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“Ugh… u-ungh… huh!? My favorite loli from my dreams is right in front of me!?”
“Oh! You’ve awakened, Hoshikawa! Hah, what a relief—you’re safe!”
“Mggh. What a face.”
“Ms. Hoshikawaaa! Please don’t pass out again, come back to us!”
“Let’s just leave her be already.”
“Ah! That’s definitely Laika’s real voice this time!! Good morniiing!!!”
“See? You woke her up, now we have to deal with that.”

After the commotion from the fire died down, we brought the king along and relocated to a calmer spot.

Though “relocated” might be a bit generous—there weren’t many places where a group this size could gather discreetly, so we’d all just crammed ourselves into Kyodaigorou.

“Wait, what? Laika and the king are both here…? Momo, what is happening right now?”
“Ms. Hoshikawa, I’ll explain everything later—just go play with Stell for now, please…”
“Yaaay! I shall fulfill this sacred mission even at the cost of my life!”
“………”

I felt a little sorry for Stell, who looked absolutely miserable, but Ms. Hoshikawa was clearly over the moon.

At least now I could focus on the important discussion—more accurately, on defusing the tension before a fight broke out at any moment.

“So tell me, Your Majesty—is it true? That your raptors were stolen?”
“Indeed. Their numbers have been thinning as of late. But since I normally let them roam freely between this city and the desert, I paid it little mind. I assumed some fluctuation was to be expected.”
“W-Wasn’t that dangerous?”
“Raptors do not attack people. I have forbidden them from doing so. Naturally, if someone were foolish enough to provoke them, I bear no responsibility.”
“But, Your Majesty, it’s hard to imagine that the raptors attacked Arnitta’s workshop unprovoked. Someone must have transported and incited them intentionally.”
“Quite so. Which is why I believe someone has wrested control of my raptors away from me.”

“Wrestled… with Raptors?”
“He means usurped—they were stolen. But that raises another question. Why are you even able to command raptors in the first place?”
“That, too, is thanks to the pact I forged with my comrade, Valka. Dragons can command demi-dragons. I have obtained a portion of that authority.”
“I see. So if you have only ‘a portion’ of that authority… then that dragon—Valka—must also be capable of commanding raptors?”
“W-Wait, Master! If that’s true, then it would mean—”

Even I could grasp what Master was getting at now.

If the king wasn’t the one who set the mini-dinosaurs on the workshop, then that left only one possible culprit.

“It’s not Valka. I give you my word.”
“Then what about the five arson cases, including today’s? That flame was no ordinary fire—it was a special kind born of a dragon’s breath. A little water didn’t even come close to putting it out.”
“B-But Master! Mr. Valka had no reason to attack the workshop!”
“Don’t judge a dragon’s thoughts by human standards. You saw Claxton yourself. There’s no reasoning with something like that.”
“But I could talk to Mr. Valka! And he’s a good person!”
“You really…”
“Fuhahahahaha!! I see, I see! You call a dragon a ‘good person’—how delightful!”

The king suddenly burst into hearty laughter, completely derailing the conversation.

“Then let us be off! Set the golem in motion! It can transform, can it not? Show me at once!”
“Be off…? Be off to where?”
“To the desert, of course—where my friend awaits. If you doubt him, then go ask him yourself. You’ll come too, pink-haired dragon princess!”
“Momo… now that I think about it, you’ve been talking like you’ve already met the desert dragon. Don’t tell me—”
“Oh right, I never told you, Master. Actually—”

✦✧✦✧✦

“Honestly, you never fail to fall short of my expectations…”
“Aw, you’re making me blush!”
“Lady Momose, that was not a compliment.”

While Kyodaigorou carried us toward Mr. Valka’s lair, I gave Master a broad rundown of everything that had happened on our journey so far. She pressed a hand to her forehead and fell silent, as if struck by a headache.

Was she coming down with something? Maybe the sudden shift in temperature from Rigel to Regulus had thrown off her body.

“Stell. If you ever develop an interest in herbal medicine, do consider creating one—specifically, a cure for idiocy.”
“If you say so… I’ll do my best.”
“Stell, please make it sweet—I don’t like bitter medicine.”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response. So? Are you sure this is the right way to this ‘Valka’s’ nest?”
“Yes! There was a super hot place over that way, so it’s super hot!”

“I’m going to need you to raise the intellectual bar just a little. I don’t feel even a scrap of magic from that direction—is this some kind of empathic resonance between dragons?”
“Ha ha ha! Valka is a master of concealment. When he truly blends into the sandstorm, even I can’t track him down! In fact, I’ve been struggling to find him lately, much to my dismay!”
“Sounds like he’s avoiding you. Looks like we’re relying solely on your senses, Momo.”
“Leave it to me!”

Unlike yesterday’s encounter, this time, I could feel Mr. Valka’s presence more clearly the closer we got.

Even with my eyes closed, I wouldn’t have lost my way. If we kept going straight, we’d reach him soon.

“Oh, by the way—it’s really, really hot up ahead, so be careful, Master. If you’re not in good shape, it’ll wipe you out fast.”
“And what exactly do you take me for? Do I look like the kind of person who’d keel over from a few degrees of heat?”
“Yes!!”
“Instant answer? You’ve got some nerve. Step outside.”
“Teach… Senior disciple is probably right…”
“Okay then! I figured something like this might happen, so I brought this along. Try it on!”
“Hm? What’s this?”

From behind the fuming Master, Ms. Hoshikawa draped a sun-shielding cloak over Master’s shoulders, complete with a hood.

For some reason, it had cat ears on it—but it fit her height perfectly, and honestly, looked great on her.

“So cute! Ms. Hoshikawa, what is this!?”
“Ahaha, just a quick makeshift heat-shielding cloak. I designed it to keep the temperature inside stable.”
“…You made this on the spot? That’s impressive. These ears—do they serve a purpose?”
“They’re for fun.”
“Maybe I should just throw it away.”
“C’mon, c’mon, no need for that! Let’s at least borrow it—besides, we’re almost there!”

As Mr. Valka’s presence grew stronger, the temperature inside the cabin steadily rose.

Even with sweat beginning to bead on my and Stell’s foreheads, Master remained perfectly composed—proof enough that the cloak was doing its job.

“Mm. Now that we’re this close, even I can sense him. Very well—let’s greet an old friend.”

*――――Ah… So, you’ve come. My sworn Friend.*

When we were no more than a hundred meters away from our destination, Mr. Valka’s voice echoed in my mind—joyful, and at the same time, tinged with sorrow.