I'm Not an Earthworm, I'm an Earth Dragon

While the others sat in the carriage, having a good time, I sat on top of the carriage, watching out for anything strange.

Luckily for us, the bandits that attacked a few days ago were targeting a merchant group. They were carrying a load of specialties from a nearby village, heading to Corvo.

They almost lost their money and their lives, but well, as you can see, they kept their money, their lives, and their laughter, and they gladly offered to give us a ride for free.

I didn’t have anything to do inside anyway. More than anything, I felt stuffy inside, so I told them I’d stand guard, and I remembered the face of the merchant leader, who smiled brightly even though he said I didn’t need to.

“…Haaam. I’m bored. No monsters, no bandits…”

It’s not that there weren’t any, it’s just that whenever I felt something coming, I’d tell them not to come. There was nothing going on, to the point where I thought about letting them come at least once.

It’s good to find peace of mind by looking at the vast nature, but when you only see unremarkable mountains and fields, you get tired of it.

If only there were islands floating in the sky or incredibly huge animals. But the biggest attraction was a giant turtle, so that’s that.

I lay down and counted the birds flying in the sky when suddenly the carriage stopped. Is it time for food already? I thought I just had breakfast earlier.

Since I was just lying on the carriage like a bum, my sense of time must have been broken. A healthy adult should be doing something, but being like this is strange.

I jumped off the carriage, thinking I should at least take a walk or dig a hole.

I landed gracefully with my cloak fluttering, but everyone stared at me. I turned around and saw that I had completely scratched the side of the carriage with my tail as I came down, and the paint was peeled off.

…I saved their lives, they can let this one slide, right? I casually brushed off my cloak to shake off the awkwardness and sat down among the group.

“Is that doll making food again today? That’s nice. I was worried because it was made by the ancestors of those dwarves, but it’s surprisingly delicious.”

“Altera, shouldn’t you apologize first?”

Tch. It’s not working, is it? I thought they would let it slide. I guess Myungho thought this was a bit too much. Yeah, it’s the same as scratching a car… I can’t just let it go.

I hesitantly got up and approached the merchants, bowing my head slightly to apologize.

Still, I did save them. What are they going to do about me being a bit stiff? They seemed to accept my apology and forced a smile as they took out food from their carriage.

“…Well, accidents can happen! Here, heroes. Eat as much as you want. We saved your lives, so we have to give you this much.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to serve us your merchandise. Then we’re no different from the looters. But… yes. If you insist, we’ll gladly accept. Marie? Can you help Akash make food today? Akash said he’d do his best today.”

-♬♪♩♬

That doll is so fascinating every time I see it. It seems to hum without any meaning, but that’s a language. And it suddenly takes blood, too.

My blood is a premium fuel, so I’m giving it to them gladly for now… but the more I think about it, the more I feel like I’ve given more than I’ve received in this party.

What am I thinking? I’ve been guaranteed safety and status. Besides, even though it’s for later, they said they’d help me find out where that bastard is.

“Haa… I don’t know if it was worth risking my life, but it’s definitely something I wouldn’t want to give to someone else. That ability, that voice. So, Myungho. What are you going to do now? Now that you’ve found the dwarves’ treasure.”

“Oh, from now on? Well… I haven’t really thought about it. Hmm… Ah. Right. I think we’ll probably go find out where Altera’s dad is. And look for your parents while we’re at it. One of the Great Worm’s habitats is in the Elven Forest.”

“To the Elven Forest, you say. Perhaps to my… homeland. Hmm, that is a good decision, Myungho. Much more wholesome and better than that breeding duty.”

“That’s… yeah. Since the functions of the… womb haven’t been fully restored yet, there’s nothing to do right away, but, ugh. Goodness. Why did the ancient dwarves put such a function in there…?”

I wondered what the breeding duty that was mentioned in the carriage was, but was it really about making babies? My brows furrowed at the shocking story.

I could understand a little bit why the ancient dwarves were wiped out. Goodness, to think there were madmen who put a womb in a doll.

I don’t particularly sympathize with the gods, but I felt a sense of disgust that made me understand for a moment why they made the dwarves into such imbeciles.

“They must have been perverts to do such a thing. Otherwise, how could they tell someone to have a child with a doll that looks like this?”

Marie looked to be around 15 to 17 years old at best. Of course, her actual age is meaningless since she’s a doll, but still.

“Let’s not think too deeply about it. The ancients had their own standards. Anyway, I’ve never heard of a Great Worm in the Elven Forest.”

“It’s Akash. He must have done something…”

Myungho shrugged as if he didn’t want to think about it too deeply and sat down in an even more comfortable position. They were struggling to start a fire over there, so I went over and lit it for them with a flint before returning.

Hmm, the Elven Forest. I didn’t know such a place existed. I’ve killed many elves, but I’ve never talked to a living one, so I was curious.

What kind of people are they? Are they boorish yet kind people like Yuna, or are they a despicable race like the dwarves? Looking at Yuna, they must be beautiful, at least.

“Yeah, yeah. I know how your masters cook. Don’t ask me why I know. You can’t understand me anyway. Just make it.”

It’s going to take a while. I left the cooking team to their own devices, took Myungho’s hand, and stood up together.

Myungho just stood there blankly until the moment he got up, then looked at me and at his hand.

“It’s good to rest from time to time, but we’ve been resting enough, haven’t we? Let’s move our bodies a bit.”

If you want to warm up, you can do it alone, but that would be a bit boring. I pulled Myungho’s hand and asked him to hang out with me.

He resisted for a moment, but then he followed along, saying it was only for a little while before dinner.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“It’s to warm up a bit before dinner… and it’s also for your training… Hmm. How about this? Try to touch me in any way you can.”

Like tag. It’s a simple but surprisingly tiring game, so it would be perfect for training and warming up.

“What, that’s it? You can just dig a hole and hide.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t use my powers. And I’ll dodge you while considering your level.”

“…Aren’t you just going to tease me by almost getting caught?”

“Ahem. Tease you? I’m just trying to stimulate your desire for improvement. So, where were we… Come and get me.”

To be honest, I was teasing him a bit. But I was serious about helping him train. He may not be able to become like me, but he should at least be around Yuna’s level if he wants to call himself a man, right?

Myungho tilted his head as if he was a bit displeased, then suddenly changed his stance and rushed in.

Of course, I easily evaded it. This guy. At least he has the will to improve. Good, good. If there’s a will to improve, that’s already enough.

“You’re slow, and you have a lot of unnecessary movements! Try to move more concisely and efficiently!”

If he rushed in properly, his speed would be quite decent. But bad habits were shackling him like chains.

After easily dodging him as he regained his posture and rushed in again, I even had the leisure to tap his back with my finger, provoking him.

“You’ve gotten worse? Try harder! Lower your stance, don’t just reach out with your hands! You’re losing your balance!”

Bullfighting, was it? I felt strangely excited, like I was doing something like that. I was just dodging in place for now, but as he rushed in, he seemed to find his rhythm and got better.

Alright, let’s move now. I ran away from him as he prepared to rush in again, telling him to run with all his might.

“Don’t just aim for later, run like this is your last chance!”

I was going to go easy on him, but I got a little carried away and decided to go a bit more seriously.

Myungho stared blankly at my back as I ran away, then started using magic, running as if he was determined to catch me.

The original purpose of light exercise was gone, and I felt Myungho chasing me to the point where he would collapse from exhaustion the moment he stopped, so I wondered if I had teased him too much.

Then, suddenly, his vibrations disappeared.

I thought he had collapsed, so I turned around for a moment, and I saw Myungho floating in the air like a leaping beast, flying towards me.

This idiot. I told him not to jump. If he kept going like this, he would land face-first on the ground, so I slowed down a bit so he could use me as a cushion.

“…Ugh. You idiot. I told you not to reach out, and you jumped at me with both hands outstretched?”

I was dizzy from running and falling, but I was even more disoriented from catching a healthy man who had jumped at me.

Myungho seemed to be the same, as he couldn’t answer properly. And his face was all red, as if something had gone wrong. I knew it. He hit the ground.

That’s his own fault, but why is my chest so tight? It’s true that this guy is on top of me…

Ah. It’s because he happened to land his hands on my chest when he rolled. That’s why his face is red, too.

“I, I didn’t do it on purpose…!”

“I know. Just get off. You’re heavy.”

I don’t blame him since it wasn’t intentional, but does this guy have a talent for accidentally touching breasts or something?

With that absurd thought, I got up and dusted off Myungho’s clothes.

“…I’m sorry for provoking you. I guess I went a bit too far with the teasing.”

“I’m the one who jumped…”

“Just say yes when that happens.”

Goodness. He still has a long way to go before he becomes a man, both in body and mind.

I held my head, which had somehow become more complicated, and returned to the campfire.