Abandoned in the mountains, I was adopted by a lizard ~I mastered magic and surpassed my parents, but I didn't know they were legendary ancient dragons~ - Chapter 29 & 30

Chapter 29   Inspection of the proposed construction site

After arriving, the first place we visited was the Ashgano branch of Bamboo Inside Construction. At the reception desk, Jasmine began the procedures.

“Welcome. How can I help you today?”

“We want to see the site for the fortress construction. Can you guide us?” Jasmine asked.

“I’m sorry, but that area is off-limits to non-authorized personnel. May I ask your relation to our company?” the receptionist replied.

For a moment, I thought that being the boss’s daughter would get us through easily. But on second thought, it’s unlikely that even the receptionist would know her by face.

“I’m the daughter of President Wright. And this is Hadar, the person contracted for the safety management work.”

“Please, no jokes. Their arrival isn’t expected for another week. They can’t possibly be here yet.”

“That was the original plan, but we arrived early because Hadar can transform into a dragon and fly,” Jasmine explained.

“What…? What are you talking about…?”

Despite revealing her identity, the receptionist still seemed skeptical. This back-and-forth wasn’t getting us anywhere. What could I do to resolve this?

I thought for a moment and came up with a good idea.

“Would you believe this?” I said, showing the contract for the current job. Since it wasn’t something to show just anyone, I used illusion magic to obscure sensitive details like conditions and amounts.

The receptionist’s eyes widened in realization.

“This… This is indeed our president’s seal! I apologize for the misunderstanding!”

The receptionist’s attitude changed instantly, bowing repeatedly in apology.

“The story was just so outlandish, I thought it must be an impersonation…”

“Well, it’s understandable. Even I wouldn’t believe such a method of travel if I hadn’t experienced it myself,” Jasmine said, reassuring the apologetic receptionist.

Finally, we were granted access to the site.

◇

“Beyond this point is Ashgano Peninsula Fortress Construction Site, Ashgano Cape,” the receptionist said, pointing to a vast, empty plain.

Using a physical barrier spell as a platform, I moved to the sky to get a better view of the terrain. The area was a promontory about 2 kilometers wide and 4 kilometers long, entirely flat.

I see, it’s truly just a designated construction site with no progress made yet. Looking closer, I noticed a few flaming birds about the size of the buildings at Zelgius Royal Magic Academy.

After surveying the area, I descended back to the ground, only to find the receptionist in a panic.

“Please don’t just fly up suddenly! It’s supposed to be safe up to this point, but if monsters spot a human in the air, they might attack!”

Oops, a heads-up on that would have been nice.

“Sorry, I’ll be more careful next time. But from what I saw, it seems like only the native species are around right now, so we should be safe,” I said, trying to reassure the receptionist.

I hadn’t scanned the sea, so I couldn’t be sure about that area, but among the flying monsters, the flaming birds seemed to be the strongest. Considering I could take them down with a single “Dragon Flash” spell, they were almost certainly native species.

“This is as far as I can guide you. I’ve heard you possess extraordinary combat abilities, Hadar, so feel free to proceed further, but please, be careful and prioritize your safety—”

The receptionist, now calm, was about to finish speaking when—

“KIEEEE!”

“Eek!”

The flaming giant bird from earlier had targeted us, and the receptionist locked eyes with it.

I quickly dealt with the threat using three rapid-fire Dragon Flashes.

“Are you okay?” I asked, concerned for the receptionist, who seemed shaken despite not being physically harmed.

“Huh? It’s… defeated…?” she murmured, staring at the dead bird in disbelief before collapsing to her knees.

“A monster from the mainland… defeated in one blow…”

She muttered, dazed.

Wait, a mainland monster? I thought I misheard, but it made sense a moment later. To me, it was clearly a native species, but to a non-combatant, it might look like a fearsome beast from the Inferno Continent.

Or perhaps the sheer terror had distorted her perception.

To ensure no further complications, I cast Area Absolute Heal on both of us to eliminate any psychological stress completely.

◇◇◇

Chapter 30   Side: Inside the Ashgano Branch

After the receptionist left to guide Hadar and Jasmine, a conversation unfolded in the Ashgano Branch office between a pair of clerks, a man and a woman, busy with paperwork.

“They arrived quickly, didn’t they? Those two…”

“Yeah. The president’s daughter and the man tasked with security who supposedly has incredible combat abilities… They weren’t supposed to arrive for another week, right?”

The male clerk pulled out a letter from the president from a drawer. He handled correspondence with the head office, having been hired for his unique ability to tame the mythical carrier pigeon, Uberletter, during his student days. Despite the demanding nature of the construction industry, he secured a position with reasonable working hours, fitting his preference for a balanced work-life.

Though lacking in combat skills, Uberletter could fly at about a third of Hadar’s full speed. Thanks to this, they narrowly avoided the situation where Hadar and Jasmine arrived before the branch was notified.

“Seriously… transforming into a dragon and flying here? It’s like something out of a fantasy world,” the woman remarked.

“I agree,” the man nodded.

They fell silent, focusing on their tasks. After about ten minutes, the male clerk broke the silence.

“Hey… don’t you think it’s odd?”

“What do you mean?”

“The fact that they arrived so early. Could it be… they’re impostors?”

He had grown suspicious during the silence. The female clerk quickly countered.

“No, that can’t be. Remember what she said? ‘It was hard to believe, but I trusted them after seeing the contract.'”

Her reasoning was based on the receptionist’s statement. Despite this, the male clerk held onto his suspicions.

“Which do you think is more plausible: ‘a person transformed into a dragon and shortened a week’s journey to a day’ or ‘impostors with a forged contract’?”

“Well, that is…”

Faced with this, the female clerk couldn’t immediately think of a counterargument. Still, she offered a perspective.

“Even if we assume someone has a motive to impersonate the president’s daughter and the security contractor, how could they possibly have stolen our internal secrets to do so?”

“I don’t know either, but…”

As their conversation continued, a sense of unease grew within them.

“Do you think she’ll come back safely?”

“I hope so…”

Amidst their swirling thoughts, their concern for the receptionist’s safety became prominent. Until she returned, their anxiety hindered their work.

◇

They learned of the receptionist’s safe return in the evening when she came back to the office to clock out.

“You made it back safely!”

“Thank goodness.”

As the receptionist entered, their relieved expressions showed that their worries had been unnecessary.

“Safe? What do you mean?” she asked, puzzled.

“We were worried that the two who arrived today might be impostors!”

“Considering the absurdity of transforming into a dragon to fly here, we thought it was more plausible they had forged the contract and were impersonating them,” the male clerk added.

Hearing their concerns, the receptionist apologized.

“Oh, I see… I’m sorry for causing you worry.”

Understanding how much they had fretted over her, she bowed her head apologetically. Then she continued:

“But I can assure you that those two are definitely not impostors.”

“Really?”

“What makes you so certain?” they asked.

The two clerks questioned the receptionist, who had declared her confidence with such assurance. She began to explain:

“After guiding those two today, I deeply understood the president’s intentions. Until this morning, I wondered what he was thinking by ‘entrusting comprehensive security management to one individual with powerful combat abilities.'”

“Yeah, I thought the president had lost his mind,” the female clerk admitted.

“The person entrusted with our security, Hadar-sama, is literally a being beyond human comprehension. He killed three Gigant Phoenixes in less than a second.”

“Wh-what?!”

The two clerks’ mouths hung open in astonishment.

And no wonder—the Gigant Phoenix is one of the most troublesome enemies from the Inferno Continent.

“Do you think there could be anyone else capable of such a feat, other than someone recommended by the president?”

“Certainly not…”

“That’s undoubtedly a one-of-a-kind individual.”

No impostor could possess such overwhelming power. Moreover, if someone could do such extraordinary things, it wouldn’t be surprising if they could transform into a dragon.

Thus, any doubts about impostors were entirely dispelled from their minds.