We live in the Foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Paradise of Death
The figure who appeared from the dark clouds of miasma brushed through their long, abundant brown hair with their fingers. Then, they let out a languid sigh.
An adult woman with a slightly melancholic air.
Her refined features and slender limbs accentuated her beauty.
But, perhaps her shoulders were a little broad?
“Dragonkin…?”
Mistral muttered.
Well, it made sense. Anyone appearing in a place like this would likely be a race related to Dragon Peak.
But why would a Dragonkin be near the Dragon’s Mausoleum, close to the Dragon Altar?
As I stared blankly at the woman who had appeared.
“Hey, you lot. Don’t just stand there gaping!”
The woman, who had been adjusting her dishevelled clothes after a magnificent flying kick, called out a warning.
That’s right. We were in the middle of cursed miasma, with Rotten Dragons attacking!
This was no time to be spacing out.
I lunged at a cursed Wyvern that had appeared from the right. Lyra also hurriedly resumed fighting.
The woman glanced at us and snorted, “Hmm,” as if impressed. Then, turning to a Rotten Dragon approaching from behind, she unleashed a backfist.
With a spin, she drove her fist into the Rotten Dragon’s decaying, flesh-rotted jaw. The Rotten Dragon’s entire body was then enveloped in a golden light and vanished without a trace.
“!!”
We were once again stunned by the sheer power of it.
“See, see. If you let your guard down, you’ll become Rotten Dragon fodder.”
The woman smiled gently as she unleashed a kick.
A shockwave, dazzling as the sun, was released, obliterating the third Rotten Dragon along with the encroaching miasma clouds.
It wasn’t just strong.
I knew it.
She wasn’t defeating them, she was purifying them!
Drawing power infinitely from the Dragon Veins, she was cleansing the endlessly regenerating Rotten Dragons, sending them to heaven with a single blow.
Even though she fought with her bare hands, she was not defiled by the dense miasma or the Rotten Dragons’ blood and flesh.
That was only natural.
The moment the corruption touched her body, it was all purified.
Ruiseine was also astonished by the woman’s strangeness, her eyes widening considerably.
“Oh, dear. They just keep coming. This is tiresome. Now, everyone, it’s just a little further. Please run as fast as you can.”
Showing no concern for the attacking Rotten Dragons or the encroaching miasma, the woman beckoned with a calm demeanor.
“R-right. Everyone, let’s run!”
We started moving our feet, which had completely stopped.
Regaining our composure, Yufilia and Nina cut through the darkness. Mistral cradled Priscilla-chan, followed by Ruiseine.
Lyra and I had no further role to play.
In the brief openings created in the miasma-filled darkness, Rotten Dragons appeared, only to be purified one after another by the mysterious woman.
I believe I could purify Rotten Dragons if I danced the Dragon Sword Dance properly. However, doing so in a single blow is absolutely impossible.
Watching the reliable back of the woman leading us, I keenly felt how much further I had to go.
As we sprinted up the rugged rocky terrain at full speed, the slope gradually smoothed out.
She said our destination was close, so perhaps we had reached the mountaintop.
The dark clouds of miasma still filled the surroundings, and the path ahead of Yufilia and Nina’s slashes was not to be overlooked.
And then, immediately after I thought that.
“Ah!”
“Hii!”
“Kyaaa!”
People can’t stop suddenly!
A path was created by Nina’s slash… or rather, it should have been.
But what we saw beyond the darkness that had been cut open was the end of the earth. A sheer cliff!
The ground suddenly disappeared.
We, who had been running at full speed, quickly noticed it.
But we couldn’t stop!
“Aaaah!” I desperately applied the brakes, as if tangling my legs.
Mistral, shattering the rocky ground beneath him, stopped forcefully. He held Priscilla-chan with one arm and grabbed Ruiseine with the other.
I touched Lyra, running beside me, and used Spatial Jump. I saved Lyra, who had stumbled off the cliff, just in the nick of time and reappeared behind her.
However, Yufilia and Nina had gone ahead to create the path.
And they had fallen over the cliff without being able to stop!
Immediately after rescuing Lyra, I activated Spatial Jump again.
Without hesitation, I transferred to the other side of the cliff.
The miasma clouds parted along the sheer cliff face.
Beyond the cliff, a world I had never expected unfolded.
Cliffs of rock face, towering like sheer walls, stretched endlessly left and right, connecting far in the distance. The sheer cliffs formed a large circle.
It was on a scale and depth that could encompass an entire mountain.
The view down was dizzying. The edge of the cliff transitioned into a gentle slope, where deep green spread out. The forest bordering the sheer cliffs below was interrupted by a large lake in the center.
“Kyaaaaaa…”
“Kyaaaaaa…”
Even desperate screams sound the same, don’t they?
There was no time for such leisurely thoughts, nor was there time to be captivated by the magnificent view.
Falling twice, I used Spatial Jump.
I caught up to them and took their hands.
But the fall didn’t stop.
The forest on the ground was rapidly approaching.
Unfortunately, I cannot fly. In fact, unless you have wings, even Dragonkin cannot fly.
Perhaps I could transfer to the ground with Spatial Jump?
But I couldn’t gauge the distance to the rapidly approaching ground, and I had never tried it before.
I’m going to fall!
“Nimia!”
“Nyaoon!”
I couldn’t conduct life-or-death experiments. And, above all, nothing is more important than life.
Holding Yufilia and Nina, I called out to Nimia for help as we fell.
In an instant, Nimia flew down beneath us. And with Dragon Arts, she gently caught us.
Yufilia, Nina, and I were saved just in the nick of time.
“Even if Elnea didn’t jump out, Yufi or Nina would have called and I would have flown over, nyaan.”
“Ugh…”
“It was impossible. I was too confused.”
“It was impossible. I wanted you to come before I had to call you.”
Tears welled up in Yufilia and Nina’s eyes.
“Amazing. Are they Ancient Dragon Species who can use transformation? A human, huh…”
Seated on Nimia’s back, we turned towards the direction of the voice we heard.
Slightly above Nimia, who was hovering in the air, a woman with brown wings flapped them and floated. A fluffy tail swayed behind her.
“Elnea!”
Appearing late, Mistral, flapping his silvery-blonde wings, slowly descended.
Holding Priscilla-chan and Ruiseine in his arms, Lyra clung to Mistral’s waist.
Everyone landed on Nimia’s back.
“Honestly. Don’t push yourself.”
“S-I’m sorry. It was a reflex…”
“I think it’s wonderful to be able to move to save someone at a moment’s notice.”
The woman gently smiled and shielded me, who was about to be scolded.
The woman also landed on Nimia’s back without hesitation.
Nimia didn’t seem bothered either.
Now. With everyone safe, and thinking calmly.
Since Nimia had grown larger, our presence was widely exposed.
The miasma clouds stopped far above, at the edge of the cliff, and a clear blue sky spread out above us. Below, closer to the ground, was the deep green forest stretching along the cliff and the large lake in the center.
Considering the situation just moments ago, if the elderly Dragonkin in the Dragon’s Mausoleum found us, it would cause a huge commotion, and things would have to be started over from scratch.
I glanced sideways at the mysterious woman. Not just me, but everyone’s gaze was fixed on her.
“Nimia-chan, is it? Could you fly to the island in the center of the lake?”
“Understood, nyaan.”
At the woman’s instruction, Nimia began to move slowly. We passed through the forest spreading along the base of the circular cliff and entered the space above the beautiful blue lake, which reflected the sky.
“There’s no need to be nervous. There are no Dragonkin below the cliff, and the curse doesn’t reach this far.”
“Nyan.”
“Fufufu,” the woman laughed gently.
The woman exuded an aura of maturity, but as we calmed down, a strange inconsistency began to dawn on us.
First, her height. She was tall, considerably taller than Mistral, who was the tallest in my family, by more than half a head. Also, her shoulders were broad, uncharacteristic of a woman. With her slender limbs, her broadness of shoulder was noticeable.
Her abundant brown hair, facial features, and demeanor were undeniably feminine.
However, her voice was subtly low. Seffina’s voice is slightly low but not jarringly so for a woman. But this woman’s deep voice was completely off.
“Oh, dear. When you stare at me with such intense eyes, it makes me quite uncomfortable.”
The woman, averting her gaze with a wry smile, waved her hands as she dispelled her Human-Dragon Transformation, trying to escape our gazes. As her brown wings disappeared and her skin was hidden by her long hair, a beautiful back was revealed.
Mmm.
Mmm?
Something’s strange.
My lack of knowledge and experience prevented me from pinpointing the inconsistency, but I knew for certain that this woman held a secret. The other women were also looking at her strangely, as if sensing something was off.
Even though she was someone we had just met, and more importantly, our benefactor, it was possible that she was not someone we could fully trust.
“The island is coming into view, nyaan.”
At Nimia’s voice, we finally tore our gazes away from the woman. The woman let out a sigh of exasperation.
Indeed, an island was visible in the direction Nimia was flying. It wasn’t particularly large. The island, floating in a lake that occupied most of the crater, would be hard to spot from a distance. It was that small. Nimia approached the island as she descended.
“That looks like the Dragon Mausoleum.”
In the center of the small island stood an octagonal mausoleum, similar to the one in Mistral’s village. However, corridors with roofs extended from the mausoleum, connecting to several similar buildings. Vermillion pillars. Black roofs. While it resembled the Dragon Mausoleum, the architectural style was unlike anything seen elsewhere. We observed the buildings from the sky.
“Nimia-chan, could you land us over there?”
“Leave it to me, nyaan.”
Nimia landed where the woman indicated. When everyone disembarked, Nimia shrunk and flew to Mistral’s head. Ordinarily, she would have perched on Priscilla-chan’s head, but at this moment, Priscilla-chan was being held tightly by Mistral. Priscilla-chan was unusually quiet, but that was because Mistral was restricting her freedom. Her eyes sparkled, and she seemed ready to dart around the moment Mistral loosened his grip.
“Well then, esteemed guests. Please, step this way.”
Gesturing with a smile, the woman ushered us into the building. The doors, like all the buildings in sight, were made of wood, but this one had intricate carvings. We passed through it and entered the interior. The floor was paved with stone, and the rest was made of wood, creating a solemn atmosphere.
As I looked around, bewildered by the novelty, Mistral lightly tapped my head.
“Don’t let your guard down. We still don’t know what kind of place this is.”
“You’re right. But I don’t sense any danger.”
“It’s because it resembles the Dragon Mausoleum.”
“It’s because we’re accustomed to the Dragon Mausoleum.”
“The inside of the building also looks very much like the Dragon Mausoleum.”
“Did the same person build them?”
“Um, Priscilla wants to explore.”
“Explore, explore!”
“Not now, nyaan.”
In the end, we all looked around. Mistral gave a wry smile at our antics. The woman smiled gently at our behavior.
“Please, make yourselves comfortable. You may look around freely, as long as you stay away from the Dragon Altar in the center. There’s nothing here to threaten small children.”
The woman crouched down and said this to Priscilla-chan. Priscilla-chan beamed, but she didn’t let go of Mistral.
“So, it’s the Dragon Altar, meaning this is indeed the crater of a dead volcano?”
“And you, for your part. By the fact that you are familiar with the Dragon Mausoleum, are you from that village? Nevertheless. Humans and Mimicho Race in Dragon Peak. Dragon Peak has become quite lively without us noticing.”
She led us down a corridor to a relaxing space. A vase with vibrantly colored flowers adorned the table. A rug lay on the floor, and the room was kept so clean that one could lie down on it. The sofas and furnishings, mostly made of wood, perfectly matched the atmosphere of the building and exuded elegance.
“Please, relax,” the woman said, and left the room for a moment. She returned shortly with a tray containing drinks and fruits.
Priscilla-chan, Ares-chan, and Nimia pounced on them. Mistral didn’t stop them either. It seemed he decided that letting them overindulge was better than letting them go where he couldn’t see them.
The woman peeled fruits for Priscilla-chan and the others. She prepared drinks for us and handed them over. Then, we all sat down around the table.
“Well then.”
The woman slowly surveyed all of us. We, too, looked at her.
“It was a noisy encounter, but why don’t we introduce ourselves? While I’m very curious about that young man over there… I suppose I should greet you first.”
She appeared to be the oldest among us. She had a composed demeanor and an air of sufficient confidence.
“I am Airi. I am the owner of this house by the Dragon Altar.”
Airi, the mature woman with brown hair, smiled brightly and extended her right hand. As I instinctively reciprocated, Mistral sighed.
“You trust people too easily.”
“But well. You’re not an enemy, so… I am Mistral. I am the Dragon Princess. Thank you for saving us earlier.”
Saying that, Mistral shook hands with Airi after me. At the word “Dragon Princess,” Airi’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
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