We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Furious.
“Damn it!”
“What?! Did he notice my true identity!?”
“Did he figure it out from my name? Or did he know what I looked like from the start!?”
“If Esneed knows about me and my family, he wouldn’t leave me alone as a Divine General!”
“He’s an obstacle to the Imperial Honored Mansion. Not only that, but it wouldn’t be strange for him to see me as an enemy for defying the Emperor’s authority.”
Tension runs through the family.
“…No, wait.”
I force myself to stop my body, which instinctively moved at Esneed’s words and actions.
“If Esneed really knew about us, wouldn’t Guen have warned me beforehand?”
“Guen has his own objectives. That’s why he made a secret pact with me and made sure not to cause any unnecessary trouble in the buffer zone.”
“However, considering he didn’t disclose any information about Esneed, I’m sure Guen didn’t intend for us to get into trouble, even though he might have wanted to toy with us seeing our surprise at the unexpected existence of a ‘Divine General’.”
“Which means!”
“General, that’s absurd. I’m just a humble human child, sir?”
I feign fear at the sword tip pointed at me, deflecting Esneed’s suspicion.
If I dug my own grave here and declared, “I am the Dragon King,” it could lead to an irrecoverable catastrophe.
However, Esneed kept the tip of his sword pointed at me, his brow furrowed slightly.
“Nay, I sense an extraordinary presence from you. Can an ordinary human exude such a presence?” he said, lightly touching the tip of his sword to my chest.
“No way…No way?”
I had something precious stored in my breast pocket.
It was a branch from the Spirit Tree, a gift from Spirit Tree-chan and Ares-chan.
A small branch with a Thousand-Handed Spider’s kumihimo tied to it, worn around my neck.
The Spirit Tree branch was located right around my chest.
“Could it be… Esneed sensed the presence of that ‘Spirit Tree branch’!?”
“Nah, that’s impossible, right?”
“Certainly, the Spirit Tree branch is special and unique, but can an ordinary person notice it?”
Thinking about it, I soften my stance a little.
“My opponent is likely a true Divine General. A genius who leads the Divine Race’s army cannot be just an ordinary person.”
“It’s not strange for him to possess abilities we don’t know about or senses that exceed our expectations.”
“If that’s the case, perhaps Esneed is someone with the sensitivity to detect the presence of the Spirit Tree branch.”
“Or, perhaps he isn’t aware of the Spirit Tree branch’s existence, and is simply reacting to the special aura emanating from me by intuition.”
“Nevertheless, in either case, we mustn’t underestimate Esneed’s insight.”
“And I have to clear the suspicion cast upon me.”
“Now, how shall I deflect Esneed’s provocation?”
Mistral intervened before my troubled self.
“Whether you’re a Divine Race general or whatever, could you put away that sword? Don’t think I’ll stand idly by if you point a sword at my kin.”
“Mistral casually brushed aside Esneed’s heavy longsword with her bare hands.”
Esneed looked down at Mistral this time.
He gave a bitter smile as he looked at Mistral’s hand that had repelled his sword.
“To touch the blade of a Divine Sword and remain unharmed.”
“Is a Divine Sword without power just a dull piece of metal?”
“You’ve got a point,” Esneed muttered, but perhaps not wanting to clash with the Dragon Race member Mistral, he obediently sheathed his sword.
“If you’re concerned about Elnea, then consider it confirmed. He’s being trained by me, so it’s natural for him to be different from an ordinary human.”
“…I see. He’s being trained by a Dragon Race member. That makes sense.”
Esneed nodded at Mistral’s explanation.
“As expected, even from a Divine General of the Divine Race, the Dragon Race is a race to be wary of.”
“Since he’s being trained by such a race to be wary of, it makes sense that he’d feel a different aura from me compared to an ordinary human,” Esneed seemed to have accepted.
With Esneed’s reduced interest in us, the atmosphere in the area lightened.
Before I knew it, the tense air had spread not only among us but also among the Winged Tribe people and the Divine Race members of the Imperial Honored Mansion.
“Guen, you went through trouble. However, I wish to hear about the situation in more detail. Is it alright to receive your report now?”
“Of course, sir.”
Guen must have been a little flustered himself.
When he intended to toy with us, things took an unexpected turn.
Guen’s shoulders, standing beside Esneed, dropped slightly.
“Ah, young lady of the Dragon Race.”
“Yes?”
Esneed looked back at Mistral one more time as he was leaving.
“Your name?”
“Mistral.”
“I see. Mistral, how about a drink sometime?”
“I refuse. I don’t drink alcohol in the first place.”
“Hmm, a shame.”
“What?! Did Esneed take a liking to Mistral!?”
“No, no, absolutely not!!”
“I’ll never give Mistral away to anyone!”
I saw my family members smile as I unconsciously grabbed Mistral’s arm.
“Now, what shall we do from now on?” I thought about discussing it with my family after seeing off Esneed and the Imperial Honored Mansion entourage who had departed.
“Kyaah!”
Yufilia and Nina’s overlapping screams echoed, and I turned around.
A man from the Winged Tribe was holding their hands with a vulgar smile.
“Though the Divine Race gentleman wasn’t interested in me. Aren’t these top-tier women?”
“Let go of me!”
“Don’t touch me!”
Perhaps a resident of Yondo City? A man I’d never seen before. Unlike ordinary Winged Tribe members, his muscular body appeared well-trained.
The old scars visible on his arms and chest also gave him the aura of a seasoned warrior.
The Winged Tribe man was trying to pull Yufilia and Nina towards him, holding their hands.
“Hey!”
This time, I let my body move instinctively.
Just as Mistral had stood in front of me, I cut in to shield Yufilia and Nina. Then, I fiercely grabbed the arm of the man holding their hands.
“Gah!!”
It was my strength imbued with Dragon Energy. If I meant it, I could crush a person’s arm.
The man whose arm I grabbed screamed in pain from the tightening grip and instinctively let go of Yufilia and Nina.
The two of them quickly moved away from the man.
“How dare you, a human, do such a thing!”
“I’m the one who should be asking what you’re doing! Don’t lay a hand on my kin so casually!”
I pushed back the man’s arm that I was holding and shoved him away.
The muscular man was stunned that I, who looked not so strong, easily pushed him away.
As he lost his balance from being shoved, the man looked at me with eyes filled with astonishment.
“We didn’t come here to fight the Winged Tribe. However, if anyone dares to lay a hand on my kin, I will absolutely protect them with all my might!”
Against Esneed, I had been humble, but now I showed a surge of anger. The muscular man was flustered.
Perhaps he never imagined a human would stand up to the Winged Tribe. Moreover, although Esneed had taken an interest in me, he may have seen me, protected by Mistral, as weak from the Winged Tribe’s perspective.
It’s only natural for him to be surprised that I, who he assumed would be weak, unexpectedly fought back and easily pushed away someone who boasted of his trained body.
However, the muscular man was not the only one surprised and flustered; the surrounding Winged Tribe onlookers seemed different.
“You!”
“How dare you, a human, defy us, the Winged Tribe!”
“Take him down!”
A group of hot-blooded men surrounded us, weapons in hand.
“Hmph!”
“How barbaric the Winged Tribe are!”
“I’m starting to think the Demon Race and Divine Race are much more reasonable species!”
“Honestly. Are all Winged Tribe members like this?”
“Hahahaha. Sefina-sama is getting serious.”
“It’s not just Sefina who’s getting serious.”
“It’s not just Mist who’s getting serious.”
“Ruiseine and Madrine, please don’t get involved. You are Miko, after all.”
The women’s anger finally reached its peak against the vulgar Winged Tribe men!
The wives stood ready, unbothered by the Winged Tribe people surrounding them with weapons.
As a man, I must also lend a hand!
“Everyone. Please be gentle.”
“Muki! I want to join too!”
We formed a formation to protect Ruiseine and Madrine, who couldn’t participate in the fight.
“W-wait, you guys…!”
The muscular man I had shoved before cried out, but before I could know to whom he was speaking, the battle began.
A man with light blue wings charged forward with a spear. Sefina deftly handled him. Then, she shoved the man away.
Fueled by his own momentum and Sefina’s fluid movements, the man was sent flying in a completely unintended direction.
“You!”
A man with a sword. A man with a spear. A man with bare hands. Three of them attacked Yufilia and Nina simultaneously.
Yufilia dodged the attack of the man with the sword and delivered a merciless kick to his groin.
Nina slipped under the spear thrust and into the man’s guard, also delivering a merciless knee strike to his groin.
Yufilia and Nina grabbed the hands of the two men, who were writhing in pain.
“Yufi and”
“Nina’s”
” “Fly away, Winged Tribe!!” ”
They spun the men they held around and finally kicked them towards the man who had recklessly charged at them bare-handed.
One collided with the torso of the bare-handed man, and the other plunged headfirst into the groin of the bare-handed man.
Three men collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Seeing the pathetic state of the three men, the surrounding Winged Tribe men unconsciously clutched their groins.
“H-how dare you!”
A man, furious at his comrades’ struggle, glared with his wings spread.
However, the woman he had been targeting moments ago, Laira, was no longer in his sight.
Confused, the man looked around.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Laira, as usual, had erased her presence and circled behind the man.
The man, who had created a blind spot for himself with his spread wings, received a merciless hammer blow from Laira.
Struck with all her might on the back, the man crashed into the ground, sinking into it.
The nearby Winged Tribe members flinched and retreated at Laira’s terrifying strength.
Realizing that close combat was disadvantageous, the Winged Tribe began to soar into the sky to secure their advantage.
However, we wouldn’t let them get away with this!
Mistral leaped.
In the blink of an eye, she was above the heads of the flying Winged Tribe members.
Mistral unleashed her Dragon Arts from an altitude higher than the Winged Tribe.
Tossed about by the turbulence stirred up by Dragon Energy, the Winged Tribe screamed in the sky.
Still, those who managed to evade Mistral’s Dragon Arts range, after leaping, flapped their wings to try and get above Mistral, who was falling.
“Alright, it’s finally my turn!”
I reached into my breast pocket.
And took out.
Nimiah, who had taken refuge in my breast pocket right after the fight began!
“Nya~”
Nimiah, cradled in my arms, let out a cute chirp.
However, only her chirp was cute; her power was terrifying.
The weapons of the Winged Tribe men, who were closing in on Mistral with flapping wings, instantly turned into white ash and scattered.
Looking at their hands, the Winged Tribe men’s eyes widened in shock.
“Nyan.”
Nimiah chirped again.
The weapons of those on the ground also turned into white ash.
“Nya!”
Nimiah chirped once more.
Two nearby buildings completely turned into white ash.
Screams erupted from the Winged Tribe people.
The people, fleeing in fear of Nimiah’s terrifying roar.
“Hey!”
Amidst the disastrous results, a man called out to us in a deep voice.
It was the sturdy Winged Tribe man we had encountered with Slustal.
“Enough. Please stop.”
The sturdy man raised both hands in surrender.
“I’ve seen your strength. From now on, we won’t lay a hand on you. I’ll make sure others do the same. So, please stop.”
“I’ll also ask. You are people that Esneed-sama cares about. We, the Winged Tribe, were rude. I apologize.”
Following the sturdy man, Slustal also apologized.
My anger subsided as Slustal bowed deeply.
“Understood. Everyone, it’s fine now.”
As I called out, everyone stopped.
However, more than thirty Winged Tribe people were already groaning in pain or lying face down on the ground.
“If you touch us again, I’ll turn your village into ash this time, nyan.”
Seeing Nimiah, whom we had thought of as a small dragon cub, speak human words, the sturdy man and Slustal’s eyes widened in absolute astonishment.
