Chapter 25 : The Dragon Who Awoke From Sleep (7)

Mana recovery?

Now that I think about it, I remembered that Lisette once said her mana was restored after eating this root vegetable.

So it really wasn’t just an ordinary plant.

I began simmering it gently over a controlled flame with the meat I had caught earlier, prepared mandrake, and other vegetables.

I’ve become quite used to finely adjusting the heat of my dragon breath.

It’s a kind of know-how that comes from combining the cooking instincts I had as a human with the abilities of a dragon.

As the savory and sweet aroma spread through the cave, the children’s eyes sparkled.

“Wow… it smells so good!”

Sori cheered, and I heard Lisette gulp.

Even Mir, who acted nonchalant, couldn’t hide the twitching of her nose in anticipation.

Once the stew was ready, I served generous portions into wooden bowls and placed them in front of the children.

They eagerly began to eat the stew.

Blowing on the hot stew before eating it, they looked just like regular children.

“It’s delicious! Dragon, this is really good too!”

Sori gave a thumbs-up with stew smeared around her mouth.

Lisette was quietly focused on eating, but she couldn’t hide her satisfied expression.

“Eat slowly. You’ll get indigestion.”

Mir scolded them, but she was also enjoying the stew herself.

She was especially focused on tasting the mandrake pieces.

It seemed like she was trying to observe the effects herself.

As the meal was coming to an end, Mir suddenly stared at Lisette intently.

Lisette gave her a puzzled look as if to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t you feel like your mana is way more stable and full than before?”

At Mir’s words, Lisette’s eyes widened.

“Huh? Really? Now that you mention it… my body does feel light, and I feel full of energy….”

Lisette opened and closed her hand, marveling at the sensation.

“Just as I thought… this mandrake is amazing. Maybe because the poison was completely neutralized by dragon breath, only the mana-recovery effect remains without any side effects.”

Mir muttered with interest.

Then she turned to Lisette.

“You said you have talent in magic, right? If you train when your mana is this full, the effects will be way better. Want me to help you out?”

Unlike before, it sounded like she was planning to teach more seriously this time.

Lisette hesitated for a moment at Mir’s sudden offer.

But soon, her eyes lit up and she nodded.

“Yes! I’d love that! …I mean, yes! If you’re the one teaching me.”

Her added words showed a trace of noble pride, but her eagerness to learn was clearly stronger.

Maybe a desire to accomplish something with her own power had taken root.

[That’s a good idea. Lisette, do your best to learn.]

My encouragement made Lisette’s face flush slightly.

“Hmph! Of course! Don’t you know who I am?”

She responded with a fake cough and a pouty expression that was actually kind of cute.

After the meal, Mir took Lisette to a clear area on one side of the cave.

Sori followed them, eyes full of curiosity.

I cleaned up the leftover stew and decided to watch the children train.

“Now, feel the mana flowing inside you! Take a deep breath and focus slowly.”

Mir gave instructions to Lisette with her arms crossed.

Her tone was still blunt, but she was teaching seriously.

Lisette closed her eyes and tried to feel her mana as Mir told her.

At first, it didn’t seem to go well—she frowned in frustration.

But after several tries, faint particles of light began to gather around her.

“Oh…!”

Sori let out a soft gasp.

“Good. Now gather that mana to your fingertips. In the form you want.”

Lisette carefully stretched out her hand to try and control the mana.

But the mana wouldn’t obey easily, and the particles of light scattered in all directions.

“Ah… it’s not working. I can’t gather it well.”

Lisette looked like she was about to cry.

Mir clicked her tongue and stepped forward.

“Tsk, I told you not to force it! Let it flow, gently! If you try to squeeze it out, of course the mana will resist!”

Her tone was sharp, but her advice hit the mark.

Mir took Lisette’s hand and let her feel the flow of mana directly.

“Like this. Don’t force your will too much—think of it as opening the path the mana wants to follow.”

With Mir’s help, Lisette focused again.

This time, the particles of light gathered at her fingertips much more easily.

A small orb of light, about the size of a marble, faintly glowed in her palm.

“Eh… ench!”

A bright smile bloomed on Lisette’s face.

It was her first successful attempt at using magic through her own power.

Though small and unstable, it was a moment of irreplaceable achievement for her.

“Wow! Lisette, you’re amazing!”

Sori clapped her hands and sincerely congratulated her.

Even Mir, who kept her usual grumpy expression, had a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth—I didn’t miss it.

“Hmph, don’t get cocky over something this small. You’ve still got a long way to go.”

Despite her words, Mir began teaching the next step.

It was practice in changing the shape of the light orb or adjusting its brightness.

Lisette tackled the training much more actively than before.

Although she failed repeatedly, she didn’t give up and kept trying again, encouraged by Mir’s advice and Sori’s support.

Especially when she took breaks and ate a bit of the mandragora stew I made, she felt her mana recovering quickly.

That made her even more focused on her training.

Experiencing the effects of the food firsthand seemed to really motivate her.

How much time had passed, I wondered.

Lisette had now become quite skilled at creating spheres of light and could even adjust their size and brightness.

Her face now shone with confidence and energy that hadn’t been there before.

She was no longer a timid noble girl clueless about the world.

She was a growing mage, who had discovered the joy of accomplishing things with her own power.

Watching Lisette train so hard, I felt a quiet sense of pride.

Back when that kid first came to the cave, she had cried and caused a commotion.

Seeing her now learning on her own and experiencing a sense of achievement made me feel oddly proud.

Of course, she was still just as troublesome.

Mir also seemed surprised by Lisette’s rapid progress.

“…Seems like you’ve got more talent than I thought. At this rate, you’ll master basic light magic in no time.”

Lisette’s shoulders lifted proudly at Mir’s sort-of-compliment.

“Hmph, I’ve always been kind of amazing, you know!”

Her noble-girl tone slipped out again, but this time, it didn’t feel annoying.

That confidence wasn’t just superficial pride anymore—it came from real effort and results.

‘…That kid might really become a mage someday.’

I watched over the kids’ training with that thought in mind.

There was still plenty of mandragora stew left.

If Mir was right, the food would help Lisette recover mana and accelerate her growth.

I began to look forward a bit—just how much stronger would Lisette become, and what kind of changes would that bring?

The training continued late into the night.

Lisette showed no signs of tiring, and though Mir was grumpy as usual, he still guided her sincerely.

Sori dozed off beside them but kept cheering her on.

It was a peaceful and somehow heartwarming sight.

“Alright, that’s enough for today.”

When Mir declared the end of the training, Lisette looked a bit disappointed but obediently followed.

Floating above her hand was a much larger and more stable light sphere than before.

Looking proud of her accomplishment, Lisette smiled as she gazed at the light.

“Tomorrow… let’s practice shape transformation more. So you can form the light into the shapes you want.”

At Mir’s words, Lisette nodded eagerly with eyes full of anticipation.

I quietly got up and warmed the kids’ sleeping spots in advance.

They must’ve been exhausted after a day full of bathing, eating, and training.

Looking at the peacefully sleeping kids, I felt a kind of responsibility—and… what should I call it, a warm contentment—something I’d never felt in my human days.

‘…Troublesome kids.’

Still, a faint smile crept across my face without me realizing it.

Life in this cave… who knows how it will go from here.

Like Lisette’s light, it might head in an unexpected direction.

And strangely enough, that thought didn’t feel bad at all.

Only the sound of calm breathing filled the cave.

Aside from the occasional crackling of the campfire breaking the silence, the children were fast asleep.

Lisette, who had been buzzing with excitement from magic training just a moment ago,

Sori, who had been rubbing her sleepy eyes while cheering on the side,

Even grumpy Mir, who had been coaching them with his usual edge,

They were all now quietly dozing.

I curled up my large body and simply watched over them.

A faint glow seemed to flicker from Lisette’s palm.

A child who had, for the first time, succeeded in wielding mana by her own will.

The smile lingering on her sleeping face spoke volumes about how great that sense of accomplishment must have been.

Thinking back to the despair and fear when she was first abandoned in this cave, her current state felt nothing short of miraculous.

Of course, a large part of that miracle might’ve been thanks to the food I provided—especially the root vegetable Mir called mandragora.

‘…Good for mana recovery, huh.’

Remembering Mir’s words, I looked at the pot of leftover stew.

In my vague human memories, mandragora was just a weird plant that screamed a lot—but here, it actually had such properties?

And the fact that my breath purified its toxicity too.

The more I learned about this world, the more wondrous it became.

Maybe the other things I’d unknowingly fed the kids had some special effects too.

Like that big beast I hunted before.

‘…I guess it all worked out in the end.’

It’s a good thing the kids are getting stronger.

I won’t be able to protect them forever.

One day, they’ll need to find the strength to defend themselves.

If my care helps them along the way, then I guess that’s good enough.

The thought of it still felt like a hassle, but… now, a little sense of fulfillment mixed into that hassle.

The fire crackled out, and darkness deepened in the cave.

I gently wrapped my tail around the children to keep them warm.

Listening to their steady breathing, I too slowly drifted into the depths of sleep.

Today had been a rather satisfying day.