We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
To the Dragon’s Mausoleum.
“Brother…”
“Oh… oh…”
The two wyvern siblings, reunited after two hundred and fifty years, nuzzled each other, rejoicing in their reunion.
The old wyvern waiting in the northern lands had weakened considerably. By the time we returned, it was lying on the ground with its neck outstretched, its breath barely clinging to life. However, upon seeing its younger brother, it raised its head as if regaining its vitality.
“Brother. I have returned.”
“Welcome back. We have been worried sick about you.”
“I’m sorry. Brother, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Don’t apologize anymore…”
The two aged wyverns, their eyes glistening, entwined their necks for a long time, exchanging words.
They must have so much to talk about. We watched their emotional reunion from a distance, careful not to intrude.
“Ruiseine, thank you.”
“No, I merely did what I could.”
It took four days to return to the northern lands with the old wyvern. During that time, the care for the old wyvern was provided by volunteers from the beast races, led by Ruiseine.
Apparently, Ruiseine was the only one taking care of it at first, but she wouldn’t be here forever. However, everyone knew that the old wyvern would likely meet its end in this land. Therefore, before Ruiseine left, young people from the elephant and catkin races stepped forward to learn how to interact with dragonkind from her.
“The old wyvern’s dragon energy is becoming less turbid.”
“That’s good. We made it in time.”
“It’s thanks to Elnea and my efforts.”
“Nyan also worked hard, nyan.”
“Yes. Nimia-chan also worked hard.”
Laira had been riding the old wyvern and encouraging it until we reached the northern lands. Laira says everyone worked hard, but I feel like I just followed along and didn’t really do much.
“So, what are Mistral and the others doing?”
“Mist-san, Yufi-san, and Nina-san went ahead to Dragon Peak to gather information. The meeting point is the ruins of the northernmost village.”
As we were discussing future plans, the old wyvern spoke with a sense of apology.
“Dragon King. My brother can no longer move. If the beast races permit it, he wishes to meet his end here. I, too, intend to stay by his side until the very end.”
“Yes. We will do our best to ensure this is his final resting place. The beast race people will cooperate with us, so please don’t worry.”
The elephant and catkin people nodded reassuringly, offering their assistance.
“I am grateful for the kindness of the Dragon King’s family and the beast races.”
The old dragon’s deep growl rumbled from its throat.
The beast races, having quickly understood draconic emotional expression, did not flinch at the growl. This might be a testament to Ruiseine’s guidance.
“Well then, let’s head to Dragon Peak right away.”
“Yes!”
The two aged wyverns would likely have much to discuss from now on. We shouldn’t disturb them, and we still have things to do.
As I rode on Nimia’s back, the old dragon turned its gaze towards me and cautioned.
“Dragon King, be careful. The curse of the Dragon’s Mausoleum is deep and potent. It is a gathering place for the dying thoughts of dragonkind. Even dragon people and the Dragon King can become cursed if they are ensnared.”
“We will proceed with vigilance. Thank you for your counsel.”
Promising to resolve the situation and return, we ascended into the sky.
Nimia flew towards Dragon Peak to the west, following the peaks southward for a while. Then, once we passed the range of the Dragon’s Mausoleum, she began to fly westward again.
From the sky, the northern part of Dragon Peak appeared unchanged. A rugged mountain range. Snow-capped peaks. Clouds swirling in the fierce wind.
At first glance, it felt like an unusually harsh natural environment, but this is Dragon Peak. It’s completely different from the mountainous regions stretching across the northern parts of the Armēdo Kingdom and Yorttenitos Kingdom. A harsh world that selects those who live. This is Dragon Peak, the land where the Dragon Race and dragon people reside.
Nimia cautiously flew, trying her best not to enter the Dragon’s Mausoleum, and advanced deeper into Dragon Peak.
We then arrived at a collapsed valley.
“This place… it feels familiar.”
“Yeah. It hasn’t even been a year.”
“I was scared back then.”
The collapsed valley was the result of the battle between us and Orta. We were tossed around by Orta’s terrifying abilities and had no choice but to flee. Then, we managed to escape by detonating the surroundings with the Spirit Tree’s gem.
Even now, I believe it was a miracle that we were able to trap Orta and drop him into the shōjō’s territory. It was only possible through the cooperation of not only us but also the Dragon Race and dragon people.
The shōjō’s territory still burned with swirling crimson flames, showing no signs of abatement.
Nimia descended and navigated through the collapsed valley. After passing by several winding peaks, we saw an area with a gentle slope that had been leveled, where several huts were built.
A person waving their hand in front of a hut was Mistral.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, you arrived earlier than I expected.”
As we arrived and dismounted from Nimia’s back, several people emerged from the huts and surrounding mountains.
“Who are these people?”
“They are from the village that used to be here.”
“I see. Could it be that this village is also in the process of being rebuilt?”
“It’s their hometown. It’s natural for them to want to reclaim it.”
“That’s right. It’s the clan that protected the Ryūhōken, isn’t it?”
At this, Yufilia and Nina, who arrived slightly later, deliberately averted their gazes.
On their backs, as usual, were the golden Ryūhōken, resembling greatswords.
“Is it okay that they haven’t returned those?”
“Regarding that…”
Mistral looked slightly troubled and shared the information she had gathered before our arrival.
“The Ryūhōken are precious treasures to the dragon people.”
“I believe they are swords offered to the Dragon King by an ancient people, right?”
“Yes. And the Ryūhōken are not merely enshrined here.”
“The Ryūhōken are the key to reaching the Dragon Altar deep within the Dragon’s Mausoleum.”
As Mistral and I were talking, a man approached us.
“He is the one leading the reconstruction of this village.”
I shook hands with the man and greeted him.
The man responded with a gentle smile and added.
“Orta mistakenly believed that the Ryūhōken were the ultimate weapons for the dragon people, but their true use was something else entirely.”
“Why didn’t Orta know that?”
“That’s because Orta was not chosen as the next tribal chief. Knowledge of the Ryūhōken is passed down orally to those who will become tribal chief.”
“So, are you the next tribal chief?”
“No. I left this village when I was young. So, no.”
“Then why do you know so much about it?”
“I don’t know the details myself. I intended to rebuild this village, and from there, I researched to gather this much information.”
“Eh?”
“In other words, the Ryūhōken are the key to reaching the Dragon Altar, and there is no other information available at this time.”
Mistral’s words surprised us, who had arrived late.
“Unfortunately, the lineage of the tribal chiefs has been severed. Therefore, the detailed information regarding the Ryūhōken has not yet been deciphered.”
“I’ve always wondered, is it alright not to return the swords?”
While I feel bad for Yufilia and Nina, the Ryūhōken originally belonged to the dragon people, and we can’t keep them indefinitely. Now that there are survivors of the clan trying to rebuild this village, I believe they should be returned.
At my words, the man shifted his gaze to the Ryūhōken on Yufilia and Nina’s backs.
Yufilia and Nina puffed out their cheeks in protest, but they did not retort.
“Is it alright to entrust the Ryūhōken to the two of you as they are?”
“Eh?”
“It’s a pathetic thing to say, but we currently lack the knowledge and ability to enshrine the Ryūhōken again. Therefore, we wish to entrust them to those we can trust. There would be no greater peace of mind than to have them in the hands of the Dragon King and Dragon Princess, and their family.”
“But the Ryūhōken are important to all of dragonkind, aren’t they?”
“Indeed, they are important. However, you and the other Dragon Princesses are also irreplaceable and precious to Dragon Peak.”
“The other Dragon Kings also acknowledge your possession of them. For the time being, you will be holding onto them until this village is properly rebuilt.”
“I see. That’s good. Yufi, Nina.”
“My compatibility with this sword is good.”
“This sword is easy to handle.”
“You two, handle them properly, alright?”
“We understand.”
“No problem.”
Their slightly sulky demeanor is probably because I raised the issue. I’ll have to comfort them properly later.
“Well then, we will carefully hold onto the Ryūhōken. And, have you learned anything about the curse of the Dragon’s Mausoleum?”
“About that… the curse of the Dragon’s Mausoleum is even more unknown than the Ryūhōken…”
“The old wyvern said the curse is the lingering thoughts of dying dragonkind.”
“Many old dragonkind meet their end in the Dragon’s Mausoleum. It’s not strange for there to be a place where their thoughts accumulate.”
“The old dragon was cursed by these corrupted thoughts, wasn’t he?”
“Even dragonkind facing death might think, ‘I don’t want to die.’ If there’s anything they regret, it could react with the curse and cause them to fall into a Fubaryū.”
“We can’t just leave it like this.”
“Yes. The Ryūhōken, the Dragon Altar, and now the curse of the Dragon’s Mausoleum. We suspect a connection, and I believe it’s time for us to act.”
“Please be careful. The Dragon’s Mausoleum is a different domain from the rest of Dragon Peak.”
The Dragon’s Mausoleum is the territory of old dragonkind. Although dragonkind inhabits all of Dragon Peak, there are no young dragons in the northern part.
Dragon Peak, where dragonkind roams, is a dangerous land for those unaccustomed to it, akin to being on the brink of death. And the Dragon’s Mausoleum, ruled by elderly dragons, is an even more dangerous domain, I could easily imagine.
If the peace of the old dragons were to be threatened, I understood that terrifying consequences would follow.
We nodded at each other with serious expressions.
“Nevertheless, we will go. If we let this continue, it might become a problem not just for dragonkind, but for all of Dragon Peak.”
“I can’t help, and I apologize.”
“It’s alright. Please leave it to us.”
We psyched ourselves up and shouldered our necessary supplies.
From here on, we can’t rely on Nimia.
Young dragons are unwelcome in the territories of old dragonkind. Traveling on Nimia’s back would only provoke the old dragons. We would have to brave this land on foot, a land that even Revalia couldn’t enter.
We parted ways with Revalia, Fiorina, and Rim here. We asked them to wait nearby in case of any unforeseen circumstances, but cooperation would be difficult.
Nimia alone, stealthily, hid in Nina’s chest.
She would probably move between Yufilia and Laira’s chests periodically.
Mistral and Ruiseine?
Unfortunately, they have a different riding comfort.
“I get it, nyan.”
Nimia peeked her head out from Nina’s chest and smiled.
“Nimia, if anything happens, take Priscilla-chan and run with all your might.”
“Leave it to me, nyan.”
“Umm, I’ll do my best.”
“No, no, Priscilla-chan, you don’t need to do your best.”
Priscilla-chan, who had been quiet all this time.
Her acting like an obedient child, listening to our words, is a clear sign of her intention to come along. If she were to be selfish or act boisterously, Mistral would scold her, saying she couldn’t come.
She’s surprisingly calculating.
We also have expectations for Priscilla-chan’s spirit arts in the unexplored territory that we’re about to step into. That’s why we decided to bring her along, despite the danger.
Priscilla-chan was held by Mistral. Ares-chan, who materialized, hugged me.
I pray that a situation arises where these two don’t go wild.
We decided to rely on Ruiseine’s Dragon Eye for reconnaissance.
We bid farewell to the people of dragonkind and finally stepped into the Dragon’s Mausoleum.
