Chapter 4: The Naden That Naden Never Knew(3)

MISTERLP

"Ahaha... It's all so silly. To think, they mock me by calling me a

worm here, but in your country I'd become a god. So this is what you

meant by a difference in values, huh."

Once she had a good, hearty laugh, Naden put on a blank expression

and said in a mumble, "Would they be okay... with a dragon that can't

fly?"

...Huh? She couldn't fly?

"Huh? You can't fly, Naden?" I asked.

"How could I? I don't have any wings."

"No, no, it's perfectly natural that a ryuu wouldn't have wings."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

We looked at one another. What? There was something not meshing in

our conversation...

"No, no, I have no wings, so it's obvious I can't fly."

"Is there some connection between a ryuu having no wings and one not

being able to fly?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

There was something weird. Like there was some inconsistency in our

understanding.

"Kazuma, just what are you—"

Naden was in the middle of saying something when it happened. With

a great gust of wind, three dragons, red, blue, and green, descended from

the skies to land in front of us.

◇ ◇ ◇

The three dragons that landed in front of us were red, blue, and green.

They were Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerada.

Honestly... Why did I have to run into them now, of all times?

Once the three of them had taken human form, they came to stare me

down at close range.

"I heard you'd picked up a human, so I came to see... Is this him?"

Ruby asked.

I said nothing.

Ruby's glance shifted to Kazuma. "Weird clothes. You're not from

Nothung?"

"...Yeah. I'm Kazuma Souya, here from Friedonia."

Kazuma, who was a bit nonplussed at the hostile atmosphere between

us, gave a cursory self-introduction.

I clicked my tongue a little. "You don't need to give these people your

name."

"I can hear you, Naden," Ruby snapped.

"I said it for you to hear, you nasty piece of work."

"Who are you calling nasty? You're just a measly worm."

It was a touch-and-go situation. Fire spewed from her mouth and

electricity sparked from my hair. Kazuma, who still didn't understand the

situation, was standing there and scratching his head.

"Uh... Do you two not get along, maybe?"

"If you thought this looks like we get along, I'd have to doubt your

eyesight. The red one's Ruby, the blue is Sapphire, and the green is

Emerada. They like to call me a 'flightless failure' and a 'worm,' among

other things, and they're always picking fights with me."

"Flightless... huh." Kazuma crossed his arms and seemed to be thinking

deeply about something.

...What had he been getting at before?

Whatever it was, I turned back to Ruby and her flunkies to tell them,

"You came to see Kazuma, right? Well, how about you go home now?"

"I don't think I appreciate your condescending tone," Ruby sneered.

"My business isn't with you."

With that, Ruby walked right past me to stand in front of Kazuma.

"I've heard... that you were invited here by Lady Tiamat, were you?"

"Hm? Yeah." Kazuma, who appeared to be deep in thought, responded

as if he'd just noticed her.

"That means you will be participating in the Contract Ceremony, yes?"

"...Well, apparently it does mean that. Not that I think I'm worthy to."

"If Lady Tiamat saw fit to invite you, it means you're worthy."

I gulped. Ruby, who mocked me as a worm, was recognizing Kazuma.

Could it be that Ruby was about to make a pass at Kazuma?

If Lady Tiamat had called him here, even if he didn't look like much,

he still might be a person worthy of respect. During the Contract

Ceremony, it was usually the knight who proposed. However, if a dragon

took a fancy to one of the knights, they could also introduce themselves to

encourage the knight to choose them.

At the Contract Ceremony... would Kazuma end up dancing with one

of the dragons?

...I don't think I'd like that.

What I imagined brought a pain to my modest chest. When I thought

that the person who'd told me I was a ryuu might go on to form a contract

with a dragon, my heart ached. Even though I had no intention of

participating in the ceremony myself.

While I was in agony thinking about that, Ruby was closing in on

Kazuma. "Hey, come stay with me at my house."

My head shot up in shock. When I looked, Ruby had extended her hand

to Kazuma.

"You fascinate me. I would love to learn more about you."

"About me?" Kazuma repeated.

"Yes. You must be special for Lady Tiamat to have recognized you. If

you live up to my expectations, I might even deign to form a contract with

you."

A dragon knight's riding contract... Ruby couldn't have fallen in love

with Kazuma at first sight, could she?

With a glance to me, Ruby added, "I am a far superior dragon than that

shut-in. Unlike Naden, I can fly, and I can breathe fire, too. I could show

you every corner of the Star Dragon Mountain Range from up in the sky."

"Urgh..." It frustrated me to no end that I couldn't refute what Ruby

was saying.

True enough, Ruby was a red dragon, the kind that was popular with

the knights. It was said that red would intimidate the enemy, so it was

easier for the rider to earn military accolades. On top of that, she had the

big wings I lacked, and she could breathe fire, as would be expected of any

dragon. When I looked to see how Kazuma was reacting to her being so

forward with him... he had a bit of a troubled smile on his face.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you have such a high opinion of me and all..."

I gasped. Kazuma's words sent electricity coursing through my body,

and my hair stood on end.

Hearing him give a positive response to Ruby, my chest filled with

rage... and sadness. I didn't want to hear those words from the person who

told me I was a ryuu. It made me want to cry so badly. Maybe I would let

loose an electric strike on Ruby and the others, then go on a real rampage.

"But..." Kazuma shook his head and said, "Is being able to fly and

breathe fire all that valuable?"

...Huh?

"Huh? What are you saying?" Ruby demanded.

Everyone's eyes focused on Kazuma. Kazuma scratched at his head as

he replied, "Uh, well... I'm from a country without much contact with

dragons, so forgive me for my ignorance here. Like you were saying

before, is being able to fly and breathe fire what makes a dragon

valuable?"

"Of course it is," Ruby shot back. "While a dragon is their knight's

partner, they're also their comrade in arms. What is sought after, more

than anything, are wings that will carry them high and fast across the

battlefield, and flames with which to incinerate their foes."

"I see. Appearance doesn't come into it, then. Well, it seems that there

are a lot of beautiful people among the dragon race, after all." Kazuma

nodded at Ruby's answer. "And you girls can all fly and breathe fire,

right?"

"That's right. Except for that worm over there, that is."

"...I see." Then, with a serious look on his face, Kazuma looked Ruby

in the eye and asked her, "Then, tell me, what is it that makes you,

personally, valuable?"

Ruby and the others' value? Wasn't it their ability to breathe fire and

fly?

"Huh? What are you saying?" Ruby asked. She didn't seem satisfied

with that answer.

Kazuma shook his head. "It's a given that dragons can breathe fire and

that they can fly, isn't it? Well, in that case, it's nothing special that you

can. It's an ability that every dragon comes equipped with, and that means

it's not a special reason why I ought to choose you, right?"

When he said it that way, Ruby and the others' jaws dropped, and they

stared blankly at him. I probably had a similar look on my own face.

Kazuma continued on, paying no heed to any of us. "If other dragons

can do it, too, then it doesn't serve as a reason why I should go to the

trouble of picking you, specifically. It's valuable having something

universal like that, but it's nothing special. If you all start on the same

basis, won't the stronger or the more beautiful dragons win? Being the

same as everyone else isn't even a point in your favor."

I couldn't believe it. "Kazuma... You..."

Kazuma's criticism was so on point that I started to doubt if he really

had no familiarity with this country's traditions. The fact of the matter

was, the Contract Ceremony was an intense competition between the

dragons. Since whether or not they were chosen by someone there would

more or less determine the rest of their lives, that was only natural.

While we were busy reacting with surprise, Kazuma let out a sigh. "A

standardized basis of evaluation, the rejection of those with individuality...

I thought I'd experienced this atmosphere somewhere before, but it's

basically the same as the exam wars. Man, I had a tough time two years

ago..." Kazuma murmured with a far off look in his eyes.

...Eggzam Wars? What were those? Was it a series of wars that had

happened in some other country? But why was he talking about them now?

"W-Well, it's better than not being chosen at all!" Ruby, who had come

back to her senses, said with her face twitching. "Who would choose

Naden, who can't do the things that everyone else can?!"

She pointed accusingly at me.

Kazuma instantly responded, "It's true, as a dragon, Naden lacks

universality. But what she does have is individuality."

"I-Individuality?"

"Something that makes her different from others. When evaluating the

value of things, the simplest standard is 'a thing there's only one of in the

whole world.' If there's only one of something, even if it's just a child's

toy, or the lid to a jar, it only makes sense it would hold value, right?

That's equally true of people. I... No, the king of my country goes out of

his way to collect those sorts of people with specific strengths."

The king of his country... Did he mean Friedonia's hero king?

"And you're saying... Naden has that value?" Ruby asked, looking

stunned.

"Here in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, is there any dragon other

than Naden who can create lightning? She can do a thing that no one else

can. That, in and of itself, is valuable. But, really, do you actually

understand what's happening here?"

"Wh-What...?"

"The reason you're always picking fights with Naden," Kazuma said.

"It's because you envy her for her individuality, isn't it?"

"Wha..." Ruby seemed dumbstruck by what Kazuma had pointed out.

Huh? W-Was that really it?

With the truth being shoved in our faces, I didn't know how to react,

and neither did Sapphire or Emerada, who were standing back.

While Ruby's mouth kept flapping open and closed, Kazuma continued

to speak.

"I'd say the other dragons who hold ill will toward Naden probably do

so for the same basic reason. From the perspective of those dragons, who

are struggling inside a standardized system of evaluation, the existence of

someone like Naden, who flouts that standard entirely to go her own way,

is an object of resentment and jealousy, and thus they just can't accept her,

right? During the exam wars, if there's one student in the preparatory class

who says, 'I'm gonna take over the family business'... well, yeah, they're

gonna stick out. Obviously, they'll have troubles in their lives that those

around them don't, but for those who have been placed in a competitive

situation, they don't have the composure to stop and consider that."

Kazuma seemed to be the only one satisfied with his explanation. I'd

lost him somewhere along the way, too, and he was making no sense, but

the one thing I did get was that he was saying I was special.

I stared at Kazuma's back. Maybe it was because we'd been born in

different countries, but in these past few days, I'd been forced quite a

number of times to realize that Kazuma and I saw things differently.

However, Kazuma was offering me a new set of values, most

especially one where I wasn't worthless. My chest grew hot, and I felt like

I might cry for a different reason than before.

"Eventually, one who knows your value will appear."

Lady Tiamat's prophecy had been true. That person was in front of me

now.

"Hmph, that doesn't change the fact that a flightless dragon is of no

use!" Ruby declared, seeming to have regained her footing.

A flightless dragon; those words would have greatly disturbed me

before. However... strangely enough, they didn't bother me in the least

now. That was because Kazuma had told me I was a ryuu, that I had

individuality.