Evening.

  It had gotten pretty late by the time Hesty and I had cleaned up all the black terracotta from the mud doll attack earlier.

  「Fuu, I can have the golems do public works like this but it really does make me hungry.」


  This black soil is awfully heavy.

  「n…..sorry.」


  「Why are you apologizing?」


  「Because I’m here, that child, came, along with trouble.」


  Hesty’s shoulders dropped as she looked down.

  「Don’t worry. I don’t think it’s your fault Hesty. That black soil doll is to blame.」


  「n~…..that black terracotta doll, is one of Anne’s powers. So, it should be, mostly Anne’s fault.」


  「Eh?」


  「Breath of the Blackened Land. When she, breathes out into the soil, those dolls come out. Because that child is, the Dragon King of the Blackened Ground.」


  Is that so? But if that’s the case…why did it attack her and Dianeia?

  「When she gets, frustrated, Anne has the habit of making them, attack her till she’s refreshed. When she is, satisfied, she makes them disappear….」


  Is she for real?

  That dragon seems like a huge pain in the a**.

  「I don’t think, she does it often in town. But, I will scold her later.」


  「…in this case wouldn’t that just make her happy?」


  「……probably.」


  It looks like there’s no saving that sexual deviant Dragon King.

  「n, it’s good that she doesn’t do it in town, but still it does make you angry.」


  Well, if she kept doing it over and over again with only a little apology…I think I’ll get angry if she does that again here.

  「Oh yeah, you guys seem to blend in quite well, won’t you be found out by the townspeople?」


  「If we keep our, human appearances, we mostly won’t be found out. For me, if I suppress my magic power, they won’t think I am a Dragon King.」


  「Huh, you can suppress your magic power?」


  「n, it’s thanks to that, that I can go to town, without scaring people. —well, even if I’m found out there, isn’t much of a problem. Another Dragon King even, normally drinks alcohol and brawls with humans.」


  These Dragon Kings are really into the whole freedom thing aren’t they?

  「Most are just faithful to their, instincts of wanting to live, interesting and happy lives…..by the way, do you not know the method, to suppress the magic, that you discharge?」


  「Nope. To be honest, I don’t even get the feeling that I’m leaking magic.」


  I was welcomed when I went to the castle, but no one approached me…could the magic leakage be the cause?

  I think I understand…that I don’t understand enough.

  「Let me posit this…if I was to continue living normally, would the continual discharge of magic be a problem?」


  「n~, it would probably….kill normal people I think?」


  Don’t say something so frightening.

  「It’s the truth. Living beings require magic power. At the, rate that you’re leaking, normally you’d be dead.」


  Huh, I just thought that magic was an easy and convenient power…but to think that it was related to your life.

  「But with your, magic power I don’t think there should be a big problem. But, there is the possibility, of drawing monsters to yourself.」


  「Seriously?」


  That problem really existed?

  I understood that the land that I’m living on is a magic spot so it would draw monsters to attack…but I never thought that I would also be drawing them as well.

  「n, the area that you draw them shouldn’t be too large, it shouldn’t be larger than the dragon vein’s area of influence, so there shouldn’t be much of an effect……but there is a method to suppress it. Do you want to do it?」


  「Eh? Was it really that simple to suppress it?」


  Hesty nodded and touched my body.

  「Then here. 《Mirage Coating》」


  When she spoke that spell, my body shone faintly for a moment.

  「With this, my magic has made a lid, and covered you. The leakage, is being blocked. The amount of magic, being held back inside your flesh, should now be just like me in my dragon form.」

  「Ehh~….so it’s like my body’s been reinforced.」


  It’s a little harder to move, but my body feels light.

  I feel like I can stand without even putting strength in my legs.

  It feels similar to when I was wearing my wood armor.

  However, it’s much lighter than that, and feels like a weak reinforcement.

  …..I wonder if it’d feel like this if I had the opportunity to put on a suit of power armor?

  Then I swung my arms quickly through the air and,

  「What? Suddenly the feeling of reinforcement disappeared」


  「n, if you move intensely or get, excited, it breaks easily. It’s only effective in, normal circumstances.」


  I see.

  If your magic power gets agitated and moves violently it can’t function?

  「Can I also do this kind of coating?」


  「Probably. If you practice.」


  I see. Then let’s give it a shot.

  From what Hesty said, it seems like it should be coating my body with magic power.

  「Umm…..like this?」


  I tried to reproduce the feeling I got from Hesty.

  「—《Coating》—!」


  Then,

  「Oh, I…think I did it?」


  I once again felt as if it was a little difficult to move…as if I was being reinforced.

  In fact, I felt that sensation even stronger than before.

  「Did I do it?」


  「n, you did…..but why did you, succeed so quickly?」


  Hesty pouted her lips looking dissatisfied.

  「Eh? Was that bad?」


  「n~n. But you, didn’t need me to teach you. I feel like, the meaning of my existence, was just denied a little.」


  「Even if you tell me something like that…」


  I can’t help it if I already learned it. But,

  「This coating, may make daily life a bit tough.」


  My body is strangely hard to move.

  It’s possible to live like this normally.

  But…if I were told to sleep like this as well, I wouldn’t want to.

  Is it because I’m not used to it?

  「n, wrong. It’s because your cover, is much stronger than mine. It is covering every, single part of your body. The magic coming out of your body, has been completely blocked.」


  Fumu fumu. Did I suppress it too much?

  「But, this isolation is, useful. If you aren’t very close, things that can sense magic power, won’t approach you. Like magic stone golems, and such.」


  I see.

  When I completely coat myself, the magic that I leak out is almost completely cut off.

  It seems like there might be some uses for that.

  「n~…..depending on the enemy, you can be ignored. But it might be better to let out, more magic power. If you’re being made light of, then you might get into more trouble.」


  「I see. But I think the adjustment might be a bit difficult.」


  「If it’s too troublesome, why don’t I, do it? It’d be fine for, you to call me, when you need it.」


  Hesty suggested as she tilted her head to the side.

  That’s right. Hesty is much better than me at detailed magic work.

  「If you do that, then I will have more meaning to my, existence.」


  「…You really don’t need to mind that…but, while I’m not used to it, I’ll leave it to you.」


  「n」


  And just like that, I acquired a new technique.

  —Well for now, I don’t really have any plans to go to town.—