Volume 2 - CH 422

10-8. Preparations

“…You don’t know?”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t know either.”

The three devils tilted their heads in response.

He knew that the three of them had gone to the Oni village, as Irza had investigated and found out.

Hehad asked if it was related to the fact that they had lost contact with the Akki, Garak, but he received an unexpected answer.

“What were you guys doing in the Oni village?”

“We were going to rescue the princess. Ah, her name is Hisui, the Oni princess. We fought something… but I don’t remember.”

“I see…”

Dacia seemed to have found something convincing in Hoen’s response, although they didn’t know what it was. It must have been something important to them.

“I’m sorry for keeping you guys. I’ll be going now.”

“No, it’s fine. Well then, I’ll go too.”

“Yeah.”

After giving a brief wave as a greeting, Hoen left Irza’s magic tools shop, pulling Reizen with him.

Dacia and Mana vanished from the spot as soon as the two of them left the room.

Lastly, Irza, who was left alone, released the silence and let out a small sigh.

This time, maybe there was something she could do too.

With that thought in mind, she adjusted her hat and left the room to organize the magic tools she had been working on until now.

◆

Houen once again grabbed Reizen and flew through the air.

To be fair, this was faster and more convenient for travel.

“…We just got back and already there’s more to do…”

“Can’t be helped. Oh, by the way, why can’t we mention their names?”

“I actually wanted to ask, but it’s probably something that can’t be answered. If we ask, we’ll probably get some evasive response like ‘I don’t know.’ So, I didn’t ask.”

“I have no confidence in being able to have a conversation with them.”

“Leave that to those who can handle it. Your absurd defense skills will come in handy, so I’m counting on you.”

“I got it! I’ll be useful this time!”

“Please just…. Don’t go wild…”

Reizen expressed his enthusiasm by waving his arms and legs energetically.

But since they were currently flying in the air, he wanted him to stop moving so vigorously.

Now then, first they had to regroup with everyone and share this information.

Then they would go to the Kingdom of Garott and relay the message to King Asure.

Since Reizen, Uchikage, and Alena were familiar with him, they would probably cooperate.

“Now we need a means of transportation…”

“It takes quite a while to get there. But with Lacc, we can get there in an instant.”

Transporting this many people only with Lacc is impossible. It would be better to use Mounted Dragon and Battle Horses.

“That’s true… So, what about Ouren?”

“Leave him behind.”

“What!?”

Waiting for him to wake up is not practical. If they waited for someone who could wake up at any moment, they risked missing the opportunity to resolve things.

They wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Besides, even without Ouren, they had plenty of comrades specializing in combat.

And the Oni Village was nearby.

If they explained the situation, they should cooperate, so their fighting force would be more than enough.

It was fortunate that their next target was the Kingdom of Garott, but if it were another place, they would have to source new reinforcements from somewhere.

Also, Asure was close to Ouren and Uchikage.

He would probably listen to their story without making fun of it.

“But, Houen, if someone is not there and Ouren wakes up, it’ll be a problem!”

“…You’re right. I thought Irza could handle that… but she’s a devil, so I can’t expect much. I want to take as many of our current allies with us as possible… So, maybe I should stay behind.”

Reizen agrees with that too. It’s better to have Houen, who knows everything, stay behind. If they ride Lacc, they can catch up in two days.

Assuming there are no problems on the way …

“Well then, first we need to secure our means of transportation! It’s a bit late to ask, but we’ll need a Mounted Dragon and Battle Horses!”

“I planned that from the start.”

“…By the way, we’re not heading towards the inn!”

Suddenly, he realized that it takes eight days from the Salletana Kingdom to the Garott Kingdom.

Although the flying dragon, Lacc, can do it in two days…

Perhaps because he saw the running speed of the Battle Horses and Mounted Dragon, it felt a bit slow.

He thinks they can make it in one day… but let’s put that aside for now.

After flying for a while, Houen arrived at the place where the Mounted Dragon and Battle Horses would be.

The Dragon, Battle Horses, and Lacc were basking in the sun and peacefully sleeping.

They must be tired from the long journey.

Although they didn’t seem completely satisfied yet.

Houen descended slowly and first let Reizen down.

Then he looked around, but it seemed that Roze and Yurie were not here.

Did they go shopping?

As if noticing the sound, Lacc, the flying dragon, raised its head.

“Gruwa?”

“Did I wake you up?”

“Grawraw graw.”

“Soon, you’ll have some work to do too.”

Lacc nodded vigorously.

Understanding human language was truly remarkable.

“Where’s Roze?”

“Gurua.”

“You don’t know. Well, then I’ll wait a bit longer.”

The conversation would have to wait until they arrived.

Houen sat down in that spot and finally took a breath.

He was tired from the long journey as well, and when he relaxed, drowsiness hit him all at once.

Well, a short nap should be fine, he thought, and Houen, along with the Mounted Dragon, took a short sleep.