Chapter 554: Crystal Palace 3
We took the imprisoned Presbyterians to the ground and breathed a sigh of relief.
“We don’t want to get poked in the back by non-combatants. I don’t think the dragons would do anything immoral like that, but I’m asking the Elder to keep them in check. We don’t need them to join us”
“But there are still many dragons who have followed Rainer-dono’s lead. I heard that they have gathered blue dragon reinforcements, but it’s still less than ten. Now that the Rainer faction has let down its guard, it will not be spared from a hard fight”
The elder implicitly advises, 「Take some dragons with you to add to your strength」.
“I don’t want to increase the dragon force. We don’t want to be overrun. If we just want to fight and win, we have more reassurance than anyone else”
“……Are you the woman who is said to have rebounded from the young dragons’ push? It is true that if you are lucky, you may be able to win the battle without suffering any damage. But humans are too fragile. All it takes is for one of the dragons to fully open his or her breath and several humans will die. To avoid that, it is better to bring as many dragons as possible together”
“That doesn’t add up. We didn’t come here to conquer this palace. We want nothing more than for you to stay out of the war without any guarantees”
“We want to be a force. We want to be the power to do something. I am afraid it is humiliating to be asked to simply stay put in a time of crisis. It may not be humanly possible, but the dragons in the village silenced by you will be more satisfied if they are taken to be useful than if they are ordered to stay in submission and live without error”
“Umm……”
Somehow, I understand the logic. Dragons have a desire to be useful anyway. It has too much power as a living being, but too little of what it needs to do as a living being to be able to sublimate that balance by acting on its own impulses. That is why he acknowledges the external justice of the dragon rider as a species and wishes to be used as a kind of tool himself. I can do anything, but I don’t need to. There is no meaning in what we do. Therefore, they look to others for meaning. That is the basis of being a dragon rider. The elder said that the dragons languishing in this palace would be more satisfied if they were used as 「Necessary」 beings than if they were left as 「Unnecessary」 in this big situation. But we have our own reasons.
“We are not playing a game to fight for the Dragon Palace. We just want to move on without any regrets for the next few hours until we settle things with Rainer”
“If that’s the case, then it’s in our best interest to follow suit. You have a point. The dragons will obey you more if you tell them to follow you than if you just tell them to stay down”
“……Haa”
Inevitably, it seemed that they were certain to talk to me on my authority as a dragon rider. ……Well, the power to speak as an elder doesn’t suddenly become stronger just because you are released, does it? It is also true that my title has more coercive power……than that. Dragons by nature can live alone. The power of the community’s oldest member is probably not as strong as I think it is in a human village.
“I get it. ……However, you guys take it easy and get back on your feet. There is no end in sight for Rainer from here on out. I don’t know how seriously they will resist. I don’t want anyone I know to die”
I gave this strict order to Ray and Emma, who still had wounds, as well as to the other elders who had not fully recovered their strength. Everyone nodded their heads, though their faces looked a little complicated. I guess this is the time they wanted to play an active role. But you guys have already played an active role enough.
And I faced the silver dragons gathered in the plaza with my chest out.
“If you’ve heard the dragons, you’ve heard me. We want to settle the battle with Rainer from now on. ……If there are any dragons who would like to accompany me in that battle and protect my people, I would like them to come with me”
A human community would not have a populist making such a proposal to fight a man who, until recently, was considered the sole leader of that community. But if the elder so advise, it would be remiss of me not to make such a proposal. The male and female silver dragons looked at each other at my words. And Lado, who had been standing diagonally behind me, held out her hand to them and appealed.
“I am sure that some of the dragons here were dissatisfied with Rainer’s methods and his next unseen action. Smithson-dono has given us room to participate. With our blue brethren being depended upon by the rider, it will be time to show our silver dragon pride”
“……You know, somehow when I look at Lado-san’s attitude, it kind of reminds me of Tetes-chan at one point in time
“Naris-chan, don’t talk any more. If you mess up and interfere with Master, Laila-san will bite you, right?”
“Mugu”
Naris holds her own mouth in a panic. But the point is well taken and that kind of attitude from Lado is also hard to understand by human standards. Even when Tetes turned to obedience to me after all her strange inquiries and schemes, I still felt a sense of discomfort. Now, I can see the merits of being on the dragon rider’s side, the indulgence in sex with me and the gratitude I owe her for somehow mediating our relationship with Lord Buster……I can see why she completely obeys me. But. Dragons have their own logic of priorities. I’m sure there are parts that only the dragons themselves can empathize with.
“I will accompany you”
The first person to take a step forward was a beautiful woman with an acute air that reminded me a lot of Airi. Following her, young girls who appeared to be members of her family came forward and said, if my mother is going, then so are we. In the end, more than a dozen dragons, some as tall as Maia and some as old as the elder, accompanied us.
I’m not asking you to kill each other with Shario, Leyla and the others. It’s our fight. I just want you to protect my people as much as you can so they don’t die. And after this battle, I want you to help me……to restore a world where the humans who live here can once again……eat their fill and grow old and die happy”
『Ooo!!』
The silver dragons pump their fists in the air in response to my call. And to the remaining dragons, who gazed at the scene with a complicated look on their faces, I said once again.
“I’m sorry for letting your family die”
I apologized to them and urged Maia with a hand gesture to return to Dianne and the others waiting at the royal palace. The remaining dragons kneel down and squeeze out their voices.
“Rider. ……I apologize for doubting your abilities”
“……You guys are right. Unlike Rainer, I’m not thinking too big or too far into the future. If it weren’t for the girl in front of me who was struggling and worrying for her hometown, I would probably only be thinking about food and women”
“That’s what humans do”
“Ah. ……I’m neither a hero nor a king. I’m sure I’ll always be just a man. I’m Andy Smithson, the son of Polka’s blacksmith Peter Smithson”
“……No. Surely the first heroes and kings were like that”
I laugh at the words of the kneeling dragone and let them sink in, considering their words for just a moment. I wonder if the first heroes, the first kings, were like me. Was he a normal person who didn’t think much of it until he saw someone else suffering in front of him? ……Ah, I think that might be the case.
“I think it would be good for Master to just think about women for a little while longer”
“No, if he fishes for women any more, he’s out of control!”
“Even if he doesn’t hunt, there are plenty of them. It would be easier to be a female slave if you could just think about naughty things in Polka”
“Ah……yes, I’m sure many people would be happier if you did”
“Naris-chan is the same, right?”
No, it doesn’t matter to me!? There’s no reason for me to be included in any particular order!?”
“Then, from now on, whatever you do, do it without Naris-chan……”
“Eh, no, why would you go to such extremes!?”
……You guys, we’re about to have a decisive battle, so please be a little more nervous. All the dragons that are following me are smiling bitterly.