"So, this is a city of the other world…!"
Once we safely entered the royal capital, Kaori's eyes sparkled as she looked around the surroundings enthusiastically.
"Kaori, if you look around that much, you'll get dizzy. Be careful."
"Yes! Y-you're right. I was just so excited…"
"Kaori, you look like a child."
"…No, I mean, Yuti had a similar reaction on Earth too, right?"
"…I have no idea about that."
In fact, the first time Yuti left my house on Earth, she was much more restless than the current Kaori, and she was on the verge of being out of control. She tried to climb the walls and poles of the houses, and she looked around so much that I was afraid she was going to break her neck.
"But back then… when we were about to enter the royal capital, I was flustered… but Yuti, you were able to get in without any problems."
I really did worry, since Yuti was the one who wanted to kill Rhaegar-sama before…
I had forgotten about such things until now, and when I remembered that while we were going through the formalities at the city entrance, I was in a great panic…
"Disregard. I got in, so it's fine."
"No, that's true, but…"
"Expectation. The soldiers at the bottom don't even know about me. So they let me in."
"Hmm… is that right…?"
In fact, given Yuti's fighting power, if Yuti were to be serious, an ordinary soldier wouldn't even be able to catch her movement in the first place.
I was a little concerned that the gatekeepers, or rather, the soldiers would rush around, but…
Well, I still don't know what would happen, and I'm a little afraid thinking about that. But there's no point in worrying about it now. So at this point, I stop thinking about it. Despite being warned by Yuti, Kaori couldn't hold back her excitement anymore and was looking around again, and she suddenly seemed to notice something.
"Um, Yuuya-san."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Um… is it always like this in this town?"
"Like what?"
"No, I mean… the whole city seemed pretty hectic, so um… I mean, it seems to be a different kind of busy than being lively…"
"Hmm…"
After being told, I noticed the surroundings.
The gatekeepers were very busy, but I saw that many people were also coming and going busily when I looked around the city again. Moreover, there were no scenes of them chatting and laughing right now, as though they don't have any time to spare at all.
"Indeed, I wonder what's going on…"
"──Yuuya-dono!"
"Eh?"
As I was looking at the surroundings, I was unexpectedly approached by a voice. I immediately turned my gaze towards the voice and saw Owen-san standing there with a surprised expression on his face.
Owen-san was frozen in surprise that I was here; after a little while, he ran over to me.
"Yuuya-dono, what are you doing here!"
"No, Kaori wants to see this city, so I'm here to visit…"
"Kaori-dono, huh? Is it a sightseeing trip…?"
My words startled Owen-san a bit, then he turned his attention to Yuti, who was standing with indifference behind me. He hurriedly jumped back from the spot.
"Yu-Yuuya-dono! The woman there is…!"
"Eh? Ah, no, she's different now!"
"What's the difference? That woman wants Rhaegar-sama──."
Uwaa, indeed, Owen-san was one of the people who saw Yuti's face up close and personal…!
Owen-san's cautious atmosphere has caused the surrounding people and even the other soldiers to gather around to see what's going on. The situation is getting worse.
Kaori was at a loss about the situation, but Yuti, the person in question, didn't seem to be bothered by it. No, this is happening because of you, you know!
"Ah, Owen-san, I'll explain it to you somewhere else…"
"…Alright. In any case, we can't handle that woman here if she rushes out at us, so let's go…"
He looked frustrated at first, but Owen-san listened to my suggestion after a moment. Then, I was taken directly by Owen-san to a less crowded place. And there, I properly explained to him about Yuti's attack on my house, and even the things about "Holy" and "Evil."
After hearing everything, Owen-san held his head in his hands.
"It's not that I didn't expect to see such a fairy tale existence as "Evil"… but rather, why is it that only dangerous people gather around Yuuya-dono like this… but this is no longer a problem that can be handled by a single country alone."
"I-I feel like I have to apologize for that…"
"No, it's not that Yuuya-dono has anything to apologize for… and I didn't realize that Yuuya-dono is a disciple of a being who bears the "Holy" title…"
"As for that, I've become one before I realized it, too…"
Right? At first, even though Master Usagi gave me training in kicking, I didn't expect to get involved with enemies of such existence like the "Evil."
That's why I ended up involved with it…
As I looked at him distantly, Owen-san still seemed a little wary as he asked me.
"So, that woman… Yuti, was it? Is everything okay?"
"That's…"
"Don't worry. I'm not interested in the first prince or this country anymore. I will only want to defeat the "Evil." That's it."
"Yuti-san…"
Then Yuti, who had been uncomfortable until now, opened her mouth and answered. At her conviction, Kaori made a somewhat sad expression on her face.
I'm sure Kaori doesn't know the details of Yuti's situation. Still, from Yuti's eyes and the sound of her voice, Kaori must have sensed the weight of what Yuti was holding. As for me, I would like her to forget about the "Evil" and live her own life, but it will be difficult to do so, and it's not something I can easily interfere with.
At Yuti's behavior, Owen-san also slightly widened his eyes and then sighed.
"Sigh… Considering my position, I'd like to arrest you in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom, but… first of all, that's impossible in terms of my ability, and there seem to be some intricate circumstances involved. For now, I will trust Yuuya-dono and Yuti's words."
"T-thank you very much!"
Thank goodness! If things went poorly, or perhaps in a normal situation, I would definitely be treated as an accomplice and be caught as well.
Once I felt relieved about Yuti's circumstances, I decided to ask Owen-san about the cause of the city's current atmosphere.
"By the way, we arrived in this city just now; what's going on? It seems to be somewhat frantic, unlike the last time I was here…"
"Ah, yeah. That's something I want to talk to you about…"
As he was about to continue explaining, Owen-san made a face as he thought of something and bowed his head to me.
"Yuuya-dono!"
"Eh, What? What's wrong?"
"Can you please help us, Yuuya-dono?"
"Huh?"
But I don't understand the story. I can't help but give such a dumb response. I looked at Kaori and the others in confusion, but both Yuti and Kaori were equally confused. Night and Akatsuki were… yeah, no different than usual.
"Well, can you explain what you mean by that?"
"…To tell you the truth, there is a valley near this Arcelia Kingdom where a legendary dragon is said to sleep…"
"Huh…"
"Yes. The legendary dragon described in our folklore may have awakened."
"…What?"
Eh, the legendary dragon… has awakened?
"…Eeeeeeehh!?"
"Dragon, a dragon, you say? …Eehh! Isn't it a fictional creature?"
I've never seen a dragon since I came to this world, so I'm just as surprised as Kaori was. And it's not just an ordinary dragon. It's a legendary dragon.
"W-wait a minute! What do you mean by "legendary"…?"
"Of course, people thought it's a myth, a fairy tale of sorts, but… apparently, it is real."
"Oh, no."
I could see from Owen-san's slack-jawed look that he wasn't lying. Oh, come on, is this for real?
No, I don't care if it's fictional or not; it's surprising to me when they call it a dragon. But as one would expect, since it's a legendary creature, even Yuti, who seemed apathetic until now, opened her eyes and froze.
"Astonishing. I've only heard stories about it. I thought it was a myth."
"Well, for me, the existence of "Holy" and "Evil" is fairytale enough…"
It seems like this is too late now. I didn't have a clue, but the existence of "Holy" and "Evil" is also a legendary class if I think about it normally. And what level is Sage-san at? I'm curious.
"Err… well, you know, there's all sorts of surprises there, like the existence of the legendary dragon, and also the fact that it has awakened… but looking at the atmosphere of the city, it's not a very good thing, is it?"
"Yeah, I think."
"You think?"
I couldn't help but ask about the rather vague answer, but Owen-san replied, with a grim expression on his face.
"It's pathetic, but I just don't understand it."
"Eh?"
"Anyhow, the Dragon is a mythical entity. I don't know if it is hostile to humans."
"I-I see…"
As Owen-san's words unwittingly convinced me, Kaori, who was listening in from behind me, opened her mouth.
"Um, what is the content of the legend?"
"Hmm? The legend says "the Dragon that existed with the creation of the world, rested here." …It's just that."
"C-creation of the world, you said…?"
Does that mean it's a Dragon that lived as long as this world? How old is it? No, rather, what's going on with its lifespan and stuff like that?
"That certainly doesn't tell us anything…"
"Yeah. And, as I said, I don't know for sure if it has awakened either."
"So why do these people think that it has awakened?"
"After hearing a roar that seems as though the world was shaking, the monsters inhabiting that valley began to run away, as if they were fleeing from something."
"Is that so?"
"Do you not hear that at Yuuya-dono's house? In the royal capital, the impact of its roar alone was enough to cause the walls of houses and even the castle walls to collapse…"
"Was it really that bad? But I didn't hear it. Yuti, you didn't hear it either, did you?"
"Affirmative. I didn't hear the roar."
"It's strange… I thought with that volume, it would definitely reach the [Great Devil's Nest]…"
When the Bloody Ogre attacked Sage-san's house, I'm pretty sure I heard its voice, so I don't think there's a feature for blocking out sounds… No, wait?
If it's a roar that breaks not only the walls of the house, but even the walls of the castle, as Owen-san described, wouldn't it be considered an attack? It might be blocked by Sage-san's house. If that's the case, then Sage-san, who can easily block the legendary dragon's roar, is really dangerous, I mean, amazing…
"Anyway, it was decided that we, the knights, would investigate the valley to check if that legendary dragon had really awakened. However, as I mentioned earlier, as a result of the monsters fleeing the valley, the surrounding villages were attacked, and we were too busy dealing with them that we couldn't proceed to investigate the valley. Moreover, because originally many of the more vicious monsters reside in the depths of that valley, the investigation itself would be difficult… It's because of that we couldn't even find out if the legendary dragon existed or not until now…"
"I see…"
"Therefore, I would like to ask Yuuya-dono, who lives in the [Great Devil's Nest], which is an even more dangerous area than the valley where the legendary dragon sleeps, to help me investigate it!"
"…Eh? Is the [Great Devil's Nest] any worse than that?"
I've been told many times that it's very dangerous, but what's really going on with [Great Devil's Nest]?
Hearing Owen-san's words, Kaori, who didn't know that my house was in such a dangerous place, turned blue in the face. I tried to explain to her that Sage-san's influence is protecting it, but I wondered if she believed me…
"Um… I feel like after listening to that story. I don't really think my equipment is going to work…"
"That's not true! The only monsters that come out are in the Bloody Ogre's class inside the [Great Devil's Nest]."
"Oh, if that's the case, then I guess it's alright."
"…Well, from our point of view, if we find a Bloody Ogre, we will be prepared for our deaths," Owen muttered.
"Eh?"
Owen-san was muttering something in a low voice, but I couldn't hear it. What did he say?
Anyway, as for me, if they are in trouble I'd like to help Owen-san and the others, but…
"Um, how far is that valley from the royal capital?"
"Right… It's on the opposite side of the [Great Devil's Nest], but it should take roughly less than half a day."
"Half a day…?"
If we go now, we could reach the valley, but it would take us the rest of the day to get there. If that's the case, we won't be able to do any sightseeing in the royal capital today.
Thinking about that, I suddenly turned my gaze towards Kaori, and she was looking at me with a serious expression.
"Um, Yuuya-san."
"Hmm?"
"If you want, you can accept the request."
"Eh?"
"If there are people in need right now and they're looking for Yuuya-san's help, I'd want you to help them. And we can do the tour of the royal capital another time."
"If Kaori says so, I'd be grateful for the opportunity to provide help to them too, but…"
"Besides, I'm curious about that legendary dragon too!"
""Eh?""
At Kaori's words, not only me, but even Owen-san was dazzled. She said she was curious about the legendary dragon… Could it be that!?
"Kaori is coming with us?"
"Is it no good?"
"No, I mean, it would normally be dangerous, wouldn't it?"
"It's okay. I also have the ring that Yuuya-san gave me!"
"Hmm…"
But as expected, I don't feel comfortable taking her to a place where there are a legendary dragon and other ridiculous beings…
"Yuuya. I'm coming too."
"Eh, Yuti too?"
Then Yuti also wanted to come along as she replied with an unchanged expression.
"Affirmative. Legendary dragon, I'm curious too. Besides, if it's a dangerous place, I would be a part of the fighting force as well."
"Umm… It's complicated for me, but Yuti's skills are vastly superior to ours… It's very helpful as things stand right now, though…"
While Owen-san groaned with a reluctant face, Yuti didn't seem bothered as she continued.
"Conveniently. If I'm around, I can escort Kaori as well."
"Eh? You're going to protect Kaori?"
"Of course. Kaori, you taught me so much in that world. So I'll protect you."
"Yuti-san…"
Kaori looked touched by Yuti's words and muttered that.
Hmm, after being told that much, it's hard for me to say no… Sure, Kaori has the ring we gave her too; but I wonder if it's really okay.
"…Alright, Kaori can come with us."
"Yes!"
"As you see, Owen-san. We'll be taking part in the investigation."
"Ooh, I see! That would be very much appreciated!"
"However, I'd like to leave now if possible…"
"In that case, I'll give you a map to the valley. Also, if you're really going to go right now, I'd suggest you pack some food and other supplies."
While receiving such advice, we quickly left for the valley after receiving a map from Owen-san. The food situation that Owen-san mentioned can be managed as long as we get home with teleportation magic, so it should be fine. More importantly… I am a little excited to see if there really was a dragon.