[V12C26] Together Forever

Theodore Maxwell was a magical creature biologist who knew that he didn’t fit in human society.

He had always been dull and clumsy, which often angered the people he worked with. In addition, he was awful at reading the room, and had difficulty explaining his intentions.

Every passing day made him more aware of his inability to interact with others.

And so, he made a wish.

“If only I was a dragon.”

Theodore loved dragons.

Be it their massive scale-clad bodies, their razor-sharp claws and fangs, their reptilian eyes, or the powerful wings that let them dance in the sky, he loved everything about them.

That said, Theodore understood that he wouldn’t be able to do much better as a dragon. Even if he magically turned into one, surely, he would still be just as unsociable.

But if he wasn’t going to fit in anywhere, then Theodore would rather be born as his favorite creature.

As Theodore was enraptured by the dragon illustrations in the encyclopedia, his sister Carla let out a sigh of exasperation as she spread a map across the table.

“Come on, you’re a grown man. What kind of nonsense is that?” Carla asked.

“I just don’t think I’m fit for human society,” Theodore replied.

“Nah, you’ll be fine as a human. You’re just not fit for academics.”

Carla pinched the cigarette in her mouth, exhaled a puff of smoke, and glanced at the pile of papers next to Theodore.

All of them were Theodore’s research papers, criticized at academic conferences with comments like “complete lack of evidence” and “interesting fiction.”

“You’ve got a mastery over the spirit language, a decent head on your shoulders, a good eye, and a passion for research,” Carla continued. “What you lack is the ability to convey your thoughts… To begin with, you’re probably thinking, ‘It’s fine if they don’t understand’ or something like that.”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah, I do. That’s why all of your research ends up being for yourself.”

Carla put the cigarette back in her mouth, then muttered in a self-deprecating tone.

“…Well, not that I’m one to talk.”

Ultimately, the two siblings were rather similar in that department.

Carla was a true genius. Everyone said that it was only a matter of time before she was selected for the Seven Sages.

Theodore knew how talented his sister was, but he didn’t feel much in terms of envy. This indifference of his was likely the main reason he failed to fit in, or so Theodore believed.

Even so, Theodore found himself unable to care about anything other than dragons.

Surely, that part of him would never change.

He would spend the rest of his life in a society where he felt suffocated, uninterested in his fellow humans. That said, he was still content as long as he could research the dragons he loved so much.

…Or at least, that was what he had always thought.

＊　＊　＊

“Mr. Biologist. Can you determine his species? The return location will change depending on that.”

Theodore was invited to the Minerva Institute for Mages and asked to determine the species of a dragonling. This left him with an internal conflict.

The dragonling in the cage had brownish scales, but the majority of the hardened scales were black.

The hardness of the flame sac did not match a red dragon. Neither did the lumps indicating the location and number of his growing horns.

——This was most likely a black dragon.

Black dragons were practically creatures of legend. The black flames they breathed were capable of incinerating everything in existence.

Theodore suppressed his excitement at seeing such a legendary creature and pondered the consequences.

Black dragons were designated as First-Class Dangerous Species. If he reported the species honestly, then the baby dragon would surely be put to death.

(I can’t bear to do that.)

Theodore loved dragons far more than he did humans.

That was why he lied.

“He’s a red dragon, a greater species. Here, you can see the distinctive flame sac around his throat.”

Carla’s comment about him being unfit for academics was right on the mark.

Theodore Maxwell committed the worst crime possible for a magical creature biologist: falsifying the species of a dragon.

＊　＊　＊

Their fateful reunion came two months after Theodore Maxwell dropped the dragonling in Dalsmore. He had been visiting Dalsmore for a separate investigation when the dragonling suddenly appeared before him.

During their first meeting, the black dragon had been small enough to carry in Theodore’s hands. Now, however, he was big enough to knock over Theodore with a playful tackle.

The dragon had shed about half of his brownish scales, replaced with jet-black ones. His horns and wings had grown considerably as well. It was becoming harder and harder to mistake his species.

Theodore made several attempts to persuade the dragon to go further into the mountains, using both human language and spirit language. However, the dragon seemed intent on staying.

Or rather, he seemed delighted to hear Theodore speak, as seen by how he energetically circled around the man’s feet.

“…Come on, please listen to me already. You’re a black dragon, so the humans will kill you if they find you.”

——”But you’re a human too?”

The young dragon responded to Theodore in the spirit language.

Dragons were intelligent creatures, and their brains developed at a much faster rate than humans. Despite still being in infancy, the dragon could already understand most of what Theodore was saying.

(He may understand the meaning of my words, but he’s not listening…)

Now matter how many times Theodore asked, the dragon refused to return to the dragon territory deep in the mountains.

If he continued wandering around in human territory, it was only a matter of time before the humans discovered him.

“I love you, but not all humans think that way…” Theodore explained.

Those words caused the dragonling to widen his golden eyes and stare up at Theodore.

This was a strangely human-like gesture, as humans often looked each other in the face when holding conversation. Clearly, the dragonling possessed a level of intelligence far beyond lesser dragons.

Theodore knelt down in front of the dragonling, continuing his explanation once they were on the same eye level.

“Most humans are scared of dragons. When they find a dragon near their home, they’ll try to drive it away or kill it… But you’ll be safe if you stay in dragon territory. The humans won’t find you there.”

——”Then you should come to the dragon territory too.”

“Like I keep telling you, that’s not possible! The mana concentration is too high in dragon territory, so humans won’t be able to survive. Besides, even if I could, I’ll just get gobbled up by lesser dragons.”

The dragonling lowered his head in disappointment, before suddenly lifting his head and rolling around on the ground.

The soil of Dalsmore was sticky and had a reddish-brown color. In addition, it had grown muddy after the recent storm.

Once the black dragon dirtied his scales, he looked up at Theodore with sparkling eyes that seemed to say, “How about this?”

“I see, that would let you disguise the color of your scales. Pretty clever… N-No, wait, whether they recognize you as a black dragon or not doesn’t matter! You still need to get out of human territory!”

As Theodore held back a headache, the muddy dragon rubbed his head against the man’s leg while making cute chirping sounds.

Despite his clothes getting covered in the mud, Theodore was painfully aware of his internal resistance to part ways with the young creature.

Time went on as Theodore lamented his inability to persuade the dragon.


The two chatted with each other on numerous occasions.

——”Theodore, why are you Theodore?”

“Huh? Oh, you mean my name? Well, you see, there are a lot of humans, so we use names to recognize individuals. There are also surnames, as well as titles representing social status or occupation.”

——”Surnames?”

“Yeah, I’m Theodore Maxwell, and my sister Carla is Carla Maxwell. Family members share the same surname.”

——What about Delinquent? What about Professor? Are those their names?

“That’s not really… Uh, you see… A delinquent picks fights, steals stuff, engages in shady deals, etc… The important part is that he’s scary, so you should keep your distance…”

——”Okay, Delinquent is scary. Stay away.”

“Well, in the first place, you should stay away from humans in general, you know?”


——”Where do humans go when they die?”

“When humans die, they pass through the gates of the underworld and stay with the goddess there.”

——”Then what about dragons?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. Maybe dragons have their own god to watch over the deceased dragons. By the way, there’s a theory that the Goddess of the Underworld is the same as the Spirit King of Darkness, so…”


——”Theodore, look, look. I found a pretty leaf. You can have it.”

“You’re giving it to me? Thanks! This is a real treasure.”

——”Treasure?”

“A treasure is something that is very important. Oh, I know, how about I tell you about human treasures today? The palace has a huge treasure vault where they keep all the shiny treasures. There’s a sword with mysterious powers, a jewel-covered box that grants wishes, and…”

——”The leaf isn’t shiny though…”

“It may not be shiny or have any powers, but it’s still a treasure since you found it for me.”


One day, the dragon approached Theodore more excited than usual.

——”Look, look! Theodore, look at this!”

The dragon’s body morphed into a black mist, which compressed into the shape of a small bird with outspread wings.

That mist eventually cleared to reveal a black crow with golden eyes.

“Look, look! I can talk too!”

Theodore was astonished to see the dragon transform into a crow.

Meanwhile the crow happily flapped his wings and circled around Theodore.

“W-What? How did you…?” Theodore stuttered out a question.

“I swallowed it! Then I absorbed it!”

After listening to the dragon’s fragmented explanation, Theodore used his knowledge as a magical creature biologist to ponder this phenomenon.

Apparently, the dragon had swallowed a crow that was on the verge of death, allowing him to absorb the crow’s form.

Of course, this was not the first time that the dragon swallowed something whole. Yet for some reason, it resulted in an absorption and transformation ability.

“Theodore! We can be together now!” The crow shouted in excitement.

“Wait! Hurry up and change back!”

However, Theodore did not share the sentiment.

He had once read about a greater dragon capable of transforming into other creatures, but the mechanism behind this ability was completely unknown.

The scholar who answered this mystery would undoubtedly be praised by the academic community, but Theodore had zero interest in such things.

Right now, the only thing driving him was his concern for the dragon.

“Dragons are naturally powerful, so they don’t need the ability to mimic other creatures. There must be some sort of downside. Could it be that transforming reduces your resistance to mana? Does what you absorb affect you in your base form? I need to investigate if your draconic characteristics are still intact…”

The crow with golden eyes watched anxiously as Theodore continued mumbling to himself.

“No good?” The crow asked.

“I like you just the way you usually are,” Theodore answered.

After hearing that, the dragon returned to his original form, giving Theodore a profound sense of relief.

That said, there was a certain thought lingering in the back of his mind.

——Ancient literature mentioned the existence of dragons that could transform into humans.

(Which means…)

Theodore quickly dismissed the thought.

Not because it touched on taboo, but because he understood how cruel and selfish it was.

＊　＊　＊

These gentle times did not last forever.

The Dragon Knights arrived approximately four years after Theodore started visiting Dalsmore.

The good news was that the Dragon Knights had mistaken the dragon for a red dragon, as he was usually covered in reddish-brown mud. However, it was only a matter of time before the truth came out.

And once that happened, Ridill would send everything at their disposal to slay the black dragon.

Theodore did everything he could to persuade the Dragon Knights. He even pleaded with them for time, promising to take the dragon into dragon territory personally.

Unlike his usual stance of “it’s fine if they don’t understand”, Theodore truly expended every last effort.

Even so, Captain Dunning of the Dragon Knights dismissed his desperate plea with a condescending scoff.

“Magical creature biologist, Theodore Maxwell. I have no intention of listening to the likes of you.”

“…Why can’t we understand each other?”

“Because we already know that you are harboring the dragon. This is equivalent to treason against the crown.”

Dunning never intended to hear out Theodore in the first place. In fact, it was the exact opposite. His plan was to capture Theodore and use him as bait to lure out the dragon.

Theodore escaped as fast as his legs would carry him. He ran and ran, until he eventually slipped on a patch of muddy ground and fell off a cliff.

His mouth was filled with the taste of mud and his own blood. Every bone in his body ached, and he could barely breathe.

However, Theodore’s mind remained surprisingly calm. He speculated that a broken bone had pierced into one of his internal organs.

Despite the searing pain, he could feel his body growing cold, starting from his fingertips.

(Oh, I’m going to die.)

Theodore did not particularly resent Dunning or his bloodlust for dragons.

As a magical creature biologist, Theodore understood exactly how terrifying dragons could be. He knew the annual number of casualties reported by the Dragon Knights, and Dunning must have witnessed more victims than anyone else.

Clearly, the one in the wrong was Theodore himself. If he had simply forced the dragon into dragon territory, all of this could have been avoided.

(Even so, I… I wanted to be with you.)

Drops of a warm liquid flowed down Theodore’s cheeks, but these were tears, not blood.

In his last moments, Theodore wanted only to see the dragon one final time. And in response to that wish, a voice echoed out from the darkness of the night.

——”Theodore! Theodore!”

(No, please, don’t come. The Dragon Knights will find you.)

The young dragon was too attached to him. He would cling to Theodore’s lifeless body and refuse to leave, and then…

He would be slain by the Dragons Knights.

——”Don’t die, Theodore, don’t die. I’ll do anything, just don’t die.”

The dragon’s plea reminded Theodore of his own wish from days gone by. That cruel and selfish desire.

(I guess I really am unfit for academics.)

First, he falsified the species of a dragon. Then, he harbored a First-Class Dangerous Species in human territory.

And now, he was about to cross the line again.

“In that case…”

Theodore exerted the last of his strength to move the lips that had been stained with blood and mud.

“…Please… eat me… That way… we can be together forever…”

Was this to fulfill his old wish to become a dragon?

Or perhaps because he too wanted to be with the dragon forever?

Or maybe just an excuse to hide the dragon from his pursuers?

Not even Theodore could tell which was his true intent. It was probably some combination of all of the above.

(I’m sorry. Forgive me for asking you to do something so cruel…)

The dragon ceased his cries and gently lifted Theodore with his claws.

(Thank you… little one…)

Theodore put on a peaceful smile and let go of his consciousness.

And so, Theodore Maxwell’s wish was granted, albeit in a terribly distorted form.

＊　＊　＊

The sun had yet to rise on the forests of Dalsmore, but there was a man running through the darkness, flailing his limbs awkwardly.

He had messy reddish-brown hair and golden eyes, because he was the current form of the black dragon who devoured Theodore Maxwell.

(He’s coming after me. I need to run. Hurry…)

The dragon was running from the leader of the Dragon Knights, a lean man with glasses named Dunning, since he would be killed if Dunning found him.

Could the dragon simply return to his original form and incinerate the Dragon Knights with black flames? Perhaps, but he did not even consider doing so.

After all, Dunning was a human, the same species as Theodore. How could the dragon possibly kill one of Theodore’s fellows?

Just as humans hesitated to kill each other, a dragon raised by humans naturally hesitated to kill as well.

After running through the entire night, the dragon emerged from the forest to see the rising sun shining above a small lake.

He staggered over to the shore and peered into the water’s surface.

There, in his reflection, he found the face of his beloved friend Theodore. However, this was not the Theodore Maxwell he found so dear.

The dragon lowered his head and contorted Theodore’s face into a frown.

“…No, Theodore. This isn’t… ‘together forever’…”

The dragon realized the truth.

Theodore Maxwell had died and gone off to see the Goddess of the Underworld.

And now, the dragon was all alone.

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