「This is troubling…」
The girl sighed and sheathed the sword she had drawn.
She was in a place overgrown with trees… or rather, she was at a loss, not knowing where she currently was.
After cutting, dissecting, and petting the eastern dragon she saw for the first time, she lost track of which direction she was walking, and since then, she had been wandering through the trees.
For now, the snake-shaped dragon she had quickly exterminated had been observed sufficiently, so it had become a standard subjugation target.
Cutting, cutting, cutting, cutting… Although she had cut them down enough to feel refreshed for the first time in a while, they still kept appearing.
「I heard there were many dragons in the east… but well, near the village, onee-sama killed them all.」
Kicking the snake-shaped dragon she had split in two, the girl continued to walk. But no matter how much she walked, nothing that looked like a kingdom, let alone a capital, came into view. In fact, no houses were visible at all.
「Haa～. I am used to outdoor life, but the loneliness makes me talk to myself more…」
Resigning herself, she walked through the trees and came to a fork in the animal path.
「Here, I will follow the words of the honorable God.」
Taking a stick from her bosom, she stood it vertically on the ground.
Removing the fingers supporting it, the stick fell to the right.
「This way, God. Now, let’s do our best and head to the country called Univance.」
The girl, who started walking energetically, did not know.
She did not know the fact that her current location was near the border between the Kingdom of Univance and the Empire, and rather closer to the Empire.
Her arrival would still take some time.
-0-
「What’s wrong, Noie?」
She, shaking her ahoge, seemed slightly dissatisfied.
Was she angry because I had stopped kissing her? It’s not like that, Noie. If possible, I wanted to hug and do it right now. If only we could leave this castle town and go outside… then we could cuddle without worrying about the citizens’ eyes!
「…It has decreased recently.」
「Hmm?」
Muttering softly, Noie looked at me.
「The number of dragons has decreased.」
「Isn’t that a good thing?」
Although the number of dangerous creatures decreasing should be a good thing, Noie shook her head vigorously from side to side.
「If they are decreasing because they are being exterminated, that is fine. But if not, it is bad.」
「Why?」
「…It is dangerous if they are moving.」
「Ah, I see.」
I understood what she was saying.
In other words, if dragons were moving in a large army and attacking some place… that place might be a large town or country. The reason for dragons to attack places with many people… other than for food, there was no other possibility.
「I’ll talk to my idiot aniki about it tomorrow… wait.」
「?」
Stopping my words midway, I thought for a moment.
Hadn’t my idiot aniki told me something like that today?
「I’ll have Lutte investigate. Then the reward will be the usual cake set.」
It would also serve as a reward and help avoid hunger through blessings.
「Hmm? What?」
Noie leaned her body toward me with a slightly pouting expression.
Noooooo! Such cuteness that I wanted to hug and kiss her right now!
「I’ll have Noie’s subordinates investigate where the dragons are moving.」
「Yes.」
「Once we know, I’ll tell Noie, and then I’ll ask you to exterminate them.」
「Yes.」
Shaking her ahoge, Noie, full of motivation, kissed my cheek and rubbed her body against me.
Damn it. Could I endure this?
I lightly kicked the horse’s belly, urging it to hurry from a walk to a brisk pace. I really wanted to gallop, but if I did that and got caught by the guards, our return would be even later.
Without panicking or making a fuss, we hurriedly ran through the castle gate.
-0-
A settlement in the mountains of a certain country in the southwestern part of the continent.
「Who is it? Father. The dung beetle?」
「Wait a moment, little sister? Who is this dung beetle you speak of?」
The slender-looking man who had been tending to the flower bed in the garden turned and looked at the woman.
「Oh, so the dung beetle was here?」
「Hmph… You are just trying to hide your embarrassment, Kaede.」
「What is this dung beetle saying? Well, it doesn’t matter… I can kill you after dinner. More importantly, I haven’t seen Momiji for the past few days. Did she get scared seeing some dung beetle sniffing around the underwear in the dresser and run away?」
「What a rude little sister. Even I, as the eldest brother, have the responsibility to watch over my cute younger sisters.」
To the creature that looked like an older brother puffing out his chest… the woman waited for him to continue, but no words came.
「And?」
When she reluctantly prompted him, the man nodded as if he had been waiting for it.
「I don’t sniff Momiji’s underwear. I only sniff yours….wait, Kaede. Put that thing at your waist back.」
「Put it back? This is divine guidance telling me to return the dung beetle before me to the earth. Understood.」
「No, you don’t understand, do you? That was a joke.」
「…Is that so.」
The woman returned the sword she had half-drawn to its sheath, facing the opponent who was desperately putting his hands together in prayer.
「I was only doing that until you were about seven years old.」
「Die, then. And return to the earth, you dung beetle!」
「Why are you angry? Didn’t you always say when you were six? 『Kade, I will become Onii-tan’s wife』, seriously!」
The sword the woman drew glowed pale blue, and words were spun in a cold voice.
「Condemnation.」
「Even onii-tan might be in a big pinch with that～」
So, he also drew the thing at his waist to meet his sister’s attack.
「Fragment.」
A loud noise rang out, and the air between the two screamed.
When silence returned, the man and woman, who had simply drawn their swords and faced each other, stood as if nothing had happened.
「So, where is Momiji?」
「Hmm. Next year, that child will also come of age. Therefore, in accordance with our family traditions, she has gone on a journey of martial training.」
「…Where to?」
「I don’t know.」
The woman glared at him with eyes full of killing intent.
Shrugging his shoulders with a 『good grief』, the man spoke words he vaguely remembered.
「She was making a fuss, saying something about there being a very strong, large dragon-slaying woman in the east of the continent… It might be that.」
「Is that so.」
Chasing after his sister, who sheathed her sword, turned around, and started walking, the brother also began to walk.
Their destination was probably the Gate. If they could find out where she went there, they should be able to chase after her and bring her back.
「You are truly a soft-hearted older sister.」
If she, the eldest daughter, moved, it was certain that various troublesome things would arise.
Looking truly reluctant, but internally excited, the brother continued to chase his sister, moving his feet.
In the end, it seemed they were soft on their own family.
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