Volume 5 9 – Dragon-san’s Only Wish
Even after the shrine maidens went down from the stage, the loud applause did not stop for a while.
Both Nectar and I applauded so much that our hands were sore, and we rushed into Aru and other ladies’ waiting room.
When we used our pass to enter the room, Aru who looked a little tired, quickly turned his face towards us, his golden eyes shining.
「Mommy, Daddy, I did it until the end!!」
Aru came towards me with excitement, and I embraced Aru who has an all-smiling and cheerful expression with a proud face.
「That was so amazing, Aru!」
「Yeah, it was truly a beautiful dance and magic ceremony」
Nectar whose eyes were still crying hugged Aru, and his eyes became even more moist, but he was smiling.
「Ehehe, I was able to help everyone. When the disaster happened, I couldn’t do anything.」
Aru unconsciously spilled his inner feelings, making Nectar and I sucked a breath.
「Were you thinking about that?」
While I was asking the question, I felt like I suddenly understood why Aru was so eager to be the dancer.
As expected, Earl, who is still in the costume of the maiden, said with a serious expression with a little distance from us.
「At the time of the disaster, Mommy, Daddy, Miko-san, Mako-san, Ten-san, the shrine maiden-san, Carla-san, emperor-san, even the people I don’t know, everyone is protecting Towa, and their precious people. But, even though I have people I want to protect, I can only do little things and watch everyone, it was very frustrating.」
According to Carla, Aru was helping various people in the castle.
He helped distributing food to those who work with almost no break, and when the nursing people were not enough, he also lent them a hand.
Carla was making adjustments so that the demons’ strength could not be biased without leaving the castle, but she said that Aru who was able to fly far away, was being very helpful.
Even though Nectar and I already praised him for his hard work, Aru still thought that it was frustrating.
But, even when he was feeling frustrated, Aru’s golden eyes shone, with no cloud inside them.
「I am a dragon. But, my age is even more little than Miko-san who is a human. That’s why I know that of course what I can do is only a little.」
A serious expression floated in his face, and due to the makeup, he seems even older.
「That’s why, I want to know a lot of things. I want to be able to do a lot of things. To protect my precious people, and help the people in need. I know that doing everything at once is impossible. That’s why, I want to increase what I can do one by one.」
The wind blows through.
After saying that, I just hugged Aru who was smiling.
What Aru asked to Ten was as I expected out how to adjust the required ray lines and how to arrange the magic cycle as a dragon, since he want to be able to help me faster.
When I knew about it, I thought that he wanted to be able to do it as soon as possible, but Earl thought about it even more than what we expected.
He slowly won’t need my help anymore, making me feel a little lonely, but I’m also even more happy.
「Thank you, Aru.」
For reminding me about the important things.
「What happened, Mommy? Are you okay?」
As if wanting to soothe me, his little hand strokes my back. I’m unwilling to let our body separate.
「Un, I’m already okay. Now then! Can Aru changes his clothes now? Ten.」
「Eh, ahh.. Err..」
In retrospect, Ten who wore a ceremonial dress a little different from Aru was staring at us, and she trembled as if didn’t expect me to talk to her.
The reason why she feel uneasy and dejected might be because she could sympathize with my feelings, huh.
When I looked up to Nectar who didn’t say anything until now, he had already stopped crying, and even though our gaze met, I felt as if he was distracted.
「Before Makocchi and Mikocchi went around to greet people in the magic ceremony, they told me that Dragon Kid-chan could cha.. Uwah.」
The flustered Ten stopped her speech, and twisted her face.
When I look behind, there was grandpa who was frowning at the entrance.
「I-I remembered that I have something to do, soー」
「Air Helix Temporius Uto Tempestare. What do you want to leave for the future generations!」
Grandpa’s roaring voice resounded at the room, as he catch Ten who obviously going to run away.
Even while we were surprised at the grandpa who got angry that much, Ten who was grabbed at the nape of her neck was not even ashamed.
「Mya!! Why are you coming here, stupid!」
「Of course, it’s to see little Aru’s big moment! 」
「I’m a little happy that you’re going in circles, but you are being unreasonable!! It’s just a fairy tail, and if you say it with those words then it is a fiction! I just wanted to at least leave a trace!」
With Ten’s protest that she said as if throwing a tantrum, I understood that what I feel at the stage at that time is truly what I thought as.
As expected, it is the historical fact that grandpa and Ten personally experienced five thousand years ago.
It can’t be helped for them to have a sense of deja vu. Grandpa breathed a deep sigh, his expression seemed considerably exhausted.
「I will value your disposition.」
「Then..!」
「But that’s another thing. I will still have to thoroughly lecture you!」
Grandpa crushed Ten’s hope, making her glittering face turned dark. He then pulled Ten into the corner of the room by holding her in the collar.
「Why does it become like this!」
After Ten’s voice was getting fainter, Nectar turned towards us with a smile on his face.
「Anyway, Aru, after changing your clothes, let’s go and take a look at the festival, okay?」
「Wahhh, yaaay!」
「Lava is also okay with that, right?」
「Un.」
I nodded to Nectar’s questioning gaze.
In front of Aru who is changing his clothes cheerfully, I kept feeling that the restlessness in my heart had become tranquil.
＊
I covered Aru who had slept well with thin futon, and left the room slowly.
A little while ago, I was enjoying the night stalls that were lined up in the crowded back roads together with Nectar and Aru who had changed his clothes. The people was even more crowded than yesterday.
Although Aru had cleaned his makeup, there were some people who noticed his flax-colored hair, and some of the passerby were whispering with each other or glancing towards our direction.
There were also people who directly talked to us. Aru was surprised, and he replied them using the Towa national language.
To be honest, I was worried since Aru is the so-called foreigner in this world, so for him to take part in such traditional ceremony might make a backlash in public opinion.
However, when I listened to their reactions and what they said to Aru, it seems that Towa people were aware that Aru is a shrine maid from the west continent.
It makes me relieved, and I played around with Aru happily.
There were some unique snacks and foods that were only sold at the festival, as well as games like shooting or ring throwing, and other things like haunted houses and street performers. Some of them were new to me, yet some of them were nostalgic.
I laughed and played with all my heart.
However, since Aru began to look sleepy, we immediately rounded up and returned to the room we rented.
Since he had worked hard, I don’t want him to force himself.
He didn’t used that much magic power, but since he had done that complicated magic technique, and he should be sleeping until the morning, right?
Since I didn’t think I could sleep, I went out towards the balcony, and gazed at the night sky that was decorated with stars.
The sun was already setting and the air was cool, but I felt that the heat of the festival, which had been rising up until now, was mixing up into the atmosphere.
Above all, the magic mixed in with the air was clear, making the atmosphere felt cool, like early morning.
Without any time to look for where Nectar was, he already sat down in the balcony.
His flax-colored hair that was dyed with light crimson in the tip of his hair was flowing on his back loosely.
There was a number of refreshing sake bottle and unused small cup at the side of the tray.
「Nectar, Aru already slept.」
「Thank you. Lava, do you want to have a cup?」
I agreed to Nectar who was glancing back to the room, and then I sat next to him.
There was a cup in Nectar’s hand, so he should have been indulging himself a little ahead, right?
When I took one of the unused small cup, Nectar poured the sake from the bottle to my cup.
「This is the offering sake that was used at the ceremony, they shared some with us.」
「I see. ――It’s delicious.」
When I tilt the cup that resembled a small plate, the sweet and savory scent tickled my nostrils, and the sweet taste of the sake slips down my throat.
As I sighed while feeling a sense of warmth in my stomach, I received Nectar’s transparent and lonely look directly towards me.
「Nectar, you don’t seem to get drunk that much, huh?」
「....I want to get drunk, though.」
The sake bottle across of me was already empty.
When I showed him a little smile, Nectar’s expression sank even more.
I feel a little apologetic. Maybe, Nectar already realized what I was hiding.
I looked up to the sky.
「It was at this kind of night too when I was giving birth to Aru, right?」
「Ahh, that’s right. It was a sky full of stars.」
It was a starry night that brushed away the emptiness of night.
Even bright moon and stars represent the various possibilities in this world.
There are no galaxy in this world.
As an exchange of the existence galaxy, beyond this sky, there are space that was called as Yellow Spring expanding, and the mass of force that has returned to the root of the world will be twinkling as a star.
The dragons that returned to the root of the world will also be sleeping in the sky.
To put it simply, this is a world with easy metaphor that the dying people will turn into stars.
When I was giving birth to Aru eleven years ago, there were a large meteor shower that usually happens once every several hundred years in the sky, and its power was flowing on a grand scale.
「I was surprised from the bottom of my heart when I knew that dragon could give birth from someone that was not on their clan. No, to be honest, I was already surprised when you told me that you could give birth.」
「That time, Nectar was really surprised, eh?」
I feel like he was so surprised at that time, as if the universe had been overturned.
「But you also looked very happy」
「Of course I am. He is our child. I thought that I was the happiest person in the world at that time. But, it certainly came out of the blue.」
I was saved from Nectar who said so with very serious expression.
At first, I planned to build up a family bond by kneading up the magic I received from Nectar and my own magic.
Still, I was planning to consult with Nectar properly, to how long it would be until I could get enough of the magic needed.
Even so, this world is really mysterious.
「I also didn’t expect that after pulling in Nectar’s and my magic, a dragon nucleus would dwell inside me. I just thought that the magic power was somehow better than usual, and it was kind of weird, but I never thought that there would be a child inside my stomach. It really surprised me.」
Dragons are born from the power that has been accumulated after long years, that’s why they are scattered all around the world.
So in theory, it’s not weird for them to be created after staying inside a high magic creature, dragon, but no one thought of that possibility.
「To make a family bond is the same as having my other self. With that, the process will be tied with my determination. I thought that wanted a kid that will love this world freely, that can stay happy their whole life if possible, but that time, it was really a sight to all the dragons being shocked.」
「Properly speaking, you should thoroughly made a disparagement towards something that was unlikely, yet at that time someone thought about enquiring it with sorcery several times. Is it bad for the prenatal care?」
「Ahaha....」
When we remembered about those days, my face became stiff towards Nectar’s stern expression, but his expression quickly became full of anxiety.
「But, looking at you who became weaker each day was really hard for me.」
「Well, I was giving birth to a child with dragon body after all, and I had to divide a large quantity of magic power and elements that was needed for dragons. Rather, grandpa even said that he was happy that it only took ten years, and I think so too.」
It’s only natural for it to happen, since I was alone in bearing things that should be slowly built up deep inside the world.
Ten years before I was giving birth to Aru, I was wandering around in order to get a share of the magical power from other people’s Layline.
If I keep taking the magic power from one Layline, the land would be likely dying soon.
Even so, at the second half, it was hard for me to move, and my consciousness became hazy.
Nectar gave me as much magic power as he could, grandpa prepared the Layline so that I could rest, even Ligrila protected me from other demons, making me feel saved from the bottom of my heart, more than anything.
「I’m really happy that you never said that it would be better for us to abort the child.」
「That kind of thing, who would say it!」
After I understood that Nectar who was growing angry didn’t have that kind of intention at all, I deepened my smile.
The life I was pregnant of was so faint that it would be disappearing only by cutting off its supply of magical power, and since I was quite unstable at that time, it would have been quite shaking if he told me so.
Nectar who was embarrassed for raising his voice, lowered his gaze towards the small cup in his hand.
「It was very painful that I couldn’t be the one to bear your suffering, but I didn’t think that there are anything else that would make me happier to have someone who would connect my existence with you. I might not even have the courage to let go of it.」
「Rather, I’m happy that you thought about it like that. Since we were blessed by many people when Aru was born, I could say so with pride.」
Because Nectar wished for it from the bottom of his heart, I could give birth for us.
Then, Aru was born.
He was born as a dragon with many possibilities in this world.
Aru’s real name, “The Flower of the Flame that Colors the Night” means that he is the meteor in this world that would be a mass of many possibilities.
I used to think that he was named such because he was born on a starry night, but I finally understood the real meaning when I heard about grandpa’s story.
And also, the reason why when Aru was born, grandpa was so happy that he cried.
Because he was my child, and he was the dragon that was born for this world.
Aru brought us the possibility of changes in various aspects.
And then, thanks to Aru, I was changing now.
I drained the entire cup and put it on the tray, then I turned my gaze towards Nectar.
As if responding my act, Nectar corrected his posture.
「Hey, Nectar.」
「Yes?」
「I think, you probably already knew already. There are something that I couldn’t tell you.」
「....Yes.」
Even if there was a little pause, Nectar answered me with a nod.
historical
His thin lips was tied together, as if he was holding something. He must be wanting to ask me a lot of times already.
「Even if I only say it to you, I might make you disappear. That’s why I was so scared that I couldn’t tell you. Also, I thought that this was something that grandpa, Ten, and I had to solve.」
After hearing the reason why I came to this world and understanding grandpa’s feelings, I thought that I should respect his readiness.
I still think that my thinking is correct in a sense. Grandpa is the result of trying to protect this world, or above all, to protect us.
Nectar’s expression distorted, as if he wanted to cry.
But, I had spoken out what always made me feel sad to the most important and trustworthy people.
「I don’t want to make everything turn into a sad end. Even if what I choose is going to be hard, reckless, or selfish, but I want to choose an end where everyone will be happy.」
The seal of darkness was handed over to grandpa, but grandpa said that Adversa who the god interfered with deeply, had to disappear for that.
Even when it was transmitted from every words that grandpa was really close with the dragon named Adversa, he didn’t say anything. He didn’t show any expression too.
Even when both of them won’t be able to meet each other again.
Lute is also like that.
When you find out that you couldn’t someone that you really want to protect, you will grieve deeply, and start to feel hate, right?
If Aru knows that grandpa won’t be here anymore, he will definitely be sad.
Above all, I believed that I won’t be able to be happy in the future that was born at the expense of grandpa’s sacrifice.
Even when it will be very difficult. Even when it is a silly and foolish choice that will make everything worse, but..
「I feel like I was very lucky to be able to come here and meet you. And it was like a miracle for me to give birth to Aru. I feel like with you, I can solve anything.」
I gently closed our distance, and held Nectar’s hand.
「That’s why, Nectar. I want you to believe on me.」
I’m scared. All of my reasoning was from a situational evidence. There are no guarantee that everything will be fine.
The night wind blew, and Nectar’s crimson red dyed flax-colored hair swayed.
After Nectar closed his eyes, he tightened his expression.
He grabbed my finger tightly, and I finally realized that my hand was shaking.
「It’s alright. I swear that I won’t make you feel sad with all of my existence.」
I was being stared at his pale blue eyes with full of strong intentions, along with his quiet words.
「That’s why I hope that you will believe me.」
「....Thank you, Nectar.」
I took a breath, then I exhaled it deeply. I held back Nectar’s hand.
And then, I was conscious with the root of my magic power, and declared.
『I, “The Incarnation of the Night from the Lava” swears that I will take of all the disasters that fall on the body of my half-life spirit, Nectar Figura.』
Nectar catches his breath, but he managed to hold his tongue.
The mock genius of the covenant responded, that my oath was incited correctly.
I hope you won’t make such a painful face. This is just a measure for safety.
I took another deep breath, and opened my mouth.
「I might going to say something shocking.」
「As long as it was what’s on your mind.」
Nectar said calmly and took a small breath.
It might not work well after I tell everything.
But I always wanted to say it to Nectar all the time.
「First of all, that sleeping disease.. The death sleep was what the God who created this world, and it’s true function is to extinguish this world.」
「....When you said God, you mean?」
「The creator who made this world, and the dragons.」
After saying something definite, I felt the bottom of my stomach was cold for a moment.
Erosion destroys everything that exist in this world.
For me who was something that was not a part of this world, I could become an antibody against the God’s creation, making me won’t be corroded by the erosion and won’t suffer the sleep disease. Even so, I don’t know if my God’s interference will stay granted like now.
Oaths are almost universal in this world.
So, I made an oath once more to take over if there are anything happened to Nectar.
I tried to sharpen my senses to make sure whether my vows would be triggered or not, but there was only a sign of calm ripple wave.
Nectar’s slightly big-boned hands was still in my hand, and he breathed out.
「Lava, it’s a little painful.」
「Ah, sorry. But, you won’t disappear? You’re really okay?」
It seemed like I put too much force in my grip, so I hurriedly loosen my hand. I shook my neck to express that Nectar shouldn’t worry about it.
「It’s okay. I won’t disappear. Since I already know anyway.」
「You knew....?」
「Yes. Master is not a spirit, but he might be an existence that is equal or even higher than a dragon. 」
I didn’t understand what Nectar said for moment and my head went blank, yet Nectar began to talk with a face that seemed to show a little remorse.