51. At that time, they gazed at the monitor.
“Magic that makes plants grow.”
Nothing came up.
“Then, dragon magic. Search.”
Same result.
Once again, nothing came up.
Union, the community site serving as an information exchange hub, despite its grandiose advertisement claiming to have everything in the world except missing information, yielded no results.
Even the few existing contents were mostly nonsensical, with articles mainly about the human dragon, Irel.
“The magic of the human dragon Irel has finally surpassed the limits of humanity!”
“The first human mage to embed five magic stones in her body, she rises as a living legend…!”
“The guardian of Europe, the celestial being Irel, finally lands in Korea to obtain the World Tree’s apple, as the world’s attention-“
“Hmm….”
Staring at the monitor screen for a while, one individual.
Soon, he buried himself deep in the back of his chair, exhaling a sigh.
“How can there be so little information.”
He thought there would be more to it, but this was all there was.
The only content related to dragons was about the human dragon and the incident in Australia.
All of it was irrelevant to what Han desired.
There was one fact he learned from this.
According to the system’s mention, Muahmuah was not actually capable of using proper dragon magic.
To put it bluntly.
“Muahmuah is only at a level where he can mimic dragon magic on the surface, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Of course, even that was impressive.
Far surpassing most mages Han had seen through various media so far, he used magic one after another as naturally as breathing.
There seemed to be no limit to the use of magic, the activation speed was unusually fast, and the power was considerable.
Even spells like mathematical calculations were not performed, as magic after magic was cast effortlessly.
It felt entirely different from human magic.
The magic Han knew of typically required complex calculations to be activated.
Even the human dragon Irel, hailed as the first human archmage, was unlikely to match that level.
However, it is said that even this is not the true magic of dragons.
“Isn’t it impressive enough right now? Is there more to it?”
[Yes. The true value of dragons lies in their unique language, Dragon Speak. What Muah Muah has used so far is merely a kind of common magic, accessible to everyone regardless of their race or origin.]
Still, it was so impressive.
Indeed, the dragon looked like a dragon.
Nevertheless, this unique magic of dragons.
At first glance, it sounded like something extraordinary.
But if it is a unique racial magic of dragons,
Could it be that other superior races like vampires or krakens, apart from dragons, acquire their own magic?
To this question, the system responded as follows.
[Of course. For instance, vampires possess a unique magic called “Ten Thousand Army,” while krakens have the ability of self-replication. Additionally, Behemoth has a special ability known as Gigantification.]
“Oh… really?”
Each ability mentioned sounded impressive just by roughly listening to them.
Perhaps, they truly were.
Only the superior races possess unique abilities exclusive to their own race, so they say.
And Muah Muah’s magic is undoubtedly as special as that.
“So, what exactly is Dragon Speak?”
[It is about imbuing fiction with reality.]
From Noble mtl dot com
“If it’s reality?”
[It is the power contained in words that, like a concept of command, creates new principles. For example, it means ‘words become seeds.’
As shown in the previous tower raid, when you infuse reliance into your voice, as in ‘grow,’ that is the case.]
So, that was the magic of Dragon Speak.
Certainly, there was something peculiar about it for a magic.
However, it seems that was not all of it.
Perhaps due to not taking it seriously enough or not fully understanding it, the system added this afterthought.
[The frightening aspect of dragon magic is that their mentions can bring about results that are fully reflected in reality.]
“Reflect in reality… Is that possible?”
[That’s why dragons are special creatures. For instance, if you mention ‘water burns’ instead of flowing towards water, it will actually possess the property of burning.]
Good heavens!
Is such a thing really possible?
There seems to be nothing that completely violates common sense, right?
Han’s amazed gaze naturally turned towards Muah Muah.
To think that such a remarkable power was hidden in the sleeping young dragon, who slept so peacefully stretched out?
[However, this Dragon Speak demands immense mental power in itself. Moreover, manipulating reality to the extent of changing principles, like burning water, requires even more mental power and ability. Ultimately, this is a phenomenon that is completely impossible from a rational perspective.]
“Ah… was that so?”
[In simple terms, it means that it is not a magic suitable for a young Muah Muah yet. It’s difficult, exhausting, and consumes a lot of energy. Despite being an outstanding magic, the reason it is limited to potatoes is precisely because of that.]
Perhaps being young is the very reason for that.
Indeed, if Muah Muah could properly use such incredible magic, there was no way he would be starving to death in the first place.
[However, it seems that Muah Muah’s inability to exert his power is not solely due to that. Ordinarily, a dragon of this age should be able to use magic beyond that level.]
“There must be a reason for that.”
After a brief silence, the system responded as follows.
[…The dragon educates its offspring in the form of a one-person inheritance, where the mother passes down everything to her child.]
“One-person inheritance? Does that mean the mother directly educates everything?”
[For young dragons, the mother is a sort of mentor, an educator who teaches them how to live in the world. However, Muamua seems to have not received a proper transmission of magic from the mother who gave birth to him. It appears that this process has been disrupted due to some circumstances.]
“….”
Pausing to ponder those words for a moment, Han continued.
If the power of magic is so remarkable even with just this fragmentary piece, how much more incredible must the original magic’s effectiveness be?
He asked, “So, what does this disrupted process signify, exactly?”
[Generally, in the case of dragon parents, the maternal instinct towards their offspring is quite strong. If she did not do this voluntarily, it is presumed that there was some incident that caused a rift between them.]
An incident. He mentioned an incident.
“If it’s called an incident on the planet Frey….”
Only one thing came to mind.
Han’s expression darkened.
Understood.
Couldn’t even the dragons escape from this harsh reality?
The victims of this cruel reality were not only elves.
“….”
His mother.
Muamua, who had to be separated from his mother due to some incident.
To Han, that event didn’t feel so distant.
Unconsciously, Han turned to look beside him.
There, a bright photo from the time when he was still smiling brightly, with his father and mother all gathered, was displayed.
He stared at it for a long time as if entranced.
So. Is that how it is?
Muamua and he had something in common.
***
In my early childhood, I still lived with my parents.
In my memories, they were warm people.
Even now, the memory is vivid.
When I close my eyes, I can always vividly recall my parents’ warm touch and their body temperature so distinctly that it feels alive.
No, in fact, it would be more accurate to say that I remember the truly warm touch more vividly.
“Ouch!”
Seeing the wound on my knee as I cried, my mother stifled a smile.
Blood gushed out.
“See, that’s why I told you not to run too much.”
“But! But!”
The me in that memory was quite a crybaby.
But the child wasn’t just an indiscriminate crier.
With a warm embrace and a protector to comfort and watch over, it was actually a way to cry in peace.
If there is no one to watch over you when you cry, a child will never cry.
It was a natural order.
“Now, look closely, Hana.”
Mother placed her hand on my knee.
Then, as if casting a spell, she chanted.
“Pain, fly away-“
Ironically, the pain flew away.
It wasn’t just an illusion.
It literally flew away.
It was a truly amazing feeling.
The faint golden glow that appeared right after Mother’s touch passed by.
It enveloped my knee.
The deep, painful cut that was bleeding profusely vanished without a trace.
“Uh, what?”
Young me opened my eyes wide.
Then, I looked up at Mother.
“Mom, what’s this?”
Even for my younger self, it was an incredibly strange experience.
As if answering my puzzled gaze, she lightly smiled.
Then she added.
“This is magic.”
“Magic?”
“Yes, magic.”
Looking back now, perhaps my parents were all hunters or something similar.
Since I gained such abilities, I sometimes wonder if Mother wasn’t a priestess.
A few more years passed.
It was around the time I had just entered elementary school.
“I’m back!”
Father, who would usually be out working for the Association, and Mother, who would be busy with morning preparations, were both seated at the table.
They looked at me with bitter smiles.
“Hana, you’re back.”
“Huh?”
As I blinked in confusion, they smiled sadly at me.
Their expressions seemed to say that the inevitable had finally arrived.
Behind them stood a woman I had never seen before.
“Both of you, it’s time.”
She spoke urgently.
I hardly remember anything about her.
But I do remember one thing: she was an incredibly beautiful woman.
Oh, and her bluish hair shimmered as if lit by a beam of light.
“Remember, Hana.”
In my parents’ eyes, clear tears were welling up.
“We’re not leaving because we dislike you.”
“Mom, Dad. Leave? Where to? Travel?”
“Although this world can no longer accept us, we have to leave from here… But still, we will always love you.”
With those words, my parents vanished.
Without a trace.