Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling, Volume 8, page 2
Although we took some detours to avoid crossing into occupied land and got a little lost, flying through the night allowed us to successfully reach our destination—the waters surrounding the kingdom of Ardesia—in less than a full day.
From this point onward, we couldn’t risk being discovered. Instead of flying, I bobbed along on the ocean’s surface, just to be safe.
My gaze turned toward Ardesia, out in the distance ahead of me. I could see three massive mountains along the coastline. They were mostly barren and almost entirely covered in soil, with no trees or shrubbery on their peaks. Although neither Allo nor I could read the text on the map very well, Lilyxila had explained some aspects of it and drawn out several routes before we parted ways, so we had an idea of what to expect as far as Ardesia’s landscape was concerned.
What lay before us was Alban Mine, one of the three great labyrinths of Ardesia. Alban Mine was also called Mithril Mine, for the magical silver ore that was extracted there, among other rare and precious minerals. This mine was said to have been the key to the kingdom of Ardesia becoming the largest nation in the world. However, in the present day, all the relatively safe parts of the mine had been completely cleaned out. Only the boldest of adventurers dared to explore deeper into the mine and risk coming face-to-face with the monsters that lurked within.
Alban Mine wasn’t far from its namesake: the royal capital of Ardesia, Alban. With the way the mine put Ardesia on the map, it made sense that it had taken its name from the capital.
Lilyxila had suggested this mine as a good place for me to hide, as it was mostly inaccessible yet close to the capital, and I’d need a place to rest for more than half of the day in my dragon form after venturing out as a human. She had mentioned that there were some unusually nasty monsters deep inside the mine, but because the mine’s unique environment made it the only place they could live in, there was no danger of them coming to the surface. And if they did, Lilyxila assured us, we’d be able to escape them with ease. “I’m sure you and your friends will have no issues,” she’d said.
Lilyxila had been shocked by Eldia’s power on the Island at the Edge of the World, so I figured the monsters in Alban Mine—so close to a human settlement—were probably no stronger than Adam at best. They could be a major threat to humans, but I doubted they’d be much of one to me.
It was going to take three days total for Lilyxila to get to Ardesia. We’d spent one of those days traveling, but I still had plenty of time to spare. For the second day, I wanted to secure a safe place to wait in Alban Mine and then head into the city of Alban in human form to gather information. I planned to bring Allo and Nightmare along; Nightmare could use its One Hundred Faces skill to reduce the MP cost of my Human Transformation skill, so it was useful to take with me.
Wait… Does that mean Treant is the only one who’s staying back? Is that going to be okay…?
Well, whatever. I’d worry about that later. First, I needed to get to the mine and heal up from that long flight. And I couldn’t use Human Transformation for long periods of time, so I wanted to find the shortest route to Alban I could. I had to plan out my schedule carefully.
On the third day, as soon as Lilyxila arrived, I’d be using the information I learned on the second day to storm the royal castle and defeat the Demon King masquerading as the Ardesian princess. Even if I couldn’t successfully reach the Demon King, if I revealed myself, I knew Lilyxila would come to my aid. If the Demon King was using Human Transformation, his HP, attack power, and defense would be reduced by half. I doubt the Demon King is so powerful that he’d be able to take me down in that state. Revealing my true form seems like the best bet.
Because of how quietly the Demon King was choosing to operate, I could assume that his stats weren’t particularly exceptional. The Demon King wasn’t openly attacking humans, and he wasn’t going after the Beast King or the saint either. He’d be up against the saint, who had already subjugated the Beast King, and me, who’d defeated the hero and taken his power for my own. We were working together, knew his whereabouts, and were planning to launch an attack on him. I only had a vague understanding of the larger-scale conflict here, but even I could see that the Demon King was behind the curve.
He was luring humans in one by one because he had no other choice. He might’ve been capable of grandiose gestures, like taking over a country by impersonating its princess, but he apparently couldn’t fight on the same level as his peers. He had to be a coward by nature.
And because of his cowardice, he can’t raise his level or respond adequately to the saint’s thorough and hyper-efficient moves. There’s no way the Demon King can come out on top against me, Lilyxila, and the Beast King. Lilyxila is definitely coming here to win.
I landed near the mine, keeping a watchful eye on my surroundings. The beach was littered with small mounds of black sand. I assumed it was waste from the mineral refinement process, discarded haphazardly along the coast.
I dropped Allo and the others off, then shook my whole body to rid myself of the seawater that clung to my scales. I could see a bunch of different holes leading into the massive mine. There were broken mine carts and tracks all over the place, but there was no way all of them were man-made mining tunnels. The sheer number of entrances struck me as odd, and some of them were so big that even I could fit through them.
Well…first things first. I need to rest, plan my next move, and see if there’s a safe spot for Treant to lay low while we’re gone.
(“And after that, let’s get some food.”) Partner said, bringing her face close to mine.
Riiight… Hopefully there’s something we can eat around here. You ate plenty of squid and weird fish while we were out on the ocean. Just be patient for a bit.
Something else occurred to me. Y’know, when we go to the capital, we might be able to eat all kinds of delicious food. Even if we stuff ourselves to our heart’s content while we’re in human form, you’ll be hungry again once we turn back into a dragon. I doubt it’ll taste anything like the food we’ve been eating until now, but…at the very least, you might be able to try out some new food, right?
Partner’s eyes lit up at my vague bribery.
(“W-well, I guess I can endure it for a little while, but…”)
Ahh… Wait, my bad. I’ll be going there in human form, so I won’t have any money to get food. And we won’t have a lot of time to dilly-dally, so… I’m sorry. That was just a passing thought.
Partner’s eyes flashed. (“Master’s Demonic Gaze.”)
She took control of my paw in an instant and unleashed a fierce uppercut to my jaw, breaking several of my fangs and sending blood spattering through the air.
Part 4
ALBAN MINE WAS FILLED with numerous tunnels, ranging from mine shafts to monster nests. The dozens of holes that dotted the otherwise bald mountains gave them a somewhat rugged appearance. There were bridges connecting the tunnel entrances and stairs carved into the surface of the mountains, but they all appeared quite old; a lot of the scaffolding looked damaged beyond repair.
My first order of business was to survey Alban Mine and figure out whether it would work as a home base while we were in Ardesia. I needed to know if it was safe for Treant to wait for us here and if I could come back here once my MP was depleted by the Human Transformation skill without any danger. In order to know that, I needed to figure out just how strong the strongest monsters in the mine were.
There were other reasons to scope out the monsters in the mine too…
(“Food! Food!”)
The main one being that I wanted to pacify Partner by giving her something tasty to eat before I was stuck in my human form for a while.
I doubt there are very many monsters in this mine that you’d enjoy eating though, Partner.
(“Why not? There are some strong ones in here, right?”)
Well, according to Lilyxila. But this mine is right by the royal capital. Even if they don’t go outside because they need to be in the mines to survive, I doubt there are any high-ranking monsters around.
(“Then…how about a tasty one?”)
That leap in logic was too drastic for me to follow. Partner… The strong monsters didn’t settle here because they thought there’d be tasty monsters to eat. Only you would decide to settle in a dangerous area permanently because of the meal prospects.
I walked around the mine for a while with Allo and the others, until we came across a massive crack in the ground. I peeked my face into the crack. There seemed to be a cavern down there that was wide enough for even me to move around comfortably.
When I used my Psychic Sense to poke around more, I could sense the faint presence of a demon. I didn’t know what it was, but I could see a dim light coming up from deep underground.
Hmm. If I’m going to try and get down there, this might be the best place to do it… I’d like to believe there’s something tasty hiding out down there, if not delicious. Please, big bad mine! Make Partner’s taste buds sing!
The cavern inside the mine had a pretty steep slope, but it wasn’t impossible to walk on. The height inside was perfect. Even when I stretched out my neck, the top of my head only just brushed against the ceiling. It was wide enough for two Ouroboros to walk down it side by side.
We descended into Alban Mine with me in front and Allo and the others following behind. When I reached the end of the tunnel, I quickly figured out the true source of the light. The earthen walls inside the cavern were hardened and crystallizing in some spots, where they emanated a faint bluish-white glow. The light I’d seen from the outside was probably from the clusters of luminous crystals.
My vision was just fine in the dark, but there was nothing better than having a bit of light. Besides, the crystals were quite beautiful. I stepped forward to take a closer look.
Dragoness Magic Crystals: Value B–
Formed from the heat of a magical flame emitted by a high-ranking dragon.
The magic of the flames contained in the crystals gives off a continuous blue light that illuminates cavern depths.
Highly resistant to fire and fetch a high price due to their beauty.
B–, huh? Not bad. I’d assumed all the rare minerals in the shallower parts of the mine would have been cleared out, but it looked like there were still some left. Or maybe there’d been a fissure in the ground more recently? If we dug them out and took them with us, we might not have to worry about money once we got to the royal capital. Not to mention, the fastest way to get information from people was by waving a bit of cash under their nose.
I was staring at the dragoness crystals and admiring their luster when, out of the blue, Partner sank her fangs into the dirt wall and ripped out a hunk of crystal. As I tried to figure out what she was doing, Partner jerked her head upward, then crunched down on the crystal in her mouth with her mighty fangs and began to chew. As soon as she got a good taste, though, she spat it out with a “Ptoo!”
(“Seriously…?”)
What made you think it’d be tasty in the first place?! Now what’re we gonna do? You tried to eat a hunk of dragon crystal… We might’ve been able to sell that for a decent chunk of change, you know!
(“You eating something in the capital isn’t going to make me feel any better.)
Were you really holding out hope that what I said would come true? You haven’t looked at me since you spat it out. Are you still pouting…? You healed me with Hi-Rest after that uppercut you gave me earlier, so I thought you weren’t that mad, but you’re seriously still pouting? Look, I’m sorry, Partner, okay? I’ll tell you all about my adventures in the human world later.
(“Stories about the human world can’t fill my stomach.”)
Then I’ll buy enough food that you can taste it too.
“Shiii! Shhhiiii!” Nightmare hissed from behind me, joining Partner in her protest.
Aw, c’mon…! It can barely tell what’s going on, but it’s still trying to score points with Partner?!
But Partner seemed uninterested in Nightmare’s appeals. She was sniffing around, trying to see what other smells were nearby. I wonder if her Psychic Sense picks up the scent of food better than mine because she’s more of a foodie?
(“All I smell is rust.”)
Oof… Guess this mine’s a bust, then. Partner, I’ll try to get some food while I’m in the capital, but don’t get your hopes up in case I don’t find anything, okay? Okay?
(“Hm? That scent… Humans?”)
What? I stopped and lifted my snout, sniffing the air frantically. If there were still humans mining here, my plan to use this place as our base was toast. I sniffed around for ten seconds or so, but all I could smell was dirt. I couldn’t detect the rust smell Partner mentioned either.
(“…Hunh.”)
Partner shook her head from side to side, looking dumbfounded. Weird. We’re two heads from the same body, so how can our noses be so different? I sniffed again, my chin on the ground, nose flaring with effort.
I don’t get it. What did humans even smell like, anyway? I’d never really registered a distinctly human scent on anyone. I dunno, maybe it was because I was a former human, so I didn’t rely on my sense of smell that much?
I turned my head the other way to try sniffing in the other direction and saw Allo with her hand clasped over her mouth, trying to muffle her laughter. When our eyes met, she wordlessly collected herself and stood up straight.
H-hey, you ain’t fooling anyone like that! Did that really make me look that silly?!
Allo quickly pointed at Treant, who was standing next to her. “B-but… T-Treant was laughing too…” she stuttered.
I looked up at Treant. In response to Allo’s heartless snitching, it quietly turned its face to the dirt wall behind it, hiding its expression with minimal effort. Okay, I guess I’ll leave the sniffing duties to Partner, then. I’m not used to this kind of… Hm?
My Psychic Sense picked up the presence of some kind of small demon in the vicinity. Partner seemed to notice it as well and stretched her neck out, eyes blazing with excitement.
At the far end of the tunnel, sliding along the sloped ground, was a strange figure. It looked almost like a silvery puddle of water, about the size of a human. Inside the grayish-silver puddle was what looked like an artificial organ made of steel, which was beating rhythmically.
Uh, that’s definitely not something we should be eating! Is it a living thing, or some kind of device from an ancient civilization?!
Magiatite Heart: Rank B– Monster
A cluster of powerful magic metal (magiatite) which has gained sentience over the span of thousands of years.
Magiatite is usually found inside the veins of powerful monsters that slumber deep underground, making it extremely difficult to find and excavate. However, because magiatite hearts have a will of their own, they can sometimes be found in other areas.
The magiatite heart’s magic lowers the melting point of the magiatite around it and generates heat to liquefy it, thus allowing it to be manipulated. Although its molten body is exceedingly valuable, the magiatite heart’s rapidly expanding and contracting attacks are unparalleled in power. There is no end to the number of adventurers who have sought its riches only to become its victims instead.
Whoa… That’s awesome. That was a pretty rare monster, right? A rank B– definitely wasn’t something a human could handle on their own—aside from the hero and the saint, I supposed. But if there were monsters this strong hanging around, setting up camp here might be a bit of an issue…
By the way, what’s magiatite?
Magiatite: Value A
A magical metal formed inside veins of magical energy deep beneath the planet’s surface.
Used to forge legendary weapons.
Because of its vast magical power, alchemists have suggested that it could be used as an energy source for magical tools or golems, but this theory has not been confirmed due to the metal’s rarity.
Wh-whoaaaa! It’s got an A value?! Let’s hunt it down! If we can sell it, we’ll have more money than we can spend in a day! Man, I’m all hyped up now!
There is a legend from ancient times stating that the king of a small country fell ill with an incurable disease. All hope seemed lost until one of the court jesters gave him a piece of magiatite to ingest. He was cured and lived to be one hundred and twenty years old.
Th-that’s incredible! This metal’s gotta be priceless!
However, there have now been a total of five past rulers who have suffered and died for believing in this old wives’ tale.
Oh… Right. No, yeah, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. But…it’s still worth a fortune, right?
As I fretted, Partner stared at the magiatite heart with dead eyes.
(“Looks gross…”)
Part 5
THE GRAYISH-SILVER CORE, submerged in the pool of molten metal, changed angles and vibrated slightly. The movement seemed as alive as a human eyeball.
As soon as the vibrations in the core stopped, the magiatite heart began to move. It slid across the floor of the cave like it was water—much faster than I would’ve thought was possible with its strangely shaped body—and headed straight for me.
I had Allo (B+), Treant (C+), and Nightmare (C+) with me. They weren’t at very high levels yet, but I was pretty sure they were strong enough to deal with a B– magiatite heart without me. It was sure to be an easy victory.
But the magiatite heart didn’t get very close before it quickly moved to the edge of the cave.
Huh? I thought this thing was tough. It’s just gonna run away?
As soon as I thought this, a part of the magiatite heart’s body lifted up and shot out a gray-silver mass of metal. I tried to bat it aside with my paw, but it stuck to the surface of my skin, scorching the scales and sending out peals of smoke. It was blisteringly hot.
So the heat from its magic core is what melts the hard metal and allows it to move? Maybe I underestimated this monster a bit. This thing is going to mess me up if I touch it directly.
