"What exactly are you doing here, onii-sama?"
"Well, partly, I was curious about the country of the elves. I had only heard rumors, but if what they say is true, we could establish a connection with them."
"And because I asked our father to let me come."
"I wanted to have an adventure on my own! That's why Nadine and Emma didn't come!"
For some strange reason, we encountered Prince Sigurd on our way to the mansion. He stopped us and insisted on coming along. Sieghart asked him to reconsider, but it didn't work. Now, he was accompanying us under the guise of "political reasons."
After two days of travel, we finally arrived at a vast forest that looked like a sea. I'm not kidding when I say that, in the game, this place was called the Sea of Forests. Rei was discussing the location of the elven kingdom with Rose.
The elven kingdom was a hidden place in the forest. At first glance, it couldn't be found because it used powerful magic as camouflage. In the game, Rose had shown its location, but since it was just a green screen, it was impossible to locate it in the real forest.
She explained to us what I already knew.
"Centuries ago, the elves had a proper country, but they fled from humans and sought refuge in the forest, creating a powerful and unique illusion barrier that hid the entire nation from the outside."
"For us, it became the safest place in the world until that incident happened."
"It was years ago, but I think one of the entrances should be around here."
"Then we'll have to descend and search for it on foot. Kuro, land this thing now."
"Okay."
I complied with Rei's order and searched for the best spot to land when something unexpected happened.
A strange roar echoed, seemingly coming from below us.
In ancient times, such roars were believed to belong to a monster, but science later discovered that they were the sounds of the earth splitting open—a phenomenon known as an earthquake.
But it was odd for there to be such a strong earthquake that lasted only seconds.
"Kuro, look ahead!"
Rei and the others were shouting, and I noticed something approaching at great speed.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
A massive three-headed dragon was charging toward us at full speed.
Even turning around didn't matter—the dragon, despite its enormous size, was incredibly fast and was less than ten meters away.
"Rei, create a shield!"
"I know!"
We both conjured a powerful bubble-shaped shield to withstand the attack.
The central head bit into us without hesitation. Its powerful teeth clenched tightly around the shields, and, like fragile glass, they began to shatter.
"This has to be a joke. How are the shields breaking so easily?"
"I have no idea, but it's going to kill us if we don't get out of here immediately."
"Kuro, attack its throat. We'll make it spit us out."
"Good idea."
We launched various attacks that pierced the shields and struck the dragon's throat.
At first, they seemed ineffective, but I came up with something.
"Everyone, cover your noses."
I decided to use a new ability while grabbing a basket of cooked eggs.
"No living being can tolerate this."
"Cheat Magic: Stink Bomb."
I made sure to rot the eggs—not just rot them normally but make them the most repulsive thing in existence.
I threw them into the dragon's throat, and after a few seconds, when we were down to one last shield, the dragon opened its mouth and spat us out.
The airship was safe, and I quickly took control to get us out of there.
"What's it doing now?"
Sig asked, and I turned to see something horrifying: the dragon was preparing a triple attack from its three mouths.
"Damn it, we can't dodge that."
"Kuro! Grab whoever you can and use teleportation."
"Y-Yes."
Rei grabbed Rose, Eli, and Sig.
I took the others, and we quickly fled.
Before disappearing, I could feel the distant heat wave unleashed by the dragon's attack.
◇◇◇
Rei and the others ended up several meters away from where they had been.
They all fell onto the soft grass and were able to watch as the dragon unleashed its powerful flame, destroying the airship.
"Why the hell is there a dragon that big here?" Rei asked, breathing heavily from the shock of almost being burned alive.
Rose, who had calmed her breathing, said, "I don't know. There have never been dragons around here."
"Besides, a dragon's nest is in rocky mountains. The mountains here are full of forests; it would have to burn them down to live here, but the mountains are untouched."
"Also, dragons have one head. That one had three. I've never heard of one with more than one head!"
"Alright, Rose. The important thing is that we're safe." Sig tried to lighten the chaotic atmosphere.
Everyone was scared since they had almost died in the flames.
Eli wiped off her dress, and while the others discussed what they should do next, she heard something.
"Huh? What's that?"
She approached a bush.
"I think I saw something moving."
She tried to see if it was just her imagination, but suddenly, she screamed.
The others noticed and couldn't find Eli.
"Eli!"
"Where are you?"
They saw something moving in a bush.
"Damn it, we're not alone."
"Rei, try using Detection to locate Eli."
"Sure..."
"Huh?"
"Rei. What's wrong?"
"Suddenly... I'm so... sleepy..."
Rei fell to the ground, with several wooden needles stuck in his back.
Everyone except Kurono fell to the ground.
The bushes around them began to shake.
"No..."
He was alone now, with no idea what was happening. But before he could react, he saw a shadow approaching from the sky and felt a strong blow to the head.
He lost consciousness instantly.
Quickly, the bodies of everyone were dragged away by mysterious shadows, and in less than ten seconds, they vanished without a trace.
◇◇◇
"Huh? Why does my head hurt so much?"
Kurono woke up from his sleep, or so he thought.
He found himself in a strange place. A white room.
The room felt strangely familiar, as though he had been here before.
"This place... it feels like I've seen it before..."
But the room wasn't the only strange thing; Kurono himself had no form. He was just a white silhouette in the room.
His eyes wandered, searching for an explanation, and nearby he saw something that didn't belong in the place.
A strange, handsome blonde boy with blue eyes was beside him.
The child began to speak, looking scared, saying something to him.
But Kurono could only hear a buzzing sound that grew louder as the boy started to cry.
Suddenly, he woke up to Rei's voice and saw that the place had changed.
◇
"What is this?"
I woke up from my strange dream, only to find myself in an even worse one.
I was in a strange cave, illuminated by torches.
Rei and the others had mixed expressions, sitting in a circle. He called my name, and when I tried to stand up, I realized my arms and legs were tied with ropes.
"Gaga!"
"Urza! Urza!"
"…!"
The strange sounds I had been hearing earlier came from creatures pointing their spears at us.
They looked like dogs the size of teenagers.
Various colors in their fur, but they all walked on two legs and wore loincloths.
I recognized these creatures.
"They're Kobolds."
The Kobolds in the game were different from the ones I saw now.
They had dog faces, wore samurai armor, and even spoke, ending their sentences with "Gozaru."
But these Kobolds didn't speak the human language, and they didn't even look like dogs; their heads resembled rats.
What are the Kobolds doing here?
In the game, they were simple enemies found in different locations, but in the Elf Kingdom, there were no monsters, only elves.
The crowd parted, and a Kobold with black fur on its back and white on its front approached, holding a rock and wood axe.
"*****"
The Kobold spoke, and no one could understand. Rei stepped forward and used the full power of the Universal Translator skill.
Now we could understand its words.
"Humans... what are humans doing in these lands?"
"We can understand it!"
Everyone shouted. For me, I was surprised by the voice of a middle-aged office worker I heard.
Sig stepped forward, still tied, to represent us.
"We apologize for entering your lands, but it wasn't intentional."
"Humans speak Kobold language."
The Kobold was stunned. Apparently, the universal translator affected others, allowing them to translate into their native language.
"I am the heir prince of the Brune Kingdom, and on behalf of everyone here, I offer a huge apology for entering your lands."
"Please untie us, and we will leave quickly."
"We came to the forest because of a request from this girl, who belongs to the elves."
The Kobold stared at Rose, opened its wide mouth, and said,
"I don't believe in humans."
"Humans come to our home without permission, we welcome them, and humans begin to exterminate our clan."
We all had a frightened expression because it was clear what it was referring to.
"Humans ravaged our home, and we fled."
"Humans always do the same wherever we go. Even now, they send explorers."
"We won't let our guard down anymore! We'll kill the humans who want to take our new home!"
The Kobold raised its axe, and everyone shouted with it.
I guess peaceful negotiations had failed.
Rei used magic and freed himself, then untied me, and we both materialized a spear and sword from the ground.
"I don't care about your reasons. But I won't let you kill anyone here."
"I'll kill all of you first!"
Looking around, the Kobolds here didn't look like warriors. They all looked scared despite wielding weapons.
Now that Rei yelled, they were even more frightened. I could see many wanted to cry and flee.
This really made us the bad guys here.
"Wait, Rei, I think there's a communication problem here."
"You heard it. Humans really came to eliminate us."
"It's us or them!"
Even with fear in their eyes and trembling hands, the Kobolds gathered strength to surround us.
This was worse than a gas stove left on with the slightest spark triggering an explosion.
What can be done to avoid conflict?
Rei lunged at the Kobold with the axe, and it assumed a combat stance.
I tried to stop Rei, but he was faster.
He swung his sword to decapitate the Kobold, and at that moment, when everything seemed lost...
"Stoooooop! Big idiooooooooooot!"
A female voice came from the back of the cave, and at great speed, a figure reached Rei and kicked him hard, sending him flying into the wall.
We all stood stunned.
The girl wore ragged clothes that covered her body, had two red horns, and her hair and eyes were white, the latter resembling a cat's.
Rei got up, and his nose was bleeding.
"You damn meddler."
He muttered as he staggered towards the woman, trying to strike her, but she dodged and unleashed a heavy combo of kicks and punches on Rei.
Naturally, Rei lost consciousness from the beating.
Who was she, and why was she so strong?
The woman looked at us all and said,
"You humans, come with me. The great chief calls for you."
"Wait! You can't take these humans to the great chief."
The Kobold shouted, and the girl approached and growled at him like a dog.
"This is an order from the great chief, not mine."
The Kobold was surprised.
He looked at us, then told the others,
"Let them pass."
The girl with horns gestured for us to follow.
"Someone wants to see you. They heard what you said and want to talk to you."
We followed the girl while carrying Rei.
At the end of the tunnel, light filled the area.
The light didn't come from the ceiling, because it was sealed.
The light came from a huge golden dragon.
"I've been waiting for you, inconvenient guests."
The dragon spoke without moving its mouth. We didn't need a translator because this dragon was an in-game element.
An existence that had been alive for thousands of years and gained its own consciousness due to its longevity. It was called...
"A true Dragon Lord!"
"That's right, but I have a name."
"Before I introduce myself, it seems there was a misunderstanding on our part thinking you were explorers."
"The Kobolds were so frightened that they could see no other reason than an invasion."
Sieghart stepped forward to speak.
"We also regret entering your lands, we are here for a specific reason, and it's not to invade."
"That's why I say it was a misunderstanding on our part."
The dragon stood up, its body so large that the wide cave seemed small. It approached Rose and sniffed her.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Lilith."
"Lilith!?"
We were all stunned to hear the dragon call Rose by that name.
"You... how do you know that name?"
"It's natural that you don't remember me since we met when you were just a baby. Your scent hasn't changed."
"Sorry for introducing myself late, I'm the former king of the dragons. Bazel Fortesetanta, but you can call me Forte."
"And I must say, you are identical to Armia."
We were all shocked to hear Rose's real name, but then we saw her start crying, and it shocked us even more.
"You knew Armia... you knew my mother?"
"Yes, Armia was a great friend to me."
"Her mother!"
All these strong emotions were too much for my heart.
The enormous dragon, Forte, told us,
"Come, there's someone you must meet to understand the situation you're in."
We all followed the dragon.
◇
Outside the cave, a medium-sized dragon was waiting for us. It was white with beautiful blue wings.
"Zara, I want you to guide them to that person. I have to calm the Kobolds who are unsettled."
"They won't be the only ones who'll need calming."
The white dragon spoke, and unlike the golden dragon, which had a masculine tone, the white dragon had a feminine voice.
The white dragon agreed reluctantly and led us through the forest.
But for some strange reason, its tail hit Rei whenever it could.
◇◇◇
The forest led us to a cave, which was smaller than the previous one.
When we crossed the cave, we felt as if something had broken.
The interior of the cave turned into a completely different forest from the outside.
The trees were enormous, there were wooden and stone buildings, and even a road.
The people around us were elves who were watching us.
They were murmuring among themselves, but it was clear they were talking about us.
I turned around and saw a mirror attached to the wall. This must be the method they use to conceal the elf kingdom.
Although this place resembled more of a small village than a country.
"Ugh, walking like this really bothers me."
Exclaimed the white dragon, and the next moment, its body glowed.
Its large size shrank, and it took on a smaller, human-like appearance.
Upon seeing its figure, we recognized it immediately.
"It's you!"
"Wow, you're slow."
The girl who had beaten up Rei was present again.
"And it's not 'you,' it's Zara. Zarasvati Dragrave."
(Zara is a cute name.)
I thought as Rei walked toward her, angry.
"I see. I'm glad to see you again, this time I'll punch your face."
"Hah? A girl like you who couldn't even land a hit on me?"
"I'll castrate you before you touch a single hair on me."
The hate between these two was like something out of a bad comedy, given how they hated each other upon first meeting.
"Sorry."
Eli approached Zara, who was glaring at Rei with murderous eyes. Her expression softened when she saw Eli's glowing eyes.
"How did you do that? It was amazing."
"You changed your body for another. I'd love to do that when I eat too many sweets, can you teach me?"
Zara blushed, apparently pleased that someone thought it was amazing to change your form at will, and it was.
"N-No, it's not something a human like you could do. My race can take on a human form because…"
"Why is that?"
Eli asked with sparkling eyes.
Zara ignored her and walked toward a large mansion. It was a big house, but it looked like a mansion compared to the other houses.
"Hey, second great leader. You've got visitors."
(It seems there's another leader, but calling them 'second leader' is kind of odd.)
We all entered the house and saw an elven man with long blond hair, some of which was starting to gray.
"Humans? Did Forte let you in because he wants…"
The elven man stopped mid-sentence and walked toward us.
"Lilim… is that you, Lilim?"
Rose stepped forward.
"Dad, yes, it's me."
(Now her name is Lilim!)
I was amazed to discover Rose's name, which was never mentioned in the game.
As father and daughter rushed toward each other to embrace,
It was a genuinely heartwarming moment.
◇
After the emotional reunion between father and daughter, the Elf King formally introduced himself.
"I apologize for the embarrassing display."
"But I never imagined my daughter was still alive, and that I would see her again."
"My fault. My name is Lionelle Avid Evergreen, the last king of the elven kingdom."
"And this is my daughter, Lilith Limly Evergreen, but I call her Lilim as a pet name."
"Dad, they know me as Rose."
"Rose? That's a lovely name, but you already have one."
"When I was kidnapped, I was sold to a human kingdom, where I was rescued and took the name Rosé."
"I see. I deeply thank you for rescuing my daughter."
The king bowed in gratitude, for some reason making me blush, as it reminded me of the game.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty. What do you mean by the last king?"
Sigurd interrupted Lionelle, who was wiping away tears.
"That's right, but let me explain how the problem arose."
"We high elves originally came from the High Kingdom, but due to the expansion of the human empire, we lost our home and came here."
"There were regular elves in this area. The difference between high elves and regular elves is that we have an abundant amount of magical power, which is why the regular elves didn't accept us as royalty, believing that someone with more magical power than them deserved to rule."
"And this is the power we can manifest."
From his back, beautiful transparent butterfly wings appeared.
"These wings are proof of our abundant magical power."
We all looked at Rose, wondering if she could do the same.
"I can do it, but it seems repulsive, so I won't."
Her father cried upon hearing his daughter call their power disgusting, but he immediately recovered.
"Back to the topic. That's why we could take the throne, we always rotated the position every so often to avoid issues."
"But… one day that man had an evil plan."
"That man?"
We asked innocently, though Rei and I already knew the answer.
"My younger brother, Leomelion."
(Leomelion… that name sounds like something from that digital monster game I used to love.)
"He…"
The king clenched his teeth so hard that he began to bleed. Rose handed him a handkerchief to clean himself.
"I'm sorry."
"He took my throne with many traitors and proceeded to kill everyone."
"He left me alive because he wanted to see me suffer, but he took the life of my wife and thought he had killed my daughter as well."
"He was going to imprison me in a dungeon, but some loyal knights protected me so I could escape."
He slammed his fist on the table, knocking everything off.
"That stupid younger brother. He's a traitor. He destroyed our country by exiling everyone, and the only ones left in the country are the traitors who follow him."
"I'm starting to understand this."
"This place is some kind of refuge for all the elves who fled, isn't it?"
Sigurd's thinking wasn't wrong.
"You're right, young man, but instead of being a refuge, we are the resistance trying to reclaim what was lost."
"Why haven't you tried to take back the country?"
Lionelle became thoughtful and pointed outside.
It seemed the golden dragon had arrived.
"Because of him. I'm sure you saw a similar dragon nearby."
"Does that dragon have a connection to him?!"
"That's right. That three-headed dragon supports Leomelion. I don't understand how he managed to get its help, but there's no safety, as that dragon kills anything that gets close."
"I see. That's why it attacked us, because it thought we were enemies."
"Not long after he took the throne, the dragon appeared. At first, we couldn't take back the country because all the ways in were blocked, but now they're unlocked, guarded by that dragon."
"Anyone who enters doesn't come out alive."
"After many failures, they came."
The kobold from earlier appeared.
"I'm sure you all know him informally, but he is the leader of the Kobolds, Kuzaha Ramsus."
"…"
The kobold ignored us and focused on talking to Lionelle.
"We've received a new report. They're getting closer."
"I understand, thank you for the report."
The kobold left, and Lionelle explained the details.
"For the past few days, we've been receiving sightings of a group of humans approaching. Their numbers have been growing little by little. We can't deny their presence anymore."
"It's obvious they want to enter the country, but they don't know how."
"My warriors reported seeing two flags, and due to my age, I know them better than the other elves."
"On one side, we have the Empire, and on the other side, the Republic."
"Has the war between the Empire and the Republic advanced this far?"
"We're not aware of what's happening outside, but it's clear they're looking for something in the country. Maybe they want to take territory and use it as a base of operations."
"This is bad, really bad."
Sigurd was sweating, and we all were too.
The Empire moving to attack the Republic and vice versa is bad news for anyone near them.
"This is bad news for everyone."
"There are many questions here, especially from you, Lilim."
"Eh?"
Her father pointed at her, asking the question we all expected him to ask sooner or later.
"Are you gaining weight?"
We all froze at that question.
Rose thought for a moment and told the truth.
"No. The truth is… I'm pregnant."
"… I figured. You're already quite the woman just looking at you."
Lionelle stood up and walked to a shelf.
He grabbed a sword and drew it from its sheath to show it to us.
"I understand that things happened in your life far from mine, but I affirm my duty as a father to protect my daughter until the day I die."
"Eh?"
"You can't marry a man until your father is dead!"
"Stop being ridiculous, Dad!"
"Silence!"
"Tell me which bastard dared to take my daughter's purity."
He stared at everyone, and his eyes fixed on Sig.
"I see, it must be you. You're the only one who fits the requirements to be a princess's partner."
"It's not me! I'm not the one!"
"Silence!"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I'm not the prince you're looking for."
Sig stopped his sword, and Lionelle went crazy, pointing his sword at him now.
"It's you! You're what humans call an 'older attractive man.' I won't let some old man be Rose's husband."
"Dad, you're talking nonsense, this is the man I love and the father of my baby."
As strange as it was, Rei looked more presentable than usual. Apparently, being in the presence of Rose's father made him nervous.
But the king looked at Rei and spat.
"It's impossible that this man could be my daughter's husband. To start with, he has a perverted look. Only a criminal would have those con artist eyes."
"And he also has a weird nose."
We all froze and looked at Rei. Rose was speechless, and various veins appeared on her face, but Rei wanted to make a good impression.
"I-I'm sorry to disappoint you, father-in-law."
"Don't call me father-in-law. Just thinking that my grandson could have those evil eyebrows makes my stomach turn. And it would be worse if he turned out ugly."
Apparently, he couldn't let it go any longer.
"Who the hell are you calling evil eyebrows, you damn seaweed head?!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
Rei lunged at Lionelle, and they began to fight.
________________
The fanservice is for our new dragon girl.
https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/8332002