Flare-san gave a single nod once our small talk wound down, shifting her focus to the task at hand.
"Well then, I shall take you to the venue myself. However, I cannot speak in my dragon form. If you have any questions, ask them now."
"No, I don't really have any questions..."
I stole a glance at Lilia-san as I spoke, but she shook her head to signal she was also satisfied. Seeing that, Flare-san uncrossed her arms and nodded.
"Then let us depart. Climb onto my back."
The moment she spoke, a brilliant light enveloped her. When it faded, she had transformed. Before us stood a dragon with scales as red as a roaring fire, her hide etched with the scars of a thousand battles. Her arms were fused with her wings, marking her as a wyvern.
While she shared the silhouette of the wyverns I had seen before, the sheer scale of her presence was incomparable. She radiated an overwhelming aura of strength, as if a literal inferno were blazing behind her. Just as I was beginning to feel intimidated, her voice suddenly resonated within my mind.
(With just the two of you, my size should be no issue.)
"Ah, right. Lilia-san and I should fit just fine."
(...Hm? Comrade, you... can you understand my words?)
"Huh? Um, your voice is echoing in my head. Is that not some kind of telepathy?"
Flare-san seemed genuinely taken aback. Confused, I looked toward Lilia-san, but she simply shook her head.
Apparently, I was the only one who could hear her. Furthermore, judging by her reaction, it wasn't a case of her speaking directly into my mind like Shiro-san does.
(I am currently emitting magic power wavelengths. It is the primary means of communication for most dragon species and monsters.)
"Wait, if I can hear that, is it because of my Sympathy Magic?"
(No. Being able to sense them is one thing, but you are... recognizing my magic power wavelengths as a language, are you not? Simply perceiving them would only register as raw magic power. If you are interpreting them as speech, there must be another power at work.)
"Another power... Could it be Shiro-san's Blessing?"
Even with Sympathy Magic, I shouldn't have been able to recognize those wavelengths as a language unless I was a monster or a dragon myself. If it wasn't the magic, then the only other explanation was Shiro-san's Blessing. There was still a lot I didn't understand about it, but since it was supposedly a superior version of the Blessing of All Gods, it stood to reason that it might grant me the ability to understand monster speech.
Come to think of it, I’d had similar experiences before with Bell and Rin.
I had always been able to grasp what they were trying to say to some degree. I’d assumed it was just my Sympathy Magic reading their emotions, but looking back, there were some inconsistencies.
There was a distinct difference in how well I understood the two of them.
With Bell, I only caught broad, simple feelings—excitement, likes, or dislikes. But with Rin, I could often tell exactly what she wanted. I knew when she wanted the Fruit of the World Tree, when she was telling me to leave a task to her, or when she was asking for praise. It was highly likely that I had been reading her magic power wavelengths all along.
The discrepancy probably came down to their development; Bell was still a baby, while Rin, though still a child, was older and more mature.
I decided it might be worth testing this theory later. If I could master this, communicating with the two of them would become even easier than it already was.
(...I see. It may be the result of a combination of the God of Thoughts' blessing and other divine effects. Regardless, this is a stroke of luck. It pleases me to know we can communicate even in this form.)
"Yeah, it certainly makes things a lot more convenient."
(Indeed. But we have strayed from the point. Let us head to the venue.)
Flare-san crouched down, and I climbed onto her back with Lilia-san. Since Lilia-san couldn't hear her, I would have to act as an interpreter, but she seemed too overwhelmed to care. She was clearly moved by the experience of riding a dragon.
Though she was trying her best to maintain a dignified composure, she couldn't hide her sheer joy. She looked absolutely radiant.
I had invited her on a whim, but seeing her have this much fun made me glad I’d made the effort. I caused her plenty of trouble on a regular basis, so I really wanted her to enjoy this opportunity to the fullest.