We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Strange Phenomenon of Dragon Peak
The next morning, I woke up as Luiseine gently shook me awake. The crisp, clear air felt refreshing, and I instantly felt alert. Mistral was pulling Priscilla-chan out from Nemia’s fluffy, long fur, where she was trying to hide, saying, “Ugh, just a bit more sleep.” Nemia seemed to be already awake and patiently endured the scuffle between Priscilla-chan and Mistral around her neck.
“Good morning,” I said. First, I greeted Luiseine, who had woken me, and then addressed Sleigsta (Old Man), who was watching us kindly from a little distance. Finally, I greeted Priscilla-chan and Mistral, who were rubbing their sleepy eyes.
For breakfast, we ate the leftovers from last night.
After eating, Priscilla-chan regained her energy and immediately started playing tag with her spirits. Speaking of which, Luiseine was seeing Priscilla-chan’s spirits for the first time. Luiseine was surprised by Priscilla-chan playing tag, using spatial jumps against two spirits who appeared as adults. Luiseine seemed to have knowledge of spirits too. She watched Priscilla-chan’s movements with a mixture of admiration and surprise that spirits could take human form, and even adult forms.
“Your movements are very fast.”
“It’s more like teleportation than speed, so you can’t follow it with your eyes.”
“If someone were to get into my blind spot with moves like that, I’d lose in an instant.”
“If you ever have to fight someone from the Mimicho Race, you’ll need to be extremely wary of this spatial jump.”
“Come to think of it, Elnea-kun used it too in his fight against Fake Listea-kun, didn’t he?”
“That’s a technique I learned by imitating Priscilla-chan’s spatial jump. But it consumes a lot of Dragon Energy, so I can’t use it consecutively like she can right now. I can’t jump to another location multiple times the moment I jump somewhere, like Priscilla-chan can.”
“Still, I think it’s amazing.”
” Ehehe.”
I blushed at Luiseine’s praise. I had been praised by Mistral and Sleigsta (Old Man) when I first developed the technique, but it’s always nice to be praised by someone.
“Let Priscilla play for a while longer; we’ll head over there.” While watching Priscilla-chan’s game of tag from a distance, we moved toward Sleigsta (Old Man). Luiseine and I had a vague idea of what we were going to do next.
Mistral began speaking to Sleigsta (Old Man) as Nemia, her master, settled on his nose. “I don’t think this will concern you much, but…”
“First, about the magic beasts in the forest the other day.” Mistral had said she would talk about the great gathering of magic beasts once we returned to the Moss Garden. Since we didn’t have a chance to talk last night, it must be now.
“I heard about the situation from the Great Wolf Magic Beast.” While we didn’t exchange words, it was more of a telepathic communication, so to speak.
“Recently, a Rotten Dragon has appeared south of Dragon Peak. It seems that magic beasts and animals that lived in the southern region are flowing into the Dragon Forest.”
I gasped. When I hear “Rotten Dragon,” I think of the one defeated by the Futago no Kenkokuō (Founding King of Twins) of the Armēdo Kingdom and Yorttenitos Kingdom. The Rotten Dragon King was a powerful monster that even the Dragon Race and Dragon Race people couldn’t defeat. While it might not be the Rotten Dragon King, it’s still a Rotten Dragon. Its fear and power are immeasurable to us.
“Is the Rotten Dragon one of those cursed Dragon Race individuals on the verge of death?”
“Indeed. It is the pathetic remnant of a Dragon Race that could not accept its own death.”
“Pathetic, you say?”
“No matter the reason, those who could not accept their own death are pathetic. And it is a disgrace.” Sleigsta (Old Man) closed his eyes and spoke with sadness.
The Dragon Race are a proud species, aren’t they? That’s why they must die with pride, I suppose. Luiseine, being a Miko, might have her own thoughts about death. She lowered her eyes at Sleigsta (Old Man)’s quiet voice.
“Um, so I understand that a Rotten Dragon has appeared. But why would that lead to a mass migration of magic beasts and animals?” I steered the conversation back to the main topic.
“Well,” Mistral seemed to be pondering how to explain.
“Hmm, human beings don’t understand animal behavior, do they?”
“No, sadly, I don’t think I do. Luiseine, do you?” I asked Luiseine, wondering if I was the only one who didn’t know, but she shook her head.
“Right. For example, if there were a scary person nearby, would you want to approach them?”
“I wouldn’t want to. I’d rather run away.”
“Fufufu, it’s the same thing. Magic beasts, animals, and even monsters will run away if there’s someone powerful nearby, because there’s a possibility of being preyed upon or killed.”
“I see, so they ran away because they were scared when the Rotten Dragon appeared.”
“If that’s the case, does that mean that Dragon Race individuals before they became Rotten Dragons were not scary to magic beasts and animals?”
“Luiseine is right. Dragons are terrifying beings, but they still live within the natural order, and more importantly, they possess high intelligence. However, a Rotten Dragon has lost its reason and is in a rampage, so even being near it is terrifying.”
“I see.” We nodded, myself and Luiseine.
“Allow me to add something,” Sleigsta (Old Man) said.
“Magic beasts and animals have a range of activity.”
“Are you referring to their territory?”
“Precisely. You could say that a range of activity is a territory for hunting prey. Powerful magic beasts, in particular, are very possessive and dislike other competitors entering their territory. Therefore, other magic beasts are expelled from places that become the territory of powerful magic beasts.”
“If they try to stay by force or assert their territory, there will be conflict, right?”
“That’s right. And this Rotten Dragon also has a range of activity.”
“Ah, so that’s why the magic beasts and animals that entered its territory ran away. They couldn’t possibly win against a Rotten Dragon.” So, the magic beasts and animals ran away from the place where the Rotten Dragon rampaged.
“So, in the territory of someone with great power, there will be no one else.” Luiseine nodded deeply, absorbing the explanation.
“Then, I have realized something amazing.” Luiseine pointed her index finger and looked at me. “Is it perhaps because Sleigsta-sama is here that no monsters appear in this Dragon Forest?”
“Ah!” I see. I finally solved a long-standing question. In other words, the Dragon Forest is Sleigsta (Old Man)’s territory, which is why no monsters appear.
“But, the Great Wolf Magic Beast has been here for quite some time, and if that’s the case, shouldn’t the magic beasts from this incident not have fled into the Dragon Forest?” Just as one question was resolved, another popped up. Mistral chuckled at our exchange.
“A terrifying Rotten Dragon rampaging without reason, and a benevolent ancient species Dragon with immeasurable power. Which one would you prefer to live with?”
“Mumumu, it would definitely be Grandpa.”
“Yes, no matter how you think about it, it’s the latter.”
“In normal times, you wouldn’t want to be in the old man’s territory either, but this is an emergency.”
“I see, I understand. But what about the Great Wolf Magic Beast? It was here before this whole commotion, wasn’t it?”
“That one was originally a foolish creature that wandered in by mistake. It just stayed because the old man overlooked it.”
“Haaa, so it was a creature lacking a sense of urgency.” Indeed, it was a foolish creature, chasing me playfully and reappearing even after being beaten once by Mistral. I found the Great Wolf Magic Beast, which was apparently unintelligent or rather, carefree, somewhat cute and started to smile.
“Now, about the magic beasts that have entered,” Mistral looked up at Sleigsta (Old Man). “It seems they want to be allowed to live in the Dragon Forest until the Rotten Dragon is gone. Of course, we’ve confirmed they won’t harm the forest or people.”
“Hmm, it cannot be helped this time. However, if they break even one rule of the forest, they will face consequences.” Sleigsta (Old Man)’s golden eyes shone sharply. They usually held a gentle gaze, like that of a kind old man, but when it came to the forest, his presence intensified. He truly protects the forest.
“What do you mean by ‘until the Rotten Dragon is gone’?” Luiseine tilted her head.
“Are you waiting for it to move to another region? Or is that unrealistic?” Mistral said with a wry smile.
“Given that it appeared on Dragon Peak, I believe the nearby Dragon Race people are already monitoring it. However, even for the Dragon Race, dealing with a Rotten Dragon would be difficult. It pains me to let a calamity escape elsewhere, but there’s nothing we can do right now.”
“Even you can’t defeat it, Mistral?”
“I wonder. I believe it would still be difficult. Besides, I have other things I need to do.”
“It’s about the Dragon Race and the Demon Race, isn’t it?” Ah, I see. I understood. Mistral has to find the traitor among the Dragon Race people. If this is left unattended, it will become a major problem. The existence of the Rotten Dragon is a problem, but this is of higher priority.
“If the Rotten Dragon heads towards the forest, I shall deal with it.”
“Wouldn’t defeating it before it gets here resolve the Rotten Dragon issue?”
“Elnea, everything has its limits. It is not a good thing for me to interfere too much with Dragon Peak matters.” Mistral looked troubled.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I said something I shouldn’t have.”
“Nonsense, don’t worry about it. It’s just that if I interfere too much, the small pride of the Dragon Race and the Dragon people will be crushed.” Sleigsta (Old Man) laughed heartily, making Mistral look even more troubled.
“In any case, the matter of the magic beasts is as I’ve said. Elnea, you seem to be liked by magic beasts, so please be careful when wandering the forest in the future.”
“Am I liked? I just felt like I was being teased.”
“They don’t tease someone they dislike every time.”
“Is that so?”
“Fufufu, Elnea, you’re rather lacking in self-awareness.” Watching me tilt my head, wondering what kind of self-awareness I lacked, Mistral and Luiseine laughed together.
“Now, about my next steps.” After their laughter subsided, Mistral looked at me with a serious expression. “I will be returning to Dragon Peak for now. I may not be able to return for several days.”
“You need to go back to the village and discuss things with everyone, don’t you?”
“Yes. So, if I’m not back tomorrow, please take care of Priscilla for me.”
“Okay, I’ll escort her to the Mimicho Race village then.” I still remember the way to the village clearly. If Mistral is busy, I have to do what I can.
“I’m counting on you.” I smiled shyly as Mistral patted my head.
“Well then, old man. Please send me off.”
“Good grief, what a demanding young lady.”
“You’re not human, are you?”
“Mumumu.”
“Mistral-san, you’ll be busy now.”
“Fufufu, I’m sorry. Let’s do various things together once things settle down.” Mistral and Luiseine clasped hands.
“Well then, goodbye.”
“Have a safe trip.”
“I look forward to seeing you again.” As we saw her off, Mistral, enveloped in a golden three-dimensional magic circle, vanished into space. Luiseine’s eyes widened in surprise at the super high-level magic, and Priscilla-chan, noticing the spell’s activation, waved from afar. Did Mistral notice Priscilla-chan? And so, in the Moss Garden, only I, Luiseine, Priscilla-chan, Nemia, and her master, Sleigsta (Old Man), remained.
