We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Great River and the Knights.
“Laira, are you nervous?”
“I, I’m not nervous at all! I’ve been traveling alone for a long time, so I’m used to camping.”
No, no, that’s not what I was asking.
We decided to camp by the lake, in the small clearing between us and the Dragon Forest. Mistral and I did most of the work, like starting the fire and preparing dinner. Everyone else seemed more tired than expected, so it was the job of the energetic ones. However, when it came to nighttime watch, we couldn’t afford to be complacent. Carelessness and laxity can directly lead to a life-threatening situation. We, who had overcome the trials of the Dragon Race warriors on Dragon Peak, understood this deeply. So, after dinner, we decided to take turns on watch.
Excluding the young girls, the rest of us would stand watch in pairs. And Mistral and I were the first watch.
After finishing our meal and a bit of small talk, we went straight to sleep. This wasn’t a game, so we couldn’t afford to just enjoy the beautiful scenery and the refreshing sounds of nature for too long. The young girl group, perhaps tired from playing, fell asleep as soon as they were full. The others followed suit and fell asleep.
Honestly, with Lord Yugra and the Tyrant by our side, there shouldn’t be any attacks. Still, we couldn’t afford to neglect our watch.
We set up our watch, but with Lord Yugra and the Tyrant guarding us, everyone else went to sleep peacefully in their own spots. Normally, hiding among trees or rocks would be the safest way to sleep. It was a campsite where it was hard to tell if people were vigilant or not.
After everyone had fallen asleep. I began to stoke the bonfire, keeping the flames alive, and spoke to Laira, who was sitting quietly beside me.
Mistral decided on the pairings, but I vaguely understood the intention behind me and Laira being together.
“Laira, aren’t you afraid of returning to the castle?”
“W-What are you talking about? This is the first time I’m going to the Yorttenitos castle.”
That’s right. That was the story. Laira stubbornly refused to speak of her origins. The princess of the Yorttenitos Kingdom was someone unknown, not Laira. Laira herself intended to maintain this stance. And we, too, had an unspoken agreement that Laira was Laira, a precious family member who was no one else, and that we knew no princess.
This isn’t to say that we are still turning our backs on the past. For Laira, everything that has happened since meeting us is all that matters, and the past is no longer necessary for her. We also don’t consider Laira’s past to be important; we cherish the energetic and cheerful Laira she is now. Therefore, no matter what anyone says, Laira is Laira, not some princess or a girl who should have died.
“Yes. I’ve only been to the royal castle of the Armēdo Kingdom once, but it was a truly dazzling and amazing place. So, I was wondering if you weren’t nervous about going to a place like that.”
“As long as Lord Elnea is by my side, I have nothing to fear.”
“Yeah. It’s not just me. Everyone is by your side, Laira. So, you don’t have to fear anything. If anything happens, we’ll all protect you.”
“…Yes. Thank you. However, if possible, I would like Lord Elnea to protect me alone.”
“Hahaha, I’ll do my best… Ouch!”
Laira’s eyes, illuminated by the faint light of the bonfire beside me, welled up with a few tears. And as I tried to lean on her shoulder, a stone inexplicably flew at me from behind. Was it my imagination? I looked back, but only Mistral and Ruiseine were sleeping peacefully together behind me. It must have been my imagination. To further encourage Laira, I thought it would be better to get closer and have a more intimate conversation. Taking a deep breath, I sat down again, close enough to touch Laira’s shoulder.
“Ouch!”
This time, a branch flew at me from my right. Over there, the twin princesses were sleeping, holding onto each other for some reason. Mumumu. This campsite might be dangerous. Someone might be launching malicious attacks. To protect Laira, I need to get even closer…
“Imōto.”
Suddenly, Ares-chan materialized on my lap. Grrr. Spirit Ares-chan doesn’t need sleep. Holding baked sweet potatoes in both hands, Ares-chan played on my lap, disrupting me and Laira.
“There are many enemies…”
Laira even managed a wry smile. Everyone, go to sleep! We have an early start tomorrow! Shoulders slumped, I sighed. And for some reason, laughter rustled from all directions.
“Fool.”
The Tyrant’s exasperated growl melted into the night. And my watch with Laira passed in the blink of an eye, with many interruptions.
“Elnea-kun, wake up. If you don’t hurry, we’ll leave you behind.”
“Hmm, that would be a problem…”
The next morning. Ruiseine gently shook me awake. As usual, she was an early riser and had taken the watch with Mistral before dawn. Woken by Ruiseine, I groggily went to the lake’s edge to wash my face. Washing my face with the refreshingly cool water, even though it was summer, dispelled my desire to sleep in and instead filled me with determination.
“Alright, I’ll do my best today!”
“Oh my, oh my. What will Elnea-kun be doing his best at? We’re just accompanying Prince Friel to see the King.”
“That’s right.”
My reflection in the lake’s surface showed a complex smile. Seeing my disheveled state in the water, I realized my hair was a mess.
“It can’t be helped.”
Ruiseine took out a comb and began to fix my bedhead. I sat still, entrusting my hair to Ruiseine. Mistral, continuing from last night, was preparing breakfast, and Laira was helping. The twin princesses seemed to have already finished their preparations for departure and were taking care of Priscilla-chan and Nimia, who still wanted to sleep. Friel and his three attendants were still attending to Lord Yugra. Fiorina and Rim were flying around since morning. They’re so energetic. After everyone had finished their preparations and settled down, we had breakfast.
“Well then, I will announce today’s itinerary.” After we finished eating, Friel gathered everyone’s attention. The aerial route to the capital was largely determined by Lord Yugra, but things were different from the past. Friel was responsible for detailed adjustments and route precautions.
“It seems there is a river that flows from the lakeside to the Shū River. We will follow it to the Great River, and then head north along the Great River towards Fort Cadd in the Yorttenitos Kingdom.”
“Fort Cadd?”
Friel nodded at my question. “Yes. It’s like a border checkpoint on the Yorttenitos Kingdom side. The Water Dragon Knight Order and the Wyvern Knight Order are stationed there.” I’d never heard of the Water Dragon Knight Order. They must be guarding the Shū River.
“We will stop by Fort Cadd, and from there, we will head to the capital via the official air route.” Once we leave Dragon Peak, our group’s origin will become unknown. Even if we fly to the capital as an unknown entity, it seems like Friel and the twin princesses will manage. However, it’s best to be discreet. First, we’ll stop by Fort Cadd, get an official permit, and then proceed on the same air route as the Wyvern Knight Order to dispel unnecessary suspicion. Since we don’t know the details, we decided to follow Friel obediently.
After cleaning up breakfast, we rode on Lord Yugra and the Tyrant, who had split into two groups. According to last night’s lottery, Laira and I would ride the Tyrant again today. And today, Mistral and Ruiseine were together for the first half. It seems Laira and I are a fixed pair. I’ll omit the reason why, but for the second half, in the afternoon, the twin princesses are scheduled to ride instead of Mistral and Ruiseine. Priscilla-chan wants to play with Fiorina and Rim, so she’ll be riding Lord Yugra all day with Nimia. Once everyone had mounted, Lord Yugra and the Tyrant took off from the campsite. Lord Yugra moved gracefully, while the Tyrant was rough.
“Kyaaa!” Ruiseine screamed at the intentionally rough takeoff.
“Hey! Fly more quietly!” “Hmph. Why should I consider you?” The Tyrant roared and ascended rapidly. Laira and Ruiseine screamed, hugging each other, but they seemed to be having fun. Mistral, sitting beside me, chuckled wryly at the situation but looked satisfied with the Tyrant’s powerful wingbeats. Lord Yugra, as if resigned, followed behind, as the Tyrant rampaged. Looking back, Friel and the twin princesses waved, and their attendants also seemed to be waving cheerfully. The weather seemed good today, and the sky with the flowing scenery was endlessly blue and pleasant. Occasionally, thick clouds appeared, but they quickly became distant scenery. The Tyrant is too eager. We reached the Great River, our landmark, at a speed faster than planned.
“Whoa! Amazing!”
“It’s true. Can this even be called a river?”
Louis and I let out sighs of admiration. That’s understandable. The Shū River is unimaginably wide to be called a river. Only when the Tyrant reached its maximum altitude could we see both the east and west banks simultaneously. If we hadn’t been told beforehand that it was a great river, we might have thought it was a lake or even the sea. The Armēdo Kingdom also has several rivers, including one that flows through the capital, but this is on an entirely different scale. So this is a great river.
“The shore you see to the west is the Armēdo Kingdom, and the shore to the east is the Yorttenitos Kingdom.”
“We’re flying over the border right now.” Friel had simply explained that we would head north along the Great River, but we’d have to fly close to the Yorttenitos Kingdom side to avoid losing sight of Fort Cadd. I asked the Tyrant to fly along the east side of the Great River.
“The Great River’s water is flowing north?”
“Yes. If you keep going far, far north, you’ll reach the sea north of the continent.”
“Laira-san is very knowledgeable.”
“Yes. When I was little, I had a lot of time, so I read various adventure tales.” Laira blushed. Among the adventure tales Laira read was a story about boys and girls who built their own rafts and headed for the North Sea. What’s that? I want to read it too! While listening to Laira’s stories about other tales, such as the story of a magic beast that floods the Great River and a Water Dragon Knight, and a love story between a village girl and a noble boy living on both banks of the Armēdo and Yorttenitos Kingdoms, we headed north.
Then, just before noon, Lord Yugra suddenly flew out in front of the Tyrant. I looked at Friel, wondering what was happening, and he was sending some kind of signal.
‘It seems Fort Cadd is near.’ Dragon Hearts are convenient. Even at a distance where shouting wouldn’t reach, you can understand the intentions of distant dragons with a Dragon Heart. I relayed Lord Yugra’s intention to everyone.
“Let’s slow down a bit. We can’t approach at high speed and cause unnecessary alarm.” At my suggestion, Lord Yugra and the Tyrant slowed down. However, my consideration was in vain. Suddenly, several pillars of water rose from the depths of the Great River, surrounding Lord Yugra and the Tyrant. As soon as our path was blocked and we stopped abruptly in the air, we were targeted. We were surrounded by a cage of water, fore and aft, right and left.
“Insolent sky fools, where do you think you are going?” Emerging from the deep waters was the Water Dragon Knight Order, numbering over twenty. One of them let out a shrill cry, and its Dragon Heart resonated. “From now on, the north is a territory governed by humans. Unnecessary intrusions will only lead to trivial disputes. If you have no business here, leave quickly. Otherwise…” More than twenty Water Dragons appeared on the surface of the Great River, roaring ferociously. And the Dragon Knights riding on their backs blew horns, resonating with the Water Dragons’ cries. The Tyrant’s four pupils gleamed sharply at the Water Dragon Knight Order’s warning. Clicking the heart allows you to easily convey your support. (Login required.) Support If you have an account, log in. Learn more about the reading experience on Kakuyomu.
