I slowly go down. As long as we have Irimo’s wings, there is no danger of falling. Once out of the mountains, we landed on a small hill. Looking closely, Kushana’s gate is closed shut. There were no gatekeepers. Most likely, the town is closed during the night. Without any other choice, I decided to wait for the sunrise.

There was a big tree nearby. I created a barrier and rested my body.

There is a reason for my trip to the Hideta Empire. There are many political opponents of the Versam family in the Juka Kingdom. Most of the capital’s surroundings belong to the people of the anti-Versam faction. The Versam territory is 2 days of horse travel from the capital. Between the capital and the Versam territory, there is the territory of duke Hira, who was ******* for Eril. Going there might bring unnecessary troubles, or so I thought. On the contrary, Versam family seems to have some connections in the Hideta Empire. Marquis Versam had amiable relations with the empire’s prime minister, or so Elsa-sama said. Having this in mind, I chose the Hideta Empire.

Actually, Irimo was against this at first. After all, she has wings and a horn. Of course, it stands out. Until now, she was able to travel without meeting any people, but here, she will meet them even if she doesn’t want. She was born and raised in Hideta, yet she doesn’t have any good feelings because of the constant abuse.

She was strongly against returning into such empire. However, using the barrier you can even change the appearance of a person. I can’t see her as anything but a unicorn pegasus, but others should perceive her as a normal horse. As expected, I can’t change the physique, but without the wings and the horn, she looks just like a horse.

By the way, this kind of barrier is also applied to the Versam mansion. It looks like a big tree. A tree with a thick several thousand-year-old trunk. There should not be any idiots that will try to cut it down. Probably.

I opened my eyes to the morning sun. I wanted to sleep for a while longer, but it would be difficult in these circumstances. I got up and dispelled the barrier. Of course, the barrier that was covering us originally was left in place. Both me and Gon have the hard barrier that can withstand any attack cast on us.

The gatekeeper came out. He was standing there with the sleepy eyes. I mounted Irimo and approached the gate. When the soldier saw our figures, he was startled for a second.

「Oh, where did you come from? You didn’t cross the mountains, right? Did you come from Juka? 」

「Yes, I crossed the mountains. It wasn’t easy」

「Eh? Crossed the mountains? Wa-wait a minute!!」

The gatekeeper run off somewhere. Please hurry up, we are busy these days.

After a while, he brought with him a cool-faced uncle in his fifties. The uncle glanced at me and

「Aren’t you just a kid? How old? 14? Why did you even come here? More importantly, your name? 」

「I’m a butler of the Versam family. My humble name is Rinos」

「Ju-Juka Kingdom?? Versam?? You didn’t lie to me, right?!」

「No, it wasn’t a lie. I’m serving Elsa-sama of the Versam family. With the collapse of the Juka Kingdom, I passed through the Runo forest and crossed the mountains. I managed to retain my life and arrive here. If I’m not fated to enter this city, I will go on my way. Please, do not hesitate to tell me」

「It can’t be, this, this brat…..No, I apologize. Here is inappropriate. Let us talk inside」

Like that, I was able to enter the Kushana city.

We passed through the barracks and reached the commander’s office. Apparently, this uncle is a commanding officer of the defense army.

「Did Juka Kingdom really collapse? I used various means to investigate the situation, but the information is rather disorderly. I want to hear what you know」

「I think it won’t be that different from what you already know」

「Then, the appearance of the Demon King, who, with the help of a dragon, attacked the capital and destroyed the royal palace and everyone inside is true?」

Ah, I wasn’t the one who was ordering the dragon though. Well, he is mostly right, I guess.

「I don’t know about any Demon Kings, but the rebellion of the marshal Karugi and his army, together with their occupation of the royal palace, did happen. After that, the dragon appeared and destroyed the city, that is a fact. I escaped the capital and with the help of adventurers passed through the Runo forest. We were wandering around and, before we noticed, we were already outside the forest. Then, I was separated from adventurers and somehow arrived here」

「Hm. There are plenty of high-ranked adventurers in the Juka Kingdom. It was your luck to meet them. You even split in the mountains. That place is the dragons’ den. You did well to arrive here in one piece」

「Adventurers confronted the dragon and told me to run away on my horse. I left everything to the horse, I don’t even know in which direction I rode」

「Well, that not surprising. Most likely, those adventurers became the prey for the dragon. All right. I need to report to the royal palace. I apologize, but you will have to stay in this city until the orders from the royal palace arrive, is it fine with you? 」

「I understand. I am willing to cooperate. However, I am bringing the horse with me, I need a suitable….」

「You can use the stables in the barracks. The food is abundant, you can feed it whenever you want. You can use a vacant room in these headquarters. It is a room for an officer, so it should be better that an average inn」

The room was a little narrow, but it had a proper bed, toilet, and a washplace. Indeed, compared to an inn it is a good room.

「You can freely walk around the headquarters, but I ask you not to leave its premises. The meals will be provided, if you need anything, you can ask the guards outside. You are a guest, but at the same time, you are a citizen of the other country, in addition, you belong to a noble household. Do you understand what I mean? 」

「Of course. I’m extremely grateful for your hospitality」

「Polite….huh. Well, take it easy. Don’t worry, the orders should arrive in three days」

I got permission from the commander, so I brought Irimo into the stables, entered my room and fell on the bed. I said plenty of excuses, but I’m relieved that it worked out. Gon looks tired too.

I wonder what will happen in this empire? I would lie if I say that I’m not worried. I just want to have some peace. If possible, I want to buy a house somewhere and live together with Gon and Irimo. While I was thinking that, I fell into deep slumber due to my lack of sleep.