The Frontier Alchemist ~ I Can't Go Back to That Job After You Made My Budget Zero

For a moment, I freeze, but the white lizard is still quietly staring at me in its cage made of rose ivy.

It stood still and looked at me with eyes that showed the same or even more intelligence than the first time I saw it.

"Is it molting?"

I find some skin left in the cage, which the white lizard seems to have shed.

That's when it happened. As if in answer to my murmur, the white lizard spreads the wings that have grown out of its back and flaps them.

It makes a cute little "kyurururu" sound.

"What wings? I see, the part that was bulging before was not a hump, but a feather trying to grow. That's what molting is... Or perhaps it's not a lizard but a dragon? I've never seen it before: ......"

"Curle."

"Well, I'll be d*mned. It's a juvenile dragon. What was it doing there again? But that's not the point. What do we do now?

While I'm worrying, the white dragon's stomach growls.

"Hm? Are you hungry?"

"Curculio curculio!" The white dragon shakes its head.

"What's wrong ......?"

I search my pockets, and find a half-eaten meal. The one that Kalin had ridiculed me for being a grass brick.

"Want some?"

I crack open the food and gently insert it through the rose ivy, placing it on the floor.

Slowly, the white dragon moves its nose toward the piece of food.

"Choo-choo!"

The white dragon sneezes. Then it backs away, turning its head away in disgust. The white dragon looks at you in disbelief with its dull eyes.

"Huh? Couldn't you tell it was food?"

I show the white dragon how to eat a piece of the leftover food, making it visible to him.

The white dragon looks at it and makes a face like "I can't believe this guy" for some reason.

The smell of grass spreads in my mouth.

I swallow the food and tilt my head to the white dragon's behavior.

"Oh, so meat is good for a dragon. I might have found some monster parts around here that I had saved for ingredients ......."

"Cu-cu-cu!" The white dragon shakes its head violently.

"Cu-cu-cu!" The white dragon holds up its tail and points it to the side with a snap.

"Yeah, what is it?"

My gaze moves to the point where the white dragon's tail points. The tail seems to be pointing at the bottle of the potion I had given Rose.

I take out another bottle of the potion from my backpack, open the lid of the bottle, and bring it close to the white dragon's cage to test it out.

Unlike before, the white dragon comes close to me as if it were jumping at me.

"Well, let's give it a safe dose for now..." I say.

I pour the potion into a small glass dish and bring it close to the cage.

Rose moves the ivy that had formed the cage a little to make room for the small dish.

I thank Rose and put the small dish on the cage.

The white dragon immediately puts his face into the small plate, but he is licking the potion with his tongue as hard as he can.

The dish empties in no time.

"Cue cue cue" the white dragon pushes the empty plate toward us with its paw. It's as if it's asking for more and more.

"What? You really want a drink? Normal creatures should instinctively dislike it. ......"

I often wonder about it, but am overcome by the white dragon's eagerness to drink and my curiosity as to whether it really drinks.

Still, I deploy the scroll of transcription as a minimum of preparation and try to keep an eye out for changes in the white dragon.

"Rose," I call out.

Rose is aware of my intention to be there for her in case of an emergency.

She responds by shaking her roses as if to say, "I know what you mean.

I pour the same amount of the potion into a small dish. The white dragon licks it up as soon as I drop it.

I watch the scroll of transcription.

"It's strange. I don't see any ill effects."

After that, the white dragon repeatedly asks for a refill.

I poured the potion carefully and hesitantly.

"Keg!"

Perhaps full, the white dragon curls up with a small burp. Then the white dragon falls asleep, looking relieved.

"...... I'll give it a name, shall I?"