We live at the foot of Dragon Peak.
Moving forward, exploring the royal castle.
“So, whose place do we visit first?”
“Let’s start with Laira. Even though she’s doing well, I want to get her out of that room quickly.”
“I’ll guide you, nyan.”
After leaving the prison, we step over the unconscious guards and attempt to escape the underground dungeon. However, at the top of the stairs connecting the underground and ground levels, a heavy steel door blocks our path.
“I’m sure there are guards beyond this door, right?”
“Getting discovered would be troublesome.”
Mistral had quickly subdued the underground area. The reason for this was that the door completely sealed off the underground prison, isolating it. Even if he subdued the guards, they wouldn’t be discovered until replacements arrived. In the meantime, we could consult at our leisure.
Even if replacements or interrogators arrived early, we planned to feign ignorance, as we were inside the cells.
But from here on, it’s different. Once we get to the surface, there will be patrolling soldiers, and if anyone is found collapsed beyond the door, it will cause an immediate disturbance.
Since Mistral and I were brought here, we don’t know of any other way to the surface. In fact, I don’t think there is one.
As I sense for any presence through the door, I feel a presence on the other side.
Hmph. I’ve grown. Before meeting Old Man Sleigsta in the Dragon Forest, such a feat was a distant dream.
“Should we lure them out and defeat them here?”
I pause Mistral’s suggestion.
“If the guards in front of the door disappear, they’ll surely get suspicious.”
“Then what do we do?”
“Uh…”
Before I can speak, Nimia scratches at the door.
Hey, what are you doing? Before I can even scold her, and before the astonished eyes of me and Mistral, the door slowly opens.
And then, a gap large enough for one person opens, and a face peers out towards us.
“Ah. Anya-san.”
Mistral and I are surprised to see a familiar face.
It’s the woman from the Wyvern Knight Order who, on our way to the capital city, asked our party for cooperation in stopping the rampage of the Northern Earth Dragons. I believe she knew Friel and was a kind person.
“Shh. Please be quiet, desu.”
Her speech pattern is still strange at the end of her sentences.
“Why are you here?”
In response to Mistral’s question, Anya, while being wary of what was beyond the door, replies.
“I didn’t believe that Elnea-sama and the Princesses, whom I became close to on the back of that magnificent wyvern, looked like kidnappers and victims. That’s why I’m cooperating, desu.”
Although Anya is a subordinate, she was originally a royal dragon knight. However, she has only been in the order for a short time, and her loyalty to the kingdom seems somewhat lacking. She prioritizes her own thoughts and beliefs over the policies of the kingdom’s higher-ups. It’s interesting that there are people like this.
Apparently, when the dragon knight offered to stand guard at the entrance, the guards who were supposed to be there meekly stepped aside.
“I didn’t know this cute little kitten was actually a dragon. I was surprised when she, speaking human language, asked for my cooperation.”
“Ah, I’m sorry for surprising you.”
Nimia-chan. You’re quite capable, aren’t you? To find an ally.
“Praise me, nyan. I want a reward later, nyan.”
“Yes. After we finish this.”
I express my gratitude to Anya, who gazes at Nimia, who speaks human language, with great interest.
“No, no. I am on the side of Prince Friel and all of you. Quickly, please leave before a patrol comes. I will buy you time if an interrogator or someone arrives. Please escape during that time, desu.”
She seems to think we’re going to escape and run away like this.
After passing through the door, I confirm with Anya that she won’t be troubled. She returns a simple and lovely smile.
“There’s no need to worry. I only became a guard here recently, so I don’t know about the situation underground. You two have already disappeared!?”
Oh, what cunning!
Mistral and I thank Anya once more and quickly depart.
We proceed through the royal castle while sensing for any presence. The underground prison was in a building next to the courtyard where we landed.
They intentionally guided us to that location to trap us in the underground prison from the start.
There’s a slight distance between the building with the underground prison and the main royal castle.
Now, how shall we proceed there? As I ponder this while walking down the corridor, I sense a presence from around the corner!
“Stop and conceal our presence, nyan.”
Following Nimia’s instructions, we suppress our presence to the limit and step to the side of the corridor. Just then, three soldiers appear, turning the corner.
Instantly, a cold sweat breaks out all over me.
There are no obstacles to block the line of sight between us and the soldiers. We are simply standing by the side of the corridor, concealing our presence. But no matter how well we hide our presence, if we are seen, it’s all over.
Mistral calmly stops me as I brace myself.
As we hold our breath and stare, the three soldiers advance steadily.
And then, they pass right in front of us as if nothing had happened.
“Phew. I thought my life was about to be shortened.”
“You won’t be found if you conceal your presence, nyan.”
It seems Nimia is using some sort of magic. It’s a spell that makes us unnoticeable even when we’re in their line of sight.
“When I ran away from home, I flew here with this, nyan. If I were visible while flying in the sky, my mother would find me right away, nyan.”
So that’s how it is. At her kitten-sized body, she couldn’t fly from the distant Ancient Capital. And flying in her original large form would be conspicuous, as she said, which would be problematic.
Nimia could use such magic.
By the way, concealing our presence is to minimize our visibility. It seems to be able to deceive even skilled individuals.
Nimia, you’re a terrifying child.
“Nyan.”
With our presence suppressed and Nimia’s magic layered on top, we easily escaped the building containing the underground prison.
Uh. Is it really that easy?
It’s more anticlimactic than anything.
If it’s a place where the King lives, there should be stricter security. Is the security lax, or are we unusual? I shouldn’t think too deeply about it.
Even I was confident that I could escape using Spatial Jump if anything happened, but I never expected such a non-thrilling escape.
Corridors extended in a cross shape from the building, but instead of following them, we emerged into the courtyard.
The courtyard was filled with well-maintained grass and beautifully sculpted trees. It would be wonderful to relax here, I thought.
And then, beyond the courtyard. After passing a few more corridors and buildings, the magnificent sight of the royal castle came into view.
“Laira and the others must be somewhere in there.”
“Nyan. Laira, Older Sister, is in that room over there, nyan.”
…
Nimia. Even though you’re pointing from the ground with your tiny kitten-like body, I have no idea where you’re pointing.
“Ugh. That’s mean, nyan.”
Nimia droops her shoulders dejectedly and flutters to fly onto my head.
“Walking is tiring, nyan.”
As she says this, Nimia points at the royal castle again from above my head.
This time, it’s a bit more specific.
“Alright, let’s go all out.”
I take Mistral’s hand.
“Be careful. Unleashing the power of the gem will expand your presence.”
“Then we can use my dragon power, nyan.”
I take Nimia’s words to heart. I draw power from Nimia like a dragon vein and perform a Spatial Jump. One jump crosses the courtyard, and the next lands us on the roof of another building.
How easy this is.
Despite the fact that there are people in the buildings and courtyard, we can move with such ease. Even when we appear in their line of sight via teleportation, no one seems to pay any mind.
Nimia’s magic is amazing.
“Be careful, nyan. It’s not infallible, nyan.”
“Don’t be overconfident. Especially when you enter the castle, be vigilant.”
Listening to Nimia’s and Mistral’s warnings, we advance rapidly towards the royal castle.
Nimia points to the second floor of the castle. From the outside, it looks like an ordinary room, but that’s apparently where Laira is.
We move directly beneath the royal castle and take cover in some bushes to rest.
Nimia’s dragon power is immeasurable; no matter how much dragon energy I draw from her, it doesn’t feel like it’s decreasing at all.
However, I am getting tired.
I take a breath and look up at the second floor.
The second-floor room where Laira is supposed to be has one window. However, it’s sealed shut, so we can’t just enter the room directly.
We’ll have to get Laira to open the window somehow, as there’s no foothold outside the second floor.
“Nyan. I’m going, nyan.”
Nimia flaps her wings and flies off my head.
“If I leave, the spell will break, so be careful, nyan.”
Following Nimia’s warning, Mistral and I hide ourselves deep within the bushes.
Nimia ascends without regard for her surroundings, quickly reaching the second floor. Then, she scratches at the window.
As expected of the royal castle. From behind the beautifully transparent glass window, Laira’s figure is visible.
“Nimia-chan, what’s the matter?”
Laira immediately notices Nimia outside the window and opens the door with a creak. Even though it looks beautiful, the frame must be warped. Perhaps it hasn’t been opened in a long time, as the window couldn’t be opened all the way.
But that’s enough.
I take Mistral’s hand and use Spatial Jump to the window frame. Stepping onto the open window frame, I activate the spell again the moment I transfer. In an instant, we enter the room where Laira is.
An empty room.
Just as Nimia said.
There’s no furniture other than a broken bed, and the floor and walls are bare. It’s clean, as if it’s been swept, and there’s no dust. However, this only makes the stark room seem all the more alien.
It’s unbelievable that this is a room in the royal castle.
And Laira, trapped in this strange room, looks at me, who has suddenly invaded, with wide eyes.
“Hi, I came to pick you up.”
There are guards outside the room, so I quietly speak to Laira.
“Elnea-sama!”
“N-now, Laira. Shh!”
I urge her to be quiet as she suddenly lunges at me.
We’ll be discovered by the people outside!
“Laira, I understand you’re happy, but please be quiet.”
Mistral covers Laira’s mouth and glances towards the room’s entrance.
Tap, tap.
Nimia walks towards the door.
And scratches.
Unbelievably, Nimia scratches at the door from inside the room.
There’s no time to panic.
Before my and Mistral’s astonished eyes, the door opens.
“Oh, Nimia-chan.”
“How did you get into the room?”
Media and Tolkinea enter the room, smiling at Nimia at their feet. They are momentarily surprised to see me and Mistral.
“From where did you enter this room?”
In response to Media’s question, I point to the open window outside the room.
“…That’s a fixed window, so it shouldn’t open.”
…Laira-san?
Mistral and I look at Laira in our arms, and she bashfully blushes and looks down.
“That aside, why are you two on guard duty?”
I regain my composure and ask.
“Because we couldn’t just leave you.”
“We didn’t think Elnea-sama and the others were bad people. That’s why we cooperated with Nimia-chan.”
It seems Nimia also convinced the two of them. Just how heroic do you intend to be?
“You should praise me more, nyan.”
Hmm. You’re not an elder… an ancient young dragon who’s lived for a hundred years for nothing.
“Nya! Nyani is still in the cute prime, nyan.”
As Nimia shakes her head protestingly, a smile spreads within the room at her cuteness.
“I’m sorry you were confined in a place like this.”
I apologize to Laira in my arms.
The feel of your firm chest is the best. And this time, Mistral doesn’t object to Laira hugging me tightly.
“It’s alright. I believed in you, Elnea-sama.”
Laira smiles energetically.
I was a little worried about Laira and had asked Nimia to prioritize keeping an eye on her, but it’s good that she’s doing well.
I feel anew that Laira has put her past behind her and come to the Yorttenitos Kingdom with resolve.
I, too, must stand firm and achieve my goal. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair to Laira, who is trying her best.
“Well then, now that we’ve safely reunited with Laira, what’s our next move?”
In response to Mistral’s question, two options come to mind.
One is to join forces with Friel and under his protection, clear up the misunderstanding and arrange an audience with the King.
Even if suspicion falls on us, or rather on me, I feel like I could explain myself if Prince Friel were to protect me. However, that might be relying on Friel a bit too much.
The other option is to secretly infiltrate the King’s room, pay him a visit, rescue everyone, and quickly return to Dragon Peak.
Given how easily things have progressed so far, I feel like we can go to the King’s room like this. However, if we do that, the suspicion on me will remain, and we might not be able to return to the Armēdo Kingdom from Dragon Peak. It might even cause trouble for my parents.
“That’s right…”
I ponder with Laira in my arms and reach a conclusion.
“Well then, after we regroup with the rest of our companions, we’ll go pay our respects to the King.”
Why is it? I suddenly decided that it would be better if everyone was together when we visit.
If it were just a secret visit, I could have taken only Laira, and even if we were to seek Friel’s protection, it would be less problematic to regroup with everyone afterward.
For some reason, regrouping with everyone felt like the priority, so I made the decision.
Click the heart to easily express your support. (Login required)
Support
Login if you have an account.
Learn more about the reading experience on Kakurom.
