Chapter 7

Thinking about Mary, I was glad I had brought the fork. Incidentally, it’s strange how the fork and chopsticks always return to the pillow when I wake up… but I’ll look into that later.

The dragon threw the katsu into its mouth, thumped the ground with its tail, and then began to moan, “Nnnn—!!”

“Oh, would you like some water? Is the taste okay?”

“Hm, not bad. I’d give it a passing grade. …By the way, do all humans eat such a feast?”

“Oh, no. I made it myself, and I don’t think the seasoning is common.”

After all, I’m cooking Japanese food, so it’s not widespread. When I told him this, he lowered his beautifully shaped eyebrows and muttered, “Hmm, I thought about dominating a human settlement…”

Oh, that’s dangerous! I almost destroyed a human settlement, didn’t I?

Gatsu! Guatsu! Fugu fugu…!

Mary and I stared in amazement at this far cry from a ladylike dining scene.

“Did you like it? But Kazuhiro’s cooking is delicious, so it must have been irresistible. So, what were you discussing with the dragon earlier?”

“Yeah, he said he’d give us a scale as a thank you. Mary wanted one, so I thought it would be good.”

At those words, Mary’s eyes widened in shock, and she began to mutter, “A scale from a magic dragon for just a bento!?”

From what I heard the other day, dragon scales are extremely valuable, but I don’t know the details.

“…It’s of great value. Yes, it’s as valuable as what a mage can offer. It can create magic devices that supply mana, so the price skyrockets to the maximum amount they can pay.”

“Umm, I don’t understand at all when you say it like that.”

Even if you give me a vague amount, it’s hard for me to understand since I’m not interested in human settlements. I was thinking that since this is a fantasy world, I wanted to travel around without worrying about others, but maybe I’m paying the price for that now.

—Karan!

Noticing a strangely sad sound, I turned to see the dragon looking at the empty bento box with a teary face. Ah, this dragon’s expression is too easy to read when it’s in human form. Just looking at it makes me feel sad too.

“It’s all gone…”

“Oh, I have another one.”

The beauty turned to me, reached out with a sudden movement, and then, noticing something, raised an eyebrow and picked up a nearby stone.

“Yes, of course I’ll pay. How about this stone? Humans seem to like these, but I don’t understand their value.”

“Um, Mary, is it okay to exchange this stone?”

I was planning to give the remaining bento to Mary, so I needed her opinion.

I showed her the blue stone I received from the dragon, and she peered at it with interest.

“What is this blue stone…? Is it changing color? No, something has seeped into it and solidified? Kazuhiro, can you ask what this is?”

“Yeah—what is this stone?”

“It’s a stone stained with my blood. Look, I laid an egg. I was injured during that, and the blood seeped into the stone.”

Ah, dragon blood is blue, I thought with amazement.

I couldn’t tell which was more valuable, the solidified blood or the katsu don. So, I asked Mary again, and this time she became expressionless and stiff.

“Eh, Mary? What’s wrong?”

“…”

“Yes?”

“O, oh, please exchange the bento for that stone. Quickly…”

Mary, are you okay? Your eyes are a bit shiny and scary.

I nodded and told the dragon I agreed, and she returned a radiant smile.

“Um, um! Indeed, you humans are interesting! The deal is done!”

She took the bento, hugged it to her ample chest as if it were a gift from a lover, and kissed it.

After that, she ate it in a very manly way, which was a stark contrast to her appearance.

I was watching the dragon’s meal, which I had never seen before, when Mary’s muttering reached my ears.

“Dragon… dragon’s blood… exchanged for a bento…”

She was staring at the stone she had just received with a dazed look.

Ah, yeah, she has a strange intensity too, I thought.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

“Human children, come again. And next time, bring three… no, four bentos.”

The magic dragon said this as he opened the iron bars that had been closed. I’ll ignore the fact that his intelligent eyes and actions don’t match. Yeah.

So, the encounter with the dragon went smoothly, but on the way back from the ruins, Mary’s steps were wobbly and unsteady.

“What’s wrong? Are you hungry? Here, I’m worried, so I’ll hold your hand.”

“Yeah, thanks…”

She gripped my hand tightly, and it felt like we were a couple.

She’s a bit shorter than me, but it’s a bit disappointing that we’re almost the same height, I thought leisurely. Then Mary started to mumble.

“Dragon’s blood is said to cure all diseases. The scale I received is also very valuable, but it’s too valuable and I’m at a loss.”

“S, so… maybe you should sell it or give it to someone who is sick?”

Mary shook her head.

“…That’s the problem. Both would fetch a high price, but they would definitely ask where it came from. Since it’s so valuable, it’s impossible to keep it a secret.”

“Oh, I see. Then the magic dragon’s lair would be known.”

Mary nodded.

The magic dragon appears once every thousand years, so if this is the only chance, powerful people might attack.

The magic dragon is legendary. It would probably be fine, but I wonder if it could protect the eggs…

“Oh, I see, that’s it. I finally understand why this ruin was destroyed.”

“…?”

Did I stimulate her intellect? Her eyes sparkled and turned to me.

“Every thousand years, the magic dragon lays eggs. The people of this ruin must have tried to take them.”

“The residents were destroyed, and it became a dragon’s nest… That’s a chilling story, but listening to you, it seems like it really happened.”

My words seemed to give her something, and she finally returned to her usual expression. She decided what to do with the scale and dragon’s blood in her hand and, for some reason, put them in my bag.

“Then it’s decided. We’ll think about what to do with these items after the magic dragon has left. And it’s definitely safer for Kazuhiro to keep them.”

“What if I lose them…?”

Mary chuckled and hugged me. However, her chest was much higher than it was in modern Japan.

“We’ll deal with it when the time comes. Don’t worry, I won’t get angry. One day, we’ll say at a bar, ‘We met a magic dragon.’”

“Hmm, we only saw it eat katsu don… But at least we can brag to the kids.”

Her smile froze at my words, and her cheeks turned red. I didn’t understand why Mary reacted that way, but I thought it was a very attractive expression.

We walked out with our arms still linked, and the sun was already setting. Our stomachs made loud noises, reminding us that we hadn’t eaten anything today.

“Let’s go to Sisuru. It’s famous for its bland taste. You can eat as much as you want without getting full.”

“Yeah, sometimes that’s good. By the way, where should we stay tonight? I’m going back to Japan, so anywhere is fine, but Mary will have a problem, right?”

As we walked toward the town, I peeked at her face.

“No, I don’t mind. Because I’m going to your country too. And as we first agreed, you’ll teach me the language. But only Japanese, okay?”

I was surprised, but I also thought, “Of course.”

For some reason, I felt like I would be with her forever.

For example, imagine coming home from work to a cute elf who has made a bento for me. Then we go on adventures in the other world together. I smiled at the thought, and while Mary questioned me with a curious look, we walked to the town of Sisuru.

Of course, our journey is just beginning from here.

This concludes the prologue.