Episode 59: Townsperson A Revisits the Valley of the Flying Dragons

I was enjoying a flight with Ana. With summer vacation ending in just two days, we were heading toward the Valley of the Flying Dragons. It had been a while for me, but it was Ana’s first time visiting.

Despite the various complications we'd faced, my relationship with Ana continued on as usual. It seemed the Duke hadn’t realized we’d already crossed a certain line, and while I felt a twinge of guilt, no further problems had cropped up so far.

"Say, Ana..."

"What is it?"

Now that we were alone, it had become natural for me to drop the formal honorifics. I decided to ask her something that had been on my mind for a while.

"Why is your way of speaking... well, the way it is? Your wording is a bit different from a typical noble lady’s, isn't it?"

I heard Ana catch her breath behind me.

"...So," she began in a small voice.

"Eh?"

I couldn't quite catch what she said, so I asked her to repeat it. Her response was entirely unexpected.

"Lord Allen, do you... prefer women who use more polite, feminine speech?"

Uh-oh. How do I answer that? To be honest, her current way of speaking hit me right in the heart, but it would feel incredibly jarring if she suddenly changed it now.

"No, I want us to be comfortable with each other. Whatever way is easiest for you is fine by me. If your usual tone is what feels natural, stick with that. If you prefer speaking more formally, that’s fine too."

"...I see."

Her tone returned to its usual style. It seemed she really was forcing the polite speech just to be cautious.

"It’s not that I dislike it," I added. "I was just curious about how you ended up speaking like that in the first place."

"Ah, that. Well... I was engaged to the Crown Prince, wasn't I? Back then, I lived in the castle for a time under the guise of 'etiquette training.' However, for reasons I still don't understand, I was expected to undergo knight training alongside His Highness as well."

Wait, why would that even happen?

"The training itself wasn't a problem, as it allowed me to polish my sword skills. The issue was that His Highness refused to issue necessary orders to the escort knights or the maids. I ended up having to clean up after him and issue commands in his stead. Before I knew it, I’d become something of a superior officer to them, and this manner of speaking just... stuck."

I was floored. I couldn't wrap my head around the logic that led to such a situation, but apparently, even Ana's speech patterns were ultimately that Crown Prince’s fault.

Wait a minute... If she was constantly coddling him like that, didn't she actually help enable his terrible personality?

"Ah. But... well... I suppose it would be bad to keep speaking like this once I... become a mother, wouldn't it?"

She certainly knew how to say things that struck a chord. Still, if she was worried about it, she probably just needed the right motivation to change.

"Well then, let’s start changing it little by little after we’re married."

The moment I said that, Ana gasped and fell silent. Unfortunately, I couldn't see her face from my position, but I was willing to bet she was turning bright red.

Eventually, she whispered a small, "I suppose so," before quickly changing the subject.

"By the way, I’ve heard the Valley of the Flying Dragons is a terrifying place where wyverns roam. Will we really be alright?"

"I have some acquaintances there, so it should be fine."

When I answered, Ana rested her head against my lower back. It was her way of showing that she trusted me.

The wyverns in the valley seemed a bit startled by Vuitol, our mount, but they showed absolutely no sign of aggression. I’d been prepared to turn back at full speed and switch to an overland route if they attacked, but it seemed they remembered me after all.

I brought Vuitol down to land in the plaza in front of the Temple of Wind—the same spot where Jerome used to spend his days dozing off.

I took Ana’s hand to escort her as we made our way into the temple. Waiting inside were Jerome and Melissa. Their appearances had changed—no, evolved—significantly. While their scale and eye colors remained the same, their bodies had grown much larger. They looked fierce, powerful, and incredibly cool. However, unlike the game, there were no hatchlings to be seen yet.

"Wh—! Is that a Sky Dragon?!"

"Hey, Jerome! Melissa!"

Ignoring Ana’s shocked exclamation, I called out from the entrance. Jerome came thumping toward me at a run. Now a Sky Dragon—a massive, black king of the skies with a pair of wings—Jerome lowered his head to me in a bow.

"A-A-A-Allen-san! I-It has been a long time!"

Despite his much more imposing appearance, his humble attitude was exactly the same as before. It gave me a strange sense of nostalgia and relief. Ana, on the other hand, was staring at him with her eyes wide as saucers.

"Oh? Allen-san? It’s been a while. What brings you here? Do you need our help with something?"

Unlike Jerome, Melissa was a beautiful white dragon—the very picture of a Queen of the skies. She arched her long neck to look at us.

"About half and half, I’d say. For one, I wanted to see how you were doing. Has anyone attacked you lately?"

"Hmm? Oh, now that you mention it, the wyverns mentioned some strange pink-haired woman and her entourage. Apparently, they were shouting nonsense while trying to attack."

"Was there any damage?"

"From what I heard, they were pathetic. They were taken out with a single tail swipe. As for us, well, I took your advice, Allen-san. I went on a little trip with our Jerry. It was quite lovely, you know?"

"I see. Glad to hear it."

"So, what's the part where you need help?"

"It’s not for right now, but... in the future, if a crisis ever threatens her, I want you to lend her your strength."

"Hmm?"

Melissa brought her face close to Ana. Ana let out a tiny shriek and clung to my arm.

"So this girl is the mate Allen-san has chosen?"

"Yeah. Exactly. Her parents haven't officially approved yet, but I fully intend to make them accept it."

"My, my. Is that so?" Melissa said with a smirk.

Then, Jerome piped up with something rather unsettling.

"I-I-If it's a request from Allen-san, then..."

Melissa shot him a sharp glare. "You are not allowed to kill the girl’s parents, Jerome."

"Eh? But if they won't recognize the relationship..."

"Sigh. Honestly, you're as hopeless as ever. At this rate, I can't let you be a 'papa' just yet."

"O-Oh. Okay."

Wait, what? I didn't know what had happened during my absence, but Jerome seemed to have developed some surprisingly radical ideas. Still, seeing that he was just as whipped by Melissa as he'd always been was strangely reassuring.

Then again, based on her words, was he still being forced to wait for... 'that'? I felt a little bad for the guy.

"Fine then. First, let us memorize her scent."

Melissa leaned in and gave Ana a thorough sniffing, and Jerome followed suit.

"Very well. Since it’s a request from Allen-san, we’ll help protect your precious mate."

"Thanks, Melissa. That’s a huge help."

"Hehe, don’t mention it. If you really want to thank me, you’d better have brought some beef."

"I figured you’d say that, so I brought a stash."

I reached into my Magic Bag and pulled out several cuts of beef and Orc meat, handing them over to her.

"Oh! As expected of Allen-san! You're so thoughtful!"

Melissa began gulping down the meat one piece after another, looking perfectly satisfied. She glanced at me, and when I nodded, she polished off the rest in the blink of an eye, leaving a longing Jerome to watch from the sidelines.

"If you like it that much, I'll bring more next time, whenever that may be."

"Really? I’ll be looking forward to it!" Melissa replied happily.

Jerome was still looking at me with puppy-dog eyes—well, dragon eyes.

Give it a rest, Jerome. You need to work hard and hunt fresh prey so Melissa can feel safe enough to lay her eggs, okay? While one of you is warming the eggs, the other won't be able to hunt.

Also, if he wanted some, he really should just learn to ask.

Thinking that, I pulled out the meat I had specifically set aside for Jerome from a different Magic Bag. He immediately started wagging his tail vigorously and bit into the meat with pure joy.