Chapter 152
Chapter 152. Shining on All
“Alright, I’m off to hunt! See you tomorrow, Your Highness!”
With spear in hand, Albar made his way into the thicket of the forest at the edge of town.
“Yeah, see you tomorrow…”
I watched his back, feeling a bit uneasy.
—I had underestimated things. After all, Albar is a demon, so I thought he’d coldly dismiss the lives of humans without a second thought, thinking, “Who cares if humans die.”
If he was that kind of guy, then when the time came, I could just kill him without hesitation—
But… he showed a degree of sympathy for the humans fighting on the front lines. Not that he cared much for the humans on the farms.
What gives? It doesn’t sit well with me… Yet, I don’t have a shred of sympathy for “underprivileged demons” myself.
Considering that, Albar’s reaction starts to make some sense. In the end, mercy and sympathy only seem to apply to one’s own kind, right…
‘That’s pretty much how it is across species.’
Antendeixis, who resided within me, said it bluntly.
‘Demons are even worse, you know? Just because we’re all demons doesn’t mean there’s any solidarity. Most camaraderie with demons comes from old acquaintances or contractors.’
Well… I mean, you guys technically aren’t even living beings… so it’s not really comparable.
‘Well, it’s not something to stress over. You’re normal, and he’s normal. It’s just that the spheres of family are shifted and the interests don’t align. To a fatal degree.’
Fatal.
Yeah, that’s right, fatal.
What if he had been born a human—would he have turned out to be a fine hero?
“…Even if it’s hunting, I wonder what’s in this forest?”
As if sensing my turbulent thoughts, Leila spoke up to change the atmosphere.
“Yeah, what could it be?”
Grateful for her thoughtfulness, I gazed at the dark forest.
Unlike the training ground where we were thoroughly drilled, this place seemed to have received almost no human intervention. The trees grew thick and wild.
Still, since it was close to the town, the more notable large beasts probably had been hunted to extinction. If there’s anything, it would be birds or deer…
“…………”
Birds or deer… That’s right… Even in my current mood, it’s similar. I rage for the people of the alliance, but if birds or deer are hunted, it’s more like, “That’s too bad” rather than actual anger. I’d eat meat just the same.
So Albar’s feelings are similar. The farm-raised humans don’t care because it’s the norm for them. But for the humans on the front lines, he can imagine society and family, finding pity. But he won’t go so far as to stop himself from killing them…
There’s no way around it…
The grilled meat I devoured yesterday. If the main ingredient were reborn as a demon or a human and came back for revenge, I couldn’t complain.
‘You don’t need to complain. You’re a vengeful spirit yourself. If such a person shows up, you can just face them head-on.’
How easy for you to say, it’s not like it’s your problem.
But… it makes me want to laugh.
‘Yeah. Worrying about it is a waste of time. Besides, you’re likely too busy to labor over mending the gap that’s hard to bridge.’
Right. No amount of patience will change my awareness, and demons live for two or three hundred years or so. So even if a miracle occurs and something changes, by then the alliance will likely have fallen…
Then…
It’d be quicker to just destroy the Demon Lord Kingdom.
Sorry, Albar. Even if you feel sympathy, you’ll have to keep at it.
I feel bad too, but my hands won’t stop.
“… That was quite an interesting story.”
I relaxed my shoulders and said this to Leila. In stark contrast to my cheerful smile, she wore a slightly worried expression.
“It was interesting, was it?”
“Yeah… In the end, I do feel that way.”
“If so—”
She must have realized I wasn’t forcing a smile.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Leila smiled, looking relieved.
“…Oh right, speaking of which, you mentioned flying, Leila. I completely forgot. I’m sorry.”
After our unexpected encounter with Albar post-shopping, it had totally slipped my mind.
“Oh, I don’t really mind… just being with you is enough for me.”
She said, blushing and intertwining her fingers with mine.
“Well… I feel the same way.”
With enemies all around me, leisurely moments are truly rare, so I’m thankful Leila accepts me as I am.
—Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Viene looking up at the sky, saying something like “Quayyy,” but I pretended not to notice. Oh, got elbowed by a colleague.
“But Leila, you haven’t flown in a while, so are you feeling stressed? And tonight is—”
I too looked up at the sky. The clear starry night was adorned with a shining silver moon.
—There was a saying in the alliance: “The sun shines on all.” The sunlight pours down equally on everyone, regardless of their birth or upbringing.
But the same goes for the moonlight too.
“—Tonight’s moon is almost blinding. If you fly, your silver scales will shimmer beautifully.”
“That… is…”
Leila’s golden eyes widened as she covered her mouth with both hands. She turned as bright red as if she had been boiled, like I hadn’t seen in a while.
“If you say something like that… I won’t be able to hold back…!”
With a swift motion, Leila loosened the ribbon on her maid outfit.
As I averted my eyes, she shyly began to strip away, looking flustered yet somewhat impatient.
…In my averted view, the Night Elf maids entered my line of sight. Even Viene’s colleagues, who usually show no emotion, were huddled together exclaiming, “Oh my!”
Stop it! Don’t act like you’ve stumbled onto something scandalous!! It’s just to lose their human form!
Stop it, Viene!! Don’t raise your pinky finger!!!
—And then, Leila stood there, completely bare, her form shimmering.
Her magic power swelled—her presence.
A beautiful, silver-scaled dragon was there.
“Well then… I’ll go for a little flight.”
Leila quickly distanced herself from me and spread her wings wide. The gusts of wind didn’t harm me.
Then, she kicked the ground lightly and leaped into the air.
The wind blew, and the trees in the forest rustled.
The silver dragon soared triumphantly into the sky.
‘—You’ve changed so much.’
Antendeixis murmured in admiration.
Truly. When she first came to me, she could only glide after gaining some speed.
But now, she flew freely without a hint of weight—genuinely soaring through the sky.
Ha ha, she must really feel great being able to fly after such a long time. She was spinning in the air, doing aerial circles, and performing acrobatic stunts.
Like swimming through a sea of stars—
To my demon eyes, which capture even the slightest light in the darkness, Leila’s figure shined brilliantly.
Just as I had lost track of time watching her, Leila must have been absorbed in her flying as well.
She enjoyed the sky until the moon tilted slightly at its zenith and then returned.
“Ha! I really enjoyed that!”
Her voice had a slightly metallic quality yet was completely unchanged; Leila looked a bit bashful. It seemed a habit she’d picked up while in human form, as despite being a dragon, she shyly placed her front legs at her cheeks, making her look cute.
“You were amazing. You’ve really become a splendid dragon, Leila.”
I said, stroking her jaw with heartfelt sentiment. Grumbling, Leila let out a soft purr. Her golden, moist eyes were fixed on me.
If I could fly freely in this sky, it would surely feel exhilarating.
‘I love flying. It’s so freeing.’
Suddenly, Platy’s words came rushing back to me. I’ll never forget the phrase she said while riding on a dragon toward the Dark Portal.
…For some reason, everything suddenly feels ridiculous to me.
“Hey, Leila. Wanna go for another flight?”
“Um… actually, yes.”
“If that’s the case, I have a request.”
It should be fine, right?
“—Could you take me with you?”
Leila’s golden eyes widened. Even Viene and the other Night Elves, who had been smirking lightly, suddenly looked stiff, as if doused with cold water.
“Lord Zilbagias! That’s…!”
“You’ve been forbidden by your mother, right?”
I had been warned not to ride on Leila until we established a solid trust, which was a reasonable precaution. After all, even the strongest of mages would die if thrown from a high place. That demon lord himself never rode a dragon out of fear of a counterattack—
But come on, Leila and I have been through a lot by now; it was past due to keep up appearances.
“To be honest, the trust between me and Leila is more than sufficient. If she wanted to kill me, she wouldn’t have to drop me from the sky; even now, while I’m completely defenseless, she could easily crush me.”
“That may be true…”
“Plus, even back when I had no weapons and was completely vulnerable, she could have transformed and killed me if she really wanted to. It’s a bit late for that, right?”
“Well… that too…”
Behind me, Leila let out a shy, “Ugh…”
Sorry about that. While I was cozying up with her, I know it seemed like something more was going on.
“So, here’s the deal. You all properly cautioned me, but I chose not to listen. Let’s leave it at that.”
Viene and the others looked like they wanted to argue but seemed to feel it was a lost cause, so I turned back to Leila.
“…Is that okay?”
“…Yes. Please go ahead.”
She bent down slightly, gazing up at me.
“But… is that really okay? Without a saddle…”
“Ha ha, it might be a little scary. I’d appreciate it if you flew gently.”
“I-I’ll do my best!”
And so, I mounted Leila—
That day, for the first time, I flew through the sky with her.
Unbound by anything, under the vast starry sky.
