Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I’m Going to Sleep

The priest handed me a letter.

On the envelope, it was written in an unfamiliar handwriting, "To Maybelle."

"And... this one is a letter sent to me."

The priest took out another letter from his robe and placed it on the table. It was a letter in the same handwriting as the one addressed to me. Could this really be... a letter from Mom?

If she could afford to send a letter on such expensive papyrus, then why wouldn't Mom come find me?

Is there something going on with Mom?

"I was going to show you the letter when you became an adult."

"Why? Why did I have to wait until I was an adult to see it?"

"Because your mother asked me to do it that way."

"And if you found out about the letter from your mother, you would have immediately rushed out of the village."

I couldn't respond to the priest's words, because everything he said was true.

If Mom is alive somewhere, I would have gone to find her.

"According to the letter... your mother is in a very dangerous situation. She didn't want to involve you, her daughter, in that danger."

"Dangerous situation..."

So Mom didn't abandon me, she left me here to protect me?

She didn't abandon me?

Why?

"Originally, I was going to keep it a secret until you became an adult... but if this person here, if this person can help you, I thought she could also help your mother."

I turned my head and looked at Tia. For some reason, she was observing me with a face full of great interest.

Well, she is a dragon. If Tia, who can freely use incomprehensible magic, helps, then...

Can she help Mom?

Can she save Mom who is in a dangerous situation?

"Of course, that's assuming this person is willing to help. So, what do you think? Won't you take this child with you?"

Tia looked back and forth between me and the priest, then nodded slightly and spoke.

"I don't mind. I was just wandering around aimlessly, but traveling with a purpose isn't bad either."

Tia spoke as if she had experience traveling.

Could this Tia really be the Dragon's Priestess? The Dragon's Priestess from the hero's story?

Then... could it be that the dragon the hero defeated fell for the hero, and that's how the Dragon's Priestess joined them?

Maybe the story has been reversed all this time?

"Really?! Thank you! I was so worried about sending this child alone, I was concerned about sending such a young child to a dangerous place, but if the priestess helps, I'll feel much better!"

The priest bowed his head in gratitude to Tia. As if he was really worried about sending me alone.

Even so, I'm more than capable of handling myself! Just because I'm short and look young doesn't mean I'm actually a child!!!

"Then, first, please tell me about this child's situation. I need to know the details in order to help properly."

At Tia's words, the priest nodded and slowly began to speak.

"First, I need to tell you about this child's mother..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Her name is Ella. Ella Cinder. She was a small but spirited mouse beastkin, known as the 'Ashen Ella'.

Born into a fairly wealthy mouse beastkin family, Ella was a bright and lively person who made many friends.

If Ella's mother hadn't died when she was young... she would have lived a happier life, but unfortunately, Ella's life was not smooth."

The priest began to tell story of my mother. But...

"Wait a minute, how do you know so much about my mother's story?"

"Well, we were childhood friends. Ella had an exceptional ability to befriend others. She became close friend with me, even when I was just an apprentice priest. Anyway, Ella's life started to unravel when her father remarried."

Ella's new stepmother and two stepdaughters were older than her, so it was a new family for Ella with a new stepmother and two sisters.

At first, Ella tried to get close to her new stepmother and sisters, but it was said that they really disliked Ella.

Probably... they thought that if Ella wasn't there, they could inherit all of Ella's father's property for themselves.

She tried her best to get along with her new family members, but eventually gave up on the malicious sisters.

After that, when her father fell ill and never got up again, the persecution from the stepmother and sisters became even worse.

That's how she left home and went on a journey, it is said.

After hearing the priest's long story, Tia briefly said, "It sounds like a story I've heard before."

"Is that so? Anyway, that's how she became an adventurer after leaving home. She gained various experiences while traveling. Since she admired the hero's story, it's natural that she became an adventurer."

Mom... an adventurer...?

"Ella, who wielded a large hammer that could barely be held with both hands, was strong. That large hammer was powerful enough to knock down even a decent monster with a direct hit."

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"A large hammer? But she's a mouse beastkin?"

Mom is also a mouse beastkin like me... Did she really wield a huge hammer with her small body?

Something... it's hard to believe.

"She had amazing arm strength, you see. The large hammer she used to wield during her adventurer days was entrusted to me, and I've been keeping it in the temple. I was going to give it to Maybelle when she became an adult to use as a weapon."

"A large hammer? Even if I get that, if I don't know how to wield it, won't it be difficult?"

I don't know how to use weapons at all, so even if I get that, it would just be troublesome.

"If you swing it like chopping firewood with an axe, you'll be fine. And you're also strong like her, so I think you'll be able to use it well enough."

Hmm... Is the fact that I'm stronger than my build because I take after Mom?

"Anyway, after becoming famous as an adventurer, she returned to her hometown. In the name of the god of light and justice, she reclaimed the rightful property she was supposed to have."

"Something... seems different... There should have been something like a glass slipper coming out, and a ball too."

"Glass slipper...? A ball?"

What is Tia talking about?

"Ahem. I'm not sure what you're thinking, but let's continue the story. After driving out the stepmother and two sisters, Ella became quite famous among the mouse beastkins, and many people proposed marriage to her."

"Proposals... Marriage?"

Come to think of it... what kind of person is my father? Mom never said anything about my father, so I don't know at all.

In fact, the priest feels more like a father to me.

"Yes. I don't know the details after that, but I heard she got married to someone she liked. After that... there was no news for a long time, and then she suddenly showed up in a tattered state, bringing you, still a young child, and asked me to take care of you.

She didn't explain the details, but said she got caught up in a troublesome matter, and left you and the large hammer with me."

"The large hammer... But I don't remember there being anything like that. I've never seen Mom wield such a thing."

"It was packed in a box and brought on a cart, so you wouldn't have known. It's under my bed now, I'll show it to you later."

Mom's weapon... Hmm... I don't know. I don't have any memory of seeing that.

"Ahem. After that, there was no news of her for several years... Last year, a letter arrived. A letter asking me to show it to Maybelle when she becomes an adult, and a letter addressed to me. There were two letters.

The letter addressed to me said that she was in a bit of a difficult situation, and asked me to send Maybelle to where she is when Maybelle becomes an adult.

But that was just a cover. The real message is hidden in the first letters of each paragraph in this letter."

"Vertical writing?"

Vertical writing? What's that?

"I'm not sure what you mean, but anyway, the hidden message in her letter was as follows:

[Mouse beastkin. Danger. God. Daughter. Safety. Travel.]"

This is...

"I couldn't fully understand the contents, but it seems that there is danger for the mouse beastkin, and it is related to gods... It seems to be asking to send Maybelle to a safe place.

It seems she was in a situation where she couldn't even send the letter comfortably."

"If it's a gods, is it referring to Sirius, the god of the beastkin?"

Sirius, huh The guardian deity of the pantheon? It was written in the book that he was the first beast...Were they the same god?

"Probably. Since Sirius, the god of the beastkin, has become the guardian deity of the pantheon, it would be reasonable to think that Ella is involved in some problem that arose due to that vacancy."

"Hmm... Sirius, huh. That's interesting."

The priest seemed to know that Sirius was the god of the beastkin. The book I read didn't have that information.

"Anyway, since there may be danger coming for Maybelle, I was planning to send her to a safe place when she becomes an adult, but since the priestess is offering to help, that's great."

"But what about Mom?"

"Worry about yourself first. She'll somehow manage on her own."

"But..."

Even if Mom is in danger, I have no choice but to run away to a safe place.

"She risked danger to send you that letter."

I want to go to where Mom is right away...

"Excuse me, but the fact that the letter made it here means the danger targeting this child may come here as well, doesn't it?"

"That's true, but by the time the letter was sent, they had likely already figured out the location here.

There was no clear timeline, so the grace period is probably until the time mentioned in the letter, when Maybelle becomes an adult. The request is to send Maybelle to a safe place before that."

"Then why are you trying to have this child accompany me, instead of sending her after she become an adult?"

"I wanted to teach this child various things so she could fulfill her part until she become an adult... But if the priestess is willing to accompany her, it would be much safer than me teaching her various things, wouldn't it?"

That's true... It would be much safer to be by Tia the dragon's side than to learn various things until I become an adult.

Hearing the priest's words, Tia nodded slightly.

"Hmm. Then... to ensure this child's safety, wouldn't the simplest method be the best?"

"Huh?"

The simplest method?

"Just smash everything to pieces and it'll be solved."

Tia's words were more simple and drastic than I had imagined.