, who were trained in alchemy and the making of magic tools, begged her for her hair. Dragon scales, skin, and leather were well-known materials, but dragon hair was an unknown material. Dragons don’t have hair in the first place.

In the end, the Elves backed off after Grande gave them a few strands of hair per person. They jumped up and down and with joy. I thought to myself, “There are mad scientists everywhere.”

“Maybe Isla and the others will do the same to you when we return to Erichburg.”

“I’ve learned a lesson. Even an agitated beast becomes docile when its stomach is full.”

Grande seemed to have learned to give up quickly after today’s incident. Sometimes it’s better just to give up and be at peace. Haha, she’s gotten wiser.

In my case, the things I create are dangerous and inexhaustible as long as I take my time, so I have to draw a line somewhere. Especially in the case of the magic sparkling stone, it seems that depending on how it is used, it can become a weapon of destruction even worse than the spirit stone, and there is no way to let it leak out without reason.

If I’m being honest, if it’s just to destroy the Holy Kingdom, I think I can mass produce bombs that use magic sparkling stones and turn the Holy Kingdom’s territory into scorched earth. I’m not going to do that, though.

“I’m glad we were able to order the magic tool.”

“Yes, I’m glad. But what’s so special about the Bracelet of Protection?”

At first, we were talking about using the mechanism of the slave collar to put a limiter on it, but it turned out that the Bracelet of Protection was a better idea. The Bracelet of Protection was a name of a tool I had never heard of.

“Some Elven children are born with great magical powers. They can break things around them or hurt someone just by crying out.”

“O-oh… that’s quite dangerous, isn’t it?”

“Umu, it is dangerous. For such children, the Bracelet of Protection is used. It’s a magic tool that forcibly sucks up and stores a certain amount of magic power when it’s released to prevent excessive magic power from harming you or the people around you.”

“What do you do with the stored magic power?”

“It will be released naturally. But I think we might have to add a special function to the one created this time. Dragon’s magic seems to be very powerful, so even if it’s not very efficient, it will have some useful effects.”

“Wouldn’t it be a mistake to use a tool that is designed to suppress excess power to create a useful effect…?”

“…That’s true, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Sylphy and Grande nodded their heads. Right?

“Well, we have no choice but to leave that to them. In the meantime, do you want to eat something light?”

It was almost time for the sun to set. I think I’m getting a little hungry after my massive reversal earlier.

“Hamburger!”

“You really like hamburgers, huh…? It’s fine, though…”

I took the hamburger out of my inventory with a wry smile and placed it on the plate I had set out on the table. Grande happily reached for a hamburger on her plate, and I did the same, grabbing one. Sylphy seemed to have brought a bottle of honey wine from the kitchen.

“Nnfufu…”

Grande bites into her hamburger, gulping it down with a twinkle in her eye. Her tail tapped the floor as if she was happy to be eating the same hamburger together… Wait, wait.

“Grande, tail, not your tail. You’ll blow the floor.”

“Ugh, this is a difficult thing to control.”

“Don’t worry. This house is alive. If it gets a little dented, it will heal quickly.”

Sylphy laughed and forgave the disappointed Grande. All of the Elves’ houses are designed to look like they’re made out of wood, but they’re really wood itself. Do they use magic to make their houses? Interesting.

Grande seemed relieved that Sylphy didn’t get angry with her. Although she uses arrogant words, Grande is basically a straightforward, timid, and thoughtful girl.

“Sorry…”

“There are other subhumans who express their emotions with their tails. Lizardmen and Lamia sometimes hit the floor with their tails when their emotions are violently shaken. It can even make a hole in the floor. Don’t worry so much; it’s not just Grande’s problem. I’m the owner of the house, and I don’t mind, so that’s fine, right?”

“…Yes. But I’ll be careful.”

“Really. Grande is a good dragon.”

“Umu, I’m a good dragon.”

Sylphy and Grande smiled at each other. The two of them seem to get along well together. I’m sure that Isla, the Harpies and the others will be fine, but the problem is Melty… Grande is not very good with Melty.

“Tell me a lot about you, Grande. I’ve never really had the chance to talk to you before, after all.”

“Umu, it’s okay. But you have to tell me about you too, Sylphy.”

“Of course.”

The two of them smiled at each other as they began to talk, and I was optimistic that things would be all right.