We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Let’s talk.
“Grandpa, Asher, Revalia, hello.”
“Hmph, you’re here. Good.”
“…Asher. Why do you have such a disgusted look on your face?”
“I dislike males.”
“That’s right!”
When we all came to play at the Moss Garden, the usual faces were relaxing. Old Man Sleigsta was, as usual, sprawled in the center of the plaza, like a black hill. Asher gave me a curt reply and buried his face in his beautiful peach-tipped fur, falling asleep.
Speaking of which, why is Asher at the Moss Garden? He was supposed to be guarding my family home at the request of his beloved daughter, but he’s been lounging around the Moss Garden since before we even returned.
“Hmph. That place was protected by the Spirit Tree’s spirit. There was no need for me to get involved.”
“No, no, if you knew that, you should have told everyone from the beginning.”
Asher, without even looking up from my nagging, continued to sulk. Apparently, he’s been dragged around by guests he brought from the Ancient Capital. They’ve been making him run errands day after day, exhausting him completely. I wonder who these people are who can make Asher run around like that? It’s surprising that someone in the Ancient Capital can boss Asher around. But, I guess that makes sense. Asher is a Guardian Dragon who protects the Ancient Capital. Thinking of it that way, you could say he’s being overworked by his boss. By the way, none of us had even met these guests.
“…Revalia looks down too?”
“Who do you think it is?”
“Eh? Who could it be!?”
I tilted my head, genuinely having no clue, and was met with an intense glare.
“It’s because you met Lily that I’m being forced to accompany her training!”
“Is that so… Good luck then.”
Lily, as the future guardian of the Dragon Forest, apparently visits the Moss Garden occasionally to receive training from Old Man Sleigsta. And Revalia is accompanying her. But is that my fault? Being glared at feels a bit unreasonable.
“By the way, where are Rim and Fiorina?”
The children dragons weren’t here, and Priscilla-chan, who had come with us, looked disappointed.
“They’ve gone hunting.”
“Won’t they be okay without you watching them?”
“Don’t compare them to an immature fool like yourself. Though they are children, they are magnificent dragons. The northern hunting grounds are no problem for them.”
“You and Lily have been flying around so much. There aren’t likely to be any foolish dragons on Dragon Peak who would dare lay a hand on your kin. That is, your grandpa said.”
I think that flying around was because of Grandpa’s training. Anyway, if safety is assured, then it’s fine.
“Come on, Elnea. Let’s start the meeting quickly.”
“Yes, yes.”
Ever since we returned from the Demon Race’s Country, we’ve been coming to the Moss Garden almost every day. It’s become a daily routine. Mistral also has his duties. However, today we were here for a different reason than usual.
“A new training?”
“No, it’s different. We’re having a family meeting.”
So, why are we having a family meeting here, at the Moss Garden? And why now? It’s the result of a complex intertwining of circumstances.
First, why now? It’s because everyone is finally here. “But they were all here from the start, weren’t they?” Of course, since we live together, we’re always together, everywhere and always. But somehow, Mistral and the others have been holed up in their rooms on rotation, doing something. So, when we do activities, usually one of the women is missing. It’s sad to say, “No secrets between family,” while keeping me in the dark. But it seems that secret activity finally ended yesterday. So, from today, we can finally do things with everyone together.
Next, regarding the selection of the meeting place. We can’t discuss the upcoming agenda at our home or just any place. This is because today’s family meeting is about our wedding ceremony, which has been set for an auspicious day in autumn! If it were at home, someone might overhear or interfere.
Listea’s wedding ceremony was wonderful, with all the considerations fitting for them. We agreed that we also wanted to have a memorable ceremony like that. But if the details leak out beforehand, half the fun will be gone. That’s why we decided to have the meeting in a place without any unnecessary ears.
“Hou hou. An interesting trial, indeed.”
“Yes. We’re inviting Grandpa too, so please attend then.”
“Hmm, for a short while, that would be acceptable.”
“Thank you.”
“Elnea, Old Man. Don’t have conversations only you two understand.”
“S-sorry.”
Mistral sighed, and I shrugged. Then, I joined the circle where everyone was waiting.
“Well then, shall we start discussing the framework of what kind of ceremony it will be?”
“I want a flashy banquet.”
“I want a brilliant festival.”
“I want to make King Yorttenitos of the Yorttenitos Kingdom happy.”
“If possible, let it be solemn and dignified…”
“I’m not too fond of anything too noisy. I prefer simplicity.”
What, what on earth? A ceremony that is both flashy and brilliant, yet solemn and dignified, but also simple, and makes the King of the Yorttenitos Kingdom happy. What is that?
It seems we need to decide on the basic policy first. We exchanged opinions and sought a compromise. Old Man Sleigsta watched us kindly, with no intention of interfering in the family meeting.
“Um, um. This is matching with Ares-chan.”
“Matching, matching.”
“Nyan wants one too, nyan.”
Meanwhile, the young girl group, uninterested in the serious family meeting, unceremoniously pestered the dragons who looked like they might indulge them. Priscilla-chan, without fear, tugged at Asher’s facial fur. Asher, with no choice but to open his eyes due to the pulling, looked down at the little troublemaker.
“What is it? Is that a charm?”
“Yes. Big Brother gave it to me. Ah. The string, Great-grandmother gave it to me.”
Priscilla-chan proudly showed off her necklace. The jewel of the necklace was a beautiful green. It was the jewel of the Bewildering Forest, which had been fully restored by Ares-chan. It is by no means a protective item. It’s more like a cursed object. However, perhaps because Priscilla-chan of the Mimicho Race had good compatibility with the jewel, or perhaps due to the influence of the Light Spirit she uses. When Priscilla-chan holds it, the bewilderment technique is almost suppressed. The braided cord that matches the jewel was made by Grandma Yuuri, the Grand Elder of the Mimicho Race. When we talked about the jewel, we ended up discussing a braided cord imbued with spirit power. When I offered to give her Senju no Kumo no Ito, she already possessed Senju no Kumo no Ito imbued with spirit power. So, we exchanged my thread for hers. Grandma made a braided cord that suited the jewel using a traditional weaving method passed down in the Mimicho Race. She said the weaving method had meaning. The women were interested in that and promised to learn it later. And so, while not exactly the same, Priscilla-chan was able to get a necklace that matches Ares-chan’s. However, Nimia became jealous of this.
“Nyan wants one too, nyan.”
“Oh dear, this is troublesome.”
Asher looked troubled by Nimia’s clinginess. But no mother would dislike being doted on by her beloved daughter, right? No, Asher pondered.
“…Elnea. Elnea, are you listening?”
“Uh, I’m sorry.”
I got scolded by Mistral for paying too much attention to the young girls.
“What about the wedding favors?”
“Eh?”
When did the conversation shift from the basic policy of the wedding ceremony to wedding favors? For now, let’s think about what would be good. At Listea’s wedding ceremony, commemorative gold coins were distributed to the attendees. The minting was done by the country, but Listea and the others came up with the designs. The front was engraved with the Holy Sword and the Kingdom Flag of the Armēdo Kingdom, and the back was engraved with the family crest of Listea, who had become a Count. I was very happy when I received it, and we all talked about how it would be a lasting memento. Thus, we decided to send commemorative wedding favors as well.
“Hmmm…”
I looked around, thinking. Then, or rather, again, my gaze fell on the young girls. Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan were pulling Asher’s fur and playing. Nimia was begging for one too. And Asher looked troubled.
“Hey, hey. Asher’s fur is beautiful, isn’t it…”
Asher glared at me when he heard my casual murmur. It just occurred to me. If you process parts of the body of high-ranking beings, they become very high-quality items. Like Senju no Kumo no Ito, or the hides of Yōma and Magic Beasts. Dragon scales and bones become high-class, high-performance arms and armor.
“You’re not aiming for my fur, are you?”
“Gasp… But you see, I think everyone would be happy. Because in both the Yorttenitos Kingdom and the Armēdo Kingdom, Asher performed admirably. Some even call you the guardian dragon of the country!”
“It’s not ‘some people call you’!”
“Uwah!”
Asher swung his tail, which was more than twice his body length, and attacked me. I hurriedly held everyone’s hands and escaped using Spatial Jump. Honestly, everyone’s reactions are too good! Their disaster preparedness is solid! However, there was a casualty. Revalia, who had been curled up in exhaustion, became the victim of Asher’s tail and was sent flying with a *whomp*. Revalia, rolling all the way to the Ancient Tree Forest, bared her fangs in anger. Crimson flames flickered from between her fangs.
“Elnea!”
“Eh? Why are you angry at me!?”
It’s unreasonable.
“Kukuku. It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Old Man Sleigsta laughed at the unexpected slapstick. Revalia, who now comes to the Moss Garden as a matter of course, couldn’t get any more angry when Old Man Sleigsta laughed at her so heartily. Because if she acted out here, Old Man Sleigsta would get angry mercilessly. That would lead to a threat to her life. Revalia rumbled with dissatisfaction, but then lumbered back to her original spot and curled up again.
“However, Elnea’s idea isn’t bad, you know. Considering your past actions, your ceremony will likely be a large-scale event. You won’t be able to prepare it by yourselves. Therefore, you must seek collaborators.”
“That’s right, Grandpa. There’s still time before the preparation period, but it’s impossible for us alone.”
We have no choice but to compromise. It would be best if we could prepare it ourselves, but even from a layman’s perspective, it’s clear that it’s beyond our ability. Listea and the others also received cooperation from the temple and the country. Therefore, once the basic policy and the details of the ceremony were settled, we were thinking about selecting those who would cooperate.
“Hmm, so you understood.”
“Yes. One of the reasons we came here was because we intended to ask for your and Asher’s cooperation…”
“It’s not ‘and’!”
“Uwah!”
*Whoosh*, the tail flew again. …Revalia was the sacrifice.
“Look, I’ll help make Nimia’s necklace too. Asher, please, pleeeease.”
Following Nimia’s lead, I tried to ask in a pleading manner. But he turned away, saying he dislikes males. You can easily convey your support by clicking the heart. (Login required)
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