The day after, we, along with Emperor Folias and Queen Heldinna, arrived at Mount Wilness.
King Harut, Emperor Folias’s imperial elder brother, along with Freyus and other Imperial Dragon Knights, were also present as guards.
King Harut, who holds the title of Dragon Knight Commander, has evolved into a Hydragonewt, and it seems he is managing the situation well with Freyus’s support.
“This is as far as the Beast Carriage can go. Mount Wilness is also a sacred mountain, so Beast Carriages are forbidden from entering beyond this point.”
King Harut himself came to our Beast Carriage to explain.
I understand if it’s because it’s a sacred mountain, but the Dragonians live in the center of Mount Wilness, and there’s still a long way to go, isn’t there?
“So, we’re traveling on foot from here?”
“Yes. However, you won’t have to walk all the way to the summit. If we go a little further, an envoy from the Mother Dragon will come to pick us up.”
That’s right, he mentioned someone would come to meet us.
But, what exactly is coming to pick us up?
Normally, one would think of a Dragonized Dragonian, but transforming into a dragon apparently uses up a Dragonian’s mana and stamina. I don’t think they’d do that just for a pick-up.
Besides, there are quite a few of us. Including Apricot, there are 19 members of the Wing Crest. Including Emperor Folias, King Harut, Freyus, and 10 Dragon Knights, that’s a total of 32 people.
I don’t expect all the Dragon Knights to come, but even so, it’s a large group, so I’m really curious.
“Lydia, there are quite a lot of us. What’s coming to pick us up?”
“It’s a Dragonian, of course. While full transformation does put a strain on Dragonians, it seems to be greatly reduced if they’ve evolved into Hydragonewts.”
Really?
“Did I not mention it? Full transformation is a Dragonian’s trump card, and it consumes stamina and mana, but that’s only for Normal Class Dragonians. I hear that once they evolve into Hydragonewts, they don’t consume nearly as much mana or stamina unless they’re fighting.”
It’s true that High Class evolved individuals gain a significant amount of mana. Even Ogres, who are said to have little mana, can overwhelm Fairies and Dragonians upon evolving into High Class.
Dragonians possess the largest amount of mana among all races. Full transformation uses up all of that mana. The idea that evolving into High Class would provide some leeway makes sense.
So, a Hydragonewt will come to pick us up in their fully transformed state? Is that alright?
While pondering this question, we walked for about 30 minutes and emerged from the forest into an open area. It felt like a place made for Dragonized Dragonians to land and take off.
“This is where the envoy from the Mother Dragon comes to meet us. I don’t know the exact principle behind it, but a barrier is in place, so the envoy arrives immediately upon our arrival here.”
The fact that the envoy arrives as soon as we enter the barrier felt similar to using a Sonar Wave. One of the engraving arts I use for exploration, the water-attribute Sonar Wave, is imbued into magic stones and placed in our Beast Carriage. It’s like a radar; it immediately detects anything that enters its detection range. For safety, it’s essential to have something like this.
So, I immediately understood the principle and how it works, but everyone else seemed rather clueless. In my world, Sonar Wave was considered a difficult spell to master, and many mages didn’t learn it. It provided almost no visual feedback, and without spatial awareness, it took a very long time to grasp the situation. Fortunately, I have an aptitude for exploration, so I underwent grueling training with my father, who also had an aptitude, and his close friends.
Engraving Magic is broadly categorized into seven systems: Wide Area, Interference, Attack, Defense, Exploration, Support, and Null. The Null system includes spells that don’t fit into any other category or are a combination of four or more systems, so I’ll exclude it here. I have an aptitude for Interference and Exploration, but low aptitude for Defense. My proficiency in the other three systems is neutral, though I struggle with Wide Area.
“They’re here, I think.”
Lydia pointed to the sky, where four Dragonians were visible. They were nearly 20 meters tall, with a majestic form that truly resembled dragons. Their scales were red, blue, yellow, and green, presumably signifying fire, water, earth, and wind, respectively. Lydia waved enthusiastically at these Dragonians.
“Lydia, it’s been a while.”
“Yeah, has it been three years? You haven’t changed at all.”
They knew each other? And they can talk even in their Dragonian forms?
“Welcome back, everyone.”
“You’ve grown so much, Lydia. You’re unrecognizable. To think that you, the Hunters whom Lord Gaia wished to meet, would be marrying off – the world is such a strange place.”
“That’s right.”
Lydia and her older sister, Ludia, live in the sacred area of Mount Wilness, and she mentioned they’ve visited a few times. Dragonians are exclusively female, and to bear children, they descend Mount Wilness once they reach reproductive age. However, pregnancy doesn’t guarantee the birth of a Dragonian, and if the child is a Dragonian, it’s entrusted to Mount Wilness. Thus, some individuals may never see their children again. It’s not surprising, then, that Lydia and Ludia, who visited Mount Wilness several times a year to see their sister, would have become acquainted with the Dragonians there. That aside, they’re meeting us for the first time, so shouldn’t they at least introduce themselves?
“Lydia, Ludia. Who are these Dragonians?”
Prim, seemingly with the same thought, spoke before I could.
“Ah, I’m sorry. Allow me to introduce you. This is Atropos, the Red Dragonian; Lachesis, the Blue Dragonian; Clotho, the Yellow Dragonian; and Eos, the Green Dragonian. They are Hydragonewts and close attendants of Mother Dragon Gaia.”
“As I’ve told you, my sister lives on Mount Wilness, so we’ve visited a few times. They say no one visits as frequently as we do, which is how we got friendly.”
I’d heard that before, but I’d never heard that they were close with the personal attendants of the Mother Dragon, who are Hydragonewts.
“I’m sure you have much to catch up on, but would it be alright after your audience with Lady Gaia?”
“Emperor Folias, forgive us. Please, board us.”
There are several names for their transformed state, but color names like Red Dragonian or Blue Dragonian are evidence of their evolution into Hydragonewts. Before their evolution, they were classified more granularly, such as Fire Dragonian, Ignis Dragonian, Aqua Dragonian, or Water Dragonian. However, upon evolving into Hydragonewts, those in the fire lineage are consolidated into Red Dragonian, and those in the water lineage into Blue Dragonian. Apparently, white dragons are ice-attribute, and silver dragons are light-attribute.
“Then, we shall depart.”
Emperor Folias, Queen Heldinna, King Harut, Freyus, and three Dragon Knight guards rode with Atropos, the Red Dragonian. Ed, Marina, Fiana, Raus, Rebecca, Carol, and Yuria rode with Clotho, the Yellow Dragonian. Prim, Apricot, Yuri, Meena, and Viola rode with Lachesis, the Blue Dragonian. Lastly, I, Mana, Rika, Lydia, Ludia, and Marisa rode with Eos, the Green Dragonian. The Dragonians spread their wings and soared into the sky.
“Crystal Lake atop the mountain is our place of residence.”
I see, so that’s where we’ll meet the Mother Dragon. Mother Dragon Gaia is the leader of the Dragonians and is also revered as the goddess of the sky, making her very popular not only in Valentia but also in Bacion. Yet, her name being the same as the Great Mother Goddess from Greek mythology is peculiar. Come to think of it, the Hydragonewts who came to pick us up also had names from Greek mythology. Weren’t Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos the Three Fates? I believe I stored mythological books in my Engraving Tool, so I’ll look them up later.
“Hey, Eos. Is my sister doing well?”
“Yes, she’s doing well. She seemed a bit lonely from not being able to see you lately, but since hearing you were visiting today, she’s been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”
Ah, yes. Both of them were extremely happy about meeting their sister again after such a long time.
“And that person?”
“He is also unchanged. He wanted to come pick us up, but since he hasn’t evolved into High Class, he should be waiting at the Crystal Palace with your sister.”
Hmm? So there are other Dragonians waiting besides their sister?
“Ludia, could it be that there are other acquaintances of yours here?”
Mana seemed surprised, as if she hadn’t known either. She should know that Lydia and Ludia’s sister is a Dragonian, but from Eos’s conversation, it sounded like they had other Dragonian friends too, which piqued my interest.
“Yes. She is Lady Gaia’s daughter and a friend of ours.”
“Lady Gaia’s daughter? Lord Atropos, is that correct?”
Freyus seemed unaware of this as well. He probably knew the Mother Dragon had a daughter, but he didn’t seem to know that her daughter associated with them to such an extent.
“Yes. Lydia and Ludia are their first friends of the same age, so Lady Gaia is delighted. There are only two pre-conjugal age Dragonians on Mount Wilness right now.”
I see, so that’s how it is. Wait a minute. The reproductive age for Dragonians is near 90 years, and their growth rate is about one-fifth that of humans. So, at 16 years old, equivalent to Lydia and Ludia, they would be 80 years old?
“When you say reproductive age, you mean for marriage, right?”
“That’s correct. Both are 84 years old, which corresponds to about 16 years old in human years, so it’s quite close to that age.”
It was roughly correct. It’s not wrong, but Dragonians, like humans, cannot marry or conceive until they are 17 years old in human years. So, they still have to wait nearly a year before they can actually get married.
“We have much to discuss, but we are almost there.”
As Eos said, the destination came into view. A lake spread out below us, though not particularly large. Nevertheless, the Treasure Trees were blooming beautifully, and houses lined the area, giving it the appearance of a village. Near the Treasure Trees, crystalline structures were built, creating a fantastical scene.
“Is that Crystal Lake? It’s beautiful.”
Crystal Lake has high transparency, reflecting the sky, the sun, and the clouds like a mirror. It shimmers with a blue hue, making it incredibly beautiful. It’s a fitting place for the Mother Dragon’s residence.
“That must be the rumored Crystal Palace. I’ve heard about it, but it truly looks like crystal.”
“Actually, they say it’s processed using Dragonian mana and Craft Magic from actual crystals, making it as sturdy as Magic Silver or Adamantine Steel. It was built before I was born, so this is hearsay.”
The Crystal Palace was built over 300 years ago, so there are still many Dragonians who remember it. Eos, however, is 115 years old, equivalent to 23 in human years. She evolved into a Hydragonewt soon after maturing and has never left Mount Wilness since. Ah, in this context, “leaving” means for marriage or to become a single mother. Having evolved into a Hydragonewt, while not completely free, she can transform without issue for travel. She mentioned that sometimes she goes to other countries to buy clothes and furnishings.
The other Hydragonewts, Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis, also seem to have their hobbies. Dragonians have long lifespans, so they apparently don’t compromise on their hobbies. I find that a bit frustrating, considering how expensive shopping can be.
“We will now disembark. Lady Gaia is waiting at the Crystal Palace and will see you immediately.”
Finally, we will meet the leader of the Dragonians, the Mother Dragon. I’m curious as to why I was summoned, and I definitely want to know.
