Chapter 575: Crystal illusion
Emma has agreed to come with me……or rather, effectively sign a contract with me, so the dragons at the palace begin to prepare for the feast.
“I´m sorry. I haven’t made a collar or anything”
“Will you make it, Lord?”
Emma began to call me Lord. Come to think of it, she doesn’t know much about me making things, does she? Well, I didn’t even accompany her much in Kalwin’s adventure…….
“Hoho. The owner makes things by hand, not only collars, but also other things. We also make babies very carefully. It must be this way of thinking about how to make things that enables him to control us, whose nature is to break things”
“No, you, let’s not make crude puns there”
Laila grins and Emma looks away from her, slightly embarrassed.
“I, I’d like to make a baby……with you eventually, but, you know, I don’t have any experience”
“Ho. Everyone has their first time. And don’t worry, Owner is famous for riding first-timers”
“Wait, I don’t remember being a great……!”
……I have a little idea. I mean, I get that kind of treatment sometimes in Polka and the elven territory. Yes.
“……I’m sure you made a lot of noise at the cat beast colony in Celesta……”
The words that Neia blurted out stick in my mind. W, Well……again, there are parts that are not false when I count them on my fingers. In fact, there may be very few men who have remained as virgins as I have. That is, unless you are a prince or noble whose duty is to collect princesses and have dozens of children. …It hasn’t even been two years since I lost my virginity…….
“……I, I look forward to working with you at some point. Lord”
“……Yes”
Emma is shy but clearly expresses her intentions.
“Now, the only one left is Ledo. Where is that girl?”
“I´m here”
In response to Laila’s voice, Ledo appears from the shadow of a nearby house. She was waiting for the right moment to come out.
“You’re quiet. Why don’t you appeal to Owner about the contract?”
“I guess that Smithson-dono values order and process. If I know that, I will wait to hear from you. I am always ready to follow your orders, however you want me to follow them, so I will leave it to you”
Ledo gives a brief bow in the eastern mountains style.
“Maybe you should go and marry her while you’re at it, Master
“Or……well, it would be nice if you could come with me. But first, there’s something I want Ledo to lead”
“Let’s hear it”
“I think I told you before, the defensive position of the valley of Kalwin. At the moment, the internal affairs of the valley itself are being handled by Dianne-san and the officials from each country, but how much can I ask the dragons to do in advance? If I make it clear that I can rely on them, I think they will be able to figure out what they need to do on their own. ……Dragons may listen to my requests, but they should get along well with others and do what I say. It’s difficult to ask, isn’t it?
“……I see, sure. If the dragons are moved by the word of anyone other than you, it will fall apart if there is a conflict of judgment. Instead, you should decide what to do first based on your word alone and let others move passively based on the premise that you don’t ask for details”
“That’s what I mean”
Without the power of dragons, the current situation in Kalwin, which is threatened by demons, cannot be improved. However, dragons do not follow the 「Collective will」 of people. Their rule is to judge an individual and decide who will be their ally and the group may be in sync with the individual or in conflict with them. Their value system does not allow them to abandon their allies once they have determined who they will be, depending on the trend and to protect the happiness of the vague majority.
“I see……cooperation doesn’t mean we have to force them to communicate with each other……so we can have the dragons roughly reduce the threat?”
Neia nodded in admiration.
“It’s not that humans can’t fight, either. But we don’t have to leave everything to the dragons. And with the technology out there improving Kalwin’s low productivity, they’ll soon no longer be struggling to feed their garrison……”
“Yes. By making that arrangement now, you won’t have to strain……yourself either, which is ideal”
“W, Well, it’s not like I’m skipping out on it”
“You should make a little more of an effort to stay away from danger. You’re so low in combat value that you don’t know what could kill you”
“I don’t think it’s fair to just tell people what to do irresponsibly”
If you can’t manage the danger, it’s just ego, I guess. Leda puts her hand on her chest and admonishes her.
“Trust in our power. Whether your heart is in the right place or not is not proven by your proximity to the death line”
“I know it does, though”
“I like your willingness to take a stronger responsibility for the destruction wrought by the dragons. But don’t forget that you are the key to moving many dragons. Your absence is not a problem that you alone can solve”
“……Yeah”
Leda is right. Don’t be reckless. If something happens, everything will fall into the worst possible way. I understand.
The main policy that I confirmed with Leda this time around was to dispose of any monster heading for the valley as far away as possible, to patrol the valley at least twice a day in units of three and not to get involved in any conflicts that occur between people in the valley.
“Of course, that’s not to say that you would never go near them”
“I am aware of that. To satisfy the people of the valley, yes”
Given that this arrangement in itself dictates behavior on the part of the humans, we need to have a line of thinking: 「The dragons won’t do anything more than this」. It is a line that says, don’t expect more from the dragons and it does not mean that the dragons are prohibited from doing a little more work out of compassion. But let’s keep it to what is said and done.
“But even this is a condition that the Renfangas Army and others would cry 『Too envious』 if they heard it……”
“From our point of view, though, we could use a little more mobilization”
“……It’s true that looking at the palace, it seems like there are a lot of hands, but even one dragon can easily take on hundreds of monsters, right? Does it take that many hands to protect one valley?”
“Well, yes, it does”
In fact, even one silver dragon is enough to protect the valley. The condition of three is only for the case when the monsters appear from several directions at the same time, for example and it does not mean that I think that they always need the protection of three. But that was not enough for Leda and the other dragons who wanted to help me and Kalwin.
“If I wanted, I could have ten or so of them flying around all the time”
“To put it bluntly, that’s very scary. From the human point of view”
“Even if they know we are on their side?”
“In a country of ordinary people, a dragon flying around in the open can cause a panic……”
“It’s difficult……to ask them to be our allies, but if you see many of them, that’s what you should be afraid of”
“You have to understand”
As a dragon, you’re motivated and I know you’re itching to do it. The actual fact that I can mobilize as many dragons as I like here is a force worthy of uprooting a continental nation, as Rainer had planned to do. Performing too flamboyantly could be seen as a show of that power. Umm……. I wonder if we could utilize the dragon’s motivation in a more positive……and dreamy way if possible.
————————-
Night. The banquet of the silver dragons was quite elegant. A stew of freshly caught meat made tender and full-flavored by a mysterious cooking method, salads with vegetables and fruits never seen elsewhere and many kinds of soups and liquors. But the hospitality alone was not enough, as five or so dragons, clad in light, flew endlessly in an acrobatic dance across the night sky, while human-bodied dragonesses danced gracefully in a line beneath them. They are accompanied by flutes and stringed instruments with ethereal sounds of the Eastern mountain style. And dozens of dragons.
“I’ve thought many times before about this kind of thing……but maybe I’m experiencing more luxury than any royalty or aristocrat……”
“Ho. Such hospitality can only be enjoyed in a palace of this magnitude”
“I probably wouldn’t have witnessed anything like this in my lifetime if I hadn’t met Smithson-san……great”
Laila and Neia also look very satisfied. Emma, who is standing next to me, is still dreading it.
“I’m sorry to say that the hospitality was a bit simple because of the urgency of the occasion”
“Is this simple?”
“If you let us prepare the food for a month or so, we will have more than you can possibly remember to taste. As for the entertainments, what we are presenting now are only dances and tricks that anyone can enjoy……”
“I’ve never seen such hospitality before……”
I was stunned.
“Now, this is an auspicious seat. Laila-dono, please come too, I’m sure you’ll like it
Ray is pouring the drinks. Leda is also a part of the dance and dances without a break in a gorgeous yet somewhat sexy outfit. If this were a human, she would be drenched in sweat, but with the stamina of a dragon, she could probably dance all night long.
“Umm……I feel like I’ve seen the dragon’s bottom line”
I sip the sake poured into a small cup. It is slightly spicy, but also has a rich fruity aroma. This sake alone would surely be a treasure if taken out of the house.
“……I’m going to have to give this to someone else……umm”
As the liquor is passed around, a funny thought occurs to me. It would be a bad idea to try to use their feelings of celebrating Emma’s marriage and their full hospitality for something else. But hey.
“Hey, Ray”
“Can I help you?”
“Is this the kind of show that shouldn’t be in front of other people……?”
“……I’m not saying it’s no good, but what the heck?”
“I’m not saying you should make more food and act like this. This kind of dancing and sky partying must be the height of dragon culture……. It’s not just scary. It’s about teaching people that”
“……Are you trying to familiarize people with us?”
“No, it’s not good to be familiar with them. There are times when it’s better to keep your distance. But, you know, it’s kind of an opportunity to have respect for them in a distant way, isn’t it……? It would be good……to show it off once a year or so”
I can’t seem to get myself together. I can’t help but wonder what they would do if they did something like that.
“……Isn’t it good, Lord?”
“Yes……Emma?”
“I understand that culture within the inner circle is not very meaningful. Besides……it is good to share the fun once in a while. It is not something that increases in value by not putting out. I agree”
Emma affirms, gently leaning on me as I wobble a bit.
“With you. With the valley. If this Crystal Palace walks with sincerity, it would be good to set aside such a night as a sign of our friendship”
At Emma’s words, the elder nearby pondered for a moment and nodded.
“Maybe that’s a good idea”
“……I see”
In my rapidly deepening intoxication, I dreamed of that future. Once a year, on a moonlit night, the people of Kalwin gaze into the distance. This dance of illusion, this music of illusion, this light of illusion brightens the night as the people of Kalwin look on in the distance. Though we never touch it, it is a sign of friendship sent by the dragons. The people of Kalwin look at it and enjoy it to the fullest, while holding out hope and looking forward to that night next year as they head home. Such is the scene.
“I wish that would happen……”
I closed my eyes in a good mood, muttering to no one in particular.