Aiming for a Cozy Life in a Dangerous Forest in Another World! - Chapter 29
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- Chapter 29 - Let’s Think About Races
Chapter 29: Let’s Think About Races
“Who’s there?!”
I instinctively asked, startled by the sudden voice.
“That was impressive,” so they had been watching the fight?
Well, as you can see, it got away… ?
No, that didn’t matter.
Who was that?
The only voices I knew were Kaito and Pola’s, and this was definitely not them.
And the way they spoke, it wasn’t them either.
……Well, maybe Kaito could learn to speak like that, but the voice was completely different.
After a brief silence, the owner of the voice replied.
“…I am, let’s see… a passing butler.”
…Huh? What? A passing butler.
As if such a thing existed!!
“…Stop messing around and show yourself. What do you want?”
I asked, a little irritated by the cryptic answer.
At the same time, I felt that same cold, uncomfortable sensation I had felt right before the Blackera shot that mysterious beam…
I immediately created stone bullets around me, ready to fire them in all directions.
I didn’t know the location of my opponent, so if they attacked, I would have to attack in every direction.
And this time, I would prioritize power over quantity. It was a hunch, but I had a feeling that weak attacks wouldn’t be effective.
I created two large stone bullets for each direction, preparing to fire.
Then,
“Ah!! My apologies. I’m terribly sorry for testing you. I will reveal myself and answer your questions. Would you please lower your guard?”
…They were suddenly very polite!
What the hell?
I’m exhausted!
But I couldn’t just ignore them and leave.
I needed them to show themselves. But they were incredibly suspicious. I couldn’t lower my guard.
“…I can’t lower my guard in this situation. You’re way too suspicious! I have no intention of attacking you, so please show yourself.”
I shouted to my unseen opponent.
After another brief silence,
“Very well.”
…Saying this, a young man dressed in a butler’s uniform appeared before me.
A passing butler, huh.
That’s what they called themselves…
Well, they certainly looked like a butler.
The kind who would address a noble lady as “Milady.”
…………Huh?! Why a butler? Why was there a butler in the middle of the forest?!
Ignoring my surprise, the butler introduced himself.
“It is an honor to meet you, Master. My name is Labelvald Cousalstein. I hope we will become well acquainted. It is truly a pleasure to meet the descendant of the Dragon Tribe. I humbly request that you take me into your service.”
………What?
What did he just say?
Master? Take him into my service? What was he talking about?
“…Umm, excuse me. Label-san? Are you referring to me as ‘Master’? And what do you mean by ‘service’?”
“…Label. Label. What a wonderful name! I shall introduce myself as Label from now on!”
“…I-I was just asking because I didn’t hear you properly… Well, never mind. Could you please answer my questions…?”
“Ah, forgive my rudeness. Of course, ‘Master’ refers to you. The one who carries the blood and magic of the Dragon Tribe. I have been waiting for you to appear for a long time. I have sensed magic similar to that of the Dragon Tribe recently, but a few days ago, I felt a power unlike anything I had felt before, and I knew. You were the Master I was meant to serve. I have been searching the entire continent, following the traces of your magic, and finally, today, I have found you!”
The butler began speaking excitedly.
…I didn’t understand. It seemed like he would answer my questions, so I decided to ask them one by one…
“…Sorry, there’s just so much I don’t understand… Can I ask you one thing at a time?”
“Of course. Please, ask anything you wish!”
“…Umm, setting aside this ‘Master’ business, what do you mean by ‘one who carries the blood of the Dragon Tribe’? I’m a member of this strange race called the ‘Dragon Demon Tribe’. Apparently, I fused with a dragon egg, but…”
Even as I said this, I felt it deep inside. “Maybe I really do carry the blood of the Dragon Tribe…”
“That is precisely it. I wasn’t sure of your exact race, Master, but you say you’re a ‘Dragon Demon’? I have never heard of such a race, but now I understand. The fusion of a soul with an ancient dragon egg. That explains why your magic is slightly different from that of a pure-blooded dragon.”
“Wait… Never mind. Why were you searching for someone who carries the blood and magic of the Dragon Tribe?”
“To serve you, of course!”
He said that with such a genuine smile…
Was this guy the type who couldn’t understand a normal conversation?
“No, I mean, why does it have to be someone who carries the blood of the Dragon Tribe?”
“Ah, you mean that. We, the Demon Tribe, used to serve our chosen dragon masters. But the Dragon Tribe eventually went extinct, and we moved to the space between spaces. We would occasionally respond to human summons for amusement, but our only true goal was to find a new master.”
“…I see? So you came to me because you sensed the blood, or rather the magic, of the Dragon Tribe from me?”
“That is correct.”
“…I understand. So, how long ago did the Dragon Tribe go extinct?”
“About 100,000 years ago, I believe.”
“100,000 years… So, the egg I fused with, it existed since then?”
“I cannot say for certain, but dragon eggs are a bit special. They don’t hatch simply by being kept warm like a bird’s egg, nor do they hatch after a set amount of time. They hatch when they have accumulated enough mana. If the dragon that laid the egg you were born from was a high-ranking individual, then the amount of mana required for it to hatch would be immense. It is not unreasonable to assume that it took 100,000 years for it to accumulate enough. However, forgive me, Master. You mentioned that you ‘fused with a dragon egg’. What do you mean by that?”
…Ah, right.
After some hesitation, I decided to tell him about how I ended up in this world. I initially thought he was a total weirdo, but I no longer felt that way. What he was saying must be true.
Well, I still thought he was weird, actually, even weirder now…
After listening to my story about how I came to be in this world,
“I see… While it is just a guess, perhaps your soul, upon arriving in this world, inhabited the dragon egg that was waiting for enough mana to accumulate. And by doing so, you fulfilled the necessary conditions for it to hatch. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that your soul was absorbed into the egg and became one with the dragon. As a result, you were born as a Dragon Demon, a being that carries the blood of the Dragon Tribe, yet is distinct from it. That is my humble hypothesis.”
“…I see. So, I’m not really the dragon you were waiting for, am I?”
“That is not true at all. What is important to us is magic. While your magic is indeed slightly different from that of the Dragon Tribe, its essence is the same. That is more than enough for me to serve you!”
…He was persistent.
He was completely determined to serve me.
And that “I was born from an egg” theory I had been thinking about earlier, that was probably the truth.
…What a strange situation to be in.