<Mikuno>
I sighed once again that morning. It has been a few weeks since Asta and Liebe dissappeared and I couldn't help but worry. Why did I let them go for that ice cream? Asta is a magnet for trouble.
Two days after the incident other villagers put up missing posters in nearby villages, but to no avail.I flinched and cringed when I accidentally hit my finger with a hammer. Years of experience made me immune to such small injuries, but it has been happening too much recently. Mainly when I thought about Asta.
I don't know when, but I began seeing him as a son. Especially after learning about his past. I'm scared for him. He went through so much... I don't want him in harms way. I hope we find him soon...
<Liebe>
"Let me go!" I screamed, trying to get out of Daichi's grasp.
"Liebe, please, calm down" he tried to soothe me.
"No! Because of that bitch Asta ran away!" I shouted, pointing at the pink-haired girl. "You're lucky I'm out of power, because you would be long gone!" I got out of the boys hand.
"Leave me alone! You're as crazy as your master!"I'll kill her. I swear to everything I'm going to kill her.
I felt a little relief when Kouchi — who was sitting and looking at the ground since Asta escaped — got up and punched her in the face. Everyone looked at him in shock.
"Kouchi...!" Daichi started, but paused when Kouchi turned to us, and his face was full of bloodlust. Oh shit.
Even I flinched under that gaze. I didn't think he could be so terrifying. Especially since he was like a teddy bear with Asta around.
The boy grabbed the hysteric by her hair and yanked it up. Aki wanted to intervene, but almost got burned when he blasted a fireball at her.
"Listen to me" He started, deadly serious. "Asta kept saving us since we met him. He did everything in his power to grant us security. Did he make dumb decisions? Yes. Did he let us know about that? Sometimes. Did he regret it? Probably no. But if you so much as mutter another bad word about him, I'll skin you on the spot. Do you understand?"
I think we awakened a beast.
<Asta>
I think I awakened the dragon. Well. I definitely woke him up. The human, or rather the dragon, dragon-man? I don't know. He looks like a human for now, so that's what I'll call him. The man, after a few days of me jumping on him non-stop — with breaks for food and sleep, I didn't want Liebe to get mad, when I finally find him, that I neglected myself — finally woke up! He glared at me, and I smiled widely.
"Hello mister dragon!" I greeted cheerfully. "I'm Asta! And you?"
"Get out, kid. I won't kill you if you escape right this second" he warned, but I honestly didn't care. I was too curious. You don't meet a mythical creature everyday! I have to learn about his magic! If someday I return to Clover, uncle Julius would be extatic to hear about it!
"What's your name, mister?" I asked again, coming closer.
"Get lost!" he barked, dusting off his robes.
"Alright Mister Get Lost. Are you a half human, half dragon? Or a human that learned how to turn into a dragon? Or a dragon that learned how to turn into a human? What are your powers? Does it hurt when you shapeshift?"
Mister Get Lost looked at me with empty eyes, and I came closer, tugging at his clothes, demanding answers and asking more questions.
"Do your bones break when changing, to adapt to your current body shape? Or do they shrink? Do they change shape? Are they elastic? Can you bend yourself very far? Do people hunt you? How old are you? How do dragon years even work?"
The man roared, clearly mad. After that happened a few things. That is, he turned into a dragon, destroying the cave. I grabbed his tail, trying not to die. The dragon soared high into the sky, then blasted the mountain with fire, destroying it completely. Damn.I think I really angered him.
***
I think the dragon finally understood that I had no intention of leaving him alone, seeing that right now he was bent over on all fours in his human form, panting from exhaustion. Meanwhile I stood nearby and popped strawberries into my mouth, savoring them. I deserved it, after what I went through, trying to get him to give up on getting rid of me!
For the past two days, after he realized I was stuck to him. he tried to drown me, burn me, drop me from steep heights, choke me, stab me, and give me up to some cult. I hope he gave up. Not that I don't like him — his murder attempts were pretty funny — but I'd rather talk to him. I need anwsers to my questions!
"So..." I started "What's your name?" the dragon almost weeped. I saw from his body language that he really just wanted to cry. But well, after all that, I couldn't care less.
Oops. But well, this is what you get after actively trying to kill me. I shouldn't feel sorry.
"Alexander" he said, defeated.
"Ooh, pretty, but too long. I'll call you Alex" I shrugged, and he glared at me.
"No!"
"So mister Alex" I ignored him. After so many attempts at my life it didn't seem that scary to me. "Will you anwser my questions?"
"What the fuck are you?" he sighed pathetically, looking at me like he wanted to strangle me.
"I'm Asta" I said cheerfully.
"Jeez... What do you want from me?" he sat criss-crossed on the ground. I copied him.
"Answers!"
***
Two weeks flew by with me staying with Alex. And it's pretty nice! I learned a lot of new things, but to be honest, he's a terrible teacher. When he told me to practice my balancing like my life depended on it, he treated it so seriously that I had to stand on some long stick, with books in my hands and in a weird position. When I kept falling over and over it hurt like hell. But after a week I started to get the hang of it. I can't really judge him, since I would've done the same if I had a student.
I woke up. It was morning and Alex was nowhere in sight. He wouldn't leave me here. I know that, because since we got to know each other better, I learned that he's kind, but grouchy. Well, he is over a thousand years old, as it turned out. He's immortal because of a curse, or something like that. I laughed at him for that and called him an old geezer, and he threw me off the mountain! He catched me mid-air, but I still almost had a heart attack, so now I know not to call him that. It seems even I can learn on my mistakes.
I left the cave and went in the direction of a nearby village. Ever since I started travelling with him, he replenishes his supplies in villages, but it seems funny to me that even though he has a cave full of treasures, it's hard for him to spare a few coins for food. Must be some dragon trait, I guess.
"Hmm?" suddenly I heard a roar and screams. I sighed heavily, guessing what was happening and calmly going in the direction of the commotion.
I went into the village and saw Alex holding someone by their throat with murder in his eyes. His eyes turned black, so I knew he was on the verge of transforming, which would destroy the village. When I stood in front of him, his gaze landed on me. I jumped as high as I could and slapped him in the face. I felt my hand pulse in pain, but it worked. The dragon-man dropped the other guy, and his eyes turned back to normal. He rubbed his cheek and looked at me.
"Please don't worry, this is normal! My dad's heat is starting soon and he's a bit aggressive" I said to the crowd, making everything up on the spot.
"Thanks" Alex murmured. I discreetly nodded.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble my dad caused" I bowed lowly.
"Fortunately nothing happened, thanks kid" the assaulted man said. "I didn't know his heat was close, I'm sorry. I advise you to send your kid next time" he said to Alex.
"I will, and I'm sorry" he forced out unwillingly.
"Yeah yeah, let's go, dad" I grabbed his hand and we left the village.
"Dad"? he snorted when we got back to the cave.
I blushed. It was weird to call someone dad. I said that to Nozel, but then I was afraid to get punished for it. I had a feeling he didn't like to publicly acknowledge he's my father. Now I feel safe, calling a man I've known for two weeks dad. It's a weird, but nice feeling. But I'll never admit that out loud!
"Did you have a better idea?" I flustered.
"No, I didn't. My cheek hurts, you have a lot of strength, but thanks, 'son'" he chuckled.
I felt a warm sensation in my heart.
Maybe... just maybe... I'll call him that for real some day...
***
"Where are we going?" I asked when we were leaving the cave.
"To the Maou Mountains. I heard that one of my dead kin had a nest there, so I want to take the treasures"
"Why do you need more?"
"You wouldn't understand. As a dragon I feel a natural urge to hoard treasure" he said proudly.
"Is that why you find it hard to spend it for food? Or bathing supplies?" I jokingly covered my nose.
"Hmpf" he turned his head away, ignoring me. I sighed, taking the silence as affirmative.
"By the way, do dragons have a secondary gender?"
"Hmm? No, it's not needed. It's humans that invented that stupid system, that acknowledges by your ability to breed. In us both sexes are neutral, meaning that both can impregnate, and get pregnant."
"Even you?" I was surprised."Does that mean you've laid an egg before?"
Alex looked to the side with a nostalgic look on his face.
"Yes... a long time ago. Maybe eight hundred years? But it died quickly"
"What, why?" I inquired, but immediately felt guilty. That was insensitive.
"Humans back then hunted us like boars today. We were everything. From food to ornaments and armor from our scales"
"I'm sorry" I murmured.
"No need to feel sorry" He patted me on the head "It was long ago. The times and people change. You can't lose the meaning of life because of the past. You need to take lessons from it and ensure that the same mistakes don't happen again. The past is the past, and if it's painful, it's best to just cut yourself away from it"
I got quiet for a long while, I looked ahead and mused Alex' words in my head. Does that mean that I should abandon them?