As I held Loa in my arms,
โLuria-chan, do you think your mother would let you keep Loa?โ
Sara asked worriedly.
โHm, probably? Loa is just a lizard, after all.โ
โButโฆ it has wings.โ
โHmm?โ
โA lizard with wingsโฆ almost like a dragonโฆโ
Sara stared intently at Loa and gently pinched the wings on its back.
โLoa must be a winged lizard. Definitely.โ
โRyuiryui.โ
Loa, nestled in my arms, shifted over to Sara and rubbed its head against her. Like this, it only looked like a very friendly winged lizard.
โNew species? A dragon lizard?โ
โโฆMaybe. No, letโs stick with winged lizard.โ
To avoid any suspicion that Loa might actually be a dragon, I decided to emphasize the โwinged lizardโ angle. Whether such a species exists, I have no idea, but if it doesnโt, Iโll just call it a newly discovered species.
(The problem isโฆ Mother knows a lot about animalsโฆ)
As I contemplated how to gloss over this,
โBy the way, Luria-chan,โ
โWhatโs up?โ
โAre dragonsโฆ scary?โ
Sara gazed directly into my eyes as she asked.
โI have absolutely no idea why youโre asking about dragons right now, butโฆโ
I averted my gaze.
โIโve heard theyโre very strong.โ
Dragons are feared creatures. If you asked who the strongest beings in the world are, eight out of ten mages or knights would name dragons.
Incidentally, the other two would say humans. Theyโd argue itโs because of our numbers, our ability to wield weapons and magical tools, and our skill in group combat. I read that in the book Encyclopedia of Strong Creatures.
But Iโm not afraid of dragons. In my previous life, every dragon I met was kind.
When I, as the saintly princess, was ordered by the king to subjugate dragons, they welcomed me warmly. Upon learning my circumstances through Loaโs translations, the dragons sympathized with me.
Seeing that I had no choice but to attack them due to the subjugation collar, they chose to leave instead of fighting me.
The three dragons I met were all gentle, wise, and immensely strong.
โSara-chan, dragons are incredibly powerful.โ
โYeah, Mama told me that. She said itโs a disaster if you make one angry.โ
โThatโs right. Their power is comparable to volcanic eruptions or tsunamis.โ
โWowโฆโ
Saraโs eyes sparkled slightly. Like me, she seemed to love strong creatures.
Still, I couldnโt help but feel a bit concerned.
Thereโs always the possibility that Loaโs true identity as a dragon could be revealed someday. If that happens, and Sara starts to fear dragons, she might end up disliking Loa.
Even humans who adore strong lions would feel scared if they were thrown into a lionโs cage.
Thatโs why I want her to know that dragons are kind creatures.
โSara-chan, dragons are very strong.โ
โYeah.โ
โBut if such powerful dragons were reckless and cruel, humans wouldnโt have survived.โ
โThatโs trueโฆโ
If such ruthless, disaster-causing beings existed, humanityโs civilization wouldnโt have developed this far. Even the idea of humans being the strongest species relies on the inherent kindness of dragons.
โSo, dragons are kind.โ
โI seeโฆ So, does that mean Loa is too?โ
โYes, Loa is kindโฆ Wait, oh no.โ
โHehe, heheh.โ
Sara laughed mischievously.
It turns out sheโs more cunning than I thought. I walked right into her trap.
โHehe. Heheh. So, Loa isnโt a winged lizard but a dragon, right?โ
โWell, since you figured it out, I guess thereโs no helping it. Yesโฆ Loa is a dragon.โ
As Sara and I spoke, we continued to pet Loa. Even Kuro joined in.
โRyairyai.โ
Loa wagged its tail happily, pressing its head into our hands one after the other.
โYou know, I wanted to see a dragon,โ Sara said.
โIs that so? Then take your time and look as much as you want.โ
โYeah! Thanks. So cute!โ
โRyaa~โ
Sara hugged Loa and began stroking it all over.
โYour tail is so thick.โ
โA dragonโs tail can destroy anything with a single strike.โ
โThe claws arenโt that sharp?โ
โA grown dragonโs claws never let its prey escape.โ
โAnd it has fangs, even though itโs still a baby?โ
โA dragonโs fangs can crush even diamonds.โ
I recited the descriptions Iโd read in the Encyclopedia of Strong Creatures to Sara. Iโd read the dragon section so many times that I practically had it memorized.
โLoa is a dragon with arms, huh?โ
โYes. Not a wyvern without front legs, but a dragon with arms. Or maybe I should say forearms.โ
โA dragon with armsโฆโ
Dragons are first categorized by whether they have wings.
Those with wings are called sky dragons, and those without are land dragons. Dragons with fins instead of wings or limbs are sea dragons. Even if they live in lakes or rivers, theyโre still called sea dragons.
Sky dragons and land dragons are further classified by whether they have front legs.
Sky dragons without front legs are often referred to as wyverns.
When I explained this, Saraโs eyes sparkled.
โLuria-chan, youโre amazing!โ
โFufufu. Yes, I am amazing. My knowledge of dragons is quite impressive.โ
โSuper amazing!โ
Reading the Encyclopedia of Strong Creatures so many times was worth it. Thanks to it, Iโve managed to uphold my dignity as an older sister.
โLoa has arms, so he can grab things.โ
Loaโs arms werenโt just front legs for running. Like us or Kuro, he could grab and hold things.
โSo cool!โ
โRyaa!โ
Loa wagged his tail happily as Sara continued to pet him.