We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Aftermath of the Naginata Search
“Uh, w-what is going on!?”
The Puppet King was defeated by Cadis.
The Puppet King’s castle had burned down…
Seeing our confusion, the Puppet King laughed as if amused.
“Fufu. Fufufu. It seems that things in the territory have become quite interesting?”
“Interesting is one thing, but it’s terrible! So, Elin, what’s going on?”
You want an explanation, right?
Did Cadis lie to us?
To my question, the Puppet King tilted her head as if troubled, but still smiled merrily.
“Fufufu. It’s simple, you see? I am a puppet master. I excel at creating puppet dolls that are indistinguishable from the real thing, you know?”
“Hah! Could it be?”
“Hahahaha!”
Lyra and I realized it.
So that’s what it is!
“Cadis wasn’t lying. They just mistook a fake puppet doll for the real Puppet King…?”
“That’s right. Duke Puppet-Master created very elaborate dolls and deceived you, Elnea and the others as well.”
“That’s right. In the Dragon King’s Capital, Grandpa Jangario and the others didn’t realize they were dolls until they were pointed out!”
“I’m sure Cadis also doesn’t realize that the opponent they defeated was a doll.”
Lyra and I were convinced.
Just then, Meijina voiced a question.
“But wouldn’t you notice if you saw a corpse that it was a doll? You, Elnea and the others, noticed that way, didn’t you?”
Indeed, Meijina was right.
No matter how elaborately you create a doll, if you examine it closely, you’ll know it’s not alive.
However, Cadis and their subordinates didn’t notice.
Why!
“Cadis’s specialty is fire magic, right? The Puppet King’s castle was also burned down. I’m sure Cadis used fire magic when fighting the fake Puppet King. And the fake doll they defeated was also burned. That’s why there was no evidence left to notice!”
When fighting a terrifying enemy, you can’t hold back your special techniques or magic. That’s why Cadis used their full power with fire magic, and the Puppet King’s fake doll was burned by those flames.
Cadis was mistaken.
Without even realizing that the opponent they defeated was a doll, they assumed they had defeated the Puppet King.
Hearing my deduction, Lyra nodded vigorously.
However, Meijina raised another question.
“What Elnea explained makes sense? But would such a terrifying demon race misjudge the strength of a fake and the real thing and mistakenly believe they defeated Duke Puppet-Master?”
Mumumu. That’s a rather sharp point, isn’t it?
The Puppet King is a member of the Primogenitor Race. Possessing immeasurable magic power and vast knowledge, they overwhelm other demon races.
So, did the fake doll also possess the same magic power and knowledge?
If only the appearance was the same and the contents were inferior, a great demon like Cadis would surely have noticed, right?
As Lyra and I pondered, Astel snorted derisively and boasted about his knowledge.
“Stupid Dragon King, you don’t know? This little girl can imbue her dolls with as much of her magic power as she desires, up to her total magic capacity. If she imbued a substitute doll with a large amount of magic power, even Lord Cadis wouldn’t be able to measure it and notice.”
“So, Elin-chan has a magic power that even great demons cannot measure?”
“Fufu. Fufufu. In terms of magic power alone, I have more than the Verdant Demon Lord, you know? If I share a portion of that with a substitute doll, they won’t be noticed. Fufu. If the opponent notices, it wouldn’t be a substitute, would it?”
The Puppet King said this casually to us.
But Lyra and I, having heard Astel and the Puppet King, were astonished, our faces contorted in surprise.
They had imbued a substitute doll with enough magic power to deceive even great demons! And that was only a portion of their total magic!
Ah, but that’s right. I remembered.
Astel also possesses that much magic power, doesn’t he?
The Forbidden Territory and the mansion in his own territory are vast buildings as far as the eye can see. The great fortress created as a base when fighting the Demon King also boasted a strength and scale that left everyone speechless.
Astel creating such structures instantaneously with just magic power. His total magic power is something that even great demons and Demon Lords cannot measure, isn’t it?
“However, your magic is weak. What a shame.”
“Shaaa! Stupid Dragon King, your inner thoughts just slipped out!”
“Ouch! Don’t bite my arm. Besides, I just said what I thought, not my inner monologue!”
“That’s even worse!”
“Gyaaa!”
Astel lunged at me with his claws, so I used Nimia as a shield and fled. Lyra, who was flustered between us, was cute.
Meijina watched this and laughed, but then her expression immediately turned serious.
“It’s always lively around you, Elnea, isn’t it? But, is that alright? Um. I feel strange saying this now, but…”
“Meijina, what’s wrong?”
I hid behind the Puppet King. Then Astel became genuinely angry. Conversely, the Puppet King smiled merrily and brought out a nearby doll to provoke Astel.
Meijina looked at us, or rather, the dolls, and then pointed into the depths of the dark night.
“The naginata Elnea came to retrieve flew off in that direction though?”
“Shoot! I forgot!!”
That’s right!
The doll suddenly threw Grivast’s Naginata far away, and that’s why we were bewildered, wasn’t it!?
And that naginata, which the doll threw carelessly, was a very important item!
“Lyra?”
“Yes.”
“Meow.”
“Hey! Leave Nimia-chan behind.”
“Oh? Is the female cat going to leave her life here? I will make a beautiful wax doll of the corpse and send it to Lord Black Cat.”
“Shaaa!”
The Puppet King and Astel don’t hate each other. That’s a misunderstanding; they seem to enjoy provoking and playing with each other.
Well, if you say that out loud like earlier, they both get grumpy, so I won’t say it.
More importantly!
We hurried into the bushes and began searching for the discarded Grivast’s Naginata.
“Gasp. Gasp. …W-what do we do!? We can’t find the naginata!”
Under the starlight, we searched the depths of the forest extensively and carefully.
But no matter how thoroughly we searched, we couldn’t find Grivast’s Naginata that the doll had thrown!
“Where in the world did they throw it!?”
In the depths of the forest, I screamed in despair.
Lyra and Meijina were also tired from the search and slumped onto the ground.
“Let’s go back to the campsite, nyan. We’ll rest, and search again when it’s bright, nyan.”
“But what if someone finds and takes the naginata while we’re gone…”
“It’s alright, nyan. I’ll sense the surrounding presence, nyan.”
“Thank you, Nimia. But I can’t let you do all the hard work, so I’ll be mindful of the surrounding presence too, okay?”
“Thank you, nyan.”
So, we decided to interrupt our naginata search and return to the campsite.
I took Lyra’s hand and helped her up. Meijina, even though tired, was a Battle Priestess. She stood up on her own and started walking.
“It’s alright. The Goddess isn’t mean. If we search earnestly, we’ll definitely find it.”
These are truly encouraging words befitting a clergy member.
We were cheered up and inspired by Meijina’s words.
Alright, when the sky brightens, we’ll start over!
Once it’s bright, we’ll be able to notice places we overlooked!
And so, with renewed determination and resolve, we returned to our campsite.
And then, we learned of the extreme wickedness of demons…
“After… after searching so desperately…”
I shouted at the campsite!
“Why is the attendant’s doll casually holding Grivast’s Naginata!!”
Yes, that’s right!
What awaited us when we returned to the campsite was a cheerful Puppet King and an attendant doll holding Grivast’s Naginata!
By the way, Astel is curled up asleep under the roots of a tree.
Astel, who usually causes trouble and is a nuisance, looks cute right now!
Compared to this wicked girl!
“Now, Elin-chan, explain yourself! Depending on the situation, we’re breaking off our friendship, you know?”
You haven’t forgotten, have you?
If you do something bad to us, we’re breaking off our friendship, right?
As I pressed her, the Puppet King, laughing more cheerfully than ever, retorted.
“Fufu. Fufufu. I haven’t done anything wrong. Rather, I helped you, Elnea and the others. How cruel of you?”
“Mumumu?”
“Thinking for the sake of Elnea and the others, I reeled in the thread attached to this naginata and retrieved it. However, you, Elnea and the others, never returned. On top of that, when you finally come back, you say we’re breaking off our friendship?”
“Whaa!”
I felt like I was going to flip over, my eyes rolling back!
The Puppet King had attached a magic thread to Grivast’s Naginata from the beginning. And she had retrieved it after throwing it.
Of course, it wouldn’t be found no matter how diligently we searched!
Because the Puppet King had already retrieved it!
Without knowing that, we just kept…
“No, no, no, I won’t be fooled! If you retrieved the naginata, why didn’t you tell us?”
“I did not receive such instructions.”
“Gunununu!”
If someone finds it, let’s contact them.
Lyra, Meijina, Nimia, and I were searching together. So, we hadn’t passed on such a rule.
Because whoever found it would immediately know, right?
But if the Puppet King, not us who went searching, retrieved it. And without being told “please contact us.”
“W-well, that’s true… Waiting for us at the campsite is also an option, I guess…”
Sniffle.
The Puppet King didn’t do anything wrong to us. Rather, she even helped us.
Yet, to talk about breaking off our friendship, what a terrible adult I am…
“But! But but! You could have kindly called us back!”
I can’t help but shout.
Return our efforts!
As I screamed towards the brightening eastern sky, Astel, who had been curled up asleep under the tree’s roots, chuckled.
You were pretending to be asleep and watching us, weren’t you?
You’re enjoying our predicament, so Astel is the truly wicked demon!
“Astel, you’re banned from petting Nimia! Because you were the only one who didn’t help!”
“What did you say! You! Cowardly Dragon King!”
Astel sprang up and lunged at me.
I hurriedly hid behind the Puppet King, Astel’s sparring partner.
“Hahahaha. Elnea, I will assist you.”
“Hahaha, this is amusing. Well then, shall I side with Duke Cat?”
“Fufu. Fufufu. The time has finally come to vanquish the female cat?”
Forgetting our exhaustion, we all started to make merry noise.
Amidst it all, I suddenly thought.
“In the first place, isn’t it the Puppet King’s attendant doll throwing Grivast’s Naginata that caused this…?”
“Fufu. Fufufu. But that wasn’t my mischief, so it’s not a reason to break off our friendship, right?”
“There’s that loophole!?”
As expected, the Puppet King is also an extremely wicked demon!
