Alice Tale in Phantasmagoria Chapter 125

Eclair’s bodily condition has recovered so, we left the elf village of the Forest of Ash like we were being driven out.
It was an event when we dropped by a village to rest, on the way back to Wilmington princ.i.p.ality.

「Are there dragonkin……in this village?」
「Umu, they reside by the river outside the forest.」
「You’re well informed on them aren’t you. Furthermore by dragon……」

I a.s.sume they’re a precious existence.
I wonder if bad people won’t force their way in on them?

「I suppose so, since they’ve resided here since long ago. Furthermore they don’t have any power anymore. You needn’t worry at this point, purposefully attacking a retired person with no value except around at the level of a living dictionary won’t happen. Especially in this country.」
「It’s that sort of thing is it.」

Wilmington is the melting pot of humanity.
A splendid country for which Kran’s lineage built the foundation.
In addition this village is highly distanced from the urban areas so, in a sense it’s the remote countryside.
Behind it is the great forest extending from the Forest of Ash, the large river called the White Ash River flows by right beside it.
It seems that daily provisions are provided for by hunting in the forest, subsistence farming, fis.h.i.+ng in the river or the like so, I can imagine that self sufficiency is the general rule for a simple lifestyle.
We borrowed an open cottage for 5 silver coins to handle the matter of lodgings.
It seems that currency is valuable so, that was already enough for them to accommodate us with any amount of food.
I was about to reflexively pay out additional money but, s.h.i.+on-san stopped that.
Somehow she guessed the circ.u.mstances so, we did the act of accepting straightforwardly as good will.

「I think this is rather good. We’re staying here for today either way so, let’s go meet them……We could meet a nostalgic dragon.」
「Nostalgic……?」

Urged on by the mysterious word Till just left, the event of going to visit the dragon person along with s.h.i.+on-san and Eclair came to be.
After walking on the great forest’s animal path connecting from the Forest of Ash for a while, there was a single house built beside the river as we had been taught.
It seemed to be a cottage made with wood, it was a hexagonal building.
Perhaps they’re preparing food with the chimney as it is, fluffy white smoke is billowing up.
The sun is still high, rather than an early dinner should I suppose they’re making some smoked goods?

「h.e.l.loー」

Calling out in front of the door, the door wordlessly opens without any particular wait.
A young girl shows just her face while seeming to inspect us from the opening.

「……Who.」

With blue eyes and blue hair, a cute child who’s still at an age where there’s no impediment to calling her a young girl.
Un, although I’m the one saying this, suddenly opening the door when unknown people come to visit is dangerous, young girl.

「Ano, I heard that dragon people lived here……I wanted to converse a little so I came to visit but.」

I knelt and met her gaze and, the young girl expressed a smile with her hands still on the door.
Looking at me as such, the young girl opened her eyes wide in surprise.

「You……」
「Nn?」

She approached me from the door, with unsteady steps.

「The magician that killed that――」
「Eh……?」

Kill, ed……?
I did?
what did this child, say――
After thinking that far, I connected the dots.
Blue hair, blue eyes, a young appearance that still hasn’t experience much time since birth――and the place where dragons are said to reside.

『――We could meet a nostalgic dragon.』

Nostalgic dragon?
I’ve met with dragons that are acquainted with Till 3 times.
Ilya, wrong.
Sirius, wrong.
My memory came back, as if I was struck by lightning.

「It can’t be……」

While thinking

that, I can’t deny it any longer.

「That――ice dragon!!?」

Summoned by Libra in Rinal, that blue dragon.
That girl, glared at me with a look just as if toward the target of vengeance for taking her life……

◇■◇■◇

Using her hands awkwardly while making a clatter, the ice dragon girl prepared tea.
Sitting down on a log chair like a stump, we’re surrounding a round table along with this house’s owner.
Most likely a dragonkin male, no, a grandfather-san.
He seems to have quite an old age just as Till said.
I can’t imagine that his hair and beard that are already filled with white hairs are of the fresh color they once had.
The ice dragon child sat down on the log adjacent to the grandfather-san having finished carrying the tea.
Was it benevolence that my tea was also brought out……
I wonder what sort of feeling it is to take tea along with the opponent who killed you (she didn’t actually die?).

「Ano……」

Uーn.
She’s a noh mask of ice.

「Hohho. I’ll tell you the circ.u.mstances. She’s the child Ice and Snow-dono brought over, at that time you see.」
「Till, with this child……?」
「Umu.」

The grandfather who could be called a good old man, stroked the ice dragon child’s head.
On that note the event of Till’s form suddenly vanis.h.i.+ng on occasions happens a lot.
I thought she was that sort of person but, did her feet perhaps carry her this far……?
The act of saving this child, might have been a duty to Till.
It’s something Libra did.
It’s something I did.

「The ice dragon’s child? I don’t really know but she’s a child with a dark past isn’t sheー」

Eclair who basically didn’t know the circ.u.mstances approached the girl out of curiosity, crouched and took a sweet from her pocket.
Cookie?

「Are you giving that over?」
「……What is this.」

The girl moving her nose while sniffing, seemed to have guessed that it was somehow food and her eyes sparkled.

「Fufu～n, this is a sweet snack called a cookie. By the way it’s hand made by Eclair, you’ll come to smile when you eat this you know.」

Saying that Eclair played with the ice dragon girl by taunting her with it in front of her.
Delivering her gaze to the grandfather-san with a sidelong glance, she signaled this isn’t something suspicious you know.
The grandfather-san nodded with a smiling face covered in wrinkles.

「Will you give it over?」
「About that～if you can give a self introduction, perhaps I won’t not give it over?」
「……」

The ice dragon child looked at me, and made a slightly sulky face.
Ua……she’s coming on harshly, there’s no room for a defense.
I’m having my head stroked with a yosh yosh by s.h.i.+on-san who knew my circ.u.mstances.

「…….Fleurety」

The ice dragon child named herself while making a red face, as if she was embarra.s.sed even given her youth due to the matter of losing to her appet.i.te.
Fleurety is it……

「Isn’t that a good name, it’s demon like. Here, I’ll give you this.」
「Nn!」

The Fleurety who happily accepted that went, is it okay to eat it? And gained grandfather-san’s a.s.sent.
She seems to be a very wise, honest and good child.
Around when the dragon grandfather-san nodded deeply with a smile containing love, Fleurety began eating the cookie with an expression like a flower in bloom.
She’s stuffing her mouth while inflating her cheeks like a squirrel.
Adorable……

「Right right, if he can smile like that he’s good. Please treasure your grandfather-san okay.」
「Unn!」

Eclair gazed at the grandfather-san and child ice dragon with a somehow dazzled appearance.

「Houho, thank you. Now then, guests. I am Gustaf. A decrepit dragon that exhausted his power long ago.」
「Ah, etto! I am Alice. Till’s……eeeto, disciple.」
「It’s s.h.i.+on, this child’s ane. Good to meet you.」
「Eclair.」

When our self introductions finished, Gustaf-san turned

turned the conversation for us.
Perhaps he’s speculated on where about, the request that we came here for is.

「You want to hear about the dragon contract’s matters, I suppose this is that sort of thing?」

Fleurety-chan tilted her head.
It seems she still doesn’t know, what that is.
Ilya also reached her current age without a contract so, I suppose it’s not necessarily the case that a contract is necessary.

「I suppose to start with I’ll speak briefly on the dragon race. Do you know of them?」
「No.」

I shake my head to the side.

「To say one thing of dragons, they’re understood to be a diverse race. Ice dragon, earth dragon, fire dragon, winged dragon, and also the higher order races with thick blood inherited from ancient times, white dragon and black dragon. Then there’s the lineage of the dragon king, ancient dragon.」
「The dragon king’s lineage……」

Ancient dragon?
Dragon king?
Ilya is……

「I am an earth dragon. This child is as you know, an ice dragon. Saying that, we currently reside in this village while wors.h.i.+ped as guardian deities. As they truly treat us well, to answer that, I live a lifestyle where I exterminate beasts harmful to the village within the limits of my abilities.」
「It’s like that then is it.」

The elf village was protected by their teleportation system and barrier but, there isn’t such a fas.h.i.+onable item in this village.
I was wondering how monsters and harmful beasts were handled in this remote place but, that explains it.
Without stating above or below, this village has managed to live symbiotically.

「Now then, using this as the preface perhaps I should talk of the dragon contract.」

He cleared his throat naturally.
I felt a gaze from Fleurety-chan so I turned my face and, she quickly averted her eyes.
I suppose that’s to be expected isn’t it……

「To start with the basics of a dragon’s residence, the act of leaving the holy land deep within the place you humans call the Deep Green Forest doesn’t happen.」
「The Deep Green Forest! So there really is something, on the other side!?」

The great forest that stretches heedlessly across the lands north of Rinal. Traversing that is the dream of the people of Rinal and, of course it’s also that which is s.h.i.+on-san’s dream as well.
Ooh, oneechan’s eyes are sparkling.

「The dragon’s residence is there, but while saying that, the holy land is vaster than you imagine. Even I haven’t done such as grasping what is there.」
「I see, so it’s like that is it……but thank you, to the contrary my antic.i.p.ation has grown.」
「Hohho, that’s a human with good energy.」

Nn, but I’ve observed dragons in this human world with a decent frequency……I’ve also heard of them.
From first hand accounts of their human form, it certainly could be quite rare though.
Gustaf nodded, at my dubious face.

「This is a conversation that includes me but, almost all dragons that leave the holy land have insufficient magic power, lose their conscious and, in the end they become mere beasts.」

A mere dragon……that is that they become that beast like dragon itself is it.
Thus the dragons this side has seen are for the most part not human shaped but, are all beast like dragons that have lost their conscious then……

「Given that, is what’s called the holy land filled with magic power? Enough for the dragons that end up growing weak in this world to be filled with magic power.」

Recalling the fears from the Forest of Ash, s.h.i.+on-san fearfully fearfully checked.
Certainly since a person without tolerance for magic power will have their abilities halved, by receiving an excess supply of magic power like in the Forest of Ash won’t they.
Excess supply is something that’s no good isn’t it.
As expected you can’t leave out the advance collection of data when thinking of going on an adventure.

「That’s so. So as to

as to not become a mere beast, we regularly seek vitality――magic power. And so what’s needed to protect the self while living in this human world is, the dragon contract.」

The matter of having a partner who regularly provisions magic power is it.
I pull in plenty of magic power in this world but, should I suppose what might be called a dragon’s fuel expenditure is poor? Or should I suppose it’s the efficiency of how they take it in?
That area, if it’s said to be deeply interesting I suppose it’s deeply interesting.
A difference of ecology is it.

「Nn? But haven’t grandfather-san and Fleurety-chan been living without a contract?」
「Hohho, setting the past aside, I am already decrepit. Not all that much magic power is needed. This forest is close to the Forest of Ash, it isn’t on the same level as the holy land but there’s no problem with an amount to live quietly. In reverse the reason is that this child is young. It’s still not the case that all that much magic power is necessary. As of yet, I suppose.」

Showing a slightly melancholy face, Gustaf-san stroked Fleurety’s head.

「Is, that so……but that brings another question up. Everyone-san, why, how did you come to this world? Even though it’s certainly something dangerous for a dragon……」

I’m worried for this ice dragon child.
If I’m told that it’s hypocritical at this point that’s exactly right but, if she can be returned I want to return her to her former residence.
Thus I want to ask how they came here.
That information could become a hint for us to go there.
s.h.i.+on-san is also leaning forward with great interest.

「There are various methods you know. The human race is the same right? Those with curiosity toward the outside world overcome the forest on their own, and there’s also the event of suddenly being summoned one day without wis.h.i.+ng it. I do not know how to proceed with either of those.」
「……」

Fleurety-chan’s eyes became severe.
I had completely, misunderstood that Libra『generated』a dragon in that place but, that was actually a proper summoning.
That young girl was suddenly summoned, fell into magic power deficiency, and then the summoner probably imprinted her with her command and, she attacked us, trying to advance into the village.
I suppose she’s calmed down now so she won’t turn into a dragon but, I suppose she was suddenly dragged into the human world at that time and her conscious was put out of order.

「Summoning is it, or it’s sometime’s what’s called going on a journey or your own volition is it.」
「There’s still more. Exile.」

――Exile.
I saw it in Rinal, the Ilya who had fallen to the status of a slave.
Ancient dragon――that girl from the lineage of the dragon king was……exiled?
I don’t understand what’s going on……
In any case.

「……Are the dragons used in battle really, dragons that are summoned and lose their conscious then? Such an awful thing……」

I’m being glared at by Fleurety-chan but, I can’t do anything except the act of smiling powerlessly.
I suppose that those dragons that can be summoned are probably mostly of the normal races.
Sorry but Beltran misjudged, the value of Ilya who had been caught as a slave didn’t he.
No, he could’ve had the sort of viewpoint with a sort of expectation that in the end her life would soon cease to be though……
Elf and dragon, both are rare but it’s not impossible for dragons to be summoned.
But elves have far higher magic power than regular humans, something like summoning them is impossible.
In that sense the elves who are difficult to find in the outside world might be scarcer.

「I kind of understand, the sort of thing that is the circ.u.mstances between dragons and humans……」

With Ilya, might she have actually disliked that which was me at the beginning?
I don’t want to ask……
However I consider it she shouldn’t it she shouldn’t have had a good impression of the human race that does evil things like summoning.
No well, I’m an elf though.

「Hohho, an elf girl making a dark face. You, are taking part in a dragon contract after this right? Please do save my brethren.」
「That is of course! Since, she’s my precious cherished partner!」

I answered while putting in my energy and, the Gustaf carved with cheerful wrinkles nodded.

「Do listen, the partner you will contract with is an ancient dragon. There has not yet been an event where I’ve had an audience with her but, you should take care……most likely throughout history, there are none who have sealed a contract with an ancient dragon. It is for that reason that it is on the level of the story of the high elf and dragon G.o.d that came from the ancient fantastic story spoken of in legend. The meaning is different, from doing a contract with me……I seem to be contradicting myself but I thought this while speaking today. Elf child, you are still, a kind youth with a future. It is too soon for you to die.」

Gustaf struck Fleurety-chan’s head with kind pats as if to say, isn’t that enough, as she continuously glared at me.
Fleurety-chan turned away while inflating her cheeks.

「And so if it’s possible I’d like to rely on you for this child’s matters, in the place of this powerless decrepit old man.」

It seemed that the girl received a shock from the words he continued with.
Gustaf gave a kind smile toward the girl, that’s forcefully shaking her head.
I see……Till, is that why she said to come here.

「Fleurety-chan, do you not want to come with me?」
「……I don’t want to, I don’t like, you.」
「I see……haha, that’s troubling isn’t it.」

I guess there’s also the sort of option where we regularly come to see how she is, while having her live here in this manner……
Since I don’t want to be unreasonably forceful and, Gustaf said as such but I also don’t know what to think about pulling them apart.

「……Seriously, hey Retty!!」

Retty?
Eclair let out a loud voice like she was scolding her and, Fleurety, or rather Retty-chan’s eyes were bewildered.

「This Eclair will beat your disposition, that’s more cramped than that Alice’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s into shape.」
「No wait Eclair, right now my breast isn’t particularly――」
「What? From what I’ve heard, you lost to Alice? Isn’t that sort of thing an unjustified resentment. Then if you had won against Alice――if you killed her, would that mean living happily ever after? Surely that’s not the case!」
「Tha, that’s not it……」

Retty-chan is trembling, due to Eclair’s serious face.
Gustaf and s.h.i.+on-san are only watching over her with kind faces but……

「Eclair, since Retty-chan is still a child」
「Listen, Eclair is having an important conversation right now. There isn’t child or adult in that you know. Things that must be conveyed should be conveyed.」

That which will not be will not be, there isn’t something like a reason.
I thought back to my country’s traditional words.

「Okay? If you have the intention of becoming a splendid lady, that means not being caught up in small things. Even if other people don’t forgive, you will forgive. Please become a woman large enough for that okay.」

――Since that despicable schemer, is as such.
I ended up hearing the bitter words Eclair softly murmured so, I ended up smiling unintentionally.
Looking at the fearful fearful Retty-chan, she seems to be crying vigorously against her will but, she’s looking right at Eclair without wailing.

「Un……」

Retty-chan nodded, with a crying smile filled with hope.

「Yos.h.!.+」

Eclair replied to that with, a smile like the refres.h.i.+ng sun.
As always her slight fang is too cute when she smiles.
Fufuu!
I wonder if I’ve been losing everything since a while ago.
Somehow my precious rival-sama seems to be, a very formidable girl.