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

Myungho stared at the finished fried egg as if it were some inedible food. It wasn’t particularly fragrant, seasoned only with simple salt, but it already had a savory aroma on its own.

“…Are we really going to eat this? I mean, guys. It came out of Altera’s body. Think again. Are you really going to eat something that came out of someone’s body?”

I don’t know how he managed to live as an adventurer with such a weak stomach, but Myungho tried to persuade us, saying that no matter how much he thought about it, it wasn’t right.

“I just found out that half dragons lay eggs, and now I have a chance to try one myself. Before being a scholar or a mage, I’m a chef, and I can’t resist my curiosity. I have to try it.”

“I’ll eat it too. I skipped dinner last night, and even though it came from Altera, it’s still an egg, right? There’s no reason not to eat it.”

Of course, no one was listening. Even if they couldn’t understand the words, their tone was far from agreeable. Myungho looked at us with horrified eyes, like a girl seeing someone eat a bug for the first time.

“Don’t be like that, just eat it. It’s good for you. At least it’s much better than that strange square piece or jerky you carry around.”

The mage skillfully divided the pan-filling fried egg into four pieces and placed them on separate plates. As if it were obvious that everyone would eat.

It was a bit hot to grab with bare hands, but I was so hungry that I grabbed it like a pizza and ate the yolk and white together.

Because of its size, the yolk wasn’t fully cooked, so about half of it was well done, but the other half was slightly runny like a soft-boiled egg.

The appropriate amount of salt harmonized with the overwhelming savory taste, making me want to eat more even though it was hot enough to burn.

The cooked yolk was a bit dry, but my mouth was watering so much that it wasn’t a big problem. There was so much white that I quickly ate it and stuffed in all the crispy parts around the edges.

This is the best part of a fried egg. The dark brown edge that looks a bit burnt, but isn’t when you eat it.

Even after seeing me eat, Myungho was still hesitating, wondering whether he should really eat this or not. It was frustrating to watch, so I said a word to fan the flames.

“If you’re not going to eat it, I will.”

Then Myungho, as if he didn’t want to give it away, said he would eat it and brought the fried egg made from my egg to his mouth as if he were eating something inedible, like someone trying insects for the first time in his life.

Too bad. I was planning to eat it right away if he didn’t. Myungho took a bite, chewed it, swallowed, and then opened his tightly closed eyes wide and exclaimed.

“…It’s… good? No, why… One more bite…”

I told you it’s delicious. If a guy like me, who has no talent for making anything, can make it taste good, then it’s a different level if an expert makes it.

Myungho devoured the fried egg made from my egg as if he were possessed by a glutton. If he didn’t have a strong body like me, he would have burned the roof of his mouth.

“Was it that good? Made from my egg.”

Maybe I should try making steamed eggs later. It’s a bit difficult to make during an adventure, but eggs can be preserved for quite a long time, so I could make some when we stop by a village.

I know how to make it, but I couldn’t because I’m not skilled at it. Since there’s someone who’s good at it, it might be worth a try.

As expected, Myungho made a fuss, saying he burned the roof of his mouth, but he praised it, saying it was delicious. He kept inhaling because it hurt while he was talking, so it took me a while to understand him.

“This is like. A lump of magic and nutrition. Grilling it so brutally made a lot of both fly away, but. Apart from that, it tastes good too. If you eat half and process the rest into potions, you can make some good money, right?”

“Not only is she strong… but Altera is also delicious. I’m envious.”

The two of them looked at me with somewhat dangerous eyes, so I hid behind Myungho. Then they withdrew their gazes and savored my egg while munching.

“…Haa, there was a reason why you said it was so delicious. I don’t know why, but I feel like I’m overflowing with energy…! It’s not just my imagination, it’s real!”

“Of course. It’s a dragon’s egg, even if it’s an imperfect one. Even the emperor of the Empire might only get to eat it once in his lifetime. Apart from being rare, it’s also overwhelming in taste, nutrients, and magic power.”

“So, in short, it’s good for the body, right?”

“Yes, you idiot. Do you finally realize how precious what you just ate so ungracefully was? It seems you do. Then since you ate something so precious, you have to pay the price.”

“…Pay the price? It’s not even yours. Technically, it’s Altera’s, shouldn’t you be thanking Altera for letting you cook it?”

For some reason, Myungho suddenly defended me. I don’t know how to react when he does that so suddenly. Should I thank him?

“A guy who’s blessed with language can’t even understand a simple metaphor… Since you nourished yourself with something precious, get ready to be fleeced.”

“…Fleeced?”

“The treasury, you dimwit. Since the one who can easily beat an Ogre with her strength can’t use her power now, our master has to put in that much effort. Don’t you agree?”

– – – –

The place that looked like a royal palace was covered in large mushrooms and mold, making it impossible to tell what its original shape was.

It wasn’t because it had collapsed, but because all kinds of fungi were entrenched. The original walls were nowhere to be seen. At a glance, it looked like pulsating blood vessels, which was ominous.

According to Akash, this was probably in this state because it was where the most people had gathered. Knowing that didn’t make it look any better.

Rather, it felt eerie because it showed the scene of when the blessing came down. All those souls are bound to this land.

Souls cannot roam around on their own. Therefore, they need something to dwell in. Most of the time it’s a body, and a body that moves without a soul is called undead…

But what should we call this? They’ve lost their reason to be called liches. It’s just that even those who were once good have fallen into evil spirits because of someone’s wrong choice.

It’s bleak that there’s no way to help them. There are too many to help if we were to awaken each one by bleeding on every fungus.

As Akash said, ignoring them is the best policy.

“Was it… here? They should have died gracefully. This way, I can’t even see where the entrance was. Yuna, shoot an arrow there. The effect of time can be ignored, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be broken. Like the castle walls we saw outside. The walls were probably smashed by some ill-tempered monster.”

“Do not order me around. On what basis did you decide to loot the royal treasury in the first place? If it received the blessing of preservation, the security devices should still be working well.”

“Well, the reason I came here before was to do some magic work on those security devices. I remember where all the traps are. Now, are you feeling a bit more motivated? Huh?”

…He seemed to have been really successful in the past, but how did he end up joining the demon king’s army? Akash urged Yuna again.

Yuna, having nothing more to say, pulled her heavy bow to its limit and shot an arrow at what was presumed to be the entrance.

An arrow that could break even a castle wall had no chance of being stopped by a mere door. A large hole, big enough for a person to pass through, was created, and spores and dust billowed out from within.

I’ve been traveling with Yuna for a long time, but her bow is still a marvel to behold. I admired it in my mind as I stepped into the hole she had made.

“…Ugh.”

As soon as I entered the palace, the spores were so thick that it was hard to breathe, so Yuna had to shoot another arrow to create another hole on the opposite side for ventilation.

“…I don’t even need to step in. Yuna is doing everything on her own.”

“That’s something someone who doesn’t know would say. You have your place too, so don’t just sulk by yourself. More importantly, when did Altera say her strength would return?”

As we waited for the thick spores to clear out, Akash asked when Altera would regain her strength. Right…?

“Altera. When will… your strength return? It won’t be like that for long, right?”

If she can’t detect, manipulate the earth, or fight for a long time, she’s honestly just a burden. She seems to have enough strength to protect herself now, but it’s embarrassing compared to her usual self.

“It lasts for about a day… so it’ll be back by noon today. Uh. There’s still some time left.”

That’s good news. When I told him that her strength would return by noon, he said that at least half of her was like a dragon.

Once we could see ahead and breathe properly, we finally entered the interior.

Akash really did remember everything, identifying the locations of trap plates and guard golems one after another.

Arrow traps, crushing traps, floors that spew fire, and traps with saw blades that pop out randomly. He deactivated them all by triggering them in advance or breaking their circuits.

…If it weren’t for Akash, we probably would have all died at the third trap. After passing through a trap zone with such a malicious configuration, there was a luxurious door at the end of an empty hallway.

“Now, this is the most difficult part, but… fortunately, we have a very convenient way to get through. Hey, translator. Tell Altera that I’m going to use that transparent spider’s core for a bit.”

“Use Dalokos’s core? What, are you planning to pass through by becoming invisible or something? You’re a great mage, can’t you just do that…?

Like with flying. He’s definitely a great mage, but whenever they have to do something as a group, he always looks for alternatives that have similar effects instead of using his own magic.

“It’s easy if it’s just me. And it’s easy to mess with someone’s mind to make only us invisible. But if I try to make each of you invisible, my brain will burn out first. I don’t know about other me’s, but this me isn’t that good. And, security devices don’t have a mind to mess with. Got it, now?”

I thought it was a bit shabby for a great mage, but this is why.

When I told her that I needed to use the core for a bit, she gladly handed it over, as if she was happy to finally have something to do.

“Tell him that if it’s broken or scratched, I’ll do the same to his skull.”

She added a slightly threatening condition. I answered that I understood and handed the core to him.

“If I infuse it with magic… Good. It’s still fresh. Now, everyone stick close together. Either stand in a line or hang on to each other’s backs. Absolutely do not let go. If you do, it won’t end with just you dying.”