The next day.
We were all gathered together in the guild’s meeting room.
This meeting room was bigger than the one we were in last time.
About twenty people had gathered, giving it the feeling of a rather large meeting.
There were officials and Adventurers and guild workers and even a priest.
“We have gathered here today to discuss the ‘Blue Dragon of Delight.'”
The manager declared once we had all settled.
Apparently, that’s what they called the dragon.
And since it had a name, it must have been seen in the past as well.
As I considered this, the manager opened his mouth again.
“The Blue Dragon of Delight was discovered by the party of Adventurers who were investigating the Earth Dragon. It is very different from any known monster, in fact, there are no other dragons that are like it… Is that right?”
The man who was sitting next to the manager answered.
“That is correct. At least, there is no such dragon in any of the records that the guild possesses. …That is, if this picture is accurate? It is very detailed and even in color. I cannot believe that someone was able to draw this right in front of a monster. Perhaps they drew it later based on vague memories?”
“…I felt so too. But the Adventurer, Yuji, claims it is the ability of his slimes. …Yuji, could you perhaps create an illustration for the Earth Dragon as well?”
The manager asked as he slid me a sheet of paper.
He wanted to know how trustworthy this ‘Thoughtography’ was, and so they would test it with a monster whose appearance they recognized.
Thankfully, ‘Thoughtography’ did not use much MP, so I could use it casually.
As I had put the blame on the slimes, I placed one slime on the paper for show and then chanted.
‘Magic Transfer—Thoughtography.’
And then an image of an Earth Dragon appeared on the paper.
As last time, it was in color.
“OOOH!!”
“It-it’s a perfect Earth Dragon… To create such a perfect image in a second. What kind of monster is that slime…”
“Would you sell your slime to me? I will give you a million…no, two million!”
The meeting turned into chaos once the picture was complete.
Unfortunately, they were now ignoring the purpose of the meeting and began to negotiate prices.
In the first place, ‘Thoughtography’ was my own magic, so there was no point in buying my slime.
“So, now you understand how special Yuji’s slime is? So this picture must be accurate.”
“…I see. However, that means that the book is the only resource we have about this monster.”
The man said as he pointed at the single volume held by the small priest.
It was old and worn. You could not even read the title.
“But the sky is bright, so I don’t think it is…”
The priest said with anxious eyes as he looked at the old book.
It seemed that something was bothering him.
“In any case, couldn’t you explain to us about the monster in that book? I heard of a similar monster being described in myth. But I have never heard of an actual blue dragon.”
The manager said. The priest answered,
“Of course, you wouldn’t have. This myth is not well-known and most of it is unreadable. It is practically a miracle that I can read this page.”
The priest said as he carefully opened the book.
It was so old that to handle it roughly would cause the pages to fall out.
And in this book…was the exact same dragon that I had seen.
“…Yes, it is very similar in appearance. So, what kind of monster is this dragon within the myth?”
“A continent in three days. A mythological monster… Still, I find it difficult to believe that something that could destroy a continent was in the Delight Forest…”
“I agree. Besides, it has not become dark here…”
Just then, the priest glanced out the window…then muttered.
“…But, does it not see a little darker than usual?”
“Are you kidding?”
Then the manager looked out.
I used the slimes to see what it was like outside.
Yes, it did seem darker than usual.
“Yes, that seems to be the case.”
“Can it really be true then…”
“No, it must be a coincidence.”
Still, the participants of the meeting started to look worried.
…Now that I think about it, it had been quite dark in the forest as well.
What if…
“What is this darkness that covers the sky supposed to be like?”
I had a bad feeling about it as I asked the priest.
And then he answered.
“According to the myth, only a part of the sky becomes dim at first. Then it starts to spread and become darker. While this is happening, there will not be a cloud in the sky.”
…Now that I think about it, there hadn’t been any clouds in the sky while we were in the forest. I think.
‘Hey. Were there clouds while we were in the Delight Forest?’
‘There weren’t any!’
‘No! The weather was so nice! Well, except it was a little dark!’
‘It got darker when we were leaving.’
I asked the monsters just in case, and confirmed that it wasn’t just me.
This…is getting really bad.
“While we were investigating in the forest, it became strangely dark, and there were no clouds in the sky…isn’t that the same as the book?”
“…It is.”
“An oppressive air filled the meeting room.
If this was earth, there would be no need to worry about mythological creatures from books.
However, this was a world of monsters and magic.
Even if it was an old myth, it could still be true.
…But if the Blue Dragon of Delight really was that mythological dragon, then there was nothing we could do.
What use would it be to gather the strongest Adventurers together, if this dragon could destroy a continent by itself?
“By the way, how long does it take for this dragon to grow completely?”
Perhaps it would take an incredibly long time for such a mythological dragon to grow large enough to destroy the continent.
If it took 100 years, that would be enough time to think of something.
However, that hope was crushed when the priest opened his mouth.
“3 days.”