We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Dragons are coming to the Dragon King’s Capital.
Fumbling in my pocket, I find the item I’m looking for.
“Meow.”
It’s Nymia, of course, who had been hiding all along.
“That’s not right, meow. I wasn’t hiding, meow.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just that because I was moving around, you couldn’t get out of my pocket, right?”
“That’s right, meow. Because of that, I missed out on playing with Priscilla and the others, meow.”
“I’m sorry. But that’s not what’s important right now!”
Once Nymia grew larger, I immediately jumped onto her back.
“Grandma Yuuri, can you take care of the Mimicho Race for a while?”
“Since it’s an emergency, I suppose we have no choice.”
“Yunyun and Rinrin, please take care of Istericia too!”
“Leave it to us.”
“You owe me one, though!”
I feel truly sorry for leaving the Mimicho Race and Istericia entirely to everyone else. But something else is on my mind right now!
“Fufufu. Elnea-kun, then, farewell.”
“But you’ll pop up somewhere else again and trick us, won’t you?”
“Well, who can say?”
Even when a demon race says that with a smile, it carries no credibility.
However, thanks to Charlotte appearing this time, I was able to understand the situation of the Mimicho Race and Istericia a little better.
Honestly.
This person is too free, even as an enemy.
Perhaps not only us but Baltnowar was also being toyed with. Such a thought fleetingly crossed my mind.
“Well then, it seems Elnea-kun is also departing, so I shall take my leave. Thank you for the staff.”
With that, Charlotte disappeared without waiting for my reply.
“Alright, let’s go too!”
Where to? There’s no need to ask. Of course, to the Dragon King’s Capital, which is reportedly being overrun by the Red Cloth Bandits!
Nymia flapped her wings and soared into the sky.
Nymia and Old Man Sleigsta passed each other.
And then, Ares-san and Priscilla-chan!
I wondered where they had gone, but they were playing on Old Man Sleigsta’s back!
With a wry smile at the two excessively free individuals, I addressed Old Man Sleigsta again.
“Grandpa!”
“What is it?”
“Um… I’ll ask just in case, but why did you come here?”
“What are you talking about? You summoned me, didn’t you?”
“That was Lily who told you, wasn’t it?”
“Indeed. That young girl said she wanted to practice guarding the forest, and in return, you were inviting me for a treat? I thought it was a commendable effort on your part. It seems I’ve been tricked by that young girl, haven’t I?”
“Grrr, maybe asking Lily was a mistake!?”
To think that Lily would be plotting something devious at this point.
“You see. I was thinking of asking for the cooperation of the Mimicho Race from the Dragon Forest in case of any unforeseen circumstances. So, I asked Lily to go and consult with you, Grandpa, about transferring the Mimicho Race here. And after that, Lily was supposed to fly to the Dragon King’s Capital and shore up the defenses…
Since Lily is staying behind in the Dragon Forest, the defenses of the Dragon King’s Capital will be weakened.
It’s possible that the Black Winged Demon Race, subordinates of the Giant Demon Lord, might be there to help, but if the Red Cloth Bandits and their leader, a High-ranking Demon named Ryzen, are attacking, it will be a disaster.
“Since you’re here, Grandpa, please relax and enjoy yourself? I’m going to the Dragon King’s Capital! Nymia, please!”
“Um, Priscilla wants to go too?”
“Priscilla-chan, I want you to stay, okay? I want you to cooperate with Yunyun and Rinrin.”
“Then, please bring back souvenirs!”
“Yes, I’ll ask Meduria to get me some delicious sweets.”
With that, I bid farewell to everyone and hurried Nymia.
Nymia elegantly flapped her wings, wagged her long tail, and soared into the sky.
Just as we were about to pass over the mansion.
A figure shot up from the ground with incredible speed.
“Mistral. …And Lyra?”
Mistral, transformed into a dragon-man, flapped his newly grown wings and approached Nymia. And, for some reason, Lyra was clinging to Mistral’s waist.
“Hey, Lyra, that’s dangerous!”
“If you think so, then Mist-san, please land. You’re not allowed to go ahead alone.”
I see.
Mistral, who had spotted Nymia flying at high speed from the Dragon King’s Forest, tried to join us alone. But Lyra tried to stop him…
Grabbing his waist was good, but in her haste, Lyra also ended up in the sky.
At the mansion below, led by Yufiria and Nina, everyone was shouting towards us.
“Nymia, can you do it?”
“Meow.”
Nymia understood my intention and landed in the courtyard of the mansion. Then, everyone eagerly jumped onto Nymia’s back.
“Now, we will accompany you anywhere.”
“Now, we will follow you anywhere.”
Yufiria, Nina, and Madrine-sama also joined, giving Nymia instructions to fly.
Good grief. These people don’t even know where we’re going. And they don’t know about the commotion that’s likely happening there either.
“I’ll explain while we’re flying, meow.”
With that, Nymia took to the sky once more.
And then, she flew at high speed towards the Dragon King’s Capital.
On Nymia’s back, an interrogation began for me, surrounded by my wives.
“Now then, Elnea. What were you doing?”
“Weren’t you just playing with Teruru-chan?”
“Um, well, let me explain step by step!”
As my wives pressed closer, my face twitched.
If it were night or a bedroom, I’d be grinning like a fool, but…
Overwhelmed by their intensity, I stammered out the events that had just transpired.
“Honestly…”
Mistral seemed to want to say something more, but.
“Meow!”
At Nymia’s warning meow, my gaze shifted.
As expected of Nymia, an Ancient Dragon Species.
In the time it took me to explain, she had already passed through the Forbidden Territory and reached the Dragon King’s Capital.
We interrupted our conversation and looked at the Dragon King’s Capital.
Several streaks of black smoke were rising from the city.
“Could it be too late!?”
I focused my eyes, channeling Dragon Energy, to assess the situation in the capital.
However, Nymia arrived above the Dragon King’s Capital even before I could get a detailed look.
“Meow!”
“This is a terrible sight…”
Besides the black smoke rising from various parts of the city, entire districts, including some of the city walls, had been obliterated.
That seemed to be the area with the most damage; not only the walls and houses that should have been there but even the street trees and roads that adorned the capital had vanished.
The Black Winged Demon Race, who had arrived before us, were busily flying around the skies of the capital.
However, on the ground, the commotion seemed to have subsided, and it was unusually quiet.
Residents peeked out from the gaps in the windows of their evacuated homes. Some, driven by curiosity, had ventured outside to survey their surroundings.
However, there were no people fleeing through the streets, nor were there any shouts of anger.
Could it be that we arrived too late?
A sliver of anxiety gripped my chest.
Nymia circled the skies above the Dragon King’s Capital once before beginning her descent towards a large plaza near the center of the capital.
The Black Winged Demon Race, who had been flying overhead, also saw our arrival and descended into the capital with expressions of relief.
“It’s all my fault for asking Lily for help…”
“Elnea-onii-chan isn’t to blame, meow.”
Nymia comforted me as I slumped in dejection. My wives also tried to cheer me up, saying it couldn’t be helped.
“…That’s right. I did my best. Besides, it’s not my fault that the capital was destroyed like this, is it?”
Nodding firmly, I regained my spirits and looked forward.
“That’s right. This is all Ashel-san’s fault!”
“You’ve certainly become outspoken!”
“Kyaa!”
Where we were looking—or rather, directly in front of where Nymia had landed—was Ashel-san, Nymia’s mother, sitting majestically!
Ashel-san bared her fangs mercilessly at me for my outburst.
I hastily scrambled off Nymia’s back.
“Elnea-sama!”
It was Meduria, who governs this Dragon King’s Capital, and the members of the Ten Clans who called out to me.
“You’re all safe!?”
Meduria and the others stayed a distance away from where Ashel-san was seated, looking at us.
After dodging Ashel-san’s ferocious fangs and claws, I headed towards Meduria and the others.
“So, that dragon is…?”
“I believe we saw her at our wedding ceremony.”
“Yes. Therefore, I was certain she wasn’t an enemy, unlike the attacking Red Cloth Bandits.”
“Judging by the way you say it, was it the Red Cloth Bandits after all?”
I listened to the situation in the Dragon King’s Capital while looking at the black smoke still rising from various parts of it.
“The bandits called the Red Cloth Bandits attacked here, and the Black Winged ones teleported here at almost the same time.”
Although they were called the Red Cloth Bandits, they were, after all, just a group of thieves.
They apparently lacked the military strength and command structure to assault the Dragon King’s Capital, which was surrounded by city walls.
“However, their leader, a High-ranking Demon, managed to infiltrate…”
“That’s Ryzen!”
Ryzen apparently easily broke through the city’s defenses and rampaged throughout the capital.
Even the Black Winged Demon Race fought bravely, but they were no match for Ryzen.
“And then, that dragon came flying.”
“You should be grateful. If I hadn’t come here, who knows what would have happened.”
“But, I saw it earlier, it was Ashel-san, not Ryzen, who turned a part of the city into pure ash!”
When I pointed that out, I was met with a glare.
“Nevertheless, it was that dragon who drove Ryzen away.”
“So, Ryzen escaped?”
Meduria defended Ashel-san, who had protected the city.
I, interjected with my comments. However, the situation in the Dragon King’s Capital had calmed down enough for us to banter like this.
Well, a part of the city had indeed turned to ash.
“That brat was abnormally fast. Still, to me, he was merely a trivial existence. If you had wanted me to finish him off right then and there, the entire city would have turned to ash as a price.”
“That’s not allowed!”
Ashel-san might actually do it.
She’s a dragon capable of turning an entire mountain to ash when serious.
It was disappointing that Ryzen escaped, but at least the Dragon King’s Capital was safe.
There were apparently almost no casualties.
The section that Ashel-san turned to ash was also an area under development where few people lived.
I expressed my gratitude to Ashel-san once more.
And I bowed to Meduria and the others for their hard work.
Of course, I also thanked the captain of the Black Winged Demon Race who arrived during our conversation.
“So, Ashel-san.”
Ashel-san, who hadn’t seen her beloved daughter in a while, was interacting affectionately with Nymia in the plaza.
However, when I called out to her, she let out a growl.
As the onlookers began to gather around the plaza, those who heard Ashel-san’s growl let out screams.
Come to think of it, the representatives of the capital and the Black Winged Demon Race who attended our wedding ceremony knew about Ashel-san, but to the other residents, Ashel-san was still a fearsome dragon.
Thinking this, I approached Ashel-san without being intimidated by her growl. And, as a precaution, I asked.
“Why are you here, Ashel-san?”
“The young girl, the next guardian, asked me to.”
“Lily, right?”
“The old man flew to the Forbidden Territory.”
“…Yes, I met him there.”
Damn it. So that’s how it is!
It turns out I was completely fooled not only by Lily but also by Old Man Sleigsta.
I’m sure Lily went to the Moss Garden, saw Old Man Sleigsta and Ashel-san, who happened to be visiting, and then came up with this scheme.
Because it would be infinitely more reassuring to send Old Man Sleigsta himself rather than ask for the Mimicho Race’s support.
Old Man Sleigsta probably realized Lily’s sneaky plan, didn’t he?
Even so, I believe he went along with her intentions.
Perhaps he considers Lily capable of temporarily entrusting the defense of the Dragon Forest?
And then, Old Man Sleigsta pretended to be oblivious to me in the Forbidden Territory.
Yes, even though he knew Ashel-san had gone to the Dragon King’s Capital.
Along with sending Old Man Sleigsta to the Forbidden Territory, Lily also asked Ashel-san to provide security here.
And Lily herself is leisurely staying behind in the Moss Garden!
“Well, that’s probably about right.”
Ashel-san said, reading my thoughts and smiling.
“But I’m surprised Ashel-san fell for Lily’s smooth talk. If you were going to come, I thought you’d come to the Forbidden Territory where you could definitely meet Nymia?”
“Alas, I am not permitted to enter places called the Forbidden Territory?”
“That’s right! Once things settle down, I’ll invite you!”
And then, along with Old Man Sleigsta, they can relax there to their heart’s content.
Since we’re here, after all!
The crisis in the Dragon King’s Capital had already been resolved by the efforts of Ashel-san and the Black Winged Demon Race before we arrived.
It’s best when there’s no commotion, but this time, it was good that it didn’t escalate into a serious situation, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment, Sefina murmured faintly.
“In the end, our coming here was in vain, wasn’t it?”
“Shh. You shouldn’t say that.”
We decided to overlook the fact that everyone who came with great enthusiasm was met with anticlimax.
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