27 Dragon-chan’s trip, part 3: A reason to return

I left for the capital of Ordesia, and on my way, I (in Dragon form, made invisible with magic) flew over a group of people with a caravan of two dozen or so female slaves between the ages of 8 and 15, and decided to fly back in front of them, land in the forest, and walk in front of them to ask if they were legal slaves, in other words, criminal slaves.

"Oi, leader, I see a cute little beastkin girl on her own ahead of us. What should we do?" (Man A)

"Get closer to her, then stop. There's no reason not to catch her, she'll be a nice addition to our merchandise, and I might want to have her to myself for a while. I mean, everyone knows that they start mating from a young age, like the animals they are, so who would notice her being impure?" (Leader)

Definitely not a legal slave trader... If they're catching young kids and making them slaves, I should crush them... especially if they're raping them too. I spoke to them while drawing closer, and they weren't stopping either.

"You know, I should tell you two things... First, I can hear you, and I heard you saying that you want to catch me to make me a slave like the children you'vite got in the back. Second, are you not wondering how I could be safe on my own while several days away from the nearest town? It's because I'm an adventurer... among other reasons. Considering that Ordesia doesn't allow slaves other than crime slaves, I have a duty to catch you, as you are criminals. Don't try to run, I am faster than you could be, even on a fast horse. You also have no chance of winning if you try to fight me. Just give yourselves up peacefully, and you will not have to deal with the pain of broken arms and/or broken legs" (Nene)

"HA! Nice bluff, but... you're too young to be an adventurer, and I have a dozen guards who were adventurers rank C or better. I myself was once an A rank, so you have no chance against us. Don't worry, you'll be kept unharmed, as you'll fetch a better price that way" (Leader)

"Oh, is that all? I may have only registered less than a year ago, but... I'm already a B rank, I've got 27 titles, and... well, I'd also like to point out that you're surrounded by my summons. Each of them is an S ranked threat on its own, and there are... well, about two of them for each of your men. They are only there to keep you from running, as I'm enough to disable your guards on my own, even blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back. As it stands now... I'll just hit you with the same attack I used to defeat several hundred Iron Golems a few days ago. I don't want to kill you, but I do want to make sure you can't run. Don't worry, I'll heal you when we get to the capital, as you'll fetch a better price that way" (Nene)

I sprinted towards them, landing a punch or a kick to the legs of everyone I passed, and then ran around to everyone else, giving them a broken leg to match their companions . They couldn't see me, so they couldn't hit me with sword, spear, or magic. Afterwards, I put them on the carts as well as creating a cage for the horses, who wouldn't listen to my orders... I don't know how to ride or drive one, let alone a dozen of them pulling six different carts. Therefore, I put them in a wheeled cage made from magic, and brought them along, as the carts and cage were each pulled by one of my Dragons, who had grown to the size of horses. On the four-day trip, I was busy keeping the kids calm, and assuring them that I'd remove their collars once I'd had them as proof of my claim that they were slaves. I mean, I didn't want to be taken in because I'd beaten up a bunch of men on false charges. I also said that I'd try to get them back to their families, if they had any. If they didn't, I said that I'd take them to an orphanage that I knew treated the kids well, and was near to where I lived, when I wasn't traveling. There were only half a dozen of them with families left, so I had a long, long way to go to get 20 children to Crimonia... was it not for {Gate}.

On the morning before we got to the capital of Ordesia, I woke up to find that I'd changed back into my Dragon form in my sleep. I then noticed that my scales were Gold-bordered Black, not Gold-bordered Purple. I'd gone up a rank at twelve and a half years old. Going by the pattern... I'd go up another four ranks before I reached 200 years old, meaning that I'd end up as... Dual-bordered Green? Wait, my family grows until about 350... Dual-bordered Red? Me? A middle-class Dragon God? I've got to tell Douglas, Yuna, and maybe the King of Erufanica as well... Hell, if I reach Dual-bordered White at 75 years old, I'm going to have to make it known to everyone that they exist. I don't want to have to keep telling people that I'm not one of those who is far weaker than some of her subordinates. I also don't want to have people assuming that my scales are like those of an ordinary White Dragon, or even an ordinary Gold-bordered White one... Anyways. I shifted back into my humanoid form after checking that nobody was watching me... actually, I was the first one to wake up of the ones who weren't bound and gagged (the slave traders/kidnappers) as it was an hour or two before dawn. I spent those hours mending my clothes, which had ripped when I shifted in my sleep, while wearing some other clothes (a formal dress my mother wore when she looked my age) I had in my Hoard.

"Hey, uh... big sis, why are you now in that dress? You look like some princess in that. Wait... Don't tell me you are one? If s-" (an eleven year old orphan girl named Chloe)

"I'm not a princess, and even if I was, the country I came from is no more. I'm one of the few survivors at all from it, so I'd have a whole five people below me in rank... Anyways, the reason I'm in these is that the ones I was wearing ripped while I was asleep. I guess I had a nightmare based off of that memory and used some wind magic on myself or something. I'm glad I always wear my armor underneath my clothes, otherwise, someone might have gotten a good view of my half-naked body while I was asleep... not that I'd really care, honestly. I was completely naked for the first five years of my life, so I'm kinda used to it. It's just for the sake of my reputation that I am somewhat concerned about it" (Nene)

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. Still, you look good in it. However... I don't think that the guards at the capital would think that you'd be an adventurer dressed like that. Do you have anything else?" (Chloe)

"I will in a few minutes, I just need to finish mending it. Actually, that's another thing... do you think a princess would know how to sew in any fashion besides embroidery?" (Nene)

"OK, OK, I get it, your point has been made. Would you like me to make breakfast?" (Chloe)

"Hmm? I didn't know you could cook. I'd love to taste what you can make, I guess. I don't know much about this country's foods, and I'd like to get any ideas I can for stuff to put in my shop. Oh right, you didn't know that... I own a restaurant... well, it's more of a cafe or diner, but... Anyways, I have all sorts of food there, and the ones doing most of the cooking are either the orphans in that city, or my Dragons. If you're really good, I'd be happy to have you work in my shop, if you wanted" (Nene)

"I'll... think about it..." (Chloe)

Her cooking was very good, a fact that I learned after I'd changed back into my normal clothes. The rest of the trip passed smoothly, though every time we passed a group of travelers, they panicked when they saw that Dragons were used as mere work animals... or maybe it was just at the fact that there were Dragons on the road at all... Anyways, we got to the capital, and the guards sent someone for reinforcements after they saw two Elder Dragons, one God Dragon, and three Ancient Dragons coming towards them. I just moved over to the side, out of the way, as I asked to speak with someone who held authority, be it a noble or a captain of the guard. Five minutes later, a fat man and some rough-looking guards around him came to speak with me, or rather, with the B rank adventurer of my group, the one who could command the Dragons.

"I was asked by the guards to speak with the adventurer in charge here. I am Duke Allstream. Where is this adventurer controlling Dragons? I don't have all day, girl. Get moving, and bring him to me at once!" (Duke)

"I'm the one you're looking for. My name is Nene, I'm a B rank adventurer and the master of these Dragons. I asked to speak with you because I came across some slave traders who kidnapped young girls, including making an attempt to kidnap me, for the purpose of turning them into slaves. From the stories I heard from the girls, I learned that they also killed those they couldn't sell, including the families of most of the girls. I brought them, and their slaves, with me, I would like to know how to deal with this. I know that this country doesn't allow slaves besides criminal slaves, but I don't know much more than that, as I'm not from this country. Should I release them, or hand them to the guards and have the guards deal with it, or get the ones who have families back to their families and the other ones to an orphanage?" (Nene)

"Hm... I think the last option should be the best of those. If you'd like, I can take care of that part myself. I have a bit of a soft spot for children, you see" (Duke)

"When you say soft spot, you mean you hire people to kidnap them so you can have young girls as your slaves inside of, and outside of, your bed. The girls overheard the men talking about it. Of course, I have no evidence myself, but... since you said that giving them to their families and the rest to an orphanage is a good option, I'll do so myself. If you try to stop me, you'll be outing yourself as a liar, or someone who wants to get something from them that that won't give you, which would work as evidence in this case, alongside the testimony of the girls and the slave traders, who I did catch alive" (Nene)

"You... Arthur! You and your men, kill her!" (Duke)

"Arthur, a former S rank adventurer, right? Don't mind if I ask him to fight me in single combat. I won't involve my summons, he won't involve his men. I'm just an ordinary B rank, right?" (Nene)

"I'll do it. If someone is fool enough to challenge me to single combat, I will do it. It's the only way I have to preserve the rest of my honor" (Arthur)

"Lead the way to a spot that works for our duel. I haven't set up any traps or anything, so don't worry" (Nene)

He lead me to a small clearing, and drew his sword. I took off my cloak and other clothes, leaving myself in just my armor, which I'd made back into the Gold-bordered Purple scales, as I preferred that color. Arthur's eyes widened, and then he scoffed. When the Duke gave the countdown, Arthur rushed me, and I took his adamantite sword head-on, before jabbing my claws into his adamantite armor, cutting off his sword arm at the shoulder. I then healed him, and went to the guard who was watching to point out that the Duke had attempted to attack me when I accused him of illegal slave trading. As that can be taken as an admission of guilt, he was arrested, while I reunited the girls who had families left with said families, handed the slave traders to the guard, and sold the horses and carriages, before I took the rest of the girls to Crimonia with {Gate}.

"What the... where are we?" (Chloe)

"Welcome, to Crimonia, a city in Erufanica, and the place that I live. I am on good terms with the manager of the orphanage here, and you'll be treated well, you'll have enough to eat, be warm while you sleep, and even be able to spend your time working or learning, if you want to. If you wanted to, I'd be happy to have you working at my shop or my library, for those who can cook or read. If you can't, but would like to, I'd be happy to have someone teach you. I'll be around for the next week or so, so if you need something from me, just ask, though I might have an errand or two throughout the day. I'll also try to stop by every few days too" (Nene)

After I got them settled in, I went to talk to Yuna, showed her my new form, and got an "eh, what else is new?" type of response. I forgot that she doesn't have the common sense of this world yet... Now, onward to the King...

"Sorry, you can't see him, he has a meeting to deal with right now, so get lost" (Guard)

"Please inform him that an S rank adventurer named Nene would like to discuss something that could, in theory, devastate the entire continent if poorly handled" (Nene)

"I'm sorry? Since when is a little girl an S rank adventurer?" (Guard)

"Since I came along, I guess. Here's my card, and here's the seal of the King himself, as well as that of another country and a list of 27 titles. In the meantime, I'll be with princess Flora, as I do have the right to meet her whenever I like" (Nene)

With that, I used {Gate} to move to the hall outside her room, and then asked to enter. When I did, I gave her some food, including my newest addition to my menu: pavlova, a fruit and whipped cream topped meringue served as a dessert. While she was eating, the King and Eleanora came to meet us, and I asked to speak with them in private. He took us to a room, sent his guards out, and asked what was up to make me want to meet with him, specifically.

"Well... it has to do with a few problems arising from a single event that happened this morning. I should explain a bit about how Dragons, like myself, mature" (Nene)

I explained about the rank changes of a developing Dragon, and then...

"Now that I've told you that, I'd like to inform you that I just became a Gold-bordered Black this morning. This means that, by the time I'm 75, I'll have become a Dragon God class being" (Nene)

"Aren't you already a God Dragon?" (King)

"Ah. Right, uh... Humans called Gold-bordered Red through Gold-bordered Silver God Dragons, not knowing about how we Dragons depict our Gods, being ones higher than Gold-bordered Sliver. That would be a Dragon with two borders of Silver and Gold around their scales. So, by the time you, with your being a quarter elf, reach the age at which point you'd retire, I'd be a Dragon that could cause some... misunderstandings, I guess? A Dragon, with two borders on her scales, is something nobody here has even thought might exist. I would like it if I could have someone of influence backing up my claim that Dragon Gods exist, and that they are different from what people call God Dragons. Now, I do know that many people still don't think that there are Dragons that are stronger than Gold-bordered Orange, or, in other words, that God Dragons are just a myth or theory" (Nene)

"Fair enough. I'd be happy to do so, honestly. However... I think that you'd need to be okay with revealing that you aren't a human or beastkin first, and that should wait until you've been recognized as an A or S rank adventurer. Hm... You also said that you defeated an Adamantite Golem in a mine system... That's something that should get you up to rank S, or A at the minimum. I think that, once you get to be 13, you should just start using your first card. An S rank with about 30 titles and the backing of the royal family would be able to be enough in the spotlight that, after another year or two of piling up achievements, would be loved by the people even if it was revealed that she's not even a humanoid at all" (King)

"I'd like to point out that I'm more than 3/4 human, and I do have some beastkin blood. Changeling blood this dilute can't let me shift to a form I don't have in my blood. It means I can't change into a mouse or a horse. In any case, I'd have to explain that I'm a Dragon at some point, as I'll outlive a purebred Elf several hundred times over. I may as well do it at 15 if I'd do it by 150" (Nene)

"Good. Now, I should talk to Sanya about getting you promoted to A rank, considering that you'd killed an Adamantite Golem in a mine on your own" (King)

"I'd rather you not, actually. A ranks have to be announced as such, and while that would solve my problems with people doubting my identity, it'd also open me up to people asking me to join their parties in a forceful way, and people not wanting to hire me due to the price. It'd also make it harder for me to travel, as a country might assume that an A rank is a force of a single country, so them being in a different one means that that country might be preparing for an invasion or something. At least, that's how it was in the Empire, and in some of the other countries here" (Nene)

"Oh, right... I hadn't thought about that... thanks for reminding me" (King)

"Right, Nene? I have something to request of you after this, if you have time" (Eleanora)

"I'm done, unless there's something else Nene has to talk to me about?" (King)

"No, not really. Thanks for your time" (Nene)

After I said that, he left, and I spoke with Eleanora for a while. Long story short, she wanted me to help out with an expedition of the school Shia was going to. Yuna would be escorting Shia's group, and I was to escort another one. I accepted, and was told to show up in a month and a half.

I spent the next few days helping the kids adjust to Crimonia and the orphanage, explaining what happened to Douglas, who showed the biggest reaction of all, and then I left to continue my trip.