“If it were a dragon, it should have wings and scales. No matter how I look at it, this is an elemental.”
When Viten objected, Karoi glared at him fiercely.
“You ignorant human. Why do you think dragons must fly? Have you never heard of an Earth Dragon?”
Viten stood shoulder to shoulder with Karoi and peered into the stove.
“Even if it is an Earth Dragon, a dragon hatchling cannot be this small.”
“That is something I question as well... I do not know. I am not an ecologist.”
From that day onward, I began investigating to resolve the question Karoi had raised. I could not simply dismiss the word dragon.
First, the monster compendium I had read when I was young was no help. It focused solely on entertainment, classifying monsters by Grade.
To obtain proper materials, I had to go to the Academy. The Academy was a gathering of people supported by nobles who wished to spend their entire lives doing only what pleased them. Among them were the kind of people Karoi had mentioned—ecologists. They were madmen who would devote even their lives to uncovering the ecology of monsters.
—A Study of the Origins and Growth Stages of Earth Dragons
After several steps, a single paper finally came into my hands. Its author was a researcher who had already died and was no longer in this world. I heard that he had obsessed over dragons his entire life before being crushed to death beneath the tail of the beloved dragon he had followed around.
—I desperately wish to follow the life cycle of dragons, but human finitude holds me back.
The paper began with the researcher’s lament.
—The ecology of Flying Dragons has been outlined through many studies. They build enormous lairs deep in the mountains and lay two or three eggs, each roughly two meters in size, at a time.
—However, there is not a single observation of how Earth Dragons reproduce, or whether they even possess lairs.
—The reason their lairs have not been discovered despite our exhaustive exploration of the underground world is that we have looked at Earth Dragons only through the standards of Flying Dragons.
—We have passed by Earth Dragon lairs and hatchlings countless times. Even now, we stand upon them.
—From this point onward, I will tell you the facts you have overlooked.
The researcher was presenting a bold hypothesis. Flying Dragons were born superior to other species, but Earth Dragons were merely insignificant lizards.
An ordinary lizard exposed to powerful qi over an immense span of time underwent mutation after mutation. The result, after reaching the apex of evolution, was an Earth Dragon.
As Karoi had said, dragons that produced magma on their own also existed.
A lizard that absorbed the essence of volcanoes over a long time would mutate into a rare species that secreted magma. When that individual continued to grow, it would transform into a transcendent being known as a Magma Dragon.
Ruler of the Underworld,
Master of Volcanoes,
Primordial Violence.
As those majestic descriptions suggested, Magma Dragons possessed a strength on an entirely different level from Flying Dragons, considered their cousins. In particular, they overwhelmingly surpassed Red Dragons, which shared the same fire attribute.
“To be honest, it is nonsense.”
The researcher who brought me the paper offered his own opinion.
“If it is a dragon, it should naturally build a lair and lay eggs. A lizard evolving into a dragon? The claim that humans descended from monkeys would be more believable.”
His tone was filled with the characteristic sarcasm of a scholar.
“You asked for all available materials, so I found this paper for you. However, this man’s paper is not accepted as established theory in academia. To begin with, he was not even a scholar. He was merely... an enthusiast. A monster enthusiast.”
“Then what is academia’s established theory?”
“The established theory is that it has not been revealed yet. They believe the reason Earth Dragon lairs have not been found is simply that humans have not gone deep enough underground.”
“...All right. Good work.”
“It was my greatest honor to serve Young Master.”
After the researcher left, I finally burst out laughing.
What? Dragons built nests and laid eggs?
Nonsense had to have limits. They were treating a Spirit Creature like an ordinary beast.
A dragon was a snake that cultivated for one thousand years, attained the Dao, held a Dragon Pearl in its mouth, and ascended to the heavens.
Since this was a different world, perhaps lizards ascended instead of snakes here.
But eggs?
That was the sort of thing Master would have struck me with a bamboo staff for saying.
As I saw it, the unnamed researcher who wrote the paper had seen things correctly. Unlike scholars who sat at desks and rambled about empty theories, this man had personally followed dragons for twenty years.
However, even if the paper was true, there was no guarantee that the little squirmer in the kitchen stove would grow into an extraordinary Magma Dragon.
It might truly be a Lava Elemental. Perhaps we simply had not discovered how to raise it.
“...It is a phoenix.”
Colin said as he peered into the stove. Using Adras as leverage, he had been coming in and out of the palace roughly once every five days.
“How does it look like a phoenix?”
“It is the intuition of one devoted to a sacred vocation. This numinous fire energy is surely a phoenix, the divine bird of Solitas.”
Viten, who had been listening nearby, offered a different opinion.
“It is an Ifrit... Surely the King of Fire Elementals.”
“Based on what?”
“Just a feeling.”
Perhaps because he believed his mistaken judgment had caused me financial loss, Viten was making increasingly unreasonable claims.
“Could it not be a Salamander?”
Thalia offered her own view as well.
“Its salamander-like appearance closely resembles a Salamander.”
“You may not understand. Fire is not all the same. There is a fire that carries divinity.”
“It is an Ifrit. The reason it does not eat is that the King of Fire Elementals does not need food in the first place.”
“It looks like a salamander.”
The three opinions clashed sharply.
“Young Master, there is a request for an audience.”
Lily informed me that a guest had arrived.
“It is Sir Lucian Gray... He says he has come to discuss business.”
Lily’s voice was filled with bewilderment.
“Hah, that rootless man has stretched his claws toward Young Master?”
Colin reacted immediately.
“We only agreed to look for something that would benefit both of us.”
“It appears he said as much with a snake-like tongue. However, his interests always point only toward himself.”
Colin turned toward the two knights.
“What have you two been doing? Why did you not stop Young Master from becoming entangled with him?”
“It is fine, Colin. Leave it to me.”
He did not look fine at all. I understood. If the grandchild one loved more than anything said he wanted to have a match with a gambler through and through, I would walk around with a switch and try to stop him too.
This was a good opportunity. I could not be treated as a child forever, so it would be good to use this as a stepping stone to show what I could do.
I postponed identifying the little squirmer for the moment and took the three of them to the reception room. Shortly afterward, Lucian appeared, dressed even more lavishly than when we had met before.
“Young Master Iden.”
His eyes turned toward the white-haired old man standing firmly behind me.
“...And Auxiliary Bishop Colin is here as well. It is a pleasure to see you.”
“I am not pleased to see you.”
“My, and yet you gladly accept the donations I make to your parish.”
Colin’s eyebrows bent sharply. His gaze clearly said, ‘Say one more piece of nonsense, and I will pour divine wrath onto your head.’
Lucian brushed off that gaze with a smile, then bent at the waist in a respectful greeting.
“It is an honor to see so many distinguished people in one place.”
“Sit, Lucian.”
I offered him a chair.
“What brings you here today?”
“I came to report on the things I promised. First, I have shut down all forty-three establishments that could tarnish Young Master’s reputation. It took some time to handle their complaints and provide them with new work, but there is no need for Young Master to know the practical details.”
Colin looked at Lucian in surprise, as though wondering what on earth we were discussing.
“Now that I have become clean, I would like to make progress in our discussion.”
Lucian made his request in a confident tone.
“Tell me your specific demand.”
“Specifically... I would like to borrow Young Master’s name.”
“Why do you need my name?”
“Do you remember when I said that three-tenths of the trading caravans leaving Esterji City bear my name?”
“I remember.”
“In truth, that is the problem. The surname Gray is not particularly good for doing business.”
Lucian smiled self-deprecatingly.
I recalled what Viten had said. That Lucian had likely bought his title with money.
“If I could place Young Master’s name on my trading caravans, I could reduce a considerable portion of the tariffs through that alone. Specifically, I expect annual expenses to decrease by approximately ten million baht.”
No one opened their mouths, but I could clearly read their thoughts from their expressions. The number ten million must have been quite a shock.
“What benefit would I gain from lending you my name?”
“Twenty percent of the costs saved. It would amount to approximately two million baht.”
He was telling me to earn one hundred times my annual upkeep allowance while sitting still.
“Of course, Young Master may consider this a modest proposal, but I see it as the first step in building a long-term relationship of trust.”
Lucian took a thin folded sheet of paper from his robes. A familiar design had been drawn on it in red ink.
It was undoubtedly one of the talismans I had sold to an adventurer. He placed it on the table, then winked as though showing it off.
“I am completely open to every idea Young Master presents. Please tell me anything you wish.”
“Let me speak with my people for a moment.”
“I will wait.”
Lucian stretched out his legs leisurely and began sipping the tea Lily had brought him.
I moved to the adjoining room with my close aides. The moment I closed the door, Colin’s storm of questions poured down on me. Since when had I become close to that man, and how had things progressed this far without him knowing, and so on.
I stretched out a hand and calmed him once more.
“The concrete discussion begins now. I will explain the details later, so for now, tell me something that will help me.”
“You should accept.”
Thalia spoke calmly.
“The reason no faction has rallied to Young Master Iden despite proving your Awakened Ability is purely that Young Master’s personal power is weak.”
“How does one build personal power?”
“Money.”
She declared it firmly.
“Young Master Mabel and Young Master Chris are backed by massive trading companies no less powerful than the Gray Trading Company, and they command private knight orders. They gather Awakened from a young age, raise them by feeding them monster materials, and create armed groups who would not hesitate to die for their lord.”
Raising children by feeding them spiritual medicines was something martial sects often did. If they also brainwashed them, calling them a demonic sect would be an understatement.
“When the succession struggle truly begins, it will eventually draw blood. Individual strength cannot overcome the strength of a group, so everyone watches the two Young Masters closely—especially Young Master Chris, who commands ‘Raven,’ the second-strongest knight order in the Duchy.”
Raven. They had chosen the name well.
“Then if I had an income of two million baht...”
Thalia nodded.
“Yes. Young Master Iden could establish a knight order as well.”
“I understand why I need money. Why does it have to be Lucian?”
I could earn money without Lucian. I needed a compelling reason to join hands with him.
“Because that bastard is a genius.”
Viten answered in an unhappy tone.
“He appeared with nothing and built one of the Duchy’s greatest trading companies. I do not think anyone can match his ability to smell money... Though I do not like him.”
I had found every answer I needed. After making my decision, I returned to the reception room. In the meantime, Lucian had emptied half his cup of tea.
“Have you decided?”
He asked as though nothing had happened.
“If you agree to one condition.”
“Please tell me.”
“Thinking about it, I said you should withdraw from filthy businesses, but I did not say you must never operate such businesses again in the future.”
Lucian’s eyes gleamed brilliantly. He seemed to truly enjoy moments like this.
“If we specify that in the contract and clearly establish the responsibility you will bear if you violate it, I think that will be enough.”
“May I ask what the standard for ‘filthy’ is?”
“Here.”
I pointed to my head.
“...That is an extraordinary poison clause.”
“Do you dislike it?”
“No. It is perfect.”
Lucian smiled in satisfaction.
“It seems we have reached an agreement, so I will draft the contract.”
He rapidly wrote out the contract in a single flowing motion. I reviewed the contract with my close aides. Even Colin, who disliked Lucian, could not identify any flaws in it.
In fact, it was the opposite. The contract favored me so much that I wondered why the infamous Lucian Gray was willing to make such an unprofitable deal.
He said he would reduce tariffs by ten million baht, but the money earned by the forty-three businesses he had closed would likely be no less than that amount.
“I am pleased to be able to work with the Duke.”
We shook hands as a sign of the contract.
“You will be doing all the work, though.”
“By the way......”
Lucian pushed his empty teacup aside and began.
“By now, the pet I gave Young Master should have grown quite a bit. May I ask to see it?”
“I do not mind, but it will not look the way you expect.”
I led him to the kitchen and showed him the little squirmer inside the stove.
“Whose idea was it to put it in here?”
Lucian asked in disbelief, and Viten confidently raised his hand.
“As you can see, even after several months, it does not appear to have grown at all.”
“At this point, it seems you have not fed it anything. It looks too starved to stand properly.”
“We have tried to feed it. We tried giving it all sorts of things, but it would not bite.”
“Feeding a lizard cannot be difficult, can it?”
“A lizard?”
It was not only me. Colin, Viten, Thalia—everyone turned their heads toward him at once.
“...My, it seems I misspoke.”
He gave a smile that was suspicious to anyone’s eyes.
“It is not a lizard. It is a Magma Dragon.”
He said it as though nothing had happened.