Back at the camp, Kal'tsit was currently maintaining a facial expression as rigid and unchanging as a hard shell. she was engaged in the kind of social interaction she detested most, exuding an aura so intense it created a strange sense of pressure.
This resulted in the Rim Billiton government officials feeling as though they were facing a debt collector while speaking to her; the authoritative air they should have possessed weakened significantly.
"So, you're saying your side has absolutely no clues regarding the specific cause?" Because Kal'tsit's manner of speaking was so shrouded in fog and mystery, the official—whose education level wasn't particularly high—found the communication quite difficult.
As for Kal'tsit, she was currently the only suitable person left in the camp to handle this. The Doctor had disappeared to who-knows-where, and Theresa wasn't exactly appropriate for this kind of negotiation.
Even the Sarkaz operators had been moved to Rhodes Island to hide for the time being. It was better for them to emerge only after Kal'tsit had successfully fooled these people away, which was why Kal'tsit stood there alone.
Kal'tsit's habit was to use her customary rhetoric to make the other party dizzy, then provide a seemingly convincing explanation to bluff them away. This was not a difficult task for her.
Right now, she could see that the man had fallen into a state of deep confusion. All she needed to do was provide a minor excuse to fool this person—who, to her, was essentially a child.
In fact, almost everyone in front of her could be classified as a child.
"It is not that we know nothing. Based on our current investigation, it appears the gargantuan beast flew out from the meteor's crash site, and now that meteor has also vanished."
What Kal'tsit said was practically the same as saying nothing at all. It wasn't as if they didn't know these facts! Only a blind person would fail to notice the overturned earth; they wanted to know something deeper.
For instance, what exactly was that giant beast? Was it a creature mutated by Originium, or something born from within the Originium itself? Or perhaps a product of biological experimentation conducted by these people?
The official actually wanted to hear the latter. It wasn't hard to understand why; many entities conducted biological experiments in these parts. If it were true, they might be able to squeeze some profit out of the situation.
To this, Kal'tsit's responses were limited to "unclear," "don't know," and "not involved." This resulted in the officials merely haggling with her without obtaining a single shred of valuable information.
Or rather, they did receive one piece of news that wasn't exactly good: the Originium crystal that various factions had been eyeing was gone! No one knew what scientific principle allowed such a thing to simply vanish.
Finally, Kal'tsit breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the men depart. She truly disliked dealing with such people; an aggressive urge would often spread from the depths of her heart during these encounters.
If the Doctor acted like this, she certainly wouldn't give them a good face. Looking at the figures disappearing from her line of sight, Kal'tsit knew that the trouble was only beginning; there would be many more unpleasant things to follow.
However, her current concern was how the Doctor and the others were doing. Ever since they were carried away by that giant dragon, not a single message had been sent back. Could something have happened?
In that situation, no matter how much she trusted Jeanne's abilities, the moment they saw that giant dragon emerge from the depths, it was hard to believe anyone in the world could tame such a creature.
Even Kal'tsit had to put a question mark next to Jeanne's words. That was the prototype of a Draco! Could she really control such a terrifying organism?
Just then, while standing outside the camp gazing into the distance, Kal'tsit suddenly noticed dust billowing in one direction, as if something was charging toward them.
Kal'tsit watched the approaching unidentified object warily, wondering if it was some bandit group planning to take advantage of the chaos. She prepared to summon Mon3tr for battle.
Her hand was already on her communicator, intending to summon the elite operators to prepare for combat, when she faintly heard a very familiar voice.
"I said, how much longer until we get there?! I'm starting to feel dizzy again. Did I have some kind of grudge against cold-blooded animals in my past life? Why is it that every time I try this, I end up being miserable without exception?"
It was the mournful complaint of someone who looked like they had been through a lot of suffering. Kal'tsit could recognize that voice—unfiltered by a voice changer—even in her dreams, so she relaxed slightly.
It was the Doctor's voice. Having personally hit her countless times, Kal'tsit could naturally tell that the person's current condition wasn't great—or rather, she was struggling to endure something.
Kal'tsit no longer felt the urge to rush over. She simply crossed her arms and looked calmly at the approaching unidentified creature, curious to see what kind of miserable state the Doctor was in.
Only when the figure drew closer did Kal'tsit realize the large creature was actually a dragon-type summoned by Jeanne. However, if she wasn't misreading the expression on its face, it was... terror?
Kal'tsit watched as the creature ran toward them as if its life depended on it. Could there be some terrifying beast threatening it from behind? And where did the giant dragon Jeanne called out go?
Kal'tsit shifted her posture, watching the beast approach. Its running speed was indeed incredibly fast—so fast that before Kal'tsit could speak, the thing had already streaked past her.
It seemed those on its back hadn't even noticed her?
Kal'tsit: "???"
Today was truly an eye-opener. Kal'tsit felt that sometimes living a long life wasn't a bad thing, as you never knew what rare occurrence would happen the next second.
Kal'tsit was actually right; the Doctor and Jeanne really hadn't paid attention to the road. The Doctor was physically unwell from the bumpy ride, while Jeanne was preoccupied with how to raise a child.
Up until now, she hadn't figured out what Fafnir could eat. She had asked Fafnir several times, but the only answer she got was the word "eat." This was giving Jeanne a real headache.
When Jeanne finally snapped back to reality because the Earth Dragon had suddenly stopped, she realized they were already inside the camp. It had to be said that today's speed was terrifying, though it was a bit hard on the dragon.
Carrying the Doctor in one hand and holding Fafnir in the other, Jeanne jumped down from the Earth Dragon. Before Jeanne could even un-summon it, the creature scrambled as far away from Jeanne and Fafnir as possible, looking at them with a face full of terror.
"Fine, you can go back!" With that, Jeanne cancelled the summon. Carrying her two "attachments," she prepared to find a place for the Doctor to rest.
"Food..." Fafnir looked a bit lost after the Earth Dragon disappeared. Her expression made it look as though the rice in her bowl had just run away, and the little thing looked at Jeanne piteously.
How can this child be so cute? Jeanne lamented, seeing little Fafnir's aggrieved expression. She immediately set the Doctor aside to comfort Fafnir, who looked like she was about to cry.
Doctor: "You're cold-hearted!"
"That fellow wasn't food. I'll find you something to eat in a moment. I just hope there's something here that can fill you up..."
As Jeanne said this, she stroked Fafnir's head. Fafnir's dejected expression instantly turned to joy as she nuzzled against Jeanne's hand, looking like a very clingy child.
The Doctor stood up then, feeling helpless as she watched the maternal glow radiating from Jeanne. This was a classic case of throwing a friend aside the moment one has a daughter!
In that moment, Kal'tsit arrived and saw Fafnir in Jeanne's arms. Looking at the little guy, she marveled in her heart at how wondrous the world truly was.
She could naturally guess that this was that giant dragon. How could Kal'tsit not figure out something that could be deduced even by process of elimination? But this child's appearance...
Kal'tsit was very much looking forward to what would happen when Jeanne returned to the snowfields.
She remembered there was a group of Yetis there with very peculiar ways of thinking. She estimated that once Jeanne returned, rumors would start that the reason Jeanne came here was to pick up this secret love child she had with Talulah in the past...
Hopefully, those fellows would be able to live long and well!