Chapter 102: Trip to the Dragon Reserve
When they returned home, Cyril was already there, sitting in the living room with a cup of black tea.
"Cyril, try these," Albert said, holding out a bag of pastries.
"These are great macarons," Cyril said, taking one and eating it with his tea. "I've arranged everything for the dragon reserve. We'll drive to Inchy-en-Artois tomorrow morning. That's where it is."
Sofia frowned at the unfamiliar name. "Is it far? Do we need to pack snacks for the road?"
Cyril shook his head. "No, it's just over a hundred kilometers from Paris. An hour or two at most."
"That's pretty close. Are the dragons kept in the mountains?" Albert asked.
Cyril thought for a moment. "The terrain is hilly. There are some small hills, but nothing too high. The area isn't very populated, so it's easier to keep the dragons hidden."
Only after he returned to his room did Ethan find the time to open the small leather bag Nicolas Flamel had given him.
It was slightly larger than the one Cyril had given him. Inside, aside from a vial of the Elixir of Life, the contents were mostly leather-bound notebooks.
Besides the notebooks, there was a book that appeared to be made of metal. On the cover, written in runes, were the words: How to Create the Philosopher's Stone.
Ethan couldn't read the rest, but he recognized the words "Philosopher's Stone." He guessed it might be a book about how to create the Stone.
Ethan froze. Holding the book felt like holding a hot potato.
He quickly flipped through a few pages and found that it was all written in runes. His knowledge of Ancient Runes was limited, so he couldn't decipher enough to confirm whether it actually described the creation of the Philosopher's Stone.
The other notebooks were written in a mix of French and runes, neither of which he could read.
"Forget it. Let the twins and Hermione solve this problem." He set down the notebooks, picked up the metal book, and knocked on Cyril's door.
"Nicolas isn't one to joke, so this must be the alchemy for creating the Philosopher's Stone." Cyril looked solemn. He could clearly read the runes.
He handed the book back to Ethan. "I don't know if it's good or bad that Nicolas gave you this. After we come back from the dragon reserve tomorrow, let's visit him again and ask him exactly what he means."
"Okay, then I'll go back to sleep. Goodnight." Ethan took the book back to his room and returned it to the small bag Nicolas had given him.
But he didn't sleep well that night, lying awake wondering why Nicolas Flamel would give him such an important book instead of entrusting it to Dumbledore for safekeeping, or even for destruction.
The next day, sporting dark circles under his eyes and yawning, Ethan climbed into the car bound for the dragon reserve.
After catching up on sleep for an hour and a half in the car, they arrived at a building disguised as a chicken farm.
"This chicken farm was built to conceal the dragon reserve. The Swedish Short-Snouts and Welsh Greens are raised in the hills behind it." The driver was the same wizard who had picked them up initially, so Cyril spoke freely.
The driver opened the gate, and the car drove through to the back entrance of the chicken farm.
A small two-story house stood there, unassuming from the outside but surprisingly spacious within.
"Is an Undetectable Extension Charm used here?" Ethan asked.
"Exactly. This is where the staff live." Cyril nodded.
"Isaac, Leon, Mael, Noé, Morgana, you're with me. Let's go check out the dragon reserve."
Cyril called out five names. Four men and one woman, all powerfully built, bore various scars on their exposed skin.
Cyril introduced everyone and assigned each of the five their respective tasks.
Witch Morgana would protect Sofia, Mael would protect Albert, and the other three would keep watch for any dragons that might attack.
"Doesn't Ethan need protection?" Sofia asked, worried.
Cyril smiled. "Don't worry, I'll protect him. But his bloodline is stronger than mine. I believe the dragons will be quite docile around him."
In the dragon reserve, there were flying carpets for the wizards, in addition to broomsticks.
For Muggles like Albert and Sofia, who had never ridden a broomstick, a magic carpet that could carry several people was the best choice.
"Wow! Is this what flying feels like?" Once she got used to flying low, Sofia found the sensation thrilling as Morgana lifted her to about a hundred meters.
Even Albert, who was usually reserved, shouted excitedly and asked Mael to fly higher.
"That's as high as we go," Mael said after climbing to a certain height. "The carpet is comfortable, but its limit is three hundred meters."
"What a pity!" Albert grumbled.
The other three wizards flew on broomsticks, hovering nearby to guard against dragon attacks.
"Are you ready, Ethan?"
"Ready."
Cyril and Ethan mounted their brooms and flew alongside Sofia and Albert.
With outsiders around, Ethan didn't want to reveal that he could fly without a broom.
However, he wasn't skilled enough to keep up with the magic carpet, so he lagged behind.
Cyril pointed toward a dragon nest in the forest atop a small hill. "Look, that's a Swedish Short-Snout nest."
He pointed to a silvery-blue dragon. "Before they reach adulthood, their parents drive them out to live alone. Once they form families, they nest together. After raising their young to hunt on their own, they drive them out to be independent."
"So that's a dragon? It's beautiful." Seeing her first real dragon, Sofia was captivated by the Swedish Short-Snout.
"Beautiful, isn't it? Their hides are used for gloves and shields. Before we leave, I'll give each of you a pair."
Cyril turned to Isaac, the most muscular among them, with short black hair and three deep scars on his face. "Isaac, drop a lamb down there. Let them see how the Short-Snout hunts."
"Okay." Isaac pulled a small lamb out of a yellowish-gray sack by its leg.
He cast a Levitation Charm, lowering the lamb to the ground and herding it toward the Short-Snout.
Seeing the food, the Short-Snout spread its wings, pushed off with its hind legs, and glided to the lamb, pinning it to the ground with a single claw.
The lamb bleated miserably as the Short-Snout bit off half its body in one bite.
"Ew!" Sofia covered her eyes.
"This is how the Short-Snout eats, but when facing stronger enemies, it breathes blue flames. These flames burn hot enough to turn wood and bone to ash instantly. Isaac, make it breathe fire."
Isaac nodded, felled a tree with a spell, and hurled half the trunk at the Short-Snout, which had just finished its meal.
It spread its wings and took to the sky, then opened its mouth and spewed a long stream of blue flame, turning the incoming trunk to ash.
The Short-Snout, now airborne, saw the nine of them flying as well and flew toward them.
"You guys protect the two of them." Cyril stopped the three from advancing.
"Ethan, follow me." Cyril cast Protego over both of them as a precaution.
Then, taking the lead, he sped toward the Short-Snout on his broomstick.
Sofia screamed.
Morgana comforted her. "Don't worry, Madam. The Boss's family has a special affinity for dragons. These dragons won't hurt them."
Meanwhile, Mael was saying something similar to Albert.
But both of them were still worried, covering their mouths as they watched Cyril and Ethan rush toward the dragon.
The Short-Snout, which had been aggressive and ready to attack, instantly lost its hostility the moment Cyril and Ethan approached.
Once the two hovered in midair, it flapped its wings and circled them, even trying to nuzzle against Ethan.
Cyril didn't look surprised. "Ethan, let's land first. It'll be easier to get close to it on the ground."
"Okay." Ethan, not used to riding a broomstick, was eager to land.
After they touched down, the Swedish Short-Snout followed suit.
The silvery-blue dragon, roughly seven meters long, lowered itself to the ground and calmly extended its head toward Ethan, allowing him to reach out and stroke its scales and horns.
Cyril spoke up. "You can also try intimidating it. After reading all those notes, you should be familiar with this ability."
Ethan nodded. He was no longer the same person who'd first received those notes.
Back when he'd faced the newly hatched Norbert, he had to constantly focus on making the dragon submit.
Now, he could clearly feel the dragon's closeness and its fear of him.
A red light flashed in his eyes, and the Short-Snout curled into a ball as if sensing an apex predator, its scales trembling slightly.
"Well done." Although Cyril could also make dragons fear him, he couldn't match what Ethan had just done: making a Short-Snout tremble with just a look.
"Let's go see the Welsh Greens." The two mounted their brooms, leaving the curled-up Short-Snout behind.
"Go back to your nest," Ethan said to the dragon before leaving.
It seemed to truly understand. It spread its wings, flew away without looking back, retreated into its nest, and refused to come out for a long time.
Ethan was a bit surprised. He couldn't understand Draconish, but he could command them.
The five wizards responsible for their protection felt far less pressure after seeing Ethan's bloodline ability, which was even stronger than Cyril's.
After all, this was their first time escorting Muggles to see dragons.
Flying through the air, they saw herds of Welsh Greens and other paired Swedish Short-Snuts.
During this time, they also witnessed a rare dragon fight.
Whether it was over food or something else, a six-meter Swedish Short-Snout and a five-meter Welsh Green began to fight.
The Welsh Green let out a melodic roar, and red flames spewed from its jaws, shooting toward the Short-Snout.
The Short-Snout showed no sign of weakness, spewing blue flames as it battled the Welsh Green.
Both dragons had high resistance to fire, so neither could inflict much damage with their flames. In the end, the victor was decided by physical combat.
The slightly smaller Welsh Green was no match for the Short-Snout and was left bleeding from its wounds.
The victorious Short-Snout also bore several fresh bite marks.
"That was so thrilling! It was much more interesting than watching ordinary animals fight," Albert said, still excited after landing.
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