Hachinan tte, Sore wa Nai Deshou - Volume 20, page 9
But, elemental dragons live a very, very long life. When I asked what would happen after the demon queen's death, he explained that the elemental dragon would get attached to the descendants of its parent. For this reason past demon kings put their lives on the line to turn elemental dragons into their servants, no matter how many generations had to try.
『To be blunt, whenever royals and the powerful clans started succession struggles, the royal family could suppress them because they had the elemental dragons of the royal family on their side. Our history is full of such cases.』
I guess that makes sense. Is this baby dragon also going to become attached to the demon queen's children and grandchildren, turning into Zontark Kingdom's guardian deity?
"If pushed to say, I'd rather call it a mascot."
"Katharina, this child will be a great servant, so it'll take some time for it to grow big. Ah, here comes the fish. Wait just a moment."
The demon queen tried to give the fish caught by Wilma to the baby dragon with the weird name Cream Puff.
"Your Majesty, it would be better to give it the fish head-first."
"When I previously went to an aquarium during a school excursion, the caretaker lady fed the fish to the serpents head-first too. Maybe it's a measure to avoid the fish getting stuck in the throat?"
"Yep."
"Good job in noticing that, Earl Baumeister. Come on, here's your fishie."
Cream Puff swallowed the fish it received from the demon queen whole. Still, seeing how they even hold shows with serpents, you really can't take the demons lightly.
"Myuu myuu."
"You want still more? Grow big as soon as possible."
"As a practical issue, I wonder how big this dragon is going to become? What would you say, Arnest-san?" Katia asked Arnest, who was fishing next to her.
"He does not know anyway!"
Ignoring Doushi's disruption, Arnest answered, "Well, it is an elemental dragon which is hard to turn into a servant. Demon kings had a tendency to leave behind biographies of their own lives, and I have seen several diaries related to raising elemental dragons."
Nothing less of an archaeologist. If there's any ancient documents, he'll make sure to take a look at them.
"The growth of elemental dragons is extremely slow. it takes them around a thousand years to grow into a fully-fledged adult dragon."
"That is quite a long time ahead from now. None of us will be still alive at that time."
"Neither any demon. At the very least you can safely say that the dragon won't grow big within Her Majesty's lifetime."
The remaining life span of the demon queen would be 300 years, if she lived a long life. The baby dragon would hardly grow during that time...
"In that case, it's no problem at the moment, I suppose."
"You could say the problem will be postponed, but its solution will definitely be unrelated to us."
Therese and Lisa reached the conclusion that it was nothing that required us to worry about right now. At its current size, it doesn't pose a particular danger to anyone either.
Moreover, it's so cute that you could actually call it cheating. Its popularity with women is nothing to laugh at, so it's probably going to be alright.
"Which reminds me, Lumi-san, you haven't taken any pictures of Cream Puff, have you?" Eru thought that Lumi should have taken some pictures of the baby dragon for a news article, so he found it odd that she hadn't done so.
"I mean, look, if I wrote an article about it, it could lead to the public opinion getting quite heated with demands for its disposal gaining in traction, and I'd hate that!"
"I'd think that Cream Puff would be quite popular..."
I can't say that I have any proof for that, but everyone except for Elise, Ina, and Amalie-san, who were preparing breakfast, were diligently fishing and feeding Cream Puff with their haul. Moreover, Burkhart-san was still sleeping because of a hangover. If he doesn't soon return to his usual routine, he might not be able to get back into society.
Doushi...this old guy didn't seem to have any problems rising early in the morning every day, maybe because he's got a strong blood flow or a high body temperature. I think it's an enviable constitution to have either way.
"It's not like it won't be any problem if we take a walk with the baby dragon through the city, you know? The area around here has been abandoned, so no guards or government officials patrol around here. Given that the demon queen has to go to school as well, I wonder whether Cream Puff will be able to stay apart from her."
"Cream Puff, I'll come to the village as often as I can, so wait for me obediently, okay?"
"Myuu myuu."
"I see. You're a good dragon."
It sounded as nothing but a 『Myuumyuu』 to our ears, but the demon queen apparently understood what Cream Puff wanted to tell her. Just, I wonder how that works?
"Unnngh! This is...!"
Doushi's rod bent violently.
Because it was fish for Cream Puff, we have been catching small fish like minnows or daces, who inhabited this lake in great quantities, and giving them to Cream Puff, but the fish stuck to the line of Doushi's rod was a trout-like fish.
"Uoooh! This looks pretty tasty!"
"Doushi, I'm surprised you didn't break the rod with this way of handling it."
"Earl Baumeister, that is a difference in skill! This also looks tasty to eat after getting roasted...nohooo─!"
I twas a fish exceeding a length of 50 centimeters, but Cream Puff opened its mouth widely and swallowed it whole in one go.
"Good job at swallowing a fish that is as big as itself."
"Wow."
Not only Eru, but even Wilma was surprised by this.
"Myuumyuu."
"I guess your belly is full now. THat's great, isn't it, Cream Puff?"
"Your Majesty, do you understand the words of that baby dragon?"
"I somehow get it. This child is going to become a great servant."
A servant, eh...? The dragon won't grow big during the demon queen's lifetime, though.
"Noooh─! My fishhhh!"
"Doushi, behave like an adult. It's disgraceful to watch otherwise," I cautioned him because he was acting too much like a little brat.
"Food grudges are terrifying!"
"Isn't it inevitable? The other side is still a child. If you want one for yourself, you can just catch another one."
Just earlier he bragged about his angling skills. I'd love him to catch a second one by all means.
"I will catch that fish once more!"
Doushi got all pumped, attempting to catch a second trout-like fish, but in the end he didn't manage to do it. And despite looking downhearted at the breakfast table, he still wolfed down his breakfast.
* * *
"Myuu myuu."
"It's cute, but I think it would be difficult to keep it as a pet in the city. No matter how small it might be, it's still a dragon. Lyra-san, you think so as well, don't you?"
"You're right... it will be useful as a symbol of the Zontark Kingdom's revival, but..."
We planned to go back to our hotel in two or three days. So, why do we have to think about the baby dragon hatched by the demon queen?
Still, for the moment all that matters is the question of what to do with the baby dragon.
If the details of our discussion were to be leaked without us reaching some sort of conclusion, the demon queen's mood... or rather since we'd be troubled if she started to cry while insisting to stay together with Cream Puff, we held our meeting without her.
An elementary school student, who said they want to keep the dong they picked up, would cry in case of an objection by the adult. And since this was a probable development, Lyra-san apparently wanted to avoid it as well.
"At the end of the day, there's no choice but to keep it at the farm village, is there? The dragon would stand out too much, if she kept it in the city, resulting in the surroundings kicking up a huge fuss."
"Yep. In the worst case, His Majesty could get reported. It's not like it's against the law to raise animals, but even if it might be small, it's still a dragon."
"I think it would be wise to choose a method that does not cause any uproars."
Mall and his friends were against the demon queen keeping Cream Puff in the city. They shared the opinion that it'd be less of a problem, if the dragon remained in the farm village where outsiders wouldn't check anyway.
"My juniors have fair arguments for a change."
"Senpai, that's a terrible way to phrase it."
"You can't get any boyfriends because you keep saying such things, senpai."
"You lack the loveliness which Her Majesty possesses."
I certainly believe Lumi's words were hard, but she cannot speak for others either.
"Still, it is a bad idea to pull the baby dragon apart from Her Majesty."
"Why, Arnest?" I asked.
"According to old documents, the demon kings of old always stayed by the side of their baby dragons to make them stay in contact with their mana."
"For the sake of teaching them their mana, huh?"
"It is, as you say, Burkhart-dono. Humans do not seem to notice it, but mana often has similar qualities if a blood relationship exists. The demon kings taught their baby dragons about their family's mana by staying at their side for as long as possible."
So that's the reason why baby dragons, who were hatched by demons, got emotionally attached to their parent's family as they were raised across several generations, huh?
"In other words, we mustn't separate it from Her Majesty, correct?"
"Because it was stolen from its dragon parent, it only follows logic to take responsibility and raise it properly."
In that case, it looks like it'll be impossible to separate the demon queen and Cream Puff.
"Hmm, what should we do?"
"Can't we get people to mistake it for a dog? It might be fine if we deceive everyone else by attaching a collar and leash."
"As if that would fly!"
Are Eru's eyes plain knotholes or something? Something like a dog covered in pink down doesn't even exist...moreover, its cries are 『Myuu myuu』. Even though it might look like a small plush toy, Cream Puff wouldn't become anything but a dragon.
"Vel, can't you disguise it with a magic tool?"
"Ah, wait!"
I retrieved a plain collar from my magic bag.
"What's that, Vel?"
"It's a mysterious magic tool left behind by Master."
Even nowadays I'm still sorting through Master's inheritance regularly, but on some occasions I found unidentified magic tools. This one here was one of those. If you put it around the neck of someone and poured mana into it while imagining a creature, it'd transform the collar-wearer into that creature.
"For what purpose would you use such a magic tool?"
Maybe it's directed at people who want a pet? Or maybe it exists for people with dangerous fetishes like wanting to turn humans into pets? It's probably a world someone as pure-hearted as Katharina cannot grasp.
"You put this around the neck of your target?"
"Sounds fin. Alley oop!"
"Hey, Luise!"
The plan was to put it around the baby dragon's neck, so why did she put it around my neck!?
"This is a magic tool after all."
It obviously had a size that didn't fit my neck, but as soon as she tried to put it around my neck, the collar widened, before shrinking back into the perfect size for my neck.
"Luise! Take it off right aw... whaa!"
A few seconds after the collar fit itself to my neck, white smoke rose from it and my line of sight quickly became lower... and lower...
"Woof woof! (Isn't Luise looking down at me right now!?)"
Does that possibly mean this collar has activated? What sort of creature have I become?
"Woof woof (Luise)!"
"Whoa, Vel really turned into a dog. I'd actually doubted it quite a bit."
"He's cute, but... Luise-san, now is not the time to mess around."
"Sorry, I didn't really believe it'd work, to be honest. I'll take it off, Vel."
After getting scolded by Katharina, Luise tried to take the collar off my neck. Unexpectedly it came off right away. Looks like it doesn't stick to your neck like the cursed armor piece of a certain RPG.
"But, he hasn't returned to normal."
"True! Won't you turn back into a human, if you take it off?"
"Milord, here you have a mirror."
Haruka showed me my own appearance with a mirror.
"Woof woof!? (I really became a puppy!?)"
"How adorable."
"Woof woof! (But why a puppy!?)"
It might be Luise's preference, but I've turned into a puppy that looked quite similar to a Shiba dog.
Ending up as an animal thanks to Master's magic tools...happened a few times already, didn't it? I was also turned into a kid by a trap in an underground ruin...
Just what's going on with my luck for the same to happen this time as well?
"Hmm, you do not need to worry that much," Arnest looked at the collar he got from Luise. "Since the collar has been taken off, he will return to normal once the mana runs out. He should be back to normal within a day."
"... (I'm going to stay a puppy all day long today!?)"
Just why do I have to go through such experiences? Should I get a purification at the church in the near future?
"At any rate, isn't it great that the magic tool works as intended? We can make that baby dragon disguise itself as a puppy without any problems now."
"It's wonderful that things got resolved without a hitch."
"It is just as Burkhart-dono says!"
"Woof woof! (What's going to happen to me─ee!?)"
The matter with the demon queen's dragon was quickly resolved since we found out that the magic tool could be used to disguise it, but in exchange I'd have to spend all day as puppy today. How unreasonable...
"Vel, it was supposed to just be a joke. Sorry. I'll pet you nicely in exchange."
"Woof woof! (Don't carry me around!)"
"A puppy sure is lovely."
"Ina-san, please let me hold him next."
"Vel-sama, good boy, good boy," Wilma caressed my head.
"Woof woof (The matter with the baby dragon has been resolved, so go and pet that dragon!)"
"Now that he's become like this, Wendelin-san is cute as well."
"Is he going to eat meat?"
"Katia, dried meat is a no-no."
"I mean, isn't he a dog, though?"
"He's just disguising as a dog. Wendelin-sama is a human."
"Woof woof! (That's true─ee!)"
"Should we feed Milord with dog food for today?"
"He might not be able to properly eat food for humans. Should we put it on a flat plate?"
"That is a good idea, Amalie-san."
Umm, I won't say that my own issue doesn't matter, but there's another, big problem remaining... it's not like we can do anything about it right away, though. Even so, it's the wrong time to play around by hugging me in turns!
* * *
"I see. Even Earl Baumeister had become so much of a cutie. Cream Puff, I'll put something nice on you."
"Myuumyuu?"
"Oohh! Cream Puff really turned into a dog!"
As might be expected of Master's inheritance. As soon as the demon queen put the magic collar around its neck, Cream Puff transformed into a dog.
That's fine and all, but...
"Myuumyuu."
"Cream Puff-san, dogs do not myuu myuu."
"Myuumyuu?"
"It looks like this is bound to fail."
Elise, you're talking to a dragon there. Even if you make it transform with a magic tool, I doubt it'll start woofing all of a sudden. As trying to persuade a dragon is rather pointless too, Elise displays some unexpected airheadedness there...
Huh? But why did I become unable to talk then?
There's lots of weird stuff among the magic tools left behind by Master.
"It's still as cute as ever, but its fur's color still remains pink. I've never seen a pink dog, to be honest," Luise commented.
"Me neither... Therese, did you run into such dogs at the imperial court?"
"As if. It's somewhat conspicuous, but I think that unavoidable. It looks like a dog, so it should be alright. As for its crying, you just need to train Cream Puff so that it doesn't cry normally."
"That's great, isn't it Cream Puff?"
"Myuumyuu."
The demon happily hugged Cream Puff, saying that this would allow them to go to the city together. A pretty girl hugging an adorable dog sure makes for a great picture.
"How nice...that's truly wonderful"
"I'll become your fan."
"So noble..."
Mall and his two friends looked as if they had achieved enlightenment as they watched the demon queen and Cream Puff.
Support by her subjects? It's probably because she's got charisma.
"Still, Earl Baumeister, you've become quite adorable, too. You say it's a transformation through a magic tool, but you're as light as a genuine puppy."
"Woof woof (Ugh, I can fight back...)"
After Cream Puff, the demon queen picked me up as well, pressing me against her chest. Though there's nothing soft to be found there as of yet.
"How enviable."
"Should I use the collar as well?"
"Oh, right! That method also existed!"
"You guys, stop being so noisy."
Eru warned Mall's group as they pondered whether they should also use the collar.
"Ah, I must teach Cream Puff how to act like a dog. Cream Puff, a dog doesn't make itself float through magic."
"Myuumyuu."
It seems like the magic tool preserved the original abilities of its wearer. The demon queen cautioned Cream Puff, as the baby dragon was floating in the air out of habit. Seeing how she planned to live with Cream Puff in the city, she had to get the baby dragon to keep in mind acting like a dog.
"Vel, how about you teach Cream Puff what a dog is about?"
