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Dragon-san Wants a Friend Chapter 159

Volume 5 Chapter 8 – Dragon-san and the Heavenly Dance

After waking up Sakuma-san’s parents and servants and some of the villagers, I reported back to Carla-san.

The next day, I went around the village to wake up the remaining people who was still asleep.

Carla-san was able to identify the stagnation of the magic power even in other investigation, but she told me that she couldn’t remove them no matter what.

It seems that some magical beings also had been dragged into sleep after trying to wake up their covenant. So it is better for me to be sure I can wake up. That’s why I said that it’s better for me to go to make sure they can wake up.

While I was getting very busy, I secretly had a discussion with grandpa and Ten about erosion that caused the sleeping sickness.

「Since I lied to Carla-san, I think she didn’t know about that matter. 」

「I see. You want to avoid her being affected, right?」

Towards the grandpa’s calm words, I nodded my head while feeling complicated, and Ten, who is still at her early teens appearance, had a dull expression.

「I’m sorry. I want to help out a lot, but only you are the one who can do it. It’s frustrating that I am not qualified to help you.」

Ten’s expression looked vexed, and she fisted her grip until her knuckles turned white, so I shook my head.

「It can’t be helped. Since grandpa have to arrange the ceremony, Ten will also be busy with that, right? I’m qualified to do this.」

But, there’s one more thing that I still have doubts on.

「Why I could wake them up with my magic? You see, this kind of death sleep makes one won’t be able to wake up again…… doesn’t it?」

「I also don’t know why. But, you have a lot of unknown influence towards this word. Since the interference was weak, you could bring them back. Even so, you couldn’t completely prevent the interference, right?」

「That’s right……」

For a moment, I thought that the situation might be better than what I thought it might be, but I can’t help but dropped my shoulders on grandpa’s words.

Grandpa softened his expression.

「It’s about time for Lute to finish overwriting the seal of the darkness, so the death sleep should end soon. Don’t be swallowed up this fast.」

With that comforting words, I remembered something that has been bugging me.

I couldn’t say it to Nectar, but the epidemic of the sleeping sickness right now, or death sleep, also happened 5000 years ago.

If I just carelessly talked about the secret that Grandpa had carried, I might harm the other party.

Even as the dragons, or maybe because they are dragons, they have the anxiety of being forgotten.

That’s why even if I talk about it, I’ll have to watch over the other party.

Even so, after thinking calmly to some extent like just now, I blurted the question I couldn’t ask that night.

「Anyway, it would be bad for the other dragon to know about this, but why is Ten okay to hear it?」

「The current memory lapse in dragon is something alterated originally. Even if they’re asleep or unknown, the bond won’t be cut, and they will be tied with the knowledge of ‘remembering’. But, even if I met a dragon, I’m also not a dragon. The effect is only thin for me.」

However, Ten kept moving her hand in a mysteriously lively way.

「But, I think it makes everything easier.」

「Anyway, since she has become weak because of the massive detonation, no one thinks of her anymore.」

「Uwahh, Ficell is awful! Even though you are my junior, why are you saying bad things towards me!?」

「From the beginning, since when did I became your junior?」

「I had lived longer than all living things in this world, after all! Take a note for it!」

Ten with her small body puffed out her chest proudly, and grandpa’s deep green eyes was completely amazed.

「You are really…… So you remember all of my predecessors, huh?」

「Fufun, of course, right? Since you already abandoned it and become like this now. Since we’re friends, I’ll welcome you with all of my might」

Ten seemed happy, and I felt that I could see the glimpse of grandpa’s another side.

But Ten suddenly looked into the distance.

「He also used to be like that, huh?」

「You don’t have to worry about it.」

Ten’s speech was filled with hidden meaning, but grandpa innocently turned to me.

「Soon, we will start the seal chanting performance with the musical instrument. It will take less than a week.」

「……I see.」

At last, I was told a definite deadline. I tried to keep my calm, but grandpa noticed my feelings.

With troubled expression, he spoke gently to me while lowering his buttocks.

「I’m not going to involve you until the end. You might face some hardships, but I hope you can endure it.」

「That’s alright. After all, my cause of death was because I stepped on a banana peel. At first I feel troubled when I came to this place, but now I’m very happy. 」

「What is a banana peel?」

「Ehh, just say that the white side is on the ground, so it was very slippery.」

The level of the slippery was already researched and proved right here.

When I described the banana peel through the talk, grandpa made a strange face, as if swallowing vinegar.

「……Somehow, I’m sorry.」

「T-To have banana make you can’t rest in peace, bahaha!」

Next to grandpa, who apologized so much, Ten who also saw banana peel in a psychic story, was slapping her thigh and laughing for a while.

I also think I have a disappointing death, and I think that I can no longer react to it other than laughing, but it’s a little sad to see others’ reactions about it.

Then, grandpa knocked Ten’s head with a thump immediately.

「You’re laughing too much, Ten. For a senior to laugh at their junior, that is the lowest thing you can do.」

「Uwuwu… S-Sorry.」

I responded by simply shrugging off my shoulders to Ten that quickly reflect herself.

Grandpa took a breath and looked at me.

The dark green eyes are as calm as lull.

「I already felt troubled for 500 years. If you can secure your future, it’s enough as the reward.」

I witnessed once again the firmness of Grandpa’s will, and the words I had in my throat got lost.

「You can still see Aru’s heavenly dance. I will be relying on you later, black dragon.」

Even though Grandpa said well, Ten still felt startled, and my shoulder trembled, losing my composure.

Still, I gathered my words and I told grandpa.

「…I was a little bit happy. I could have a good relationship with grandpa. That’s why, I will protect this world.」

It might not be possible to not have determination like this.

But, between all of us, it is only me who still have not decided.

Thus, even for the lighthearted Ten, she only gave her consent in silence.

Things that had been deposited in the back of my heart are what I have to bear in order to win the future.

When I swallowed my feelings and laughed, Grandpa closed his eyes for a while, then he narrowed his eyes and smiled.

Even though there was such a conversation, I hurriedly fly away back early in the morning after I finished the treatment in the village, it was a very hectic day.

Eh, I should just stay there before I wet back? But, if I don’t see Aru’s face, my day was still not over, so I rejected it!

With that, I could listen to Aru’s dance lesson stories and had a meal together, but spontaneously, I also had lesser conversation with Nectar.

It made me very happy to hear Aru enjoying the difficult training, or being able to eat the Towa-style dish that Nectar tried to make for a while.

Even if our time to talk like this was very little because of our busy life, but I’m very thankful for it.

I’m looking forward to the magic ceremony.

＊

The bright evening sun’s bitter orange, and the deep dusk’s navy blue mingled together.

The square of the branch office which was used as the emergency food ration distribution had been tidied up properly, and the stage made with clean board was being arranged. They also connected the pillars in four corner using a stretched rope with zig-zag white paper streamers hung in it.

The lights swayed with the magical power around the stage and lit the crowded spectator seats and the area, but the darkness in some places still left the sign of the night.

The sun started to set and the summer heat was also concealed. With the cool breeze flowing, I sat in the front row of the audience with Nectar, and we waited for the start of the show.

…I won’t mind how our seats were prepared next to the emperor!

Maybe I shouldn’t negotiate with Carla-san to have good seats in exchange of the treatment?

No, anyway, it can’t be helped.

Even if someone only knows about me, they will know that I can cure the sleeping disease, and I’m also actively become a tribute to the great demonic disaster, the dragon god… In fact, my existence began to spread out as the same as the god of the great shrine.

After getting the permission from Ten and me, Nectar also reluctantly became acknowledged since he was a human helper. This good seat will be a part of the acknowledgement.

However, Ligrila who knew about it became unreasonably excited, and she quickly made Towa mixed with Ballow style clothes and make me wear them.

It’s a cute design that had been polished as usual, but it makes me stand out too much that I feel so embarrassed to the point of wanting to die.

Well, both the emperor and Carla-san are in formal clothes, and Nectar also gets attention as the people from the West Continent, so those who didn’t care should be mentally stable.

Therefore, ignoring the surrounding Towa people who focused their attention to us, I walked in with a high-end clothes from the aisle to the space between the audience seats.

「It looks like it will begin soon. I wonder if Aru will be okay?」

「When I look at his condition before, it looks like he is not nervous, so he should be okay.」

I replied to the worried Nectar that was sitting next to me, but I laughed after seeing the camera that was firmly held on his hand. He even negotiated to the emperor to ask him to definitely record it.

While doing so, those who sat down in the fixed position next to the stage set their respective instruments. Quietness filled the place.

The tone was piercing through the darkness.

The sound of a high, carefree flute marks the beginning.

The various stringed musical instruments is similar to the instrument in my previous life, the gagaku, and the music is accompanied with drum, the rhythm making everyone feel excited.

Then, two girls with golden and silver hair plus fox ears appeared on the stage.

They are Mikoto and Makoto.

Each of their shrine maiden dress is designed in a colorful costume, accompanied with the even more colorful coat, and one of their hands holds a dagger with a number of bells attached to it.

Even as they wore a long, thin, nd multi colored clothes, they came up to the stage without any hesitation, making they look beautiful as if they didn’t come from this world.

The audience was mesmerized by the perfect movement of the girls who moved their hands, making their five-colored clothes swayed.

Ring.

When they swings their wrists and the bells rang, the surrounding magical powers moved.

This is probably the true essence of the ritual.

The heavenly dance is an old magic based ritual that came from the legends.

The four shrine maidens was divided into the role of the human and gods, and they are performing the story of suppressing the devil, to break off the influence of the erosion that remained on the earth.

This time, Mikoto and Makoto played as the humans, and Ten and Aru played as the gods.

Actually, because we had been busy these days, I haven’t seen it from the beginning to the end, so I look forward to it.

When Mikoto and Makoto dance for a while on the stage, a small figure appears.

It is Aru, who wears a glamorous maiden dress with a slightly different design than Mikoto and Makoto’s, and robe of feathers on his shoulders.

His red-tinted flaxen hair is arranged neatly, and he also use make up in his face, showing his sincerity.

His forehead is painted with a flower-like crimson, to indicate that he is a not a human.

Aru walks to the center of the stage while being watched by the Mikoto and Makoto, and he took a deep green leafed branch with one hand.

Ring.

The moment the bell at the branch rang, magic power moved again.

Like that when I was fascinated with Aru that start to dance happily with Mikoto and Makoto, I could hear someone sniffle.

When I look sideways, Nectar was crying so much, and I gave him the handkerchief I already prepared.

I already knew this would happen, so I already prepared several pieces.

「A-Aru is… already… g-growing up this much…」

「Yeah, I didn’t think that it would be possible for him to do such a beautiful magic ceremony. But if you can’t see them because of tears, it will be wasteful, Nectar.」

「I-I know…」

While thinking that Nectar that was wiping his burning eyes with handkerchief was very cute, I was also impressed with Aru.

Now, the three people who was on the stage was performing techniques on the stage.

However, Earl is creating a flow of soothing magical power that seems to tremble deep into the body and flow.

I knew that he asked Ten and grandpa to teach him about the magics.

However, in this short period of time, I was uplifted by honest surprises and emotions, as if I’m looking at someone I didn’t know.

I felt like I wanted to cry a little, but Nectar already cried ahead from me.

The three people were dancing and get along well on the stage, but the music changes suddenly.

The tempo became fast, full of liveliness, but with a disturbing tone.

That’s right, this is a four people performance.

The one appeared was Ten, who has the same height as Aru.

However, compared with the other three, her costume had lesser color and stiff atmosphere, yet it was still beautiful, with a somewhat scary feel.

Ring.

The bell that was attached to her wrist and ankle rang.

The bell, which rang every time she took a step and moved her wrist, combined with the intense rhythm of the pulsating drum, brought out a dreadfulness that overwhelmed the surroundings.

It is a powerful force suitable for the role of god.

Even demon is a god. Even in Towa, they have been seen as such a long time ago.

Nn, no, but this is…

While I was distracted, Ten who put on a mask approaches Mikoto and Makoto who played the human role, and then.

Ring…

Aru, who played the other god’s part, turned and blocked her with his deep green branch.

Then, four people dance, including Mikoto and Makoto, started.

Every time they dance with the music, every time they move their hands, and every time they ring the bell, the magical powers shook, activating the technique. The air also shook.

The light made the intense magic power became visible for a while, and it scattered around as if to color all of the surroundings.

I was fascinated by the girls who dance while changing their positions on the stage, and I suddenly realized.

Ah, so this is a fight.

Earl flashes his deep green branch towards Ten.

And he cut her off.

At that moment, I felt an enormous quantity of magic was spreading through on my skin.

Washed by the sound, the cool magic gathered by the dance rose from the heavens and scattered like falling cherry blossoms.

Below the glare of the light, Ten got off from the stage.

The music changed to a relaxed one, and in the middle of the stage, Aru put down the branch in the middle of Mikoto and Makoto that was surrounding him.

With that, the music was over.

No one speaks and moves.

Earl raised his face, and showed an uneasy expression.

The one who broke the silence, was the emperor that sat beside me.

『Give respect to the shrine maidens who showed the wonderful dance!』

After the clear voice resounded at the square, a crowd of applauses and praises sounds reverberate from the audience.

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