Chapter 381: A Discomforting Conversation

Chapter 381: A Discomforting Conversation

Mid Morning - Late Fall : Eikasía | Eastern Bahamut

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-To think they managed to build all this in just a few months...- As I admired the countless buildings lining the busy street, I glanced over at Hera, walking beside me in her shrunken form. "Even if a lot of it is still under construction, this city is.. really astounding..." -It's so comfortable here...-

"Haha, right? Isn't it wonderful?" Hera spoke with pride.

Touting streets nearly three hundred meters wide, and lined with buildings made to accommodate dragons of all sizes, the city really felt like a place made by dragons, for dragons.

Hera seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit as well. "It reminds me of the ancient cities from my era."

Straightening up my posture as we continued down the street, I gave her a curious glance. "Really? Why is that?"

"It's because those ancient cities didn’t pander to 'human culture'." She spoke as if it was common knowledge while she looked around with a reminiscent smile.

But her words only tripped me up. "Huh? What do you mean?" Although I had never really thought about it before that moment, the instant I did, I found myself instinctually agreeing. -But.. why?-

"Just take Atlas as an example. If you walk along those streets, it feels cramped, right? The buildings are so tall and the streets are so thin that flying isn't always convenient, or even an option, especially if there are people nearby. But look here." Pulling her wings off her side, she spread them out with ease. "Even though the buildings are smaller here, it feels bigger, more spacious, and more accommodating does it not?"

-Y..yeah... It really does...- I nodded with a mix of hesitancy and confusion. "But.. what does that have to do with pandering to humans?"

Pulling in her wings again, she looked me in the eyes. "In Atlas, did you ever look above the ground floor of the buildings in the city center?"

"Uh.. yeah?" I tilted my head as I spoke, before my eyes suddenly went wide. "Wait now that you say that..." Thinking back, I could remember the tops of buildings being made to accommodate human-sized creatures, be it an inn, a restaurant, or even a parlor. "Were those not for the convenience of other dragons? Like for those who wanted to use their humanoid forms?"

"Of course. But think about it..." Tapping the claw of her wing on the side of her head, she spoke firmly. "Dragons didn't always value being high off the ground in a building.. however, humans always have. To them, tall buildings represented status and power, and being in them gave them a sensation of strength, as if giving them the ability to look down on others."

-A..Ah!- That was when it suddenly clicked, and an old memory gained clarity. -R..Right!- Old draconic architecture, however, was the exact opposite of humans. If you wanted to show off your status, you did so by owning more land, or building a huge, spanning estate more easily visible from the sky. -And the way they got around the space issue was to build cities partially underground...-

Quickly pushing my aura through the street, I immediately found an endless maze of elaborate tunnels more than big enough to accommodate a dragon the size of Hera right below us.

To me, it defied my current understanding, but to her, it was common sense. "Underground, it's more comfortable for us, the temperatures are cooler, the mana can be made thicker, structurally it's easier to build, and it helps limit the amount of aura distortion people have to deal with on a regular basis."

In an instant, my perception of my own culture twisted. "So you're saying Atlas wasn't meant for only dragons.. but for humans as well?"

She firmly nodded.

"But.. why?" Atlas, known as the heart of draconic culture, always had its architecture touted as the cornerstone of draconic design. -But.. it's not even meant for dragons?-

Filled with dragons lounging around, drinking, and flirting, it looked like a conglomeration of low-lives at first, but on a second glance, they all donned armor, weapons, and artifacts with the insignias of various notable noble families. -This must be a tavern meant for knights...- But even though they were all at least elders, none even paid a glance to Krystallo as she walked through.

There was one person who recognized her though. "Ah, lady Krystallo, how are you doing?" It was an old, green-scaled bartender who seemed to be a retired butler. "Are you here for Myalo?" Paying Hera and I a glance as he spoke, we both pressed our auras into him for a moment before he instantly tensed and averted his eyes.

"I am, where is he?"

With a slight nervousness, he continued. "He is in the back speaking with someone. He'll be out in a moment... In the meantime, can I get you a drink?" Awkwardly setting down everything he was doing, he tried to keep his eyes glued on Krystallo.

But mine quickly drifted to the wall behind him. -He's talking to another kid?- Behind the wall, in a room that led underground, Krystallo's 'friend' was speaking to another, similarly aged child, but.. something about the way they were talking felt.. off...

The 'kid' the boy was speaking to wore an eerie smile, devoid of warmth, and moved as if he was a wooden puppet, speaking with an awkwardness that pushed all the wrong buttons on me. "Something is wrong with that kid..."

Hera also seemed to notice, responding with magic so only I could hear. "It doesn't feel like a conversation between children... It feels like a child speaking to a priest, or a caretaker..."

The conversation was so one-sided that it was unsettling, as if there were an adult in the reanimated body of a deceased child.

But.. from what I could see, there was nothing odd about him besides the way he was acting. -No matter how I look at it.. he's just a child.. so why is he acting like that?-

As Krystallo ordered a drink, Hera and I continued listening to their conversation, before, out of the blue, the memory of what happened to students in the academy several years ago came to mind. -Oh shit... Don’t tell me...-

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