[V6C6] A Fragile Dragon

Once upon a time, in a certain town, there lived a man who ran a candy shop.

He was incredibly poor, so much so that he couldn’t even afford to buy firewood, and was always suffering from hunger.

The winter that year was especially severe, with consecutive days of blizzards. He had been pushed to the point where he might freeze to death at any moment.

One night, amid the sounds of the blizzard rattling the wooden boards——whoo, whoo——the candy shop owner heard a tapping sound.

——Whoo, whoo… Tap, tap.

——Whoo, whoo… Tap, tap.

Surely, it was the blizzard slamming the sign of his store. He decided to put the sign away before it broke under the force of the snow.

But when the man opened the door, much to his surprise, he found a young man standing in the doorway.

The youth was incredibly handsome, with white skin, silver hair, and golden eyes. Despite the freezing blizzard night, he had gone outdoors without wearing a coat or gloves. He was simply gazing vacantly into space.

The shopkeeper trembled at the sight.

This man was no human. He was surely the God living in the mountains. God had come to announce his death.

The shopkeeper braced himself for the end, but the silver-haired youth made a request in a gentle voice.

——”Please give me a candy. A beautiful candy.”

The shopkeeper took the most beautiful candy in his shop, got down on his knees, and presented it to the young man.

Upon seeing the candy offered to him, the young man exhaled a cold breath of admiration.

——”Beautiful. Very beautiful, unmelting ice.”

The young man took the candy and placed something in the shopkeeper’s hand.

A white scale as clear as crystal. The scale of the God of this mountain——the White Dragon. The shopkeeper knew that a single scale was worth ten jewels.

After finally realizing the identity of the object, the shopkeeper raised his head to express gratitude.

However, the handsome young man was no longer there. Instead, a song-like voice could be heard amid the sounds of the blizzard.

——”Pikeh, Pikeh, don’t cry. I’ll give you ice that won’t melt.”

With the money from selling the scale, the shopkeeper survived the winter and lived happily ever after. The end.

＊　＊　＊

Around noon, the carriage arranged by Raul arrived in the town of Jausuka, at the border of the Vilraya Autonomous District.

Though far from an urban area, Jausuka was a town of decent size. Several stalls celebrating Ashelpikeh’s Festival lined the streets.

Among the passersby, there were a few wearing the traditional garments of the Hyla Tribe. Since this town was so close to the Vilraya Autonomous District, members of the Hyla Tribe visited relatively frequently.

Monica descended the carriage and immediately scanned the crowd for someone with silver hair.

People around here generally had light hair colors, so individuals with light blond or silver hair weren’t uncommon.

Every time Monica saw someone with hair similar to Cyril’s, her heart would skip, only to be disappointed upon realizing she had the wrong person.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew, causing Monica to shiver from the cold. Jausuka’s roads were still patched with snow, and the winds were chilly.

“First things first, we need to buy jackets,” Melissa said while shivering.

Fortunately, it wasn’t snowing yet, but the sky was covered in thick clouds. It could start snowing at any moment. They needed clothes to block out the cold, as soon as possible.

“Moni-Moni and I will head to the store for jackets. Raul, you go to the stable and ask around. There’s no way a carriage will pass straight into the Vilraya Autonomous District, so that spirit must have disembarked in this town.”

If Veronica were a wind spirit, she could have carried Cyril through the air at high speeds. However, Veronica was an ice spirit, so her options were more limited. She required a carriage for transportation.

Raul nodded at Melissa and took a carrot from his pocket.

“True, we need to ask around. And I only have one carrot left for divination…”

“Why on earth are you gobbling up your divination catalysts in this situation? Are you an idiot?”

“Well, carrots that have already been used for divination can’t be used again.”

As he said this, Raul attempted to casually nibble on the last carrot.

Monica turned pale, clinging to Raul, and Melissa slapped him on the head.

“D-Don’t eat it!”

“Stop that, you moron!”

With Monica clinging to him and Melissa hitting his head, Raul muttered “ouch” and returned the carrot to his pocket.

“Oops, bad habit.”

“What kind of idiot makes a habit of nibbling on carrots!? Cyril-sama’s fate depends on that carrot, you know! Hurry to the stables and ask around!”

“Yeah, you’re totally right. Our friend is in a pinch. Alright, I’m off!”

Watching Raul run towards the stable, Melissa muttered, “I’m worried.”

“Um, about the carrots used for divination… Can we buy more in this town?” Monica asked while looking up at Melissa.

“No… that divination can only be done with the carrots Raul grew.”

“I-I see…”

Those carrots must be the product of a secret technique passed down the prestigious House Roseberg. Probably.

As Monica forcibly convinced herself of this, Melissa began walking at a brisk pace.

“Alright, let’s buy some jackets. I’ll settle for literally anything, since I’m freezing to death here.”

Melissa huddled up and began rubbing her arms, rushing into the first store that caught her eye. Monica quickly went in behind her.

The door of the store was decorated with a bell, which gave a charming jingle when the door closed.

Monica had seen bell decorations here and there since arriving in Jausuka, so they were probably one of the town’s traditions.

“Welcome.”

The jingling bells overlapped with the elderly shopkeeper’s hoarse voice. A kind-looking old man with slightly sleepy eyes was sitting at the counter.

Upon noticing Melissa and Monica’s attire, the old man’s eyes went wide behind his glasses.

“Oh, you must be quite cold in those clothes. Is this your first time in Jausuka?”

“Yes, it is. I want a jacket.”

Saying that, Melissa quickly scanned the interior of the store.

Monica had secretly been worried about what would happen if the shopaholic Melissa got too engrossed in the selection. However, Melissa quickly picked up two jackets from a corner of the store, immediately handing one to Monica.

“I don’t like wearing the same clothes as the person next to me. Moni-Moni, you get this one.”

The coat Melissa handed to Monica was white with blue patterns woven into it. It seemed to be the traditional attire of the Hyla Tribe.

Because the Vilraya Autonomous District was nearby, this town probably also dealt with Hyla clothing.

“These jackets over here have cute embroidery. I’ll take this one.”

“Ahem… young lady, that one is for men.”

The elderly shopkeeper, who had been resting his chin on the counter, interjected with a cough.

Melissa tilted her head, still holding the chosen jacket.

“I can’t tell the difference.”

“The one with decorative beads on the cord is for women.”

Hyla coats had the colorful cords woven around the hem and chest, which were decorated by tassels at the end. Apparently, the coats for women were indicated by wooden or glass beads adorning these cords instead.

Monica spread out the white coat in front of her and checked the cords. Indeed, the dark blue cords attached to the shoulders were adorned with white and light blue beads.

(It looks a bit like Nero’s clothes…)

The old-fashioned robe that Nero wore when transformed into a human also had decorative cords. Although the embroidery patterns were different, the cord part looked similar.

(I hope Nero isn’t causing trouble for Ike… He probably is. Please hide your identity properly…)

Nero’s true identity was that of the Black Dragon of Worgan, which once shook the entire country to its core. If revealed, there would be an unprecedented uproar.

While Isaac was better at handling Nero than her (Monica had assumed that Nero preferred the one who fed him over the bond between master and familiar), she still had her worries.

As Monica anxiously pondered the subject, Melissa quickly picked out another jacket for herself and a red one for Raul.

She promptly completed the purchase and started chatting with the elderly shopkeeper.

“Hey mister, what’s with that bell decoration in front of the store? I’ve seen it here and there. Does it have anything to do with Ashelpikeh’s Festival?”

“Oh, that’s for White Dragon-sama.”

The shopkeeper coughed and took a sip of water from a pitcher on the counter before continuing.

“Even if you’re not from around here, you two know the origin of Ashelpikeh’s Festival, right?”

“You mean how the white dragon transformed into a human to buy candy for his friend, the Ice Spirit Ashelpikeh?”

“That’s right. White Dragon-sama was a shy one, knocking gently on the door even in the middle of a blizzard. That’s why we decided to attach bells, so we can immediately recognize the next time he comes. White Dragon-sama, White Dragon-sama, please ring this bell when you have a request for us, or something like that.”

While listening to the story behind Melissa, Monica secretly admired it.

Monica knew the origin of Ashelpikeh’s Festival, but her understanding was limited to “a day for eating candy”.

However, in the neighboring country of Randall, it was also a day to secretly give glass crafts to a loved one. The place of origin even had this custom of decorating their doors to welcome the white dragon.

All of these traditions had the same legend as a base, but it could be so different depending on the region. This was a refreshing surprise to Monica, who was not familiar with such customs.

As Monica was considering such things, Melissa leaned against the counter and looked right at the shopkeeper.

“Mister, are you perhaps from the Hyla Tribe?”

“Yeah, from my grandmother’s side. She married into this town before the independence. While I follow the Spirit Faith, maybe it’s because my grandmother used to call him White Dragon-sama… Somehow, I feel like I should pay him my respects.”

Dragons were a disaster.

As the term “dragon disaster” suggested, dragons were a threat to humans on par with natural disasters. In most stories, dragons were the villains to be defeated. They existed as a natural evil.

However, there were also a few stories depicting dragons coexisting with humans, or occasionally bringing good fortune. Among them, the most famous was the story of Ashelpikeh.

White dragons were the gentlest, most beautiful, and most fragile among all dragon species.

While all other dragons were vulnerable to the cold, white dragons were said to prefer frigid areas, and their breath took the form of a blizzard.

(…The exact opposite of Nero, who is weak to the cold.)

Despite their resistance to cold, white dragons had the unique characteristic of having extremely fragile scales.

Normal dragons were durable creatures. Even lesser dragons were said to be nearly impervious to attacks, aside from their weakpoint on the forehead.

But white dragons were different. Getting hit in other locations could result in a fatal injury.

A strong, fragile, and beautiful dragon… Perhaps that was why white dragons had so many legends depicting them as being close to humans.

Resting her chin on the counter, Melissa listened surprisingly earnestly to the shopkeeper’s story. Once he was finished, she took a wrapped candy from her pocket and placed it next to the payment.

“I learned something today. Thank you, mister.”

“You’re very welcome. Never thought I’d be receiving candy at this age.”

“This one helps with sore throats. Even the ace of the Royal Capital Singers buys them incognito.”

Melissa winked at the shopkeeper, speaking in a joking tone.

“Well then, have a great festival, mister.”

“Yeah, have a great festival.”

＊　＊　＊

Exiting the store, Melissa stomped her feet impatiently as she saw Monica slowly putting on her jacket.

“Too slow! Hurry up and change. Also, make sure to button up the collar properly.”

“R-Right…!”

While Monica securely fastened the buttons on her collar, she glanced at the jacket Melissa was holding for Raul.

The jacket she had bought for Raul was bright red.

When worn by Raul, with his rose-colored curly hair, it would be very conspicuous, to say the least.

“Um, does Raul-sama… like red?”

In response to Monica’s question, Melissa smirked, lifting the corner of her lips.

Then, she pointed at Monica’s jacket with her painted red nails.

“Yours is white. Perfect for hiding in the snow-capped mountains, right?”

“Y-Yes.”

“I’m going with deep green. Ideal for concealing myself in vines, yeah?”

“…Um… then, what about red?”

Melissa answered with a big smile.

“As a decoy, of course. Don’t worry, that guy can’t die. He came back alive even when I told him there were rare plants on a mountain where a red dragon lives.”

Melissa’s eyes were too serious to dismiss the anecdote as a joke.

Monica shivered at the thought. Meanwhile, the man in question, Raul, ran over waving his hand.

“Sis, Monica, good news! There was a woman carrying a silver-haired man toward the mountain where the white dragon lives. I heard it from one of the coachmen!”

“Great! Let’s head there right away!”

As she said this, Melissa pressed the bright red jacket onto Raul.

After putting on the jacket, Raul expressed his cheerful impression, saying, “This makes me look pretty strong, huh!”

Monica mustered her courage and tugged at the hem of Raul’s clothes.

“Um, that’s for decoy… mmph!”

“Come on, there’s no time for chit-chat, Little One. Cyril-sama is waiting for us to save him!”

Melissa wrapped her arm around Monica’s neck, covering her mouth, and walked briskly with large strides.

Monica could only make muffled sounds of protest as she was dragged along.

The Third Thorn Witch was very strict on her great-granddaughter Melissa. However, her grandfather spoiled her more than enough to make up for it.

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