Dragon Life

There is a very fine line between weirdo and Cleric. A healing peach color.

I stood there with a hand pressed against the wall, head hanging.

—-I ate too much.

Since I was starting to get hungry again so I flew far away to eat some humans but I got carried away and ate 6, twice as much as I usually eat. And since they had a reasonable amount of magical power, I’m beyond full, to the point of throwing up. But it’s a waste so I won’t throw up! I was going to try moving to get rid of the excess energy, when I was called out to.

“Oh, h.e.l.lo Vito. What are you doing in such a place?”

Its Madeline.

When she notices that I don’t look so good, she rushes over and asks me if I’m okay. …I have eat. Ah, I meant no regrets.[1]

“I’m fine, I just ate a tad too many humans…” is something I definitely cant say so I decided to say “I just feel a tad ill” instead.

“You should go back to your room. Shall I help you?”

“No, no… its fine. If I walk a little bit… it should get better.”

“Really? I’m a bit worried…”

“Madeline, what’s wrong?”

When I thought that I heard a male voice, standing there was the prince from the other day.  

He’s sparkling as always. This guy actually does seem pretty tasty but, what do you call it, it’s like a cuisine made as an ornament rather than for eating, and it makes me not want to eat him. If I was to make that metaphor simpler, it’s like a caviar covered in jewels and perfume. It’s a pity because it was something that used to be good. It’s a pity, prince. Alright, let’s call him disappointing prince from now on.

Wait, does that mean they were walking together? Eh? What kind of relationship does the disappointing prince and Madeline have? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Madeline is part of the Monrante house. They did say something about her being an ‘egg of a magician’.[2]

“Prince LeBlance, since I can’t leave her alone, is it okay if she walks with us?”

“I don’t mind.”

Don’t mind!? Please do mind! What am I going to do if this was a date?! I’m going to be interrupting! [3]

Luckily there’s no one around so I wont get stared at… Eh, wait, where is this?

I looked around again.

—-Where is this. And who am I.

The decorations around here are much more luxurious than the ones at where I usually work. …This place is definitely outside of our jurisdiction. On my first day at work Miss Milena told me never to enter this place without permission, and that it was not a place for a maid to enter. …Which means its near the royal family’s residence.

Oh no.

It seems that my sense of direction was disoriented by my nausea, and I ended up walking in here by mistake. A shiver runs down my spine.

That was close..! If I was caught then I would have been lectured by Madam, and in the worst case scenario I could have gotten fired! Wait, doesn’t this count as being caught? I glanced at the disappointing prince but he just sent me a d.a.m.n wink. No stop. I’m super fragile right now, please don’t do that.

“Don’t mind me. Cherishing your friends is very important.”

It seems that he actually believes what he said from the bottom of his heart, and gives me a lovely smile. He’s unexpectedly nice, this disappointing prince. Let’s actually call him prince from now on. Even though I didn’t bow he didn’t shout at or scold me, but instead gives me those kind words. In my head, royalty was an unreachable high cla.s.s being, be it a power flaunting tyrant or a kind king working for the sake of his country.

But the man before my eyes, prince… er, leb, leburya… Prince LeBlance seems, this is probably really bad to say but uh, he’s like a commoner prince. His appearance is straight out of a fairy tale, a prince in shining armor on a white horse, but perhaps it’s because his base personality is friendly, I never actually feel nervous around him. He’s kind of like a friend’s older brother. But more importantly, where were these two going to go, all alone?

“Vito, why don’t you come with us to see the Cleric? If is them, they could surely cure your sickness.”

Cleric?

So there was such a person in this country!

“By Cleric…”

“They’re the only person in this country that can use healing magic. They’re even called a prophet.”

Now that I think about it, I know nothing about this world or country. Maybe I’ll try reading a history book when I get the chance. Aah, but I’m bad with textbooks. I wasn’t very good at studying and my grades weren’t very good. …Hey, rather than reading a boring history book, wouldn’t it be better if I just go meet this cleric person and see what they’re like myself?

I can just skip the ha.s.sle of investigating. Hey, I’m pretty smart.

Isn’t this surprisingly okay? No matter how you look at me I’m an average servant girl. If they can get rid of this nauseating feeling, of course I’ll go!

There was a time that I thought like that too.

I had felt so ill, to the point that I would make such a foolish decision.

And the cleric, they were one heck of a pretty woman.

The room was made of marble and there was not a single window in the room. The most surprising thing was that the entire area was flooded with water. The water actually went up to my waist. Aa the water is flooding out!! I thought and paused at the doorway but i was surprised to see Madeline and the Prince enter the room without hesitation.

What the h.e.l.l-! I screamed internally and scooped up the water, only to spill it. I repeated the process until Madeline grabbed my wrist with a bitter smile and dragged me to the center of the room.

Sorry Madeline. I don’t think my brain can keep up with this situation. Please forgive me.

In the center of the room there was a circular open area. Maybe there is an invisible wall there after all? In the first place, is this even real water?

Standing there in the fountain within this circular s.p.a.ce with straight, long flowing silver hair, was the Cleric. Their hair fell and melted into the fountain, and at first i thought the hair was just soaking in the water but looking carefully it seems like the hair and water is merged.

You can’t move if your hair’s like that you know.

When I asked Madeline later, it turns out that the cleric really can’t move. Apparently they’ll die if they move, or something. What kind of catch is that?

Up to my chest in height and with very youthful features, I feel like they’re a bit too young. Are you really alive? They had a really mysterious feeling to them, and not to mention—- he was a boy.

I was really surprised.

Wait, aren’t clerics normally women? Apparently my thoughts were prejudiced, for before me was a boy cleric. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were a girl though, but their chest is too flat! They were wearing something like a white dress but there was NO chest! None! It was more like a sheer cliff than a cutting board [], but even more surprising was their voice. It was that of a boy after p.u.b.erty, the voice fully deepened and everything.

Where the heck is that voice coming from…! His appearance is of a young boy, his voice is of an man… how strange. In addition, it seems that he’s actually lived over a thousand years. Are you really human? Definitely not, right? right?

Should it really be this easy to meet with the living fossil of this country!? When I asked it turns out that even commoners can meet with him, as long as you do the proper paperwork. How anticlimactic. But apparently people get too intimidated so he rarely has visitors. Huh, no wonder I’ve never heard about this. Well it’s understandable how people would find him unapproachable, seeing how he’s lived for a thousand years.

“Oh hey, if it isn’t the prince. What business do you have with me today?”

His grin was similar to that of a G.o.ddesses smile. It’s beautiful, but too beautiful to the point that it makes him seem unearthly, almost as if he isn’t living.

“Its about the Tiruzoto Empire’s messenger. You’ve heard the news, right?”

“What I want is to have a silly little talk, that humans regularly do. It wouldn’t hurt to go along with me, right?”

“Whenever i go along with one of your talks it usually takes about three nights. Please, let’s do that at a later date instead.”

“How harsh. Fufufu, I know what you want to say, prince. Please be rea.s.sured.”

Talking to this guy seems really tiring. Good luck, prince! Fight!!

“Oh, and the Egg of A Magician, you are beautiful today as well.”

“It has been a while, sir cleric.”

“If possible i would like to gift my song to yo—”

“Dont even try.”[don’t flirt.]

“… How rude of you, prince. All I want to do is admire beautiful things. Or perhaps you’re jealous? Fufufu, I am always on your side, prince.” [devoted]

The prince lets out a long sigh. This is coming from the prince who winks at anyone regardless! It seems like everyone has a person that’s hard to deal with. I understand that feeling, i really do.

Moreover, you just said the Tiruzoto Empire and its messenger, right? Is that what you were coming here to talk about? Is it really okay if i’m here?

“Sir cleric, before that, can you take a look at her? It seems that she’s not feeling well.”

While i was wondering if it was really okay to come with them, Madeline spoke up.

Is this the get-fixed-up-quickly-and-leave flag? And when I leave you’re probably gonna have an important conversation. I have no idea how you’re gonna fix me up, but as soon as i’m better i just gotta leave, right? I can read the atmosphere, so please do so by all means.

I was pushed forward by Madeline.

――――It was instantaneous.

“Oh?”

The cleric looked at me and gave me a smile that obviously had and underlying meaning to it.

—a shiver ran down my spine, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I immediately followed my instincts and put up my guard.

The cleric looked at me, with my over-the-top smile, as if he could see right through it with those silver eyes. What, what…. what in the world? This is bad. This is really bad! Really completely bad!! I want to leave, I want to leave right now!! I want to run away from here!

My instincts were alerting me to danger.

It was like the unmistakable feeling of meeting a predator.

“Come this way”

A slender hand reached towards me. I have to take his hand. If I don’t the prince and Madeline might become suspicious of me. But I don’t want to go. Don’t want to Don’t want to Don’t want to. An unknown feeling wells up in me and I feel even worse than before. I’m sweating. And then Madeline pushes on my back and I stumble forwards.

As I hesitated, over thinking about taking the outstretched hand, he brought his face closer.

He brought his silver eyes with my image reflected to point blank range. *gulp*

―――・・・that appearance is?

In a moment I saw “my appearance” in his eyes, the one I had been searching for. The “human-me”. Black hair. Black eyes. Black uniform. It was “Me”.

But it was only a moment, and then it vanished.  Reflected in his eyes was my current form. I couldn’t clearly see it, the face as well.

But there was no mistake. That was “me”.

“hmmm, this is rare, isn’t it”

“――！”

“Don’t be alarmed. I don’t bite.”

“It’s like you isn’t it”, having been told that, alarm bells are going off in my head.

Police cars and ambulances, the siren of a fire truck, the sound of a railroad crossing, the sound when you get caught on the ticket gate, a house’s doorbell and the school’s first bell, the phone’s ringtone and the notification sound of cellphones, the sound of a car backing up, the sound of an alarm clock. All sounds from my human memory.

These sounds run noisily in my head.

—- this person, do they know? That…. i’m a dragon?

Why? How? Because they lived a thousand years? What kind of ability is that?

“So its already been a hundred years, time really does fly by. But really, how strange… ‘Who’ exactly are you? In the future i predicted ‘you’ did not exist. But this actually might turn out to be interesting. It sure seems like it. Aa, yes i’m looking forward to this. Aren’t you? Of course you are.”

The finger that strokes my trembling hand is cold. With a spellbound smile he talks and states his observations to himself. What the heck is this person. A standup comedian who can do a nori-tsukkomi? [6]

“But, hm yes. I see.”

He continues to stare into my eyes.

With those silver eyes that look like they can see right through me he was even still so close to my face we were almost touching noses. I couldn’t move, my whole body froze up like a stone, I couldn’t move a muscle. Because he lowered his voice like it was a secret meeting, The prince and Madeline probably couldn’t hear anything. I want them to hear and I don’t want them to hear.

If I knew something like this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have eaten that much!

It’s kind of late to be realizing that.

The cleric dropped the smile.

[I can only tell you this. —you will eventually die.]

On what authority are you telling me this!! Are you my shinigami?! In reality are you not a cleric, but a shinigami? Even if you say it like that, it’s still technically correct!

[Y-Yes. I will definitely someday die. Because of biology.]

My voice quivered, but I managed to say it.

[Ha ha ha, it’s not like that. I probably said it poorly. You may die, you may live, it depends on which road you follow. That’s what I mean]

Isn’t the substance completely different? Aren’t you playing around too much cleric?! It’s a matter of life and death for me!

[On both paths despair awaits you, both paths shimmer with hope. Which you choose, that is up to you.]

Well I would choose to live over dying by all means. But your words are too vague. And apparently you’re a seer too but that’s something that anyone can say that applies to everyone.

“I-If you can see into the future, why don’t you, look into the future and just, win the war?”

“That’s true, but the future is a fickle thing. The things i read into can only serve as a consolation. There has been plenty of times when I was wrong. In short–”

“You’re not omnipotent.”

Like a weather forecaster.

“well~ it just means that in the end, the future depends on you”

The cleric gave me a bitter smile that seemed to say ‘saying i’m not omnipotent, you’re pretty harsh despite your looks, huh?’.

Doesn’t that mean there’s no point in reading the future? My life is decided by my choices. However it feels kind of strange, having that said to my face.

Kinda like i’ve been deceived by a fortune teller.

In short, its up to me.

AKA, its up to my feelings.

Thats not advice you know.

“But you’ve already made up your mind, correct?”

Aa, that’s right.

But there’s that undeniable feeling that I’ve been cajoled.

“Fufufufu, don’t worry. I am very friendly to ‘your kind’.”

Who is ‘my kind’? I really don’t want to ask. I don’t want to ask, but it really bugs me. Wait, if this guy has really lived for a thousand years, doesn’t that mean he’s met the previous ones?

The question arises, but if I ask, that would be basically confirming I’m a dragon. I don’t want that.

“They do, determined their own fate. I don’t know how you will end up, just make sure you live with no regrets.”

The last thing he did was gently kiss my cheek.

“Also, try not to over-eat so much.”

Wha– How did you know why i was feeling so sick…?! That’s embarra.s.sing!

I let out an internal scream at the sensation on my cheek, but was surprised to notice that I no longer felt sick.

“Feel free to come again if you have any questions.”

My face slips. [7]  The rigidity in by body disappears as i quickly retreat from the spot.

I was worried about the Cleric telling the prince, but he only laughs brightly and brings his pointer finger to his lips.

『I wont tell a soul』

He mouths to me.

… What is your objective. He definitely has some ulterior motive! A bribe!? I don’t have that much money!

“Vito, are feeling better?”

“…yeah”

I feel better but I’m mentally exhausted. But I can’t show that, so I pull up some energy.

“Thanks. I’m feeling better, so I’ll head back. Besides, you have some important business here, right? It seems like I’m in the way.”

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, the talk will end quickly, so if you could just wait outside a little, I’ll walk you back.”

I rea.s.sured the worried Madeline and slipped through the not-wet water, exiting the room.

“Prince LeBlanche, I’m sorry I got in the way.”

“Don’t worry about it”

In actuality, I just didn’t want to be there. I wanted to get out of that room, even one second earlier the better. I felt Madeline’s worried gaze on my back, but i quickly fled the room.

The Cleric is a strange person. I don’t even know if they’re really human. And they are definitely a weirdo. … I’m tired.

They seem to know that I’m a dragon and said they won’t tell anyone, but its impossible to predict what they will do. Am I going to have to fearfully spend every day terrified of what he might do? … He grabbed my strongest weakness. [8]

But wait.

Even if the fact that I’m a dragon is revealed, can’t i just act innocent?

Eeehh– what? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Me? A dragon? Ahahahah that’s impossible! Like that. No no no, I don’t know how much power the cleric’s word has, but it’s possible that I will be suspected. … what the h.e.l.l am I supposed to do? When I think of the future, all I can do is sigh. …Besides the cleric was… inedible? Rather it was more like the Cleric could eat me. That’s how I felt. Uwaa, scarry.

I suddenly really want to go see the captain. [9]

I wonder why.

While i’m walking back to my room, someone ahead is walking towards me.

Its the vice-captain’s daughter.

…I wonder why. After talking to the Cleric, just meeting someone else soothes me. Peach colored hair is really girly and cute. Even though she bad mouthed me, just seeing her brings relief to my heart like a spring breeze.

But i feel like she actually doesn’t look so good. As soon as our eyes meet, she makes a disgusted face and walks by.

“uhm”

When I call out to her, she takes a few steps before stopping. She makes a grumpy face at me, but at least she didn’t ignore me.

“What. If you have no business with me, don’t call out to me.”

I did have some business with her, that’s why i called out. I hurriedly pull out a small pink bag from my pocket. It’s a drawstring bag with its opening tightly shut. I really want to be nice to someone right now.

“Here. For you.”

“…hah?”

“Its a potpourri bag. Just hanging this from your neck helps a lot. Please take it, if you’d like.”

Her pale face is probably because of the Fourth knights corps’ dormitory. It seems like it was worse than usual because it was it was flight training today. But since i always had this on me, I didn’t mind it as much. There also were delicious smelling people… and that was the dragon side of my brain. But since the Vice captain has been making people shower after training, saying that it’s bad for hygiene, it should be better than before.

I told her I dont need it anymore, but she slapped it away with the back of her hand.

“I dont need it. Why should I accept a hand-me-down from you?”

“Really?…. But you don’t look so good.”

She looks like she might faint. I’m a little worried.

Since the vice captain is of n.o.ble blood, she probably had a pretty good upbringing. She’s more suited to a higher, more flashy job like a maid rather than a cleaning job like ours. Should a girl her age really be doing such a harsh job just because she wants to work in the same place as her father?

Do you have a father complex, huh? Well they do say that the Lieutenant is a doting father. It’s not like I can’t understand how he feels. She’s super cute. Almost a waste to eat.

“… you’re persistent. I get it already.”

Seemingly getting annoyed with how I was still holding out the potpourri bag, she s.n.a.t.c.hes it out from my extended hand. That’s good. I don’t know if she’ll actually use it, but at least she accepted it.

“Don’t talk to me anymore. Annoying.”

She harrumphs and turns on her heel, heading the same way she was heading before.

Wouldn’t it have been better if she went and saw the Cleric rather than me? She looks ill.

…recalling earlier, I shudder.

If possible, I don’t want to see him ever again.

I can finally understand why everyone gets scared and doesn’t want to meet him anymore.
TL NOTES:

[1] She said [・・・食いはある。あぁ、間違えた、悔いは無い。] which is a pun on words, since eat (kui・食い) and Regret (kui・悔い) has the same p.r.o.nunciation.

[2] there’s probably a better English translation for this, but it means like she is still an egg/seed, but she will grow into a magician. Yeah.

[3] She actually says she’s a bothersome bug, or an interrupting bug, but that just sounds weird.

[4] a reference to the common saying ‘their chest was as flat as a cutting board’

[5] another translation would be ‘don’t flirt’ or ‘don’t play around’

[6] nori-tsukkomi is a type of tsukkomi where you go along with the joke at the beginning, but then point out how ridiculous it actually is

[7] Her expression slips, shatters, her face becomes blank, there’s a lot of ways this can be interpreted.

[8] vito had ‘a terrible weakness grasped by the cleric’ but that sounds pretty weird. So its more along the lines of, the cleric having caught onto her greatest weakness? I guess?

[9] The word 無性 is included here, which means as.e.xual or neutral. It could mean Vito considers the captain ‘neutral’ or harmless, or it could mean that the attraction (aka the want to see feelings) is a.s.sociated with no romantic (or s.e.xual) feeling on vito’s end. Its a weird word.