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 44 & 44.1

Chapter 44   Completion of remote work

Upon arriving at the construction site, I first called for the project manager and made a request.

“Excuse me… could you gather all the workers for a moment? I have something important to discuss.”

“Something important? Well, since it’s right before the work resumes, gathering everyone now should be easy…”

With the project manager’s cooperation secured, all the workers were assembled.

“Francois, please wait here. There’s something I need to do first.”

“O-okay…”

I told Francois this and then took off on the cloud of the Great Seitan, heading towards the Ashgano branch. The reason, of course, was to gather the branch employees as well.

“Everyone, I have something important to discuss. If you’re not currently occupied, could you come with me?”

In the branch office, I made this request.

“What do you mean, ‘come with you,’ Hadar? What are you planning?”

“I need you all to come to the construction site for a moment.”

“Wait, you’re not suggesting we all fly there, are you?”

Jasmine seemed to misunderstand my intentions when I explained the situation, but I didn’t plan to do anything that extreme.

“No, we’ll get there more calmly.”

“Really?”

Despite some skepticism, I managed to persuade the available staff to come with me. Then—I activated the switching spell.

“Huh…?!”

As soon as we arrived at the site where Francois was waiting, the branch staff’s voices overlapped in surprise and confusion. At the same time, astonished exclamations arose from the site workers and the project manager as they saw us appear.

“Whoa, where did all these people come from so suddenly?”

“And where did that mysterious, beautiful lady who was here a moment ago go…?”

“I used magic to transport the branch staff here so I could address everyone at once… Please wait a moment.”

With that, I asked everyone to step back and activated the switching spell once more. Then, I flew to the site on the cloud.

As soon as I arrived, one of the project managers asked,

“W-what exactly did you do…?”

To explain that, I would first need to clarify who Francois is. Everyone had only seen Francois in her human form, so mentioning “switching, a Tamer’s magic” would only lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

So, I decided to explain step by step.

“To explain that, let me introduce Francois—this girl here.”

After taking a deep breath, I continued,

“Francois is a dragon from the Inferno Continent. She’s currently in human form through a transformation spell.”

““““A dragon from the Inferno Continent—!?””””

Revealing this caused nearly everyone present to exclaim in unison.

“Francois, could you revert to your dragon form for a moment?”

“Understood!”

At my request, Francois undid her transformation spell, revealing herself as a dragon.

“She… she really is a dragon…”

“What a majestic presence… it’s overwhelming…”

Everyone stood with their mouths agape, and some even seemed a bit frightened.

“Ah, please don’t worry. Francois and I have been close ever since I met her while exploring the Inferno Continent.”

“Yeah, that’s right! There’s no way I’d interfere with my big brother’s important work!”

Trying to calm everyone down, Francois reverted to her human form again and reassured them as well.

“The big brother of a dragon from the Inferno Continent…”

“I always knew you were something special, but… this is on another level, Hadar…”

Thankfully, Francois calling me “big brother” seemed to ease everyone’s tension. Now, to answer the initial question.

“The magic I used to gather everyone here is called ‘Switching.’ It’s a spell that swaps my position with that of my familiar. I never officially made a familiar contract, but somehow it worked when I tried it. I’ve been using it ever since.”

This explanation should clarify the sudden appearance that seemed like teleportation.

As I was speaking, one of the branch staff murmured,

“Such a spell exists… I’ve had an Uberletter for years and never knew…”

Why? Uberletters are famous for their incredible speed and ability to travel vast distances. You’re the type of Tamer who would benefit the most from this magic…

Anyway, back to the main point.

“I’ve gathered you all here because I have a significant announcement regarding the safety management duties. From now on, I plan to delegate most of these duties to Francois.”

After saying this, I whispered to Francois,

“Set up a barrier strong enough to block a low-powered dragon flash.”

Once Francois set up the barrier, I fired a low-powered dragon flash at it.

“As you can see, Francois can block the same spell I use to instantly defeat Gigant Phoenixes and Rush Turtles. This means that any monster that comes to Ashgano Cape is no threat to her. Her capabilities are more than adequate.”

I demonstrated Francois’ suitability for the role with a simple show of her strength.

“Just as expected of a dragon… To block Hadar’s devastating attack…”

One of the workers murmured in amazement. But Francois quickly interjected,

“That’s nothing! Big brother can use even more powerful spells that can instantly defeat a Great Seitan!”

“Wait, so Hadar is like some figure straight out of mythology!?”

Hey. That’s not helping. Now they’re jumping to wild conclusions.

Putting that aside,

“I am still a student at Zelgius Royal Magic Academy. Thanks to President Wright’s negotiation, I’m assured of graduating without any delays. But spending all my school days on just this job feels wrong. Therefore, I’ll be delegating these duties to Francois and returning to the academy.”

With that, I bowed my head briefly. Then, I continued.

“Of course, in case of an emergency, I will handle it. If a monster that even Francois can’t defeat threatens Ashgano Cape, I will instantly teleport there using Switching and take care of it. So, please rest assured.”

Actually, one reason I transported the branch staff using Switching was to give them a tangible sense of this method of travel. Simply stating that I could teleport from Zelgius Royal Magic Academy to Ashgano Cape might not have been convincing enough.

“Holding such command over a dragon, what on earth could you possibly still need to learn at the academy?”

“Yeah, really.”

Listening to my explanation, the construction supervisors and staff voiced their thoughts.

It’s not just about the academy; I want to participate in various internships and gain broader experience. So far, I’ve only gotten hands-on industry research in construction and the church.

Anyway, that’s beside the point. I believe I’ve conveyed all the necessary information to everyone.

“That’s all from me. Thank you for gathering here. Please return to your tasks.”

I concluded my speech and used Switching again to transport the staff back to the branch office.

I had Francois return to the coast of the Inferno Continent while I completed the necessary paperwork at the branch office for my return to the capital. By the way, Jasmine also decided to return to the academy at this juncture.

As I left the branch and headed to the inn to check out, Jasmine suddenly murmured something.

“Honestly… I never imagined things would turn out like this.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought this job was something only Hadar could do. The way you even uncovered such talent is beyond anything I could have anticipated…”

“If you’re talking about resources, I guess you mean ‘dragon resources.’”

◇◇◇

Chapter 44.1   What happened on the way back – 1

After checking out from the inn, I was about to use the dragon transformation technique to fly back to the capital. But just before I could, Jasmine started to speak.

“Uh… Hadar. Wait a moment.”

“What’s up?”

“Today is…”

Jasmine pulled out her schedule book and checked today’s date.

“… I knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“Today is the day of the food festival in Buono Village.”

“Buono Village?”

I’d never heard of the place. But a “food festival” sounded like it would be filled with delicious food stalls.

If that’s the case, I’m definitely interested.

“What kind of festival is it?”

“It’s an annual cooking competition held in this village. It’s not a big village by any means, but… traditionally, on this day, skilled cooks from all over the country gather in this village to showcase their best dishes and compete.”

According to Jasmine, the festival in Buono Village was exactly what I had imagined.

“You can sample dozens of exquisite dishes to your heart’s content. I’ve always wanted to attend, but I never thought the dates would align, so I’d given up this year… But if it’s alright with you, could we stop by for a bit…?”

“Of course. Hearing about it makes me want to go too.”

I decided to take Jasmine, who was eager to attend the festival, without any hesitation.

“Can you show me where the village is?”

“Sure. It’s here.”

Jasmine showed me the location on a map of the Kingdom of Zelgius. The surrounding mountains and rivers made the terrain distinctive enough that it should be easy to spot from the sky.

“Alright, let’s go.”

I handed back the map and activated the dragon transformation technique.

“Thank you.”

After confirming that Jasmine was securely on my back, I floated up into the air. Just like before, I made sure not to exceed the acceleration of free fall as we began our journey.

After about 25 minutes of flying at an altitude of around 10 kilometers, we arrived above Buono Village. Jasmine mentioned that we should avoid causing a panic and potentially canceling the festival by appearing as a dragon, so I used a recognition-blocking spell to make myself invisible and landed in a nearby field.

As we entered Buono Village, we heard a voice calling out.

“Chefs, have you completed your entries? The deadline is in 30 minutes!”

Upon hearing this, Jasmine made an unexpected suggestion.

“Why don’t you enter too, Hadar? You might win just for fun.”

Wait, isn’t this supposed to be a competition of the top chefs from all over the country? That seems impossible.

“Isn’t that a bit too much to ask?”

“This is a no-rules competition. You can use any ingredients you bring. Even if it’s difficult to win by traditional means, with your alchemy skills, you might create a unique seasoning and pull off an upset.”

No way. I’m not a food scientist. I can’t just come up with something on the spot… unless monosodium glutamate happens to be a lost technology.

“Do you know what monosodium glutamate is?”

“Never heard of that seasoning. Looks like you do have an idea. Let’s give it a shot!”

Seriously? So monosodium glutamate is a lost technology here.

In that case, it might be worth entering. Not that I’m deluding myself into thinking I can actually win, but if monosodium glutamate gets some recognition, it could be a great talking point if I ever wanted to apply to a food company. That would definitely help in the selection process.

This is big. After all, the food industry is known for its excellent work-life balance and is considered a prime example of a super white-collar job.

“If you insist.”

I decided to enter the competition. Hopefully, I can achieve something worth mentioning in future interviews.