We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
A huge commotion right after we arrived.
“Well then, everyone, let’s get motivated and go!”
“Whoa! Madrine Older Sister!”
“Meow.”
Huh? That’s strange…
Madrine, who was so perplexed during the selection process, returned to her usual positive personality the moment we departed.
“Madrine is right. Come to think of it, if I’m going to walk through life with Elnea-kun, this is just a daily occurrence, isn’t it?”
“No, no, Sefina. You’re mistaken if you think such a commotion is my daily life!”
“That’s right, meow. This is on the easier side this time, meow.”
“Nimia!?”
“Yes, I understand. Since I will be joining Elnea-kun’s family, who have overcome hardships like fighting demon lords and warring with the divine race, how can I not overcome something like this with ease?”
“Madrine, you have a terrible misunderstanding! Mistral and the others haven’t fought demon lords, and they haven’t been at war with the divine race in the first place!”
Sigh. I’m glad you’re motivated, but what do you all think I am?
I’m just an ordinary, small-town citizen.
“Meow.”
“Grrr.”
Nimia, returning to her usual large form, carried us and flapped her wings towards the east.
Madrine and Sefina, who had questioned the selection of people before departure, seemed to have switched their minds.
“Um, wow! Alicia, do you always have such fun journeys with Elnea-kun like this?”
“That’s right!”
Even the Sage of the South couldn’t fly freely in the sky, it seemed.
Alicia seemed to really enjoy flying freely in the vast sky on Nimia.
She was even flapping her hands like bird wings. Was she trying to feel like she was flying?
Priscilla and Ares were also imitating Alicia.
However… Ares is actually floating away!
“That’s right, Elnea-kun. Since we’re at it, could you teach me that Stick Dragon Art of yours?”
Alicia, who is not used to traveling in the sky, or rather, who might fly off into the sky if she lets her guard down, had Nimia’s long fur wrapped around her waist.
Similarly, Sefina and Madrine, who cannot use the Stick Dragon Art on their own, also had fur wrapped around their waists as a safety precaution.
By the way, such safety measures are meaningless for Priscilla and Ares. After all, it would get in the way of them flying and running around on Nimia’s back, so they immediately untied it.
Well, if I handle the Stick Dragon Art for everyone, it would be sufficient.
However, Sefina, who can use Dragon Arts herself, seems to have a personality where she wants to do things for herself.
Therefore, she immediately asked me to teach her the Stick Dragon Art.
“That’s unfair, Sefina. If so, I want to learn too.”
“Um, Alicia too!”
“No, no, no, Madrine is a Miko, so even if she possesses Dragon Energy, she cannot use Dragon Arts, can she? And Alicia. You can manage on your own, right?”
Madrine aside, Alicia is the Sage of the South. I think she could use Spirit Arts with the same effect as the Stick Dragon Art by utilizing her Spirit Arts.
“Um. Then, will you use the Earth Spirit to drive a stake into Nimia-chan’s back?”
“Unya!?”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I’m sorry? Hmm… If it were possible, the Wind Spirit Arts might be the most suitable.”
Even as she spoke, Alicia was creating a new technique.
Alicia untied the Nimia fur wrapped around her waist and walked towards the tail from Nimia’s back with steady steps. Even after passing Nimia’s large and stable back, Alicia’s posture did not falter.
“See, Priscilla? Big sister is amazing, isn’t she?”
“Whoa! Big sister is amazing. Can you teach me too, Priscilla?”
“Muki! Why can you develop new techniques so easily!”
“Because Alicia is a Sage!”
It must be the result of her deep connection with the spirits and her diligent practice over many years.
For Alicia, imitating the Stick Dragon Art with Spirit Arts seemed easy.
In contrast, Madrine had a dejected expression.
“First, I need to review the incantations… Ah, I need to think of new incantations… Next, I’ll look for similar spell seals in the spellbooks…”
Spell seals are gestures that write patterns or characters in the air with light imbued with magical power, right? I learned about it from Ruiseine before.
The incantation to be recited and the spell seal seem to be closely linked. Simply put, the spell seal is the written form of the incantation.
Therefore, for high-level magic, the incantation to be recited becomes longer and more difficult, and the spell seals become more complicated. Some spell seals are so difficult that they cannot be performed by one person, and in such cases, many people cooperate.
As Ruiseine-sensei said, most of what are called great magic are such multi-person magic.
And magic requires faith to control magical power, an incantation to offer to the Goddess, and a seal that represents the effect of the technique.
Unlike Dragon Arts, which use dragon energy to reproduce imagined effects, magic is a complex and systematic art, similar to sorcery. Furthermore, it is established on a global scale, not by lineage or temple.
Therefore, developing new techniques, even if they have simple effects, does not seem easy.
It requires a new interpretation of the incantation, or in some cases, creating an incantation from scratch. Moreover, even an incantation painstakingly crafted through research will not exert its magical effect if it does not reach the Goddess.
Madrine, with an unusually serious expression, began to groan.
Seeing her sincere reaction to magic like this makes me feel that Madrine is indeed a Miko.
“So, Elnea-kun, what should I do?”
Oops!
My attention was unintentionally drawn to Alicia, who easily developed new techniques, and Madrine, who was lost in thought befitting her position as Head Miko.
However, Sefina was the one who first asked me to teach her the Stick Dragon Art.
I turn back to Sefina.
“Um. For Sefina, I think it’s best to experience it rather than explain it with words.”
Saying that, I touch Sefina’s shoulder. Then, I cast the Stick Dragon Art on Sefina.
“Ah, I see. So, it’s about manipulating the flow of dragon energy and refining it in that way.”
Sefina then readily understood the secret of the Stick Dragon Art.
As a test, she released the Stick Dragon Art I had cast on her and activated the Dragon Art she had just learned on her own.
“Here, what do you think?”
Saying that, Sefina walks towards where Alicia and the others are chasing toward Nimia’s tail.
Judging from her steady steps, Sefina’s feet seem to be firmly sticking to Nimia.
“As expected of Sefina. It’s not just Dragon Arts; you can read the flow of magic and control it, which is remarkable.”
“Fufuhu, praise me more? And with this feeling, if I add a little more…”
It seems Sefina has already thought of other new techniques, not satisfied with just the Stick Dragon Art, and smiles.
“Muki! Why am I the only one with a difficult problem!”
“Ma-Madrine! Think of it this way. Not being able to use the Stick Dragon Art on your own means you can openly rely on me, right?”
“Oh, you say something good! In that case, I won’t hold back.”
“Wha-Wha! Madrine, that’s immodest!”
Madrine, who easily convinced herself with my words, hugged me with gusto.
Hugging me tightly, Madrine looked triumphantly at Sefina.
“Fufufufufu. Sefina can use the Stick Dragon Art on her own, so relying on Elnea-kun is forbidden, okay?”
“Oh, Madrine. It’s true I can use it on my own now, but that’s a different story, isn’t it?”
Sefina also quickly returned and hugged me.
I am delighted to be hugged tightly by two beautiful women from both sides.
But, such wonderful happiness doesn’t last…
“Whoa! Me too, Priscilla?”
“Me too, me too.”
“Um, it’s a competition to see who can snatch Elnea-kun away?”
“Kyaa!”
Young girls cannot understand such affectionate contact.
And the Sage shines her intellect in moments like these.
In the end, I was fated to be roughed up by everyone on Nimia’s back.
“Kuuu. I’ll activate the Stick Dragon Art so that no one falls off while thrashing around!”
“Meow.”
While we were excitedly making noise on Nimia’s back, the ground scenery changed at high speed.
We left the capital and passed through large cities and towns.
As we proceeded east, human settlements became sparse. From cities to villages, and then to settlements.
As the villages decreased, grasslands cultivated by people engaged in animal husbandry and grazing began to stand out.
And as we passed further through the grasslands, desolate areas gradually began to appear.
The Yorttenitos Kingdom has wider flatlands than the Armēdo Kingdom. However, remote areas that have not been developed are still desolate.
The paradise we are heading towards is a place that has suddenly appeared in such a desolate area and is attracting the attention of many races.
Far ahead on the ground viewed from the sky, we saw that lush green paradise.
Once it came into view, it was only a matter of time with Nimia’s flight speed.
We reached our destination in less than half a day after departing from the capital.
And in the paradise on the ground, there were people eagerly awaiting our arrival.
“Heyyyy!”
Seeing figures waving energetically on the ground, Nimia descended.
In the middle of the grassland that spread out before the paradise, at the entrance of the forest, waiting for us was Friel, the Fourth Prince of the Yorttenitos Kingdom and my best friend.
“Friel, long time no see!”
“Elnea-kun, Happy New Year.”
“Ahaha. That’s right. Currently, such greetings are indeed correct.”
As I exchanged greetings with Friel, people of the Dragon Race who were taking care of Yugra also appeared.
“Huh…?”
But then, I felt a sense of unease.
“Hey, Friel. Where is Yugra?”
“Elnea-kun, that is…”
Friel and his three attendants’ faces clouded over at my question.
“We are incompetent, despite being in our care…”
The three attendants of the Dragon Race were even more dejected than Friel.
“What on earth happened?”
Normally, the one with the greatest presence at this moment would be Yugra, the golden winged dragon.
However, not only was Yugra’s figure missing, but even her presence could not be felt. Then, Friel, hesitating, explained the situation.
“Earl Yugra remained in the forest to buy us time to escape. However, after that, we lost contact…”
“Whaaat!? What happened in the forest ahead!? With Yugra and the Dragon Race people there, could something have delayed them?”
I look back at Friel and the three attendants with disbelief. And just as I was about to ask for more details.
“Ah, Madrine! To come to such a place in this pinch, the Goddess has not abandoned us.”
“What happened?”
I was so focused on Friel and the others that I didn’t notice, but besides Friel and his group, another party was stationed in the grassland.
Drawn by the voice, I turned around and saw people dressed as clergy rushing towards Madrine, who had dismounted from Nimia’s back.
Madrine, with the composure befitting a Head Miko, calmed the flustered priests and Mikos and listened to their story.
“Actually… those who went to fetch holy water from the spring were apparently attacked by dragons…”
W-What could this possibly mean!
It seems the worst had already occurred before we arrived.
Furthermore, misfortune compounds.
As if to complicate matters further.
“Your Highness! Oh, and Elnea-dono too!”
From further ahead in the grassland, soldiers equipped with the national army’s armor appeared.
It seems they spotted Nimia flying in the sky and rushed over in a hurry.
Then, seeing Friel and me, they reported, kneeling on one knee.
“I report. It seems a bandit group has infiltrated this forest. According to the information, they are unsavory individuals who target dragon scales and eggs. Please lend us your assistance.”
Faced with the repeated string of bad developments right after our arrival, our faces contorted.
