Chapter 12

I couldn't post yesterdayaaaah!

I'm very sorry.

"Hey, put your hand out."

"Ah, yes."

I climbed onto the dragon's head first and then pulled Ruri, who was still stunned, onto it.

"Um, what about the carriage and the luggage?"

"Ah..."

I realized only after she mentioned it that I had left the carriage parked on the other side of the rocks. Even the Sea God probably couldn't carry the whole carriage, and the horses wouldn't stay calm. But the luggage was important.

"Wait a moment."

"Huh?"

I jumped down from the head and headed toward the carriage. Although I couldn't carry the horses, I could use my magic bag to transport the luggage. I decided to at least retrieve that.

"Hey, Ruri! I can't bring the horses, but is that okay!?"

Unfortunately, living things can't be put into the magic bag. Even if they were petrified by magic, they could be put in, but the standard was a bit unclear. In short, anything that moves can't be put in.

"Y-Yes, it's fine!!"

"Got it!!"

We had been shouting, and I started to feel self-conscious about the surroundings. There was no sign of anyone yet, but this wasn't a place where no one ever passed, so someone would likely come soon.

"Troublesome, I'll just stuff them all in."

I separated the carriage from the horses and brought the bag's opening close to the carriage. The magic bag, which was about the size of a drawstring bag, could swallow the entire carriage when its opening touched the object. The bag suddenly grew huge, swallowed the carriage as if it were a predator, and then returned to its original size.

The horses were left behind. I had heard that horses in this world were omnivores and could survive if left in nature. Since Ruri said it was fine, it should be okay.

"Alright."

I retrieved the magic bag and hurriedly climbed back onto the dragon's head.

"Alright, let's go, Leviathan."

"Stop calling me that!! ...Alright, let's go?"

"Hey, Ruri, hang on to me."

"Y-Yes."

Ruri wrapped her arms around my waist and clung to me. She was still young, but I felt the softness of her feminine body and was momentarily startled. I'm not a lolicon, so I quickly calmed down. I prefer women who are a bit older and more developed.

"You seem to be thinking something really rude..."

"It's just your imagination."

Apparently, I'm quite transparent. I need to be more careful.

"Our destination is the Demon Continent, right?"

"Yeah, how long will it take?"

"Within four hours..."

By the way, it would take half a day by ship, so this is much faster.

"Alright, let's go."

"Make sure to hold on tight, okay?"

The dragon's head moved away from the rocks. I directed it toward the Demon Continent, and it started moving slowly at first, but then accelerated within seconds. The rocky area we had just been in quickly disappeared from sight.

"It's... so fast..."

"Is it hard to breathe?"

The wind was so strong that Ruri nodded weakly. I was worried she might collapse, so I created a barrier of air around her. This barrier wouldn't let the wind through and would also provide air. It was easy for me, who was skilled in wind magic.

"Hey? The wind..."

"Does it feel better?"

"Ah, thank you."

It would be troublesome if she collapsed when we arrived. With the wind blocked, Ruri seemed to have some spare time and started asking me questions.

"I've been wanting to ask... How do you know the Sea God?"

"Hmm? We met a while ago."

"Not just a while ago!! Who was the one who suddenly punched you!?"

"Who was the one causing trouble in the sea!!"

While saying "punched by the Sea God" and looking at Ruri with a stunned face, I explained that when I was traveling from the Human Continent to the Demon Continent on a ship I had bought for a lot of money, the sea suddenly became very rough, and we were in danger of capsizing. At that time, the Sea God appeared from the sea.

"At that time, I was irritated because of the war on land..."

In this world, the war is basically won by the one who controls the sea. It's impossible to move between continents without using the sea. Once you successfully land, magicians use a large-scale magic called a "Gate" to connect it to a "Gate" already open on your continent. This allows movement between the "Gates." Once a gate is opened, it can't be destroyed easily, so the defending continent focuses on preventing the enemy from landing and opening a gate.

In other words, the early stages of the war take place at sea, which must have been very annoying for the Sea God.

"At that time, I didn't know how wars were fought... I just thought I was being obstructed, so I calmed this guy down with a punch."

"No... a punch?"

"I don't know the principle, but his punch works on anything..."

It worked on the Demon King and the Beast King too. It's like a guaranteed damage skill that ignores defenses.

Well, I calmed him down, but then he started saying, "If you stop the war, I'll let you through!" I was already planning to do that, so I told him, and he let me through smoothly. This Sea God girl is quite easy to handle.

"Anyway, after getting through, I did various things to tame him, and now I have him under control."

I omitted the part about stopping the war when I told Ruri. It's complicated, and she probably wouldn't believe me. The human kingdom has erased my existence, and the reasons for the end of the war have been significantly altered, so it would be hard for Ruri to accept the truth suddenly.

"Hey, who are you saying I'm following!?"

Oops, the Sea God finally chimed in. After all the fried white fish I made for her, she's so ungrateful.

"Fried white fish isn't enough to make me follow you!! ...But if you call me like this, I might let you ride on my head or help you when you need it."

...I just gave her the leftovers from the fried fish I made from the fish I caught, but she really liked it and quickly trusted me. When I asked her to do something, she said she would if I gave her more fried fish. I smiled and fed her a lot of fried fish, creating a significant debt.

"Damn... If I hadn't eaten so much back then, I wouldn't have to listen to you now..."

"What? You didn't have to listen if you didn't want to."

"No, it's impossible for the Sea God to have a debt!!"

"Really? You value our agreement so much?"

"Huh!? N-No, that's not it!!"

Her voice was very flustered, and the dragon's head shook.

What, does this guy have a tsundere personality too?

"What... You didn't call me for so long, and now you suddenly call me and even bring a girl... It feels like I was a fool waiting for you while another war might have started..."

...When she suddenly became meek, I felt really guilty... Well, I did leave her alone for five years, so I do feel guilty.

"I'm sorry about that. If you have something you want as an apology, let me know. Within my limits, of course."

"Really!? Really!?"

This time, her head shook with excitement.

Ruri's head has been bouncing around, so you should calm down soon.

"Think about it carefully. You probably won't think of anything right away."

"I'm already thinking about it!! Really, anything is fine!?"

"Sure... within my limits."

Watching the dragon's head struggle to decide was quite amusing. But is it really that exciting? She's the Sea God, after all.

"Wow, Setsu... Who are you really?"

"I'm just a humble adventurer, but I do have a lot of acquaintances."

Those acquaintances are quite dangerous, but I'm looking forward to Ruri's reaction when she finds out, so I'll keep it a secret.

By the way, I'm planning to go to the Demon King's castle, but where is Ruri heading? I need to ask her first.

"Where are you going first when we reach the Demon Continent?"

To my surprise, Ruri gave an unexpected answer.

"Um... Evilbrough, I guess."

"Evilbrough...?"

Evilbrough is essentially the Demon King's castle. More accurately, it includes the surrounding town, but it's generally used to refer to the castle.

"Do you... have business at the Demon King's castle?"

"Yes! The person who commissioned this brooch lives there."

She showed me a beautiful brooch decorated with black gems.

...I had a vague sense of familiarity with it.

"...Can I see that for a moment?"

"Please be careful with it."

"Sure."

I took it and looked at the back. If it's something I know, it should have a name written on it.

(No way...)

In conclusion, this is definitely the brooch I know. I also know its owner.

What surprised me was that Ruri didn't know who the owner was.

"...You don't know who this brooch belongs to, do you?"

"Huh? Ah... The old man only gave me the address, so I don't know much about it..."

Old man... You should have told her properly...

The name written on the back of the brooch was

〈Desatoru Seleno〉

She is the Demon King who sits on the throne of Evilbrough and commands all the demons.

"You... This belongs to the Demon King Desatoru?"

"Huh... The Demon King?"

--- After that, Ruri's third scream of the day echoed across the sea.

---

While Setsu and the others were crossing the sea, in the Demon King's castle, which was their destination, the Demon King Desatoru and a tall human man with elegant attire were facing each other in the throne room.

The Demon King, seated on the throne, possessed a beauty that could attract any man. Her legs were not overly muscular but had a good build, her waist was clearly defined, and her chest pushed against the red dress she wore, almost bursting out. Her face was incredibly beautiful, and her long, flowing red hair reached her waist. Her pale skin, a characteristic of demons, added to her mysterious aura.

"--- Demon King Desatoru, have you made your decision?"

The man, with a well-structured face, asked her with a lecherous grin.

"--- If I accept your request... will the power of the <Terra Guild> fulfill my wish?"

"I promise... With the power of the <Terra Guild> led by me, Terra Snieter, I will fulfill your wish."

The man's smile was incredibly suspicious, and Desatoru hesitated but decided to accept it to fulfill her wish.

"--- I understand, I will accept your request."

"Thank you, Desatoru--- no, should I call you Desa since you'll be my wife?"

Terra approached her, stood beside her, and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Since you have accepted my request to become my wife, I will fulfill your wish as well."

Desatoru gritted her teeth to endure his lecherous smile.

"--- Yes... You can fulfill my wish after the wedding, right?"

"Yes... that's fine."

"Thank you... I will prepare for the ceremony. I will come to fetch you in the morning four days from now."

"Understood..."

Terra caressed her shoulder a few times before leaving the throne room. As he left, a slender man in a black robe entered.

The man in the robe glared at Terra, who shrugged and left the room.

"Your Majesty..."

"Blood."

The man called Blood had long black hair tied back and sharp eyes. A blood-red horn protruded from his head.

"Why did you accept that man's request...? You have someone else---"

"It's for his sake."

She said this with a regretful expression. She had been holding back until now, but she was rubbing the shoulder Terra had touched. She might have wanted to tear it off.

But she couldn't. This dress was the one her beloved had said suited her---

(Who would have thought I would come to hate this dress...)

No matter how much she rubbed, the disgust wouldn't go away, and resignation mixed with her expression.

"I won't accept it... I absolutely won't!!"

"Blood..."

Blood, looking extremely angry, headed for the door.

As he was about to leave, he turned back and said,

"I... If I could meet him again, I would want to... But I don't want you to sacrifice yourself for that..."

His face was contorted with pain.

It was painful to understand Desatoru's feelings and to be powerless to do anything about it.

She couldn't say anything to such a Blood.

She couldn't raise her head until he left the room, saying, "Excuse me."

(There's no other way... To meet Setsu again, this is the only way...)

Desatoru remembered the encounter with the man who had awakened her from the war for territory and the parting with the man who was sent back to his original world because he was seen as a threat by the human kingdom.

She had thought he would always be in this world. But he disappeared without a word.

She didn't cry. That's why she launched a retaliatory war.

(I want to see him one last time... For that, I'm willing to...)

Terra had told her that the man called Setsu, the hero of the humans, had not died but had been transferred to the human kingdom. He had proposed:

--- If you become my wife, I will summon the man called Setsu for you ---

The Demon King Desatoru had believed the words of this untrustworthy man.

She clung to this hope--- to the point where she desperately wanted to see Setsu again.

Even if it meant becoming the property of another man, if she could see the man she thought she would never see again---

--- She didn't know that the man she desperately wanted to see was already back in this world.

And that he was heading for the Demon Continent.

When Setsu learns of this, it will be the time when the dream-like moments of the man with the dirty smile, Terra, will crumble.

---

Fried white fish is delicious, so it's understandable.

It's also a classic plot to get the girl back, so it's understandable.

Next time, we'll start with the story of the Terra Guild and their landing.

I need to write about the relationship with the Demon King soon...