We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Mistral is the Dragon Princess.
A hulking man with stubble carried a large desk to an empty space and set up chairs, making himself at home. He then roughly grabbed the trembling sign girl by the scruff of her neck, forced her to stand, and ordered her to bring them alcohol.
The bald, imposing man left the giant to handle things and took a seat himself. The imposing man seemed to be the superior of the two, as the giant managed everything.
The people in the dining hall could only watch, trembling, as the situation unfolded, unable to do anything.
“It can’t be helped,” I thought. “They announced themselves as Dragon Race. There’s nothing humans can do against them.” Even the skilled adventurers present averted their gazes from the two bronzed-skinned Dragon Race individuals.
The sign girl nervously brought over a pot of alcohol. The giant snatched it from her, poured a cup for the imposing man, then poured one for himself, and they began to feast.
The giant then proceeded to snatch delicious-looking food from nearby tables and began eating and drinking boisterously while we cowered and watched the scene.
I glanced at Mistral. She was also of the Dragon Race, and the Dragon Princess at that. Did she not have any thoughts on the matter? Yet, she was playfully interacting with Priscilla-chan as if nothing were happening.
“Is it okay?” I wondered. “A member of the same Dragon Race is causing trouble. It feels like someone should intervene or do something.”
Perhaps noticing my gaze, Mistral met my eyes.
Ah, she was actually displeased.
Without a word, I could discern the sharpness deep within Mistral’s eyes. She had been playing with Priscilla-chan to distract herself.
“Perhaps, it should be me…”
Mistral stopped Louisain, who was about to rise from her seat, unable to stand it any longer.
“Stop. They announced themselves as Dragon Race. The Dragon Race doesn’t believe in human religions. Even if you’re a Miko, that won’t work on them. Stay put for now.”
Though speaking in a low voice, Mistral unequivocally made Louisain return to her seat.
Only Priscilla-chan was oblivious to the commotion in the dining hall, playing with Nimia and being amused by Mistral.
Unaware of our exchange in the back of the dining hall, the two Dragon Race men had the sign girl bring them even more expensive alcohol and were drinking as if they owned the place.
Blocked by the two men who had taken up position near the entrance, the other patrons were unable to leave the dining hall.
Then, several groups of travelers, unaware of the disturbance inside, entered and fled upon seeing the bizarre situation. A few adventurers, full of a sense of justice, confronted the two troublemakers, but upon hearing they were Dragon Race and seeing their intimidating appearance, they retreated quickly.
I felt frustrated by my inability to do anything in this situation. I was indebted to Old Man Sleigsta, an Ancient Dragon Species. And I felt a kinship with the Dragon Race, who were close to dragons. Mistral was of the Dragon Race, after all. Though I had never met any other Dragon Race individuals, I had assumed they were all good people like Mistral.
But this arrogance and disregard for others…
The Dragon Race originally lived in Dragon Peak, but they weren’t entirely absent from the Armēdo Kingdom. Some came down from Dragon Peak regularly for trade, and others apparently lived as adventurers.
I knew that not all Dragon Race people were as arrogant and condescending to humans. But this was going to ruin the reputation of the entire Dragon Race.
“I wish I could do something,” I thought, but there was nothing I could do. The only one who could, I felt, was Mistral.
I looked at Mistral once more.
“Stay put for now.”
“But, it’s too much.”
“Whatever you do, you have to choose the right time and place.”
Mistral smiled, trying to calm me. She noticed my impatience.
“Louisain and Elnea, please be patient for now.”
Perhaps the one who was being most patient was Mistral herself, a member of the Dragon Race. I nodded honestly and waited for the storm in the dining hall to pass.
The dining hall was under the control of the two bronzed-skinned Dragon Race individuals, and our set meals were never brought. The giant continued to snatch food from surrounding tables and ordered more drinks.
The sign girl was completely intimidated and compliant. Finally, the imposing man laid hands on the sign girl. A seemingly skilled adventurer, unable to stand it, confronted him, but was easily defeated by the imposing man. A single kick was enough to break the leg of the trained adventurer, and after being punched in the face, he was sent flying into the wall of the dining hall, losing consciousness. The overwhelming combat power of the Dragon Race struck us with fear anew.
The two bronzed-skinned Dragon Race individuals looked down on the terrified patrons of the dining hall with contemptuous smiles.
Finally seeming satisfied, they finished their meal and stood up, then left without paying.
Someone let out a sigh of relief. The storm had finally passed, and a sense of relief filled the dining hall. No one mentioned the incident or the unpaid bill. Even the people running the dining hall didn’t pursue the two Dragon Race individuals for the payment. They silently began to clean up the mess.
And then. Mistral stood up.
“I’m going out for a bit.”
“Ah, I’ll go too.”
“Um, where are you going?”
“Ummm. Priscilla wants to eat with Nyanko.”
“Alright, alright. Then Priscilla, you stay here obediently and eat your meal.”
Priscilla-chan readily agreed to Mistral’s request.
“You stay here.”
Mistral told me to stay, but I couldn’t stand by and watch, so I asked to accompany her. Then, sensing a dangerous atmosphere, Louisain announced that she would go too.
“Honestly. If the two of you come along, who will look after Priscilla?”
“Ummm, Priscilla can eat by herself.”
“Nyan.”
Priscilla-chan, completely unaware of the situation, replied cheerfully. I didn’t think I could do anything, but I desperately wanted to go. Louisain also insisted on accompanying us for some reason.
“Oh well. You two…” Mistral sighed, as if giving up.
“Priscilla, please stay here for a moment. Nimia, if anything happens, protect Priscilla properly, okay?”
“Yes!”
“Meow.”
Leaving Priscilla-chan and Nimia, who responded energetically, we left the dining hall. As we left, I asked the sign girl to bring Priscilla-chan’s set meal.
Outside, the two Dragon Race individuals were still nearby. They seemed to be picking fights with passersby. “What a nuisance,” I thought, feeling anger rise. But it was Mistral who was truly angry from the depths of her heart. I could feel a terrifying aura emanating from her as she walked beside me.
“Oh my, oh my.”
Louisain was surprised, realizing Mistral’s unsettling aura and that our objective was the same two Dragon Race individuals who had just caused a disturbance.
“Elnea-kun, what should we do?”
“Umm, I think it’s better to leave this to Mistral. Even though we followed, I think we should just watch.”
I couldn’t actually do anything by being there. I just wanted to do something about my own helpless feelings, so I just accompanied Mistral.
“Is that so?”
Louisain looked at me and Mistral anxiously, wondering what would happen next.
“Perhaps it would have been better if I stayed behind.”
“No, it’s fine. I wanted you to know me better, so watch.”
Mistral approached the two Dragon Race men who were picking fights. The two men immediately noticed Mistral’s unusual aura.
“Hey, hey, sis. What’s up?”
“That’s quite a presence you’ve got. What, are you here to play with us?”
The Dragon Race men looked Mistral up and down with a condescending smirk, but Mistral approached them without a care.
“Do you know me?”
Mistral looked up at the two bronzed-skinned Dragon Race individuals and asked. Mistral was tall for a woman, but she couldn’t compare to the giant and the imposing man. As Mistral tilted her chin up and looked straight at them, they exchanged glances.
“Haa?”
“Ah, of course, we know you. You’re our personal whore, aren’t you?”
The giant scowled, confused, while the imposing man unilaterally declared Mistral to be theirs.
“You don’t know me, do you?”
Mistral sighed deeply.
“We know, we know.”
“Alright, we’ll tell you all about you in a good place.”
Saying that, the imposing man reached out to Mistral.
“Ah,” Louisain let out a small scream.
The many passersby who had been watching from a distance held their breath, wondering what was happening. Everyone must have thought, “What is that little girl doing?”
The bronzed-colored arm, as thick as a log, was extended towards Mistral.
The moment everyone held their breath. Mistral grabbed the outstretched arm, swung the imposing man up with one hand, and slammed him to the ground. The sound and vibration of the exploding ground echoed throughout the area. Without missing a beat, Mistral lunged at the giant and struck him down. The giant rolled several times on the ground like a twig, crashing into a nearby tree. But his momentum didn’t stop, and he broke the tree, flying even further away. She didn’t even need to draw her one-handed club.
In an instant, Mistral had utterly defeated the two Dragon Race individuals. It was too overwhelming. So, terrifying. Only I understood the situation. Mistral could do something like this. But everyone else, including Louisain and many onlookers, were stunned, unable to comprehend what had happened.
“Oh my. People who are defeated so easily by a little girl can’t possibly be Dragon Race. You’re all letting yourselves be fooled by appearances. ”
Mistral said in an overly dramatic tone, yet loud enough to be heard by those around. At her feet, the imposing man was impaled with his upper body in the sunken ground. The giant had been flung so far away that they couldn’t even see him.
No, no, no. This wasn’t the destructive power of a little girl. “Isn’t this going too far?” I thought, and looked at Mistral, who had a refreshed smile, having vented her frustrations. She had overdone it to blow off steam, I see.
Mistral returned to us with a smile. The onlookers, who had finally grasped the situation, erupted in cheers. Louisain remained frozen with a strained smile.
“Well, shall we head back? Priscilla is waiting, and I’m hungry.”
Saying that, Mistral dragged the still-frozen Louisain back to the dining hall. What would happen next in this situation? I deliberately stopped my thoughts and followed Mistral.
The people in the dining hall might have thought the two were causing trouble outside again due to the earth-shattering noise. Several people peeked out from the entrance and looked at us. They had only seen the aftermath, so they looked at us with questioning gazes, wondering what had happened, but we ignored them. Yes, let’s eat lunch now. Don’t think about anything, don’t think about anything. If I think about it, I’ll just worry about the future. And so, we were able to have lunch without further incident. Little did anyone know that an afternoon of evading patrol soldiers, alerted by the commotion, awaited them.
