Part 3
「Lord Diehart, the area outside of this Nargol is the territory of the gods of Elios. If you think that the situation is getting dangerous, return immediately with that gem of metastasis」
Modes is saying so to me.
Metastasis magic is a transfer magic to move toward a pre-established position to which you want to move by using magic. The gem of metastasis is a one-time magic tool to activate that magic, even if that person can’t use that magic.
「Thank you very much」I express my gratitude to Modes.
I have to show my manners to someone who truly cares about me. Maybe this is the common sense of this world.
And then, after the audience.
「This place is?」
The place to which I moved with metastasis magic is a dark place devoid of people.
「This is one of the defense points in Akeron mountain range. In fact, since many of the knight who were stationed here either received grievous wound or killed in the battle against the hero, they’ve no leeway to deploy some of their forces to welcome us at this location…」
Nut, getting on my shoulder, was doing the explanation for me.Akeron mountain range is the boundary line that divides the world of humans and Nargol.
The dark knights riding the flying dragon were the ones who were protecting this line to prevent the possibilities of an invasion from this mountain. It is seemingly one of the defense points.
After making enough preparations for a journey, we left the demon king castle at once with magic.
We’ll be arriving at the world of humans once we descend this mountain.
「It’s strange right, the flying dragon that will send us down to the foot of the mountain is supposed to be standing by but….」
In fact, it’s faster to descend the mountain with flight magic, but it’s decided that we’ll be sent down by a flying dragon since my interest was piqued by it.
Something is making a sound from the side of the stone building.
When I leave the building to see it, there was a lizard-like animal with gigantic wings growing on it sides.
It was the one called Flying Dragon(Wyvern)One of the dark knights was riding on the back of the wyvern.
That dark knight is landing his wyvern close to the building and then jumped from the back of the wyvern.
「It’s pleasure to meet you, Diehart-kakka[1]! ! My name is knight Gned! ! 」
The dark knight introduced himself while taking off his helmet.
If measured by the age of human race, his age is around the latter half of his teens till the first half of his twenties.
Rugaas had told me about the demon race.
The demon race is the highest-ranked race in this Nargol. Their appearance resembles that of human race except for the horn growing from both sides of their head. They’re far more excellent than human race both in term of physical body and magic.
But if one must talk about their weakness, it’s the fact that their numbers are few; their numbers had not even reached 1/20th of the orc race, the race with most population in Nargol.
Even so, Rugaas added that the chivalric order of dark knights, the best in Nargol, is composed of the soldiers of this demon race.
Maybe the face of this dark knight Gned stiffened due to his tension.
「It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gned. No need to be that formal」
To be honest, I feel that my back is somewhat itchy when he called me with “-Kakka” suffix. I’m not that great to be called as such. I wish that he’s more carefree since, going by appearance, his age isn’t that much different from myself.
But, I noticed that lord Gned’s body is trembling lightly.
Is he frightened by what I said?
If that was true, I’ll be shocked you know.
「I-I CAN’T DO THAT! ! Since kakka position is just next to the king of this Nargol! ! 」
I don’t know whether he is saying the truth due to his tension or due to his fear.
But, it seems that it was impossible to make him drop his formal way of speaking.
「A-After this, I-I’ll be the one who’ll send kakka to the foot of the mountain range!! 」
Gned is saying so as if urging us to get on the back seat on the back of the wyvern.
「……………Well then, I’m looking forward to work with you, lord Gned」
「R-Roger!! 」
After Gned and I are on the back of the flying wyvern.
I can feel the wind being sliced by the wings of the wyvern.
I let out an “Oops” voice to this sensation.
It was quite a nice feeling.
Right after the flying dragon soared in the sky, I can see the defensive point turning into a dot.
The sensation of flying in the sky is really nice. Now I want to have a wyvern of my own.
But, just when I thought about that, the wyvern suddenly lowered it’s flying altitude.
「What’s matter, lord Gned?」
It’s messing the sky with such low-altitude flying.
「W-We have to fly in low-altitude ahead of this point since the monitoring is getting stricter!! 」
I wonder what this monitoring thing is.
「Diehart-sama. This region is already under the supervision of those holy knight from Elios. They’ll lock our position if we’re flying at a higher altitude」
Nut who had entered the bosom pocket of my clothes was the one doing the explanation for me.
According to Nut’s explanation, the holy knights of Elios is the elite corps composed of angel race and the hero of human race who pledged their allegiance to the king of god, Oudith. Naturally, due to hostile relationship between Nargol and Elios, the holy knights are also in a hostile relationship with the dark knights.
And it seems that these holy knights were repeatedly violating the airspace after what happened to the dark knight due to Reiji and the others doing. Thus, it seems that we have to fly in low-altitude in order for them to not discover our presence.
Gned is awkwardly manipulating the wyvern. It was a dangerous flight even just seeing it from the side.
「…….. Look like it hasn’t been a long time since lord Gned received his wyvern」
The chivalric order of dark knights is currently experiencing labor shortage. It seems that he lacks sufficient skills for riding the wyvern and is basically riding the wyvern as soon as he got one.
「…… But, we might be targeted by the goblin in the vicinities with such an awkward method of flying」
「Eh, why would the goblins be going against us?」
Rugaas taught me a bit about demons during our magic lesson. Goblin is an ugly creature with green skin and a height around 140 cm in average. Rugaas told me that they have a head harder than iron and have abysmal talent in music.
But, even though the goblins are also called as demons, maybe they’re actually not subordinates of Modes.
That’s why I asked such question.
「The goblins around this vicinities aren’t the subordinates of your highness Modes」
According to Nut, it seems that Modes is also called by the name of ruler of demon. He is called so because no human lives in Nargol and large number of demons inhabit Nargol, but it doesn’t mean that the demons outside of Nargol are Modes’s subordinate; on the contrary, many of those demons outside Nargol seemingly not even obey Modes’s authority.
And the goblins in this region don’t obey orders from Modes. Rather, it seems very few demons are actually obeying Modes’s orders.
There were even those pretending to be the demon king.
Though Modes has enough power to rule over the entire demon race in this world, it seems that the reason why he never went to attack the humans is due Modes’s lack of greed.
But, it seems that many people think that when the demons outside of Nargol attacked the humans, it was due to Modes order while in the fact was the other way around.
In short, leaving Nargol means leaving from the subordination of Modes, so the problem that happens outside is their own problem.
I touch the cursed sword on my waist which I wore since there’ll be a short delay when I summon it. I don’t know whether I’ll draw my sword to cut the demon who chooses to attack me along the way.
It was when I was thinking about that, an arrow suddenly shot from below.
「I-It’s a goblin!! 」
Nut is screaming in panic.
When I look below, beings that looked like a kid with green skin were aiming their bow toward our direction.
The wyvern became more violent on becoming the target of the arrows.
I cling to the wyvern in panic.
「CALM DOWN! ! I SAID CALM DOWN! ! ! 」
Gned attempts to calm down the wyvern came for naught.
Gned made his wyvern rise even further to avoid the arrows.
「UOOOOOOOOOO!! 」
I scream unintentionally.
We’re out of the range of the arrows due to our rapid ascent.
「CALM DOWN! ! CALM DOWN! ! 」
For some reason, the wyvern calmed down after we escaped from the barrage of arrows.
「It seems we’re safe now, isn’t it….」
When I expressed my relief, Gned is screaming in panic.
「AAAAAAAAAAAAH! ! WE’VE BEEN DISCOVERED! ! 」
When I look at the direction where Gned is pointing at, people with wings on their back we’re rushing toward our direction. They numbered 10.
The winged man, wearing golden armor while holding bows in their hands, is aiming at us.
「They’re the angel race of the holy knights! ! RUN, LORD GNED! ! 」
The angel race is a race whose appearance resembles the human race with wings growing on their back.
The angel race is the race having a pair of wings on their back and have no need for flight magic, thus they can use sword or magic while flying in the air.
Since normally, one can’t fight while using flight magic, unless they were of the race who can fly such as the angel race or wyvern race.
Even Gned, who’s more or less just getting on the back of the wyvern, might be defeated just like that since he has not received dragon rider training.
Even before Nut sent his warning, Gned already made his wyvern to turn around.
When I think that there’s no other choice, I recite the aria for flight magic.
「KAKKA! ? 」
「Lord Gned, please keep your focus on controlling the wyvern. Leave the aftermath to me」
I rush toward the angels while saying those words.
The angels then shot their arrows toward me.
Those arrows were too slow.
「HA!! 」
So I draw my sword and knock down those arrows.
「NO WAY!! 」
The angels are screaming.
「O Black Flame!! 」
I release a gigantic lump of black fire while flying in the sky.
「Flame Prison(Hell Flame)!! 」
The lump of black fire is spreading out toward the angels.
It’s just a scare away tactic as I have no intention to hurt them.
But, I know that the effect is tremendous as soon as my opponents saw that.
「That black flame, it’s Runfeld, RUN!! 」
Maybe because they have some sort of misunderstanding since I wore my hood, the angels are running as they mistook me for Runfeld.
And just like that, I return to Gned’s wyvern and sit on its back seat.
「Amazing…」
I can hear Gned muttering that.
「I’ve driven away the angels, lord Gned. Please keep flying at this altitude」
I’m smiling toward Gned.
「U-UNDERSTOOD!! 」
Gned is saying his gratitude with faltering words at the back of the wyvern.
The wyvern soars high into the sky, cutting through the air.
I thought it was wonderful.
I cannot enjoy the scenery as I have to keep certain level of concentration when flying with flight magic. When it comes to flying, flying on the back of something seems a better choice.
So I thought of asking for a wyvern of my own when I return to Nargol later.
We’re arrived at the end of Akeron mountain range before long.
「Thank you very much, lord Gned」
I, who jumped from the back of the wyvern, sent my words of gratitude to Gned.
「I’m grateful for your words!! 」
Gned was too tense from the beginning to the end.
But, I can feel that he’s more relaxed than the time when I first meet him.
「I’ll be praying for your safety during the journey till you’re back to this place!! 」
「Thank you very much, lord Gned」
Gned is saying so after riding on his wyvern.
Well, we’ll be going by foot from this point. さ
According to Nut’s story, it seems that the place where Reiji and the others are living is the country called Holy Republic, Lenaria.
Though it’ll be faster to go there if I use transfer magic, since I can’t transfer to an unmarked place, it naturally can’t be used outside of Nargol.
Though there’s some distance to reach the holy republic, Lenaria, it seems that the I, who came to this world, has transformed into a superman and can move at a faster speed than the me of earth. It won’t take that much time.
「Well then, here we go, Nut」
It was my first step toward the human world.