I Couldn't Become a Knight, But for Some Reason, I'm Beloved by Dragons - Chapter 21: Her True Name is Luna

Chapter 21: Her True Name is Luna

“As a trading city, it’s no surprise that this place has more energy than the capital. It’s not that the capital isn’t lively, but it can’t compare to this noise.”

“Indeed. It’s a bit intimidating…”

“I feel the same way. Perhaps it’s because I’ve grown accustomed to the stillness of our world.”

I nodded in agreement.

However…even though all I wanted to do now was to be with Luna, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in my mind. And it seemed that Luna was aware of this as well.

“I can’t help but wonder… let’s address this question first.”

“Ah, sorry.”

“It’s okay. Shall we take a break somewhere?”

We searched for a good spot together and stumbled upon a large square where people had gathered. Chairs were set up all around, indicating that it was a rest area of sorts. We sat on an empty bench, and Luna snapped her fingers.

“…Eh?”

At that moment, I felt as if the space around us had been cut off, creating an illusion. It seemed that the feeling was not mistaken, as Luna had cast a barrier with her magic so that nobody else could hear our conversation.

“This should do it.”

“…Luna, you really can use so many different kinds of magic.”

“I can use almost any magic that people in this world can use. The fact that I am a dragon instead of a human helps with that.”

“I see.”

Luna turned to me again and revealed the truth that she had been hiding from me.

“My name is Luna. I rule over the dragons and am known as the mother and queen of dragons.”

She said that, and although she clearly appeared as a human, I felt as though I could see the shadow of a dragon behind her.

Perhaps it was the intimidation of a dragon that could not be hidden, even in a beautiful human form.

It was proof that the girl I had been interacting with all along was actually Luna, the dragon queen..

“I suppose I should apologize for deceiving you.”

“No, I don’t think you deceived me. Actually, I couldn’t find the answer because there was no precedent to reference.”

“That seems to be the case. You asked me several times if I could turn into a human, too.”

Every time I asked, Luna said she couldn’t.

Although it was written in books that dragons could turn into humans, it was difficult to believe it was true without actually knowing.

Even Lichter-sama, who was more knowledgeable about dragons than I was, didn’t know. In other words, I had doubts but no answers.

“The only ones who know that I can become human are me, the dragons, and Xeno. Furthermore, there are no other individuals among the dragons who can become human.”

“… Is that so?”

“Well, even I didn’t know I could turn into a human until a few years ago when I tried using magic to see if I could. I was surprised, like ‘Wow, I can do it if I try’.”

“That’s so casual!”

“Well, that’s just how it happened.”

She said it with a chuckle, and her laughter and smile mixed with the atmosphere she had when she was Runa. Knowing her true identity, I felt special to be around her.

“… I see.”

“Disappointed? That the woman you’ve been meeting was actually a dragon next to you?”

“Why would I be disappointed? I didn’t think about the possibility even for a moment, but I actually feel relieved now.”

As I said this, she smiled again, but her lips were slightly pursed, showing a hint of dissatisfaction.

“But, for me, a more romantic way of revealing my true identity would have been better. I wasn’t supposed to leave the castle like this… Well, I just couldn’t hold back my feelings to spend time with Xeno.”

“But because it was such an obvious way, I feel pretty calm about it.”

“Well, depending on the time and place, you might have screamed loudly in surprise?”

I chuckled, knowing it was probably true.

(… I see. In that case… she knows everything I’ve said to Luna, of course.)

Although I had spoken some playful lies to tease Luna, like saying I liked her or that we should get married, they were not really lies. I genuinely liked dragons and said those things, even if they were impossible.

“I wonder why your face is all red… Hehe, well, let’s talk about it later tonight, shall we?”

“…”

“You’re really cute, you know that? Humans are inherently cute, but when it’s Xeno, the feeling of love just overflows.”

She placed her hand on my cheek and leaned in close, then suddenly stopped as if she had thought of something mischievous. She smirked and said:

“I always used to lick you all over when I was a dragon, but now that I’m in human form, it’s embarrassing to do that. But it doesn’t matter, right? You’ve always told me you want to marry me and that you love me. Of course, I’ve told you the same thing.”

“…”

I was completely under Luna’s control.

She had transformed from a dragon to a human and changed her way of speaking, but she was still the same Luna. However, the change in appearance was too great, and my heart had been beating loudly since earlier.

“But there are downsides to this human form, you know.”

“Huh?”

“I can only stay like this for a limited time each day. If I stay in this form any longer, I won’t be able to do anything at night.”

“At night…?”

“So let’s hurry and go outside. Sorry, Xeno!”

“Hey, wait!?”

With another snap of her fingers, the world returned to normal. She took my hand and led me outside of Karsananta… but then something troublesome happened.

“Excuse me, miss. Can you wait up for a sec!?”

It was a pickup attempt.

But she wasn’t just any woman, she was a dragon… and what happens when you try to stop her when she’s in a hurry? That’s right.

“Shut up, I have no use for you.”

Her voice was filled with a tremendous killing intent. The pickup artist who would have otherwise avoided her was hit with that intent head-on, causing him to foam with his mouth and leak yellow liquid from his waist.

“… Still scary after all.”

“What are you saying? I’m gentle with you, remember♪”

And then, we quickly made our way outside.