Woodland Drake

A drake whose main habitats are forests and woods. These drakes possess the ability to control the vegetation around them through their mana, aiding in their growth and nurturing them when damaged; in return, vegetation will listen to their commands, fighting alongside their protector against the forest’s foes. The wood and moss growing off the body is actually its shell and loose-hanging scales respectively, giving this physically hardy dragonkin even higher defenses. Rank C

My eyes burnt and a sense of competition awoke inside my soul as I eyed the giant emerald-scaled komodo dragon-shaped monster, towering over me at around the size of a mammoth with a lizard’s length adjusted to its extra size. If I were to compare it to my own dragon form, then I would be only slightly shorter, since I was a dragon and he a drake

The biggest difference between a dragon and a drake, according to the evolution descriptions I read when I had the option to evolve during my earliest days in Belzac Forest, was the fact that drakes were built entirely for land traversal due to a lack of wings. Using the drake in front of me as a reference, I could conclude that a drake had a sturdier, bulkier frame compared to my more lean, serpent-like form. Of course, this might not be true for future encounters.

Nevertheless, seeing this drake, no, Cernust evoked a desire to test my strength against him, to see who was the apex predator in this area. Thoughts like “this is my territory,” or arrogant ones like “why haven’t you lowered your head” were circling inside my head without any reason. My reasonable side had no idea where all of this was coming from. It was as if my instincts were going haywire again.

And the worst part about all of this was this creeping feeling of [Battle Frenzy] rearing its head. I wanted to fight, I wanted to fight Cernust right now, right here. To unleash flames upon anybody who hasn’t bowed their head or tucked their tails between their legs yet. It was suffocating and somehow, I had a feeling Cernust understood this.

“Kr-Krauuuuuu?!” Without checking on how Severa was, Cernust not only reciprocated my roar but was now in a pose suggesting he was wary of me. His antlers were directed at me like a buck.

“Krriiihaaaaaaaaaa…,” I hissed at him for some reason.

At this point, I was sure that my body was taking over my actions once again, and I wasn’t even sure why. Cernust clearly wasn’t showing any hostility towards me, so it couldn’t be self-defense, right? The last time this happened was after Shiterno’s stupid decision to “bless” me with his title, and, if I could count it, was when my [Battle Frenzy] reached the moderate phase.

It was partly because of those two events that I decided upon the sunfang dragon as my evolution choice since it was described as a relatively calm, albeit prideful, dragon in the description. So why was I acting up like a bitch having a hissy fit?

“Lady Hestia.” Something cold suddenly touched my shoulder, cooling down my fired-up body. Ever since I was reborn as a dragon, I haven’t exactly been a big fan of the cold; cold water and our attempts to make ice cream may have tasted good, but I still preferred warm food. So, normally the cold would have been annoying, but this felt comforting, like putting the AC on the lowest temperature after a warm, summer school day. “Please, calm down. It’s alright, it’s alright.” The whispers were like a melody.

Yeah, yeah, calm down. Cool it down. Nothing is wrong. I won’t let my body go berserk again, and hurt everybody.

I slammed shut my eyelids and slapped my cheeks until they felt like they were burning, preventing this aggressive feeling from growing any further, before roaring into the sky to release all this negative feeling. I don’t know how long I screamed, but once I was finished, my throat felt sore and dry, a sign that I strained my voice far too carelessly.

As I huff-puffed to fill up my lungs again, a finger tapped my shoulder, making me turn my head towards the person. It was Tasianna, who was holding a cyan-colored cup filled with water. She was the one who calmed me down.

“Thank you,” I told her before accepting the cup of water made using her new catalyst. “I’m sorry for the scream.”

“There is no need, my Lady. I am here to serve you. Besides, I managed to activate [Air Shield] in time so my ears didn’t explode. Hie hie.” Hearing Tasianna giggle was like music to my ears.

Once I was done drinking, I handed her the cup back and turned to Cernust, who looked like he was confused at what was happening. Somehow, I was able to understand his expressions despite the clear lack of facial movements on his dragon head.

“Cernust, sorry for that, uhm, I-We can handle this matter later. How about you check on your girlfriend first?” The situation was too awkward for me. Never would I have thought I’d meet a drake here and now. It would be better if I had my dragon-to-dragon talk later.

However, before this would be possible, there was something that I had to resolve first. A young man in armor covered with dirt was shaking in his boots as he pointed his sword at the beast standing before him. His eyes showed a fire to fight back his opposition, but his trembling arms weren’t fully complying to his wish.

“Sir Antonio, stand down!” I called him out.

“S-Stand down?! A d-dragon has sneaked into Artorias! Lady Shrine Maiden, even if you are a servant of the Goddess, I do not care for what you have to say! T-This is not Loatryx! We do not revere these beasts here!” Antonio snapped at me. It was likely that fear was controlling his actions right now.

Honestly, if I were a normal person and suddenly a giant lizard were to appear right in front of me, towering over me by quite a few heads, then I would probably also act unreasonably. I couldn’t blame him for what he was saying. However, what I could do was calm him down.

I activated [Benevolent Aura]. It was still at a low level, but it was better than nothing.

Benevolent Aura

An aura that sends out the user’s inner nature in the form of an aura. People affected by the aura are soothed by the user’s good-natured spirit, calming them down from mental and emotional burdens. Higher levels increase the efficiency of curing mental and emotional status ailments

“Sir Antonio, please, this isn’t me trying to preach to you about Loatryxian culture or anything. In fact, I couldn’t care less if Cernust were a drake or not. Please, calm down, and think of this more reasonably. As a knight, you have a duty to assess situations with a clear mind, correct?” It was the same argument we had before but, this time, I really had to convince him to drop his sword. “Why did Cernust reveal his secret here? Wasn’t it to rescue your sister who was in danger of being attacked by four wild monsters? You can see tree branches having slain them over there, the handiwork of Cernust here.”

I pointed at the grizzly and three wargs hanging off in the corner, even showing that Saori was guarding Severa at this moment before continuing. “If Cernust actually was a kidnapper, then why did he save your sister? He had a good opportunity to flee when we all moved to save your sister. Even now, in his current form, why isn’t he rampaging? With the ability to control and accelerate the growth rate of vegetation, it would be desirable for him to keep fighting here, as you should be aware from your earlier battle with him.”

“Then explain to me why did he run away with my sister, my Lady?!” Antonio shouted. “I gave him the opportunity to surrender! Yes, I might have acted too impulsive as a knight, but it still does not change the fact he kidnapped a noblewoman! I will ask forgiveness from Goddess Erithia and Sir Yeostar later in church; however, I do not believe I acted unfairly here! This ma-drake is a criminal!”

“He is not a criminal!” That shout wasn’t from me, but from someone who could explain this situation better than me. Severa, supported by Saori as it seemed that she injured her leg, came forward to reason with her brother. “He did not take me away by force, brother Antonio. The decision was mine alone, I wanted to run away from home. Cernust was my opportunity to free myself from… everything.”

“Severa?!”

“I-I will explain everything, so please, sheathe your blade. Look, even Bornelli isn’t willing to fight.” She was right, the aggressive hippogryph was still glaring daggers at Cernust but was showing none of the bloodthirst from before. Honestly, hippogryphs must really hate dragonkins if it wasn’t scared or shivering before Cernust, despite being a rank below him.

Thankfully, after that, Antonio reluctantly sheathed his sword and calmed down. He gave Cernust a look of wariness as he stared at his drake form, but stopped as he wanted to help his sister. Cernust nodded his head at me and a blue mist appeared from his body.

The mist started to disperse, revealing Cernust’s form, however, it was different from the form I’d seen before. All his bull features were now completely gone as traits of his drake form took over. Instead of bull horns, he had antlers. Green scales covered his arms and legs, and he had thick, sharp claws on his fingers and toes. A moss-like fur was growing from his neck down to his shoulder, although, if the description of his drake form was correct, this moss should be part of his scales too. He also had a long, lizard tail now instead of his bovine one. He wasn’t a bovline anymore; he was a dragonewt.

… It seems he only had his pants on. Considering our situation, I would hazard a guess that only his pants were made from mana threads, while the rest of his equipment probably exploded after he transformed. It’s a shame about the gauntlets, honestly.

As he came closer, Cernust suddenly kowtowed and tucked his tail between his legs, before speaking in a subservient tone, “I apologize for not recognizing your scent earlier, your highn-UHWARGHHHHHHHHHHH!”

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For some reason, Cernust was sent flying into the distance.

“KYAAAHHHH! SHUT UP!” Oh, that’s right, it’s cause I kicked him.

“Lady Hestia?!?!?!”

“Ahhhh! Verdammt, I’m sorry, Cernust!”

Still, how did he know?

He wasn’t able to end his sentence before I kicked him away, but I was sure he was about to say something about royalty or something, and I just instinctively kicked him to stop him from saying that. My gut told me to do it, I swear.

After apologizing to Cernust about what happened, I whispered to him to keep quiet for now about everything. After I healed Severa’s sprained ankle, Antonio found a place for them to sit. Meanwhile, my party was inspecting the monsters who attacked Severa when we noticed that they had collars and some scrap armor equipped on them. Since Saori had just become a tamer, she presumed they were some tamer’s monsters, which meant we might face some problems later on. Then again, we acted in self-defense, so whatever, not our problem.

We then settled down and gathered around Severa, where she told us the truth behind this whole affair. In short, Severa left the house ‘cause she fell in love with Cernust.

“What! Absurd! How can a Lecartiglio noble have feelings for this-this dragonkin!” Antonio exclaimed. “Beside, Severa, as a noble you cannot just mix your blood with a commoner! There is a place for everything, but this action will not benefit our House at all! What will Father and Mother say when they hear this.” Antonio slapped his forehead, looking anxious as he contemplated his parent’s reactions to the news.

“See! This is why I left home, for this exact reason! How is it taboo for a Lecartiglio noble to marry a beastman, excluding arvisians, simply because they are the descendants of beasts? I knew you would not agree and neither would Father and Mother. That is why disappearing from your life was the best way for this to resolve peacefully for our lives!” Severa screamed at her judgemental brother. “I would leave Artorias behind and move to Loatryx with Cernust, where we would live our lives in peace. Where all the stress of becoming a better mage just to uphold our house’s honor would be gone.”

Antonio winced. “I-I understand you would feel distressed considering our bloodline’s lackluster mana growth, but that still doesn’t mean you can disappear without saying anything to your family! Have you no idea how worried Father and our eldest brother were? Not to mention Mother and our sister! You cannot just run away like this just to marry some commoner dragonkin from Loatryx after only knowing him for a few months!”

“Sorry for chiming in, but I’m actually from Kargryx and, while we don’t have an actual feudal society with a class system, all true dragonkins like dragons, drakes, leviathans, and adamantoises are considered like nobility by the lesser dragonkins, dragonewts, and levianewts,” Cernust explained. “Oh yeah, I haven’t introduced myself properly, right? I am Cernust Gaia Kurnistus. I am a drake and my ancestor was the forest guardian, Kurnistus. In terms you humans would understand better, my family would be similar to a schwertnoble.”

“What?” Antonio let out with widened eyes.

“That is beside the point, brother Antonio. Even if Cernust was an actual dragonewt or bovline, I wouldn’t have cared and gone with him anyways!” Severa vehemently made her stance clear. “This isn’t some maiden fancy as you would like to believe! Cernust might have a rough speaking habit, but that is because he only learned Common after he left his home two years ago. He isn’t some vagabond who sweeps in to steal away hearts, but an actual good man!”

Antonio’s story on how his sister met Cernust was true, confirmed by Severa herself. The only differences were the details needed to actually make sense of the story. Severa met Cernust during a routine outing around House Moreschi’s fief to inspect the land and its serfs. Cernust was there to fulfill a Quest from the hunter’s guild to hunt down some mole-type monsters infesting the local farmland.

Severa stumbled upon him and saw his earth magic, causing her to feel envious as her own magical abilities were subpar, a common trait among schwertnobles, but not for viscount houses. House Moreschi was on the border between a viscount and baron when it comes to magic potential, which has been a constant reason for stress for each of their House Heads.

According to Severa, nobles in the military-focused Lecartiglio had to provide something — be it magical or martial — to help a house gain more fame. She explained to us that since the Lecartiglio duchy was the home of the White Talon Knight’s Order, having tamed a hippogryph and making them a mount was considered a norm for martial houses and potential knights of this duchy.

While that was the case for her two older brothers, Severa had to either train her magic abilities or become a marriage tool for a house alliance. It was very similar to Ellaine’s situation in a way. So, as Severa couldn’t accept this, she wanted Cernust to teach her in secret, thinking it would be good to improve her earth magic outside the royal academy.

But, that was when her family learned about Cernust and forbade him from staying in their territory. The two would continue meeting each other coincidentally in Cedarraile and Gransromus, and from there they bonded with each other.

“Flowers?” I asked.

Cernust nodded. “Yeah, herbology. As a woodland drake and alchemist, I need to collect herbs and seeds for my own usage, which means my backpack is always full with them. I was planting some herbs to grow for personal usage when Severa snuck up on me. She said she used to like managing the rose garden in her estate, but couldn’t personally plant seeds and fertilizer since she was a noble, so she was interested in what I was doing and we talked for quite a bit on that day. Honestly, she would make a better alchemist or herbalist than a mage, ha ha!”

“Insolence! My younger sister is capable enough to become a powerful mage, instead of a lowly alchemist!” Antonio snapped. “And it is ‘Lady Severa’ for yo-”

“Sir Antonio, don’t ruin this,” I spoke up to silence him for his unhealthy expectations. I won’t scold him for having a positive opinion of his sister but expecting too much from somebody was just bad.

Severa thanked me and continued, “So, although it might be true that Cernust did steal my heart away, it isn’t true that he is a kidnapper! It was my idea the whole time, Cernust merely aided me!”

Antonio frowned as he heard this, swiping his hand over his face to calm himself down. “That still does not mean you can just leave like this, Severa. You might be an adult, but this does not mean you are allowed to drop all your responsibilities as a daughter of a viscount and go away just because of your heart!”

“Then tell me, would you accept Cernust after what he revealed? He is a drake, a C rank drake at that, and his family is considered similar to a baron family by dragonewts? Or, is the mere idea of me choosing my own partner, a drake at that, so abhorrent for you?” Severa questioned her brother, unafraid of him.

Here was where I raised my hand. “Pardon me, but it would be nice if I could get some information. I know the Lecartiglio duchy isn’t very receptive of beastmen-”

“Pah!” Cernust scoffed.

“...As I was saying, beastmen, in general, aren’t liked in the Lecartiglio duchy, but I heard arvisians are very well-liked due to being related to griffons and hippogryphs. Does that mean arvisians can be accepted into a noble house?”

“Yes, that is the case. Since our royal family are arvisians, specifically born from griffons, the Lecartiglio duchy treats arvisians like any other human,” Severa stated. “Otherwise, our duchy has been unwilling to adapt like the other duchies have, unable to shed the culture of our past when we were still part of the Leosfalt Kingdom. Most nobles think beastmen are below humans, still. Elves aren’t welcomed either, while dwarves are only accepted if they are either blacksmiths or adventurers.”

In other words, a bunch of racists. Glad to hear this from an actual inhabitant of Lecartiglio, this time. She is very critical of her own home.

It was unpleasant for me to hear, especially after knowing how Greenveil worked, but it did give me an idea on how to solve this problem of theirs, “Then…Cernust, you have something like [Beastialize] correct?” I pointed out, merely guessing.

When he nodded, I continued, “Then wouldn’t it be alright for you to change your beastman form to an arvisian?”

He looked at me confused and tilted his head, showing he didn’t understand my question. “Don’t you know, Pr-Hestia. You decide which beastman sub-race the moment you activate [Beastialize] for the first time. The System sends you a notice showing all the options.”

“O-Oh, really?” My innocent and well-crafted plan was just destroyed. Nevertheless, I became a bit curious at what he said. “Then why did you choose a bovline?”

“When I decided to leave home ‘cause I was bored, my parents had me decide on which humanoid form transforming skill I wanted, and I chose beastman. I wanted a form that was strong in hand-to-hand combat, but that wasn’t as slow as a rhinocerum or hairy like an ursine. If I’m not in my dragonewt form, a beastman’s weak magical abilities was a problem, but I prefer being a pugilist anyways.”

That would explain why his plant growing abilities were slower when he fought as a bovline than when he transformed into a dragon.

“Hold on, are you telling me that more dragonkins are hiding among us?” Antonio asked with a face of horror.

“Huh? Nah, don’t worry. Dragons and drakes are so uncaring of the outside world and would prefer just staying in Kargryx rather than going outside. I just went out when I was considered an adult at nineteen since it was boring there. Wanted to sightsee around the world,” Cernust laughed without a care of the world.

So, does this mean I am a teen or adolescent when I reach five? Or that dragons consider each other adults when they are nineteen? I don’t know. However, considering that he didn’t mention this adulthood pilgrimage dragons did to ‘gather knowledge on the world outside’ that Farron mentioned, should I presume this stuff is actually top-secret knowledge? Would make sense to prevent dragons from getting hunted.

“Damn you! Stop laughing! Urgh, so my commanders were right when they said dragons were nothing more than lazy, arrogant beasts sitting on the laurels earned by their dragon god.” Honestly, what the hell were they doing in Lecartiglio, indoctrinating people like this. I mean, dragons couldn’t be that bad, right?

“Hey,” Antonio suddenly looked at Cernust, this time with an expression unrelated to anger or hatred. “You said you came to sightsee. What is your opinion on our kingdom as a whole?”

“As a whole? Pretty fun, really. Better than a bunch of sleeping dragons guarding treasures or whatever they are hoarding, honestly. Nothing bad about my ancestry and family, but guarding a forest for my entire life sounds like a bore. You only see the same plants every day, I want to see and meet more! More seeds!” Cernust said with great enthusiasm, looking jovial as he showed the many seeds inside his pouches.

Were they warming up, I wonder?

“Hey, are you interested in returning to Kargryx?” Antonio asked, still not willing to use Cernust’s name.

Unfazed by this, he answered, “Nah, definitely not right now. Drakes are long-living, so I want to experience as much as I can before becoming bored and going back. However…” He then looked at Severa. “I don’t think I will have my fill of fun for a while.”

“I see,” Antonio nodded before looking at Severa. “Sister, regardless of the situation, you still should go back to father and mother. We have been your family for seventeen years now, so at the very least, you owe them a proper goodbye.”

“Return to be imprisoned the moment I enter our house’s fief? Forget it, I am not naive,” Severa rejected her brother’s suggestion without contemplating it. “The moment I return and you give a report, Cernust will become hunted in our duchy. I would rather make a new life for myself.”

“Please, trust me that I will speak with Father and our brother. I have a plan,” he approached Severa and whispered into her ears, telling her whatever he had planned.

She initially looked annoyed, but her expression slowly became less strained as she looked more intrigued. After Antonio was done, she spoke, “I honestly think you are a selfish and conniving person to think of something like that. Cernust wouldn’t want that, even if it becomes possible.”

“How about you speak to him about it?” Antonio replied.

Jeez, I can’t believe we got ourselves in a family squabble.

As Severa was about to explain what her brother told her to Cernust, a loud scream came from the woods. Saori, quick to determine the source of the scream, pointed and directed our eyes northwest from our current location.

“-----p. Help us! Someone! Adventurers! Guards! Monsters! Anybody, please!” It was a young woman’s voice, filled with not only desperation but also fear.

As I peered into the distance, a young woman in a magician’s robe was running through the woods while carrying somebody unconscious over her shoulder. She lacked a catalyst of any kind, no staff, orb, or rings, and her appearance looked terrible. It was as if she had to crawl herself out of a cave or something, seeing as how ripped and dirty her robe was.

Wait, that red hair… doesn’t it look a bit like a rooster head?

The person she was carrying had red hair styled similarly to a rooster, reminding me of somebody. The girl also reminded me of something with her green hair, sticking on her sweat- and tear-drenched face.

Hold on, wasn’t there a green-haired girl with a magician’s hat in the hunter’s guild? There was one who looked two or three years older than me… Wait! Hold on!

“Roosterhead?!” I shouted out as I had an epiphany. I couldn’t remember the girl’s name, but there was no way in hell I would forget a boy with dark-red hair so wild, it looked like a rooster’s head. I mean, I don’t remember his name, but still.

What are they doing here of all places?!

That was when my [Detection Sensor] warned me of more approaching signals. A horde.

Kobolds and goblins. Armed with armor and weapons, riding on wargs, chasing down the girl as she cried out for help so desperately.

“Saori! Tasianna!”

“By your will, Lady Hestia!” Ice daggers began to materialize from Tasianna’s catalyst, levitating around her as she began to cast spells.

“Hai, Hestia Oujo-sama! (Yes, Princess Hestia!)” Saori pulled out her daggers and tanto before cladding herself in a robe of shadows. Her shadow stirred, causing her to melt into it while her eyes emitted a red mist.

I think we found those tamers.