Chapter 730: Colorful Colors 5
Collected from the vast earth and refined in a labyrinth, these beings are imprisoned by 「Qi」. They are the holy beasts. They can heal any hunger or wound infinitely. Even if they transform themselves into a state where survival is impossible, as long as they remain near the labyrinth, they will never die and continue to live forcefully in their absurd structure. Even their internal organs, which should absorb food and air to create life force, become unnecessary and degenerate to the point of absurdity. The only way to kill them is to destroy the labyrinth itself. The only thing binding Breakcore, such a holy beast, is its inability to leave the labyrinth. That said, before we tampered with the Holy Beast Labyrinth, it was said that they could temporarily leave the labyrinth and even fight external enemies outside the forest. Though it’s as reckless as holding one’s breath while running long distances, since they would simply resurrect near the labyrinth even if they died during an expedition, it wasn’t a significant issue for her. However, after tampering with the labyrinth, that ability has declined overall, and Breakcore, who should have been unable to stray far from the labyrinth, is now casually appearing in Polka. She must have done something I don’t understand. I know nothing about magic theory, but I can’t help but ask.
“How did you manage to come all the way to Polka? Did you do something similar to when you created Diel’s replica before……”
“Ah, that’s impossible now. The labyrinth’s energy refinement ability has declined. Without preparation, it doesn’t have enough power to act alone like that……I made a few adjustments”
Breakcore smiled and tried to continue explaining, but Diel, who was standing next to her, interrupted.
“We don’t have time to talk. I’ll explain later. Let’s prioritize this first”
“Ah, okay”
Backing away, Breakcore bowed apologetically before transforming into a unicorn. With Diel aboard, she galloped off toward Polka. Staring blankly after them, I hesitated to give chase, thinking that since she said she’d explain later, it wouldn’t do to just follow blindly. In the end, I decided to wait.
“Is there a dragon nearby? I need some help!”
I decided to check the situation from the sky. Within a minute of my call, a group of figures gathered at the entrance to the forest. First, Maia and Leda flew over, as if competing with each other.
“What”
“Any orders?”
While I was deciding which of the two to choose, Emma and Corti flew over the trees.
“Did you call us?”
“Don’t call us like that. We can’t just not come”
“You can go back, Corti. You’re not needed for your dragon powers”
“What……why are you saying that, Emma?”
I’ve noticed recently that Emma is surprisingly quick to fight. She’s especially harsh with her family. She’s different from Maia, who remains indifferent even to those she doesn’t care about. Maybe because she’s such a good student, she can’t help but notice the little flaws in others. But I didn’t think Corti would actually come. I thought it would be Leyla if anyone did.
“Did you call, Maia’s master?”
A naked middle-aged man suddenly appeared behind us. It was Broll, a prominent figure in Misty Palace. Perhaps because they weren’t used to him, the three of them other than Maia looked slightly startled. Actually.
“It’s okay if it’s just me……are there more people coming?”
“I can hear two more people approaching. One is probably Juline, but the other is probably one of Silver’s comrades”
When I asked Broll while pointing at his penis, he made a gesture of apology and took out some clothes to cover himself while explaining. It’s kind of scary that seven of them can gather at once. Dragons that can flatten a place in five minutes with just one of them. ……Then, the naked Juline and, for some reason, Shario arrived.
“I have come to serve you, Maia´s master”
“State your business”
“……No, really, just one is enough. And why is it Shario?”
“……I’m about to boil. I just came out to kill time”
Shario said that while freezing her damp hair and roughly shaking it to remove the ice. Even a single strand of hair is incomparably stronger than other species, a drying method unique to dragons.
“……I just want to ride and fly for a bit. I’m sorry to gather everyone, but everyone except Maia can disperse……”
“I should have been faster than her”
“That’s not true”
“Stop arguing. It’s not that important anyway”
While mediating between Maia and Leda, who were pushing each other with their elbows, everyone else decided they were bored, so I flew with Maia, followed by a six-headed formation of blue and silver dragons flapping their wings. ……Yeah. I just wanted to casually observe Breakcore’s movements from the sky, but it’s turned into an amazing scene, like the battle against Kalwin. I hope no one noticed this scene in Polka.
Breakcore carrying Diel occasionally transformed into human form and asked for directions in the square and at the baron’s mansion, eventually arriving at the hot springs. The hot springs were closer to the forest than the town, but they must have taken a detour because they weren’t familiar with the area. Then, she suddenly transform into human form at the hot spring, enter the men’s bath, and take a breather without caring about Harry-san and the children. Hmm, maybe the healing power of the hot spring is replacing the supply of 「Qi」. As I observe this, I also see Irina and Christie appearing at the entrance to the forest. I think for a moment and descend.
“Hey!”
“……What are you doing, Smithson-dono?”
“Are you trying to destroy Trot or something……?”
“No, what would I do with destroying Trot? I just gathered them because I wanted to have a ride, but too many showed up”
I calmed the two of them, who were trembling at the sight of seven dragons including Maia, and then.
“I was waiting to talk to you about the collar ceremony……but before that, Breakcore came for some reason”
“Oh. That explains why she was in the forest”
“Eh, what? How is that related?”
I thought her appearance was out of context, but now that you mention it, Breakcore taking action on her own is big news in the Northern Forest.
“Breakcore, Diel, and volunteers from the Maze Village have built a long path from the Holy Beast Labyrinth to the Silver Clan territory. It’s an unprecedentedly hasty job for elves. I heard about it at the clan meeting”
“A path……?”
Building a path must have required a lot of manpower. As if reading my mind, Christie explained in detail.
“They erected stone markers every few kilometers, pointing straight toward the exit to Polka”
“……I thought path meant they leveled the ground and made it flat……”
“No, it’s not like that. It’s a magic technique that humans can’t see, but it has a guiding effect. It’s the opposite of a maze barrier. If you walk unconsciously, you’ll follow the stone markers. It’s not a path yet, but I think it will become one in a few decades as people and animals walk and trample it”
“Haa……is that possible?”
That would be a welcome effect for someone with a poor sense of direction. Just walking without thinking and heading in the right direction.
“However, due to insufficient coordination……the red clan and silver clan elves who directly manage the land were notified, but Mark and Raymond didn’t seem to be aware of the situation”
“Ah……”
“The northern forest is lax with time. Non-urgent communications can take months, or even years, to be relayed, and many don’t bother to report such things. There’s also the fact that the two of them, having just been appointed clan leaders, were underestimated, and the report was overlooked”
“In any case, they bypassed the clan leaders and created it in just a few weeks, so an emergency summoning was called”
Umm. From the looks of it, this is the path Breakcore took to come meet me……if she rush out of the forest as fast as possible, she’ll suffer less from a lack of 「Qi」. That’s probably why they made a straight path. Still, the teleportation array between clan estates seems faster. I think the space inside the barrier is distorted, so even neighboring clan territories are quite far apart.
“So, where is Breakcore?”
“Shee rushed off to the sacred spring”
“……Hmm. To replenish her energy?”
“I guess so”
In the end, I was left behind, so I’m just guessing most of what I’m saying. Corti, who was still hovering in the air, seemed to think so too.
“This is too complicated. Just catch up and talk to her!”
“No, don’t talk normally in dragon form. Your voice is too loud”
Laila, Maia, and Emma have gotten used to talking using the 「Mini-clone」 illusion technique, but Corti isn’t used to it yet. It made her ears ring a little. However, what she said made sense.
“Corti is right. Let’s go and talk about it in detail. We have the collar ceremony to attend”
“That’s right. Maia, take us with you”
“Please”
Irina and Christie hurriedly climbed onto Maia’s back. And I……was suddenly grabbed by Leda, who reached out her front legs from the sky and snatched me from above Maia’s head.
“What are you doing?”
Maia protested.
“Since we’ve already landed, it’s my turn to carry you”
“Don’t just make up your own rules!”
“That’s unfair!”
“Stop talking normally in dragon form! My ears are splitting!”
“I’m sorry”
Don’t try to be so helpful. Emma and Corti are eyeing us. Come to think of it, I wonder how Laila and Leyla are doing……maybe they gave way to us, anticipating this kind of battle. They’re both so mature. Wait, I asked you to do this, though.
The dragons flew to the men’s bathhouse, transformed into human form one after another above the hot spring, and landed in the water with a splash. I was carried by Leda in a princess carry and landed in the water. Six out of the seven dragons were girls, so the kids who were already in the hot spring were flustered. Everyone except Juline was still wearing clothes, so they probably felt embarrassed about being naked.
“This is a bath, so take your clothes off properly. Those who can’t take them off should wait outside”
I stripped while giving the order. Protecting the dignity of the children’s penises was just a pretext; I just wanted to see their breasts. Even though they’d show them to me anytime in private, once the necessity to be naked arose, I wanted to see them again and again. Maia and Broll didn’t object and quickly took off their clothes, while Emma and Leda hesitated a bit, probably because of the kids, Harry-san, and Diel, but eventually stripped off with a reckless abandon. Juline was already naked. Corti muttered, 「There’s no need for me to be here」, and tried to leave, but when she saw Shario, who she thought was going to leave with her, casually take off her clothes and get into the bath, looking comfortable, she froze, looked back and forth between the door and the bath, and eventually came back.
“……If I run away alone, I’ll just look like a stupid female slave”
“It’s fine. We didn’t come here to do anything dirty”
“No, it’s not okay. Something’s not right”
Corti stubbornly continued to take off her clothes one by one while glancing at the kids’ stares.
“I’m sorry for the commotion”
said Christie, who had apparently come from the changing room, as she apologized and got into the bath. Harry-san nodded deeply.
“Umm. Wonderful”
This isn’t a conversation. The kids, suddenly outnumbered by women, shrink back, and Diel looks awkward as he soaks in the water next to Breakcore. Compared to them, Harry-san’s dignified attitude is certainly reassuring. But let’s put them aside for now. Breakcore.
“So, Breakcore. Emm……”
“Ah, the explanation. Right, I promised”
Breakcore begins her explanation, stroking her cheeks with the warm water.
“It’s nothing. It’s just an experiment to see if I can visit here”
“You went to all that trouble to make a path just to get here? Wouldn’t it be faster to use a transfer array?”
Breakcore looks a little puzzled, then glances at Christie and Irina (who have just come out of the changing room) and nods in understanding.
“Ah, we’ll use the teleportation array. The path……the stone monument isn’t for 『That』 purpose”
“Ha?”
“That’s to pull the influence of the labyrinh’s power. The main experiment is to see if it can reach this far without being cut off. And if the labyrinh’s power can reach this far, even if it’s weak, then maybe I can modify my body to adapt as much as possible and stay here a little longer”
“……I, I see”
It was a more academic experiment than I had expected. Her ultimate goal of coming to my place hasn’t changed, but it seems like this facility was built with careful consideration, rather than just brute force and momentum.
“If this works, we might be able to consider defending the forest like we used to. I can’t fight like a dragon in my current state, but I should still be able to handle humans”
“……I thought you were just acting recklessly because you wanted to see me”
“Ah, that’s certainly the first reason. ……Huu, this is a good spiritual spring. It doesn’t regenerate infinitely like the one back home, but it has enough power to at least stabilize the dwindling vitality of the holy beasts”
Breakcore played with the hot water again, rubbing it on her cheeks and shoulders. The dragons had bigger breasts, but she was also beautifully naked. The kids’ eyes were drawn to her generous breasts. The dragons were clearly in a group, so even if they tried to stare, they would lose out due to the pressure.
“……So that means you can still come to Polka, Breakcore?”
“Yeah. Staying permanently is a bit tricky technically and because of the elves’ voices, but coming by occasionally when you’re lonely is fine”
“Of course. ……Emm, well……”
I should probably check on Harry-san, Diel, and the kids. But maybe I’m overthinking it. They’re not going to start getting all wet and messy right in front of me.
“There’s this ceremony called the Collar Ceremony”
“Huh?”
“It’s a ceremony to induct female slaves into the group. We didn’t do it when you were around because it was too far away, but lately there’ve been a lot of new female slaves, so we decided to do it on a bigger scale……and since you’re part of the group, we were thinking of going all the way to the labyrinth to do it”
“……Ah, so that’s what you meant……”
“But if you can come, it’ll be easier”
“Sure. I’d love to attend. It means a lot to me that you consider me part of the group”
Breakcore says this with genuine joy. Her smile shows how much she values the bond between us and the connections that stem from it.
“Umm. Wonderful”
Wait, we’re not inviting Harry-san, are we?