Book 8: Chapter 5: Wives on the Go (4/9)

A white dragon carrying Youko and Ryuka on her back flew high up in the skies with ultra high speed.

That dragon was the true appearance of Hakua the Hakuryuu.

Seira and Elmia also rode on her back when they left Halt’s mansion.

She dropped them off in the Holy City of Sanctum. Afterward, the trio headed towards Ryuka’s birthplace, the village where the Dragonoids reside. 

En route —

“I’m fine here. Hakua, thanks for the ride.”

Youko suddenly jumped off Hakua’s back.

Only the ocean was below them.

There was no hint of land anywhere as far as the eye could see.

“Youko!? Hakua-sama! Youko —”

Ryuka mistakenly thought that Youko fell from Hakua’s back, so she hastily called out to Hakua.

“No need to fret, Ryuka. That’s a nine-tailed fox that has already achieved perfection. It’s useless worrying about an existence that’s far more stronger than I am.”

“Eh”

Ryuka was dumbfounded, when Youko suddenly transformed mid-descent.

Her entire body was covered in a beautiful pure white fur — she had turned into an enormous fox with nine tails.

What happened next made Ryuka doubt her eyes.

“I-impossible…She’s running across the water?”

Youko ran towards the opposite direction of where Hakua was flying to.

Ryuka and Hakua’s destination, the Dragonoid Village and Youko’s destination, an island country located in the Far East, were located on the opposite sides of the Holy City.

Actually, she could travel in her nine-tailed fox form from Halt’s mansion, or else from the Holy City, but then, there was a possibility that people would see her.

That’s why Youko opted to ride on Hakua’s back until they reach the ocean, there was less chance that people would see her.

Youko had the ability to use magic that could disorient the other people and prevent them from recognizing her; however, she couldn’t erase the shock waves that are generated from her high speed movements.

Those shock waves were powerful enough to blast people away easily.

Furthermore, her body was too ginormous, so it was still possible for people that were not within the scope of her recognition blocking magic to see her.

The nine-tailed foxes were labelled as “on par with a calamity”, and they were considered to be above the dragons — it could be said that they were on the same level as the demon kings.

If her existence was known, people might form a punitive expedition and they might force their way to Glendale.

By the way, the army for that punitive expedition were tasked to defeat a nine-tailed fox before it achieved its complete form.

Even if such an army did come, they would no longer be able to defeat Youko, because she already achieved the perfect body.

There was only one way to defeat the perfected nine-tailed fox, and that was to summon the people who could defeat the demon king — in other words, the hero class that would come from another world.

Youko ran across the ocean, heading towards the opposite direction of Hakua, who was flying on top-speed.

Youko’s figure disappeared in just an instant.

“Ahm… Is it true that Youko is stronger than Hakua-sama?”

Ryuka was part of the dragonoid race, said to be the cross between a dragon and a human..

Dragons and Dragonoids were technically on equal terms; however, Hakua belong to the higher ranking dragons, so Ryuka spoke to Hakua with respect.

“If she hadn’t achieved a complete body yet, then I can do something about it somehow… But it’s already impossible for that. That is a natural disaster, you know?  She’s on the same level of the demons who receive their power from the Evil God — no, it should be the class of [Demon Kings], or even higher.”

“H-higher than the Demon King!?”

“Well, it’s hard to say, because even the demon kings have different levels of strength. But to be honest, I can’t understand how that thing can stay among humans — that’s her level.”

“I-is that so.”

Realization that a demon king was part of their family dawned on Ryuka.

That wasn’t all.

“Wait… don’t tell me, Halt formed a master-servant contract with Halt, and he can make her obey him, then he is —”

“Ahh, yup. He’s a monster. I will never go against him no matter what happens.”

When Halt came to the dungeon that Hakua managed, she witnessed his magical power through the flaming knights that he conjured, so she decided to surrender.

She could defeat 10 of them if she gave it her all. However, Halt created approximately a hundred of them.

“Ryuka. Never ever be hostile to Halt, okay? It’s for the sake of the dragon race and the dragonoids’ prosperity.”

“I-I understand.”

—***—

They finally reached the village where the dragonoids lived.

Hakua arrived in her dragon form; moreover, she was the high ranking Hakuryuu, so her arrival sent the entire village into a flurry.

She transformed herself into her human form, and was about to step into the village with Ryuka, when the sight of the villagers prostrating themselves near the entrance of the village greeted them.

“Hakuryuu-sama, we humbly welcome you. I am the village chief, and my name is Cucuruka.”

A voluptuous, bewitching beauty leading the dragonoids extended her greetings to Hakua.

“I am Hakua. There is something I need to do so I want to enter the Dragon’s Shrine.”

“My humble and sincere apologies, Hakua-sama. The Dragon’s Shrine Maiden is currently absent here, so — Eh, Ryuka?”

Even the dragons couldn’t enter the Dragon’s Shrine where the Dragon God was being enshrined if the Dragon’s Shrine Maiden was not present.

Cucuruka was about to explain it, when she noticed her daughter — Ryuka — standing behind Hakua.