We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Tears and smiles.
Shortly after laying Laira and Ruiseine in bed, Mistral returned.
“Isn’t that too fast?”
To my surprise at his speed, Mistral petted Nimia.
“Nimia worked hard.”
“Nyaaa.”
As if exhausted, Nimia flew onto Priscilla-chan’s head and immediately started snoring.
“Thank you. You worked hard, didn’t you?”
I petted Nimia.
“Well then, I’m going to apply the panacea to Laira, so you should leave the room.”
“Eh!?”
I was surprised by the unexpected remark.
“Elnea. Um… it’s embarrassing.”
Laira looked at me with her face completely red.
“Aaaaaah!”
So that’s it. Laira had burn-like wounds all over her body, and to apply the panacea, she would have to be naked.
Her clothes were already in tatters, and her skin was exposed in many places, but that didn’t mean it was okay for me, a man, to see Laira naked like this.
I hurriedly left the room.
When I exited the room, I found myself in the living room of the person who had offered us shelter, where several Dragon Race people were gathered, watching the situation.
I politely thanked those present.
Then, to those who had inquired about the circumstances, I explained what had happened in the west of Dragon Peak and about the magic sword user in black armor.
The Dragon King and Dragon Princess, who had been holding a meeting in the village, suddenly took flight from the village on Nimia’s back, causing the villagers to worry about what was happening.
After calming down once they received my explanation, the villagers said, “We can’t just stand here, we must prepare for rescue!” and began to move about busily.
And when no one else was left in the living room except me, Mistral emerged from the room.
“How are Laira and Ruiseine?”
“Ruiseine has probably just exhausted her magic power and fallen asleep. She should regain consciousness in two or three days. Laira’s wounds have also healed, and it seems the tension has snapped. She’s sleeping now.”
Mistral’s explanation finally allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief.
“Can I leave the rest to you?”
“Hm?”
Mistral, unlike me, who had taken a moment to rest, seemed about to leave the living room without a pause.
“I have to inform the Dragon Kings about this incident.”
“Right. Of course.”
My mind was so occupied with Laira that I had forgotten.
If I didn’t inform the Dragon Kings remaining in the village about the magic sword user in black armor, other problems might arise.
“I’m sorry to bother you when you’re tired. I need you to fly a little more.”
Saying that, Mistral took Nimia out from her chest.
“Ugh. I’m tired.”
Nimia drooped her long, floppy ears even further, showing a tired expression, but she didn’t show any signs of refusal.
I muttered in my heart, “Please try a little longer,” and she responded with a weak meow.
After seeing Mistral and Nimia off, I returned to the room where Laira and Ruiseine were sleeping.
“…Or rather. Mistral-san. Where in the world did you keep Nimia!”
I was a little envious of Nimia.
Mistral returned the next day, and Ruiseine woke up the day after that, followed by Laira two days later.
However, we decided to stay in the village for a while longer, based on Ruiseine’s judgment that Laira should rest a bit more.
While waiting for Laira’s recovery, Mistral made several trips to the western village to check on the situation.
And what we learned was:
Firstly, the young man and warrior from the village attacked by the demons are still missing. It seems there were signs of a struggle around the spring besides our own, but no bodies were found.
Secondly, a formal envoy from the demon viscount Ruilala arrived at the village, and he took one of the Eight Dragon Kings, Wol, with him, stating that he would show clear evidence of his territory being ravaged.
Ruilala’s territory borders Dragon Peak to the west and is said to be a few days’ journey from the village in question.
The area west of the spring, which takes about a day to walk, seems to be a buffer zone between the demons and the Dragon Race. And west of that buffer zone was the country ruled by the demons.
We had come quite close to the demon country.
It seems Wol’s return will take a few more days. Mistral finally seemed to be able to relax, as there seemed to be no progress until then.
And to Laira, who was recovering well, Mistral gave her scolding.
Trust your companions. Judge situations properly. Don’t do reckless things. And absolutely never do foolish things like self-sacrifice again.
Laira, who had regained her strength and was starting to become energetic, drooped her head at Mistral’s sincere reprimand.
I thought she was scolding her a bit too much, but according to Mistral:
“Praise and points for reflection are separate. No matter how wonderful an action is, if there are aspects to reflect on, you must reflect on them properly.”
That was her reasoning.
Although visibly upset by the harsh words, Laira listened to Mistral’s scolding until the end, with tears welling up in her large eyes. But in the end, when Mistral gently hugged her and said, “Still, I’m so glad you didn’t die,” she finally burst into tears.
Laira sobbed loudly, crying like a little girl, and Ruiseine and Priscilla-chan also started to cry, mirroring her. Mistral continued to hold Laira and pat her back as she cried.
“I’m sorry…”
After crying a lot and gradually calming down, Laira murmured in Mistral’s arms.
“I’ve never felt needed or cared for by anyone before, so I got carried away.”
Wiping her tears, Laira looked at us.
“My heart is filled with gratitude to all of you who worried about me and saved my life not once, but twice!”
With that, Laira showed a radiant smile.
However, upon seeing Laira’s smile, we looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“W-was something funny!?”
Confused, Laira looked at us laughing.
“Um…”
Ruiseine, with a troubled expression, chuckled.
“Um, Laira, your nose is dirty?”
Priscilla-chan handed her a tissue.
“Hah!”
Laira glanced at me for a moment and then quickly averted her gaze.
Laira, you’re blushing up to your neck.
As Laira wiped her snot shyly, everyone laughed again.
The night we decided to return to Mistral’s village, now that Mistral’s lecture was over and Laira was feeling better.
After finishing dinner, all of us left the house we had borrowed.
Unlike Mistral’s village, where meals are eaten individually, dinner in this village is a bit later.
By the time we went outside, the sun had already set, and darkness enveloped the village.
But the sky was filled with a myriad of stars, with twinkling specks of light spreading infinitely overhead.
“Wow, the moon is beautiful.”
Priscilla-chan, looking up at the sky, stretched both her hands out desperately, trying to grab the moon.
It was impossible to reach, but the moon, seen from the village halfway up the mountain range, appeared closer than anywhere else, and it felt as if I could really reach it if I stretched out my hand.
“To us humans, the moon represents a goddess.”
Ruiseine, holding Priscilla-chan’s hand affectionately, spoke about the moon and stars.
“It’s a beautiful starry sky, let’s take a walk.”
Led by Mistral, we strolled through the village at night.
Although Mistral’s village goes to bed early, many lights were still emanating from the houses of this village where dinner is eaten late.
We enjoyed our walk, occasionally greeting villagers we passed.
“Unlike Mistral’s village, this village has houses made of stone.”
Even so, they were not poorly constructed but splendid houses, built by stacking carefully processed rocks skillfully.
“High-quality ore is mined around here. The rocks used for the houses are by-products.”
Ruiseine and Priscilla-chan were engrossed in talking about the sky. Laira and I walked along, asking Mistral various things about the village.
Before we knew it, we had arrived at a resting place at the edge of the village.
“It’s completely dark down there. It’s scary.”
Laira peered down from the stone railing of the resting place, shuddered, and clung to me, then shyly pulled away.
“It’s a steep slope down there, so you won’t survive if you fall.”
Mistral’s warning made me, who was trying to peek down out of morbid curiosity, recoil with a grimace.
“You’re a coward, nya.”
“Mumumu, you said that.”
I grabbed Nimia, who was resting on my head, and held her out towards the railing.
“Ugh, it’s scary, nya.”
Then, Nimia, struggling and frightened, made everyone laugh.
“Hahahaha! Nimia-chan, you can fly, but you’re scared?”
“I can fly, but I’m scared if I can’t see the ground, nya.”
Hmm. As someone who can’t fly, I don’t understand the extent of Nimia’s fear. But it’s retribution for calling me a coward.
As I was playfully teasing Nimia with mischievous thoughts, Priscilla-chan intervened, saying, “Don’t bully her.”
Priscilla-chan put her hands on her hips and scolded me, imitating Mistral.
Her cuteness was irresistible, so I surrendered and placed Nimia on Priscilla-chan’s head.
“Nyaa.”
Nimia, as if relieved, burrowed into Priscilla-chan’s fluffy hair and slumped down, once again drawing laughter from us.
This is a very fun night.
It’s hard to believe we had such an intense battle just a few days ago.
At the night resting place, Priscilla-chan looked up at the starry sky with enjoyment. Ruiseine told her many stories about the stars, and Mistral watched the scene with a gentle gaze.
“Ah. I am truly, truly happy.”
Laira, who was standing beside me, leaning on her elbows on the railing and gazing at the horizon between the mountain range and the starry sky, murmured.
“I feel as if I’m dreaming, experiencing a happiness I couldn’t have imagined even a little while ago.”
“Yes. Compared to when I first met you, you seem very happy to me as well.”
Next to Laira, I stared into the distance beyond the night’s darkness.
“However, Laira, you still seem to harbor darkness. Is it possible that we cannot dispel your darkness?”
For Laira to feel truly happy, I believe her darkness must be removed.
I’m not trying to barge into Laira’s past and darkness with my boots on. But if we are companions and family, I want to share all happiness and suffering together.
Laira lowered her head at my earnest gaze.
Then, the cheerful aura in her eyes disappeared.
Perhaps Laira’s past suffering is something beyond our imagination.
As I worried about how we could share Laira’s suffering, she weakly opened her mouth.
“I’ll tell you a fairy tale, just a little bit.”
A fairy tale all of a sudden? I thought, but I listened silently to Laira’s fairy tale.
