"Welcome to the land of the sky.

　When I called out to him, Schwartz, the new emperor of the Blau Empire, who had just gotten off the carriage, opened his mouth.

I'm not sure if this is you, Lord Taiki?

　I chuckle and nod my head at the reply, which doesn't seem to hide my confusion.

'In case you're wondering, I'm taking the name Taiki.

　When he replied, Schwartz shook his head from side to side, looking slightly flustered.

Oh, no, I'm sorry. I had imagined an old man who looked like he would live for hundreds of years.......I didn't expect him to really look like I had heard......

　Schwartz muttered and straightened up again.

'I am the current Emperor of the Blau Empire, Schwartz Blau. I thank you for your help during the recent revolution. For the time being, I have been working hard to consolidate our empire, but once we have settled in, we will once again be able to hold a large event as allies. I would very much like to invite Lord Taiki to participate in this event...

　And Schwartz begins his greeting with a low profile, unbecoming of the head of a major power.

　But that may be inevitable. After all, the Blau Empire had just been through a revolution. I'm sure they're going to have to deal with the domestic situation, and they want to reduce the number of countries that are hostile to them.

　I've heard that it would be impossible for the new emperor to travel to another country so quickly, but this time he was able to come on a very short two-day, overnight greeting and inspection tour.

　If he's so busy, he could have done it later, but Schwartz seems to be worried about us.

　And while I was thinking about it, Schwartz slowly looked around and opened his mouth.

''........But even though we have finally set foot in the land of the sky, it doesn't feel like we're actually here at all. Indeed, the clouds are below my line of sight and the sky is deeper than I've ever seen it. But the beautiful cobblestones and grassy paths beneath our feet - a beautiful, yet magical place.

　When Schwartz expressed such an impression, Ditsen nodded widely and spread his hands.

''Just like that, an utopia in the sky! Master Tiki! Ditsen is finally back! Also, teach me about the abyss of magic...!

　Did I ever talk about the abyss of magic?

　I held up one hand in return for a wry smile at Ditsen, even though I thought so inwardly.

'Taiki-sama, Eira-sama. I'm back.''

　As Trayne said this, Maer, Runt and Schnee, who were lined up next to him, bowed deeply.

''Thank you for your hard work,''

　When they returned the greeting, Trainee and the others looked at each other with smiles.

''It's been a while, Taiki-sama and Eira-sama. How are you feeling?''

　Yuri greets us next, and me and Eira bail and reply.

'Thank you for your hard work, Yuri-san. Your cooperation was really helpful.

　Yuri smiled happily as he replied.

''Hmm. ''I'm the one who has had a priceless experience. Since I got to know His Majesty of the Blau Empire in person, I was more than adequately rewarded.

　When Yuri said that and turned his head to Schwartz, Schwartz nodded with a troubled smile.

　Apparently, he found out that Yuri was the royalty of the Frieder Empire. As the emperor of the empire, I guess I owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

　As I was laughing at the complicated situation, Aifa and the others finally came forward. Then, they fell to one knee on the spot. In addition to Aifa, there are three other elves, all of whom have their heads bowed to us.

　While everyone kept their mouths shut, Aifa opened her mouth on behalf of them.

''Lord Taiki-dono.......Thanks to Lord Taiki, my family members have returned safely to the forest. If you wish, I will bring you to the spirit tree. I don't know if the spirit tree will respond, but perhaps Lord Taiki will...

　When Aifa said that, the non-Elf aspects of the group expressed their surprise. Well, I guess it's a marvelous thing to be able to see in person an existence that is talked about as a legend.

　But it's scary to actually go down into the forest. There seems to be some kind of monster.

　I suddenly thought about that and raised one hand and shook my head from side to side.

''No, it's great and a great honor, but let's refrain from doing so. Yuri-san, Traine-san, and the others worked harder than me, so...''

　Then he laughed, and the elves looked up and rolled their eyes.

''How selfless...''

I didn't know there were people like this...

　The two male elves muttered, and the female elf right behind Aifa pulled her chin. As I recall, her name was Fiatola.

''...I see. I understood what Aifa meant. And it's precisely because of that kind of person that I want to bring you to the spirit tree.''

　After letting those troublesome words slip out, Fiatola lowered her head again.

''Taiki-sama. I'm sorry for my disrespect to Taiki-sama, the king of the sky...! Please, please go down to the ground and give the spirit tree a hand...!

　Fearatola strained her voice and Aifa followed her lines.

'Fearatola is a priestess who was under the direct care of the spirit tree. Let me promise you that I will not do anything bad. By all means, to the spirit tree........

　Ew. Oh no.

　Such a line almost came out of my mouth without thinking, but I managed to swallow it.

''........Thank you. But first of all, please go inside the castle. I'm sure you're all tired, so I'll give you a hearty welcome.

　When I said that and laughed at them, the elves seemed to have received it for good for some reason, and they were exclaiming in admiration.

　Schwartz, who was looking at it, muttered to himself with a very complicated expression.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it. It is ironic.

　The words were uttered with a self-deprecating smile, and I somehow thought of the words north wind and sun.