Chapter 183: Bright Child (2)
“If you and the baby go to the woods and I suddenly end up dying, it would be very dangerous for our Tol To-ri. He would have to grow alone without a mom and dad… Now, isn’t that such a pitiful scenario?”
Dialugia’s pupils had begun to sway at this point.
At first, she seemed bewildered, but then slowly, her eyes became alive.
I could tell what she was thinking. Due to her docile disposition, she was what one would call a pushover. However, it was natural for a mother to act for the best interests of her child.
“I believe that, in any case, you won’t pick the option of keeping me captive for life. And to grow without a dad, I pity our Tol To-ri. I’m not foolish enough to not provide safety.”
“That thought…”
“I don’t know if you understand the dynamics of power, but I am a very important person, even among humans. There are a lot of people who care about me… It will be a little difficult trying to achieve what you’re thinking of.”
“I didn’t… think that.”
‘Of course, you did.’
I knew I needed to explain a little to help her understand. When I gently pulled Tol To-ri to me, the little baby didn’t hold back, its tail wagging incessantly as it panted eagerly.
As I drew a small circle on the floor, I could see Dialugia looking at me curiously.
“This is the city of Castle Rock, where you are located.”
“…”
“And this medium-sized circle is called Lindel, the free city where players live… The largest circle that contains all of this is the human country, known as the Holy Empire of Benigore.”
“What does that have to do with the story now?”
“It’s not just the size of the land you have. The population is as large as the size of the land, and of course, there are differences in the quantity and quality of troops that can fight. Whatever the reason, you’ve touched Castle Rock, and you’re here after losing a battle against a city.”
“If we fought with all our strength, it would have been different.”
“Humans are basically persistent. And mean as well. Ah! It’s not my story, so you don’t have to look at me like this. The story might be different, assuming you could kill all the personnel in this huge country, but I don’t think so. In other words, I am in a rather high position on this huge land. You understood that, too, so you chose me as your spouse.”
“Humans are…”
“Let’s suppose you kidnap me and lock me up somewhere. They will inevitably come and save me. Of course, Dialugia’s fierce attack will oxidize most humans, but we are a very persistent species. They know your value very well.”
“What value are you talking about?”
“The value of your body.”
Dialugia looked surprised, her face reddening. She had not expected me to say this.
“To put it plainly, what’s more important than the fact that I was kidnapped is the discovery of a legendary-grade monster, which is you. Your high horns, beautiful, sturdy scales, and a sharp tail, even your jewel-like eyes, will be coveted by many.”
“Even if you praise me that way…”
“I am not praising you. Haha. Everything I’ve explained earlier is useful to humans. And uhm… We can also get enormous goods. Do you know the concept of goods?”
“I don’t know it that much, but I know what you’re talking about.”
“Your body is money. Your leather can make armor, and your horns can make weapons. All of the organs that make up your body are good materials for experimentation and have astronomical value. The reason humans haven’t visited you until now is that they were not aware of your existence until now.”
“…”
“Humans are greedy. The moment you showed up, you put yourself at inevitable risk. Many humans will hear of you, and they will stop at nothing to get you.”
“…”
“It will be a long fight. I won’t put it past them to try and take Tol To-ri hostage, too.”
“I-Isn’t that what you did? And as I keep telling you, it’s Dialuria.”
“Anyway, the result is that whatever you choose, things aren’t going to be very good. You have already stepped deep into human society. You are free to come, but not free to exit.”
“That’s absurd.”
“Yeah?”
“It was humans who first persecuted us. We have nothing to do with them. Humans stole my egg and separated my child from me. I didn’t want to fight.”
Anger was evident on Dialugia’s face.
“I just want to live quietly with my child. I don’t want to go to war with humans.”
“Have I already told you that it’s not your choice? It’s not a good example, but aren’t you hunting other monsters to live on?”
As I slowly stroke Tol To-ri, he panted again and clung to me tightly. At this, Dialugia huffed and took Tol To-ri from me, not liking this any further.
“It is a very different act from selfishness that is simply made out of greed.”
“It’s not so different, in my opinion. If we dig too deep, the story will be too long, so let’s stop this story here. Let’s change the subject for a moment. Tol To-ri, come here.”
“Kiek.”
“Why do you think you are alive now, thanks to whom?”
“That’s…”
“You know it. The legendary-grade monster Dialugia invaded Castle Rock, inflicting numerous casualties and inflicting astronomical damage. Of course, you can take advantage of the side effects such as the corpse of a monster, but to be honest, you are an enemy to humanity.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? It was humans who persecuted us first.”
“That doesn’t matter to humans. To them, you are not an intelligent being but a monster. Strictly speaking, I am taking your side. We say we share our lives, but being able to spend time with our Tol To-ri and being able to live your own lives in a dungeon is because of one reason, that you are connected to me.”
“…”
“In extreme terms, if you hadn’t chosen me as your spouse, you and the lovely Dialuria would have died. Because you understand that too, you have connected me to your life. In other words, you not being killed, well, it’s the same for me.”
“Chomp…”
“If you just have your life, there would be no problem, right? We already know that cutting off tails or horns or peeling skins won’t kill you. Assuming that I take Tol To-ri with me all the time, what could you do? As a result, I am treating you in a gentlemanly manner. Am I right?”
“Kiek! Haaa!”
“I want you to live a life with your child without causing any pain.”
I knew she would realize this soon enough. I wasn’t saying anything wrong. She hadn’t fully recovered yet and was in a special situation where she must protect her child.
“I don’t know anything about a dragon’s ecology. However, there are a few things that can be inferred. For example, why the dragon needs a spouse.”
“…”
“Why was your egg stolen in the first place?”
“That’s…”
“You probably needed nutrition. Dragons are entities that consume energy, and it would have been difficult to be attached to a child for 24 hours straight. You might have had to prepare for parenting, and you might have had to prepare for winter. Perhaps you had to build a nest and do several things at the same time.”
“You’re right.”
“Parenting is not something you can do alone. There was no problem in the forest if you live alone, but seeing as you had something to protect, it must’ve been different. For this reason, the dragons, which can have children alone, can choose a spouse. Am I right?”
“Co—rrect.”
“That’s fortunate. I can also see why a spouse who is unlikely to need it appears. You will have to protect your child from enemies around you, so don’t you need someone to raise and protect your child together?”
“Yes.”
“Now, it’s your turn to tell me the right answer. As I said earlier, you are already in a relationship with humans. Whether you don’t want to get involved or not is not up to you. When the environment in which you will live is moved from a deep forest to a human city. Who do you think would be your ideal spouse?”
“…”
“Who do you think will be able to keep our Tol To-ri safe, guarantee a minimum of freedom, provide the education you want, and supply them with good quality and large amounts of food? Where is the household capable of presenting a hard and safe nest to loved ones? Who is the ideal spouse you’ve been looking for?”
Dialugia still looked too hesitant to admit it. Tol To-ri, who could not understand what I was saying, innocently started licking my hand.
If she decided to live in the woods, of course, she wouldn’t need a spouse like me. By the standards of this beast, I was a weak, selfish, and powerless human. I didn’t know if there were more dragon races, but perhaps she would’ve preferred another dragon of higher stats.
However, things had changed a lot. Not everything will be as I said, but she had already given herself this situation. As a result, she chose the next ideal spouse she could find.
“It’s… you.”
“Correct!”
As I approached her slowly, she flinched. However, I had no intention of hurting her. Since she didn’t know why I was lifting her, she let herself be dragged by me.
“First, let’s get out of the dungeon. It will be frustrating if Tol To-ri is kept here.”
“Yeah?”
“Since you’ve suffered so far, shouldn’t you relax and eat delicious food?”
“But…”
“It would be uncomfortable to explain that I’m your spouse, so it would be better to think about something that people would understand when they see you outside. This is sudden for me too, so please be considerate of me. There are also women that I’m going out with… It’s complicated in many ways. I may not be a good husband, but you can be assured that I can be a good father. You would like that better, won’t you?”
“No…”
“There is a lot to be done. First of all, I have to get a document stating that I own you… You also have to deal with what to do with the damage you have done. The human world is a little complicated. Right. Tol To-ri, let’s go outside.”
“Kiek! Kiek! Haaa!”
“Our cute Tol To-ri also has a lot of problems to deal with.”
The sudden change of posture made her disconcerted. However, she seemed to be aware to some extent that she and Tol To-ri were safe now.
Her thought process must be complicated by now. I, who she viewed as a nasty human being, had been showing her what a dedicated spouse should show.
“One thing… I want to ask you something.”
“You can talk.”
“Humans are greedy.”
“Yes. Yes, they are.”
“That’s the same for you. You don’t have to lie. There are things I can see with my eyes.”
“Yes. I am also a greedy human being.”
“What do you want?”
“Ah, that’s no big deal. To take care of your safety is to take care of mine. You can join me in my experiment. At best, it’s all about being stabbed with a needle, and there’ll be no harm in life. It ends with lying still.”
“Experiment?”
“Ah. I didn’t tell you. I am an alchemist.”
“I’m not sure what an alchemist is.”
“Let’s get to know that slowly together.”
“Is that really all that is required?”
“What?”
“Will you only provide nests, food, and safety for our Dialuria?”
“If you follow the procedures well, we can provide you with more. I was thinking of that in the first place… I also want to be a good father to cute Tol To-ri. I will do my best to make this a happy family. And again, you have no choice. Didn’t I already say this?”
“…”
“Your body is money. However, if you lie still, everything will be solved. Hahaha.”
Even I knew how shitty that sounded.
At this, Dialugia began nodding her head, as if she had decided upon something.