Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

Shirukine-san had ventured into the forest to investigate the movements of the monsters.

It wasn’t just the direction they came from that mattered—the direction they fled was just as important.

Depending on where they were headed, even if the villages and towns were far away, she might have to issue warnings and prepare defenses.

Fortunately, she determined that this wouldn’t be necessary this time.

Even the largest of the monster hordes would likely dwindle to a non-threatening size before reaching any settlements.

Still, as a precaution, warnings would be sent to the nearby villages and towns.

That way, even if the worst were to happen, they wouldn’t be caught completely off guard.

The beasts would also be dealt with, so there was nothing to worry about.

A lot had happened, but the transport of the male Mereo was complete.

I had also delivered the souvenirs.

I think it’s time to go home.

-0-

I said my goodbyes to the male Mereo.

No worries—I’ll come visit again.

With your owner, of course.

Do your best.

But remember, when things are too much, it’s okay to say no.

Rely on your caretakers.

There’s nothing shameful about that.

And don’t forget—the shelf in your heart.

As long as you understand, that’s good enough.

Don’t forget.

Take care of yourself.

And female Mereos, look after him.

Hmm?

Ah, don’t worry—I won’t scold you if you ruin the crops.

Everyone makes mistakes at first.

I made plenty myself.

If things don’t work out, I’ll come back and help again.

So don’t worry.

Take it slow.

-0-

The journey back was the same as when we arrived.

I would ride on Hakuren.

Daga and Gulf would return using Beezel’s teleportation magic.

Since Bee-baa was also heading back to Village Five, I invited her to ride with me on Hakuren, but…

「I’ll pass. I’d rather not risk souring a dragon’s mood any further.」

She turned me down.

Hakuren was smiling as usual—she wasn’t in a bad mood or anything.

I just wanted Bee-baa to meet Fracia, your… great-granddaughter? No, wait—her great-great-granddaughter.

「If I stay in Village Five, we’ll meet eventually. And don’t you dare go out of your way to bring her to me.」

Saying that, Bee-baa picked up her belongings.

「Oh, right. Almost forgot.」

As if suddenly remembering something, she manipulated her magic power and altered her physical form.

…

What stood before me was a tall beauty in her twenties—white hair, tanned skin, and striking features.

「Grandmother? That form…?」

「Got a problem with it? I’m still a woman, you know. A lady likes to be seen as young.」

「Ehto…」

「When I’m focused on painting, maintaining unnecessary magical alterations is just a hassle. But I also have no desire to flaunt my aged form, so I stayed in that house to work.」 ℞ÂŊȰʙËⱾ

Heh.

Come to think of it, I had seen this younger version of Bee-baa before.

She was one of the people going wild during the swan races.

She had won big and was celebrating with the others in the spectator stands, throwing a feast.

「Ano, Grandmother… Could it be that my mother does the same?」

「Well, if she kept her usual appearance, people would recognize her as the wife of the previous Count Chrome—your father—so that would be troublesome. But unlike me, she didn’t go for a youthful beauty look. She said being too young and pretty made customers wary, so she made herself plump instead.」

Plump?

Right, she ran a tailoring business… That makes sense.

If she appeared too young, customers might underestimate her, and if she was too beautiful, it might make it harder for women to openly discuss their clothing needs.

「Ano, then… what should I do to meet mother?」

「Use your magic power to find out. She’s your family. You should be able to manage that much.」

「Ugh… I-I’ll do my best.」

Uh… wouldn’t it be easier to just tell him the name of the shop?

「……」

Wait, did you just ignore my question?

「I-I didn’t ignore it! It’s just… I usually think of it as my daughter-in-law’s shop, so the actual name doesn’t come to mind.」

Then, what about its location in the underground shopping street…?

「If I remember correctly, it’s on the left side after entering from the hem side… somewhere in the middle.」

「Is there anything distinctive nearby?」

「The sign of the neighboring shop was yellow, I think…? No, maybe it was blue…」

「…I suppose I’ll figure it out once I get there. Please show me the way next time.」

「Y-Yeah, that sounds like the least troublesome option. Actually, instead of waiting for next time, why don’t we go to Village Five together now? I can show you my house while we’re at it.」

「I appreciate it. Thank you.」

With that, Beezel and Bee-baa settled their plans.

Daga and Gulf would use the teleportation gate to travel from Village Five back to Big Tree Village.

No issues there.

The only issue, if any…

…was Shirukine-san, who was squirming behind Beezel.

What’s going on with her?

I asked a nearby caretaker, who seemed to know the situation.

Apparently, Shirukine-san had once had a dress tailored in the underground shopping street of Village Five.

The tailor who took her order was a plump, approachable woman.

In other words, she might have unknowingly ordered a dress from her mother-in-law.

Still, is that really something to agonize over…?

Oh.

She had gushed endlessly about Beezel complimenting her dress… to that very tailor.

I see.

At this point, all she can do is hope it wasn’t her.

…But in situations like these, it’s usually exactly who you think it is.

I cheered in my heart for her to stay strong.

-0-

I sat in the carrier harness on Hakuren’s back.

I had also loaded the books entrusted to me by the caretakers—ones they wanted Versa to sign.

No forgotten items.

Hakuren, I’m counting on you.

「Leave it to me.」

Hakuren gently lifted off the ground.

I waved to Shirukine-san and the caretakers seeing me off.

「Alright, here we go!」

Hakuren shot straight up into the sky.

-0-

We arrived at the Big Tree Village without any issues.

Whoah, that was fast.

She can’t teleport just anywhere, but it’s still incredibly convenient.

That said, not every dragon can travel this way.

Aside from Hakuren, only Dors, Raimeiren, Girar, and Grafaroon can do it.

Rusty can’t manage it alone.

As for Doraim and Guronde… apparently, they struggle with this method of travel.

「If you mess up the balance, you’ll get flung out into space.」

「That sounds terrifying.」

……

Wait… so if they miscalculate, they don’t just lose control of their movement relative to the planet’s rotation but also escape its orbit entirely?

I see…

Yeah, better not rely on this method too much.

Hakuren, don’t overuse it either.

「There’s even a story about a dragon that spent fifty years outside the planet.」

Fifty years gone…?

Yeah, no. Let’s not do it again.

「Okaaay♪」