Chapter 101: Crazy Wizard Part 1

-Boom!!!

An enormous explosion echoed. The green flames that burst out of the door were incredibly powerful. If we had been a little slower, not just our hair but even our eyebrows would have been completely burned off.

I brushed off the scorched edge of my cloak and cautiously peeked inside the door. The room was filled with various magical tools, half-constructed golems, and numerous experimental subjects which gave off an eerie atmosphere. In the midst of it all stood a man wearing a black hood….

"…Sir Khalid?"

I called his name carefully. This wizard, who seemed to be unscathed despite taking the full brunt of the green flames, didn't seem to hear me. He was muttering to himself while fiddling with a glass bottle filled with a bubbling liquid. I cleared my throat and called his name again.

"Sir Khalid."

"...…"

"It's been a long time."

"Did you interrupt my time just to say that?"

Can't I even ask how he's been? I grumbled at his sharp response and stepped inside the door. Fortunately, this time the green flames didn't engulf me.

"I came because the Black Opium harvest is approaching."

"It's later than I thought."

"But it's much quicker than waiting for the Black Opium imports from Niram to resume."

-Thud.

Finally, Khalid put down the experimental tool he was holding, turned around, and removed his hood. When his previously hidden face was revealed, I couldn't hide my surprise. A few months ago, he looked like an old man with a grown beard and tangled hair. Now, his face was clean-shaven, and his hair was neatly groomed. His eyes which were previously obscured by hair falling to his eyes were now visible and a clear green. No wonder there were rumors about him having "evil eyes".

"I plan to harvest the Black Opium in two days. Today, I came to confirm if you are still interested in the trade."

I pretended not to be surprised and spoke to him as calmly as possible. Khalid looked at me with a sneer, as if he found me amusing.

"Do you not remember who gave you those seeds?"

"I remember. But I am the one who cultivated the Black Opium."

"I've never seen a druid as shameless as you."

"I've never seen a wizard like you either."

Khalid frowned and threw off his gloves with a rough motion as if he were displeased with my refusal to back down. But what could he do? I held the upper hand with the Black Opium.

"Let's discuss the price first…"

"…Wait."

Khalid raised his hand to stop me. For a moment, his face contorted and he looked at me with an expression of disbelief. Huh? The atmosphere had turned hostile so quickly that I was momentarily at a loss for words. What was this menacing vibe? Just because I mentioned the price…

"Druid, you."

"…Yes?"

"What exactly are you carrying?"

"W-What do you mean…?"

Suddenly, Khalid grabbed my wrist with incredible strength. What? I thought wizards were supposed to be frail and weak, but how was he this strong? Before I could pull my hand away, Lloyd reached for his sword. Khalid scoffed and spoke to Lloyd.

"Knight, I could burn this one's arm off much faster than you could draw your sword."

"..."

"…I'm fine, Lloyd. You can put away your sword."

I reassured Lloyd and calmly asked Khalid,

"…I don't understand. Sir Khalid, can you explain so I can understand?"

"You speak as if you have no clue. Are you stupid, or just shameless?"

Khalid's pale, white hand gripped my fingers with a brute strength that seemed impossible. No, to be precise, he was gripping the "space ring" as if he intended to rip it off.

"What… This isn't stolen property. You gave it to me yourself!"

When I shouted in anger, Khalid spoke in a disdainful and tired voice.

"So, you're stupid."

Explain so I can understand! This is why I hate dealing with wizards! I used [Wild Strength] to shake off Khalid's hand. He smirked as if amused.

"Foolish druid. You have no idea what you've brought here, do you?"

"..."

"I wouldn't care if you died alone, but dragging me into this is a problem."

"What are you talking about…?"

"Dragon."

Khalid growled in a low voice.

Dragon!

I finally realized what he was talking about. The dragon egg I obtained from the Swamp of Death! I had stored it in the space ring and had completely forgotten about it… How did he know? Did he already use a detection spell?

"Well… I was going to tell you about that."

It was true that I had intended to ask Khalid about the dragon. I coughed, trying to cover my awkwardness. Meanwhile, the ring Khalid was holding started to heat up. It grew hot enough to burn my fingers.

"How foolish you are, Druid. How could you even think of storing a dragon egg in a space ring? What would you do if the egg, influenced by magic, had broken?"

"…It didn't break, so isn't that what matters?"

"Are you trying to chalk it up to luck? Unfortunately, even if it hasn't broken, all that awaits you is hardship and trials. Perhaps a madman might find that enjoyable?"

"Your words are harsh. I swear, I had no ill intentions…"

"Do you think the dragons will believe that?"

"..."

Once a race as great as the gods, dragons were gradually walking the path of extinction. Unlike gods who lived eternally, dragons had finite lifespans so they needed to reproduce to maintain their species. However, dragons hated each other. No, they despised each other. Perhaps such highly evolved beings found it difficult to accept one another. Because of this, they were slowly but surely "disappearing".

This made the "offspring" of a dragon incredibly precious. It was a rare event for a single dragon to be born every few decades or centuries.

That's why I thought returning this to the dragons would be quite beneficial…

Khalid's reaction made me wonder if I had been too naive, thinking I would only gain from this.

"If I safely return the egg, they'll believe me, won't they?"

"Who are you planning to return it to?"

"…"

Khalid's question was sharp. Yes, who should I return it to? The dragon, presumed to be the parent of this egg, had already died in the swamp of death. So, who am I supposed to return this egg to?

It's not like there's a dragon orphanage.

It was a perplexing situation, truly perplexing. I was caught off guard and couldn't answer easily.

"…That's why I came here."

But I wasn't one to be easily silenced. I quickly changed my approach.

"I need your help, Sir Khalid."

There was a reason Khalid was called a mad wizard. It was because he did crazy things. Just look at how he had me cultivate Black Opium. Wouldn't such a person know at least one dragon? Dragons were the true masters of "magic" after all.

Khalid knew a dragon. That's how he figured out I had a dragon's egg and was certain it wasn't a positive matter.

Therefore, to resolve this issue, getting Khalid's help was the best course of action.

It could actually be seen as a stroke of luck.

"Why should I help you?"

I promptly answered Khalid's question.

"Because it benefits you as well."

"Meeting the dragons?"

Hahaha! Khalid couldn't hold back any longer and burst into loud laughter.

"I knew you were stupid, but I didn't realize you were crazy. This is amusing."

"Let me explain why meeting the dragons benefits you, Sir Khalid."

"Alright, now I'm curious to hear what kind of nonsense you'll come up with!"

Khalid laughed broadly as he perched on the edge of his desk. He casually sat on a desk full of dangerous reagents yet scolded me for carrying a dragon's egg in a space ring, crazy bastard…

"If all goes well, Sir Khalid, you could become the 'godfather' of a dragon."

"…What?"

Khalid looked at me with a face that seemed to say he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"When I last touched the dragon egg, I could feel it. The presence of the dragon. It's already quite developed. All that's left is for the egg to crack."

"How do you know that…?"

"Because I could communicate with it. You haven't forgotten I'm a druid, have you?"

"…"

"This little one just hasn't 'chosen' to be born yet."

There could have been various reasons. The dragon might have already fully developed but thought it was too dangerous to be born, or it could have been because there were no other dragons around, or perhaps it was simply afraid to break out of the egg. The reasons were numerous.

"You're aware that dragons need a 'godfather' or 'godmother' from another race, aren't you?"

"…"

Indeed, dragons had a custom of assigning a godparent from another race to their young. Usually, elves took on this role but sometimes dwarves or humans became godparents. Normally, the parents of the egg would choose the godparent themselves, but this egg was parentless.

This meant that the other race present was more likely to become the godparent.

"You also know that becoming a dragon's godparent allows you to share its magical power."

To a wizard like Khalid, this would be an irresistibly tempting prospect. As expected, I saw desire flicker in his green eyes.

"Isn't this enough of a 'benefit'?"

I smiled and extended my hand to Khalid.