Chapter 100

...So, with Laocles nailing boards over the windows, me going around to inform the animals, and building shelters for them, it ended up being night, and the storm was postponed until the next day.

I spent the night in anticipation, and first thing in the morning, I went to ask the dragon, who surprisingly agreed without much trouble. However, in exchange, I was made to eat those strange fruits again, and my belly was left feeling bloated. After that, I was tucked into the dragon’s coils for about two hours until the storm started.

But that was all, so, well...

And then, the dragon let me see the storm from its back.

When the dragon swam through the sky and emerged from the cave, it circled over the forest, making low, chanting-like sounds. ...Then, dark clouds gathered, and suddenly, the rain started pouring down.

It wasn’t a gentle drizzle. It was a rough, intense rain. Since it was winter, the rain was cold and had a sharp edge to it.

"...Wow."

The stormy forest seen from above was a strange sight. The swaying trees looked like waves, and the rain splashing around resembled breaking waves.

This is what it’s like from the dragon’s perspective. Amazing. It’s clear that only the forest is being hit by the storm. Outside the forest, everything is calm, and even the sun is shining in some places.

The storm seemed distant, far below.

"Hey, I want to see it from below. Let me down."

I thought that unless I actually entered the forest... the storm, I wouldn’t understand what she had painted.

When I asked the dragon to let me down in the forest... the view was incredible.

First, as soon as I entered the storm, the rain pelted me.

The rain and wind blew at me without any obstruction, even though I was on the dragon’s back.

Even after entering the forest, the strength of the rain and wind hardly changed.

The sharp, cold wind blew, and the rain fell heavily. The ground was already muddy, and the rain splashed up mud.

Even though the trees should have weakened the rain and wind, they still hit me strongly, strongly.

In a gentle rain, I would feel the forest’s scent strongly, but in this intense rain and wind, there was no sign of the forest’s calmness. Listening to the rustling of the trees and the sound of the rain, I felt as if I were the only one in the world.

Completely drenched, exposed to the cold, and extremely cold... At such a time, the sky above was leaden, covered with dark clouds, and no light was visible. It was as dark as evening or night, even though it was early in the day. The rain and wind mercilessly stole my body heat, and there was nothing to warm me except myself.

I looked forward, not up at the sky.

Rain dripped from my bangs and eyelashes, obstructing my view. I couldn’t see well. If I couldn’t see, I couldn’t paint.

I had to get out of this place quickly. I would freeze. So, I had to see, learn, and be able to paint as soon as possible.

...My head wouldn’t work, and my eyes wouldn’t focus. I just wanted to get out of this storm quickly.

At that moment... I thought about Laila.

Had she seen such a storm?

...I don’t think you can see a stormy forest like this often. Unless you ask a dragon to create a storm.

However, her paintings were wonderful. The stormy forest she painted was very similar to what I was seeing now. I think you can’t paint it unless you’ve seen it.

Then... had she also been in such a storm?

What was she thinking at that time?

Or... perhaps she is still in the storm she painted.

Completely drenched, cold, and frozen, my fingers wouldn’t move well, my head was fuzzy, and I was very cold... At such a time, the dragon slowly approached, picked me up, and flew away.

The dragon then dropped me in front of my house and flew back to the cave. By then, the storm had weakened, and a gentle rain was falling.

"Thank you!"

When I called out, the dragon, as it was leaving, flicked its tail in response. Hmm, a stylish answer.

...There, I sneezed loudly and hurriedly went inside the house. I had to warm up quickly, or I would catch a cold...

"Hurry and get in the bath."

...When I entered the house, Laocles was standing there. He had apparently prepared the bath for me. I was then carried to the bathroom by Laocles, still in my wet clothes, and thrown into the bath.

Splash. ...Hmm, Laocles is a bit like the dragon, isn’t he?

Soaking in the bath with my clothes on, I gradually warmed up. My fingers started moving, so I undid my shirt buttons and belt, took off my clothes, and warmed up again.

The bath temperature dropped when I got in, but the bath was enchanted and could be reheated, so it quickly became warm again. Hmm, I’m glad I have this bath.

Thinking about how cold I was to the core, I soaked in the bath for a long time, made a jellyfish with a towel in the bathtub, and then got out and returned to my room.

"Tougo-niichan, here!"

"Thank you."

There, Ange and the fairies were waiting with cups. The cups contained milk tea. When I took the cup, it was warm. It was a warmth I had almost forgotten while in the storm.

Drinking the rather sweet milk tea, I sat in front of Laocles, who was at the table.

"Did you learn anything?"

"Yeah, it was really cold."

When I answered, Laocles looked a bit exasperated and tilted his cup of milk tea. ...Then, he slightly frowned. I think it’s too sweet for him. Can’t help it. It’s milk tea made for Ange and the fairies.

"It was pretty intense even inside the house. The storm. The walls were banging in the wind, and the windows were rattling. The sound of the rain didn’t even sound like rain."

Rian, also drinking milk tea, gave such an impression. I see. ...Maybe I should have experienced the storm inside the house too.

"Well... if you learned something, that’s good."

"Yeah."

"Go to bed early today. Fey and Cloa are coming back tomorrow."

I see. Then, maybe I can ask them something about Laila.

"Got it. I’ll... ahchoo!"

"Tougo-niichan, you sneezed!"

Yeah, I sneezed. ...Somehow, my body was warm, but the aftereffects of the cold were definitely there, and I was starting to get a runny nose and sneeze.

...Yeah. I’ll go to bed early. I’ll sleep and try not to catch a cold. Otherwise, I’ll start painting tomorrow, and it would be embarrassing to catch a cold then.

So, I decided to go to bed in the afternoon.

The bed was fluffy, had a good feel, and was warm. When I curled up like a mummy, it was comforting.

...Maybe because I slept like that, I had a strange dream.

A stormy dream. The storm was intense, and I couldn’t move in the forest.

I was caught in the rain and wind and couldn’t move at all. It was as if my body had been frozen. The pressure of the wind made it hard to breathe.

While being blown by the storm, I suddenly felt a sensation of being released... and I was floating in the air. Hmm, am I being blown away? Blown around? What’s the right word for this feeling? Am I floating in the air, blown by the storm...?

The previous discomfort was gone, but now I was in a state of being blown by the storm with nothing around me, and I gradually got colder. Moreover, I couldn’t get down to the ground, being blown and lifted by the storm.

While being blown by the storm, I ended up in the capital. At that point, the me in the dream was worried about how to get back to the forest.

For some reason, the phoenix and the tanuki fox weren’t nearby. Well, I should have asked them to draw something and ride it to the forest, but the me in the dream didn’t think of that. Well, that’s how dreams are.

While being blown and feeling anxious, I saw the people of the capital.

They were being blown by the storm and hurriedly entering their homes. No one seemed to be floating in the air like me.

The people of the capital were all inside their homes, and I was the only one in the capital, unable to get down to the ground because of the storm.

It was cold, the ground was far away and made me anxious, and there was no one to help. I was wondering what to do when... I saw a figure in the capital.

It was Laila. Below me, Laila was looking up at me.

While being blown by the storm, she didn’t go inside but just looked at me.

I wanted to tell her something, so I waved my hand. It was strange to wave while being blown and floating, but I tried it. I’m here, I wanted to say.

...Then, Laila smiled a little and said in a loud voice that the storm couldn’t drown out.

"Strange guy!" she said.

...When I woke up, I wasn’t under the blanket. I see. That’s why I was cold.

And from the state of the bed, it seemed that the tanuki fox had somehow gotten between me and the blanket when I was curled up. Next time, I should leave a gap for the tanuki fox when I curl up in the blanket, or I should curl up with the tanuki fox. Otherwise, it’s too tight and uncomfortable.

And when the phoenix saw me being pressed and feeling uncomfortable, it seemed to think I was too cramped and suffocating, so it untangled the blanket and relieved the tightness. However, the blanket wasn’t put back on me, so I experienced the cold of the storm again in my dream.

...I see. Such things can reflect in dreams.

Then, I got a bit of a cold.

It wasn’t that bad, but my throat hurt, and I had a runny nose. Also, my head wasn’t working well.

"...Well, it’s okay sometimes. Just rest."

"Yeah..."

I got a cold even though I was thrown into the bath by Laocles and given milk tea by Ange yesterday. I feel bad.

"I shouldn’t be getting sick now..."

"If you’re sick, then you should be sick now."

"Is that how it works?"

"That’s how it works."

...I don’t really understand the idea of being sick when you should be, but when you say it like that, it feels like that’s how it is.

"...I had a dream. A stormy dream."

"Even in your dreams, it was a storm."

"Yeah."

When I spoke from the bed, Laocles listened with a wry smile.

"I was being blown and flown by the storm."

"...Were you that floaty?"

"No, it’s a dream. ...And I was blown all the way to the capital."

Laocles had a face that said, "Of course." But it’s a dream!

"The capital was empty. Everyone had gone inside to escape the storm... but Laila was standing alone in the middle of the street."

I, who had experienced the storm, could tell that Laila must have been cold and frozen, and there was nothing she could do. But she was standing there.

"And she saw me and said, 'Strange guy!' with a smile. In a loud voice. ...I felt a bit happy. And when I woke up, my blanket wasn’t on me. That’s it."

When I finished the dream, Laocles, with a wry smile, poked the phoenix’s belly, which was lying next to me, and asked it to cover me with the blanket. Yeah, thanks.

"...That’s a dream like you."

"Is it?"

I’m not that light to be blown away by a storm. When I looked at Laocles with that thought... Laocles was smiling very gently.

"You don’t feel much anger towards Laila Razward, do you?"

"Eh?"

Laocles left the room without answering my question.

"Just rest. I’ll wake you when Fey and Cloa return."

"...Yeah."

...When the door closed, I thought about it.

I see. I don’t really feel angry towards Laila.

Why? She... well, she’s doing bad things, and I’m the victim... but maybe I don’t feel angry because I’m not interested in my own fame? Or maybe I don’t dislike her methods? No, that’s not it. I know using someone else’s name is wrong.

Or... maybe I don’t dislike her? No, that’s strange. I don’t really know her. That’s what I thought when I considered her as a motif. So, it shouldn’t be that, but...

Ah, maybe it’s because of her paintings...

Then, I realized I had fallen asleep. Or rather, I was already awake when I realized it. Yeah.

...During my sleep, I had a floaty dream. Probably. I don’t remember it well, but I felt like I was buried in cotton.

When I looked around the bed, as expected, the tanuki fox was curled up with its tail around my neck, and the phoenix was curled up and sleeping on my stomach. Hmm, floaty.

My head felt light, and the pain in my throat was almost gone. However, it was already evening. I had apparently slept from morning until evening.

...But, well, it can’t be helped. That’s how it is.

While convincing myself that it can’t be helped, I was playing with the tanuki fox’s tail to calm down when...

"Are you awake?"

Laocles came in. And behind him...

"Hey, Tougo! You caused a storm and caught a cold!?"

"You’re typical, but please take care of your health. Really, you’re something."

...Fey and Cloa had returned!

Then, I ended up sitting on the windowsill (probably brought by the dragon) and drinking the contents of a nut while listening to Fey and the others.

"To cut to the chase, Laila Razward is using many people’s names to exhibit works other than yours."

Fey said this and then made a complicated face.

"But... many of them are apparently 'commissioned' to use the names. By the names’ owners or people around them."

"In other words, she’s painting on commission for nobles, and the paintings are being displayed in galleries or entered in contests under the nobles’ names."

...Hmm, so, in other words... she’s a ghostwriter, right?