The Narrowing Distance Between the Two

"Cold... High... Scary..."

Right now, I was flying through the skies, being carried by the dragon

priestess.

My body was wrapped in the dragon's hand, so it was reasonably

warm, but my face was directly exposed to the wind, and it was very cold.

That, and it was scary being this high up. It had nothing to do with

acrophobia—I'm pretty sure anyone who suddenly found themselves

skydiving with no past experience would be scared. That was what this was

like.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," the dragon priestess said.

"However, a dragon only lets her partner ride on her back. Please forgive

me for carrying you like this."

The dragon priestess sounded apologetic, but I wasn't convinced that

was the problem here.

"No, it's not that I wanted to ride on your back..."

Honestly, the only reason I wasn't even more freaked out was that only

my head was exposed. If I'd been riding on her back, feeling the speed and

wind pressure with my whole body, I'm confident I would have passed out.

The members of our Air Force fly this high, too... I realized.

The dragon priestess asked, "Are you afraid of high places, Sir

Souma?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah. Kinda..."

"In that case, I will go faster so we can arrive at our destination

sooner." With that, the dragon priestess accelerated rapidly.

"No, that doesn't mean I want you to go fasteeeeeerrrrrrrrrrr!"

I screamed the loudest I had that day.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Eek!" Naden shrieked.

Having left Crystal Castle, she'd been on her way back to her den when

the biggest jolt she'd felt all day had hit her.

This wasn't like mere static electricity; this was like squeezing your

foot tightly when it was numb from you sitting on it for too long, or

suddenly having someone grab your sides. It was that sort of ticklish and

stimulating feeling.

Naden rubbed her cheeks and said, "I thought it might be my cheeks,

but could this be—"

She was then interrupted by something else.

"You there, worm," a high-handed voice said snootily.

When Naden turned to react, there were three girls there. One was a

beautiful young girl with defiant eyes and rolls of curly hair who looked

like the epitome of haughtiness, while the remaining two were her blue- and

green-haired flunkies.

The girl with rolls of red curls was Ruby; the flunky with the short blue

hair was Sapphire; and the flunky with the long green hair was Emerada.

Naden had been walking on a little road in the forest. The three of them

were standing to block it.

With a look of utter contempt on her face, Naden walked toward the

three of them. "Oh, look... the three stooges."

"Who're you calling stooges?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Well, should I call you drag-ons instead?" Naden quipped.

"Huh? Where is that pause in the middle coming from?"

"From how this keeps dragging on. You keep coming to bother me for

no good reason."

As one might have guessed from this exchange, Naden hated these

three. This country was unwelcoming, both in a geographic and diplomatic

sense, so many of the dragons had inward-looking personalities, too. That

was why there was no shortage of dragons who mocked her as a "wingless

dragon" or "worm."

Dragons prided themselves as being creatures revered as godbeasts, so

most of them wouldn't tell Naden how they looked down on her to her face.

But they still said it maliciously behind her back.

These three were the only ones who would openly mess with Naden.

Red-haired Ruby mockingly said, "Hmph! I heard you were called out

by Lady Tiamat, so I came to see if you finally got yourself thrown out.

Well? Was she mad?"

"Too bad for you, then," Naden shot back. "There wasn't anything she

was upset about."

"Hmph. Then why were you summoned?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business. Now get out of my way."

Naden tried to pass the three of them, but Ruby immediately blocked

her.

Naden tried to turn back the way she had come, but Sapphire and

Emerada had sealed it off.

"...You three, cut it out, would you?!"

When Naden glared at them, Ruby took on a nasty grin.

"Oh, yes, it's the Contract Ceremony soon, isn't it?"

Naden gulped. The three circled around her, with Ruby closely

scrutinizing her face.

"It's so romantic," Ruby said. "The young dragons and knights all

meet, the noble knights offer their hands to the dragons, and the dragons

accept their hands to become lifelong partners. It's the highlight of every

dragon's life. The moment when we can be said to shine our brightest."

Naden was silent.

"On that most important of days, I wonder if there will be a knight who

would deign to choose you." The corners of Ruby's lips turned up, and her

fang-like canines peeked out. It was an unpleasant smile. "Dragons prefer

strong knights. Strong knights produce prosperous descendants, a mark of

pride for any dragon. Knights prefer magnificent, majestic dragons. For the

knights of Nothung, the dragons are their partners both in marriage and on

the battlefield. In order to distinguish themselves in battle and to move up

in the ranks—not to mention survive—they'll choose strong, majestic, and

ferocious dragons."

Triumphant and mocking, Ruby's words beat against Naden's ears.

"But what about you? Will there be a knight who would choose you?

You, who have no wings, don't breathe fire, and can't fly? Even if there is,

what will he do? Is he going to ride you? Watching the rest of the dragon

knights fly through the sky while he fights on a dragon that's little better

than a horse? Ahaha, what an idiot. He won't be moving up in the world,

that's for sure!"

Bzzt!

Ruby jumped backward as that sound suddenly came from Naden.

Naden's hair began to stand on end, and her body was wreathed in pale

blue electrical discharge. Her voluminous hair spread out, wriggling in the

air like tentacles.

Naden turned to Ruby, pointing a finger at her as she said, "Shut your

filthy mouth. If you don't, I'll paralyze you."

"Hmph! Do it, if you can."

In the next moment, a blue bolt of electricity shot forth from Naden's

fingertip. However, by the time it reached its target, Ruby was no longer

there, and the trunk of the tree that had been behind her was singed instead.

Naden looked up into the sky and howled, "Tch! Get down here, you

dirty coward!"

There were three dragons, red, green, and blue, hanging in the air; it

was none other than Ruby and her flunkies. The three flapped their

membranous, wyvern-like wings as they looked down at Naden.

"What's the matter? Weren't you going to paralyze us?" In her red

dragon form, Ruby seemed to have become even more spiteful. "Oh, right.

Even if you can control electric shocks, you can't hit us if you can't fly."

"Shut up!" Naden yelled.

"Who would ever choose you?"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"You had better participate in the ceremony. Don't run away. Though

I'm sure no one will choose you, it would be good to see you put in your

place."

"Ngh!" Naden cried.

Naden ran away, turning her back on Ruby and the other two.

Damn it... Damn it...

She didn't want to let them see her tears of sadness and frustration. If

she cried, it would only let them bask in their sense of superiority. Not a

chance.

Though I'm sure no one will choose you.

As Ruby's words echoed in her ears, she imagined the other dragons

mocking her at the Contract Ceremony.

Pai and Lady Tiamat told her to participate, but she wouldn't let anyone

make a laughingstock of her!

Who... Who would go to the stupid Contract Ceremony?!

Naden vanished into the forest.

◇ ◇ ◇

Having adjusted to flying at high speeds, I spoke to the dragon priestess

as we got closer to the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

"So, I wanted to ask a question."

"What might that be?" she asked.

"This Dracul place, where the dragons live—it's on top of those

mountains, right?"

"Yes. That is correct."

"I'm still fine now, but if you carry me up there, am I going to be all

right when it comes to air and whatnot? I'd rather not suffer from altitude

sickness."

This was the Star Dragon Mountain Range, a series of mountains the

size of Mt. Fuji. The Dracul Plateau itself was kept in a state of perpetual

spring by Mother Dragon's magic, and the air there was no different from

the air at ground level, but what about the route there?

If I was going to be going through an experience equivalent to suddenly

being chucked to the top of Mt. Fuji, that would be hazardous to my health.

The dragon priestess shook her head. "You need not fear. Once we enter

the Star Dragon Mountain Range, Lady Tiamat's magical power will

directly transport you the rest of the way to Crystal Castle in Dracul."

...So there you had it. Basically, it was going to be another teleportation

like I had experienced earlier.

"In that case, couldn't she have just transported me to that castle or

wherever to begin with?"

"Lady Tiamat can only exercise her fullest power within the Star

Dragon Mountain Range. In other lands, her abilities are greatly restricted.

When you get to be as far away as that village, she can only teleport you

short distances."

...Could a few kilometers really be called a short distance?

Well, it seemed she couldn't suddenly send dragons anywhere on the

continent, at least, so that was a bit of a relief. I didn't even have an inkling

of any intentions to oppose her, but it was still unsettling to have her

unilaterally hold the power of life and death over me. Though, well, I could

certainly tell that Mother Dragon was on an entirely different level from

other creatures.

While I was thinking that, the dragon priestess picked up speed. "We

will soon enter the Star Dragon Mountain Range. Please, brace yourself for

transportation."

"Brace myself? How am I supposed to do that?"

"Don't be surprised if the scenery around you suddenly changes."

"Oh, so that's what you meant..."

The dragon priestess's speed slowed, and when she had almost come to

a stop...

◆

...the scenery changed. We had just been in midair, but now the floor

was beneath my feet.

The dragon priestess set me down, and I was finally able to get my feet

back on terra firma.

I looked around, wondering where I might be. It was bright, so I could

see well, but it was an incredibly vast space I'd found myself in. There was

a white wall in front of my eyes, but when I turned to look behind me, the

wall on the opposite side was a long ways off. This place might be larger

than a domed stadium.

When I looked up to the ceiling, still thinking about that, I gulped

again. It's not a wall?!

What I found myself looking up at was a giant dragon's head. Right

now, I was at the breast of a massive dragon that was sitting like the sphinx.

That head... It was the same dragon I had seen in my dream.

Did that mean this supermassive dragon was Mother Dragon? I'd

thought she was big when I saw her in my dreams, but because it'd been a

dream, her size had been kind of hazy. When I saw her up close and

personal like this, she seemed even bigger than I'd assumed in my dream.

I heard a voice from above. "You've done well. Let us have some time

alone."

The dragon who had carried me this far said, "Understood."

She bowed her head, and was then erased. Mother Dragon probably

teleported her away.

While I was still dumbstruck, Mother Dragon addressed me in a gentle

(though psychic) voice. "Now then, I think it would be much too haughty of

me to remain in this form when before the master of a nation."

With that said, her body began to shine and then shrink down. When

the brilliant light subsided, I beheld a woman who was roughly the same

height as me. Her face was covered by a veil, so I couldn't tell her age or

appearance, but the woman was wearing a shining, silver robe-like garment,

and had a well-balanced figure. As with the arms of the Venus de Milo, not

being able to see her face made me imagine it to be incredibly beautiful.

"Is that... your human form?" I was awestruck, but somehow managed

to get those words out.

She chuckled. "Is this my human form, you ask? That's an apt name for

it." The woman lifted the hem of her robe and bowed. "I am pleased to meet

you in person like this. Greetings, King Souma of Elfrieden and Amidonia.

I am Tiamat, the one responsible for the Star Dragon Mountain Range."

"It's an honor to meet you, Madam Mother Dragon." I returned her

bow. "I am King Souma of Friedonia."

Mother Dragon chuckled. "That name is something others just started

calling me of their own accord. Please, call me Tiamat."

"As you wish, Madam Tiamat. Um... sorry about my appearance."

Much too late, I realized I was still in that Kitakaze Kozou-style

traveler's outfit. I felt bad standing in front of the divine figure I saw before

me in this state. I had no time to change clothes, after all. But when I said

that, Madam Tiamat shook her head.

"No, you look like that because I called you here so suddenly. If anyone

should apologize, it is me. For a start... let's sit down."

A table made of glass and two matching chairs suddenly appeared

between us. Teleportation sure was a convenient ability. If I had that, I

could instantly find the documents I was looking for when working, so I

really wanted it...

I was thinking like a total slave to my job.

Once we sat down, Madam Tiamat began by bowing her head deeply.

"First, allow me to apologize for bringing you here so forcibly."

"I will accept that apology," I said. "But could I ask you to explain your

reasons? I was already on my way here with my companions when you did

so."

"I will tell you, of course. But first..."

Suddenly, a tea set appeared before my eyes. The teacup sitting in front

of me was already filled with a warm serving of black tea.

"Let's have tea. Do you take sugar or milk?"

"No, straight is fine."

It was time for me to stop being surprised by every little thing. She was

worshiped as a god, after all.

I took a sip of tea to calm my nerves. I was more of a coffee person,

honestly, but... it had a good fragrance. Tiamat drank her tea, then took a

breath before opening her mouth to speak.

"Now, as for what led me to force you to come here, that is because

there is an urgent situation that threatens the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

In order to resolve it, I need your.... no, the powers of all of you. That is

why I've summoned you here, well aware that I may cause offense."

She had some sort of situation on her hands? And what did she mean

about the powers of all of us? As far as I could tell, I was the only one here.

"What exactly is this urgent situation you speak of?" I asked.

"A storm is approaching the Star Dragon Mountain Range," Madam

Tiamat said with a mysterious tone in her voice.

A storm? Wasn't Dracul a plateau at an altitude equivalent to the peak

of Mt. Fuji? Wouldn't they hear the thunder coming from below up here?

But thinking about it a bit longer, I remembered the peak of Mt. Fuji could

get still storms. They say cumulonimbus clouds can go all the way up to the

stratosphere, after all. No, but before that...

"Even our country can't do anything about natural phenomena," I said.

"Of course, this isn't a 'natural phenomenon.'"

"...Is it a metaphor of some sort?"

"Yes, that's right. I expressed an impending threat as a storm. In order

to deal with this storm, we will need your power, Sir Souma, and that of one

other. In order to bind the two of you together, I needed you to come to the

Star Dragon Mountain Range on your own."

Madam Tiamat spoke in a quiet voice, almost like she was composing

poetry.

"There is little time. If we waited for you to come together with your

entourage, there was the risk that the situation would get out of hand.

However, even if we explained the situation, there is no way the vassals of a

king would allow him to go to another country alone. Because of that, we

resorted to somewhat more forceful methods. I once again apologize. I'm

sorry for what we put you through."

Madam Tiamat offered a sincere bow.

I had the mother dragon who was revered as a god bowing her head to

me. What would Liscia and the others say if they heard about this?

That aside, she said she spirited me away because there was "little

time," but she was being awfully vague as to the reason why.

"You've apologized enough," I said. "Could I trouble you for a more

concrete explanation about this storm, or whatever it is?"

"The storm will definitely come. I cannot touch the storm directly.

However, my children cannot handle it themselves. Except... for one of

them. The storm will be a miserable calamity. We need you, who will be the

key to dealing with it, and that girl who will carry you. It is a miracle that

the calamity and the means of resolving it have encountered one another in

this time frame, but looking at the eternal flow of time as a whole, it may

have been an inevitability."

I was silent. I really didn't get it.

I scratched the back of my neck. "I do think this roundabout way of

discussing things is fitting for a god, but..."

"If you find it unpleasant, I apologize once more. However, this is the

most 'guidance' I can hand down."

"Guidance..." I muttered.

"I am a being who exists to raise and watch over those who live on this

continent of Landia. I can offer advice that guides things in a better

direction, but I have not been given the authority to intervene directly in

individual matters."

"If you haven't been given the authority, does that mean there's

someone who exists at a higher level than you?!" I exclaimed.

Mother Dragon was held up as the highest god by the practitioners of

Mother Dragon worship. If there was a being in a position to give her

authority, wouldn't that make that being the actual highest god? If the

practitioners of Mother Dragon worship heard this (setting aside the issue of

whether they'd even believe it), it could cause incredible chaos...

While I was staring, dumbfounded, Madam Tiamat silently shook her

head.

"There once was. But they are no more."

"R-Really?"

Was this like saying God is dead? I couldn't make a decision based on

the information available to me, but Madam Tiamat gave me a slightly sad

smile.

"Yes. However, the limitations placed upon me live on. That is how I

was born, and so I must continue to abide by those limitations. Even

knowing my own children will be exposed to the storm, I myself can do

nothing about it."

"So you called me here because of that storm?" I hedged.

"That is correct."

"I think, as far as humans go, I'm one of the weaker ones in this world,

though."

"Martial prowess has nothing to do with it," she said. "Your very

existence is the key."

"Does that have something to do with how I was summoned as a hero?"

"Yes. However, I am unable to tell you precisely how."

"I dunno..." I scratched my head.

Going purely off the information provided to me, this didn't seem like

something I could make a decision on easily. However, seeing how sincere

Madam Tiamat was, I could be absolutely sure that the situation was

pressing, at the very least.

Argh. If I had Hakuya and his oratory skills here, I might have been

able to extract as much information from Madam Tiamat as was possible

within her limitations; and if I had any one of Liscia, Aisha, Juna, and

Roroa with me, I could have consulted them on what to do.

Speaking of Liscia and the others...

"Madam Tiamat," I said. "I'd like you to answer just one thing for me."

"What might that be? I hope it's something I'm not restricted from

telling you."

"It's a yes or no question." I finished my tea and calmed myself, then

sat up, looked Madam Tiamat straight in the eye, and asked her, "Is this

storm, or whatever it is, something that would harm me, or those who are

going to become my family?"

If I couldn't know all the details anyway, I at least wanted to make sure

of the one thing that was most important to me.

Madam Tiamat's response: "Yes."

That more or less decided my answer for me.

◇ ◇ ◇

Naden was running through the forest.

She ran straight down the game trails, trying not to think about

anything. That was because if, while thinking, she considered her situation

for even a moment, she felt like she would be crushed under the weight of

her sadness.

As she ran, Naden's body transformed. She became four-legged; her

body thickened and grew longer; and she sprouted deer-like antlers, a long

tail, and two whip-like whiskers. She had taken on her dragon form.

She twisted her gigantic body around, slithering between the trees like a

snake. There were, of course, no wings on her back.

Does having wings make you so great?! She asked herself the same

question she had so many times before in her life. Is it so wrong not to have

wings? Geez... I don't even know anymore! What do you want me to do?!

There's nothing I can do!

At some point, tears had begun to fall from her red eyes. They wouldn't

stop.

Enough! I don't care anymore!

She kept running, and eventually came out of the woods.

She'd come to a rocky place. It was a sheer cliff, and the far edge of the

area that Tiamat's magic kept in a state of everlasting spring. This was the

edge of Dracul. The setting sun had dyed the sea of clouds that spread out

below her red.

The scenery here truly was fit to be called breathtaking. However,

Naden didn't have the presence of mind to take it in right now.

She leaned out over the cliff, stretching out her long neck and shouting

as loudly as she could in thought-speak: "You stupid suuuuuuuun!"

She added out loud, "Rooooooooooooooar!"

Ooooooooooooooooar...

Ooooooooar...

Ooooar...

Screaming out in psychic speech while roaring at the same time, her

roar echoed as it vanished away to somewhere beyond the clouds.

Naden stood there, glaring into the sun.

"Th-That ryuu's going through adolescence." A voice that was lacking

in tension came from behind Naden.

"Wha?!"

When the surprised Naden turned back, there was a young man in

unfamiliar garb, standing there and looking at her like he'd seen something

unbelievable. The young man wearing a traveler's cloak over top of his

shirt, and a conical straw hat was scratching his cheek as he looked at her,

unsure what to do.

"I know from Madam Tiamat and the dragon priestess that it's possible

to talk with them, but when I see a ryuu girl shouting something out of an

adolescent drama... I just don't know how to react," he added.

Naden's eyes went wide. What is a human doing here? And in that

strange outfit... He's not a knight from the Nothung Dragon Knight

Kingdom, is he?

While she got information from the Empire through her simple receiver,

Naden knew nearly nothing about the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, so

she didn't know the young man's outfit was from there.

Continuing to stare at Naden, the young man opened his mouth and

said, "Still, I'd heard the Star Dragon Mountain Range was a nation of

dragons.... But I never imagined there would be a ryuu here, too. I feel like I

understand this world less and less."

A "ryuu"... That was what the young man had called Naden. "Ryuu"

was another word for dragon. Naden opened her eyes wide.

"A ryuu, huh..." she said coldly, thinking he might have meant it

sarcastically. "I don't have wings, you know."

But the young man tilted his head to the side. "Huh? That's obvious,

isn't it? Ryuus don't have wings."

"Huh? What are you talking about? Ryuus are supposed to have wings,

aren't they?"

"Huh? If you're talking about a ryuu with wings, there's the ouryuu,

also called the yinglong, but aren't they supposed to be kind of a unique

case?"

"Huh?" Naden asked.

"Huh?"

It seemed there was some inconsistency in their understanding.

"Hold on," Naden said, "When you say ryuu... you mean a dragon,

right?"

"A dragon? ...Oh, I see. So that's it."

The young man clapped his hands together, as if something suddenly

made sense to him. Then, picking up a branch, he drew two characters,

and , on the ground.

"In the world I came from, we had the Oriental dragon, also called a

ryuu or long, and the Western dragon, two similar but dissimilar creatures."

"Your world? Similar but dissimilar...?"

While Naden still had a question mark over her head, the young man

drew a circle around .

"In my world, Western-style dragons were given this character, which

is read as 'ryuu.' They're creatures that are like giant horned lizards, but

with wings."

"Giant lizards, but with wings... That's about right." Naden thought it

was an apt description.

It felt good hearing the other dragons, who always called her a worm,

get called big lizards. It was refreshing.

"Hm? Then what about this other ryuu?" Naden added, pointing to .

"They're creatures said to have the head of a camel, the eyes of a

rabbit, the ears of a cow, the antlers of a deer, the neck of a snake, the belly

of a sea snake, the legs of a tiger, the talons of an eagle, and one hundred

and seven koi-like scales covering their body."

That was way more bizarre than some big lizard. What kind of mystery

creature was that?

"From what you're saying, they sound like total chimeras," Naden said.

"No, no... I'm talking about you here."

"..."

Me?!

That made sense. The long body, covered in scales, the front and hind

legs with sharp claws, and the deer-like antlers... If you were to try

describing Naden's body using animals, it might turn out that way. She

didn't know what kind of creature a camel was, but did she really resemble

one?

"I'm a... ryuu..." she said slowly.

"In my country, when you hear the word ryuu, the image that first

comes to mind looks a lot like you," he explained. "That's probably the

effect of a certain famous manga and anime, though."

"Manga? Anime?"

"Never mind, that was just me talking to myself. Don't worry about it.

By the way..."

The young man suddenly slumped to the ground. He was holding his

stomach for some reason.

"W-Wait, what's wrong?! Does your stomach hurt?!" Naden exclaimed.

"No, um... I'm hungry... I was dragged off before breakfast, and now

that I think about it, I haven't eaten all day."

"So you're just hungry!" Naden cried, exasperated.

Bzzt! That numbing feeling came again.

In her ryuu form, she could tell. Her cheeks felt a little numb, but what

really reacted were her two long, whip-like whiskers. These whiskers were

Naden's most sensitive sensory organs, and the slightest breeze across them

was enough to tell her what the weather would be like for the next week.

My whiskers... Were they responding to him?

Naden returned to human form and stood in front of the hunched over

young man. His face was turned downward, so she couldn't see his

expression. She reached out to touch his face softly. Her hand was close

enough that she couldn't tell if she was touching him yet or not, when...

"That's a rather cute form you've changed into," the young man looked

up and said when he saw Naden in her young girl form.

Naden turned bright red at being called cute. "Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-WhWh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wha?! M-Me?!"

"Huh? You're the only one here, aren't you?"

"B-But, I'm so plain... and small."

"Really? I think you've got good material to work with. If you dressed

a little better, I think you might look good on screen, you know? If you

were good at singing, too, I'd almost want to recruit you as a lorelei," the

young man said with a little laugh.

Though there were some unfamiliar terms, like "on screen" and

"lorelei," Naden's head instantly boiled over when she realized she was

being complimented on her appearance.

While Naden was still pressing her hands against her flushed cheeks,

the young man hesitantly asked, "By the way..."

"Wh-What?"

"Do you have anything to eat?" A weak growling came from the young

man's stomach.

...

"...Pft." Naden burst out laughing. "Ahahahahaha! What the heck...?

Hahaha!"

It was a hearty guffaw. Where had all that sadness from before gone?

"You're so weird." She laughed heartily.

Then Naden transformed back into her ryuu form and picked up the

young man by the scruff of his neck, like a mother cat might carry her

kitten.

◇ ◇ ◇

Chomp... Munch, munch...

"Maybe try eating a little slower?" the ryuu girl said in exasperation,

seeing me wolf down my food.

I was in the cave the ryuu girl brought me to, tearing into a hunk of

meat. This den of hers looked like no more than a cave from the outside, but

inside there was a bed, bookshelves lined with romance novels, and a

carpet. It looked like a girl's room.

She had served me some sort of salted, cooked meat along with fruit.

Normally, this big of a hunk of meat would have been intimidating, but I

was so famished that it looked like a feast to me. I felt like how Aisha acted

any time there was food in front of her. I tore into it wildly.

"Mmm," I said appreciatively. "I dunno what kind of meat this is, but

it's good!"

"Oh, geez, don't talk with your mouth full," the girl on the opposite end

of the table said, resting her cheeks on her palms. "You were that hungry?"

"Yeah. I'm really grateful to you. By the way, what kind of meat is

this?"

"It's from a big deer I hunted in the mountains."

"Venison, huh? ...Wait, you hunted it?"

"That's how most dragons get their food, you know? We fly around the

Star Dragon Mountain Range, hunting animals and gathering fruit to eat.

That's how we grow into strong dragons."

"You're living a much wilder life than your room would suggest..."

While I was eating, she explained that dragons became strongly

attached to their families once they were wed to a knight, but in the Star

Dragon Mountain Range, they each lived on their own. There were no

stores in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and they hunted and gathered to

feed themselves each day.

Also, dragons didn't gather in large groups, so they were doing well if

they had one, maybe two friends. It was said that they had adopted this

mentality because the majority of dragons married and left for the Nothung

Dragon Knight Kingdom, so they did this to avoid having lingering regrets

about leaving their homeland.

While listening to all this, I finished my meat and fruits and clapped my

hands. "...Phew. That was a feast."

"It wasn't that much of a feast, though," the ryuu said.

"That's just a thing you say after a meal in my country. Oh, that

reminds me. You treated me to a meal, but I haven't gotten your name yet,

have I? It slipped my mind." I sat up straight, and bowed deeply to the girl

across from me. "Thank you for helping me. I'm... Kazuma Souya."

I hesitated for a moment, but opted to use my fake name. If I told her I

was the King of Friedonia, explaining that seemed like a hassle. Madam

Tiamat's explanation had been too abstract, meaning I didn't really have a

good grasp of the situation, so this was good enough for now. I didn't want

to trouble someone who helped me if I didn't have to.

"I was invited by Madam Tiamat and came here from the Kingdom of

Friedonia," I added.

"Oh, how polite of you." Hooked into it by my own bow, the young girl

bobbed her head, too. "I'm Naden Delal."

"Huh? Dendera?"

"Naden Delal! Don't shorten it in a weird way!"

"Dendera the ryuu... Denderaryuu..."

What was it? I was suddenly reminded of that children's song.

"Denderaryuuba detekurubatten, denderarenken detekonken?" I asked.

"What's that weird spell-like incantation?" she exclaimed.

"Oh, it's a children's song from my country."

"Denderaryuuba" was a children's song from rural Kyushu. By the way,

there was no dragon called a denderaryuu in it. "Denderaryuuba" meant "if

I wanted to go out" in that region's dialect. That line of the song meant: "If

I wanted to go out, I could, but I can't go out, so I won't." Or so I'd heard.

Was it about being a shut-in?

"Well, anyway, nice to meet you, Dendera," I said.

"Na-de-n! Don't call me Dendera!" Naden got all huffy about it.

I reflected that she was a cute girl whose expression changed a lot.

That was how I went to the Star Dragon Mountain Range and met

Dendera... er, sorry... how I met Naden Delal.