Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I’m Going to Sleep - Chapter 170

Rat and Dragon (4)

“By the way, you said that you wanted to see the world… I don’t know what your circumstances are, but will you be alright?”

“I can solve most problems with force. And if it’s too much for me, I can always ask the Temple of Life for help.”

Of course! You’re a Dragon! There’s no one stronger than a Dragon except for heroes like warriors! You can solve everything with force!

And… you can ask the Temple of Life for help. Hmm… is that just a figure of speech? Or do you really have connections to the Temple of Life?

Well, it doesn’t really matter to me.

I’m eavesdropping on the conversation between the priest and Tia, but… hmm. It doesn’t seem like they’re talking about anything interesting.

Maybe I should just go to sleep.

“So, you’re going to travel to see other places.”

“Yes. I want to see how people live in the world.”

“In that case, a merchant will visit the village in two weeks. How about leaving with them? They’re trustworthy people.”

Tia nodded slightly at the priest’s words.

“I can’t trouble them like that. And if possible, I want to see the world quietly, at the same level as everyone else.”

“Is that so… If that is the priestess’s wish, I cannot refuse.”

The priest nodded slightly and looked at Tia’s horns.

“But if you want to travel quietly, it might be a good idea to hide those horns. There may be others who can recognize your identity as a priestess, just like me.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“Yes. The story of the Dragon Priestess who adventured with the hero is widely known. Anyone with a little bit of knowledge will be able to deduce your identity if they see you. I was able to do it.”

Tia nodded slightly at the priest’s words.

“I see. In that case… maybe I can cover it with a hat or a hood.”

“Can’t you make the horns invisible?”

Tia shook her head slightly at the priest’s words.

“I can make them invisible, but if I do that, my power will weaken. If I forcibly increase my power, the hidden horns will become visible again… So if possible, I don’t want to do that.”

“Is that so. I can’t force you if you don’t want to. But you can’t always wear a hat and a hood… How about making it look like a hair accessory?”

“A hair accessory?”

“Yes. I’ll make a hair accessory that covers your head and horns, and make it look like the horns are part of the hair accessory. You can’t always wear a hat or a hood, but other people won’t think it’s strange if you wear a hair accessory.”

Tia thought for a moment and snapped her fingers, and a hair accessory that covered her horns appeared on her head.

“Something like this. I made it with illusion magic.”

Illusion magic? Can magic do that? It looks so real!

“Ooh… I’ve heard that the Dragon Priestess can use all kinds of magic freely, but it’s true. And it’s an illusion that looks so real. It’s amazing.”

“Hmm. I need to be able to do this much to live up to the name of the Dragon Priestess.”

Dragons can do that too…

Hmm… Did the hero really defeat such an amazing Dragon? I’m starting to doubt it.

Maybe he didn’t defeat a Dragon, but a different monster that looked like a Dragon?

No, the story clearly said it was a Dragon. The hero’s story can’t be a lie.

“But the horns are too big for the hair accessory. I don’t think it will be convincing enough.”

“Hmm. It would be cumbersome if I made it too big.”

“That’s true. I don’t know if I can fool others with such a small hair accessory…”

“Hmm. I’ll think about that. I’ll use magic to guide the thoughts of those who see the hair accessory, making them believe that the horns are part of the hair accessory.”

Guide thoughts? What is that? Can you even control other people’s thoughts?

What can’t you do? You Dragon?

“Magic that guides thoughts… I didn’t know there was such magic. But… I don’t think it’s good to use magic to control other people’s thoughts.”

“Ooh. Why not?”

“All living beings have the freedom to live their own lives. So says the God of Wind and Freedom. However, such magic violates the freedom of others. Even if you are the Dragon Priestess, you shouldn’t use it recklessly.”

Tia nodded slightly after thinking about what the priest said.

“Indeed. I see. Then, what if it’s a type of magic that doesn’t manipulate someone else’s thoughts but instead makes them think that the horns are just part of my headdress?”

“Illusion… hmm… that might be okay.”

That will do? But I can’t manipulate thoughts?

Do all priests become like this when they study theology? I don’t understand.

“By the way, are you planning to leave alone?”

“Hmm. Yes. I plan to leave tomorrow.”

“In that case… how about taking a companion on your journey, priestess?”

A companion? Is the priest perhaps planning to accompany me?

However, if the priest, who is responsible for various tasks in this small village, were to leave… wouldn’t it be extremely inconvenient?

The priest is responsible for blessing newborns, healing the injured and sick, managing the villagers and mediating disputes with the village chief, raising orphaned children and teaching young children how to speak and write, and even handling the funerals of the deceased. If the priest were to leave the village…

I can only foresee a disastrous future!

“A companion? Hmm… what a bother.”

“But it’s better to have one. It’s not good for someone as noble as a priestess to travel around without any companions. It’s better to have someone to help you out a bit.”

“Hmm. Are you thinking of accompanying me?”

The priest shook his head slightly at Tia’s words.

“No. My body is not strong enough to walk for long periods of time. I was injured when I was shot in the knee with an arrow.”

“Oh my.”

Hmm? Was that true? But priest, you walk just fine. You walk faster than me.

Well, I’m sure you have your reasons for saying that.

“Instead of me. Take the child who came with the priestess today, Mabel.”

“That demi-rat child?”

Me?!

“Yes. That child is clever, so I’m sure she’ll be of help to the priestess.”

“Hmm… helpful, you say. But what if she doesn’t want to?”

The priest shook his head slightly at Tia’s words.

“The child herself wanted to leave this village, so I’m sure she’ll be happy to leave with the priestess. And…”

The priest took something out of his arms and placed it on the table.

“There’s also a reason why the child needs to leave the village.”

“What’s this?”

“It’s a letter that the child’s mother… who left the child with me… sent last year.”

As soon as I heard the priest’s words, I barged into the room where the two of them were without even realizing it.

“My mother’s letter?!”

“Mabel? Weren’t you sleeping?”

“Is sleep important right now?! You said there was a letter from my mother?! Why didn’t you show it to me?!”

I trusted you! I trusted the priest!!!

“Mabel… calm down for now.”

“How can I calm down now?! You said it’s a letter from my mother!! My mother! A letter from my mother, who I haven’t heard from in years!!”

I let out all the emotions that were bursting inside my chest.

Emotions that I would never normally utter.

“Why do you have such a letter?! Why did you hide it from me?! Why?!”

“Mabel.”

“I trusted you! Instead of my mother, who left me here, I thought of you like my parents!!”

Betrayal. Sadness. Depression. And amidst all that, a glimmer of hope. The hope that my mother hadn’t abandoned me. The hope that my mother was alive.

Complex emotions surged through my mind.

“I’ll tell you everything in due time. Calm down for now.”

“Do you think I can calm down if I were you?! Huh?!”

I opened my mouth to shout once more.

And.

“That’s enough.”

My body froze at the soft words.

“I understand why you’re doing this, but I think it’s better to hear the story first. So calm down and sit down.”

Tia’s voice sends shivers down my spine.

A voice filled with an irresistible power. The endless surge of emotions is instantly suppressed.

And so, I ended up sitting down on a nearby chair without a word, forcibly closing off the emotions that I had been pouring out.

“That’s right. Sometimes it’s better to talk things out calmly than to vent your emotions unilaterally. Let’s talk about it. Let’s talk.”

Seeing that I had calmed down, the priest slowly opened his mouth.

“I was going to tell you when you became an adult. It’s also for your sake.”

“For my sake?”

“Yes. For your sake. To keep you out of danger.”

Danger? Me?

What on earth could that letter say… that I could be in danger?