Chapter 9

Today, I woke up in the middle of the day.

Yesterday, I must have been exhausted from setting up traps all day, as I ended up sleeping deeply by evening.

Thanks to that, I'm now hungry. Sakura is making lunch, but I couldn't wait any longer, so I decided to eat an apple from outside.

"......What is this apple?"

A single golden apple was hanging from the tree in the center of the yard. I don't remember doing any breeding, so it must be a mutation or something.

I decided to try it. I took a bite.

"Mm... It feels gritty in my mouth."

It's sweet and delicious, but something feels off. It has a sticky, honey-like taste, almost too concentrated.

In a way, it might be just right for a small snack, so I finished it off. Then,

"Master, lunch is ready."

It seems lunch is ready. Sakura came running over.

"Alright, thanks. I'll be there in a moment—"

Just as I started walking towards her,

"Hey, are you serious, that?"

A light, male voice echoed.

"Um... It wasn't Sakura, right? You just spoke, didn't you?"

"Huh? I only said lunch is ready—"

"---Seriously..."

I heard it again. The voice was coming from above.

"They say the village has issued a no-approach order to this place. It's a place where you'll be eaten."

"Huh? We'll be eaten? No way."

Then, I saw two dragons above.

"Look at the magic power of the one below...!"

"Eh... What is that!? It has more magic power than the Dragon King!"

"Yeah, we're apparently being overlooked right now. It's like we're being kept alive by whim."

I could clearly hear the dragons' conversation. And it's not that they're overlooking us; they just don't need more food.

"Why is such a guy here...? Is the balance of the Enchanted Forest off?"

"That's why the Dragon King himself issued the decree. He actually thought about it, that single-minded, battle-crazy Dragon King."

"Yeah... This is bad. We should go back before we die. We need to tell the others too."

After saying that, the dragons flew away.

What is this? Did the dragons deliberately speak in a language I know?

"Hey, Sakura, did you understand what those dragons were saying?"

"Um... They were just making sounds like 'gyaa' and 'guruu,' right?"

She mimicked the sounds cutely, but I see. So only I understood them.

"Sakura, it seems I can understand the language of dragons."

"Really!? Master, you can understand the language of dragons!? I knew you were knowledgeable, but I didn't expect you to understand the ancient language."

Hold on, hold on, hold on, I just started understanding it a moment ago.

Actually, is it an ancient language, or are they just making sounds?

But if it's related,

"It must be this golden apple. After eating it, my ears must have gone wonky, and I started understanding the language of dragons."

"I see... Can I see it?"

"Sure."

I handed the core of the golden apple to Sakura, and she sniffed it closely. Then,

"It smells of dragon magic. ...Where did this grow?"

"Huh? It was just on that tree over there."

It's a normal tree in the center of the yard. Well, it might be a bit thicker than the others.

"Come to think of it, dragon blood and residue had seeped into that spot."

"Yeah, I dissected a small dragon there."

So, the apple absorbed the essence of the dragon, which is why I can understand the language of dragons.

"Besides, I've been continuously absorbing the magic power of the dragon veins. Dragon blood is like a block of magic power. A little of it mixed in, and it had an effect."

It's an unexpected side effect. This apple is amazing. It's a fruit of wisdom.

"However, for someone like me or Master, who are full of magic power, it's like a restorative. But for ordinary creatures, it could be a powerful poison. It's impressive that it grew so well."

Wow, it tastes like a normal apple.

Maybe that's why wild animals don't come near it, and it doesn't get eaten by bugs.

"Yes, it must be thanks to Master's magic power. It's incredible. ---And, if possible, could you synchronize me with you later?"

"Synchronize?"

"Yes, I want to... hear the same voices as Master."

Sakura scratched her cheek and said it shyly. There's no need to be so reserved.

"Sure, I got it. After lunch, I'll synchronize you while making traps."

"Thank you, Master!"

So, I can now understand the language of dragons.

"---Maybe if I eat apples that have absorbed the blood or essence of other creatures, I can gain various skills."

Next time, when I'm hungry and have some free time, I'll give it a try.

Looking at the fine apple tree, I had a vague feeling about it.

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