The newly gained Authority, Dragon Tongue.

Looking at the words alone, it had to mean the language of dragons. What Walfred fixed his attention on, though, was the word "Authority" included in the notification message.

’If it’s an Authority, then surely...’

He’d seen something about it on the community before.

About the difference between Authorities and skills.

Skills could be learned by every Tom, Dick, and Harry as long as they had a skill book, but Authorities were a little different.

’Acquiring an Authority requires conditions.’

The conditions needed to acquire one varied from Authority to Authority, but the most typical was ’species.’ A unique ability that only a specific species innately awakened to and could use.

The community called these Authorities.

So the Authority called Dragon Tongue that Elsa had obtained probably meant it was an ability unique to Dragonkin.

’Let me take a look first.’

Only then would he understand its effects.

Walfred pulled up the detailed information on the Authority through Elsa’s status.

And after a little while.

-----

[Authority: Dragon Tongue]

[A unique Authority of pureblood Dragonkin, acquired naturally through mental and physical growth.]

[Imbues words with power to interfere with the world and manipulate phenomena. At the same time, it can also interfere with the will and actions of lesser beings.]

▷Effective Range: All targets within sight

▶Mana Cost: The amount consumed varies in proportion to the phenomenon the Dragon Tongue produces and the caliber of the target.

-----

The Authority’s information spread open.

And Walfred frowned along with it.

’Imbuing words with power to interfere with the world?’

What was that supposed to mean?

Did it mean things happened exactly as she spoke them?

Just reading the description alone didn’t make it click, and as he tilted his head in confusion.

"Ah!"

Elsa, nestled in his arms, suddenly opened her eyes wide. Then she immediately lifted her head to look up at Walfred.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

"...Huh?"

"I just realized something amazing."

"Something amazing?"

"Yeah! It’s the Authority called Dragon Tongue."

Elsa, smiling brightly.

The sight gave him a curious feeling.

When she’d acquired the [Cold Absorption] skill the other time, Elsa hadn’t even known she’d gained the ability, and he’d had to teach her every little thing about it.

’But an Authority, on the other hand...’

She’d grasped its existence in an instant, without anyone needing to tell her. Was the difference because it was a unique ability awakened to naturally through growth?

After mulling over the guess that suddenly came to him.

Walfred looked at Elsa.

"Elsa."

"What?"

"That Authority you just realized, Dragon Tongue. Do you think you could use it just once?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah, right now."

If he could see [Authority: Dragon Tongue] actually activate with his own eyes, he figured he’d get a clear grasp of what the Authority’s ability was.

But there was nothing inside the stationmaster’s office that could serve as a target for the Dragon Tongue. After thinking for a moment, Walfred soon pointed to himself and said.

"You can try it on me, it’s fine."

"Huh? On you, Daddy?"

"That’s right."

The instant Walfred finished speaking.

Elsa’s eyes went wide.

"Um, but..."

Elsa trailed off, hesitating.

Then she shook her head back and forth.

"...No. I don’t want to use it on you, Daddy."

"What? Why?"

"I don’t know! I just don’t want to."

Elsa whipped her head away.

Then she squirmed free of Walfred’s arms. Why was she suddenly acting like this? Just as Walfred tilted his head at the abrupt behavior.

Flap!

The sound of wings beating came from outside.

What appeared next was a frost spirit in the shape of an owl. As if it had been assigned a scouting mission, it circled busily around the ticket gates.

And then.

"Ah! I’ll try it on him."

Elsa shot out like a rocket.

Before he could even stop her, Elsa bolted out of the stationmaster’s office and made straight for the frost spirit, and it too lifted its head as if it had sensed something.

And then.

"───!"

The frost spirit’s eyes went wide.

It was probably affected by [Frost Resonance].

A moment later it spun its body around at once, trying to get away from Elsa.

"Hey! Don’t run away!"

Elsa shouted, but the frost spirit didn’t so much as pretend to listen. Then, just as it frantically flapped its great wings, about to soar into the air.

[Stop.]

A heavy whisper pressed down over the scene.

And in that instant.

The frost spirit froze in the exact posture it had been in while trying to take off. As if it had turned into a stone statue.

Walfred’s eyes went round.

’Just now, that was...’

It had clearly been Elsa’s voice.

But something about it was off.

How to put it? It was as if some unknowable sense of pressure radiated from it. And it wasn’t only the voice that had changed.

’Her eyes...!’

Pupils slit long and vertical.

Eyes of an alien shape, utterly unlike the clear, transparent ones he was used to seeing.

Not human eyes, but the eyes of a dragon.

Just as that thought crossed his mind.

Elsa, gazing at the frost spirit, parted her lips once more.

[Come to me.]

That alien voice, heard again.

The moment those words ended.

The frost spirit, frozen in place, began to move, creaking like a wooden puppet. Then it really did begin to approach Elsa.

And after a little while.

It arrived in front of Elsa.

"Aw, so pretty."

Elsa gently stroked the frost spirit’s head. The frost spirit, meanwhile, shuddered each time her touch landed on it.

Eyes stained with intense fear.

It wore an expression like it wanted to flee from Elsa that very second.

"What? You don’t want to be with me?"

At those words, the frost spirit flinched.

If it could have moved its body, it looked ready to nod its head right then and there.

"That’s not allowed. You have to behave."

Elsa scolded it gently, a sulky look on her face.

The frost spirit’s trembling didn’t stop, though, and that rubbed Elsa the wrong way.

And as a result.

[Hold still.]

The Dragon Tongue activated once more.

At that short command, the frost spirit’s body froze perfectly, without a single tremble.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Watching this whole scene from behind, Walfred finally understood what kind of Authority the Dragon Tongue was.

’...The ability to control a target’s actions with words.’

But that surely wasn’t all of it.