“The meal is finished, isn’t it? We’ll start the operation soon.”
“Um, I haven’t heard anything, what exactly are we going to do?”
Fuuko seemed determined to repel the retaliatory force dispatched from the Kingdom after finishing her meal, but Kent hadn’t received any detailed explanation from her. While Fuuko was the only one showing enthusiasm, Kent asked her again, seeking clarification.
“It’s simple. We’ll have Moe chase them away. That’s all there is to the plan.”
“Moe?”
Kent was surprised to hear Fuuko’s plan. Moe, who was at his feet, was larger than an ordinary lizard, but not as large as a specimen of a much larger species. Kent couldn’t believe that this child alone could repel an army of 40,000.
“Well, well, leave it to me. Then tent, you can stay as you are, I’ll be back, and we’re starting the operation, so let’s move!”
“Oh, wait. Moe is coming too.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
Fuuko slipped through the dense trees and moved deeper into the forest. Kent followed her, keeping Moe close so as not to lose sight of them.
“Now, let’s check the situation. Moe, you stay here.”
“Yes, Mommy.”
Fuuko walked through the forest for a while before suddenly stopping. Kent and Moe caught up to her, and Fuuko instructed Moe to wait there.
“Master, I’ll check the situation from above. Here we go.”
“Whoa!”
Fuuko embraced Kent, and a vortex of wind swirled around them as they ascended.
“It looks like we’re guiding them well.”
“It looks like there’s a path being made in the forest.”
“Yes, I worked hard to make it yesterday. Hehe, it looks like they’re being guided well.”
From above, they could see that the forest had been thinned out, creating something like a path. This was work Fuuko had done the previous day. It would shorten travel time for 40,000 soldiers to move through a cleared path rather than fumbling through the forest. Given their numbers, even if this path were a trap, the commander seemed to believe they could break through with sheer force.
“Hmph, how thoughtful of the Duchy’s Army to even create a path for us. It’s as if they’re inviting us to attack. Our army will use this path to storm the Duchy!”
The person commanding the Kingdom’s Army judged that this path was created for their previous invasion of the Duchy. Even if it were a trap, they believed their forces could overcome it. More importantly, fearing a decline in morale due to the passage of time, they chose this route to increase their travel speed.
“I’ve confirmed the current location of the Kingdom’s Army. Let’s go down and prepare.”
Fuuko showed Kent the current geographical situation and then returned to where Moe was waiting.
“Welcome home. Daddy, Mommy.”
“We’re back. Now, Moe, I’m going to have you work hard. Are you ready?”
“I’ll do my best for Mommy.”
“What a good, devoted child.”
As Fuuko and Kent descended to the ground, Moe lumbered closer. When Fuuko told Moe that the operation was about to begin, she too showed enthusiasm. Seeing this, Kent found Moe to be an honest and cute child.
“Now, show me your true power!”
“Yes, Mommy. Groooooooaan!”
“Ooooooooh!”
When Fuuko spoke to Moe, she gathered her strength. Her body began to grow rapidly.
“Is this a dragon?”
“Yes, it is. When she unleashes her true power, she becomes a dragon belonging to the fairies. Furthermore, powered up by the combined strength of Master and me, she’s a Gale Dragon of the High-ranking Fairy class.”
“No way…”
Moe, now about 20 meters long, was covered in scales and still resembled a lizard, but she had sharp fangs in her mouth, giant wings on her back, and four legs with claws that could tear through anything, though she stood on two legs. Her appearance was exactly like the dragons Kent knew from stories.
“You’ve grown nicely. We’ll win with ease now. Crush them completely so they won’t dare attack again. But, absolutely do not kill them. You must abide by this.”
“Understood. Mommy!”
Despite her massive size, her voice was still as cute as ever. Kent felt a sense of relief that her charming voice had not been lost.
“Well then, we’ll watch from a safe distance, so work hard. Master, because we’ll be staying in the air for a long time, please tie us together with this as a precaution.”
“O-okay.”
Fuuko handed Kent a soft rope they had used to come to this forest and instructed him to tie them together. Kent followed her instructions, binding them tightly so they wouldn’t drift apart in the air.
“I’ll give you instructions if anything comes up, but Moe, I think you’ll be fine. Please do your best.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Moe, don’t overexert yourself.”
“Understood, Daddy.”
“Well then, we’re ascending.”
“O-oh.”
Fuuko and Kent left Moe to her task and slowly ascended, stopping at a safe altitude where they wouldn’t be caught in the fighting.
“I think we’ve come quite high, but I can still see Moe clearly from here.”
“Yes. Now we just have to count on her efforts.”
From their safe vantage point high in the sky, Kent and Fuuko decided to watch the unfolding events.
“The Duchy’s territory is beyond this point. Everyone, keep moving.”
“Ooh!”
The captain of the unit positioned at the front raised his voice to boost morale. In response, the other soldiers also raised their voices.
“C-captain, there’s something ahead.”
“What do you mean by ‘something’? Speak clearly.”
“I don’t know. It’s like a giant creature from a story, a dragon.”
“A dragon? That’s impossible…”
“Grrr?”
Suddenly, the unit captain looked up, and there was Moe’s face. As their eyes met, Moe let out a growl.
“A-all troops, combat readiness! It’s a d-dragon. A dragon has appeared!”
The report of encountering a dragon spread rapidly throughout the entire retaliatory force from the leading unit. However, messengers traveled on foot, so it was inevitable that some time lag would occur before the information reached the lower ranks.
“W-what?! A giant dragon?”
“Yes, sir. It seems the leading unit is already engaged in combat.”
“There’s only one enemy, correct?”
“Yes, that’s what the report said.”
“I understand. I apologize to the leading unit, but they will serve as decoys. In the meantime, deploy the other units to surround the enemy dragon and attack all at once!”
“Understood. I will send messengers to all units.”
The command post at the rear of the army was in chaos upon hearing the report of the dragon encounter. To proceed, they had to eliminate it, and the hardline aristocrat commanding the unit had no intention of retreating, choosing instead to engage and advance.
“Damn it, my sword doesn’t even penetrate. How tough is this thing?”
“Arrows bounce off and are ineffective.”
“Guh, spears don’t work either.”
Moe had thought that if she revealed herself, the soldiers might flee in surprise. However, the unit commander chose to fight and attacked Moe with his weapons. Her resilient scales were not so soft as to be penetrated by normal weapons, and they repelled everything.
(Sigh, I didn’t want to hurt them if possible, but I guess I have no choice.)
Though she didn’t say it aloud, Moe felt very disappointed. She had hoped to complete Fuuko’s task without harming the enemy, but it hadn’t gone as smoothly as she’d hoped. She reluctantly decided to switch to a more forceful approach.
