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Volume 8 Chapter 192

Wives’ Bustle (5/9)

「Ryuuka, why are you with White Dragon-sama?」
「I’ve just returned, Mother. I also have some business at the Dragon Shrine, and Hakua-sama kindly offered to take me」
「Kindly offered— you mean Ryuuka, you were on Hakua-sama’s back!?」
Kukurka emitted a killing intent. In response, Ryuuka trembled.
While many people didn’t mind such things, dragonewts were a race that valued etiquette towards superior dragons.
For older dragonewts, it was absolutely unacceptable for a dragonewt to ride on the back of a higher-ranking dragon, especially on the back of a colour dragon like Hakua.
In this world, dragons were divided into four classes known as colour dragons: Red, White, Blue, and Black.
Next high-ranking dragons were each associated with elements like fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, light, and dark. These were called elemental dragons.
Some elemental dragons possessed multiple elements, such as the Flame Dragon with fire and wind elements or the Blizzard Dragon, which had water, wind, and lightning elements.
Regardless of the number of elements, element dragons were generally unable to defeat color dragons.
Dragons above elemental dragons could understand human language and engage in conversation with humans.
Beneath elemental dragons were normal dragons, which also had a hierarchy. The lowest-ranked dragons were called Wyverns.
Even Wyverns had enough power to instantly kill A-rank monsters.
In this world, dragons reigned supreme as the apex race of monsters.
「Kukurka, I hope you won’t be too angry with Ryuuka. I’m the one who forcibly made her ride on my back」
「If Hakua-sama says so, I understand」
The killing intent aimed at Ryuuka from Kukurka disappeared instantly.
「Moreover, Ryuuka can return to the same White Dragon as me. So, we’re almost equals」
The term used by dragons for dragonewts transforming into dragon form was『Dragon Return』.
「Th-that’s true, but—」
「And, right now, Ryuuka and I are family. We both married the same man. So, Ryuuka and I are like sisters」
「……Y-yes?」
Kukurka, hearing Hakua’s words, froze.
「Mother, I apologise for not saying sooner. I have entered into a marital contract with a human, Haruto Elnor」
「A human!? Ryuuka, did you forget your role? You’re a Dragon Priestess. Forming a tie with a hu-man—」
「Kukurka, you should be careful about what you say. Even if you’re Ryuuka’s mother, I won’t allow disrespectful remarks about Haruto」
「—Hiii!?」
Not as powerful as Ryuuden, the father of Ryuuka and Ryuushin, Kukurka was still quite strong among dragonewts, evident by being chosen as the village chief.
However, even she became immobilised with fear.
Hakua, in her adorable girl form, emitted an unexpectedly chilling killing intent that was far beyond what her appearance suggested.
「Hakua-sama, I apologise. Please calm your killing intent. Everyone in the village is feeling frightened」
Hakua’s killing intent, directed at Kukurka, instilled not only fear in Kukurka but everyone in the village.
「Ah, I might have gone a bit overboard. I’m sorry」
Hakua’s bloodlust subsided. At the same time, several dragonewts in the vicinity collapsed.
「Mother, I have fulfilled my duties as a Dragon Priestess properly」
「What do you mean by that?」
「I married Haruto-san, who defeated the fully transformed Ryuushin with a single punch」
「Ryuushin is fully dragonized? That’s kind of…… It’s too early. No, no, more than that, he defeated Ryuushin, who had become a complete dragon? No way. Because—」
「Ryuushin became a Black Dragon, it was magnificent, but Haruto-san still blew him away with a single punch」
「What!?」
Among colour dragons— the Black Dragon is the most powerful and ferocious.
It was unimaginable for Kukurka to believe that her son, who had fully transformed into a Black Dragon, was defeated by a human.
「By the way, I can’t defeat Haruto either. So, don’t be hostile to Haruto. This is my advice」
「T-That’s…… wait, does that mean Hakua-sama really married this Haruto person!?」
「Yeah, both Ryuuka and I did it together!」
Saying that, Hakua hugged Ryuuka around the waist.
—＊＊＊—
Hakua and Ryuuka arrived in front of the shrine at the deepest part of the village.
This shrine, where the Dragon God—the object of worship for both dragonewts and dragons—was enshrined.
A powerful barrier surrounded the shrine, making it usually inaccessible even for dragons.
Only when a Dragon Priestess blessed by the Dragon God was present, one could approach the shrine.
「Hakua-sama, you’re acquainted with the Dragon God, right?」
「Yeah, the Red Dragon, my uncle, taught me how to fight」
While the Dragon God was a god, it held a lower position among divine beings.
The Dragon God’s existence was rare among divine beings because the number of dragonewts and dragons who believed in it was low. Consequently, there were instances where the Dragon God’s existence faded away.
When the Dragon God disappeared, a new Dragon God was chosen from among the dragons by the Creator God.
The Dragon God was a unique god who went through a succession process.
And currently, the Red Dragon, who Hakua was acquainted with, had become the Dragon God.
「Do you think Dragon God will manifest before us?」
「Will the Dragon God listen to our story?」
Ryuuka and Hakua had come here to seek hints about the spell of duplication.
While dragons and dragonewts were long-lived races, their excellent memory meant they generally didn’t engage in activities like leaving behind written records.
Therefore, when looking for hints about the duplication magic, they had to inquire directly with dragons or dragonewts knowledgeable in magic.
Hakua was unaware of the existence of duplication magic.
If that was the case, she had no choice but to listen to the stories of dragons who had lived in this world even longer than herself.
However, colour dragons were few in number, and Hakua herself didn’t know where her companions were located.
So, an idea came to her: to come to the Dragon God’s shrine with Ryuuka.
From the Dragon God’s shrine, she could reach out to the Red Dragon, an acquaintance from the past.
Thinking so, she came here.
「For now, let’s try calling him!」
「Yes, let’s do everything we can」
Ryuuka took off her robe from the magic academy.
Her body, now completely naked, began to shine.
The white dragon scales scattered on her body gradually grew larger, covering her entire body.
Ryuuka, now in the appearance of a shrine maiden dressed in pure white, called out to the deity with a clear voice.
「Dragon God, it’s Ryuuka. I have something I’d like to ask」
「Uncle! Please come out for a moment!」
In response to Ryuuka’s call, Hakua also approached the shrine and called out.
With a shrine maiden of dragons dressed in formal attire and the highest-ranking dragon, the White Dragon, making the appeal, the shrine dedicated to the Dragon God began to shine.
And then—
「Ryuuka, and White Dragon, huh? It’s been a while」
A handsome man with bright red hair and eyes appeared.
It was the Red Dragon in his humanoid form, serving as the Dragon God.
「Dragon God」
Ryuuka kneeled before the Dragon God.
「Uncle, long time no see!」
「Yeah. It’s good to see you both doing well. Ryuuka, how’s the academy? Found a good partner, did you—hmm?」
The Dragon God who was conversing with Ryuuka noticed something.
「Something…… there’s a nostalgic scent coming from you two」
「A s-scent? From us?」
「We smell?」
「Indeed, not an ordinary scent. It’s more like… …the scent of a soul」
The Dragon God didn’t dislike this scent.
「Yeah…… it’s unlikely, but there’s a scent coming from you two that reminds me of the soul of a hero I lost to in the past」