"What's this, what's this: ......

　Solé shuddered at the sight of it unfolding before him.

"Why is this happening ......

　You look around dumbfounded and mutter to yourself.

　In your vision you see the devastation.

　Burnt down houses, ravaged fields. Broken and fallen windmills.
　Rubble is everywhere, and the debris has filled in a ditch along the side of a road that was apparently once a waterway, blocking the flow.
　And since this place has been like this for some time, greenery has begun to erode the entire area as far as the eye can see, giving an even stronger impression of the devastation.

　--There is not a single sign of human presence in the village (・・・・), which has been destroyed.

...... This is the residue of human magic.

　You can feel the blackened and charred charred scars by lightly touching them.
　What can be sensed from it is the magical characteristics of those who created this devastation.

　Humans, too, as each residue of magic is slightly different, it could be the act of more than one person.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get the chance to see them.

It's not just a matter of time before you get a chance to see it. It's inexcusable.

　In my chest, I felt a surge of anger towards those who created the devastation ...... but it was a conscious effort to detach (・・・・) from my emotions (・・・・) and calm myself down.

　But despite the devastation, there is not a single wreck in the village.
　Perhaps the dead have already been buried by the survivors.

　Yes, there are survivors.
　That fact calms the consciousness.

　--Above all, there's more to do than retaliate.

...... Where is the little one I gave you blessing?

　Without speaking to anyone, at the same time that Sole is muttering to himself, a few lights suddenly appear around him.

　The light is multicolored, and begins to spin around him, flickering faintly, as if the light itself has a will.

...... Was the Child Taken by Man?

　It determines priorities before the search for village survival.

You have to find them. As long as you can still feel Kago's wavelength, you should be alive. ......

　And Solé left the ruined village with a firm resolve.


　　　* * * *


"So you're sure about this, my king. Are you sure you want to do this?　If you allow it, I'll keep Ilir in our home for a couple of days at .......

Well, I wouldn't mind going wherever you guys are going if you're with me. Besides, my late wife will be angry with me if I'm too protective.

　Cowering his shoulders, he says that the king.

"Yeah, ...... that's scary.

Right?

　Cook, me and the king are laughing at each other.

"Good for you, En. Ilir, master Ilir, you're coming.

"I'm happy to invite you to ....... I'm happy to invite you to my house.

　At Nell's words, En.

　As usual, she is expressionless, but this is the face she makes when she is quite happy inside.
　I'm En's expressionless sommelier, so I can tell at a glance what she's thinking behind her expressionless face.

"Xayen, thank you for being a good friend to my daughter.

...... friends, of course.

...... As a parent, I'm happy to see a good girl like you as a friend for a girl who didn't have many close friends due to her position as a princess.

　It's a good idea to have a smiling expression on your face and say so.

　...... Well, from Ilir's usual appearance, she looks like an ordinary girl with a lot of energy and vigor, but she is a princess.
　I'm sure there are a lot of complications, even if it's just one friendship.

　And just when I was thinking about her, that's when I saw it.

"Maosama, Yusha-sama, En-chan!　Thank you for your patience!

　It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends.

　It seems that they're ready for the overnight stay, and with a super happy smiling face, they come up to our doorstep carrying only a bag on their shoulders.
　The luggage is small for an overnight stay, but the bulkiest change of clothes will be lent from our home, so I guess it fits in that range.

　Incidentally, Nell is also returning to the dungeon with us.
　She decided to continue being a hero in this country, but she decided to come back with us to tell everyone in the dungeon about that.

Oh, you're here, Ilir.

"Yes, thank you!

"Ilir, you can stay the night if you want, but you don't want to bother them. Listen to what they say.

"Yes Father!

Hmm, good. --Then, Yuki. Take care of my daughter.

Yeah, I'll take care of it.

　He said this to the king and I turned to them.

"Well, gentlemen. Now it's time to go home. Now let's go home, gentlemen.

"Yeah, okay.

"......

"This is the necklace!

　As soon as each of them replied, the dungeon return device seems to have been successfully triggered, and the girls are no longer visible in the light.



Okay, ...... then, King. Thank you for all your help. I'll see you soon.

It's my pleasure.

　I raised my hand briefly to say goodbye, and I also activated the dungeon return device.


　　　* * * *


"......?　You're back.

　The first one to greet us was Refi .

　It seems that they had just been rummaging around as usual and woke up to greet us.

　Since it's now about midday, the girls have probably gone to the grassy area to play and Liu and Leila have also gone there to get some laundry.

　First, Reffi first comes up to Nell and En and pats them on the shoulder.

"Welcome back, Nell, En. Welcome back, Nell, En. Didn't this idiot do anything stupid?

It's okay, Leffi. I did what you asked me to do and made sure I was in the right place at the right time to avoid it!

"...... okay

No, you know, you guys. ......

　As I couldn't say anything, I just smiled, then Reffi turned to me and grinned at me.

"Welcome back, Yuki.

"...... I'm home.

　...... It's kind of frustrating to hear this guy say "welcome back" to me, and I feel a little more at ease.

So, ...... you are also a s*xless ......

　With a dumbfounded expression on his face, Reffi looks at Ilir .

"Where did you seduce this little girl from?　You really can't take your eyes off of it," he said.

"Hey, wait a minute, Refi. Ilir is a friend of En's, and we've become friends, so I came to visit. I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong.

"Humph, what about

　As we were conversing, Ilir, who had been quiet up to this point due to the atmosphere, gave Leffy a beautiful, princess-like bow.

My name is Ilir-Glorio Alyssia!　Please call me Ilir!　Thanks to the kindness of Maosama, I'm going to be staying with you for a little while!　Please, thank you!

Well, you're a polite baby girl. My name is Lephios. Call me Refy, if you like. I'm the wife of that fool.

"Your wife, is it?　But isn't Maosama's daughter-in-law, Master Yusha?

Yeah, he's a handsome guy. I don't have more than one wife. I have another one.

　I don't mean to be particularly charming, I just like women in the normal, generic male sense of the word: ...... In fact, I have three wives and I can't really argue with them, so I won't say anything.

You have more than one wife?　Good, then you can have Ilir as your wife when you grow up as promised!

....... I see. When you grow up, you want this guy to be your wife?

"Yes!

　Very happily, Ilir nodded.

　He bent his head and looked at me with a smiling smile.
　It's a very, very nice smile. It's such a smile that you can see the Hannya embodied behind it.

　And as I shudder at the oversized pressure Reffi unleashes, Iliril begins to scurry around.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make your life easier.　The room has a very lived-in feel to it!

　This is a living room.
　There are thrones and stuff, and the whole thing is decorated in a horrifying way, but it's a basic living space.

...... It's even more impressive outside. I'll show you.

"Please do!

　Then, as En and Ilir left the room, Reffi opened her mouth.

"Well, Yuki. Let's hear the details.

"It's ......, because the little one says, 'Take me as your wife! How can I say no with impunity?　And that's okay. There's nothing like a little boy's love to change later on.

　I'm sure when Ilir is grown and mature, he'll forget all about me. That's just the way it is.

　You will be able to find out the best way to get the most out of your time with the help of a good friend.

...... I'm sure that's how you're going to destroy your own escape route. Nope, Nell.

I'm with you on this one. You really need to watch out for bad girls, man.　I think that the time when you get hurt is when you're being seduced by a woman.

"Hey, hey, I'll be careful. ......



"Yes, that's right. We must protect that area. He's always been too soft with women.

I know, I know. I'm sure you're not the only one who's been in the same boat with a man, but with a woman, it's a little blurry. When I was over there, I was begging Lonia to show me her wings.

"Well, it's not like that, I didn't have a reason to say no. ......

　I felt bad about saying no to such an enthusiastic request from a quiet court magician .......

It's a good idea to have a meeting later on to discuss this ....... I'll invite Liu's guy and have a 'fifth wife conference'.

Oh, actually, I had something I wanted to say to you both. Just for future reference: ......

All right, so let's focus on your story this time, shall we?

　...... Let me just say one thing.

　Has that meeting already been held four times: .......