We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Diamond Mist.
Ruilala, Toris, I’m sorry!
But if we heard that Sleigsta was in a rampage, we couldn’t help but rush to his side before anything else!
It was undoubtedly Sleigsta who carved open my destiny.
He, who was weak and frail, taught me the Dragon Sword Dance and brought me to Mistral.
At times gentle, at times strictly imposing trials, he helped me grow step by step.
It’s not just me. My entire family owes Sleigsta a deep debt of gratitude, and we consider him an irreplaceable, precious grandpa.
It was Asher who spoke of Sleigsta being in a rampage.
Furthermore, it seems there’s only a sliver of time left.
Asher sensed that only we could stop Sleigsta’s rampage, traced Nimia’s presence, and found us. Then, he is hurrying back.
“Asher, please tell me the situation in more detail.”
Once on Asher’s back, all we can do is quietly gaze down at the scenery flowing by at high speed below.
However, just sitting on Asher’s back is something we cannot do right now. We called out to Asher, trying to distract ourselves even a little.
But Asher said nothing. He continued to fly, beating his wings, while gazing at the eastern sky.
“Grandpa, I wonder what on earth happened?”
Even Mistral, who is usually the most composed in the family, showed a deep look of anxiety on his face and his eyes darted around.
Mistral had been coming and going to the Moss Garden as Sleigsta’s attendant even before he met me. Mistral has spent more time with Sleigsta than anyone else in the family. Perhaps he is more anxious than I am.
I held Mistral’s hand and hugged him, trying to alleviate his anxiety even a little.
But for some reason, I am the one who feels Mistral’s body heat and is relieved. Apparently, I was more anxious than I thought.
Everyone else was probably anxious too, as we huddled together in a single mass.
As if sensing our anxious presence on his back, Asher let out a deep sigh. And then, he finally opened his heavy mouth.
“It’s too bothersome even to speak of, so I thought showing you the reality would be faster. That’s right. I should at least explain beforehand, or you’ll be in trouble.”
“That’s right. Besides, the anxiety of not seeing the real situation is the scariest thing, you know?”
“Hmph. You can say that until you hear my story. Once you hear it, you’ll probably be even more anxious.”
“Ehh! Is the situation that dire!? Grandpa…”
We huddled together, bracing ourselves for Asher’s story.
What is the rampage of Sleigsta.
My throat, which I had swallowed in anticipation, was dry from tension.
Asher continued to fly without rest.
Revalia also desperately followed, trying not to be left behind by Asher.
In the blink of an eye, we passed through the mountainous region where the Winged Tribe lives and entered the southern part of the region ruled by the Demon Race. Asher flew over the thick gray clouds in one go and passed over the vast Demon Race’s country.
Shortly after the sun had set once in the western sky and then reappeared from the eastern sky.
We had returned to the skies of Dragon Peak.
Asher slightly reduced his speed and plotted a course correction.
Lowering his altitude as if approaching the rugged mountain range, Asher took us to a certain point.
“It’s that.”
At Asher’s tense voice, we looked down.
In the deep, rugged mountain valley, we saw it.
“…It looks like mist, or rather, it looks like localized rain is falling.”
In the direction Asher indicated, we saw a localized rain pattern swaying the scenery, whipped by the wind flowing through the mountain valleys.
Most of Dragon Peak was clear, with thin clouds slowly drifting over the high parts of the mountain range.
However, only the place we were watching had gloomy weather.
But this is not a rare sight. In mountain valleys, the weather changes frequently. It might be clear one moment, then suddenly pour down, and then stop just as quickly.
In the morning, deep mist blankets the area, and depending on the location and season, it can become a sea of clouds. This mist and sea of clouds also flow away like clouds soon after the sun rises.
In the depths of the mountain range where the weather changes easily, a landscape where the weather is locally broken is a familiar sight to us.
The rain pattern at our gaze was also raining over an area covering about two mountains.
It was a gentle rain that looked like it was softly falling.
Not large drops, but fine, soft droplets like mist.
Mist rain.
It’s not enough rain to need shelter, and as long as it’s not winter, you can proceed without worry if you’re wearing rain gear. In summer, it’s actually considered pleasant rain.
However, we were now staring at that mist rain with fearful eyes.
“It seems to have appeared shortly after you returned to the Forbidden Territory.”
Asher spoke while reducing his speed and circling the mist rain, which covered about two mountains, from a distance.
“It seems the first ones to notice were the Wyverns. No, to be precise, the Earth Dragons probably noticed the anomaly first, but they were eaten.”
“Earth Dragons were eaten…”
Asher said it lightly, but it was too shocking for us.
Earth Dragons, or rather the Dragon Race, are at the top of the many existing races. Whether it be the Winged Tribe, the Demon Race, or the Divine Race, they fear the Dragon Race. The existence of a being that preys on the Dragon Race is normally unthinkable, and we don’t want to think about it.
“You remember the Shōjō, don’t you? The land left behind by it withered like a desert, with even the Dragon Veins depleted. But, that didn’t matter to the monsters. The blank space left by the departure of a powerful being became a perfect haunt for monsters and Yōma.”
For many years, the Shōjō stayed in Dragon Peak, devouring not only the creatures and nature of the ground but also the Dragon Veins before leaving.
We know that the Earth Dragons had been constantly monitoring the territory since the Shōjō settled there and were investigating for any anomalies after it left.
We had intended to help with the healing once the Dragon Veins began to recover a little more, but it seemed the situation was more serious than we thought.
“Earth Dragons probably wouldn’t even pay attention to monsters or Yōma. Even if they’re monitoring, they don’t actively hunt them. They’re not even food.”
The appearance of some monsters or Yōma would be a common sight in Dragon Peak. The Dragon Race would not pay attention to such things. Besides, unlike animals or magic beasts, they cannot eat meat.
However, the appearance of monsters and Yōma was the beginning of the incident.
“It was the same when we defeated the Demon King, wasn’t it? Even if weak monsters appear at first, the small fry gradually attract the big ones.”
It’s the same with fishing in a pond. The small fish that are attracted by the bait draw in medium-sized fish. Then, larger fish appear and start to dominate the area.
“Weak monsters attract stronger monsters. Then, Yōma will appear, and eventually, even bigger beings attracted by them will come.”
Asher let out a big sigh.
“I should have thought about it. It’s a place the Shōjō inhabited for years. So, what would eventually come if monsters and Yōma gathered after the Shōjō left?”
We look down at the mountain valleys of Dragon Peak where the mist rain is swaying.
If I hadn’t listened to Asher’s story, I might not have paid attention. I might not have felt fear even if it came into my sight.
If we had traveled Dragon Peak on foot, we would have been enveloped in mist rain without any caution.
Thinking that, my spine chilled.
Surely, the Earth Dragons who were eaten must have felt the same as I do now.
Monsters and Yōma appeared in the place the Shōjō had inhabited. Then, the mist rain began to fall softly. Yes, they must have been careless.
However, those Earth Dragons were swallowed by the mist rain, and then eaten.
“Diamond Mist…”
I had only heard about it from the Giant Demon Lord in the past.
Monsters exist in the world that are comparable to legendary magic beasts like the Shōjō and the Thousand-Handed Spider.
The Shōjō and the Thousand-Handed Spider are magic beasts so terrifyingly strong that even if all the dragons living in Dragon Peak banded together, they couldn’t win. A terrifying monster that stands shoulder to shoulder with those magic beasts.
Diamond Mist.
I don’t know the details.
I can’t imagine a monster that combines soft mist rain with the hardness of diamond.
But there is one thing that can be said with certainty.
Even Sleigsta and the Giant Demon Lord would not dare to lay a hand on the Shōjō or the Diamond Mist. If they appeared nearby, they could only watch quietly until they left or flee. There is no doubt that they are beings that command such a response.
“First, the monitoring Earth Dragons were eaten by that mist rain. Then, several Wyverns who came to investigate when the Earth Dragons went silent also entered the mist rain carelessly and were eaten.”
“And then, the fellow Wyverns who were watching realized the anomaly, didn’t they?”
At first, the Wyverns spread rumors that something terrifying had occurred. The rumors that spread among the Dragon Race were transmitted to the Dragon Race via their dragon hearts, and apparently reached the ears of Cornelia, who attended to Sleigsta.
“When Cornelia consulted with Grandpa, it was discovered that it was a monster called Diamond Mist.”
If it were only that, it would have been fine.
Like when the Shōjō appeared, we could just continue to monitor from a distance without approaching and wait for it to leave.
But this time, it was different from when the Shōjō appeared.
“If it hadn’t moved, Grandpa wouldn’t have been so morose.”
Asher glared hatefully at the mist rain below.
“Does the Diamond Mist hunt while moving?”
We rarely hear of monsters preying on animals or plants. However, they sometimes attack anything that moves indiscriminately or rampage for no reason. That’s why people flee or subdue monsters when they appear.
And the Diamond Mist was the same. It attacked and devoured animals that carelessly entered the mist rain.
However, although we say “devour,” the truth is unknown. Since those who were engulfed by the mist rain have vanished without a trace, we only interpret it as being devoured.
In any case, all we know is that if you enter that mist rain, you will be devoured in the blink of an eye.
What happens inside the mist rain remains unknown, as no one who enters can return alive.
And the Diamond Mist was moving, albeit slowly.
Yes. Towards the capital city of the Armēdo Kingdom and the eastern foothills of Dragon Peak, where the Dragon Forest spreads.
“Grandpa decided to take responsibility as the guardian of the Spirit Tree. If the Diamond Mist were to engulf the Dragon Forest, he would stop it with all his might.”
“…Even if it meant using forbidden arts, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
We held our breath.
For over two thousand years, Sleigsta has been protecting the Dragon Forest and the Spirit Tree at its deepest part.
He took pride in guarding the Spirit Tree and protected it without any personal feelings.
Even now, he does not allow anyone, not even us, to approach the Spirit Tree casually. I often go to the base of the Spirit Tree to offer a ceremonial dance to the Spirit King of the Spirit Tree, but even Mistral, my own family member, still cannot approach without Sleigsta’s permission. And now, a crisis is approaching the Spirit Tree and Dragon Forest that he has so carefully protected.
A terrifying monster, which even Sleigsta cannot handle, is slowly approaching.
Therefore, he has made up his mind.
He will prevent the invasion of the Diamond Mist, even if it means using forbidden arts.
“Grandpa…”
Sleigsta’s resolve was painfully clear.
I, too, would resort to any means necessary to protect my beloved family.
Even if the opponent is unbeatable, I would decide to protect my family through all possible means.
“But please, hold on a little longer! We will do our utmost to cooperate!!”
I shouted with all my heart towards the skies of Dragon Peak.
