Chapter 97

In the cave where the fire dragon roosts, Shura the elder, his two disciples, and Banning, who had prepared everything, were waiting.

"Oh, Miss Sphere... Truly, you look so brave. Roro and Shura are captivated by you."

"Well, that... It's just because the clothes Father prepared for me are so nice."

She says such things so straightforwardly, which makes me feel incredibly embarrassed. Shura the elder was touching his white beard and laughing.

-- However, I have the feeling that Roro and Shura's gazes have been getting hotter lately. It seems that even to the young Roro, Sphere appears to be a beautiful girl, and Shura looks at her with an admiring gaze.

"Both of you, do your best. I'm going for a little walk with Father."

"Yes, yes... Thank you very much, Miss!"

"We'll listen to the old man and do our best!"

Sphere might be even better at winning people's hearts than I am. It makes me feel as if I'm being praised myself when my daughter is respected.

Banning growled, but the sound he made toward Sphere seemed more like a whine than a show of authority. Even the head of the fire dragon family is a pushover in front of Sphere.

"Hehe, the mother dragon is getting jealous. She's out having a meal with the baby dragons right now."

"Please say hello to everyone. Father, I'm going to ride Banning... Yaah!"

Normally, one would have to climb onto the dragon's body, but Sphere, who has inherited Aileen and Cody's abilities, has such excellent physical coordination that it's astonishing. She kicked off the ground and leaped, easily reaching above Banning's back and landing on it with a backflip.

"Amazing!"

"Of course, Miss Sphere!"

The reaction from the crowd is better when Sphere, who looks like she's the same age as me, rides the dragon. Sphere, blushing, touched the thin braid her master had made for her and mounted her special saddle.

"Let's go, Banning!"

As Shura the elder and the others hid, Banning spread his wings and flapped them powerfully. He slowly rose in the cave and then shot out into the sky through a hole in the ceiling—Sphere shielded her eyes from the blinding sunlight.

As her eyes adjusted to the brightness and the clear blue sky came into view, she experienced a thrilling sensation. Sphere seemed to feel the same way, as she was hugging herself.

(Are you okay? It's not too cold at this altitude, is it?)

"Yeah, I'm fine. This dragon rider suit keeps the warmth in. It's a bit too warm, actually."

She said this and tried to loosen her collar and open the front. Since she's my daughter, I don't mind, but if there were others around, it would be inappropriate.

"Mother Miralca says you have to be properly dressed in front of people. You and Father are the same in that regard."

(I see... Well, she is serious, after all.)

"Father, you're blushing. Father, you're cute when you're like that."

(...Ah, don't tease your parents too much.)

Banning flapped his crimson wings and accelerated—Sphere, using the air barrier spell to block the wind as Banning sped up, preventing her hair from being disheveled. She had also mastered silent casting.

Even flying at eighty percent speed, the capital city disappeared far to the south. One of the kingdom's transfer magic arrays is located near a village in the northern valley, so the king and the audience had moved the previous day, received a warm welcome in the village, and then moved to the viewing area.

"Father, if you beat Mother Verlene's brother, will you marry Mother?"

(Marriage... I haven't thought that far. No, it's not that I dislike your mother.)

"Mother has seven people, so Father has to marry all of them, right?"

(...That's a problem that needs to be discussed with each of your mothers individually. Besides, there's a possibility that they don't consider me as a marriage prospect.)

"...Father, if you say that in front of your mothers, they won't talk to you for a day."

(...Wait, hold on, I understand. I'll do my best to handle it positively.)

"Hehe... It's okay, don't rush. I think your heart won't connect unless you and Mother feel it's the right time."

She seems to have reached a similar mental age to her master—while being toyed with by my daughter, I wonder if fathers in the world are all being toyed with by their daughters like this.

"...Ah. I, I just repeated what my mothers said... I just tried saying it."

(Which mother... Probably Sherry.)

"Wow! How do you know, Father?"

Sherry loves romance novels and is somewhat of a romantic, as Kasumi once said. There is a horizontal exchange among female guild masters, and they occasionally hold exchange meetings. In addition to the Red Twin Pavilion, the Blue Maiden Pavilion, the Light Blue Fish Pavilion, the Gold Balance Pavilion, and the Silver Water Bottle Pavilion, which we belong to, the White Goat Pavilion has a female master who is currently on probation.

The Purple Scorpion Pavilion, Green Crab Pavilion, and Blue Archer Pavilion are inactive due to the absence of a master. The Black Lion Pavilion, Orange Ram Pavilion, Yellow Bull Pavilion, and the Zeroth Guild 'Colorless Snake Handler Pavilion,' which was once led by my master, are also without a master.

"Mother Rim did the same job as Father..."

(She is a great person who founded the Adventurer's Guild. Recently, she has also caused some chaos in the capital... partly because of me.)

"...I have to apologize to the beast people with Mother."

(Sphere, you don't need to worry about it. If you say that, Master will only feel more pain. No matter how much we are blamed, I and Master must apologize.)

"Uu... I understand. If Father says so, I'll endure. But if something painful happens, tell me. I can listen to you, too."

I think she is really kind, but I can't pat her head now. I need to get back to my original body soon—there are things I need to do with my own body that I have been putting off for too long.

"...Hey? Father, I can see something far away..."

As we approached the northern valley, a black figure was crossing the border from Elsain—this was a black dragon.

"That black dragon is running from something... Ah...!"

A lightning bolt that chased the black dragon hit the rider—apparently, the rider lost consciousness and stopped moving.

If this continues, unless the black dragon is well-trained, it will panic and drop the rider. It seems we won't be able to complete the reconnaissance peacefully.

(Sphere, can you use Light Vision?)

"Um... Yes, it's difficult, but I can try. Light Vision!"

'Light Vision' is a spell that Cody, who wields a light sword, is particularly good at. It allows you to see as far as the light can reach, and you can detect the presence of enemies even if they are using magic to hide.

What I saw was a black dragon. It had used the 'Stealth' spell to hide not only itself but also the dragon.

(The black dragons are fighting...? The armor the rider is wearing is that of a royal guard...)

"Father, the unconscious person is falling! We have to help!"

(Alright... Sphere, give Banning the command! Use Guided Flash to intimidate the hidden black dragon!)

"Okay! Banning, please...!"

"---Gwooooooah!!!"

A roar that hadn't been heard in a long time, making the air vibrate—the crimson wings of the fire dragon glowed, and the energy converged at the tips of the wing claws, forming a light ball that shot out multiple beams simultaneously.

The aim was intentionally weak, thinking that the black dragon's rider could easily avoid it by just shifting the axis, and the black dragon flapped its wings to escape the beams—however, the 'guidance' in Guided Flash means that Sphere, using the power of the fire spirit, can control the beams, which are concentrated heat, and adjust their trajectory sensitively in response to the enemy's movement.

"Ugh...!!"

Thanks to the effect of Light Vision, the enemy, still as small as a bean, was clearly visible. The enemy, unable to escape the beams, had to dispel the stealth and use a defensive spell to deflect the beams—though the face was hidden by a full suit of armor and an iron mask, the voice was that of a woman.

Upon closer inspection, the black dragon being pursued was Ilyana—one of the royal guards who had confronted me.

"Dragons shouldn't fight among themselves! Father, right?"

(That's true, but I'll give another warning! In the meantime, we'll save Ilyana, who is about to fall!)

"Okay! Banning, let's go! I'll work with you... Ah, dangerous...!"

The enemy, now aware of our presence, attacked with a spell that could reach us from a distance—this was one of the dark magic spells rarely used in the capital, the Dark Spirit Bullet.

A spell that summons nearby spirits and wraps them in dark magic to pursue the enemy. The fact that it can be used in the air means that the user is constantly summoning spirits—either a necromancer or a summoner skilled in summoning.

(Summoning... No, it can't be...)

"Father, which one? Deflect or dodge!?"

(—Deflect while dodging!)

"Okay, I understand! Father, I'll use the sword!"

Like the dragon rider suit, a new crescent sword was made for Sphere. At her request, the blade is rounded, but it can be used as a weapon when enhanced by magic.

"The technique passed down directly from Father... Here I go!"

---Magic Sword: Evil Soul Purification---

This technique, which Sphere can use alone, is a combination technique with Yuma. Although its power is only sixty to seventy percent, it was enough to deflect the Dark Spirit Bullets.

"Yaaah!"

Sphere, using a sword imbued with purifying power, deflected and destroyed the Dark Spirit Bullets one after another. I was proud of my daughter's bravery—and even her fighting stance was adorable.

"Father... I wish you'd say such things later."

(—Sphere, more are coming!)

More Dark Spirit Bullets appeared, targeting Banning at irregular intervals. But Sphere remained calm and, following my instructions, took the next action.