Chapter 156
Dragons
The
next day, after giving Miku a spare key and successfully training
together with her, I hurried on foot towards the Dragon's Valley, where
the Dragonia Dragon Knight Kingdom and the Demon Territory Jahangir
were clashing.
The
Dragonia Dragon Knight Kingdom is a country I've had almost no
involvement with until now, unlike the Kingdom that summoned us or its
neighboring Empire.
Because
its origins and the path it took to reach its current form are quite unique,
I'm honestly a little excited to see what kind of country it is. If it weren't
for the current timing, it's a country with such a strong other-world feel that
I'd want to take my time sightseeing.
(If
I remember correctly... it was a country where humans and dragons live
together, right?)
Located
to the west of the Kingdom, Dragonia is said to be a country of
humans and dragons. Astoundingly, dragons make up about twenty percent of this
country's actual population.
As
for why there are so many dragons, it has to do with the country's geography.
Heading south from Dragonia, there is a country called the Star
Dragon Alliance.
Or
rather, I wonder if it's right to call it a country... It's a place where
dragons live, a so-called dragon village.
In
the past, among those driven out of the country of that era, some settled near
the Star Dragon Alliance.
Even
the weakest dragons possess power equivalent to a lower A-Rank monster,
so no matter how ferocious a monster was, none would dare approach the Star
Dragon Alliance where a massive number of such monsters resided.
Although
the Dragonia side denies it, in the beginning, it seems it was akin to a
master-servant relationship where humans were protected by dragons and offered
tribute in return.
Over
a long history, dragons became so cultured that they could no longer live
without human civilization, and they began to hold favorable feelings toward
the humans who supplied it.
But
even that transformed over their long history... and now, Dragonia and
the Star Dragon Alliance have forged an inseparable, friendly
relationship.
「So that is... the Dragon's Valley...」
However,
Dragonia and the Star Dragon Alliance are now standing at a
critical juncture of life and death.
The
Demon Territory Jahangir they are facing is mostly composed of
demons that fly through the sky.
Hawk
demons, eagle demons, bat demons, and devil demons... and that legion is ruled
by the strongest dragon demon they revere as king, Jahangir.
Currently,
in terms of pure combat ability as a demon, Jahangir is apparently
number two, excluding Odd.
The
story goes that the reason he obeys Odd is because he was defeated by Odd
in a one-on-one duel.
Can
I win against someone like that...? Honestly, I'm scared, but that's no reason
to stop moving forward.
While
maintaining a position where I could be seen by the dragons patrolling the sky,
I ran towards a place that looked like a base...
The
place I arrived at was an encampment a bit too small-scale to be called a base.
It looked like a resting area where the ground was lightly leveled and shaped
using Earth Magic; it might be closer to a landing pad than a military
base.
「To think we would have a guest from
the Empire at the absolute frontlines like this...」
Until
now, because I was acquainted with the leaders of the countries, I could
somewhat force my way through things, but the Dragonia I came to this
time is a completely unknown land where I have no acquaintances.
Therefore,
I had Emilia write me a letter and decided to cover my identity by
presenting myself as an individual whose status is guaranteed by Her Majesty
the Emperor.
The
Empire is the nation with the highest national power in the anti-demon
alliance, and they provide various forms of assistance, starting with supplies,
to Dragonia, whose primary industries like agriculture aren't very
strong to begin with.
Because
of this, the people of Dragonia are highly favorable towards the Empire.
It pains me to take advantage of that, but... please forgive me, because I will
do my best.
「My name is Masaru. I am fully
aware that this is the frontline. I promise that even if I were to lose my life
because it's a warzone, it will not cause any rift in the relationship between
our two countries.」
「Understood. I am Official Dragon
Knight Hosen. Should there be separate orders, I will have to take
flight again, but until then, I will attend to you, Masaru-sama.」
Hosen-san straightened his back sharply
while performing the Dragon Knight Kingdom-style salute of placing a hand over
his chest. This is bad; if I keep repeating this kind of thing, I might learn
the taste of power.
「So these are dragons... This is my
first time seeing them.」
Looking
at the grassland spreading around us, I saw dragons with massive bodies that
messed with my sense of perspective, munching away on the grass. Although they
were equipped with reins and safety harnesses, I couldn't see any ropes or
tethers tying them down.
「Are you surprised that no mooring
lines are provided?」
「Yes, to be honest.」
「We Dragon Knights commune our hearts
with our dragons. Therefore, restraints are unnecessary. For dragons are noble
through and through, and desire to be free.」
Dragons
are not human pets, and humans are not the owners of dragons. It seems what
they perform is a special ritual called a contract.
Although
the exact principles are unknown nowadays, it's said that using ancient
techniques from the time when the Star Dragon Alliance was first formed,
humans and dragons use each other's blood as a medium to perform a ritual and
commune their hearts.
「I'm Mion. Nice to meet you,
human.」
「—!? N-Nice to meet you.」
Wow,
this is kinda amazing... I was thinking, when a dragon that had approached spoke to
me.
Although
slightly raspy, that voice was undeniably speaking the common continental
language used in this world. —That's right, highly intelligent dragons can
normally speak the language spoken by humans just fine.
Dragons
are the only creatures in human nations, aside from demi-humans, that are
treated as equals to humans. They possess high intelligence and combat ability,
and their power is such that even weak individuals reach the lower tier of A-Rank
monsters. Powerful individuals apparently possess world-class strength that
reaches the upper tier of A-Rank.
The
pinkish-beige dragon seemed to be the one Hosen-san rode. She approached
Hosen-san and looked happy as she was pet.
A human playing with a dragon—I was unintentionally mesmerized by the sight that looked like a scene straight out of a painting. S-So cool... Out of everything I've seen so far, this feels the most, you know, other-worldly...!
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
Nepheos
[Silver]
Corey Hicks
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Jake Seagraves
Matthew Fraser
Tbaum56
Xavier O'Donoghue
Anton Lim
Baelee
Christopher Feliciano
Ctdela
Curious Panda
nick nasca
SD Fox
Sébastien Dionne
Z
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----