REFDL 128

The eleventh day of travel.

Considering that our mode of transportation were dragons, it was an incredible distance.

[You call this close?]

“Oh, I only heard about it. If it had been any farther than this, I don’t think I would have dared to go!”

“His Majesty also made this decision after much deliberation…”

……Is that so?

“……I’d like to believe that.”

Following Irina’s words, Nitan concluded with a wistful expression. It was a wistfulness so profound that one couldn’t bring oneself to add anything to it.

That afternoon.

The day, which had been a succession of trees after trees, finally came to an end. Faced with the wondrous scenery we were encountering for the first time, everyone was left speechless.

“……A plain?”

“No. That’s….”

[A desert!]

The horizon was made of stone, not grass. A few blades of grass and trees remained near the edge of the forest, but the further we ventured inward, the more the landscape shifted to rocks and bare earth.

Even from the sky, its end was nowhere in sight.

“……Look! There are people over there!”

“I saw them too.”

The people riding horses and pulling carts looked up. Even though they appeared as small as ants, their shock was palpable. Some even fell backward.

I focused on their attire.

The way they fastened their collars and the embroidery reminded him of Eastern customs, but it was too different to be entirely that.

The sleeves widened in the middle like a dolphin’s back before narrowing again toward the cuffs.

It took me a while to figure it out with my limited knowledge, but I finally realized it resembled the attire of nomads. However, perhaps because of the heat, the fabric was thin.

“Let’s ignore them and move on.”

Nitan and Odan seemed to be hoping for contact, but Kaelus chose to ignore them. He reasoned that since the survey team’s [visit our site]objective was the star, there was no need to create unnecessary variables this early on.

“If there’s a city, it would be more efficient to make contact with them.”

That was true as well.

We flew nonstop throughout the afternoon and crossed the gravel desert that resembled a plain.

We frequently encountered groups similar to the one we’d seen earlier. Their carts were all pulled by horses. Not a single Knum was spotted.

Every so often, Odan checked the position of the star.

At a crossroads leading directly toward the star, we finally discovered a fortress.

It was a respectable city with imposing walls that, though not very tall, were no less imposing than those of Firmus.

Just as we had spotted them, a commotion broke out among the people who had seen us.

Dong-dong-dong-dong!

Bells rang, and soldiers armed with spears and arrows took their positions on the city walls and watchtowers.

The two Pensilta had already begun growling after sensing hostility.

[What should we do?]

Getting hit by those wouldn’t even leave a scratch. But our goal isn’t to capture the fortress. We should resolve this as peacefully as possible…

Huh?

Just as things started getting chaotic down below, everyone lowered their weapons.

A moment later, the city gates swung wide open.

“……”

[……]

It was a gesture that left no room for misunderstanding.

I thought, “Is this a trap?” but that didn’t make sense either. They couldn’t have expected us to come. Preparing a trap that’s a gamble, staking the fate of the entire city, in just one minute?

[Let’s go down.]

“……Alright.”

We all landed in front of the gates at once. Then, people rushed out from inside with tremendous momentum.

At the very front of them, a young man in flashy attire tumbled forward.

Then he spread his arms wide toward me and shouted:

“Messenger!”

[……?]

“You’ve finally returned! Messenger of God!”

[……?!]

***

To put it simply, here’s the situation.

The name of the city is “Minamao.”

The people living there introduced themselves as Minamaoans.

We used Odan’s special translator for our conversation.

At first, only I could understand (thanks to the translator I always have equipped), but now the words of me being a messenger of god were interpreted and conveyed to everyone.

Perhaps because this was an era where unauthorized copythe influence of gods had waned, the group’s reaction was mixed.

In particular, Irina whispered, “So does that mean this entire city is a den of fanatics who worship dragons as gods?” only to get elbowed in the ribs by Nitan.

The young man who had called me the Messenger of God, the lord of Minamao, smiled brightly like a sunflower, unfazed by the commotion.

“During the Great Demon Invasion of the past, a group of Kremlis from this area drove them out and protected the land of humans. Ever since then, we of Minamao have remembered and served Kremlis dragons as sacred messengers of the gods to this very day.”

“……”

“……”

……This story sounded familiar.

Could it be that the ancient Kremlis enjoyed saving humans?

The expressions of my companions grew somber, I probably wasn’t the only one thinking that.

But regardless of how absurd it seemed, judging by the results alone, this wasn’t bad news for us. Assuming the lord’s words were entirely true, that meant the chances of us coming to harm here were extremely low.

The lord of the city said he would show us proof and led us to the temple. Our party exchanged quick glances and turned to look at the decision-maker in unison.

Kaelus hesitated for a moment, then glanced at me seeking my opinion. I nodded.

Judging by the occasional sidelong glances my way and their excited, elated expressions, it didn’t [visit our site]seem like they were putting on a show.

However, only Kaelus and I were permitted to enter the temple.

True to its status as a sanctuary dedicated to a god, the garden inside the temple was beautiful.

The square-shaped, open-air garden was filled with all manner of rare and exotic plants. Along the garden’s edge, deep green vines, which looked as though they had been carefully selected and planted, climbed up the white temple columns.

In the center, a white fountain spouted water, and clean water flowed through a channel made of white tiles.

Flowers with white petals and yellow stamens floated on the water, swirling through the garden along the channel.

Scattered throughout the garden, among the flowering trees and bushes, were dragon statues the size of large dogs; though white in color, they were unmistakably Kremlis dragons.

And at the very center of it all, the spot directly opposite the fountain, there stood a statue whose gender was impossible to discern.

Its face was concealed by a veil, making its exact features impossible to discern. One hand was extended toward the people in a gesture of benevolence, while the other rested on the head of a Kremlis dragon crouching beside it.

Even Kaelus was impressed by the statue’s intricate craftsmanship.

I felt the same way.

“……How did they carve that?”

I couldn’t agree more.

I felt like I’d seen something similar in a past life.

I couldn’t remember the statue’s name, though. However, to carve marble to capture the texture of a veil… Whoever did it must have been a true genius.

“Ah, the Kremlis dragon carved it himself.”

“……?!”

What……?

“His name is ‘Anuahan.’ He established Minamao in this wasteland, took a human woman as his consort, and had many children. We, the ruling family of Minamao, are his descendants.”

***

[……That’s what he said.]

“That’s exactly the same as the founding legend of Firmus.”

“Ah. Only the part about the children is different. The first Emperor of Firmus and Julan didn’t have any children.”

“Because they were just soulmates who shared a deep friendship!”

“…….”

[…….]

Of all the people gathered here, only Odan wore an expression that seemed to say, ‘Is this really a coincidence? It seems more likely that there’s some connection.’

Yeah. It was a coincidence.

An incredible coincidence.

The most plausible hypothesis was that this Kremlis named Anuahan was… a special Kremlis, much like me.

Even though I’d regained fragments of my past memories, that didn’t mean I knew everything.

I couldn’t perform those countless miracles that Julan was said to have performed. After all, my identity leaned more toward “Yuram” than Julan, and more toward being human than a dragon.

At best, I could breathe destructive fire, fly, or transform into human form.

So, while I couldn’t know for sure, it wouldn’t be strange if there had been another dragon like Julan.

As the saying goes, “In times of turmoil, heroes arise”; in an era of chaos and ruin, beacons of hope are bound to burn brightly.

However, it seemed that dragon did not bestow any blessings upon this land.

The lord didn’t mention anything like that either…

Here, it felt as though a clear line had been drawn: dragons were sacred beasts that must not be trifled with, yet beings that could never coexist with humans.

[……]

Perhaps it was because Denos had succeeded in taming Knums and Batus, and the Ilba Archipelago had tamed Aros. I hadn’t fully grasped just how remarkable that was, but seeing it this way, the reality of a “blessing” truly hit home.