LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 219
“Guhh…”
I activated [Surgery] and skillfully began suturing the wound with a needle. The thick skin of the Dragonman couldn’t be pierced with a regular suture needle, so I used a large, thick needle instead.
“Wait a moment, is this how it’s supposed to be? Is it supposed to hurt this much? Something’s off!”
“Hey now, looks like the sturdy dragon clan is being a bit of a drama queen. The Empire folks don’t even make a sound when they’re stitched up.”
“Is that really true?”
The Thunder Tribe members watching nodded, chuckling. The Dragonman receiving treatment clenched his fists and lowered his head.
Once I finished the procedure, I gave the Dragonman a few pats on the shoulder.
“All done. Everyone took the medicine I prepared, right? The inspection is complete, so you don’t have to worry about turning Undead. Relax now.”
After finishing the treatment, I pulled out a candy and popped it into my mouth. The Dragon chief crossed his arms and stood in front of me.
“Hmmm. It seems the title of the best doctor on the continent is no empty boast.”
“I didn’t say that!”
“That woman did.”
The chief pointed to Gishta, who was already rummaging through the storage house of the Dragon Village, consuming the supplies.
“Is that dried meat from a fire beast? Smart choice. We should stock up in our warehouse too.”
I asked the Dragon chief, “You guys are direct descendants of the Heavenly Dragon, right? Originally from this realm?”
“That’s correct. We are the White Dragon Legion. It is our duty to assist our mother in governing the continent.”
“Oh, the Dragon Legion.”
Hmm. I had figured they were a small village of dragon hybrids, but their scale was much larger.
“So you’re not half-human but real dragons?”
“We only maintain this form to conserve mana. When our mother grants us permission, we borrow mana and return to our true form.”
“Ah, I see.”
These weren’t just relatives of Gishta but her ancestors. Looking back, this was a realm of transition. It made much more sense that they were demons rather than humans.
Before the commander gives the order to fight, they must be conserving their mana in dragon form.
Though, honestly, isn’t that a bit too frugal? They were struggling against the Demon King’s vanguard earlier.
Hmm… the Dragon Legion seems weaker than expected.
But their skin is white, like the Heavenly Dragon. The Dragon Legion that Acella assaulted was red.
“Are there different classifications within the Dragon Legion?”
“Indeed, humans are ignorant. The dragons belonging to the six overseers who created all beings and elements on the continent shall never mix. Remember that.”
While there were many difficult words, it simply meant that there were factions among dragons. It seems there was quite a bit of lore in this world that I didn’t know.
“Okay. So, if your doubts are cleared, I would like you to now guide me to the Heavenly Dragon.”
“…Hmm.”
The Dragon chief fell deep into thought.
After a while, lost in thought, he asked me, “Why did you treat Callegor the moment he got injured on the battlefield?”
I shrugged casually and replied, “Because he was hurt?”
The Dragon chief stared at me with wide eyes.
“Why?”
“…I see. Follow me.”
Saying this, he gestured for me to come with him.
“Oh, are we going to see your mother?”
Gishta, munching on jerky, hurriedly chased after us.
The chief led us to a place outside the rear gate of the village, at the entrance of the Ice Mountain Ravine.
It was an area that had been thoroughly sealed off, inaccessible without passing through the village.
“Wait a moment.”
Upon closer inspection, there was a round pedestal on the ground. When the chief stood on it, whoosh! a beam of light descended from the sky, and his pupils elongated vertically.
“Lars, look at that clean color. It’s definitely Mother’s mana!”
Perhaps excited from seeing her after a long time, Gishta reacted vigorously. The next moment…
Whaaaack!
The chief’s wings spread wide. In no time, he had completely transformed into a dragon.
I was curious about the principle behind it. Could it be that mana promoted cell division? I wanted to investigate this later.
The chief gestured to us. It seemed he was indicating for us to climb on his back.
“Wow.”
The day had come when I would ride a dragon in my lifetime. It was a bit scary, but with Gishta around, I’d be okay.
As expected, Gishta, all excited, swiftly scooped me up and plopped me onto the chief’s back.
With one flap of his wings, schwaaaack!!
Gravity acceleration crashed down on me. In an instant, my blood rushed to my head, and my vision turned black. I felt like my heart had stopped.
“Wahaha! Riding a dragon is exhilarating!”
Gishta’s hearty laughter echoed. When my vision cleared, I realized I was already soaring through the sky. No, more precisely, I was vertically climbing the Ice Mountain.
The endless horizon was captivating for a moment.
Suddenly, whoosh we dove into the clouds.
Defying the laws of physics, the cloud that should have been flooded with ultraviolet rays was instead dim and murky. It felt like we had teleported to another space, a sudden change.
The chief landed with a puff of his wings.
“We’ve arrived.”
Dismounting from the chief, I surveyed the surroundings. Structures that resembled a shrine or temple welcomed us.
In the midst of all the darkness, a point of light shone brightly in the center.
The chief bowed his head toward that place, extremely tense.
“Great one, I apologize for my rude visit. May I be permitted to speak?”
Thud, thud. The sound of large footsteps echoed from the darkness.
Whoosh!
In an instant, everything was illuminated, revealing her form.
It was the Heavenly Dragon.
Her majestic posture, head held high, was exactly as I remembered it from the last time.
The chief bowed even lower and spoke to me, “What are you doing? Show some respect! Immediately…”
“Lars Gothberg, you’ve come quickly.”
The Heavenly Dragon interrupted the chief’s words. I smiled brightly and stepped forward.
“Have you been well? How is your health?”
“What could be wrong? Thanks to your treatment, I have been without any issues.”
The chief was left dumbfounded, mouth agape, hearing our casual conversation.
“…You really knew my mother, didn’t you? And you indeed treated her?”
I shrugged my shoulders in a way that answered for me.
“That’s good news. Isn’t post-treatment care part of a doctor’s duties? It’s been several years, so I thought it was time to drop by.”
“It’s only been a few years. The human sense of time is quite fast, indeed. Gothberg, for what reason have you come to this wasteland?”
“Actually, you promised me before, didn’t you? That you’d help me when I need you.”
“Ah, yes. It is the original rule to not interfere with the history of the surface, but the debt I owe you is personal. What do you wish? Do you desire my assistance in fighting the Demon Race?”
“Of course, it would be an immense help if you could.”
Seeing her emphasize the rules, it seemed the requests to the Heavenly Dragon were strictly limited to one.
I suspect I had wiped out the ending where the Demon King’s army defeated us by using the Heavenly Dragon in the hidden ending route.
Perhaps it was an event that couldn’t be handled solely with Lishe, spiking the chances of [Demon King’s Victory] higher than expected.
By that time, I might not have been able to even craft the Elixir since I didn’t raise my Alchemy skill. If I realized I needed a wish, I wouldn’t waste it.
“I probably have less opportunity to raise Alchemy since I’ve stayed within the Imperial Family.”
I had a thought that being stuck as the attending physician under Acella left little room for me to focus on Alchemy.
Now, having come to the Former Country and getting involved in developing new drugs at the pharmacy, as well as exploring realms, I was presented with a much greater opportunity to gain experience.
This wish would be utilized for the materials of the Elixir.
That was a certainty.
There wasn’t any need for further contemplation; I spoke my request to the Heavenly Dragon.
“I would like to obtain the Dragon Scale of the Ancient Dragon.”
“What!?”
It was the Dragon chief who jumped up before the Heavenly Dragon could respond to my request.
I could certainly understand his reaction. The Dragon Scale referred to a single scale that a dragon only grows once in its lifetime. It must be a treasured item.
“Requesting a scale? Are you referring to my mother, the Ancient Dragon? Are you out of your mind?”
“The intensity of your reaction shows that it seems like an unreasonable request. Is it going to be difficult?”
The Heavenly Dragon slowly closed her eyes. After a moment of contemplation, she responded.
“It may not be difficult.”
“Is that so?”
No matter how versatile the wish was, could the Dragon Scale be considered such an important item that breaking her pledge would be required?
I began to worry about looking for other methods. Surely there were other overseers of all things like the Heavenly Dragon. Would defeating one of the Dragon Legion leaders be too challenging?
“Wait a moment, isn’t the Sky Dragon also a leader of the Dragon Legion?”
“Are you referring to the legendary dragon that my mother defeated? That was decades ago. There’s no way the carcass is still around.”
Gishta replied. Thinking about it, that might have been the material for the Elixir that Seymour consumed. The second Sky Dragon we defeated was still young, so it wouldn’t be fair to consider it an Ancient Dragon either.
However, the Heavenly Dragon made an unexpected statement next.
“It meant it would be hard for you, Lars Gothberg. Giving my scale would not be a problem. I could hand it over this instant.”
“What do you mean, Mother? Are you really going to hand over the one and only Dragon Scale to a mortal?”
“I said I owed him a debt. If it weren’t for him, I might not be here. And besides, a scale like that is merely an old shell that will regrow in a century or so. It is enough to repay my debt.”
Truly, the Heavenly Dragon was large-hearted.
“Then what does your implying that I would find it hard mean?”
“If I give you my scale, I will lose my senses and rampage. At least for a week, I would display aggression. I can’t imagine you escaping from me alive.”
“Ah, I see.”
So that was the story.
Worrying about a mere mortal’s safety, her kindness was too unreal.
Being so gentle, perhaps it was natural for her to be attacked by the Great Demon. It seemed her true job was to watch over the world leisurely from the heavens, not excelling in combat.
“Hmmm, would it work if I received the scale and then promptly fled?”
Gishta scratched her head. The enthusiasm was there, but the practicality seemed lacking.
“Not a chance.”
An idea came to mind.
I opened the Status Window.
―――――――――――
◎ Crafting List
· Lucid Dream Potion = Stabilization + Fairy’s Song
―――――――――――
“How about a deep sleep for a week? It seems you haven’t slept in quite a while, so it’ll also help refresh you!”
The Heavenly Dragon nodded at my suggestion.
“A good proposal indeed.”
“It’s settled, then. I’ll whip it up quickly. You’ll surely like it.”
I left the Heavenly Dragon’s lair with Gishta.