Chapter 30

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I have to go to the Ashbation March Lord's estate, Patrick's hometown, and there are many things I need to prepare for.

"I need to write a letter to inform them of the date and time of my visit, arrange a carriage, and I also need a proper dress."

"Why don't we just ride Ryu and go there as we are?"

"Are you serious? That would be completely inappropriate!"

"Are you the one to talk about propriety..."

I walked around the room muttering to myself, while Patrick looked at me with a bemused expression.

Why can Patrick be so optimistic? What if his father says something like, "You have no right to be called my son!"

"I've already told my father about the real Yumiera in my letter."

"The real me?"

"Just how you usually act and what you do. So there's no point in trying to put on a show—"

"Is it okay to be myself...?"

I might do some strange things, but they shouldn't be fatal. I don't think his parents will be so put off that they'll give up on me.

"...I see."

I will never forget the indescribable look on his face at that moment.

◆

In the end, we decided to go to the Ashbation March by riding Ryu. While I was worrying about all sorts of things, Patrick had already sent a letter and even set a date for our return.

"Hey, couldn't you at least have consulted me about the date?"

"Yumiera, if I had, you would have spent years choosing a gift."

"Gift!"

I had completely forgotten. Since this is a visit to my fiancé's family, bringing a gift is essential. What should I bring? Sweets? Alcohol? No, that's not right. Even a small gesture or a gift can be used to judge a person's character. I need to put in my best effort.

"What's wrong? Why are you shouting all of a sudden?"

"Patrick, I'll do my best!"

When I showed my determination, Patrick's face twisted.

"Don't try so hard. I don't know what you're planning, but I'm sure it's wrong. Absolutely don't try so hard."

He seems to have a firm conviction. Where does his confidence come from?

"I just need to prepare a gift to bring to Patrick's house, right?"

"What kind of gift... Wait, what do you plan to bring?"

Patrick's expression relaxed for a moment when he heard about the gift, but it quickly hardened again.

What should I bring? Something I would be happy to receive, and something I can put my best effort into.

"Like... a dragon egg?"

Dragons that are accustomed to humans don't mate with wild dragons. It's almost impossible for Ryu to find a mate. That's sad, so I want a dragon egg. I need to put in my best effort for that.

"Absolutely not."

Patrick said this with a serious expression. It seems he doesn't like dragon eggs.

"Then... what?"

Something I would be happy to receive... If there were items to unlock my level cap, I would really want them. I also want armor that nullifies light attributes. Without any weaknesses, I would be close to being the strongest again.

But... would Patrick's parents be happy to receive such things?

"Maybe... my sense of what's appropriate is off?"

"Wow! You figured it out on your own! Good job, Yumiera!"

Patrick gave me a big smile and patted my head. Hehe... No, we're getting off track.

We'll talk about his perception of me later, but for now, let's focus on the gift.

"Isn't that more important right now?"

I tried to push his hand away, but he pulled it back. Lately, with his level increasing, I've been getting pushed off more often. It's better than accidentally knocking him away, but it's still frustrating.

"Right now, we need to think about what gift to bring. What if we bring something boring and it really is boring?"

"Something simple like a snack would be fine, right?"

He really doesn't seem to care. I'm shocked by the gap in our perceptions.

"That's not good. What if I'm seen as an inappropriate daughter and they oppose the marriage?"

"You're already seen as inappropriate."

...Okay, I'll just bring a simple snack.

I should switch from the well-behaved young lady strategy to the one where I have a bad reputation but turn out to be a nice girl when met in person.

◆

Patrick is afraid of heights. Even though he's ridden Ryu many times, he never seems to get used to it. Ryu is flying slowly and gently, but Patrick's expression is not good.

"Are we almost there? ...Are you okay?"

"Yeah... Just don't do any sudden acceleration or descent, okay?"

Is that a joke? Ah, he's serious. I won't.

"That's the town with the lord's manor. Wait, the atmosphere seems tense."

In the central town of the Ashbation March, there were many armed people. Their tense atmosphere was like they were about to go into battle...

"That flag... It's the one that indicates an emergency, and the highest level at that. Could it be... that Remarest has attacked?"

Patrick said this, looking at the flag on the tallest building in the town. Remarest? The neighboring country has attacked?

"To have this happen on the day that decides our future..."

I didn't sleep at all last night. If we can't meet Patrick's parents today, we'll have to repeat this. Are they trying to give me an ulcer? I won't forgive the Kingdom of Remarest!

"Calm down. I understand your anger, but we need to stay calm..."

Why is he so relaxed when his homeland is under attack? This is the time to become a demon of the country and burn the pests that harm it.

"Ryu, full speed! I'll boost too!"

Ryu flapped his wings with all his might and accelerated. I supported him by releasing magic power backward.

Once we reached a certain speed, the air resistance from the wings became a hindrance. Ryu folded his wings back and took on a shape like a fighter jet. From here on, we would accelerate using only the magic power of Ryu and me.

The scenery below changed rapidly. The trees in the forest quickly flowed backward. Ryu was generating shock waves as he moved. This must be a sonic boom.

We exceeded the speed of sound.

"Patrick! I can see the enemy army! ...Patrick?"

He's not saying anything. Is he moved by the unprecedented speed? I didn't know Patrick was a speed freak. What if he starts talking about reaching the speed of light?

On a clear plain, two armies were facing each other. The border must be nearby. We haven't been spotted by either army yet.

Ryu is flying with a loud noise, but since the sound is left behind, they won't notice it until after we've passed.

"To minimize casualties... should we capture the enemy general?"

Patrick, who seems to know a lot about war tactics, isn't answering. We're already over the battlefield. I need to make a decision quickly...

Okay, let's charge into the enemy's main camp. ...But where is the main camp?

"Oh no, it's too late! Ryu, dive between the two armies!"

Ryu roared and dived between the Ashbation March army and the Remarest Kingdom army.

We were moving at a considerable speed, but we were slowing down. Ryu landed in front of the Ashbation army, digging into the ground and stopping in front of the Remarest army. We had cut through the middle of the two armies.

This is what I heard later. When the Kingdom of Remarest invaded the Kingdom of Balshain, a black meteor fell from the sky, and the Black Demon King descended. ...Again, I'm being treated as a demon king, huh? I see.