I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 220

Though this was only our second meeting, every time I saw her, the same thought crossed my mind.

She was absurdly, ridiculously huge. This must be how an ant feels standing in front of an elephant.

On top of that, her appearance overflowed with immense charisma, making the pressure overwhelming.

It wasn’t even easy to open my mouth, but seeing as we were technically familiar with each other:

"A-Ah, hello...?"

I raised my hand and quietly greeted her. At that, fierce golden eyes stared directly down at me.

I wished she would at least say something.

Gorillas are apes close to humans, so maybe that made sense, but a dragon couldn’t possibly speak.

"Ppiii! Ppiiiii!"

Regardless of my reaction, the moment Tyranno saw his mother, he greeted her with delight.

Flapping his tiny wings, he flew right up and stuck himself onto her face.

Rubbing his face against hers, he seemed truly overjoyed. Well, he was at the age where kids love their mothers most.

Tyranno’s mother’s face softened as soon as she saw that her hatchling was safe.

The corners of her eyes creased slightly and the edges of her mouth curled up, making it obvious to anyone that she was smiling.

[Hmm! An exceptionally powerful specimen even among dragons. It would be wise not to cross her.]

I could tell just by looking. One stomp of her foreleg and I’d be dead instantly.

Whether she heard Cain’s words or not, Tyranno’s mother shifted her gaze to Cain.

"...."

She ignored him immediately. Probably because he was just a stone statue far smaller than even me.

Cain also acted like it was no big deal, shrugging his shoulders as he spoke.

[In the distant past, dragons could transform into human form as well. Strictly speaking, they were one of the races back then. But that is an ancient story now.]

"You mean Polymorph, right?"

[Indeed. If nothing else, Goddess Aris took measures regarding Polymorph. So that they could no longer act like humans.]

"Why did she do that?"

[Because they were too strong. Every single individual was more powerful than a strategic weapon, so of course she had to.]

That sounded extremely convincing.

Just imagine a nuclear warhead walking around acting like a person.

’In a way, this world is pretty realistic.’

In all sorts of fantasy novels, dragons stroll around using Polymorph, but it seemed that was impossible here.

Then again, this was a world where power imbalances were so extreme that even democracy was treated as a delusion.

Even in Wydd, the nation of beastfolk where democracy was said to have taken root, it was closer to half-baked at best.

’Anyway...’

I looked at the dragon bonding with Tyranno. To be precise, not at her face, but below it.

The golden shimmering spot beneath her long neck. The place where her heart was.

’As expected of a genuine Dragon Heart. It really is different.’

Normally, the glimmers caught by my eyes had no defined shape.

Just feeling like stardust clustered together, or simply glowing brightly.

But the Dragon Heart was different. It looked as if countless starlights had gathered to take form.

That meant it harbored an extraordinary amount of power. It wasn’t called a Dragon Heart for nothing.

’Is Tyranno leaving now, too?’

As Tyranno’s mother’s demeanor softened, the atmosphere improved as well.

The animals that had been trembling frantically quietly retreated inside the shelter.

Except for two creatures: Bbareumbo and the deer.

I didn’t know what kind of nerves these two had, but they were strolling around blatantly.

The Spirit Deer, in particular, was peacefully grazing on grass. Where did that confidence come from?

Sssuk—

The dragon, finishing her reunion with Tyranno, turned her head toward me.

The moment I met those sharp golden eyes, I flinched. Even though I prepared myself, I couldn’t get used to it.

Thank goodness she was favorable toward me, otherwise I would have long since...

-I express my gratitude to you, human.

"...?"

...died—wait, what?

I stood dumbfounded by the voice echoing inside my head rather than through my ears.

It felt as if someone were echoing inside a cavern. It was even an impressively deep baritone, which flustered me.

What on earth was going on? Looking at the rest of the group, they had similar reactions.

Even Ludwig, usually so composed, was constantly looking around, which said everything.

[Ah. She used Thought Transmission. There is no need to worry. It is simply the dragon’s method of communication.]

"...Dragons can converse?"

[There is no reason they cannot. Dragons are masters of magic. Furthermore, since she sends Thought Transmission, no interpreter is needed. She reads the intent behind your thoughts and words.]

"Then why are the dragons outside the Forest of the Four Seasons..."

I started to ask, but stopped mid-sentence. Thinking carefully, I realized it was a strange question.

In the first place, dragons themselves were extremely rare creatures. And no one knew where they lived.New chapters come out on NovelPing first.

The dragon Kadir had slain was an exception—an enraged mother who lost her child.

’It’s not like I searched for them myself either.’

If I asked on the Gallery, I’d probably just get responses like "I heard rumors about that~".

Above all, this was the Forest of the Four Seasons. Even a gorilla talked like a human, so why shouldn’t a dragon?

Accepting it at face value was the best course. Perhaps this was even a huge opportunity.

Through the dragon, I might learn facts I didn’t know before.

I had even earned her goodwill thanks to protecting Tyranno.

"Uh... hello? I am Park Jong... no, Grylls."

-Call me Vanir.

She even had a proper name. A name fitting for a dragon.

That meant Tyranno had a real name too... but I had already named him whatever I wanted.

The bigger issue was that Tyranno actually thought his name was Tyranno.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Vanir got angry upon finding out.

-Did my child cause you any trouble?

"Uh... no? We played well together. Actually, I’m the one who should apologize for something..."

-It matters not. The child seems to like that name as well. Given that I, as his mother, should have named him first yet postponed even that to prepare against threats, I have no right to complain.

She was a remarkably sensible person—no, a sensible dragon. Honestly, I was slightly touched.

Our very first encounter had been living terror itself, yet she was so good-natured.

Thanks to that, I could breathe a sigh of relief. Still, I couldn’t let my guard down.

The difference in power was like heaven and earth, so I had to keep my wits about me and remain polite.

-And seeing how plump my little one has gotten, you must have fed him well. As his mother, I am satisfied.

’I just fed him tons of sweet potatoes.’ I didn’t bother saying this out loud.

Feeding him sweet potatoes every single snack time had made Tyranno’s belly chubby.

Not just Tyranno, but the other animals were the same. Everyone had gained weight over the winter.

"Since you entrusted him to me, of course I had to."

’Otherwise you would have killed me.’ I swallowed back the rest of those thoughts.

Fortunately, unaware of my inner thoughts, Vanir smiled warmly.

-Then I may entrust him to you a while longer.

"Pardon?"

And then she dropped a bolt-from-the-blue piece of news on me. She was leaving Tyranno with me longer?

It wasn’t that I considered the little guy a burden. I just couldn’t understand why.

As if reading my thoughts, Vanir explained the reason.

-A few days ago, I fought a desperate battle against an intruder in my lair. Fortunately, I repelled it, but its poison has spread through my body.

"Then..."

-I am not dying. I simply must rest for a prolonged period. I woke up early out of concern for my child, but...

Vanir briefly turned her head to look at Tyranno.

Tyranno, whose belly had grown plump over the winter, tilted his head in confusion.

-It seems I no longer need to worry. I express my gratitude once more.

"How long do you need to rest?"

-Though neutralized by consuming the intruder’s essence, I will need to see at least a hundred morning suns.

That meant at least 100 days. It could take even longer.

"Kkeungcha. Kkeungcha."

Whether Tyranno understood this or not, he started climbing up my body.

He even ended up perching right on top of my head. His actions were genuinely adorable.

Vanir also gave a gentle smile at his behavior before addressing me.

-Therefore, speak what you desire. Even if you want nothing right now, I shall bestow it upon you when I awaken again.

"What I need is information. Do you happen to know a way to escape this forest?"

An escape method was far more urgent than anything else I could want. With that, gold and treasures meant nothing.

Besides, Vanir must have lived in the Forest of the Four Seasons for a very long time.

Even if knowing the full geography was too much, she would know where was dangerous and where was safe.

-A way to escape... Then I must ask you a few questions first. First.

Vanir stared intently at me before posing her first question.

-Can you perform dozens of calculations simultaneously within ten seconds?

"Calculations...?"

-I refer to the spell formulas required for magic. Is it possible for you?

"...No?"

Wouldn’t even Starlight Lady, presumably a genius of the century, find that difficult?

Explaining fire through physical laws was basic magic here.

For someone like me who gave up the moment I heard that, asking for dozens of calculations was preposterous.

-Then second. What are the human units of distance? Give me the largest unit, please.This chapter is updated first at NovelPing.

"Roughly speaking, this is 1 meter, and 1,000 meters is 1 kilometer."

I explained while drawing a line on the ground.

Vanir gazed quietly at the line, nodded, and spoke.

-I ask you. Can you traverse thousands of kilometers in one hour?

"...No."

-Final question. Can you subjugate countless monsters, including myself?

"...No."

-The answer is clear. You cannot leave, so it will be easier to give up.

’You can’t get out.’ Certified directly by an actual dragon.

It wasn’t despairing, just utterly absurd. Being shot down so definitively made me feel all the more stubborn.

After sorting out my thoughts for a moment, I let out a breath. Then I cautiously asked:

"Is there any chance Vanir-nim could help me?"

-For your information, even though I satisfy all three conditions, I cannot leave this place either.

"...."

Holy shit. The situation was enough to make me curse out loud.

No wonder she was staying here instead of going outside.

From a dragon’s perspective, the outside world would be far more comfortable than this hellish place.

Then why was Vanir here? That was another puzzling point.

"Then how did you end up coming here?"

-I came unwillingly. It was one of the conditions set by the invaders.

"...Invaders?"

-Yes. Whether to live like wild beasts on the outside, or maintain our society.

This was a story from the Mythological Age. Hearing this made me feel uncomfortable.

I couldn’t even catch the drift of what she meant.

-Originally, we could live mingled within human lives. That was commonly referred to as Amusement.

[Most of the heroes who left major achievements during the Age of Dragons were dragons enjoying their Amusement.]

Cain added an explanation from the side. Essentially confirming that such things happened.

From there, I could guess that the dragons lost in the war between gods and dragons.

Then what happened after? What conditions were offered to the dragons who were little more than defeated remnants?

’Wait. Before that...’

Just how old was Vanir? A dragon who remembered the Mythological Age.

Besides, the ’invaders’ Vanir mentioned were almost certainly the gods.

They wouldn’t normally be called invaders, so I didn’t know what that meant.

-My kin live in various places. Do you happen to know of a place where space changes moment by moment?

"Yes. Across the river is like that."

-That is the boundary dividing territories. However, given the nature of this forest, in desolate regions there exist entities stronger than even us.

"Places like deserts, snowy mountains, or volcanic zones?"

-No. Those are strictly nature. They are not desolate regions.

Just how messed up were those desolate regions if even volcanic zones weren’t considered desolate?

Last time, there was a bright green place that looked like it was contaminated by radiation; maybe it was there.

Or perhaps the neighboring Ash Zone. I’d find out as I investigated.

-Hmph. It is time I reserve my energy.

While I was lost in thought for a moment, Vanir muttered quietly.

It was just as I turned my eyes toward her.

Flash!

Vanir’s entire body glowed brilliantly and gradually began to shrink.

Her body, far larger than a building, steadily compressed until it became smaller than a tree.

Her form shifted noticeably as well. From a quadrupedal beast to a race standing proudly on two legs.

’D-Don’t tell me...?’

Cain had said it: dragons of the Mythological Age were capable of Polymorph.

And whether this dragon was truly from the Mythological Age or not, what was certain was that she was using Polymorph.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit expectant.

’Most dragons using Polymorph are supposed to be handsome men or beautiful women...’

Holding a strange sense of anticipation, I watched Vanir’s human form—

-Mm. As expected, shrinking down is efficient.

"...."

-Why are you looking at me with that expression?

Seeing a human torso with a dragon’s head stuck on top, I couldn’t hide my deep disappointment.

’...Fantasy really is just fantasy.’

Reality was cruel.