We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 539

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

An unexpected invitation.

When I realized it, I was standing in a pure world that felt strangely familiar.

“Um, I think a little while ago, we were dancing the Dragon Sword Dance at the memorial service?”

I remember dancing until I was tired, then gathering around a bonfire with everyone and lying down…

Before I knew it, I was standing in a space of nothingness, completely white.
A space where I couldn’t tell up from down, a space of absolute void.
But the pure white world began to change the moment I perceived it.

Suddenly, I felt a warm presence beside me.
When I turned around, Mistral was there.
Not just Mistral. Ruiseine, Yufilia, Nina, Laira, Priscilla-chan, and Ares-chan. And even Yun-san, Rin-san, and Ran-san had confirmed their presence beside me.

Mistral and the others looked around curiously, as if they recognized the space, their gazes filled with interest.
The Yun sisters, suddenly transported to a world they had never seen or heard of, huddled together fearfully. Ran-san, in particular, pulled Yun-san and Rin-san close to her, shrinking back in fright.

But the changes in the pure white world didn’t stop with just everyone assembling.

The ground, which I couldn’t quite tell what I was standing on, suddenly felt firm and hard. Looking down, my feet were now standing on a beautiful stone-paved floor.
Marble pillars rose from the spreading stone floor, and walls with intricate patterns appeared.
Calmly arranged furnishings materialized, and what looked like high-quality furniture lined the space.

A gentle breeze blew.
It should have been the middle of winter, but for some reason, the wind was warm. The slightly humid air flow was pleasant. It felt as if spring had arrived, skipping over the beginning of spring.
Lured by the wind, I turned and saw a large window thrown open, from which the refreshing breeze was blowing in.
Listening closely, I could hear the sound of the tide from beyond the window.

Before we knew it, we had been guided into a spacious and open room.

“Where is this…?”

I could speak.
My gaze shifted from the clear sky visible outside the window back into the room.
There, I saw a girl sitting up on a huge bed, greeting us.

“Nyan. That’s unfair, nyan. I wanted to go on an adventure together, nyan!”
“Uwah, Nimia!?”

But before we could greet the girl on the bed, a ferocious dragon leaped at us, complaining!

I managed to catch the vicious dragon, which flapped its cute wings as it flew towards me, with both hands. Then, I petted its fluffy head and said, “Good boy, good boy.”

“I’m not ferocious, nyan.”
“I’m sorry. It was a joke.”

Nimia, who could still read my thoughts, playfully bit my hand in protest.

“Whoa ho, it’s Nimia.”
“I missed you, nyan.”

Busy Nimia wriggled out of my hands and, flapping her wings cutely again, landed on Priscilla-chan’s head, her usual spot.
Priscilla-chan patted Nimia on the head and jumped around with joy at their reunion.
Everyone’s faces naturally broke into smiles, seeing how close Priscilla-chan and Nimia were.

However, the Yun sisters remained frozen, unable to comprehend the bizarre situation.
I guess I’ll have to explain it properly.
But perhaps there wasn’t time to explain leisurely to the Yun sisters.
We wanted to rejoice in our reunion with Nimia, but there were other priorities right now, weren’t there?

Unlike Priscilla-chan, who had started to skip around holding hands with Ares-chan, we nervously turned our gaze back to the bed.
The girl who had greeted us, sitting up on the bed, seemed unaffected by the commotion between Nimia and the young girls and continued to welcome us.

“Should I say ‘It’s been a while’ as a greeting?”
“Perhaps since early autumn? Hello.”
“Yes. Hello.”

She was a pale-skinned girl with striking green eyes.
Her outfit, similar to the robes worn by shrine maidens, was simpler than when I had last seen her. It looked more like sleepwear than everyday clothes.
We knew this girl.
We had met her last autumn. She was an acquaintance of Micheila-chan and her friends, who had attended our wedding.
I believe she was the Dreaming Shrine Maiden.
The girl who invited us into dreams and gave us strange experiences.

Does that mean this is the Dreaming Shrine Maiden’s dream?

“You’re exactly right. Nimia wanted to see everyone.”
“I see. So Nimia was the culprit.”
“Nyan. It looked like everyone was having fun, nyan.”
“Could it be that you know what we were doing?”

Nimia, hopping on Priscilla-chan’s head, reacted as if she knew the outcome of the commotion that had taken place in the Great Forest.

“I’m sorry. Nimia begged me, so I was peeking from within the dream.”
“If you were that curious, why didn’t you come back sooner?”

Nimia hadn’t returned to us since going back to her hometown with her mother dragon, Asher, at the end of the year.
I had thought she was enjoying her homecoming, but if she was curious about our situation, why hadn’t she returned sooner?

“The Dreaming Shrine Maiden is about to fall asleep, nyan. I want to stay by her side until she rests, nyan.”
“Umm, Nimia. Who is more important, Priscilla or the Dreaming Shrine Maiden?”
“Nyaa!?”

Priscilla-chan posed a devilish choice.

“It’s not like that, nyan! Priscilla is very important, but the Dreaming Shrine Maiden is special, nyan.”
“Now, now, Priscilla-chan. Don’t trouble Nimia.”

The Dreaming Shrine Maiden only awakens every few decades, or so I’ve heard. So, it’s natural for Nimia to want to be with her when she’s awake.
After all, Nimia is from a dragon fighter clan that protects the Ancient Capital.
Thinking about it, I suddenly realized something.

Could this place be…?

“Nyan. This is the Dreaming Shrine Maiden’s room, nyan.”
“Oh! In that case, this is the Shangri-La where men dream, the Ancient Capital inhabited only by women!”
“Elnea?”

Mistral grabbed me by the scruff of my neck as I happily turned towards the entrance of the room.

“I-it was just a joke!”
“Is that so?”
“It’s true!”

My wives just shrugged their shoulders with a sigh.
But really, it was just a joke.
I love this everyday life where Mistral and the others mercilessly tease me when I act strangely.
I haven’t had a moment’s peace lately, so I miss their reactions and tend to go overboard sometimes.
But this was not the time for that.

“Um. So, were we invited into a dream solely due to Nimia’s wish?”

Yes. That’s the crucial point.
Would the Dreaming Shrine Maiden really have guided us into the dream world just because Nimia wished it?
To my question, the Dreaming Shrine Maiden smiled gently and shook her head.

“No. I merely granted Nimia’s request.”
“Ehh!? We were called so easily!? I thought there was a more important matter… like a warning about me meddling in the issues between the Mimicho Race and the Giant Tribe…”
“Fufufu. A warning? You’ll be alright, why do you think that is?”
“Because we’ve taken on a special role, right? So, wouldn’t easy interference in the world still be a problem?”
“Oh my. Was it easy interference?”
“No, we took it very seriously!”
“If that is the case, there are no problems.”

The Dreaming Shrine Maiden smiled with a benevolent expression.

“You are free to live as you please. Interfere with the world freely and seize the future you desire.”
“But what if that has a negative impact on the world…? Ah. Of course, we would never do anything evil.”
“Fufufu, even then, it is acceptable. The future that the beings living in the world choose freely. Whatever form it takes, it is proof that everyone has lived earnestly, isn’t it? Therefore, we will simply accept and watch over it. Ah, however. You must not dabble in forbidden techniques, alright?”
“Forbidden techniques…”

I sensed a dangerous aura from a word that held a meaning drastically different from the taboos of the Mimicho Race or the crimes of the Human Race.

Speaking of forbidden techniques, I recall the undead user Goldoba using them.
Goldoba, wielding forbidden techniques that revived and controlled the dead, wreaked havoc in the Yorttenitos Kingdom and the Armēdo Kingdom. Not only that. He built a City of the Dead in the Demon Race’s territory, trapping the deceased in this world.

In our long lives ahead, we might have opportunities to encounter things like the forbidden techniques Goldoba possessed. The Dreaming Shrine Maiden warned us.

“No matter what happens, never dabble in forbidden techniques. Even if forbidden techniques are the only way to find a solution.”
“Yes. I will engrave that deeply in my heart. By the way, what would happen if we did touch forbidden techniques?”
“You’ll be mercilessly punished by a scary witch.”
“Ugh!”

Perhaps the Witch is someone tasked with dealing with forbidden techniques?
At any rate, the Witch’s punishment feels so terrifying that it chills my very bones, and I feel like even my life wouldn’t be guaranteed, so let’s absolutely avoid forbidden techniques.

“If Goldoba had continued his rampage, would the Witch have intervened?”
“In that case, things might have become quite serious. It is thanks to that child’s attention being diverted elsewhere, and thanks to your swift actions.”
“That’s a relief…”

The Witch is not a reassuring ally.
She seemed to be paying attention to Ada-san, whom we met in the Forbidden Territory, but she was by no means our collaborator. Therefore, I have a feeling we shouldn’t be subject to the Witch’s intervention if something were to happen.

“Along with the Witch. Also, be wary of the ruler of the Demon Race. That person is the one you must be most careful of. Do not be swayed while living in the Forbidden Territory, alright?”
“Yes. I will keep that firmly in mind.”

The true ruler of the Demon Race. I haven’t met them yet, but it seems they are someone to watch out for.
With the Giant Demon Lord already being a handful, I can’t handle someone even above that. I sincerely hope we have no further encounters with them.

As I was talking with the Dreaming Shrine Maiden, there was a sudden knock at the room’s door.

“Yes, please come in.”

The Dreaming Shrine Maiden replied.
Oh?
Perhaps this isn’t a complete dream world?
Like when we took a walk in the sky on the Dragon God’s back, it might be a mix of dream and reality.
Indeed, the woman who opened the door and entered was someone we didn’t know.

“…Oh? Have you invited guests?”

The woman who entered the room turned her face towards where we were standing. However, her gaze was not focused on us. It was as if she could sense our presence but couldn’t clearly perceive us.
But with this casual gesture of the woman, we felt a chill.

“Did she sense us existing on the dream side of this world?”

When we crossed the boundary between dream and reality on the Dragon God’s back, no one among the people having a banquet on the ground noticed us.
Not even high-ranking demons or Dragon Kings felt the slightest anomaly. Yet, this woman seemed to have noticed our presence.

“Fufufu. I hope one day you will understand who they are. Now, it is time for you all to return.”
“Nyan. When the Dreaming Shrine Maiden falls asleep, we’ll return to everyone, nyan.”
“You say return, not arrive. Please give my regards to Asher-san as well.”
“Umm, see you later!”

Priscilla-chan, holding Nimia tightly, reluctantly said her goodbyes. Meanwhile, the world, which had been indistinguishable from reality, returned to a white space, and our consciousness began to fade.

“Was that a dream?”
“What was that, it was amazing!”
“Did… did everyone have the same dream?”

When I woke up, it was morning.
And the Yun sisters were excitedly recounting their experiences, confirming that they had all shared the same experience.

“Good morning, Elnea.”
“Good morning, Mistral. And good morning to the Yun sisters as well.”
“Good morning, Elnea, and Mistral. We’d like to hear about what just happened in detail.”
“Yes. But before that…”

Everyone was starting to wake up.
It seemed that everyone who had been holding the memorial service on Dawn Hill had fallen asleep, without exception.
Was it the doing of the Dreaming Shrine Maiden, or the spirits?
I think it was the spirits.

When I awoke, the scorched earth had been transformed into a field covered in colorful flowers. Some small young trees were also visible.
While this was a familiar sight to us, it was different for the others.
The people who woke up to this miraculous landscape, both the Giant Tribe and the Mimicho Race of the Great Forest, gasped in awe.

“Perhaps the spirits are blessing the steps towards peace between the Mimicho Race and the Giant Tribe.”

I absolutely couldn’t say it was because of my Dragon Sword Dance!
I had danced the Dragon Sword Dance with all my heart last night.
The spirits who danced joyfully to my dance had brought about a miracle, just like in the Yorttenitos Kingdom.
But I couldn’t casually spread that information.
Because if I did, they might ask me to visit all the Giant Tribe’s lands and make the earth fertile!

Of course, we would spare no effort in cooperating with the Giant Tribe. But it would be troublesome if everything were left to us.
It would be better to improve the Giant Tribe’s land in cooperation with the Mimicho Race of the Great Forest.
The spirits, understanding this, must have created this miracle after putting everyone to sleep.

“Hey. Priscilla wants to pick flowers.”
“Yes, that’s great! But don’t you think we should eat breakfast first?”
“Yes!”

Priscilla-chan, who had reunited with her best friend Nimia in her dream, was full of energy right after waking up.
I stood next to Priscilla-chan and requested breakfast like little chicks.

“…No, before that. An explanation about what just happened.”
“That’s right!”

To the troubled-looking Yun-san, I stuck out my tongue and reflected.