We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Spanning both west and east.
“Elnea, have a good trip.”
“Eh!?”
“Elnea-kun will be fine on his own.”
“Elnea-kun can handle it alone.”
“Eh!?”
“Elnea-kun, no overexertion, alright?”
“Eeeeh!?”
I recoiled in surprise at their unexpected reactions.
No way?!
With the emergency of an old dragon descending from Dragon Peak, I had assumed we would all head out to resolve the situation. Yet, this was Mistral and the others’ response.
It was so unexpected that a strange sound came out of me.
“Aren’t you guys going?”
“We’re concerned, but you should be able to handle something like that on your own, right?”
I was happy that Mistral recognized my as an adult, but I was also a little sad.
“If all of us go, I think the beastfolk will become uneasy.”
“Somehow, I can’t go.”
“Somehow, I shouldn’t go.”
“No, no, Yufi and Nina, you just can’t let go of the sake you’re holding, right!?”
I understood Ruiseine’s point perfectly. If all of us went, it would truly become a big deal.
If it was merely an old dragon descending, I could indeed handle it alone.
If it were a dangerous situation, it might be safer to have someone on standby in the rear rather than everyone going together.
However, it would be difficult for me to walk to the foothills of Dragon Peak, so I asked Nimia for assistance with transportation.
Nimia understood my intentions, stopped playing, and grew larger.
“Prisia wants to go too.”
“I’m sorry. It might be dangerous, so stay with Mei, okay?”
“Muuu. Only Nimia gets to go.”
“Older Sister has to protect her little sister.”
“…Okay! Leave it to me, Priscilla!”
“Older Sister!”
It seems Priscilla-chan’s sisterly nature bloomed after getting a little sister. She nodded energetically, promising to protect Mei, who clung to her.
“Well then, I’m off.”
As I said that and was about to move onto Nimia’s back.
Lyra sprang at me as if she had been waiting.
“Lyra-san!”
“Ah,” Ruiseine exclaimed.
However, Lyra smiled triumphantly at the other women.
“Hoh-hoh-hoh-hoh, I alone will accompany Elnea-sama!”
“Speaking of which, Lyra never said she *wouldn’t* go, did she?”
“Victory!”
Lyra’s preemptive move succeeded!?
This was truly unexpected, and we couldn’t help but laugh.
Despite a dragon descending from Dragon Peak, the beastfolk seemed a bit bewildered by our carefree attitude. The horse-type man who had come to report the incident looked around anxiously, wondering if everything was truly alright.
“…Right. It can’t be helped. You win this time. Have a good trip.”
Unable to bring themselves to say they would go after all, Mistral shrugged resignedly.
Ruiseine looked a little regretful. Yufilia and Nina, as fellow members of the “Brat bosom alliance,” didn’t seem too bothered by Lyra’s unexpected move.
Well, those two sometimes made their own preemptive moves too.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“I’m off as well.”
I embraced Lyra and, with a spatial jump, moved onto Nimia’s back.
“Hello. Is the location alright?”
“It’s fine. I can sense dragon presences even from the sky.”
After saying that to the horse-type beastfolk, we soared into the sky.
Nimia spun in mid-air and flapped her wings towards Dragon Peak.
We flew west through a sky with a few clouds. Soon, the rugged peaks of Dragon Peak loomed like a wall.
From the sky, the northern part of Dragon Peak still retained a lot of snow.
Beyond the snow-covered Dragon Peak. That’s where old dragons live out their final moments in peace.
So, what was the old dragon thinking when it descended from there?
Nimia searched for dragon presences in the sky. Lyra and I also tried to sense presences on the ground, but we couldn’t match Nimia, an Ancient Species dragon.
Nimia quickly found the target and began to descend. We focused our attention on where Nimia was heading. Indeed, we could sense a large, draconic presence within the forest.
Good. The surrounding forest where the dragon’s presence was felt was not corrupted. This meant it hadn’t become a Rotten Dragon.
“Meow.”
Nimia let out a cry to inform the dragon on the ground of our presence and landed slowly.
Upon landing, she returned to her usual small size and hopped onto my head.
Lyra and I held hands and walked towards where the dragon’s presence could be felt.
As we proceeded, confirming the primeval forest, a resonance like a low growl reached us.
Lyra looked at my face.
“That’s not a threat or anything. It feels like even breathing is difficult for the elderly.”
“They sound very pained.”
The resonance was like a choking sound in their throat, but it was rhythmic, so it didn’t inspire much fear.
The dragon we were heading towards must have sensed us. If it held any hostility, it would have threatened us from a distance.
So, is there no danger?
No, no, we mustn’t let our guard down.
Lyra and I cautiously proceeded through the deep forest. And finally, we made contact with the dragon in question.
“Who goes there?”
Pushing aside the bushes, we, Lyra, and Nimia emerged into a slightly open area, where an old dragon with brown scales was waiting for us.
“Hello. I am a human, but I am one of the Eight Dragon Kings, Elnea.”
“And I am his wife, Lyra.”
“Meow.”
To avoid agitating the old dragon, we stopped at the edge of the bushes and introduced ourselves.
A dragon who had retired to the Dragon’s Mausoleum might not know me, a newly appointed Dragon King.
I slightly unleashed the power of the Dragon Jewel to prove myself.
“A child of the Ancient Species and a human Dragon King… I have heard rumors. It seems you were causing quite a commotion on Dragon Peak a little while ago.”
“Ugh. I’m sorry. My apologies for the disturbance.”
“Hoh. You can read our minds?”
“Yes. Both Lyra and I have Dragon Hearts.”
Perhaps sensing that we knew of him and could communicate, the old dragon’s gaze, which had been slightly wary, softened.
Then, I observed the old dragon anew.
It appeared to be an old Wyvern. Its deep brown scales were peeling in many places. It was thin, its cheeks sunken.
Its wings were tattered, and it was clear it couldn’t fly anymore.
If it couldn’t fly, this old dragon must have descended Dragon Peak on foot.
Like Revalia, Wyverns are apparently not good at walking long distances on the ground. Normally, for a considerable distance, flying is much easier.
But this old dragon descended on its own two feet. It must have been very difficult. And yet, this old dragon must have wanted to do something.
Having entered the Dragon’s Mausoleum to find its final resting place, it must have had a purpose to leave specifically like this.
“Why did you descend from the Dragon’s Mausoleum? This area is even further north than the Wyvern Hunting Ground, and the beastfolk are confused.”
“Why are you in the beastfolk’s living area?”
“We also interact with the beastfolk, so I came to check on the situation on their behalf.”
“I see. You were active on Dragon Peak as well. It makes sense you’d be here.”
The old dragon looked at Nimia, who was relaxing on my head.
Even as we communicated, the old dragon panted painfully. It felt like it was barely breathing with its depleted strength before its end.
Its posture was completely horizontal, with its long neck as well as its body resting on the ground.
However, more concerning than its emaciated appearance was the internal aura that felt like it was being consumed by illness.
“I… cannot die yet. I cannot accept a death like this…”
“What do you mean by that?”
The old dragon, panting with difficulty. If it were human, it would be lying in bed, struggling to live while coughing. I felt a sense of worry for its condition.
If it held regrets like this, wouldn’t it eventually turn into a Rotten Dragon?
“We desired a peaceful death. But circumstances have arisen where that is not possible.”
“Did something happen in the Dragon’s Mausoleum?”
“Indeed. A curse has begun to spread. I was unfortunate enough to be afflicted by it. If things continue like this, I will not be able to rest even in death…”
“Uwah. Does that mean you’ll become a Rotten Dragon?”
“Please, deliver my message… to my brother. To my foolish brother…”
“Brother?”
“Long ago. My brother, foolishly took the bait from the humans and suffered humiliation. Even until the end, his brother worried for him, tell him… that I forgive your foolishness…”
It’s a little unclear. What is this curse that has begun to spread in the Dragon’s Mausoleum? And what connection does it have with the brother dragon that this old dragon wishes to convey a message to?
“I do not have much time left. Please, my feelings and my curse…”
“Perhaps the curse and the desire to convey your feelings are separate matters.”
“I see, that’s a possibility.”
The old dragon blinked as if confirming Lyra’s words.
So, this old dragon originally had something it wished to leave behind. However, it was not resisting its lifespan and was about to quietly end its life. It was then that, due to the spreading curse in the Dragon’s Mausoleum, it could no longer face its end peacefully.
And so, in order to fulfill its last wish, it might have pushed its dying body to descend.
But who is this brother it wishes to convey its feelings to…?
“Could ‘being provoked by humans’ refer to Wyvern hunting?”
“It’s possible. Perhaps, a long time ago, your brother was captured by humans and made into a dragon mount.”
“But after a certain period, they are released, aren’t they?”
Dragons captured during Wyvern hunting are trained by humans and used as mounts. However, it’s not for life; after the agreed-upon period, they are released back into the wild.
“Yes. There’s no mistake about that. However, some Wyverns who have completed their service feel humiliated by having submitted to humans and do not return to Dragon Peak.”
“I see…”
At that, I remembered a specific dragon.
Come to think of it.
When the Multi-headed Rotten Dragon rampaged and the Dragon Stable collapsed. I think an old Wyvern was active under Lyra’s command. That Wyvern’s scales might have been the same brown as the old dragon before me.
From past experience, I know that dragons are often categorized by scale color based on their preferences or attributes, and those with the same color form tribes.
Rim, who is from the same tribe as Revalia, has the same crimson scales, right?
Lyra also seemed to recall the old dragon that was in the Yorttenitos Kingdom, as she tugged strongly on the hem of my clothes.
“Um. We might know your brother.”
“Even if it’s not that dragon, if they were once under our control, their whereabouts should be known if we go to the Yorttenitos Kingdom. They should keep a ledger of their locations so they can cooperate in emergencies even after retirement.”
“What!?”
A flicker of life returned to the old dragon’s eyes.
“However, taking you, an old dragon, to the Yorttenitos Kingdom might be difficult even for Nimia.”
“Carrying heavy things is tough, meow.”
“For a little longer. Could you please endure for a few more days?”
Lyra approached, stroking the old dragon’s emaciated neck with concern.
“If my wish can be granted. If my feelings can reach him, I will wait.”
The old dragon purred slightly more energetically, its gaze filled with expectation.
“Then, we will go find your brother. But before that. Please tell me more about the curse in the Dragon’s Mausoleum.”
Depending on the situation, we might need Mistral and the others to take action.
The crisis in the Dragon’s Mausoleum could be a matter that deeply affects Dragon Peak and the surrounding regions.
“The curse of the ancient dragons. A curse that has been sealed for many years has been unleashed. If this continues, the elderly dragons will be consumed by the curse… Dying dragons wish to ride the storm and fly to the Dragon God. For ages, they have wished for this. Appease the curse of the ancient dragons. That is the duty of the Dragon Race…”
The old dragon conveyed its message to us and slowly closed its eyes. It was breathing raggedly, its breaths strained. It seemed like it couldn’t move any further.
Looking at the old dragon’s condition, it didn’t seem to have much time left. At best, a few days.
If we cannot find its brother Wyvern, this old dragon may turn into a Rotten Dragon.
“Lyra, let’s go!”
“Yes!”
“I’ll do my best, meow!”
Nimia grew larger, and we quickly moved onto her back.
“Hold on, meow. I’ll definitely bring your brother back, meow.”
“Child of the Ancient Species. Thank you for your kind heart.”
“Meowww.”
“Alright, first, let’s stop by Mistral and the others. We need to entrust them with the matter of the Dragon’s Mausoleum.”
“I alone will go with Elnea-sama to the Yorttenitos Kingdom.”
“Fufu. That’s right.”
Nimia let out a cute roar and then flew east.
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