We Live in Dragon's Peak

I keep walking in the woods with Mistral holding my hand.

Mm-hmm. Mistral, I'm not used to being called out. But if you haven't even done this in your heart, you're going to stick to "Mr. Mistral" and say it when you put it out in your mouth and call your name.

If you call it a snare, you're still going to have a distance between us, and you're going to be away again even though you're getting close because of it.

So we're going to call this place Kanba.

"Well, Ernea"

"Yes, Mr. Mistral"

"Hmm?"

Ha-ha-ha.

I snapped.

What a pity for me.

"Uh. What is it, Mistral?"

"Hehe, that tone is fake."

"Ugh, I'm in a hurry."

Mistral smiles at my weird tone.

"Restore your mind. Ernea."

"Yes."

My floating heart tenses to a slightly more serious tone of Mistral.

"Shall we talk a little bit about the dragon pulse?"

"Speaking of which, you had some precautions."

"Yes."

Yes, I did. I forgot.

I was walking and had to ask Mistral a little more about the dragon pulse.

"Are you used to treating dragon veins"

To Mistral's question, I twisted my neck.

"I wonder. It's much easier to feel a dragon pulse than it was in the beginning."

"Easy, huh? It's something that even the Dragons can feel when they train."

Oh, speaking of which, Old Sleighsta was the first to say that.

"Ernea was rare to people and you had qualities."

When Mistral tells me that, I think I'm pretty special, too.

"But yeah. Elnea, that's why you have to be more careful with dragon veins."

I was walking in the woods of ancient trees, but Mistral looked back at me with a serious look.

"Was it that dangerous?

"Danger, I wonder. For Ernea today."

Mistral puts only a little effort into the hands that were connected. Mistral's hands are warm and good after all.

"Ernea. People know what happens when they drink alcohol?

Ooh. Something flew out of the way.

"Yeah, you're drunk."

"Right. And drunk people want to drink even more. And some people get addicted. Next question then. I know what happens when a magician or witch runs out of power."

"Eh. I learned it at school. Temporarily in a very debilitating state, some people go to sleep for days."

"Yes."

Reminds me that after defeating the demon, Listeer, who ran out of spells, fell asleep for days.

Nevertheless, I wonder what the connection is between the two questions now.

"A magician has what is called a spell, and a witch has what is called a power. Just like that, dragons and dragons have something called dragon power."

I listen to Mistral whispering.

"Do you know that curse, magic, dragon power is the source of invisible power to use paranormal techniques if you say so?"

"Uh, I wonder what's different from dragon air"

To my question, Mistral tells me right. That's sweet.

"You can think of dragon qi as the dragon pulse that flows through your body. I wonder how much dragon power can store in your body."

I see, the power to store. Until now, the dragon air I drew from the dragon vein was quickly transformed into a force, so I didn't think about storing it.

Then the spell, the power, the power you've built up in your body to use spells and spells.

To my satisfaction, Mistral continues.

"Ancient species of dragons like Ong have immeasurable dragon power. Then the Dragons. When you become an old dragon, the Dragon Nation will be powerful beyond your feet. The Dragon Nation is reasonably normal. It's just that there's a personal difference between us, like there's a personal difference between a magician and a witch."

"Yeah, you're right."

He said the dragon pulse wouldn't even feel like a dragon without training, but he thought dragon power was something anyone in the Dragon Nation would have in the wrong digits.

"So long, Ernea."

Mistral stopped once and stared at me with a serious look.

Normally, people don't have dragon power.

"Eh."

I'm surprised at Mistral's unexpected remarks.

Well, I guess that means I can't hoard a dragon pulse in my body.

"Yes, you cannot accumulate dragon pulse power in your body."

Mistral who perceives and says my surprise.

"And that's why it's important from here"

Mistral took my other hand, which was empty, and spoke with a more serious look.

"You, the people without dragon power, used to convert the power drawn from the dragon vein to dragon qi immediately. Well, you talked about alcohol first."

"Yeah."

"You are close to drinking right now. There is alcohol, or dragon vein, that you can hold in front of you, from which you draw and drink indefinitely. The more you drink, the more you draw, the more dragon veins you want, and the more poisoning symptoms you're about to develop."

"Oh, really?"

I was stunned that I was completely unconscious. I thought I was drawing as much as I needed to when I needed to.

But if you ask me, I might. When the demon swordsman appeared in the ruins, I should have used my powers carefully at first, but in the second half, I might have drawn the amount I had and used it like hot water.

"And next. You heard about people whose curses and powers were exhausted."

"Ugh, yeah."

I have a really bad feeling about this from the way we've been talking about it.

"If your spells and powers are depleted, you'll get sick. That's the same thing with dragons and dragons. If dragon power is depleted, we may also fall ill and fall asleep."

"The force is different, but the symptoms of falling are the same."

"Yes. And. You have no dragon power."

"Ugh, yeah. Right."

I was sweating cold.

And Mistral stays overnight.

"Which means you repeatedly did two things, replenishing and depleting dragon power, because you can't store the power of the dragon vein you've drawn in your body."

I was out of line.

I thought I could get it so I could easily draw the dragon pulse and turn it into dragon air and use it.

But by using up the dragon pulse, I was depleted of dragon power at that point.

It's a power you don't originally have, so will it?

Then, when I returned from the ruins, I fell and fell asleep because I was exhausted and physically debilitated.

"It was good this time because it was still a small force. But when this was a big force for a long time, it was also life-threatening."

Mistral staring at me worryingly.

If you can't do it further from the debilitating state, it means it's life-threatening, right?

Something I sometimes see in newspaper articles that says that a spellman has done too much to force him to die.

Mistral's presence at the ruins was also Old Sleighsta's concern at the dragon vein abuse that made me dangerous.

I was trembling at the size of things. [M]

And Mistral hugged me softly like that.

"Don't be impotent from now on."

"Yeah."

But if you do, I'm worried about you.

"Then why did Old Sleighsta tell me about the dragon pulse?"

Old Sleighsta, of course, knew about my dragon power. And yet, why did you tell me that you knew it was dangerous?

"It's"

Mistral told me to hold me gently.

"Feeling the dragon pulse, the power to draw. And I wonder if the ability to convert to dragon qi is a must for dragon sword dance. Weng wanted to give you a dragon sword dance. I taught him what he needed to do."

"But I'm dangerous because I don't have dragon power."

"Yes, that's why I taught meditation first."

I looked up at Mistral's face just enough to touch her. [M]

"With alcohol. I don't get used to alcohol at first and get drunk right away, but when I get used to it, I get a little better. Weng tried to get you used to meditating and feeling the dragon pulse."

Yeah, me snorting.

"When I got used to it, I made him remember to smell it and use it."

"But since you don't have dragon power, isn't it dangerous to keep replenishing and depleting?"

"Well, that's why I let them use it little by little, and I figured I'd try to get them used to this too."

"Eh, is that something you get used to?"

I wonder if you're used to something called debilitation.

"Hmm, what do you mean"

Mistral that makes you look like you're having trouble explaining.

Her hair touched my face as Mistral tilted her little neck. Blonde hair close to silver was light and delicate and smelled very good.

"Ernea will have learned to circulate in her body when she smells dragon pulses and turns them into dragon qi."

"Yeah, first I learned to circulate the power of the dragon pulse in my body and worry about dragon chi."

"Yes. That's what matters. Make your body and mind aware of dragon qi by circulating it in your body. Then instinct tries to get used to it, trying to create something that wasn't there."

"I mean, you create dragon power that wasn't there at first, later."

"Very well done"

Mistral smiled and stroked my head.

She says she's glad a girl can stroke her head a lot, but so is a man.

When Mistral strokes my head, I feel really clear.

"If you can dragon power, you'll be able to build up. That eliminates the dangerous situation of depletion every time you use it."

"Yeah, you are."

Was there such a profound reason for meditation training? I knew it was most important to feel the dragon pulse.

"Yes, then it's a problem"

"Ugh, I don't like the problem"

"Hehe, if I make a mistake, I will punish you. Now, from what I've been saying, what are your precautions, put them together?"

Summarization problem? I don't like it very much.

"Yep. I mean... in my current state, it's dangerous to smell dragon air and use it. It's debilitating, and if you do poorly, you're in danger for your life. Just because you can draw a dragon pulse, don't draw it if you do it without darkness. I guess you mean meditation training and building dragon strength."

"Yes, very well done"

To my answer, Mistral smiled satisfactorily.

I was a little overthinking dragon pulse and dragon qi. [M] That's why Mistral pissed me off this morning. Reflection.

"If it's done well, I want a reward."

I demand. That's it. I want that one.

But Mistral looked down at my troubles with a cold eye.

"My lips are not cheap."

Geez. That's sad I expected it.

Mistral laughs when he sees me depressed and dull.

"Look, it's not a reward, but we're almost there."

Mistral freed me from the embrace and pointed to the tip of the ancient woods.

I look at you pointing at me.

At the tip of the pointing, a giant spiritual tree trunk was visible at the tip of the ancient woods.

At some point, me and Mistral came all the way to the side of the Spirit Tree.

It was too huge, the trunk was too thick, and I could only recognize it as part of the landscape until I was told.

"Is the Spirit Tree your destination?

"Yeah, that's where I'm looking."

"Looking for something? Did you lose something?

"Heh heh, not like that. Kind of."

Meaningful Mistral words.

Speaking of which, Mistral and Old Sleighsta had a meaningful conversation when we went for a walk.

I wonder what it is. I think they're teasing me.

My thoughts elsewhere, Mistral took my hand again and started walking.