We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Mountain of Miasma.
“Humans have encroached upon Dragon Peak. And leading them, is it the Dragon Princess? If they are of the Dragon Kin, they should understand what kind of place this is.”
An ancient Earth Dragon glares at me with sharp eyes. Even though it’s an old Earth Dragon, its fearsome presence overwhelms me. Perhaps it’s agitated after we just annihilated the Yoma.
I swallow hard and stand up. I sheathe my White Sword and Spirit Tree Wooden Sword to show I bear no ill will. However, I remain vigilant, ready to handle any situation. As I face the Earth Dragon, Mistral moves as well.
Unlike me, Mistral confronts the old Dragon with his full Dragon Energy. He asserts his presence so as not to be underestimated, even by a Dragon Kin. If I were to do something like this, I might incur the wrath of the Dragon Kin, but as the Dragon Princess, his overwhelming Dragon Energy makes the Earth Dragon rumble in its throat. The tense standoff lasts for a short while. Then, Mistral, who had fully displayed his power, speaks first.
“Old Dragon, we have business at the Dragon Altar and have come to visit.”
“The Dragon Altar, you say?”
The Earth Dragon’s gaze shifts from Mistral, with whom it was locked in a stare-down, towards the dark clouds beyond the mountain range.
“That place is now filled with a curse. Even the Dragon Princess cannot resist the curse?”
“As I suspected, the curse is spreading. We have brought the Ryūhōken to deal with this curse.”
The Earth Dragon’s eyes move from the dark clouds to the golden twin swords carried by Yufilia and Nina. It seems puzzled as to why humans possess the Ryūhōken.
“The tribe that enshrined the Ryūhōken was annihilated in a conflict among the Dragon Kin. At that time, their knowledge of the accompanying rituals was also lost…”
“The disturbance last year? I see, that’s why the Dragon Princess has come all this way. Now then, why do you bring humans with you?”
The Earth Dragon’s demeanor was displeased, but being an intelligent Dragon Kin, it didn’t just express its displeasure unilaterally, but was willing to listen to our circumstances. If it were a Demon Race or some nasty bandits, we would have been fighting without question. Well, if I couldn’t gain its understanding through this dialogue, we would be in an even more dangerous situation than with bandits or demons. The Earth Dragon acknowledged Mistral, the Dragon Princess, and slightly tilted its ear. We have no choice but to leave it to Mistral.
“He,” Mistral indicates me. “Although he is human, he is Elnea, one of the Eight Dragon Kings. He is my husband. And the other women are also his wives.”
“And the Ancient Species’ young dragon, and the Spirit Race?”
“They are those who admire Elnea.”
The Earth Dragon directs its glowing eyes at me, as if trying to scrutinize me. I release the Ryūhōgyoku to a degree that won’t provoke it. The Earth Dragon leans its face closer. With a heavy snort, my hair and Mistral’s hair standing next to me sway. As always, such intimidation tactics from Dragon Kin are completely ineffective. Just a few days ago, Asher bit me! Compared to that, an ordinary Earth Dragon’s fangs, even with its age, are not much different from those of Fiorina or Rim. Unamused by the lack of fear from me and the women, the Earth Dragon snorts and pulls its face away.
“That place is the territory of the Dragon King, and the resting place of the spirits of deceased Dragon Kin. Can you, by any chance, dispel that curse?”
“To be honest, until we go there, we cannot say. After all, even the role the Ryūhōken played has been lost to oral tradition.”
I cannot lie here. Old Dragon Kin can see through human lies very easily.
“What a pathetic display. No wonder the Dragon King laments.”
The Dragon King. Is it different from the Dragon Lord? The words are similar, but their usage feels distinct. The Dragon King that we humans are familiar with is the “Sacred Dragon King” that appears in the founding stories of the Armēdo Kingdom and Yorttenitos Kingdom. When the twin brothers, Armēdo and Yorttenitos, crossed Dragon Peak on their long journey, the younger brother, Yorttenitos, made a contract with the Dragon King and was taught the art of controlling dragons. Is it that Dragon King? If so, the Dragon King is still alive, and is present at the Dragon Altar?
The conversation is starting to stray, but I was curious, so I asked Mistral.
“The words ‘Dragon Lord’ and ‘Dragon King’ are indeed similar, aren’t they? But as you say, they are completely different. The Dragon King is said to be an Ancient Species of Dragon Kin that ruled the Dragons of Dragon Peak thousands of years ago.”
“Is that different from the Dragon Leader?”
“In human society, the Dragon King is indeed a king who ruled the Dragon Kin. However, it wasn’t a rule by law or force like humans. Its role is similar to that of the current Leader. The Dragon King died, and the one who united the Dragon Kin afterward was the beginning of the Dragon Leader.”
“According to human legends, the art of commanding dragons was taught by the Dragon King. In that case, was the Dragon King alive until about three hundred years ago?”
“That’s strange. I heard that the story of the Dragon King dates back thousands of years ago.”
“Mumumu?”
My question seems to have perplexed Mistral as well. She tilts her head with a troubled expression. Even Mistral doesn’t possess information about the Dragon’s Mausoleum. This confirms that the Northern Dragon Peak is entirely the territory of the Dragon Kin, and even the Dragon Kin cannot easily enter.
“The soul of the Dragon King has not perished.”
“Eh?!”
The Earth Dragon’s words surprise not only me, but also Mistral.
“Hehehe. Your reactions are the same as those of Dragon Kin who have just set foot in the Dragon’s Mausoleum for the first time.”
“So… does that mean that even the Dragon Kin south of here do not know about the Dragon King?”
“They do not. Because it is kept secret.”
“Why?”
“It is better not to know. The Dragon Princess must have told you. The Dragon King ruled the Dragon Kin thousands of years ago with the nobility of its existence. If it becomes known that its soul has not perished, it will become a seed for foolish disturbances.”
“That might be the case.”
Dragon Kin sometimes leave behind strong emotions as Ryūhōgyoku. Mistral’s village is a clan that protects the Ryūhōgyoku. However, even based on the Ryūhōgyoku, disputes arise. People try to steal it or hatch wicked schemes. We experienced this keenly with Orta’s situation. And if the Dragon King’s soul has not perished, villains will certainly appear to exploit it. I strongly feel the need for secrecy. Perhaps Orta’s clan knew about the Dragon King’s soul and has been protecting it in secret.
Then why has the curse spread to the Dragon King’s territory this time? Curses are said to be the accumulation of the emotions of deceased Dragon Kin. The Dragon King’s soul, the emotions of deceased Dragon Kin, the Dragon Altar, and the Ryūhōken– unfortunately, we still don’t know how they are related. Also, the connection with the Dragon King who taught Ryūto to Yorttenitos is still unclear.
The Earth Dragon did not look down on us, who are lacking in knowledge, as we exchanged words. As we spoke, its gradually agitated aura began to calm.
“Interesting. It is the Dragon Princess, the Dragon King, and his family who have gathered to deal with that curse. Beyond the miasma that even the Dragon Kin find difficult to handle, lies the Dragon Altar. Very well. For today, due to your earnestness, I shall overlook it.”
“Thank you.”
As expected, those who disturb the Dragon’s Mausoleum tend to attract the attention of old Dragon Kin. But at the same time, they are also generous. Furthermore, Dragon Kin are naturally curious and meddlesome.
“Alright. I shall escort you to the miasma. This is a special occasion. Come, board my back.”
“No, no, it’s still midnight. The little ones are sleeping.”
Priscilla-chan and Nimia are still asleep despite all this commotion. Nimia is probably feigning sleep. In the end, we were allowed to be overlooked for tonight.
“Um, can we ride?”
“Priscilla-chan, you should say things like that before riding.”
And so, the next day. As the sun emerged from the sea of clouds, we immediately set out for the location of the miasma clouds, guided by the Earth Dragon from last night. The Earth Dragon offered to carry us on its back to navigate the high altitudes where just walking would consume our strength and spirit. We gratefully accepted. If we are guided by a resident of the Dragon’s Mausoleum, we won’t have to worry about other Dragon Kin bothering us. We all climbed onto the Earth Dragon’s back and decided to cover the remaining distance all at once.
However, that choice might have been a mistake.
“Well then, hold on tight.”
“Giiiiiiiiiyaaaaaaa……”
“Kyaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!”
“Kya-kya.”
We should have considered how this Earth Dragon appeared before the Yoma! The Earth Dragon, without a word, leaped into the sky with us on its back. My vision briefly caught the moment the rock beneath our feet shattered. But immediately after, the mountain scenery, along with the rocky overhang where we had spent the night, spread out far below us.
“Hiiyaaaaaaah……!”
With a tremendous leap powered by extraordinary Dragon Energy, the Earth Dragon reached its apex and then began to descend naturally towards the miasma-swirling dark clouds.
“Kyaaaaaaaaa…!”
If Lyra hadn’t used her adhesive dragon arts, we would have definitely been flung off, no matter how much we tried to hold on! The Earth Dragon made several leaps, covering in an instant a distance that would have taken us considerable time. However, our strength and spirits were more depleted than if we had walked.
“Now, fulfill your duties.”
“Ah, thank you…”
Barely supporting our wobbly bodies, we disembarked from the Earth Dragon’s back. The dark clouds were now within arm’s reach. The thin air and cold, strong winds, characteristic of high mountains, had vanished, replaced by a heavy, spirit-eroding dark presence and an inky blackness that obscured visibility even at arm’s length. The dark clouds, unlike natural ones, swirled as if possessing a will of their own.
“Priscilla-chan, don’t go closer.”
“Yeah. Scary.”
Even the usually innocent Priscilla-chan made a face at the eeriness of the miasma. Without Nimia’s protection, we might not even be able to approach this miasma cloud, let alone advance. It is that potent. Still, compared to the despair-inducing miasma the Giant Demon Lord exudes when angry, it’s somewhat better, I think. Maybe I’m broken.
In any case, we cannot reach the Dragon Altar unless we somehow deal with this miasma. Mistral and the others must be thinking the same thing, as they looked at each other, wondering how to proceed in front of the miasma.
“Here, as a Miko, I shall…”
“Ruiseine, I’ll help.”
Ruiseine was already deploying a barrier with sorcery. The excessively dense miasma alone could curse and kill living beings. Nimia’s blessing alone would not be enough to get us any further. When Mistral unleashed the power of the Ryūhōgyoku, for some reason, overflowed magical power flowed into Ruiseine. Ruiseine used that power to begin casting a new purification spell.
“Do not be careless just because it is miasma. Several dragons resting in this area have been swallowed. They are likely waiting for you in a cursed state beyond here.”
The Earth Dragon’s words sent a shudder through us. We’re struggling with just the miasma, and there might even be Rotten Dragons lurking further in! It’s impossible to tell if this is a dead volcano, such is the extent of the dark clouds. How far must we travel through the darkness of the miasma? What about the cursed Dragon Kin? Many difficulties still await us.
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