In the end, I decided to sleep in the Puppy's Nest that night.
　There was no point in going back in the middle of the night, and I wanted to see the dragon's nest for once. You see, I've heard that dragons collect gold and silver treasures, and that dragon collectibles can be sold for a high price.
　That's why I was so excited to see the nest.

No, I do not collect such things.

What, really?

　There was nothing special about it.
　Rumor had it that the Book of Job Change was in the Dragon's Lair or something like that. That's why I thought they might have other treasures and stuff.

'Why should I collect things that are of no use to me?

That too.

　It's a true and valid argument.
　It's true that gold and silver treasures are something that humans enjoy, not dragons.
　Well, despite these slightly disappointing events, I decided to sleep in the Puppy's Nest that day anyway.










'Wow, that's expensive!'

'Master!　I've never flown this high before!

No, it's my first time, too!

And this home of the elves is...

　The next day.
　Bau and I were flying on Puppy's back at a height overlooking the forest.
　To begin with, he was five times as long as I was. I've heard it's not a problem for Bau and I to ride on.
　I thought that the power of the wings might be too strong, but that's not the case, the wings generate electricity to generate lift. That's why it's so comfortable for me to ride in it.

'There it is. Let's get off.

Yeah, yeah. Hi.

　We left it up to Puppy for the ride home.
　We could have relied on Bau's nose to get back, but we decided to let him ride on our back. Puppy had never carried anyone on his back before, and I was worried about him, but the ride was comfortable enough.
　The ride was comfortable enough. The resistance of the wind is also very comfortable.

"Whoo-hoo!

''Mmmm... oh, if you grab the scales too much... giggle...''

Yeeeee!

Ouch.... it's just not listening...

　I had never flown before, and it was a lot of fun.
　Its speed gradually slowed down and it finally landed slowly on the ground. Well, it was fun.
　If it was so much fun, I would have liked to ride it more. But I can't go too far. As expected, if a dragon passed over the imperial capital or something, that would be enough to create a rumor.

'We're here.

Thank you, puppy.

It's the least I can do. Just get out of the car.

Yes.

　Holding Bau, I jumped down from Puppy's back as it was.
　What was there was the same as yesterday - a deserted, elven hiding place. If I'd gotten off at the wrong place in this, there might have been a commotion.
　Naturally, the one who was guarding the gate there was the same as yesterday - Arisa's figure.

''Noah-dono!

Oh, Alisa. I'm home.

　And with Alisa are Milo, Gilanka and Chappie.
　I heard that they were faithful to my word and were here with Alisa to defend the village. Well, that's what I left them for.

'Oh. Good job, master.

The return of my Lord, I have been waiting for you.

Gosh, Gosh, welcome back...

　Each of the three animals also greeted me.
　The first one to come running up to me was Alisa.

"Noah-dono, I mean, the dragon is...!

Yes, I kept my promise. Now this dragon is one of mine. His name is Puppy. It's a pleasure to meet you.

Oh my God, it's really a dragon!

Did Milo and the others do a good job of protecting the village?

Don't patronize me, sir. You can't just kill a hundred of those things in a stampede.

There have been no attacks since last night's evening. My Lord.

'Yeah, well, I've got Puppy as a companion around there. Puppy, they're my friends.

Well with great reluctance, my name is Puppy. It's nice to meet you.

Yea, yea, yea, yea...

　At any rate, I'll have to do a face-to-face meeting with my new companion, Puppy.
　Alisa continues to be amazed at such an exchange between me, Milo and the others, and Puppy, as she rolls her eyes.

''Noah-dono.......really, he can make demons his friends.......''

Yeah. I told you they were demon handlers. And I know what they're talking about.

Do you even know the language?　He's like a hero in the annals of legend...

"Legend?

　Along with Alisa, I watch as the puppy introduces himself and Milo and Gilanka say things like, "Work hard, rookie," and "We are required to do the Lord's will and do the best work we can," to the puppy.
　Maybe this figure also sounds like "Goooo", "Kiki", or "Garuru" to Arisa.
　But what's the legend? Is there a record of demon users?

'Yeah it's a long story, but do you want to hear it?'

Yes.

There is a story that has only survived in the lore, but there is a history that the king of a country near this hidden village once raised an army to take the elves for himself. In those days, the elves had their own warriors, but the army came with a great army. The number was said to be as many as five thousand or ten thousand.

"Hmmm...

It is said that a young woman who happened to be staying in the hidden village at the time defeated the enemy army. The way she did this was by sending out the demons under her command. She then turned the country's territory into scorched earth and planted seedlings on the land to create a forest. Because of this, a forest spread around the hidden village, and it turned into a sea of trees that humans couldn't even reach........Such a hero that remains in the legend. A savior for us, right?

Wow.

　A young woman's magician.
　Puppy told me about this. The witchcatcher I met before was a woman.
　Could it be the same person? They are long-lived elves with long lifespans that are only preserved in the lore. It was a thousand years ago, so that's exactly about it.
　That's how I casually thought of it.

''That's exactly what the hero Lil Kara is.

　Yes, Alisa.
　I said something that made no sense to me.

...What?

I hear that he accepted no reward for lodging him, a human being, as a thank you for letting him stay with us. A truly unselfish hero.

"................ ...Lil Cara?

'Yeah. That's a name even a child would know if he lived in this village.

　Yeah.
　I don't know why. I've heard of it before.
　Because it was the name of the labyrinth I was diving in until recently.
　Even among humans, it's quite famous. But not in the same way as an elf.

　Because, Lil Kara.
　It's the Demon King who was defeated by the brave Gordova.

"Hey, pup.

What, you're my master?

Hey, I've got to ask you something, but...

　I hope I'm wrong.
　It can't be a coincidence, I hope so.
　And yet.
　Life is so cruel.

Do you know what lil kara is?

Yeah, that's the name of the witch-woman.

....

　This is a bit of a bummer.
　To an elf, a hero, but to a human, lilkara means a demon king.
　But it's a shocking fact. It was a shocking fact that Rilkara wasn't a demon king, but a demon wielder. If historians heard this, they would start examining all kinds of data.

　Lil Cara is a demonslayer.
　And I am a Fiendcraft.

　Lelkara is a demon king.
　And I am what--?