Chatting With Ontentoo

And so I'd gone to meet Ontentoo with Gonta in tow.

"Wow, you've got your hands on something quite rare."

"Do you know what it is, Ontentoo?"

"Yeah. This little guy is a golden-eyed Frost Lizard. Regular Frost Lizards have white eyes, but the golden-eyed ones have a higher magical power and are even considered a kind of dragon, you know?"

Incredible. So Rokuko finally pulled a dragon from the gacha.

"Well, if you ask me, it's more of a spirit than a dragon. Even though it's known as a golden-eyed version of the species, it's the offspring of a Frost Lizard and a Snow Child, which is a fairy. Calling it a dragon is just something humans came up with on their own."

"A spirit… I see. That's close to our original plan, then."

Anyway, it's good that we have a reliable escort. Its small body, which could easily slip into my shirt, was also quite delightful.

I mean, [Flame Cavern]… or rather, the area near Ontentoo was hot, so it didn't seem to want to come out of my clothes. Thanks to that, I was comfortably cool.

By the way, the reason the scarecrow froze was due to a skill attack called [Ice-binding Magic Eye]. While regular Frost Lizards could only freeze their fingertips, the golden-eyed species could deliver a more powerful attack.

Moreover, the insides of their target wouldn't freeze, so if the target was moving quickly or could forcibly move, they'd still be able break the ice and act. It's better not to be overconfident.

"By the way, assassins? That's troublesome, Kehma. Do you want me to lend you Igni? If there's a tamed dragon in the village, assassins won't come near."

"Ah… I appreciate the sentiment, but I've had enough dragon troubles."

"Hahaha! I guess so!"

Ontentoo laughed happily with his lizard-like face.

Hey. This is a matter of life and death for me, it's not something to laugh about. I'm being literal here since I'm dealing with assassins.

"By the way, is it okay for you to be the one being guarded? Won't it be a problem if Rokuko's left unprotected?"

"Ah, about that, Rokuko's safety measures are already in place, so she should be safe for the most part. That's not even mentioning her core itself deep inside the dungeon."

For the time being, Rokuko was wearing the [Divine Blanket] as a countermeasure against assassination similar to how I wore it as a cloak in the Demonlands. In other words, she's virtually immune to attacks and just wasn't in danger.

… If I had to say there was a concern, it'd be the possibility of her being put to sleep? Nah, she wouldn't be able to move after that, so she'd still be safe.

As for her core body, it was deep inside the dungeon. Someone would have to make it all the way through the dungeon and conquer it, so her defenses on that front were quite strong. Besides, it's even deeper than the room with the dummy core in the back of the dungeon, and the entrance is hidden.

"Also, Haku-san is sending a guard for Rokuko."

"At least say you'll protect your own woman yourself. How spineless can you get."

When I reported the matter of the assassins to Haku-san (even though Misha probably already did), she said that she'd send someone other than Misha to serve as Rokuko's bodyguard.

They all have their respective jobs though so they'll come in rotation.

I wonder if I should take the chance and add another suite room…

"I have my own way of doing things. You know, Ontentoo, being able to say that I've increased how many guards we have through my connections, it's the power of my networking."

"I guess you could look at it like that."

"… I've also learned a sure-kill technique in the Demonlands. I don't know if it'll work on dragons, though."

It did bounce off the fist of a vampire martial artist after all. It wouldn't be surprising if it bounced off a dragon's scales as well.

"Hoh, I'll prepare a Red Mino for you. Show me."

"… Sure, why not? I've already shown it off once in the Demonlands anyway. Tips would be appreciated."

So at Ontentoo's request, I fired an [Elemental Shot] at the Red Mino. It's just a spawn, so I don't need to hold back.

Bam! The Red Mino died instantly from a single headshot. Its meat became a souvenir.

"And that's the spell."

"… Hoh. Kehma, don't you think you're good enough to protect yourself? That's an attack magic that could even pierce a dragon, you know?"

"Really? It must be true if even you're saying that."

"Well, I'd deflect it! Hahaha!"

"Oh? Should I give it a shot?"

By the way, Ontentoo was able to deflect the shot since he was a spirit. He actually managed to.

… Apparently, if you hit dense magical power at the proper angle, it can be deflected. Given that Ontentoo was the great fire spirit, a Salamander, a his existence itself was like a mass of magical power, making his magic-related performance absurdly high.

"Then there's the fact that I'm me! My body's gotten tougher to embrace my wife and take my daughter's charges head on!"

Ontentoo puffed out his chest. What a man.

And since Igni, a Flame Dragon, inherited Ontentoo's blood, she'd also have high magic-related performance and would be able to deflect it as well. Strong. No doubt about it.

"By the way, when are you and Rokuko going to birth a child? Humans give birth quickly, right? Should I start preparing a celebration now?"

"… No, it's not that urgent… We don't have any plans in that area yet."

"That so? Ah, y'know that Dungeon Cores need to change their body with [Transformation] to have a child, right?"

"Hahaha, thanks for the unnecessary knowledge. If Haku-san kills me, it'll be Ontentoo's fault."

By the way, in Ontentoo's case, he can have children with both spirits and dragons. He managed to acquire the [Spirit Transformation] ability from the [Enhancement] menu and transformed from a Salamander-type core into a Salamander…

"It's important for a married couple to know, yeah?"

"Well, it's just that it's, you know, kind of graphic… Besides, I'm still young."

"What are you talking about? You're already an adult as a human."

Ah, right. Since the age of adulthood is lower here, I've been an adult for quite a while now.

… So, even though the village is still new, is it a significant problem that the village chief is single and doesn't have a child who looks like they'll be the heir?

… Well, I'll think about it later. It's not at a level I'm feeling pressed or anything.

"… I'm planning to go on a trip with Redra here soon too. I'll leaving Igni in charge while I'm away. It'd be reassuring if you could come to check on things from time to time, Kehma."

"Hey, if a dragon and a Salamander go out together, they'll definitely stand out."

"That's when we use [Humanization] Both Redra and I can do it."

"Ontentoo, you can transform into a human?"

I inadvertently asked another question, but really it's only natural that he could after running a dungeon for hundreds of years.

"Well, I'm from the Dragon King faction, so I don't usually do it… Mm? I don't think I've shown you, Kehma. I used to do it when I went to play in human settlements, but I haven't done it in the past century."

"Now I'm curious. Can I see?"

"Alright, sure thing. Wait a sec… mmm!"

As Ontentoo groaned, his body gradually shrank and took on a human form.

… What was left was a rugged, muscular man covered in scars. He wasn't wearing clothes, but he'd kept his Salamander scales to cover his private parts.

And if he were Japanese, I'd want to ask which gang's boss he was. In this world, he exuded the aura of a veteran warrior.

"How about this? I look like a handsome guy, right?"

"… You give off the vibe of a commander or something."

However, the smile that showed his intimidating large teeth were undoubtedly Ontentoo's. It was a smile that could make a child shirk away.

"But this form is like a weakened state, so I don't really like it."

"Really?"

"It'd be tough to take on Igni's charge, at least."

Ontentoo sighed while scratching his head.

From the way he spoke, it seemed like he could still withstand it. Dayum.

"How about arm wrestling?"

"No thanks. I don't want to break my arm."

"I see. Would it be better to appear like this when I meet with you in the future?"

"Nah, it's kind of unsettling. I prefer your usual look."

It felt like the discomfort one feels when someone wearing glasses takes them off.

"Also, your face is scary."

"Ha! Kehma, you're such a scaredy-cat… Well, I guess most humans would find the Salamander form scarier."

Ontentoo returned to his original form. The red-scaled Salamander… this is definitely more calming.

"That's because it's you, Ontentoo. Igni might accidentally burn me, which is scary, but you wouldn't do that, right?"

"… Haha, Igni wouldn't have such sloppy control. But if you're worried, why not have Redra cast some protection on you? With the protection of a Red Dragon, you won't burn!"

"I'll pass on standing out. It's a secret, after all."

"Ah well, you should be fine. It's like the protection cast on Igni's clothes when she takes human form, it's not a big deal. How about you show Redra your new technique in exchange for the blessing?"

It was supposedly a simple matter for Redra, like sewing. There were no visible signs like an emblem or anything, so it wouldn't be noticeable if we kept quiet about it.

"Alright, next time."

"Let's take a dip in a lava bath together next time then! Hahaha!"

"… If I don't burn but still feel the heat, I'll definitely refuse."

With my chat with Ontentoo lasting longer than usual, Gonta, the Frost Lizard, became completely exhausted.

… Well, his ice-attribute and Ontentoo's [Flame Cavern] weren't exactly a good match. Sorry little guy. I'll give you some ice, so please forgive me.