As I held Loa in my arms,
“Luria-chan, do you think your mother would let you keep Loa?”
Sara asked worriedly.
“Hm, probably? Loa is just a lizard, after all.”
“But… it has wings.”
“Hmm?”
“A lizard with wings… almost like a dragon…”
Sara stared intently at Loa and gently pinched the wings on its back.
“Loa must be a winged lizard. Definitely.”
“Ryuiryui.”
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.
“New species? A dragon lizard?”
“…Maybe. No, let’s stick with winged lizard.”
To avoid any suspicion that Loa might actually be a dragon, I decided to emphasize the “winged lizard” angle. Whether such a species exists, I have no idea, but if it doesn’t, I’ll just call it a newly discovered species.
(The problem is… Mother knows a lot about animals…)
As I contemplated how to gloss over this,
“By the way, Luria-chan,”
“What’s up?”
“Are dragons… scary?”
Sara gazed directly into my eyes as she asked.
“I have absolutely no idea why you’re asking about dragons right now, but…”
I averted my gaze.
“I’ve heard they’re very strong.”
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. They’d argue it’s 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 I’m 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 Loa’s 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.
“Sara-chan, dragons are incredibly powerful.”
“Yeah, Mama told me that. She said it’s a disaster if you make one angry.”
“That’s right. Their power is comparable to volcanic eruptions or tsunamis.”
“Wow…”
Sara’s eyes sparkled slightly. Like me, she seemed to love strong creatures.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned.
There’s always the possibility that Loa’s 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 lion’s cage.
That’s why I want her to know that dragons are kind creatures.
“Sara-chan, dragons are very strong.”
“Yeah.”
“But if such powerful dragons were reckless and cruel, humans wouldn’t have survived.”
“That’s true…”
If such ruthless, disaster-causing beings existed, humanity’s civilization wouldn’t have developed this far. Even the idea of humans being the strongest species relies on the inherent kindness of dragons.
“So, dragons are kind.”
“I see… So, does that mean Loa is too?”
“Yes, Loa is kind… Wait, oh no.”
“Hehe, heheh.”
Sara laughed mischievously.
It turns out she’s more cunning than I thought. I walked right into her trap.
“Hehe. Heheh. So, Loa isn’t a winged lizard but a dragon, right?”
“Well, since you figured it out, I guess there’s no helping it. Yes… Loa is a dragon.”
As Sara and I spoke, we continued to pet Loa. Even Kuro joined in.
“Ryairyai.”
Loa wagged its tail happily, pressing its head into our hands one after the other.
“You know, I wanted to see a dragon,” Sara said.
“Is that so? Then take your time and look as much as you want.”
“Yeah! Thanks. So cute!”
“Ryaa~”
Sara hugged Loa and began stroking it all over.
“Your tail is so thick.”
“A dragon’s tail can destroy anything with a single strike.”
“The claws aren’t that sharp?”
“A grown dragon’s claws never let its prey escape.”
“And it has fangs, even though it’s still a baby?”
“A dragon’s fangs can crush even diamonds.”
I recited the descriptions I’d read in the Encyclopedia of Strong Creatures to Sara. I’d read the dragon section so many times that I practically had it memorized.
“Loa is a dragon with arms, huh?”
“Yes. Not a wyvern without front legs, but a dragon with arms. Or maybe I should say forearms.”
“A dragon with arms…”
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, they’re 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, Sara’s eyes sparkled.
“Luria-chan, you’re amazing!”
“Fufufu. Yes, I am amazing. My knowledge of dragons is quite impressive.”
“Super amazing!”
Reading the Encyclopedia of Strong Creatures so many times was worth it. Thanks to it, I’ve managed to uphold my dignity as an older sister.
“Loa has arms, so he can grab things.”
Loa’s arms weren’t just front legs for running. Like us or Kuro, he could grab and hold things.
“So cool!”
“Ryaa!”
Loa wagged his tail happily as Sara continued to pet him.
