Chapter 62

Protoasta was a bustling town with a sense of history.

Unlike Rodnea, which had developed relatively recently, and the imperial capital, which had been dramatically burned in a great fire in the past, many old buildings remained here.

I wanted to do some sightseeing, but I was too tired that day to have the energy for it.

There was no banquet or anything. The prince also said he would rest immediately without touching the accumulated political affairs.

Well, it couldn't be helped.

****

The next day.

Iefa and I were at the library built inside the old royal castle.

Of course, our purpose was to research the records of dragons.

I thought we would find more documents here than in Rodnea, but I was surprised by the grand library. It seemed that most of the books in Astiria were copied and collected here.

Thanks to that, searching for documents was quite a challenge.

But in return, we found more materials than expected.

I am currently examining the contents.

Iefa is also helping, but since she can't read the ancient language, it's not progressing as quickly as I hoped.

"…Rather, where did you learn this, Seika?"

"At the mansion's library."

It was one of the foreign languages I learned in my childhood.

I can't speak or understand it, but I can read and write it without any problem.

While the imperial language is now used in Astiria, records from over a hundred years ago often used the ancient language.

The older the book, the more unknown information it contained.

Among them, there were some important ones.

"Seika… I'm done with my part. Did you find anything?"

Iefa walked over, looking tired.

There were quite a few documents in the imperial language, but it seems she didn't find anything useful.

I nodded and answered.

"Yes. It seems that something similar to what's happening now occurred about 150 years ago."

The dragon of Astiria is said to have been born hundreds of years ago, though there are no clear records.

It is said that it hatched from an egg by the queen, but this is uncertain. What is certain is that for several hundred years after reaching adulthood, it lived with the townspeople, centered around the mountains.

This changed about 200 years ago.

One day, another dragon appeared in its territory.

At first, the dragon of Astiria drove away this unwanted intruder, but eventually, they began to live together in the mountain.

The dragon of Astiria was male, and the new dragon was female, and they became a pair.

After becoming a pair, the female dragon also lost interest in the townspeople.

Initially, the residents were afraid, but they gradually began to accept the dragon, and life in the town returned to normal.

But about 50 years later, the behavior of the dragons changed again.

Both became more cautious, attacking stray livestock and intimidating people coming from outside, just like now.

This happened 150 years ago.

The reason was soon discovered.

About a year after their behavior became strange, the presence of baby dragons was seen in the mountain.

"So, it was to raise the babies?"

"That's right."

It's not uncommon for animals to become more aggressive before laying eggs or during child-rearing.

They might have attacked livestock because the land's magic alone wasn't enough to build up their strength.

The baby dragons grew up smoothly.

It seems the eggs were laid in several batches, and the older babies took care of the younger ones.

When they grew up, the baby dragons left the nest.

Where they went is not recorded, but they must have aimed for distant lands.

After all the baby dragons had left and about 50 years had passed, the female dragon died.

The record states it was a natural death.

It's unknown if monsters have lifespans, but it might have been similar to how some youkai, like the pipe fox, die after mating and giving birth.

After that, the dragon of Astiria became much more docile.

Its territory became much smaller, and its aggressiveness towards the town's enemies and monsters completely subsided.

This happened about 100 years ago.

The reason Astiria became a vassal state of the empire was also due to this.

At the time, the demon race was showing signs of invasion.

After losing several fortresses and no longer being able to rely on the dragon, which was the absolute guardian of the capital, Astiria formed a kinship with the imperial royal family and invited the imperial army into the country to seek protection.

It was effectively a form of subjugation, but there was no other choice.

Thanks to this, the demon army abandoned further invasion and retreated.

Soon after, the capital was moved for administrative reasons, and this town became the old capital.

The land is still owned by the king, and the mayor is chosen from the royal family. Currently, that is Prince Cecil.

The dragon of Astiria must have quietly observed the various changes in the town for a long time.

Until very recently.

"That's how it was... But I don't think it's very relevant to what's happening now."

Iefa said.

"Right now, there's only one dragon, right?"

"Yes. And it's male. It's not raising babies or anything. But... somehow, I don't think it's unrelated."

It's just a hunch, but...

In situations like this... there's no choice but to take action.

"I'm going to climb the mountain."

"What! You mean... the mountain where the dragon lives?"

"Yes."

Visiting the site and seeing the dragon up close is the best approach.

Observation is important in both biology and youkai studies.

Iefa said, stunned.

"Be careful. Even you, Seika, might not be a match for a dragon..."

"I don't plan to fight. If I'm found, I'll just run away. It's not easy to win, but that much shouldn't be difficult."

Actually, just defeating it would be much easier.

"R-Really? Then, I'll... go with you."

"No, Iefa, please wait. It probably won't be done in a day, and it's too dangerous."

I might have to use some techniques or youkai abilities I don't want to show.

The situation is different from when we went into the mountains to look for magic stones in the territory.

"Hehe, you're right..."

Is she still worried about being scolded? Iefa looked a bit dejected, so I smiled and said,

"Don't worry. I never planned to take you into the mountains. It's your summer vacation, so take it easy."

"...Okay."

Iefa nodded, looking dejected.

Hmm... Did I say too much yesterday?