42 Chapter 42: A Dragons Findings (1/2)
Fun fact, while it's normal for reptiles to lay eggs as their way to reproduce, there are a few species who actually do it by birthing, the same way mammals do. It's a peculiar occurrence like the platypus being the only mammal to lay eggs. For these few species of reptiles, they either give birth naturally or keep the egg inside them until it hatches and the offspring comes out then, with the broken shells following after.
I had Google-sensei to thank after looking up these facts with my smartphone. Since I now know this occurrence is possible, it wouldn't be too strange for the reptile-like races in this world, whether they be Lizardmen or Dragons, to give birth the same way humans do. Seeing as how Ume never saw an egg hatch with new life before or having one of her own kind be seen with an egg, I had to find the right information to work with her 'special case' of this knowledge being withheld by her father.
Seriously, even if I'd be putting my life on the line, I wanted to find her dad and give him a good kick in the face for his bad parenting, forcing myself to take his place, and explain this important, delicate fact of life that he stupidly neglected.
While pointing out how I'm using humans as a basis for this talk and not know whether the other race's reproductive organs work similarly or not, I had to use visual aids found on the internet, videos that surprisingly spoke with dialogue that the people of this world would still understand—another unique enchantment on my smartphone granted by the Immortals, maybe?—and ... inappropriate gesturing to properly explain how the process is done. I wasn't sure if the meeting room can block out noise from both sides, so before I started the talk, I tried the [Soundproof] spell Ms. Carmen told me about with succession, extending a flexible, bubble-like barrier that covers most of the room until it just passes the door so that we could hear any knocks from visitors.
Ume was rather fascinated at first of how I used my smartphone to display such detailed pictures and videos that are like magic to the people of this world, but when we got to the talk of sex, she was at a loss for words while looking listless.
I mentally debated whether or not I should find birthing videos and basically pornography to help 'see the process in action' before the talk, but then I notice how much Ume is affected by this when she holds her own tail. I was glad I ended up showing a video of a chicken going through its life from the moment the egg is laid, to finding a mate to reproduce and begin the cycle once more.
By the time 'the talk' ended, I thought Ume would wind up the same as I was after Mom gave it to me when I was a kid: speechless, questioning their own existence, and mentally scarred from seeing something they regret seeing. Well, compared to what I've seen, her exposure is to a lesser degree, but the serious contemplating face she's making right now is worrying.
”Ume? Are you feeling all right?” I ask, but she keeps silent. ”Listen, I know it was a lot to take in, as well as a bit too graphic, but I think you can guess why being able to make children with you may be … difficult.”
”… You were concerned whether impregnating me was even possible if you tried to put your penis in the vagina of my true form, right? You weren't sure whether my reproductive organs would even register your sperm in my system?”
Whoa, okay, looks like she took the talk a lot better than I thought she did. ”Well, yeah, that's the gist of it. If I may ask, what were you planning to do to get a child before we had that talk?”
Ume exasperated while pinching her brow with her claws. ”It's embarrassing to even think about it now after learning the truth. I thought the Immortals and Clorks wouldn't even tell the difference with what pairing is making the noise loud enough to demand a child. I would revert to my true form and make the loudest noise like that while you would do the same the way you are now since you can't transform like me.”
Yeah, that's kind of what I figured she would think.
”I know now why the Dragons back home laughed at me like I was a fool. Not only would they think it's impossible, but imagine how you'd try to put something so small in me when I'm sure their penises are as big as your whole body … haha, I'm laughing at myself just thinking about it now.”
I'm starting to get crushed over how Ume's putting herself down like this. ”So … what will you do now?”
Unexpectedly, Ume looks up to me with a quirked brow. ”What do you mean? I accepted this escort job with you as an adventurer, so of course, I'll be going along with it until the end.”
”O … kay? And, then what?”
”We would go to Korangar. You need to see the Demon King and get some questions of yours answered, right?”
”I mean, yeah, that's true, but what about the 'making children' thing?”
”What about it? Of course, we'll still try to make children together, once you feel you're ready to be a parent, anyway.”
”Wait, hold on, was there something I said that you didn't understand?”
”Oh, I understood the gist of it. Even if some of the terminologies were unfamiliar to me, I still got a good grasp of it. I think you forgot how this reproduction is possible between two humans, along with a few animal pairings of the same species as examples. As incredibly advanced in this study is from your home country, they've only studied the workings of their own race, right? They've yet to study how a human male is able to reproduce with a Lamia or a Harpy, or in Erizora's case between a human and an Ogre.”
”How did you …”
”I was fascinated by how her magical aura emits from both a demon and a human when I first saw her, but getting a grasp on how these 'genes' play in our bodies, even if I haven't seen her status, I can guess how her 'true race' is displayed like yours is as a 'D-Human,' but we'll go over that another time.
”Now, what about a human and a Dragon? I explained how impregnating me would be impossible in my true form, right? But what about when I'm in this size?” Ume asks before she twirls in place.
In a flash, a pair of recognizable wings appear from her back after she lets some of her rags droop behind her, horns also pop in from her head, and even her tail grows longer and bulkier, all in the likeness of her Dragon Form, now attached to her humanoid figure.
I have to admit that I was spellbound at the sight.
”I'm not the only Dragon among us to transform into something like this, we're all capable of doing it once we honed our Ancient Magic enough. We even have a small group of us fly to Padimon every couple of decades to see how things have changed by walking among you all. Other than to see how capable it is for humans and other races to be able to fell a Dragon, we don't really need to bother with you at all and mind our own business. So, why does our ability to transform exist within our teachings of Ancient Magic? Why would we Dragons be granted this capability by the Immortals? I think there's a hidden potential for us to do something the whole time with this practice, but we never bothered looking into it further because we didn't want to grow inferior and be as weak as those beneath us.
”This is different from my true form, but I'm still able to eat, drink, pee, and poop naturally now as I would back then. If I can do that much, what other things could I do naturally while in this form?”
”Are you saying … you came up with the idea of possibly having sex and reproduce while in this form on your own?” I ask, to which she nodded. ”That's really incredible, Ume. Were you thinking about this the whole time?”
”Since some time in the middle of your baby making talk, yeah.”
”What drove you think about that so deeply?”
”Isn't it obvious?” Ume asks before poking a pointy claw on my chest. ”Jin, I chose you to be my mate because if given the time and proper training, I think you have the most potential to defeat one of us, and I want to be with the male who's strong enough to be able to stand with me … at least, that's what I thought I only want in a mate.
”You worry over the strangest things, fight for the strangest reasons, and you may have the strangest perception in what you find visually pleasing out of every male I've ever seen, but …” Ume rests a claw to her bosom. ”You're the first male to have ever made me feel this way, to be so happy being near someone, to be held with such compassion, and then there's … this.”
Ume then takes my hand and presses it against her breast over the rags, eliciting a subtle, sexy moan.