Jade's Story

What? Ah, you mean my shopping wishlist?

It's me... What else would it be? Books, of course!

Hehe, knowledge is something you can never have too much of.

Shut up! Why do you think I'm shaving down my horns?!

Sist buys goods as well, you know. Hmm, just need to shave this a bit more...

Hmm... I realized that there were a lot of literary pieces about dragons in the past.

You may be unaware of this, Master, but such literary pieces are called "mass-produced."

It's a novel about a dragon and a human joining forces to create a magical lasagna.

The human hides inside the dragon's hat and whispers secret recipes in their ear.

Yeah, there was definitely such a chara—W-Wait, what?!

Enough! Stop with the spoilers, you bonehead!

What kind of dragons are dinosaurs? Do you know?

What kind of brainless nonsense is that?

Tsk, tsk, where's your head at? How will you be able to do your job as the Master like that?

You should do your best to not bring shame to the First Master!

Of course not! But I heard that they were outstanding.

I heard how they left The Master's Diary, filled with their devotion to Yggdrasil. Ah, how I long to get my hands on it...!

Whether it's 10 volumes or 20 volumes, I want them all...!

I'd be happy reading even that all day long!

What? You're writing what? Heh, The Master's Diary?! Bahaha!

Master! Master, come help!

Hit me!

Hit me! Quick! I won't get angry!

Aaack! Why are you hitting me for real, you bonehead?!

I meant to act like you're hitting me!

Huh? You call that a hit?

That didn't hurt... Well, okay. A hit's a hit!

Hehe, alright. Since you helped me out, I'll let you know.

Master, what do you think is most important for the dragon race?

What I like is knowledge, not books! Knowledge!

Anyway, what else do you think would be important other than greed?

The answer is strength.

Dragons highly respect strength.

That's why they pick fights with fellow kin who seem stronger than they are.

Exactly. They've been going at it like that for centuries already. Sigh...

I dislike such things. I find it really, really, absolutely awful.

I prefer reading books and accumulating knowledge over squabbling over rankings.

The best thing to do is to avoid getting noticed...

However, I can't just ignore Daya every time she calls for me...

So, I found a method to avoid fighting!

Simply put, I just need to avoid looking strong.

So, I just need to get smacked around by a bunch of wimpy, spineless wonders before anyone starts a fight with me!!

If everyone views me as weak, no one will try to fight me.

So, thanks again for the help today, Master!

I'm not playing. I'm exploring the world of knowledge.

What about ABOIAD?! ABOIAD is a literary masterpiece!

Geez, you're annoying... There. Happy?

It's just a reading lamp. A reading lamp.

Ahem... I'm gonna get back to ABOIAD.

GOSH! Are you gonna keep nagging me like this?!

I'm already on medication because my eyes get dry!

Here, this miracle cure treats headaches, toothaches, and even loneliness, all in one go!

What? Do you want some too, Master?

No can do! This is expensive!

Hello, Jade! Oh, I see you've been keeping up with that miracle cure!

Today, I brought a jade mat, jade pillow, and pet jade stone that would all complement that—

Oh, Master! I didn't see you there. Can I interest you in something too?

Right now, I have something that could make a flower bloom in even the most desolate desert—

Wh-Whaaaa... I have no idea what you're talking about...

Urgh... This is why I dislike you, Master. You're too perceptive.

Whatever! Candy, medicine... Does it really matter?!

Eating something sweet lifts your mood!!

Ah, don't worry about that.

Dragons can see in the dark.

Shush, shush!! Keep your voice down! Do you want to see me get dragged to the Weekend Farm?!

I give great discounts to cash co—loyal customers, you know?!

Whew, at least you're reasonable, Master.

What're you guys yapping about over there?

I'm reading over here!!

Ooooh, it's nothing, don't mind us!

Huh? Yeah! It's sweet and delicious!

Huh? You're asking when I last went out?

I am a hikikomori, I can stay holed up forever!

I read it in a book! It was in a book Kommy lent me!

Ahem, *cough cough*!!

A-anyway! I'm not just a hikikomori, but also a NEET and a loner too!

Ha, do you still doubt my intelligence?

Hikikomori means not being afraid of being alone.

NEET means not being obsessed with material things, and being a loner means not being swayed by others!

What's bothering you?

So what! Having a nickname is something to be proud of!

Yeah, exactly like that!!

They're cool! You can express your personality in just a short name.

What? A nickname?

Is it really okay for someone like the Master to just casually give out names like that?

But you're lame.

Hmm... Indoors... Indoor Jade...

That's not bad! I like it!

A renowned dragon should definitely have a title or two!

Yeah! I should tell the other dragons too. I'm Jade the Indoor Dragon!!

Huh? A sound? What sound?

Huh? Are you talking about today's snack?

Jade.

Ugh, why again! You're always nagging me!

It's none of your business what I eat, Master!

I don't know why you're making such a fuss. It's just delicious.

You think this great dragon would get hurt from chewing on a few jade stones?

I don't know? I'm not really sure.

I am Jade, the dragon among dragons, the brilliant one.

Hmm, everyone likes food that's a similar color to their own gem.

Rudd likes red cola, and Silphir likes blue cola.

If you say that in front of them, you'll taste the true wrath of the dragons.

If Sist hadn't asked that question, there would be one more mountain in Elias.

I'm not as bad as those two though.

Still, I can eat any food that has light green or blue mixed in.

The baked goods Erpin brought me earlier were delicious too.

What was it called? It had a teal cream inside.

Oh yeah! That was the name!

It was interesting because the chocolate cream had a refreshing taste.

Ugh, seriously, are you gonna keep nagging me about what I eat?!

Mint chocolate is just delicious! It's a flavor anyone would love, right?

You really hate it that much?!

So mint chocolate was a flavor that sparked wars... No wonder it felt so thrilling...

Huh? What do I use them for? Books are books, you know?

Books are for reading. Don't you know that, Master?

You really don't know anything, Master.

Look, they say knowledge is power.

But where do you get knowledge from?

Right! But what would happen if I monopolized books and read them all by myself?

That's not it! I'd become smart solo!!

Then what would happen to the other dragons who can't read the books?

They'd become dumber than me! Just like you, you dummy Master!

Then I'd become the greatest dragon of all!

Because knowledge is power!!

Hmm! I'm Jade, the smart dragon, so answer anything just for you!

...Huh?

N-No!!

Who said anything about actually fighting each other?! It doesn't matter who actually wins or loses!!

You're doing this on purpose right now!!

No...!!

I'll take back calling you stupid, so don't do that...!!

But... but I'm the smartest one...

Well... you do have a point...

I worked so hard to collect these books, and I don't want them getting damaged when I lend them to others...

It's fun filling up my collection too... Hehe... Just looking at them makes me feel good...

Oh, Sist got me a really rare book recently.

Do you want to take a look?