We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 622

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

Darker than the one behind the scenes.

Along with the spring breeze, the rain quickly passes.

The rainwater that pours down seeps into the ground.

Men had gathered in a crude basement filled with a damp, humid air.

“Kuhuhu. Finally, we’ve obtained that item.”

“Oh, that quickly?”

“Then, it’s finally time.”

The men broke into unsettling smiles.

“With this, we’ve secured our victory.”

“I can already imagine their panicked faces.”

“It’s finally time for rebellion!”

The men raised their goblets high and poured the filled liquid down their throats.

Finally, this moment had arrived.

The moment they had waited for.

With this, victory was promised, and no one could alter the future.

The mingled goblets and the men’s laughter in the underground room eroded the darkness.

But, at that moment.

With an explosion, the only door leading to the surface blew open.

And then, people came rushing into the basement.

“We found you!”

The one who burst in first, brandishing a cursed weapon, shouted bravely.

“Tch. I can’t believe you found this base so quickly!”

“Surrender, and you will be taken into custody.”

The entrance was blocked.

But these men were not ones to be deterred by such a thing.

“…There’s no other way.”

“If it comes to this, we’ll force our way through!”

The men drew their weapons, preparing to fight back.

The weapons in their hands were also powerful cursed weapons.

“Leave this to us!”

“We’re counting on you after this! Elnea!”

Two of the men gathered in the secret basement, Listea and Slaton, entrusted “that item” to me and charged towards those who had broken into the basement – our wives.

“Hey, Elnea-chi, hand that over!”

The leading wife, Naimi, shouted while grappling with Listea.

Slaton was locked in a struggle with Kiiri and Inea.

“Slaton, what do you mean by laying a hand on a miko?”

“Tch, forgive me. This is all for our ambition!”

“Don’t blame me if Creacio gets angry later!”

“Fwahaha! Did you think I’d be scared by something like that?”

A fierce melee unfolded in the narrow basement.

However, they were all allies. While they had started with dangerous cursed weapons, it had quickly devolved into bare-handed combat.

But, in that case, Slaton was at a distinct disadvantage.

After all, his opponents were mikos. Furthermore, Kiiri and Inea were Listea’s trusted wives, so he couldn’t afford to be too rough.

Slaton was being pushed into a corner.

At the same time, the basement was being taken over by the hero’s party of wives, and I was being driven to a corner.

“Now, Elnea-kun. Prepare yourself.”

“Grrr, Cerise-chan…”

It was Cerise-chan who was cornering me with her ample bosom.

No, that was wrong.

She was approaching me with a rope in her hand!

She intended to tie me up with that sturdy rope, wasn’t she?

I was a little interested!

But I had a mission.

A man’s promise. I couldn’t break this.

“I’m sorry, Cerise-chan.”

I whispered and activated Spatial Jump.

No matter how narrow the basement was, or how chaotic the fight became. No matter how blocked the entrance was. Spatial Jump was not an obstacle.

In an instant, I had moved to the stairs leading to the surface.

However, Creacio, a formidable opponent, was waiting for me there!

“Gnnnh, my body feels heavy…”

Suddenly, a heavy load was applied to my entire body, as if I were wearing weighted clothes.

My knees buckled under the external pressure that pure strength could never resist.

“Elnea-kun, there’s no good that will come from siding with those two. So, please hand that over to me?”

“Creacio… I owe you a debt, and I want to, but I can’t. I cannot hand this over.”

“Please don’t say that, okay? If you cooperate, we’ll give you a reward! Elnea-kun, you’re on the side of women, aren’t you?”

Grrr, what a sweet temptation.

My heart wavered.

But this must be a sorcery trap.

Mental interference!

I resisted Creacio’s alluring temptation with all my will, and then, using Spatial Jump to fly over Creacio who blocked my path, I burst onto the surface.

From here, I just needed to escape to a place where the wives’ pursuit couldn’t reach…!

Or so I thought.

Just then, an unexpected person stood in my way.

“Elnea, surrender now.”

“N-no way… Mistral, too?”

The stairs leading underground were built in the corner of a barn in the backyard of a large mansion, hidden away.

Mistral stood imposingly in front of the barn, waiting for me.

A jet-black one-handed club hung at her waist.

“Hey, Elnea. Weren’t you training to fight in a way that you wouldn’t lose?”

“You know, Slaton, it’s not like training immediately translates to results. Besides, you couldn’t even lay a hand on Kiiri and Inea, could you?”

“Well, even if Slaton and I helped Elnea, we wouldn’t be able to beat Mistral-san…”

The three of us let out deep sighs.

This was outside the barn in the backyard of Listea’s mansion in the capital city of the Armēdo Kingdom!

We were bound tightly with sturdy ropes and left sitting on the wet ground.

Our bottoms were getting damp and cold. And it felt disgusting.

Surrounding us were the hero’s party of wives, the wives of the Ys Family, and young girls and young dragons.

“I can’t believe they formed an alliance…”

Faced with overwhelming force, I, Listea, and Slaton had to admit our utter defeat.

“Now then, what is this all about? We demand an explanation.”

Cerise-chan, the commander of the allied forces, approached Listea with his crimson travel document in hand.

Listea gave a rare, awkward expression and averted his gaze.

“Slaton, I heard from Kiiri and Inea. You raised your hand against a miko, didn’t you?”

“No, that is…”

“I also heard you boasted that you weren’t afraid of me?”

“Uh, well…”

Slaton’s cheeks were already bright red.

He hadn’t been hit, only pinched.

“Elnea-sama, it’s best to confess honestly. If you do, I will help only Elnea-sama.”

“Laira…”

“Hey, Elnea, no cutting in line!”

“You’re not thinking of betraying us, are you!?”

Well, I had no qualms about betraying Slaton.

But abandoning Listea was something I couldn’t do.

Mumumu, what should I do?

I nervously glanced at Mistral, who was quietly looking down at me, and reflected on the situation.

Yes. The origin of all this was Slaton’s proposal.

“You know, I was thinking. Don’t you ever want to go on an adventure just with other guys?”

I had visited Listea’s mansion.

Why? Because I had promised to help Listea and the others in the hero’s party with their training to enter Dragon Peak. However, the matter of the Mimicho Race and the Spirits relocating had become entangled, and I needed to adjust my schedule.

The Spirits were eager to go.

The Mimicho Race people had also completed their preparations.

All that was left was to depart at the right time.

In fact, once we depart, we will arrive at the Forbidden Territory immediately.

This is because Nimia and Revalia will be assisting with the travel.

With Grandma Yuuri accompanying us, we no longer needed to recruit a large number of the Mimicho Race.

In the end, only Grandma Yuuri, Carly, Kate, and Priscilla’s parents would be relocating to the Forbidden Territory, resulting in the smallest possible number.

And with that number, Nimia and Revalia’s assistance would be sufficient.

For the Spirits, it seems there is no distinction between sky and ground.

Thus, the earth spirits can also travel through the sky, meaning we don’t have to walk on the ground ourselves.

So, the relocation matter is proceeding smoothly.

But…

It’s not as simple as relocating them and being done with it.

In fact, the real work begins after moving to the Forbidden Territory.

We have to ensure that the Spirits who originally lived there and the Spirits who have moved in get along well.

Carly and the others will also be living in an unfamiliar land, so we will have to look after them initially.

This means I won’t have time to allocate to Listea and the others.

I can’t irresponsibly say, “I have my own business, so you’re on your own,” to people struggling in a new land.

So, I came to consult with Listea and the others.

I wanted to ask if they would train before the relocation plan was executed.

Then came Slaton’s remark.

“I’m not saying women are a nuisance, okay? It’s just that, don’t you ever want to have a thrilling adventure with just guys? Plus, it’ll be easier for you with fewer people to look after, right?”

“Is… is that so?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll just teach the women what you taught us later. It’ll be over faster with fewer people, and that’ll be more convenient for you too, right?”

“N-now that you mention it…?”

After such a conversation.

Listea, who agreed to the plan, immediately went to the temporary royal palace.

After all, to enter Dragon Peak with impunity, royal permission was necessary.

And Listea brought back passes for everyone.

Yes, for everyone.

Not just for himself and Slaton, but also for the wives!

“Slaton, just as you said, I got passes for Cerise and Creacio’s group, too!”

“Oh, Listea. Well done.”

“But why do the wives need passes too?”

Slaton grinned at my question.

“You fool, think about it. If I only applied for passes for myself and Listea, they’d get suspicious, wouldn’t they? Besides, if we hold onto the wives’ passes, they won’t be able to chase us if they happen to notice.”

“Whoa, that’s completely villainous thinking!”

Slaton gets sharp when it comes to wicked schemes.

Listea and I could only manage bitter smiles.

Hmm, it all stemmed from Slaton’s scheme.

Come to think of it, Slaton always comes up with schemes, but he’s never succeeded.

Ah, it’s our fault for falling for this guy’s smooth talk…

“Meow. Slaton is the mastermind, meow.”

“Wh-what!?”

Slaton turned a look of astonishment towards Nimia, who was lounging on Priscilla-chan’s head.

Nimia flapped her wings to escape Slaton’s wicked gaze and fled into Yufilia’s cleavage.

Slaton, unable to glare at a woman’s cleavage, distorted his face in frustration.

“Nimia-chan, we demand an explanation.”

“Nimia-chan, we demand a report.”

Yufilia and Nina asked, shielding Nimia with their ample bosoms as if to protect her.

“Nimia, there’s no need to hold back. Now, speak Elnea’s thoughts.”

“Damn it, what have I done!”

Nimia, an Ancient Dragon Species, could read people’s thoughts.

Could it be that my thoughts had been read?

“So obvious, meow.”

“Gnnnh.”

Nimia sees through everything.

I can’t betray Listea, so I can’t spill the beans.

But if my thoughts are read, there’s nothing I can do, right?

Beside me, Listea offered a weak smile.