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Though Ekaterina had eagerly jumped at the offer, she suddenly found herself hesitating. How exactly was she supposed to get onto the dragon’s back when it’s high above her head?
Her worries proved pointless, however—the problem was resolved with surprising ease.

“Ekaterina.”

Vladforen’s voice did not come from the dragon in the sky. Startled, Ekaterina looked around just as a black bird of prey with glowing red eyes appeared amid the heavy beating of wings.

“Is that you… esteemed Demon Dragon King?”
“This is my avatar. Hold out your arm.”

So it was not a familiar but a split body… Ekaterina thought as she extended her arm. The black bird settled lightly on her slender forearm.
Despite being a large raptor, it was not heavy. Just as the dragon’s true body remained aloft through some form of magic rather than lift alone, this avatar too likely did not fly by ordinary wing-generated buoyancy.

Still—this situation.
A large bird of prey perching on my arm. One I could communicate with, no less. Its jet-black body and crimson glowing eyes are clearly unnatural, impossibly cool.
This—this alone is enough to send my chuunibyou instincts spiraling out of control!

As Ekaterina entertained such foolish thoughts—

Zzzzt—A noise like static crackled inside her ears.

Her vision abruptly shifted, and she staggered with a sensation like vertigo. Teleportation—just like when she had first been brought here.
Compared to the previous time, when she had been carried through the air, this time—transitioning from standing on her own—felt far more disorienting.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes… I was just a little startled.”

Steadying herself, Ekaterina looked around.
She was on the dragon’s back—between Vladforen’s wings. She did not know the details of dragon anatomy, but there seemed to be something like shoulder blades, and this spot between them formed a shallow depression. It looked more stable than other areas.

The spike-like protrusions that had looked like a mane from the ground ran all the way from the neck down the back toward his tail. One line of them crossed through the center of the hollow, serving as a windbreak and something she could grab onto.

Even so—it was vast. The back was enormous. How many tens of meters long was it? It was so wide that she could barely see the scenery below.
Looking down, she saw massive jet-black scales layered beneath her feet. They looked strong enough to deflect blades, yet they did not feel metallic—rather, they gave an impression of flexibility.

As Ekaterina looked around with sparkling excitement, Vladforen laughed.

“I will not drop you, but it would be wiser to sit and hold on.”
“Yes, thank you very much.”

Gratefully, Ekaterina did as she was told. The black bird left her arm and moved to perch on one of the protrusions.

He certainly had a domineering side, but he seemed unexpectedly attentive. Come to think of it, he had labeled her a child—maybe that was why he was being kind. Did he like children? I’m actually thirty-something inside, sorry…

Such were the self-deprecating thoughts of Ekaterina. Though she called herself almost thirty, in certain respects she was on par with a small child—and the lack of self-awareness there was fatal.

“Here we go.”

The voice seemed to come from the great dragon’s mouth, not the black bird. Neither the dragon nor the bird appeared to dominate the other—their consciousness seemed to run in parallel. A pure fantasy existence, yet capable of multitasking.
Then the dragon’s wings moved and swept downward.

Whump! A tremendous sound echoed as the dragon took flight.

Whoa!
Though he seemed able to float without relying on lift, he still flapped his wings when moving—perhaps to control direction. I could even feel the dynamic movement of muscles and bones from his back!
Thanks to the gentle pace, the wind pressure was mild—pleasant, even!

“Shall I take you straight to the Northern Capital? Even the Imperial Capital is but a single flight away.”

The black bird spoke, snapping Ekaterina back to her senses.

No!! No, that would be bad. The Imperial Capital is definitely of the question. Even returning like this to Onii-sama in the Northern Capital will definitely cause an uproar!
! had gotten carried away by the thrill of riding a dragon and completely failed to think about what would happen upon arrival.

“P-please take me back to where we met earlier. I ordered my attendants to wait there. They must be worried about me.”

Mina and the knights would be shocked too…
Ahh, you idiot, me!

B-but it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I’ll reflect on it, but I won’t regret it!

“Are you able to travel instantly to the Imperial Capital or the Northern Capital, esteemed Demon Dragon King?”
“No. I am the ‘King of the North.’ I can only teleport within my domain—the Great Northern Forest. To go elsewhere, I must fly like this. The Imperial Capital in particular is troublesome. The gods are densely packed there, and human magical defenses are layered and complex. That said, if I were to force my way through in dragon form, there is nothing that could stop me.”

At those words, the image from her previous-life game flashed through Ekaterina’s mind—the fall of the empire, the blazing imperial palace crushed beneath Vladforen’s feet as he roared. She shuddered slightly.
What had happened to His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress? The magic academy had burned—what of her classmates, her teachers, the friendly kitchen staff? And the servants of the Duke of Jurnova residence in the Imperial Capital…?

“Esteemed Demon Dragon King, I beseech you… please, do not go to the Imperial Capital.”

Before she realized it, Ekaterina had spoken.

“If you were to go there, humans would inevitably come into conflict with you. You are someone who could destroy this empire. And yet, you are also someone who can converse and share understanding as we are doing now. I do not wish for a conflict. I am grateful that the God of Death and Lady Selene worried for me. But the Imperial Capital is not so dangerous as to warrant such concern.”

The greatest danger is you causing the empire’s destruction…
I’m not entirely certain our doom flags are truly broken—but that’s not something the Demon Dragon King can simply fix, either.

“I will return here to Jurnova next summer. At that time, I would like to meet you again and tell you about my previous world. If there is anything humans do that displeases you, please tell me. I will inform my brother, and we will all strive to correct it. I beg you to hear my request.”
“I never liked the Imperial Capital to begin with. If that is your wish, then we shall meet again next summer.”

Vladforen agreed easily.
Then a hint of laughter entered his voice.

“By then, will your heart be a little less childish? I find myself hoping so—and yet not hoping so. It is a complicated feeling. Tell me, how long did you live in your previous life?”

Uh—

“I lived until the age of twenty-eight in my previous life.”
“…In a world where humans live a hundred years, you ended your life quite young.”

Vladforen’s voice was gentle.

Indeed… I regained my memories at fifteen, immediately entered the academy, and have been surrounded by teenagers, so I’ve been calling myself thirty-something because I felt ancient compared to them—but I really had died young.

“Did you have a brother in your previous life as well? Did you value your family?”

Vladforen asked as if the thought had just occurred to him, but no answer came immediately.
After a brief pause, Ekaterina spoke in a low voice.

“…No. I was an only child… and an unfilial daughter.”

At those words, the black bird looked at her quizzically.
But the dragon beat its wings once and began to descend.

“We are almost there.”

*

From between the dragon’s neck and wings, Ekaterina glimpsed the small clearing with a spring beside the highway.
After circling once overhead, Vladforen landed.
It was a soft landing—clearly done with consideration for Ekaterina on his back.

Lowering his neck close to the ground, she could see the parked carriage and several people running toward them. Mina, and the knights.

“Mina! Everyone!”

Standing up, Ekaterina waved.
Several knights appeared so shocked that they stumbled over their own feet.

“Milady—!”

She heard Mina’s voice. Just from its tone, Ekaterina could tell how worried Mina had been, and guilt made her chest ache.

“I’ll set you down there.”
“Yes, please—”

Ekaterina had not even finished speaking.

Mina, who had sprinted over at incredible speed, leapt high and landed atop the dragon’s head.

From there, she bounded from one protrusion to the next along the neck, reaching Ekaterina in an instant.

“Milady!”
“Mina—”

Before Ekaterina could even finish saying her name, she was lifted up.

Mina shot a sharp glare at Vladforen in bird form—just for an instant—then immediately turned away, retracing her path off the dragon’s back. Despite carrying Ekaterina in her arms, she moved with astonishing lightness and landed back in the clearing.

“……”

What just happened? I have been princess-carried through what felt like a roller coaster.
Ekaterina was completely unable to keep up with the situation.

“Milady…!”

Mina hugged Ekaterina tightly. It was the first time Ekaterina had ever heard her voice tremble.

Ah… she really had worried them terribly.

“Milady, thank goodness you are safe!”

Oleg and the other knights rushed over as well, surrounding Ekaterina. Seeing them raise their weapons toward Vladforen, she snapped back to attention.

“I’m sorry for worrying you, Mina.”

Wrapping her arms around Mina and hugging her back, Ekaterina nevertheless spoke in a firm voice.

“But please, put me down.”
“Milady.”
“Everyone, please lower your weapons. The Dragon Lord had treated me with nothing but kindness. He is not an enemy of Jurnova.”
“…Yes, ma’am.”

As they hesitantly obeyed, Ekaterina stepped forward and knelt before Vladforen in a formal bow.

“Thank you for kindly escorting me back. It was a delightful time.”
“Ekaterina.”

In dragon form, Vladforen spoke calmly.

“No matter how many thousands of years pass, I will recall every word of our conversation without forgetting a single word. So long as you exist, I will never stand opposed to Jurnova. If you so wish, I will not oppose the empire, nor humanity itself. If you desire peace, then cherish yourself. All of this is because I desire you.”

Vladforen spread his enormous wings, casting a vast shadow over the area.

“Until we meet again.”

With those final words, the great dragon took flight, whipping up a gale as he departed.