856 C-8, Rain Month 2, Moon 27
What a fortuitous day! Though this collar severely impedes my ultimate goal, it is very convenient that I now have an idea of how weak the opponent before the Blade Saint is.
I’d decided to try and kill the Blade Saint during the placement exam that the vampire had mentioned. I’d been slightly worried about how I’d match up to him in my current weakened state, but if that so-called Magic Breaker was any indication, those gathered in this school were, on average, very weak, with the exception of that vampire. However, she was most likely an aberration.
Perhaps equally important, however, was the discovery of this frozen treat called a parfait. It had an impeccable balance of varying levels of sweetness blended in with the bitterness of the chocolate, the freshness of the fruit, and the satisfying crunch of the wafers inside. Whoever invented this dessert was worthy of my praise.
None of the parfait’s components were a part of our diet as elder dragons. In fact, the last time I could recall having anything sweet was during the one time as a child when I’d visited a human settlement. They’d shared some of their sweet broth with me, probably not realizing I was an elder dragon. Warm memories of their acceptance and the comfort that their food had brought me began to grace my mind.
“El?” the human called out to me, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Are you okay? You kinda just froze up while eating your parfait. Brain freeze?”
“I’m not sure what that is; however, I can surmise that you’re asking whether or not this dessert has negatively affected me. In which case, the answer is no.” Like that could ever happen, I thought as I brought another spoonful of the parfait to my mouth.
“That’s good. Sometimes, when people eat cold things too quickly, they feel pain in their heads. We call that a ‘brain freeze.’”
“Sounds like something that can be simply remedied with a quick burst of fire to the head.”
“It’s not your brain literally freezing or anything, so fire probably won’t help too much.” The human made a wry smile.
“I see...” I continued eating my parfait, not too interested in hearing her elaborate any further.
“By the way,” she nervously asked, “are you sure you’re going to be okay?”
“In what regard? I’m mostly healed now if that’s what you mean. Or are you perhaps referring to this limiter you’ve put on me? In which case, no, and I’d like you to remove it this instant.”
“I meant in regard to the placement exam. Rhand is a Magic Breaker. He might be a difficult opponent for you.”
“There’s no way a flippant imbecile like that could pose any threat to me.”
“No, I think he does, especially because of who he is. I’m assuming you don’t have much experience with Magic Breakers, but they’re some of the most annoying people to deal with if your power is mana based. Elder dragons use magic in addition to their physical strength when fighting, right?”
I nodded. “However, against that level of opponent, my flames and physical strength alone should suffice.”
“The thing I’m most worried about is that Magic Breakers are exceptionally skilled against not only mages but magical creatures as well. They preach about how they want equality and how they want to break others free from the so-called mage society, but really, they’re just power-hungry fools who want to have a monopoly on the weapons of the world.”
“That sounds ridiculous,” I scoffed. “They think they can topple the world order that easily? They’ll find that having others relinquish arms is more difficult than they imagine it to be.”
“That’s the thing...” The human made a difficult face. “They’re in a kind of unique position. He mentioned it earlier, remember? The city of progress, Breyhtown; it’s an amazing place that produces all kinds of technological advancements. It’s a fact that their products have helped people everywhere. They’ve made mana-efficient tools with preloaded spells so that even people who can’t use magic can hold their own against mages. They tout science as the next step in the realm’s evolution. I definitely see the future in it, but...it’s obvious that they are just using it as a means to start a class war.”
Finishing my parfait, I dropped my spoon inside the glass and leaned back in my chair. “How amusing. They’re silently pitting those adept at magic against those who’ve had to live in the shadow of their accomplishments. By doing so, they can ensure a need for their inventions while also pretending to be virtuous with their intentions. To the public, it will seem as if they’re simply trying to give the weak a means to live without having to rely on mages while also trying to bring convenience to the world in general.”
“Yeah, exactly.” The human seemed surprised that I’d figured all that out. “The Magic Breakers are a force of religious zealots from Breyhtown who are trained against all kinds of magic. They’re essentially expert mage slayers with specialized armor and weapons, which makes them all the more annoying to deal with.”
“Annoying but not impossible, I’m assuming. If their order hasn’t single-handedly taken over the world, then they can’t be all too strong.”
“Heh. Maybe not to an elder dragon. I bet you see things differently as the top of the food chain—the rulers of your realm.”
“I wouldn’t say we’re the rulers of our realm. That would imply that we govern and constantly involve ourselves in the affairs of others, which we don’t. We’re more accurately described as peacekeepers, kind of like a natural disaster waiting to strike if something is out of balance.”
“Sorry, I don’t think I follow. You’re peacekeepers and a natural disaster?”
“We threaten violence if peace is disturbed. If a war is waged, we don’t intervene unless it threatens to harm unrelated parties. Since we’re nomadic, we travel all over the place, and nobody really knows when we’ll appear. You’d be surprised how the mere threat of that is enough to make most people stay in line.”
“Your realm’s really different, huh? By the way, do you want another parfait? They have a decent stock of all the ingredients in the back. You don’t have to limit yourself to just the”—the human paused to count the empty glasses in front of me—“twelve that you’ve had.” She smiled wryly.
Truly marvelous was the idea of being able to enjoy a dessert fix here whenever I so desired. I could relish the delicious creation known as a parfait so long as I was present here. It was almost like having an unlimited supply of parfaits in a specified location ready for me whenever I needed it.
Hmm? Wait. An idea popped into my head. Storing what I need in a separate location for when I need it? Can I possibly... And then I began thinking back to an old elder dragon trick I’d been taught as a child. If my mana is still there, then it’s very possible. I may have found a way to work around this accursed limiter. But to do this, I’ll need to be slightly discreet.
“I’ll show restraint here,” I declared. “Instead, I was hoping you might be able to do me a favor.”
“A favor?” she asked, tilting her head. “I’m not going to take off that collar.”
“Oh, don’t worry. That wasn’t the favor I had in mind.”