Chapter 6

As I felt the gentle sensation of falling, the soft breathing of a girl reached my ears.

The dimly lit room in the apartment grew even darker, and the soft feeling of the bed suddenly faded. Instead, a hard, cold sensation spread across my back, and the rough, pointed texture bit into my flesh.

—Hmm, did I wake up on a hard rock? But it’s pitch black and I can’t see anything…

I stretched, and right next to me, I sensed Marie stirring. We both yawned, savoring the comfortable feeling of waking up after a good night’s sleep for a moment.

"Good morning, Marie…"

My sleepy voice was abruptly muffled by her hand, and the rest came out as muffled sounds.

—Hey, is that you, Marie? This soft, smooth hand… Even though it’s dark, it must be her.

—Ah, good, she’s back in this world with me. I accidentally brought an elf to modern Japan, but it’s a relief that everything is fine…

(Shh, shh, be quiet! Do you understand?)

But she whispered urgently in my ear. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness somewhat, and I could see that Marie looked like she was about to cry.

Why is she making such a face? The answer came quickly as I heard this sound.

Zzzzzz… Zzzzzz…

This sound… No, it’s not just breathing!?

Could it be that we’ve woken up in the very place where we were wiped out yesterday, the bed of the magic dragon!?

(Anyway, I’ll cast dark vision on you. Stay still.)

(Uh, okay, thank you. Uh, good morning, Marie.)

Marie smiled and then pressed her finger against my forehead. Just like yesterday, the light around us intensified, and my vision became clear as if it were reflecting off the surroundings.

When I turned around, the small cave we had entered was still sealed off by an iron grate.

(Ah… Did they keep it closed for safety?)

(Probably. They must have done it so that no one like us could get in. Uh, is there any other way out?)

Zzzzzz… Zzz…

The dragon’s breathing stopped abruptly, and we both jumped, our spines stiffening. The magic dragon seemed to have a keen sense, and even with the concealment effect of the cloak, it could detect us. When I cautiously turned around, a large, round head appeared in my field of vision.

The moment it saw us, the dragon blinked its curious eyes and began to change the inside of its mouth to a magma-like color, as if to say, “Well, it doesn’t matter.” We were about to be vaporized by its fierce breath.

"Ah, we’re in trouble! We’re going to be killed again!"

"Ah, what a shame, we just got back to this world with Marie."

With a growl, the dragon’s mouth began to blaze with intense flames. However, we had no means of defense… Wait, what’s going on? I don’t have any hands?

Something caught my attention, and when I unraveled it, I remembered the lizardmen we had spoken to on the way. They had told me that they were the “dragon’s guardians,” serving the dragon and guarding its bed… I decided to try speaking to the dragon.

"Ah, I’m sorry for disturbing your bed. I brought her along to see your eggs. Could you at least let Marie escape?"

Marie’s eyes widened in shock, but the dragon’s roar abruptly stopped, and the flames slowly died down.

"What’s going on? The magic dragon has gone quiet. What did you say, Kazuhiro?"

As Marie asked, puzzled, my words were incomprehensible to her. That’s because the language I had just spoken was…

"Hmm, it’s interesting that you can speak the language of the lower dragons. I blew you away yesterday, yet you’ve woken up unharmed, which is quite mysterious. How about you reveal that mystery, and I won’t take your life?"

"Yes, I’ll tell you. …Marie, the dragon is going to help us."

Marie’s eyes widened in surprise.

Phew, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Communication is really important. I never thought that the language of the lizardmen would be understood by the dragon, but it’s a good thing I didn’t die because of my hobby.

With a gentle gesture from its massive claw, we moved to the dragon’s bed.

The dragon lowered its gaze to meet ours, pressing its belly to the ground. In front of us was a large face, and three eggs were nestled nearby, their size causing us both to exclaim in amazement.

"You want to see the eggs? That’s unusual. Curiosity can be dangerous, but you’re a reckless bunch."

The warm breath it exhaled was comforting, and the surroundings were very warm due to the geothermal heat, making it feel like a hot stone bath. Sitting on the smooth rock, it felt even more like one.

"Are you warming the eggs? The spirits around here are very active. Dragons can manipulate spirits more freely than we can."

"Hmm, that’s true. I can’t see them, but there are a lot of spirits swirling around here."

While skillfully turning the eggs, the dragon turned its gaze toward us.

"Could you be a resident of the dream world? I’ve heard from my kin that such beings exist, but I thought they were just delirious. Hmm, I never thought it was true."

Ah, that’s right. I remember playing a few special attacks on dragons before. I wasn’t hurt, so I don’t think they’re angry…

"Yes, I… and Marie here, we traveled to another world together and had a strange experience."

The dragon’s eyes sparkled with interest at my words.

"Hmm, you’re quite intriguing. I’m bored until the eggs hatch. Also, your scent is quite intriguing. What do you have on you, human?"

"Eh, nothing… Ah!"

When it mentioned the scent, I realized there was a sweet, appetizing smell. I opened my bag, and the bento box, warmed by the geothermal heat, emitted a stronger, fluffy scent.

"Oh, is this the leftover katsu don from yesterday?"

"Yeah, the one I left by my pillow. —Sorry, this bento is the source of the smell. If it bothers you, I can move it away."

"Hmm? No, it’s fine. It’s not unpleasant, but I’m very sensitive to smells. Hmm, this body makes it difficult to talk."

Indeed, with a mouth and tongue as large as a car, speaking must be tiring.

Moreover, the dragon seemed to have relaxed its guard. Well, we can’t really cause any harm, so it’s understandable. If there are any serious jobs, they should be left to heroes or something.

With a clear voice, the dragon muttered incomprehensible words.

I can only speak the language of the lower dragons, so I don’t understand what it’s saying, but it sounds like “transform into a human.”

"Dragon magic!? I’ve never heard of it before!"

While hugging my arm, the elf exclaimed.

Yeah, I don’t know much about magic, but… I guess she’s gotten used to hugging me. It’s nice, but a bit embarrassing.

"Kazuhiro might not understand, but high-density magic is being condensed right now. It’s on a much higher level than human magic. Look, it’s about to activate!"

I turned my gaze forward, and the dragon’s chest began to glow brightly. I was relaxed, thinking it couldn’t be an attack spell, but something surprising happened.

A glowing, human-like figure appeared, and from the skeleton to the muscles, and then the flesh, it quickly transformed into a woman’s body.

"Ah…! It, it turned into a human!"

"No, that’s a dragon person! Can you see? It’s created using a dragon core. I never thought it would be her, the legendary dragon person!"

Ah, I see, I don’t understand.

More importantly, the appearance of the dragon person was so captivating that my thoughts came to a halt.

The woman who appeared had long, black hair that reached her waist.

She was naked, having just been created, with a toned body and a very ample chest. Her obsidian-like eyes, looking at me, left me speechless.

I feel bad, but her chest was much more… Ah, now’s not the time to think about that.

The only differences from a human were the horn-like ornament on her forehead, the hard scales along her spine, and the dragon-like tail.

Soon, a hard, cracking sound echoed, and the woman was enveloped in armor similar to the magic dragon’s shell.

The armor was dress-like in shape, maintaining hardness while allowing for high joint mobility, with a mechanical complexity.

After adjusting the mechanisms, the woman turned to us and spoke.

"Hmm, this place, huh. It’s been centuries since I last took this form. How do I look from a human’s perspective?"

For a moment, her eyes widened, and then the magic dragon chuckled.

"Hmm, if you think I look good, then it’s fine. …Now, human, hand over that feast."

Her smile was feminine, but she still had the presence of a dragon. My back froze, and I reluctantly handed over the bento… Wait?

"Eh, you want the katsu don? But my cooking isn’t good enough for a magic dragon…"

"Nonsense, you fool! I don’t want such a feast… Ah, no, no, cough, cough. It’s a taste test, a taste test. I’ve never eaten human food before, so it’s a taste test."

Well, if you don’t need to eat, you don’t need to taste it, right? The way she looked at the bento said, “I want to eat it”… Ugh, if you want it, it’s fine…

"What are you saying?"

Marie, who had hidden behind me, whispered in my ear. Well, if I tell her the dragon wants the katsu don, it might be bad… No, the truth is the truth, so there’s nothing I can do…

While I was thinking, the dragon seemed to misunderstand that we were hesitating to hand over the bento.

"Hmm, that’s right. I’m not being arrogant. How about this, I’ll give you one of my scales. Not a fallen, magic-depleted one, but a fresh one."

"Eh, is that okay? Marie wanted one too, so I’d be happy, but…"

"Yes, once the eggs hatch, the lizardmen will clean up all traces of me anyway."

As if to seal the deal, the woman extended her hand. Overwhelmed by her gesture, I handed over the bento, and the dragon person smiled.