Noir remained silent for several seconds.
’Wait...’
He had been so busy trying not to die that it wasn’t until now that he realized an important detail.
The creature standing before him was a dragon.
A real dragon.
Not some dragon-like beast.
Not some scaly monster.
A genuine dragon.
He felt that the golden dragon was still watching him with a calm expression, while the glowing sphere fluttered proudly around him as if it had just completed an extremely important mission.
...But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
He needed an answer, and that would clear up his first question.
"Gru..."
Noir pointed at the golden sphere with a claw.
The little golden sphere is around. Innocent... completely innocent—or at least that’s what it was trying to look like.
Noir narrowed his eyes. He didn’t believe it for a second.
The sphere responded by moving closer and rubbing against one of his horns.
"..."
His betrayal had been forgotten all too quickly.
Chrysola watched the scene in silence before letting out a soft laugh.
[Sweetie, I think you’ve really made him angry.]
The sphere glowed proudly, as if that were a compliment.
Chrysola continued to stroke the golden sphere with her claw:
[This little one is just a friend who’s been with me for a long time, but it seems she’s already found a replacement.]
Noir decided not to press the issue.
If the Sphere and Chrysola wanted to explain their relationship, they would do so later.
Fortunately, there were more important matters at hand.
Much more important ones.
He swished his tail slowly and looked back at the golden dragon.
A flood of questions had been piling up in his head ever since he was reincarnated into this world.
Where was he? And why was such a powerful creature living alone in a cave? And many more questions kept popping up.
However, there was one problem that seemed small... but was actually very big.
He couldn’t speak.
The first question Noir asked was pretty easy to figure out. After all, it was pretty obvious just by pointing with his small, beautiful claw.
But asking more specific questions was a different matter.
The little dragon opened its mouth.
"Gru."
He closed his mouth and opened it again.
"Gruuu."
He closed it again. Frustration immediately showed on Noir’s face.
’Wait... I can write in the dirt!’
He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it sooner; it was so simple.
However, another problem arose.
How well would Chrysola understand English?
With all the strange things he had experienced since he was reincarnated, it had never occurred to him that communication would be the main obstacle.
Noir took a step toward a dust-covered area and raised a claw.
However, before he could start writing...
Chrysola watched him for several seconds. Then she raised a claw and said:
[If you want to communicate, you can share your thoughts with me.]
Noir blinked in surprise.
Sharing thoughts?
Before he could ask how it worked, he felt a gentle energy brush against his mind. It wasn’t an invasion or anything unpleasant. Rather, it felt like a door that had just opened.
"Can you hear me?"
Chrysola’s huge blue eyes glinted slightly.
[I can.]
Noir stood motionless.
’That’s amazing!’
[It is.]
’We can talk!’
[We can.]
’And here I was thinking about learning to write with my claws!’
The dragoness let out a little laugh.
Noir, for his part, felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. At last, he could communicate with someone without having to growl like a confused animal.
And now that he could... the questions came pouring in.
’Where are we?’
Chrysola’s smile turned playful.
[In a cave.]
"..."
Noir looked at her.
She looked at him.
’That’s not what I meant.’
[I know.]
’Then tell me where I am.’
[No.]
Noir felt something snap inside him; he couldn’t believe what the dragon had said. How could she give that kind of answer? Wasn’t she supposed to share her wisdom with him?
Don’t behave like a 5-year-old!
Well... he’d never dealt with a little girl before; he’d spent his whole life in a hospital, surrounded by all kinds of sick people.
But...
’No?’
[No.]
’Why?’
Chrysola seemed completely calm.
[If I explained the whole world to you, what would be the point of exploring it? Wouldn’t that be really boring?]
Noir felt a slight sense of indignation. Was she serious? Just for that? He couldn’t help but wonder if he was on some TV show.
’What if I die trying to figure it out?’
The dragoness let out a soft laugh.
[Then you will have discovered an important part of the world. That’s how the world works: even if you know the truth about the world, in the end you’ll still end up as a frog at the bottom of a well.]
Before he could protest any further, a huge golden claw slowly descended and lifted him off the ground.
"Grr!"
Noir immediately began thrashing his legs.
Chrysola held it up in front of her eyes as if she were examining something adorable. And, much to Noir’s dismay, she seemed completely captivated.
[Little.]
The dragon gently stroked his head with a claw.
Noir, who had been ready to protest, felt all his resistance melt away under that strangely pleasant touch.
[Dragons don’t learn by listening to stories.]
Then she stroked him again.
[They learn by living, discovering, exploring, and wanting to know what this world has in store for them.]
This time, the caress felt so good that Noir almost forgot he was still angry. And he could have sworn he saw a mocking smile on her golden face.
[Besides, it’s much more fun to watch you figure things out on your own.]
Noir began to suspect that the dragon simply enjoyed teasing him.
’You can’t just tell me; it doesn’t cost you anything. I want to know a little more.’
[No.]
He didn’t mind in the least if she gave him a little spoiler; he just wanted to know the name of the world he was in.
Was he asking for too much?
Noir turned to his loyal and kind companion, who had been by his side all along. The golden sphere spun around them, as if it didn’t understand what they were talking about.
...Those two were clearly just as annoying.
So he tried a different approach. He knows it won’t get him anywhere.
’Is there a human kingdom nearby?’
[Maybe.]
’Are there other dragons?’
[Very few.]
’Are there gods?’
[Possibly.]
’What does ’possibly’ mean?’
[It means I’m not going to answer.]
Noir felt an overwhelming urge to bite something. Unfortunately, the only target in sight was a dragon capable of crushing him with a single finger.
Chrysola seemed to be having quite a bit of fun watching his frustration.
’You really are annoying.’
[I know.]
That answer only made things worse. Having resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn’t get any answers about the world, Noir decided to change the subject.
There was something that interested him even more.
Magic.
His thoughts immediately turned to that word.
’Then tell me about magic.’