Chapter 625: Jean Explains
“The Dragon’s Treasure as nesting material? That’s quite an insightful observation. It seems that it’s necessary for calming their attributes and raising their young, so it does resemble nesting material. But why are you doing something so dangerous? If you touch a Dragon’s Treasure, it will go berserk, right?” Haulon asked.
It’s true that stories often feature quests to obtain treasures guarded by Dragons, and they do get furious.
“Sure, if someone suddenly came to my house and chopped off the edge of my bed, I’d be angry too. But I got permission first.”
I made sure to ask.
“The obsession Dragons have with their treasures is intense; they absolutely hate others touching it. Just asking for permission won’t change that. They might even come after you!”
“I was told I could take as much as I wanted, so it should be fine.” Besides, if I hadn’t taken the jewels, they would have likely followed me, or at least I felt their presence.
“What kind of situation is that?!”
Haulon, you don’t need to shout your retorts.
“To start with, when I was making this lantern, I thought it would be better if the dome part was influenced by a Light Spirit or a Wind Spirit. So, I figured a Magic Stone from a Demonized Dragon would have a Wind attribute, right?”
“…There are records that say Dragons host Wind Spirits within them. If that’s true, then even after becoming Demonized, the influence of the Wind Spirit would still be significant, especially with the Magic Stone.”
He looked troubled, but it seemed he understood my reasoning regarding the Dragon.
“So, when I went to check if any Dragons had fallen, there weren’t any, but I found something stuck.”
“Stuck? What do you mean?! Dragons don’t just fall or get stuck like that!!!”
Well, one did fall last time.
“The one that was stuck was a Demon Beast, and it seemed to be fighting the Dragon further inside the cave, so I took the liberty of defeating it from behind—”
“Don’t take it down so easily!?”
I really didn’t want to struggle.
“The Dragon in the nest beyond was the parent of the Dragon Meat I picked up before—”
“The parent of the Dragon Meat!? The one we ate? Or the one we didn’t eat!?”
I could sense Haulon starting to panic.
“Well, the one we could eat was no problem at all, but it asked for an Orb in return, so I gave it back.”
“When was that!? Did I hear about this!?”
I wasn’t sure if I had mentioned it, but I didn’t recall him shouting about it, so maybe I hadn’t?
“Using that Orb, it laid eggs and was nesting when it got attacked by the Demonized Dragon.”
“Dragons use Orbs to lay eggs? I want to hear more about that!”
“Anyway, it seems like, from the Dragon’s perspective, I’ve saved it twice now, so it was in a state where I could take the nesting materials freely.”
I decided to ignore Haulon’s outburst and continued my explanation.
“Where do I even start with this? I have so many questions, but I can’t even figure out what to focus on…!”
Haulon twisted his body and buried his face in a cushion, cradling his head.
For now, I waited for him to calm down while sipping on some spiced sweet tea. One snack was enough.
“…When does Haulon’s break end?”
I still hadn’t reached the point where I could ask for Haulon’s opinion.
“Ugh, I don’t have much time to think… In this case, summoning Linlin wouldn’t help!”
Haulon squirmed around with his large frame.
“Anyway, that’s how it is with the materials.”
Since he didn’t seem to be calming down, I resumed speaking.
“…About the Magic Circle?”
It seemed he had switched gears and sat up straight.
He paused for a moment before reaching for the lantern, examining it closely.
“There are two on the dome and one on the pedestal, right? Neither is visible as it is—can I take them apart?”
“That’s fine, but for the dome, the Spirits need to shine inside for the Magic Circle to be visible, right?”
I had processed it to become transparent at first glance.
“I want to try it out, but before that, can I ask about the effects of each Magic Circle? I can’t tell what they do just by looking, and since there are various Magic Circles in this country, it would be troublesome if activating them caused any unintended effects.”
Haulon pressed his cheek with one hand while looking at the lantern he was holding with the other.
“The main effect is the Magic Circle drawn on the dome, which is for Evil Spirit Banishment? Purification, perhaps?”
“Is it for dealing with ghosts?”
“Yes.”
That’s precisely its purpose. It seems it can’t actually exorcise them, so it ended up being a ghost deterrent.
“The Magic Circle on the pedestal is for making Spirits comfortable and sending them far away. Also, there’s a protective feature at the bottom to prevent it from breaking.”
“I understand the comfort and protection aspects. But why send Spirits far away? Sure, the ‘Spirit Lamp’ allows Spirits to enter and exit freely, but this one can’t let them out once it’s closed, right?”
Spirits struggle to pass through glass-like materials, and most can’t do it at all. While gem-like materials allow easy entry, they often can’t get out.
“Right. Once it’s closed, it blocks things like Black Spirits, making it safe. But it would be a problem if something happened and the Spirits inside couldn’t get out.”
It’s a means of escape in case of emergencies.
“…Rather than the lantern’s purpose, I should be asking where Jean intends to go, shouldn’t I…?”
Haulon looked off into the distance!