Over the past two days, we discovered several ruins other than that outpost: guard towers, hunters’ cabins where they used to rest, and villages outside the castle walls.
Every time we found one, I poked around hoping to find something useful, but there was nothing of value—just skeletons and ghosts. At some point, I stopped bothering to look altogether.
Moreover, we no longer had the leisure to wander around such places. The torrential rain from that day had made the roads treacherous, and Alterra mentioned that the damp ground made it difficult to distinguish enemies.
Perhaps for that reason, the bridge spanning the gorge, which we were supposed to reach on the sixth day, only arrived on the seventh.
“So, we’re here. As far as I remember, it looked unstable but was still intact. What’s this? Hey, Captain! Did the adventurers say the bridge would be in this state?”
The gorge truly split the massive mountain range in two. It was so deep that even Alterra said she couldn’t see the bottom, and the gorge itself emitted an ominous wind and eerie sounds.
Whether it really was a giant’s sword cutting through or not, it didn’t seem like people just made up those rumors—it felt genuinely menacing.
That aside, the bridge, which was originally supposed to extend at least to the one-third mark, was now much shorter. And the width of the gorge seemed wider than what we’d been told.
“…This is worse than what I heard. Did the heavy rain cause part of it to collapse? Not sure… Hmm… What should we do? Crossing this seems tough… Alterra, can you manage?”
We originally planned to connect the two remaining ends of the bridge, but this almost feels like building a new one entirely.
“If I don’t… are we going back?”
“Seems like it. Ideally, we’d walk along the gorge until we find a narrower section, but… well, that would mean crossing the mountain range horizontally, which will take a long time.”
It would be great if we could cross directly, but we don’t know if she can handle it. I wasn’t about to push her too hard.
Alterra stood still for a moment, her hand extended toward the gorge, as if gauging the distance.
Even with her abilities, it didn’t seem like she could build a bridge across this gorge. I was about to suggest moving to a narrower section when…
“I’ll give it a try. Attempting something is better than turning back like this.”
She walked toward the remnants of the bridge, saying she would try. Whether she could succeed or not was uncertain, but there was no reason to stop her, so I let her proceed.
“Yuna, Akashi, keep watch around us. Alterra… don’t overdo it. And… no, you’ll control yourself, right?”
Your body, after all, is something you understand best. If it feels like you’re losing control, stop. While keeping an eye out for any beasts approaching, I watched how she handled it.
Her figure was distant, but I could see her kneeling with both hands pressed against the ground. Her horns shone brilliantly with golden light, signaling that she was expending an enormous amount of magic power.
Still, despite that, there was no visible change yet. Though rocks moved slightly, creating small vibrations in the earth, no bridge formed, nor did any structure appear.
Ah, but the bridge is being reinforced. Stones were attaching themselves to the cracked and unstable bridge, strengthening it.
Suddenly, a loud noise caused all the birds nearby to take flight. The vibration felt like an earthquake.
Looking closer, not only her horns but also the ground she touched glowed with golden magical energy.
With the appearance of a magic circle, it seemed she was indeed using her full strength.
“…What is that?”
The shaking stopped, but the sight that followed made me forget to stay vigilant.
A rock, impossibly large, floated in midair. So big that it could fill the entire gorge, it soon shattered into thousands, maybe tens of thousands of pieces.
These fragments hovered in the air, attaching themselves to the remains of the bridge. Before long, they formed a complete bridge.
Not just a simple attempt—she actually built a sturdy, solid bridge that could last for hundreds of years.
When I looked at Alterra again, the glowing golden magical aura had subsided, and her horns returned to their usual black color.
Through the folds of her cloak, I could faintly see her arms, completely covered in scales up to her shoulders.
“…Alterra! Are you okay?!”
—
Myung-ho ran to me, asking if I was alright. To be honest, I wasn’t fine at all. My head felt like it might explode, and a loud ringing sound filled my ears.
My arms trembled as if they weren’t mine. Scales had sprouted not only on my arms but also on my chest, neck, and cheeks.
Most troubling was the bloated feeling in my abdomen. When I looked down, it was visibly swollen, as though something inside me was tightly packed.
Touching my stomach with my cold, black-scaled hand, I could feel something hard inside.
I never expected it to grow this large in such a short time. I don’t know why—using the dragon’s power was all I did, but perhaps that caused this.
“…More or less… except for the dizziness… I’m fine.”
I hadn’t taken any damage, so I didn’t go into a frenzy. Still, this was the first time I’d been covered in scales just from using magic.
Maybe the thing inside me intercepted the magic and used it to grow. I noticed the magic flowing toward my lower abdomen, and it must have absorbed it.
“Alterra… your scales… Anyway, good job. Are you okay physically?”
I’m not fine, but I’ll say I am. It feels like the day I lay eggs has been moved forward a bit, but if getting there faster means finishing sooner, then it’s fine.
It has to be fine.
“Yeah. Can you grab a blue potion from my sack? My head feels like it’s splitting.”
Whenever my head hurts, it’s because I’ve been using magic. This potion that clears my mind must help restore magic or something.
Though the blue potion he handed me tasted absolutely terrible, its effect was immediate, clearing my head.
“…Phew, I feel better now. How does the bridge look? Is it usable?”
Checking my magic flow, the remaining debris was so weak that essentially, I rebuilt it entirely.
Since I constructed it strong enough to carry me when I eventually place that guy’s head on Mother’s grave, Myung-ho will surely be satisfied.
He gave me a thumbs-up, expressing overwhelming approval.
“Yeah, perfect! A caravan could pass over this without issue. Oh, by the way… that’s a compliment.”
Did he think I wouldn’t understand a thumbs-up? Myung-ho explained needlessly. Well, since he thinks I’m a wild child disconnected from civilization, it makes sense.
It felt like he was treating me like a kid. I could’ve understood that without explanation.
“That’s what I meant. Let’s cross.”
Peeling off the scales one by one, I stood up, balancing myself with my tail to avoid wobbling. After gathering my belongings, I stepped onto the bridge I built.
It felt incredibly stable underfoot, so it will last a long time.
—
“Safe… I suppose? I was amazed when you filled the river, but this… words fail me… that a single person can create something like this…”
“Hmph. If it were my true form, this would’ve been effortless, but not in my current state. Alterra, was it? As a single human being, I offer you pure respect. Go ahead and feel proud. What are you doing, Interpreter? Aren’t you going to tell her I acknowledged her?”
“Akashi respects your power, Alterra. So do I. I never thought you’d pull this off.”
Getting recognition from Myung-ho was one thing, but I never expected acknowledgment from that magician. He knows how to genuinely respect someone without sarcasm.
Despite feeling proud, I didn’t want to show my scale-covered body, so I stayed ahead, looking down into the gorge beyond the fence.
The gorge, spewing ominous winds, remained unfathomably deep. It really wouldn’t be strange if it were cut by a giant’s sword.
…But how big would something have to be to leave a scar like this with just one slash?
I tried imagining mountain-sized giants in my mind but quickly gave up—it was too hard to picture.
Besides, if they were that huge, how much food would they need to consume daily? Humans must have made it up because they couldn’t explain it with logic.
If something that big existed, there would surely be more traces left behind. Touching my stomach, I thought about that.
Judging by the size, the timing for laying eggs has definitely been moved forward. But I don’t know by how much.
At this size, it wouldn’t be strange if it came out immediately. It was just slightly larger than usual.
…In the worst-case scenario, it might happen while I’m with them.
I plan to move as fast as possible, but precautions are necessary.
How to hide the process from them and avoid attacks from beasts.
Is there even a way?
Only bleak visions of the future appeared in my mind.
