32 Dragon-chan makes a Dungeon, and a Bath
AN: I feel like the majority of this chapter should be an omake, but... I'm too lazy to make it be such... as it'd mean I'd have to write an actual chapter around something I made be two paragraphs... orz... Maybe I could make it a side story? No, that'd have the same problem... On a side note, it's been a while since I made one of these Author's Notes... I guess there wasn't much of a reason for me to do so... Nothing happened that involves the main story, so I never had to say "this chapter is better if you've read c. N of KKKBear"... Wait, the escorting thing... I'll make one now.
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I went to the mine, talked to the mayor of the ghost town at its entrance, and moved onwards to the interior of the mine, whereupon I set a Dragon at the entrance, and then cleared it of every monster inside, from the Goblins to the Blade Bats and everything else. After that, I walked around, embedding Orichalcum Golem arms, legs, heads, and so on into the walls, covered by stone, just in case of people wanting to remove them. I also mapped out the whole thing, and found a single room at the deepest depths that was perfect as the core room, so I placed down the Death Knight's magic stone, and pulled out the Adamantite Golem's corpse after I filled the walls with a large amount of orichalcum. It wouldn't work as the Dungeon Boss as it was, but I could fix that with a bit of magic. I pulled out its broken core, grabbed an unbroken one from an Orichalcum Golem, filled it with a massive amount of mana, and it reactivated. I then placed it inside the Adamantite shell, and pushed the newly-formed Golem onto the magic stone to bind it to the Dungeon Core.
With that, a large amount of mana filled the room, and started to spread outwards from there, so I hightailed it out of the mine, so that I could avoid getting nauseous from a mana overload, in other words, Mana Sickness. I've never experienced it, but I've heard it's worse the more mana you have... and given the amount I have, it could well make me pass out or worse... though, I'd like to think that I'd be able to withstand it for a while due to being a Dragon, but I don't want to test it, just in case. It took me three days to finish clearing the mines and setting it all up, but... I mean, three days is not really that much time, honestly. Now, it'll take a month or so to finish forming, and I have time to do other things, like, well, making some smaller ones, the Goblin Caves. I also have time to finish exploring the continent, which I'll do, I guess, but I'll make the framework for the Caves first, that is, I'll make the caves themselves, but not the core, the boss, or the mana-rich bits of the walls.
I used {Gate} to return to the capital, and then used earth magic to make a small hill in the forest a kilometer or so away from the walls, a few minutes off of the highway. After that, I made a small cave system extending underground, and sealed up the entrance, just in case. I did the same outside of Crimonia, and a few other places, before returning to the Roost to stock up on food, among other things. While I was there, I found Yuna eating some ramen, and at the table next to her, I saw Ruby and Weiss from [Frozen Beacon], so I invited the two of them over to the same table as Yuna, as I sat down to talk with all of them.
"Nene, it's rare for me to find you here. What's the occasion?" (Yuna)
"Well, I just finished making one Dungeon, and setting up the framework for some more, and I thought I should stock up on some food, check in on the orphans, and add a few more recipes to the menu. Also, I do check in on the Roost at least once a week, often more than that" (Nene)
"I'm sorry, why are you making dungeons? I don't think that's in line with an adventurer's work, right?" (Ruby)
"Dungeons, the area in which a lot of monsters of the same type show up no matter how many you kill, but they don't leave the area, not the underground cells into which you put criminals. I made one that spawns Golems, so as to be able to obtain a lot of iron, mithril, and orichalcum" (Nene)
"Ah... I see... how does one go about making one?" (Weiss)
"Well... uh... I hate to say it, but I don't think that anyone humanoid that I know of besides myself and maybe Yuna could manage to make one that does more than spawn a half a dozen goblins a day. They require so much mana to make, and are quite resource heavy too. The aforementioned Goblin Cave would take about a hundred kilograms of mithril, or a dozen kilos of orichalcum, as well as a somewhat high-leveled magic stone... well, one from a C rank monster, I guess, and about as much mana as a court magician has. If you want to make a larger one... Well, good luck. You'd need it" (Nene)
"Yeah... that sounds like it'd be a waste of time and money. I'm not surprised that you have made one that is filled with Golems though... I wouldn't be surprised if you said you were a Goddess in disguise..." (Ruby)
Yuna and I looked at one another, then started laughing, causing the other two to look at us quizzically.
"What? What's so funny?" (Weiss)
"Well, it's because I'm not a Goddess, but I am damn close" (Nene)
Unfortunately, one of the waiters, a boy by the name of Ryan, was passing by with two large platters of food, mostly ramena and a large pavlova, and my statement shocked him enough that he tripped and it all went flying onto us.
"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, it won't happen again, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry" (Ryan)
"Ryan. Enough. It's fine, I'm sorry for shocking you. Considering the timing, I am probably the one at fault. I'll pay for it, so don't worry. It happens to the best of us. I know that I threw up onto the Empress several years back... more than once, actually. If I wasn't punished for that, I can't fault you for getting my cloak dirty. I know Yuna's clothes won't get dirty from something like this, and I'll manage Weiss and Ruby's clothes too. Now, why don't you grab the dishes, and head back to the back with me and I'll explain to the cooks, so that the customers don't have to wait that long. Sound good?" (Nene)
"Yeah... Thanks for this. I really am sorry" (Ryan)
I went to the back, gave a short, five-second explanation, and returned to the table, where the three girls had finished the last of their food, and took them to my house to take a bath. Fortunately, my bathtub was big enough for all four of us to fit, even if I was in my Dragon form, which I wasn't, for your information.
"Wow... Your house is huge... how much did this cost to build?" (Ruby)
"Uh... the land was somewhat expensive, but the house itself I built myself using magic, magic, and more magic. Everything you see, I made myself or gathered from monsters I hunted. Now, shall we head to the bath? Don't worry, we'll all fit" (Nene)
"I don't have anything to change into..." (Ruby)
"Nor do I, regretfully" (Weiss)
"Ah, don't worry. I can lend you something until I finish cleaning your clothes. For now, we can relax while soaking. I could use to relax, I haven't done so in... about two or three months, I think..." (Nene)
"In that case, yeah, you should probably do so" (Ruby)
We washed ourselves off, then soaked in the tub while talking about this and that, though it started with the comment of "They're bigger than when you're in armor... much bigger... I'm rather jealous..." from Ruby... and after that, somehow, the conversation went in a direction I was not expecting at all, and would rather it hadn't gone in... explicit foreshadowing of a quarter page later is still foreshadowing, right? Back to my point of view instead of my narration.
"So, I didn't see Jaune or Yang with you. Did you split up for a quest or something?" (Nene)
"Yeah, something like that. Jaune's family is going through a rough patch, so he went back home, and Yang took the opportunity to search for her mother, leaving the two of us to stay here, where there's good food, a good inn, and plenty of quests to pay for both" (Weiss)
"And, this Jaune guy... do either of you like him?" (Yuna)
Wow, talk about blunt... Wait... No...
"He's a good friend and a good teammate, but nothing more" (Ruby)
"He's... fine, I guess... I just wish he'd stop asking me to go out with him on a date" (Weiss)
"You know, I never did ask, what would you actually want in a boyfriend? I guess... If you had to describe your ideal boyfriend in one word, what would it be?" (Ruby)
No... No... NO... Not the boyfriend talk... anything but that... I'd rather talk about being a Dragon from another world...
"Uh... Considerate, I guess? What about you?" (Weiss)
"A weapon fanatic like me, maybe?" (Ruby)
"Nene? What about you? Tall? Handsome? Kind? Smart?" (Weiss)
How to shut this down before I say something I might regret... well... ah, hell. I'll say it. Why not... but what tone to use? Hmm... I guess I'll say it in a monotone that says "I don't want to say any more than this"
"Female" (Nene)
"..." (Everyone else)
Obligatory awkward silence is obligatory... but, hey, it's the truth. I would hate to lie and then get bugged about it later...
"Well... I guess that works... So, uh..." (Ruby)
"I take it this means that you don't care about passing on your bloodline, despite being the last surviving member of the Drachen Imperial Family?" (Yuna)
"I... I have a... a bit of a... a... a plan... for... for that... I..." (Nene)
"Lemme guess, it involves something they don't know about and you'd rather they not know about?" (Yuna)
"Yeah... it does..." (Nene)
"So, Nene, if you had to describe your ideal girlfriend in one word, what would she be like?" (Ruby)
Crap... right back where we started, but this time, I can't shut it down as easily...
"Well... I already have someone I like... I don't know if she likes me that way... I don't even know if she's into girls or not... but... I don't want to ask her... right now... I... I'd rather not risk our friendship... uh... Yuna? You haven't talked about your ideal boyfriend or girlfriend... or even which one it'd be" (Nene)
"Nice job on changing the subject to get out of having to answer more questions..." (Yuna)
"That's not an answer. It's only fair that you answer, everyone else already did" (Ruby)
"Hey, Nene only said she has a girl she likes, not anything that would describe her" (Yuna)
Damn it all to hell, Yuna... Why'd you have to point that out...
"Good point... So, Nene, what's she like?" (Ruby)
"Yuna... y-" (Nene)
"Wait, it's Yuna?" (Weiss)
That is the case, but Satan will go ice skating in hell before I'd consider admitting it at the moment. I may have 25 years of memories, but I'm still only 13 or so mentally... maybe more like 15 or so, but still.
"What I was going to be saying was that Yuna owes me for this big time, though I guess it's more of a 'be prepared to pay for this in one way or another' because I'm mad at having to answer" (Nene)
"Ah... So, what's she like?" (Weiss)
"Pretty, kind, strong, and possessing less common sense than I do" (Nene)
"So, Yuna?" (Ruby)
"I'm not that pretty, and I have plenty of common sense" (Yuna)
Mission... kinda a success? Maybe? She didn't realize it, but the others... Well, here's hoping they don't try to convince her that I was talking about her... I mean, if she felt the same way about me... I'd like that, but... if not...
"Well, I've answered that, now it's your turn, my love" (Nene)
Shit... that just slipped out... Crapcrapcrapcrapcrapcrap...
"OK, now you're just teasing me" (Yuna)
I will not breathe a sigh of relief, I will not breathe a sigh of relief...
"I couldn't resist. Still, answer the question, please" (Nene)
"I... uh... Fine, I'll admit it. I haven't thought about it at all. I don't even know if I'm into guys, girls, Dragons, none of the above, or multiple of the above" (Yuna)
"You had to slip in Dragons, didn't you?" (Nene)
"I wanted to tease you back at least once" (Yuna)
"That's more of a tease for her summons than her herself, right?" (Ruby)
"I was planning to announce this in a year or two, as I couldn't not have it get known... but... I'm fine with you two learning this earlier than the general public, I guess. You know that I'm the Empress of the Drachen Empire, but what you don't know is that I'll live for tens of thousands of years, due to being a Dragon. Therefore, Yuna saying that she doesn't know if she's into Dragons means that she doesn't know if she'd be into me, a jab at me based off of the two of you saying that I'm in love with her, and my jokingly calling her 'my love' due to all of that" (Nene)
Yeah, I think they went into shock at learning that I'm a Dragon...
"You missed the part about only being part Dragon, and also part Changeling, which is why you are able to take a humanoid form" (Yuna)
"Well, yeah. My 'Dragonscale armor' is actually my own scales, manifested on myself. There's a reason I didn't change with the two of you, but said that I'd see about removing the biggest stains first while you went into the bath, which was that I didn't want you to see my scales change to skin" (Nene)
"That... makes sense... You had Gold-bordered White scales in the tournament, but now, they're Gold-Purple? What are they normally?" (Weiss)
"Normally, they are Gold-Black, but that's something that changed recently. Until about two months ago, they were Gold-Purple. I don't feel like explaining that they've changed to everyone, so I keep them at what people know, at least until I come out and say that I'm a Dragon to everyone, which I'm planning to do when I have enough achievements as an S rank... Well, I have enough achievements right now, but most people don't know that I was the one to do all of that, so... Anyways, once I'm well known and liked by most of the public, I think that they'd be fine hearing that I'm not fully humanoid, but part Dragon as well. Hopefully..." (Nene)
"I'm sorry, you said that your scales changed color, or rather, went up a rank recently? I thought Dragons were born the rank they are for the rest of their lives?" (Ruby)
A common misconception. I'll fix that for those two now, and for the general public, it'll be when I do my big reveal.
"No, we're born, and go up a rank at some point in our lives, and then there's a fixed pattern for when we next go up a rank. Normally, it happens once or twice in a Dragon's life, but for me... seven times. It'll happen seven times, if the pattern holds. There's a chance that it'd be six or eight, maybe even nine if something really weird happens, but... regardless, based on rank alone, I'll most certainly end up as the strongest Dragon in recorded history, as opposed to ones in myths and legends... Unless a Dragon's growth actually caps out at Gold-bordered Silver... in which case I'd be tied for the strongest, but still" (Nene)
Yeah, I'll need to remember to explain that last bit when I do my big reveal... On the other hand, I was a Hiki-NEET for a long time... basically, I have no confidence in my ability to explain stuff like that in public... I'd have to find some reason to show off my being a Dragon, I guess...
"By the way... Nene, isn't it your birthday today?" (Yuna)
Is it? Uh...
"Eh? Today... you're right, it is... Seems I'm legally able to be an adventurer now... often, I don't keep track of the date... bad habit, I guess... Well, it seems like it's time to get ranked up to S, and to set a few of my titles to be visible to anyone..." (Nene)
"You still flustered about us making admit to liking girls? I'm sorry about that..." (Ruby)
"Well, you did go a bit to far, so it's only natural" (Weiss)
"Wait... I just noticed... that plan... for passing on your bloodline... shapeshifting... OH..." (Ruby)
Ruby figured it out, and her face turned the same color as the gemstone she's named after... Weiss followed suit soon after, and I hid myself underwater, using my magic to make a bubble of air around my head that I changed the air inside every now and then, as they all sat there in an awkward silence, one much more so than the first one... After several minutes of that, Yuna pulled me out of the water by the ears. Let's ignore that that made me feel a bit aroused.
"Haa... Haa... Please... my ears... are sensitive... I... don't tease me... like this... Stop... or... go all the way... or at least... try to make it feel better... than it already does..." (Nene, who's not an M, wondering if Yuna's an S)
"It's payback. I have just one thing to ask now. Did you use shapeshifting to change your breast size?" (Yuna)
"Yeah... I... haa... I did..." (Nene)
"OK, what are they like normally?" (Yuna)
She's probably mad about her being a washboard while I have some massive melons... Actually... hmm... this could be a good way to get back at her for earlier. She's still gripping my ears, but even so, I went and used shapeshifting to make my breasts double in size (in terms of how far they stick out, not their volume), and spoke in a shy, quiet voice.
"I used shapeshifting to make them not hinder me when I'm fighting... sorry..." (Nene)
Yuna's soul seemed to leak out of her gaping mouth, and I wondered if I went a bit too far. Ruby, however, took the chance to play with my floating behemoths, in other words, my breasts, and more things like that happened for the half an hour it took Yuna to stop trying to run from the 'reality' that wasn't actually reality, but an illusion that's also a prank.
"Yuna, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist... In truth, I'm really as flat as yo- OW!" (Nene)
"I'm still growing... I won't be flat forever... don't rub it in..." (Yuna)
"I hear that getting them rubbed will make them grow, so... if you'd like, I could rub th- OW! AGAIN?" (Nene)
How is it that, despite every last bit of her strength coming from her bear suit, she could still slap me hard enough to hurt me, despite my skin still being as hard as a Wyvern's hide even without my scales? That's one of the mysteries of females, I guess. When we feel our image is in danger, we could even hurt a Dragon if we felt like it'd reduce the danger... Well, I mean, I could kill a Dragon even without that strength boost... but someone weak enough to be unable to hurt a Goblin, like a bearless Yuna, hurting me? That shouldn't be possible... Damn, that hurt... Physically, mentally, and emotionally... mentally because my head hurts thinking about how she's able to, emotionally... I got hit by Yuna...
