Two Birds, One Stone
The two were filled with enthusiasm as they talked to each other, while the Kobolds scattered throughout the cave to return to their duties.
Despite having only recently met, it was exceedingly clear that Ryan had already become a significant influence on the young dragon's development.
“When will we get our revenge, Ryan?” Chrysus asked, his small dragon squirming in anticipation and looking ready to pounce at the nearest rock. “In a hundred years?”
Ryan laughed. “That seems like a short amount of time to you, doesn’t it?”
“Un.” Chrysus nodded. As a dragon, a creature meant to be long-lived, the way he measured time was far different from a human like him.
“Well, it’s going to be much shorter than that.” Ryan chuckled. “A hundred years is a long time for a human. It’s their lifespan usually.”
“W-what?” Chrysus’s eyes widened and it looked at Ryan with its mouth open. “But… but you also have to live longer too! You can have all the crystals here that have mana in them. Isn’t that supposed to be good for the body? I know that in the past, people used to try to steal a dragon’s hoard for all our treasures.”
“You don’t have to worry about that for now, Chrysus.” Ryan patted the baby dragon. “I still have a lot of years ahead of me, but I appreciate the offer too.”
Only those skilled in magic and talented in its use could benefit from the mana crystals and other precious gems to extend their lifespans.
Ryan, however, did not possess such abilities, though he concealed any hint of disappointment.
‘I mean, now that I’ve mentioned it, I also want to live long like those Elves. But at the moment, there’s not much I can do about it, so I’ll focus on the tasks I can do and work my way up from there.’
“Okay then… we should eat now!” Chrysus said.
“This Giant Buck they brought me is filled with mana. It’s really good.”
“Did you know that I was the one who killed it?” Ryan said.
“Really?” Chrysus looked up at him. “How’d you do it? Will you tell me the story?”
“Of course, of course.” Ryan grinned. “I’ll start a fire and tell you all about it, so you best be ready.”
‘It’s like Ryan has a much younger brother now.’ Joan thought with a smile as she observed the two in silence. ‘… I think he must be missing Princess Rose now. The way his little younger sister adored him reminds me a bit of Chrysus.’
— — — — — — —
The next morning, Ryan, Joan, and the five Kobolds were all ready to return to Stonefall Village.
Ryan didn't make any demands towards the young baby, but the end result was still the same.
“Can I come with you? It’s boring to live in the cave all the time,” Chrysus said as he followed them to the entrance of the cave.
“Of course, I'd be happy to let you come with me… but you’ll be putting yourself at danger if you do,” Ryan replied with a small frown. “I don’t want you to get in any harm and at my current position, there’s not much I can do.”
“How come?” Chrysus looked at him, confused. But he easily made up his mind and protested, “Also, I don’t need your protection. I’m a dragon! And I can bring all of my Kobolds.”
“We haven’t had a dragon come anywhere near a human settlement in a long time. Well, I don’t think my people will say anything about it though… ah, maybe Builder’s nagging is rubbing off on me.”
“Who’s the Builder?” Chrysus asked.
“Huh? You haven’t…?” Ryan turned to the book floating in front of him.
“I can turn myself invisible to protect myself from individuals who I deem should not be able to lay their eyes on me,” the Grimoire said. “Do you also wish to reveal my presence to this dragon? It is your choice, but the more that people know, the more chances that one may end up coveting…”
“Show yourself already, Builder.” Ryan said.
“Behold my presence and tremble!” the Grimoire declared with a magnanimous tone.
“It sounds silly,” Chrysus said.
“Isn’t it?” Ryan chuckled. “But it’s actually powerful and helps me.”
“Huh, you actually acknowledge how useful I am… I mean, how powerful I am.” The Grimoire muttered to itself, a bit shocked.
Fortunately, the Grimoire was able to save its face when Chrysus regally bowed his head.
“I see. I see. Nice to meet you, Builder. Thank you for helping my brother. I hope that we can get along.”
“Ah, yes, that will depend… but I see that you are a precocious child.”
“Thank you, Builder. Now can we go, Ryan? I promise I’ll behave and won’t scare your people at all!”
Ryan chuckled and patted the young child's head. “Alright, I can’t say no to you. But I have some requests.”
— — — — — — —
Doran and Spike nearly passed out when they saw what appeared like an army of Kobolds spill out of the cave.
Little did they know, Chrysus left a majority of the Kobolds in the cave to continue with their duties, taking only a few to act as his guards upon Ryan’s request.
But what was even more surprising was the vast amount of precious gems and stones that all of the Kobolds carried.
“T-this is… am I dreaming, Doran?” Spike rubbed his eyes. “Can you pinch me?”
“Master Ryan, you are alive!” Doran said and bowed to one knee. “We haven’t stopped waiting for you.”
“Ah… I knew I was forgetting something.” Ryan scratched his head sheepishly. “Thank you for waiting for me, Doran and Spike. As I’ve told you before, I'll definitely come out unharmed. Aren't I right?”
“I-indeed.” Doran eyed the Kobolds and the baby dragon with some hesitation.
“Well, we’re going back to Stonefall Village now, but before we get back, we still have other things we need to do.” Ryan said.
“Other things?” Spike asked in wonder.
“Do you like fruit, Chrysus?” Ryan turned to the dragon.
“The Kobolds would sometimes bring me some. They’re sweet, tasty, and refreshing,” Chrysus chirped. “There are lots of different fruits in Ironcross Mountains. You can get a lot of them if you know where to look.”
‘We’ve got sufficient military strength with the Kobolds with us now, but there’s more to gather here! It’s two birds with one stone.’