We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 1004

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

Lady Shooting Star and her entourage.

“Phew. That was scary!”

As I said that with a laugh, my family’s usual smiles returned immediately.

However, the people of the Mimicho Race were not so fortunate.

Many were still frozen in shock at the sudden appearance of a bright red young girl, while others had completely fainted.

Well, we were all too tense to notice those who had fainted, so we couldn’t expect people with no resistance to fear to recover immediately.

The Miko-samas, Ruiseine and Madrine, began tending to the unconscious Mimicho Race people. Laira and Sefina also seemed to be helping.

Let’s leave the Mimicho Race to Ruiseine and the others.

Then, I turned back to face the more than thirty Miko-samas.

“Welcome to the Dragon King’s Inn! I know it must be troublesome to be greeted so cheerfully out of the blue, right?”

They were brought to an unknown land by a terrifying being, with no say in the matter. The Goddess herself wouldn’t impose such a cruel thing as to expect them to immediately become friendly with the residents.

Still, I put on a smile to try and lighten the atmosphere.

Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan, who had been calmly in my arms, regained their usual energy and rushed towards the Miko-samas.

“Whoa! Hey, hey, are you ladies with Sister Ruiseine?”

“Together, together!”

“L-ladies…?”

Priscilla-chan, you have to be careful with your words!

Our screams of anguish couldn’t reach the young girls.

Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan ran around cheerfully, encircling the Miko-samas who were still stiff with tension.

Mistral gently scolded them, looking troubled.

However, these were not young girls who would simply calm down when told to!

Nimia ran after Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan as they darted away from Mistral.

Apparently, she was pretending to be a kitten so as not to startle our guests.

“Meow.”

Unlike the bright red young girl, the innocent behavior of the adorable Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan, along with the fake kitten Nimia, finally began to ease the tension on the Miko-samas’ faces.

Once I confirmed this, I greeted them anew.

“Um. I’m sure this sudden turn of events is confusing for all of us. Please feel at ease, as everyone here is family!”

My wives, needless to say. Although Madrine and Sefina are not yet formally married, they have overcome the Goddess’s trials as messengers of the Dragon God, so they are already members of our family.

Priscilla-chan and Nimia are seen as family from the start!

And the Mimicho Race people, since we share our food, clothing, and shelter, are also family to us.

In response to my greeting, a Miko-sama stepped forward.

She had a gentle demeanor, and looked to be over thirty.

A woman with red hair and emerald eyes, whose calm atmosphere was striking.

“My name is Diana. Please consider me the representative of these Shooting Star Miko-samas.”

“Wh-what?! Are you all Lady Shooting Stars!?”

Hearing the exchange between Diana and me, Ruiseine and Madrine, who had been tending to the Mimicho Race people, turned around in surprise.

Still, the fact that they didn’t stop attending to the Mimicho Race people was impressive.

Furthermore, Lady Shooting Star is a Miko-sama, a respectable clergy member. Just as they were losing their tension, more than half of the Lady Shooting Stars joined Ruiseine and Madrine to help.

“Um, well then…”

Now, where should I start?

Should I introduce ourselves?

Or talk about the inn?

As I pondered, Mistral, who had captured Priscilla-chan, returned and offered advice.

“Elnea. First, you should talk about the Forbidden Territory. The rules here are the most important guidelines for any action.”

“That’s right!”

There are various rules in the Forbidden Territory.

If we cannot convey and obtain their consent to these rules, we cannot host even those who are permitted to enter the Forbidden Territory. Moreover, if they do not comply with our circumstances, we are prepared to force them to leave.

“Then, Lady Diana. First, let me tell you about this land. Is it alright if we formally welcome you all after that?”

Diana responded with an immediate “Yes” to my question.

It seems Diana is indeed the representative of the Shooting Stars, as they all showed signs of following her will.

“First of all. My name is Elnea Eris. As you can see, I am the head of this large family, so please be good to me! Ah, but, this is a land of demons called the Forbidden Territory, and the owner of this land is my wife, Mistral.”

Diana raised her hand.

“I have a question. That person from earlier… No, more importantly. You own land ruled by demons…?”

Hoo hoo hoo. I see. That’s what you’re thinking!

The gazes that Diana and the Shooting Stars directed at us became more intense.

And with that, I was convinced.

No, I already knew when I didn’t notice Nimia’s race, as she was running around innocently.

The Shooting Stars are all of the Human Race.

I looked at Mistral for confirmation, and she nodded.

“Just as you have your circumstances, so do we. But, I will say this first. We are not demons, nor are we servants of demons.”

“Yes, yes. There are complicated circumstances… But, please don’t worry? This is a place where you can rest your hearts and bodies.”

I wonder if Diana and the others understood just from that.

It’s probably difficult.

However, if I start explaining, a single day won’t be enough time, so this is unavoidable.

Let’s take our time and resolve any misunderstandings.

More importantly, first is the explanation of the Forbidden Territory.

“I’ll say it again, this is a land of demons called the Forbidden Territory. Still, Mistral owns it, and my family runs it. Therefore, there are a few rules, and you must follow them! If you don’t, you’ll be attacked by the Thousand-Handed Spider, the guardian of the Forbidden Territory!”

When I said that cheerfully, Diana and the others turned pale, and stiffened with tension just like when the bright red young girl appeared.

“Elnea-kun has dealt a fatal blow to the hearts of the Shooting Stars.”

“Elnea-kun has crushed the hearts of the Shooting Stars.”

“W-wah! I didn’t mean to!”

“Elnea, restrain yourself. There’s a proper order to explanations, isn’t there?”

“Grr, I’m sorry.”

Yufilia and Nina laughed with amusement, but normally, Diana’s reaction would be the correct one.

I sincerely reflected.

“A-are you alright? The Thousand-Handed Spider is also a member of our family, and as long as you follow the rules of the Forbidden Territory that I will tell you from now on, you won’t be attacked!”

Diana and the others remained frozen with tension, but their ears were all turned towards me.

Therefore, despite the regrettable situation, I will explain about the Forbidden Territory.

The Laws of the Forbidden Territory.

The Forbidden Territory is a vast land, but you must not invite outsiders without permission.

Only those recognized by us or the administrators are allowed to enter the Forbidden Territory.

You must not climb the Sacred Mountain to the west.

If you enter the mountain without permission, you will be attacked without question by the Thousand-Handed Spider or the Guardian Dragon.

Be careful not to enter the mountain range to the east, Dragon Peak, as it is teeming with dragons and magic beasts.

If you anger an old dragon, we cannot guarantee your life.

There is a large forest to the north, but be cautious as it is enchanted with the Bewildering Technique.

If you get lost, you will become food for the spirits.

The spirits are very active around the mansion.

They can be troublesome with their pranks, but please try not to get too angry?

I explained each point one by one.

And finally, I conveyed an important message with a smile.

“Lastly. Those who enter and exit the Forbidden Territory, let’s all get along regardless of race! That’s the secret to staying safe, secure, and having fun!”

With that, I caught Nimia, who had climbed onto my head, and showed her to Diana.

“See, Priscilla-chan is Mimicho Race, and I am of the Human Race. Mistral is a Dragon Race, and Ares-chan is a spirit, right? And this little one is an Ancient Dragon Species, you know? But, we are all my family, and we live together in harmony!”

“Nice to meet you, meow.”

The fact that Nimia, whom they thought was a kitten, spoke human words made Diana and the others’ eyes widen in surprise.

And then, they finally began to look around at their surroundings more carefully.

“I-I am truly sorry… What has happened has been so overwhelming and different from all our past experiences that we didn’t even notice.”

It seems the Shooting Stars, who had been tending to the fainted Mimicho Race people, had not noticed their distinctive long ears either.

And well, Mistral and Ares-chan are indistinguishable from us, and Nimia was pretending to be a kitten.

“Still…”

Perhaps it was due to my long explanation, but the shock felt by Diana and the others seemed to be gradually subsiding, and they appeared to be regaining their composure.

The line of sight from the Shooting Stars, which had been solely directed at me, began to shift busily.

“Dragon Race, you say…?”

One Shooting Star murmured, looking back and forth between Mistral and Dragon Peak to the east.

Mmm-hmm. It seems my long explanation, or rather, the content of the Forbidden Territory’s rules, has been conveyed properly.

Receiving the Miko-sama’s gaze, Mistral responded with a gentle smile.

“Yes, that’s right. I come from the deep reaches of the mountain range called Dragon Peak. We are a race that lives differently from humans.”

“Um! Older Brother Elnea went into the mountains to marry Sister Mist and became friends with Revalia, you know?”

“Ahaha! Priscilla-chan, your explanation is correct, but it doesn’t make any sense that way?”

I added a brief explanation for Priscilla-chan to Diana and the others, who were tilting their heads.

“I’m actually from the flatlands beyond the east side of Dragon Peak. So, when I set out on my journey at the age of fifteen, I went into Dragon Peak to fetch Mistral. Revalia is also part of our family. I’ll introduce her when she flies over here, okay?”

“I foresee a terrifying future!”

“I foresee an interesting future!”

“Elnea, isn’t your explanation insufficient? If it’s just that, the Miko-samas will fall into great chaos when Revalia flies here!”

“Meow. Reva-chan will also be surprised by so many people, meow.”

“R-really!?”

Diana and the party tilted their heads even more at our family’s conversation.

“So, in Elnea-sama’s hometown, the old custom of ‘setting out on a journey at fifteen’ is still practiced?”

“You mentioned earlier that dragons inhabit that Dragon Peak…?”

“Flies over? What do you mean by ‘flies over’?”

Ah…

This is getting out of hand, I need to explain so many things!

“Ah, Elnea-kun’s eyes are glazing over.”

“Ah, Elnea-kun is starting to escape reality.”

“Hahaha! Elnea-sama. Let’s escape together!”

“Laira-san, please catch Elnea-kun instead of escaping with him?”

“Muki! I want to hear what the Lady Shooting Stars have to say too!”

Huh!

At Madrine’s voice, I snapped back to reality from my thoughts that were soaring far away.

“R-right. If I don’t hear about the Lady Shooting Stars, we won’t know how to entertain them!”

“Secret move, topic change, meow.”

“Nimia, no snacks for you later.”

“Meow!?”

We started chattering noisily, as usual.

Seeing us, the Lady Shooting Stars gradually relaxed their tension and dark expressions.

Hoo hoo hoo. It seems the plan was a success.

The Lady Shooting Stars all had somber faces at first.

They surely have some deep troubles they are carrying.

But if they let that burden them, even a truly joyful life would turn into a dark, damp, and gloomy daily existence.

I would be happy if our foolish antics could alleviate even a little of the worries the Lady Shooting Stars are carrying.

And then, I hope we can deepen our relationship over time.

Of course, if they have any troubles, we will offer our wholehearted cooperation!

“A premonition of chaos, meow?”

“Hey, hey, Nimia. Oh, right. Everyone, please be careful! This Nimia is an Ancient Dragon Species far superior to any of us, and she can easily read people’s minds!”

“Older Brother Elnea shows his feelings on his face before she can read them, meow.”

“Gah. Terrifying Nimia!”

I stuffed the evil dragon into my pocket.

But the evil dragon thrashed around inside my clothes!

“Hahaha! Nimia, you’re tickling me?”

Her fluffy long tail is under my arm! Don’t poke my belly with your little hands!

Mistral is giving me a bitter smile, watching my foolishness!

“Now, everyone, put Elnea aside. Please come into the mansion. Let’s avoid standing around in the sun. I’ll prepare some tea, so please relax for a while longer before we exchange information.”

Prompted by Mistral, Diana and all the Lady Shooting Stars entered the mansion through the entrance.

Every one of them was smiling as they watched the foolish exchange between Nimia and me.