Dragon-san Wants a Friend

Chapter 163

Translator: Mii

Editor: [QueenieZhuz]

Chapter 13 – Dragon-san and the House of Spirits

I went to ask for Kyle’s help early in the morning.

I was very happy that Kylee agreed without any mind despite with only my vague talk.

But suddenly Belga who seemed like she heard our talk appeared, and said that she would guide me to Lute’s residence.

Kyle and I was astonished, but Berga was surprisingly calm.

「I will only open the key. Lute had always wished for something. But he was troubled since he couldn’t reach his wish. I hope you can be the catalyst of his hope.」

Berga finished talking, and looked at Kyle slowly.

「Is it useful?」

「It is more than enough. Thank you, Belga.」

When Kyle said so, Berga became red and turned her gaze to another side.

It reminded me of both of them from a long time ago, and the exchange made me feel strange.

The curse on Berga’s soul was something very deep. I don’t know whether it could be released from the cursed person.

However, Berga who was acting this way seemed to like she is still the same person when we used to play around in the capital city of Barrow.

When I thought that one day she will call my name once again, I feel happy.

Anyway, I could report to Nectar right now that we could go and face Lute, and since Berga said that she would take us along, we should get ready quickly.

But since we had left the branch shrine, we should talk to Aru about this.

Currently, Nectar and I are sitting in a pious hall in front of Aru who smiled in an imposing stance.

His golden eyes were filled with anger, contrary to his wonderfully perfect smile. The red color in his flax hair also swayed like a flame.

Uwahh, as I thought, his angry look was so similar with Nectar’s….

Well, since we are going to be busy from now on, we have to talk to Aru properly.

However, I couldn’t help but informed him that grandpa was going to be the key of the sealing.

When he was wondering what we were doing, he noticed the carried out occasion Nectar said, and our words were becoming little and little after facing the smile on his face.

I regretted that I told him grandpa was going to leave alone. Of course he would feel shocked.

However, although Aru seemed like he was about to cry, Aru’s golden eyes didn’t lose its strength.

In other words, he was currently in his fully angry mode.

「Daddy, Mommy. You made me as an outcast again.」

「T-That’s not true, though?」

「Yeah. It’s just hard for us to say it to Aru, sk……」

「Take me along too!」

Our excuse was drown out by Aru’s request.

「Aru!?」

「You are going to go to Lute and think about a way to help Lute’s important person, right? I want to help as well.」

「You can’t. We going to go Lute’s place to talk, but the other party is hostile to us. Since we don’t know what will happen later, we won’t have enough power to protect you, and we don’t have the necessity to take you there too.」

I understood Nectar’s concerns who denied his request once and for all.

Lute was looking for an alternative dragon. Then, he should be aiming for Aru if I was no good. Even if the possibility was very low, he might try to do it.

Aru flinched with Nectar’s harsh words, but his gaze didn’t change.

「I know that the song that Lute sang was… about the originin dragon. It was a very beautiful song, but also very sad. I could just cry when I heard it.」

I already heard from Mikoto and Aru himsef that he met Lute in the main shrine.

However, I didn’t know that there were a deep exchange to the point of Lute letting him listen to his song, and I just stared at the desperate Aru.

「But now I can tell Lute. No, I have to tell him. Lute is weak towards a half-spirit like me, he won’t aim towards me aggressively. Even if it’s not the case, I will protect myself too.」

「But……」

「I want to be friends with Lute.」

Aru begged me, and bowed his head. I stopped speaking.

It would be easy for me to scold him not to be selfish.

Since he was still young, it would be dangerous to bring him along too.

But…

「All right. I will bring you along.」

「Mommy!」

「Lava!?」

Aru’s expression brighten in an instant, and Nectar’s complexion changed into a shock, and he turned his gaze towards me.

I didn’t know if this will end up good or bad.

However, I didn’t want Aru to let go of the feeling of wanting to get close to that person, and also the feeling of wanting to reach out.

Because, I always wanted to put Aru’s feelings of wanting to connect with everyone as something important. If I denied him, those feelings will stop on me.

That’s why, I loosen my expression a little towards Nectar who was filled with some reproach.

「You know, Lute is still an enemy for us, but he is someone who he wants as friend for Aru. I want to believe on Aru’s eyes who think of it like that.」

「But……」

「Also, it’s not like we are going to fight Lute’s team. The sequence might be different, but let’s just say that we were indebted to Aru, after all.」

I shifted my eyes from Nectar suppressed his words to Aru.

As soon as I met his golden eyes, Aru’s expression tightens. That means he should have understood that I was serious, right?

「You already heard about what Lute was doing, didn’t you?」

「Un.」

「I don’t know what will happen. Maybe Lute might say a word that hurts you badly. It may even physically try to hurt you. We may not be able to protect you either.」

「……Un.」

「For Nectar and I, we rather have ourself got hurt than having you got hurt. That’s why, even there is anything that happened to us, can you swear that you will protect yourself first?」

With that question, Aru bulged his eyes, but he nodded with a strained breath.

「I will protect myself, for my own good. And also, for mommy and daddy too.」

After looking at Aru who declared so stately, I felt his feelings that trying to tell us that he is no longer a kid that only can be protected, and can think and act on his own already.

With that, we will go together with Aru.

「……Hey, will it really be alright?」

Berga made a weird face at the square of a branch office that was decided as our meeting place.

Her wheat-colored eyes were looking at Nectar who was still depressed.

Yeah, I managed to convince Nectar who still felt unwilling, but he lamented that he felt lonely to see Aru leaving from our protection.

I felt lonely too, but when I see Nectar’s lingering attachment, I thought that it would be better to send him away comfortably.

「Aru, you don’t have to grow up that fast…」

Aru made a troubled face to Nectar who seemed like he was still a little reluctant. I thought that I should stop him.

But it was Berga who spoke first.

「Children will eventually be on their own. One of the role of parents is also to send their child away without making them constrained too, chief.」

「Ugh…… I’m sorry, Aru.」

「I-It’s okay, Daddy.」

Nectar who was suddenly cut off with a firm voice apologized, and Aru shook his head hurriedly.

「Hey, does she really don’t remember anything?」

「She should’ve, but……」

I whispered to Kyle who stood on my side that those tone of voice really sounded like the old Belga very much, and it seemed like Kyle also sensed it.

Kyle won’t come with us since I requested him to do another thing this time.

He wanted to go with us, but he was worried about the spread of sleep sickness on the west continent, and he was asked to go back to Barrow to convey the right information.

Berga who took a breath came and talked to me.

「Can we start now?」

「Yeah, tell me the coordinates.」

Since we chose the public square instead of the branch office, I thought that we would go by space transition, but Berga shook her head.

「No need. I have the key.」

Right after saying so, Berga took out a wooden thing that could fit in the palm of her hand from her pocket.

The wood became curved, and there were a number of thread-like pieces stretched between them.

「A harp……?」

As soon as Aru’s words reached my ears, Berga flicked the strings of the little harp.

It made a clearer and better sound than my expectations, and Berga started to sing.

『I was the one invited to the paradise in the morning of the night, and in the midday night』

A door that the magical power swirled in response to the soft song and appeared in the void.

From the Western-style rattan with its finely decorated door, I could feel the similar nature to the “gate” which is the entrance of the main branch that Ten created.

「Lute and Pallet have created their own home in the place that exist and not. The purpose is to be able to go anywhere, and rest anywhere. They also gave me the key.」

Berga spoke with a slightly guilty tone, and Kyle stroked her head gently.

「I see, so they also took care of you with their own way.」

Berga reddened her face a little bit, nodded to his words, then she touched the door and looked back at us.

「The door won’t wait that long. Let’s go quickly.」

She nodded towards me, and I held Aru’s hand tightly and nodded back.

When we took a step from the door, it was connected to the entrance hall.

The room seemed alike to nobles residence and it was wide enough for us to run around, but a lot of furniture lined up to cover the wall.

It seems like they were placed there just like that regardless of the style or the design.

The walls were also filled with paintings and tapestry. Even though there was no oppressive feeling due to the large space, but there is some sort of lonely atmosphere.

There were also a rural scenery outside the window at the side of the door, but it looked like a painting, not like reality.

Nectar entered first, followed by me and Nectar. Then after Berga came in, the door slammed shut.

Then, as if making sure that all of us already came in, a shadow appeared in the side corridor.

「Belga. So you’ve returned?」

It was a familiar female genie who hanged her light colored hair casually, and she wore a white clothes whee various paints are scattered all over it.

She was a genie who was together with Lute when he tried to kidnap me.

Nectar gripped on his cane and looked her in alert.

However, she floated softly and appeared in front of us as if she didn’t notice Nectar’s alertness.

She didn’t even draw the paint brush from her belt that was wound around her waist that should be her weapon.

「Pallete…… This is……」

Belga called her with a sound mixed with guilt, but that woman, Palette, looked at us in turn, and then she bowed to us.

As if, she was welcoming us in.

「It’s good that you have come. Lute is inside.」

As if to proof her impression was not false, we looked at each other after being informed by Palette.

Since we didn’t understand her intention.

「Why are you taking us in. Don’t you follow Lute’s order?」

Nectar who had been hostile towards her once asked while still maintaining his guard, but Palette didn’t even change her complexion and answered indifferently.

「I will grant Lute’s wish. And then I believe that all of you could help me grant his wish.」

「Did you know from the beginning that we are not his enemies?」

「……Lute is drown in sadness, so…」

Only with that, Berga who listened to Palette that was carried with a tint of sadness lost her presence of mind.

「T-Then, why did you gave me the skin picture before?」

「I concluded that there are high possibility that you will come along. It seems like I’m right. 」

I wondered whether the spirit Palette could think independently so much that she would act on her own judgment, and I personally saw once again how unique were Lute and her.

「What’s your name? Can I ask what kind of spirit are you?”」

「I’m Palette. I’m a paint brush that continue to draw the darkness seal」

She was one of the two ancient magical tools that Grandpa said were to protect the darkness seal.

And while protecting Adversa’s seal, she is here as a spirit by the spirit of the dragon.

Palette spoke as if it was something unimportant, and she extended her hand.

「Then, come here.」

At the end of the corridor, the walls were decorated like a museum, and there were pottery, figurines and accessories.

Behind the open door, a large number of canes and weapons are carefully stored inside the room.

The reason why they didn’t feel so mixed even with the large quantity was probably because I could see that it was treated carefully.

And there was magic power wafted from all of them.

「Ancient magic tools, and old magic tools… So you are the magic tool thief?」

Nectar’s whispers reached my ears, and Berga responded.

「Lute wanted to have comrades, so he collected them from different places. But there were only a few kids who woke up, so they are used as decorations like this. Since someday, they may wake up.」

Was it to gather the companions to fight against the dragon, or to create a tool to wake up Adversa?

Or maybe, it was purely for good intentions.

「But every one of the fellow demons who he collected using human beings were bloody, and even damaged. Palette is the one who repaired the damaged one.」

「I’m just repainting it. It still won’t return to its original form.」

I was walking next to Palette who quietly corrected Belga’s words, and I found that her eyes were swaying.

It was filled with sadness, and regret. But it disappeared at the next moment, and we reached the very end of the mansion where Lute was in.