Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I’m Going to Sleep

Chapter 173: Rat, Dragon, and Travel (2)

Maybelle set off confidently, but...

"Hmm... I'm sure the priest said there's a big tavern to the west of the central square, and next to it is a nice inn..."

"But that's to the south, isn't it?"

"Ah, is that so? Then if we go down this alley here..."

"That way leads east."

"Ah, T-Then the other way."

"If you go towards the side of the building we just passed, it leads to the central square, right?"

"Ah..."

Maybelle had heard a lot of information from the priest, but it seems she's both directionally challenged and lacking a sense of direction. Even in this small village, she wandered around for quite a while unable to find her destination.

Well, in a small rural town like this, being directionally challenged not wouldn't really matter. She probably didn't even realize she had a poor sense of direction.

The priest... did he not know this girl was so directionally challenged? No, if he knew, he surely wouldn't have sent her off alone.

If she had gone off on her own, she might not have been able to reach her destination properly and would have wandered around for a long time.

After wandering for a while, Maybelle eventually stopped in front of a building.

"T-This is the place, right?"

"It does seem to be so."

Maybelle, a bit exhausted from entering the wrong buildings a few times, pointed hesitantly at the building in front of her.

Hmm. Without a proper sign, it's a bit confusing. But the location seems to match what was described, so it's probably the right place.

"I didn't realize I'm so bad at finding my way... If I was alone, I would have been in big trouble."

"Yeah, you really would have."

Normally, the image that comes to mind with a mouse is small but nimble and clever. But this girl is completely different from that image.

"Let's just go in for now."

The building we entered was, fortunately, the inn that Maybelle was looking for.

Well then... I suppose we'll stay here for the night.

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"It feels a bit strange since this isn't the room I'm used to sleeping in. And the fact that I'm not sleeping alone makes it even more peculiar."

Maybelle gave a slightly stiff smile. The tension on her was clearly visible.

Well, it's understandable for her to be tense. A young village girl who somehow ended up embarking on a journey wielding a hammer, all to search for her long-lost mother.

In this situation, if she wasn't tense, I'd suspect her nerves were made of steel wire.

"And to be in the same room as the Dragon's Priestess... Ugh, I'm so nervous..."

Ah, so I'm the cause of it.

Hmm... It's understandable. The story of the hero is widely known as the original heroic tale, and the Dragon's Priestess who appears alongside him is also well-known.

Ahem. It's a bit awkward, isn't it.

"I'm not going to eat you, so why are you so tense?"

"B-But you're the Dragon's Priestess! And you're actually a giant dragon. This kind of story, no one will believe it."

"It's not for no reason that I'm called Dragon's Priestess."

Well, it's just a title that ended up on me.

"For now, keep it a secret. It would be a bit troublesome if others found out."

"Understood! I'll take it to the grave!"

That was a rather lively response. Her small stature and cute appearance make for a pleasant sight.

Despite the energetic tone, her body was still trembling slightly. Hmm, let's see.

In times like this, a warm and sweet beverage would be nice.

I lightly snapped my fingers, and a steaming cup of cocoa appeared in the air.

Cocoa, a drink that hasn't yet appeared in this world. Hmm, I wonder if I can find it somewhere. Or maybe I should make it myself. Well, I'll think about that later. For now, I just want to relax.

"Do you enjoy sweet things?"

"Huh? Ah, yes, I do. But things like honey are very precious, so I can only have them on special occasions. Normally, I eat fruits and such..."

Honey. Hmm, honey. Well, honey can only be obtained through beekeeping.

Unless there is a special case of taming monster bees, it seems to be a quite precious item.

And it appears that sweet-tasting plants like sugarcane or sugar beets have not yet been discovered.

But I feel like they must exist somewhere. Hmm... Perhaps they are growing in a different form.

"If you like sweet things, try this as well. Be careful, it's hot."

"Ah, yes. I'll enjoy it."

Maybelle carefully took the teacup I handed her and stared at the steaming cocoa for a while.

Then, with a look of great determination, she took a sip of the cocoa.

"Ouch, it's hot!"

Startled, as if her tongue was burned, the teacup flew out of Maybelle's hand.

I told her to be careful because it's hot. What a troublesome child.

I caught the falling teacup and used magic to gather the scattered cocoa into one place. Then I guided the cocoa back into the teacup without spilling a single drop.

Hmm, this level of magic use is quite simple now. The consumption of magic is almost negligible.

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"Didn't I tell you it was hot?"

"It, it burned..."

"Looks like your tongue got burned. Let me see."

I lightly touched Maybelle's cheek with the index finger of my empty left hand, and the magic seeped into her mouth.

It doesn't seem to be too severely burned. This should be able to heal it instantly.

"There, the healing is done."

"Wow... the pain disappeared in an instant..."

Maybelle stuck out her tongue and lightly pressed it with her finger.

Hmm, she seems surprised that the pain vanished so quickly.

"Alright, now be careful and drink it."

"Y-Yes."

For some reason, she seems even more tense than before. Trying to relax her tension seems to have backfired.

Maybelle carefully poured the cocoa into her mouth.

And then...

"...!!"

Maybelle's eyes widened.

"What is this? It's so sweet! And there's a faint bitterness that seems to accentuate the sweetness, unlike honey!"

"Looks like you're enjoying it."

"Yes! It's so deliciously sweet! Incredible!"

I smiled softly as I watched Maybelle exclaim in admiration.

She's eating it so delightfully, it's worth the effort of making it.

"Alright, let's review the plan for the journey once more."

Maybelle, her mouth full of cocoa, could only nod her head slightly.

"First, we're heading to the Temple of Life where your mother's letter was sent from, right?"

"Yes. The letter was sent from the Temple of Life in Armen."

Armen? Where's that?

After 300 years, I've heard of that place before.

"I've never heard of that place. Where is it?"

"Ah... You were asleep for about 300 years. Hmm, how should I explain it..."

Maybelle paused for a moment before speaking.

"Do you know the region of Arcad?"

"Of course. Wasn't that the country that existed before Arcadia?"

"Yes. Armen is a city-state located northwest of the Arcad region."

Northwest of Arcad? Hmm... There were only small villages in that direction.

But a city-state has been established there? Even though it's close to Arcadia, they managed to build a city in that area.

"Isn't it dangerous being so close to Arcadia? They managed to establish a city there, huh."

"Ah... The thing is, the country of Arcadia no longer exists."

"What?"

The country disappeared? In just 300 years?

What on earth. What on earth happened?

"Well, about 80 years ago, the king died without appointing a successor. At that time, the collateral royal family members fought each other to become the king... It ended up being split into several pieces."

Hmm... So his country was torn apart like that. The one in paradise must be feeling frustrated.

"Now it's split into several city-states, each claiming to be the successor of Arcadia, and they are fiercely competing with each other. I don't remember the details, but..."

"I see, that's enough."

Several city-states... It feels like the Three Kingdoms, or rather the Sixteen Kingdoms.

This too must be the history of humans. Hmm...

A faint sense of regret arose, but I didn't want to get involved in human history again.

I should just watch from a slight distance.

"But if Arcadia has been split into several pieces, what is the situation of Sirius, the capital of Arcadia?"

If all the city-states claim the legitimacy of Arcadia, then Sirius must be the city coveted by all.

No, since it was a city named after the guardian deity of the Pantheon, can the other cities even invade that place?

"Sirius is... said to be neutral. The Sirius Temple and the Epona Cavalry both said they would open the door to the throne of Sirius if a rightful king of Arcadia appeared. So Sirius is being ruled jointly by the Sirius Temple and the Epona Cavalry as a neutral city."

Hmm. It seems they also have complicated circumstances over there. Well, without a legitimate successor, they couldn't easily make a move.

But... aside from the Sirius Temple or the Arcadian throne, the Epona Cavalry?

Epona was surely the name of the beastman of horses who distinguished himself in the war of Arcadia, the one who guided hero and me...

"If it's Epona..."

"Ah, yes. As you know, Dragon's Priestess, it's the name of the first cavalry commander of Arcadia. Her name was used for the cavalry unit because of her distinguished service in capturing the king during the war."

I see. Her name was left behind due to the great achievements she made.

Humans leave their names behind after death...