I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Extra Chapter 154
5-37. Lize
The white tiger (Byakko), Lize, slowly opened its eyes and stared at us while still lying down. Though it seems groggy, its gaze was fixed on us. Its large, green eyes faintly glowed.
We stood there, maintaining eye contact, but neither of us moved. I glanced at Amariaz, who looked just as perplexed as I felt. What were we supposed to do in a situation like this? It seemed like we should say something first, but Lize was still half-asleep and might not fully understand us.
As I returned my gaze to Lize, it suddenly dozed off again.
“”Wake up!!?””
‘Wha?!’
Startled, Lize leapt up and took a defensive stance, eyes wide with alarm. For a creature that had just been napping and even briefly fell back asleep, this drastic change in demeanor was perplexing.
Lize’s fearful expression looked oddly out of place for a tiger. Maybe it was because tigers are typically seen as symbols of power and majesty. The discrepancy between its fierce appearance and its current anxious state was almost comical.
“Uh… hello…?”
[Who are you?! And why am I awake?! Wait… are you enemies?!]
“No, no, no!”
“… What did it just say?”
[Don’t lie! You released my seal to unleash havoc, didn’t you?! I won’t let you!]
“No, we’re trying to—”
[‘No use talking!]
Lize raised its paw. Despite being in a cave with no escape routes, the sight of an impending attack was terrifying.
Blue-white electricity crackled down its arm, which it then slammed into the ground.
[Thunderwave!]
“Wait—”
Crackling lightning surged towards us. Jumping was impossible due to the icy terrain, and even if we did, we would be hit by the electric wave. Hiding behind something wouldn’t work either since the lightning surged through all obstacles.
The lightning struck us, accompanied by a loud crack. But…
“… That was startling…”
“Did it mistake us for enemies?”
“Yeah, seems like it.”
[Eh?!]
I was startled, but the electric attack didn’t harm me. I didn’t know I was immune to such attacks. But more importantly, I had to calm Lize down. Anyone else would’ve been killed!
“Um, we were sent here by Ouren!”
‘Ouren?’
“We’re not enemies. We’re here to release everyone’s seals—”
[What?! Releasing everyone?! That will cause another war!]
“Please listen to the whole story!”
Lize still seemed disoriented, perhaps from just waking up.
“Also, you shouldn’t go any further back.”
[Why?]
“The air beyond that point is poisonous…”
[Oh!]
Realizing the danger, Lize checked its surroundings and sniffed the air, furrowing its brow. Then it tilted its head in confusion.
[Why am I okay?]
“It’s a magic device. It repels toxins…”
“Um, Yuzen?”
“Huh?”
I turned to see Amariaz had put his mask back on. A bad feeling prompted me to check the magic lantern.
It was charred black, emitting smoke and crackling with blue-white electricity. Lize’s ‘Thunderwave’ had damaged it beyond repair. I quickly put on my mask. The barrier’s effect was still barely holding, but it wouldn’t last.
“This is bad! Lize, can you transform into your human form?!”
[Huh? Okay.]
“Hurry and put this on! Quickly!”
[What’s this?]
“A mask to prevent inhaling the poison! The device broke, and the poison is leaking!”
[Eeeeh?! Just a moment!]
Lize leapt up and transformed mid-air. A few blue-white hairs floated around as it landed in human form.
Lize now wore loose, white clothing, not any kind of armor—completely casual attire. Her long, blue-white hair shimmered faintly.
She quickly put on the mask and sighed in relief. Then she noticed her hair color, eyes widening as she examined it.
“Wait! My hair color changed! Why?!”
So her hair color can change…
“What are you going to do about this?!”
“”…”
We exchanged bewildered glances, not sure how to respond. We decided to wait for her to calm down with awkward smiles on our faces.