Uh, About That...

“THAT’S OUR SITUATION, MASTER JOHN,” Amelia concluded her story. “The odds to fulfill this mission are stacked against us, but we cannot pull back, even with these attackers on our trail.”

Yeah, no shit.

Considering Amelia’s background, she must be desperate to redeem herself to the royal family. Getting a chance like this must feel like a miracle, enough to push her to accept a near-impossible quest.

“Speaking of those guys, who were they?” I asked. “The man I buried over there had the heraldry of a chained sun, but I’m not familiar with the symbol.”

Not that I’m familiar with anything in this world, but hey.

“They were members of the Cult of Croxas…” Amelia’s expression hardened. “It’s an ancient order, made by followers of the Demon Lord. They were responsible for the ambush against His Majesty, so it’s no surprise they’re trying to impede his recovery.”

Ah, so we’ve got wackos to deal with. Why anyone would adore a demon is beyond me, yet here we are, in a fight against bona fide cultists.

“Could it be they’re also after the Dead Tree?” I followed up. Amelia mentioned their mission was top secret, so the fact they were attacked here raised some eyebrows.

“I don’t think so,” Amelia refuted. “We’re not the only party who’s been targeted. Chances are, someone high up in the Adventurer’s Guild has betrayed us.”

Oof, that’s no bueno. The forest itself is dangerous enough as it is, but having someone trying to plant a dagger in their backs doesn’t bode well for the girls.

“That’s why,” Amelia continued, “we would like to request your help. You know the Forbidden Forest better than we do, and your druidic powers might help us find the Dead Tree despite the Cult’s interference.”

So she says, but I’m as much of a stranger to this place as they are. Sure, I’ve spent several days here, but I’m not qualified to be a guide by any means.

“But man, I had no idea the Forbidden Forest had any druids at all,” Xana said in wonder. “You’re a big, fat liar, Cerys! You said the Elves of Arboria had abandoned it!”

There’s that, too. They seem to have mistaken my polymorph spell for druidic magic, and in that regard, I’m about to sorely disappoint them.

“They did forsake it,” Cerys defended herself. “That’s why I find you so intriguing, Master John. Try as I may to read you, I can’t seem to identify the nature of your magic.”

Ah, shit. I was so engrossed in the conversation with Amelia that I didn’t realize Cerys was appraising me. Her eyes are glowing with magic, carefully trying to unveil the secrets behind my power.

“Don’t be rude, Cerys,” Amelia chastised her. “We’re here to ask for help, not to cross-examine him.”

“I’m aware, but it’s also true I must rectify myself,” Cerys replied, before locking eyes on me. “Excuse me for asking, but... could it be you aren’t a druid?”

And the cat is out of the bag. Not that I was pretending to be one in the first place, but yeah. Cerys’ question brings up a delicate matter.

How am I supposed to explain myself to them?

Judging by their story, this place is supposed to be abandoned. Yet here I was, alone and naked, able to shapeshift and shoot lightning out my ass.

“What do I look like to your eyes, Cerys?” I asked, partly out of curiosity, but mostly to buy myself some time. I need to brainstorm what to do here.

Cerys fell silent for a moment, her mystic eyes surveying me to the finest detail.

“To be candid, Master John…” she began, a drop of sweat forming on her brow. “Now that I’ve had the time to take a closer look, you appear to be a dragon in disguise.”

Amelia froze in place at her words, while Xana gasped in surprise.

As for me, I sighed.

“So it does show…” I murmured. It appears my draconic power won’t be easy to hide, even if I shapeshift. That’s some terrible news Cerys just gave me.

That said, the time to lament will come later. The tension in the air has grown so thick you could almost cut it, so I better defuse the situation before the girls run on me.

“Be at ease, I’m not here to hurt you,” I assured them, as Xana was frantically trying to remove her armor and expose her belly.

“B- But…” she said. “I blew your arm off…” The poor catgirl is still hung up about that, giving me the big sad eyes like the Puss in Boots.

“It’s fine,” I replied with a smile. “We’ve made amends, remember?”

Xana nodded at my words, but still appeared unconvinced.

It hurts a little, seeing her act so afraid of me.

“We’ve been terribly rude,” Amelia bowed her head. “We did not mean to intrude in your territory. To our knowledge, the forest hadn’t been claimed by anyone.”

Here we go again with the misunderstandings. Chances are we’ll keep going at it until I properly explain myself, so I might as well tell them the truth. I know, there’s risk in coming clean with them, but there’s also plenty of rewards.

For one, I’d have a group of capable people teach me everything I need to know about this world. I’m still mostly in the dark here, so befriending a party of high-level adventurers would do me wonders.

Second, Cerys should be able to give me a notion of how much shit I’m in. She’s a former court mage, so at minimum, I’d expect an educated guess about the implications of having eaten the dragon.

Third… I’d like to hang out with them. If I tell them what’s actually going on with me, and prove myself to be a powerful asset, I could ask to join their party. I’m just about done skulking in the forest here. I’d like to join civilization, and the girls would be the perfect company for that.

So, I’ll tell them who I am.

Cerys already sniffed me out, anyway, so it’s not like I have a lot left to hide.

“About that…” I began, steeling myself. “I’d like to tell you my own story.”

The girls looked at me in nervous anticipation.

Amelia, Cerys, Xana… they would be the first, and perhaps the only ones, I would tell the full story about who I am, and how I entered this world.