We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Marital Expansion
We had lunch while being watched from afar by magical beasts.
The magical beasts seemed to be targeting us, and I was constantly tense, but everyone else was lively and didn’t seem to care.
Women’s conversations never seem to stop. They chatted about various topics, eating happily.
Come to think of it, Nimia is also a girl, so everyone except me is a woman.
After the meal, at Priscilla-chan’s request, we went for a walk riding on fierce beasts again.
Priscilla-chan was satisfied, being held by a bear magical beast this time.
It’s amazing how skillfully the bear magical beast walks on two legs. When it stood up, the bear magical beast was incredibly powerful.
If I had encountered it alone, I would have experienced despair, no doubt.
Mistral rode a rabbit magical beast this time.
Ruiseine seemed impressed with its powerful running and became interested.
Ruiseine, who had recommended the rabbit magical beast, now rode on the back of a great wolf magical beast.
Ruiseine seemed to have horse riding experience and enjoyed it while comparing it to horses.
And I, onto the back of a deer magical beast.
Snake and bird magical beasts urged me to ride on them, but that was impossible.
I was a little interested in a journey through the sky on a bird magical beast, but I was afraid of falling. Snake magical beasts look creepy. Their scales are shiny, and riding on their slithering backs would make me dizzy.
On the other hand, the young deer magical beasts are cute, and the hornless female deer magical beasts are just large and cute.
When I tried to ride on the back of a female deer, a male deer poked me with its antlers, so I inevitably ended up on the male’s back.
Thus, we enjoyed our afternoon walks with the magical beasts, but evening gradually approached.
We decided not to camp in the forest, so despite Priscilla-chan’s whimpers, we parted ways with the magical beasts and walked through the forest on our own.
After we parted ways with the magical beasts, Ruiseine seemed to become tense, her movements stiffening.
Ruiseine already knew that Old Man Sleigsta, an Ancient Dragon Species who protects the Dragon Forest, was in the Moss Garden.
Even dragons are terrifying beings to ordinary people, and he’s an even more incredible legendary dragon. It’s natural for her to be nervous.
But to me, the gathering of magical beasts earlier was more tense.
Why are there so many magical beasts in the Dragon Forest?
I thought perhaps magical beasts were always numerous, and we just hadn’t noticed or known, but there seemed to be some circumstances.
Mistral said she would tell us when we arrived at the Moss Garden.
Priscilla-chan, with Nimia perched on her head, happily walked at the front.
We followed behind her.
After walking a short distance, the atmosphere around us changed as usual.
Ruiseine also seemed to notice the change, stopping and looking around in surprise.
The forest atmosphere from moments ago completely changed, replaced by the solemn and deep forest with ancient trees standing tall, leaving Ruiseine astonished.
“Come on, this way,” Mistral said.
Led by Mistral’s hand, Ruiseine moved forward, looking around.
“Um, we’re almost there,” Priscilla-chan said, pointing towards the front of the forest with pride, leading Ruiseine.
And then, we finally arrived at the Moss Garden.
The ancient tree forest suddenly ended, opening into a large space.
A carpet of deep green moss covered the ground, and looking up, the branches and leaves of a spirit tree formed a canopy over the entire plaza.
Ruiseine’s eyes widened in surprise at the fantastic space.
I also held my breath the first time I stumbled into it. I can understand Ruiseine’s feelings perfectly.
Ruiseine looked around, then up at the sky, and finally her gaze shifted to the black mound in the center of the plaza.
Black, lustrous scales, jet-black fur, and golden eyes.
Ruiseine’s legs gave out from the overwhelming presence of Old Man Sleigsta.
“Well, well, my, my,” Ruiseine said.
Sitting on the moss, Ruiseine covered her mouth with both hands in surprise.
“Hmm, I see some new faces,” Old Man Sleigsta said.
Old Man Sleigsta watched us quietly but seemed to notice Ruiseine’s presence.
“Come, let’s greet the Elder,” Mistral said.
Mistral helped Ruiseine up and led her to Old Man Sleigsta.
Old Man Sleigsta watched Ruiseine, who approached him hesitantly, with great interest.
I, Priscilla-chan, and Nimia watched from a little distance.
Ruiseine, now at the tip of Old Man Sleigsta’s nose, took a deep breath.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Ruiseine Nefel, a Miko of the Human Race. Due to certain circumstances… um… that…”
Ruiseine’s face turned red, and she faltered.
“Hmm, the second bride for Elnea, perhaps?” Old Man Sleigsta said.
However, Old Man Sleigsta seemed to have read Ruiseine’s thoughts, narrowing his eyes and nodding with amusement.
“Eh, um…” Ruiseine’s face turned even redder, and she lowered her gaze.
“Hahaha, is it your dream to have many brides?”
“N-nyah!”
Suddenly addressed by me, my face also turned red.
“Older Brother, do you want many brides?” Priscilla-chan asked innocently.
“Um…” Caught off guard by Priscilla-chan’s innocent question, I scratched my head in embarrassment.
“Um, then Priscilla will be your bride too,” Priscilla-chan declared.
“Nyamo will be too, nyan,” Nimia added.
“Wha—?!”
Mistral and Ruiseine’s faces twitched at the declarations of Priscilla-chan and Nimia.
I also twitched and could only laugh.
“Hahaha, you’ve gained brides all at once!” Old Man Sleigsta roared, his laughter shaking the ancient forest.
“Elnea! What is the meaning of this?!” Mistral demanded.
“Wait, wait, just a moment!”
I panicked as Mistral advanced towards me.
Is this my fault?
Priscilla-chan, what did you say?
I tried to escape, but I was frozen like a frog staring at a snake.
“Mist Older Sister is a snake, and Older Brother is a frog, nyan,” Nimia said.
“Oh? What do you mean by that?”
Mistral, with a vein throbbing on her forehead, grabbed my head with both hands at Nimia’s tattling.
“Ahhh, forgive me! Help me, Goddess!”
My scream echoed through the Moss Garden.
My head was shaken so hard by Mistral that I became dizzy and collapsed.
Priscilla-chan cheered for some reason.
This isn’t playing; this is abuse!
Mistral, now standing tall before me, seemed to have her anger diffused by Priscilla-chan’s innocent delight, and with a sigh, she turned back towards Ruiseine and Old Man Sleigsta.
I was saved. I thought I was going to be crushed.
Ruiseine, still standing before Old Man Sleigsta, looked at me and gave a wry smile.
However, following Mistral’s gaze, she turned back towards Old Man Sleigsta and stiffened again.
Well, it’s natural to freeze with tension.
After all, Old Man Sleigsta’s mouth, large enough to swallow her whole, was right in front of her.
Recalling my first encounter, I understood Ruiseine’s feelings.
Old Man Sleigsta and Ruiseine gazed at each other for a moment.
Old Man Sleigsta’s golden eyes, filled with wisdom, stared intently at Ruiseine.
And then.
With a flick of his enormous tongue, Old Man Sleigsta licked Ruiseine.
“Eeeeeek!” Ruiseine screamed and fainted.
“Elder!” I cried.
“Grandpa, what are you doing?!”
I scrambled to my feet, my legs still wobbly, and rushed to Ruiseine’s side.
Ruiseine was completely covered in Old Man Sleigsta’s saliva, her face contorted as she lost consciousness.
“Elder! Stand straight!” Mistral commanded.
“Wait, wait, wait!”
Old Man Sleigsta flinched at Mistral’s murderous intent.
“This girl was tense, so I was trying to liven her up,” he explained.
“No more talk!”
“Agyaaaaa!” Mistral’s one-handed club dug into Old Man Sleigsta’s fingertip.
Old Man Sleigsta screamed, tears welling up in his eyes.
He brought it upon himself.
He always gets scolded by Mistral for doing strange things.
Priscilla-chan, surprised, widened her eyes at the commotion, but then snapped back to reality at Old Man Sleigsta’s scream.
She approached Ruiseine’s side.
“Ugh, so sticky,” she exclaimed, inexplicably delighted.
Why is she happy? Priscilla-chan seems to find joy in everything.
“Honestly,” Mistral said, putting a hand to her forehead, looking troubled. She came over to us.
She then picked up the unconscious Ruiseine and, with Priscilla-chan in tow, began walking towards the ancient forest.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“There’s a stream nearby, so I’ll clean her up there,” Mistral replied.
“I see,” I nodded.
Ruiseine was completely wet with Old Man Sleigsta’s saliva. She should change her clothes.
But bathing in a stream at this time of year, wouldn’t it be cold? Summer has passed, so water would likely be cold.
Could it be hot springs? I was left behind with this question, as Mistral, Ruiseine, Priscilla-chan, and Nimia disappeared into the ancient forest.
“Are there hot springs nearby?” I asked, turning back to Old Man Sleigsta.
“No, there are none,” he replied.
“Hmm, then I guess the stream water really would be cold this time of year,” I mused.
“For humans, yes. Mistral will likely realize the difference there, between herself and humans.”
“Does that mean dragon people don’t get cold?”
“Indeed. Dragon people and humans feel cold differently. It will be a good lesson for Mistral.”
Hmm, it’s probably good that Mistral, who is strong against the cold, will recognize the difference and learn from it, but I worry Ruiseine might catch a cold from the cold water.
I’m worried.
“If you are curious, you may go take a peek,” Old Man Sleigsta offered.
“No, no. If I’m found peeking, it will be a big problem for me,” I said.
“If you are not found, there is no issue.”
“I am absolutely confident I will be found!”
If I were skilled enough at stealth to avoid Mistral’s detection, I’d be a top-tier individual by now.
I decided to wait patiently for Mistral and the others to return.
With nothing else to do, I began to gather everyone’s luggage, which had been scattered by the recent commotion. Old Man Sleigsta then asked me a question.
“So, what happened on your travels?” he inquired.
“You mean?”
“No. Mistral seemed a bit tense. She doesn’t usually get lost in thought like that.”
Oh, as expected of an old dragon who has lived for two thousand years, I thought, impressed.
He must have sensed something different from Mistral’s slight gestures. His insight is amazing.
And if Mistral is contemplating something, it must surely be about the Dragon Race.
“Ho ho, did something happen regarding the Dragon Race?” Old Man Sleigsta asked, narrowing his eyes with interest as if reading my thoughts.
“Um…”
I had intended to leave the explanation to Mistral, but I suppose it’s okay for me to explain now.
I recounted the events that occurred on our journey to the副都 (Fukuto – Branch Capital) to Old Man Sleigsta.
Even things that are difficult to put into words are easier to explain to Old Man Sleigsta, who can read minds.
Old Man Sleigsta listened to my story with a serious expression.
Perhaps it was because I spoke so earnestly, but before I knew it, the surroundings had grown dim.
Come to think of it, I’ve never stayed overnight in the Moss Garden before.
I’ve never stayed until it got completely dark.
The time from now on is unknown territory for me.
By the way, there’s no sign of Mistral and the others returning.
It should have been a considerable amount of time since they left the plaza, but what happened?
As I worried about this, Priscilla-chan came running from the ancient forest.
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