Chapter 16: Magic is Mainstream
914 Words
"Aren't they fascinating?"
"......"
The five young dragons initially paused, then curiously gathered around the “inflated” Ball Dragon, examining it closely.
Billy, ever the bold one, reached out a claw and poked it again. To his confusion, the Ball Dragon, even when poked away, did not inflate again.
"Billy, they've already expanded to their maximum size!"
Upon hearing this, Billy turned his attention to the other Ball Dragons, happily hunting nearby.
Selene and the other three initially hesitated but soon joined in the fun, seeing Billy repeatedly poke three Ball Dragons into their inflated state.
Only Vit was left staring at the first Ball Dragon that Winter had made inflate, exchanging looks with it.
The inflated Ball Dragon appeared almost transparent, with only its belly inflated, making it look like a floating cartoonish balloon—well, that’s how Vit would describe it using the terminology from the other world.
Sensing that Vit meant no harm, the Ball Dragon before him let out a long breath, and its inflated belly quickly returned to normal, once again resembling a miniature dragon.
"How do they do that?"
Upon Vit's exclamation, Winter smiled and began to explain, "That’s because—"
Before she could finish, Selene and the others shouted. Winter and Vit turned to see Billy with his mouth wide open, a fully inflated Ball Dragon stuck inside, looking quite alarmed.
Billy, equally panicked, was clawing at the Ball Dragon's expanded body, but the seemingly fragile, almost transparent skin was surprisingly resilient, showing no signs of damage from either bites or claws.
Winter sighed, somewhat exasperated. "Billy, you still haven't learned that not everything should go into your mouth!"
With a careful grip on Billy’s tail, Winter gave a gentle shake. Gentle for Winter, but Billy felt as though all his joints had been stretched out.
The result was Billy lying on the ground, utterly drained of energy, looking like a snake that had been shaken up and down repeatedly.
"Ball Dragons may be small, but their skin is incredibly tough. At your current strength, you can't harm them. When threatened, they absorb a lot of wind elements, inflating their bodies. In this state, even a slight force will send them flying. It’s their way of dealing with danger. And by the way, Ball Dragons have no meat, so don’t bother adding them to your menu!"
Billy covered his eyes in embarrassment while the others couldn’t help but laugh.
After the laughter died down, Winter resumed, "Alright, little ones, although these unexpected visitors brought you some amusement, your task today wasn’t just to get acquainted with them!"
This piqued Billy's interest again. "Winter, wasn't our task today to fill our stomachs?"
"Of course not. The most important task today is to understand magic!"
Vit and the others' eyes lit up at this.
Winter continued, "To use magic, you must first study it. And to study magic, you must first understand it. Only with a proper understanding of magic can you walk further down the magical path. I know your heritage memories contain detailed information about the origins of magic and its basic principles. But, as I’ve said before, the knowledge in your heritage memories isn’t entirely yours yet. You still need to learn!"
Vit's eyes dimmed slightly. His heritage memories didn’t include the basics of magic, and he couldn’t use magic yet. So, was there really a need for him to learn?
Sensing Vit's thoughts, Winter turned to him. "Vit, can I ask you a question?"
Startled, Vit quickly nodded. "Of course!"
Winter smiled. "Can you tell me what you need to do before defeating an opponent?"
Turning to the other young dragons, she added, "Of course, if you’re interested, you can try answering as well."
Vit thought for a moment before tentatively replying, "Is it training yourself to become stronger?"
"I think it’s magic!" Billy quickly chimed in.
When the conversation turned to magic, Otto resumed his aloof demeanor, lying down and watching coldly as if he hadn’t been chasing a Ball Dragon around just moments ago.
Tentatively, Denite added, "I agree with Vit. It should be making yourself stronger since there are ways to do that beyond just magic."
Surprised, Vit glanced at Denite, who looked back and nodded amicably. After a moment’s hesitation, Vit nodded in return.
Now calmer, Vit no longer suspected Winter of any ill intentions and had abandoned thoughts of fleeing Desidero. Reflecting on his earlier wild imaginings made him want to find a hole to hide in. Thankfully, no one knew about them.
After his fight with Selene, Vit realized that owning a private lair was unlikely. Thus, his best option was to foster good relationships with the other four dragons if he didn’t want to be lonely in the future.
But his dragon pride prevented him from making the first friendly move. Still, since Denite extended the olive branch, Vit wouldn’t reject it.
"No, I believe understanding your opponent is the key to defeating them," Selene declared, her head held high, her alabaster body exuding a holy aura.
Winter praised, "A very rational answer!" Turning to Vit, she added, "Of course, your answers aren’t wrong, just a bit vague. I asked this question to emphasize that, Vit, even though you can’t use magic yet, learning about magic is essential. Magic is the mainstream of this world. Even the Earthbound Dragons, with the weakest magical affinity, can use magic. Understanding and learning magic is crucial to overcoming it!"
- Writer
