We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Scenery under the moon shadow.
Alice and, in the past, Ada referred to it as the “Spirit Vein.”
However, we call it the Dragon Vein.
A great existence that stretches across the world.
Sometimes fierce, sometimes merciful.
A mysterious, great river that flows ceaselessly beneath the earth on which we stand.
Yet, despite its overwhelming flow connecting to every corner of the world, even the Dragon Race cannot sense it without accumulating years of training.
Furthermore, even if one can sense it, touching it roughly will cause them to drown immediately.
One must exercise the utmost caution when touching the Dragon Vein.
Even I, if I let my guard down, would have my body, or rather, my consciousness, swept away by the fierce current of the Dragon Vein and be instantly drowned and spat out.
Therefore, caution is paramount.
Do not go against the flow of the Dragon Vein.
And yet, maintain your consciousness firmly.
Just like when I synchronized my consciousness with the world, my consciousness blended into the Dragon Vein and flowed far away.
Far in the distance, I felt Mistral’s presence.
Impressive. Mistral appears to be camping on the main current of the Dragon Vein.
Ruiseine can also see the main current of the Dragon Vein, resting in the correct location.
No, no, it seems all of my family members are properly positioned on the main current or a thick tributary of the Dragon Vein.
Me?
Hmph… Until now, I haven’t really paid much attention to such things!
Still, I always meditate before sleeping, so I made sure to rest in places with strong Dragon Vein currents, you know?
“That’s right, that’s right.”
“I… I’ll pay more attention from now on…”
I realized the excellence of my wives in an unexpected way.
Furthermore, I extended my consciousness further out.
“Wow. That’s amazing!”
Then, Spirit Tree-chan’s voice reached me.
“Spirit Tree-chan!”
“Elnea!”
I can hear you.
I can hear you!
I was delighted to be able to hear Spirit Tree-chan’s voice from so far away, within the flow of the Dragon Vein.
Immediately, a warning came from behind me.
“Be careful. If you disturb your consciousness even slightly, you’ll be found by pursuers.”
“Urgh. I’ll be careful.”
“Fufu. But you are truly excellent. To be able to blend into the Spirit Vein better than anyone, even when given such a sudden, difficult request.”
“Hmm. I’m usually familiar with the Dragon Vein, and when I perform the Dragon Sword Dance seriously, I blend my consciousness with the world, so maybe that’s why?”
“Normally, even seasoned practitioners do not reach such extreme levels. Myself included, of course.”
Though I’m not aware of it, it seems I’m hiding myself more skillfully than Alice.
As a test, I decided to surrender myself to the flow of the Dragon Vein with even more caution.
Then, this time, I discovered the presence of magic beasts hiding within the Dragon Vein.
Magic beasts hide in the Dragon Vein to prey on their targets or escape from powerful enemies.
Therefore, it was natural for magic beasts to exist within the Dragon Vein.
“By the way, why was Pegasus… Eve-chan able to dive into the Dragon Vein?”
“That’s because I’m a magic beast, right?”
“What!?”
“You didn’t know? Ordinary winged horses don’t exist, do they?”
“Ugh… Well, there are many things in this world that I don’t know, so I never imagined a Pegasus would be a magic beast!”
Horses with horns on their foreheads, or horses with six legs appear in fairy tales, but perhaps those special horses were also magic beasts?
Putting that aside for now.
“…Are the pursuing miko-samas also hiding in the Dragon Vein, observing?”
“You can sense them well. Even I can’t do that. Eve?”
“I don’t know. If I had noticed Iolas’s presence in the first place, I would have lost them before coming here.”
It seems Iolas is the name of one of the pursuing black pegasi.
“So, Alice-san and the others came to the Forbidden Territory riding the Dragon Vein?”
Alice shook her head at my question.
“Close. We flew here using a more special, ancient method.”
“Spatial transfer?”
“Close to that.”
“Could it be… like when Sefina flew from the east of the Yorttenitos Kingdom to Dragon Peak in the past…?”
Old ruins flashed through my mind.
However, Alice showed no reaction, whether she noticed the method of transportation I imagined or not.
It seems there are circumstances that prevent me from delving deeper.
In that case, I have no intention of pushing an impossible topic.
“So, what do we do from now on?”
Are we going to hide until the pursuers give up?
But they are people with such strong willpower that they would chase Alice from the sanctuary to the Forbidden Territory. I doubt they will give up if we continue to hide.
If that’s the case, why did Alice make me take such a risk and dive into the Dragon Vein?
“You, who can blend into the Spirit Vein better than anyone. If so, you should be able to see, as well.”
Saying this, Alice slowly swung her two-bladed naginata, guiding my gaze.
“Be aware of your surroundings. The Spirit Vein doesn’t only flow underground. And all living beings in the world, consciously or unconsciously, always receive the benefits of the Spirit Vein.”
Just as I draw power from the Dragon Vein. Just as Spirit Tree-chan uses the Dragon Vein as sustenance for life. All living beings are involved with the Dragon Vein to some extent.
And Spirit Tree-chan generously released the absorbed Dragon Vein from the tips of its branches and leaves, scattering it throughout the world.
The flow of the Dragon Vein thus fills not only the surface but every corner of the world.
If that’s the case, perhaps I can sense it now.
From the main current of the Dragon Vein, flowing deep underground and to which I surrender myself, I carefully expanded my consciousness.
Then, from the end of the tributaries, I flowed to the surface.
Relying on the power scattered by Spirit Tree-chan, my consciousness bloomed on the ground.
“Perhaps the magic beasts are observing the surface this way?”
“You are more excellent than your master.”
“I’m being praised!”
However, Alice and I are in vastly different positions.
I can honestly execute what I am taught.
But Alice’s position does not easily allow for that.
Miko-sama cannot use any arts other than sorcery. Even with great aptitude, no matter how carefully taught, if it is a teaching that surpasses the position of a miko, it cannot be mastered.
While Ruiseine’s Dragon Eye is congenital and thus permitted, normally Alice cannot acquire arts related to the Dragon Vein.
Therefore, it is understandable that Alice is inferior to me, who can freely experiment.
And the same applied to the pursuing miko-samas.
No matter how skillfully they hid in the flow of the Dragon Vein, they were not as excellent as the magic beasts.
And they could not see.
My consciousness, which bloomed in the world, saw it.
The trees and flowers standing quietly in the night darkness. The sleeping wild birds and animals. The presence of predators hunting for prey.
As if seeing with my own eyes. My consciousness, which spread to the surface, could certainly “see” the presence of beings connected to the Dragon Vein.
“Speaking of which, when I meditate, the Dragon Vein looks like a great river, doesn’t it?”
“Indeed, indeed.”
I see. Though it was a trial by fire, I had apparently mastered the basics long ago.
I am truly happy to have this experience where my daily, diligent training bears unexpected fruit.
“So, I’ve seen the surface, but what do we do from here?”
Pegasus Eve answered my question.
“Those who cannot see can only continue to hide. However, those who can see the world can behave just as they would on the surface.”
“In other words…?”
No, I understood what Eve meant!
Those who can perceive the world through the flow of the Dragon Vein can behave the same whether their bodies are on the surface or within the Dragon Vein.
That means I can use arts even within the Dragon Vein!
“That’s right, that’s right.”
“Well then, shall I borrow Spirit Tree-chan’s power this time?”
Since I’ve dived into the Dragon Vein and can hear Spirit Tree-chan’s voice, I have no choice but to rely on it wholeheartedly!
“Fufufu. I can’t help it.”
“Grandma Yuuri!?”
Then, I heard an unexpected voice.
N-no way, Grandma Yuuri’s voice is reaching me now!?
And more importantly, Grandma Yuuri has noticed us?
No, it’s because she noticed us that she’s sending me a voice like this, right?
“Let’s lure the spirits into the Spirit Vein. That will confuse the miko and the pegasi.”
“Then, please do it! Spirit Tree-chan, here we go!”
“Leave it to me!”
Spirit Tree-chan’s power reached out, as if to go against the flow of the Dragon Vein.
From the surface, guided by Grandma Yuuri’s spirit power, spirits swarmed into the Dragon Vein.
And they all drowned!
“Wow!”
“Kyaa!”
“Yoo-hoo!”
Well, as long as they’re having fun, I suppose it’s fine.
Putting that aside.
I distributed Spirit Tree-chan’s power to the gathered spirits.
And Grandma Yuuri activated the Bewildering Technique within the Dragon Vein.
Ripples… It felt like the Dragon Vein swayed slightly.
The scenery on the surface also wavered slightly.
This must be the moment Grandma Yuuri activated her Bewildering Technique.
“Master.”
“I cannot see. Therefore, only your and Eve’s senses are reliable. Run!”
Alice kicked Eve’s flank and tapped the reins.
Eve, correctly understanding Alice’s intent, began to run north within the Dragon Vein.
The scenery flowed.
A landscape different from what my eyes perceived on the surface began to flow.
It was a strange sensation.
The trees I could see on the surface approached in an instant due to Eve’s swift speed.
However, before Eve could avoid them, the trees and bushes themselves parted and made way.
“This is moving along the Dragon Vein!”
“Amazing, amazing.”
“I’m so envious. I wanted to see it too.”
Alice said with regret, slumping her shoulders behind me.
It felt incredibly sad to me.
What is this feeling of discomfort?
Alice, being a miko, cannot see the world through the Dragon Vein. That’s certainly true, but the aura of sadness transmitted from behind me felt like it was woven with deeper emotions.
Why did Alice show such sadness?
However, that emotion was fleeting, and she had already returned to a strong, warrior-like presence.
“Eve, what’s the situation with the pursuers?”
I, as well as Eve, began to sense their presence.
Along the fierce current of the Dragon Vein, I searched for those hiding.
“It’s alright. They haven’t noticed our movements.”
“Even if they did notice and move, it’s Grandma Yuuri’s Bewildering Technique now. They won’t break through that easily!”
The presence of the five pegasi and miko-samas rapidly receded behind us.
Eve ran within the Dragon Vein as if running on the ground, her limbs moving skillfully.
It would be great if we could successfully evade the pursuers like this…
But unless Alice gives up on killing the miko, I’ll remain caught up in this.
What can I do to overturn Alice’s firm resolve?
And separately from these circumstances.
Although I had let my consciousness bloom into the world alongside the flow of the Dragon Vein.
I couldn’t feel Oz’s presence anywhere.
I wonder where Oz went…
Clicking the heart allows you to easily express your support. (Login required)
Support
Login if you have an account
Learn more about the reading experience possible on Kakuyomu.
