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The Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom

The Red Dress Flutters

Translated by: S3

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

TL note: I give up on reducing/deleting the japon onomatopoeia the author's put in.

*****

Places where no people were present were a relief. Elna sat down with her legs spread out on the grass field, listening to the rustling of the trees. The enormous tree standing tall in the distance, seemingly supporting the sky, was likely the great tree named after the sacred sword.

She had taken off the shoes she was wearing and tossed them aside. She felt bad that the borrowed dress would get dirty, but the whisper of the wind and the sensation of the damp earth against her human skin, not her dragon scales, gave her a thrill. Just as she was about to roll over completely, a man was looking down at her. Looking up at him while lying on her back, Elna nearly let out the name, Vaid.

「…………」

They stared at each other in silence. Elna sat and looked up, and Vaid crouched down so he was in her shadow. The presence of the Hamster Spirit, dancing on Elna's knee and chirping, 「Nchura. Nchura de gansu ga gansu,」 was the only thing that pulled Elna back to reality.

She hastily straightened her posture, sat up properly, and let her gaze drift.

「Ah, well, Your Majesty, the weather is fine today...」

No, that wasn't right. Lately, the spirits came, ate her magic mogu mogu, and then all said the same mysterious phrase of thanks, and Elna had unconsciously picked it up. Her face flushed a little, but Vaid didn't seem to notice and plumped down dosun beside her.

「It is, isn't it? A beautiful day.」

She had thought he had a slender physique, but he was still much taller than Elna. His smooth blonde hair swayed lightly in the wind, and his deep blue eyes seemed to reflect the sky. In short, he was exceptionally handsome.

However, that fact changed nothing in Elna's feelings. Every time she heard Vaid's clear, pleasant voice, she felt disappointed that he was not Vaid. The Vaid she knew had a more raspy, harder-to-hear voice. But she hated herself for even thinking that.

「You are called Elna, correct?」

「Yes,」

Elna replied after a pause. How disrespectful it was to remain seated while facing the King of a nation. But Vaid must have been told by Laura that she was a mistress's daughter with no education and a tendency to steal, so he should be careful. That way, people would keep their distance from Elna, and even if she told anyone that the dragon scale Laura held was originally hers, they wouldn't believe it. In the first place, Elna couldn't disobey Laura, anyway. In any case, being perceived as an uneducated woman was for the best. Rather, she should act the part.

「You look quite bored. Is life here restrictive?」

「It is, very much so. As a country girl, I want to return to the countryside as quickly as possible.」

「I see, I see.」

Vaid chuckled kuku. It was a strange laugh, somewhat spiteful but restrained, but oh well, Elna decided and stopped thinking too deeply about it.

「Dragons particularly and deeply love their homeland. A dragon without a homeland loves a human instead, and when they die, they sleep embracing that person's bones. As a citizen of the Kingdom of Wizrain, which symbolizes the Dragon, there is no reason for me not to love my homeland.」

In short, it meant: Can I go home already? The Baron's territory wasn't Elna's hometown at all, so she didn't want to go back there, but she tried to sound convincing. By invoking the Dragon's name, even the King would have to yield. 「I see, I see,」 Vaid laughed again.

「The bones of the one to be loved, and the homeland. Those are indeed things a dragon cherishes as much as its own life.」

He was laughing too much now.

「In that case, I hear Baron and Lady Calzeed will soon arrive at the royal castle to celebrate their daughter becoming Elnalfia. You may take the same carriage back with them at that time. I apologize for separating you from that which is as precious as your own life.」

「...I am deeply grateful for your kindness.」

「Mhm.」

Vaid nodded regally. Regal, but still. Those two are coming? What a pain, she thought, but the sound topun echoed in her chest again, thinking it would finally be over. What a mysterious sound. Why not be honest, yessir? the Hamster Spirit danced, so Elna poked it tsun tsun. The hamster squeaked jijiji and sulked with its squishy body.

***

As Elna had thought—this is going to be a pain—it became very troublesome, but the development was as expected.

「Oh, Laura! To think you were Lady Elnalfia...!」

「Mother always felt you were sharp and somehow different from other children. Truly, what a wonderful child you are...!」

「Father, Mother...!」

It looked like a touching family reunion, but in reality, they knew the dragon scale Laura possessed was originally Elna's. After all, the Baron and his wife knew that Laura's claim of having been clutching it as a baby was an outright lie, and Laura often mocked the glass stone she took from Elna as "cheap."

They never considered that Elna might be Elnalfia. They were simply embracing the windfall—Laura's deceit—and attempting to elevate their daughter to a Dragon and seize power.

The faintly chilling display of emotion unfolded in a room in the castle before Vaid, the Head Chamberlain Commonwald, and a few guard knights.

Elna, who stood alone in the room, was glared at by Laura, who was feigning tears in her mother's arms. She hadn't seen Laura since coming to the castle. It had been a long separation, and when Laura first saw Elna, her eyes widened pookan. Then, without bothering to hide the irritation on her freckled face, she glared at Elna. That wasn't enough to scare her, but the Hamster Spirit on Elna's shoulder trembled, 「Jiji!?」 Calm down.

In any case, Elna, having been left out, let out a sigh fuu and looked away. The Baron hastily tried to extract a statement, 「You, too, must be truly happy that your sister is Lady Elnalfia, yes?」 When Elna answered, 「Yes, that's right,」 he looked relieved, but the Baron immediately made a petition to Vaid.

「Your Majesty Vaid. With all due respect, if this girl is the reincarnation of Lady Elnalfia, it pains me to leave her in such a humble territory as ours...」

「For a dragon, the homeland, and the bones of the beloved, hold a value equal to its own life. Do not be so falsely humble.」

「H-Humble...?」

The Baron constantly wiped his sweat and repeatedly patted his protruding belly with his other hand. In short, he wanted to say that Laura should be kept at the royal castle and given appropriate treatment. Seeing Vaid's unresponsive demeanor, the Baron's expression gradually stiffened. His wife and daughter watched closely, but Laura finally couldn't bear it and shouted.

「Your Majesty! Please, keep me by your side! I will certainly prove useful to you with this power—the power that rode the First King upon my back, soaring through the sky and striking down countless demons and magic beasts!」

「Hmm, is that so...?」

Vaid scratched under his chin repeatedly, as if deep in thought, poripori. He glanced briefly at Commonwald. It was probably a subtle movement that only Elna would notice. The old man also seemed to nod quietly. It was at that moment.

「E-Enemy attack! Your Majesty, please escape! A revolt, a revolt has occurred...!!」

The door burst open, and a young soldier rushed in, looking like he had barely escaped with his life. 「Kyaa!」 Laura shrieked. The soldier was gasping haa haa for breath, struggling to catch his shoulder. In a collapsing gesture, he quickly reported that a revolt had broken out, centered around some nobles, and that many soldiers were attempting to attack and overthrow the royal castle. They were trying to crush the royal family before they could solidify their position further by finding Elnalfia's reincarnation.

Glancing at the Calzeed family, who were trembling in utter fear, Vaid spread his mantle basari and said,

「Now.」

「Laura Calzeed. There is no lie in your words, is there? Then, let us see that power demonstrated now! Take the lead yourself and annihilate the rebel forces!」

「That's utterly reckless!」 the Baroness was the first to shout.

「H-How can you make such a weak maiden do that...? That's right! Since she is Lady Elnalfia's reincarnation, her safety should be the top priority, and she should be evacuated from this place first!」

Laura's face instantly brightened, as if she were seeing a goddess of salvation, but her hope was immediately struck down by Vaid.

「If you are the reincarnation of the Fire Dragon Elnalfia, who is also a flying dragon, then your magic power will burn everything to ash. The legend of Elnalfia, who carried the First King, is exactly as you have heard. Furthermore, wasn't your earlier declaration made with the full knowledge of that power?」

Vaid's eyes were cold as he spoke. Laura had certainly shouted that she would prove useful.

Laura trembled gata gata. She bit her habitual thumbnail gichigichi and didn't move. 「Laura, it's alright, no, it must be alright...」 The Baron didn't truly believe Laura was Elnalfia's reincarnation. Laura was a mere girl who couldn't use magic. So, of course, it wasn't alright. But the Baron seemed unwilling to admit the words that Laura was not Elnalfia. Happiness once grasped becomes something even more desired when one knows they cannot hold onto it.

Screams echoed throughout the castle. Each time, Laura bit her nail gachiri. 「Laura!」 her mother screamed. Deny it! Elna wished. She wasn't angry that they had lied about being Elnalfia. She simply thought that this would lead to a terrible situation. Elna hated human death. So she didn't want to see any senseless death, no matter whose it was.

Finally, screams were heard close by. Soldiers burst through the opened door, and men clad head-to-toe in iron armor jumped in, raising their swords. It was too much. So.

Elna had unconsciously darted forward and pulled Laura's arm.

Not even noticing that the hem of her dress was torn, she shielded Laura and jumped in front of the men. Then, with her outstretched arm, she snapped her fingers bachiri.

「—Burn.」

Without even generating heat, the rebel soldiers' armor melted, and they lost their weapons.

Not even a scream was uttered. The soldiers whose armor had melted couldn't comprehend what had happened to them, and they searched for their lost weapons. And then, they realized the truth. The single girl standing before them had used a terrifying feat of power, stripping them of all their weapons and armor.

Coincidentally, Elna was wearing a red dress.

The fluttering lace, which should have been cute, strangely made the girl herself look like she was ablaze, and wananaki—trembling—one person, then two, and the people in the room fell prostrate. All of them, as if they knew her true value.

...Only the Calzeed family and the King, Vaid, stared intently at Elna.

The Calzeed family stared in fear, and Vaid stared quietly, calmly, as if swallowing something. The difference between the two was significant.

Elna finally understood what she had done. Her body had moved on its own. That was all. There was no excuse. Yet, she shook her head. She shook it desperately. 「No.」 The girl who had stood tall and proud gradually clouded her expression. 「No, no!」 She shook her head repeatedly, pleading with the people. 「I... I'm not a dragon!」 Her face was crumpled, agonizingly, seeking something.

「I'm not a dragon, I'm not a dragon, because I'm not a dragon...!」

It was a very comical gesture. The Dragon to be feared was trembling, her face messy with tears. Sururi, her vision was obscured. She was pulled backward, as if being embraced by someone. A large, warm palm covered her eyes and wiped her tears. Ton, Elna's head rested against someone's shoulder. 「What are you afraid of? Tell me.」 It was a comforting voice. A voice that echoed deep in her chest, sutori.

「They stole the bones... my mother's bones.」

In an instant, Vaid's rage exploded.

「You people! You stole the remains of the dragon's beloved one...!」

The man whose voice had been mischievously yet gently telling her to go home in the grass field was nowhere to be found. His surging anger did not subside; it felt as if it were shaking the very space around them bari bari. At Vaid's terrifying demeanor, the Baron shrieked, 「Hee!」 jumping up and immediately falling to his knees. He became so small that his forehead ground gori gori against the floor, and he trembled buru buru.

「By no means, I-I never thought that this girl was the reincarnation of the Dragon, no, Elnalfia! Her mother was a commoner bought with money, a vile person, so, well, we merely disposed of her after she became useless due to illness.」

「Nonsense! The guardian of this country is the Dragon! As you all know, the Dragon guards its homeland and values the bones of its beloved as much as its own life. That is precisely why, in our country, even the remains of a criminal are delivered to their family in their hometown. That is a right granted even to criminals! And yet... you people...! Furthermore, I do not recall giving permission for human trafficking!」

Ah, the Baroness, who collapsed on the spot, had burned the mother who died of illness and hidden her bones. It was also an act of revenge against her husband for arbitrarily adopting Elna, so the Baron had pretended not to see his wife's actions. Her daughter, Laura, had told Elna she would tell her the location of the bones someday, in exchange for Elna doing everything she asked. During that time, Elna had her glass-like scale stolen.

From their perspective, they probably never imagined that Elna would be so attached to her mother's bones. Elna, with or without her memories, was a dragon to the core, bound by her nature without even knowing it.

「I knew from the beginning that your daughter was not Elnalfia. However, I thought it was merely the frivolous words of a girl who had just come of age. I intended to let it pass as a mere joke if she had offered even a single word of retraction herself, but to think you and your family would try to deceive us!」

At Vaid's piercing gaze, the three Calzeeds huddled together hii. They were likely terrified, imagining their fate from here on. But Vaid spat at their reaction.

「The falsehood of claiming to be Elnalfia, our country's guardian dragon, the refusal to hand over the remains to the bereaved family, and human trafficking. And I suspect even more dust will come out when we shake this tree! The sentence will be handed down later. Prepare yourselves for a fitting punishment!」

Elna just stared blankly at the Calzeeds, who were crying and collapsing.

Then, the spirit, who had quietly descended to the floor, closed its mouth and wiped its face, which was messy with tears, with the other hand. It was making a pose—its arms so short it couldn't bring them together, rounded above its head with crossed legs—while snorting puhipuhi, 「We did it, yessir.」

Vaid, who had spoken resolutely, did not look proud. His profile was somehow pained, and regretful. It was a look that seemed to lament his own lack of power.

***

—Elnalfia, even if I die. Hey, Elnalfia......

***