Side: Prim
I hadn’t expected the Demon Crystals created by Abarisia to appear here, but it seems to be a far bigger problem than I anticipated.
The four major races of Helios Orb—Humans, Beastfolk, Dragonkin, and Yokai—were created by the gods to dwell on Helios Orb and were granted blessings. However, the Demon Race are humans transformed using Demon Crystals, so they have not received the gods’ blessings. Moreover, Abarisia worships an enemy of the gods, so I don’t think even the Gradia Continent, let alone the Demon Race, has the gods’ blessings. The gods themselves seem to be wary enough to deliver oracles, so if we don’t think of something, it feels like we might reach a point of no return.
“Standing here and thinking won’t help. Lord Gaia, have you informed Emperor Folias?”
“Yes, I informed him just a moment ago. His Majesty was surprised, but he said he would prepare for Abarisia’s invasion.”
“Then I will send a letter to my brother king as well. Since it’s Lord Gaia’s words, my brother won’t disregard them.”
Mana is right, there’s no doubt that just thinking here won’t solve anything. After all, even if the information comes from Lord Gaia’s precognitive dream, it’s undoubtedly mixed with a lot of speculation. Also, if Abarisia were to attack, with Retisencia having become a vassal state, they would almost certainly target Amister. Amister has no choice but to be wary simply because Abarisia created the Demon Crystals, so I think Lord Gaia’s story should be conveyed to Brother Rai as well.
“Of course. If Abarisia were to invade, Amister would be the one taking the brunt of it.”
“Thank you.”
“Also, if you are to inform His Majesty the King of Amister, would you be able to convey this as well?”
“This? What do you mean?”
Not only Mana, but everyone else tilted their heads. Is there still something else?
“Yes. Athena will be descending the mountain soon. However, she is naive about the world, and as a parent, I am worried. Therefore, I would like her to go with everyone from the Wing Crest. I heard that Lydia and Ludia have also joined, so Athena would be happy too.”
Ah, so she wants Athena to go with us. While it’s true that no one would dare lay a hand on a Dragonian, it’s not an absolute certainty, and apparently, there have been problems in the past. That’s why asking trustworthy people for support has been a custom since long ago. The fact that she’s telling us this means that, even putting Lydia and Ludia aside, she judges us to be trustworthy. To be entrusted with one’s daughter by the Holy Mother Dragon is a great honor.
“I don’t mind. I heard that you are close childhood friends with Lydia and Ludia.”
Yamato was the first to agree, and Lydia and Ludia beamed with smiles. I was happy too when I found out I could go with Mana and Yuri, so I understand how they feel.
“I’m fine with it too.”
“I don’t mind either, but after a while, we will be returning to Feel, a city in the north of Amister. Moreover, this one is an O-rank Order of Amister, so Miss Athena would also belong to Amister, but is that alright?”
If Raus and Ed are okay, then Marina, Fiana, Rebecca, and Carol should be fine too. However, I understand what Ed is getting at. Yamato belongs to Amister, so the Wing Crest is also considered a Union of Amister. If Athena comes along, she will naturally be seen as a member of the Wing Crest, and thus, Athena will also belong to Amister. Furthermore, since Athena is Lord Gaia’s daughter, nobles won’t leave her alone. The connection to the Holy Mother Dragon is, in a way, greater than the connection to the Ancient Class, so there might even be nobles who act unreasonably, and we need to be cautious.
“That is not a problem. Although there are no Dragonian leaving Valentia recently, in the past, some married and went to other countries. If her husband died, they would return to Mount Wilness, but while alive, they belonged to that country and cooperated, which was the custom.”
I didn’t know that. I was only concerned about that, so if Athena is okay with it, I welcome it.
“Athena, how about you?”
“I want to go! Lydia and Ludia are coming with me, right? Besides, I’ve never been down the mountain before, so I want to see what the world is like. If I’m with Yamato, I’m sure I’ll see amazing things.”
That’s undoubtedly true. The remaining problem is nobles and the like, but that’s something I, Yamato, and Mana will have to stand in front of and act as a windbreak.
“Understood. Then, Lord Yamato, please take care of Athena for a long time. Athena, serve Lord Yamato diligently?”
“Yeah! Thank you, Mama!”
Wait a minute, isn’t something wrong? From the wording, it sounds like Athena is going to marry Yamato! No, it’s true that Dragonian descending the mountain is usually with the premise of marriage or becoming a single mother, but there was no mention of such a thing.
“W-wait a moment, Lord Gaia! With that phrasing, won’t it mean that Athena will marry Yamato?”
“Huh? Isn’t it? Among Dragonian, going together means marriage.”
Lord Gaia replies with surprise to Mana’s question, but the moment Yamato heard it, he fell off his chair with tremendous force. I understand how he feels. After all, Yamato was the one who gave his consent first. Still, I never knew that “going together” meant marriage for Dragonian. I do remember hearing that many Dragonian who descended the mountain were married, but weren’t there also some who became single mothers?
“That’s probably because the men who brought down the married women were, and for those who became single mothers, they asked women for help.”
Ah, I do remember hearing something like that. But Freyas and Rybart are married to two Dragonian each, so what does that mean?
“Freys was one of the foremost Dragon Knights in Valentia from a young age and was highly trusted by the previous Dragon King, but on the other hand, she was ostracized by the nobles. Therefore, it was difficult for her to get married due to the meddling of the nobles. Nevertheless, Freys dedicated herself to her duties for the sake of Valentia. That’s why I decided to entrust Tleia to her.”
Not being able to get married due to nobles’ meddling is a big problem in itself. But it caught Lord Gaia’s eye, and she ended up marrying Tleia, a Dragonian. So, from the nobles’ perspective, it must have been unexpected. No matter how much they interfered, Tleia is a Dragonian, so Valentia’s circumstances don’t apply to her, and if anything, the Dragonian might turn against them, so those nobles had no choice but to accept it.
“Then, three years later, Nadia was born, and she came to entrust her to Mount Wilness. At that time, Grace also declared that she would descend the mountain with Tleia. They were originally good friends, and Grace was also of an age to descend the mountain. So, I asked Freys to take Grace with her.”
So that’s how it was. It’s well-known that Dragonian can only give birth once, so the nobles were probably relieved that the child Tleia gave birth to was a Dragonian. But they must have been shocked to find another Dragonian wife had been added when they returned. Moreover, Grace gave birth to twins, Lydia and Ludia, who are Dragonewts. They must have turned pale! After all, even Emperor Folias, and his two elder highnesses, are not much older. From the perspective of nobles who would want to place their kin in the royal family, they are clear obstacles. However, if they tried to eliminate them, the Dragonian would likely move, so they probably haven’t been able to do anything until now. At the very least, their birth mother Grace and her co-wife Tleia would definitely act.
“I used to wonder why Father didn’t marry anyone else, but it was for this reason.”
“It’s understandable.”
Lydia and Ludia have mixed expressions, but they must not have expected to hear their parents’ love story here.
“In Rybart’s case, it’s simpler. Calis and Creta both wished to marry the same person, and that person was Rybart.”
Since Calis and Creta are twins, they said something like that, and so it happened. They didn’t have any children, and there are many people who don’t, so that’s just how it is.
“For these reasons, Lord Yamato, I would ask you to do your best for Athena.”
It’s hard to refuse this. Although, I don’t have any intention of doing so. Besides, Yamato will marry twelve women, and Athena is included among them.
“Athena, are you alright with this?”
“Huh? With what?”
Lydia also looks surprised and asks Athena with a troubled expression, but Athena, for her part, looks like she doesn’t understand.
“It means marrying Yamato. You haven’t even met him, and you don’t know what kind of person he is, do you?”
Ludia is also bewildered, but she’s not opposing it. However, Yamato and Athena are meeting for the first time, and more importantly, Athena truly seems not to know anything about Yamato. She hasn’t heard anything from Lord Gaia or other Dragonian, so it will essentially be marriage upon meeting. While it’s natural to investigate the other party in political marriages with nobles, Dragonian have a custom of entrusting them to trustworthy people, so perhaps Athena won’t resist that much.
“That’s true, but he’s going to be Lydia and Ludia’s husband, so he must be a good person, right? Even I can tell that much.”
I completely agree with that. Yamato cherishes us, and at night, well… it’s intense, but I can tell he’s considerate.
“The situation has taken an unexpected turn, but what does everyone think?”
Even so, this development is unexpected for us too. So, we need to ask for everyone’s opinions again. This is also the role of a first wife. Well, since she’s a friend of Lydia and Ludia, and Lord Gaia’s daughter, it feels like we don’t even need to ask.
“I’m in favor. I didn’t expect it, but I consider Athena a close friend, so if Athena is okay with it, I won’t oppose it.”
“I agree with Ludia.”
Lydia and Ludia are as expected.
“I also agree. I apologize a bit, but considering Amister’s situation…”
“As she is a friend of Lydia and Ludia, I will also agree.”
“I agree as well, just like Miss Meena.”
Yuri, Meena, and Flam agree. Now it’s just Mana.
“Mana?”
“Me? I agree. We have a connection with Lord Gaia, and the nobles won’t be able to act recklessly anymore.”
It’s a calculated move, but it’s true. As Yuri said, Amister is in a state where they could be attacked by neighboring countries Retisencia and Valiente at any time. However, it has been made public that Yamato is an Ancient Human and an O-rank Order. Therefore, attacking Amister means making an enemy of Yamato. Although it hasn’t been publicly announced, Yamato is a skilled individual capable of defeating the Demise Species Orc Emperor alone, so no matter how many high-class individuals gather, they cannot defeat Yamato. Furthermore, I, an Ancient Foxy, will also be joining, so I believe even an average army could be annihilated by just the two of us. If Gaia’s daughter were to join as Yamato’s fiancée, it wouldn’t be strange to think that the country would be destroyed the moment war is declared. It pains me to use Lord Gaia’s name, but that’s how concerned Amister is about the current situation.
“Therefore, all of us agree. However, we are based in a city in the northern part of Amister called Feel. This means that Lydia and Ludia will also be registered in the Amister Kingdom, and Athena will be no exception. At the same time, Amister may be declared war upon by neighboring countries at any time.”
“I have heard that from His Majesty Emperor Folias as well. If using my name can serve as a deterrent, then it is only natural. If using my name can avoid war, there is nothing better.”
I’m truly grateful that you understand. Well, even without such circumstances, I wouldn’t have opposed it. The only one left is Yamato. He seems to have hit his head hard when he fell off the chair earlier and is still holding it, but he should have heard the conversation properly.
“So, Yamato.”
“Ouch… Huh? Ah, Athena? If I refuse here, Athena won’t be able to come with us, will she? Besides, the situation in Amister is something I’m concerned about too.”
You accepted it more easily than I thought. I thought you would object.
“At this point, adding one more person won’t make much of a difference.”
That might be true.
“Therefore, Lord Gaia. Including Yamato, everyone’s opinions are unified.”
I haven’t asked Ed and the others, but this is more of our problem, and Ed can barely contain his laughter, so there’s no way he would object. Marina is grinninng, but Fiana, Raus, Rebecca, and Carol have troubled expressions. It’s good that Carol is also settling in.
“Thank you. She is an inept daughter, but please take good care of her for a long time.”
“Let’s get along, Yamato, everyone!”
This is the ninth person. According to Lord Gaia’s precognitive dream, Yamato will have twelve wives, so there are three more. They will all be gathered before Yuri’s wedding, but I’m curious about what kind of women they will be.
…Wait. Hold on.
The story said that Yuri’s wedding would be the last, and Rika would also be married by then, but why haven’t we asked about that?
“Lord Gaia, may I ask something?”
“Is there something wrong?”
“Yes. You said that Yuri’s wedding would be the last, but why was I able to get married before then?”
Rika is also curious, isn’t she? Initially, Rika was supposed to get married after having a child and that child inheriting the family headship. Yet, she’s getting married before Yamato marries Yuri, so something must have happened. However, it doesn’t seem like Yamato or I have learned Traveling. Although Yamato and I are trying hard to learn it, we don’t feel any significant progress. I learned the trick from the Grand Hunter’s Master, but it seems that Traveling requires drawing an octagram using all attribute magic in balance. However, I specialize in fire attribute magic, and Yamato specializes in ice and wind attribute magic, so even if we learn it, it seems a long way off.
“Ah, I apologize. It’s a continuation of what I said earlier, but it concerns a stone monument. There’s a vow, so that’s all I can say. It would be better for you to confirm it yourself.”
“A stone monument… Understood, thank you.”
That’s very interesting. If that’s the case, we might as well stop by the Solpreza Mountain Range. The southern side is the Dukedom of Nizheg, but the northern side is the territory of another noble, so if we go from there, no unnecessary commotion should occur.
“Yamato, Prim. Let me tell you, we are not going to the Treasure Tree of the Solpreza Mountain Range.”
As I was thinking that, Mana warned me. Why?
“Didn’t Lord Gaia also say it? Tescatlipoca has nested in the Treasure Tree of the Solpreza Mountain Range. It’s a Demise Species, the same O-A rank monster as the Orc Emperor and Empress you defeated, but the Camouflage Jaguar it originated from is an S-rank monster. Even the normal species is ranked higher than Orcs. And it’s said that the Camouflage Jaguar can blend in with its surroundings, and the rare species Invisible Jaguar can even disappear. Going to a place like that would take more lives than we have.”
Everyone except Yamato nodded in agreement. Oh, right, I heard something about that being there. I’d like to see it, but it is troublesome if it can disappear.
“No, just disappearing won’t fool my Sonar Wave.”
“Be quiet. That’s not the issue.”
“Yes…”
Yamato is rebuked by Mana. He’s already under her thumb, but if I butt in carelessly, it might spark some of that, so staying silent is the right choice. I guess I’ll have to put off looking at that stone monument until we return to Feel.
