Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I’m Going to Sleep - Chapter 174

That’s how I started following Mabel as she walked through the town.
Oh, was I the cause?

Traveling with a Mouse and a Dragon (2)

Mabel confidently led the way, but…

“Umm… I’m sure they said that if you go west from the central plaza, you’ll see a large tavern, and if you go past that, there’s a good inn…”

“That’s south, though?”

“Oh, is it? Then if I go into this alley here…”

“If you go that way, you’ll be going east?”

“T, that’s right. Then in the opposite direction…”

“If you go next to the building we just passed, that’s the central plaza?”

“Oh…”

Mabel had heard many things from the priest, but it seemed that she had no sense of direction. She wandered around for a long time in the town, which was a decent size, without being able to find her destination properly.

Hmm. Well, while living in a small village with only a few houses, there was no need to have a sense of direction. She probably didn’t even know that she had no sense of direction.

The priest… did he not know that this child had no sense of direction? No, if he had known, he definitely wouldn’t have sent her off alone.

If this child had left the village alone… wouldn’t she have wandered around for a long time without being able to reach her destination?

After wandering around for a long time, Mabel finally stopped in front of a building.

“I, is this it…?”

“It seems like it.”

Mabel, who had lost her energy after entering several wrong buildings, pointed to the building in front of her with a slight hesitation.

Hmm. It’s a bit confusing because there’s no proper signboard, but the location is about the same as what was described, so it’s probably right.

“I didn’t know I was this bad at finding my way… I would have been in big trouble if I had been alone.”

“Hmm. That’s probably true.”

When you think of a mouse, you usually think of something small, agile, and quick-witted, but this child is completely different from that image.

“Let’s go in for now.”

Fortunately, the building they entered was the inn that Mabel was looking for.

Then… let’s stay here for one night for now.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“It’s a bit awkward because it’s not the room I always sleep in. It feels even stranger because I’m not sleeping alone.”

Mabel smiled stiffly. Her nervousness was evident.

Well, it’s natural to be nervous. A girl who lived in a rural village suddenly started traveling with a hammer as her weapon.

And it’s a journey to find her mother, who she was separated from long ago.

If she’s not nervous in this situation, I’d have to wonder if her nerves are made of steel.

“And to be in the same room as the Dragon’s Maiden… Hmm… should I say that I’m very grateful? Uhh… I’m nervous…”

“Even in the same room as the Dragon’s Priestess…. Uhm…. I should say I’m very honored. Uhh…. I’m nervous….”
After I caught the teacup that was about to fall to the floor, I gathered the cocoa that was scattering everywhere into one place using magic.
Oh, was it because of me?

Hmm…. That makes sense! Since the story of the Hero is widely known in the world as the first heroic tale. The Dragon’s Priestess who appeared with him must also be well known.

Ahem. I feel a bit embarrassed for some reason.

“I’m not going to eat you, so why are you so nervous?”

“B, but…. You’re the Dragon’s Priestess. And your true form is a giant dragon. This kind of story. No one will believe it.”

“There’s a reason why I’m called the Dragon’s Priestess.”

Well, it’s a title that I got somehow.

“Keep it a secret for now. It’ll be a bit annoying if others find out.”

“Yes! I’ll keep it a secret until I die!”

She gave me a very energetic answer. Her small size and cute appearance go well together, making her nice to look at.

Apart from her loud voice, her body was still trembling slightly. Hmm. Let’s see.

When you’re this nervous, a warm and sweet drink would be good.

I flicked my finger lightly. Then, a teacup with steam rising from it appeared in the air.

The teacup contained warm cocoa. It was a drink that had not yet appeared in this world.

Hmm. I wonder if it exists somewhere. Should I look for it sometime? Or should I make it myself. Hmm.

Well, I’ll think about it later. Later. I want to relax for now.

“Do you like sweet things?”

“Yes? Ah, yes. I like them. But precious things like honey can only be eaten on very special days. Usually, I eat things like fruit….”

Honey. Hmm. Honey. Well, honey itself is something that can only be obtained through beekeeping.

Unless there’s a special case of taming a bee-shaped monster, it must be a very precious item.

On top of that, sweet plants like sugarcane or sugar beets haven’t been discovered yet.

I wonder if they exist somewhere. Hmm…. Maybe they’re growing in a different form.

“If you like sweet things, try this too. Be careful, it’s hot.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll eat it well.”

Mabel carefully received the teacup I handed her and stared at the cocoa with steam rising from it for a long time.

Then, with a face that seemed to have made a big decision, she took a sip of the cocoa.

“Hot!”

The teacup flew into the air from Mabel’s hand as if her tongue had been burnt.

I told her to be careful because it was hot. What a difficult child.

I caught the teacup that was about to fall to the floor, and used magic to gather the cocoa that was scattered everywhere into one place.

And then I finished by moving the cocoa so that it would shoot into the teacup. Not a single drop of cocoa that had scattered everywhere was left behind.

Hmm. Now, using this level of magic power is easy. It was to the point where there was almost no consumption of magic power.

“Didn’t I tell you it was hot?”

“H, ho, hot….”

“It seems like your tongue got burned. Let me see.”

I lightly touched Mabel’s cheek with the index finger of my empty left hand, and magic power seeped into Mabel’s mouth through my fingertip.

It doesn’t seem like it’s burned too badly. I should be able to heal this in an instant.

“Alright. Healing complete.”

“Wow…. It doesn’t hurt at all now….”

Mabel stuck out her tongue and was lightly pressing it with her finger.

Hmm. It seems like she’s surprised that the pain went away in an instant.

“Now. Be careful when you drink this time.”

“Y, yes.”

For some reason, she seems even more tense than before. It feels like trying to relax her actually made things worse.

Mabel, who had received the teacup that I handed her, carefully let the cocoa flow into her mouth.

And then.

“…!!”

Mabel’s eyes went wide.

“What, what is this?! It’s sweet! And it’s different from honey because it has a slight bitter taste, so it makes the sweetness stand out even more!”

“It seems like you like it.”

“Yes! It’s so sweet! It’s amazing!”

I smiled slightly as I watched Mabel continuously exclaim in admiration.

She’s eating it so deliciously, so it was worth making.

“Now, let’s review our plans for the future.”

Mabel couldn’t speak because her mouth was full of cocoa, and she could only nod her head slightly.

“First, we were going to go to the Temple of Life in the place where your mother sent the letter, right?”

“Yes. She said the letter was sent through the Temple of Life in Armen.”

Armen? Where is that again?

It’s been about 300 years, so I’m hearing place names I’ve never heard before.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of it, but where is it?”

“Ah…. You were asleep for about 300 years. Hmm…. How should I explain this….”

Mabel thought for a moment before opening her mouth.

“Do you know about the region called Arkad?”

“Of course I do. Wasn’t that the country before Arcadia?”

“Yes. It’s the city-state northwest of the Arkad region that appears in the warrior’s story.”

Northwest of Arkad? Hmm…. There should only be small villages in that direction.

To the northwest of Arcadia? Hmm…. There should only be small villages in that direction.
Humansleavebehindanameaftertheydie….
The city-state was built there. Since it was northwest of Arcadia, it must have been close to Arcadia. They were brave to build it in such a place.

“It would have been dangerous if it were close to Arcadia. They did a good job building a city in such a place.”

“Ah…. That’s. Hmm…. The country called Arcadia has already disappeared.”

“What?”

That country disappeared? In just 300 years?

What the heck. What the heck happened?

“About 80 years ago, the king died without appointing a successor. At that time, the royal family from the collateral line fought a war to become the king…. It was split into several pieces.”

Whew…. That guy’s country split up like that. That guy in paradise must be resentful.

“Now it’s split into several city-states, each claiming to be the descendants of Arcadia and competing fiercely. I don’t remember the details well….”

“Hmm. That’s enough.”

Several city-states…. It feels like the Three Kingdoms, no, the Sixteen Kingdoms.

This is also human history. Hmm….

I felt a bit of regret, but I didn’t want to actively interfere in human history again.

Just. I should watch from a distance.

“But if Arcadia was divided into several pieces, what is the current situation of Sirius, the capital of Arcadia?”

If everyone claims to be the orthodoxy of Arcadia, Sirius must be a city coveted by all city-states.

No, it’s a city named after the guardian deity who protects the Sanctuary of All Gods. Can other cities invade that place?

“Sirius…. I heard it’s neutral. Both the Temple of Sirius and the Knights of Epona said that when a proper king who will inherit the crown of Arcadia appears, they will open the door to the throne of Sirius. So I heard that Sirius is a neutral city, and the Temple Master of Sirius and the Captain of the Knights of Epona rule together.”

Hmm. It seems that there are many complicated circumstances there as well. Well, it must have been difficult to move easily in a situation where there was no legal successor.

But…. The Temple of Sirius and the Crown of Arcadia are fine, but the Knights of Epona?

Epona was definitely the name of the centaur who played an active role in the war of Arcadia, wasn’t it? The warrior who guided me….

“If it’s Epona….”

“Ah, yes. Since you are the Dragon’s Maiden, you must remember. It’s the name of the first captain of the Knights of Arcadia. Her name was given to the knights in recognition of her great service in capturing the king in the war.”

Indeed. Her name was left behind because she made a great contribution.

Indeed. To leave behind a name is a great feat.