Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 4

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Chapter 4 - Lost memories, Albion Forest

Part 1

At dawn, Silvia who suddenly woke up felt something on her chest.

“Hey, Eco! Where do you think you are sleeping!?”

“Zzzz…”

Like a child sucking on its mother’s breast, Eco buried her face in Silvia’s chest. Apart from that, her right hand was even grabbing onto Silvia’s breast.

Silvia’s breast shook from Eco moving her fingers.

“Aah… Nnn… I-If you touch it like that… Aah…!”

Without thinking, Silvia sat up and to calm down herself, she pulled Eco’s arm away with some force.

“Tsk… How rude can you be…”

She was embarrassed at herself for making those unladylike sounds.

It was sometime past six when she looked at the clock placed by the side of her pillow. Usually, it was around that time Cosette would wake her up.

“How careless of me! How can I…!”

Although it is summer holidays right now, Silvia’s pride still won’t allow negligence. After giving herself a few light slaps on the both cheeks, she stood up from the bed.

She usually starts her day with some independent training, afterwards she will feed Lancelot herself. This is her usual routine.

“Ermm… My dragsuit… Where is my dragsuit…?”

Being forced to take care of her own clothings, Silvia realised painfully how much she was usually relying on Cosette.

Right at that moment…

-Doooooom!

There was a familiar sound outside of the window.

“Is that… The sound of a Strada landing?”

Surprised, Silvia opened the window.

Just as expected by Silvia, when she looked down on the garden of Epona House, there was a familiar strada.

And a crater was formed around it.

“Tsk… Your riding ability is indeed one of the best but you should change that emergency landing habit of yours. It causes quite some trouble…”

Silvia sighed.

The rider was a lady and she was wearing a moss green coloured uniform. Once she noticed Silvia, she immediately leaped off the saddle and greeted:

"I am the first-class palace messenger, Olietta Blanc! I am here to send the letter that was to be received by Princess Silvia, Her Royal Highness from Cosette Shelley-dono!"

“…From Cosette!?”

Unconciously Silvia gripped the window frame putting all her strength into it.

Part 2

After seeing Olietta off, Silvia walked towards the seventh dragon house.

Since it was summer holidays, there were no other dragons except Lancelot inside.

Lancelot too had woken up early to match with Silvia. In contrast to Eco, Lancelot was a dragon who follows the rules.

“Sorry for the wait, Lancelot. It is time for breakfast.”

After Silvia placed the defrosted meat in front of Lancelot, Lancelot cried in joy and strat enjoying its food.

Silvia then took out the letter with her back facing Lancelot. It was the letter that she just received from Olietta.

-I want you to return to the palace and investigate the name list of the children who went to the orphan ceremony at the same day as me.

Cosette who obeyed Silvia’s orders to return to the palace had taken the trouble to contact Silvia through the palace messenger.

“Did she manage to find it? Or did anything unexpected happen…?”

Her heart was thumping like the morning alarm.

A little courage was required she was able to tear open the envelope.

Dear Princess-sama,

How are you? Right now, I am staying at Fontaine Palace.

About the investigation, it seems that five years ago a fire had burnt off a part of the documents related to the Orphan Ceremony.

Among those documents was the name list of the children who succeeded in the Orphan Ceremony in the past ten years.

Even so, the information that I obtained states that these documents were a copy and the original name list was kept at a different place.

Now, I will continue my search at the location of the name list.

Please be patient while waiting for the news.

Cosette . Shelley.

Silvia was worn out and gave a long sigh after she finished reading. Lancelot gave Silvia a curious peek.

Silvia grumbled while grooming Lancelot’s fur:

“Tsk… Where in the world is that ‘Location’? Even thought she was a person who has a keen eye for details, it is troublesome when she has forgotten to write the most important thing…”

Part 3

After their breakfast, Ash together with Eco and Silvia went to the director’s office.

Although it was in the middle of summer holidays, Mirabel was still at the director’s office. She seemed to be reading some difficult books. On top of her table was a mountain load of documents. The working room itself looked more like a private room.

Mirabel spoke in a cold voice:

“What’s the matter?”

She said that while looking at her own documents.

“We have something to ask from Anee-ue. It is about the practical test.”

Ash was glad that Silvia spoke first.

Ash was bad with dealing with Princess Mirabel. To him, Veronica seemed a lot more easier to deal with.

After hearing that, Mirabel closed her book without changing her expression.

“So you have decided on your destination?”

“Yeah. We would like to head to Albion Forest.”

Mirabel tilted her head a little after Silvia answered directly.

“Your chosen destination is located at quite a remote area. Apart from that, Albion Forest is a sacred place. That place should be tightly guarded by the Albion Forest Military Order.”

“Of course I know that. However, Ash and Eco must head there. And I intend to help them.”

“Could you tell me their reasons for that?”

Ash was shivering from Mirabel’s sharp glance. But now was not the time to stay frightened.

“Ermm… Actually…”

Just when Ash was about to answer…

“Hold on!”

Suddenly, Mirabel stopped him and took out a watch. Ash was shocked seeing the royal’s solemnity.

“It is tea time, Eunice.”

“On my way, Princess-sama.”

Eunice who was like a statue spoke for the first time.

“Hey! How can you drink tea when someone was halfway through his talk!”

Ash grumbled at Mirabel who was doing things at her own pace.

“Do you have a problem with that?”

Her ice magic like glare was putting pressure on Ash.

“No, sorry for bothering you…”

After Ash’s voice turned softer, the room was filled with the smell of bergamot.

Taking a look to the side, Eco was sniffing around. It seemed that she took interest in Mirabel’s red tea. It was a different type of interest compared to Ansal. But it was indeed a smell that a dragon would fall in love with.

Eunice spoke when she saw Eco’s interest:

“Would the three of you like a cup of tea?”

Part 4

The three of them were sitting together on a sofa.

Ash who had no interest in tea could only think of ‘It has a nice aroma’. However, it was different for Eco.

“This is wonderful… This is the first time I drank such a great cup of tea.”

Silvia explained to the amazed Eco:

“Anee-ue is very picky about red teas. By the way, this tea is called Earl Gloriana from Chalone.”

“Earl… Groo…?”

Eco almost bit her tongue.

“This kind of tea leaf is famous in the world. You should enjoy it properly.”

“It that so? I didn’t know…”

Eco was enjoying her tea happily.

“Erm… Princess-sama, shouldn’t we start with the main topic?’

Ash noticed that it was bad to keep on talking about teas and so he urged on Silvia.

“Aah. That’s right. Can we start now, Anee-ue?”

“You have my permission.”

Mirabel agreed.

Part 5

Mirabel’s expression never changed during Silvia’s entire explanation. It was even the same when Silvia mentioned about Ash and Eco being summoned by Mother Dragon.

Mirabel said something after Silvia finished.

“I understand your situation. Good job for getting the idea of finishing two tasks in one trip. However, Ash Blake, there is one problem. How do you intend to head there? It will take you two weeks to reach there by land. Or do you intend to let Eco transform into a dragon?”

Mirabel glance was like a blizzard approaching Ash.

“No, that is impossible. Eco can not control her transformation conciously.”

“Sorry for being useless…”

Eco puffed up her cheeks. Even so, it was the truth that she couldn’t control her own transformation. There was nothing she could do about it.”

Right after that, Mirabel threw Eco a cold glance.

“Young dragon Eco, there is nothing bad in being useless. It is a matter of life and death for the Knight Country when you transform at a poor time. Because of you crushing the Empire’s airship Beowolf, the Knight Country’s government is having a headache.”

“Urgh…”

Eco turned speechless.

Even she felt responsible for it.

That’s right. Using the reason of Eco’s dragon form crushing Beowolf, the Empire’s government kept on protesting.

According to the latest news, to achieve peace, the Knight Country’s government intended to pay the compensation. Of course at the same time it will cause an impact on the Knight Country’s financial situation.

“But the entire matter is the Empire’s fault to begin with…”

Ash said what he truthfully thought in front of Mirabel.

“Whatever the case may be, it is also the truth that the Empire’s airship was destroyed by a dragon. If the situation was any worse, it could turn into an all out war. Shouldn’t we be glad, if we can have this settled by only paying money?”

For the first time, Mirabel kept her eyes away from the documents she was reading and looked at Ash, Silvia and Eco.

“With that, if you can take back an item that can only be found in Albion, I will consider you passing the exam. About that… In this season a flower called Rex Albioni should be blooming. How about it?”

Ash had heard the name of the flower before. It was a flower that could only be found in Albion Forest. Every summer, its white coloured flowers would bloom.

“Understood. We will definitely return with Rex Albioni.”

After she declared this, Silvia turned her sight towards Ash and Eco.

“It had been decided. Please prepare your stuff as soon as possible. We will depart tomorrow morning!”

“Aah… That’s right. But…”

Silvia was confused when she saw that Ash was hesitating.”

“What’s wrong? Are you still worrying about anything?”

Ash nodded and looked at Mirabel.

“Ermm… Princess Mirabel?”

“Anything else the matter?”

“You had certainly said that you were here in Ansarivan under Princess Veronica’s orders… But the actual reason is to keep an eye on Eco, am I right?”

“That’s right. That is what the muscle freak’s intention.”

“M-Muscle…!?”

“Ara, do you even have to be surprised? What I am saying is the truth.”

Ash was surprised that Mirabel described the heroine-like character of Veronica with just ‘muscle freak’. It seemed that Mirabel didn’t think that it is worth respecting Veronica at all.

“P-Putting that aside… Is it really all right for you to allow us to leave your sight? Doesn’t it contradict with Veronica’s intention?”

Mirabel suddenly placed her tea cup on the table.

“Hmm, you are smarter than I thought you were. But, you don’t have to worry about your assumptions. To me, Veronica’s orders are nothing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s assume that Eco once again turned into a dragon, what could we do about it? If there is a person who can stop this disaster, it can only be Ash Blake the owner of Eco. And we are not Ash Blake, are we?”

“That… That may be true but why would you take the trouble to come to Ansarivan?”

“With or without Veronica’s orders, I have my own personal matter to solve in Ansarivan. And that’s the sole reason.”

“What kind of a matter is that? Is it possible for you to tell us about it?”

“The answer is NO. You shall not ask anything beyond this.”

Mirabel refusing to answer Ash’s question was like putting an end to their conversation. She once again had her attention back on her documents.

Part 6

On the next morning, Ash, Eco and Silvia who had done their preparation departed from Ansarivan while they rode on Lancelot together.

“It is all up to you, Lancelot!”

After Silvia shouted, Lancelot gave a cheerful roar.

Since part of their journey's reason was for the practical test, Ash and Silvia were wearing their dragsuit.

And Eco as Ash’s Pal was wearing her uniform to show that she too was taking the exam.

Their sitting sequence was Silvia who held the reins at the front, followed by Eco and Ash.

Actually, right before they took flight, Eco said that she would like to take the middle. Thus, Ash was at the end of the line.

Ash was holding onto Eco’s slim waist. Although he was embarrassed, he would face falling off Lancelot if he did not grab on it tightly.

“Oooooooo….!”

Even with three people on its back, Lancelot was flying without having to break a sweat.

The sky was clear.

Since it was still early in the day, the weather was cooling. However, when noon arrived, the sun would be scorching. Thus it would be better for them to arrive at their destination as soon as possible.

“Err, Princess-sama. What do you think Princess Mirabel’s reason was?”

Ash finally asked the question that was on his mind for some time.

At first, I thought Mirabel was here to keep an eye on Eco. But, for Mirabel to have her own reason…

“How am I to know that?”

Silvia snapped.

“To begin with, about Princess Mirabel… What kind of a person is she? Like Princess Veronica, it is obvious to everyone that she is a fighter.”

Silvia answered while holding the reins:

“Mirabel Onee-sama is a very respectable scholar. Just a few days ago, she was still doing her research in Espada St Law University.”

“…She must have been famous. Does she have any connections with Holy Espada Agency?”

“Certainly. Espada St Law University is directly under the Holy Agency’s secret service. Regardless of humanities studies or science related fields, all the genius' in their regarding field were doing their best for their research there.”

“That’s absurd…”

Even though he didn’t know Mirabel’s age, she only looked older by a year or two than Silvia and was still in her teenage years. Even so, for a girl at her age to reserve a spot in the secret service, she was someone to be feared.

Ash finally remembered her nickname- Argento Magus.

“Erm, what is the field Princess Mirabel specialized in?”

“She had already obtained a mechanical engineering degree and an archaeological degree. She seems to have a deep interest in sacred relics that are found in historic ruins.”

“Sacred relic… What are those?”

“You knew nothing of those! In this Ark Strada continent, there are many historic ruins. There are the so called Zono Ton’s Enlightenment’s historic ruins.”

Ash remembered he learned about it in his history lessons.

“It includes the Zono Ton’s Ark which is a huge historical ruin that was found in the Empire. In it, many ancient machines were found. That includes the airships that run on fossil fuel and magicships that run on Millennium. All these ancient machines were called sacred relics.”

“So, Princess Mirabel is a specialist in those things that are called sacred relics?”

“That’s right. She was even deeply involved in the development of the Silvanus Magicship of our country. With the help from exiled scientists from the Empire, they turned the excavated magic engine in the country into a ‘usable’ state. Apart from that, she was even in charge of the ship design.”

“Really!? She is such an incredible person!”

“Just that Silvanus was badly damaged in the previous fight.”

“About that… I deeply apologize.”

Ash sighed.

“Sorry…”

Eco who listened to their conversation silently also apologized.

“No, the two of you don’t have to worry about it. I know that the Empire is the culprit and Silvanus is currently being repaired. Even though I initially thought that it was completely destroyed, it seems that the magic engine remained unscathed, just narrowly. If the engine is all right, the outer shell can be easily replaced.”

This is the first time Ash heard about this. After it crashed and exploded, Ash never even thought that it could be repaired.

“Is that so…? Thank god. God bless us all.”

To give Eco a peace in her mind, Ash kept on emphasizing the word ‘thank god’.

“Just that, why would a genius like her come to Ansarivan? There is nothing related to mechanical engineering here. Judging from her behavior, she should be able to ignore Princess Veronica’s order.”

In Ansarivan where there are many dragons, there were many tool made from bright dragon crystal. The bright dragon crystal powered lamp is one of them.

Because of this, most of the things in Ansarivan were not related to mechanical engineering and that made it stand out from the Knight Country.

“I also feel the same way. Mirabel Onee-sama was never afraid of Veronica Onee-sama. Normally, she could use her studies as an excuse to refuse. But why would Mirabel Onee-sama who even refused to attend the continental congress with her studies as a reason come to Ansarivan… I wonder.”

“Could it be that she took interest in Eco? Even Angela-sensei became a teacher in the academy because she was interested in Eco… Although I didn’t see any sign of her for the recent few days.”

“That’s impossible. Mirabel Onee-sama is a person who would only be interested in mechanics. I don’t think her target is Eco.”

Ash breathed a sigh of relief after Silvia ensured him.

Recently, Eco seemed to be emotionally unstable. Ash hoped that nothing will happen, at best.

Part 7

Thanks to Lancelot’s effort, the group had arrived at Albion Forest at dusk.

After traveling under the scorching sun for the entire afternoon, they now experience the cool evening wind.

Around the entrance of the forest was a row of old buildings that looked abandoned.

Apart from the cathedral, there was also the novitiate and the quarters. Just by looking for the top, you can feel that those are as old as history itself.

The land was very wide and there was the livestock hut and the vegetable farm. Not to forget about the vineyard. Albion’s grape wine is very famous and they even export them to the Chevron kingdom.

Looking at the scene below him, Ash muttered:

“Is that… Albion’s novitiate?”

That was the base for Albion Forest Military Order. Although Ash had lost almost all his memories regarding his Orphan Ceremony, but he had a feeling that he miss this place.

“Lancelot, land in front of the gate.”

After receiving its orders, Lancelot started to lower their altitude. Finally, they managed to land safely in front of the gate.

“Gurrr…”

After that, Lancelot rolled itself into a ball and slept. It had used up all its magic in that flight. On a first glance, the dragon who fly with its huge wings actually spent a huge amount of magic.

“Thanks for the hard work.”

Silvia released the reins and patted Lancelot.

“Thank you, Lancelot.”

Ash thanked Lancelot after he had alighted from it. Then, he spread his arms while looking at Eco who was still on Lancelot.”

“Hey, Eco! Hoop on.”

Of course that height won’t cause any injuries and Ash was just being thoughtful.

“Nn… Okay.”

Eco placed a hand on her skirt to keep her panties from being seen. Then she jumped from the saddle.

Eco who once was not at all bothered by her naked body being seen was now embarrassed to even show her panties. Her recent changes can only be described as shocking.

Eco landed in between Ash’s arms.

“Thank you…”

Eco thanked Ash while red in the face and land on the ground.

“Err… Anything wrong, Princess-sama?

Ash suddenly noticed that Silvia was staring at them.

She suddenly blushed.

“I-I am not jealous at all! I never thought about it! No matter what you say, I am a Dragner, not a damsel that had to be protected by a knight!”

Silvia never noticed that she was making it worst at the same time she tried to reason.

Ash gave a wry smile and spread his arms in from of Silvia.

“You too, Princess-sama.”

“That's why I said you don’t have to…!”

Although she refused, still she ended up jumping.

However, the skirt for the ladies’ dragsuit is short and when she stood up, the white cloth that wrapped around her skin was seen by Ash.

“H-Hey! If you stand like that…!”

Ash’s shout made Silvia notice.

“Eh?... H-Hey! Where are you looking at- Kyaa!”

Silvia hurriedly tried to hide her panty but in the end she lost her balance. She gave a little groan while she fell.

“Watch out!”

Ash immediately head out and caught Silvia. However, due to the weight of the Dragsuit and her falling momentum…

“Uwaa!”

Ash fell with Silvia in his arms. At the same time, he felt something soft on his face.

Of course they were Silvia’s breasts.

“Urgh!”

The shape of her breasts changes and had his face covered as Ash kept on struggling

But the sweet moment only lasted for a short time. Ash felt that he was actually suffocating and finally pushed Silvia away with force.

“Princess-sama… Please… I beg you……”

“Sorry!”

Silvia hurriedly stood up.

“Huff… I am glad that Princess-sama is alright-? Eco… What’s wrong?”

“…”

Eco crossed her arms unhappily and turned her face to aside. Even when Ash kept trying to ask her but she refused to even look at him.

“…I thought that was only for me.”

Unfortunately, Ash didn’t catch what Eco was mumbling about.

“Erm… Dragner-samas, this place is actually is actually a sacred place thus you may not enter…”

And, there was a person mumbling behind them. Ash then turned around.

The person was a girl. Her age was around ten. She looked like she was in the middle of sweeping since she had a broom in her hand. She looked small and plain like a hamster.

In contrast to her cute face, her white coloured dressing and her long skirt made her looked sacred.

“No, we are not any weird person…”

Silvia immediately stopped Ash who was trying to explain.

“I am the Fourth Princess of the Knight Country, Silvia Lautreamont and who are you?”

“P-Princess!?”

The girl dropped her broom and knelled down on the spot as if she was trying to prostrate herself before Silvia’s feet.

“I-I am sorry for not being able to recognize you! I am called Kurae! I am the priestess of this Albion Forest’s novitiate!”

Her bowing her forehead down many times had caused Ash and Silvia to feel uneasy.

“P-Please stand up. Even though I'm a princess, I'm still a student. Furthermore, I came here today for my private matters. So please stand up.”

“Aaa… Thank you very much.”

Kurae respectfully held Silvia’s hands when she stood up from the ground.

“It is great since you are a priestess. Could we borrow a moment of your time?”

Ash picked up the broom that was laying on the floor and passed it back to Kurae. She took it back without a second thought and looked at him suspiciously.

“…You are?”

“I am Ash Blake, a Dragner.”

Ash took out his silver watch.

All the children who dreamed of becoming a Dragner and always been dreaming of being in that situation. Ash somehow was feeling proud.

Then moment she saw the silver watch, Kurae’s eyes were like almond and kept staring at it.

“So, that handsome dragon… Is Ash-sama’s Pal?”

“No… Lancelot is Princess-sama’s Pal.”

Kurae was confused.

“Then, where is Ash-sama’s Pal?”

“Ehh… My Pal is…”

Ash placed an arm on Eco’s shoulders but he didn’t notice Eco trembled a little at the moment his arm was placed.

“She is my Pal, Eco.”

“……”

Eco was embarrassed and was fidgeting in front of Kurae like a child. If it was the past Eco, she would definitely reply with a scold when she felt that the situation was against her…”

Kurae’s expression suddenly changed and kept on staring at Eco’s head.

“Although she looked exactly like human, those are unmistakable horns. So, you really are young dragon Eco!”

“Huh? Do you know Eco?”

Kurae replied Ash who asked in surprise with a smile:

“That’s right. Just days before, I had received an oracle from Mother Dragon. She told me about it in my dream.”

“Really!?”

“In the novitiate’s record, it had been five hundred years since Mother Dragon had given us an oracle.”

Kurae said proudly however it doesn’t look impressive when she said it with a broom in her hand.

“Five hunder years!... That’s wonderful!”

Ash was awed.

“Even my grandfather had a heart attack after he heard about it.”

“Wha… Is he alright?”

Ash asked timidly but Kurae replied with a bitter smile.

“He is still as lively as ever. By the way, my grandfather is Albion Forest military order’s leader. He is a great man!”

“That make things simpler. Then, we will greet your grandfather later. Erm, may I ask what is mentioned in the oracle?”

“The Mother Dragon told me that ‘in the coming days, Dragner Ash and Eco the direct descendant of Avalon’s holy dragons' emperor family will be visiting Albion.’ Mother Dragon also reminded me that Eco will be in the form of a human.

Kurae stood up straight and smile.

“Welcome to the holy land of Albion. I welcome you with all my heart.”

Part 8

Ash and the rest passed through the gates while being led by Kurae.

Along the way, they walked past a few priests and nuns who looked at them in surprise which made them feel uneasy. As far as it goes, although they were known as knights, they didn’t feel like one.

The direction that Kurae was heading was a stone building at a corner.

“My grandfather’s office is right here.”

Since she was used to it, Kurae entered without knocking. She was followed by Silvia and right behind her was Ash.

Part 9

“I am Albion Forest Military Order’s leader, Casvazu. But I am already an old man. You can call me grandpa.”

The leader of the military order who greeted them was not what they imagined. He was a friendly man. Still, it certainly seemed like he was at an age where a heart attack could happen anytime.

Regardless of his voice, even his movements were trembling. He must be ninety…. No, he could be more than a hundred.

Since he had a long white beard and was wearing a black robe, he looked exactly like a magician from the fairy tales.

“By the way, Princess Silvia… You have grown into a fine woman. I still remember the day you returned from the forest with your orphan, Lancelot.”

“Thank you, grandpa.”

Silvia thanked his politeness respectfully. However, many complicated feelings emerged on her face at the same time.

It was probably because she never told him that the Orphan Lancelot was given to her by Ash which made her feel guilty.

“Erm, who’s the young lad beside you?”

Ash straightened his back when they were talking about him.

“I am Ash Blake.”

The moment his name was mentioned, the old man’s eyebrows twitched.

“Hmm… So you are Ash Blake... Where have I heard this name before…”

The old man paused for a moment and then suddenly he shouted:

“T-That’s it…! Ash! On your left arm… Isn’t there a weirdly shaped Seikoku!?”

“Do you mean this?”

Ash pulled up his sleeve and removed the bandages.

Normally, Ash wouldn’t want anyone to see his Seikoku. But somehow, he didn’t mind this old man seeing it at all.

The old man’s eyes glittered the moment he saw Ash’s Seikoku.

“That’s right…. That’s right…! Hmm… I think I'm beginning to remember…”

Ash became nervous once he heard the words that had a deep meaning to them.

“Really! Actually I… don’t have any memories regarding my Orphan Ceremony. Could you tell me anything about it, anything would be fine.”

To his disappointment, the old man shook his head.

“Sorry… The only thing that I remember is that Seikoku. Prince Julius’s Seikoku was one that was different from the rest…, Yours too was not normal.”

“Grandpa! You know about Anii-ue’s Seikoku!?”

Suddenly, Silvia leaned forward which surprised Ash.

“Princess-sama? Why are you surprise…?”

Silvia immediately came back to her sense and was embarrassed about it.

“That… When I was still a child, I liked to tease Anii-ue. I once said ‘I want to look at your Seikoku’. But, Anii-ue… He remained silent and cut me off. During that time, I was deeply hurt…”

The old man looked at Silvia and said:

“Prince Julius probably had the same feelings as Ash. The prince’s Seikoku totally covered his back… I thought it was a kind of bad omen the first time I saw it. It is not unreasonable for him to dislike anyone seeing it. Who would have thought that my fear really came true…”

As if she was trying to comfort this old man, Silvia told him this:

“Please rests assure. Actually this is a secret, but Anii-ue is actually alive. He was still at Fontaine City just days before, but it is not yet the time to reveal this truth.”

“Huh…? Is that true!? So the prince had overcome his fate!”

Tears were flowing from the old man’s eyes.

“…Emotions can easily overwhelm me at my age…”

The old man took a deep breath and smiled.

“Lucky for you, we won’t be having the Orphan Ceremony tomorrow. You can search for Mother Dragon tomorrow, how about it?”

As for Ash, he wanted to search for Mother Dragon as soon as possible, however it was already dusk. Even though it may be a sacred place, the night forest is still a dangerous place.

“I understand. We will enter Albion Forest tomorrow. Also… Could you tell us of any place near here where we can spend the night?”

“You don’t have to worry about your lodging!”

Ash’s question was immediately answered by Kurae who was standing at the doorway.

“Our novitiate will provide our visitors a place to stay. Though it may be simple and crude, meals are provided.”

“Really!? Thank you. That really helped us, Kurae. Are the two of you alright with this, Princess-sama, Eco?”

Ash turned around and looked at the two.

“I am alright with it.”

“I will be fine if you are okay with it.”

It is a surprise that Eco answered readily regardless of Silvia. The past Eco would definitely say ‘Do we get to have delicious meat?’.

The Eco right now looked more mature and cuter.

However it is also true that it felt weird.

-Just as I thought, Eco is best when she is full of spirit and eats a lot. What should I do to help her get rid of her problems…?

Just when Ash was deep in thought-

“…Anything wrong, Ash?”

Silvia asked.

Ash immediately came back to his sense.

“N-Nothing… I am fine.”

“Are you sure? You looked like something was troubling you.”

Ash didn’t know how to react when Silvia hit the bull’s eye. Luckily, Kurae spoke with an innocent smile:

“Everyone, shall we head to the hostel?”

Part 10

Ash was muttering to himself in the dark forest.

“Haa… What am I actually doing?”

His legs were heavy and the air around was humid. The air was filled with the smells of tree sap and the earth.

There were insects buzzing around and even caterpillars dropping from the trees.

It always frightened him when he heard the cries from weird birds.

Spiders the size of a fist could be seen anywhere.

When a snake appeared from the ground, everyone would run without embarrassment.

“Tsk… Where had the others gone?”

When he entered Albion Forest, Ash had been walking with a large group of children.

But somehow, Ash was walking alone. It was like the huge forest had swallowed hundreds of children and had them separated.

“Haa…”

He had already lost count of how many times he sighed. Ash then raised his head and looked at the view above.

The trees covered the sky like a roof. Even the tiny amount of sunlight that pierced the canopy looked like it was disappearing.

Ash had traveled far from a village called Alba at the country borders to this forest.

He had come to this sacred place the adults call ‘Albion Forest’.

Of course, he didn’t come here by his own will.

Part 11

Days ago, Ash just had his seventh birthday on a horse carriage.

It was about twenty days ago that his mother, his younger sister, the village chief and his friends saw him off. It was snowing on the day he left Alba. In the end, no one was there to celebrate his birthday with him.

He remembered his mother’s advice.

-In this Lautreamont Knight Country, every child must head to ‘the forest’ on their seventh birthday. If you are gifted, the dragon in the forest will give you an Orphan. That is an honorable thing to have.

Unfortunately, the young Ash did not feel the need to be honorable.

“Tsk… What an ill looking forest.”

Ash grumbled while he was wandering around.

Finally he stopped.

“*Hick*…”

He thought he heard the voice of a girl crying, but it could be his imagination.

He stood still and tried to listen closely.

“*Sob*…*Sob*…

This time, he was sure of it.

“I better go have a look.”

Ash ran.

Rather than being worried about the girl, it was more accurate to say that he was looking for a companion.

He kept moving towards the source of that voice.

Ash gasped after passing through the thick bushes.

A girl was sitting under a big tree crying.

There were two reasons for Ash’s gasp.

One was because of the girl’s blonde hair.

Even though they were in the dark forest, her hair was like sparkling gold even when there was only a tiny amount of light. It was not something that could be found at the border in Alba.

The other was because of the girl’s attire.

She was wearing a dress with many jewels of different colours sewn into it. It didn’t look like a dress that should be worn when entering a forest.

Ash cautiously walked towards her and slowly reached out with his hand.

“Are you alright?”

The girl slowly lifted her head.

Looking out from behind the tidy fringes were a pair of wet, ice blue eyes-

Part 12

“Princess-sama…!?”

After being surprised by the girl’s beauty, Ash returned from his seven year old self.

And because of that, Ash woke up from his sleep.

He was confused for a moment after waking up in an unfamiliar room but immediately remembered that he was in the hostel for visitors.

It was just a simple room with an old single bed placed by the wall.

Eco and Silvia were not with him. Guys and girls had to sleep separately in the strict novitiate. Both Eco and Silvia were sleeping in the woman’s hostel.

“It is already morning…”

Ash mumbled while looking out the window. The morning rays had brightened up the room and the scenery was just a huge swath of forest with the cries of wild birds heard from beyond.

Ash took a look at his silver watch that was placed by his pillow side and saw that it was just five o’clock.

“What was that dream about…?”

Ash sat up and pushed his sweaty fringes to the side.

Even though the weather was not hot, Ash’s entire body was drenched in sweat. It actually felt like he had been running in the forest.

Ash tried to recall his dream.

He was sure that it was about what happened when he was seven.

He was also sure that it was of the time when he was in Albion Forest.

Ash was having his Orphan Ceremony in his dream.

“Is that what actually happened in my past?”

Once he considered this possibility, Ash’s heart was beating rapidly non-stop.

Since he became Eco’s host, the past that he could never remember- Suddenly appeared in his dream.

What does this mean?

“Could it be that because this was a sacred place…? It affected me…?”

Suddenly at that moment, Ash remembered something important.

“That’s right, princess-sama…”

The girl who appeared at the end of the dream-

“Although she was still a child, I am certain that she is princess-sama! Did I… meet princess-sama during my Orphan Ceremony!?”

Ash wanted to rush into the woman’s hostel to question Silvia about it, but he managed to stop himself. That is a place in which men are not allowed to take a step, no matter what. Also, this is not the academy but the novitiate. If he ever breaks the rules, he won’t be getting away easily.

In the end, it was just a dream. It is better not to act rashly before he had any evidence.

“Haa… I will go wash my face first.”

Ash sighed while he was crawling out of his bed. By the way, didn’t I keep sighing in my dream… Ash smile when he thought about this.

Part 13

After taking his breakfast in the hostel, Ash met up with Silvia and Eco at the cathedral. Then, the trio immediately headed towards Albion Forest.

Lancelot wouldn't be able to travel with them since the forest is tick and the dragons are too large. Since they never intended to ride on a dragon, they wore their school uniforms instead of the dragsuits.

Similar to yesterday, Eco was wearing her uniform. She was carrying the stuffed toy in front of her chest. She seemed to like it very much, given that she took the trouble to bring it with her.

The temperature in the forest was cool, which made them doubt that it was in mid-summer.

This forest bore a different kind of feeling compared to a normal forest. To put it in words, it actually felt sacred.

The reason they call Albion Forest a sacred place may not solely be due to it being the home of Mother Dragon.

Or it could be that this place became sacred because it is the home of Mother Dragon.

Ash felt nostalgic when he breathed in the surrounding air.

No, it is definitely not weird. Ash definitely visited this place before.

The view in front of him definitely matches the image of the forest in his dream.

“The problem is, where is Mother Dragon? Did Navi tell you anything about it?”

Silvia who was leading the group turned around and looked at Ash.

“No… Navi didn’t tell me anything.”

“I see. If that’s the case, we will enter the forest like we did during the Orphan ceremony.”

Silvia declared and continued marching in.

-Kshaaaaaa!

Suddenly there was the cry of a weird bird.

“Eek!”

Silvia covered her head with her arms. Ash was shocked because from behind, she looked exactly like the girl in his dreams.

“Are you alright, Princess-sama? I think you better not wander too far away from us.”

“I am fine! I-I am not scared at all!”

Although Silvia boasted this, in the end, she was walking side by side with Ash. Ash smiled bitterly in his heart to avoid being noticed.

“Hey… Ash.”

Eco, who had remained silent since entering the forest, gave Ash a gentle pull on his sleeve.

“Yes?”

“About Mother Dragon… Is she my ‘mother’?”

Ash was dumbfounded when he heard this. Since he had been focused on searching for Mother Dragon the entire time, he had never thought about it.

“She is indeed called a mother. I am sure that she is definitely a mother to you. What do you think about it, Princess-sama?”

Silvia crossed her arms and said:

“It is probably different compared to us humans. Mother Dragon is like a queen bee. She probably won’t care about every newborn she has…”

Half way through speaking, Silvia noticed a change in expression on Eco’s face and hurriedly corrected herself.

“Of course this is just my assumption. I don’t know the actual truth.”

“So, we will only know the truth after we meet her.”

Ash assured her by petting her head.

“Don’t worry, I will be right here. I will be there for you no matter how Mother Dragon treats you. That is one thing that will never change.”

“Ash…!”

Eco lifted her head after Ash's encouragement. Her long eyelashes, her wet eyes together with her blushing transparent white skin.

-C-Cute…!

Even though he was just looking at Eco, his heart already started to beat rapidly.

The two of them just stared at each other silently…

“Ahem!”

A cough that could shake a earth gave Ash and Eco the fright of their life.

“Hey… Have the both of you forgotten about me.”

Ash hurriedly turned around and saw Silvia looking at them displeased.

Part 14

The trio were just wandering around the forest aimlessly.

Ash suddenly stopped after passing through some bushes.

An image of a young girl appeared in front of him.

The girl had hair as dazzling as the rays of light that pierced the forest canopy and a pair of clear blue eyes. She was carrying a dragon shaped stuffed toy. She was crying because of her injured leg.

“This is…!”

Ash even forgot to blink when he looked at his surroundings.

There was an empty space below the dense canopy, near the roots of a huge tree.

It is definitely the same.

It is the exact same place as his dream.

“Ash?”

Silvia who was five steps in front of him turned around.

“Is there anything wrong?”

Eco was looking at him worriedly.

“…Nothing. Sorry.”

Ash came back to his sense and continued his journey.

-Has Princess-sama forgotten about this place…?

Ash wondered while he was looking at Silvia from behind. No, it is quite normal not to remember the scene in the forest.

Just that, since the place in the dream actually exist, the dream may be real.

-Is what happened in my dream my past experience?

“Hmm? Huh… Eco? Princess-sama?”

Ash was shocked when he lifted his head again.

Eco and Silvia who should have been walking in front of him had disappeared. Everything around him was either bushes or trees.

“Damn! Eco! Princess-sama!”

Ash was shouting their name while he ran around.

Suddenly, white fog appeared from nowhere.

Ever since this he couldn’t really rely on his vision, Ash was just searching for the two blindly.

“Ecoooooooo! Princess-samaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

However, the further he walked the ticker the fog became. In the end, everything he saw was blank white.

He even began to lose consciousness.

“Tsk… What in the world is this fog…”

After he finished this sentence, Ash’s consciousness was completely devoured by the fog.

References and Translation Notes

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