The nightingale never left its cage. Throughout the night, it sang in the small room, making others sing along.
“Are you still at it?!”
Priscilla’s voice jolted me back to reality. The Rufina beneath me was staring at me with her eyes rolled back. Panic made me pull out too quickly, and Rufina arched her body violently before spasming and falling asleep.
“Good morning, Priscilla. It’s a beautiful morning, isn’t it?”
“You’re the only one having a beautiful morning. For once, Sophia is completely out cold.”
Sophia and Orietta’s magic team had work waiting even after the battle ended. Their fatigue must have piled up. As for Rufina, who knew what she was up to.
Priscilla draped a sheet over the sleeping Rufina and sat on the edge of the bed. From behind, Priscilla’s toned yet alluring back made me want to hug her tightly.
“Are you going to do it…?”
I sat behind Priscilla, kissing the nape of her neck and placing my hand on her ample chest.
“Ouch, ouch! Priscilla, that hurts! Why are you pinching me?!”
“Not that ‘doing it’! The ‘doing it’ we were talking about yesterday!”
…What were we talking about? We glossed over Lady Selina’s matter, and what else was there to do…
“I will. …I couldn’t think of anything else.”
“Is it that dangerous?”
“It’s as dangerous as Sophia growing wings and there being dozens of her when she’s furious.”
“That’s scary. Even you can’t handle that?”
“If you can catch a Thunder Dragon that has landed by surprise, you can win. If it’s just flying around, I can’t. And there were twenty of them in Anaheim Offen alone. They’ll likely be deployed in other cities too…”
“And you’re going to kill them…”
“I couldn’t think of anything else…”
“Hmph, I guess there’s no choice! You are an idiot, after all…”
“I’m sorry…”
“Is a solo kill out of the question?”
“…”
“If we come back alive, we’ll be killed. Even if we go alone…”
“I’m sorry…”
“Don’t worry about it, you bastard. You’ll be a bastard until you die.”
The city of Anaheim Offen. What awaited us there was the Thunder Dragon. It was probably the Demon Army’s trump card. And there were over twenty of them.
Wielding lightning as their weapon, we were powerless against these flying reptiles. Orietta had made something like a guided missile before, but that wouldn’t even scratch them.
If only there was time to develop our weapons, but the reinforcements from the Ashtal Empire wouldn’t allow it. Ashtal would launch an offensive as soon as reinforcements arrived. Even with the Thunder Dragons.
The knight order of the Ashtal Empire is strong. However, even with their super-vibrating weapons, they are no match for flying dragons. They would attack even knowing this. Ashtal’s supply lines are long, and long-term expeditions are not suited for battles where no territory is gained.
If we don’t attack… if we don’t attack, we’ll have to retreat. And then Rothfar, Keibeck, and consequently Harm would be annihilated.
Long battles have supply limitations. In an era of carriages, not trains or trucks, how long can we fight?
If we attack as we are, we’ll become food for the Thunder Dragons. If we defend as we are, our supplies will run out, and we’ll starve to death. To turn this situation around with a single home run… I could only think of one thing.
“We will take the Demon Lord’s head with the White Lily Corps. Let’s engrave our names in history.”
I left the lord’s mansion alone, dressed in my clothes. Why did Priscilla look a little sad? Did I do something to make her sad? Did she dislike that I finished a little too quickly?
We will take the Demon Lord’s head. To do this, there are several things we need to accomplish. It’s impossible to just march up and take the Demon Lord’s head head-on.
“Iris, are you there?”
“Yes, my good person. Always by your side…”
If so, I would have made her sing in the mansion. It’s more fun together. There might be new discoveries. Like new erogenous zones.
“Do you know the whereabouts of the demon woman? Alma Rosenberg.”
“Yes, good person. She is in Runelius Fine.”
The city of Runelius, was it on the road to Lauenstein? It’s hard to remember things as one gets older.
“Good work. Also, I plan to speak with Marquis Meredith McGregor of Keibeck. I intend to borrow a large ship. Iris, go ahead and gather supplies at the port.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“Cruising.”
“?”
Iris wouldn’t understand. A boy’s dream. Having a party with girls on a private cruiser.
I couldn’t play in the seas of Lauenstein, but since I have a chance to ride on a ship, I must enjoy it.
During the day, I’ll show off my manliness by aiming for a large marlin with trolling, and at night, I’ll savor a barbecue. And the girls will always greet me in swimsuits. Of course, at midnight in bed…
I headed to Marquis Meredith McGregor. Keibeck should be able to provide a ship or two. We have a deep bond, too.
To take the Demon Lord’s head, Alma Rosenberg’s knowledge and a large ship are necessary. Thorough preparations, and then act boldly.
“And Mikael boldly lifted Meredith’s skirt.” …Shut up, Snake! Stop making up random narration. …Well, that’s true… I do want to try it, but I won’t lift the skirt of the person I’m negotiating with for a ship.
“A-alright… The ship will be prepared… For you… Ah… Ah… Where… Ah…”
It’s a long way to Keibeck, but Harm must have fishing villages. Looking at the map prepared by Miss Meredith, I chose a fishing village in a deep cove to the southeast of Harm, which the Demon Army had not yet attacked.
“Ah… Not so deep… Please don’t go…”
I want it to be as undiscovered as possible, and it’s perfect for a large ship to enter. I want to board it quietly and set sail without being found.
“Heh heh, it’s making a sound… A little more… Ah…”
I want to be quiet, but the leaking bodily fluid and the sound of flesh hitting flesh echo, and snow falls on the deep cove amidst the white valleys. The falling snow will eventually flow into the cove. Shaking the earth and dyeing it all white…
“Iris, the talk is done. Head to the village of Esleben in southeastern Harmonia. Wait for the ship from Keibeck there.”
“My good person… What are you planning to do?”
“…Cruising?”
“No! My good person must be thinking of something much bigger!”
Don’t look at me with such a serious face, it makes me want to kiss you… Miss Meredith didn’t ask why I wanted to borrow a ship. I guess she understood it as an adult matter.
Iris asked. Is it because she’s close to me, or because of our familiarity? I lied about cruising earlier, but depending on how things turn out, it could be a matter of Iris’s life, so perhaps I should tell her…
“I will take the Demon Lord’s head. I will board the ship and kill him.”
“What! That’s reckless! Do you think the Demon Lord is in Lauenstein?! And it’s just talk of demon women!”
As expected, Iris remembers things. According to Alma Rosenberg, the Demon Lord doesn’t move from Lauenstein. That was in the past, and now his whereabouts are unknown, but Iris hasn’t seen him in the three cities of Anaheim.
That means he’s likely in Lauenstein, but only the commander-class demons would know that. We need to extract the Demon Lord’s location from Alma Rosenberg and uncover his true identity.
What is the Demon Lord’s true identity? Even in my past life, I only remember him wearing a mask, and even if I did, I can’t rule out the possibility that God altered my memories.
Alma has probably seen him, and might know some unique skills. I’ll go to Runelius Fine and extract information through kidnapping and confinement.
“At least Alma knows about the Demon Lord. We have too little information about him.”
“…Then,”
“That’s not allowed!”
“B-but I haven’t…”
“You’re going to say you’ll come with me. That’s not allowed.”
“However…”
“You know this, Iris.”
Iris… Six sisters of the Dark Elves. They are stronger and quicker-witted than ordinary humans. They have handled dangerous undercover missions with ease. My dear sisters.
But this is the limit. Lauenstein will likely have reserve forces gathered, and the Thunder Dragons are unmanageable. I can’t take them there.
“But…”
“You’ll be a hindrance. …I’m sorry.”
From here on, mere strength won’t suffice. If the Demon Lord is just a figurehead, there’s no problem, but he leads demons and monsters with real power. He didn’t bring them together through mere negotiation.
“If possible, I wanted to set you free… …I’m sorry.”
Iris is under a curse where her body will rot if she doesn’t replenish her bodily fluids. I would like to break it before going, but Rufina won’t tell me how, and there isn’t enough time.
“If I can die with you, Mikael-sama, it is our honor.”
When I’m met with such a resolute gaze, I don’t know how to respond. Was “I’m sorry” disrespectful to Iris?
“Thank you. I will definitely come back alive. I hate dying, and since I can only die once, I want to save it until the very end.”
We had one last replenishment before parting. Instead of making her sing, I made her cry.
