Chapter 430 – Encounter
Long time no see! Greeting someone after a while.
“Hello… I came because you said it was okay to visit…”
『You’ve arrived? Took longer than I expected. Have you finally found your memories?』
Honestly, I’m not even sure how long it’s been since I could talk to someone properly.
The other party, upon hearing my greeting, turns around and is taken aback.
『……Who… are you…?』
“It’s me. The guy who got hit by the head breath last time.”
The one surprised is none other than the Red Dragon.
Not the female Red Dragon that blasted me with breath, but the male Red Dragon who sold an egg to Spencer.
Well, either way was fine with me.
『……You’re a corpse…? Is there a necromancer nearby…?』
“….That’s me…”
As long as they could answer my questions, it didn’t matter who they were.
Right now, I was in the Red Dragon’s nest all alone.
But I was in surprisingly shabby condition compared to before.
So much so that even the Red Dragon seemed genuinely worried about me.
『……Are you even alive…?』
“……For now… I actually don’t know…”
[Didn’t you really suffer from amnesia?]
‘…I feel like I’m going to die…’
Fortunately, the Red Dragon showed concern without losing its composure.
I don’t know if it was because the mating season was over, or if it had recently gone through a sage time.
[Looks like the scrap cars have piled up behind you.]
‘F*ck.’
Luck seemed to have it that the Red Dragon had just entered sage time.
“By the way, where’s your wife?”
『She’s inside playing Dragon Game… H-Hopefully, you don’t want to call for her.』
“No, I’m fine for now.”
『Hoo… Let me know if you need anything.』
Then, the Red Dragon quietly spoke to me.
『However… if I call her, she might leave the house again, so I’d prefer you to call her.』
“……Got it.”
This was not the same confident Red Dragon I had seen moments ago.
Now, it was simply a pitiful head of a family.
Suddenly, a sensation of pain began to swell in my heart.
[Looks like it’s tough being a dragon in marriage.]
‘……I feel sorry for him….’
Anyway, this was good for me.
There were two Red Dragons now.
At least one of them should answer my questions.
Just as I was about to rush and get to the point.
“Actually, I came here to ask you something…”
『No, hold on for a sec.』
The Red Dragon suddenly cut me off and vanished deeper into the cave.
I was already finding it hard to stand.
What in the world was so urgent that he had to interrupt me?
My questions didn’t last long.
“What’s this…?”
『Here, eat this and regain some strength.』
The Red Dragon suddenly returned with a giant fried egg.
“What the heck…?”
『It’s cooked from a dragon egg. Eat it before it cools!』
[It’s still warm…]
‘Are you out of your mind?’
No, it really was Dragon Fried Egg.
“Are you seriously making me eat this…?”
『It’s a fertilized egg, so don’t worry.』
“No, that’s not the problem…”
To be honest, I hesitated a bit.
Even if it was a fertilized egg, it was still a dragon’s egg.
It felt a bit much to eat food that hadn’t been verified.
No matter what, I was in front of the guy who produced this, or rather, the lizard.
『Is it about money? It’s the last egg anyway, so it’s a service.』
“……That’s not the issue, f*ck…”
Where did that dragon hospitality go?
[Just savor the guilt of devouring offspring in front of the parents.]
‘Shut your mouth, you little sh*t.’
However, I had no other options.
『I don’t know what you’re planning to ask, but first, regain your strength.』
“Is my question going to take long? Can’t you answer first?”
The Red Dragon was glaring at me to eat quickly.
In fact, it even threatened that if I didn’t eat, he wouldn’t help with my request.
『No, the question comes afterward.』
“Ugh… Alright…”
Reluctantly, I decided to eat the Dragon Fried Egg in front of me.
Whatever the case, it was a gesture of goodwill, and I couldn’t ignore that.
Plus, I was slightly hungry, so it actually looked quite appetizing.
“Thanks for the meal.”
『Enjoy it.』
Then I cut a piece of the Dragon Fried Egg and took a big bite.
“Bleh.”
『W-What are you doing!!!』
Immediately, I spat it right on the ground.
The Red Dragon was absolutely furious at my reaction.
But honestly, I felt wronged too.
Because this was just…
“It tastes rotten…”
『How dare you! A dragon’s egg is a delicacy among delicacies!!!』
“No, f*ck. It really tastes awful.”
It was definitely not edible.
Despite its appetizing appearance, it couldn’t even be called food.
Calling it trash would insult actual trash.
No matter how I thought about it, it seemed spoiled.
“Why don’t you taste it yourself? Seriously, this isn’t right.”
『If what you say isn’t true, you’ll have to be prepared.』
While the Red Dragon had a flicker of flames in his gaze, he looked at me with hostility for a brief moment.
Then he casually threw the rest of the Dragon Fried Egg into his mouth.
『Uweeeeeek!!!』
“……I told you, you piece of sh*t.”
He started hurling, much more dramatically than when he was with me.
I wondered what kind of bullsh*t I had walked into just trying to ask one simple question.
After a long time had passed, the Red Dragon finally bowed his head and sincerely apologized.
『I’m sorry. I mistakenly brought a decorative egg as food.』
“Ha… It’s okay… It happens…”
For a brief moment, I saw him in an even more shabby state than I was.
“Anyway, what I wanted to ask is—”
『Just wait a moment.』
At that moment, the Red Dragon made a serious expression and started to move deeper into the cave.
I still hadn’t even properly asked my question yet.
But he interrupted me as if he had something urgent to do.
『Five minutes… no, three minutes will suffice.』
“Where are you going?”
I questioned the Red Dragon’s actions.
『I’ll go make a new one.』
“No, stop! You sh*t!”
I had no choice but to rush and stop him.
He had just said that this was the last egg.
So what he meant was he’d go create a new one!
And he would forcefully fiddle with the wife of the Red Dragon who was immersed in the Dragon Game.
This was just unacceptable.
If she left too, it would be a big deal.
The Red Dragon’s wife was my minimum insurance.
『B-but… If I’m not careful, the star rating will drop!』
“I’m not going to do that, just come back!!!”
The Red Dragon mumbled with a discouraged face.
His former dignity as a dragon had completely vanished.
『Are you serious…? You won’t terrorize me saying I didn’t provide enough food for our kid…?』
“I won’t.”
『And you won’t leave a stinky diaper behind secretly?』
“I said I won’t, you little sh*t.”
[Looks like it’s tough for dragons too. Not only being a breadwinner but also self-employed…]
‘…I’m starting to lose track of whether this is the lair of the Red Dragon or a new town…’
My firm words made the Red Dragon look me in the eye again.
He was suddenly projecting a formidable presence as if nothing had happened.
But I honestly felt no intimidation at all after witnessing his previous state.
『So what do you want to ask?』
It seemed like the Red Dragon was finally ready.
So I started to open the dialogue.
“Actually, Mr. Red Dragon, you could regress, right?”
As soon as I asked, the Red Dragon’s expression turned serious.
He paused in silence for a moment before finally speaking.
『You say that implies I knew this body could regress?』
“I also had the ability to regress, but I suddenly lost it in the past.”
『……You too…? Is that really true…?』
“Yes, so I was wondering if you, Mr. Red Dragon, were similar.”
[You’re just a loser who can’t regress, why would you say it like that?]
‘Rather than explaining everything, it might be faster to get to the point.’
After hearing my words, the Red Dragon let out a soft hum and continued talking.
『Hmmm… I’ll be honest since it’s you. I could also regress.』
“So when did you lose that ability?”
This time, the Red Dragon responded without delay.
『A few days before you all first visited.』
“Really?”
『Yes.』
Lucky for me.
To be honest, I had my own concerns when I first visited.
The number over the Red Dragon’s head wasn’t a lot compared to how long they could live.
Because of that, I had secretly worried, ‘What if he lost his regression a long time ago?’
『By the way, why are you asking about this?』
“I’m going to ask one thing for real now.”
『Go ahead.』
Given that he had recently just lost his regression ability, I could potentially get the answer I wanted.
I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts before cautiously articulating my question to the Red Dragon.
“When you lost your regression, do you have any idea if it was taken from you by someone else?”
At my question, the Red Dragon’s breath halted for just a moment.
Then followed by massive trembling of his hefty body.
It was as if he was displaying an indescribable fear.
“Why do you react like that…?”
『Th-that, that is… an utterly terrifying and repulsive existence…!!!』
Suddenly the situation took a turn for the worse.
“Are you okay?”
『W-we merely regarded it as such…!!!』
The condition of the Red Dragon began to deteriorate drastically.
