We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Let’s escape with our lives!
“Hello, Grandpa. Hello, Asher.”
“It’s good that you finished your journey safely.”
“Was it good to fly here at the end?”
“Yes. I came here because I wanted to say farewell to Asher.”
“Goodbye, Mother.”
“……”
Asher, hearing his beloved daughter speak sadly, sulked and curled into a ball.
“Surely because you’re long-lived, you don’t mean you’ll leave when I’m a grandpa or when I’m dead, do you?”
“What do you take me for?”
“Nimia’s mother!”
When I replied with a smile, she finally turned her face away and fell asleep.
“Thanks to Elnea, it seems our stay has been extended. You are a devil.”
“No, no, Grandpa. What are you calling me a devil for?”
“For Asher, and for me.”
“Isn’t it good for Nimia?”
“I don’t care either way.”
Asher shed tears at Nimia’s indifference.
“Now, let’s stop playing. You came to report to me, didn’t you?”
As Nimia, in her large form, groomed Asher while I patted her head, I spoke about the Shadow Dragon.
“Hmm, a Shadow Dragon. That’s a rare species.”
According to Old Man Sleigsta, Shadow Dragons are an Ancient Dragon Species that inhabit the depths of caves and deep darkness. Combined with their shadow attribute, they are a species whose very existence is hard to confirm. Even Old Man Sleigsta didn’t know that a Shadow Dragon was lurking on Dragon Peak.
Besides the Shadow Dragon incident, I reported my solo journey to Old Man Sleigsta. Old Man Sleigsta listened with a smile, as if listening to his grandson’s adventure.
Beside Old Man Sleigsta, Nimia was working hard to appease Asher. She gently combed his long, beautiful fur with her front paws and licked him. More than half of it looked like she was just pampering him. But this was a mother-daughter interaction, so I decided not to interfere.
A couple of young girls were playing by running back and forth on Asher and Nimia’s backs and heads. I suppose that was within acceptable limits.
After finishing my travel report to Old Man Sleigsta, I sat down on a thick patch of moss, as if to soothe the fatigue of my long journey.
Lyra’s crisis ended up being a false alarm.
Mistral and Ruiseine apparently went to the capital city together. Ruiseine has returned, so that’s correct.
“Why did Mistral go with you?”
“That’s because Mist is an extremely skilled adventurer.”
“Adventurer?”
I tilted my head at Yufilia’s words.
“Ruiseine is to act together with a highly skilled female adventurer for a year from her departure.”
“Ah, I see.”
Nina’s explanation reminded me.
That’s right. Mistral is not an adventurer, but she is undoubtedly a skilled warrior. And so, Ruiseine must return with Mistral.
In the war against the demons, those who took refuge in the temple and those who fought bravely outside the barrier might recognize Mistral. They might even recognize her as a Dragonkin. However, those who don’t know her will naturally not know her.
She had to prove that Ruiseine trained with Mistral for a year, bringing her along.
And, although it’s too late to hide it now, it will be confirmed to the temple authorities that Ruiseine went to Dragon Peak.
Go, Ruiseine!
However, this is not the time to worry about others.
I need to return to the capital city as soon as possible.
Since I’ve come all the way to the Moss Garden, it would be faster to just go through the forest from here.
“So, I’m thinking of returning to the capital right away… what are the three of you doing?”
I looked at the three members of the “Busty Alliance” who remained in the Moss Garden.
“I don’t want to go back to the capital right now.”
“I don’t want to see the King right now.”
“Elnea, I want to run away like this.”
“No, no, what are you talking about?”
The Twin Princesses and Lyra sat together on the moss, having a tea party that was a form of escapism.
“As for Lyra, I can understand why she doesn’t want to go.”
She’s probably scared of the punishment when she meets Mistral and Ruiseine. I understand that well.
“What about Yufi and Nina? Did you do something in the capital and run away?”
“Elnea-kun, that’s cruel. If we go back now, there’ll be too much work, and I don’t want that.”
“Elnea-kun, that’s cruel. If we go back now, they’ll probably interrogate us about various things, and I don’t want that.”
“…But we have to go back eventually. How about we all go together while we’re at it?”
“Whoa, I want to go!”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
“Hah. Damn it!”
When I said “everyone,” I wasn’t just talking about the three members of the Busty Alliance. The Junior Girl Union were looking at me with sparkling eyes. From on top of Asher’s head.
“Uhn. I want to go too!”
“Rim too!”
“If you go, it’ll be a big deal. There’s no way you can go.”
“Revalia is mean! I’m telling Grandpa!”
“Rim can’t go against Revalia.”
Unfortunately. Two have already dropped out.
Fiorina and Rim were diligently reporting yesterday’s events to Revalia.
It was heartwarming to see Revalia listening carefully. The tyrant’s dignity was nowhere to be seen. He’s unexpectedly doting on his children.
“What are you grinning at me like that? It’s creepy.”
Revalia turned her face away from me.
I wish I could turn my face away from reality too…
“I want to buy stuffed animals at the shop.”
“I want to go sightseeing.”
“I want to buy a souvenir before Mother returns.”
The three young girls clung to me.
Asher was glaring at me, having had his beloved daughter taken away.
It was terrifying.
“No, no, wait a minute. Nimia and Priscilla-chan can’t go as they are, it’ll be a huge problem!”
The Dragon Forest is inhabited by the Mimicho Race. This became known to the Human Race during the conflict with the demons. But even so, we can’t take Priscilla-chan out in her current form. Precisely because the existence of the Mimicho Race was discovered, we must hide our appearance.
Nimia is the same.
“Then what should we do?”
“This is troubling.”
The fact that the young girls would come along seemed to be a foregone conclusion, and the Twin Princesses looked troubled as they watched Priscilla-chan and Nimia.
“We have no choice. We’ll cancel the trip to the capital and run away, everyone.”
“No, no, you can’t run away!”
Lyra-san. Just how scared are you of Ruiseine? And if you’re scared, you shouldn’t do things that will make her angry.
“Stingy!”
“I want to go!”
Revalia held back the young dragons who were throwing a tantrum. Similarly, Yufilia held Priscilla-chan, who looked like she was about to rush out.
Ares-chan jumped onto Nina on her own, and Nimia, shrinking down, perched on Lyra’s head.
“It can’t be helped. In that case, let’s go to the Mimicho village!”
Everyone in the Moss Garden blinked at my decision.
“Finally, Elnea-kun is running away from Mist.”
“Finally, Elnea-kun is running away from Ruiseine.”
“Elnea-sama, we will accompany you endlessly!”
“Wait, wait, you’re all misunderstanding!”
Yes. I’m not running away out of fear. I’m not trying to escape reality by not wanting to see the state of the capital. I’m not delaying my greeting to Ruiseine and the Twin Princesses’ parents!
“It’s all the seeds you’ve sown. Harvest them properly.”
“Even you, Grandpa, what are you saying?”
No. It’s not. The reason for going to the Mimicho village is there!
“Um. I think it’s cruel that only Fio and Rim can’t go. And I think there will be disguise costumes for Priscilla-chan and Nimia at the village.”
During my first errand with Ruiseine, Priscilla-chan and Nimia, who accompanied us, were disguised in cute clothes and hats. If we have those, we can take them to the capital while hiding their identities.
“Today, let’s have an overnight party filled with Fio and Rim’s selfish desires. And tomorrow, let’s go to the capital. Would that be okay?”
My proposal excited the children. The Twin Princesses and Lyra were also enthusiastic, and we decided to depart immediately.
I apologize to the Mimicho people, but tonight, they will have to be sacrificed.
It can’t be helped. This is all an event to satisfy the future tribal chief of the Mimicho Race and their cheerful companions.
“So, we’ve arrived.”
“Welcome.”
Even though our visit was sudden, Grandma Yuuri, the Grand Elder, welcomed us warmly. We all know the Mimicho Race and us, so the villagers accepted my proposal with a “Can’t be helped” attitude.
“This is troubling. Those were for summer and autumn, so we need to make them warmer.”
Priscilla-chan’s mother rummaged through the family chest and took out fluffy hats and costume outfits. Then, she modified them for winter.
That was good. We came without an appointment, and I was thinking of camping by the southern lake if it seemed inconvenient.
“Um. We’re going to play tag.”
“Let’s all play.”
“Yay, run!”
“Run!”
“W-wait. You’re going to involve us too…!”
“Um, Grandpa will be ‘it’ first.”
“My… my back…”
“Elnea, what kind of devil have you brought back?”
“What are you talking about? Priscilla-chan is a cherished child of this village.”
“Run, run!”
“As warriors of the Mimicho Race, surely no one will give up at a simple game of tag?”
“Carly-san, I know Dragonkin warriors who were annihilated saying the same thing.”
“Hahaha! The time has come to prove that the Mimicho warriors have surpassed the Dragonkin warriors.”
“Elnea-kun, protect me.”
“Yufi, tag isn’t about defense. It’s about running away.”
“Elnea-kun, if you become ‘it’, hold me tight.”
“Nina, let’s run properly.”
“Elnea-sama…”
“You two won’t run together!”
“Hahahaha! Waittttttt!”
“Hiiiii! Old man, don’t go all out!”
“Runnnnnn!”
“Elnea, when I catch you, I’ll… Miss Mistral…”
“I absolutely won’t give her to you!”
“May you go bald!”
“Grand Elder…”
“Oh my. Are you trying to make me ‘it’?”
“Ugh. Please forgive me!”
“Elneaaaaa! I’ll get you back for this someday…!”
Most houses in the Mimicho village have no outer walls and are covered with thick cloth for blindfolds. Thus, villagers participating in the intense game of tag passed through houses or hid. Others leaped onto trees or roofs using spatial jumps. Nimia, Fiorina, and Rim flew around freely.
On this day, the Mimicho village was engulfed in screams of anguish.
No, no, everyone was having fun, even as they complained!
And the next day. Seeing off the exhausted Mimicho people, we returned to the Moss Garden with great satisfaction. There, we left Fiorina and Rim, and finally headed to the capital.
Let’s go. To our hometown capital!
