Reincarnated Dragon Goes to the Academy!

Chapter 141 : Persuasion (1)

It was an easy problem, if you thought about it.

Even if they didn't foolishly step forward, wasn't there already an exchange between Lucas and a few of the other races?

"So you're saying the Lord will go himself?"

"Yes. Well, we're not extremely close, but wouldn't I have a better chance?"

Lucas also had a duty to help the dragons. This whole mess started because of the demons he himself had driven out, so Lucas's heart wanted to help until the very end, one way or another.

"Hmm. Then where do you plan to go first?"

"The dwarves."

"Hoh. The dwarves?"

Lucas nodded at Aman's question.

"Then how about I go with you? Since I made Bboppi disappear for them last time, I think they'd be quite grateful to me."

As Aman raised an eyebrow, Lucas's brow furrowed.

"Bboppi."

As Lucas muttered the name that was still absurd to hear again, Aman's eyes widened and he began to speak.

"Yes. You have no idea how cute my Bboppi has been lately."

Lucas's eyes lost focus as he watched the excitedly chattering Aman.

'What an incomprehensible race.'

He had lived for thousands of years as the same race as Aman, but even as time passed, the dragon named Aman was difficult to understand.

What on earth was inside the head of that dragon who was always bright and cheerful?

"Hahaha! Isn't my Bboppi truly admirable? Besides, last time he said he would give me..."

"Enough."

"Ah, yes."

In the end, Lucas cut Aman off.

"So you're saying you'll go with me to the dwarves?"

"Yes."

Lucas thought. Would it really be helpful to take this cheerful one along?

"Alright."

"Yes."

"But."

"...?"

"Can you keep your mouth shut?"

Lucas set a condition. Since it was a dragon's problem, taking a dragon along would surely be helpful. But he had a feeling that the moment Aman opened his mouth, far from persuading, he might ruin things.

'Besides, that chieftain saw Aman fumbling around over that Manticore named Bboppi.'

At that, Aman's eyes drooped and he looked crestfallen.

"Why must I do that? Lord, are you perhaps... ashamed of me?"

Aman's teary eyes turned to Lucas.

"Ashamed? Absolutely not."

At that, Lucas quickly tried to smooth over the situation.

"Aren't you a dragon right now? I'll do the persuading, so I thought it would be better for you to remain a dignified dragon."

"Lies."

Lucas's sweet talk was deflected.

"L-lies, you say?"

"Lord, you are currently, so to speak, 'bluffing' me."

"Hah."

Lucas let out a short sigh. Bluffing, he says. Where on earth did he learn such words!

"Am I not right? If not, why would you tell me to 'shut up'?"

"Aman, I want to move as quickly as possible right now, so listen carefully."

Aman glared at Lucas.

"I'm not ashamed of you. It's just that I'm afraid you might use words like 'bluffing' in front of a lesser race."

"I won't!"

Aman shouted.

"...Alright. Then do as you wish."

In the end, Lucas declared his surrender.

***

Arriving in Ignos, the territory of the dwarves, Lucas and Aman first looked for the chieftain.

"There he is."

Turkam Urdur, the chieftain of the dwarves, was in the forge.

"Put your soul into it! How many times do I have to tell you that you have to pray and pray to the god of fire with every pump of the bellows to get the fire you want?! Huh?!"

Turkam was standing in the forge, pacing around and losing his temper.

"Agh! That hammer in your hand is pitiful! You rotten good-for-nothing. How many times do I have to tell you to find the rhythm?!"

At that, the other dwarves, sweating profusely, answered with a loud 'Yes'.

They were a race that was serious about fire and crafting.

"Turkam."

At the voice calling his name, Turkam turned his head irritably.

"Who calls my... huh? You!"

Turkam, recognizing Lucas, scurried over to him on his short legs.

"Khaha! To see you again so soon. I was just feeling bad about the catching up we couldn't finish last time. Huh?"

Turkam, who had placed a thick hand on Lucas's waist, repeatedly patted somewhere between Lucas's waist and buttocks.

'Where is he touching?'

At Lucas's furrowed brow, Turkam said 'oops' and quickly lowered his hand.

"Khaha! I was just so happy to see you. But what brings you here today... L-Lord Dragon?"

Turkam, as if he had only just noticed Aman, took a step back and his eyes widened.

"That's right. It is the Lord Dragon."

"Oh my! What brings a humble person to such a precious place..."

The flustered Turkam had mixed up his words. A humble person in a precious place!

"Pfft..."

At that, Lucas barely suppressed a burst of laughter.

"What did you say?"

Aman, who had heard the words without thinking, soon noticed something was off and frowned.

"Yes...?"

But Turkam, as if he didn't even know what he had said, just blinked his round eyes.

"Hmph, never mind."

Aman, as if he knew there was no point in arguing further, waved his hand dismissively and left the forge.

"Turkam. I came to discuss something with you."

"W-with the Lord Dragon too? Surely you're not asking for that mine back, are you?"

"It's not about that."

Turkam, who had swallowed hard, took out the flask hanging from his waist.

"Kaaah-!"

Then he took a big swig and nodded his head.

"Let's talk."

They looked for a quiet place nearby and ended up at Turkam's house.

"Come in!"

As Turkam led the way, opened the door, and went inside, Lucas and Aman bent their waists slightly under the low ceiling and awkwardly followed him.

"Please sit, Lord Dragon!"

Turkam, who had offered what seemed to be the best chair he owned, went to the kitchen and began to busily take something out.

"Ahem... this is all I have to offer. But to us, it is a truly precious side dish."

What Turkam brought out was not cookies or tea snacks, but jerky.

'Is jerky all he has for snacks?'

As he nodded, Turkam sat down.

"What you wanted to talk about is..."

Turkam gulped down something in his cup.

'That's alcohol too.'

He had served tea to Lucas and Aman, but it seemed he was not having the same.

"Did the demons come to visit by any chance?"

"..."

At Aman's question, Turkam raised his cup again instead of answering.

"The demons have come. What did they say they wanted from you?"

"..."

There was no answer.

"Will you side with them?"

"..."

Still no answer.

At that, Lucas also felt a tightness in his chest. To think they had already succeeded in persuading the dwarves.

What sweet words did they whisper to succeed in persuading those stubborn people?

"Turkam."

Lucas called his name.

"I came to persuade you, but if that is your will, then it would be right for us to give up as well."

At that, Aman's eyes widened as he looked at Lucas. His expression seemed to ask, 'Give up?'

"So don't worry about it too much. I'm sure they offered you good conditions."

Lucas got up from his seat.

"Let's go."

At that, Aman, with his eyes wide and an expression that wanted to say something, silently followed Lucas and got up.

"Farewell. It seems we will meet as enemies next time. So you don't have to prepare that gift you promised me. I don't want to face you holding a precious thing made with your own hands."

With those words, Lucas smiled faintly and was about to open the door and leave.

"W-wait!"

Lucas turned his head at Turkam's urgent shout.

"Could I perhaps speak with you alone? I'm sorry, Lord Dragon."

Lucas rejoiced inwardly, but Aman, with a crestfallen expression, nodded and went outside.

As Lucas sat down again, Turkam sighed several times and hesitated before finally opening his mouth.

"Yes. As you said, the demons came to visit a while ago."

Turkam had an expression that seemed to feel guilty for some reason.

'He must feel like he's betraying his king.'

Besides, hadn't Aman already helped them several times? Turkam also knew all of that, so he must be feeling even more guilty.

"They didn't particularly demand anything from us. They just asked us not to help the dragons. Well, it's not like we're a race skilled in combat, so it's only natural."

"Did they really not want anything?"

Turkam was lying. They surely wanted something from the dwarves.

"Ahem... well, it wasn't anything grand, but there was one thing."

"May I ask what that is?"

Turkam swallowed his words for a moment.

"Actually, there's something I want to say to you first. I like you. I don't know why, but I just like you."

Sincerity dripped from Turkam's words.

"I like that you're not greedy, and I like that you're skilled enough to make a contract with a dragon. We dwarves are a race that likes the strong more than anyone."

Turkam took another swig of his drink.

"Kuh... so please grant my request. Actually, we don't want to side with anyone. But the demons said so. That if we don't side with them, we will make enemies of all races."

The tips of Turkam's fingers trembled slightly.

"You know, don't you? We like war, but that's because we like war supplies, not because we like to fight."

Lucas nodded at that. They just liked to make and sell weapons and earn money.

They were just craftsmen. They didn't like wars where they had to take sides, but were just craftsmen who felt joy from selling high-quality goods.

To them, the threat of making enemies of all races was more frightening than anything else.

"Do you... understand what I mean?"

Lucas, who had nodded, looked at Turkam for a moment and then opened his mouth.

"I know well. I have also watched the dwarves for a long time."

The polymorphed Lucas looked like nothing more than a human in his 20s, but Turkam just nodded his head.

"But Turkam, think about whether you would truly be happy if all the dragons disappeared from this land. They are trying to wage a war against the dragons. And they are trying to persuade all the races to do so."

Turkam swallowed dryly.

"If that happens, this will become a race war. A race war in which dragons are involved. The dragons also cherish all races, but once a war starts, they will first find and annihilate the races that did not side with them."

"..."

"There are a total of fifteen dragons living now. If you think of it as one race per one of their lives... isn't it an easy calculation?"

And then Lucas got up from his seat.

"And I also happen to like you."

"..."

"So may I come to receive your gift?"

Turkam looked at Lucas for a moment and then bit his lip hard.

"Come back in two days. I need some time to think."

"I will."

As Lucas smiled, the chieftain also responded with an awkward smile.

[End of Chapter]