We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Nimia’s Melancholy
“Since there were many magic beasts wandering in the forest, I thought the old man had finally died and came here, but I never expected to find the daughter I was looking for.”
Asher, the dragon, glared at Nimia before him.
Nimia froze at his gaze.
“The magic beasts in the forest are for a reason. You shouldn’t interfere.”
“Ah, I miss the days when I helped the old man.”
Asher chuckled, his throat rumbling.
Asher was looking for his runaway daughter, Nimia. And when he passed by the Dragon Forest, he happened to notice the anomaly in the forest and went to Old Man Sleigsta. From their conversation, it seems Old Man Sleigsta and Asher are old acquaintances.
“But still,”
Asher turned his gaze from Nimia to us.
“To think you’d let mere humans into this place. You’re alive, but your sanity seems to be starting to fade.”
Asher threatened me with his sharp gaze. Luiseine had already fainted at my feet, and Priscilla-chan, covering her ears and closing her eyes, was buried between my legs.
“Hahaha, nice to meet you. My name is Elnea Eris.”
I greeted her with a forced smile. If she’s Nimia’s mother, I should at least greet her properly. Whether she’s directing killing intent at me or looking down on me as a mere human is another matter.
Actually, though.
The pressure and killing intent are tremendous, but they don’t seem to affect me much. Maybe it’s because I experienced Old Man Sleigsta’s true pressure first. The overwhelming presence of Old Man Sleigsta when I wandered into the Moss Garden, and his terrifyingly fierce roar that made me think my lifespan had shortened, seem to have raised my threshold for fear and despair.
Ah. Also, since I’m often chased by magic beasts and feel my life is in danger, I can tell if the other party’s killing intent is real or not. Asher’s pressure is real, but is her killing intent genuine? I think she’s just trying to intimidate me.
If Asher is Nimia’s mother, then she must also be an Ancient Dragon Species. In that case, she must see us as no more than gnats. No creature would seriously direct killing intent at gnats. That’s why, no matter how much Asher tried to intimidate me, I didn’t lose myself to fear.
“Hmph, you’re a boring human brat.”
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Asher stopped her intimidation and turned her gaze to Old Man Sleigsta.
“Well then, please tell me about this situation.”
“Hmm, the situation?”
Asher closed her eyes in thought.
“These individuals are…,”
I have a bad feeling when Sleigsta says something like this.
“They are messengers sent by the Dragon God.”
“Snap.”
“Agyaaaaaah!”
Asher bit into Sleigsta’s long neck without a word.
“Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing to me?”
“Why would the Dragon God send messengers to a senile old man like me?”
Asher let go of Sleigsta’s neck and sighed with a disappointed look. Old Man Sleigsta gets terrifying retorts from more than just Mistral. What is this “Dragon God” anyway?
“So then, who are they?”
“Hmm, these individuals are here with me for their own reasons.”
I am studying the Dragon Sword Dance and the use of Dragon Veins under Sleigsta. Luiseine, who is lying at my feet, is my future bride, and I brought her to meet Sleigsta. And the little girl is Priscilla-chan. She is a child of the Mimicho Race who lives in the Dragon Forest, and she is with me to communicate with the spirit residing in the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword I possess.
Asher, having read Sleigsta’s words and my thoughts, let out a hum. She was still holding Nimia in a firm grip.
“It’s quite amusing. It’s as lively as when the Rotten Dragon King was here.”
Does Asher know about the Rotten Dragon King? If so, she met Sleigsta long before the Armēdo Kingdom was founded.
“But more importantly than that, why is my daughter here?”
“Nyaaaah!”
Nimia cowered as Asher’s gaze returned to her. I don’t know why she ran away, but isn’t she a bit too scared?
“This little girl seems to have simply wandered into the Mimicho village.”
“Is that true?”
“R-really, nyaan.”
“She’s just like you in your youth. Rebellious and full of curiosity.”
“But I wasn’t cowardly.”
Nimia trembled at Asher’s words.
“Your daughter must still be young. Isn’t being a little cowardly just right for protecting herself?”
“Nevertheless, we are Dragon Warriors. It’s no good if even a child fears fighting.”
“Nyaaa.”
Nimia’s eyes welled up with tears in Asher’s hand, looking sad.
“What is a Dragon Warrior?”
When I asked, Asher glared at me as if to say, “Don’t interrupt.” Sleigsta called himself a Guardian Dragon during his self-introduction. I think it’s because he protects the Spirit Tree, but what then is a Dragon Warrior? I remember Sleigsta calling Nimia a Guardian Dragon Warrior. Is it about protecting something? I don’t understand.
“Hmm, you remembered well.”
Sleigsta nodded at me.
“As I said, I am a Guardian Dragon because I protect the Spirit Tree. Asher is also a dragon who protects the Ancient Capital, but she is originally a Dragon Warrior. To put it simply, she’s a dragon race that excels more at offense than defense.”
What, is that all it is? It means she likes to fight. Protecting the Ancient Capital is probably her duty. But originally, is she a ferocious species like a Wyvern? And Nimia is also a Dragon Warrior, but she’s cowardly and ran away because she’s afraid of fighting?
“That’s not it, nyaan. It’s because Mother is scary, nyaan.”
Nimia trembled in Asher’s hand.
“How can you say your mother is scary?”
Asher glared at Nimia. No, isn’t that pressure what’s scary for children?
“Don’t you, a mere human, butt into the affairs of a dragon family. If you’re too meddlesome, I’ll eat you up!”
Asher roared and approached me, filled with intimidation. Priscilla-chan flinched and started to cry. Even if she covered her ears, she could still hear if someone roared nearby. I was just surprised, but Priscilla-chan is still a small child. You don’t have to needlessly scare her. I hugged Priscilla-chan and patted her back. But Priscilla-chan hugged me back and started to cry loudly.
“Scaring a little girl? Is that what an Ancient Dragon Species mother does? Isn’t that pathetic?”
I ended up glaring at Asher and saying that.
“N-n-no, you, a mere human, are lecturing me?”
Asher moved her face closer and threatened me.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re human or dragon. A mother protects her child. It’s wrong to scare them.”
Even your own daughter, Nimia, is scared and crying. Even if you’re a Dragon Warrior, you shouldn’t intimidate and scare everyone to get your way.
“Hahaha, Asher. Elnea is right. You should be a bit more motherly.”
Hmm, I didn’t say that aloud. I wish Sleigsta and Asher wouldn’t just read my mind. Still, I was thinking with the assumption that they would read it.
“Hmph. If a human male even stepped one foot into my protective layer, I would kill him without question.”
“Unfortunately, this is a place I protect. Even you cannot engage in needless slaughter here.”
Sleigsta’s voice, emanating from a higher position than Asher’s, was filled with authority. Still, Asher glared at me for a moment before grudgingly withdrawing her gaze.
“Hmph. There’s nothing to be gained by arguing with mere humans here. I found the daughter I was looking for, so I’m going home.”
Hmph, Asher turned away, her gaze leaving mine.
“Nooo, I don’t want to go home, nyaan.”
Nimia struggled in Asher’s hand. She really doesn’t want to go, does she? Tears streamed down her face as she desperately tried to escape. But Asher held her tightly, and she couldn’t get away. Can’t she return to her original size? Nimia, wriggling desperately in Asher’s enormous hand, looked so small.
“No, no. Don’t take Nimia away.”
As if hearing Asher’s words, Priscilla-chan, crying, clung to Asher’s leg. She pulled hard on Asher’s long fur, pleading desperately.
Danger! I thought, and rushed to Priscilla-chan’s side. If Asher wanted to, she could easily crush Priscilla-chan underfoot. I tried to pull Priscilla-chan away, but she clung to Asher and wouldn’t let go.
“I’ll be good, so please don’t take Nimia away!”
Like a child begging for a toy, Priscilla-chan desperately tried to get Nimia back. No, it was more than begging. She was pleading several times more desperately than when she was begging Mistral to buy her a stuffed animal in the Vice Capital. Nimia and Priscilla-chan were very good friends. Priscilla-chan couldn’t bear the thought of Nimia being gone.
“Please, from me too. Please don’t take Nimia away.”
I’m on Priscilla-chan’s side. I’ll try my best for what Priscilla-chan so desperately wants. I also grabbed Asher’s fur and pleaded.
“For an Ancient Dragon Species who has lived for nearly a thousand years, a child of about a hundred years old is still like a baby. So please let her play a little.”
Children learn various things while playing. I don’t know if dragon species are the same, but Nimia being with Priscilla-chan now might be beneficial for Nimia’s future.
“Hmph, you’re in the way. She won’t learn anything by being with humans. If you don’t let go, I’ll crush you.”
Asher said this menacingly, but it had no effect. We, my friend and I, were not listening.
“Nyan also wants to be with Priscilla, nyaan. Nyan wants to be with Elnea-onii-chan, nyaan. Nyan wants Mist-onē-chan and Ruiseine-onē-chan to groom its fur, nyaan.”
Nimia also pleaded desperately.
“You stubborn girl. Not only did you run away, but you want to be with humans?”
“Nyan wants to be, nyaan. Nyan loves everyone, nyaan. Nyan doesn’t want to be separated, nyaan.”
Following Priscilla-chan, Nimia also started to cry, shouting, “Nyaaah!”
“What!? You, a Dragon Warrior, are crying so pathetically!”
Asher was stunned by Nimia’s tearful display.
“Don’t take her away.”
“Please, don’t separate Priscilla-chan and Nimia.”
“I don’t want to go home, nyaan.”
Faced with our desperate pleas, Asher looked troubled. Ather’s instinct must be to crush us and leave, but since Sleigsta has forbidden killing, she’s troubled because she can’t forcefully break free.
“Hmm, Asher.”
Sleigsta, who had been watching the unfolding events, lowered his head and returned to his usual lying posture.
“When you were young, you often snuck out of your duties and came to this forest.”
“I was just wandering in search of worthy opponents and to improve my strength.”
“Oh, worthy opponents? Then why didn’t you confront the Rotten Dragon King, who was an excellent prey?”
“Grrr, that’s…”
Sleigsta looked at us, or rather at Asher, with kind eyes.
“The daughter of a runaway is running away. In my opinion, the mother makes the child.”
“But I didn’t run away.”
“From my perspective, once you leave the place you should protect, for whatever reason, it’s all the same.”
Sleigsta, who had been protecting the Dragon Forest for two thousand years, spoke with weight. Asher couldn’t refute his words.
“Once, a beast you became friends with died of old age in the forest.”
“What are you talking about?”
“At that time, your eyes were swollen, and you were crying. Perhaps the parting was painful.”
“It’s from a long time ago, I don’t remember.”
“Now, if you separate Nimia and Priscilla, your daughter will be overwhelmed with grief. Will you inflict the pain of parting on such a young child, just like you did?”
“That…”
Asher stammered.
“Let children play. Just like you were when you were a child.”
When an elder who knew your childhood says something like that, there’s no room for argument. Asher reluctantly released Nimia with a dissatisfied look. Nimia flew straight to Priscilla-chan, and they hugged each other tightly, crying tears of joy this time.
Showing your support is easy by clicking the heart. (Login required)
Support
Login if you have an account
Learn more about the reading experience possible on Kakuyomu
