Chapter 26: Lost

Dragon Era 523

「I request a re-vision of the allotment.」
「Again?」

Even I couldn’t help letting out a weary sigh at Al starting in with the exact same tone as always.

「We just increased it last month.」
「Our numbers are in-creasing. The same allotment is in-sufficient.」

Al’s reaction was utterly matter‑of‑fact. With no shame at all, he simply stated the facts.

「Just making demands puts us in a bind. What about the promise you’d help with village work? You haven’t done anything for us.」
「We made no such pro-mise.」
「What did you just say?」

Nina, who had been lying on the bed, caught that and pushed herself up.

「When we made the agreement at the start, you said you understood.」
「Affirma-tive.」

Al nodded and answered Nina.

「The dragon stated, “I would be glad if you helped with some village work.” I acknowledged that.」
「Then...」
「That does not obli-gate us to assist with the work.」

Al’s crisp declaration left both Nina and me dumbfounded.
At this point it was almost refreshing.

Lately I’ve been getting a read on Al’s personality. He—though perhaps she—anyway, the rats are thoroughgoing efficiency fanatics. They make only the most rational judgments.
In other words, I was at fault for using a vague word like “glad.”

「Fair enough, you’re right. Then how about this: if you won’t help, we can’t increase the allotment.」
「State the task.」

As soon as I got specific, he shot back with that.
These rats might well be smarter than I am.

「It’s about time to sow the seeds. Help with that. Let’s see... if you help with ten fields’ worth, we’ll add one sack of wheat per month to your allotment.」
「...Acknowledged.」

Watching Al’s back as he departed, I let out a long breath.

「Man, this is tiring...」

It wasn’t only the fatigue of dealing with a tiny mouse.
Lately I’ve been exhausted in both body and mind.
Simply put, the manpower shortage problem has come back.

Sig vanished and, in the end, never came back.
Violet finished the wheat harvest safely and, as promised, returned to the forest.
At first Luka hesitated, saying it felt wrong to go home at a time like this, but I practically insisted she go. If you keep saying that, you’ll never manage to go back.

Perhaps because half of the exchange students have disappeared.
Rin and Yuuki both seem a little down.

「Should we bring in some new exchange students?」
「Fine by me—if you’re the one handling the trouble.」

At the one person who never changes—Nina—I couldn’t help but smile.

「Sensei!」

Just as I was thinking that, the door flew open and Rin rushed in.
Had she gotten a bit of her pep back?

「Utai...」

Contrary to my optimistic thought, Rin clutched my sleeve with a twisted, near‑teary face.

「Utai is going to die...」


* * *


In dragon form, with Rin and Yuuki—and the mermaid who’d come to bring the urgent news—on my back, I hurried to the sea where Utai lived.
Even with my wings, it’s a thirty‑minute flight. They had gone out of their way to swim up the river from the sea to tell us—of course it took them a long time.

Would we make it in time?

Praying as I flew, I reached the shore—and what I saw was Utai, leisurely sunning herself atop the reef.

「Utai! Are you all right?」
「Oh my... Sensei. You came too.」

Utai looked as beautiful as ever, even after thirteen years.
Her tone was firm as well—she didn’t look like she was on death’s door at all.

But the elegant waist fin that had once spread like a wedding dress had crumbled to tatters and shrunk considerably.

「Utai!」

Rin leapt from my back, skipped across the surface like a flying fish, and flung herself into Utai’s arms.

「How was life on land?」
「It was fun! There were so many things, Sensei is kind, the food is yummy, Sig is funny, Yuuki is strong, Luka is scary sometimes, Violet is amazing, and Nina taught me all kinds of fun stuff, and, and—」

Utai narrowed her eyes and listened, stroking Rin’s hair as the girl did her best to recount her time on land.
Watching that gesture, I realized she truly didn’t have long.

「What happened... is it an illness?」
「Oh, Sensei—」

Utai’s face crumpled as she answered.

「I’m a grandmother with great‑grandchildren, you know. If anything, I’ve lived too long.」

To look at her, you’d say she was barely thirty, if that.
But the hand that stroked Rin’s head was like a withered branch.

「But to think I’d get to see you this grown at the very end...」

That hand stroked Rin’s large waist fin.

「Yeah! I made it big with magic! I can walk all by myself now! I can walk with you, Utai!」
「I see...」

Utai nodded with a happy smile.
But with that tattered waist fin of hers, it was plain she could no longer walk.

「Listen closely, Rin.」

Utai cupped Rin’s face in both hands and looked into her eyes.

「Soon two things will come to you together: something truly wonderful, and something truly painful.」
「Together...?」

At Utai’s words, weighted with certainty, Rin asked back in wonder.

「Yes. And when it happens, do as you like. Listen closely to your heart... and act exactly as you wish.」
「I already do...」

Yeah—she sure does. I almost nodded along.
I don’t know a child who lives as freely and openly as Rin.

「That’s right. You’ll be fine. You’re my pride and joy—my great‑granddaughter.」

Utai beamed at Rin and said it.

「Sensei.」

She let go of Rin’s cheeks and slowly turned to face me.

「Couldn’t you at least come play for my last time?」
「...You’re right.」

I had Yuuki and the mermaid get down, then shifted into human form and stepped into the sea.
A buoyant sensation wrapped around my whole body and my vision was filled with bubbles and water.
Whether because I’m a dragon or because Utai did something with magic, I felt no shortness of breath at all.

Then Utai took my arm, drifting in the water.

She pulled harder than I expected; her palms framed my cheeks—and the next instant, something soft pressed against my lips.

「Sorry to trouble you with an old woman like me.」
「In years, I’m not so different myself.」

I shrugged back at Utai’s playful tone. She must have done something for us—despite being underwater, our voices carried clearly.

「And, first time I’ve ever said this—but I actually prefer older women.」
「Oh my—」

As Utai chuckled, for a moment her face overlapped with Rin’s.
No—that wasn’t it. This was her face from when we first met, when she was still a girl.

「Thank you. I was happy... my first love.」

Whispering that, Utai slipped free of my arms.

「Utai...」
「...You don’t have to look at me like that. I’m not going to die this instant.」

It felt like she might dissolve into bubbles and vanish right then and there.
Sensing the foreboding that seized me, Utai spoke in a tone of exasperation.

「Go on now, Sensei. You should head back.」
「Eh? But...」
「Go.」

Utai told me, her tone strong, as I wavered.

「Let’s go, Onii-chan.」

From atop the reef, Yuuki called out to me like that.

「...All right.」

She seemed in better shape than I feared, and even if her time was drawing near, it might still mean a year or two. She was a mermaid who’d lived over five hundred years—lasting that long wouldn’t be strange.
For all I knew she might even rally and live several more decades. I couldn’t just leave the village unattended that long.

「Rin, do you have my scale?」
「Yeah.」

When I asked, Rin rummaged around near her hair and pulled out a red scale—a shard of mine I’d given each special‑class student.

「You know how to use it, right? ...If anything happens, let me know.」
「Mm... okay.」

Rin hugged it to her chest and nodded.

Then, with Yuuki on my back, I returned to dragon form and beat my wings skyward, leaving Rin behind.

「I was worried, but she seemed better than I expected.」
「Yeah...」

As we flew back at about half the speed we came, I said that, and got a half‑hearted reply.

「You okay, Yuuki? Want to stop somewhere and rest a bit?」

Come to think of it, riding on my back the whole time is pretty tough.
Even on an airplane with proper seats it’s rough enough; this has no reclining, no walls. In a howling wind, clinging to horns and spines must take a lot out of you.

「No, I’m fine.」

Contrary to my expectation, Yuuki shook her head.
She lacked energy, but she didn’t look worn out, either.

「Yeah? If anything comes up, say the word.」
「Okay.」

After that, the conversation between us petered out.
Ugh, I’m bad at filling silences...

On the way over we’d had Rin and the others, and I’d been too frantic to care, but now that it was just the two of us, the quiet weighed on me.
I thought I should say something, but no topic came to mind at all.

「Hey, Onii-chan. That Utai person... you’ve known her a long time, right?」

As I scrambled for a topic, Yuuki suddenly spoke up first.

「Yeah. I’ve known her since she was about Rin’s age. So it’s been, what, close to five hundred years now?」
「Five hundred... years...」

That span probably didn’t land for Yuuki; she mouthed the words blankly.

「How long... can you live, Onii-chan?」
「I don’t know.」

To that sudden question, I answered honestly.

「What do you mean you don’t know?」
「I’ve never heard of a dragon dying of old age. No one has.」

We’re not immortal. Dragons die if you kill them. I’ve seen it myself, so that much is certain.
But whether we age is a very doubtful matter.
Not only do dragons not die of old age—no one even knows of a dragon who withers with the years.

Dragons generally form no flocks and keep to themselves entirely, so it’s possible we simply haven’t noticed.

「At the very least, living twenty thousand years is certain. A dragon who’d be my grandfather is said to have lived about that long.」
「Twenty... thousand...」

It was clearly beyond her imaginative limits; Yuuki murmured the words like a groan.
Even I can’t really conceive of a span that long.

「Hey, Onii-chan... I—」

Yuuki called to me in a serious tone, as if having made up her mind—right then,

『Can you hear me?』

A voice came to my ears from nowhere.
Even a dragon’s ears couldn’t pinpoint the source—that distinctive sensation meant a scale‑mediated communication spell.

「What is it, Rin?」
『It’s not Rin, it’s me. Nina.』
「Oh, Nina.」

I’d braced myself, thinking something had already happened to Utai, and let out a breath of relief.

But to shatter that relief—

『Come back quickly. —The rats are attacking.』

Nina answered, her voice tinged with urgency.