Chapter 2

As usual, I traced the flow of magic from above, pinpointed a place that seemed to need healing, and landed in a rare, large forest near a human kingdom.

Although I had some lingering feelings, being near humans, who had only brought me trouble since I was born as a dragon, was a source of unease. However, if I didn't do something about the unusually high influx of magic in this area, the forest would soon turn into a demon lair, and things would get out of hand, so I couldn't just leave it be.

Magic is a potent medicine.

The more magic flows into the land, the richer the land becomes, and the easier it is for animals and plants to transform into幻兽 or spirits.

There's nothing wrong with that in itself.

However, when the land's processing capacity is exceeded, excess magic begins to coagulate and starts to behave like a living thing.

These are called monsters, and they attack other creatures to gather the magic needed to maintain their bodies.

They will continue to exist forever unless the core within their bodies is destroyed and the magic is dispersed, and they will absorb magic indiscriminately, causing an excess of magic just by being there.

By the way, demons are defined as one of the phenomena in the world and are living beings with fixed magical properties, so they are fundamentally different from monsters.

Moreover, the more magic a幻兽 absorbs, the stronger it becomes, and they instinctively understand this, so it becomes a battlefield where anything goes, from underlings overthrowing their superiors to ambushes in the dark.

In the midst of these increasingly spectacular battles, some of them learn unique magic as a means of attack.

Furthermore, plants try to increase the flow of magic into the land for their own defense and growth.

This increases the amount of magic flowing in more than usual, and the excess magic creates monsters... I call this infinite loop "demon lairification."

Once a land gets into this habit, it's extremely difficult to heal.

All kinds of creatures transform into幻兽 or spirits, and the ley lines, which have been drained of magic by the plants, are attacked by overly aggressive plants and animals. The despair I felt when I realized I should have just burned everything to the ground and turned it into a wasteland is something I never want to experience again.

Well, there's no helping it. I'll finish this as quickly as possible and get away!

I synchronized my consciousness with the spirit veins of the land and sped up the process.

This greatly increases my processing ability, but the downside is that I can only vaguely perceive what's happening to my physical body, as if I'm half asleep.

Well, there's hardly anything that can hurt a dragon like me, and my body automatically goes into defense mode when I'm unconscious, so it's not a problem.

While I was vaguely working hard to create paths to release the magic, as expected, large groups of humans came and attacked me several times, but I just drove them off casually.

However, this time the humans seemed to have studied magic well, and even though it was just a child's level, I had a sense of being "hit" by something, which was annoying.

I was trying to concentrate on removing a very hard lump, but I was distracted.

Ah, enough!

'I'm leaving after this, so just leave me alone.'

Did they understand my thoughts? After that, the attacks stopped, and I was able to focus on the adjustment, but a forest on the verge of becoming a demon lair is quite tough.

Still, I managed to get through the big part and decided to take a break by flying around a bit. After several years, I finally brought my consciousness back to my body and stretched.

As expected, or rather, the surroundings, which were supposed to be surrounded by trees, were beautifully flattened, creating a small clearing.

I tried to console myself that it was better than a scorched earth, but my spirits sank even further when I sensed multiple humans with my dragon senses.

There's no other creature that moves in groups and makes metallic sounds except humans, right?

But something was strange.

The soldiers, who were heavily armed as usual, had brought a dilapidated cart with a canopy.

Moreover, after being led by the soldiers to the clearing where I was, they left the cart there and went back the way they came.

What on earth do they want?

I was so surprised that I watched them go, but I tilted my head even more when I saw what rolled out of the cart.

'...A silkworm?'

It was a human wrapped in a white cloth and leather belt from head to toe, like a straitjacket.

The restraints were not just physical; multiple magical seals were placed on top of the cloth.

Furthermore, the hood had sewn eyelids and mouth-like seals to prevent any magic from being used.

Although I still had the moral sense of a college girl after more than 300 years as a dragon, I was impressed by the thoroughness of the restraints.

How much did the humans who did this not want this person to escape?

Yet, they abandoned him.

I have no idea what the humans who left him behind wanted, but since they abandoned him, I'm free to do what I want, right?

I gently sent some magic to remove the hood to at least see his face, but I must have used too much force.

Snap!!

With a loud sound, all the magic seals disappeared, and the straitjacket fell apart at the seams.

Ah, well, I haven't improved at all in delicate tasks other than repairing ley lines.

Fortunately, the person inside was wearing clothes, so I didn't feel awkward.

The young man who got up, pushing aside the now just cloth, was still young.

He was extremely exhausted, but his well-defined features suited the adjective "pretty boy." When he saw me, his sky-blue eyes, which were slightly clouded, widened in shock.

His hair color was unusual.

The roots were a slightly white-tinged flaxen color, but as it went to the wavy ends, it changed from a pale crimson to a light pink. It was a pity that it was cut messily around the shoulders, as it was a beautiful sight.

I had never seen a human with so much magic.

Hair and body color are greatly influenced by magic.

In my case, my red skin and black scales indicate that I have the attributes of magma, fire, and night.

It's rare for humans to have such attributes, but the change in the color of his hair tips must be due to the large amount of magic he possesses, and the cut is probably to reduce the amount of magic that can be stored.

Even so, he seemed to be on par with a lower spirit.

How much longer would it have been if he had let his hair grow?

Well, what should I do?

First, I want to know what the situation is, but it's painful that I can only understand nuances.

At least, if he doesn't attack, I don't want him to think I have any hostility. Still,

'...It's a bit embarrassing to be stared at for so long.'

He has been staring at me since we met.

He hasn't even blinked.

I've been attacked or chased away many times at first sight, but this is the first time I've had this reaction, so I felt awkward and ended up speaking aloud.

I didn't expect a response, but the young man, after gasping, said:

"I apologize. I, dragon, speak, come."

Although it was halting, he definitely apologized in words I could understand.

It was the first time in hundreds of years since I was born as a dragon that I had successfully communicated with a human.