Just how difficult was it to find something in the rainforest?
The Amazon was packed with towering trees whose canopies intertwined into an endless green ocean.
Competition among plants here was ruthless.
Every tree struggled to grow taller.
Every branch stretched outward, desperate to claim a little more sunlight.
Every leaf sought to cast a shadow over its rivals.
As a result, the rainforest was practically divided into two worlds.
Above the canopy, brilliant sunlight bathed everything in gold.
Below it, only faint traces of light survived after filtering through countless layers of leaves.
That made searching from above nearly impossible.
Lewis couldn't simply climb a high point and scan a wide area.
Beneath the canopy, conditions weren't any better.
Anything larger than a bird found flying difficult.
Twisted trunks.
Interlocking branches.
Thousands of hanging vines.
The entire lower rainforest was a maze of obstacles.
One careless movement and you'd slam into something.
To search here, you had no choice but to walk.
Step over sprawling buttress roots.
Push through ferns and dense undergrowth.
Examine everything from ground level.
The difficulty increased dramatically.
At least wizards held one advantage over Muggles.
Their detection spells weren't nearly as susceptible to interference as Muggle search equipment.
Lewis, having deliberately chosen to keep an eye on old Capac, walked ahead through the jungle while the shaman followed behind.
He intentionally exposed his back.
Acted relaxed.
Completely unguarded.
As they chatted casually and advanced through the rainforest, Lewis appeared carefree.
In reality, his psychic abilities remained on constant alert.
His druidic powers were even more active than usual.
Every surrounding plant became an extension of his senses.
The entire rainforest served as his eyes.
The apparent carelessness was merely bait.
If Capac truly harbored malicious intentions, Lewis wanted him to act.
Yet even after half a day passed, the old shaman remained exactly what he appeared to be.
A harmless old man.
Not a single flaw revealed itself.
For a moment, even Lewis wondered:
"Did I misjudge him?"
But in the end, he reaffirmed his conclusion.
No.
The old man definitely had a problem.
Otherwise, why fabricate information about the dragon's whereabouts?
Why bring them all the way into this forest on a pointless search?
The question was where the problem lay.
Unfortunately, Lewis still hadn't found the answer by the time they turned back.
A full day of searching produced absolutely nothing.
Naturally.
The dragon's location had been fabricated by Capac from the very beginning.
Following their agreement, the six regrouped beneath the pyramid and began heading back toward the village.
Disappointment hung heavily over the group.
Seeing this, Capac offered comforting words.
"According to my tribesmen, no dragon—or anything resembling one—has been seen leaving this rainforest during the last few days."
"That means the creature either remained where it was or traveled on foot."
"It can't have gone very far."
"If we search again tomorrow, we'll find it eventually."
His words raised everyone's spirits somewhat.
Everyone except Lewis.
As they walked, he quietly moved beside Jaina.
"How did the Ministry originally learn that the dragon was here?"
The question came out of nowhere.
Jaina glanced at him.
Then at Capac walking ahead.
Immediately, her eyes sharpened.
"You think Capac is suspicious?"
Without waiting for an answer, she continued.
"The truth is that we never knew the dragon was here."
"The Ministry only managed to track its general direction through magic."
"We determined it had traveled toward South America."
"After that, the British Ministry simply notified various South American magical governments and several friendly organizations."
"The notice stated that a dangerous magical creature had entered the continent."
"We requested that anyone who discovered relevant information contact us immediately."
"As for the creature's identity and origin, the Ministry deliberately withheld that information."
"Fudge believed it was necessary to protect the Ministry's reputation."
"Exactly what I'd expect from Fudge."
Lewis nodded.
Through both his previous life's knowledge and his experiences in this world, he understood Cornelius Fudge perfectly.
The man was weak.
A pure politician.
He possessed neither vision nor conviction.
Everything he did revolved around preserving his own power.
People like that always tried to conceal problems first.
Publicly admitting mistakes was simply not in their nature.
"No wonder the Ministry accepted Capac's report so easily."
"Since they never revealed the dragon's details, the fact that Capac described a black dragon made his information seem authentic."
"Which creates another problem."
"If the eyewitnesses are fake…"
"And the dragon's location was fabricated…"
"Then how did Capac know about the dragon in the first place?"
The realization hit Lewis like lightning.
His expression changed.
"That means one thing."
"The claim that the dragon is hiding in that rainforest is false."
"But Capac seeing the dragon was probably true."
"Which means…"
"Where is the dragon actually?"
The implications were unsettling.
A creature the size of a dragon couldn't hide near the village.
Not without being noticed.
Unless—
Lewis remembered something.
Both Dungeons & Dragons dragons and Warcraft dragons possessed the ability to assume mortal forms once they reached adulthood.
Of course, if the creature came from somewhere else entirely—Middle-earth, for example—that would be another matter.
But if dragon shapeshifting was possible…
Then everything changed.
Lewis sank into thought.
Jaina noticed immediately.
"You've been frowning ever since."
"Did you figure something out?"
After some consideration, Lewis shared everything.
The mistranslated conversation.
The false directions.
His growing suspicions.
And finally, his theory regarding dragons assuming mortal forms.
Among the three women accompanying him, only Jaina possessed firsthand knowledge of dragons.
Only she could truly discuss the matter with him.
"There's actually a spell as convenient as Comprehend Languages?"
Jaina looked genuinely surprised.
Then she fell silent.
After a long pause, she finally spoke.
"You handled this correctly."
"Capac is definitely suspicious."
"But until we have more information, we can't act."
"Otherwise we'll alert whoever—or whatever—is hiding."
"As for dragons becoming mortals…"
She hesitated.
"Back in Dalaran, I heard stories."
"People constantly joked that Krasus, one of the Six members of the Council of Tirisfal, was secretly a red dragon."
"I always assumed it was nonsense."
"Now that I think about it…"
"It's probably true."
"No wonder Archmage Antonidas always smiled whenever someone brought up the rumor."
As she spoke, nostalgia appeared in her eyes.
Memories of Azeroth.
Of Dalaran.
Of a home forever beyond reach.
Lewis quietly listened.
He didn't interrupt.
Several minutes passed before Jaina finally recovered herself.
"Sorry."
"I wandered off topic."
"Not at all," Lewis replied with a smile.
"I've known about Azeroth for a long time."
"I've just never had the chance to see it."
"Hearing your stories is fascinating."
A faint warmth appeared on Jaina's face.
"Thank you, Lewis."
Then her expression became serious once more.
"Back to the main issue."
"If dragons really can disguise themselves as mortals, we need to be extremely careful."
"Tonight, after we return to the village, we should investigate quietly."
"See if anyone there seems suspicious."
"But remember."
"A dragon in human form is still a dragon."
"No matter what we discover, we must avoid provoking it."
"Understood."
With their plan settled, the two separated.
Their conversation ended.
When they rejoined the others, both wore expressions as though nothing had happened.
Together, they followed old Capac back toward the village.
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