6-year-old Wise Man Wants to Walk in the Shade

 Chapter 19 - Discovering the true nature of obsession

Hey, hey, Dragonman.

While Princess Clarice and the chief were talking, I sneaked in among the dragon people.

The dragon man who had brought the chief here shook his body in shock when he saw me.

Why is a human brat among us?

Now, now, calm down. More importantly, is Chief always like that?

What?! What are you like?

Every time the dragon man yelled, my ears rang.

It was the nature of the dragon people to be rough and quick to anger.

But the chief wasn't just short-tempered.

There was something else that bothered me.

The way his eyes would sometimes lose focus, and the way he would get overly excited at those times.

Chief, you said earlier that you were going to get that thing. Your attitude was strange then. It was like he didn't see what was going on around him.'

The chief showed such tenacity that it was unnatural.

That bothered me.

So I thought I'd bring it up and see how the dragon people would react...

The dragon people, who had been so powerful until just a moment ago, looked at each other at a loss for words.

That reaction alone was enough of an answer.

I see.

The chief's attitude was strange even to them.

'I suppose so... The chief's behavior is strange, isn't it?'

'Yeah, I suppose so... The chief has been acting strange lately...'

One of the dragon people went along with my gesture.

The other dragon people who had been listening to the exchange were shocked and hurriedly grabbed the man's shoulders.

'Hey, hey... Why are you being manipulated by some brat?'

'But didn't it bother you? Chief, when the topic of "that" comes up, you get a little weird, don't you? "

"Well, that's... They're probably desperately trying to protect us now that the Demon King is dead..."

The key, after all, is the existence of this thing called "that".

"Do you dragon people know what "that" is?"

"That's... hm? Hey, boy. You're a human, but how can you speak dragon language so fluently?"

"What?! Ah, I read that in a book!"

"There's no way humans could learn our language just like that!"

"Hahaha. Maybe it's because I read it over and over again."

He glares at me with suspicious eyes.

Danger, danger.

When I feel curious, I tend to forget to act like a child.

"But, you're also fluent in dragon language, aren't you, female knight?"

"That woman's endings are weird! Compared to that, your pronunciation is so good I doubt you're a native speaker. Ha, could it be you...?!

Wh, what?

Are you a human kid raised by the dragon people?

Haha, I wonder. Ah, ah!More importantly, the chief and the princess are having an important discussion!I have to listen carefully!

It would be troublesome if they kept asking me more questions.

I forcibly diverted the dragon people's attention.

Why did you decide to start a war with the werewolves at this point in the first place, Descar?Until now, we had made an agreement not to interfere with each other, right?

I've never liked the werewolves. It's just that it was stupid to go out of our way to destroy each other. But the situation has changed. The Demon King suddenly died, leaving behind ``that''!

What on earth is ``that''?

It's a weapon. --Explosives

Ah. I see.

Werewolves and dragon-kin are both races that are weak against fire.

That's why I chose fire magic in the battle earlier.

The Demon King probably maintained explosives as a military force to keep the two stronger races in check.

The Demon King didn't seem to have any impressive subordinates, after all.

I guess he was making up for what he lacked in military strength with explosives.

The reason the two races didn't interfere with each other was because they were equal in power.

But if either side were to get their hands on explosives, that balance would easily fall apart.

There's no need for war.

Whoever gets the explosives is effectively the winner.

It makes sense then that the chief showed an unusual attachment to the explosives he called "that."

"We'll get that! 　Us! 　We!!　We'll get those explosives!!　No matter what!!" "

He screamed, spit flying everywhere.

The chief's forehead was veined and his eyes were bloodshot.

The princess and the dragonmen held their breath as the chief suddenly began yelling.

Oh dear.

Just because he's obsessed doesn't explain such a sudden change.

He was acting excited like someone experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Of course, this was――

My suspicion turned to certainty.

I pulled my chin in and smiled so no one would notice.

Things were starting to get interesting.

If the princess found out what I was thinking, I'd be in big trouble.

I managed to suppress my amusement at the situation.

Anyway――

It didn't seem like the princess had noticed, so I'd deal with it myself.

That meant I needed to be alone with the chief first.

I quickly chanted in my mouth and created a wind spell in the forest.

The trees rustled and shook unnaturally.

I pointed at them and cried out in fear.

Whoa! Wh-what!?

Eddie-sama?!

Not realizing that I was staging it myself, Princess Clarice quickly shielded me with her back.

Sorry, Princess.

I secretly apologized in my mind and continued acting.

Hey, there was something over there! Maybe a werewolf?

I moved the position of the wind spell I had generated earlier in time with her words.

This should make it look like a living thing is moving.

Look! It's running away!

Damn, it's true! -- Chief, let me chase!

Ah, if it's a werewolf, capture it alive and bring it to me

Ha! ”

The dragon people gleefully pulled the reins and headed into the forest.

The princess, unlike the simple dragon people, was worried about what to do.

Should I stay here or go and check the situation?

If the enemy was really roaming the area, I couldn’t let them get close to this place where the guards were sleeping.

But if the princess went to check the situation, I’d end up being alone with the enemy.

“You can go and check it out. I’ll wait here with the chief.”

I got close to the princess and whispered in low human language.

“No way… You’re leaving Eddie-sama all alone…”

“That would be better.”

“Eh…?”

“There’s something I want to talk to the chief about alone.”

“…! Don’t tell me… Eddie-sama was the one who sensed that presence…?”

I silently smiled and appealed with my eyes so that the princess could understand.

His feelings reached the princess and she swallowed.

"I understand... I'll be away for a bit."

"Okay. Have a nice trip."

I waved her off.

Just before I entered the forest, the princess looked back at me worriedly, so I told her with just my mouth movements, "It's okay. I won't lose."

The princess nodded firmly and turned forward.

And then she disappeared into the forest.

Just like planned, I was now alone with the chief.

Even weak wind magic can be useful if used properly.

"Hey, chief. I've been thinking about something."

"Oh?"

"You want to fight the werewolf to protect your clan, right? And you need explosives to defeat the werewolf, right?"

"I told you so! I'm going to get some explosives!!"

"Then I've got a great idea. If the goal is to protect everyone in the clan, it would be fine if the werewolf didn't get the explosives.'

The clan leader twitches his cheek.

'What...?'

'If all the explosives are gone, there should be no reason to fight. So let's light those explosives and blow them away.'

'Ahh...!?'

'Once the explosives are gone, this is all over.'

'They're gone, you say...? I won't forgive you... I won't forgive you!! I won't forgive you!! I'm going to get those explosives!! I'm going to make them mine!!'

'Hmm. So getting the explosives is more important to you than the safety of your clan.'

'I'll get them... no matter what... I, I'

'Instead of fighting and making sacrifices, we should talk to each other and give up. That way there won't be any damage on either side, and as the clan leader, I think it's a much more important measure than fighting.'

'I'm going to get those things...! "

It resembled the veins that were beginning to bulge on the chief's forehead.

Like a fine pattern, it was a magic circle engraved directly on the chief's body.

I confirmed that the bulges of the magic circle reached all the way to the dragon man's brain.

I licked my lips.

I had the proof.

"Chief. I was being hypnotized into wanting explosives after all."

"Guh, ahhhhhh! Give me that! Give me that!"

The chief, clutching his head with both hands and roaring, didn't hear my voice.

It must be because of the hypnotism that causes people to lose their senses when they hear the word explosives.

If that's the case, the question is who cast that hypnotism.

In the back of my mind, I continued my conversation with the chief while trying to guess who the culprit was.

"Looks like I need to release you from the suggestion you've put on me to talk calmly."

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Right now the dragon people's underlings are gone and the guards are asleep. -- It'll be easy since I can sneak around without having to trick them."

Naturally, that was his intention from the start, when he drove away the princess and the dragon people.

"Come on, chief. I'll help you open your clouded eyes."

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