This was like discovering that there were dinosaurs still living in some
unexplored region of the world. Or like seeing a pandemic of a virus thought to be
eradicated. Though, whether that hypothesis was right or not remained to be seen.
"Well, what then?! The monsters and demons that destroyed the Northern
Countries didn't 'come here,' they 'returned,' is that it?!"
"That, I don't know," I said. "It's dangerous to jump to that conclusion at this
stage."
What were we trying to fight against? What were our enemies? It was a question
where choosing an easy answer wasn't going to cut it.
"Also, there's one more thing bothering me..." I went on.
"There's more?!"
"Even setting aside the issue of the bones, I needed to get that sedimentation pool
made. So, I had the scholars keep archaeological records of the bones that were dug
up. The thing is, a full skeleton's worth of the largest and best preserved dragon
bones has gone missing. Even though I know it was disassembled for display and
sent to be stored at the Royal Parnam Museum..."
"So, it was stolen, then?" Liscia asked.
"That would be good news... Well, no, not good news, but still. With a full, 20-
meter-tall dragon skeleton, even if you disassemble it, it's not going to be easy to
transport. Despite that, there's no sign that it was taken out of Parnam. And yet, the
bones are still missing now. It's as if the full set suddenly started to move, took wing,
and flew away."
"Ah! No, it couldn't be! A skull dragon?!" she cried.
"That's what the scholars suspect."
A skull dragon. Apparently, there were monsters like that.
They say a raging dragon can level a kingdom. Dragons have vast stores of
magical powers within their bodies, and those reserves remain in their bodies after
death. Normally, the magic power gradually drains out, but when a dragon dies with
regrets (or, rather, when its body is left in a bad environment for too long), on rare
occasions, it may turn into a skull dragon.
These skull dragons are designated by the country as Special A-Class harmful
creatures. Winged ones can fly, even though they have no membranes between their
wings, and they spread a miasma that brings death to all living things. They can also
use the dragon's Dragon Breath technique from when it was alive, so when one
appears, it is a living (unliving?) disaster that requires the full mobilization of a
country's military to defeat. That alone was reason for smaller countries to go to the
Star Dragon Mountain Range, where the dragons live, to seek assistance.
However, this time, things were different.
"If that were it, Parnam would already be enveloped in miasma," I said. "The
scholars performed a magical test to make sure there was no risk of that happening,
after all. There shouldn't have been any magic left in that fossil."
"I see... That's good."
"Still, that's why I don't get it. Where did those dragon bones vanish to?"
It had already been close to a month since the dragon bones vanished. Despite
that, there was still no sign of them, so did that mean they had been carried outside
the walls somehow, after all? If so, what was the purpose? There was apparently
little use for the bones once the magic left them. They had lost their value as a magic
catalyst. The best that could be done with them was to put them in a museum (of
course, I would need permission from the Star Dragon Mountain Range for that) and
use them as a tourist attraction.
I didn't get it. That was why it bothered me.
I lay down on my side. Liscia frowned at me, but I didn't care.
"You're getting your clothes dirty, you realize?" she commented.
"They can be washed. Besides, considering my position, I can get someone else to
wash them for me."
"A king can't let himself get dirty all over," she said.
"Yeah, I'm sure dignity is important and all, but... it's a pain in the butt."
"As one of the people who forced this on you, it's not my place to say it, but give
up and accept it."
"Right, right. Whew, having time where I'm off completely sure is nice." I
stretched my arms and legs wide. How relaxing it was to not have a single part of my
spirit working.
Now that I thought about it, I had been working constantly since coming to this
world. There were things to do, things I ought to do, things I had no choice but to do,
piles and piles of them, and so I had been using my head all the time. Having this sort
of time where I didn't need to think about anything... it was the best.
"Ahh... I wish I could just melt away and return to the soil," I murmured.
Liscia was silent. After seeing me like that, she seemed to think for a moment,
then hesitantly said, "Do you want... to rest your head in my lap?"
◇ ◇ ◇
I sat with my knees bent, resting Souma's head on my thighs.
When someone rests their head in your lap, they can either do it with their body
lying horizontally or vertically from your perspective. This was the vertical variety.
When I peeked down at him, my face was reflected upside-down in his eyes.
Souma's head was lying between my two thighs, and it tickled a little.
"Th-This is... kind of embarrassing, you know." Souma's face was a deep shade of
red.
...I was sure mine was, too.
"Who do you think this is most embarrassing for?" I asked him. "The person
giving the lap pillow, or the person using it?"
"I don't know... Maybe it's 'for the people watching,' don't you think?" he said.
"Ha ha ha! You could be right."
If Aisha hadn't been asleep, what expression would she have made?
When she saw us looking like a couple who were engaged, would her face have
turned red? Or would she have said, "Princess, I'll not allow you to do that! If anyone
is to be his pillow, it will be me!" or something oblique like that?
When I saw the fondness that girl showed Souma, sometimes I felt there was
something more than just loyalty there...
Somehow, I suspected that out of those two options, it would have been the latter
of the two.
"...Do you think we look like we're engaged?" I asked.
"Well, in name only," he said.
"In name only..."
Any time it came up, Souma always told those close to him that our engagement
was just temporary, and he was only holding onto the crown for a little while. Once
the kingdom was reasonably stable, he probably planned to abdicate the throne to
me. I felt like that was the reason he always carefully explained the reforms he was
carrying out to me. I think I understood enough of who Souma was as a person to
figure out his intentions there.
Souma didn't desire excessive wealth or fame. He just wanted to live in peace and
quiet. For Souma, being a "king" bound by "noblesse oblige" was the exact opposite
of his calling in life. Even though my father had made the decision, I felt awful that
we had pushed this burden off onto him.
...But, right now, this kingdom was changing to center around Souma.
This country, which had been thought of by the surrounding nations as a moldy
old kingdom that never changed, was now changing. It was thanks to Souma that we
had been able to cope with the deepening food crisis. As for Hakuya, Poncho and the
others, they had only volunteered to serve because Souma was there. Even if the
throne were abdicated to me, could I keep them all tied down here?
But besides that, more than anything, I myself wanted Souma to stay in the
kingdom. And so...
"Souma... Does it bother you to have me as your fiancée?" Those words naturally
came to my lips.
Souma's eyes went wide, and he turned his bright red face to the side. "...It's not
fair for you to put it like that."
"O-Oh, yeah?" I stammered.
"Then are you fine with it, Liscia? Having me as your fiancé?"
"I don't mind." I was a little surprised myself that I was able to say it so clearly.
Though, after I did, I felt just a little embarrassed. "You know, I think you're better
suited to rule this country than I am, Souma."
"Even if I'm suited for it... are you going to get engaged to someone you don't
love?"
"Isn't that what it means to be royalty?" I asked.
"I'm not royalty. Besides... I'd rather marry for love."
"Then... do you hate me, Souma? Can you say for sure that you'll never fall in love
with me?" I asked.
"Urgh... I told you, it's not fair when you say stuff like that. The thing about men
is, if a girl shows even the slightest hint of liking them, they'll fall for her. That's the
sort of creatures we are. If a beauty like you says that to me, Liscia... there's no way I
wouldn't start to feel conscious of you."
Souma had said something that sounded like an excuse. He was surprisingly calm
and realistic in his duties, so it was funny to see him flustered in a situation like this.
I giggled. "You can make the country move, but you're hopeless when it comes to
this."
"...I lack the experience. In so many ways."
"I spend all my time in my studies and military duties, so I haven't had much
experience either, you know?" I said.
"Don't act like it's the same for guys and girls. Our base specs when it comes to
love are completely different."
While we were talking about that, a hesitant voice spoke up. "Um..."
When I turned around, Aisha had woken up at some point, and she was looking at
us with a wry smile that looked like it had been concentrated to three times the
usual intensity.
"How much longer do I need to pretend I'm asleep for?" she asked.
""...""
We both leapt into the air.