We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Tears of the Dragon People
The dragon people, who had been watching the turn of events with bated breath, panicked as I and Nimia approached.
“You were chasing that Rotten Dragon, weren’t you?”
I was certain.
The men of the dragon tribe who had spoken of the Rotten Dragon were likely the ones standing before me now.
They must have come to the valley chasing the dragon they had lost. But the dragon was cursed and had become a Rotten Dragon, and they couldn’t do anything about it, so they could only watch from a distance, couldn’t they?
“W-who are you?”
One of the men stepped forward and confronted us, though he showed a frightened expression towards Nimia behind me.
“My name is Elnea Eris. The Rotten Dragon entrusted me with the Dragon Jewel, so please let me meet the woman who was spending time with him in the flower garden.”
“H-how do you know about the flower garden!?”
“The Rotten Dragon told me directly.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
The dragon people exchanged glances and started a muffled, private conversation.
I watched them quietly.
I think the current situation is beyond their expectations.
Suddenly, a giant dragon appeared in the sky and started fighting the Rotten Dragon, then descended to the ground. A human child descended from its back, and then the kitten-like dragon that descended with him grew gigantic.
And finally, they confronted the Rotten Dragon, received the Dragon Jewel, and defeated him.
I precious hold the Dragon Jewel with both hands.
The dragon people, while casting fleeting glances at it, were discussing something.
Then, as if they had reached a conclusion, the man who had first spoken stepped forward again.
“My name is Lanissem. I do not know how you heard about the flower garden from the Rotten Dragon, but that is something we had cornered.”
The man frowned, his expression stern.
“If you had not appeared, we would have defeated him. You have stolen our prey. Therefore, that Dragon Jewel is ours. Hand it over.”
“Wh-what!?”
I was surprised by the dragon people’s completely unreasonable demand.
“To call it stealing is a cruel accusation. Weren’t you just watching the Rotten Dragon from afar?”
“You appeared just as we were about to hunt him.”
Lanissem glared at me.
“Heh. I’m not scared. Your feigned glare isn’t scarier than a magic beast’s gaze.”
Besides, they didn’t try to look at Nimia or Asher.
Dragons are scary, but they must think they can threaten a weak-looking human like me.
Honestly, I can’t believe these people are the same race as Mistral.
“Uh, it seems we cannot reason with you. Could you please tell us the location of your settlement? We want to speak directly with the woman.”
“Ridiculous! A mere human dare to go to our dragon people’s village!”
One of the burly men with a thick beard in the rear shouted.
“If you cannot bring her, then bring her somewhere where we can meet and talk.”
“No, I cannot let you meet her. We will convey the message, so you just hand over that Dragon Jewel.”
Mumumu, they’re strangely fixated on the Dragon Jewel. Is it that valuable?
“I cannot hand over the Dragon Jewel. This is something precious that the Rotten Dragon entrusted to me. I will hand it directly to the woman.”
“What did you say!?”
An agitated young dragon man placed his hand on the weapon at his waist.
Oh, he’s using a one-handed club too.
For a brief moment, I considered mentioning Mistral’s name, but I stopped myself, thinking it wouldn’t be right to trouble her by using her name without permission.
“Please tell me where the woman is. I have no intention of fighting you.”
“We cannot tell you. If you have no intention of fighting, then honestly hand over that Dragon Jewel.”
Lanissem, who spoke to me first, had a calm demeanor, but the people behind him were quite warlike.
I wanted to talk to Lanissem, who seemed reasonable, but the outside interference was too much.
As I was pondering what to do, Nimia, who had been quietly standing behind me, let out a rumbling sound in her throat.
Just that alone made all the dragon people turn pale and fall silent.
“We are not here to discuss or negotiate. We are simply giving you an order. Take this human child to the dragon woman.”
Asher said quietly from a short distance away.
“Hiii!”
To me, Asher simply sounded like he was speaking, but the dragon people trembled in fear and their legs gave out.
“Capture the representative man. Elnea, hurry up and ride on my back.”
I guess she meant to ride on Nimia’s back.
I did as Asher said, rode on Nimia’s back, and wrapped her long fur around my waist.
Nimia grabbed the frozen Lanissem with her hand and flapped her wings.
With a strong sense of G-force, Nimia and I, along with the captured Lanissem, ascended into the sky.
Lanissem’s face was contorted, but he did not scream.
“Um, excuse me. Could you please tell me the way to your village?”
I said to Lanissem, who was firmly grasped by Nimia with both my hands.
Lanissem turned his head, pointed silently towards the far side of Dragon Peak, and Nimia began to move in the indicated direction.
“…Forgive me.”
Lanissem muttered an apology.
“No, it is we who should apologize for being so forceful.”
Actually, since we were the ones pushing forward forcefully with Asher and Nimia’s intimidation, I felt like we should be the ones apologizing.
“No, and about what happened earlier… I want to apologize for the Rotten Dragon. As a member of the dragon people, I am ashamed that we drove a member of the dragon race into such a state. And…”
Lanissem paused for a moment, then looked at me with a determined expression.
“The woman you speak of is my younger sister. Please meet her and talk to her. What she has to say is the truth.”
After finishing speaking, Lanissem averted his gaze from me.
After that, Lanissem only made minor corrections to Nimia’s course, and did not try to say anything else.
After flying for a while, a small settlement came into view on the mountainside of the mountainous region.
A somewhat spacious plaza, a few simple stone houses, and several horizontal caves carved into the rock face.
This must be the village of the male dragon people.
I was astonished by its more austere appearance than I had imagined.
A commotion had broken out in the village due to the arrival of the giant dragon.
Children fled into the caves, and women were milling about in the plaza.
Perhaps all the young men were at the previous location, I thought, as it was such a small settlement.
Nimia slowly descended into the plaza after the bustling villagers had fled.
Then, she released Lanissem.
I untied Nimia’s fur from my waist and stepped down into the village.
When Nimia set me down, she returned to her usual small form.
Lanissem’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight.
Upon closer inspection, the villagers peeking from behind cover were also surprised.
Is a dragon that can change its form that unusual?
“This way, follow me.”
Led by Lanissem, who had regained his composure, I stepped into one of the houses in the village.
Nimia perched on my head and stretched out listlessly.
“My sister is in the back. I will go explain the situation to the villagers, so please excuse me.”
With that, Lanissem left the house he had guided me into.
For a moment, I wondered if I was being tricked and would be trapped, but I was convinced I wasn’t being deceived when a weak, female voice called out “Brother?” from inside.
“Excuse me for intruding.”
I said, not to anyone in particular, and proceeded further into the house.
The interior of the house was as simple as its exterior.
The floor was bare earth. The few pieces of furniture were worn out and looked like they would collapse at any moment.
There were no decorations, and the windows had wooden shutters.
Just inside was a living room and kitchen, and beyond that, a door made of loosely fitted boards with many gaps.
When I knocked on the door, a weak, anxious female voice answered from the back.
“Excuse me for intruding.”
I opened the door quietly and entered the room, trying not to startle the woman inside.
The room was as crude as the living room/kitchen at the entrance, not much different.
The only difference was a meager, thin cloth spread on the bare ground.
Other than that, there was an old chest of drawers and two beds.
And on one of those beds lay the woman.
Her long black hair contrasted sharply with her unnaturally pale skin.
Her cheeks were sunken, and her lips lacked luster.
Her limbs were hidden beneath a thin blanket, but they looked very slender.
She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, but the age of long-lived dragon people cannot be determined by appearance.
The visibly frail woman looked at me with anxious, black eyes, the same color as her hair, from her position on the bed.
“Uh, nice to meet you. My name is Elnea Eris, a human.”
I can’t make her any more anxious than this.
I stood at the entrance of the room and introduced myself.
“N-nice to meet you.”
The woman replied, still sounding anxious.
It’s understandable. Anyone would be anxious and wary if a stranger, a human man, suddenly entered their bedroom while they were lying in bed.
Mistral, on the other hand, would undoubtedly have swung a blunt weapon at him without question.
“Nyan is Nimia-nyan.”
With that, Nimia flew from my head and landed on the woman’s chest.
The animal that had been perched on my head, which she probably thought was a kitten, suddenly spoke, flew, and came to her chest. The woman looked surprised.
However, seeing Nimia’s adorable form, she quickly smiled and gently petted her.
“Nyaa.”
Good job, Nimia. I feel like some of the wariness and anxiety has disappeared from the woman’s expression.
“Um, about the reason I came here.”
I looked at the woman’s condition and told her about the conversation I had with the Rotten Dragon earlier.
At first, she seemed to be listening with a mixture of disbelief, but when I spoke of my time with the dragon in the flower garden, I think she realized it was the truth.
The woman listened to my story in silence.
Then, her eyes gradually filled with tears and overflowed.
Covering her face with both hands, the woman cried out, “Aaaahhh.”
Not knowing what to say, I could only stand there in silence.
The woman continued to cry, forgetting about me, but as Nimia licked the back of her hands and stayed by her side with a worried look, she gradually calmed down.
“I’m sorry, I got carried away.”
“No, it is I who should apologize for ending up like this.”
I was also moved to tears by the woman’s tears.
Through her tears and sorrow, I felt that there were indeed feelings of connection and affection between the Rotten Dragon and the woman.
“How foolish I am.”
And then, the woman began to tell me the truth, little by little.
The woman’s name was Anemone.
Anemone had been frail since birth and could barely live without the care of her parents and brother.
However, her brother was kind, and to give her some joy, he often took her to a nearby flower garden.
And there, one day, she met a flying dragon.
At first, she was afraid, but the dragon had no hostility, and they gradually became friends.
The dragon would appear every time Anemone visited the flower garden.
They didn’t do anything in particular in the flower garden, just stayed together, but their hearts gradually grew closer.
However, her brother, noticing this, became afraid.
He feared that his precious sister was being targeted by the dragon.
Anemone desperately appealed to her brother.
If the dragon had any ill intentions, it would have killed her the moment they met.
That dragon was an important friend.
However, her brother paid no heed to Anemone’s pleas and led the village’s young men to hunt the dragon.
And then, the tragedy in the flower garden occurred.
Anemone, unable to do anything, could only watch.
Anemone could see that the dragon was mortally wounded.
She had been bedridden for the past few days due to the shock.
Listening to Anemone’s story, I, to my shame, burst into tears.
What a sad story.
If only the flying dragon could have spoken like Nimia. If only Anemone had been healthy. And if only Anemone’s brother, Lanissem, who guided us, had been more open to listening. Both Nimia and I were moved to tears by this series of unfortunate events.
“Thank you, you’re crying too.”
“Nyaa, it’s sad, nyan.”
Anemone gently petted Nimia, who was shedding tears.
“Thank you for listening to my story, too.”
To the frail Anemone, I shook my head.
“It was a sad story, but I believe that you two undoubtedly shared feelings and cherished each other.”
That’s why it’s so sad.
“The dragon entrusted me with this.”
Saying that, I showed Anemone the Dragon Jewel, which I had been holding with both hands.
Hesitantly, I wondered if it was okay to approach, but Anemone reached out her hand, so I moved closer to hand it to her.
I handed the Dragon Jewel to Anemone.
“This is called the Dragon Jewel, and it is said to be the crystallization of a dragon’s soul and feelings.”
Anemone took the Dragon Jewel, closed her eyes, and gently held it to her chest.
“Ah, I can feel his feelings. He is here.”
Tears streamed from her closed eyes.
The tears fell onto the Dragon Jewel.
And then, what happened?
The Dragon Jewel, which had originally shone with seven colors, began to shine even brighter.
And then, the Dragon Jewel was absorbed into Anemone’s chest.
Anemone did not resist, and I was surprised, as it looked as though she was accepting the Dragon Jewel.
Nimia gazed at the Dragon Jewel and Anemone, seemingly dazzled.
Slowly, the Dragon Jewel was absorbed into Anemone and then disappeared.
“I feel his strong life force.”
Anemone slowly opened her eyelids.
I was even more surprised.
Anemone’s eyes, which had looked sickly and weak just moments before, now held a strong life force.
Not only that, but her once sickly complexion had become radiant and firm, and her lips were tinged with pink.
“The dragon’s life force has taken root, nyan.”
Nimia looked up at Anemone, seemingly dazzled.
Anemone, too, looked surprised at her own transformation, looking at her hands, then lifting the blanket to look at her legs.
Things like this can happen. I realized the true value of the Dragon Jewel and was filled with a sense of wonder, for perhaps the Nth time.
