Chương 135: Chapter 135: The Dragon’s Godfather Part 5
-Grrrrrr…
Legion was sleeping peacefully without a care in the world. Even though he was the one molting, I was the one frantically busy.
"El, is this the last one?"
"Yes. This is the last one."
"Good, thank you."
I poured the last bucket of mud that El brought over the warm spring water. Mixing the hot spring water, made from the melting perpetual snow of the silver mountains, with the clean soil that lay beneath the snow created a smooth mud bath. The heat from the spring water and the unique bitter smell of the soil combined to create a nostalgic atmosphere.
It feels like a jjimjilbang… (TN: A bathhouse.)
Like a sauna room or a mud bath, something like that.
The reason I was creating this artificial swamp was simple. It was to help Legion with his molting. According to Tondra, a dragon's molting could be quite painful if not done properly. When I asked her, "Then can't I just peel it off for him?" Tondra shook her head. If a dragon doesn't shed by itself, the next molting and the one after that would become even more difficult.
So I decided to give indirect help to Legion. Adjusting the temperature and humidity to soften his shell, creating an artificial swamp for him to soak in, and preparing snacks for him to eat after molting was the best I could do.
Fortunately, all the preparations were completed before midnight. Since dragons become sensitive after molting, I sent Lloyd and El who had helped me until the last minute back to their rooms. I didn't want an agitated Legion attacking them.
Luckily, I had the crystal necklace made from the magic stone of a sand oliphant. Thanks to it, I could stay awake and alert all night to take care of Legion. I gently stroked the neck of the sleeping Legion, while carefully avoiding the sharp spines like blades.
-Grrrrrr…
Legion half-opened his eyes, confirmed that it was my touch, and then happily fell back to sleep. Seeing his red eyes full of trust made my nose tingle. After patting him a couple of times, I sat down in a prepared chair and began to read the "old book". I was gathering past information and writing down things that came to mind.
How much time had passed like that?
-Mmm…
A very faint groan reached my ears. I closed the "old book", tucked it into my chest, and approached Legion. His body looked overall hazy as if covered by a transparent membrane, which seemed to be a sign that his molting was about to start.
[Theo. Me.]
"Yes, yes. It's uncomfortable, right? I know. Come this way."
I guided him to the artificial swamp I had prepared while gently reassuring him. Perhaps because the membrane obstructed his vision, Legion followed me and he staggered slightly.
"Get in here and warm up, Legion."
[Theo. Me. Enter.]
-Splash…
Legion stepped slowly and carefully into the man-made swamp and submerged himself in the hot mud. He moved around a bit as if swimming, then curled up like a snake and wriggled a little. To help him relax, I sprinkled dried forget-me-not petals over the artificial swamp and said,
"We have plenty of time, so don't rush."
[Theo. Me. Help.]
"No. This time, I can't help you."
[Theo. Me. Help.]
"This is something you have to do on your own."
When I refused in a stern voice, Legion buried his face in the mud and let out an angry breath. The mud bubbled where his nose was buried. He started to wriggle again as if he was annoyed.
"You can do it, Legion."
[Theo.]
"I'll give you a treat if you do well. How about that?"
Then his eyes sparkled for a moment. His tail wagged, creating waves in the swamp. A good reaction. I patted the top of his nose, which was covered in mud.
"Hang in there."
Legion's first molt took a whopping eight hours. First, the skin peeled off from his head, then from his neck, legs, body, and tail, like taking off clothes. Legion instinctively tried to burn his shed skin with his breath, just as he had burned his eggshell when he was born, but thanks to my intervention, we were able to save the molt intact. After washing off the mud, the molt sparkled like glass. It was quite different from that of an ordinary reptile.
Perfect.
I dried it off, transferred the molt to the space ring, and checked on Legion. Legion's scales which had finished molting were even shinier than before. It was as if he had showered with shoe polish.
"You did well, Legion."
Legion licked the tip of his claw without responding. I understood. A dragon is very weak and sensitive right after a molt. Dragons repeat this molting process until they die. Until they are one year old, they molt twelve times, once each month. After that, the intervals gradually lengthen to once every ten years, once every fifty years, and eventually once every hundred years.
While Legion was checking his condition, I brought out the snacks I had prepared in advance. On a large silver tray that was big enough for a person lay several pieces of roasted goat ribs with raspberry jam which was Legion's favorite. He had pestered me relentlessly while I was making them, asking why he couldn't eat them right away. He stopped licking his claws and stared at the dish with wide eyes.
"Congratulations on your first molt, Legion. Eat as much as you like."
Legion bared his teeth. I understood now that was his way of smiling. He grabbed the ribs with his newly sharpened claws and began to slowly savor them. The fresh, sweet raspberry jam and the savory juices from the goat's ribs flowed freely. He devoured the whole dish, leaving no bones behind.
And then…
[Thank you, Theodore.]
His voice was deeper than before, and he spoke a full sentence properly. So, this was the result of his first molt? Was puberty coming next? I suppressed a laugh and nodded.
"You're welcome."
"Theodore."
At that moment, a voice called my name as the door opened.
"Did it go well?"
It was Tondra.
"Yes. As you can see."
Isn't our boy just perfect? I suppressed the urge to boast and smiled contentedly. Tondra gave Legion a once-over, then turned back to me with a grin.
"I'm glad it ended on time."
"What do you mean?"
"This."
Tondra handed me a crystal shard which was transparent and thin like ice and about the size of a business card.
"This is…"
"It's the interpretation of the magical artifact you gave me."
Tondra had succeeded in reading the USB in this way. I looked back and forth between Tondra and the crystal shard with a surprised expression on my face.
"I thought it would take a long time, you really are amazing."
"Hey, I'm a dragon."
Tondra frowned and chuckled, then tapped the crystal shard. When she did so, a faint light emanated from it, forming some kind of shape. Light fragments flowed like waves…
"But this is composed of a very complicated code. Symbols and characters I've never seen anywhere before… It is a shame to say, but even I couldn't guess what the key to the secret was."
"..."
I quietly listened to Tondra's words while staring at the fragments of light. The characters were passing by like letters on an electronic display.
And I knew exactly what those characters were.
It's Hangul.
The spoken language of our country is different from that of China, and thus the Chinese characters were not suitable for expressing it… The great invention of King Sejong, "Hangul"!
Even without the [Polyglot] trait, I could easily read the unique script of Korea!
Could things really unfold this easily?! I wanted to cheer with excitement but forced myself to suppress it and spoke to Tondra in the calmest voice possible.
"…Perhaps, I could study it."
"Do you know what this is?"
"A little bit."
I answered as nonchalantly as possible and gave a small smile. Tondra nodded her head, looking both a little hurt and a little relieved.
"…Even a small hint could be a great help later."
I took the crystal shard Tondra handed me and put it in my pocket. Here was information about the crows. Exactly what it was, I wouldn't know until I examined it.
Please let it be useful.
The molting of Legion was complete, so there was no longer any reason to stay in the Silver Mountain Range. We comfortably descended the Silver Mountains thanks to Tondra's help. After exchanging farewells with Aquila and the Sherpas, we retrieved Storm and the carriage, which we had left in the village, and headed back to Solen.
It was to meet Khalid.
I shouldn't have a grudge with someone like him.
I petted the "black cat" on my lap while looking at the gates of Solen approaching through the carriage window. In truth, it wasn't a cat but Legion. After completing his first molting and gaining the ability to use magic, I had asked Legion to take on a "normal" appearance for the journey. This was the result.
Well, it's certainly less conspicuous than dragging around a dragon the size of a house.
The carriage stopped in front of Khalid's mansion. For some reason, it looked even more sinister. When I knocked on the door, Khalid's earth golem appeared.
"I'm here to see Sir Khalid."
-....
The golem stared at me for a long time with an expression that was hard to read, then slammed the door shut right in my face.
"…Alright. So that's your answer, huh?"
Whew. My head was throbbing. I stood in front of the door for a moment and pulled out a thick cloth bundle from my space ring. Then I knocked on the door again. The golem opened it, and I handed over the bundle. Then I quickly shouted before it could close the door again.
"A gift, tell him it's a gift!"
– Slam!!!
Phew, luckily, I managed to say it before the door closed. Ah, my ears are ringing.
Well, that gift should be enough to change Khalid's mind.
Even though it wasn't a dragon's godfather position…
In these times, when all dragons have disappeared beyond Altan and Niram, where could you possibly get something like a "perfect dragon molt"!
– Crash!!!
Just then, a sudden noise came from inside the mansion. I ignored it and got back into the carriage. At the same time, the mansion door opened. Khalid appeared and he looked a mess as if he had fallen down the stairs.
"Theo, Theodore! Wait! Stop!"
At his almost screaming cry, I gave a small smile through the window and waved my hand.
"Let's go, El."
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