“An ugly dragon? That certainly fits the description of the one I caught,” said Sigurd. “So which village did this story come from?”
“From Tauber Village in the west.”
When the minister told them the name of the town, Richard went stiff from head to toe.
The minister continued, “It’s possible it has disguised itself as a human and is concealing itself in the village. Send the knights right away. If necessary, burn the village to the ground to find—”
“No need.” The king cut off his minister. “I shall go. I cannot trust anyone who would let that dragon escape.”
After resting just one day at the castle, Sigurd decided to head to Tauber Village alone.
Hilda and the dragon were living a frugal life on the outskirts of Tauber Village.
One day, he said to her, “Living with you has taught me something: You’re the kindest and most noble woman I know. I can’t thank you enough for having saved me.”
Hilda gave him an embarrassed smile. “Where is this coming from all of a sudden?”
“I wish to do something for you. I would like to give you a gift.”
“A gift?”
The dragon brought his face close to Hilda’s and said, “Power.” There was something slightly terrifying about his expression. “The power to attain everything. Wealth, fame, and anything else you desire.”
The dragon asked her, “Don’t you want it?”
Hilda flinched. “I don’t need anything like that…”
She had no interest in power. She was not concerned with wealth or fame.
But the dragon did not back down. “Do you really not need it? Every human in the world covets this power. It is the reason I was captured and brought to this kingdom. I’m sure you’ll grow fond of it, too. So…”
“More importantly, here.” Hilda handed the dragon a bundle of wood. “Go give this a good chopping. Right now, I want nicely cut timber more than some mysterious power I don’t understand.”
The dragon was dumbfounded for a moment. Then he burst into laughter. “Ha-ha-ha, forgive me. It seems that I still have yet to understand how amazing you are.”
“There’s nothing amazing about me. I’m just a girl.”
“If you say so.” The dragon continued happily, “That quality of yours is precisely why I felt I could bequeath this power to you.”
He took the bundle of wood and headed out to the backyard.
They had another day just like the day before.
Hilda’s only wish was for this life to go on forever.
She already had what she really wanted.
That very night, the people of Tauber Village assembled for a meeting. Carrying torches and lanterns, they gathered in the town square. The red lights eerily illuminated their countless faces.
One of the villagers said, “So the girl living in that forest hut really is a witch.”
Hearing that remark, another villager added, “My kid said he saw her with a dragon.”
“They say it was ugly.”
“I heard it has rotten flesh.”
“Just what is that girl plotting?”
“She might be planning to attack the village.”
“That has to be it. I heard a dragon attacked the village two hundred years ago.”
“What a terrible girl. I’ve always thought she was suspicious.”
“At the end of the day, she’s an outsider.”
“She won’t even say where she came from, either.”
“We need to make it clear whether she’s a witch.”
“I can’t even sleep at night.”
“But how can we tell if she’s a witch?”
“It’s simple.”
The villagers held blades and farm implements.
“You just have to stab her. I hear witches don’t bleed.”
The villagers formed a line and headed to Hilda’s hut.
Hilda and the dragon were snuggling up together and sleeping when they were roused by a noise.
There was something loud outside. It sounded unlike the buzzing of insects, the footfalls of animals, or the rustling of leaves. It was a series of heavy noises.
Hilda looked out the window and was shocked to see countless lights headed their way. It was a group of people carrying torches and lanterns. “…There’s a mob coming toward us.”
The dragon’s expression turned severe. “The villagers must have found out you’re sheltering me.”
“Perhaps… No, that’s most likely the case.” She squinted her eyes and examined the group once more. They were clutching lead-colored objects. “It looks like they’re armed.”
“This is bad. What do we do?”
“Leave it to me. I’ll go talk to them.”
“What would you say? They have weapons. I should turn into a dragon and—”
“There’s no point in fighting. If you go on a rampage, the knights will find out about it. They’ll put together a squad to defeat you… You won’t survive that. This is the nation of dragonslayers.”
“…That is true, but…”
“Hide inside. Fighting will be our last resort. If I fail to negotiate…then you’ll have to save me.”
Despite his unwillingness, the dragon nodded.
The townspeople approached Hilda’s home.
The village elder standing at the front of the mob loudly called out toward the hut. The way he was banging on the door was already somewhat aggressive. “Miss Hilda, there’s something we want to ask you.”
Hilda took a deep breath, then opened the rickety old door. “Yes, what is it…?” She greeted the villagers without making it seem like she’d noticed anything was amiss.
“I’m sorry it’s so late at night. But we’ve been hearing some nasty stories about you lately.”
“Like what…?”
“Someone saw you with a dragon.”
Instantly, Hilda realized someone had spotted her and the dragon while the two had been spending time in the forest.
She decided to feign ignorance. “I don’t know any dragons. Besides, there’s no way there could be one of those things in this kingdom. Everyone knows that the royal family defeated them all centuries ago.”
“Lies! She’s lying!” a young villager cried out. “I saw it. The night of the last full moon. This woman was with a repulsive-looking dragon. She’s a servant of the devil!”
“I think you must have been dreaming,” said Hilda. “There’s no way I would loiter around in the forest so late. Beasts wander about at night. It’s far too dangerous a place for a woman to tread alone.”
“Move it!” The young villager shoved aside the village elder and leaped in front of Hilda.