We live at the foot of Dragon Peak.
The winter of the east, the thoughts of the people.
Winter has arrived once again this year in the plains spreading to the east of Dragon Peak.
The cold wind blows down from the depths of Dragon Peak, dyed in winter colors before the flatlands.
As the cold was carried, the Dragon Forest instantly transformed into a winter landscape, shedding its autumn leaves and quickly finishing its winter preparations.
The fields that shone golden from summer to fall have now been harvested and are desolate.
And winter has also arrived in the mountainous region spreading to the east of the Great Plains, known as the Wyvern Hunting Ground.
Clang, clang, clang! A loud alarm bell rings through the mountains.
“Messenger! It’s a horde of yōma!”
The messenger, galloping his horse to the fort, delivers the situation on the front lines to his superior with barely a greeting.
“Adventurers who were scouting the northeastern valley discovered yōma. After that, yōma began to appear one after another around the valley!”
“The valley, that’s below this fort, right? That’s close. So, how many?”
“I estimate there are easily over a hundred…”
At the messenger’s words, the national army general, Rudoriado, stiffens his expression.
“We will sortie immediately. Though, that is… To all troops, absolutely no pointless deaths, understood? This battlefield is a fight where the last one standing wins. Make sure the adventurers understand that thoroughly. Also, depending on the situation, we may abandon this fort, so prepare for that as well.”
Initially, the anti-evil race defense force was composed of a detachment led by the national army general Teizenal, and adventurers and volunteers from the hot-blooded beast race. However, the King, Armēdo IV, judging that they would face inevitable hardship due to the repeated appearance of countless yōma and the unexpected counterattack of the evil race, declared a state of emergency throughout the country.
Armēdo IV appointed his second son and commander-in-chief of the national army, Rudoriado, as the supreme commander and concentrated the nation’s military power in the mountainous region.
Furthermore, he dispatched envoys to the neighboring Yorttenitos Kingdom to request support.
The Yorttenitos Kingdom, in response to the request from the twin Armēdo Kingdom, first dispatched ten elite Wyvern Knights.
Later, the main force of reinforcements from the Yorttenitos Kingdom, led by Crown Prince Grave, is scheduled to rush to the mountainous region.
The King also personally visited the home of the hero Elnea and appealed to the dragons staying at the mansion.
Dragon Peak responded to the King’s sincere plea.
Four Dragon Kings, led by Dragon King Id. Furthermore, dragon race warriors rushed to join the subjugation of the evil race.
Thus, the multi-racial mixed anti-evil race defense force, gathered in the flatlands where the Hero and Heroine were absent, united to counter the evil race and yōma.
However, the war situation is not favorable.
Rather, even with all forces gathered, they are being cornered on the defensive.
This hastily built fort on the mountain peak may fall to the invasion of the evil race and yōma within a few days.
“Could you convey this to Elnea-kun’s wives? Ask them to wait until the evil race appears. And to you, Dragon King Id.”
“Oh?”
Rudoriado looked up at Id, a monstrously built dragon standing beside him.
“I would like the dragon race warriors to go to defeat the yōma. Ah, but, I’m forbidding you from blowing away entire mountains anymore, okay?”
“I’m not good at petty fighting. Well, fine. I’ll go cause some trouble to lure out the evil race. Let’s go, Milly.”
“Ooh!”
Dragon King Id.
He is also a Dragon King, and according to the human youth Elnea, who is one of the Eight Dragon Kings, he is the strongest of them all.
Indeed, the destructive power displayed at the very beginning of his participation, blowing away a mass of yōma along with a mountainside, was tremendous.
However, if the mountainside is destroyed every time yōma appear, the citizens who find their livelihood in the mountains will lament and grieve.
And it is said that Mistral, one of Elnea’s consorts, possesses even greater ability than Id.
Rudoriado first met Elnea and Mistral only three years ago.
He never imagined that the cute boy would become such an irreplaceable and crucial figure for humanity, now hailed as a hero.
And that Mistral, who had seemed extraordinary from the beginning, was a dragon race warrior far more powerful than he had anticipated.
Truly, it is terrifying.
Rudoriado smiles as he recalls those days.
Id, mistaking it for a defiant pre-battle grin, responded to Rudoriado’s request and left the fort with his companions, laughing heartily.
Following Id, the petite beast race Milly departs with cheerful steps.
Those who protect someone are strong.
Those who cherish something do not give up.
The people gathered in this land, primarily humans, are righteous individuals who can turn their hearts towards others.
It is impossible for such people to be defeated by the evil race, the enemies of the world, and the wicked yōma.
Rudoriado watches the soldiers who began their movements simultaneously with the messenger, believing without losing hope.
However, even so, limits will naturally arrive.
“That’s why. Can’t you hurry back and cause a ruckus as usual?”
Dwelling on those who await him, Rudoriado looks up at the sky.
Following Id’s command, the proud dragon race warriors begin to move with defiant smiles.
“Yōma, huh? Let’s do this!”
“Heh heh, my arms are itching.”
“If I show my strength here, the future Dragon King will be mine!”
“Before you become Dragon King, you should hurry up and find a bride and become a man first.”
“You old geezer, shut up!”
“Hahaha! All you young ones were rejected by the Dragon Princess, weren’t you?”
“Mistral…”
“Mist-san…”
“MISTRAL!”
At the words of the old warrior, nearly half of the young warriors are dejected.
“There, there! Everyone, cheer up! I’m cheering for you all!”
“Milly-chan!”
“That’s right, we still have Milly-chan!”
“MILLY-CHAAAAAN!”
Encouraged by the adorable Milly, the young dragon race warriors regain their spirits. But it was right after that.
“Huh?”
The young warriors’ faces twitch as Id glares at them.
“If you fight spinelessly, bringing shame to the dragon race, I will mercilessly smash you!”
“Eek!”
For the young dragon race warriors, Id was a more terrifying existence than the yōma.
“Good grief, what a bunch of idiots.”
Now they have to fight against the hordes of yōma while protecting the human soldiers and adventurers. Yet, what is this lack of tension in their exchange? Zan, who descended from Dragon Peak at the request of his childhood friend Mistral, sighs softly.
“Hey, Zan. Don’t you feel like fighting?”
Then, Id approaches. Zan looks up at the colossal Id and smiles bitterly again.
“No, it’s not that. I feel like fighting. It’s just that it seems like we’ll be cleaning up their mess.”
“Gahahaha! You’re always worrying too much for a young man. Don’t worry about it. Besides, it’s always been about cleaning up messes from the start. However, it’s not the young ones’ messes, but Elnea’s.”
“That is certainly true…”
Good grief. I wonder what kind of disturbance he’s causing right now, wherever he is. I heard he set off on a journey to find a trump card against the evil race, but I’m sure he’s gotten caught up in trouble somewhere else. And I’m certain this whole mess will eventually lead back to something centered around Elnea.
“Well, you’re young too. Among the young ones, you’re the one I have the most expectations for. Hurry up and become Dragon King, and let me retire. Then, I can travel leisurely with Milly.”
“Someone to replace Id-san…”
For some reason, Zan is not interested in the title of Dragon King. Moreover, he could never fulfill the role of replacing Id, the strongest Dragon King. Besides, rather than becoming Dragon King and worrying about the peace of all of Dragon Peak, he wants to live quietly, centered around his hometown village. That’s right. He can leave the concerns about Dragon Peak, the flatlands where humans live, and their relations with the demon race to Elnea. So, hurry up and come back. Zan looks up at the sky, filled with resentment towards Elnea, whom he considers like a younger brother.
“Hiccup!”
“Oh, Mist-san. Are you catching a cold?”
“No. For some reason, I suddenly felt a shiver.”
“Someone must be talking about us.”
“Someone is mentioning us.”
“Hahahaha! Mist-sama, please take care of yourself.”
“Don’t worry, Lyra. Come on, we should hurry too.”
Mistral and her group, on their way to relay Rudoriado’s message to the waiting dragons. Though the fort was hastily built on the mountaintop for the purpose of controlling the evil race subjugation, they were somehow provided with individual rooms.
“Oh, Mist-san. Are you heading to the dragons now?”
Then, they encounter Cerise and her companions in the courtyard, who have also been given individual rooms. Cerise, Creacio, Kiiri, Inea, Naimi. They are Hero Listea’s companions and wives. Well, Creacio is Slaton’s partner.
“And you, are you about to sortie?”
“Yes, we are going to support the adventurers who were out on reconnaissance.”
“It seems Id and Zan have also departed, so please cooperate with the dragon race warriors. And please, don’t overexert yourselves. If the evil race appears, we will also head out.”
“Yes. Thank you for your concern.”
Where in the vast mountainous region does the evil race appear? And where do they hide before their appearance? They have been fighting and searching since late autumn for a long time, but they still haven’t pinpointed the evil race’s lair. However, they have learned some things from experience.
Right before the evil race appears, yōma almost always appear. Furthermore, yōma, which rarely show themselves even alone, somehow gather in hordes. And using the yōma as bait, the evil race appears. That’s right. The yōma were the bait.
The fight against the evil race is already bound to be difficult. So, people start to think. While the appearance of yōma is certainly a threat, compared to the evil race that devours even dragons, they are nothing more than an insignificant horde. Then, should the yōma be ignored? After all, this is a mountainous region. Furthermore, due to the appearance of the evil race and yōma, civilians have long since evacuated. Therefore, shouldn’t they ignore the yōma and concentrate their forces solely on the evil race? Perhaps, if they are lucky, the yōma and the evil race will fight each other and weaken themselves.
But, in the end, this idea was a failure. In the first place, yōma are no match for the evil race. Moreover, strangely, yōma do not attack the evil race. Conversely, the evil race devours the yōma, thereby amplifying their power. Therefore, they cannot afford to feed the evil race. In the end, the anti-evil race defense force was made to realize that they cannot ignore the existence of yōma and must actively subjugate them.
“I’ll do my best to defeat as many yōma as possible.”
“Since Listea and Slaton are not here, take it easy.”
“Yes. Otherwise, the men who return will be troubled.”
“Fufufu, if you perform too well, you might steal the Hero’s spotlight, which will cause trouble later.”
“It’s mostly Listea and the others’ fault for not coming back sooner,” they grumble, the families of the hero and heroine, while returning to their respective duties.
But then, suddenly, as if drawn by something, everyone looks up at the sky.
And they see it.
The soldiers at the fort. The adventurers who were active in the mountains. The dragon race warriors who set out. The dragons who were on standby. All of them saw it.
A magnificent Fire Phoenix, beautifully scattering sparks, soaring into the sky. And a valiant Great Eagle, led by the Fire Phoenix.
Cerise and her companions’ faces light up. Hope shines on everyone’s cheeks. The sun shines brightly, as if it were midsummer. At the same time, the mountainsides of the Armēdo Kingdom ignite in brilliant red.
