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Translator: penny
Chapter: 291
Chapter Title: Furnace Dragon #3
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The throat of the furnace dragon Gesbalram.
Deep inside, sure enough, there were sharp, pointed thorns embedded.
But contrary to my thought that maybe it had swallowed some beast whole and gotten a bone stuck— the true nature of those thorns was a metal blade that had no business being in a throat.
A fairly long cross-shaped greatsword was lodged deep in the dragon's esophagus, protruding menacingly. Why the hell was there a sword in a dragon's throat?
I squeezed through the narrow esophagus, pushing deeper inside, and gripped the blade stuck in the floor.
Grrrrr—.
The dragon writhed in agony, the pain clearly transmitted through its movements. No wonder. With something like this jammed in its throat, it couldn't eat anything and was stuck guarding the cave.
Crunch.
I gripped the sword's hilt and pulled.
But this metal thorn was embedded so firmly that ordinary strength couldn't budge it. HippolytÄ was right after all. I could see why even she couldn't pull it out.
"Hoo—."
I steadied my breathing again, then grasped the hilt with both hands.
Planting my feet firmly on the ground, I channeled strength from my toes to my knees, waist, and shoulders—every muscle in my body—to yank the sword free.
"Urgh—!"
It felt like there was a massive iron boulder weighing down the tip, an incredible heaviness.
It seemed to inch upward bit by bit, but there was no telling when it would finally come out.
GRRAAAAAH—!
A massive roar—or scream—rang in my ears. Soon, intense heat surged from deeper inside its throat, no, its belly, and flames enveloped my entire body.
Whoosh—.
"Ugh, hot, shit!"
It was the dragon's fire, literally. The flames were so goddamn hot they made my limbs curl up, and I was taking them head-on.
Hassan—!
Ahh—! You've taken the dragon's flames straight to the face...! Even Lord Hassan couldn't withstand that...! Lord Hassan is completely dead...!
I could hear voices chattering outside, but the relentless blaze left me with no room to think. I just endured the heat, focusing solely on pulling the sword from my palm.
"Shiiiit—!"
Ssslk, ssslk—.
Finally, when I yanked it free, a gigantic sneeze-like blast hurled me out of the dragon's mouth.
"Lord Hassan, Lord Hassan has come back alive...! Surviving the flames from the dragon's maw—! Truly, not even death can stop Lord Hassan...!"
"Hassan, are you hurt anywhere? Why's your head all singed! Your hair's burned! Hassan's turned completely black!"
"Noxdoti, no need to panic. Hassan's hair was black to begin with. He's a Samarian, after all—."
The clamor from all around buzzed in my ears like tinnitus. Somehow, I'd survived. In my hand was the fairly long greatsword.
This must be the thorn tormenting the dragon as it flailed in agony.
I looked down at my charred body. It had felt scorching hot at the time, but aside from the outer layer of my leather clothes being slightly singed, I wasn't badly hurt.
Maybe the new blessing I'd gained, 《Singed Skin》, granted resistance to flames.
Certainly, compared to the intense burns Elfride had inflicted when she torched the city, this was bearable.
I brushed off the dust and dragon saliva clinging to me, then stood up. At this point, I had to ask.
"Why the hell is there a sword stuck in your throat?"
At my question, the dragon, coughing and sneezing—hack-hack—slowly opened its mouth.
It's the Sword of Jealousy. The final desperate act of that guy as he was dragged into my belly. In hindsight, swallowing him whole was my mistake.
"Tell me more details."
After that, I got a brief explanation from the furnace dragon Gesbalram.
A dullahan named Jealousy had come seeking Gesbalram. In the fierce battle that followed, this dragon lost both eyes and got the sword stabbed into its throat.
He tried to steal my body. The guy reeked of ominous energy, so I knew I couldn't let him live. Leaving him be would bring great harm to Goddess Vesta.
A famous monster trying to hijack a dragon's body. Could it be connected to those Gigases sharpening their claws in the underworld?
The Gigases were said to seek vessels for their bodies, manipulating powerful monsters.
"Did that headless knight definitely die?"
Yes, aside from that sword, not even dust remained.
Got it.
Anyway, I'd successfully removed the thorn tormenting the dragon's throat.
Paranoi hadn't been offered as feed, and aside from my singeing, no one was seriously hurt.
But until I recover my strength, I can't leave this place. I'll give you an ember. That should revive Dragonscale Village's furnace.
It said it would burn problem-free for at least ten years, then exhaled a faint breath—fwoosh. A small, blue flame appeared, searing space itself into existence before it.
We transferred it to a nearby torch-like holder. Thus, a mystical torch blazed with eerie blue flames. Now we just had to carry this back to the village?
I asked.
"Is this enough?"
Strengthening the furnace fire requires a slightly more complex ritual. But I know one among you reeks strongly of flame scent. That should suffice.
"Got it. Take care, then. No more swallowing weird shit."
"You'd better not even think about eating nymphs...! The Nymph Relief Foundation might come investigating soon, so watch out...!"
As we turned to head back to Dragonscale Village, the massive dragon called out from behind.
I offer my thanks, juvenile Hassan. Thanks to you, I can sleep without pain. I'd love to fly you back, but with my blindness, I can't.
With that, our conversation with the massive dragon ended.
On the way back to the village, perhaps due to the exhausting ordeals we'd endured, we walked in unexpected silence, no chit-chat.
Our only concern was keeping the blue flame on the torch from extinguishing.
Then, someone spoke up.
"But what's a 'juvenile'?"
It was Luna. The dragon had called her "juvenile Noxdoti," sparking her curiosity. Truth be told, I was wondering too.
Elfride, who'd been silent as a ghost until now, answered.
"It's how dragons refer to each other's age."
"Dragon age?"
"They call individuals entering adulthood 'juveniles.' Older ones are called 'ancients,' meaning elder dragons."
Makes sense. Juveniles for those just reaching adulthood. In dragon terms, like youth—young adult—student—miss—something like that?
"Too bad, though. Riding a dragon's back isn't an everyday opportunity. Dragons are proud; they only let those they've acknowledged ride them."
It felt like a lie that she'd been quiet moments ago—Elfride rattled off dragon facts nonstop.
Just when I thought it was over, she kept going.
"Of course, even ordinary folk can ride a dragon's back sometimes. If raised by humans from hatchling stage, they might allow it once in a while."
"What's a hatchling?"
At Luna's question, Elfride, holding the torch, flicked her ears. It looked like she'd been waiting for that.
"Hatchlings are dragon juveniles. Tiny, adorable things that don't even seem like dragons. Hatchlings who learn transformation spells sometimes live among humans in child form."
"Dragons living among humans?"
"Yeah, some furnace dragons deliberately raise young dragons alongside humans. The hatchlings that grow up mixed in often think they're human, not dragons."
"Dragons who don't know they're dragons! Total idiots! Like raising an eagle among chickens—it thinks it's a chicken too!"
Luna laughed as if it'd been the funniest story.
She was probably thinking hatchlings unaware of their identity were fools. Dragons aside, eagles in chicken coops do look ridiculous.
But I didn't find it funny.
What if Luna was an eagle among chickens? She was self-roasting without knowing.
Of course, I was the only one who knew. It was kinda amusing, but what could I do? Luna probably never even considered being a goddess's daughter.
According to HippolytÄ, without a special trigger, many demigods live ordinary lives and die without awakening divinity.
Unless something extraordinary happened, no one would think, "Huh, maybe I'm a goddess's daughter?" and seek Delphi's oracle.
But maybe this trip would awaken Luna's divinity?
Goddess Luna.
What kind of goddess would Luna become?
Luna's cute, so maybe goddess of beauty. Goddess of spiders, ants, and cicadas—perfect for a trimurti of beauty.
On the other hand, I worried a bit. If Luna became a goddess, she might drift away from me.
As I pondered, Elfride said.
"Hatchlings are cute precisely because they live unaware of their identity. The clumsy youth of perfect beings. A brief respite in their eternal lives. Valuable in itself—."
With that, she ended her dragon talk.
Cute because unaware.
Clumsy youth of perfect beings.
Her words pierced Luna's situation sharply.
If Luna hadn't grown up among humans, we wouldn't be laughing and chatting like this. Thinking that way felt a little sad.
Maybe that's why Elfride felt a slight fondness for Luna—sensing it subconsciously?
Who knows.
Anyway, I'd just learned Elfride was a huge dragon fanatic, even after nearly two years. Maybe she felt kinship from their fire-breathing?
Was she too thrilled to speak before the furnace dragon?
*
*
*
"Ooh, y-you really brought the blue flame torch!"
At high noon, with the sun high.
As if waiting for us, Dragonscale Village chief Gardenman greeted us at the entrance with a smile brighter than any could be.
His wide eyes, gaping mouth, and bulging forehead veins bordered on mania.
"And even the nymph came back alive! Truly, truly remarkable! May I ask what happened?"
"Lord Hassan here handled everything smoothly...! He entered the dragon's maw, endured the flames, and literally resurrected from death...!"
"What? Such a thing is possible? If true, that's a new legend for the village! The Samarian who withstood dragon fire! I hear tourists coming!"
"And I am Lord Hassan's right hand and chief of staff, Paranoi...! Be sure to tell everyone about the ditch-water nymph who bravely protested the dragon's outrage...!"
"A nymph fighting back so it wouldn't get eaten!! What a rare tale!! Indeed—!!"
It was barely lunchtime, but my mind was fried. Maybe entering and exiting the dragon's maw had drained my nerves unknowingly.
Thus, I plopped on a bench in the village central park to rest.
Luna and HippolytÄ were diligently trying to transfer the flame to the central furnace.
But despite their efforts—and the villagers'—the torch flame stubbornly refused to move to the furnace.
"What's wrong?"
Luna tilted her head at the torch in her hand, puzzled.
After minutes of struggle, as the torch dwindled, the villagers' shoulders slumped.
"What now? Is this the end for Dragonscale Village?"
"Two hundred years of history crumbling—. Without the furnace, we'll face monster raids every night..."
The villagers deeply regretted the hopeful torch proving useless. Not expecting me to do anything, I just rested in the shade.
But Elfride, sitting beside me, watching wistfully, kept twitching her shoulders.
I asked.
"If it bothers you, go help. The dragon flame you love might go out."
"..."
"Hey, just asking. Afraid of fire. Is it because of me? Or that incident?"
"What—."
"I burned up right in front of you."
"What're you on about. You think I'd fear fire over that? You're so full of yourself."
"Yeah? Then what is it? You're clearly scared of fire."
Elfride furrowed her brow slightly at my words.
"Everyone fears something. You fear spiders too."
"True, but your fear of fire feels different."
"..."
Elfride fell silent. So did I.
Trauma is a powerful shackle, like a curse. But Elfride's felt different from my instinctive spider phobia.
Mine was visceral disgust and fear; hers felt like fleeing something.
Can't vs. won't are different vibes.
Sure, maybe my overthinking was projecting, but I'd trust my gut this time.
"At this rate, the torch'll die out. That furnace dragon trusted you to handle it. Otherwise, our day's hard work is wasted."
"So, what, tell me what to do."
"Here's a deal. If I put a spider on my palm, you face fire again, whatever it takes."
"You, putting a spider on your palm? Hassan you? You'd puke from eye contact alone. Don't talk nonsense."
"Yesterday's me, maybe. But today's me survived a dragon's maw. Feels like I can do anything."
I stood up. Then lightly tapped the roadside tree I'd shaded under with my strength of 15.
Rustle-rustle—leaves and bizarre objects rained down.
Among them, spiders. Fucking huge ones, hand-sized.
Wild wolf spiders maybe.
Rough black color, but size and look like my dog—probably wolf spiders.
Grrr—.
Their cry sounded more beast than spider. Long fur made them fluffy.
Wolf spiders look scary but are venomless, docile, timid, right?
Reminded of my dog, the big black spider seemed kinda cute.
So I slowly extended my palm to one, grasped its back and belly, and placed it on my other hand's back.
Grrr—!
But the spider growled angrily on my hand at the sudden touch.
My legs shook, cold sweat down my back—terrifying—but I'd managed to hold a spider. Pretty brave.
"See. Even wolf spider's touchable."
"Hey, that's—."
Elfride's red eyes widened in shock. No wonder. She never imagined I could touch a spider.
"Now your turn to face fire. A flame mage fearing fire might as well be dead weight on the carriage."
"Hey, but that's not a wolf spider..."
"Then what?"
"Probably a lion spider. No venom, but bites hurt for days. See the mane around its face?"
Grrr—!!
"You fucker!"
I freaked, flinging my hand. The black spider leaped off and scurried away.
Lion spider? What the shit?
Elfride snickered, finding my panic hilarious.
"Hah—. Never thought I'd rib you someday."
She stood from the shade, brushed her butt—tap-tap. Dust flew into my face; I scowled.
But ignoring it, Elfride strode to the massive furnace. Took the torch from Luna, chanted a simple spell.
"..."
Too far, and spells slur anyway, so I couldn't make it out.
But it felt resolute, brave—.
Totally Elfride-like, anyone could see.
Finally, she flung the torch into the furnace—whoosh—a massive blue blaze shot skyward.
"Wow, the pointy-eared miss revived the flames!"
"The prophecy's pointy-ears were elf, not nymph!"
The fire blazed huge, nearly touching the heavens.
[Author's Note] Actually, I considered inserting 2-3 episodes of 3-4 chapters each before Delphi...!!!
But I think the important thing isn't the journey, but what happens at the destination, so maybe shorten it...!!!
Thus, our plane should arrive in Delphi the day after tomorrow...!!!
Passengers, please brace for turbulence for a safe trip...!!!