While terribly uncomfortable, Fi rode on the wolf silently.
The sun had already set, so that the village had sunk into the shadows. However, laughter could be heard from the largest house, where the refugees had gone in.
“You’ll be staying in my house tonight. Is that alright?”
Keita turned and said to them as they arrived.
Feeling anxious, Fi turned to Sheto. The kobold looked around and then nodded quietly.
It was the most simple kind of house that could be built from wood in this world. That seemed a little cheap for a Hero, but he did not seem to mind.
“The wolf. Guto, was it? He can come inside too.”
“I see. Thank you.”
Ever since their arrival, Sheto sounded nervous.
But after that argument before coming here, and the glares of the defense team, it was little wonder.
“Sweet and tender full moon, fragments of radiance dripping honey in this season. Sweep away the sorrow of the dark nights.”
The boy sang, and a warm light appeared in the room. The magic light shone near the ceiling and gave the interior a soft glow.
“Huh? With light magic, weren’t you supposed to say something like… ‘Polished blue…’?”
“‘Polished in blue, silver circle that illuminates the frozen earth. Shine brightly upon the veil of night.’ That one emits a strong light, but it’s not really suitable for this kind of interior illumination.”
“…I see…”
Fi had not thought about it much when he was an Adventurer. But now that he thought back, they probably did change based on the situation. Without thinking, he reached for the smartphone and took a photo.
“What’s that!? Why do you have that!?”
“This? Oh, the old dragon god gave it to me when I came here.”
“Uh…oh, right.”
While Keita was shocked at seeking something from a different civilization, he quickly regained his composure and asked them to sit down.
“In any case…make yourself at home until the food arrives.”
“Ah…uh, Sheto!?”
The kobold was walking around the room, looking through windows and checking the doors.
“W-we’re in someone else’s house.”
“It’s fine. Even if I say that it’s safe…this is still like being in enemy territory.”
Sheto stared at Keita for a moment, and then returned to the table.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. In fact, I could tell you how to get out of this village?”
“That would help. Tell me, now.”
“…Sheto!”
Fi grabbed Sheto’s sleeve.
“What?”
“I understand how you feel, but you’re being too aggressive! You need to calm down a little!”
“Fi, I told you, don’t lower your guard.”
“I know! But!”
Sheto sighed and sat down.
“This house is facing the main street. If you go out to the left, it’s just fields. The village walls are all made of wood, but the mountain in the back is mostly natural cliffs.”
“…You’re allowed to tell me?”
“Well, I practically forced you to come here. But there is defense magic cast on the gates and walls, so I would be grateful if you didn’t touch them.”
“You, an idiot.”
Sheto scowled.
“Protecting village is, important. Telling others, puts village in danger.”
“But, you wouldn’t misuse that information, would you?”
The kobold sighed with exasperation and then shook his head.
Guto sat near the door, and his ears twitched sensitively.
The boy turned back to Sheto.
(The…air…is heavy…)
People had always told him that he was thoughtless and could not read the room. But at this point, he did not have the courage to move onto casual conversation.
As for Sheto, his feelings towards Heroes were nothing but negative. And this boy called Keita was especially strange.
The goddesses would have been watching all of this, but they had yet to say anything.
Suddenly, the sound of the phone ringing ended the dead silence.
“What? A call!? Who’s calling you!?”
“Fi! It’s ringing!”
“What! Ah, hey, ah, hello!?”
‘Ah. It connected. Now, what are you doing?’
The exasperated dragon had switched it over to speaker mode.
‘This is my first time speaking to you, Hero of Canila. I am Elm Oud. The dragon god. Also, I suppose? That I am the guardian of that young dragon over there.’
“Huh? Ah, uh, hello.”
“Suppose! What kind of introduction is that!”
‘Hmm. My subordinates are so cold towards me. They don’t treat me like a superior at all. To be honest, I am not confident in my job. Perhaps I should just quit.’
“It’s because you don’t work properly! Besides, what would you even do if you quit!”
‘I will go back and forth between Akihabara and Jinbocho. I want to be free.’
“You just want to play! But you can’t change classes now!’
It was then that he noticed that Keita was leaning forward over the table and shaking.
Sheto also seemed to be chuckling. Guto yawned.
“…Seriously, stop embarrassing us. The other small dragons are crying.”
‘Still, I see that the mood has lightened here.’
Just then, some of the villagers entered the house and placed food on the table before going out again.
How nice that he broke the tension.