Chapter 123

CHAPTER 9 How Monica and Nero Met “How are you feeling, Lady Everett? If you’re in pain, don’t force yourself. Please, lie down.” Felix’s voice was kind. But Monica knew there was more to his words. The prince was frighteningly good at negotiating. If she let his kindness carry her away, he’d take control before she knew it. “Let’s skip the pleasantries.” “Agreed.” The prince nodded, then looked up at Nero, who stood behind Monica. He had his arms folded and was glaring down at Felix. “May I ask about him first?” Monica had predicted this. But as she was carefully choosing her words, Nero leaned back and sniffed haughtily. “You wanna know about me, eh?” he said. “All right. I’ll tell you. My favorite foods are birds and cheese. My favorite author is Dustin Gunther.” “I didn’t mean your tastes and hobbies. I want to ask about how you became Lady Everett’s familiar… Actually, there’s something else I should ask first.” Felix narrowed his eyes slightly, chilling the room. After a pause, in which he let the intimidating atmosphere sink in, he said, “Can you tell me why you brought your pterodragon horde to attack County Kerbeck, Black Dragon of Worgan?” As a member of the royal family, Felix possessed a particularly threatening aura. With his status, he could make anyone yield unconditionally. The Black Dragon of Worgan, however, had no interest in human hierarchy. Nero stuck out his lower lip and scoffed. “What now? When did I attack anyone? You got any proof? What do you humans call this? …Oh, right. A false accusation! And I’m sure not friends with any pterodragons.” “…You deny it?” asked Felix, confused. Nero continued, his tone implying the whole incident was no big deal. “I used to live in the mountains in the Empire. But then they started making a fuss about development or whatever, so I started wandering around, trying to find a new place to live. Then I came across, uh, the Worgan Mountains. I think that’s what you humans call them. And then the young pterodragons there started worshipping me as their boss, for no reason.” Pterodragons had particularly low intelligence, even among the lesser dragons. In general, they didn’t understand language, so they couldn’t communicate properly with greater dragons. “Those pterodragons were a bunch of kids, and I heard they attacked some human settlements trying to show off. But I didn’t order them to do any of that.” “Then how did you end up as Lady Everett’s servant?” asked Felix. Monica’s right hand wavered as she gripped the feather pen. She would have liked to cradle her head in her hands and groan. Is… Is it really okay to talk about thiiiiis? But as she debated how to respond, Nero answered the prince without a hint of hesitation. “I was eating a bird, and its bone got stuck in my throat.” “Yes?” “It hurt a lot, and she pulled it out for me.” “…That’s it?” “Yep.” That really was it. About half a year ago, Monica had entered the Worgan Mountains alone to slay the Black Dragon of Worgan. And there she’d found him, curled up deep in the forest, growling and crying out in displeasure. The creature was bigger than Monica’s cabin in the mountains. Its huge mouth, filled with sharp fangs, could swallow her whole. Her mission was to slay this dragon. If she used high-powered attack magic and hit the dragon between the eyes before it noticed her, her mission would be complete. But when she heard its cries, Monica stopped. She’d taken a course on spiritspeak at Minerva’s, so she could make out simple words. The wicked dragon of legend, covered in jet-black scales, was saying this: It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. So Monica left her hiding place among the trees and nervously asked it a question. “…Ummm, is something, um, wrong?” Monica was incredibly shy, but she found dragons easier to talk to than humans—even if it was a black dragon, one of the most dangerous kinds. My throat. It’s stuck. Can’t get it out. It hurts. “…Your throat? Ummm, could you…open your mouth and…say ahhh?” In response, the black dragon slowly raised its head and opened its mouth wide. Each and every fang was sharp like a spear, and its red tongue was long enough to easily coil around her. Nevertheless, Monica remembered that black dragons’ tongues weren’t poisonous, so she awkwardly climbed up the dragon’s jaw and entered its mouth. Going into a black dragon’s mouth on purpose was insane—at least, anyone else would have thought so. But from Monica’s perspective, it was far scarier to be surrounded by people than to be surrounded by a dragon’s fangs. “Oomph,” she grunted as she crawled up the dragon’s tongue on all fours. Eventually, she noticed something white stuck deeper in its throat. It was probably the bone from a bird or a small animal. “Ummm, I’m going to pull this out… It might hurt a little…” Monica grabbed the bone with both hands, then yanked on it with all her might and pulled it free. The black dragon’s throat rumbled, and the vibrations caused Monica to lose her balance. She fell back onto its tongue, which was soft and comfortably broke her fall. “I got it…” As Monica exhaled, the black dragon stuck its long tongue out. She tumbled down it like someone falling down a hill. “Hwahhhhhhhh?!” Covered in drool, she fell to the ground face-first with a splat. Her eyes were spinning. The black dragon gazed up to the heavens and gave a spirited cry—and a moment later, a huge black haze covered its body. As the haze condensed, it gradually took the form of a person, starting with the fingers, the toes, and the tips of the hair, then moving inward. Eventually, the black dragon was replaced by a man with short black hair and golden eyes, wearing an old-fashioned robe. He was quite tall. He directed his mystical golden gaze at Monica. “Damn, glad that’s finally out of me! I was eating some random bird, and its bone got caught in my throat. I thought I could just incinerate it with my black flames, but it was in a real weird spot I couldn’t quite reach.” He rattled on, completely absent of any majesty or mystique. Aside from the old-looking robe he wore, he appeared like any other candid, cheerful young man. It was easier to talk to him when he was a dragon, thought Monica. She couldn’t help but find big, tall men terrifying. She froze, still lying face down on the ground. The dragon, now in human form, squatted in front of her and looked her in the eye. “What’s with you anyway? Speechless? Well, I am pretty freaking amazing.” “Eee… Ah…” Monica sprang up into a sitting position and scrambled backward across the ground, shaking fiercely. The dragon pursed his lips and appeared to sulk. “Why does this form seem to scare you so much? Don’t I look cool?” “…Aw, waaahhh…” Monica finally started to cry. The dragon scratched his head, unsure of what to do. “Uhhh… What do human females like? Hmm… Wait, I know just the thing!” A haze covered the man, and he condensed into an even smaller form. Eventually the haze cleared, revealing a black cat. “Humans love cats, right? They’re the most powerful, most adorable creatures in the world! Look at these paws. You can squeeze them if you want. Meow, meow.” The black cat pressed on Monica’s cheek with his paw, and the soft sensation relieved a little bit of her tension. No matter how she looked at it, the creature in front of her was an adorable black cat. But how could he produce a human voice as a cat when he couldn’t as a dragon? His body must not have been 100 percent cat. The structure of his vocal cords, at least, must be different, she thought, staring at the cat’s tail as it waved back and forth. “Great! Looks like you’ve calmed down,” said the black cat. He nodded to himself, seeming relieved. “Anyway, what’s a human like you doing way out here? Are you lost?” “Oh, ummm, well…” Monica slowly straightened up, then began fiddling with her fingers. “Um, do you think…you could…leave the mountain? The people…down below…are really s-scared…” “Huh? Oh, come to think of it, there were a whole bunch of humans gathered at the foot of the mountain. Wait, they aren’t trying to kill me, are they?” “A-actually… The reason I’m here is, well…to exterminate you, I guess…” Monica’s admission, honest to a fault, had the black cat staring at her in astonishment. “You’re real dumb, you know that? If I changed back to my original form, my black flames could burn you alive. Not even your bones would remain.”