Genjitsushugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki

It was the morning after Naden and Souma had encountered one another.

In a place not far from the cave, light shone down through the branches of the trees, illuminating a small stream and a person washing themselves there. Maybe because they didnt need to worry about the eyes of others in the forest, they wore no more than their underwear, soaking in the river and pouring water over their body.

Today was another clear day in the Star Dragon Mountain Range with its everlasting spring.

In fact, rain never fell in the middle of the day here. This might have been the result of Mother Dragon exercising her power. A fixed amount of rain fell at a set time each day in Dracul. That was why, even though the skies were clear every day, the abundant nature on the plateau was able to maintain itself.

Because it was a warm day like this, the clear water of the river, which was cool, but not too cool, felt soothing. The half-naked person sat down on a rock, wiping their face with a cloth that had been left there for that purpose.

Wh-What do you think youre doing?! Naden exclaimed.

Naden, who had still only been half-awake, was suddenly shocked into full awareness.

Oh, hey, Naden. Youre up?

Dont face this way, you pervert!

It had been Souma bathing in the river. His body, which, thanks perhaps to his personal trainer, Owen, had no excess fat on it, was exposed.

Unable to take any more of it, Naden looked away. Wh-What are you getting naked here for?!

Im still wearing my underwear, you know?

Thats not the problem here!

Well, since Im imposing on your hospitality, I thought it would be rude if I was too dirty, so I was washing myself...

Still... You cant show yourself in front of a young maiden like that...

With her head still turned away, Naden stole a few glances out of the corner of her eye. Even though dragons, as a race, could be somewhat ambiguous when it came to sex, seeing a member of the opposite sex was unusual, and she couldnt help herself but look.

Without a care for Nadens innocent reaction to him, Souma began dressing himself and asked her, Come to think of it, when you and Madam Tiamat are in your ryuu or dragon forms, youre so huge. But when you change into human forms youre already wearing clothes, huh? Theres no sign of them tearing when you grow in size, either. Could it be that those clothes are a part of your body, or something like that?

When Souma asked her about that which had been bothering him, Naden answered with a blank look on her face. Erm... Yeah. Were transforming our scales, so that would be one way of putting it. We cant do anything about the color, but we can change the design, and even have them disappear entirely if we feel like it. Also, if we wash our bodies in dragon form, we can wash our human bodies and clothes at the same time.

Hm... Sounds convenient, but does it hurt if your clothes get torn, or something like that?

Do you feel pain when you cut your hair or nails, Kazuma?

Oh, I get it now.

Basically, dragons didnt have nerves running through their scales. In fact, their scales might be something like a carapace they could freely control, covering their bodies and protecting their innards.

Hm? So, that basically means, even when a dragon is dressed up, theyre still naked... Souma murmured.

Dont say another word!

Crack, crack.

With a little crackling sound, Nadens hair stood on end. There were blue streaks of lightning running from hair to hair. Nadens angry mode made Souma panic a little.

Electricity?! Whoa, hold on! Im all wet here, you know?!

Bzzt!

Just as Souma got away from the stream, the electric shock Naden unleashed struck the surface of the water. The poor fish that got caught in the discharge floated to the surface.

Souma was dumbfounded by what hed just witnessed, but he immediately threw on the rest of his clothes and beat a hasty retreat. He couldnt take an electric shock while his body was wet.

Naden chased after him, shouting, Hold it!

Even as he felt terror at the crackling sound of electricity that was chasing after him, the calm part of Soumas mind was already coming up with practical applications for Nadens ability.

A ryuu that controls electricity?! The Star Dragon Mountain Range even has those? If we had electricity, there would be all sorts of things we could do with it. Wouldnt having Naden give our research into electricity a real boost?

Whenever he met someone with a special talent, the first thing Souma did was think of effective applications for their gift. It was an occupational hazard of being a king.

Hold it, Kazuma, dont run away!

Can I get her to come to the kingdom, with no need for a contract or partnership to be involved...?

That was what Souma wondered, even as Naden chased him around.

? ?

By the will of Madam Tiamat, I was now being taken care of in Nadens cave.

That was because there were still another five days until the Contract Ceremony I had been asked to take part in occurred, and she had suggested Nadens cave as a place for me to stay. It turned out that, despite how grand the Crystal Castle was, it had little in the way of entertainment, and I would most likely just end up being bored if I stayed there.

Naden, on the other hand, had been gathering written materials from the world below, and had quite a few unusual items in her room. That, and it was probably most convenient for me to stay in a room meant for a human-sized occupant.

Though thats all starting to feel like excuses now... I noted.

Madam Tiamat seemed intent on Naden and me getting to know one another.

When our meeting concluded, and she was about to teleport me to where Naden was so she could look after me, Madam Tiamat looked at me, her eyes full of sincerity, and said, Please, teach that girl for me. About the her she doesnt know.

Huh? Whats that supposed to mean?

You should already know the way. Please, offer her guidance.

When she said that, Madam Tiamat had the look of a mother worried for her own child. Just as I was about to ask her why she had that look on her face, the scenery changed, and I was met with a black ryuu shouting, You stupid suuuuuuuun! in psychic speech.

After that, a formal messenger from Madam Tiamat came to Nadens home, and Naden was appointed as my caretaker for the time that I would be staying here. Naden looked like she thought it was a pain, but she couldnt defy an order from Madam Tiamat, so she reluctantly acquiesced.

Id been here ever since, staying in Nadens cave, drinking tea, and reading the materials she gathered from the lower world... Which was to say, romance novels that had been written in the nations of mankind.

Across from me was Naden, lying in bed and watching a simple receiver. A ryuu was watching the Jewel Voice Broadcast... She apparently picked it up at a flea market in the Empire, and giving it a little shock had gotten it working again. What, was it like an old TV, which would start working again if you hit it?

Naden glanced over at me and asked, Is it any fun for a man to read romance novels aimed at women?

More than you might think. It shows you what the various women of the world hold up as their ideals.

When Id heard they were romance novels, I expected them to be messy dramas of love and hate, like a daytime soap opera, but they were light and fluffy like a novelization of a shoujo manga.

From a quick glance through, most of them were tales of chivalry. There would be a knight who swore his loyalty to a beautiful lady, and he would perform meritorious acts in service of that love... That was how a lot of them went. There were also Cinderella stories, where a simple village girl would help a young lord or prince who had left the palace in disguise, he would fall in love with her, and they would ultimately be wed. The plots could largely be divided into these two patterns.

Is this the sort of thing you dream about? I asked playfully.

...Well, Naden said, turning her head to the side in thought, Id like to let a cool knight ride me as we fly through the sky together.

Ahh, if youre a ryuu or dragon, thats the sort of reading you end up with, huh...

For a normal girl it would be, I want to ride on a horse with a cool guy, but for the dragon races, it was apparently, I want to be the horse, and let the knight ride on my back.

When you interacted with different cultures and races, it was interesting to see those little differences in interpretation.

So, what are you watching over there, Naden? I asked.

Id heard lively noises coming from the simple receiver Naden was holding, so I was curious. She said shed found it in the Empire, so was it a singing program from there?

Hm? Its a music program from the Gran Chaos Empire. You want to watch it with me, Kazuma?

Oh! Yeah, you bet I do. I was interested in seeing what sort of music program the Empire was making.

Naden sat next to me, putting the simple receiver in a place where we could both see it. To prevent news from leaking, it wasnt possible to view broadcasts recorded with any jewels other than the ones used for broadcast meetings when you were in another country. During our post-war negotiations with the Principality and Empire, when Jeanne, Empress Marias little sister and general, had seen our countrys broadcasts, she said shed like to imitate them back in the Empire. I wondered what kind of programs they were making.

While thinking that, I took a sip of tea, looked at the simple receiver, and...

Hello there, everyone! This is Maria.

Bwuh?!

Whoa, Kazuma?!

I spewed the tea Id been trying to drink everywhere. On screen, wearing an idol-style frilly dress, was the Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire herself.

Now, Id like you all to hear my song.

With that, Maria began dancing lightly as she sang in a clear voice.

Though her singing and dancing might come up short when compared to our Prima Lorelei, Juna, Maria had a greater charisma that drew people to her.

...And, wait, wasnt Maria getting really into this? She looked like she might start sparkling at any moment.

Um... What exactly was I looking at here?

Calm down, me. In everything, theres a cause and effect.

From what Hakuya had told me, the most popular program in the Empire was the one that followed what Maria did during the day. Like on The Imperial Family Album. Her sister, Jeanne had been complaining, How did it turn out like this?

Maybe this had been the flow of things:

1. The Empire begins producing programs where loreleis sing.

2. The most popular program was one detailing the life of Madam Maria.

3. If we make Madam Maria into a lorelei, wont viewership numbers shoot through the roof?

...Well, that had probably been it, more or less. It seemed the Empire was going through a process of trial and error to find ways of entertaining their people. This one felt like an error.

Well, the program itself was fun, so I watched Maria with Naden for a while, but...

Oh, no, therere more of them now...

I heard a girls voice coming from behind us.

When I turned back to look, there was a girl in a white one-piece dress looking at us in exasperation. The girl had goat-like horns on her head, and a white tail protruding from her rear end. Was this girl a dragon, too?

When the girl looked at me, she let out a sigh. I thought it sounded lively in here... Naden, you finally started bringing home men, too? Make sure you take him back to wherever you found him.

...What was I, an abandoned dog? It made me imagine myself in a cardboard box labeled, Im an abandoned provisional king. Please, take me home. It made for one surreal image.

Meanwhile, Naden, who had been accused of dragging home men, pouted. Dont make me sound so bad! Hes a guest!

A guest?

Thats right! Lady Tiamat ordered me to be his caretaker.

His caretaker, huh... It looks to me like you two are just fooling around together, though?

Urgh...

The girl was right, so Naden had nothing she could say to that. Id been given food, and she was looking after me, but she hadnt really done anything else as my caretaker. Id been more or less left to my own devices.

The white girl pointed at me. Im Pai Long, Nadens friend. Who are you?

Kazuma Souya from the Kingdom of Friedonia.

I smiled and shook Pais hand. When I did, she tilted her head to the side.

The Kingdom of Friedonia? Thats that country to the east that Naden was talking about before, isnt it? We dont have relations with them... What are you doing here, Kazuma?

Ahh, well, I was invited here by Madam Tiamat for some reason.

By Lady Tiamat? At this point, Pai had a look on her face like she just realized something, and she turned to Naden. Hey, Naden, dont you think Lady Tiamat might be planning to have this guy take part in the Contract Ceremony?

Huh? Kazuma, take part in the Contract Ceremony? Naden asked with her eyes wide. Kazumas not one of the knights of Nothung, you know? Can he even take part?

Have you forgotten? It hasnt happened at all recently, but they say Lady Tiamat sometimes invites those who are likely to become heroes of their time, allowing them to form independent contracts with a dragon. Like the first King of Elfrieden did.

A hero of our time, huh... Naden glanced in my direction. That look on her face... She didnt believe it one bit. I dunno, he doesnt look that impressive to me.

Thats harsh, even if it is true, I said.

Didnt Lady Tiamat tell you anything, Kazuma? Pai asked, but I shrugged my shoulders, neither confirming nor denying.

It was true, Madam Tiamat had suggested shed like for me to participate in the Contract Ceremony. However, I hesitated to tell that to these two. If they found I would be taking part, the next question would obviously be who exactly I was. Having them find out I was the king of a nation would be a bit of a headache.

Im not at liberty to say. If you want to know, ask Madam Tiamat.

Ahaha! Pai laughed. Its not that easy to get to talk with her, though. Oh, I know! Pai clapped her hands Naden, youre in charge of looking after Kazuma, right? Its not something that comes up often, so why not show him around the Star Dragon Mountain Range?

Oh! Id be interested in that, I said. Could I trouble you to?

Uh... Naden openly acted like it would be a real pain. The Star Dragon Mountain Range is pretty big, you know? Wouldnt that be kind of hard for Kazuma, having to walk?

You can carry him on your back, Pai said.

Pai, a dragon only lets her partner ride on her back. Youre well aware of that, right?

Wheres the harm? Why not get him to contract with you?

I have the right to choose, too, Naden shot back. This boring kind of guy isnt my type. I like strong guys who everyone can respect.

...Youve been getting pretty sharp-tongued toward me for a while now, havent you? I complained. It was like a knife being thrust into my heart... Then I realized something. Hey, is letting someone other than your partner ride on your back seen as being unchaste somehow?

Yeah.

Well, where is your back, Naden?

Huh?

Naden wasnt a Western-style dragon, she was an Oriental-style ryuu. Her body was basically a cylinder going from the back of her head to her tail. While she did bulge out a bit around where her front and rear legs were, she didnt have a clearly defined back like a western-style dragon did.

Like, if I rode right behind your head, that wouldnt be your back, itd be the nape of your neck, right? I asked. How about there? Theres no rule against someone other than your partner riding on your neck, now is there?

...

Naden had no counter to that, so it was decided we would be going out.

Forests full of fresh growth covered more than half of Dracul. Normally, these forests were neither too dark or too bright, and due to the lack of wind, there was no rustling of branches. They were quiet forests that were not too damp or humid.

Now, a black ryuu was threading quickly between the gaps in those forests trees. It was Naden in her ryuu form, of course. I was currently riding on her head.

Partly because of where I was sitting, I felt like the protagonist of this anime Id watched a long time ago. While holding her two deer-like antlers as if they were the handles of a motorcycle, I held on for dear life and tried not to get shaken off.

We were clearly out of place in the quiet forest.

Naden... Hold on, arent you going a bit fast...? I asked nervously.

Youre getting a free ride, so no complaining.

Id spoken up because I was scared by the branches whipping by over the top of my head, but Naden didnt seem to be about to slow her pace. With the shape of Nadens body, it was like being on a roller coaster, but it was only possible to enjoy those because you had a safety bar. Well, not that I had been one for riding scream machines to begin with...

Come to think of it, Naden, what were you saying to Pai before we went out? I asked.

Before we left the cave, they had talked about something in hushed voices. They glanced furtively in my direction, so I wondered what was up, but she turned her head to look away.

N-Nothing! Then, with her head still turned away from me, Naden seemed to be muttering something. Darn it, Pai... Who needs your, If you work hard to sell yourself now, maybe Kazuma will pick you at the Contract Ceremony? Dont be such a busybody.

Huh? Sorry, I said. Your voice was so quiet, I couldnt make out what you were saying.

I told you, its nothing!

We continued going back and forth like that while moving through the forest. Then... a few minutes later...

When we got out of the forest, I jumped down from Nadens head into a grassy meadow.

Normally, it would have been vast enough to call it a great plain, but it didnt feel that way when I looked at it. That was because, in the center of that great plain, there was a single massive tree, its roots crisscrossing the grassy field, with its branches spread out as if to cover the whole of the meadow. Thanks to this massive tree, I didnt get the sense that I was standing on a great plain at all.

Looking up from below, the tree rose up into the sky like a towering castle. However, its leaves were golden, and they seemed almost blinding in the way they shone in the sunlight.

I let out a sigh of admiration despite myself. Its... pretty amazing, huh.

Sure is, Naden, who had at some point returned to human form, said, puffing out her chest proudly. This is one of the famous sites of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, the Great Tree of Ladon.

Radon? The atom? Or the Giant Monster of the Sky? I asked.

What are you talking about? Its Ladon, the name of the dragon they say protected this tree long, long ago.

Hm...

There had been a dragon called Ladon, huh? According to Naden, there was a legend that said there was a golden dragon named Ladon who lived in the branches of this tree long ago, and it was that dragons influence that caused the leaves to take on their golden hue.

Come to think of it, there was a dragon that guarded gold in Greek mythology, too...

Was it golden fleece and golden apples that one had been protecting? The way the leaves bunched together, it didnt look entirely unlike golden fleece. Though it was so massive, it was more like a golden cloud instead.

Its like something out of the world of legend, I murmured.

Heh heh! Its pretty amazing, huh? Naden nodded in seeming satisfaction, then looked up to the tree. This great tree has never died, never dropped its leaves, and has stood here since time immemorial. Its like a symbol of how the Star Dragon Mountain Range is eternal and indestructible.

Eternal and indestructible...

Its the embodiment of the dragons pride. You wont find another tree this beautiful in all the world, Naden said with confidence.

There probably wasnt a single person out there who could fail to recognize this trees beauty. That was just how beautiful, elegant, and impressive this tree was. If it had been standing here forever, I could understand why the dragons would be proud of it. But...

Calling it number one might be a bit much, I said.

Huh? My reaction made Nadens eyes go wide.

Ill grant you that its an incredible sight, but I like plum and cherry blossoms, too.

Plum? Cherry?

They were trees in my country that had beautiful flowers. Plums would blossom while bearing the weight of the snow, and cherry trees would bloom to their fullest and then fall. They each had their own appeal, and they were quite beautiful.

But the flowers fall, right? They only blossom for a short time. The Great Tree of Ladon will never dry up, Naden insisted.

I smiled wryly and stretched my arms wide. Having things that stick around for a long time is important, of course. Like natural scenery, traditions, cultural heritage, and so on. But, in my country, there was an equal, or perhaps even greater, appreciation for things that move on.

I crouched down and plucked one of the cottony, dandelion-like flowers that were growing all over the place. When I gave it a shake, the seeds were carried off by the wind. The everlasting spring of Dracul helped to lend the scene a peaceful, airy quality. I smiled to Naden.

Dont you think this is pretty in its own way?

But no matter how pretty it is, its over in an instant, isnt it? Naden protested.

Thats what lets us look forward to the next one, dont you think? I sat down in the grass, then lay on my back. Doesnt the fact that you cant just see it anytime you want make it all the more valuable? Even if it does end, you can wait eagerly for the day when it will come around again.

...I dont really get it.

Hm... The dragons were a long lived race, so maybe mono no aware, the Japanese appreciation for the impermanence of things, was a little hard for them to understand.

So, where to next? Youve seen Crystal Castle already, right? I asked.

Once wed gotten away from Ruby and the others, I had Kazuma ride me again so I could show him around the Star Dragon Mountain Range. It didnt even feel like a hassle anymore. In fact, I even found myself wanting to keep going on like this, and to see all sorts of things with him. Not just in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, but in the world outside, too.

I was teleported when I came in and when I left, Kazuma said. Id like to see its rumored beauty from the outside, but... before that, theres one place Id like you to take me, Kazuma added with a thoughtful look on his face.

Theres somewhere you want to go?

Madam Tiamat said I already knew the way. If she meant what I think... its worth trying it, Id say, Kazuma said with a confident look on his face.

Ten minutes later, after racing along in my ryuu form...

Was this place really okaaaaay?! I shouted.

Yeaaaaah, itll do fiiiiine! he called back.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

We were both shouting. Thanks to the endless rumbling, we couldnt hear each other if we didnt.

The source of the rumbling sound in front of us, with its spray of water that resulted in constant rainbows during the day, was the Great Waterfall. It was a curtain of water several dozen meters high, and several hundred meters wide, creating a mist that spread out far into the distance. Even among the many sights of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, which tended to be large in scale, this and the Great Tree of Ladon were in a class of their own.

Unable to remain quiet in the presence of such a sight, Kazuma shouted out, Ohh, the scenerys beautifuuuuul, just beautifuuuuul!

Huh? Whaaaaat? I couldnt hear youuuu!

I said its beautifuuuuul! Alsoooo, theres something I want you to tryyyyy!

I dunnoooo! Soooo, what is it you want me to tryyyyy?!

Ohhhh, I remember noooow!

It looks too noisy, so I think thats enough drawn out vowels from here on.

Kazuma started stripping his clothes off. It came out of nowhere, so I turned my back to him and cried, Wh-Whoa?! Why are you suddenly stripping?!

To get in the water, of course.

Whaa?! Why?!

Come on, you get in, too, Naden.

Again, why?!

Kazuma took off just his top, leaving his loose-fitting pants on as he started doing some light exercises, then got in the water. I tried dipping just the tips of my feet in, too. The water was being kept at the perfect temperature, neither too cool nor too warm. It felt good... But, before that.

If were going to swim, there are calmer places to do it, like the lake, you know? I said.

It needs to be a place like this. Hurry on in, Naden.

Are you telling me to get naked?

I hugged my body tightly. The idea of making my clothes disappear and getting in the water in front of Kazuma... It was so embarrassing, I thought I might die.

While I was acting shy, Kazuma laughed wryly and said, No, no, you can do it in your dragon form, okay?

Oh... Th-Thats right, huh. I blushed at having jumped to conclusions.

While I was still like that, Kazuma beckoned for me to come in. Youre a ryuu, so you should be good at swimming, shouldnt you?

I dont know about it being because Im a ryuu, but... Im confident in my ability to, yes. But why is this coming up so suddenly?

Theres a little thing I want to try out. Okay, Naden. Lets go to the bottom of the falls.

At Kazumas urging, I turned into my ryuu form and plunged into the water with a great splash. There was a big wave that lifted Kazuma up and down. I asked the drifting Kazuma, Why the bottom of the falls? Do you want me to train that way, or something?

Id heard that sort of training method existed in the world below. Was it that they tried to focus their mind while being struck by the falls? However, even if I went beneath the Great Waterfall, which would probably break a normal humans bones if they tried to train under it, with the increased mass and defensive power of my ryuu form, it probably wouldnt feel like much more than a massage.

Itd probably help with stiff shoulders, I commented at last.

You dont have anything thatd give you stiff... Okay, I was wrong. Please, no lightning.

Geez! When I raised the hairs on my back in my ryuu form, showing some electrical sparks, Kazuma put his hands up. If you dont want to get shocked, you can just avoid saying things thatll make me angry.

Nah... When Im with you, I remember my female friends from back in my homeland, Kazuma said, shyly scratching his cheek. Thats why I end up making the sort of jokes I wouldve made back there.

Really? I asked.

Yeah. The women in this world are all living their lives restrained by something, be it large or small. It could be a famous family, the need to produce an heir... For those of high enough birth, it could even be their hometowns or country. Those restraints also offer them protection, though. But, Naden, you dont have anything like that, do you? Youre strong because youre a ryuu, and if you set your mind to it, you could even live alone. Freely. In all of this continent, youre probably the closest to the women from my homeland.

I didnt really get what Kazuma was saying. But...

Even I... get lonely when Im all by myself, I said.

The word came out naturally: Lonely. I was more surprised than anyone that Id said it. I never really... thought that way before. Ive been happy not to be involved with any dragon other than Pai, because it was less hassle that way. Yet despite that... Id just said I was lonely.

Well, of course, Kazuma replied with a smile. Even if you can live on your own, it really is lonely being all by yourself.

When I heard those words, I came to understand that I was no longer the me I had been up until now.

The stopped gear will be forced to move.

This was what Tiamat had been talking about.

By being with Kazuma, I learned the sense of security that came from being with someone who accepted you. I learned of the loneliness that came with being all by yourself. Now that I knew those things... I couldnt go back to being alone.

I didnt want to go back.

I didnt want to go back... so I had to move forward.

Naden? he asked.

I-Its nothing!

Whew... It was a good thing I was in my black ryuu form. If Id been in human form, Kazuma would have definitely noticed my face was bright red. Not good. I needed to get my mind on something else.

So, uh... Oh! Right. Why are we going the bottom of the waterfall?

Huh? Oh. There was a thing I remembered. For now, lets just head next to the waterfall.

With Kazuma urging me onward, we went up to the mist-filled waterfall basin. That was when Kazuma pointed to the top of the falls and said, Naden, can you swim up these falls?

Swim, inside these falls? Theyre roaring pretty loudly, you know?

Well, yes, it is a waterfall.

But why?

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