“Mister dragon, what’s your name?”
It’s just me, Freinet, and Mister dragon here now, and I suddenly realize that I haven’t asked his name.
I’m standing right in front of him with Freinet next to me.
“My name? A long time ago I was called Douroean, but I have not been called by that name in a long time.”
Apparently Mister dragon’s name is Douroean.
“Mister Douroean, can you tell me about miko?”
“Very well. What is your name, miko?”
“I’m Lerunda.”
“And I’m Freinet!”
“Lerunda and Freinet. Come closer, you can sit down and listen.”
“Yes.”
“All right.”
We get closer just like Mister Douroean says. Can I sit so close that I can touch him?
I’ve never touched a dragon’s scales, and I honestly really want to try it, especially since Mister Douroean isn’t scary to me.
“…Mister Douroean, can I sit close, and touch, your scales?”
“…You want to touch me?”
“Yes. I want to pat.”
Mister Douroean is quiet for a while, and I get a little worried, thinking that maybe I upset him. But then he laughs.
“Hahahaha, as expected from the miko. Or perhaps you are simply a little thickheaded. What child would look at me and tell me with a straight face that they want to pat me? You can get closer and even pat me, but do not touch my reverse scale. I can contain myself for a short time if you do, but I will start rampaging.”
Says Mister Douroean, so I do as he says and get closer. He shows me the place I can’t touch, and I make sure not to touch him there.
I approach his legs, and sit right next to them.
“L-Lerunda, incredible. Even I can’t get that close.”
Says Freinet, who is staying back a little.
Mister Douroean’s limbs are thick, covered with scales, and have sharp nails. You can tell just by looking that he’s really strong. I reach towards his scales, and they feel nice and cool. It feels completely different than when I touch the fluffy gryphons.
I get distracted touching the scales and thinking about how nice they feel.
“…How long do you intend to keep patting me? Are we not going to talk?”
“Ah, sorry. They feel good so I… Yes, I want to talk.”
I pat too much, so I get flustered and stop doing it.”
“So, what is it you want to ask?”
“I don’t know a lot, about miko. I know I’m the miko, but I don’t know what I can do, and things like that, so I want you to teach me about that sort of thing. First I want to ask, about miko you met.”
“Miko I have met? The most recent miko I have met personally was around two hundred years ago. And it was not a person, it was a monster.”
“…Monsters can be miko?”
“Yes. Being a miko is not something that only manifests in people, it is something that can happen to any living being. A miko is a being that attracts the attention of a god, and gods care not only about people.
Said monster looked like a weak little squirrel, but it lived until it died of old age in the forest. It lived longer than most due to being a miko, but this miko still lived and died without people ever being aware of it.”
“I see.. So they live longer too?”
“Miko live longer than other members of their species. They also rarely get sick, which is natural for someone cared for by a god.”
So does that mean I’ll live a little longer than others too? I’m still eleven, so it doesn’t really seem like a big deal to me, but if I can be alive with everyone else for a little longer, I’m happy about it.
“Also, I have forgotten how many hundreds of years ago it was, but I have met a person who was a miko. It was someone who had the goal of killing me, but in the end we became like friends.”
“There have been, all kinds of miko…”
“Yes. And different gods tend to favor different beings. You are being heavily influenced by the sky god, so you affect those that can fly. That said, your influence is entirely dependent on how strong god’s influence is, and your influence on other beings will be much smaller. Being the miko does not mean you will be liked by all. Depending on the situation, the miko may even be persecuted. Does this seem familiar to you? Since you live in a forest like this, I imagine this has happened to you.”
I’m leaning closely to Mister Douroean’s body as I listen to him. I’ve never heard someone who knows so much about miko talking about it, so I can learn a lot.
“…Yes.”
In the village where I was born, I didn’t have any friends and didn’t feel affection. I guess he’s saying that’s because there wasn’t that influence.
“Mister dragon, there is something I want to ask. Is the miko’s power influence granted by god? I thought it meant god was free to save Lerunda as god pleased, but apparently that’s not right. How is it exactly?”
Asks Freinet with a nervous expression.
“That is not the case. Gods cannot influence this land directly. Their power is simply too great, and it would be nothing but poison to this land. The miko is granted something akin to divine protection, but even that is not granted directly. It could be said that what the miko is given is mostly automatic, as gods do not personally influence every single action miko takes. In Lerunda’s case, she was given the divine protection of the sky god from the start, so it is automatically a little easier for her to be liked by beings that fly.”
Answers Mister Douroean.
-Girl and the winged people’s god – Part three
(The miko learns more about the being called miko.)
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