Genjitsushugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki

Prologue: Naden Delal

If you looked at the map of this world, there was the one diamond-shaped continent, Landia, and several outlying islands of varying sizes.

In the center of that continent, called Landias Navel, there were the three-thousand-meter class mountains that made up the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

This was where the dragons lived, gathering around the living godbeast, Mother Dragon, who was the subject of worship. It could even be called a nation.

The nations of mankind understood the Star Dragon Mountain Range to be the nation of the dragons. There was no clearly demarcated border, but no country wanted to infringe upon their territory so badly that they were willing to fight the immensely powerful dragons over it. And so, mankind and the dragons naturally stayed apart from one another.

Even though times had been chaotic since the Demon Lords Domain had appeared on the continent, the Star Dragon Mountain Range was a natural fortress, isolated from the effects of that.

In the high plateau in the center of the Star Dragon Mountain Range was Dracul, the dragons paradise.

Perhaps due to some act of Mother Dragon, the plateau enjoyed an eternal spring despite being at an elevation of over five thousand meters. It was a fertile and verdant land with an abundant supply of clean water.

In Dracul, the dragons lived a unique lifestyle.

Despite their large bodies, massive wings, and powerful horns and fangs, dragons could speak the human language. They could also take on beautiful humanoid forms. They formed riding contracts with the knights of their ally, the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, under which they would become the knights favored mounts, swearing an oath to fight together on the battlefield. At the same time, they were to become life partners, giving birth to the knights children.

Members of the race of dragons were sexually ambiguous, and unable to produce children between themselves. In other words, in exchange for fighting alongside the knights of Nothung, they had the knights guarantee they would have prosperous offspring.

Each child would be born either as a dragon, a dragonewt, or the race of the knight.

If it was a dragon, it would come in the form of an egg, and it would be taken from the parents to be kept by Mother Dragon in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. This was partly to keep the parentage of a dragon from being considered important, but it was also unclear how long a dragon egg might take to hatch. Because it could sometimes take hundreds of years, it couldnt be left with the parents.

In any case, these partner contracts were formed between the new knights and the dragons at the Contract Ceremony held at the end of spring each year.

That time... had almost come.

In the middle of the 3rd month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar

It was a forest on the east side of the plateau Dracul in the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

With its everlasting spring, the forests of the Star Dragon Mountain Range were always decorated with fresh growth. The leaves were a deep green, and when you looked up at them from inside the forest, they sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight shining through the treetops. However, further down, at ground level, there was little sunlight, and it was gloomy.

In those gloomy woods, there was a small cave.

Knowing that, Pai sighed all the more at her disappointing friend. Sigh... I dont know which is worse: this, or when you had your head full of dreams, reading too many romance novels.

With the past suddenly brought up, Naden coughed in surprise. I-I was just reading books! Its not like I was only reading romance novels, okay?

You were obsessed with them. Saying things like, Id put love before duty!

I read ordinary adventure stories, too!

Dragons dont usually read human books to begin with...

The reason for that was simple. Since the only country that had diplomatic relations with the Star Dragon Mountain Range was the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, not many products from the nations of mankind made it here. If one wanted to acquire products from the nations of mankind, one had to go to those nations directly, leaving the Star Dragon Mountain Range. Most dragons were not interested enough in the world outside, or in products from the nations of mankind, to do so. Those like Naden, who used every opportunity she could find to go outside and come back with foreign products, were a rarity.

Wait, where did you get that receiver anyway? Pai asked, startled.

Hmm? I found it at a flea market in the empire. It was broken, basically a piece of junk, but when I gave it a little zap, it started showing things. Hee hee! It was a great find.

As she said that, Nadens black, lizard-like tail slithered toward the simple receiver. When it got there, there was a clicking sound, and the image on the receiver vanished.

Naden could store electricity in her body. By releasing that stored electricity, though Naden didnt understand the principle behind how it worked herself, she was able to turn the simple receiver on and off. There were definitely other creatures that could store electricity in their bodies, but Naden was probably the only one who could control it so skillfully.

Watching her do that, Pai shrugged in exasperation. Youre skilled in the strangest of ways, you know that, Naden?

Hey, I was lucky enough to have an electrified body. Im not going to let that go to waste.

I know, but is that really something a dragon should be doing...?