We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The clue is in an old legend?
When the presence of the shadow dragon Argilthal disappeared, the traces of night birds and beasts finally began to return to the area.
The animals living on Dragon Peak can finally relax now, can’t they?
“I wonder if the young shadow dragon was okay?”
After all, Argilthal came to see the condition of the young creature sleeping on Dragon Peak.
Our gazes were drawn to the entrance of the cave hidden deep within the bushes.
“It seems okay. It is sleeping peacefully now.”
Then, Ruiseine, sensing the dragon energy, told us.
“It was a truly troublesome dragon, wasn’t it? I bet the young one was also greatly inconvenienced by being suddenly woken up and having its strength measured without permission? Being woken up while sleeping is the worst, isn’t it?”
“Elnea is right. It was undoubtedly selfish, as befits one with immense power. I’m truly exhausted.”
Everyone sank to the ground as if their energy had been drained.
It had been a long time since we had felt so physically and mentally drained without even fighting.
I don’t want to deal with Argilthal for a while.
Well, I don’t plan to go to the ancient capital anytime soon, so I think we’ll be alright.
“By the way, Sefina.”
With the situation resolved and things calming down, I voiced the question I had been holding.
“Why were you trying to head to the Northern Land alone?”
In the first place, what was the reason Sefina intended to go to the beast race’s territory alone?
In response to my question, Sefina, who had been receiving treatment from Madrine, clapped her hands as if remembering something.
“I couldn’t find any significant clues about the magic eye in the capital. However, I heard an interesting story from a beast race exchange student. Apparently, they once heard a story about a magic eye or something similar from the prayer master Jab during their younger days.”
“Hou hou?”
“If my memory serves me right, Jab traveled from the western part of the continent in his youth, didn’t he? It’s not strange for him to know tales and legends from distant regions.”
“That’s true. So, Sefina, you were heading to the Northern Land to speak with Jab?”
“Yes, that’s right. Although, in the end, I ended up moving further away from my destination.”
Yufilia and Nina mercilessly laughed at Sefina, who shrugged her shoulders, saying, “That’s what happens when you go off on your own!”
“Well then, when night breaks, let’s all go together!”
“Hahahaha! Elnea, in that case, it would be better to wait for Lady Revalia to catch up.”
“Laira, that’s a good idea. We should probably regroup soon, or Revalia, who’s been led around in circles, might get angry!”
Revalia should be following our movements from behind.
If we move to the Northern Land without waiting for Revalia again, the beast race village will be engulfed in flames of anger!
“Well then, let’s take a break until Revalia catches up. Sefina is also injured.”
There should be a dragon race village nearby, but let’s refrain from visiting this time.
After all, we were truly exhausted to the point where we didn’t want to walk anymore.
“Well then, let’s take this break to exchange the information everyone has gathered so far.”
I could have just lied down for a bit, but it would be more beneficial to share information now.
So, Madrine and I spoke about our experiences in the Yorttenitos Kingdom.
“Regarding Lord Warren, we should also be careful. Still, you received quite harsh criticism.”
When I told them about the stinging criticism I received from Warren, everyone sympathized, saying, “Our condolences.”
It was truly a disaster.
However, no one was discouraged by my story.
Instead, we all became more determined to prove Warren wrong.
“Madrine and Sefina, you faced the Goddess’s trial. Lord Linze gave you a wonderful assignment. Let’s all combine our strength and overcome the trial.”
Ruiseine was moved by Linze’s words.
Ruiseine pleaded with Madrine, saying she wanted to meet her someday.
“There were no clues in the capital’s archives.”
“There were no clues in the capital’s library.”
“I heard from the Mimicho Race when I was escorting Priscilla-chan. However, there was no useful information.”
“I also tried to search for clues around Dragon Peak, but I was captured.”
As we exchanged information and planned our future course of action, the sky gradually began to brighten.
And then, Revalia, shining crimson, flew in from the eastern sky immediately after the sun began to show itself.
“Hey, are you devils!?”
“Priscilla-chan is staying at the village!”
“You alone, descend. Then I’ll eat you before you fall to the ground.”
“Kyaaa! Laira, Revalia really intends to eat me even if she’s a true being!”
“Hahahaha! Lady Revalia, please forgive us!”
And so, we became wanderers of the sky.
Of course, we rode on the Revalia that had arrived.
Revalia apparently arrived at the Moss Garden as planned. Then she heard from Old Man Sleigsta that we had gone to the Wyvern Hunting Ground.
Revalia reluctantly headed to the Wyvern Hunting Ground but couldn’t find us. So, she returned to the Moss Garden again. Then, Old Man Sleigsta sensed our presence through the dragon vein and pinpointed us to where Mistral was camped on Dragon Peak.
Revalia, though irritated, chased after us.
However, we were no longer there.
Having lost our trail, Revalia returned to the Moss Garden once more.
And finally, she was told by Old Man Sleigsta where the young shadow dragon was sleeping.
“What do you take me for!?”
“Our precious family?”
“Don’t lie.”
“It’s true!”
We pointed to our next destination while thanking Revalia, who had flown us all over the place.
Honestly, we could have gotten a ride from Nimia. But since Revalia had finally caught up, we wanted to ride on her back, didn’t we?
So, here we are, on our way to the Northern Land, riding on Revalia.
Revalia, though grumbling, is kind to carry us.
It’s like a lie that she was feared as a tyrant.
“You’ve become kinder because of Elnea, haven’t you?”
“Hou hou. Nimia, you said a good thing. I’ll give you goat’s milk later.”
“Nyanko!”
While relaxing leisurely on Revalia’s back like this, we arrived in the Northern Land.
Guided by Gawon, a dog-like beastman, we were led into the depths of the ruined capital.
The prayer master Jab resides on the grounds of the dilapidated temple in this former capital.
When we visited, Mei, a sheep-like beastman and the leader of the beast race, was in the middle of receiving a lesson from Jab.
“Where’s Priscilla?”
“I’m sorry. She’s not with us today. Priscilla-chan is also studying at the village.”
“Then Mei will do her best too.”
“You’re a good child!”
I gently stroked Mei’s fluffy head, and she happily hugged me.
Holding Mei, I greeted Jab and explained Ruiseine’s current condition, asking for advice.
“…So that’s it. You are suffering from the rampage of a magic eye. That is a difficult matter.”
After listening to our story, Jab smiled kindly, as if to heal Ruiseine.
She seemed more like everyone’s grandmother than an ancient priestess.
Ruiseine was also comforted by Jab’s kindness.
“Then, Jab, what was the story Sefina heard from the exchange student beastman?”
Invited to sit, we unreservedly settled around Jab.
Mei unashamedly climbed onto my lap. Ares-chan, not to be outdone, manifested and sat on my lap.
Seeing me holding two young girls, everyone laughed, saying, “He’s cheating on us with little girls again.”
Jab, after waiting for us to settle down, began to tell us a story, prefacing it with, “I don’t know if it will be of any help.”
Once upon a time.
In a peaceful country somewhere, there was a certain priestess.
The priestess possessed a very mysterious power in her eyes.
The magic eye of all-healing, which healed everything reflected in it.
It was eyes endowed by a miracle from a goddess, inherently possessing magic power.
People were healed by the priestess’s eyes and lived happily.
However, rulers of neighboring countries began to fight, coveting the priestess’s eyes.
The peaceful country was gradually engulfed in war, and suffering befell its people.
The priestess wept and grieved.
If asked to heal a wound, she would go anywhere and happily cure it. Therefore, she pleaded, “Please stop the fighting.”
However, her prayers were in vain, and the conflict intensified.
Grieving over the ruin of the world and the selfish desires of the rulers, the priestess began to seclude herself deep within the temple.
Finally, the priestess began to appear less and less before the people.
Even so, the fighting continued.
Many people were wounded and lost their lives.
Everyone prayed.
“Oh, priestess. Please appear before us and bring peace. Please heal us who are wounded.”
However, the priestess, who had retreated deep into the temple, did not appear before the people.
Meanwhile, the rulers continued to fight.
Eventually, the conflict, which had been about stealing the priestess’s eyes, evolved into a fight to steal the country.
The country fell into chaos, the people suffered, and the rulers increased their wealth.
Grief enveloped the world.
But still, the fighting did not stop. Finally, a single ruler emerged who had conquered all the countries.
The ruler declared:
“The priestess’s eyes, the world, everything belongs to me. Therefore, from now on, use your healing power only for me.”
The priestess, who had been listening to the ruler’s words deep within the temple, despaired.
Her eyes were not a healing power, but a cursed object that only brought about conflict.
And she resolved.
If these eyes caused countries to fight and people to suffer, it would be better for them to disappear.
However, the priestess was strictly forbidden from committing suicide.
Therefore, she made a decision.
One day.
Flapping her luminous wings, the priestess flew beyond the clouds and never appeared before the people again.
“Jab, where did you hear that story!?”
I had heard before that the beastman tribe, centered around Jab, had migrated from the west of the continent hundreds of years ago.
Jab stated that he heard the story from a traveler during their long journey.
We, having heard this mysterious story, came up with various points of curiosity and asked questions.
“Well, I met the traveler in a place very far from here.”
“Then, is it a legend from the people of that region?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think so. That traveler was also someone who wandered the world without a destination. Besides, the traveler said they had heard the story from someone else in another land.”
“I see…”
I had hoped that if I could investigate further into the priestess, who possessed magic power and healing magic eyes, it might lead to a clue for controlling Ruiseine’s magic eye. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a legend with an unknown origin.
“We can’t expect any clues about the location. But the ending is intriguing.”
“Mistral, you thought so too? Jab, do you know anything about the race of the priestess in that story?”
To my question, Jab shook his head.
“Unfortunately, no. However, you must be curious about it, mustn’t you?”
“Yes. …Glowing wings, huh.”
We don’t know the race of the priestess who finally flew into the sky. Perhaps she was a winged race, a Heavenly Race, or another race with wings.
However, it wasn’t those winged races that first came to our minds.
The first place we saw was this Northern Land. The next place we encountered was the Wyvern Hunting Ground.
The beings called “immortals,” who descended from the luminous heavens, all had glowing wings on their backs and soared freely through the sky.
“What if that priestess was a female immortal?”
“It might be related to the runaway female immortal that Karuna spoke of, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s right!”
To calm the rampage of Ruiseine’s magic eye and control it, Karuna provided us with a clue. She said there was once a former priestess who had a magic eye among the female immortals. Immortals gain new lives and destinies through reincarnation.
If the priestess in Jab’s story had become a female immortal after reincarnation, the ending would make sense.
“But where did that priestess fly off to?”
The story is a legend spread by travelers hundreds of years ago in a distant land.
If that’s the case, not only is the origin of the story unknown, but questions arise about the whereabouts of the priestess who flew away, and whether she is even alive today.
“Hmm. We heard a valuable story, but it’s difficult to say if we can make use of it.”
“Indeed. We can’t go around the world based on a story from the past.”
“We lack both time and manpower.”
“Right. But if that’s the case, are we facing a dead end?”
We looked at each other, completely at a loss.
