021-040 · 035-ch31

Chapter 31: Shocking Truth

I couldn't get much information out of them, and they didn't persist either. Maybe it was because of the subordinate's time limit or something, but it seems they really did just come to take a look once. If they seriously want to talk, maybe it would be better for me to make the time to go visit them.

Anyway.

"I was surprised. You suddenly came to visit me."

>>"Give us a proper explanation." >>"So that was the dragon from before? And it turned into a woman?" >>"Did you notice it was approaching?" >>"I couldn't really understand the content of your conversation." >>"Who was that person just now? Was there someone other than John?"

I didn't have time to cut the stream, so everything with that woman, the dragon... it's a pain to keep calling her that, so I'll just call her the dragon—my entire conversation with the dragon ended up being broadcast. Well, I could have forcibly cut the stream, but since they would find out eventually anyway, I thought I'd gradually leak out information and intentionally left it as is.

But it seems the viewers who were watching all that were understandably confused. Judging by the number of viewers, it doesn't seem like anyone has come from other places yet.

"Calm down, everyone. First off, the one who just came wasn't human—it was the dragon I told you I saw at the World Tree. But it didn't come directly. They said they were borrowing their subordinate's body, so I think it's like just their spirit possessed it or something like that."

>>"Seriously???" >>"John-san, please explain from the beginning what just happened, as much as you're able. We viewers don't know what you understand or what you're thinking internally." >>"When did you realize it was a dragon?" >>"There were so many meaningful comments I couldn't understand."

Meaningful comments, huh. Indeed, I had been making various assumptions about the dragon myself, and I had been speaking in a way that wouldn't provoke the dragon, only saying what I thought was necessary based on my experience in this world.

For example, if I hadn't been considerate of the dragon, or if I had been completely ignorant, I might have asked things like 'Who are you?', 'What kind of being are you?', or 'What is this world?' I didn't do that because I guessed that the dragon wouldn't know about my circumstances, and also because I didn't want to unnecessarily provoke them.

And that's probably something the viewers who were just watching wouldn't understand. That's why they're asking for an explanation.

"In order, huh? First, well, I've had the feeling that something was approaching for quite a while now. But at that time, I was just thinking it was probably a monster or something."

It was also difficult to detect because its presence was weak and faint. When I got closer, I realized it was because the dragon was borrowing its subordinate's body, which is why its presence was weak.

"And then I was sketching it, and I realized, 'This presence is similar to that dragon.' But its presence strength was clearly weaker, so I knew it was either a clone or a part of its body, and well, I understood that the main body hadn't come, so I just waited for it to approach, I guess."

>>"If you noticed, you should have said something." >>"I'm rewatching the stream, but you completely ignored it so naturally." >>"Does that mean you noticed and ignored it?" >>"Aren't you scared of that thing?"

"It's not that I noticed and ignored it, but more like I was waiting for it to approach. Since they were coming all the way to me, I did have some things I wanted to ask, honestly."

Well, since it was so sudden, I didn't end up asking that.

"And then it peeked in, and I think I greeted it first, right?"

>>"You said 'Long time no see' or something." >>"The greeting came out so suddenly, I wondered what was going on." >>"Why did a greeting suddenly come out there?" >>"Is your heart made of diamonds or something?"

I'm being treated terribly. Even though I was thinking about all sorts of things.

"I'm the type who doesn't shout or act much when I'm surprised. Well, I mean, my tone of voice and actions might become stiff, but I don't get flustered or make a commotion. I greeted it because, well, manners? Also, I thought it would be nice if we could have a normal first meeting conversation."

Actually, I want you to think that the strange greeting that came out there showed my nervousness. Normally, I would have either waited for the other person to start talking or asked them what they wanted.

"And after that, during our conversation, I kind of indirectly indicated that I had realized they weren't the main body. Well, in the flow of conversation, they said something like 'You've got guts not running away when I came,' so I just jumped in with, 'Well, you're not the main body, are you?'"

>>"Whoa." >>"So while answering them, you showed that you had noticed?" >>"Were you doing such high-level maneuvering?" >>"Why did you want to convey that?"

"First, so they wouldn't look down on me, I guess. I wanted to show that I had noticed and convey that 'I'm someone who can at least talk to you at a basic level.' It's kind of like an intimidation tactic. You called it high-level maneuvering, but it feels weird to intentionally declare 'I have noticed X, Y, and Z' while talking, right? So I just worked it into the conversation."

Well, I guess if you call it maneuvering, it is maneuvering.

"After that, I suggested a chair because I thought if they sat down, we could have a more calm conversation. Also, I was nervous with them standing behind me, wondering when I might be attacked."

And in response, the other party had a somewhat hesitant expression.

"Now, about what they said and did afterward... that dragon has probably had interactions with people before."

>>"A dragon and people?" >>"Which people? There's nobody besides John, right?" >>"Huh? There were people?" >>"How did you know?"

"When I showed that I had realized that dragon wasn't the main body, they said things like 'How boring' or called me a dull-witted one, so they were definitely comparing me to something. Or rather, it was like I didn't do what they had expected me to do. The dragon probably likes to see people surprised when they see it. And when I asked to confirm if it was the dragon from that World Tree, they questioned me back instead."

>>"The one who gave that long, drawn-out answer?" >>"Why did they answer so long?" >>"So they like to see people surprised." >>"Were they dissatisfied with being called a dragon?"

In the end, they didn't answer me there, so I don't know what the deal is. In games I played on the surface, there were games where words like 'dragon' or 'ryuu' had special meanings. I wonder if there's some similar logic in this world too.

"When they said 'Dragon. Why do you think so?', I couldn't tell if they were asking 'Why did you identify me as that dragon?' or 'Why did you think of me as a dragon?' When asked 'Dragon. Why do you think so?', both patterns are possible. So I thought I'd just answer both. Well, it seems that was troublesome for them, though."

>>"If that answer came back from a normal question, it would be as expected." >>"Indeed, someone who gives that kind of response would be called troublesome." >>"This is John's fault." >>"It can't be helped."

"No, let me say this, but I was struggling with how to respond, really. I was thinking about how to talk without provoking them. If I gave the wrong answer and they got angry thinking I was being evasive, that would be bad too, right? So I just thought I'd answer both."

>>"No, that's not it." >>"I understand what you want to say, but I don't understand." >>"Why did you have to give it your all?"

"Looking back now, I think I was a bit lacking in flexibility too. But well, when the other party saw my response and said I was troublesome, I asked, 'Should I go back to my usual way? Is that okay? Right?' and when they said OK, I went back to my normal way of speaking."

It was a way of speaking where you could really tell I was being quite careful and was confused. If it were with a human, that's one thing, but with this kind of opponent, I can't help but be on edge.

"And then, I asked why they chased me, and that dragon answered that they had become interested in me. And then, I asked about the dragon's current state—that they were borrowing a subordinate's body—and that's pretty much how it ended. Well, it seems they'll come visit again, though."

>>"I had a question about that." >>"You cut that part short. What did you mean when you said 'children of humans' and 'children of wind'?" >>"They said 'the children of humans have long since died out', right?" >>"What does that mean?" >>"The dragon's impact was so strong I couldn't really absorb the content, but when I rewatched it, that's the part that concerns me the most."

Well, if you listen seriously, of course that would concern you. Now, what should I do? I could explain it all here, but suddenly explaining everything would be a bit troublesome, and there's also a possibility they won't accept it if I force it on them.

Rather than that, I'd appreciate it if they gradually learned about this world while carefully watching my streams, and then accepted the facts on top of that. In that case, it would be better to just vaguely hint at it for today.

"In this world beyond the dungeon..."

>>"Oh?" >>"I see."

"There's land, there's water, there's nature, there's life. And in the sky, there's a sun, there's a moon, there are stars."

Well, the constellations are probably completely different, and there are two moons, but even so, most things that exist on Earth exist in this world too. I don't know if this is some spherical planet far out in the universe somewhere, or if it's a completely different world with different laws in place.

"With all that, it's no different from Earth, right?"

>>"Huh?" >>"Wait, wait, wait?" >>"Huh? What do you mean?" >>"I don't get it." >>"Huh? There are humans!?"

The viewers are confused, but first, I want them to think about it themselves.

"Well, with that, today's stream ends here. I plan to stream again soon, so turn on notifications and wait for me."

While looking at comments showing signs of confusion, I ended the stream.