We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
“It’s morning! Everyone, gather ’round!”
“Eeeeeek!”
“What… was that? I thought I just heard voices of people who shouldn’t be here…?”
Sensing a familiar presence behind us, Lyra and I instinctively turned around. And we were stunned.
“Hahahaha, Elnea!”
“W-what did you say?!”
When we turned, our entire family was there!
“No way… that’s impossible…”
Lyra and I had snuck out to watch the sunrise quietly. When we slipped out of our room, I checked on everyone, and they were definitely asleep, right?!
“But… why?”
“We can see right through you.”
“We saw everything!”
Yufilia and Nina were standing with their chests puffed out, arms crossed, looking triumphant. Yes, they were indeed the victors! The victors of what, you ask? Well, it’s about… the parts that were exaggerated.
“Meow.”
Nimia, who pounced onto my head, wagged her fluffy tail.
“So, Nimia, you were awake too, weren’t you?”
“Everyone was awake, meow!”
“Whaaa?!”
Could it be that Mistral and the others were just pretending to be asleep?!
“Alright, Lyra. Your little scheme ends here.”
Mistral put her hands on her hips and advanced resolutely. Lyra, frightened, hid behind me.
“Mistral, wait! That’s a misunderstanding! I was the one who invited Lyra here.”
“Oh, Elnea, you’re being so cool.”
“Oh, Elnea, you’re being so gentlemanly.”
“Ehehe.”
“If you didn’t droop your eyes like that, you’d be truly cool.”
“Sniffle, Mistral, you’re so harsh.”
As a man, I thought I had to protect Lyra. But before I could even do that, Mistral and the others had already completely seen through Lyra’s sneaking out. However, no one cornered Lyra or tried to punish her.
“Fufufu. We had fun our own way, so we’ll overlook it this time.”
Hmm, what was fun for them? Mistral’s words left me with questions, but everyone seemed satisfied. Mistral then gently took Lyra’s hand from behind me and turned her gaze back to the sunrise rising from the sea of clouds.
“It’s a beautiful view, one you don’t often get to see even at Dragon Peak. It would be a waste not to engrave it in your memories, you know?”
“Y-yes. I’m glad we came.”
It remains a mystery how Mistral and the others figured out Lyra’s plan and followed us here. And in the end, Lyra’s sneakiness failed at the very last moment. However, witnessing the sun calmly emerge from the dawn-colored, shining sea of clouds from the mountaintop was a rare experience that would be far better enjoyed together with everyone than secretly with someone else. We stood shoulder to shoulder on the summit of Mount Holm, all of us gazing at the beautiful sunrise.
After we’d enjoyed the magnificent view for a while, our stomachs started to complain. Especially Priscilla-chan’s, as she’s quite the glutton.
“I’ve prepared breakfast, so let’s eat here.”
At that, the well-prepared Ruiseine took a mat out of her luggage and spread it out. Ares-chan took out food and drinks from some mysterious space, and Mistral began arranging them on the mat.
“Huh? It’s the same food that Lyra and I ate on the way here?”
“Oh my, Elnea, that’s just your imagination.”
“Is that so?”
Well, if Ruiseine says it’s my imagination, then it must be my imagination, right?
“Meow.”
Nimia, who had flown us all here, must be hungry too. I moved Nimia from on top of my head to my lap and handed her a delicious-looking sausage. Nimia happily took a big bite.
“Revalia, I’ll give you some prime beef too.”
“I’ll wait, though I won’t expect much.”
“I’ll prepare plenty.”
“Waaah, can I have some?”
“Meat meat!”
“No, no, Fio and Rim, you’re already feasting on the meat.”
It seemed large chunks of meat for young dragons were also prepared. And not just any meat – it was elaborately prepared, lightly seared and seasoned with a sweet and savory sauce. While eating their special meat, Fiorina and Rim greedily requested prime beef as well.
“If you eat too much, you’ll get fat and won’t be able to fly, you know?”
“No, it’s not that! We’re growing!”
“We’re going to grow as big as Revalia!”
Come to think of it, Fiorina and Rim have grown quite a bit since we first met them. At first, they were just the right size to carry a young girl, but now they’ve grown large enough to carry an adult.
“Alright, this time I’ll ride on your back too.”
“It’s like playing Dragon Knights!”
“Go defeat the bad guys!”
“Whoa! Can I join too, Priscilla?”
“Of course!”
“You can!”
“Um, so then, Priscilla and Mei will be the good Dragon Knights, and Older Brother will be the bad guy?”
“Alright! Then I’ll ride Lily and be the king of the evil Dragon Knights!”
Wait, am I imagining things? The conversation about riding Fiorina or Rim somehow turned into playing Dragon Knights, and somehow I ended up being the bad guy. Moreover, I didn’t even get to ride Fiorina or Rim! And to top it all off were the words of Yufilia and Nina.
“Finally, Elnea has become a real villain.”
“Finally, Elnea has awakened to his villainous role.”
“It’s your calling!”
Hey, hey. I’m not suited to be a villain; I’m a genuine good person! I forgot to retort. And then, everyone laughed.
Unexpectedly, we had a lively breakfast in an unexpected place. After that, we continued to spend our time cheerfully on the summit of Mount Holm. Before we knew it, the sun was higher than the tall mountains that jutted out from the sea of clouds, and the sky was a beautiful, clear blue.
The party is in full swing. Or rather, we should probably start preparing to leave, as there might be people worried about us at the royal palace. So, while the little ones continued to play gleefully, we started to clean up. Of course, the assigned task fell to Lyra and me! It’s our punishment for sneaking out, boo hoo.
However, they are my family, after all. Although they initially said it was punishment, in the end, everyone helped with the clean-up.
“Alright, once we’re done cleaning, we’ll head back.”
“Um, Priscilla wants to play Dragon Knights more?”
“Umm, Alicia also wants to play Dragon Knights more!”
“We want to!”
…Retracting my previous statement, correction! There is one adult who did not participate in the clean-up. It’s you, Alicia-chan! Well, since Alicia-chan is like a guest to our family, we can’t force her.
Putting that aside for now.
Priscilla-chan, who had already started playing Dragon Knights, was adorably stomping around the mountaintop riding on Fiorina. Alicia-chan was also happily walking around on Rim’s back. Hmm. I guess Fiorina and Rim can’t fly above the clouds, right? But it looks like they’re having fun just walking around.
And running away from the adorable walking Fiorina and Rim was Ares-chan, brandishing a Spirit Tree Wooden Sword with Nimia on her head! I’ve noticed. It seems that Ares-chan is the villain, and Priscilla-chan and the others are chasing her. It looks very interesting! I want to join in and play too!
“Elnea?”
“Huh!”
When I turned around, Mistral was smiling.
“Playtime is after we get back.”
“Okay!”
Even Madrine, the Head Miko, Yufilia, and Nina were seriously cleaning. I, as the head of the household, can’t be slacking off. I resumed my halted task and continued cleaning. Then, Lyra tentatively suggested.
“I want to bring back a souvenir for His Majesty.”
“Oh, what a good idea. If we can earn his favor here, he might cooperate with his abdication preparations. Fufu, fufufufu…”
“Madrine is so devious.”
“Madrine is so wicked.”
Madrine-sama. When you abdicate your position as Head Miko, please follow the proper procedures! The idea of using the King to win over the temple side is forbidden!
Still, I think Lyra’s suggestion is wonderful.
“Speaking of which, Anya-san told me before we came. She said there’s a village in the foothills of this mountain that’s her hometown.”
“A local specialty for a souvenir. That’s a good idea, isn’t it?”
“Sefina always used to curry favor with her father that way whenever she snuck out of the castle for an adventure.”
“Sefina always used to avoid her mother’s scolding that way whenever she snuck out of the royal palace for an adventure.”
Yufilia and Nina’s teasing made Sefina-san give a wry smile.
“By the way, what were you two up to, Yufi and Nina?”
The Fut (Princess) twins, weren’t they having just as many adventures as Sefina? Along with Madrine-sama. Hearing that, they declared confidently.
“We kept running away until Father’s mood improved!”
“We kept running away until Mother gave up scolding us!”
We all burst out laughing at Yufilia and Nina’s typical behavior.
“Well then, let’s head to Anya-san’s village. I’m also curious about the place where Anya was raised.”
Everyone agreed with Ruiseine’s opinion.
“Speaking of which, Anya said she lived with a dark brown dragon she was riding, didn’t she?”
“That’s right, Mistral is correct. I was wondering about that too. So, Anya’s family is some kind of Dragon Knight rank, wasn’t it? Maybe it’s a village full of Dragon Knights?”
Back when Dragon Knights still threatened Dragon Races with Dragon Slaying weapons and forced them into servitude, Anya, uniquely, became a formal Dragon Knight by forming a bond with a dark brown dragon. I’m very curious about what environment Anya grew up in and how she bonded with the dark brown dragon.
And so, we decided to pay a visit to Anya’s hometown village. However!
“Fio and Rim are not allowed to accompany us.”
“Eeeeh. Why? Why?!”
“Nooo…”
Fiorina and Rim drooped dejectedly at Revalia’s merciless words. However, I wanted to prioritize Revalia’s decision as their guardian. Revalia doesn’t want anyone other than those involved with me to have much contact with Fiorina and Rim, right? Pride as a dragon race. Not getting too close to humans or other races unnecessarily. Revalia wants Fiorina and Rim to grow up as noble dragons, I believe.
“Fio, Rim, listen to Reva-chan here. When we get back, I’ll tell you lots of stories!”
“Waaah. Play with me a lot, okay?”
“We’ll be waiting for souvenirs!”
Unlike some young girls, Fiorina and Rim were obedient. Although they looked a little disappointed, they obediently moved to Revalia’s back.
“Well then, from here on, Nyan will carry everyone.”
“Nimia, please.”
Revalia and the others seem to be embarking on an aerial adventure again. So, we decided to aim for the village at the foothills, riding on Nimia.
“…So, where is this village at the foothills, exactly?”
Mount Holm, towering higher than the clouds. Its foothills spread far and wide. I wonder where the village Anya lived in is located. I didn’t ask for the exact location! Seeing me laugh, Mistral gave a wry smile.
“Just what kind of training have you been doing all this time?”
“Ah! That’s it!”
At Mistral’s prompting, something occurred to me. And then, I focused my attention.
“Oh. I sense the presence of a dragon here.”
“Oh. I sense the presence of a monster over there.”
At that, Yufilia and Nina, who were sensing its presence just like I was, keenly detected the presences of non-human beings. No, no, wait a minute. We’re looking for the presence of a human settlement, aren’t we?!
Once again, I searched for the presence at the foothills of Mount Holm. Then, we easily discovered a settlement.
“Um, I can see a small village over there?”
“There was no need to sense anything!”
As the sun fully rose, the sea of clouds gradually began to thin, revealing glimpses of the foothills through the gaps. And then, in the direction Priscilla-chan was energetically pointing, our destination existed.
“Alright, Nimia. Let’s go!”
“Meow.”
After parting ways with Revalia at the summit, we slowly descended Mount Holm on Nimia. Our destination: Anya’s hometown!
“But, we didn’t know yet. That the presences felt by Yufi and Nina would become a flow that would greatly affect our destiny… Just kidding?”
“Elnea, don’t say ominous things.”
“I’m sorry!”
