Once we finish saying our goodbyes, Asher-san faces Old Sleigstar with me and Nymia on her back.

“Well then, this one is sending you off.”

Old Sleigstar’s golden eyes shine and Asher-san’s body is enveloped within a dazzling light. Me and Nymia are covered by it right after.

The radiance gets too strong, so I close my eyes. I open them once I feel that halo fade and discover we are in a green, grassy, plain. Trees and shrubs dot the area here and there.

Behind us is the entrance to the forest, a wall of various trees. In front stretches a rough mountain.

“That’s Dragon’s Peak?”
“The southern area, it’s near a lake.”

Asher-san gives a straight answer.

“Then here is where the decaying dragon needs to be found? Dragon’s Peak is so vast. Where could it be?”
“Even though you’re a member of the human tribe, jii-san must be teaching you about the dragon’s vein.”
“Yes, it’s as you said, although it hasn’t even been half a year yet since I started.”
“Fumu, dragon’s power after only half a year? I see, jii-san’s eye is as sharp as always.”

Am I being praised? That makes me a bit happy.

“If you use the dragon vein, it’s a simple matter of following it to your prey.”
“Yeah, although I still need to get more used to it before I can do something like that. That’s still impossible for me to do.”
“If the decaying dragon is acting recklessly and drawing from the dragon vein without thought, searching for it will be a simple matter. Give it a try.”

What’s going on? Why am I suddenly being treated gently? Even though she’s been looking down on humans, now I’m being taught?

“Seeing as how I’ll be entrusting my beloved daughter to you, I won’t feel assured unless you become stronger.”
“Ahh, so it’s like that?”
“Nyan, onii-chan, do your best, nyan.”
“Right, I’ll do my best for Nymia. By the way, can Nymia sense the decaying dragon?”
“Nyan, already knows which way to go, nyan.”
“Oof, as expected.”

Looks like I even lose to Nymia.

I sit in a cross legged position on Asher-san’s back and meditate. The fluffy fur covering her back is really comfortable to ride on. Is Nymia the same? I should ride on her next time I get the chance.

“Nyaa.”

I close my eyes and calm my heart. Asher-san’s presence which is directly below shocks me.

Asher-san’s immeasurable dragon power shines. My eyes are closed though, so it’s more a pseudo glow. Still, I’m so dazzled by the radiance of Asher-san’s dragon power that I squeeze my eyes tighter.

What a valiant presence. Because of my meditation, I discovered that Asher-san is an incomparable existence.

Isn’t she even more powerful than Old Sleigstar.

“That’s because he’s decrepit now. Furthermore, that was back in his prime while I was a combat dragon without hands or feet.”
“Uhehe, that feels unworldly.”

Yuusha Ristia is a guppy compared to the likes of Asher-san and Old Sleigstar. The dragon tribe is incredible.

“Well, cast off those idle thoughts.”
“Uuugh, that’s right.”

I sink deep into my meditation and search for the dragon vein underneath Asher-san’s radiance. Afterwards, although not as strong as in the moss covered plaza, I’m able to quickly find the dragon vein’s current.

How do I find the decaying dragon from here?

Asher-san did say that it is recklessly drawing from the dragon vein without any thought. If a dragon tribe member draws a massive amount from the dragon vein, it might have some sort of effect on its flow.

I follow the dragon vein’s current while spreading my awareness. I then immediately notice something strange.

“The dragon vein is in disarray… Ah, what is that, that dreadfully wicked presence?”

It seems to be southwest from where we are that the dragon vein is in disorder. Compared to Asher-san, it feels like a wicked, pitch black, mighty presence. However, unlike Asher-san, that wicked presence is concentrated, but it is sparse and abstract, kinda like fog. I can’t pick out its exact location.

“That’s fine. I can’t pinpoint the exact location either. The decaying dragon is throwing the dragon vein into disorder.”

Although it’s easy to find because it wicked and gigantic, Asher-san can’t find its exact location either. Still, I feel like I’ve learned a bit on how to use the dragon vein to find what I’m searching for. Maybe next time Mistral comes back, I can get extra practice by playing hide and seek with her.

“You just learned about it.”

Asher-san turns back and looks at me.

“More or less, yeah. I still feel like I need more practice before I can do that.”
“What a strange humanoid.”
“Nyaa, a mysterious onii-chan, nyann.”

Now that she mentions it, Nymia said that back when we first met too.

I stroke Nymia’s head.

“Nyan.”

Nymia, finding it comfortable, snuggles up to me.

“Well, we know the direction, how about quickly exterminating it?”

Asher-san spreads her large wings with those words and flaps them. She doesn’t rapidly beat them like a bird would. Instead, by gracefully flapping them a few times, Asher-san keeps her large build afloat.

“Uwaa, amazing.”

Although my body tenses for a moment due to having never experience floating before, I immediately notice the distant ground.

Each time Asher-san flaps her wings, there’s a remarkable spike in altitude. The scenery below has already turned tiny. It makes me swallow my breath. It’s a superb view I have never seen before.

“Nymia, place a wind barrier around that boy.”
“Nyaa.”

---

T/N: I’m pretty sure Ernea used the dragon vein to find Ruiseine way back when in those ruins. Was there something different between that time and now?  This chapter is also making me wonder if Nymia is referring to herself when she say’s nyan…

~Gandire Alea

<55.2 Asher-san’s Melancholy
56.2 The Skies of Dragon’s Peak>