We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Carnela’s Challenge
A Golden Garden.
The golden ground shimmered under the intense summer sun. The area was surrounded by tall, sheer cliffs, much like the ones we had just passed through. The light, reflected off the scales of the Golden Winged Dragons that had nested in the hollow, brilliantly illuminated the surrounding valley walls.
My Prince Friel and I were lost in the awe-inspiring spectacle, speechless for a moment.
With every movement of the winged dragons, the reflected light danced across the valley walls, creating a fantastical landscape.
“Ah, I want to show this to everyone. I’m sure they’ll be deeply moved,” I sighed, captivated by the beautiful sight, so different from the sacred Moss Garden or the view from high above the clouds on Dragon Peak.
“Well then, we’ve arrived. This is the nest of the Haku family,” Carnela said, waiting until Prince Friel and I had fully absorbed the golden scenery.
“The Golden Dragon family!” Prince Friel exclaimed, his eyes shining.
But, unfortunately, that was incorrect.
“Fufufu, their scales are indeed golden,” Carnela said with a gentle smile. However, the three attendants behind her, a man and two women, glanced down at Prince Friel for a fleeting moment.
Hmm. Carnela is friendly, but do the others harbor some ill feelings towards us? Mistral mentioned that Carnela’s family was a proud one, and perhaps this was related.
“Prince Friel, you’re close, but that’s not a Golden Dragon.”
“Even though they’re golden?”
“Yes. While they are golden, they are a type of winged dragon.” I explained.
It started with the fundamental difference between flying dragons and winged dragons. Simply put, flying dragons can walk on two legs while winged dragons walk on four. The dragon relaxing in the hollow before us was on four legs, thus a winged dragon.
And, dragons come in various colors. There are dragons with scales the color of crimson flames, like tyrants, and dragons with beautiful blue scales, like Prince Grave’s mount. Just as humans have black, white, yellow, and reddish-brown skin, the dragon race has various colors. Amongst them, Yugra’s family is a type of winged dragon with golden scales, but that doesn’t make them Golden Dragons. Only ancient dragon species, like Nimia and old man Sleigsta, are given unique species names like White Dragon or Black Dragon. Therefore, Yugra’s family, being a common species, are not Golden Dragons, even with their golden scales.
In fact, I didn’t know this until old man Sleigsta taught me. Moreover, I believe all humans misunderstand this. So, I explained to Prince Friel that his mistake stemmed not from ignorance, but from a common misconception.
“Well answered. You are very knowledgeable,” Carnela said, smiling as if satisfied with my explanation. However, the three attendants snorted as if it were basic knowledge and turned away.
Hmm. This is far more hostile than I anticipated. Is it because I brought the Tyrant? Is it because I, a human, am the Dragon King? Is it because I’m going to marry Mistral? I have a feeling all of these are true. I need to be a little more careful, or I might be caught off guard. Secretly, I resolved that this time, things might not go smoothly.
Carnela, seemingly unconcerned with her attendants’ atmosphere or my wariness, urged us to focus on the winged dragons.
“Currently, including Haku, forty-eight winged dragons live here.”
“That’s a lot,” I replied.
I had visited several dragon nests before to forge alliances, but usually, dragon tribes formed groups of around ten to twenty individuals. Compared to them, Yugra’s family was a large clan.
“Haku is deeply admired. And we take good care of them.”
“The location seems special too, so you are more prosperous than other dragon tribes.”
“Yes,” Carnela nodded at my words.
“Haku is a great hero among the clan. He has lived and achieved far more than we, the dragon-folk, ever could.”
“Yes. Yes,” Prince Friel and I nodded in agreement with Carnela’s words.
“Haku is on a different level within the clan.”
“Of course. He’s a great hero.” We nodded again.
“So, from now on, you two will search for Haku.”
” “What!?” ” Carnela’s sudden pronouncement left Prince Friel and me dumbfounded.
“Search? For Haku?”
“From… within this group!?” Why would she suddenly give us such a problem?
“You claimed you wanted to meet Haku, yet you don’t even know which winged dragon he is.”
“Mistral, why did you choose such an ignorant boy?”
“Perhaps he is just a human after all.” The three attendants seized the opportunity to spew their insults. The escalating tension caused the Tyrant behind me to let out a terrifying growl.
“Stop it.”
“Revalia, no…” Carnela reprimanded her attendants, while I worked to calm the Tyrant. Prince Friel stood frozen, his face contorted.
“I apologize. They tend to be hot-blooded.”
“No, I think it’s understandable.” The attendants were from a proud dragon-folk clan. They had cared for Yugra along with their pride. It must be difficult for them to accept a human suddenly appearing and expecting an easy meeting. The problem Carnela presented might be a way to address this. She had guided us to where Yugra’s family lived, but to meet him, we had to find him ourselves among the forty-eight winged dragons. It seemed like a difficult task at first glance, but Carnela’s eyes conveyed her trust in me. *You can find him. Her gaze seemed to say.
“Y-you’re right. It would be bad if I didn’t know who I was meeting,” Prince Friel said, now showing a renewed sense of determination and confidence. Perhaps he had already inquired about Yugra’s appearance or characteristics from a flying dragon.
“Elnea, let’s have a match. Who can find Haku first!”
I thought, “Why are we competing?” but Carnela found the idea amusing and agreed.
…This isn’t a game. The gazes of the three attendants were sharp. Even after being reprimanded by Carnela, the three directed their menacing glares towards us.
“What should I do?” I wondered, while agreeing to Prince Friel’s challenge. “Understood. Then, it’s a race to see who finds Haku first.”
“Alright, let’s begin!” Prince Friel exclaimed and charged into the hollow. The winged dragons, perhaps having overheard our conversation, watched him approach with interest. In fact, the winged dragons had been watching us with curiosity since we crossed the valley.
“Do you know which old dragon you’re looking for?” The Tyrant looked at me.
“Hmm, actually, I don’t. So, I’ll have to search based on the limited clues I have.”
“Hmph, what a fool. Do you think you can find him like that?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. I’ll do my best though… Hey, Revalia, are you worried about me?”
“Who’s worried about you! I hope you make a huge embarrassing mistake!” The Tyrant averted his gaze from me and let out a displeased growl. Even the three attendants flinched at the Tyrant’s terrifying growl, but Carnela remained unfazed.
Having been rebuffed by the Tyrant, I pondered how to find Yugra. Come to think of it, Carnela had given me a slight hint. Haku was a great hero from three hundred years ago and had lived longer than the dragon-folk. Winged dragons lived for about five hundred years, and since the Tyrant called him old, he was likely an old dragon. If I were to search by appearance, I should look for the oldest winged dragon. Prince Friel was probably using that as a clue too. But could a human tell if a dragon was old just by looking? I thought of old man Sleigsta. When I first met him, I was amazed by his giant dragon form, but I never felt he was an old dragon until he mentioned guarding the Dragon Forest for two thousand years. So, searching by appearance might be difficult.
Next, I considered that if he was a great hero, he might have a strong and powerful build. The heads of dragon clans are usually a size larger than other members of the same species. Perhaps Yugra was larger than the other winged dragons around him. I looked at the winged dragons in the hollow, but I didn’t see any that stood out as particularly large.
Now, I was in trouble. How would I find Yugra? While I pondered, Prince Friel had already entered the nest and was closely examining each winged dragon one by one. It was clear that Prince Friel knew Yugra’s appearance. He had no hesitation in his selection. He was probably searching for a winged dragon that matched the appearance he had heard about. I couldn’t afford to be complacent; I had to find a way too.
… Was it because I concentrated? Suddenly, I felt the dragon veins. Whether it was from over-meditation training or because feeling dragon veins had become a daily occurrence, they were now a familiar presence to me. And then, I realized something through the dragon veins.Old man Sleigsta, when he breathes, naturally draws in dragon veins. That was a level beyond mine. Being able to sense them was one thing, but to unconsciously absorb them meant his mastery and refinement of dragon energy were exceptional. Therefore, if Yugra was a great hero and an old dragon, he should, even if not to the same extent as old man Sleigsta, be skilled in handling dragon energy.
I focused my consciousness on my surroundings, trying to sense the dragon energy. Instantly, I sensed the dragon energy not only from the winged dragons in the hollow but also from the Tyrant behind me, and from Carnela and her three attendants. The Tyrant had a fierce aura, as usual. Carnela had a deep, calm flow of dragon energy. Though gentle, she seemed to possess a latent dragon power comparable to that of a Dragon King. The three attendants exuded intense dragon energy, comparable to or even surpassing the first-class warriors of Mistral’s village. I had to admit, they were impressive.
Then, I expanded my awareness to the winged dragons. It was blinding. Just like the dazzling scenery before my eyes, the strong dragon energy exuded by the winged dragons made me instinctively squint. Like humans, winged dragons have individuality. Some possess fierce dragon energy, others have a gentle, mild aura, and some, perhaps timid, try to conceal their strong dragon energy. While sensing the diverse flows of dragon energy, I searched for the aura I was looking for. Expanding my consciousness to encompass the entire winged dragon nest, I began to walk. Step by step, towards my objective. Prince Friel seemed to have also completed most of his search and was now heading towards the remaining winged dragons. I entered the nest and walked among the winged dragons. As I got closer, I realized how surprisingly large they were. They were a bit larger than flying dragons, and earth dragons were about a size larger than flying dragons. However, the Tyrant was nearly twice the size of an average flying dragon, so he was even larger than earth dragons. These winged dragons seemed to be almost as large as the Tyrant. My view was blocked by their massive bodies, and I lost sight of Prince Friel. However, if he knew Yugra’s appearance, he would surely find the answer. Without hesitation, I moved forward, towards the winged dragon that manipulated strong, refined dragon energy.
Passing by one dragon’s face, slipping past another’s flank, I walked towards a winged dragon that displayed a skillful flow of dragon energy. Finally, a winged dragon that handled the most refined dragon energy appeared before me.
“What!?” I let out a startled cry. In contrast, Prince Friel’s cheerful voice echoed from a short distance away. “I found him! This is Haku!”
He was close, but Prince Friel wasn’t beside him. “No way! Did I make a mistake!?” I looked closely at the winged dragon sitting politely before me and buried my face in my hands.
