WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 220: Dragon (1)
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This was only our second meeting, but I had the same thought every time I saw her.
She was ridiculously huge. This had to be how an ant felt in front of an elephant.
Her appearance was brimming with charisma too, which made her even more intimidating.
It wasn't easy to even open my mouth, but technically, we had met before.
“Hello...?”
I quietly raised a hand in greeting. Her fierce golden eyes stared straight at me.
I wished she would at least say something.
Gorillas were human-like apes, so I could understand them talking. Dragons should be different.
“Peeeep! Peeeeep!”
Whether I reacted or said anything, Tyrano happily greeted their mother the moment they saw her.
With tiny wings flapping, Tyrano flew over and promptly plastered themself against her face.
Judging by how Tyrano rubbed against her, they had to be really happy. It was the age when they loved their mother most, after all.
Tyrano's mother relaxed as soon as she saw that her child was safe.
Her eyes curved slightly, and the corners of her mouth rose. Anyone could tell she was smiling.
[Hmm! She is an exceptionally powerful dragon. It would be best not to take her on.]
I could tell that at a glance. She could crush me to death with one forepaw.
Perhaps she heard Cain, because Tyrano's mother turned her gaze toward him.
“......”
She immediately ignored him. He was a statue much smaller than I was, so that was probably why.
Cain didn't seem bothered and simply shrugged.
[Long ago, dragons could transform into people. In a sense, they were a single race. That is now a tale of the past.]
“You mean Polymorph?”
[Correct. Lady Aris saw to it that they could no longer use Polymorph. She made sure they could not act like people.]
“Why did she do that?”
[Because they were too powerful. Every single one was stronger than a strategic weapon, so of course she had to.]
That made a lot of sense.
Just imagine a nuclear bomb living and walking around like a person.
‘It's realistic in this regard too.’
In all kinds of fantasy stories, dragons wandered around using Polymorph. Apparently, that was difficult here.
Then again, this was a place where the gap in power was so huge that even democracy was treated as an illusion.
Democracy had supposedly taken root in With, the beastfolk nation, but it was only a partial democracy.
‘More importantly...’
I looked at the dragon communicating with Tyrano. More precisely, I looked below her face.
The golden area shining beneath her long neck. The place where her heart was.
‘The real Dragon Heart really is different.’
Usually, the glimmers I saw had no shape.
They looked like clumps of stardust stuck together, or simply a bright glow.
But the Dragon Heart was different. It was as if countless starlights had gathered to form a shape.
That probably meant it contained incredible power. There was a reason it was called a Dragon Heart.
‘Is Tyrano leaving now?’
Tyrano's mother had become gentler, and the atmosphere improved with her.
The animals that had been trembling quietly went inside their homes.
Except for two of them: Fast Sloth and the deer.
I had no idea where they got their nerve, but they wandered around like nothing was wrong.
The deer was especially calm as it grazed on grass. What kind of confidence was that?
Swoosh.
The dragon, who had finished reuniting with Tyrano, turned her head toward me.
I flinched the instant I met those sharp golden eyes. Even though I had prepared myself, I couldn't get used to them.
At least she was friendly toward me. Otherwise, I would have already...
-Thank you, human.
“...?”
...I'd have been dead by now. Wait, what?
I froze at the voice that echoed in my head instead of entering through my ears.
It sounded like someone speaking inside a cave. It was also incredibly deep, which caught me off guard.
What was going on? I looked at the others, and they seemed just as confused.
Even normally composed Ludwig kept looking around. That said it all.
[Ah. She has projected her mental will. There is no need to worry. That is how dragons communicate.]
“...Dragons can talk?”
[There is no reason they cannot. Dragons are masters of magic. Since she is sending mental will, there is no need for an interpreter either. She reads the mental will in your thoughts and words.]
“Then why are the dragons outside the Forest of Four Seasons...”
I stopped in the middle of my question.
Thinking about it, it was a strange question.
Dragons were rare creatures to begin with. Nobody even knew where they lived.
The dragon Kadir had defeated was an exception, since it had been a mother enraged over the loss of her child.
‘It's not like I looked into it myself.’
If I asked on the Gallery, I might get an answer like, “I heard stories about that.”
More than anything, this was the Forest of Four Seasons. Even gorillas could talk, so why couldn't dragons?
It was best to let it go. This might even be a huge opportunity.
I could learn things I didn't know through this dragon.
She was friendly toward me because I had protected Tyrano too.
“Um... Hello? I'm Park Jong... No, Grylls.”
-Call me Badhir.
So she had a name too. It was a name befitting a dragon.
That meant Tyrano had a real name, but...
I had already named Tyrano however I wanted.
The bigger problem was that Tyrano thought their name was Tyrano.
It wouldn't have been strange if Badhir got angry when she found out.
-Has my child caused you any trouble?
“Uh... No? We had fun. If anything, I'm the one who should apologize for...”
-It does not matter. This child seems to like that name as well. As a mother, I should have named my child first, yet I delayed even that while preparing for danger.
What a decent person. No, a decent dragon.
Honestly, I was a little moved.
Our first meeting had been living terror itself, yet she was so kind.
That let me relax a little. Still, I couldn't let my guard down.
The difference in our strength was like heaven and earth, so I needed to stay alert and remain polite.
-And seeing how plump my child has become, you must have fed Tyrano well. As a mother, I am pleased.
I only fed Tyrano a ridiculous amount of sweet potatoes. I didn't bother saying that.
I had fed Tyrano sweet potatoes every day at snack time, so Tyrano's belly had gotten round.
It wasn't just Tyrano. The other animals were the same. They had all gained weight over the winter.
“Of course I did. You entrusted Tyrano to me.”
Otherwise, you'd kill me. I swallowed the rest.
Fortunately, Badhir didn't seem to notice my inner thoughts and smiled warmly.
-Then I can leave Tyrano in your care a little longer.
“What?”
Then she delivered news that struck me like a bolt from the blue. She was going to leave Tyrano with me?
It wasn't like I considered Tyrano a burden. I simply couldn't understand.
Perhaps she read my thoughts, because Vanir explained why.
-A few days ago, I fought a bloody battle with something that invaded my lair. I defeated it, but its poison has spread through my body.
“Then...”
-I will not die. I simply need to rest for a long time. I awakened early because I was worried about my child, but...
Vanir turned her head and looked at Tyrano for a moment.
Tyrano, whose belly had grown round over the winter, tilted their head.
-I do not think I need to worry anymore. Thank you again.
“How long do you need to rest?”
-I have neutralized it by consuming that creature's essence, but I must see at least a hundred morning suns.
That meant at least a hundred days. It could take even longer.
“Hup. Hup.”
Whether Tyrano knew that or not, Tyrano started climbing up my body.
Then Tyrano settled on top of my head. The way Tyrano acted was really cute.
Vanir smiled at the sight and spoke to me.
-So tell me what you want. Even if you do not want anything right now, I will give it to you when I awaken again.
“What I need is information. Do you know how to get out of this forest?”
Escape was more urgent than anything I wanted. If I had that, gold and treasure meant nothing.
Vanir had probably lived in the Forest of Four Seasons for a long time too.
She might not know the geography, but she would know which places were dangerous and which were safe.
-A way out... Then I must ask you some questions. First.
Vanir stared at me and asked her first question.
-Can you perform dozens of calculations simultaneously within ten seconds?
“Calculations...?”
-I mean the spell formulas required for magic. Can you do it?
“...No?”
Even Starlight Princess, who seemed like a genius of the century, would have trouble with that.
Explaining fire through the laws of physics was basic magic.
I had given up as soon as I heard that. Dozens of calculations at once was ridiculous.
-Then the second question. What are human units of distance? Tell me your largest unit.
“This is roughly one meter, and one thousand meters is one kilometer.”
I drew a line on the ground as I explained.
Vanir stared at it for a moment, then nodded.
-Let me ask you. Can you travel thousands of kilometers in one hour?
“...No.”
-Final question. Can you defeat countless monsters, including me?
“...No.”
-There is your answer. You cannot leave, so it would be easier to give up.
You can't get out. A dragon had personally confirmed it.
I wasn't devastated. It was more absurd than anything. Hearing her state it so firmly only made me want to prove her wrong.
After sorting out my thoughts for a moment, I let out a breath and carefully asked.
“Could you help me, Vanir?”
-For reference, even though I meet all three conditions, I cannot get out of here.
“......”
Fuck. All I could do was swear.
No wonder she stayed here instead of going outside.
From a dragon's perspective, the outside would be far more comfortable than this hellhole.
Then why was Vanir here? That part was strange too.
“Then how did you end up here?”
-I entered against my will. It was one of the conditions set by the invaders.
“...The invaders?”
-Yes. Whether we would live outside like wild animals or maintain society.
This was a story from the Mythic Age.
That left me nonplussed. I couldn't even begin to make sense of what she meant.
-We were originally able to live among humans. Usually, that was called a Sojourn.
[Most heroes who accomplished great feats during the Age of Dragons were dragons on a Sojourn.]
Cain added an explanation from beside me. Apparently, things like that had happened.
I could guess that dragons later lost a war against the gods.
What happened afterward, then? What terms had been offered to dragons who were little more than defeated soldiers?
‘No. Before that...’
How old was Vanir, exactly? She was a dragon who remembered the Mythic Age.
Also, the “invaders” Vanir mentioned had to be the gods.
Normally, she wouldn't call them invaders. I had no idea what it meant.
-My kin live throughout this place. Do you know of a place where space changes every moment?
“Yes. Across the river.”
-That is the boundary separating the territories. Yet because of this forest's nature, there are beings stronger than us in desolate regions.
“Places like deserts, snowy mountains, and volcanic regions?”
-No. Those are still nature. They are not desolate regions.
Just how messed up were those desolate regions if even a volcanic area didn't count?
There had been a green place before that looked like it had been contaminated with radiation. Maybe that was one.
Or perhaps the gray area nearby. I would find out once I investigated.
-Hmm. I should begin conserving my strength.
Vanir muttered quietly while I was lost in thought.
Then I turned toward her.
Flash!
Vanir's entire body began to sparkle, then slowly shrank.
Her body, far larger than a building, steadily shrank until it was smaller than a tree.
Her form changed noticeably too. From a four-legged beast to a being that stood proudly on two legs.
‘D-don't tell me...?’
Cain had said dragons from the Mythic Age could use Polymorph.
I didn't know whether this dragon was from the Mythic Age, but one thing was certain. She could use Polymorph.
I found myself looking forward to it.
‘Most polymorphed dragons are handsome men or beautiful women...’
With a strange sense of anticipation, I watched Vanir's human form.
-Hmm. It is more efficient when I am smaller.
“......”
-Why are you looking at me like that?
I couldn't hide my disappointment when I saw a human body with only a dragon's head attached.
‘...Fantasy is only fantasy.’
Reality was cruel.
Footnotes:
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