We live in the Foothills of Dragon Peak.
Dragon Sword Dance and Dragon Energy
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yufilia, the First Princess of the Armēdo Kingdom.”
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Nina, the Second Princess of the Armēdo Kingdom.”
The twin princesses bowed deeply to Old Man Sleigsta.
The morning after we spent the long night talking. We all, including the twin princesses, came to the Moss Garden together.
The twin princesses were surprised anew by the spatial jump Dragon Art and the fantastical world of the Moss Garden, as well as Old Man Sleigsta, a giant like a small mountain, but they greeted him.
We left in a hurry yesterday, so we hadn’t properly introduced ourselves.
“Hmph. You are descendants of Armēdo. I am an Ancient Species Dragon who has protected this forest and Spirit Tree for two thousand years. My name is Sleigsta.”
We had already spoken about Old Man Sleigsta, the Moss Garden, and the Dragon Forest last night.
Mistral had decided it was fine to reveal the secret, as Old Man Sleigsta himself had guided the twin princesses to the Moss Garden.
“Yes. We have heard your name often.”
“Yes. For us royals, tales of the Dragons have been passed down.”
“Huh?! You knew?”
I let out a surprised cry at the twin princesses’ unexpected reply.
They had listened intently last night when I was talking about the Dragon Forest, the Moss Garden, and Old Man Sleigsta.
If they already knew, what embarrassing things had I been doing?
“Fufufu. Tales passed down and real experiences are different.”
“Fufufu. Rumors are rumors. They gain embellishments and sometimes omit things.”
“Ughh. Even so, if you knew, you should have told me.”
“Because it was cute how enthusiastically you were talking, Elnea-kun.”
“It would have been rude to dampen your spirits when you were talking so happily.”
Even though they are usually so selfish, they are strangely considerate in certain situations.
As my face turned a little red, Mistral patted my head.
“If tales are passed down, then do all the royal family members know about the Dragon Forest?”
The twin princesses thought for a moment at Mistral’s question.
“I believe they do, though the degree of knowledge may vary.”
“Because they know, they have strictly protected the Dragon Forest.”
When you think about it, that’s true. The legend that a mythical dragon lives in the Dragon Forest is all it takes for them to protect the forest continuously since the founding of the kingdom? That’s unusual if you think about it normally.
Among the common folk, many people said many things, true and untrue, and the legend’s status gradually dropped until it became a dubious tale that faded away.
However, the descendants of the royal family who fought with Old Man Sleigsta against the Rotten Dragon King have continuously passed down stories of the Dragon Forest and Old Man Sleigsta.
“Then, did Serise-sama also know?”
And if the royal family passed it down, then Serise-sama, the fourth princess of the Armēdo Kingdom and a candidate for the heroine Listea’s main wife, must have known too, right?
“Of course, I have heard about it from my father, the King, since I was little.”
“Of course, we know about the Dragon Forest and the Dragons.”
“Uh, then why didn’t you question me about it?”
Serise-sama had already seen me manipulating Dragon Energy and using Dragon Arts during the declaration ritual before Risshun.
But at that time, she didn’t ask me anything about the Dragon Forest, did she?
“Fufufu. Because there was no connection between you and the Dragon Forest.”
“Fufufu. Because even you, Elnea-kun, couldn’t possibly imagine that you were being taught by Dragons.”
“Ah, I see.”
With only the minimal information from the declaration ritual, there was no way they could connect me to the Dragon Forest and Old Man Sleigsta.
Only a brilliant detective from a mystery novel could do something like that.
“Now, I believe the story of Elnea being the Dragon King has spread from Kiiri and Inea to Listea-kun and the others, so compared to before, they don’t think there’s a stronger connection to the Dragon Forest.”
That was Ruiseine’s opinion.
“Yes. If they know that you are the Dragon King and that you were determined to head to Dragon Peak in early spring, they would likely connect you more with Dragon Peak and the Dragon Race than here.”
I see, I see.
I nodded at everyone’s deductions.
It’s not just the twin princesses; royalty in the Armēdo Kingdom knows about the Dragon Forest through legends. However, it’s not a familiar story, but more like a family rule passed down, such as “Because it is said so, you should continue to cherish the Dragon Forest.”
“It is commendable that it has been passed down for three hundred years.”
For Old Man Sleigsta, are three hundred years long or short?
For humans, it’s a story from many generations ago, from long, long ago.
“This is the first time in two thousand years that so many people have come and gone here.”
Saying that, Old Man Sleigsta quietly looked down at us.
Before me were the twin princesses. Behind me was me. Mistral and Ruiseine stood on either side, and further behind was Laira holding Priscilla-chan.
And Jiludo-san will also come, though he isn’t here yet.
This is a sacred place. So many people are gathered in a place that must be kept secret and protected.
“All of this is a connection you’ve forged. If you hadn’t been the first to wander in here, I would still be living an unchanging life with Mistral.”
There are certainly some parts that are too stimulating now.
Old Man Sleigsta closed his eyes with satisfaction.
A connection I forged. Or rather, everyone except Jiludo-san and Priscilla-chan are my wives…
Before I knew it, the group had become larger than Listea’s. What a fate!
“Everyone, please continue to take care of me from now on.”
“Why are you getting so emotional? Of course.”
I suddenly felt a wave of emotion, but the women laughed at me.
“You must continue to strive to master the Dragon Sword Dance.”
“Yes, I will do my best!”
By the time I realized it, the twin princesses’ self-introductions were over. Or rather, they ended because I interrupted.
“Dragon Sword Dance?”
“Elnea-kun, are you learning some kind of dance?”
“No!”
Certainly, just hearing the words, one might mistake it for a performance, but…
“Elnea, why don’t you show these two as well?”
“I’d like to see Elnea-kun’s dance again after a long time.”
“That’s right. We’ve been training separately recently. Sometimes I’d like to see Elnea-sama’s beautiful dance.”
“Um, Priscilla wants to see it too.”
“I want to see it, I want to see it!”
“Nyan.”
When everyone urged me to dance, I felt a little embarrassed. But with the twin princesses’ expectant gazes, I drew the swords from my sides and took a stance.
After this, another chase with magic beasts awaits, but dancing a Dragon Sword Dance kata before that wouldn’t be so bad.
Start slowly.
Channeling energy to the sword tips, I raise both hands high. With flowing movements, I draw arcs in the air. Sliding my feet smoothly, I leap lightly.
The kata I’ve repeated countless times. My body now reacts naturally, guiding the next movement.
Sometimes intense, sometimes still. The dance, with its varying tempo, adapts to the opponent’s movements and consists of an infinite combination.
The Dragon Sword Dance is not danced alone. It is always danced with an imagined opponent. Otherwise, a real combat performance is just an illusion. Before me, a virtual opponent swung their sword in sync with my movements.
I sweep away unseen sword strikes and use light footwork to slip into the opponent’s guard. I bewilder the opponent with flowing slashes and cut them down.
As I began to dance, the embarrassment of being watched disappeared. I danced solely with earnestness.
And at the end of the kata, I cut down the virtual opponent and raised both swords high to the sky.
Even after dancing, I always reflect, thinking that “this part was bad” or “this part didn’t go well.”
However, the applause that echoed in the Moss Garden made me forget my reflections and blush.
“Elnea-kun, you’re amazing.”
“Elnea-kun, I was moved.”
The twin princesses, who rushed over, hugged me.
“Uwah! Be careful, you’re holding swords, buh buh buh…”
As usual, I sank onto their chests.
“Hey, what are you doing!”
“That’s indecent!”
“You’re cutting in line!”
Where did the lingering awe from those who had just watched the Dragon Sword Dance go? The applause that had been ringing out was drowned out by a clamor that made me wonder if I had imagined it, and I sighed in the twin princesses’ chests.
And after that, Mistral, who had “rescued” me, urged me to go to the forest for training quickly.
I’m sure a “maiden’s war” will unfold in the Moss Garden from now on.
It would be terrible if I got caught up in it. I hurriedly prepared.
Then, Ruiseine came over, thinking about something.
“Elnea-kun.”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
It was unusual to see Ruiseine with her hand on her chin, looking thoughtful.
“Elnea-kun, you are currently training in cooperation, dealing with surprise attacks, and fighting against opponents against whom the Dragon Sword Dance is not effective, right?”
“Yeah. Though I’m not good at cooperation yet.”
I wonder what’s wrong. Ruiseine seems to be contemplating something, which is truly rare.
“Watching Elnea-kun’s Dragon Sword Dance just now, I thought about something…”
She seemed hesitant about whether or not to say it, so I encouraged her to speak freely.
I know I can dance the Dragon Sword Dance beautifully, but I’m still not good enough. I can’t even touch Mistral yet, and Ruiseine can predict my moves. And the fact that there are opponents against whom it’s ineffective means I’m still immature.
So, if Ruiseine has something she wants to say after watching my dance, it’s better for her to say it clearly.
“Um… from the beginning. I’ve been watching Elnea-kun’s Dragon Sword Dance since you saved me at the ruins and afterwards.”
I nodded, saying “Mm.”
“I believe your dance improves day by day. And when Elnea-kun dances the Dragon Sword Dance, I see a greenish mist rising from the ground and enveloping you.”
“That’s Dragon Energy. I’m drawing power from the Dragon Vein and making it my own while I dance. I think that’s the aftereffect.”
“Yes. That is Dragon Energy.”
Ruiseine nodded.
It must be something only Ruiseine, with her Dragon Eye, can see. I also feel the energy rising, but it’s not visible unless the Dragon Energy is strong enough.
“At first, I thought the rising Dragon Energy, the swirling green mist that danced with Elnea-kun’s movements, was beautiful.”
Ruiseine looked intently into my eyes.
“But now, I feel it’s a waste.”
“A waste?”
“Yes. It’s the power of the Dragon Vein that Elnea-kun worked so hard to draw, yet it’s just swirling around you now.”
“Ah!”
Just from Ruiseine’s words so far, something clicked in my mind.
Right. Until now, I’ve used the drawn Dragon Energy primarily for improving my physical abilities and for spatial jumps. But I’ve drawn so much more power from the Dragon Vein than I needed, and I’ve been wasting it.
The Dragon Energy I’m currently wasting. If I can utilize it better, I might be able to advance in various ways.
“Ruiseine, thank you!”
I tightly grasped Ruiseine’s hand and thanked her.
Ruiseine blushed slightly. But sensing that I had grasped something, she simply said, “Go on then,” and sent me on my way.
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