CH 175

Chapter 175 – Dragon Faith

“Oh, Kosuke, what’s wrong?”

Since she was not in the living room or bedroom of the lord’s house, I came looking for Grande to her sleeping quarters outside the walls of Erichburg. I came, but…

“What is this about?”

“?”

Grande tilted her head as if she didn’t understand the meaning of my question. No, this is an unusual situation no matter how you look at it, right?

“What’s wrong? Rider-sama.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, you people?”

To explain the situation in a few words… Grande was being taken care of by a bunch of Lizardman. I understand you don’t know what I’m talking about, but I haven’t caught up with my understanding of the situation either. The way they took care of Grande was as if she were a royalty or a noblewoman or an object of faith or something.

“We may have a problem…!”

“That’s not good! How on earth can we improve it!”

“Wait, wait, wait! Why are you guys taking care of Grande in the first place! Explain it to me from the very beginning!”

When I pressed the believers (?) to explain the situation, they eagerly told me who they were and what they were doing.

“In other words, you are dragon believers?”

“Yes! Most of those like us, commonly called Lizardmen, have faith in the Dragon! There is no one who does not pay homage to the Dragon!”

The Lizardman who speaks vigorously… I mean, Lizardwoman since she’s a woman? No, let’s just call her a Lizardman woman now. At her words, the Lizardmen who had been taking care of Grande spoke in agreement.

“And the one whom Dragon-sama recognizes as a rider is also eligible for the same respect.”

“It is only natural since they are the ones that the proud Dragon-sama has allowed to ride on her back. Grande-sama told us that she allowed Her Highness Princess Sylphiel to ride on her back as well.”

“Her Highness Princess Sylphiel is a marvelous person… to be allowed to ride on the back of a dragon herself. She is worthy of being our leader.”

The Lizardmen nodded, and their eyes twinkled with satisfaction after saying so.

Come to think of it, Ms. Zamir also used to add ‘sama’ to Grande’s name when calling her, and her attitude toward Grande seemed to be as polite as the way she treated Sylphy. I didn’t pay much attention to it because Ms. Zamir is always so polite, but I guess that’s how it was.

“So, Grande is enjoying the life of a comfortable Dragon-sama.”

“I don’t mind being taken care of.”

Grande is smiling as she brings a piece of fruit to her mouth, which has been served to her by the dragon believers. This is the object of faith, huh? The only reason she accompanied us was because she got teary-eyed after being beaten up by Melty, but let’s get this straight.

“I understand what’s going on anyway. I’d like to talk to Grande alone for a while, please. We have something we need to discuss alone.”

“Yes, sir. We will be waiting in the hut over there, so when you are finished, please call on us. Since you don’t seem to know much about our faith, we would like to explain a little more about the situation to you.”

“Y-yeah.”

Frankly speaking, I don’t want to hear too much about it. It seems like too much trouble. But I have a feeling that I’m already part of their faith, so if I don’t ask, I’m afraid I’ll be in trouble later. I have no choice but to listen to them properly later.

After watching the Lizardmen leave, I turned to Grande.

“I’m really sorry from the bottom of my heart, but I need you to do something for me again.”

“Mm? Do you want to fly again? I don’t mind. I’ll do anything Kosuke asks.”

“I hate to say it… in return, but I’ll do Grande a favor next time, too.”

“Umu, that’s fine. I will do what Kosuke asks of me, and Kosuke will do what I ask of him.”

Grande smiles happily as she lounges on an oddly luxurious couch that seems to have been prepared by the Lizardmen.

“However, it’s also our turn, isn’t it? I don’t think there is any need to be so formal about it. I don’t think it’s right to demand a fee for every time a wife helps her husband, do you?”

“That may be true, but it’s another thing to take something for granted and forget about gratitude or anything like that, isn’t it? It is precisely because we have that kind of relationship that we must respect each other.”

When I said this, Grande nodded happily.

“Umu umu, Kosuke is a good companion. So, what is your request?”

“I need you to take me to Merinesburg, which is beyond the Sorel Mountains. I’m going to stay there for a few days and take care of some things.”

“Hmm? That’s fine, but isn’t that hostile territory for Kosuke?”

Grande tilted her head slightly. Yeah, she’s cute. I mean, that’s not what I meant. I explained the situation to Grande lightly.

“In other words, there was an informant or collaborator over there, and you were going to deliver something to that collaborator to help them hunt down a common enemy.”

“That’s what I mean. So, basically, it’s a conspicuous place for subhumans to be whizzing around over there, so humans have to go there. And since I have direct acquaintance with the collaborators over there, and considering the certainty of being able to give them what they want, and considering my ability to respond in case something goes wrong, it’s best that I go.”

“I see… I got it. You can leave it to me to take Kosuke to the other side of the Sorel Mountains. I have seen the large cities of the human race from the top of the mountains. We should be there in two hours.”

“Two hours, huh? Then we can leave just this afternoon and be over there by sundown.”

“Yes, that’s right. I think we should leave a little earlier, shouldn’t we?”

“I don’t see any need to notify the other side before leaving. Let’s fly there before noon, maybe even in the morning.”

“Hmm. Well, we can talk about it tonight at the mansion.”

“I guess so. I’ll be in your care then, Grande.”

“Well, you can leave it to me. I don’t mind flying with Kosuke on my back.”

I pat Grande’s head with a grin. The way she squints her eyes as if she is feeling good is like she is a cat or something. After all, Grande is a pet.

After stroking her for a while, Grande fell asleep comfortably, so I left her there and headed for the hut of the dragon believers.

“Welcome to the hut of the dragon believers.”

The hut was surprisingly well built. It was quite spacious, and in the back was an altar where some scales and pieces of scales, which seemed to have been dropped by Grande, were enshrined. Other than that, there is only a simple furnace in the corner of the room, and it looks a bit like a meeting place. It is not a chapel or anything like that.

“We have been waiting for you. Please have a seat here.”

The Lizardmen bow reverently to me and offer me the best chair. I did as they suggested and sat down.

“Sorry, but please make it quick. I have a lot of work to do.”

“Of course. We know that Kosuke-sama, the rider, and companion of the dragon, is very busy.”

The leader of the group, a Lizardman dressed like a shaman, nodded in agreement. He was wearing a necklace and feathers with a lot of jewelry, which gave me the impression that he was very much in the mood for this kind of thing.

“We Lizardmen have a deep-rooted belief in dragons. If I am correct, the awe and reverence for the strong have transformed into faith. Dragons are strong and wise, and sometimes they turn on us, and sometimes they help us. And on rare occasions, they can even carry a person on their back and become a guardian. It’s all on the level of legends and fairy tales.”

“Legends and fairy tales, huh…? I’m sure the Grand Dragon Elder seemed to have a hazy recollection of it too.”

“The Elder of the Grand Dragon…? Are you by any chance visiting the Dragon Sanctuary…?”

“I don’t know if it’s a sacred place or not, but I’ve been to the Grand Dragon’s lair deep in the Black Forest. I’ve been there to say hi to Grande’s parents and relatives and stuff.”

“Oh… what a surprise! After all, you are the legendary reincarnation of the legend…”

Lizard shamans and other dragon believers in front of me begin to worship me with their hands in front of me. Will you stop it?

“Actually, I am from the Dragonis Mountain Kingdom in the west. I have heard rumors that a dragon has appeared in the Merinard Kingdom to live with people, and I have been sent by the Dragonis Order to investigate.”

“Dragonis Mountain Kingdom…”

“Yes, sir. It is a kingdom inhabited by those who believe in dragons and live with them. The royal family has genuine dragon blood in their veins.”

“Could it be the descendants of the dragon who fell in love with a human girl, as the elder said…?”

“The legend says so. If the Grand Dragon Elder also knows about it, then it must be true.”

The Lizard shaman stroked his chin and nodded his head in agreement. From what I’ve heard, royalty often displays features such as dragon horns, wings, fangs, and claws. That is just like the current Grande, who has been humanized.

“The Dragonis Mountain Kingdom has a large number of flying dragon soldiers and dragon cavalrymen, and although its land area is small, it is said that its war potential is comparable to that of a large country. Even the Holy Kingdom, which upholds the supremacy of humans, does not take us lightly and even recognizes us at first glance.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, sir. And I am sure that our country will spare no expense to support this Liberation Army to which Dragon-sama and her rider… no, her companion, belongs.”

“Is that so?”

“For us, a humanized dragon is an object of faith itself. And you are a saint who has returned to the holy land as her companion. It is against our faith not to support the Liberation Army to which such people belong.”

Besides, with its human supremacy policy, the Holy Kingdom is not a favorable partner for us either,” said Lizard shaman, shaking his head.

“We have already sent an express messenger to the home country. I am sure that we will have official contact from our country in the not-too-distant future.”

“O-oh.”

Is it good to get the backing of another country for something like this…? No, it’s a religious connection… This Lizard shaman seems to be a dedicated believer, and if they are all like this, is it possible?

“I’ll talk to the top brass of the Liberation Army about this. You can expect to hear from the Liberation Army in the near future, so stay tuned.”

“Yes, sir. What do you think? If you don’t mind, I’d like to discuss our doctrine with you a bit more.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t go into detail, but I’m really busy. I’ll be sure to come and talk to you when I get settled, so I’ll leave you alone for now.”

“I see. That’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. By all means, please come anytime.”

“Yes, I promise.”

This is not only about Grande and me but also about the entire Liberation Army. It would be better to treat them with some seriousness, not just talk.

“Well then, I’ll see you next time.”

“Yes, sir. Let us see again.”

The Lizard shaman makes an intricate sign with his finger and bows his head, and the believers follow suit. Umm, here comes the third country getting involved via Grande… I wonder how this will affect the future.