We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 83

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

Every day is fulfilling.

I never imagined that royalty, let alone a princess, would be an adventurer. I didn’t know.

But then again, Serise-sama is technically an adventurer, isn’t she?

Still, between Serise-sama and the Twin Princesses, even as adventurers, their positions are subtly different. Serise-sama is engaged to the hero Listea, so it’s not strange for her to be an adventurer. However, the Twin Princesses are not in a position or status that would necessitate them becoming adventurers.

Yet, they chose to become adventurers. It seems those two truly have a wild personality.

That healthy tanned skin must be from spending so much time outdoors adventuring and getting sunburnt. Serise-sama has such clear white skin; there’s no way her skin tone would be so different from her sisters’.

Oh dear, but Serise-sama also goes on many adventures with Listea, so the conditions for getting sunburnt are the same.

“I’ve heard that the mothers of our elder sisters were also adventurers. Perhaps that personality and their rare abilities are inherited from their mother.”

“Um, could it be that Serise-sama and the Twin Princesses have different mothers?”

“Yes. All of us siblings have different mothers.”

Wow, I didn’t know that.

“Look. That hero over there is also a polygamist. It’s not unthinkable for a king to have many wives, is it?”

Now that you mention it, that’s true. Slaton is right. I already have two potential wives, so it’s not strange for the king to have many wives and children with each of them.

“In contrast, I’m devoted to Creacio alone. Creaciooo!”

“Eek, stop it, it’s creepy!”

“Gyaaahh!”

Slaton, who tried to hug Creacio, ended up curled up on the ground after being kicked in the groin by her. Well, he brought that on himself.

Thanks to Slaton and Creacio’s interaction, Serise-sama finally managed to regain her smile.

“So, what were you really doing in that room?”

“Huh?”

The topic suddenly shifted.

“Um, I really wasn’t doing anything. The Twin Princesses were just coming on to me.”

“Really? While those two have that kind of personality, they are princesses and have some self-awareness. I don’t think they would just aggressively pursue a man without reason.”

Listea gave me a meaningful look. I’m sure Listea vaguely suspects that I’m hiding something. But she doesn’t push the issue. She seems to be waiting for me to tell her.

I’m sorry, Listea. I’ll surely tell you the truth someday. So please bear with me a little longer.

I want to introduce Mistral to everyone someday. She’s a wonderful woman, and Listea and the others are wonderful friends. I want everyone to get along well. However, I’ve decided that now is not the time. It’s before our departure, and the secret I’m hiding is too significant.

About Mistral. That she is of the Dragon Race and a Dragon Princess. About the Dragon Forest. About Old Man Sleigsta and the Spirit Tree. Also, about the Mimicho village and Priscilla-chan. And Nimia, too. And then there’s Ruiseine. I imagine Kiri and Inea have already passed on information about her, so there’s not much to hide there. Ah, the Dragon Eye is still a secret from everyone but us.

The secrets I’m hiding are not something I can decide to reveal on my own. Therefore, for now, though it pains me, I have no choice but to keep them secret from Listea and the others.

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Listea, who had been staring at me intently, broke into a smile.

“Well, it’s fine. Anything involving those two tends to be troublesome. Let me know when you can tell me.”

“Y-yes.”

I was grateful for Listea’s consideration. Slaton and Serise-sama also seemed to accept the current explanation, as they showed no signs of pursuing me further.

After that, we stayed in the room we were in and had a lively time amongst ourselves. I thought it was too late to return to the tea party, and Slaton was sighing, saying he’d had enough. The tea party, which was close to an arranged meeting, was a bit too intense for all of us, who could still be considered boys and girls.

We spent the rest of the afternoon leisurely and returned home in Listea’s family carriage. As we were leaving, many men and women stopped Listea and Serise-sama, but they politely declined. I was also on guard in case the Twin Princesses approached me again, but I didn’t even see them. Had they given up?

Then, I changed into my own clothes at Listea’s mansion, was given a small souvenir, and returned home for the day. By the way, I decided to have Listea keep the splendid clothes I wore to the tea party. If I kept them at my house, I might not be able to store them properly, and they might get damaged.

Then, the next day. When I went to school, everyone was envious that I had attended the tea party. Apparently, they were unhappy that someone like me, a simpleton, had attended, let alone Listea and the hero’s entourage. I was pestered quite a bit, and it was tough.

Also, the priestesses Kiri, Inea, and Ruiseine all gave the participants of the tea party glares filled with resentment. Priestesses like them are not able to attend festive gatherings like tea parties. It’s a strict rule that doesn’t change even after marriage. I struggled to comfort Ruiseine, while Listea had a hard time comforting Kiri and Inea.

After the morning’s lectures ended, we parted ways with Ruiseine and the others, who returned to the temple, and headed to the training grounds. There isn’t much time left until our departure day. Those aiming for independence as adventurers were diligently training their martial arts even more intensely as the new year began.

Of course, I, on the other hand, meditated while watching everyone else. Just as I was about to meditate, I sensed several gazes. Peeking discreetly, I saw Creacio practicing sorcery nearby. From a distance, Listea and Naimi were watching me with apparent interest. They’ve probably already noticed that my meditation isn’t ordinary. Initially, around last summer, they were saying they felt something strange about my meditation, but after the Twin Princesses showed an unusual interest in me recently, it might have even more piqued their curiosity. Perhaps Serise-sama might even detect my dragon power now. That would be bad. How should I deal with this?

For now, I just closed my eyes and took my usual posture. But oh dear.

Even though I just closed my eyes and sat there, I unknowingly fell into a meditative state. Is this the result of my daily training? Oh no, no. If this continues, Serise-sama will see through me. Inevitably, I constricted the flow of dragon power from the dragon veins as much as possible and suppressed the refinement of dragon energy. Hmm, it’s surprisingly difficult. Until now, I absorbed and refined a certain amount without any particular restrictions, so I hadn’t consciously tried to suppress it to this extent. I mean, why would I try to limit something that’s better to have more of?

However, this might actually be good training. The method of deliberately imposing restrictions seems to require incredibly delicate handling of dragon energy and concentration. I entered a deep meditation to practice this newly discovered training method. Perhaps because the new training method was effective, I finished my training time without being detected by Serise-sama.

After school, as usual, I headed to the Dragon Forest. I wandered through the forest, heading towards the Moss Garden, holding the souvenir I received from Listea’s mansion yesterday. Along the way, I encountered a Great Wolf Magical Beast. If it were around last spring, I would have screamed and run away. But it’s different now. The Great Wolf Magical Beast appeared before me, not to startle me, but walked up to me. Then, it rubbed its head against me and played.

It seems to want to thank me for yesterday. It’s not to the same extent as Mistral, but I’ve also recently started to understand the feelings of magical beasts. Could this be due to the Dragon Heart? It seems to be telling me to ride on its back, so I gladly comply. Then, the Great Wolf Magical Beast began to run through the forest as if gliding. Silently, of course.

I savored the flowing forest scenery. Why is it? Just watching the scenery pass by is incredibly enjoyable. It’s not just me; Mistral and Priscilla-chan feel the same way. I think the speed is probably so fast that even a horse at full gallop couldn’t catch up. The Great Wolf Magical Beast galloped through the trees at such a speed. It leaped left and right, but somehow, I didn’t feel any sideways sway while riding it. Was this also a technique of the Great Wolf Magical Beast, like its silence?

As we galloped through the deserted forest, a Giant Rabbit Magical Beast joined us. Then a Deer Magical Beast ran up, and even a Great Bird Magical Beast appeared in the sky. Wait, why aren’t you guys returning to Dragon Peak! Even though the Rotten Dragon that appeared on Dragon Peak is gone, the magical beasts showed no signs of returning, making me wonder if my efforts were in vain. After a great march of magical beasts around the forest, I thanked them and parted ways, having had my fill. Despite my thoughts, running around together was fun. Alone again, I began to wander through the Dragon Forest.

I don’t bother thinking about where I am in the forest. Because no matter where I am in the Dragon Forest, I’ll eventually reach the Moss Garden. As I walked leisurely, the scenery changed in the blink of an eye. While the Dragon Forest I usually wander through also has many large trees, the Ancient Tree Forest has even thicker and more magnificent giant trees. I’ve become accustomed to the scenery changing in an instant. I took a deep breath of the clear air and resumed walking. Soon, my vision cleared, and I arrived at the Moss Garden.

“Hello.”

Upon reaching the Moss Garden, I greeted them energetically.

“Hmm, I smell a new woman.”

“Whaaaat?!”

I stumbled back when Old Man Sleigsta said something strange right after I arrived.

“What do you mean?”

“Ah, it’s Mistral.”

Mistral, whom I had barely seen since the new year, was here.

“Ah, it’s Mistral. No, I’m asking what you mean!”

“Ugh.”

Why are you looking at me with such hostile eyes?

“Um, it smells sweet.”

Priscilla-chan, who hugged me, said something outrageous. That’s impossible! It’s true the Twin Princesses had a sweet scent, but I don’t think it transferred to me. I took a proper bath last night.

“Who are the Twin Princesses, nyan?”

“I’m doomed!”

There’s a dragon here who can easily read my mind.

“Ohh, Twin Princesses, huh.”

Grrr. An ominous killing intent emanated from Mistral.

“N-no, it’s a misunderstanding!”

The one who attacked was the Twin Princesses. I’m the victim.

“Oh really, attacked you say. And how far did it go?”

“It’s not that!”

I didn’t do anything, nothing happened. It’s all a misunderstanding.

“Elnea, let’s hear the full story.”

Mistral said with a smile, but her eyes weren’t smiling. She’s scary.

“Ah, sweets! That’s the sweet smell!”

Guaaah, what a trap Priscilla-chan set! The sweet smell was from the souvenir I brought. But it’s too late to realize that now. Mistral, with a smile but eyes that didn’t smile and radiating killing intent, approached me holding a jet-black one-handed club. This is a desperate crisis! Seeing my desperate situation, Old Man Sleigsta and Jiludo burst into laughter.