My name is Alisa.

　The girl - Alisa, that's her name.
　Apparently there is no surname among the elves. Well, even among humans, the only people who have a family name are nobles or those who are equivalent to them. I've heard it said that if you come from a commoner's background and make an achievement and receive a new noble class, you will receive your family name directly from the emperor.
　At any rate, we need to hear the situation first. I don't know what to do, even if you suddenly get down on your knees and ask me to help you.

''Uh ... may I call you Mister Noah?''

'Oh, yeah. That's fine.

Now, Sir Noah and as you have probably guessed, this is the hidden home of the elves. But right now there is only an old man and a child, except for me.

What's going on?

About a year ago, a powerful demon made this whole area its own territory. Until then, it was common for demons to attack this village, but they didn't do much damage. But since a year ago, the scale of the attacks has been increasing.

Oh, I see........the dragon is here.

That's right.

　Alisa nodded, bitterly.
　I've heard the stories.
　Demons basically act in groups. But that's only among their own kind.
　However, it is said that if a high level demon on average occupies a place where a low level demon is present as its territory, those demons, regardless of their race, will follow and form one large herd. Then, they will thoroughly eradicate the other races in that territory. A prime example of this is the dragons that fly and move freely in the sky.
　Bad luck, that's all I can say.
　Dragons are freakishly mobile and territorial changing demons. I've heard stories of requests to the Adventurer's Guild in the same case, and I've also heard stories of people abandoning their villages and fleeing in the same case.

　But I did it.
　If there's a dragon around here, let's make him one of us, too.

We fought with him, but all our warriors are dead. Now I am the only one left alive. The last warrior who fought with me died only yesterday.

....

'But we can't abandon the village. The sooner we leave this forest, the sooner we will be captured by bandits and kidnappers, and the sooner we will have a future of slavery as it is. I know how much the elves are being traded for I know that much.

...I suppose.

　Elves can sell for a high price. That perception is not wrong.
　In the Empire, the buying and selling of humans is forbidden by law. But that patronage does not extend to subhumans - elves, dwarves and beastmen. Slavers would happily trade in subhumans today.
　And elves, in particular, sell for a high price. Especially the elves, who look almost human except for their pointed ears, are forever young due to their long lifespan, and the women are all beautiful.
　I've never seen an elf before either, but Arisa is an incredibly beautiful face.

You can't abandon this village for that reason. I'd rather wipe out an entire village than be captured by humans.

I see...

'If only I could manage to defeat that dragon I would have tried many times with my warriors. Being still young, I was removed but the warriors did not return. From then on, the remaining youngsters somehow managed to fight off the demons that attacked us... but their numbers were dwindling. I'm the only one left now.

....

　What am I going to do?
　It's so heavy.
　Forgive me for thinking for a second that there are dragons around here, before I heard about it. Because I didn't know that.

But.........if you can control the demons at will, you can make those dragons obey you too, can't you?

Uh, yeah I think I can probably do that.

If that happens, the swarm of demons should disappear naturally. I think the frequency of demons attacking this village will also decrease from now on. That's why I'm asking you to please help this village.

Oh, no, no, no, no. Head up!

'I can only bow down. I know I'm being reckless, and I know a hundred times that I'm being reckless. But ... if you will help me, I promise you fifty pieces of gold.

What the--

　The unexpected rewards make me gush.
　Fifty gold coins or something like that, it's not even close to being unbeatable. If you ask the Adventurer's Guild for this, it's only two pieces at most.
　As expected, I can't get that much money, but I'm not an ordinary person.

And anyway, you need to raise your head. That's all right. I'll take care of it. I'll take care of it.

Really?

　Bam, Alisa looked up and was in tears.
　That's how long she's been in trouble. And although I've already abandoned it, I'm still a former "brave man". If someone is in trouble, it's only natural to help them. It doesn't matter if it's because Arisa is cute or not. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.
　For now, let's think about it.
　What should I do from now on?

"Where are the dragons?

His nest is on top of a mountain. It's on that mountain we call the Holy Mountain, where we used to build the temple.

　Alisa points to a small mountain not far from the hidden village.
　With that distance, I think we can finish it today. Even if a bunch of demons appear along the way, I can still manage it.
　Just finish it quickly and come back.

I'm going to go now. Milo, Gilanka, Chappie.

Oh.

Ha!

Uh, yeah...

"You will stay here and protect this village. Bau, you will come with me alone.

'Yes!　Master!

Hey, why do you only take the new guy?

　Milo voiced that, somewhat unhappily.
　In terms of strength, Bau is the most useless one. He's a wild dog. If that's the case, it's better to take only Bau with you and have the remaining members protect the village. The three of them can easily defeat a crowd of a hundred Wild Dogs.

Alisa, there's a good chance that another large pack will attack while I'm away. I'll leave these guys in charge of the defense of this village.

But isn't that a danger to you?

　Alisa said as she glanced at Milo and the others.
　Well, it's definitely intimidating. I'm sure no one else can hear these guys but me.

It's okay. They'll protect this village properly.

But if Lord Noah were to leave, he would attack at that moment...

I don't think I'm going to...

　Oh, but I haven't tested the distance or anything like that yet. I don't think it's possible to lose the effect if you're very far away or something.
　In that case, I have to be with you all the time. There are times when we have to go our separate ways, because we're all friends.

You think...?

Okay, well, I'm off then.　Let's go, Bow!

Yes!

　With Bau, I enter the forest again.
　Of course, there's a reason why I'm only taking Bau with me. I'm sure I can defeat a dragon on my own. It's a good thing that you're in the same boat as me, because I'm going to make you my friend.
　That's why I'm only taking Bau with me, because I want him to use his unique dog nose.

Bau, you have to show me the way home.

I understand!　Master!

　Because...
　I could slay a dragon easily, but I'll probably never make it back here by myself.