We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Trouble can be found everywhere.
With the Giant Demon Lord, our ruler, gone, the land has fallen into ruin. In a corner of this devastated land lies the Dragon King’s Capital, which is always under threat.
Recently, there has been a problem with raids from the Red Cloth Bandits, a group of the roughest among the Demon Race.
However, to protect the Dragon King’s Capital, the Black Winged Demon Race, subordinates of the Giant Demon Lord, were dispatched. Furthermore, Asher, an Ancient Dragon Species who guards the Ancient Capital, came rushing to our aid.
Thanks to this, we have gained absolute peace of mind regarding the Dragon King’s Capital, allowing us to focus on the immediate problem.
“So, we’re finally going to attack, aren’t we?”
“Madrine, I don’t think it’s appropriate for the Head Miko to say ‘attack.'”
“Elnea-kun, I’m already a member of the family, so you don’t need to use honorifics for me, you know?”
“Now that you mention it? But you’re still the Head Miko!”
“Muki! Say it cutely, ‘Madrine-chan’!”
“That is absolutely rejected!”
And so, the conversation immediately started to go off track.
Let’s get the conversation back on track.
“But it’s true that this is the perfect opportunity to go on the offensive, isn’t it?”
“However, if we don’t know the enemy’s whereabouts, attacking will just be in vain!”
“Ruiseine, it would be best to borrow the power of the Dragon Race. If we get the Dragon Peak Dragon Race to cooperate, and from the sky…”
“Laira, that would mean the Dragon Race is invading the Demon Race’s country!”
“Hahahaha! That would be a huge problem!”
If we asked the Dragon Race of the Dragon Peak Alliance, they would undoubtedly participate with glee. However, as Mistral said, doing so would only plunge the Demon Race’s country into further chaos.
“So, what are we going to do? I, for one, wanted to go with Laira’s suggestion?”
“Sefina, you’re just interested in seeing a large formation of dragons, aren’t you?”
“Fufufu, as expected of Elnea-kun. You understand perfectly.”
Sefina, with her boundless curiosity, only wants to see the Dragon Race move in unison if I were to contact the Dragon Peak Alliance.
Everyone laughs at Sefina, who doesn’t even try to hide her desire.
Her older sisters, Yufilia and Nina, also laugh, stunned by their younger sister’s boldness.
However, we’ll miss this great opportunity if we let it pass like this.
How can we track down Baltnowar and his group?
If I asked Charlotte, who appears and disappears without warning, I’m sure she’d tell me in a funny way. But, I don’t know when or where I’ll be able to meet her.
Besides, she’s on the enemy’s side now. If we’re not careful, she could easily kill us.
As everyone rack their brains for a good idea, Yufilia and Nina simultaneously had a flash of inspiration.
“That’s right. We should interrogate Istericia.”
“That’s right. We should get the information from Istericia.”
“Hah!”
Once thought of, the answer was surprisingly close by.
Istericia, whom I protected out of sympathy, is connected to Baltnowar. So, why not ask her!
“But do you think Istericia will talk so easily? According to Elnea, she didn’t say anything even when she was captured by Yun and Rin, right?”
“That’s right!”
My face lit up for a moment. But then, it clouded over at Mistral’s accurate observation.
“However, we have no other means to extract information from Istericia at this moment, do we?”
She must be worn down, Ruiseine says.
Treated as a “sacrifice” by her own kind, and defeated without achieving her goals. Because of that, Istericia is likely at the bottom of despair, she surmises.
“This is precisely when a Miko is needed.”
Madrine showed determination at Ruiseine’s suggestion.
“Alright, in that case, let’s return to the Forbidden Territory.”
Going back and forth is usual for us.
Let’s ask Nimia to do her best again.
And so, I was the only one sent to pick up Nimia!
Why!?
“Only Elnea-kun can ask Lord Asher without reservations.”
“Only Elnea-kun can be with Asher-sama and remain unharmed.”
Was it my imagination that Yufilia and Nina said that as they sent me off?
In any case, I head alone to the main hall where Asher is staying.
As I left the mansion, the moon was floating in the sky.
It’s gotten quite late already. Or rather, is the sun about to rise soon?
The Red Cloth Bandits and Ryzen attacked before midnight.
It’s already past midnight now.
This is because I got caught up in a banquet celebrating the repelling of the bandits last night, and ended up staying overnight.
Well, it would have been rude to visit and then leave the same day, and I also wanted to give Nimia and Asher some time to bond.
“You came to destroy this, didn’t you?”
“I-It’s your imagination!”
Upon arriving at the main hall late at night, Asher immediately glared at me.
Around the main hall, even this late at night, there are still onlookers.
“Ah, I see. Some among the Demon Race are nocturnal, after all.”
“Trying to distract me like that is useless.”
“So you see through everything!”
Damn it, I’ll just go with the “boldly face it” strategy.
“Lord Asher, please return Nimia!”
“Nimia is not yours!”
“Kyaa!”
As if reenacting the daytime events, Asher attacked.
I evaded with a Spatial Jump, closing in on Asher.
Will I secure Nimia first, or will Asher capture me first!
“It will be I who turns you into ash.”
“No, no, that’s strictly forbidden!”
As “Boom! Crash!” echoed through the night, lights began to flicker on in the houses surrounding the main hall.
“You’re too loud!”
“This noise is unbearable!”
“Take your commotion elsewhere!”
And so, complaints arose from various locations.
However, the ones who complained chose the wrong targets.
Asher mercilessly blew away their houses.
Screams started to replace the complaints.
Good, it seems only the buildings were destroyed, and the residents are safe… Or not!
“Lord Asher, you shouldn’t attack so mercilessly just because they’re of the Demon Race!”
“If I were allowed to be merciless, I would turn everything to ash.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true… But I won’t accept that!”
The demons, having learned that they would be in mortal danger if they stood against Asher, immediately stopped complaining and shouting.
Perhaps resigned, the lights that had been lit began to go out.
“It’s your fault.”
“No, it’s Asher’s fault!”
While evading Asher’s physical attacks, I gradually closed in on him.
Although Asher was launching attacks, he made no move to leave his spot.
“There’s no need to move for something as simple as disciplining you.”
A long tail attack loomed from a blind spot.
I leaped high and closed the distance in an instant.
“Garfuri”
“Wha-!”
However, Asher, who had read my movements, accurately unleashed his ferocious fangs. And I was caught.
“You won’t taste good even if you’re eaten.”
With me held between Asher’s fangs, I could no longer move.
This is a critical situation.
However, no savior appeared as they did during the day. This is because Nimia was nestled in Asher’s fur, sleeping soundly.
“Just surrender obediently.”
“But we can’t go home without Nimia.”
It’s thanks to beings like Nimia and Revalia, who can move freely through the sky, that we can travel freely across the land.
Originally, to travel between the mansion in the Forbidden Territory and the Dragon King’s Capital would take days, wouldn’t it?
No, it would be fortunate if it only took days. There are no roads in the unexplored Forbidden Territory, and at worst, it would turn into a grand adventure just to travel.
“Understand the gratitude of having a means of transportation.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
Once again, we realize the daily contributions of Nimia and the others.
Our family can’t even move without Nimia and the others.
If there were no one to carry us and travel through the sky, let alone thwart Baltnowar’s scheme, even going on the offensive would be difficult.
This night, I was reminded anew of the difficulty of traveling the world.
“So, were you suspended in mid-air the whole time?”
“No, that’s not right. I slept with Nimia too?”
“Elnea-kun, we waited for you the whole time!?”
“No, Madrine was the first to fall asleep.”
“Muki, you traitor, Ruiseine!”
The next morning, I somehow managed to get Nimia back from Asher and returned to the mansion where everyone was waiting.
I reported to everyone, apologizing for making them wait, but…
“Knowing Elnea, we were certain you wouldn’t return normally.”
“Knowing Elnea, we were certain you wouldn’t return immediately.”
As Yufilia and Nina said, it seems everyone doubted my return. So, everyone else also slept properly.
“Sniffle. I worked hard, you know?”
“Mother said you were playing very happily, nya.”
“Shhh. Nimia, you shouldn’t say that.”
“Nyan.”
Even if I explained that I wasn’t enjoying myself at all, no one believed me. Instead, they laughed hearing about the commotion the previous night.
“I feel rather sorry for the demons who were sleeping.”
Before departing, I completed my last task, intending to offer an apology through Meduria.
And then, we returned to the Forbidden Territory.
Grateful to Nimia, we swiftly crossed the vast sky, flew past the mansion in the Forbidden Territory, and arrived at the Dragon King’s Forest in an instant.
“Everyone, I’m back!”
“Um, welcome back. Did you bring souvenirs?”
“Yes, I got a proper assortment of freshly made sweets from Meduria.”
“Whoa!”
“For Carly and the others, too.”
And with that, I presented them with high-quality tea leaves as souvenirs.
In the Forbidden Territory, such luxuries are hard to come by.
Carly and the others, who came out to greet us, received them with smiles.
“So, what happened to Istericia and the Mimicho Race?”
Before Grandma Yuuri, who greeted us with a gentle smile, I conveyed what we had discussed with everyone. And that we wanted to extract information from Istericia. Upon hearing this, Grandma Yuuri began to walk, guiding us.
We passed through the Dragon King’s Forest, moving past several lakes.
“Where on earth are we going?”
As we obediently followed her, Grandma Yuuri smiled and told us.
“The Mimicho Race, you see. I sunk them in the Poison Pond.”
“Ehhhhhhhhhh!?”
