A little crackling

… Wait, so they're the Mobile Turtle Knight Corps, huh. Hm, they're called Dodai Turtles? That's literally "mobile platform." Wow, I can't believe things like this exist.

Anyway, if they're asking questions, I might as well answer them. And while I'm at it, I'll cover for this weirdly endearing dragon.

"Umm, well… uh, this one's my pet, got a problem with that?"

"Yes! I'm a pet! Purr purr meow!"

"A-a dragon, as a pet!? W-well, I've heard that dragons raised carefully from eggs can become attached to people. Given how affectionate this one is, it doesn't seem like a lie…"

Oy. Does this thing have no dignity? It's really snuggling up to me like a cat. Hey, reptile, your cold scales tickle. Also, you're crackling a little. Oh right, you're a Thunder Dragon.

The armored dwarf standing imposingly on the turtle continued talking to me, still maintaining some wariness.

"Actually, we have information about a dragon that killed some people in this area. That dragon seems docile, but it matches the eyewitness descriptions."

"Ah, come to think of it, I punched a stray-looking dragon earlier. It attacked me, maybe because it was in heat or something. Look, here's a fang it dropped."

I showed them the fang I'd secretly copied from this guy earlier. What? Dragon fangs are rare materials. Of course I'd duplicate it just in case.

"Wha!? T-this is definitely a Thunder Dragon's fang!"

"After I punched it, it seemed to come back to its senses."

"You punched it!? A dragon!?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I was surprised when the iguana car people told me it was a dragon, though. Ah, it ran away. Yeah, zoomed right off. That direction, I think? Didn't you see it?"

I'm not lying, you know. I just omitted the subject, but what ran away wasn't the dragon, it was the iguana car. Yep. A bit confusing? Sorry, I'm bad at language arts. I'm not from this world, after all.

"We didn't see it, but this fang is certainly proof that there was another dragon besides that one. Sorry for doubting you. Would you be willing to provide that evidence? We'll pay you well for it, of course."

"If you're willing to buy it… ah, no, wait. Here, you can have it."

I was about to sell it, but then remembered this was a duplicate. I've decided for myself that I won't sell duplicates, so I can't sell this one. Guess I'll just give away the evidence for free as a good-natured civilian.

"… Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I can always pluck some more from my pet anyway."

"Gigigya!? Anego!?"

"O-oh… Go easy on it, okay?"

Don't worry, I'll heal it after plucking… though I can actually copy them without plucking in the first place! The dwarf then snapped to attention, facing me.

"Thank you for providing such valuable evidence. May I ask your name?"

"I'm Karina, a traveling merchant… Ah! The one who punched the dragon is someone called Healer! She's in that car over there! But she's difficult to deal with! Better not to meet her face to face!"

Crap, I just went and gave my real name like that. The one doing outrageous things is Healer, not Karina-chan, the cutest girl in the universe.

"… Understood. We'll go verify whether the dragon threat has passed. If you're heading to Rosetta, would you deliver a letter for us? We'll pay for the delivery."

"Um. Rosetta, ah, yes, Rosetta. The place straight down this road?"

"Yes. Just hand it to the gate guards."

Oh, I guessed it was a town name from context and I was right. Thank goodness. Sigh, I'll have to ask Aishia about place names later.

"Anego, please tell them about whoever drugged me too. If dragons get blamed because of me, the Dragon King's gonna scold me."

… Fine, I guess. But since Karina-chan is so caring, I'll at least do this much for him.