ShoujoDirector

  “Ultimately, ‘A Dragon Tongue’ is simply a peculiar nguage. Without infusing it with magical energy, it is merely a universal nguage.”

  Farkonia was expining the intricacies of ‘A Dragon Too the young girl.

  In essence, ‘A Dragon Tongue’ is a nguage that unicates through thought, yet it produces actual sound.

  Typically, thought unication—such as with certain types of uniagic—operates simirly to a voice eg directly in the recipient’s mind. In esse is like a persoally repying a pieusic without vocalising it.

  However, ‘A Dragon Tongue’ is different. It produces sound while also embedding i within that sound. Hence, even if one does not uand ‘A Dragon Tongue,’ its meaning still be grasped.

  “The essenagic is to harness ‘mana’—a form of energy—and trol it through one's will to affect the world. Thus, ‘A Dragon Tongue’ is essentially a magical prototype that has yet to be imbued with mana. Once mana is introduced, its magical properties be realised. …The above is courtesy of my mentor, although these teags have rgely vanished from the world.”

  What Farkonia did not anticipate was the emergence of a y in the world, who has revived and dissemihese theories.

  “Well then, we’ve covered the basics. Let’s move on to teag you how to use ‘A Dragon Tongue.’”

  Learning a new nguage is challenging, especially oh rules and usage entirely different from known nguages. The method of vocalizing ‘A Dragon Tongue’ differs from all puages, so the girl must start from the very basics.

  “Now, try saying ‘ah’.”

  “Ah.”

  “Hmm, that’s abht.”

  Though it felt like a mother teag her young daughter to speak, the situation was, in fact, rather simir. Strictly speaking, from the perspective on lihe girl could indeed be sidered Farkonia’s daughter.

  “I didn’t expect you to learn so quickly. It took me ten years just to produce sound. Of course, there was also the factor of slrowth io long-lived races.”

  Farkonia reflected on her own arduous journey but quickly adjusted her mood and poio a small stone nearby.

  “Now, let’s aim to make this stone move.”

  The girl gazed at the stone and moved her lips.

  “Dance.”

  As soon as the words left her lips, the storembled slightly. Then, the trembling intensified until it finally leaped into the air.

  “???”

  Farkonia was taken aback. Produg sound was ohing, but embedding i into it to turn it into magic was another matter entirely. This required precise trol of mana and clear i. If one were in a daze, the effectiveness would be signifitly diminished, and variables like the frequend quality of mana would also e into py.

  Yet, the girl speime overing this challehan she did learning to speak ‘A Dragon Tongue.’ Using herself as a benchmark, she had taken ten years to produce sound, but the girl aplished what had takeen times longer in mere moments!

  “Remarkable… it’s as if she’s a natural-born master of ‘A Dragon Tongue’… no, perhaps even a ruler…”

  ‘A Dragon Tongue’ is typically used by Dragon Kings. Mastery of it sighe potential to bee one. Generally, dragons with more ‘royal qualities’ exhibit greater aptitude in ‘A Dragon Tongue.’ If this theory holds true, the girl’s talent is likely the greatest ever seen.

  “Wait, I o verify.”

  To be sure, Farkonia gave the girl aask.

  “Try saying anything to this stone.”

  “…Cut dowree.”

  This time, the stone moved with eveer fluidity, boung its way to the ree. With a forceful flick, it struck the trunk and severed it.

  “…”

  Farkonia was now certain that the girl could indeed bee the Dragon King, even if she was not a full dragon.

  “How do you find it?”

  “…I have nothing more to teach you.”

  It was . Sualent required no further instru from Farkonia; the girl would likely surpass her own level effortlessly through self-discovery.

  “Pupu!”

  At that moment, a small tentacle appeared.

  “…Ah, what are you doing here?”

  Some time earlier, before the girl had e to challenge Farkonia, she had left the small creature, named Pupu, on a nearby open ground for safety. It had now mao find its way back.

  “Pupu!”

  Pupu, carrying a satchel, waved its tentacles. The girl could see it set.

  “Alright, o be cross.”

  The girl made a small cut on her finger, letting a few drops of blood flow for Pupu to absorb.

  “Pupu puff!”

  For some reason, Pupu seemed unusually eted, as if it had tasted a delicacy.

  “What’s this…”

  Farkonia observed Pupu’s excitement with curiosity.

  “An ued enter. It seems to heal wounds while abs blood.”

  “It feels somewhat familiar, yet different… Let me see.”

  Farkonia k down, pced her hand on Pupu, and closed her eyes to sense.

  “…This… is a fragment of an evil god!?”

  There was no mistaking it. As a key figure in the war, Farkonia was very familiar with the evil gods. The presence of their aura was unmistakable on Pupu.

  “No, it’s different… Give me your hand!”

  Farkonia quickly grasped the girl’s left hand and began a detailed examination.

  “…It’s astonishing…”

  “What’s the matter?”

  Noting Farkonia’s rea, the girl inquired.

  “Did you enter a particurly strange magical creature that inflicted mental harm?”

  “Mental harm… Hmm! It does seem… familiar…”

  The girl recalled a greeacled monster with rge eyes, and the mere memory caused her a headache.

  “o delve too deeply, just knowing it’s there is enough. …What you’ve entered are likely fragments of an evil god. During the final strike of the war, the evil god seems to have been injured as well. Those fragments are probably sealed within the abyss along with us.”

  Not only Pupu but Farkonia also sehe aura of the evil god on the girl, indig that both had absorbed these fragments.

  “Is there a problem?”

  “Problem… not really…”

  “?”

  “You’ve fully ied the power of the fragments into yourselves. There’s no trace of the evil god’s malice, so there’s no real issue.”

  “Then why did you…”

  “I was simply startled. I detected the evil god’s aura on this… little thing and thought it might be a fragment. But si—and you—harbour no malice, I rex.”

  Farkonia gently picked up Pupu. Initially, Pupu struggled but sned.

  “I didn’t expect you to elimihe threat of the evil god’s fragments. As a resident of the abyss, I must extend my gratitude.”