Chapter 165
Chapter 165. The Holy Dog and the Tour
(—I was scared—)
As she was held in his arms, Liliana trembled.
The wind howled in her ear. High above, swaying on the dragon’s back, the cutting night breeze pierced through. But as he recited a spell, an invisible wall sprang up to shield her from the wind’s pressure.
Below, flickering lights of towns and villages appeared and drifted away behind them.
The moment she laid eyes on the Demon Lord Castle—she realized that was what it was—she was seized by a powerful urge to “go there.”
There was also a feeling that “this isn’t the time for such things.” However, Liliana didn’t even understand what “such things” meant, and she could only feel restless.
As she floundered in confusion and impatience, before she knew it, she had been thrown into the air.
Suspended in midair, only a single safety line keeping her from plummeting.
(—That was close—)
If she hadn’t gone to the bathroom before leaving, she might have leaked. Although Liliana was a dog, she was smart enough not to have an accident until now.
…It probably wouldn’t happen again.
“Woof~”
As she snuggled up to him, rubbing her face against him, he gently patted her head.
(—So warm—)
Right now, being held tightly brought her a sense of security.
Indeed, this was how she wanted to stay…
She thought so.
Yet, somewhere in her chest, there was a slight pain.
She didn’t understand why it hurt or what it meant.
While gazing at the night view, they continued to fly for a little while longer.
As Liliana, feeling completely at ease, began to doze off, she sensed they were gradually descending in altitude.
When she opened her sleepy eyes, illuminated by the moonlight, she saw a small stone structure standing majestically on a sheer cliff.
“Is this the Aurora Fortress…?”
He gazed up at the tower with a look of half disbelief as he descended from the dragon.
“It doesn’t seem to have retained its original form. Is it a renovation? More like a complete rebuild.”
While patting the flat, smooth walls, he looked a bit disappointed. To Liliana, it appeared to be an extremely sturdy structure, both physically and magically, but what exactly was bothering him?
Could it be that she also found the somewhat eerie and bland design unappealing?
(—I don’t really like stone. I like wood and forests.)
For a moment, the image of a grand forest filled with towering trees crossed Liliana’s mind. Treehouses, warm sunlight filtering through the leaves, the sound of music drowning in laughter from the spirits, and the scent of flowers carried by the wind—
(Oh…)
But she didn’t know what it was. She was a dog, after all.
“…Well, if there’s a crumbling human fortress and a nearly brand-new demon fortress… the new one is better, since it’s a demon prince’s…”
While Liliana was lost in thought, he chuckled self-deprecatingly and touched the rough, bony door.
With magic, the bones smoothly transformed, and the door opened.
“That door has an interesting mechanism.”
As he spoke, the presence of the dragon behind them softly dissipated.
“Oh, any demon can open it, and it’s even sturdy enough that beasts can’t enter.”
When he turned to answer, he suddenly averted his gaze, flustered. Leila, who had transformed into a human, shimmered in the night’s darkness—almost in her natural state, with just a leather strap loosely tied around her chest.
(—I like Leila.)
Recently, Liliana had been dressed quite frequently, but somehow she felt a sense of familiarity with Leila being almost naked outside like this.
However, as she herself was also being made to wear fur, she wondered if Leila wasn’t cold just wearing a leather strap. She tilted her head in curiosity, but as expected, Leila sneezed softly, “Ha-choo!”
“Oops. In human form, you might catch a cold.”
He instinctively reached for his cloak, but then added, “Isn’t it better for now to stay as a dragon?”
“Right. Next time, we should probably bring a change of clothes…”
Leila, somewhat shy, sniffed as she swayed gently.
Her presence ballooned and transformed back into a beautiful silver dragon.
“I’ll take a quick look inside. Just wait a moment.”
“Okay. I’ll take a look around while I’m at it.”
Leila announced in a slightly metallic voice before spreading her wings and flying off.
(—So pretty—)
The silver scales glittering in the night sky. Liliana liked Leila. And since she started flying, she liked her even more.
“Come on, Liliana. Let’s go take a look inside.”
“Woof!”
With an inviting gesture from him, Liliana energetically followed along.
As they entered the fortress, they found a great hall. The seamless rock floor stretched out flat. There were two doors to the left and right, with a staircase leading upward in the back.
“Guess it’s about thirty steps across. The ceiling is high enough that even Leila could probably return to her original form.”
He observed, appearing impressed yet cautious.
“…Liliana, could you please use your purification light? If there are any evil magic or curses—anything unpleasant—I’d like you to drive them away.”
“Woof!”
No problem at all! Gathering her strength, Liliana concentrated before unleashing a tidal wave of warmth within herself.
“Woof!”
A burst of light spread like a wave, caressing the floors and walls of the fortress.
“Wow?”
Not sensing anything particularly significant, Liliana tilted her head.
“Seems there was nothing oddly prepared. Thank you, Liliana.”
Patted on the head with a pleased expression, Liliana stood proudly.
“Wow, really. Liliana is so soft…”
He squished her cheeks as well, and Liliana smiled widely, but suddenly he noticed her long, pointed ears twitching.
His fingers brushed along her cheek and then gently stroked her ear.
“Ahhn!”
A sweet tingle like ticklishness ran through her, and a strange sound escaped her that didn’t quite sound like a dog’s bark.
“Oops… Sorry, sorry.”
They stared at each other in surprise, but to lighten the awkward mood, he ruffled her hair affectionately.
“Woof woof!”
Liliana playfully engaged with his hand, licking it like a dog.
“Shall we check out the other rooms?”
“Woof!”
She opened the doors on both sides of the great hall. Like the main entrance, they were made of bones and seemed easy for demons to open.
“Defensive measures against demons are a concern… Ah, this appears to be a study. It’s nice to have a bookshelf.”
Part of the wall was recessed, functioning as closets and desks.
“What’s this bone panel…? Oh, a basement!”
In one corner of the room, the floor was made of bones, and shifting it with magic revealed stairs.
“Woof.”
With a puff, Liliana exhaled a beam of light from her magic. The glowing sphere floated off to illuminate the basement.
“Thank you, Liliana. That really helps.”
“Woof.”
Even demons would see nothing in complete darkness—this basement turned out to be even larger than expected, and it was as sturdy as the fortress’s outer walls.
“Did this not originally exist, but was newly carved out? Or did they pull the materials for the outer wall from this space and make it into a basement?”
He muttered while stroking the walls.
“It seems it has many practical uses.”
After confirming its sturdiness, he left the basement and headed to the opposite room.
“Oh, there’s a well. This is handy!”
This room seemed more spacious than the study, but it looked a bit cramped due to the stove and well. It appeared to serve as a kitchen, too.
“Being able to secure drinking water here is beneficial. Because there are limits to what I can make Leila carry.”
As a casual aside, he fetched water from the well and quenched his thirst. It was very cold but felt clearer and tastier than the water in the Demon Lord Castle.
Finally, they decided to climb the staircase at the back. It appeared to lead up to a watchtower.
“Woof…”
At the top of the tower, wrapped in his arms, she gazed over the landscape.
Bathed in moonlight, the desolate mountainous terrain spread out beneath them.
There didn’t seem to be any human settlements nearby, as no artificial lights were visible.
“…This was originally a mountain castle for monitoring the borders of an ancient human nation.”
He whispered almost as if talking to himself.
“There was said to be a small village beneath the cliff… but now, no one lives there.”
It wasn’t suitable land for farming, and the mountainous terrain made it a hassle to reach by land.
“…One day, I want to help you escape. To the allied territories.”
“……….”
Liliana couldn’t respond.
She didn’t understand what he was talking about. She was a dog, after all.
Instead, she gently licked his cheek.
He just smiled sadly and stroked Liliana’s hair.
“Liliana.”
When he called her name, she buried her face in his chest without answering.
(….I don’t want to be apart from you…)
She thought.
But it wouldn’t come out as words.
“Woof…”
All she could do was make a sad whimper. She was a dog, after all.
