Hearing that Magnawell-san had a transaction with Alice to get a special clone, I asked a question that came to my mind.
[Would it be alright if I ask about that transaction you had with Alice?]
[I don't mind... I mean, I don't know what that fellow's up to, but I too was a little surprised about our transaction. It all started a few days ago... Shalltear came to visit my abode and told me "Give me your heart".]
[Eh? H- Heart?]
[Umu, to be precise, her objective seems to be the "Dragon Core" within my heart.]
Fumu, I don't remember hearing this terminology before, but if Magnawell-san himself was surprised, I think it's safe to say that this dragon core is pretty rare.
[Ummm, what is this Dragon Core?]
[The heart of a Dragon circulates magic power throughout its body along with their blood, refining their body, and over the course of many years, that magic power gradually gathers into a small crystal. That is a Dragon Core, but few people have ever seen it. Dragon Cores exist only in the heart of a High Ancient Dragon that has lived for over 10,000 years.]
[A crystal that takes many months and years to form... However, is it really alright to make a transaction using this crystal that formed in someone's heart?]
[That isn't a problem at all. Rather, that Dragon Core really is just a small crystal. Even the Dragon Cores of colossal-sized Dragons, those that are over 100m in length, a Dragon Core the size of 1cm is already considered big enough. If Shalltear went to the trouble of asking me for a deal, it must mean that she needs a Dragon Core of a certain size. Being that I'm the largest and among the oldest Dragons, I'll inevitably have the biggest Dragon Core in the world.]
Hmmm, I could tell that this would be something outrageous. What in the world is Alice planning to do with such a thing?
[Dragon Cores are extremely dense magic crystals, and if handled carelessly, they can be extremely dangerous... but well, I'm sure Shalltear won't have any problem making use of them.]
[I don't see any problem with Magnawell-san handing her something like that... but hearing you handing her your heart sounds kinda strange.]
[That isn't a problem. In fact, handing her my heart isn't detrimental to me at all. It's not that I'm saying that hearts can be easily regenerated, and it would take me years to form a Dragon Core again... but you see, in the first place, Dragon Cores doesn't provide us Dragons any benefit. Dragon Cores are high-density magic crystals, so it's dangerous to dispose of them carelessly, but it's not like the existence of a Dragon Core within our bodies had any negative effects, so we just ignore them.]
This is something that isn't something surprising, but Magnawell-san is basically immortal. Also, it seems like that Dragon Core isn't something that Magnawell-san needs... So it certainly would be a good deal for Magnawell-san if he were to trade that for a special clone.
[In fact, this clone is magnificent. It's linked to my main body, so the amount of magic power it holds is almost the same as the main body. I'm still getting used to operating it, so its actual fighting power is probably about 70% of that of my main body, but it's still amazing. Operating it at the same time as my main body is a little difficult due to the output problem, but it isn't that inconvenient. Moreover, surprisingly, as my main body grows, my clone also grows with it... Hmmm, I have no idea what kind of technology she used to make this, but this definitely is amazing.]
[I see, I guess it's easier for Magnawell-san to act when you have that clone for it.]
[Umu. It's much easier to move around without having to worry too much about where I walk. Best of all, I can eat and drink in this clone. With my main body like that, even though eating and drinking aren't essential, it was a little depressing not to be able to enjoy their taste. But with this body, I can enjoy eating and drinking without any problem, and the sake I drank after a long time was really delicious.]
Indeed, with the size of Magnawell-san's main body, it seems like he could swallow a small mountain whole... I feel like no matter how much food he consumes, it would never be enough.
In addition to that, there were probably many other things that he couldn't enjoy because he was too big. Being too big to shop or read a book was also a problem.
[Thanks to this, unbecoming of my age, I got a little excited. It was impossible for me to go around the festival like this before, so I was just going around the festival a few distance away from the guests' seats. However, exchanging this just for a Dragon Core makes me feel apologetic to Shalltear.]
[I'm glad to hear that. However, I wonder what Alice is planning to do with that amazing-sounding thing? From what I've heard, she had never asked for it, right?]
[That's right... According to what I've heard, she had been trying to make some kind of transaction with the other members of the Six Kings. I heard that she also came to Megiddo's place and told him "Give me your horn".]
[...Magnawell-san's Dragon Core and Megiddo-san's horn? Is she planning to make the world's most powerful weapon?]
[I don't know. I've always had a hard time understanding what that fellow is thinking.]
Well, at least, from Magnawell-san's point of view, he was very happy with their transactions, so that isn't a problem... but seriously, what is Alice doing?
It would be great if she isn't doing anything strange... No... "I guess it would be faster if I just ask her directly huh".
***
[Afterword]
Serious-senpai : [Finally, the Afterword Section! Wait, Author-san, what the heck is with that absurdity!? Thinking that it's something extra, you say this is just for fun!?]
? ? ? : [Well, it's not like you'd win anything from this contest anyway.]
Serious-senpai : [No, no, this is the only section I've appeared in, you know... Even when I've appeared three times in the main story, saying that they're not including me in the main story votes... A- Are you kidding me...]
? ? ? : [...Just in terms of popularity, Serious-senpai is seriously a cheat after all.]