[V6C1] The Black Dragon of Worgan is a Scavenger?

Ylmarch Palace in southwestern Ridill was an extravagant building created by a hedonistic royal from long ago, adorned with expensive decorations everywhere you looked.

If you slowly raised your eyes from the scarlet walls, you’d be met with a splendid and lavish ceiling painting framed in gold borders. Inked in delicate colors, the painting depicted the founding king confronting an evil dragon, blessed by seven Spirit Kings.

In this luxurious venue, tonight’s event was a masquerade ball.

Ladies and gentlemen adorned in glamorous attire hid their true faces behind masks, enjoying a stimulating moment under false identities. This was a time for indulging in one night affairs while keeping their backgrounds secret.

At one corner of the soirée, a man stationed himself at a table filled with food, relishing all the dishes with gusto.

“This food is great. Hey, Sparkles, make this for me next time.”

“I believe I told you my pseudonym for tonight, Mr. Alexander.”

“Well I forgot.”

Saying so, the long-haired man in black——Nero, disguised as a human——poured ham and vegetable jelly into his mouth, swallowing it down like a beverage. When finished, he licked the rest off his lips.

“By the way, this mask is annoying. It’s hard to put stuff in my mouth.”

In line with the masquerade ball, Nero wore the formal wear Isaac had prepared. The black-themed outfit, with shades of purple depending on the lighting, suited Nero’s tall figure.

The mask covering his eyes was edged with golden thread and had a crimson hue. The understated color of his clothes only made the mask seem more glamorous.

However, Nero seemed dissatisfied with the mask, scratching its edge with his nails in irritation. This gesture, reminiscent of a cat, forced Isaac to suppress a laugh.

Like Nero, Isaac also wore formal wear and a mask. His navy-colored outfit was modestly decorated, and his mask was a subdued black.

“You eat a lot, huh,” remarked Isaac, observing Nero’s hearty feast. The cheerful Nero nodded after skewering a fish ball with his fork.

“Yeah, human cuisine is pretty interesting. I’ve never been a big fan of fish, but these are so tasty. Lana gave me some before. Hers had a different seasoning, but they were good in their own way.”

“…So you remember Miss Colette’s name? Yet you never seem to remember mine.”

Isaac gave Nero a gentle smile, subtly tinged with resentment. However, Nero responded with indifference.

“When Monica was at the academy, the name she mentioned the most was Lana. By the way, the second most mentioned was Chilly, and the third was Loudmouth.”

“What about me?”

“Well, of course, you’d come up. She had to guard you after all.”

“…Right.”

In other words, he was considered nothing more than the target of Monica’s escort mission.

Isaac had imagined this might be the case, but it still gave him a wry smile. He popped a fish ball into his mouth, and while he didn’t particularly like it, Nero seemed to be a fan, so he made an effort to remember the seasoning.

When negotiating with Nero, enticing him with food proved to be the best strategy.

“So you have the same sense of taste as humans, huh?” Isaac asked.

“Dunno if it’s really the same. But I can say that the stuff you make is generally delicious.”

“I’m honored. However…”

Isaac cut his words and glanced at Nero with a sidelong glance.

“Do you actually need to eat in the first place?”

Nero paused the movement of his fork, blinking his golden eyes behind the mask.

“…You noticed?”

“If you’re trying to obtain nutrients from food, you’re severely lacking in quantity.”

While there were a few species of herbivorous dragons, the species as a whole were generally considered omnivores.

However, that only applied to lesser dragons.

“I read a paper that stated, ‘Greater dragons are an entirely different species from lesser dragons. They can be considered closer to spirits, using mana for sustenance rather than food.’ “

This paper, written by a certain magical creature biologist, was evaluated as absurd and mere fantasy by the academic community, becoming a topic for all the wrong reasons.

However, as Isaac continued observing Nero’s behavior, he began to feel that the paper may have contained a bit of truth.

Nero enjoyed eating, and he consumed way more than his small cat-sized body could hold. But considering his original size, it should be far from sufficient.

Monica was pretty indifferent to food, so she never noticed this. On the other hand, Isaac knew everything about the kitchen situation at Monica’s house, and had long sensed something amiss with Nero’s eating habits.

“At first, I thought you were rummaging through town garbage when Monica wasn’t looking…”

“Hold on… You thought I was scavenging leftovers!?”

Indeed, that was Isaac’s first hypothesis.

The black cat had boasted proud tales about fighting off Sazandol’s stray dogs. It would be reasonable to assume that it was a battle over leftovers.

Since Nero had started glaring at him, Isaac casually averted his gaze and continued speaking.

“I understand spirits since I have a contract with one. Spirits need a certain amount of mana to maintain their existence… And the purity of mana seems to be particularly important.”

Mana in environments with high magical concentration was generally pure. Spirits required this high-purity form of mana to survive.

Thus, spirits that operated in areas with low magical concentration, like human settlements, required a contract with a human. They maintained their bodies with the high-purity mana supplied through their spirit stones.

To put it a different way, spirits could only live in places with ‘clean air’, and the spirit stone of the contract acted similar to a filter for purifying the air. The contractor was the entity who maintained this filter.

However, Isaac speculated that this rule didn’t apply the same way to greater dragons.

“As a greater dragon, you have no need for food. Instead, you require mana for sustenance. But unlike spirits, it doesn’t have to be high-purity mana… Is my reasoning correct?”

Nero swallowed a fish ball and nodded.

“Well, that’s more or less it. Basically, I’m way superior to all those weakling spirits. Worship me.”

In other words, meals were not necessary for sustaining Nero’s life, but rather a form of entertainment.

His statement, “I’m hungry. I want to eat!” was not much different from saying, “I’m bored, so entertain me.”

“…Have you told Monica about this?”

“No, and you’d better not either. If she finds out I can live without food, she won’t bother giving me any.”

While Monica was not a heartless girl, she occasionally tended to be overly rational.

Though her situation had improved now, there was a time when she lived off only nuts and water.

“I suppose that’s true. If you periodically make a fuss about being hungry, Monica might be reminded of the necessity of meals.”

Nodding in agreement, Isaac recalled the last sentence of the paper he had read.

The maverick of the magical biology society who presented the paper on greater dragons concluded it like this:

——As the mana concentration in the world continues diminishing, creatures who live off mana will decline. Eventually, both spirits and greater dragons will be faced with the threat of extinction.

(I found that paper very intriguing… What a shame. It will never see the light of day.)

As Isaac silently pondered the contents of the paper, he overheard the conversation of the nearby ladies.

“Hey, did you hear that rumor?”

“The one about Prince Felix secretly attending Lady Meagan’s party?”

“Yes, that one. Lady Meagan is hosting today’s event as well, so he must be somewhere in here.”

Isaac casually slipped behind Nero to conceal himself from the gossiping women.

To make things clear, he was not attending this masquerade ball to enjoy a meal or indulge in a night of romance.

“Now, let’s get down to business. Mr. Alexander, can you lend me your assistance?”

“After I drink all of these.”

Nero promptly started sampling various wines.

In response, Isaac swiped the glass from Nero’s hand and placed it back on the table.

“When we return to the mansion, I’ll prepare whatever drink you desire.”

“You better make it something strong enough to scorch my throat.”

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