We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak
No excessive long baths…
…Muscles, flesh.
Thick chest and broad pectorals. Thick, sturdy limbs. Toned abdominal muscles.
“Uuugh…”
This is a bad dream.
It’s just that I’m having a nightmare due to the recent series of hectic events.
“……Huh? Are you okay… …, …Nea?”
Yakushion aggressively parts the hot water and approaches me.
Sestarinis grabs me from behind, pinning my arms as I instinctively try to back away from his overwhelming presence.
Id extends his hand towards me with an unusually broad smile.
“W-w-w-wow!”
I flail my hands instantly to shake off the demonic hands of these muscle freaks.
“Nyah!”
“…Huh?”
But my hands don’t grasp hard muscle, but something soft.
“…Nea. Elnea?”
A soft voice reaches my ears, not from Yakushion, Sestarinis, or Id.
And then, I suddenly regain consciousness.
“It was a dream!”
I open my eyes with a snap.
What greets me is not the presence of gruff men, but the beautiful Mistral.
“Are you alright? You seemed to be having quite a nightmare.”
Mistral’s face is close to mine, or rather, he’s looking down at me as if looming over me.
Apparently, I was lying down with my head on Mistral’s lap.
A soft sensation travels from the back of my head.
And from my hands as well.
“Nyan. This is painful, nyan.”
I shift my gaze to the cute shriek and see that my left hand is holding Nimiia.
Oh dear!
It seems the soft sensation in my left hand was Nimiia.
Then, what about the sensation in my right hand?
As I wiggle my fingers, I feel a delightful resistance.
But in terms of size, it’s a little unsatisfying.
If possible, I’d want something that doesn’t quite fit in my palm…
“…Ah!”
“Fufufu. Since we’re husband and wife, there’s no need to worry.”
Mistral offers a bitter smile.
My gaze follows the tip of my outstretched right arm.
And I learn the truth of that soft sensation.
My right hand was firmly cupping Mistral’s modest chest.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that!”
I quickly release my right hand.
And I also let go of Nimiia, whom I was holding with my left.
Right, Nimiia.
Keep that previous thought a secret from Mistral, okay?
It was unintentional.
“Nyaa.”
Freed, Nimiia shakes her entire body, flaps her wings, and flies to Mistral’s head.
Then, she begins to groom her fur as if to fix it after I grabbed her.
However, she didn’t report my thoughts to Mistral.
It seems my thoughts weren’t malevolent, so I was let off the hook.
Phew, that was a close one.
I should give her lots of sweets later as a thank you.
“Along with Priscilla’s share, I want a whole lot, nyan.”
“Leave it to me!”
“Oh my, you woke up and suddenly started negotiating? What is it about?”
“Uh… I was apologizing for grabbing you.”
“Oh, that’s nice. In that case, maybe I should ask for something too?”
“Anything you say!”
Mistral, still with my head on his lap, smiles gleefully, wondering what to ask for without the other wives knowing.
Looking up at Mistral from below, I reconfirm my current situation.
I lower my gaze.
I’m lying down shirtless, and steam is rising gently from my body.
It seems the nightmare in the hot spring of muscles was indeed a reality.
“I think I got heatstroke, didn’t I?”
My body is hot.
Contrary to the pleasant feeling from the back of my head, my face is burning hot, and I feel like it might have swollen to twice its size.
And Ares-chan, trying to cool me down, was fanning me with a fan beside me.
“Fufufu, you had misfortune right after arriving. You didn’t have to obediently join the Id and the others for a long bath. Also, Sleny took you outside, so you should thank him when you feel better.”
An open-air bath with a view of the winter landscape.
The cold outside air and the intensely hot hot spring water.
In winter, this is apparently a blissful form of entertainment.
Soaking in the hot water, enduring until the skin turns bright red. Then, exposing the skin to the snowy scenery.
I, myself, prefer a slow, long soak in lukewarm water, but Yakushion insisted that’s the way to enjoy an indoor bath.
Winter open-air baths are about enjoying the temperature difference between the water and the cold air.
And essential to the Dragon Kings’ long baths is alcohol.
Normally, drinking during a bath is strictly forbidden, and Yufilia and Nina often get scolded for it. But it seems that common sense doesn’t apply to the Dragon Race.
Id even brought a whole barrel of alcohol, drinking it heartily while calling it “hydration.”
It seems I got caught up with these unconventional men and ended up taking such a long bath that I got heatstroke.
Afterward, Sleny, who came in later, rescued me, and now I’m being looked after by Mistral and the others.
“Thank you, Mistral. And you too, Ares-chan and Nimiia.”
Though I say my thanks, my whole body still feels feverish.
So, I’ll rest like this a little longer with my head on Mistral’s lap.
“Was the bath with all the men fun?”
“Uuuuh…”
When I close my eyes, that muscle hell vividly returns.
But it wasn’t unpleasant, was it?
We were excitedly exclaiming about the hot and cold, and in the end, I did end up staying in the bath until I got heatstroke.
So, I think it was fun after all.
“You know, we talked about a lot of things while we were in the bath.”
What surprised me was the greedy desire for self-improvement of the Dragon Kings.
Last year.
The Dragon Race warriors, as well as the Dragon Kings like Id, participated in the operation to subjugate the Evil Race.
However, even with the power of the Dragon Kings, they couldn’t inflict a fatal blow on the Evil Race.
Their martial prowess proved ineffective.
Their honed powers, techniques, and arts were all meaningless.
The Dragon Kings witnessed a reality that was utterly unprecedented based on their past experiences.
However, the Dragon Kings did not make any excuses, such as “It’s because they are a superior opponent” or “It’s because we were fighting a species that deviates from the norm.”
On the contrary, they exchanged opinions on how they could attack the Evil Race, and they began to reconsider their methods of gaining strength, attack strategies, and the refinement of their arts from the ground up.
This is amazing, isn’t it?
Revisiting what you’ve built up from the beginning requires an extraordinary resolve.
After all, normally people don’t want to think that their past training was meaningless.
So, while they might think about how to create a new path by changing from their current situation, they wouldn’t consider going back to the very beginning of the path they’ve traveled and seeking a new one.
But the Dragon Kings spared no effort and no determination, aspiring to reach even greater heights.
“For Id and the others, the prestigious title of Dragon King is not the end of their journey. Hearing them talk, I was truly inspired.”
“Indeed. I hope the other warriors will also possess such an unyielding desire for self-improvement.”
Even the Dragon Kings are greedily striving to grow.
If that’s the case, then the Dragon Race warriors aiming to become Dragon Kings must accumulate even more effort than the Dragon Kings.
Of course, I can’t afford to be complacent either.
As one of the Dragon Kings, I must walk a path befitting my title.
“So, are you heading to the Old Man’s next? You want to show him the results of your recent training, don’t you?”
“Yes. I want my Grandpa’s guidance after a long time. After that, I need to explain the situation to Grandpa and persuade the Spirits in the Dragon Forest to cooperate as well.”
Of course, I’ve already spoken with the Dragon Kings during the long bath.
I asked for their cooperation to resolve the issues related to the Demon Lord, and Id and the others readily agreed.
Mistral, who will participate in the Dragon King Conference starting tomorrow, will handle the specific discussions.
As for me, my schedule is still packed.
Once I rendezvous with Lily in the Dragon Forest, my next destination is the Giant Demon Lord.
If I can secure the cooperation of the Demon Race, I’ll have to head to the Forbidden Territory as well.
With the help of the legendary Magic Beast, Teruru-chan, I’ll be unstoppable, and I’ll also need the help of Grandma Yuuri and Priscilla-chan’s parents.
I’ll have to ask Yunyun and Rinrin too.
Micheila-chan said that girls come on an auspicious day in spring.
Quite a few days have passed since the new year, and the beginning of spring is just around the corner.
Then, with the Spirit Tree as our guide, it’s possible for girls to arrive at any time.
Before then, I need to finish preparing to face the Demon Lord.
“Nimiia, you’re going back to the Heavenly Mountain Range afterward to bring back Ruiseine and the others, right?”
Nimiia, who was grooming herself, turns her round eyes towards me.
But she tilts her head slightly and twitches her long ears as if struck by an idea.
“Nyan, I’m going home, nyan.”
“What did you say!?”
My and Mistral’s surprises at Nimiia’s unexpected action.
“Nyan. It’s better to have more fighting power, nyan. So, I’m going to call Mom, nyan.”
“I see!”
Well, logically speaking, Asher-san would also be an immensely reliable force.
However, none of us had considered Nimiia returning to the Ancient Capital on her own. So, we didn’t even think of asking Nimiia to call Asher-san…
Besides, I had a feeling Asher-san would sense something and come even without being called.
But if Nimiia goes to call him directly, it will be certain.
“In that case, I’ll bring back Ruiseine and the others while I’m touring the Demon Race’s country.”
Were Priscilla-chan and Alicia-chan able to persuade Momo-chan safely?
We’ll have them participate from the Heavenly Mountain Range via long-distance magic.
We have high hopes for Momo-chan’s magic, which even impressed the Fairy Demon Lord Kusharilla.
And in the East, Madrine-sama and Istericia are working hard. Of course, Laira must also be working tirelessly.
In the Armēdo Kingdom, Yufilia, Nina, and Sefina-san are running around.
How much fighting strength can we gather in such a short time?
How will everyone we’ve gathered cooperate?
There are still many problems piled up. Yet, time is limited.
“Even if I wasn’t suffering from heatstroke, I feel like my head is so hot I might get dizzy.”
“Fufufu. In that case, for now, at least, lie down and cool your head.”
“Yes, I’ll gladly take you up on that.”
“Reporting to everyone, nyan.”
“Reporting, reporting.”
Nimiia, Mistral’s intelligence operative, wags her tail.
Ares-chan also smiles brightly.
Quickly, Mistral pops some sweets into the cute mouths of Nimiia and Ares-chan.
“Nyan.”
“Secret, secret.”
“So that’s how you’re always bribed!”
Mistral is terrifying.
To so easily control Nimiia and Ares-chan.
If it were me, I’d be asked for one more, then another, and eventually, I’d still end up being ratted out.
Mistral laughs as if it’s amusing when I complain.
“Well, you see. It’s because you’re so kind, they’re doting on you.”
“Eeeeh? Is that so?”
I’m happy to be doted on, but please don’t spill everything, okay?
“It’s alright, nyan. I’ll keep the recent comment about your small chest a secret, nyan.”
“Ah!”
No, no, no! Even if you kept it a secret earlier, it doesn’t matter if you reveal it now!?
Nimiia sticks out her tongue, looking like she’s made a mistake.
It seems it was an accident.
But the crisis I’m facing won’t be dismissed as an accident!
“Elnea?”
“I-It’s not like that. That was unintentional!”
My head is dropped between my thighs, which were in a lap-pillow position. Then, my head is firmly squeezed between her thighs.
“…This is unexpectedly nice? Just kidding, ouch! Mistral, I’m sorry!”
The thigh-squeeze from the strongest Dragon Race member, who holds the title of Dragon Princess, was so painful it felt like my head would split open.
