-- like being swallowed up by a throbbing black stagnation, I had such a nightmare.

　Exhaling roughly, I slowly sit up.
　I wiped the sweat dripping from my forehead and dropped my gaze to my hands.
　The black stagnation that clung to my body in the nightmare has vanished as it should.
　It was a dream that could only be described as a nightmare, a dream that he couldn't escape even though he perceived that it wasn't real, a dream that could only be described as a nightmare.

　Looking at the sky through the gaps in the branches, it was still dimly lit, just before dawn.　
　Judging by the whiteness of the sky, I'd only been asleep for about two hours.
　I haven't slept properly since I left the Land of Israel.

　Fortunately, I don't feel sleepy.
　You can go about your activities for a while without sleeping.
　There will be limits to that, though.

When was the last time I had a ...... dream?

　I don't think I've been dreaming for a while now.
　I don't even wake up at night anymore.

　I can't count the number of times I've slept properly since the day I was betrayed.

　I couldn't sleep at night, and when I did, I was awakened by the slightest noise.　
　It was better, and even when I was able to sleep properly, I always had dreams about the past.
　I would jump out of bed in my reverie at the sound of my own screams.
　It was that kind of day.

　One day, however, I was able to sleep a little better.
　It was probably because of the presence of the other Elfie.

...... totally.

　I laugh.
　You say that you were betrayed and you couldn't trust anyone anymore.
　I can't believe that the one person I can trust with all my heart is my former enemy, the former Demon King.

I'd never be able to tell that ...... guy, though.

　I wonder when your existence became so big, I wonder when you became so big.

◆

　After spending the night in the forest, we left early in the morning.
　A short time later, we came to a hill with a good view.
　Here, Verdia would be able to fly without any problems.

　Surprisingly, the amount of time a dragon species can fly continuously is not very long.
　There are individual differences, but usually after five hours of flying, they seem to get so tired that they can't move properly.
　That is no exception to this, and Verdia is no exception.

　It seems that by the time he came to the teaching country, Berdia had been quite reckless.
　Since she had flown beyond her limit time, she was quite exhausted.
　The reason why she had walked to this forest was to recover Verdia's strength.　
　I'm afraid to say that she is rather recovering after walking such a long distance.

''How is your body feeling?''
...... perfect. I'm well rested, so I can fly fast and easy.

　From the expressionless look on his face and the way he twirls his arms around, he seems to be in perfect shape.
　The destination is far. It's too far to walk.
　I thought about using my mental magic and running at full speed to get there, but flying is more efficient.

You can fly to ...... anytime.
Okay.

　Verdia seems to have already finished her preparations.
　However, the idler was gone before I knew it.
　He should have been right there a moment ago, but he had disappeared when I took my eyes off him.

''Where did Idler go?''
...... fell down and got all muddy, so he's going to the river to wash up.

　What the hell is that guy doing?

I'll just go to ...... and let it fly for now.
Yeah, please. You'll un-humanize me?
...... Yeah.

　Berdia nodded with a coy smile and began to undress on the spot.
　She threw off her underwear, exposing her bare skin as it should be.

'...... Why do you take your clothes off?'
'......?　If you keep it on, it will tear.

　With his arms crossed and his posture emphasizing his chest, Berdia tilts his head in wonder.

'When you take your clothes off, you need to say a word. Are you not ...... ashamed or something?
'......?　It's a human form, and I'm not ashamed of it.

　He doesn't seem to feel any shame in showing his naked body.
　Neither do you.
　I remember hearing a line like that before.

"...... Enough is enough. Go ahead and be a dragon.
'......?　Dismissed.

　With an unexplained expression, Verdia released her humanization.
　As if her body had been enveloped in black flames, in the blink of an eye, her body ceased to be a human being.

　With a cracking sound, jet black scales covered Verdia's body.
　At the same time, her height grew greatly, and she grew to nearly five meters in size.
　Claws with a luster like obsidian extended from the ends of the long limbs covered by the scales.
　Two wings protruded from its back, and every time it moved, the wind blew over the hills.

　This is a rare breed of flame dragons (flame dragons) that I had to deal with many of in the Purgatory Labyrinth.
　This is the "Black Flame Dragon" (Karth Dragon)?
　Although it was smaller than the Earth Demon General's Balguild, its intimidation far exceeded that of the Flame Dragons.

"Can it still talk in that condition?
"...... I can talk.

　I wonder if he's using magic or something, Verdia's voice echoes.
　There doesn't seem to be a problem with communication of wills.

"............

　Her black, reddish eyes look down at me.
　Somewhat curiously, Verdia looks at me.

'What's wrong?'
"...... Nothing.

　Shaking her head, Verdia lowered her posture with a swoop.

'Get on .......'
Okay.

　He leaps and leaps onto Verdia's back.
　The scales covering his skin are not as sharp as I had imagined.
　They're rough, but they don't seem to be worn out from the ride.

'......?'

　The center of the back appears to be slightly concave.
　It seems to be able to seat one person.
　Only in that place, the scales seem to grow a little differently.　
　I reach out and stroke that spot.

''...... hmm.''

　Bikun, and Verdia shuddered.
　She endured the sudden tremor that came suddenly, so as not to be shaken off.

'What's wrong?'
"......, nothing.

　Berdia's voice sounded somewhat supercilious as she responded.
　He tilted his head at the response.

'Hey!　Come on!　I'm a pretty boy!

　The idler, who had gone to wash the dirt into the river, has returned.　
　He waved his hand in the air and hung up on us, looking like he was in a good mood.
　He's finally here. Now we're ready to go.

　I sat down in the recess I had just left, ready to fly at any moment.
　At that moment.

"...... hiya!

　With a strange voice, Berdia's body trembled greatly.
　With that beat, jet black flames erupted vigorously from her mouth.
　The black flames attacked the idler who was running from the front.

''Eeeeee!''

　While shouting, the idler ducked just in time to duck the black flames.
　Although it escaped a direct hit, the black flames spread to the clothes and hair as the flames flared up.

''Ooohhhh, the heat!

　While burning, the idler runs around all over the place.

"'Waterball' (Aquaball)."

　I can't leave the stone alone, so I pour water on top of it.
　I get soaked and the idler finally stops moving.

'Ugh...... Ugh......'

　Teary-eyed, the idler slowly squirms up Berdia's body.
　Then, after a few moments of buzzing and shaking, he

What are you doing?　Are you trying to burn me to a crisp?　My precious me?
"...... No.
"You almost finished roasting that dainty little Ai!　Ai, you're in big trouble!
"...... Sorry.

　Berdia apologizes to the sobbing idler, exhaling wildly.
　Every time I move my body, Verdia lets out a small breath.

'...... Verdia. Maybe it's my fault?

　He stood up slowly so as not to irritate her and pointed to the indent in her back.
　Berdia nodded slowly.

'...... I'm sorry. Idler, it looks like that was my fault.
'Ooooh, fine, but...' Okay, but come on, ......!

　After a while, Verdia, who seemed to have calmed down, opened her mouth.

''Nn....... The first time I met my master, he punched me as hard as he could here.''

　Are these dents made by Elfi's beating?
　Come to think of it, when we first met, you said you defeated Verdia, who was on a rampage.

'...... Since then, this place has been sensitive.'
'Oh, really?　Then, yeah!

　When he heard that, the idler poked the dent as hard as he could.

'............'

　But Verdia didn't respond.

'Huh?'
'...... I don't feel anything when you touch me.'
Why?　Because Iori-kun touched it?
............

　The idler urged me to touch it.

"...... hmm.

　Berdia lets out a breath.
　Idler prods again, but Verdia has no reaction.

'...... why?'
'I don't understand ....... When the master touches me, I feel creepy and freaked out ....... With other people, I don't think about it. With ...... but when Iori touched me, I got freaked out.
Yeah?　I'm bored!　Eeyore, Eeyore!

　With a disgruntled look on his face, Idler poked the dent repeatedly.

'...... Hey, Idler. Let that be enough.
'Ei!　Oh, yeah!　Look, look, it's good here, isn't it!

　Idler, who was in a good mood, ignored my words and continued to thrust for a while.
　I'm not sure if it's because of the guilt I felt for spitting fire, but it seems that Verdia has reached her limit.

''...... annoying. Iori, hold on.''
...... Huh.

　In the next moment, Verdia jumped up and took off at breakneck speed.

''Eeeeee!''

　The idler's body, which was not firmly seated, floated and was blown backwards.
　Just in the nick of time, it seems that he managed to get caught in the tail.
　It seems to have eaten all of the wind pressure and is in a horrible shape.

"Ahahahahahaha!　Whoa, whoa, whoa!　My fragile self is about to be thrown off...?
"............
Get mad at me... Or maybe angry...　Berdia?　Berdia!

　With that trouble in between, we flew into the sky and headed onward.

◆.

　The landscape passes by in the blink of an eye.
　The altitude is high and the wind is cold as it blows through.
　It's comfortable now that the idlers have been warded off from freezing.
　It's the first time I've ever ridden a dragon species, but it's not a bad ride.

　Verdia suggested I sit in the recesses of the back, but I refused, not wanting anything to happen to me.
　I guess it was my imagination that I looked somewhat disappointed.

'Ugh. ......'

　The idler's complexion was pale, probably due to the fact that he was drunk when he was caught in the tail.
　I tried to heal him, but he returned to his normal complexion after about five minutes.
　It seems that he simply has a tendency to get drunk.

'...... Phew. If things continue to go smoothly, we should be arriving at our destination tomorrow. I just hope there aren't any other Four Heavenly Kings besides Gracia.

　It doesn't matter how many of them there are, it's the same thing.
　We'll kick them all out and rescue Elfie.
　If Lucifina is there, I'll take my revenge and kill her horribly.

You're probably thinking, "...... there, it doesn't matter how many people there are, it's the same thing!

　As I was thinking about this, Idler pointed at me with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

''Listen, Iori-kun. It's true that you're incredibly strong. But you shouldn't be overconfident.
...... I'm not going to let my guard down.
''The current Demon King's Army has four Heavenly Kings at a level that can't be helped by their consciousness. The other three of them are also quite capable, though.

　To include, Idler admonishes me with a conk.

"Suppose you were to go kill Ortegia ...... and as long as she's there, you'd be stopped on your way by yourself.
...... her?
One of the Four Heavenly Kings is called "The Rain." We've got a problem with that one.

　With a look of disgust, the idler uttered the name.

What's that "rain" thing?　Even the Thunder Demon General mentioned those words.

　I remember Elfi reacting too.
　I guess I missed asking what it was after all.

"--'Gregoria of the Rain. "-'Rainy Gregoria', the descendants of the four demons who followed the first Demon King.
Dead heaven?
''The four original Four Heavenly Kings. Each of the first Demon Kings was followed by a demon race with the titles Rain, Thunder, Yang, and Yin.

　I've never heard of that before.
　The heavens of death, eh? You're right, they all have a title related to the heavens.

"Most of the dead heavens died in the battle between the Fallen God and the Holy Light God, but ...... is the only one that's been replaced by 'Rain' and still exists today.
It's called "Gregoria in the Rain."
Yes, that's right. That's right, Gregoria has the ability to inherit the magic created by the past Rain in each generation. Every generation of Gregoria is just as strong as the first.

　"It seems that the four members of the Dead Heaven had an incomparable power, such as the ordinary demon race, that was incomparable.
　"Rain" is no exception, and seems to have enough power to reach the demon king.

...... If there is such an existence, it's certainly troublesome.
''It seems like he's guarding the Demon King's Castle instead of Ortegia, so I don't think he's going to be out in the open unless it's very rare.

　But it's strange.
　If such a demon tribe existed, it shouldn't have been strange to fight them thirty years ago.
　"I don't remember fighting a demon tribe that I thought was Gregoria of Rain.

"Thirty years ago ...... I haven't heard of such a demon tribe when Amatsu and the Demon King's army fought thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, what was "Ame" doing?
Hmm. I don't know anything about this "rain" thing.

　With a hand on his chin, Idler meditates as if to remind himself.

"...... As I recall, the previous 'rain' died before Ortegia became the Demon King, right?"
'Before Ortegia became a demon king ......?　That is,
Yes. I believe he was Elfiszak's man. I think it was ...... because I got caught up in a faction war. It was before, so I don't remember much about it.
............

　The current "Ame" must be a relation of the previous generation.
　The dead subordinate's relations had become the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army. ......
　So I think that's why Elfie reacted there.
　I don't know what the guy was thinking, though.

'...... Gregoria was a jerk,'

　Berdia, who had been concentrating on the flight, suddenly spoke up.

'I see. So Verdia also knows about the rain of the previous generation.'
'...... He was foul-mouthed and nasty. He used to complain a lot to his master, too.'
'I don't know about your character, but I certainly didn't hear good things about you at .......

　Verdia didn't seem to think well of her predecessor, Rain.
　So Elfi's men weren't a monolithic bunch either.

'But ...... they were attacked and killed by a demon tribe that didn't think well of their master. Master was very depressed, I remember ......''
'Killed by ......?　"Who was good enough to kill the rain?"

　The only one I can think of, though, is Ortegia.

"...... No. The man who killed Gregoria--

　That's when Berdia was about to answer something.

'!
Oops. ......!

　The idler and I noticed that a ward had been deployed to block the direction of travel.
　The wards extended straight up from the ground to far above us.
　It seems impossible to jump over it and advance.

'Verdia, get down to the ground at one end.
"...... Okay.

　Decelerating, Verdia slowly lost altitude.
　The place we came down was an unpopular place, surrounded by cliffs and forest.
　The only roads were beyond and behind the wards, and the only thing left was the cliffs and forest.

'Why is the ward ...... in such a place? To stop us ......?''
'No, it's not. In the Demon King's Army, I would have died in the Faithful Kingdom.
'I don't think my cover was exposed, and I think the wards were put up independently of us.

　We are still far from our destination.
　I don't know why I'm putting up the wards in the middle of the road like this.

　I hold my hand over the wards and explore what kind of wards they are.
　From the looks of it, it appears to be a ward that specializes only in blocking traffic--

----.

　He examines the wards and freezes in place.

'......?　What's wrong?
............

　Idler shuts up, smiling at Berdia, who tilts her head at my reaction.

''...... No. I have an idea who made this ward.

　But what does ...... mean?
　This magic is .......

'Heh ....... Who the hell is that?

　Idler's question is answered.


'--Lucifina Emilior.


You're not going to be able to do that.

　--The vision is covered by darkness.

　His entire body was bound by a seal, and he couldn't even move.
　Naturally, the magic eye was also sealed.
　Even if the blindfold was removed, it probably wouldn't be able to activate the magic eye.

''----''

　I know this magic power that surrounds my body to the point that I hate it.
　A magic power of the same quality as the seal of the labyrinth - perhaps this is that half-elf's thing.

　My heart palpitates.
　The darkness that covers my vision makes my breathing hard.
　If you're not careful, you'll want to call out that man's name.

''----.''

　How much time has passed since then?
　Because of the darkness, I have no sense of time.　
　Even if I tried to escape, there was nothing I could do unless I could break this seal.

　I was trying to think of a way to escape and distract myself from the fear of the darkness.

''--!''

　Gee, I heard a door open.
　This was followed by the sound of steady footsteps approaching us.
　Someone has come to the room I'm in.
　You can't use the person who came to you to somehow break the seal.

'Excuse me.'

　With polite words, the blindfold is slowly removed.
　While squinting at the glare of the light coming in, I turn my gaze to the person in front of me--.

"...... You, are--

　I was speechless.

　She has long, dark green hair and sharp, slashing eyes.
　The military uniform she wears is neat and clean, not a single wrinkle or dust on it.
　There are two twisted horns from the side of her head like a goat, telling us that she is a demon.

"...... Gracia. I knew it was you.

　Standing there was his former subordinate.
　It was Gracia Levatain.

'Yes.'

　Gracia nodded respectfully.

It's been a long time. Long time, my king, Lord Elfiszark.


　He said, in a euphoric tone of voice.