Isekai Nonbiri Nouka Chapter 1025: Great Rananon

My designation is Rananon. Heh. Usually, I only impart my name to those who dare to test my might, but whispering it to my own self is quite permissible, don't you think?

...Though, I must confess, the self-imposed restriction I have is rather inconvenient.

It renders genuine communication an impossibility.

How can anyone possibly place their trust in an individual who withholds their very name?

Truly astonishing.

If I possessed the capacity, I would deliver a resounding blow to my past self... alas, that would merely inflict pain.

I would much rather engage in a stern lecture instead.

Allow me to recommence. I am Rananon, an Ancient Dragon.

The cherished wife of the Dragon King, Gigurant.

Please, do not equate me with the common dragons you might encounter.

I am a rare specimen, belonging to the Divine Dragon lineage.

Those with less discretion might describe me as a serpentine creature adorned with limbs, but rest assured, I hail from a most venerable ancestral line.

...Indeed, to be entirely fair, every single member of the Ancient Dragon Race boasts a lineage of considerable antiquity.

-0-

Now then, let us proceed.

The lifespan bestowed upon the Ancient Dragons is, in essence, eternal.

However, this does not render us immortal; death remains a possibility.

It is not the frailty of the physical form that signals our end, but rather the erosion of the mind... the gradual dissipation of life force.

Our periods of slumber lengthen progressively, until ultimately, the body succumbs to petrification, leading to demise.

My own inevitable end was drawing near.

I had commenced the protracted journey of slumber, a slow descent towards my final moments.

Fear was not my companion.

After all, my beloved husband, who preceded me in death, awaits my arrival.

Nevertheless, the act of receding from the realm of the living does carry a poignant sense of solitude.

That is the entirety of it.

And so, I had lapsed into a deep sleep, believing that... when, without warning, I was jolted into a violent awakening.

-0-

What is this?

What has transpired?

This is most concerning.

I am utterly incapable of parting my eyelids.

They have become as stone.

Yet, despite this impediment, I can discern that my draconic form and consciousness are being forcefully roused.

What precisely have they done to my petrified physique?

Drat! Insufficient data is available!

I shall compel my eyelids to open through sheer force of will!

...

It is pitch black.

If memory serves, I had retired to slumber in the deepest recesses of a cave, far from any illumination.

C-calm yourself, Rananon.

I am an Ancient Dragon.

With sufficient concentration, I can perceive even in the deepest nocturnal darkness.

...

Faint points of light flicker here and there, and I perceive movement near them.

Are those... small beings?

Tch, my focus wavers.

N-no, this is not a matter of presbyopia.

It is merely a consequence of my abrupt awakening.

C-calm down, resume composure.

I recall hearing that gazing upon verdant objects aids the eyes... though perhaps that advice pertained to observing distant vistas.

In any event, there is conspicuous absence of greenery within this lightless cavern.

S-so what, then?

I possess magical power in abundance!

I shall amplify my visual acuity through arcane means!

Excellent! My sight returns!

I can perceive!

Let me ascertain... the small being is... standing directly upon my snout?

How utterly disrespectful!

And now, that minuscule entity is... advancing towards my eye—

Gyaaaaaaaaaa!

My eye!

My eyeeeeeee!

That little creature has smeared something into my eye!

No, it was aggressively twisted in!

What manner of being is this!?

A devil!?

Have the fiends arrived seeking retribution!?

Harboring resentment over matters from ages past!

Precisely why everyone despises your kind!

Hmm...

What is this?

My vision is becoming remarkably clear.

The stinging sensation has also subsided.

Huh.

The diminutive form before me is not a devil, but a human.

And the substance it so forcefully inserted into my eye...

Something that has been... reduced to a concentrated essence?

But that potent magical signature... could it possibly be the leaves of the World Tree?

And judging by the quantity held within that grasp...

She has utilized dozens of leaves!

Were it not for my status as an Ancient Dragon, such an application would undoubtedly have resulted in corruption!

W-what a perilous method of utilization.

But who could she be?

World Tree leaves are subject to stringent controls; they are not items readily obtainable.

And to employ such a multitude of them...

Does this imply that my power is desperately needed?

So much so that I was roused from my final slumber?

What are the other Ancient Dragons doing?

Could it be that they have all perished?

The human is vocalizing something...

I cannot discern the words.

My auditory canals are obstructed.

Allow me a moment.

Employing magic...

Affirmative. The blockage within my ears has been cleared.

Very well, I can now hear.

In that case, permit me to inquire.

What is it that you require of me!?

「Could you shift your body a little to the side?」

...

Pardon me, would you be so kind as to repeat that?

「Your body is obstructing the town's water source! Please move yourself aside!」

.........

Um, is this adequate?

Given my petrified state, repositioning is proving somewhat arduous...

Hmm?

When I entered my slumber, I am quite certain my form was more coiled. Was my sleeping posture truly this unrepressed?

Regardless, I have managed, somehow, to adjust my position.

Subsequently, a surge of water commenced bubbling forth from the earth.

The small inhabitants expressed evident delight.

Ah... did my sleeping posture inadvertently cause them inconvenience?

My apologies for that.

Still, I do not recall a discernible water source being present in this vicinity when I commenced my rest.

Have circumstances altered significantly over the intervening eons?

If you would be so kind as to elucidate this matter... wait a moment!

Why are you departing as though your task is concluded?

What of me, the one who was forcibly awakened?

Farewell? I am now entirely bereft of sleep!

Grr...

How much time has elapsed since I succumbed to slumber?

What transformations has the world undergone?

Provide me with more information!

Information!

Hmm?

My designation?

If you wish to ascertain it, you must challenge me!

...Wait, now.

I do not believe that abruptly launching an assault is the most suitable course of action.

Certainly, I did propose a challenge, but...

I have only just regained consciousness.

I am still rather disoriented.

Therefore, my capacity to maneuver is still significantly impaired.

Initiating an aggressive charge towards me strikes me as somewhat lacking in fairness, do you not agree?

Come now, there ought to be a more... interactive engagement.

Indulging in indolence is hardly beneficial.

Do not adopt that vexed expression!

Dialogue.

Meaningful conversation is of paramount importance.

Yes, I was the one who proposed this challenge, but still.

Show a little more reverence towards dragons.

Ancient Dragons are not beings that humans can converse with casually.

……

Your parent is an Ancient Dragon?

Do not lie.

Ah, an adoptive parent.

That is a possibility.

What is that dragon’s name?

Hakuren?

I do not recall that name.

But…… the power I sense from that name……

Could she possibly be Raimeiren’s daughter?

Oh!

Raimeiren is my granddaughter.

I see, I see.

……Hmm, wait a moment.

If Raimeiren has a daughter, then her partner must be Dors-boy.

Raimeiren was always rather infatuated with him.

What?

Dors-boy is the current Dragon King?

That young man?

Oh, please do not misunderstand. I am not worried.

Dors-boy is diligent, so he must be managing things properly.

And if he were to become complacent, Raimeiren would undoubtedly compel him to shape up.

-0-

Does Hakuren have other children besides yourself?

As an adoptive parent?

Ah, the ones she bore.

Hiichirou, Hikaru, and Himiko, indeed.

Hmm.

Having numerous offspring is a commendable thing.

Rananon?

Oh?

Oh, I comprehend.

That is a distinguished name.

I see, I see.

Is she also Hakuren’s daughter?

Rasutisumoon’s daughter?

Rasutisumoon is the offspring of Doraim, the son of Dors and Raimeiren.

I understand.

Yes.

Then I must seek her out and bestow my blessings.

You know her whereabouts, do you not?

I implore you to guide me there.

Hmm?

My name?

You say that since you challenged me earlier, I should reveal it?

That is not precisely how a challenge operates…

Very well, very well.

Then, pay close attention.

My name is Rananon.

I am Ancient Dragon Rananon.

A fitting name, is it not?

And your name?

Ursa, you say.

That too is a fitting name.

Now then, please proceed with guiding me.

Naturally, I shall provide you with a reward.

……

Areh?

Where have the treasures I amassed before sleeping vanished to?

They are gone?

Were they pilfered?

N-no, upon closer inspection of my surroundings… this is not the place where I slept?

D-did I shift to an peculiar location due to my sleeping posture?

Regardless, I possess nothing to offer Ursa as a reward.

I would prefer not to burden Raimeiren or Dors-boy.

You propose that the reward for guiding me can be assistance with some task?

What are you suggesting to an Ancient Dragon?

Ancient Dragons are akin to demigods.

Half-divine beings, you comprehend.

Exhibit a modicum of further respect…

There exists an Ancient Dragon who cultivates radishes?

What is this?

Huh?

Agricultural labor?

An Ancient Dragon?

W-what has transpired amongst the Ancient Dragons during my slumber?