Maou Ni - Chapter 35
Picnic 1
"Piiiinic, piicnic!"
Iluna was in a good mood. She smiled, swinging my hand as it held hers; back and forth.
While Iluna did tend to smile all of the time, her smile today was a million times brighter. Radiant.
"Hey, Iluna. Don't rock about so much. You won't last the day if you're so excited this early on."
Lefy was holding Iluna's other hand on the opposite side, and like me, she was having her arm energetically swung back and forth.
"But, older sister, it's a picnic. Picnic! A fun, fun picnic!"
"What is a picnic anyway? I was suddenly awoken from my sleep early in the morning, I haven't even heard much about it yet."
Lefy asked as she yawned sleepily.
"Ummm, a picnic is… Older brother!"
I chuckled awkwardly as the stumped Iluna passed the question over to me, and so I answered.
"Well, you know, it's that thing. Eating your lunch under a blue sky and playing to your heart's content."
We were having a picnic today, as could be seen from their behavior.
Normally they'd be work… Well, they haven't really been doing much, but it was a good thing to let loose once in awhile. We've been doing our best lately, yeah.
"A blue sky… Isn't this blue sky a sham?"
"Well, yeah. That's more about, the atmosphere you know, the atmosphere."
"…But master, you say that we are to play, but this is an empty field? If anything it could be good for taking a nap."
This was said by the gloomy looking maid who was walking behind us. I had not seen her in quite a while and she was walking with a nonchalant expression as she carried a basket full of lunch boxes for everyone. She looked a little annoyed at Fir, who was trying to make herself useful all the while carrying Shii on her back.
"Hmm, a nap huh. That's a good idea."
"Look, you guys. I know what I'm doing. Oh… I think this is a good spot."
We stopped in an area that was close to a small hill and a narrow river.
The landscape in the area had been added just recently in preparation for this day. This somehow felt like I was moving away from the original intention of adding a grassy field, but perhaps I was overthinking it.
In front of everyone, I pulled out the picnic mat that had been stored in the item box in advance and spread it out onto the ground.
"I see, so we are going to eat our lunch here then."
"That's right. Well, that will come later. Leave your things over there. First, we are going to go sledding!!"
So saying, the next thing that I pulled out of the rent in space that was the item box, was a sled. A moderate-sized wooden sled that was big enough for two adults to fit in.
"Older brother, what are you going to do with that?"
"Follow me, Iluna. I'm going to show you a new way to play."
I took Iluna with me to the top of the hill. I put her in the front of the sled and then took my position in the back.
"Okay, here we goo!"
"Woooaah! It's faaaast!!"
I pushed the sled forward from the back as hard as I could to give it speed, before I jumped into the sled myself.
Once I was in, the speed increased even more.
It was a thrill quite different from flying in the air. In the sky, you were flying with your own wings, but with this, you were entrusting your body to something else.
We rushed down the slope like that in the blink of an eye, and we immediately reached the bottom where Lefy and the others waited.
"Wow, wow! Older brother, that was amazing!"
"Right? How about calling me Yuki the Entertainment Master from now on?"
"Older brother Yuki the entertainment master!"
Well, the real entertainment master was not me, but whoever had invented this style of recreation in my past life. Whoever was the first to think of it was amazing.
"Ohh! That looks incredibly fun, master!"
"Ahh, a game that utilizes slopes. While simple, it does look rather amusing…"
Lyu looked on with wide, joyous eyes and Leila inspected the sled with the curiosity of seeing something rare.
"Ah, would the two of you like to try it out?"
"Yes, please!"
"Indeed, would it be alright if I gave it a single try?"
So next, I took the two newcomers up the hill and put them on the sled. Lyu was in the front, Leila in the back.
"…Um, Leila, your breasts are…"
"? Did you say something?"
"…No, nothing. It's starting to make me feel a little pitiful, just pretend that you didn't hear anything."
"?"
Lyu had a darkened, torn expression on her face as she was pressed against Leila's ample breasts.
There was something very sad about this, and I unconsciously thought, 'Don't worry Lyu, having small breasts is a status' and such words of encouragement.
"…Master? Why do you look like you are trying to hold back laughter?"
"I don't know what you are talking about. Now, let's go!!"
"Wai- a, ahhhhhhHHHH!?"
"Waaa!! Woah, it's so faaast!!"
I pushed with all the physical strength my Demon Lord body could muster, the sled carried a momentum as if it had boosters. It quickly carried the two, along with their screams to the bottom of the hill.
"Wohhh…oh. It was a lot faster than I had thought… And master, you are much too strong… You really sped it up… I clenched my thighs in surprise…"
"Wow! The Demon Lord sure is impressive!"
I don't know what was so impressive about it. I looked away from Leila who was singing my praises and saw someone who had not yet tasted the thrills of the Demon Lord Coaster.
"Now, next up…"
"I, I think that I will pass."
"Now, now, don't be like that."
I crouched and put my head between the cowardly Lefy's legs and stood up so that she landed on my shoulders.
"AHhh!? What, what do you think you are doing!?"
"I felt bad that you were being left out of the fun."
I held Lefy's legs down firmly so that she could not escape, then we climbed up the hill.
"O- okay, I get it. I get it. Just let me down, Yuki!"
"Hmm, I think we will have a special course for the Supreme Dragon. Hold on tightly, okay?"
I got into the sled with her still on my shoulders… And in that position, I launched the sled forward.
"Wha, are you kidding…. Ahhhhhhhhh!?"
"Wahahahah!!"
This time I could not push the sled myself, so I used some wind magic that I had recently attained in order to give us some speed.
As soon as it went into effect, a strong wind came at us that felt like a wind bomb at our back, we immediately increased in speed.
"Ahh!? Wh…we're floating!? We just floated!?"
"Woaaah!! This is amazing!! Let's try it one more time!!"
"Please don't!? I beg you."
When we did reach the bottom of the hill, Lefy was completely out of breath.
"Ka…ah…this guy… You've really done it now!"
"Come on, you go much faster when you're flying."
"That is a completely different thing!!"
Well, I suppose I could understand that. In my past life, I had a friend you loved bungee jumping but could not stomach free-fall rides at amusement parks.
I think that it had to do with a fear of what you could not control by yourself.
"Ahh, I just felt bad that you were being excluded from all our fun, I didn't think that the Supreme Dragon herself would be scared of something so minor."
I said with a grin. At first, Lefy shot back an expression of pure hatred, but it suddenly disappeared and instead, she gave me suspicious-looking smile.
"…Very well then. In that case, Yuki, because I had such a marvelously good time riding the sled, I think I will have another go. So, would you ride with me again?"
"Eh…uh, you know, I've already ridden it so many times so, I think someone else might…"
"Now, now, don't be like that."
She repeated my earlier remark as she grabbed me with a tight grip from behind.
I could not escape…! She was holding me with her actual strength, that of the Supreme Dragon…!?
"I, I appreciate the passionate embrace, but maybe you could do it when no one else is looking."
"What? We've bathed together, haven't we? There is no need to be embarrassed now."
Lefy continued to hold me with both arms as her wings sprouted from her back. She flew up to the top of the hill while carrying both the sled and me.
"Fi….fine. I do love a good scream! No matter how fast you run, this slope is not that steep. I'll enjoy this!"
"What are you saying? You're going to be sledding over here."
So saying, Lefy waved an arm to the side and in the same instant, the ground started to shake loudly.
"Whaat!?"
The shaking subsided after a few seconds, and what appeared before us was an epic course made of ice.
It twisted and turned and suddenly dropped. It was practically a roller coaster!?
On top of that, there were even thoughtfully placed railings so that you would not fall off, killing any hope of going off course and escaping along the way.
"Wow! Older brother is amazing! He's going to slide down that!"
"Woaah… Even I would not be able to go down there…"
"It's, it's impressive magic. She made that in an instant…"
My Demon Lord enhanced sense of hearing caught all of this easygoing banter. I wanted to go over there too.
"Oh, come on, this is going too far!? This far exceeds the boundary of sledding!?"
"I wanted you to really enjoy yourself, as you are always so good to me. Relax. I will increase the speed with some wind magic, so it should be much faster than before."
"That does not help me relax at all!?"
"Now, here we go, Yuki! Brace yourself!!"
"Brace my… UwaaOOOO!?"
"Wahahaha!! Get a taste of it!! All my daily resentment!!"
My scream of terror and Lefy's laughter echoed across the blue sky.