Chapter 10

Title: Please let me have a few bars (laughs)

Retsu rode on my back, and I was carried by Dilnan, enjoying a comfortable journey through the sky. Dilnan's embrace was incredibly reassuring. I must have fallen asleep without realizing it.

Huh? How did I know I was sleeping?

I was woken up by a scream.

"Pi!?"

Lately, I feel like I've been letting out strange screams (or something) a lot.

When I came to, I found myself in the grounds of a grand but not overly ornate castle. Is this the Northern Demon King's Castle? My current location is the huge castle gate with a clock tower. Around me are men dressed like knights from the illustrations in stories. They carry various weapons—swords, spears, and more. The spears have sharp blades that are clearly visible. They seem to be the guards of this place. The brother who screamed is right in front of me.

"...You, Yuri is awake, you know. Ah?"

"GYAAAAAA!

Captain Dilnan, no way, I'm gonna die!

Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!!"

...Dilnan's anger is as fierce as a demon's. He's very scary. He's grabbed the brother who screamed by the head with his right hand. I can hear the sound of his skull creaking from the force. It's no wonder he's screaming!

And, his body seems to be floating slightly, too?!

As I tremble at the scene before me, Dilnan's body shakes from some impact.

At the same time, the brother who was being squeezed falls to the ground with a thud. He doesn't seem to be moving at all. Hey, brother, are you okay?

...No response. He looks like a corpse.

"What are you doing? Dilnan, the child is scared."

"...Elies"

A high but male voice stopped Dilnan. Hearing the voice, Dilnan turned around.

The person who was suddenly behind Dilnan is a beautiful woman with long straight black hair and blue eyes, dressed in a robe that looks like a priest's. Elies, what a beautiful name!

She's more beautiful than any visual kei idol, any two-dimensional character, or any beautiful woman around here.

"Hello"

I couldn't help but stare, and she smiled and greeted me.

Her gentle smile is priceless.

"Hi there"

Oops, no good. I need to greet her properly as an adult.

I can manage a smile since I've worked in customer service before.

But.

Don't give me such a beautiful smile! I'll melt!

I can't take it anymore, I can't look! Dilnan, please let me take shelter!! There's no place to run, so I cling to him!!!

"Hehe, you're so cute."

"Cute, right?"

What are these two beautiful people saying? It just makes me blush even more.

"Yuri was sleeping so peacefully, but this idiot woke him up by screaming without listening to anyone. He deserves the death penalty, so I was squeezing him, but you hit me and stopped me."

Huh? The shock I felt earlier was because Elies hit Dilnan??

"Yeah, that scream about kidnapping was it. Waking a sleeping child is indeed a death penalty offense. However, you shouldn't scare the child. If you must, do it where no one can see. It's bad for their education."

...Huh, I heard some very dangerous words from both of them. The death penalty is the harshest punishment, right? Just for waking me up??

"Now, no one is watching, so it's okay, right?"

Crack

"GYAAH!"

"It's okay, isn't it?"

Crack, crack

"GYOEE!!"

Isn't a tragedy happening where no one can see?!

The creaking sound and the screams are back. And, twice.

The first scream coincides with Dilnan's movement, so I think he stepped on him first. But, the second time, when Elies spoke, the sound was even better...

This is scary!

"Ueh..."

"‘Ueh’?"

"Don't hurt him."

Oh no, I feel tears coming. My mental age is dragging down my physical age.

I've been crying too much since yesterday.

And since I'm clinging to him, I might have gotten snot on Dilnan's coat. Sorry, Dilnan.

"Ah, there's no one in this castle who would be hurt by such a minor thing, Yuri."

"That's right. He'll be fine by tomorrow, so there's no need to cry."

Ugh, I'm being comforted by both of them.

The large, firm hand patting my back is Dilnan's. The hand with large but slender fingers patting my head is Elies'. I feel embarrassed but also happy to be petted.

I know that being able to say "pet me" is a privilege of children.

After calming down, I cautiously raised my head. Dilnan, who had a slightly troubled look, smiled.

A towel appeared and wiped my face. I'm causing so much trouble. And, I'm still sniffling? Sigh.

Hey, where's the brother who was being hurt?

Looking around, I see the guards either smiling at me or looking away.

The former is probably because I'm a child, but the latter, what did they see!?

Finally, when my eyes met Elies', she gave me a bright smile. Her smile is so beautiful that my brain overheated. Gah.

Beautiful people are best appreciated from a distance. What I want to see up close is delicious food.

Of course, I want to eat it, not just look at it. And, of course, I want to eat hot food while it's hot and cold food while it's cold.

It's best to enjoy things at their peak. (Second reality escape of the day)

Dilnan led me to the Northern Demon King's Castle, where I met the incredibly beautiful Elies.