Chapter 29: Something to Fear
“If the Crown Princess wishes to report me, I can’t stop you, of course. But don’t tell me you aren’t aware of your own position in the Kingdom of Alicia. If it weren’t for you humans and your tradition of the eldest legitimate daughter inheriting the throne, for someone who fears dragons themselves… becoming a Holy Dragon Knight would likely be impossible in this lifetime.”
Eirya’s words were spoken with absolute certainty. And the sheer amount of information she casually revealed took Yier Meng by surprise.
“You’re… afraid of dragons?”
Yier Meng found it hard to believe. The Crown Princess of the Kingdom of Alicia, the only human nation to possess Holy Dragon Knights, was afraid of dragons. Not even Yier Meng had imagined this.
Not only did Yier Meng not believe it, but across from them, Elise—who had been occasionally nibbling on a senbei and taking sips of the cool tea—was so startled upon hearing this that she fumbled her bite, and the rice cracker slipped from her grasp.
Crack.
The senbei fell from her slightly trembling hand, hit the wooden table, and shattered into several small pieces.
“…”
At that, the atmosphere became uncannily silent. You could have heard a pin drop.
“Then… are you afraid of Eirya?” The awkward atmosphere was becoming unbearable. Thinking she couldn’t stand it any longer, Yier Meng decided to ask the crucial question.
“Ooh…”
Hearing Yier Meng’s question, Wendymia’s pink ahoge (a single, prominent strand of hair sticking out from the head, often used in anime/manga to denote a character’s personality) trembled slightly, as if she were facing a tremendous problem. The swaying strand of hair finally bobbed forward, bending into a very cute arc.
“A little bit.”
Her cheeks gradually warmed to a shade of pink, and faint white wisps of steam seemed to appear above Wendymia’s head.
“Eh? You’re really afraid of dragons?” Elise gasped, covering her small mouth in shock. It seemed this naturally dense elf didn’t find dragons to be fearsome creatures at all.
“Mm… more accurately, I’m afraid of dragons in their dragon form. Because slippery, scaly creatures are terrifying, and their dragon eyes are a little…”
Hesitantly, Wendymia finally managed to state one of the reasons she was afraid of dragons. As she spoke, her eyes kept darting toward Eirya, as if observing whether she would get angry at her words.
“Don’t look at me. Your fear of dragons is more obvious than a case of hemophobia. I’ve done my homework. Your younger royal brothers and sisters have already spread the news of your condition to the entire country.”
On the surface, Eirya’s words were blunt, but her underlying intention was to tell Wendymia not to worry too much about her feelings. It could be considered a kind of draconic, tsundere-style concern.
“Unlike that idiot elf over there, I’ve done my homework on everyone in the class. I also know that you became like this because you were thrown into the Dragon Kingdom when you were very young, in an attempt to get a Gold Dragon—a close relative of the Light Dragons who possess the power of Holy Light—to acknowledge you.”
“I don’t know what happened back then that allowed you, a human, to go to the Dragon Kingdom, but afterwards, you became this pathetic version of yourself, to the point where your mother—Her Majesty the Queen—considered revoking your status as heir several times.”
“Heh heh, but what they probably never expected was that while you rejected the Light Dragon’s blood, you actually obtained true dragon power. The aura of death that unleashes destruction… that dense aura on you is nothing less than the blood of a king. It’s so strong that I, the future king of the Ice Dragon clan, can’t help but sense it. Am I wrong, student Crown Princess Wendymia?”
Eirya’s pupils abruptly shifted from human to the vertical slits of a dragon. In that moment, those otherworldly eyes became extremely dangerous. Under her intense pressure, it felt as if they could tear through any disguise, leaving Wendymia’s secrets with nowhere to hide. This was especially true when she uttered the words “student Crown Princess Wendymia.” The terrifying pressure was like that of a slumbering dragon, awakened in fury—it was a true Dragon’s Might.
“Ah!”
Wendymia let out a wretched cry. The moment she saw the dragon eyes, it was as if she were seeing her most dreaded memory. She clutched her head, her hands braced as she curled into a ball, hugging her knees, her entire body shaking violently.
