Chapter 99: Wise decision

The rest continued for quite a while.

Noir lay on the enormous root, his eyes half-closed as he watched the leaves swaying above his head.

Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting bright patches on the ground. Now and then, a small creature darted through the bushes, or a bird flew down to the water’s edge to drink.

For the first time in several days, Noir could relax without worrying about something trying to rip his head off.

"This is weird."

Arlene, who was preparing lunch near the carriage, looked up.

"What is?"

"Not being in danger."

The woman let out a little chuckle.

"Are you complaining?"

"No. I’m just saying I don’t know what to do anymore when no one’s trying to kill me."

Arlene shook her head.

"You could rest."

"That’s what I’m doing."

"Then stop looking for trouble."

Noir opened one eye.

"I’m not looking for trouble."

Arlene stared at him for a few seconds.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The woman turned her attention back to the food.

"That’s what you said before we went into the Silent Stones."

Noir decided not to respond. There was no point in arguing when she was right.

The little demon princess’s laughter drifted over from the shore. The girl was sitting by the water, trying to catch tiny glowing fish with her hands. Every time one swam too close, she’d try to grab it and end up plunging both hands into the water.

Uki stayed nearby, lying in the shade of a tree. Now and then he’d prick up an ear to check on what the girl was doing, but he seemed too comfortable to get up.

Noir watched the scene for a few seconds.

"At least she’s having fun."

Arlene smiled.

"After everything she’s been through, I think she deserves it."

Noir nodded slowly. Then he remembered something; he got up from the tree root and walked toward the lake.

Arlene watched him.

"Where are you going?"

"To investigate."

The woman let out a sigh.

"That never ends well."

"I’m not going to do anything dangerous."

"You said that before, too."

Noir ignored the comment.

He walked up until he was facing the water and extended his Draconic Senses. The sensation was different from what he had experienced at the Silent Stones. A strange concentration of mana had been there, almost as if the place were hiding something. Here, by contrast, the mana seemed part of the environment.

It was everywhere. Even in the small creatures wandering around, it felt familiar, like when he was in the Magic Valley.

Noir closed his eyes for a few seconds to focus better.

"Interesting."

Arlene approached slowly.

"What did you find?"

"I’m not sure."

Noir opened his eyes.

"There’s a lot of mana in this area, but it’s not concentrated in one place. It’s spread throughout the forest."

Arlene looked at the trees.

"That explains why there are so many magical creatures."

"Do you think that’s why they live here?"

"Probably. Magical creatures usually seek out places where mana is abundant."

Noir looked back at the lake.

"Then this place must be pretty good for them."

"Yes."

The young dragon remained pensive.

"But there’s something I don’t understand."

"What?"

"Why aren’t they afraid of us?"

Arlene looked over at the deer resting near the trees.

"Maybe they don’t see us as a threat."

"No."

Noir slowly shook his head.

"It’s not just that."

The woman frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Noir pointed a claw at one of the deer.

"They know I’m a dragon."

Arlene fell silent.

The deer was watching Noir from a few meters away. Its large eyes remained calm, showing no signs of fear.

"I don’t know how you know," Arlene said finally.

"It’s obvious—I’ve never tried to hide that I’m a dragon. I tone down my presence a little, which only affects humans, but not magical animals that are sensitive to it, such as horses."

Arlene nodded, because it was true.

Noir slowly approached the animal.

The deer didn’t back away. When he was right in front of it, it lowered its head again and sniffed one of the dragon’s claws.

Noir did the same with his snout.

"You’re still not afraid."

The deer twitched its ears.

Noir raised an eyebrow.

"You’re definitely strange."

The animal took a small step toward him and licked one of his scales again.

Noir stared at it.

"We already talked about that."

The little demon princess laughed from the riverbank.

"It likes you!"

"That doesn’t help."

"It really likes you!"

Noir sighed. Maybe he’d never get them to stop.

After a few minutes, Noir decided to explore the lake.

He walked up to the shore and looked at the water more closely. It was so clear that he could see the bottom even several meters down. Aquatic plants were growing among the rocks, and small, glowing fish swam around them.

Some were so small they could fit between his claws. Others had larger bodies and scales in various shades of blue.

Noir stretched out a paw and touched the water—it was very cold.

"It’s pretty clean."

Arlene stepped closer.

"It’s mountain water."

"That doesn’t mean it’s clean."

"And how do you plan to check?"

Noir looked at her.

"With my senses."

He cast his perception out over the lake once more. He detected no poison. He found no hostile creatures near the surface.

There was life everywhere, but each species seemed to occupy its own space. Fish swam among the plants, insects flew over the water, and small animals came to drink from the shore.

Everything seemed connected.

Noir watched for a few seconds.

"This place functions like a small world."

Arlene sat down on a nearby rock.

"Isn’t that what ecosystems do?"

Noir tilted his head.

"Forget it."

Noir stood still.

Arlene seemed to realize what she had said and looked down slightly.

But Noir didn’t seem upset.

"Well, now I have plenty of time to learn."

Arlene smiled.

"That’s true."

Noir looked back at the water. Maybe that was one of the things he liked most about traveling. Every place had something different. Every creature was unique. And even though he didn’t always understand what he was seeing, he could learn little by little.

A small fish leaped out of the water and splashed back down with a soft sound.

Noir followed its movement with his eyes.

"I want to go swimming."

Arlene raised an eyebrow.

"You?"

"Yeah."

"I thought you were investigating."

"I can investigate while I swim, too."

"Sure."

Noir ignored her and started walking toward the water.

The little demon princess appeared immediately.

"Noir!"

The dragon stopped.

"What?"

"I want to, too!"

"No."

"But you’re going swimming!"

"Exactly."

The little girl puffed out her cheeks.

"That’s not fair."

"Yes, it is."

"No!"

Noir looked at Arlene for support.

The woman raised both hands.

"Don’t drag me into this."

"You’re a traitor."

"I’m just being cautious."

Arlene shrugged.

Noir decided not to say anything else and dove a little deeper. When the water covered his legs, he spread his wings and propelled himself forward. His body moved forward with ease, and he opened his eyes in surprise.

He continued moving through the lake. He kept his wings close to his body as he used his legs and tail to propel himself. He wasn’t as fast as when he flew, but the sensation was completely different.

Underwater, the glowing fish swam away from him. Some even began to follow him. Noir turned slowly.

The little fish did the same.

"Are they following me?"

The demon princess began to laugh.

"They like you, too!"

"Don’t get started."

Noir continued swimming. After a few minutes, he submerged completely.

The world fell silent.

He could hear only the water moving around his body and feel the slight vibrations from the creatures swimming nearby.

His Draconic Senses expanded once more—more life than he had imagined. Tiny creatures were hiding among the plants. Some fed on them, while others hunted smaller animals.

Nothing seemed to stand still. Even in such a peaceful place, there was a constant struggle for survival. Noir stayed underwater for several seconds before returning to the surface. He shook his head, and several drops of water shot out in all directions.

Some splashed right in her face. She stood motionless.

Noir looked at her.

"...Sorry."

Arlene wiped her face.

"You did that on purpose."

"No."

"Yes."

"It was an accident."

The woman narrowed her eyes.

Noir smiled.

"Maybe."

Arlene cupped water with both hands and splashed it right in his face.

Noir stood completely still.

The demon princess began to laugh.

"Again!"

Noir slowly raised his head.

"Arlene."

"What?"

"You just made a mistake."

The woman smiled.

"Oh, really?"

Noir flapped his wings hard. A huge amount of water shot toward the shore.

Arlene was soaked.

There was a brief silence.

Then the demon princess burst out laughing.

"Again!"

Noir smiled with satisfaction.

"Now we’re even."

Arlene looked at him with resignation.

"You’re such a kid."

"I’m not a kid."

"You just started a water fight."

"A completely justified water fight."

From the shore, Uki looked up when he heard the noise. He watched the three of them for a few seconds, then lay back down under the tree.

Noir looked at him.

"Aren’t you coming?"

Uki closed his eyes.

Noir waited.

"Wise decision."