[V12C27] An Innocent Disaster

The lonely black dragon pondered his next course of action.

He wanted to see Theodore again. Was there any way to accomplish that?

(Oh right. Theodore told me about a box for granting wishes… Surely that will be able to fulfill my wish.)

The black dragon did not understand that taking something from the royal treasure vault was stealing and considered unethical.

If there was food lying in front of him, he would eat it. Similarly, if there was something he needed, he would take it. Such behavior was second nature to the black dragon.

The black dragon put his plan into action immediately.

He flew to the royal capital in the form of a crow, then transformed into a human to ask the people there for the location of the treasure vault. However, on the way there, he was turned away by the gatekeepers.

Only then did the black dragon realize that the humans were not going to allow him into the treasure vault.

(Just like apex predators monopolize their feeding grounds, it seems powerful humans monopolize precious things.)

If there was a tasty fruit hanging out of reach, then he would simply fly up to reach it. If that fruit was trapped behind sturdy branches, then he would break those branches and take it.

Similarly, the black dragon infiltrated the treasure vault using his crow form, then incinerated the barriers with black flames.

Of course, he needed to return to his original form in order to breathe fire. The black dragon was no longer an infant, but he was still young. As long as he kept his wings folded, he could fit inside the treasure vault.

Thus, the black dragon destroyed all the barriers blocking his path and reached the wish-granting box.

However, he quickly ran into a problem. A different kind of seal had been placed on the box, and it was right on top of the lid.

He could easily burn the seal with black flames, but that would probably destroy the box as well.

(Hmm, this looks troublesome. What now?)

The black dragon escaped the palace in crow form, then transformed back into a human once he reached the forest. This was because the slender legs of a crow could not carry the box for an extended period of time, and his dragon claws were far too large to hold it properly.

Clearly, human form was the best for holding onto the box. The soft hands of a human were just the right size, and there was no risk of damaging it with his claws.

(The box fits perfectly in human hands. I guess that’s because it was made by humans, for humans.)

As the black dragon brainstormed a way to break the seal, he heard a tiny whisper coming from the box. It sounded similar to the voice of a human child.

After a brief moment of surprise, the black dragon brought his ear closer to listen.

——”NAME, NAME, CONTRACTOR, NAME!”

“Name? You want my name?”

——”CONTRACT, NAME, NECESSARY! NAME! NAME!”

Perhaps giving the box a name would release the seal? The black dragon felt a faint sense of anticipation at the possibility.

However, he quickly ran into another predicament. He did not have a name.

The black dragon had once asked Theodore for a name, but Theodore refused, saying, “No, I can’t do that. Giving you a name would make it impossible to return you to dragon territory.”

Perhaps Theodore Maxwell’s refusal to name the black dragon was his final line in the sand as a magical creature biologist.

(Theodore sometimes called me “little one”… but that’s not a name…)

After some contemplation, the black dragon glanced down at his own body and came up with a perfect solution.

He was currently “Theodore”, so it was okay for him to call himself Theodore.

However, he was not part of Carla’s family, so “Theodore Maxwell” was not appropriate. Only family members were allowed to use the same surname.

And so, the black dragon introduced himself like this…

“I’m Theodore. Just plain old Theodore.”

The next instant, life was breathed into the box in his hands.

The box was not physically moving, but the black dragon, now Theodore, could sense something akin to the pulse of a beating heart. Simultaneously, he gained an understanding of the box’s powers.

——This was the ancient artifact, Gluttonous Zoe, and it had the power to…

The knowledge was being imprinted directly into his brain. The black dragon had never experienced anything similar, so the feeling was impossible to describe in words.

That said, one thing was certain. A contract had been established between the black dragon and the ancient artifact. Theodore was made to understand this via the power of Gluttonous Zoe.

“…So your name is Gluttonous Zoe?”

——”HUNGRY! HUNGRY!”

The artifact’s voice sounded a bit clearer than before. Perhaps this was due to the contract binding them.

Against the background noise of artifact’s childish pleas, the black dragon went over the knowledge he had been imprinted with.

Gluttonous Zoe. An artifact for controlling dark magic, with the ability to devour the mana of victims and amplify its own power.

And once it gathers enough mana…

“Whoa… You really can fulfill my wish.”

With the hands of a human, the black dragon lifted the box to face level and smiled.

He probably would have jumped for joy and started dancing on the spot, if not for the pursuers closing in on them.

Their first order of business was to escape into safety, then find a way to lift Gluttonous Zoe’s seal.

＊　＊　＊

The black dragon was suddenly punched in the face. He blinked a few times in surprise, then placed a hand on his injured cheek.

Such a meager force would be nothing to him in dragon form, but right now, he was in human form. His head was throbbing, and his back hurt from falling over and hitting the ground.

(Huh? Why did they hit me?)

The scary men surrounding Theodore were berating him, calling him a stowaway and trash, accusing him of stealing the luggage of the other passengers.

Apparently, one needed permission to enter the vehicle known as a ship.

The black dragon had rushed on board in a desperate attempt to escape pursuers, then hid behind the luggage. He had done nothing aside from hiding, but it seems even that was wrong.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry. I was in a big hurry.”

If you did something wrong, you just had to apologize. The kind Theodore had always forgiven him after an apology.

However, no matter how many times he apologized, the humans did not stop scowling at him. Their verbal abuse only grew more intense.

It was then that the black dragon remembered. Humans were scared of dragons. Even though he was currently in human form, perhaps the frightening aura of a dragon was leaking out somehow.

Thus, Theodore tried to convey that he was not scary.

“Um, look, I’m not scary at all. I can talk to you guys properly, so…”

The men kicked his stomach, then his shoulder, then his head.

“Ow, ow, it hurts, please stop… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Theodore cried and wailed as the blood flowed down his nostrils. Regardless, his assailants simply continued the violence with hearty laughs.

Why were they kicking him and laughing?

Why wouldn’t they forgive him even though he was apologizing?

A kick to his back caused Theodore to roll over, and Gluttonous Zoe tumbled out of his pocket.

He reached out to pick it up, but that hand was promptly stepped on.

As Theodore cried out in pain, one of the men picked up Gluttonous Zoe.

“No, give it back! That’s important to me. Very precious…”

Upon seeing Gluttonous Zoe, the men widened their eyes in surprise before smiling again.

For the first time, the black dragon saw the eyes of a human tainted by greed.

“This will fetch a pretty penny.”

“Check if he has anything else.”

“Search him! Quickly!”

“No good, he doesn’t even have a wallet.”

“Hah! More proof that he’s a thief.”

Despite insisting that Theodore was a thief, the men showed no signs of turning him in to the authorities.

This was because they intended to take Gluttonous Zoe for themselves, having mistaken the artifact for an expensive-looking antique.

They dragged the immobilized black dragon to the railing and tossed him over like a piece of trash.

The sudden impact came alongside a loud splash as he hit the water’s surface.

(Why can’t we understand each other?)

The dragon performed a proper apology. He conveyed that he wasn’t scary.

Theodore would have understood him.

(Why, why, why…?)

The black dragon flailed his arms and legs in an attempt to swim, but his human body refused to move in the intended direction.

After all, he was still not comfortable using a human form, and the tiny limbs of a human were too weak to swim against ocean currents in the first place.

Thus, the black dragon returned into his original form. This would allow him to swim wherever he wanted.

He felt something large slamming against his back, but it didn’t hurt at all in dragon form.

(Oh, I must have bumped into the ship.)

The ship quickly capsized after its collision with the dragon. This caused the humans on deck to fall into the water, sending the dragon into a panic.

(Oh no! Gluttonous Zoe…!)

Did the human who took Gluttonous Zoe fall into the sea? Or was he still inside the sinking ship? The dragon could not tell.

All he could do was swim around and search for the tiny box to the best of his abilities.

And so, he searched and he searched, but Gluttonous Zoe was nowhere to be found.

In his tireless search for the artifact, he did not spare a glance for the drowning humans.

He didn’t hate any of them. There was no malice in his actions.

The black dragon was simply focused on the only thing precious to him, so nothing else caught his eye.

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