We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
A Spring Reunion
My vision is dyed in a golden hue, different from Old Man Sleigsta’s secret dragon arts, and the presence of my family vanishes. Then, in the next moment, we find ourselves standing deep within a winter-withered forest.
“Ara, ara ara, ara?”
“Eh! Lord Reed!?”
Charlotte has transported me and three Lady Shooting Stars to the country ruled by the Mad Abyss Demon Lord. Finally, a new adventure begins. Just as I thought that, I hear a voice from someone I shouldn’t have heard and quickly turn around.
To my surprise, an unscheduled person had indeed mingled with our entourage.
“Why is Lord Reed also transported here?”
What is he planning?! When I look at Charlotte, who cast the teleportation magic on us, I see that Charlotte herself has her eyes widened slightly, as if she’s a little surprised.
“What a rare sight! Or rather, why is Lord Reed here too? And speaking of which, one of the Miko-sama is missing, isn’t she?”
What is this situation!?
The two Lady Shooting Stars are also bewildered by this incomprehensible situation. And so is Lord Reed, who has intruded.
Everyone is surprised, confused, and troubled.
But fortunately, Charlotte, who transported us, has come along.
“So, can you take Lord Reed back and bring the other Lady Shooting Star here?”
“Fufufu, that wouldn’t be very interesting, Elnea-kun.”
“No, no, it doesn’t have to be interesting. So, please…”
“Rejected. Well then, I shall go and snatch away two people from the Human Race’s country.”
“Ahhh!”
Charlotte, unconcerned by our confusion, disappears in an instant.
“As expected of the Extremely Evil Demon Race… Well, we have no choice. For now, let’s try to sort out the situation.”
We all take a few deep breaths to calm our minds.
Then, I look around to reconfirm our surroundings.
We are now deep in a forest ruled by winter.
However, unlike the Forbidden Territory, there is no snow piled up, and the landscape is of cold-looking branches that have shed their leaves, swaying in the wind.
Fallen leaves have accumulated on the ground, and the sound of dried leaves crunching underfoot is a pleasant sound to my ears.
Looking up at the sky, I see a weak sun, different from summer, in a clear sky.
“This is already the Mad Abyss Demon Lord’s country, right?”
“As Elru says. I believe the prior explanation was that it was somewhat south of the border between the Giant Demon Lord’s country and the Mad Abyss Demon Lord’s country, at the foothills of Dragon Peak.”
The one who answered my question is Lady Mine, one of the Lady Shooting Stars accompanying us this time.
Lady Mine is over thirty. She’s a tall woman with sharp and clear facial features, and she’s a pure Battle Priestess.
In a strength contest purely based on naginata arts, she’s among the top Lady Shooting Stars.
She also seems to be proficient in magic, and so Ruiseine was learning how to fight combining naginata and magic.
Despite all that, Lady Mine’s hair is shorter than what’s usual for a high-ranking Miko.
Women in the clergy have a custom of growing their hair long according to their status. In fact, Madrine, the Head Miko, has much longer hair than Ruiseine.
However, Lady Mine’s hair is neatly trimmed to just a little longer than shoulder-length.
“My hair was cut when I fought demons in the past.”
I remember when I heard about it before, Lady Mine touched her hair a little sadly.
And the other Miko is Anna-sama, a small, cute, and animal-like woman who excels at healing magic.
“Elru, Elru, are we going to meet the Hero soon?”
“Yes, the Extremely Evil Demon Race person who just left went to fetch him. But the Hero is a forbidden word here, okay?”
“Understood!”
It’s a cute reply, but don’t be fooled. Anna-sama is also over thirty, just like Lady Mine.
Her fluffy honey-colored hair is grown down to below her hips. Rumor has it that when her fluffy hair is fully grown, it reaches the ground.
Her round, large eyes are blue and slightly droopy, enhancing her cuteness.
Apparently, Anna-sama’s family is a distant relative of the Holy Four Families, Nordann, and Anna-sama also inherited a special power from the Nordann family.
“But that’s a secret!”
When I asked curiously about what kind of ability it was, she evasively dodged the question, feigning reluctance.
Lady Mine and Anna-sama are keeping watch of their surroundings while surveying the unfamiliar foreign landscape.
Actually, Diana-sama, who is supposed to be here to command the three Lady Shooting Stars, should have been here.
But Diana-sama is nowhere to be seen, and for some reason, Lord Reed ended up coming along.
From the looks of Lord Reed and Charlotte earlier, it doesn’t seem like either of them plotted this, but…
Could it be that Charlotte is deceiving us while pretending to be surprised?
But then, what kind of wicked scheme is she planning?
Even if I ask, Charlotte will never tell me, so perhaps we have no choice but to accept this situation.
“Hmm, Lord Reed showing up was unexpected. I wonder if we need to rethink our setup.”
We are to scout the Mad Abyss Demon Lord’s country while hiding our identities.
In other words, we need an action setting similar to when we traveled through the Divine Race’s country!
Thinking about such setups is surprisingly fun.
As I was racking my brain trying to come up with a setting, I sensed a disturbance in the nearby space.
Immediately after.
“Hieh!”
“Kuu!”
Along with two screams, the surroundings briefly turn golden.
And then, the figure of my long-awaited best friend appeared before us.
However, Listea and Slaton, who have just arrived, seem a little strange. The two grown men are hugging each other and are pale with fear, as if terrified of something.
“Listea, Slaton, it’s been a while. By the way, what’s wrong?”
I rush up to the two who seem to be scared of something and peer into their faces.
“E-Elnea…?”
“How can you be so casual with such a terrifying demon!?”
“Huh?”
Come to think of it, Charlotte is nowhere to be seen. Unlike when she transported us, Listea and Slaton were sent here alone. But that doesn’t mean Charlotte is a terrifying demon, does it?
After all, Listea and the others have met Charlotte before and have seen our amicable relationship. …Ah, but.
Have Listea and the others never interacted directly with Charlotte?
No, no. Even so, if they know our usual relationship with Charlotte, she shouldn’t simply be seen as a terrifying demon.
What’s more, it’s impossible for Listea, the Sun Hero, to be purely afraid.
“Fumu. Slaton, what did you do?”
I decide that Slaton is the culprit and question him. Usually, Slaton would attack me with “You!” But he averts his gaze from me.
“Ah, it really was Slaton’s fault? So, what did you do?”
“S-shut up!”
Slaton tries to retort, but he still lacks his usual vigor.
“I have no choice. I’ll ask Listea.”
Listea’s expression suggests he has already regained his composure. However, the two men are still hugging each other!
“…Geez. Because Slaton said something foolish again, we had a terrible disaster even before departing.”
Listea explained.
It happened before our departure. The Hero’s entourage was waiting for their transport, fully prepared. Slaton, buoyed by the great adventure ahead, was spouting his usual boastful nonsense.
“Hehehe. Just you watch, Elnea, you demons. I, the great me, will be a hero and show the demons the true strength of humankind. And I shall become the Dragon King, and then the Demon King. If Elnea can do it, then I surely can too!”
“W-wait, Slaton!!”
Slaton was breathing fire, but he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. While Slaton was boasting foolishly, Charlotte had arrived. And she heard Slaton’s words.
“Fufufu, so you are to become a great figure who threatens the demons?”
“Th-!!”
When Listea called out to me and I turned around… Charlotte was emitting a killing intent!
“A Demon King to rival His Majesty? Then, we must crush this future bud early.”
Charlotte, I’m told, mercilessly directed her killing intent towards the two of them. Bathed in Charlotte’s smile and killing intent, Listea and Slaton hugged each other in fear. I never imagined we would be in a desperate situation before heading to the Demon Race’s country! Charlotte closing in. Listea and Slaton screaming.
“And then, while we were cowering, the vision turned golden. I thought it was all over. But that was teleportation magic, wasn’t it? …I wonder if Cerise and the others we left behind are safe.”
“Don’t worry about that. It’s probably Charlotte’s joke, that sideways rolled blonde demon. She wouldn’t direct miasma or killing intent at a pregnant woman.”
“If you say so, I’ll believe you. But for you to say it was a joke… you’re amazing.”
“No, no, it’s nothing like that. Besides, aren’t Listea and Slaton just surprised because they were careless? After all, they both have experience fighting Yōma Kings and evil races.”
In the fierce battle with the Yōma King and the expedition against the evil races, Listea and the others also played an active role. Even back then, they fought without being deterred by the killing intent and miasma emanating from terrifying beings, so Charlotte’s killing intent should be nothing new for them? When I said that, Listea gave a wry smile.
“It’s a little different. It’s true that we’ve gone through many fierce battles with you, but the killing intent from the Yōma King and the evil races was directed at everyone who posed a threat, a multi-directional killing intent. However, the killing intent that demon released this time was targeted only at me and Slaton. It wasn’t a matter of carelessness; it truly chilled us to the bone.”
I see. The quality and intensity of “I will kill you!!” killing intent is different from “I will kill all enemies!” killing intent. Nevertheless, I still think it was Charlotte’s joke, even considering that? Or perhaps, she intentionally directed her killing intent at the overly excited Slaton to put him in his place. Listea is an unfortunate victim caught in the crossfire.
“In that case, it really was Slaton’s fault!”
“S-shut up! More importantly, hurry up and explain the situation. It’s a bit different from what we heard.”
Slaton finally seems to have returned to his usual self, and he presses me, pointing at Lord Reed.
“According to the prior plan, weren’t three Lady Shooting Stars supposed to accompany us? Who is that cheerful-looking Mimicho Race person who looks so out of place?”
“Ara, ara ara ara?”
Lord Reed, pointed at by Slaton, watches our exchange and smiles gleefully.
Yes. I want explanations about various things too!
