We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Another Auspicious Day
Spring had finally arrived even in the Forbidden Territory.
In winter, the damp, strong winds blowing from the North Sea would crash against the sheer cliffs of Dragon Peak, generating snow clouds. These thick, overlapping snow clouds, pushed by the raging north wind, would flow towards the depths of Dragon Peak, bringing severe cold and snow to the land.
Meanwhile, some of the snow clouds that couldn’t cross the ridge of Dragon Peak would descend to the foothills in search of a place to go, fulfilling their role there.
The Forbidden Territory, receiving the damp winds from the sea and the snow clouds from Dragon Peak, always endured a long winter.
Nevertheless, spring would eventually arrive.
The wind direction would change, and a warm spring breeze would begin to blow from the depths of the continent. Then, the snow that had fallen deep in the Forbidden Territory would gradually melt, turning into streams and flowing into thousands of lakes.
Animals that had been hibernating would awaken and become active, and birds that had flown south for hibernation would return.
Although the winter in the Forbidden Territory was long and harsh, once the spring breeze swept through, life would bud in an instant, transforming into a colorful and lively world.
“Wow, what a pleasant breeze!”
The wind, rushing up the skirt of the Sacred Mountain, flowed into the hollow at the summit.
The thin layer of water on the surface of the lake at the bottom of the hollow rippled and reached us.
We were now at the summit of the Sacred Mountain, a place that stood out even within the Forbidden Territory.
The Sacred Mountain seemed to have been a volcano in the past. Thus, the crater at the summit was a hollowed-out depression. And at the bottom of that hollow, a shallow lake had formed, with water only reaching ankle-deep. In the center of this shallow, wide lake, a small hill with a few water jets peeked out, and we were relaxing there at our leisure.
“Still, the grand banquet that lasted for seven days and seven nights was amazing!”
“As expected, towards the end, I was so tired that I could only sigh, wishing it would end soon.”
I had enjoyed myself from beginning to end, but apparently, Mistral had gotten tired.
Well, it couldn’t be helped. I had simply enjoyed myself and celebrated with everyone as invited, but Mistral and others had taken on the backstage work.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work. Thank you.”
It was all thanks to everyone that we were able to defeat the Giant Demon Lord and that the subsequent grand banquet ended without incident.
“The thanks will be paid with Elnea-kun’s body.”
“The thanks will be shown with Elnea-kun’s body.”
“Yufi-san, Nina-san, such talk is forbidden during the day!”
The wind blowing across the summit of the Sacred Mountain danced with the hair of our wives.
Ruiseine gently held her disheveled hair with a slightly troubled expression.
“Ruiseine, your hair has grown quite long.”
“You too, Mist-san, your hair has become much longer.”
Speaking of which, all of my family members have long hair.
Of course, I prefer long hair. Perhaps everyone is keeping their hair long to match my preference?
Well, for Ruiseine the miko and Madrine-sama, long hair seems to be a requirement due to their positions.
Oh, speaking of miko.
“In the end, Su-sama was crying the entire time, wasn’t she?”
We all laughed, remembering.
She cried tears of joy at defeating the Giant Demon Lord and being able to protect the girls. Then, she cried tears of emotion at the liveliness of the grand banquet, and tears of sadness at parting.
“When someone cries about absolutely everything to that extent, Su-sama’s crying face starts to seem normal.”
“That’s why the miko from the ancient capital reacted so little to Su-sama’s tears!”
“Nyan. It’s more unusual when she’s not crying, nyan.”
“You know, she cried even more than Priscilla!”
Letty-sama and Su-sama, along with the miko who had rushed to cheer us on from the ancient capital, returned home with the Ancient Dragon Species once the grand banquet concluded.
However, a few remained behind.
One of them was Nimia.
Nimia, as usual, was relaxing on top of Priscilla-chan’s head, feeling the spring breeze.
And accompanying Priscilla-chan was her mother, Asher-san.
Asher-san was currently away, having gone to deliver Momo-chan to the Heavenly Mountain Range.
We had invited Momo-chan to the Forbidden Territory too, but she seemed to have been quite exhausted. Perhaps she missed the Heavenly Mountain Range, or perhaps she wanted to see her peach trees sooner. Momo-chan, with a hint of reluctance, returned to the land she protected.
“By the way, Nimia. Is Shadow Dragon Argilthal-sama alright?”
It was my mistake to let that slip. I had carelessly mentioned the existence of a young Shadow Dragon in Dragon Peak. Then, Argilthal-sama became interested and, instead of returning to the ancient capital, headed for Dragon Peak.
“Nyaa. I don’t know, nyan. Argilthal-sama is a bad dragon who abandons his duties, nyan. He might cause trouble, nyan.”
“Hahahaha! If that happens, I, Elnea-sama, and Lady Revalia will have to deal with it then!”
“Oh, if a problem arises, I’ll leave it to you then, shall I?”
“Hawa, hawa?”
Laira, you might have meant to get ahead of yourself, but I don’t want to get involved in such a commotion!
“Speaking of which, Ursa-sama looked sad.”
Sefina said with a bitter smile.
Well, it couldn’t be helped. After all, Ursa-sama had tried to stay behind too, but Asher-san had driven him away. His tears, which soaked into his heart, were sadder than Su-sama’s tears flowing from her eyes!
Be that as it may. At any rate, the grand banquet that had lasted for seven days and seven nights finally came to an end, and those who had gathered at the Wyvern Hunting Ground returned to their respective bases of operation. And so, the girl and the celestial beings who had descended from the sky also departed.
“I wonder where that girl is traveling now?”
The girl and the celestial beings, who had returned to the dazzling sky just as they had arrived. Although the girl had been asleep the entire time, I felt as if she had been watching us intently.
“Speaking of departure. Madrine-sama, are the Mimicho race alright?”
In the Forbidden Territory, the Mimicho race, a tribe of Istericia, lived. However, through the recent commotion, many of the Mimicho race, who had shown even greater interest in the Temple Religion, had left the Forbidden Territory. And together with Istericia, they chose to train in the paradise of dragons and spirits in the eastern part of the Yorttenitos Kingdom.
“They are alright. They are devout people. Besides, Rubia and Istericia are there, so I’m sure they will become splendid miko and shinkan and return here.”
From the summit of the Sacred Mountain, we could see far into the distance. However, no matter how hard we squinted, we couldn’t see into the depths of Dragon Peak. Much less catch a glimpse of the Armēdo Kingdom or the Yorttenitos Kingdom.
“They embarked on their journey with resolve to a very distant land. In that case, let us also believe and wait.”
We exchanged words, promising to wait endlessly for the day when the Mimicho miko and shinkan would return to the Forbidden Territory.
“So, Elnea. What was the purpose of our visit here?”
If we started talking, there would be no end to the topics for my family. However, today, we couldn’t afford to be so leisurely. Because, I touched the Spirit Tree Wooden Sword I wore at my right hip.
“Uh, please wait a little longer. There are still some guests who haven’t arrived.”
The spring breeze blew pleasantly far and wide. Today, just like the day the girl descended, was an excellent auspicious day.
Afterward, as we were reminiscing, we suddenly felt someone’s presence. Turning, we saw the Giant Demon Lord, clad in luxurious blue attire, standing there.
“Welcome.”
As a greeting, I handed him a cup of Spirit Tree dew wine. The Giant Demon Lord happily accepted the cup and moistened his lips.
“Are Charlotte and Ruilala alright?”
While pouring more wine into the empty cup, I first confirmed what I was most concerned about. Then, the Demon Lord sat down in a suitable spot and told us about their recent circumstances.
“Don’t worry, there’s no problem. Charlotte is weakened from overusing her magic. She sustained no serious injuries, so she will recover with time. Ruilala has been given leave. She too will recover with a little rest.”
“Ruilala… she’s seriously injured, isn’t she? I wonder if she’ll be alright, I’m worried.”
“If you’re worried, you can go and see her. You should be able to meet her at her territory.”
To think that the Ruilala we knew was seriously injured. We were truly surprised when we heard the news. Ruilala is apparently recuperating in her own territory.
“Even Charlotte was pushed to the brink of exhaustion to the point of depletion, wasn’t she…?”
I wasn’t told the specifics of who she confronted, but I could imagine. I had also sensed their presence. But at that time, I never thought it would escalate to such a situation.
“You don’t need to worry about it. Or, would you like to go visit Charlotte, bringing the Hagoromo and the Hōgyoku? Ku ku ku, with those two items, Charlotte’s weakened state will surely recover quickly.”
“Come to think of it, her powers were sealed, weren’t they! Even so, was she an opponent that Charlotte and Ruilala together struggled against?”
Charlotte’s true identity is a legendary being known as the Golden One. I’ve heard that she once went on a rampage against a large army of demons, including the Giant Demon Lord. And even now, with her powers sealed, she holds enough power to be appointed the Great Marshal commanding the Demon Lord Allied Army. Ruilala is also a fearsome Demon, with progenitors who rule the North Sea as her parents. Well, Ruilala is a swordsmanship fanatic who wields a sword without using magic.
“Ah, that’s right. If Charlotte is weakened, won’t she be targeted by wicked demons out of concern?”
That’s right. Because Charlotte possesses power, wouldn’t ambitious demons covet her status and reputation? Defeating Charlotte, the Giant Demon Lord’s most trusted aide, would bring immense honor. In some cases, it might even lead to the position of Demon Lord, which remains vacant.
“Ku ku ku, it would be nice if someone challenged Charlotte thinking that. However, I wonder if there is anyone among the current demons who has the courage to enter her recuperation place.”
“Uh, where is Charlotte resting?”
“Shuzan Palace.”
“Haha, ha ha ha…”
I know that place too. Shuzan Palace. A place where the true ruler of the demons resides. It seems Charlotte is resting there. In other words, even if someone wanted to target Charlotte while she was weakened, they wouldn’t be able to get close. If they attempted to invade Shuzan Palace, they would have to confront the crimson ruler and her attendant young girl before even facing Charlotte!
“I, too, will refrain from visiting Charlotte. What a shame. I wanted to see a weakened Charlotte.”
“I’ll pass on the message.”
“No, no, no! I’m sorry!”
If you tell her, I’m scared of her retaliation later!
As I was listening to the Giant Demon Lord talk about various things, I caught a glimpse of something golden out of the corner of my eye. Given the nature of our conversation, I briefly wondered if it was Charlotte? But… it wasn’t. It was a golden, two-tailed fox figurine.
“…No, no. It was Oz.”
It’s easy to forget, but Oz had also come to the summit of the Sacred Mountain. However, facing the Giant Demon Lord, he was frozen with tension.
“That’s right, Oz. Why don’t you go and visit Charlotte?”
“W-w-why do *I* have to go?”
“Well, you see?”
We all looked at each other and burst out laughing. Oz still hadn’t realized it. He didn’t know that the Golden One, who had appeared in his dreams and given him prophecies, was Charlotte.
“M-m-more importantly! I have graced you with my presence. Hurry up and perform the ritual!”
“No, no, even without Oz, we’ll perform the ritual once everyone is gathered?”
“Wh-what kind of talk is that? What do you mean, even without me? Rather, without me, the matter won’t proceed, will it?”
Despite being frozen with tension, Oz’s attitude is as arrogant as ever.
“Uuugh, why can’t things proceed without Oz?”
“F-fufu. Listen carefully, kid. I am saying that I will serve as the guardian of this land. Be grateful!”
“Ah, so that’s how it is!”
Guardians are very important. Oz kindly offered his services himself, didn’t he? But, is it really okay…?
I don’t know what will happen after this, okay?
“Hohou, to declare yourself a guardian, disregarding us Ancient Dragon Species. You have quite the nerve.”
At that moment, a golden 3D magic circle spread across the sky. And from the golden light, a dragon as large as a small mountain slowly emerged, flapping its wings.
“Ooh, Grandpa!”
Priscilla-chan cheered from the Giant Demon Lord’s lap. In contrast, Oz looked up at the sky, his mouth wide open, and convulsed.
“Oz, I didn’t mention it, but… I had also invited Grandpa?”
“Bigyā!”
Oz, under the gaze of Old Man Sleigsta’s golden eyes, rolled his eyes and fainted.
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