We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 1153

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

With resolve.

“Well then, I will inform you of the new setting for this journey!”

While calming Slaton, I conveyed the revised setting to everyone.

“First, to introduce ourselves. I’m Eruru! And these are Lady Mine and Lady Anna, and this is Lord Reed.”

I introduced Lady Shooting Star and Lord Reed first. Ignoring Slaton’s retort, “What’s Eruru!”, I then introduced Lisuter and Slaton.

“This man is Hero Lisuter, the pride of the Human Race. Lisuter’s alias is Reed! And this brute is Slaton. Unfortunately, he’s Reed’s partner. Slaton’s alias, combined with Duranel, who lurks in the shadows, is Slanel! … Ugh!”

Slaton choked me. Lisuter sighed in exasperation.

“I-I can’t help it. It’s because we have to hide our identities in the Demon Race’s Country, so we can’t call each other by our real names, right?”

I proudly declared that I had brainstormed this diligently! Lisuter responded with a resigned nod, “I figured as much.” I don’t understand.

“An-anyway. Reed, Slanel, and I are childhood friends from the same hidden village, and Lady Mine and Lady Anna came to our village by chance through the guidance of the stars.”

There’s no need to hide the fact that Lady Mine and Lady Anna are Shooting Star Miko. After all, even if their names and deeds were known in the Demon Race’s Country, it wouldn’t lead to our true identities.

“So, we, who wanted to see the world outside our closed-off hidden village, left with Lady Shooting Star.”

That much was a pre-arranged setting, which I had already shared with Lisuter and the others. However, reality didn’t go as planned; the three Lady Shooting Stars became two, and Lord Reed joined them instead. So, I added a new setting.

“Lord Reed, is a warrior of the Mimicho Race who lives near our hidden village, and he followed us because he was worried about us leaving the village recklessly.”

Lisuter and Slaton should have noticed. That Lord Reed is no ordinary person.

“We are accompanying Lady Shooting Star on her journey to find the Promised Land, and we are trying to understand the world. To start, we plan to explore the Demon Race’s Country, the reason we have to live in hiding.”

The location of our hidden village is set in the borderlands of the Giant Demon Lord’s country. If we do that, even if the demons of the Mad Abyss Demon Lord’s country investigate our setting deeply, we can skillfully evade them by claiming it’s a different country. We have since descended south across the border, venturing shallowly into Dragon Peak. Therefore, this is the foothills of Dragon Peak.

“This is our shared setting, understood? Slanel, did you memorize it properly?”

“Memorized? What are you talking about! I’m asking you who that Mimicho person is!”

“Gah, don’t choke me. Reed, help!”

“Slarin, calm down.”

“I’m not Slarin, I’m Slanel!”

“Slanel willingly accepted the setting!?”

“Shut up!”

As Lisuter, Slaton, and I made a fuss, the elder Ladies Mine and Anna watched us kindly. And Lord Reed also watched us with a smile.

“C-cough, it hurts… But I will say this deliberately. If you can’t even guess who Lord Reed is, then Slanel, you still have a long way to go.”

“What did you say!?”

Slaton stared intently at Lord Reed, suspicious of my words. Lisuter also looked at Lord Reed, albeit politely.

“Reed, aren’t you suspecting something? In fact, I think both of you have seen Lord Reed before in the past.”

Perhaps they saw him standing beside Kensei Faruna during my wedding ceremony. And Lisuter does seem to recall something vaguely. Unfortunately, Slaton’s weak memory didn’t react at all.

“Well, what I can say for sure is that Lord Reed is the strongest among us.”

“Stronger than you?” Lisuter asked, and I nodded, “I stand no chance.”

“However, just because Lord Reed is strong doesn’t mean we can rely on him easily. We want him to primarily watch over Lady Shooting Star to ensure she faces no danger.”

“Oh, ara ara ara? Is that truly alright?”

Lord Reed says so, but I’ve noticed. For a while now, Lord Reed has been observing us from a slight distance, trying not to interfere too much. Lord Reed came all the way to the Forbidden Territory to uphold my promise with Alice. And he is not only watching over me but also my wives and the Shooting Star Miko’s training. However, I believe he is avoiding deep involvement because our activities in the Mad Abyss Demon Lord’s country are purely our personal affair. This is because if Lord Reed gets involved, it might indirectly affect Lady Faruna. Lord Reed, one of Lady Faruna’s Four Guardians, cannot cause trouble for his master. Therefore, I want to ask Lord Reed, as our last resort, to ensure Lady Shooting Star’s safety in case of the worst-case scenario.

“I understand your intention to request Lady Shooting Star’s safety. But the fact that we are not included means…?”

“Reed, you’re amazing. That’s right, Reed, Slanel, and I will escape on our own, no matter the situation.”

The presence Slaton had been projecting towards me instantly changed. It became serious.

“Fine. That’s what I thought from the start. I don’t think of this as an easy mission where someone will save us in the end. You also invited us because you trusted that we could surely return safely, right?”

Slaton grinned at me with his characteristic mischievous smile. I nodded back firmly.

“If it’s Reed, Slanel, and me, we can get through any situation!”

“I will respond to your trust with all my might.”

“I’ll show you my growth!”

“That’s my best friends, Reed and Slanel!”

The three men pumped themselves up before departing. Lady Mine and Lady Anna watched us, saying, “What a wonderful friendship,” and “There are energetic humans like this here too.” And Lord Reed, with his natural innocence, hit a sore spot by asking, “Eruru, if you weaken, I will assist you as part of your training, shall I?”

“An-anyway! Let’s get out of this forest and see the Mad Abyss Demon Lord’s country!”

Ignoring Slaton’s question, “What do you mean by ‘if I weaken’?”, I took the lead and started moving. As we advanced through the desolate forest, lacking the vibrant life of the Forbidden Territory or the Armēdo Kingdom, which was still in its winter state, we deepened our camaraderie. Lady Mine and Lady Anna eagerly asked Lisuter, Slaton, and sometimes me about the Armēdo Kingdom and the diverse races that spread east of Dragon Peak. Lisuter and Slaton were particularly interested in our life in the Forbidden Territory. However, there was an unspoken agreement, not made by anyone in particular, to avoid deep questions about the Shooting Stars and Lord Reed. Lisuter and Slaton, having experienced various situations, were good at reading the atmosphere. On the other hand, Lord Reed, without reading the room, displayed his natural self to the fullest. Lord Reed freely asked Lisuter and Slaton questions about marriage and suddenly started chatting with the Spirits, doing whatever he pleased. However, thanks to Lord Reed, we quickly learned about the commotion occurring ahead in the forest.

“Oh, ara ara ara, is that so?”

A Wind Spirit flowed in on the cold wind. And relayed the message to Lord Reed.

“They say there’s a large-scale conflict between demons beyond this forest. What shall we do?”

At Lord Reed’s words, we all looked at each other.

“A conflict between demons… I see.”

Normally, one wouldn’t want to jump into a commotion. But considering the purpose of our journey?

“To understand what’s happening in the Mad Abyss Demon Lord’s country, we can’t just keep running away from what’s happening here, can we?”

Lisuter nodded at my thoughts. “I want no part in the commotion itself, but it would be wise to grasp the nature of the conflict.”

With our future actions decided, I surveyed everyone.

“Let me be clear from the start. The reason we’ve visited this country is not to save anyone, nor to oppose the Mad Abyss Demon Lord. We are merely traveling through this country for a short while to observe and learn various things. Therefore, we cannot easily bear the future of this country ourselves.”

We must not forget that this is a journey to investigate what is happening in this country.

“So, there may be times when we have to abandon something or act ruthlessly. But please be aware that the future of this country must be woven by its own people, and there are issues where we, as outsiders, cannot interfere too deeply.”

“What do you mean by that?” Slaton asked. But Slaton also had a hunch about what I was trying to say. Perhaps he asked to make me state it explicitly. Lisuter and Slaton are the great hero and his partner, the pride of the Human Race. Their deeds are known to everyone in the Armēdo Kingdom and the Yorttenitos Kingdom. However, this is a demon-ruled country of the Demon Race. The common sense of humans that Lisuter and Slaton have cultivated will not apply here. And I, having been involved with the Demon Race’s Country for much longer, know various things. Cultures that can be touched, issues that must not be touched. If we carelessly get involved without discerning these, we might get deeply entangled in an irrecoverable disturbance. Therefore, we outsiders must draw a line that can never be crossed.

“Demons enslave other races, don’t they? But if you are not prepared to bear the entire future of the slaves, you must never touch it. No matter how heartbreaking it may be, refrain from actions for which you cannot take responsibility.”

At my words, Lady Mine and Lady Anna wore grim expressions. However, there were no objections. In the past, Madrine had said to Isis when persuading her: If there are those seeking salvation, first, the Miko and priests of that land should strive desperately to save them. Besides, we, the Shooting Stars, and I are essentially outsiders and do not have the responsibility to carry the future of the people of this land. Therefore, if we are to do nothing irresponsible, we must absolutely not get involved. Lady Mine and Lady Anna seem to share my thoughts.

“Now, if you’re prepared, let’s go!”

Saying that, I started running. Lisuter followed suit without delay, and Slaton trailed behind. Lady Mine and Lady Anna’s start was delayed for a moment, but in the next instant, they overtook us who had taken the lead, in the blink of an eye. It’s the movement magic “Star Crossing”!

“Excuse me, we shall proceed ahead.”

“Scouting ahead has always been my forte!”

With those words, Lady Mine and Lady Anna went on ahead into the wintry forest.

“Ara ara ara, then I shall excuse myself. If you don’t come quickly, the Spirits will become dissatisfied, you know?”

“Ah, Lord Reed! Please take the Spirits with you!”

Then, Lord Reed disappeared from our side in an instant with Spatial Jump. Since he is of the Mimicho Race, there was no surprise or dissatisfaction. However! The Spirits who were playing with us until just before were left behind! In other words…

“If you’re late, I won’t forgive you!”

“I want to see the commotion quickly too!”

“You’ll pay for leaving us behind!”

“Kyaa! Reed, Slanel, if we don’t hurry to the scene of the commotion, we’ll become the center of the commotion ourselves!”

“W-what are you talking about!?”

“I don’t get it!!”

I slapped Lisuter and Slaton’s behinds and ran with all my might through the winter forest.