We live at the foot of Dragon Peak.
It’s time for work.
A desperate crisis for the wyverns. And then, it appeared – a true tyrant.
With a terrifying roar, a crimson wyvern, significantly larger than any that flew from Dragon Peak, sowed chaos not only among the mixed ground forces but even among the sky-bound Wyvern Knight Order.
“My, my, my.”
“Whoa, that’s a big one.”
“It’s the tyrant! What will happen?”
Priscilla-chan seems to be purely enjoying the turn of events. However, Ruiseine and Laira look worried about what’s to come.
It’s understandable. Ruiseine, Laira, and I are all humans. Even if I’ve become acquainted with the tyrant, I can’t simply sit back and enjoy the plight of humanity.
But perhaps this is simply the law of nature.
The wyverns underestimated that they could both hunt and be hunted, and thus fell into crisis.
And now, humanity is also on the brink of crisis due to the tyrant’s arrival, but this was completely predictable. The wyverns are likely to turn on humans, causing great sacrifice. Knowing this, the people currently at the Wyvern Hunting Ground are fighting.
Therefore, it’s not an issue we should interfere with just because the tyrant appeared.
However, even though I understand that, it’s agonizing to just watch as humans are in danger right before my eyes.
I take Ruiseine’s hand in my right, and hold Laira’s hand in my left.
Ruiseine and Laira grip my hands tightly.
And as we watch, the tyrant approaches the northern fort at terrifying speed.
The mixed ground forces, giving up on attacking the wyverns that had fallen to the ground, begin to evacuate into the fort. Meanwhile, the wyverns of the Wyvern Knight Order, ignoring their riders’ commands, flee chaotically in the sky.
An opening appears for the humans. At that moment, the wyverns on the ground flap their wings in a flurry and return to the sky. Then, as if panicked, they flee in a completely wrong direction.
Wyverns, too, must fear the tyrant. It’s highly unlikely they felt it came to help them. That’s why they fled, to avoid becoming victims themselves.
The tyrant ignores the fleeing wyverns and approaches the northern fort.
As it does so, it unleashes a torrent of intensely hot flames towards the Wyvern Knight Order in the sky.
One of the mounted wyverns, caught in the flames and unable to escape, plunges to the ground, burning.
Seeing this, the remaining four wyverns of the Wyvern Knight Order hurriedly retreat into the fort.
The mixed ground forces also manage to reach the fort and slam the gates shut.
The tyrant attacks the fort without hesitation.
It slams into the fort at full speed. Digging its feet in, the tyrant easily scatters the outer wall of the fort.
With a loud crash, part of the fort’s sturdy stone exterior collapses. Soldiers who had been providing covering fire from atop the fort towards the Wyvern Hunting Ground scramble to escape.
Attaching itself to the fort, the tyrant unleashes a roar and blasts flames into the breached outer wall.
The heat was so intense that it felt like it could reach our vantage point.
Perhaps it’s due to the distance, but we can’t hear the screams of people. And that’s for the best. If we could hear screams, I couldn’t bear to watch.
Ruiseine looks at me worriedly.
For Ruiseine, a member of the clergy, it must be incredibly difficult to simply observe this situation.
“It can’t be helped. They are risking their lives to obtain wyverns and honor. I don’t think this is an issue for us to intervene in.”
“However, the damage is extending to the soldiers in the fort.”
“Yes, that’s true. But even that might be unavoidable. It’s a place set up to protect those hunting wyverns. From the wyverns’ perspective, they are just allies of those who attack them.”
“Elnea-sama, you are usually kind, but sometimes you say harsh things like this.”
Laira looks at me, puzzled.
“Do I?”
I offer a wry smile.
Indeed, merely watching and not intervening in the tragedy before me might be seen as a harsh stance.
If I only possessed power and viewed things solely from a human perspective, I likely would have intervened in this matter.
However, I am different now. While I do possess power, I can no longer view matters solely from a human standpoint.
After all, one of my wives is of the Dragon Race, and I’ve become acquainted with ancient species like Old Man Sleigsta, Nimia, and Asher.
During my solitary journey in Dragon Peak, I learned the harshness of nature and met many dragons there.
Therefore, I can no longer see things from a purely human perspective.
No matter what I see, I consider the perspectives of humans, Dragon Race, dragons, and the laws of nature.
This time, while the wyverns who initiated the provocation were certainly in the wrong, they have received their due. Facing the danger to their lives, they will surely reflect on their foolish actions.
And humans are acting with full awareness. To attack ferocious wyverns means risking their own lives. They are in this situation knowing this.
The tyrant is merely fulfilling the promise I made. It came to help those in danger in Dragon Peak. And as a warning, it rampaged, issuing a warning to humans.
“If you attack your own kind, you will show no mercy.”
Perhaps…
I explain my thoughts to Laira.
Laira and Ruiseine seem to accept my reasoning, and turn their attention back to the Wyvern Hunting Ground.
At the Wyvern Hunting Ground, the tyrant rampaged wantonly.
It blasted the fort with flames and struck it with its thick, long tail, causing destruction.
When a brave soldier counterattacked, it mercilessly attacked with sharp claws and fangs.
Is it my imagination, or is the tyrant truly enjoying itself?
The tyrant landed on the tip of the fort and let out a great roar, as if to intimidate the humans.
It surely echoed throughout the capital city, making the residents tremble.
The counterattacks from the fort ceased, and the tyrant, as if victorious, spread its four wings, large and small, and surveyed its surroundings.
However, a single Dragon Knight flew out from deep within the fort.
Brave, or foolhardy?
The Dragon Knight circled provocatively at the tyrant. And the tyrant, not one to ignore provocation, did not disappoint.
The tyrant took to the sky fiercely, scattering debris from the fort.
The Dragon Knight, who had taken to the sky earlier, controlled the airspace above.
Towards the freshly airborne tyrant, it unleashed its fiery breath from above.
However, the tyrant, unfazed by the flames, shot upwards. In the blink of an eye, it surpassed the Dragon Knight and soared into the upper atmosphere.
As expected, the tyrant’s flight capabilities far exceed those of ordinary wyverns.
While surprised by the tyrant’s speed of ascent, the Dragon Knight pursued it.
Having lost the advantage of the skies, the tyrant found itself with an opponent behind it. But the tyrant quickly turned. With a maneuverability and speed that belied its massive body, it instantaneously took up a position behind the Dragon Knight.
The Dragon Knight’s wyvern, unable to keep up with the tyrant’s movements, trembled in fear and fled.
The wyvern, darting and diving, fled erratically through the sky, but the tyrant stuck close behind, toying with it.
This is indeed characteristic of the tyrant. It excels at inciting fear in its opponents and playing with them.
However.
Surely, isn’t that enough now?
It protected the wyvern and displayed the tyrant’s power. Even the Dragon Knight, who bravely challenged it, was completely outmatched.
“Don’t overdo it, okay?”
I murmured to the tyrant.
The words came out unconsciously.
Yet, for some reason, the tyrant reacted. The tyrant, which had been chasing the wyvern, suddenly ascended steeply and circled. For a moment, it glanced towards the cliff where we were.
“What’s suddenly wrong?”
“Could it be that Elnea-sama’s voice reached it?”
“There’s no way. I just muttered it, though?”
However, our suspicion seems to have been correct.
The tyrant lost interest in the wyvern with surprising ease and stopped chasing it. The Dragon Knight, bewildered by the tyrant’s sudden change in demeanor, judged it to be a good time to escape and quickly retreated deep into the fort.
From high in the sky, the tyrant cast a glance at the fleeing wyvern, let out a final roar.
Then, slowly, it flew towards us.
“Whoa, a big one is coming!”
Priscilla-chan jumps up gleefully.
The tyrant is not your pet, you know.
With a wry smile at Priscilla-chan’s excitement, we await the tyrant’s arrival.
Did my muttering really reach it? Does the tyrant have keen ears? No, that can’t be right. If it truly had excellent hearing, it would have overheard our conversation before I muttered.
I can ask the tyrant itself about my doubts.
As we watch, the tyrant approaches. Once overhead, it circles the sky while descending.
A place where even Nimia could land with ease, so the tyrant should be able to land without issue. However, the tyrant landed with an ostentatious, rough flapping of its wings.
We choke on the wind and dust that erupts.
“Lady Revalia, that’s cruel.”
“How pretentious!”
“Cough, cough, cough.”
Ruiseine and I complain, and Priscilla-chan coughs.
Laira, shielding Priscilla-chan, steps forward slightly.
“Lady Revalia, that’s cruel. There are small children here!”
Perhaps startled by Laira’s intensity, the tyrant actually recoils and growls.
“As always, she’s a terrifying woman.”
The tyrant glares at Laira with evident displeasure.
“I don’t know what about her is terrifying, but that was Revalia’s fault just now.”
At my words, the tyrant turns its head away with a “Hmph.”
“By the way, how did you know we were here? My muttering didn’t reach you, did it?”
The tyrant looks at me with an exasperated expression.
“You don’t possibly think that the Dragon Heart is an ability that allows conversation with us, do you?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
Certainly, to be precise, I’m not hearing the dragon’s language; I’m perceiving their intentions and recognizing them as words.
But could there be another ability at play?
I tilt my head.
The tyrant looks at me and lets out a dramatic sigh. Please do not exhale flames along with your sigh.
“The Dragon Heart is the ability to communicate with our Dragon Race. Unlike spoken words, distance does not affect it. As long as our intentions can reach, our hearts can also reach.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that!”
“What an idiot.”
The tyrant looked utterly bewildered, but I was astonished by the new revelation.
I never imagined it had such capabilities.
This means my intention, expressed in that mutter, had reached the distant tyrant.
“So, could this be used like telepathy?”
“That remains to be seen. It depends on whether you can convey the intention that reaches those far away and unseen.”
“Conversely, if I can overcome that, it means I can convey my intentions to dragons far away.”
“A far-fetched story.”
The tyrant scoffed, but I was overjoyed, realizing this could become an incredible ability if perfected.
“Nimia, please cooperate with me for practice later.”
“We can make a deal with sweets, nyanko.”
“Um, Priscilla will try her best too.”
Priscilla-chan, what will you try your best at?
“So, Lady Revalia stopped her attack because Elnea-kun’s will reached you, correct?”
The tyrant’s face contorted as the Miko offered a polite bow, a gesture befitting her station. The tyrant, who had been rampaging and feared, was clearly unaccustomed to such sincere gratitude.
“I am grateful for Lady Revalia’s mercy.”
At Laira’s thanks, the tyrant retreated further.
What is Laira truly thinking right now? The Wyvern Knight Order are soldiers of the Yorttenitos Kingdom. And the people of Yorttenitos are the ones who have caused Laira so much pain.
Is she genuinely happy that those who abused her are being saved?
“She is happy, nyanko. Laira is a kind girl, nyanko.”
It seems Nimia has read her mind.
Laira flushed as her thoughts were exposed.
“This time, I merely listened to your will out of caprice. Next time, I will show no mercy. You are the one who made me swear to protect those of Dragon Peak.”
“Yes, and I think that’s fine. Humans who challenge wyvern hunting must also be prepared to lose their lives.”
Wyvern hunting is by no means compulsory. Those participating in the hunt are all doing so by their own volition. Therefore, I don’t believe it’s an issue for me, an outsider not involved in the hunting or being hunted, to lightly interfere.
Upon hearing my thoughts, the tyrant roared as if to say, “Then I shall not hold back.”
And, as if its business was concluded, it departed from the cliff.
Its departure was as rough as ever. The dust engulfed us, causing us to cough once more.
The tyrant let out a roar in the sky, then ostentatiously flew once over the capital city before returning to the depths of Dragon Peak.
“I’m sure there’s utter mayhem in the capital city right now.”
“It was too much. Elnea-kun, please scold them properly when you see them next time.”
Good grief. The tyrant is not one for sincerity. It always leaves some parting gift. I sigh, my shoulders slumping, and gaze towards the depths of Dragon Peak where the tyrant disappeared.
