“Awwwwwwwww, why can’t we just stay at theirs? Have you tried their beds? Fluffy, like the clouds! Waaaah, I just want to find a plot of soil and just go to sleep there, not trek back to the port to sleep with all the fish!”

“Shush, you. I flew us over here, what do you mean by ‘trek,’ huh?” Fargryneill complained to Rita as they both entered their inn room, feeling refreshed after they took a long dip in Aurora’s hot spring. Still, despite it being far past midnight, both could still hear the noisiness of the harbor.

Drunk sailors, captains getting their ships ready, and shady-looking characters running around like nocturnal rodents. Nothing unusual even in the city itself, and it was even more appropriate since the festival was still going strong. Still, outside these loud minorities, the day had ended, and it was time for the responsible and sensible to rest their bodies for tomorrow’s day.

After a most eventful day, sleep and quiet were what Fargryneill and Rita wished for.

“…” Fargryneill looked at the simple inn room with a blank stare, feeling like something was missing.

“Hmm?” Rita stopped herself, turning around to see her friend had not moved an inch from the door. “Are you alright?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing, just, you know, feels empty. Renee would always be the first to return to the inn,” she stated, reminding Rita of their missing companion. “Haaa, can’t believe she would run off like that, but I guess this is her home. She always rags on about how her country needs to change and how I, as a dragonkin, should help out since Kramps is Aurena’s subordinate. So annoying.”

Rita nodded. “Mhmm. But, it is part of her charm, right? I’m relatively new compared to how long the two of you traveled together, but honestly, I noticed you kind of need her to control you, Fargryneill! You run around like crazy without her!”

“Oh, shut up.” The dragonkin closed the door, before throwing the dryad onto her bed roughly.

“Waaaah!”

While Rita recovered, Fargryneill fell right into her own bed, letting out a deep sigh. She closed her eyes, before blowing out air from her mouth, sounding like a horse for a moment.

“Hey, don’t worry about her! Everything should be alright!” Rita, misunderstanding the situation, shot up from her bed, wanting to cheer up her saddened friend. “Once those big bad grimgarians arrive, I bet you can just blast—”

“Nah, it’s ‘kay. I’m not worried about that.” She waved her hand lazily. “I kind of get what that woman is thinking and we'll see what she’s planning after all this blows over. When it comes to her ideals, she’ll follow through with them without fail. At least, that is one thing the both of us have in common. I’m just not so sure if I'll want to stick around with her after everything is done.”

“Hmm? Ooooh, I get it! Family, right?” Rita hit the bullseye.“B-But, wouldn’t that mean that our party… would have to disband? Our adventure! The three of us!”

“And we told you the two of us only traveled together because we benefited each other,” Fargryneill bluntly answered, silencing the dryad as she solemnly continued listening. “The same thing with you, Rita. We came together because we all could benefit from each other. It isn’t uncommon for adventurer parties to disband once their goals have been fulfilled. Or, can you imagine Renee leaving with us?”

“…” Rita did not respond, leaving Fargryneill to let out another long sigh.

Two years… I guess it’s been a good run. Hmm, can’t believe all this happened because of that encounter.

Dragonkins from Kargryx who travel the world on their adulthood pilgrimage rarely do it with companions, mostly because it would be hard to hide their draconic heritage when someone was around with them. Although not a rule, all fledglings — dragonkins between the age of five and 100 — were taught how revealing their true natures would only inconvenience themselves, as it would attract dragonslayers.

The trip’s purpose was to teach young dragonkins about the world before they returned home with this newfound knowledge and strength to make a living for themselves in Miononbolax or Loatryx. However, it also had the secondary purpose of helping dragonkins become self-sufficient and independent from their worrisome parents. At least, that was what Eltharion, the current Dragon Emperor, envisioned when he founded this tradition.

And part of becoming independent was to face death and the reality of life.

Although many dragonkins were arrogant and thought dragonslayers were insignificant, many learned just how wrong they were a little too late. These adventurers weren’t known as “dragonslayers” for no reason. And should the fledgling perish, their parents would nevert know about it. Their remains would never be sent back home, as all slayers would use the young fledgling’s parts to further strengthen themselves.

This was a truth every parent drilled into their children. Fargryneill had been raised the same, and was one of the reasons why she disliked Hestia's brazenness. She was worried for her. She was flabbergasted that Hestia would tell the world she was a dragon princess. No matter your status in draconic society, most dragonslayers weren’t the type to really reason with their “material source.”

As most dragonkins would rather not travel with another of their kind, it would lead to most becoming lone wanderers. If a dragonkin met another on their pilgrimage, they would exchange pleasantries, but their pride wouldn't allow most of them to team up. And this pride meant they thought of themselves as superior, even compared to elves.

Father’s teeth, sure was a brat.

Fargryneill’s belligerency used to be even more pronounced, a case of small dog syndrome as a self-defense method she had developed during her time in Kargryx. Not only was she a kirin, a lesser dragonkin that was already smaller compared to others, but she was also a dragon mix. Her appearance was different from either of her parents, being almost chimeric. This caused a lot of problems for her, something that Hestia just realized a few hours ago.

The various dragons bullied and pushed her around despite her royal status, and her half-siblings could only do so much to protect her unless they were with her 24/7. Fargryneill wasn’t just the youngest after Hestia, but she was also far younger than any of her siblings. All of them were already done with their pilgrimage, with the nearest of her siblings to her age was 81 years old, compared to Fargyneill, who was 26.

Respect could only be earned. Even if you were the child of Eltharion, the strongest dragon in the world, you didn’t deserve any dragonkin’s respect for that. A fact Fargryneill knew too well, affecting her desire to make a name for herself. To make her respectable and known by others, to make sure her mother and clan wouldn’t worry for her.

And this history caused her to lash out at quite a lot of people during her early pilgrimage years. She was prone to begin fights just to test herself, make others respect her through violence as she had been taught by her harassers. While those with a warrior mindset enjoyed the challenge, many more reasonable people found her obnoxious or scary. And these situations rarely ended peacefully.

“Fight me!” she would demand, and if one were to reject her proposal, she would become abrasive and deride them as below her in a similar fashion as those who once did it to her. And this rude attitude would also transfer to her adventurer work. Lacking self-confidence, Fargryneill would “do good” to entice people to praise her.

And this eventually blew up in her face when she patronized the villagers of a village in the Kingdom of Astraford, the country north of Divide where Hestia experienced a problematic border control. The kingdom was paranoid when it came to non-holy mages, believing all of them spies from Aleistunum.

During the subjugation of a horde of monsters, Fargryneill showed off her abilities without care, not taking into consideration how the villagers saw her as more of a threat than the horde. When she came for her reward, the villagers wanted to chase her out for being a “wild mage.” Instead of de-escalating this situation, Fargryneill went bombastic, throwing insults and crude remarks at them before ending it with a “threat” to pay up or face the consequence.

The girl might have been a brute, but she was no fool. She was intending to report this to the Hunter Guild, which would prompt the guild to ban the village from issuing Quests for a violation of the rules. However, due to the phrasing, the villagers misunderstood her intentions as wanting to destroy and kill them if they didn't pay.

Coming back after three days, Fargryneill returned for her reward, only to notice some unusual auras emitting from the place. Not understanding what they were, she turned herself completely human, only to be confronted by the fact the villagers somehow managed to hire a party of dragonslayers.

Fargryneill was baffled. Although official dragonslayers were some of the most expensive hunters to hire, these rambunctious people were usually pretty gracious when it came to “protecting a village from a dragon.” Mostly, they were only interested in the dragon part. So, the village managed to hire them with the money they had originally promised Fargryneill by stating, “a dragonewt wants to massacre us!”

Dragonslayers knew about the adulthood pilgrimage and how dragonewts hated them like pests. It would be easy to determine if this dragonewt was a dragon or not by their reaction. Once they announced themselves to Fargryneill, the young kirin was reminded of the gruesome stories dragonslayers would do to their kind. She didn’t feel any anger for this betrayal, she only felt the fear of dying, a death that would never, ever reach her mother.

It would mean the world would forget about her. Her gluttony activated, and without saying another word, she fled.

If she had been a dragonewt, the dragonslayers wouldn’t have done anything. They didn’t care about a bunch of fanatical beastmen, but the way she ran away like a scared mouse? They knew they had a target. With psychopathic smiles, they chased after her.

With gear and magic items designed to hunt and kill dragonkins, they were fully prepared to tackle Fargryneill and her dragon paths. She was hounded through fields, woods, and even in the mountains. A whole month went by, and her hunters basked in the exhilaration of the chase. Showing no signs of exhaustion, unlike the kirin.

Like bloodhounds, they wouldn’t let Fargryneill run away until either side was dead.

In the end, too tired to run away, Fargryneill decided on a gamble. She broke off her kirin horn — fully regrowable like Hestia’s sun core — and transformed into her kirin-dragon form for the first time in four years. Her hatred for her own form disgusted her, and she only assumed it to survive.

They battled, but it was clear to Fargryneill she was far too weakened to actually be able to put up a fight. However, this was part of her plan: show them her real form before escaping and assuming a new appearance. She managed to cause a smokescreen by exploding the cliffside they fought on, before hiding away in a nearby cave, though wounded.

With the enemy gone, the exhaustion of a month of chase brought her down on her knees and into a deep slumber. Three days passed before she woke up, only to be shocked to find a fire and an armored person next to her.

She was startled, only to groan from her wounds. She looked down, noticing they were actually treated. The person introduced herself as Renee, a fellow adventurer who found her being chased by dragonslayers and then unconscious in the cave.

“They left already. I told them I saw you flee into the nearby forest. If we go through this tunnel, we should land in one of the dwarves’ mines, I think,” Renee soothed her, trying to gain her trust.

Renee, naturally, wasn’t convinced and tried to run away, but the exhaustion in her body wouldn’t let her. She was also scared as she was showing her detestable form to this stranger, fearing it would make her a joke to her. However, Renee didn’t mind it, in fact, she didn’t say anything about it.

Fargryneill was so worried she would laugh, but over time, as they spent time together, the young kirin began to feel more comfortable. She couldn't worry about it forever and eventually asked the armored adventurer why she hadn’t laughed at her for her appearance yet. “Was it fear?” she asked.

“Everybody has things they aren’t happy about their appearance about,” Renee replied, only to take off her helmet and speak with her natural voice, instead of the man’s voice she made for herself. Fargryneill’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything. “I have no problem about my gender, but being male would make my life far easier. I have no right to judge you. But, not like I can do much about this, so it would be better to start loving yourself, dragon.”

… Renee.

[“… Why did you help me?”] Fargryneill asked back then, questioning why a human would help out an “abomination” like her.

“Can’t really say, other than them laughing like lunatics while you cried and called for your mother behind a rock. I felt like you needed help more, and that is what a knight should do.”

Really felt like dying back then…

A coincidence in the mountains, from which a friendship bloomed.

It was this acceptance and pity that led Fargryneill to like Renee, despite how often the two would banter by insulting each other’s appearance. And this helped the two form a party, from which Fargryneill learned humility and how to act like a human, while Renee the joy of helping someone and her own code of knighthood.

Instead of issuing challenges to everybody she met, with Renee’s help, Fargryneill learned about tournaments and how she could not only gain fame but also the cheers from people to help her find the self-confidence she had in herself now. With her horn regrown and her mane-like hair to give her a new appearance to fool the dragonslayers, Fargryneill made herself known as a frequent tournament winner. Hiding in plain sight.

In return, Renee would drag Fargryneill wherever she wanted by using tournaments as a motivation. She not only had she gained a bodyguard but also a partner to do good to help her grow as a knight.

The two began inseparable, even when Rita joined them in Aleistunum.

And now, it seemed like their journey together would end soon. Renee’s goal was right before her, and Fargryneill didn’t know if she should stay with her… or hop onto the next boat, head out with her new half-sibling to defeat powerful opponents.

“Hestia… she’s sweet. Too adorable, you know. Like I want and protect her with every fiber of my being,” Fargryneill admitted to Rita. “Can’t believe she wants to see my kirin form. Feels weird how I actually trust her to not laugh at me.”

“Hey, what is that supposed to mean? I always asked you to show me your real form, too! Why do you treat Hestia differently?!” Rita was outraged, angered with how Fargryneill was more approachable with her own sister.

“You think of me as some fantastic beast to study, Miss Knowledge Seeker of Istari.” The kirin girl glared back. “Hestia, on the other hand… I don’t know. Unlike my other siblings or Renee, who always seem to pity me for my fears, Hestia just… showed comfort. Familial love, maybe?”

She was confused with her own thoughts.

“It’s hard to have talented siblings, you know? Hestia is pretty special with everything going on around her. I feel inadequate. Makes me… not want to lag behind or have her hate me, you know? The way she’s so relaxed and so open with her interests, but at the same time, she has this serious side… I feel drawn to her.”

“So, you don’t have to hide your embarrassment from me. You’re my big sis. My first… and only sibling I know. We only met a few weeks ago, but I can already say that I. Love. You.”

Jeez… that smile. The way she said it… It’s too adorable.

Hestia had won Fargryneill over with her charms.

Renee, while a good friend and party member, wasn’t always the most open friend. She also would always have an agenda concerning Fargryneill’s status as royalty, trying to persuade her to join the fight against the demonkins. Fargryneill also showed her passion and eccentricity around clothing and her appearance to Renee, but as someone who abandoned their appearance to become a knight, they never really clicked with this subject.

Whereas with Hestia, Fargryneill could feel the passion exuding from her. She felt jealous when Hestia expressed her musical interests to those 21 bards, causing her to break through her shell a bit to join in on the singing, despite not knowing how to do it properly. A person with as little self-confidence as Fargryneill, she hated having to do things she wasn’t sure she could do.

Not to mention how Hestia’s own attitude could bounce off the kirin’s own hobbies. It made her realize how fun it was to fully express yourself, reveal bits of yourself to others and just live normally. Live like a dragonkin, instead of all the hiding she had been doing to avoid embarrassing herself. It felt weird to her how her younger sister acted more like a dragon than she did.

And all of this became even more profound to Fargryneill once she learned how Hestia had her own issues with her appearance, how she was scared to show people her dragon form. It hit home for her. This little sister she thought was amazing for not only acting like a proud dragon, but also a leader with how she could order people around with her princess role, made Fargryneill jealous. Envious.

“My friends mentioned how I looked extremely scary to others. I’m worried…” Hmm, looking intimidating is good for a dragon, but she wants to look good for everybody.

This was the catalyst for their bond being strengthened. Fargryneill bonded with Renee for her own insecurities, but both of them rarely talked about this. Most of the time, they only joked about it to alleviate the other’s worries.

However, with Hestia, they talked about it. Expressed their wish to witness the other’s dragon form. Acknowledging each other’s worries, and, while it wasn’t a deep talk, it allowed them to get to know each other better. This “special” little sister was just like her.

It made her question why she was being jealous of her own little sister, who seemed to be going through her own problems as not only a dragon, but also as an otherworldler. To Fargryneill, she was still “naive” to the world of dragons. About dragonslayers, about how she had to prove herself to other dragonkin, and about the complicated relationships of their royal family.

It made Fargryneill want to protect her little sister. She could finally understand what her elder siblings felt when they protected her from her harassers — the urge to protect a younger sibling. She thought she felt it when they first met, when Hestia told her everything about herself, but the bond they created this night sealed it for the heavy-hearted kirin.

Which made her question which was more important to her: her friendship to Renee, or her new sisterly-love for her young sibling. Their goals deviated, and, once this whole Elyonda affair was over, both would go their separate ways. Who should Fargryneill follow? Or should she depart on her own, like before she met Renee?

Still owe you for helping me out. I’ll repay that debt by destroying all those grimgarians for you, my friend. So, make sure you survive and turn this country into what you dreamed off!

“… Well, whatever. Goodnight, Rita.” She pulled her blanket onto herself, closing her eyes to embrace the night. Her small smile couldn’t be seen in the darkness.

“… Sure. Goodnight.”

Fargryneill found happiness and joy with her new sister, but at the same time, her journey with Renee was about to end. The loyalty and friendship she felt for Renee for all her help made her question what she was to do in the future. After all, she couldn’t stay in one place, as she needed to level up and evolve to return back home.

But, that answer was for the future to answer. In the present, it was time to rest.