◇Sumire's POV◇
As soon as we entered the 6th Sealed Prison, a dense jungle came into view, obscuring our sight.
"Sumire, Airi. This way."
Eugy-kun walked into the dense foliage without hesitation.
There was a faint path, but the overgrown vegetation quickly made Eugy-kun's figure hard to see.
"Airi-chan, let's go." (Sumire)
"Yes, let's, Sumire." (Airi)
Airi-chan and I stuck close to each other as we followed Eugy-kun.
…Grrrrr…
We could hear the growl of something enormous in the distance.
…Thud… Thud… Heavy footsteps echoed from somewhere.
We were walking along a barely passable animal trail.
Eugy-kun moved forward lightly, while Airi-chan and I cautiously glanced around as we followed.
"Hey, Eugy." (Airi)
"What's up, Airi?" (Eugene)
Airi-chan asked while walking beside him…
"What kind of creatures are kept inside this building?" (Airi)
Right, Airi-chan wouldn't know.
"Dragons. The 6th Sealed Prison is a dragon's nest." (Eugene)
"D-Dragons!?" (Airi)
Airi-chan's eyes widened at Eugy-kun's words.
I already knew about it beforehand, but stepping inside made me think…
(Isn't this scarier than the Zenith Tower?!) (Sumire)
I've climbed 100 floors as an explorer and have fought dragons a few times.
But the tension upon entering the 6th Sealed Prison surpassed any floor in the Zenith Tower.
"Eugy-kun, how many dragons are here in the 6th Sealed Prison?" (Sumire)
I asked.
"About 27, I think. There are two pairs, so if they've had offspring, there might be more." (Eugene)
""Twenty seven!?""
Airi-chan and I exclaimed in unison before hastily covering our mouths.
Fortunately, no dragons responded to our outburst.
"Can so many dragons be gathered in one place artificially…? Dragons are highly territorial creatures." (Airi)
I overheard Airi-chan muttering to herself.
Looks like this place is bizarre even to a native from this world.
We followed Eugy-kun for a while longer.
"From here, it's easier to walk." (Eugene)
""…Eh?""
Just as Eugy-kun said, we emerged into an open area.
A lush green meadow and a large pond stretched before us.
It appeared to be a watering hole for the dragons of varying size -no, all of them massive- and varying types relaxing there.
"No… way… How are earth dragons, water dragons, and wyverns living peacefully together without fighting?!" (Airi)
Airi-chan froze in place.
"That's not normal?" (Sumire)
"Absolutely not! I thought this would be a nest for one species of dragon. Different species living together like this in such a confined space is unheard of…" (Airi)
At that moment…
*Whooosh!!*
With a gust of wind and a loud *Thud!!!*, a massive shadow landed right next to us, shaking the ground.
It was a dragon with pitch-black scales and golden wings.
I learned about it in the academy's Monster Studies class.
Let's see… This dragon is a first-class Calamity, and its name is…
"…Lightning Dragon." (Sumire)
"Sumire! Get back!" (Airi)
"O-Okay!" (Sumire)
I hurriedly raised my staff and slowly retreated at Airi-chan's urging.
Airi-chan drew her sword and activated her sword magic.
Lightning dragons are known for their ferocity and are said to attack intruders mercilessly.
The dragon's eyes scanned us like prey before slowly lowering its massive head and…
"Long time no see! How've you been, Pikaryu?" (Eugene)
"…Grrrrr♪"
Eugy-kun was stroking the lightning dragon's face.
""…What?""
Airi-chan and I stood dumbfounded.
The supposedly ferocious Lightning Dragon purred like a kitten under Eugy-kun's touch.
"Uh, Eugy-kun?" (Sumire)
"Hey, Eugy…" (Airi)
"What's up? Don't worry, the dragons here are all tame. They won't attack." (Eugene)
"You could've said that earlier!" (Sumire)
"Didn't I mention it?" (Eugene)
Airi-chan and I lowered our weapons with a sigh.
All that tension was wasted.
When we approached the dragon that seemed to adore Eugy-kun…
Grrrrrr…
It growled menacingly at us.
"Huh? Why is it making scary noises?" (Sumire)
"Hey, Eugy, this dragon sees us as enemies." (Airi)
We stepped back, putting some distance between ourselves and the Lightning Dragon.
"Ooi, Pikaryu, these two are my friends. They're not enemies." (Eugene)
Eugy-kun gently patted the dragon's face.
…Grr.
The dragon remained calm under Eugy-kun's touch.
One thing had been bothering me for a while.
"Hey, Eugy-kun." (Sumire)
"What is it, Sumire?" (Eugene)
"This dragon's name…?" (Sumire)
"Pikaryu?" (Eugene)
It has an awfully cute name despite its appearance.
Or more like, it is the name of a pokem*n…
"Who gave it this name? It wasn't you, right? The club president?" (Sumire)
Could it be that the club president-san is an otherworlder like me?! That expectation swelled in me and…
"The name Pikaryu? It was Principal Uther." (Eugene)
"Principal Uther, huh." (Sumire)
Not the club president-san, then.
Still, why such a name?
I doubt the Principal knows about pokem*n.
"That's an awfully cute name. Is there a story behind it?" (Airi)
"Well, the Principal said it's because it's an electric type dragon, so he combined Pikachu and Dragonite. Don't know what he meant though." (Eugene)
"Pikachu…and Dragonite? I've never heard of such monsters." (Airi)
"Right? I asked him what kind of monsters they were, but he just gave a cryptic smile and didn't explain." (Eugene)
"Could they be rare creatures?" (Airi)
"Well, the Principal knows more than anyone, so who knows?" (Eugene)
"..."
I was listening to the conversation of Eugy-kun and Airi-chan while dumbstruck.
(He definitely knows Pokem*n!) (Sumire)
The Principal couldn't possibly be an otherworlder… Could he?
How does he even know about Earth's games?!
(Maybe it is the punchline of him having summoned a Pokem*n strategy guide from Earth or something.) (Sumire)
Principal Uther's insatiable curiosity is well-known. He spends most of his time researching mysterious artifacts and observing undiscovered otherworldly creatures.
As for me, an Ifrit, I was one of his research subjects as well.
I've gotten used to it though.
"Hey! Let's move on already, Eugy! That dragon keeps glaring at us." (Airi)
"Hmm, that's odd. Pikaryu's usually so gentle…" (Eugene)
Eugy-kun tilted his head.
But I had a hunch as I looked at that Lightning Dragon-chan.
"Hey, Eugy-kun. Could it be that the Lightning Dragon is female??" (Sumire)
"Yeah, that's right. I'm impressed you could tell." (Eugene)
I knew it…
"I figured it out, Airi-chan. That Lightning Dragon-chan is jealous of me and Airi-chan." (Sumire)
"Eh?! Is that true?" (Airi)
"…Is that so?" (Eugene)
Airi-chan and Eugy-kun looked surprised.
I looked into the Lightning Dragon's eyes again.
It glared at me with unusually moist eyes.
It gave me the same vibe as when Sara-chan or Eri-san occasionally directed their gazes at me.
"Alright, let's head to our destination." (Sumire)
"You're right, let's move on, Eugy." (Airi)
Airi-chan and I kept some distance from the Lightning Dragon-chan as we moved forward.
"See you next time." (Eugene)
As Eugy-kun bid farewell to the Lightning Dragon, it let out a lonely "kururu…" cry.
"Ha… Even dragons fall for him. Eugy really is a troublesome guy." (Airi)
Airi-chan said with a wry smile.
But I couldn't laugh along with her.
"Airi-chan, you can't let your guard down. Lightning Dragons are part of the Ancient Dragon species, so if they improve their magic skills, they can take human form. And they can even have children with humans." (Sumire)
"Huh? You are lying, right, Sumire?" (Airi)
"It's true.. There are even a few dragon-people -dragonewts- who have dragons as parents in the Lykeion Magic Academy." (Sumire)
I was surprised too when I first entered the academy.
This academy really has people from all kinds of species, not only elves and dwarves.
"B-But even Eugy wouldn't make a move if a dragon woman approached him…" (Airi)
"..."
"Eh?! Why are you staying silent?!" (Airi)
Knowing that Eugy-kun already had a physical relationship with the Demon Lord Eri-san was no reassurance.
But this wasn't something I could tell Airi-chan.
"Hey, Sumire, Airi. Stop chatting and let's go." (Eugene)
Eugy-kun grabbed our arms and pulled us along as we continued to chatter.
I bet Eugy-kun was thinking about Eri-san too.
◇◇
"We finally made it…" (Eugene)
"What is this place? It's way more spacious inside than it looked from the outside." (Airi)
It took over an hour of walking to reach our destination.
As Airi-chan said, the space seemed magically expanded, making the interior larger than it appeared from the outside.
This must have been designed by the Academy Principal.
"Alright, let's go. That's the house where the club president lives." (Eugene)
Eugy-kun pointed to a charming brick house.
Surrounding it were flowerbeds with adorable flowers blooming.
It looked like an ordinary house, not something you'd associate with a dragon's nest.
Only on the surface.
"..."
"..."
Airi-chan and I slowed our steps as we approached the house.
Eugy-kun alone kept walking with a carefree stride.
Airi-chan was holding my hand before I realized it, and I was gripping hers tightly in return.
Sweat wouldn't stop pouring from both our hands.
The mana and aura emanating from the cute house were overwhelming.
It is like a chick versus a lion compared to the earlier Lightning Dragon-chan.
Who lives in this house?
With the pressure coming from it, I wouldn't be surprised if a Divine Beast or a Demon Lord suddenly appeared.
"Sumire, Airi?" (Eugene)
Eugy-kun turned to look at us.
But neither of us spoke.
"You don't need to be that scared. The mana here is calm today, so the club president is probably sleeping." (Eugene)
(Calm? This?!) (Sumire)
Airi-chan and I exchanged glances.
Meanwhile, Eugy-kun moved ahead, and we hurried to follow him.
We reached the front door.
"President, it's Eugene." (Eugene)
Eugy-kun knocked on the door.
The oppressive atmosphere coming from the small house immediately dissipated.
"Oh… Eugene-kun? Thanks for coming all this way. Please come in."
A woman's voice called out from inside the house.
"Excuse me." (Eugene)
"We're coming in!" (Sumire)
"Pardon the intrusion." (Airi)
Airi-chan and I followed Eugy-kun and slowly stepped into the house.
We passed through the entrance and into what looked like the living room, where a beautiful woman with long hair, dressed in a white dress, lay on a bed.
Could this person be…?
"Heya there, Eugene-kun. Who are these lovely young ladies?"
Her delicate appearance didn't match her slightly masculine tone.
"N-Nice to meet you! I'm Sashiogi Sumire!" (Sumire)
"Nice to meet you, I'm Airi Grandflare." (Airi)
Airi-chan and I introduced ourselves.
"Oh, I know your names. Oops, I should introduce myself. I'm Media Parker. I'm weak and can't get out of bed, so I apologize for staying like this. I'm the president of the animal club." (Media)
So this person really is the president.
Was that pressure from earlier coming from her?
But her current gentle tone didn't feel scary at all. Her appearance was that of a frail beauty.
"It's an honor to meet you. The great explorer Media Parker-san." (Airi)
Airi-chan's demeanor shifted dramatically.
That's when I realized…
I have heard the president's name before.
Eugy-kun had mentioned it, but I didn't know her full name.
Hearing her surname, I understood.
I also understood why Airi-chan's attitude changed.
On the South Continent, the most respected individuals are the Record Holders of the Zenith Tower.
On the 1st floor of the Zenith Tower, the name carved on the 10th of the Record Holder Monument…was the same as the animal club president, Media Parker.