We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
A warrior of silver flames and a maiden of wyverns.
*Cough, cough.* At the sound of small coughs, I awaken from my meditation.
Near the chair I’m sitting on are sleeping arrangements, and there, a woman lay down.
“I-I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
“No, I wasn’t sleeping. And you don’t need to worry about me.”
It seems the woman mistook my closed eyes for sleep. She then showed a apologetic expression, as if she had woken me with her cough.
The woman, with more than half her face buried in the futumin, peered up at me from under her eyes.
I raised the corners of my lips, as if to reassure the anxious woman.
That was yesterday.
As Elnea and the others departed early in the morning for the Forbidden Territory, Anemone, a woman, flew from Dragon Peak.
“Lord Zan, look. I also flew here alone from Dragon Peak!”
Anemone, who had flown into the courtyard of Elnea’s family home, descended from the sky with a beaming smile.
However, just as she was about to land.
“Ah, ah.”
Anemone lost her balance and swayed.
If I hadn’t reached out my hand in that instant, Anemone might have fallen on her backside ungracefully.
No, thinking back now, the possibility of her collapsing outright was higher.
Anemone, who had gone limp in my arms, lost strength.
Perhaps her concentration broke at that moment, and her Human-Dragon Transformation dissolved.
“What’s wrong?”
I asked, supporting Anemone’s weight.
She was surprisingly light. It felt as if she had lost a significant amount of weight from flying with exertion.
Then, Anemone, breathing raggedly with a slight grimace, still managed to turn a smile towards me, her spirit undaunted.
“I might be a little tired. But, please praise me, okay? I’m capable too, you know?”
“Oh dear. Don’t push yourself too hard. But, I do think you did well. Just because you can fly doesn’t mean you can easily traverse the skies of Dragon Peak.”
It’s not that easy to fly around Dragon Peak for anyone who can sprout wings.
Even though Anemone’s village on the east side of Dragon Peak is relatively close to here, flying here alone must have been quite strenuous and difficult.
Flying in the open sky, where there’s nowhere to hide, naturally makes one conspicuous. If that happens, you become an easy target for magic beasts and dragons.
Shaking off that loneliness and danger, flying here from Dragon Peak is worthy of praise.
However, it seems she really did overexert herself.
Looking at her, Anemone’s face was flushed, and she couldn’t catch her breath.
Furthermore, she was leaning on me, and showed no signs of being able to stand on her own.
“Anemone?”
Then, Mistral rushed over, looking worried.
It seemed that Anemone’s landing also appeared precarious to Mistral.
Mistral, who had initially approached with lighthearted banter like “How affectionate,” became serious upon seeing Anemone’s condition.
“Hey, Zan. Show a little more concern for Anemone!”
“What?”
Before I could ask what she meant.
Anemone, coughing painfully, lost consciousness in my arms.
Karen, a servant of the mansion who hurried over, prepared a room, and Laira prepared clothes and wet cloths. Mistral ran to the Great Shrine to call Ruiseine back. And Ruiseine began nursing her, leading to the present.
Apparently, Anemone overexerted herself and developed a fever.
“I-I’m sorry… My brother said it was okay to spend New Year’s Eve here with Lord Zan this year. So, I got too carried away.”
Anemone drooped her head like a young dragon.
I re-wet the cloth on Anemone’s forehead, wrung it out, and replaced it.
“You’ve always had a weak constitution. Don’t push yourself too hard. If you wanted to come here, you should have consulted me in advance. If you had, you wouldn’t have had to push yourself.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize. It seems you got a fever from exhaustion, but I still value you. You did well to come alone. You did well.”
She’s a tenacious woman.
To fly here despite the strain, just to spend New Year’s Eve with me.
What would she have done if I had returned to Dragon Peak first?
Perhaps she would have chased after me?
No, knowing Anemone, she probably would have.
Honestly. To think she’d follow a man like me.
I know it myself.
I don’t have a personality that can easily bestow smiles like Elnea.
I’m aware that my conversation is dull and I’m not very sociable.
Even so, Anemone adores me without showing any signs of aversion.
…It doesn’t feel bad.
No, perhaps I’m happy.
It’s not that I’m bad with women or uninterested in romance.
I often talk with my childhood friend, Mistral, and when men drink together, the conversation often turns to vulgar topics.
However, when I’m alone with Anemone like this, my mind, which should remain calm, becomes strangely unsettled.
Before I know it, I find myself watching Anemone’s every move. I find myself unusually concerned about what she’s thinking or what I should say.
Well, I’m not completely dense.
I know what this feeling is, without anyone pointing it out to me.
But, being immature, there’s a possibility of misunderstanding, and frankly, I can hardly say I understand Anemone’s heart correctly.
And in the end, I resort to bland replies or unsociable responses.
However, Anemone smiled happily, placing her hand on the cloth I had replaced on her forehead.
“I thought I’d get to experience New Year’s Eve on the plains with you, Lord Zan.”
“There are still a few days until New Year’s Eve. If you want that, then recuperate and get well quickly.”
“Yes!”
As she replied, Anemone coughed.
What should I do at times like this?
Should I rub her back?
But Anemone is under the covers. If I were to reach for her back, I’d have to get into bed with her.
Should I offer her words of concern?
However, that won’t stop Anemone’s painful coughing.
As expected, I am clumsy and immature.
If the person sick in bed were Mistral, I could just tell her to “rest up” and let her sleep, and she would get better.
What would Elnea do in this situation?
No, I’m not Elnea, and I don’t think chasing after his tail is the path I need to take.
So, I must find the answer myself…
Unfortunately, I don’t have the capacity to find an answer right now.
So, I silently gaze at Anemone for a while.
Unable to do anything else, I can only watch over her until she calms down.
Anemone’s coughing lasted a little longer.
Unintentionally, I reach out, worried.
I gently stroke Anemone’s head.
I’m such an idiot.
My coughing won’t stop just because she strokes my head. Even so, I find myself acting like this unconsciously.
But, when I stroked her head, Anemone’s coughing subsided.
No, is that just my imagination?
It didn’t stop because I stroked her. It was an inevitable result of the passage of time.
Even after her coughing stopped, Anemone’s chest rose and fell with difficulty.
“Wait here. I’ll ask Mistral to prepare some medicine or tea that’s good for the throat.”
As I said that and was about to get up from the chair, Anemone grasped my hand.
“Really. Talking about the Dragon Princess again. When you’re with me, please look at me.”
Hmm, I only mentioned Mistral’s name, though.
However, unable to carelessly shake off Anemone’s hand, I sat back down on the chair.
“Was subjugating the Evil Race difficult?”
“It made me keenly aware of my immaturity. How to fight against opponents against whom my skills and arts are useless. I must learn more about how to fight against those of higher rank. In contrast, Elnea is amazing. He can show unwavering fighting spirit against any strong adversary. Perhaps the ranking of strength means nothing to him. His opponents become no more than co-performers in his Dragon Sword Dance, mere supporting actors to enhance Elnea’s brilliance.”
“Elnea-kun’s Dragon Sword Dance. I want to see it again too. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I understand it’s a technique for fighting, but even so, it’s mesmerizing to watch. I also want to dance with Elnea-kun, not as an opponent in a match, but as a dancer.”
“Oh dear. You also talk so happily when it comes to Elnea.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. But, it’s not like that! Elnea-kun’s Dragon Sword Dance is beautiful, but Lord Zan’s Silver Flames, I am truly moved by their beauty! *Cough, cough.*”
I had no choice but to offer a bitter smile.
Both of us ended up mentioning the names and stories of our childhood friends or benefactors.
I see. Anemone is likely feeling the same way.
The topic itself is innocent, but when the name of someone of the opposite sex, who is not oneself, comes up, one feels a bit bothered.
At the sound of the door being knocked upon, *knock, knock*, I react.
“Are you alright? You sounded like you were coughing?”
“Mistral, is it?”
It seems Anemone’s cough had carried outside, and Mistral came to check on her.
“Here. Medicine effective for fever and cough. From Ruiseine, for Anemone.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Mistral, poking her head into the room, grumbled, “Is it alright for me to be nursing her?” I quickly tried to push her out, wanting her to leave.
“Seriously, can’t I be worried?”
Even as she said this, somehow Mistral smiled as she looked at me and Anemone.
“Well then, I’ll leave this troublesome me. Take care.”
And with a glance exchanged with Anemone, Mistral departed.
“Here, it’s medicine. I’ll help you sit up, so drink it slowly.”
“Fufufu, thank you.”
This time, I put my arm around Anemone’s back and helped her sit up. Anemone sat up leaning against my arm and took the medicine.
“It’s bitter.”
“Bear with it.”
“It reminds me of the past.”
“You mean when you were sick in bed for a long time?”
“I always thought I wouldn’t live much longer. But, I was always bothering my brother, so I thought maybe he’d be happier if I were gone.”
“What a ridiculous thing to say. Have you ever considered how much pain it would cause those left behind when someone you care about disappears?”
“That’s true. So, Lord Zan, please never disappear from my sight either, okay?”
“Hm? What are you saying? I won’t die needlessly, without you telling me. I’m training every day for that very reason.”
“Realllly. Lord Zan, you’re such a dummy.”
“What?”
“Fufufu. Because you promised, right? Please, always, always stay reflected in my eyes, okay? Don’t disappear, okay?”
“You too, don’t disappear from my sight without warning, okay? And don’t worry me too much. Don’t be reckless and keep up with me. If you do that, I’ll stop and wait for you.”
After receiving the Dragon Jewel, Anemone had gotten better, Elnea had said.
But, if she overexerts herself, she’ll get sick like this.
In times like these, I’ll be the one to wait for Anemone.
At my words, Anemone’s face turned red, and she nodded.
“I’ll do my best to get rid of this fever before New Year’s Eve, so please stay with me just a little longer.”
“After you take your medicine, go to sleep. When you have a cold, sleeping is the best form of recovery.”
“Yes. …Good night, Lord Zan.”
“Good night.”
Anemone managed to finish the medicine and, burrowing into her futon, quietly closed her eyes.
After ensuring Anemone had fallen asleep, I returned to my chair and resumed my meditation.
