Ch. 103
Of course, Rai was still there. I carefully made my way toward Rai, and Rai also crawled low toward me.
Before we could reach each other, I locked eyes with the boss monster.
“Human.”
“Ah, hello?”
“A mere human dares to do such a thing.”
“Well, I do have a name. It’s Geenie Crowell…”
I greeted her with an awkward smile and tried to introduce myself.
If possible, I wanted to live even one second longer.
But the ruthless dragon silently approached and slowly reached out a snow-white fingertip toward me.
Rai growled and was about to lunge for that hand.
[Wait.]
Rai, baring his teeth and preparing to leap, suddenly froze like a statue.
I understood. The Gold Dragon had just used a powerful dragon tongue.
With a single word, she made Rai submit—without even glancing her way.
Absolutely and thoroughly.
It was clear. If Rai fought a dragon, he’d lose!
“Ugh.”
Watching that hand come closer, I couldn’t help but swallow a groan and close my eyes.
I didn’t even dare to dodge.
As I squeezed my eyes shut, I felt a cold touch against my forehead.
A tingling energy seeped into my head, rummaging through it at will, and a fierce headache shook my mind.
But that was all—nothing else happened.
“That’s odd.”
Hearing her mutter, I peeked my eyes open. She touched my forehead again.
When it didn’t seem to work, she eventually placed her palm on the crown of my head, then, looking frustrated, grabbed my face and made me look straight at her.
Why are you doing this?
Confused, I blinked as she held my face.
I had no idea what the dragon was trying to do to me.
“You…”
“Yes?”
“No matter how I look, you’re just a human.”
As you can see, I am human?
“Then why can’t I see your memories?”
So that’s what she was trying—reading my memories.
Isn’t that extremely advanced magic? So why didn’t it work?
“My magic doesn’t work on you! What are you?”
“…Just an ordinary passerby human?”
“If my magic doesn’t work, then you’re either the same kind as me. Or else…”
“Mom! I brought the sword!”
Was she about to say I was a dragon just now?
“Magi! Where did you even find such a strange human?”
“Hm? At the humans’ castle.”
“She’s not ordinary!”
“That’s true. Geenie couldn’t even be judged by Toka’s Orb. It said she was neither good nor evil! Isn’t that amazing?”
Um. It’s kind of weird to have dragons staring at me like I’m some rare specimen.
“Human, you… you know a secret, don’t you?”
“Uh…?”
“A secret of the world that even dragons shouldn’t know. If you’re not a dragon, there’s only one answer. Your memories must be sealed by a ‘divine-class’ being.”
At first I didn’t get it, but then I realized—it was the fact I remembered my past life.
Come to think of it, I really can’t call myself an ordinary human.
If the dragon was right, there must be some kind of restriction on me—something only a god could do.
“If that’s the case, there’s one thing I can think of.”
“What is it?”
“You said memory-reading magic doesn’t work? I can’t say it either. It’s always been like that. It’s locked up inside me so no one but me can know.”
Previous life and reincarnation.
It seems trivial, but I couldn’t talk about it specifically or write it down anywhere.
It’s as if some unknown force blocked me.
I could unconsciously say words related to my previous life, but when I tried to say specifically that I remembered my past life or that I was reincarnated, the words just wouldn’t come out.
“I’m not sure, but it does seem like there’s some kind of force keeping me from talking about it. It doesn’t seem that important to me, though.”
Maybe I should thank the dragon. Now I knew for sure—
I really was under the attention of the god of this world!
Whether that god hated me, liked me, or didn’t care, I couldn’t tell… but seeing how messy my life was, maybe they hated me?
“It’s certain. This is divine-class interference.”
I badmouthed that god a lot, though.
“In that case, I can’t kill you.”
Well, thank yo—wait, no!
So you were going to kill me after all!
Bad dragons!
Do you think human lives are as cheap as flies?!
Ugh, tsk.
I was seething with resentment inside, but I wasn’t brave enough to show it. After all, I was a modern youth hoping to prolong my life.
“You must have some kind of use. I have no idea what the gods are planning, but… I won’t bother getting in their way.”
So, does this mean I’m safe now?
[Master!]
Right, Rai.
A glance down showed Rai still frozen like a statue, as if he’d looked Medusa in the eye.
[I can’t move!]
“What a thing to bring back, Magi, really…”
“Huh? Did I do something wrong?”
“…And why are you acting so much cuter lately? I mean, my Magi is cute, but still, you didn’t used to act this cutesy…”
“Mother!”
That word slipped out of my mouth before I realized, and everyone was startled. But I didn’t know what else to call her.
More than that, if Magi’s cutesy act was found to be my training, I’d be doomed. Never mind the god’s attention—I’d become dragon food.
“What? Mother?”
“S-since you’re here, why not talk about Magi? I could talk all day about how wonderful he is!”
“…Oh, really?”
To survive, I brought up the topic we shared—a mutual interest in her not-so-bright child, Magicos.
Magi had mastered 1st and 2nd class just with theory, and in two weeks had conquered 3rd class as well, proving that dragons beget dragons.
“Hm, so… How is Magi? Is he keeping up with the lessons?”
Got her!
I replied eagerly and dramatically.
“Of course! He mastered 1st class in just two days! You have no idea how impressive it was! Truly a great and majestic dragon!”
“R-right? My Magi is actually really smart! He just never studied before, but I knew he could do it!”
Turns out, no parent dislikes hearing praise for their child—regardless of species.
“Absolutely! He’s a genius.”
And I am someone who bows to the strong, bullies the weak, and is weak to dragons.
You can’t overcome your species!
If anyone calls me a coward, let them try talking back to a dragon.
* * *
Time flew by, and soon the two months I promised Magi were almost up.
What was supposed to be a way to pass the time—Magi’s magic lessons—became serious once his mother started observing. I taught with all my might just to stay alive.
Thanks to that, I was treated to the utmost hospitality by the dragon pair and was finally about to escape.
“Farewell, human.”
“Geenie! Are you really leaving?”
Of course.
It was a pleasure meeting you—let’s never see each other again! …Though since I made a promise, I’ll have to come back in 20 years.
Pretending to be sad, I held Magi’s hand.
“I have to go. I’ll miss you, Magi.”
I was the kind of person who could say things I didn’t mean with a straight face.
No guilt, so no need to sweeten my words.
“Can’t you stay just a little longer?”
“I’d like to, but people must be worried.”
“Should I bring them here? Your parents, your academy friends… everyone!”
“You know that’s not it, right?”
“Hmph!”
“We promised. You’d let me go.”
Two months was plenty of time for people to have held my funeral.
After all, getting captured by a dragon and returning alive was the stuff of fairy tales.
If I were a princess, someone might have come to rescue me, but as the daughter of a mere baron, I couldn’t even hope for that.
Come to think of it, I’ve really survived a lot of close calls.
Maybe I’m tougher than I thought.
“Then I’ll teleport you to the city…”
“No! Absolutely not.”
Never underestimate my warp-phobia!
My case was terminal—just hearing the words “movement magic” made my skin crawl.
“But it’ll take ages to walk out of the forest…”
“It’s fine. I have Rai.”
[That’s right!]
A lot had changed for me over the last two months. For one, Rai now had a 12-stage transformation function.
And since I was lazy, Rai of course now doubled as a mount.
“What if I want to see you, Geenie?”
“Let’s meet in our dreams.”
“Huh!”
[You really have no tact! It was a pleasure meeting you—let’s never see each other again!]
For a second, I thought I’d said that myself—but it was Rai.
As expected of my spirit—he thinks just like me.
He shamelessly said what I couldn’t, and was immediately grabbed by the hair by Magi.
“What! You stupid wolf!”
[Ptooey ptooey ptooey.]
Well, technically, he grabbed the fur between Rai’s ears.
Magi squeezed so hard that Rai’s eyes rolled back.
“Give me back the dragon heart I gave you!”
[How petty! Take-backs are for baldies! May you go bald!]
“You don’t even appreciate it!”
[Once it’s given, it’s over!]
By now, I was starting to think maybe those two biting and wrestling all the time was their own way of showing affection.
They never got tired of it.
And since my spirit was biting the precious son of this house, I discreetly checked his mother’s reaction.