We Live in Dragon's Peak

Nymia looks at me with a pained expression. For someone as gentle as her who doesn’t even want to see her enemies suffer, the current appearance of the decaying dragon must be more than she can bare.

“Nevertheless, see this for yourself. If you don’t want to engage in fighting or suffer, then drown your opponents in overwhelming power so that they’ll prostrate themselves before you.”

Asher-san’s tone is strict.

“If you sympathize with the decaying dragon, make yourself strong enough to obliterate it in an instant to keep it from suffering.”
“Niaa.”

Nymia releases a bitter purr. For a small child like her, this really is too harsh. However, if she doesn’t resolve herself and watch this fight, Asher-san will force her to return home.

Stay strong, Nymia.

“Niaa.”

My, well, she really hates conflict. I hold Nymia in my arms at her lifeless purr and squeeze her small paw with my hand.

Do you best for Priscilla-chan and for me.

“Want to be together with Priscilla, nyan.”
“Yeah, Priscilla-chan no doubt wants to be with you too.”

I smile at Nymia and then turn back to the decaying dragon.

The decaying dragon is regenerating withing that pure white world.

Asher-san stops her relentless attack despite wanting to do otherwise. It’s really clear, but those dragon tribesmen are in the way.

…Dragon tribesmen are in the way; just what kind of terrifying world is this?

The dragon tribesmen frantically run from the falling rocks kicked up by Asher-san’s attack.

“Oooh, Oooh,” the decaying dragon pitifully groans out in pain. Seeing its anguished figure makes my chest tighten for some reason.

Why are its cries so sorrowful? The way its voice doesn’t match its ghastly appearance makes me uneasy.

“You find those cries sorrowful. You truly are a strange humanoid.”
“Asher-san, you don’t hear it that way?”
“As a matter of fact.”
“Although Nyan finds watching difficult, can’t hear it as sad, nyan.”

Mumumu, maybe it’s a difference in sensitivity between humans and the dragon tribe?

From everything I’ve seen of the decaying dragon, it’s not just its cries that are sad but its expressions too.

“That has an expression?”

Asher-san has a point. It has no eyes and its skin is rotted. Half of its face is just bone. It’s unable to have anything like an expression. But still, somehow, I can read through that decaying dragon’s expression.

Thinking about it, I’ve often been able to read Old Sleigstar’s expressions and feelings. Ever since I first met Old Sleigstar, I’ve somehow been able to read how he feels from the small movements of his mouth, the way he looks at others, and his tone.

“Fumu, a dragon’s heart?”

Asher-san seems to have understood something.

Hold up, I just also somehow understood its heart.

Although I’m curious about what a dragon’s heart is, the decaying dragon is the more important, so I look at it again.

The decaying dragon still seems to be in pain. Sorrowful groans escape it as it regenerates. No, it already finished. It has returned to the appearance it had back when we first encountered it. What incredible regenerative power.

The decaying dragon stares up at Asher-san in the sky. While the hollows of its eyes glow with a red light, I can only find sorrow within them. It doesn’t look hostile, just sad.

It seriously makes me uncomfortable. My intuition is telling me that something.

“Asher-san, can you stop exterminating that decaying dragon?”
“Haa, what are you saying? There’s no telling what sort of damage will arise if we leave it alone. Moreover, I cannot overlook that it raised its claws at me.”
“But still, the goal this time was to show Nymia a fight. The decaying dragon can be exterminated next time.”
“What’s come over you? Why are you defending the decaying dragon?”
“Somehow or another, it’s just somehow or another.”

My words are all jumbled up. After all, I really don’t get it either.

However, right now, all I see from the decaying dragon is sadness. I know that overlooking it here will bring suffering else where along with hundreds of other things, but still. For some reason, I just don’t want to defeat it.

“Good grief, you truly are a mysterious humanoid. Well whatever, fine. Shall I let it go and return?”

There’s no doubt that letting the decaying dragon go is easy. It can’t chase after Asher-san who is zipping through the sky.

Defeating the decaying dragon is difficult. Regardless of how destructive Asher-san’s attacks are, it not only resists them, its incredible regenerative ability won’t let it die. Continuing to attack until it stops will certainly bring about a major change to Dragon’s Peak.

So, what do we do?

I know.

“That, I want to talk to the decaying dragon.”

Asher-san forces a laugh as her face twists with shock.

“A conversation with a decaying dragon, you say. Just how much of a dragon’s heart do you possess? Have you gone mad?”
“No, I didn’t go mad. Just, for some reason, I think I want to try talking with that decaying dragon.”
“On what grounds?”
“…Intuition.”

I know my words aren’t very persuasive, but it really is because of my intuition. My intuition is spot on every now and then like back at the ruins and that incident with the fake dragon tribesmen and not to mention with Old Sleigstar’s pranks. I was able to somehow figure everything out thanks to my intuition.

Even though living by depending on my intuition is dangerous, I still want to trust in my intuition right now.

“Good grief, am I really entrusting my beloved daughter to such an absurd humanoid?”

Asher-san stares at me with a troubled expression. Still, she heeds my request by lowering herself as she circles around the decaying dragon. It hurls a fireball at her as she does so.

The decaying dragon is sad and in pain, yet it attacks the enemies before its eyes without mercy.

Asher-san, however, redirects the fireball towards the horizon with a flap of her wings. Then, as she lands, the deep piles of ash billow and scatter throughout the ravine.

A fireball is again hurled at Asher-san. Although I’m thinking it will be a direct hit, it explodes just before crashing against her. A heat wave washes over us, but it only feels a little hot.

“Mother’s wind barrier is strong, nyan.”

I see, so there was a barrier. There was no need to avoid those attacks earlier. They wouldn’t have worked anyway.

“Come along now. Nymia and I will protect you, so hurry and have your conversation.”

Asher-san presses me forward while directing a sharp glare at the decaying dragon.

I untangle myself from the fur on Asher-san’s lower back and climb down onto the ash covered ground. Nymia too climbs down. She returns to her original size and walks with me to the decaying dragon.

The decaying dragon threatens us with a growl but ends up shrinking back at Nymia’s roar.