We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Dinner is a poison feast.
More than being easily caught from behind, I was stunned by the presence of someone clearly not ordinary.
My thoughts didn’t even reach the point of trying to escape or brace myself.
No, that’s not right.
It’s not that my thoughts weren’t working.
My instincts had already realized that anything I did to this person would be futile.
I stared blankly at the person standing next to me, nodding in agreement.
Their skin color was different, but their long ears were exactly the characteristic of the Mimicho Race, just like Priscilla-chan’s.
Perhaps they were one of the people who had settlements in the Forbidden Territory?
No, that couldn’t be right. The Giant Demon Lord hadn’t mentioned anything like that, and this was a forbidden place that only permitted individuals could enter.
So, did this person have permission to enter? Or were they an illegal intruder?
It seemed the person I was thinking about had been thinking along the same lines.
“From how skillfully you were hunting, I could tell you weren’t ordinary. However, this is forbidden land. Did you get permission from someone to enter?”
The Mimicho tribe member with tanned skin, who had been butchering a rabbit, shifted their gaze to me. With grayish-green eyes, they looked me over as if measuring me. They had a beautiful face that looked to be in their twenties, but for the Mimicho Race, appearance and actual age likely didn’t match. A deep scar was etched on their forehead, between their sharp eyes. Not just their forehead; their bare arms and neck also bore scars that hinted at a history of battles. They were looking down at me from behind, but they didn’t seem particularly tall. It was a petite Mimicho woman.
“Uh, well. If you mean permission, it was from the Giant Demon Lord…”
“Oh? You, a human, got permission from him? I find that hard to believe. But you do know someone involved with this land.”
The Mimicho woman’s gaze wasn’t particularly suspicious; instead, she looked at me with apparent interest. From her words, it seemed she knew the Giant Demon Lord. It was also possible that she herself was someone permitted to enter the Forbidden Territory. The Giant Demon Lord had said that besides us, there were others who utilized the Forbidden Territory. She might be one of them.
“Why don’t you finish up what you’re doing? If you don’t process it while it’s fresh, it won’t be as delicious.”
“Y-yes.”
Despite having just asked me, “Who are you?”, she then urged me to finish butchering the rabbit without waiting for my answer. While keeping the woman in mind, I resumed the remaining work. I took the necessary meat and wrapped it in the pelt I had skinned. The unnecessary bones and internal organs were buried by digging a hole in the ground.
“You’re a strange child. Using such a magnificent sword for butchering such a small rabbit. Isn’t it inconvenient?”
“Umm. I didn’t anticipate this, so I didn’t bring a dagger or anything.”
It was a strange thing to say, wasn’t it? To be in an isolated place like the Forbidden Territory and not have the necessary preparations. The woman also tilted her head at my nonsensical answer.
“Hmm… May I ask a few questions?”
“Yes. What is it?”
“Before you targeted this rabbit, there were many other easily catchable animals. If you were going to hunt, wouldn’t you have gone for deer or wild boar, which yield more meat?”
“Ah, that’s because if I’m alone, a rabbit is enough. If I take too much, I’m not good with preservation methods, so I’d probably let it spoil.”
I wiped my blood-stained White Sword with the leaves of a nearby weed and answered while organizing my belongings. As I did so, I felt a sense of unease inwardly. It seemed this woman had been following me the whole time. Yet, I, who had been on guard trying to sense the presence of the surrounding animals, hadn’t noticed her at all. The Mimicho warriors living in the Dragon Forest—even sensing Carly’s presence was difficult, but this woman undoubtedly possessed a greater ability. Had I been under constant surveillance as an intruder?
“You seem to have come from the north; how did you enter the Forbidden Territory?”
“Uh, from the sea…”
“Hmm? The North Sea has been under Olivia’s rule for a long time, and it’s said that you can neither sail with ships large enough to navigate nor swim across it.”
“A demon acquaintance brought me here.”
I briefly considered whether I should mention Ruilala’s name, then concluded it was fine. I didn’t know anyone named Olivia, but since she was the Ruler of the North Sea, she was presumably Ruilala’s parent. If she knew the parent, she would likely know the child too.
“It was Ruilala, a viscount demon under the Giant Demon Lord.”
“…Ah, that mermaid.”
“Don’t call me a mermaid!”
“Huh?”
I reacted reflexively and denied it. The woman stared at me, taken aback by my sudden objection.
“N-no. In human fairy tales, mermaids are usually beautiful women, so…”
When I made that excuse, the woman sat up and laughed merrily.
“I see. It’s true, she doesn’t quite look like a typical mermaid. I seem to have shattered your dream. My apologies.”
“No. I’m glad you understand.”
What was this? Normally, I should be wary meeting a stranger in such a peculiar place. But I didn’t feel that way at all. Was it because intuitively I felt the other party was overwhelmingly superior? Or was it because I didn’t sense any hostility or malicious intent from this woman? …Perhaps both.
“Still, you’re an odd child.”
“Am I that strange?”
“Yes, you are. As I said, you hunt like a Dragon Race member, and show considerations like the Mimicho Race. Then, you know demons and came here with permission from the Demon Lord as a human. Moreover, your presence feels like that of an Ancient Species Dragon. I’ve seen many humans over the years, but I’ve never met anyone as inscrutable as you.”
“…Now that you mention it, I suppose I am rather strange.”
She said it casually, but the presence of an Ancient Species Dragon meant the Dragon Jewel of the King of Dragons dwelled within me. In other words, this woman had seen right through to my core in an instant.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear your story.”
“Well… I learned hunting from Mistral… a Dragon Race member. In the early stages, I was hunting in the Dragon Forest, and the Mimicho Race taught me how to butcher, so that’s probably the influence. As for demons…”
How should I explain? To explain last year’s incident, and Mistral’s relationship with the Giant Demon Lord, I’d have to reveal quite a bit. However, seeing my confusion, the Mimicho woman nodded as if she understood.
“Ah, Mistral. I’ve heard of him. Isn’t he the Dragon Princess of Dragon Peak?”
It seems she knew of Mistral as well. As expected of the famous Mistral, he certainly has a wide network.
“So… I see, I see. In other words… Hmm.”
The woman nodded to herself as if she had come to some conclusion.
“I understand you now. I’ll believe you.”
“I say this myself, but is it okay to believe such an outlandish story so easily?”
“Fufufu. It is outlandish, but your actions so far have proven it’s the truth. I have a good eye for people, you know.”
“Ah, thank you…”
Normally, no one would believe such a story so readily. Because she had been observing me, she was convinced there was no falsehood.
“Well then, let’s move. If we stay here, monsters and magic beasts drawn by the scent of blood might appear.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
As I stood up after finishing the cleanup, the woman carelessly grabbed my arm. Then, without further ado, she performed a spatial jump.
“Wh-!”
A gasp escaped my chest. This wasn’t a normal spatial jump. In an instant, the forest where we were disappeared from view. Comparing my spatial jump to Priscilla-chan’s, the distance was different. Of course, the original Mimicho Race’s spatial jump was superior, and they could cover more than twice the distance I could if they wished. But this woman surpassed even that. She left the original forest in an instant and landed on an unfamiliar hilltop. Perhaps due to the extreme distance, I felt my body being strongly pulled through space. Wasn’t this closer to spatial transfer than spatial jump?
The woman, who had jumped more than ten times my distance in a single spatial jump, paused on the hilltop and observed my condition.
“You’re not getting motion sickness, are you? So, it wasn’t a lie that you’ve interacted with the Mimicho Race. And it seems what you used was also a spatial jump. Though it felt a little different from that of the Mimicho Race.”
While surprised by the ultra-long-distance spatial jump, the fundamental principle was the same, so indeed I didn’t get motion sickness. She was checking that. If this had been my first spatial jump, what would have happened…?
Knowing I could withstand spatial jumps, the woman traversed space again. This time, it was a series of consecutive spatial jumps. Each moment, a completely unfamiliar landscape appeared before my eyes. Although I didn’t get motion sickness from the spatial jump itself, the rapid changes in scenery were making me dizzy. One moment I was on a hill, the next in the middle of a lake. Just as I thought I would fall into the water, I was on a mountaintop. Before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, I was in a forest. Then, I was by a lake. I couldn’t keep up with the scenery with my eyes and my mind.
“Oh right, I haven’t introduced myself yet.”
While being held by the arm by the tanned Mimicho woman, I let the situation guide me as we moved through the Forbidden Territory. As we did so, the woman spoke to me.
“I am Nazaria, who governs ‘Technique’ among the Four Guardian Stars.”
“Four Guardian Stars?”
“Ah, I see. You don’t know about that yet. Well then, just remember my name.”
“Yes. I am Elnea Eris.”
“Fufufu, I knew it.”
Did she know my name? I looked at Nazaria to ask, but she didn’t give me the answer I wanted. And before the sun set…
“Master, I’m back. I’ve brought tonight’s dinner.”
“Huh?”
We arrived at a ruined village partway up a mountain within the Forbidden Territory, a place I had seen before. A section of the Sacred Mountain, which spread out wide and gently at its base. Before I could even think that there was a village here, my eyes widened at the sight of a girl sitting doubled over, knees hugged to her chest, in front of Nazaria and me.
She was an adorable girl in a frilly dress, looking about ten years old. The arms hugging her knees were thin, and she looked decidedly delicate. Her large eyes were a deep pink, with long lashes fluttering. Her long hair was also pink and looked soft and fluffy. However, what caught my eye wasn’t the lovely girl’s appearance.
“Th-there are wings on her back…”
That’s right. On the back of the girl sitting adorably and looking up at us, four wings I had never seen before were growing. The semi-transparent wings slowly opened and closed, scattering sparkling pink droplets in the air. To call the wings on her back a “bug’s,” however, was a harsh comparison. Yet, the mystical atmosphere of the girl made me feel she was closer to a spirit or a fairy than an insect. But I had never seen a spirit with such wings. Ares-chan could float in the air, but she had no wings on her back. So, was this girl a Winged Tribe or a Heavenly Race member? No, that couldn’t be right. Flying races always have wings on their backs, but I don’t know of any humanoid races with feathers.
As I was captivated by the mysterious girl, she also looked at me and opened her mouth as if surprised.
“Nazaria, I’m sorry, but even if we’re facing food shortages, I’m not so gluttonous as to eat people.”
“Ehh?! I’m going to be eaten!?”
Oh, what a disaster. It wasn’t good to be staring dreamily. It seems coming along so carelessly was a mistake. Nazaria laughed merrily at my and the girl’s reactions.
“No, no, Master. I’m saying we should share the rabbit meat this child has.”
Seeing Nazaria laugh heartily from the bottom of her heart, the girl and I breathed a sigh of relief. Good. It seemed I wouldn’t be the girl’s dinner. If it meant being eaten, offering rabbit meat was a small price to pay. Yes, since she held out her hand, I handed the fur bag containing the rabbit meat to Nazaria.
“Leave the cooking to me, Nazaria, the housewife. You, come over here.”
Enticed by the girl’s cute beckoning, I sat next to her. Nazaria took the meat from me and moved to a nearby hearth, starting to cook something. Why was there such a fine hearth in this impromptu campsite? Putting that aside, Nazaria certainly looked like a housewife. Come to think of it, her posture as she cooked had a certain domestic gravitas.
“Hahaha, I’ve brought wild vegetables!”
“Hey, Mother. Look at my catch!”
“Mother, Master. We’ve had a great haul tonight!”
Then, three more individuals arrived via spatial jump from various directions. The man who brought a basket full of wild vegetables had sturdy muscles. He was a Mimicho with tanned skin, just like Nazaria. Next, the young man who appeared with armfuls of snakes, lizards, and other repulsive creatures also had tanned skin and was a Mimicho. The woman who appeared last was similar, with a net full of eerie fish.
“Now, Seijim, all of yours are poisonous weeds and mushrooms. A poisonous feast, isn’t it? Azeilan, this can be used in medicine, but it’s not dinner. Ayura, you can’t possibly put fish with so many poisons, bones, and thorns in Master’s mouth!”
I see, so that’s why there’s a food shortage, we nodded in agreement at the ingredients the newly arrived three had brought.
“Nazaria. And you brought a human, didn’t you?”
“Mother, I’m not cannibalistic enough to eat humans.”
“Mother, I really don’t intend to eat humans.”
“No, no, I’m not food!”
To the three who stuck out their tongues at me, I firmly denied it. Nazaria and the girl next to me were amused by our exchange and laughed.
