I returned to the forest and spent the night at a rocky area not far from the village.
It was a place where part of the rock wall had been gouged inward, not deep enough to be called a cave. Still, it was enough to protect me from the rain and wind, and it wasn't a bad place to sleep with my body covered in injuries.
A scar from the trap remained on my right hind leg, and on my side there was a sharp pain under the scales that had been torn off by the Tusk Boar. There were also marks from wolf fangs on my shoulder.
A dragon's body seemed to be strong, but that didn't mean it could handle anything.
I had stuffed my stomach with the boar's meat, and I had also drunk water from a stream I found in the forest. What I needed now was to rest my body and not push myself any further.
As for my relationship with the village, I thought that was enough for now.
I had saved the girl who shared her black bread with me, and I had also defeated the Tusk Boar that was destroying the field.
The villagers pointed bows and spears at me, but I didn't feel like holding a grudge against them. Seen from their side, it was only natural — I was a monster that had suddenly appeared from the mountain.
There was no need to force myself closer.
All I had to do was find a place to live around here.
I closed my eyes thinking that.
The next morning.
The humid air of the forest was mixed with the scent of humans.
I opened my eyes and lifted my head.
I wasn't alone.
There was the sound of light footsteps approaching. Behind them, a little further away, there was another presence.
Eventually, Lina appeared from between the trees.
She was holding a small basket and looking around.
As soon as she saw me, her expression brightened.
"There you are."
Maybe it was because the words were short, or maybe it was because of the expression on her face, but I understood the meaning right away.
I looked behind Lina.
Something moved deep in the forest.
The human scent was coming from there as well.
Apparently, Lina wasn't the only one who had found me.
Yesterday my leg had been bleeding and I had left tracks behind. Someone used to the forest should be able to follow them.
Lina seemed to notice my gaze, but she just placed the basket on the ground.
She took out a small wooden container from inside.
There was water in it.
There was also something green wrapped in cloth.
"Medicine."
Lina said that, making a gesture of applying it to her own arm, and then pointing to my right hind leg.
It seemed to be used for wounds.
I brought my nose closer.
It smelled like crushed grass and oil.
I didn't know whether it was poisonous or not.
When I stayed a little wary, Lina put some medicine on her fingertips and applied a thin layer to the back of her hand.
She probably wanted to show that it would do no harm.
This was the girl who shared her meal with me yesterday.
I didn't think she would come all the way into the forest to kill me.
I turned my body slightly to the side and held out my injured hind leg.
Lina's eyes widened.
"…Can I put it on?"
I didn't understand the detailed meaning, but I could at least get a sense of what she was asking.
When I didn't move my leg, Lina cautiously approached me.
One step.
One more step.
It was much closer than yesterday.
When Lina reached the point where she could reach out and touch me, she seemed nervous and caught her breath a little.
I was careful not to make sudden movements either.
The tip of her finger touched the wound.
“Guh…”
The medicine stung.
At that low sound, Lina's hand stopped.
“Does it hurt?”
This time, I could tell what she was worried about just by her expression.
I didn't pull back.
Then Lina began applying the medicine more carefully than before.
She wasn't used to handling it. Several times she put on too much and looked troubled.
Still, it was much better than applying it myself with my claws.
Once the right leg was finished, she applied medicine to the wound on my side.
It hurt a little when she touched between the scales the Tusk Boar had peeled away, but it didn't feel unpleasant.
After finishing the treatment, Lina let out a breath of relief and sat down a little further away.
"Tusk boar… thank you."
The word for the boar, and a gesture of bowing.
She was thanking me.
I understood that much.
I snorted.
Lina continued to say something and gestured as if bringing something to her mouth.
Apparently, the meat of the Tusk Boar had been divided among the villagers.
The field I saw yesterday was quite devastated. I didn't think that meat alone would make up for it all, but it would at least feed them for a while.
As long as it didn't go to waste, that was fine.
As Lina was talking happily, a branch rustled in the shade of a tree a little further away.
I looked up.
Lina also turned around.
"…Come out."
The young man who had pointed his bow at me yesterday appeared from behind a tree.
He looked a little over twenty years old.
He had a beast skin draped over his shoulders and a bow in his hand. However, today he wasn't nocking an arrow.
So this one had found my trail after all.
The young man said something to Lina.
Lina quickly retorted.
I didn't know the content of the conversation, but it seemed he hadn't intended for Lina to come to me alone.
That was understandable.
It would be strange to let a child come alone to an unknown dragon.
The young man kept a certain distance and didn't approach.
I didn't move from beside the rock either.
After we looked at each other for a while, Lina looked at the two of us in exasperation.
“You helped me yesterday, right?”
She pointed at me, then towards the village.
The young man replied with a grim expression.
It seemed like he had no intention of trusting me yet.
That was fine.
Even I didn't trust humans.
Right now, this distance was just right.
After a while, Lina turned to me.
She tilted her head as if she had just thought of something.
Then she put her hand on her chest.
"Lina."
Then she pointed at me.
She didn't say anything.
She pointed at herself again.
"Lina."
And then at me.
I finally understood.
A name?
There was no name to call me by.
I remembered my name from my previous life.
However, this throat couldn't pronounce human words properly. In the first place, there was no way for me to tell them that name.
And there was something strange about using my old name in my current form.
Lina stared at me.
Horns.
Wings.
Red-black scales.
She looked deep in thought.
The young man also watched without saying a word.
Eventually, Lina looked up.
"Val."
I blinked.
Lina pointed here.
"Val."
This time I understood clearly.
It was the name she was giving me.
I repeated that sound in my head.
Val.
Not bad.
"Guru."
When I gave a short reply, Lina's face suddenly lit up.
“Did you like it?”
I didn't understand what she said, but that smile alone was enough.
That moment.
A faint light appeared at the edge of my vision.
I moved my head reflexively.
However, the light didn't disappear.
There were letters I had never seen before lined up in the air.
I couldn't read the shape of the letters.
Even so, the meaning came directly into my head.
《Individual name: Val has been established》
Next, a new display appeared.
《Title acquired (Friend of People)》
《Part of the evolution conditions has been met》
Evolution.
Those words caught my attention.
It seemed that this body had ways to grow other than just growing normally.
However, the display did not end there.
《Special individual traits confirmed》
《Compatibility with the reincarnated soul has progressed》
《Unique Trait (Human Language Comprehension) has been acquired》
Something snapped in the back of my head.
"Val?"
I heard Lina's voice.
It was different from before.
It wasn't just a sound.
The meaning was plain.
—What happened?
Lina had certainly said that.
I opened my eyes.
“Val, are you okay?”
I understood.
I understood everything.
I didn’t pick up every single word.
I didn't guess it from her expression either.
Human words themselves had meaning to me now.
I took a look at the young man.
"…Don't make a face like you're actually listening."
I understood.
Perfectly.
I couldn’t help but stare at the man.
“W-what?”
"Maybe it's because you look scary, big brother."
"And whose fault is it that I came this far into the mountains?"
“I didn’t ask you to come with me.”
"Can I let a twelve-year-old girl go to a dragon by herself?"
The amount of information suddenly increased.
I looked at the two of them in turn.
I see.
As I had vaguely imagined until now, this man seemed to be following Lina to protect her.
However, there was one thing I didn’t expect.
Big brother.
Was he her brother?
I didn't know if he was her older brother by blood, or if that was just what the village called him.
After thinking about that, I turned my attention back to my own changes.
Human Language Comprehension.
Compatibility with a reincarnated soul.
It seemed I was no ordinary young dragon after all.
The fact that I had entered this body with the memories of being Japanese wasn't normal in the first place.
However, just because I was able to understand didn't mean my throat had changed into a human's.
I opened my mouth as a test.
"I—"
"Glua."
It was no good.
Even if I could understand the meaning, I couldn't speak it.
Lina burst out laughing.
“Looks like you’re replying.”
I am.
I'm responding properly.
It was frustrating that I couldn't convey that.
I hit the ground once with my front leg and looked at Lina.
“Hmm?”
Once again.
This time I looked at the young man.
“What?”
I still couldn't get it across.
I could listen.
However, there was still no way for me to respond in human words.
Still, it was a big step forward.
There was a big difference between dealing with someone without knowing what they were thinking and being able to understand their words.
Lina stood up and put the water bowl and medicine back into the basket.
“I’ll be back, Val.”
This time, I understood the meaning from beginning to end.
I’ll come again.
That's what she said.
I looked at Lina and rumbled in my throat.
"Guru."
“Yeah. See you later.”
The two of them started walking into the forest.
The young man turned around a little further ahead.
He was still cautious.
However, unlike yesterday, he didn't hold up his bow.
I sat there until I could no longer see their backs.
Val.
The first name I received in this world.
And, right after receiving that name, I was able to understand human language for the first time.
In a small village beneath the mountain, there was a girl who called me that.
I wondered what she would tell me the next time we met.
I was looking forward to it a little.
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