We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Spring Caravan
How could you tell I was human just by looking at me?
Mistral had said he could tell people’s races by intuition, but the Dragon People, Demon Race, and Divine Race had this intuition. Why didn’t humans have it?
“A human child?”
“Did you get lost?”
“You managed to make it here in one piece.”
The Dragon People stopped their work and approached me.
“Just a boy alone? Did you get separated from someone?”
Ares-chan had disappeared at some point.
“Yes. I came here alone.”
I bowed to the gathered people and introduced myself.
“What? A human child like this entering Dragon Peak alone.”
“I won’t say anything bad. Turn back. If you want, we can take you with us on our caravan.”
Everyone seemed like good people. They were all genuinely worried about me, and some even gave me food, thinking I must be hungry.
“Thank you for your concern, everyone. But I have somewhere I need to go.”
My earnest gaze garnered the attention of the Dragon People.
“I want to go to a village where a woman named Mistral lives.”
“Mistral? The Dragon Princess’s village?”
“Why does this boy know the Dragon Princess?”
“Have you met her somewhere?”
I was taken aback by the barrage of questions from the Dragon People.
So Mistral is known by everyone here in the Dragon Race.
“Uh…”
As I hesitated, an old man pushed through the crowd and appeared before me.
“Are you here to see Mistral?”
“Yes. To meet Mistral.”
“A human boy, to Mistral… I see, it’s you.”
The old man stared at me intently. His hair and beard were completely white. His eyebrows were long enough to hide his eyes, but his gaze from within was sharp.
“Grandpa Koa, do you know this boy?”
A man asked.
“You all know too, don’t you? That our village’s Mistral rejected numerous marriage proposals last year to choose a human boy.”
At the old man’s words, I could tell that everyone gathered gasped in shock.
“No way!”
“This boy?”
“Old man, wasn’t that story just utter nonsense?”
Everyone looked at the old man’s words with skepticism, and then at me with expressions of disbelief.
“Mistral never revealed the human’s name or appearance, stubbornly refusing to say. But the boy in front of us says he’s going to meet Mistral. Would a human rashly enter Dragon Peak? Especially a boy like this.”
“Then, is this really Mistral’s?”
“There aren’t many boys who would enter Dragon Peak without reason and go to meet Mistral personally, are there?”
The old man said this and smiled at me.
I nodded forcefully.
“Yes, I’ve come to pick up Mistral.”
Several people exclaimed in admiration at my unflustered declaration.
“Unbelievable. For the Dragon Princess to choose a child like this.”
“Has the Dragon Princess lost her mind?”
“You’re just being used as a tool for the Dragon Princess to reject our proposals. Wake up. Dragon Peak is dangerous for you. Go back.”
Many people, especially the men, began to speak out, saying, “I can’t believe it.”
“Now, now, young ones. Calm down.”
The old man chided the noisy crowd.
“There’s no reason for that Mistral to choose this boy without cause. Right?”
The old man looked at me intently. His eyes seemed to be telling me to prove that I was worthy of the Dragon Princess, Mistral.
“It’s embarrassing to show you Dragon People, but please, look at my power once.”
I can’t afford to hide my power here. If I can’t convince the Dragon People here and now, I won’t be able to convince anyone else in the future. And to do that, I must show my power without hiding it.
“Oh, what? Are you looking for a sparring match with us?”
A burly man with strong arms looked at me, rolling up his sleeves.
“No, I still have a journey ahead of me, so I’ll have to pass on that.”
If I were to get injured in a sparring match, it would impede my future journey. I asked the Dragon People to step back.
Their curious gazes, wondering what this human boy was about to do, were a little embarrassing.
Once I confirmed that everyone had backed up sufficiently, I summoned Ares-chan. Grains of light danced and converged into the form of a girl. A cheer went up from the onlookers.
“I’m going to get serious for a bit.”
I said to Ares-chan, and she nodded.
Then she began to shine and merged with me. A strong, gentle power surged through my entire body.
Furthermore, I unleashed the power of the Dragon Jewel. Dragon energy exploded outwards.
Not yet! I drew out as much power as I could from the Dragon Vein as well.
I contained the overflowing, nearly exploding dragon energy within my body and refined it to its limit. This is my all-out strength! Highly concentrated dragon energy, visible to the eye, swirled around me.
Gasps of astonishment rose.
“A human boy… that’s impossible!”
The burly man from before looked at me with wide, astonished eyes.
“This power… it’s the power of Jiludo-sama, one of the Eight Dragon Kings…”
“What!?”
“Why does this boy have it!?”
It seemed someone sensed the Dragon Jewel within me.
“Yes. I inherited the Dragon Jewel from Jiludo-san.”
An even larger murmur arose.
“Jiludo-sama has a successor…”
“And it’s a human boy, no less.”
“That’s just like him.”
“This power, his handling of dragon energy, I see.”
Jiludo-san was formerly a Dragon King, so he was famous among the Dragon People. As they understood that I had inherited the Dragon Jewel from Jiludo-san, more and more people began to accept my power.
“Magnificent. The power is in his eyes. Truly worthy of the Dragon Princess.”
The old man smiled with satisfaction as he looked at me.
“Well, it’s understandable that I was rejected. I never imagined such a fierce warrior existed among humans.”
A young man sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
“To be inferior to a human, how pathetic we are.”
“I don’t know what the other young Dragon Kings will think, but at least this child is worthy of inheriting Jiludo-sama’s power.”
“He even showed us fusion with a spirit. This is beyond us.”
Relieved by the Dragon People’s reactions, I let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. I managed to contain the dense dragon energy that had enveloped me back into the Dragon Jewel and separated from Ares-chan.
Phew, I let out a breath. The truth is, I was barely able to control my power. In my current state, if I unleashed my full power, I would be overwhelmed by the control needed and wouldn’t be able to do anything else. If I had then been asked to spar, I would have undoubtedly been exposed. But that’s precisely why I needed to show overwhelming power, or rather, dragon energy, to eliminate the Dragon People’s desire to fight.
It seems that my act of revealing the Dragon Jewel inherited from Jiludo-san and merging with Ares-chan worked. I wasn’t just a rare human who could handle dragon energy. My uniqueness, owning the Dragon Jewel—a symbol of a Dragon King—and being able to fuse with a spirit, seemed to have convinced everyone.
“Can you also handle Dragon Veins?”
The old man, Koa-san, approached me as my dragon energy settled and asked.
“Yes. I studied under Sleigsta-ro, the Guardian Dragon of the Dragon Forest.”
There was no need to hide anything from the Dragon People. They knew everything about the Dragon Forest and dragon power.
“Under that legendary ancient dragon!?”
“I see. Grandpa Koa’s family has served as caretakers for the Guardian Dragon of the Dragon Forest for generations. So, is that where you met the Dragon Princess?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I nodded.
“And Jiludo-sama? I heard he lived quietly among humans after his wife passed away.”
“I met him in the capital, guided by Sleigsta-ro. Then, after various events, I inherited the Dragon Jewel. I’m sorry that someone like me inherited it.”
“No, a Dragon King should be inherited by those who are qualified. Since Jiludo-sama recognized you, you must have the aptitude.”
I was overjoyed to feel accepted by the Dragon People.
“Goodness, before heading to the human capital, thank you for this wonderful encounter.”
A man offered me his hand. As I gladly shook it, it turned into a session of introductions and handshakes.
“Ah, it’s sad that I have to head in the opposite direction from you now.”
“After you visit the Dragon Princess’s village, please come to my village.”
“Wait, my village is closer. You’re welcome, so please come.”
“Hey, yours is too far.”
“And your village doesn’t even have anything worth visiting.”
I couldn’t stop smiling at how warmly I was being welcomed.
“Hey, you all. It’s fine to be excited about the boy, but departure is near. Get back to work.”
As the lively chatter continued, a man, sighing in exasperation, called out to the Dragon People to get back to work.
“Definitely come visit!”
“We’ll be waiting for you!”
Exchanging parting words with me, the Dragon People returned to their work.
“Phew, I was nervous.”
It was a relief that there was no one scary.
“Fufu, even with that much power, you’re still just a child.”
As the Dragon People returned to their work, only Koa-san, who came from Mistral’s village, remained by my side.
“Can we talk for a bit?”
I replied “Yes” to Koa-san’s invitation. While the others busied themselves, Koa-san and I moved to the eaves of a building.
It was under the eaves, but the morning sun streamed in. Koa-san sat down in a convenient spot, so I sat with him.
“Do you know the way to the village?”
In response to Koa-san’s question, I showed him the map Mistral had drawn for me.
“I see, with a map, you won’t get lost.”
“Yes. It also shows where the diverging paths are, so I’ll be fine.”
“But it’s dangerous.”
He wasn’t referring to getting lost, but to the harsh laws of nature. I understood well, having experienced it myself last night.
” I’m prepared for it.”
“You have good eyes for someone so young.”
Koa-san smiled as he looked into my earnest eyes.
“Honestly, many of the young men in the village are not satisfied with Mistral’s marriage proposals.”
“Yes.”
That’s probably true. Her beauty, her strength, her kindness. And the title of Dragon Princess. I don’t think those who cared for Mistral would give up so easily. If I were told that Mistral had found someone else, I don’t think I would give up either.
“Even if you show overwhelming power like you did earlier, some won’t be convinced.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
“Even if you go to meet Mistral alone, how many will nod and say, ‘Alright then’? Your path ahead is still fraught with difficulty.”
“Ugh, is that so?”
The reaction of the caravan people earlier might have just been luck. My feelings, which had become a little elated, suddenly chilled.
“Nevertheless, I will support you. I believe you can surely make Mistral happy.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best not to disappoint your expectations.”
“You’re young, pace yourself.”
Koa-san stood up.
“Well then, I must prepare as well.”
“Shall I help?”
“Hahaha, no need. You should conserve your energy for your journey ahead.”
Koa-san walked away from me with a surprisingly sprightly step for an old man. But he stopped midway and turned back.
“Oh, and by the way, there was a dragon nesting on the way. Be careful. Also, please welcome me when I return to the village.”
“Yes, thank you for your warning. I will definitely come to meet you with Mistral.”
I waved, and Koa-san waved back before returning to work with the other Dragon People.
