Chapter 1: Mr. Dragon Heads to the Capital The Tiny Royal Chef, Kate Flachette
Chapter 1: Mr. Dragon Heads to the Capital
The Tiny Royal Chef, Kate Flachette
The capital city of Shutora was about half a day’s flight south from the Florence Royal Academy for Girls. Well, actually, we were going by carriage. Once again in my human form, I felt the school carriage shake underneath me. Apparently it would take about a day to get there. Esmeralda thought that it would cause a bit of a ruckus if a dragon ended up flying to the capital, so we decided on traveling this way instead. I didn’t mind going slow like this, but a ruckus? It’s not like I’d do anything... Maybe it’s just because I can look a little scary.
Esmeralda had said she’d return to the capital ahead of us and had disappeared after she stepped behind the school building. She had the ability to warp between shadows. Apparently she could only go to places she is familiar with, but it’s still a very convenient ability. That was a power of the Twilight Crown that she possessed, which was one of the Seven Supreme Hallows.
“I’m excited we get to ride in the same carriage as you, Kate!”
“Seriously! Even though we’re classmates, we barely get to relax together since we’re in different dorms!”
The Florence Royal Academy for Girls was split into three dorms. Olivia lived in the Dorm of Springs, Fontaine, and if I recalled correctly, Kate lived in the Dorm of Trees, Arbor.
“Oh, I’m glad to have you along too, Luca!”
“Y-Yeah, me too...”
I was sitting alongside Olivia and Luca in the rocking carriage. Across from us was Kate, a girl with a radiant face and deep red hair, who was Olivia’s classmate. Her father was a fantastic cook called a royal chef, and Kate herself would make snacks and food for the students’ tea parties at school. She was always bright and cheerful. Even now she was pulling cookies she had made herself out of her basket to share with Luca. The younger girl seemed a bit bewildered as she received the snack, but mimicked the way Olivia ate it with both hands.
“They’re so good, aren’t they?”
“Indeed, quite scrump-icious.”
Munch munch, munch munch.
The two of them eating side by side reminded me of a pair of squirrels.
“Oh, would you like some too, mister?”
“Thank you, Kate.” I accepted a cookie from her. Yes, they
were
quite good! As somewhat of a cook myself, I was deeply impressed. Though it was just a simple butter cookie, it had a rich, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth quality about it. They really were fantastic. Now I just needed some tea to go with it!
“Ah, that’s right. If you’re coming to the capital, wanna stay at my place?” Kate offered with a bright smile.
“Can we?!” Olivia responded instantly. So, in short...
“It’s a sleepover!”
Olivia’s expression broke into a bright smile.
It’s really starting to feel like summer vacation, isn’t it?
＊＊＊
“Welcome, King’s Pupil Olivia Eldraco.”
Shutora’s royal castle was even bigger and more spacious than the Dark Queen’s castle that we were borrowing as our home. It was really like something you’d see in a picture book. And deep, deep inside, waiting in the throne room were Esmeralda and the queen of the Kingdom of Shutora. A white cloth hung in front of the throne so we couldn’t see the queen sitting on it. I suppose with my eyes I could see through the cloth fairly easily, but I decided not to. I wasn’t into that sort of thing.
The queen spoke slowly, welcoming us to the castle. “And welcome to you, student of the head of the Royal Court’s Magic Division’s Esmeralda Serpentia and daughter of the eastern dragon-kin, Luca Ioenami.”
“Th-Thank you! It is a great honor to re-ceipt your invitation, your majesty!”
“No need to be so formal,” the queen chuckled. She seemed to find Luca’s response a bit funny. She had quite a pleasant laugh, with not even a shred of scorn behind it. “And...my apologies, but who might this gentleman be?”
Gentleman
?
“She is speaking of you, Sir Daddy,” Luca explained to me in a whisper.
“Ah!”
Thanks, Luca!
“I’m Olivia’s Daddy!” I introduced myself.
“I-I see... If you are Olivia Eldraco’s father, then...”
“Yes, your majesty,” Esmeralda interjected. “He is the Mr. Eldraco I spoke of.”
“So, you are that large dragon...”
“Oh, you already know.” I may have been in my human form right now, but I was actually a dragon.
“There is much I would like to ask you, but...there can be no other reason for me to have called you here than the search for the Seven Supreme Hallows. In that regard, there has been some unsettling news...”
“Is there a problem?”
“Esmeralda.”
“Yes, your majesty.” At the queen’s beckoning, Esmeralda stepped forward. “I believe you are all aware of the Seven Supreme Hallows, passed down in the Kingdom of Shutora since long ago. They are artifacts crafted from gems that contain great power.”
“Powerful gems...”
“Yes. Though they are all unique, they each possess a nature that allows them to store additional magical energy over time. To put it simply, the more time passes, the stronger they become. Similar to how an elder dragon possesses much greater magic than a human ever could due to its lengthy lifespan.” Esmeralda wrote some letters in the air using her magic.
The Gem of Light, used in the Gem-Stave of Eternity.
The Gem of Darkness, used in the Twilight Crown.
The Gem of Water, used in the Blade of Bluewater.
The Gem of Fire, used in the Blessed Blaze-Lance.
The Gem of Wind, used in the Leafwind Bow.
The Gem of Earth, used in the Vastearth Shield.
“Light, darkness, water, fire, wind, and earth...as you know, these are the six great elements that make up the world we live in. Luca, can you explain why it is so important for us to collect the Seven Supreme Hallows?”
“Yes, Master!” As Esmeralda pointed her out, Luca’s hand shot up into the air. “In the past, the Seven Supreme Hallows would release their magical energy at a fixed time, once every thirty years. In so doing, they would grant the wishes of the people in an event known as the ‘Shooting Star Ritual.’ However, it has been over three hundred years since the Hallows were lost, so they have been collecting power ever since.”
“Indeed,” Esmeralda nodded. “Phyllis has the Gem of Light, I have the Gem of Darkness, and Luca has the Gem of Water. But we didn’t know where the others were.”
“Uhh, if they’re so important, how did they get lost?” Olivia asked.
“Time is a cruel mistress,” Esmeralda answered. “The first was lost a thousand years ago, when the Vastearth Shield vanished during the war with the invading dark-kin. As of three hundred years ago, all seven had gone missing.”
“Oh my...” Humans did always seem to be having scuffles over something or other. Whenever I happened to look down from my mountain to see what they were doing over the years, they almost always had been fighting with each other. That was one of the reasons I had held no interest in the human world at all until I met Olivia.
“Some of the Hallows have been collecting energy for more than a thousand years now. According to my calculations, they should be reaching a critical mass of energy soon. Before that happens, we need to find them all and perform the Shooting Star Ritual.”
“The Shooting Star Ritual is an event which un-leases the tremendous energy contained within the Seven Supreme Hallows, and uses that energy to make any wish come true,” Luca explained.
“Any wish?!”
Isn’t that kind of a big deal?
Olivia and I glanced at each other in surprise.
“For that reason, we must keep them out of the hands of those who would use them for evil,” Esmeralda continued.
“Evil?!”
Were there really people out there who would do that?
Seeing my shock, the queen spoke up. “Our neighbor, the Machine-Empire of Gerakias, has long watched for an opportunity to attack our lands.”
“M-More squabbling?!” She must have been talking about the common human practice of setting up camps across from each other when they had an argument.
“Actually, we have learned that one of the Seven Supreme Hallows, the Leafwind Bow, has fallen into the hands of Gerakias,” the queen continued. “They must also be attempting to gather the Seven Supreme Hallows.”
“As such, we must work quickly to collect the remaining Hallows and release their built-up energy in the Shooting Star Ritual...so her majesty has decided.”
“The mages and soldiers of the kingdom are expending every effort in the search, but we have yet to unearth so much as a single clue. Since you were able to locate the Blessed Blaze-Lance, we would like to request that you spend your summer vacations helping us locate the other Hallows.”
Olivia was listening intently to the queen’s speech. She understood how big of a deal this request was.
“I am aware that the summer vacations of one’s childhood are an irreplaceable asset... But even so, I must ask for your help.”
Olivia gave a small nod. “Umm, can Daddy come with us?”
“Well...as long as you don’t mind, Elder Dragon, I have no issue with it...”
“Okay. As long as Daddy’s with us, then we’ll have fun!” As Olivia said that, she turned to look up at me with a bright smile. “Right, Daddy?”