We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Elnea’s Scheme
“Hi, Father. Don’t you ever feel like going out?”
“What is it, Rudoriado? What are you scheming this time?”
“Oh, don’t say that. I’m not the one scheming. It’s Elnea-kun.”
“Oh, him?”
“You’re probably curious about the castle being built, but you must also be curious about Elnea-kun’s mansion, right? A considerable amount of national funds are being invested. So, THIS IS WHY. How about we visit Elnea-kun’s house for an inspection and stay the night?”
“Didn’t your mansion just get raided by bandits the other day?”
“Don’t worry about that. It’ll surely be fine.”
“I can’t rely on your ‘fine’.”
“Oh, Rudoriado. You’re inviting His Majesty, but not us?”
“My, my, Mother Sera. Of course, you are most welcome.”
In the private room of Armēdo IV, a sudden plan was made for the royal family to visit the Eas residence, based on a proposal by Rudoriado, who had unusually shown up.
The officials and ministers were in a panic. The commanders of the royal guard shouted, “Those royals are running wild again!” echoing in the temporary royal palace.
“Cerise, let’s stay over.”
“Cerise, let’s go out.”
“No, sisters.”
“How cruel, Cerise.”
“What are you plotting?”
“There’s no plotting, it’s an invitation from Elnea-kun.”
“No plotting, Elnea-kun is inviting us.”
“What is he planning this time?”
“Oh, and he told me to invite Listea too.”
“Oh, and he told me to invite Naimi too.”
“Are we just an afterthought, Elnea…?”
“Ehh? I’m an afterthought too!?”
“Hold on, hold on! I wasn’t invited?”
“Oh. Slattone isn’t invited.”
“Too bad. Creacio isn’t invited.”
“Because you two are leaving for your honeymoon tomorrow?”
“Hahaha. Too bad for you, Slattone and Creacio.”
“UooooOOOOOooooo! Why!?”
“Well then, Slattone and the others, shall we postpone your honeymoon and go to Elnea-kun’s house?”
“Cerise…”
“What do you think, Slattone?”
“Creacio… Damn it. He’s definitely plotting something fun. …But I choose Creacio!”
In the room they were temporarily staying in within the temporary royal palace.
Here, Yufilia and Nina were with the group of heroes.
Unfortunately, Slattone and Creacio, who had just finished their wedding ceremony, were going on their honeymoon the next day, so they were left out and dejected.
Slattone and Creacio were going to the northern land to report their findings and the state of the beast race in the capital city.
“Hey, hey, this isn’t what you call a trip, is it?”
“It’s fine. In return, His Majesty will build your house.”
“So, is it really okay to traverse the Wyvern Hunting Ground?”
“Duranel is with us, and in case of emergency, Elnea’s vouch will probably work?”
“Will his vouch actually work…?”
“He said something about the smell. Well, it’ll probably be fine…”
“Hey, wait. Why are you looking away there, Listea!”
Only a few people knew about this exchange between the hero and his partner.
“It’s unusual for Mistral to summon the Dragon Kings.”
“I’m sorry for gathering you all so suddenly.”
Deep within Dragon Peak. The Dragon Kings gathered at Mistral’s call were meeting in a building.
“It’s a bit of an idea for Elnea’s sake.”
Mistral then spoke about the recent events that had occurred in the flatlands.
“I see. That’s just like Elnea-kun’s way of thinking.”
Wol, one of the Eight Great Dragon Kings who had recently returned from the Demon Race’s country, laughed gleefully.
“It’s fine. I’ll go along with that idea. By the way, can I bring Milly with me?”
“In your case, you’d bring her even if I said no, wouldn’t you?”
Mistral shrugged at Ide, who had a ferocious appearance.
“Hey, wait a minute here. If it’s from now, we without wings won’t make it in time, will we?”
This complaint came from Sleny, who had the Earth Dragon attribute. Several other Dragon Kings also showed expressions of despair.
“Well, you’ll just have to try your best to come down. Elnea’s idea is to use this opportunity to welcome the Dragon Race who descended to the flatlands via caravans to his own home.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea. We can enjoy luxuries on the flatlands.”
“That’s forbidden because it would be an unnecessary burden on Elnea’s parents.”
“Eeeeeh!!”
The merciless prohibition from Mistral was met with screams from all the gathered Dragon Kings.
“Um. You know.”
“Yes, yes. Swallow what’s in your mouth before you speak.”
In the Mimicho Race village.
Priscilla, having returned to her home, was feasting on dumplings made by her mother.
“I’m sorry for always dragging you around, Priscilla-chan. So, this time, Elnea-sama wishes to invite everyone.”
“Muuu. I wanted to say that, Priscilla.”
Lyra, who came with her, spoke on her behalf, and Priscilla puffed out her cheeks. However, Priscilla didn’t stop eating the dumplings or moving her mouth. If people had waited for her to be full, the conversation would have progressed much later.
“Elnea is inviting us?”
“Yes. It seems humans and Dragon Race people will also be gathering, so under the guise of intercultural exchange…”
“Guise?”
“Ugh…”
Lyra averted her gaze from the scrutinizing look of Priscilla’s mother, wondering what he was planning.
Priscilla’s mother treated Elnea, Lyra, and the others equally as family. Therefore, when she got angry, she didn’t hold back.
Lyra, who had been scolded several times before, couldn’t withstand Priscilla’s mother’s gaze.
“Now, confess. What are you planning?”
“Hahahaha! Th-that’s…”
Actually, she had no intention of hiding Elnea’s plan. But Lyra, intimidated by Priscilla’s mother’s persistent gaze, confessed what was to come as if she were a criminal confessing.
“Madrine-sama, this is just for today, alright?”
“Sob, sob. Luiseine, you’re cruel. You’re treating me like a hindrance.”
“No, not at all. It’s just that we also have various things to be vigilant about.”
“How dreadful. To doubt the character of the Head Miko of the Yorttenitos Kingdom, I can’t believe it.”
“No, I do doubt it. Don’t you remember what you did at Mist-san’s village just the other day?”
“I forgot!”
“I know. Madrine-sama, before being the Head Miko, you are a fellow adventurer with Yufi and Nina.”
“You know too well!”
Luiseine sighed.
“Therefore, this time is special.”
“I like the word ‘special’.”
“If Madrine-sama cooperates with Elnea-kun’s plan, we will extend an invitation. Oh. Please come with Yashura-sama as well.”
“Kiiih! Luiseine…”
Madrine, who had been overjoyed at being invited by Elnea, shed tears upon learning that she had to come with Yashura, the Head Miko of the Armēdo Kingdom, who was like her supervisor.
The ground began to shake with a low rumble, and the soldiers stationed at the western checkpoint jumped up in a panic.
It was early morning, just as the sun was starting to appear in the eastern sky.
“What’s happening?” shouted the soldiers, and everyone turned their gaze to the forest spreading at the foot of Dragon Peak.
The deep forest before Dragon Peak was being logged to facilitate the reconstruction of the capital city. However, it was still a vast and deep forest. Because they were thinning it out as they logged, the depths of the forest remained dark and impenetrable.
“A magic beast?” Few people thought so.
By some magic of Elnea, the savior of the kingdom, those who worked in the forest were strangely not attacked by magic beasts. There were even anecdotes of adventurers who recklessly entered the forest being attacked, while the lumberjacks remained unharmed.
Therefore, the soldiers held their breath, watching to see what the cause of the earth tremor was.
“Open the gate! Hurry and open the gate, and let passage to those who are about to appear!”
At that moment, Sefina, who had been sleeping at the checkpoint for the past few days, gave the order.
The soldiers quickly sprang into action. The two gates, one on the Dragon Peak side and one on the capital side, were quickly opened.
“A, chick… Guh!”
As a group emerged from the depths of the forest, kicking up dust, some soldiers looked bewildered. Then, the one who uttered the reckless word was hit with a powerful blow to the abdomen and writhed in agony.
The group that appeared was not like chickens. Their bodies were more than a size larger than ordinary chickens. Instead of a comb, they had countless horns.
Yes, they were Chicken Dragons.
“Coo.”
However, soldiers who had not witnessed Chicken Dragons during the battle with the Demon Race did not know of their existence. This proved to be their undoing, as a considerable number of soldiers were knocked down by the charging Chicken Dragons and had to be tended to by medics. Those who knew of the Chicken Dragons thought it was fortunate that there were no fatalities or serious injuries.
The Chicken Dragons forcefully passed through the opened checkpoint gates and disappeared into the morning capital.
“Wow, so many people gathered.”
“You were the one who summoned them, you know…”
“Hey, Zan. Isn’t this your first time on the flatlands in a while?”
“The Dragon Kings alone should have been enough, so why did you call me too?”
“…For some reason?”
There was no particular reason. Mistral had asked, thinking it would be nice if Zan could be invited too.
I looked at the assembled guests at my family home and chuckled wryly at the plan I had devised. Was all this really necessary…?
A few days after suspicious individuals had infiltrated my family home.
The scene was on the eaves overlooking the garden where the wyverns relaxed.
The distinguished guests were exchanging pleasant greetings and chatting amicably.
“You know, it’s quite clever.”
“Your Majesty. Thank you for cooperating with my unsolicited request.”
“Hahaha. Isn’t it just like Elnea-kun’s outlandish ideas, Father? That’s why playing with him is fun.”
“No, no, Rudoriado-san. I have no intention of playing with you.”
“Elnea-sama, please come to the royal palace once in a while and show your face.”
“Sera-sama, hello. We’ll come to visit you this time.”
As I was talking with Zan, whom I thought wouldn’t come even if invited, His Majesty and others approached me with cheerful expressions.
Not only the King, but also the Dragon Kings Jura and Ide were already testing their strength against the beast race people. Milly-chan, who accompanied Ide, was crying tears of emotion. She was so happy to meet her kin from the beast race.
Priscilla-chan’s mother, Carly-san, and the Mimicho Race people astonished everyone with their youthful appearance despite their actual age.
Madrine-sama was unfortunate; despite the enjoyable occasion, she couldn’t make a fuss as Yashura-sama was next to her. Yufilia and Nina were teasing the quiet Madrine-sama. A Chicken Dragon pecked at a crumb of sweets dropped by Priscilla-chan. It seemed they had brought their chicks too, and their adorable peeping made them very popular with the women.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself. You also fight primarily through combat, don’t you?”
“Zan. Nice to meet you.”
Sefina-san and Zan were about to shake hands. Ah, I thought. It was just a normal handshake. But it wasn’t. While Zan’s expression was normal, Sefina-san’s eyebrows twitched slightly. She’d done it again. When shaking hands with Sefina-san, one needs to be careful. If you let your guard down, she can twist your internal ki and throw you.
After Zan, Sefina-san challenged Ide, who resembled a bear. As expected, she was a martial artist. She greeted and shook hands with strong-looking people. It was Sefina-san who was thrown. She took the fall cleanly and stylishly. Ide grinned devilishly.
“Hey, hey, what do you mean by throwing a lady around?”
The one who admonished Ide was the middle-aged Dragon King Jura, grumbling about rude fellows like him. Then, he clasped Sefina-san’s hand himself. His nose seemed to twitch a little, so he wasn’t much better.
“Guh.”
And then, Jura was splendidly thrown. Unfortunately, the perverted old man was repelled. Everyone who knew about Sefina-san’s handshake, not just Ide, laughed at him.
“Still, it’s quite a plan. To invite important people to a mansion that was just infiltrated by bandits.”
While watching the lively gathering, Listea and Cerise-chan approached.
“This way, if bandits try to infiltrate again, they’ll be branded as traitors to the nation.”
“Well, it was already something similar when they first infiltrated your house, given your extensive connections.”
“Fufufufu. I learned this from Grandpa. If you don’t want to fight, show overwhelming power before fighting so that a fight doesn’t even occur.”
Actually, those were words Nymia received, as she was afraid of fighting. But this wasn’t just applicable to Nymia.
“Before fighting, huh? Still, isn’t this going too far?”
“Hahaha…”
We looked at everyone enjoying themselves in the garden and smirked.
The royal family of the Armēdo Kingdom, along with their knights and guards. The Dragon Kings, and the Dragon Race people who seemed to have free time. The beast race people who were staying overnight. The Mimicho Race people and the clergy. And the Dragon Race people who heard about it.
The garden, which should have been spacious, was crowded. Only the Chicken Dragons were invited by Mistral, but somehow, the Wyverns also came to play. Combined with the Wyvern Knight Order’s wyverns, the Dragon Race was also lively. According to what I heard, an immense number of tourists were gathering outside the mansion. My apologies to today’s security personnel.
The plan I devised this time is as follows.
I learned that the bandits who infiltrated were not ordinary opponents. However, that doesn’t mean we should react passively. We don’t know when they might infiltrate again. Due to such anxiety, Priscilla-chan was also evacuated for her safety. Besides, if the incident continues to be a lingering problem, it will also cause trouble for the servants, and we cannot maintain a state of high alert forever. Therefore, I decided to launch a preemptive attack that ignores the opponent.
As old Sleigsta once said, if you can overwhelm your opponent before a fight, you should. So, the means I chose was to invite the King and other important figures, invite the clergy, and enlist the cooperation of acquaintances from the Dragon Race and Mimicho Race. In other words, I decided to clearly broadcast my position to the outside world. I have strong connections not only with royalty and clergy but also with other races. Attacking me means making these associates an enemy. I wanted to make it widely known both inside and outside the kingdom. Originally, I wouldn’t do such ostentatious things. But this is not just my problem. This time, they infiltrated while I was absent from the mansion. It’s problematic if similar things happen in the future. It would cause trouble not only for me but also for my family and associates. Therefore, I decided to create a situation where no one could meddle, even when I’m not around! As Cerise-chan said, attacking my mansion or my family would be an act of treason. Not only that, but it would also attract the attention of Dragon Peak and other races. By doing so, I aim to prevent unnecessary trouble before it happens. By the way, security is perfect while important people are staying over. Knights from the kingdom are participating, and Dragon Kings and Dragon Race people are also staying. And Chicken Dragons are freely moving around inside the mansion. With this, only the Demon Lord could probably infiltrate. This was the plan I devised.
I am deeply indebted to those who enthusiastically agreed to my plan and gathered here. I am not alone. I am grateful anew for the many people who lend me a hand. The wedding ceremony, in this context, must be grand to thank everyone properly. Thus, the first phase of the plan concluded successfully. Next is the second phase.
“Your Highness. A letter has arrived from Prince Rudoriado.”
“From Rudoriado? Him sending me a letter… how ominous.”
In the sub-capital Ambis. In the office of political affairs, with the King absent, the First Prince was in charge. He reluctantly opened the letter handed to him by the butler.
“Is it some kind of demand?”
When Rudoriado sends a letter to his brother, it’s usually about money or requesting leave, never a proper letter. The butler, knowing this, forced a bitter smile. The Prince read the opened letter. And gradually, his face turned red. The butler was flustered by the unusual behavior of the usually calm and composed Prince, who was worthy of being the next king.
“Damn it, prepare a horse! This time, I won’t forgive you, Rudoriado!”
The Prince, revealing his anger for the first time in a while, caused the assembled royal guards and officials to lose all color from their faces.
“What exactly did Prince Rudoriado…?”
“That scoundrel. He’s having a banquet with the heroic Elnea-dono and the others, leaving me out again! This is a letter bragging about it! Muster the troops. Bring my equipment. This time, I’ll show my anger to Father King and my brothers and sisters too!”
“Your Highness is a lunatic! A lunatic!”
Unbeknownst to Elnea, the situation was developing like this.
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