We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
For the sake of a distant future.
“You guys, how did you escape from the underground prison! You over there. Why are you here too?”
Lord Grave pointed at Mistral and Laira, about to thrust himself forward in anger. It was Lady Madrine and the Twin Princesses who intervened.
“This is within the temple grounds. Even if you are a prince, I cannot condone rudeness to guests I have welcomed?”
“The Prince doesn’t know. The suspicion against Elnea-kun has been cleared.”
“The Prince doesn’t know. The arrest warrant issued by the Ambassador due to a mistaken judgment has been rescinded.”
Blocked by the three women, both verbally and physically, Lord Grave’s face contorted, and he glared at me.
I can’t just keep being protected by women. Taking a step between the Twin Princesses and Lady Madrine who had created a barrier, I bowed as politely as possible.
“It’s rather sudden, but please forgive our unannounced, sudden visit by wyvern.”
Calmly, calmly.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve been in constant contact with the immeasurable Sleigsta, but I don’t get intimidated by strong-willed or overbearing people. However, Lord Grave is different. I’m a little intimidated by him. Perhaps my initial impression of him in the Armēdo Kingdom was too strong.
While being careful not to show my unease, I continued.
“We have come from Dragon Peak, which lies further west of the Armēdo Kingdom, for a certain reason.”
“From Dragon Peak? Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a citizen of Armēdo. Are you mocking my memory by pretending I haven’t met you at that country’s royal castle or detached palace?”
“No. That is not the case.”
I almost grimaced and quickly faked a smile to cover it.
Should I be genuinely honored that you remember a commoner like me? But for some reason, I’m not happy at all.
“I am honored that you remember me. However, it is true that I came from Dragon Peak. I am currently living there.”
With that, I introduced Mistral.
“She is a Dragon Race, and my future wife. I am learning the customs of the Dragon Race in her village.”
Lord Grave’s gaze briefly shifted to Mistral, but quickly returned to me.
“Are you asking me to believe such a tall tale?”
Humans lack the ability to discern a person’s race just by looking at them. So even if I introduce Mistral as a Dragon Race, most humans wouldn’t believe it.
To humans, Dragon Peak is that much of a different world, and the Dragon Race is a race that only appears in stories.
But it’s the truth.
And I don’t want to boast about my future wife to a prince. I just wanted to find a topic for conversation.
Lord Grave, still suspicious of my outlandish story, seemed to retract some of his initial assertiveness, focusing on getting his point across.
“Your name was Elnea, wasn’t it? I remember you. Are you going to marry that woman? Then what about Yufilia and Nina’s words?”
“I will marry Elnea-kun too.”
“I will also be Elnea-kun’s bride.”
“W-what!?”
At the Twin Princesses’ words, Lord Grave’s face contorted even more.
“Elnea! What is this all about!”
Just as he was about to lunge at me, veins throbbing on his forehead, the clear, ringing sound of a staff echoed next to me.
“Your Highness, I will not tolerate any rough treatment of guests in my presence?”
Lady Madrine, the Head Miko, though smiling, exuded a presence that even royalty couldn’t ignore. She struck her staff, checking Lord Grave’s movement.
I also don’t want to cause trouble here.
Thanks to Lady Madrine’s presence, Lord Grave was able to return to a state where he was at least listening to my story.
I am very grateful for that.
And, there’s no reason not to take advantage of the current situation.
“Uh, the words of the Twin Princesses are true. Furthermore, the woman named Laira standing behind me, and the Miko Ruiseine are also my future wives.”
“Wh-what…?”
Lord Grave was speechless.
“And it is also true that all of us came from Dragon Peak riding a crimson wyvern.”
Lord Grave reacted to the words “crimson wyvern.” His lips trembled, but he seemed unable to speak.
Perhaps he wanted to question the Twin Princesses and the other women, but also had too many things he wanted to say about the tyrant, that he was rendered speechless.
As I waited, observing Lord Grave’s reaction, he finally spoke after swallowing several times.
“That’s right. You are also accused of obstructing the wyvern hunt using that terrifying wyvern. Not only have you escaped from prison as a criminal, but you are also deceiving princesses and mikos. I will not forgive you!”
You’re calling it deception, but it’s just an accusation. I would like to explain that part properly, but now that the conversation has turned to the tyrant, I decided to prioritize that.
“Your Highness. There are many misunderstandings and errors regarding the wyvern hunt. That crimson wyvern’s name is Revalia. Please let me talk about that matter.”
“I refuse!”
An immediate refusal. So swift.
“Why should I lend an ear to your words? You are a criminal. It is only natural for a criminal to wait patiently in an underground prison for their punishment.”
Lord Grave’s gaze shifted to Lady Madrine.
“Head Miko. You referred to this person as a guest. Surely you haven’t been helping him escape and hiding him, have you?”
W-what an accusation!
To direct suspicious eyes at the Head Miko, of all people!
Perhaps not expecting to be accused of such a strange thing, Lady Madrine’s expression hardened.
“Are you doubting me, the Head Miko of the Yorttenitos Kingdom?”
A tense atmosphere arose between Lady Madrine and Lord Grave, and I hurried to intervene.
“Your Highness, it’s a misunderstanding. Head Miko is…”
As I tried to explain.
“Brother, you were here after all.”
A young boy stood at the door, which had been left open since Lord Grave’s impetuous entrance.
“Prince Friel.”
At my whispered words, Lord Grave looked back.
“Friel. Why are you here? You were supposed to be confined to your room as punishment for your reckless actions?”
“Yes. But I came to clear the suspicion against Elnea-kun, who is my close friend and benefactor.”
Undeterred by Lord Grave’s evident anger, Friel entered the room. First, he bowed to Lady Madrine.
“Head Miko, thank you for protecting Elnea-kun.”
Then, Friel stood before Lord Grave and said.
“I will say it again, just as I did last night. It is thanks to Elnea-kun that I was able to survive on Dragon Peak. The persuasion and cooperation of my uncle are also thanks to him.”
Friel took a step forward.
“Also, Elnea-kun has not escaped from prison. I gave him permission to leave the cell, and asked the Head Miko to grant him refuge until his innocence could be proven.”
Uh, is that so?
Friel glanced at me and Lady Madrine. It would be wise to accept his offer of help.
“Your permission? What authority do you have to make such a unilateral decision?”
Lord Grave also took a step forward, their faces just inches apart, their eyes clashing.
“Brother, what authority do you have to imprison him in the underground cell when he single-handedly stopped the rampaging earth dragon in the northern lands?”
“What?”
“Haven’t you received a report from Dragon Knights Media and Tolkinea? Elnea-kun stopped the rampage of the earth dragon and apprehended the egg thief.”
“Hmph, I received the report. But even more so, I cannot let a boy named Elnea go free. This person uses a terrifying wyvern, and perhaps he is in league with the earth dragon as well. We cannot rule out the possibility that the earth dragon’s rampage was a self-orchestrated event.”
“…Brother. We only arrived in the Yorttenitos Kingdom yesterday? How could we be in league with the earth dragon in the northern mountainous region? Furthermore, I was the one who ordered Elnea-kun to apprehend the egg thief. Doubting his achievements as a self-orchestrated event means you doubt me as well, who acted with him and gave the order?”
“Guh… that…”
To doubt his own brother, Friel, who is also a royal family member, could potentially lead to a crisis of credibility for the royal family itself. Lord Grave, realizing this, was momentarily speechless.
“However, the fact remains that he brought a terrifying wyvern that caused considerable casualties during the wyvern hunt is undeniable.”
Lord Grave stepped back from Friel and turned his gaze back to me.
“Yes. There is no mistake that I brought Revalia with me. And I would like to discuss that matter.”
Finally, the conversation returned to the tyrant.
All eyes in the room were now on me.
“It is true that Revalia interfered with the wyvern hunt. I believe Your Highness, who faced him on-site, knows this better than anyone. And I was aware of it and did not interfere.”
I had asked the tyrant to try to avoid unnecessary casualties as much as possible. However, I did not ask him to stop interfering.
“But I am not controlling Revalia.”
“Fufu. Are you trying to escape responsibility by saying you don’t control him?”
“No, that’s not it. To get back to the point, I want to correct the misunderstandings and errors regarding that matter.”
I came to meet the Twin Princesses, and found Lady Madrine and us here. There were many brides, and Friel appeared midway through. Many things happened in a relatively small room in a short period of time. However, as a prince, I couldn’t show any confusion, and by fully engaging my brain to get through it, Lord Grave was willing to listen to my story, even if just a little.
“I will explain why I did not interfere with the wyvern hunt. And why I brought Revalia.”
Regarding the existence of the Dragon Knight Order and the relationship between the Dragon Race and the Yorttenitos Kingdom, I have left it to Friel. That is their job as parties to the country, and it is not a matter for me, who is not involved with the country, to interfere with.
However, when it comes to Dragon Peak, it’s different.
So, I will state it clearly.
“Revalia, by agreement with me, will continue to act for the benefit of Dragon Peak from now on. This of course includes activities such as interfering with wyvern hunts to protect his fellow Dragon Race.”
“What!?”
Lord Grave’s eyes widened.
“It is wrong to abuse and control dragons to the point of nearly killing them!”
Dragons also have will. To repeatedly abuse such a species and control them by inflicting pain so they cannot resist is no different from slavery. While humans prohibit slavery among themselves, the idea that it’s acceptable for other species is no different from the barbaric mindset of demons and gods.
I appealed to Lord Grave, asking if it wouldn’t be possible to foster a cooperative relationship by communicating with them, rather than using such a crude and destructive method as wyvern hunting, as he and Friel have done.
And I asked him to make an effort to achieve this. I apologize, but I informed him that I would continue to interfere with wyvern hunts to force such a change.
“W-who are you on the side of!”
For the Dragon Knight Order, the existence of the Dragon Race is indispensable. Lord Grave turned his anger on me, who had declared that I would interfere with the wyvern hunting that secures them.
“Uh, strictly speaking, I am not on anyone’s side.”
That’s where the misunderstanding lies.
Based on the conversation so far, it’s understandable to think I’m on the side of Dragon Peak and the Dragon Race. But that’s not the case. I’m not making unilateral demands on the human side.
I will indeed interfere with wyvern hunting. However, before that, I will urge the Dragon Race not to fall for human provocations.
Wyverns are warlike. If humans start a wyvern hunt, they will instinctively get involved, thinking “If you can catch me, then catch me.” I will advise them to refrain from such actions from now on, and if some dragons are still warlike, then that’s their own responsibility. However, at the wyvern hunting grounds, ordinary wyverns who are not like that also come to get food. I added that I would interfere if such wyverns were targeted.
Furthermore, there are also curious dragons among the Dragon Race. I proposed an alternative to wyvern hunting: to find dragons among them who wish to be active in the Yorttenitos Kingdom, and to mediate their introduction into the Dragon Knight Order.
“What you’re saying is nonsense. A pipe dream!”
“Yes. Without the cooperation of people like me and Prince Friel who can communicate with dragons, and the cooperation of the Dragon Race and the understanding of the Yorttenitos Kingdom, I believe it is a pipe dream. However, for the sake of everyone’s future, I want to move forward, even one step at a time, starting now.”
I looked squarely at Lord Grave with determined eyes.
If I can’t persuade him alone here, the Yorttenitos Kingdom won’t move.
“Brother. I also support Elnea-kun. His ideals are not wrong. Even now, there are those like Anya who have an intimate relationship with dragons and knock on the doors of the Dragon Knight Order, aren’t there? In the future, the knights should be built upon such friendly relationships between people and dragons. That is why I have returned to seek guidance from my uncle, who had retired, to broaden the path.”
Friel looked at Lord Grave with a serious gaze.
“Elnea-kun, although he is human, is deeply admired by the Dragon People and the Dragon Race on Dragon Peak. He is saying that he will work on the dragons of Dragon Peak. If that is the case, what we should do is reform the awareness of people and dragons on the Yorttenitos Kingdom side!”
I want you to leave Dragon Peak to me. And Friel, as you said yourself, I want you to do your best on the kingdom’s side.
Here and now, Friel and I presented a shared vision of the future to Lord Grave.
“B-but then…”
Lord Grave seemed to be somewhat overwhelmed by the intensity of Friel and I.
“Your Highness. You called Revalia a terrifying wyvern. It is true that there were casualties caused by Revalia during the wyvern hunt.”
Lord Grave looked at me, as if to say, “What are you talking about now?”
“To be precise, I am not controlling Revalia. As I’ve said many times, I am not.”
On Dragon Peak, the tyrant who made everyone say they had no choice but to flee if they saw him. Humans now know the terror of the tyrant.
“I believe Your Highness, who faced that wyvern, well understands Revalia’s ferocity.”
“Are you threatening me with that wyvern to make me comply with your demands?”
“No, that’s not it.”
I smiled.
“No matter how terrifying a being may seem, if we can communicate with them, I believe we can understand each other. We can become friends. Just like Revalia and I are close friends.”
I continued.
“Revalia is not controlled by anyone. But did he rampage when he came to the kingdom? He escaped when we were captured in the courtyard, but did he cause any damage then? There should have been none. Because I asked him not to rampage.”
My reason for bringing the tyrant here.
It was to show an example that no matter who the opponent is, if we can communicate with them, we can become friends and they will listen to our requests.
I brought him here as a model for the Dragon Knight Order as well, hoping it would be organized through friendly relations rather than the rule of fear.
“However, I cannot blindly believe your words. Who else can know that you and that wyvern are not under a master-servant relationship? Even if you say smooth words, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are the truth.”
You are absolutely right. I cannot prove our relationship with the tyrant in a visible form. Because friendship cannot be put into a tangible form.
“Understood. Then, I shall demonstrate my friendship with the Dragon Race.”
However, I promised Lord Grave with confidence.
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