A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale

“We welcome you to our domain, Drahk-krafili Hestia!” The holy dragonkin roared in unison as they addressed me as a dragon princess in Draconic Tongue, their voices echoing through the mountain range, reaching me even at its feet.

Flying above them like angels, the wyverns followed up with similar, but quieter, roars to receive me into their nest, while the dragoons heralded me by standing in the air with [Air Walk], raising and lowering their various halberds as they throat sang a hymn.

The bass-like grunting and hoarse growls made it hard for me to understand the lyrics. It felt majestic and grand as I slowly walked through this ivory-like mountain pass, letting the wind blow through my wing’s webbing; the airy feeling made me feel like I was walking towards a sacred palace designed to house something divine.

It was weird, though, since this was the first time I actually was walking towards a dragon’s mountain nest. Taim suggested it, saying I should be taking in the sights not only from the sky but also from the land, since “drakes were my subjects as well.” Although I personally thought this was unnecessary since I’ve been landlocked for a good chunk of my life due to my life on Earth, the first part of his suggestion did open my mind.

Located west of Inferno Nest, Sacred Nest was still close enough that you could see the borders from the way the clouds and smoke moved. Even here, as I walked through this pass, I could see the glaring black clouds floating in the sky. This juxtaposition of colors—the “pure” white mountains of Sacred Nest and the rising volcanic gasses of Inferno Nest—quickly reminded me this was still Miononbolax. We weren’t walking towards heaven’s gate; we were simply moving from one draconic infested area to the next death trap.

Let’s hope that death trap doesn’t get triggered.

Yet, the elemental concentration did tell me to relax a bit as I wasn’t in enemy territory just yet. I wasn’t really minding the difference in reception from how Sacred Nest handled it compared to the unwelcomed and intimidating greetings I got from Inferno Nest, but I was talking about how much holy mana was brimming here. Unlike my initial stay on Frozen Nest and visit to Inferno Nest, I actually felt at “home” here. Aurena’s influence made me feel like a holy dragon inside this realm.

Rivers with milky consistency and color breathed life into the valleys just below this mountain pass, while monsters of various forms roamed the grassy plains and forests, all possessing a pristine feature about them that made them stand out from everything. Like marble-patterned horns and shells or limestone-colored natural armor—it would be a paradise for Earth’s many poachers. A treasure trove of valuable materials … if not for the fact most of these animals were above rank C and pack animals.

Green and white … Thinking of those colors was starting to make me homesick. I finally understood why I was feeling so at home here: Sacred Nest had a similar color scheme to Frozen Nest but was warm enough that I wasn’t forced to activate my solar core.

This realization made me mentally slap my face. Hikari and I already felt like we were lured into a “honey trap” with how well everything fitted my biological preferences.“Ahhh, I hate this place so much,” Taim said in such a carefree manner that I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or just genuine with his feelings. Then again, maybe he was being both.

On the other hand, I kept my opinion and thoughts to myself as I didn’t want to admit how comfortable I felt here. Yet, my companions could immediately tell something was off, probably since I was unable to control my wagging tail while I was trying my best to keep my face from forming a frown. It was like trying to not laugh with how overforced my resting expression was.

In any case, our trip up the mountain didn’t take too long since we were dragons, large enough to take quick strides … Not like Taim’s actually large body didn’t help when he used his scales to help me ascend, of course. Scaling the rocky glade led us right to the entrance of the current Dragon Ruler of Light’s cavern, where the congregation of light dragonkin were standing, still humming and roaring like before.

Once they saw me arrive, the dragoons and wyverns landed before the large dragons and bowed, lowering both their bodies and tail as they quietened down. The dragons, though, assumed the throat singing the dragoons did as they copied the same bowing pose, creating a figurative red carpet that urged me to enter the brightly-lit cavern, large enough to probably fit Mom.

“Once again, we welcome our princess to our home!” they said as our group walked forward.

A welcome worthy for an imperial family member.

[“Remember that my mother doesn’t want you to be here,”] Taim warned. [“It’s your decision, at the end of the day, but I would just like to remind you.”]

[“That’s why I asked for you to come, Big Bro,”] I replied in a teasing manner to no effect. Unlike Nong and Ryra, Taim was not weak to cute younger sister powers—damn! [“W-well, anyways, I’m only here with three goals so let’s just keep the topics to these three. As long as we can avoid anything concerning the succession, we should be all right.”]

[“Haha, we won’t be able to avoid it,”] Taim stated with a loud cackle, annoying enough that it infuriated me for a moment. [“Any deal will involve it. I might be in the run for emperor, but I’m only doing it because our nest’s Dragon Ruler is urging my mother to have me act as a buffer to defend the next ruler from Sacred Nest. These light dragons, though, know I’m not a threat to their plans, but they sure know if they can’t get Dusk Nest on their side, the same issue during the civil war will happen again. Mother and our Dragon Ruler are waiting to pounce at them for the slightly misstep.”]

That’s just scary … I thought, but it did make sense. Dusk Nest is in the way of the light dragon flight’s direct path to the empire’s seat of power, and with Forminaxtrass being the third empress, she has the authority to elevate her nest’s influence over their historic rival.

Even if we left out the civil war conflict and its “detonator,” Dusk Nest probably wouldn’t like light dragons flying through their territory. However, if they supported the next ruler and helped her ascend the throne, things would probably change for them. I would be in their debt and would have to help them, if I were to take a deal. Regardless if they knew that I was a person who kept her promises or not, as Kramps’s only Champion, they could guess I would uphold oaths.

Kramps’s personality, after all, was pretty predictable to these ancient dragons.

[“Hey, Donut, I have to remind you of something, too. These holy dragons were around after our dispute with Maustoovaka, being responsible for the healing. They probably heard how our encounter went down and how I’m responsible for your initial escape. So, try not to get us into trouble. I can’t guarantee we’ll get out since we don’t have the element of surprise with us,”] Vifi said.

[“All of us are also being invited inside,”] Shay added. [“We were left outside last time, allowing us to call for reinforcements. Now, we are all inside the dragon ruler’s nest.”]

[“Our chances are diminished …”] Beth murmured, deflated.

Meanwhile, Tasianna was giving everybody a big glare. [“This is the sort of attitude we should be bringing into a battle or a confrontation with an enemy! Everyone, I do understand we shouldn’t take these holy dragons lightly, but being pessimistic and putting your guard up even now will make you jumpy. This emotional bias will affect your judgement.”]

Vifi and the twins turned silent, prompting Tasianna to continue, [“If you must assure our safety, then do not forget that we have Prince Taimatrack around and that his mother will be waiting. Do not forget, one misstep and Dusk Nest will attack. Sacred Nest knows this as well.”]

[“Correct.”] Taim nodded. [“Maustoovaka is a paranoid brute. Yngvaldr’s children, on the other hand, will only snap when the time comes.”]

[“Exactly!”] Tasianna thanked him. [“Lady Hestia, I would like to remind you that Lord Siegragxus does not wish you to get into trouble. We have three goals and the first, at least, will be easy for the light dragonkin to fulfill because they want to analyze [Providence’s Will]. Purifying your grandmother’s crown shouldn’t be an issue either. We are in the unknown with the third, since it is still unclear if they can do something with Vifi’s issue.”]

[“You also shouldn’t prioritize it. If the deal is bad, I want you to immediately reject it, okay? Do not put yourself into a bad debt for me, Donut. I mean it. I can wait, I can survive it, and we will get through the expedition even without the return of my unrestricted demonic blood.”]

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Vifi eyed me with steadfast eyes, no sign of her L.E.P. Her voice was slightly shrill in my head, almost frantic, as she seemingly begged me to listen to her. I guess in her eyes, I was far too accommodating to others’ health unlike my own, but I personally thought it was appropriate since I was a cleric.

This did involve Vifi’s mental and physical health. I wouldn’t be a good leader or friend if I weighed it on a risk-or-reward scale, yet I couldn’t disagree with what Vifi said. Getting involved with Sacred Nest could lead to problems down the lane and that involved the safety of the entire empire. Ha … to save one person or many more.

… I am overthinking this conundrum.

“Welcome to Sacred Nest, Dragon Princess Hestia. You fill me with joy for accepting my invitation.”

The cavern’s tunnel was richly decorated by holy mana-exuding crystals, lighting up the entire path forward like chandeliers. It reminded me a bit of the church of Aurena temples and cathedrals which used manatech lamps liberally to get rid of as many shadows as possible. Fitting, since the standard Altrust greeting for LightDay was “May the light guide your path on this brilliant LightDay.” A well wishing statement hoping that “shadows and darkness” wouldn’t impede your life.

As I was staring at the brilliance of his incandescently lit up dragon nest, a deep, growling voice echoed through it. The calming, soothing effect it had was immediately dispelled as I felt the ground shake from the footsteps of a titan. I looked up, nodding as I saw one of the hosts of today’s event.

“This young scale lowers her tail in your presence, elder scale,” I greeted, as respectfully as possible unlike my encounter with Maustoovaka. It also helped that my Draconic had improved heaps since then. “Lord Michalik Yngvaldr, thank you very much for welcoming us.”

The younger brother of the Dragon Ruler of Light … Being wary of Michalik was the appropriate decision here.

The giant white-scaled dragon lowered his head, nodding to me. “No, this blessing is ours, Princess. We have awaited you since we heard about your return to Miononbolax. We, Sacred Nest, are joyous of your existence. Our gratitude is reserved for Emperor Eltharion and Empress Melloxtressa, and may they continue to live to see you fly towards the blazing sun!”

“Hehe, certainly a very eloquent way of saying you wish the succession crisis would be delayed,” Taim suddenly stated in a sarcastic manner, sending a chill down my spine as I turned to look at him.

“It would be for the best, don’t you think so, Prince Taimatrak?” Michalik replied, no irritation to be heard. “If the Emperor recovers from his lethargy, we will earn more years of stability. Not to mention, with your youngest sister born as a light dragon, our two nests can finally make peace. No more power struggles. You and your Mother are our empire’s most erudite researchers and master arcanists; always improving on old concepts and designs. Why, the levitation runes for our dragonewt’s floating city is part of your progressive thinking, no?”

That wasn’t surprising. Forminaxtrass was ingenuitive enough to immediately come up with the idea of that information tower when the digital media guild needed an idea on how to simulate the internet. She also constructed the spell necessary for it to work even at long distances through her dark magic. Her son, being an archeologist according to her, probably wasn’t as dedicated to the craft as her, but I could imagine Taim wearing a mage’s robe and fiddling with arcane stuff. He had that type of aura.

“Haha! … Flattery won’t help,”—Taim’s expression soured as that sarcastic tone disappeared, replaced by a pure, cold, business-first state—“You know why we are here, and why I’m here. The fact that your flight’s reputation is disruptive to my lifestyle is an issue, so instead of wasting my time with you trying to win my little sister over to your side, get on with it. Bring us to Dragon Ruler Galiladrak.”

Sheesh, Taim! I was about to complain that he was being too forceful about it, but Michalik agreed anyway with a controlled smile. Sure, the other dragons and drakes were scowling at Taim, but the atmosphere didn’t seem any worse for wear. It felt … as if everything was normal and expected.

[“… This is probably for the best, Lady Hestia,”] Tasianna said as I was wondering if I should speak up or not. [“He is moving the talks along and keeping contact between you and the light dragons under control. He is … quite abrasive in the way he worded it, but I do believe he has your best interest in mind … I hope.”]

I gulped. [“‘I hope’ really isn’t what I wanted to hear here. Urgh, this probably won’t backfire, right?”]

Taim’s impatience proved to be quite valuable as he kept pushing Michalik along, abusing his authority as an imperial prince and an adult, making this trip far easier on me. Once we entered the audience room, the light hadn’t gotten to the point that it started to become blinding. Taim even expressed how all this holy mana was starting to make him sick, urging me to get this trip done quickly so he could get out of here.

Nodding to his request, I took a deep breath and walked towards the sole other dragon inside this gold-, treasure-, and armament-rich nest. The giant quartz-colored crystal just behind the waiting dragon was brimming with holy-aligned mana, acting like a miniature sun or solar lamp. All the dazzling and sparkling would probably make people blind to everything but the large pile of wealth in the middle of this nest.

“Princess Hestia, welcome!” A clear voice spoke to me, coming from the lanky, white- and yellow-scaled giant dragon. Like most of the holy dragons I’ve seen until now, they were far thinner than the fire and lava dragonkin, looking a bit more like Mom or me. “I am not a follower of Aurena or the other gods of the Pantheon of Light, yet, I should at least give her the due respect by addressing you properly. Once again, welcome to Sacred Nest, Champion of Aurena, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxjmor!”

The dragon stood tall like all rank S dragons, with minimal height difference that wouldn’t matter to somebody as short as me. The white-yellow coloring of his scale reminded me of the coloring the Knights of Aurena used for their armor, invoking this mesmerizing, beautiful pureness most would associate with Aurena’s godly image. Honestly, those yellow tints here and there helped that image of an angelic dragon, and I was saying this as somebody who could turn all her crimson scales to white with [Battle Frenzy].

However, unlike my “angel dragon” image, the holy dragon’s wings weren’t made from real or mana-like feathers, and were standard webbings the majority would have. Unlike most, and even his brother, Michalik, the Dragon Ruler of Sacred Nest had horns formed behind his head and neck that almost made it look like he was wearing a half or broken halo.

“Greetings to Dragon Ruler of Light, Galiladrak Yngvaldr. This young scale lowers her tail in your presence,” I said, pronouncing it in the same way Sieg told me to.

“Such modesty when I should be the one to show you such respect! You are our dragon princess, Princess Hestia—an imperial dragon child and also a light dragon. We deem you our rightful princess, even if you are the daughter and princess of Frozen Nest. One day, when you’ve grown into an adult, I do hope you will deign to visit us more often, but for now, come whenever you wish or when you need us, my princess.”

… Ah, this is hard to differentiate.

Was this guy speaking between the lines or was it all genuine? I couldn’t tell.

Dragons disliked giving up power, yet this guy was telling it to me as if his own influence didn’t matter and that I should just barge in and take it all. No dragon would do that, not even Mom was that generous enough to grant me anything more than what my uncle retainers believed was necessary for me to grow into my position as Princess of Frozen Nest. If she had, I would’ve been able to get a bigger budget for my project!

As such, this had to be lip service. Better not get roped into it!

“Thank you, I might when I have the time,” I said in the most P.R. manner possible. “In any case, that is for the future, Lord Galiladrak. I unfortunately do not have much time as my Mother’s retainers do wish me to return for work. I’ve much to grow into with the title of princess.”

“Your attitude, at least, is remarkable for your age, Princess. Most whelplings barely have the patience to even show their elders the respect in such a delightful way as you did! I feel my age, young scale. Haha, yet my child still hasn’t taken up a partner so I am robbed of the privilege to be a grandfather,” he hummed with joy, reminding me of Uncle Kary in the way he was speaking to me. Was this guy actually dangerous, or was I too on-guard?

Once his laughter faded, he turned to Taim. “Prince Taimatrak, it is always an honor.”

“Equally, Dragon Ruler Galiladrak …” His facial expression did not change one bit, still looking annoyed as always.

Noticing the clear lack of enthusiasm, the ancient nodded. “I see … I guess the first visit shouldn’t be ruined with a history lesson or a tour around the nest. You have come here with a specific goal, Princess Hestia, and I shall not bother you any longer. Your time, as you said, is precious even as a long-living species. We should make everything with every second, like humanoids. As such, are you here for what my brother has offered you? A way for you to fully utilize [Providence’s Will]?”

I nodded. “Yes. I also have two other requests I want to have ‘purified.’”

“Ahhh, I see you have heard about the real reason why we are so confident in the task, I see,” he replied with a growing smile. “Correct, ‘purification’ of elemental and corrupted mana is what this is all about. Turning something controlled back into the ‘pure.’ The being inside your catalyst was made from the essence of the former light elemental primarch—an aspiring god—and that gives the catalyst so much of its power. Yet, it is stubborn, prone to do what it wants due to it.”

“I guess throwing the slime away is impossible, in that case.”

“Quite correct, my princess. The slime is the core of the catalyst; what we will do will leave it intact but obedient.” He then gestured to Michalik with a nod, prompting him to go out of the room. “My brother will be going before us to prepare. Now to your other requests, I shall gladly accept them if we are able to. However, I expect you to understand that this will be a transaction, correct? Princess or not, this is how we true dragons trade with each other.”

“Mother already told me the basics. I can’t compel with some Davi or gold pieces, correct?”—I looked at the pile of minerals and equipment he was sitting on. Not everything was coins, but everything could be liquidated if he wanted to—“You want something more substantial that will benefit you, or play to your wants. After all, what is some coin when you have a treasure trove larger than most normal people.”

“Then you should be prepared, Your Highness. A deal is a deal, and we must uphold them. Not for Kargryxmor’s sake, but for our own as dragons. To remain civil. Oaths must be upheld,” he stated in an authoritative manner, yet, he didn’t break away from his friendly facade. “Are you ready, Princess Hestia?”

I nodded.

“Then come! Next time I would love to speak with you for longer, but for now, allow me to introduce you to my nephew, Michalik’s son.”