Half-elves Fall in Love

Chapter 137: Breath You

Hunting hundreds of thousands of monsters is no easy task, no matter how heroic or how well a trap is prepared. Monsters are powerful beings. They have an insatiable appetite and an endless desire for destruction and even trained soldiers have a hard time fighting them one-on-one. Even Renfangas, one of the continent’s leading defense forces, cannot be combined properly. It’s all about fighting to keep their numbers intact with a castle and a surprise attack. ……But.

“Maia, can you still go?”

“You don’t have to worry about my physical strength. If you want, we can fly from one end of the continent to the other”

“I, I see. ……Can you beat the flock around that mountain?”

“I can, but I’m worried about Andy-sama”

“…………”

“Shall we return?”

“……Yes”

The power of a dragon was tremendous. Monsters can do nothing against her breath, much as humans could do little with flying dragons during the Fire Dragon War. In retrospect, most of the monsters are mostly covered in ice. The blizzard breath that Maia released turned all the monsters into statues. And the temperature change due to the freezing of the wide area has no effect on her, but it is quite severe for me who is just a human.

“……Re, Return to Catalina……”

“Yup”

I hold on to the horn on Maia’s head and tremble with the cold, so I don’t think there was any dignity of a Dragon Rider no matter how I looked at it.

Originally, the city of Catalina was visible, so Maia approached the high rooftop and slowed down with her wings, before transforming back to her human form a little before Catalina. Maia caught me in the air, of course I was thrown out in the air. She lands on the rooftop of Catalina and holds me in her arms.

“So”

“Th, Thank you Maia”

“Nnnn”

I gently descend from Maia’s arms and stand on the rooftop. Nobody is on the roof. ……No.

“Andy!”

It’s Luna who opened the rooftop door and jumped out. Following her are, Hilda and Apple. Afterwards, members of the squad gathered on the roof one after another.

“I, I, I, I, I′m home”

“Andy-san, you look so cold……”

Apple who touches my face is surprised by its coldness.

“It was a very flashy thing”

Hilda admire the scenery around the city. It’s a dark night without a moon, so I don’t see the surroundings. Those who can see it are dark elves like Hilda, human beasts like Luna and Keiron and ogres

“I did it fancy”

Maia sticks out her thumb. Good, Irina is stroking her.

“It’s really cold”

Lantz shakes himself in the night wind. That’s right, the other guys are smiling wryly (Everyone can see the devastation around them).

“Well, it’s been a while since there was no sign of a monster, maybe the blue dragon did it?”

“Is that so? Can you see Al-chan? It’s magic right”

“Well, I′m not good with magic. I′m not so quick with the art of night vision……”

“Our elves are useless”

『Gu』

The three Red Arms were allegedly confused and Tetes said what she wants to the other two. ……Well, I think that it is rare to have an elf who is not good at magic.

“Wh, What’s more than that, give me something warm.”

I had a hard time. Like the face that was touched by Apple, my whole body is freezing cold. Even though flying in the night sky is just a matter of being exposed to cold winds, the winds around here are similar in winter due to Maia′s breath. It was not cold at all to the extent that I was caught off guard as I wore a vest on top of my shirt.

“Oh, my God. You’re going to catch a cold, take this. Drink it for the time being”

Hilda, who was a little surprised when she touched my body, gave me a pill. I drink it.

“Ngu. Unpleasant”

“It’s just a pill that’s just a pill that can warm the inside. It’s going to be cold from now on, so I made it just in case”

“Th, Thank you”

The pill that fall down into the stomach through the throat warm my body from the inside. I feel it.

“If it’s cold. I went rampaged so my body is still hot?”

Aurora sticking to my body.

“Th, That’s right, human skin is the best, isn’t it”

Apple is hugging me on the other side.

“Muu”

“……E, Emm”

After breathing, Maia seems to have a very high body temperature (even in human form) and Anzeros, who does not stick due to the armor, looks a little grumpy.

“Well well. ……I’m going to sleep well tonight”

Keiron shrugs his shoulders.

“Where are 100-man commander Dianne and Laila”

“Investigating the flow of monsters, they will come back in a couple of days”

I answer to Neia’s question. It doesn’t mean that everyone else is heartless. Everyone knows that’s about it.

———————–

The next day we woke up at dawn when the mayor flew into the room.

“I’m sorry to come so early, bu, but……is that the work of the dragon……!?”

“Nuu?”

I’m convinced by his morals that he shouldn’t jump into the women’s room at dawn, but the major is trying to say something as he jumps into is the women’ room instead.

“……Ah, I’m sorry”

“……?”

The mayor who turned right suddenly looks at me who gently raised his body. At first glance, Apple and Irina were sleeping beside me by hugging. They didn’t take off their clothes. …… Apple offered to sleep with me as I looked so cold yesterday. Irina is taking the advantage.

“Ah……emm, what is that”

“O, Outside……monster corpse”

“……Ah, yes, most of them”

I get up slowly so as not to wake up Apple and Irina. Boyd and Lantz wake up and put on their jacket.

“But we didn’t look at it very well either”

“Shall we go see it?”

“Ssuu”

We follow the mayor while rubbing our eyes.

The surrounding grassland, lit by the sunrise, was supposed to be amazing. Nearby are a series of monsters corpses (mostly by Dianne and others). In the distance, the monsters look like frozen trees. As if it were a lie that the great invasion had begun, the city was surrounded by silence.

“Haa”

“Blizzard breath froze them to that extent……this is where monsters can’t get close”

Lantz and Boyd looked over and whispered as if they were impressed. The mayor remains upset.

“Eh, th, this much……in this state, is that all?”

“Well, it was Maia-chan!”

“I understand that the dragon is amazing”

“…………Ha, Haa”

The mayor is poisoned by the light-hearted reaction of Lantz and others. Well, isn’t it impossible for you to be ready to fight? Anzeros, wearing a tank top and cotton pants, appeared there.

“I think you should send scouts just in case”

“O, Oh, that’s right”

The mayor hurries down to the station. Anzeros then hits Boyd’s waist (She cant hit his shoulder as she cant reach it) and invites him with her fingers.

“Boyd, let’s train together. ……I haven’t heard from the Gauntlet Knights lately, but I have to train until I’m a good vanguard”

“Uh, yeah!? Up to such a place!?”

“You won’t be able to make it in time”

“Th, That’s right……”

Lantz and I give our condolences. There’s no offense to Anzeros, but the training she gives Boyd is rather intense.

“Anzeros, let’s finish it by the time we have breakfast”

“Boyd, don’t die!”

“Eh, little, Lantz-san, 10-man captain Smithson!?”

While listening to the sound of an ogre being blown away with a smile, Lantz and I went down to wash our faces.

————————–

“Good”

Of course, I didn’t come to Renfangas empty-handed. Before leaving Polka properly, Dianne suggested that everyone prepare winter clothes.

“If you wear this, you won’t have any problem with a little cold”

“It’s not cool, though”

“N, Noisy”

As pointed out by Keiron, it wasn’t cool. What we procured in Polka was a cold clothing for hunters to hunt in the snow. Its guaranteed with cold protection, but to be honest, it’s too much and it’s not a cool picture on a dragon.

“Then Maia, I, white clan head Irina will bless you. Bless all the creatures. With the power and will of the dragon, hopefully we will be in peace here”

Irina is blessing Maia. It’s only in shape, but it seems important that 「Irina」 give permission to rampage to Maia.

“Smithson-dono, I will bless you!”

“Yes”

Irina grants me and Maia permission to smash the disturbing monsters. It doesn’t matter if I’m the dragon owner and it seems that it stands out as an action of the investigation. So, it is the continuation of yesterday′s monster subjugation that was left to do because of the cold. The plan is to wipe out the remaining monsters around here so that Catalina can rest assured even if we leave the monsters alone for a while. No, I just decided to say it was a plan.

“Dianne Special Duty Corps members”

Then the mayor comes to the place where we are preparing.

“Mayor”

“May I? I’d like to talk to you a little bit”

“I will report the current situation to Rennesto, if you don’t mind……and I was entrusted with a matter I wanted to ask”

“?”

“The easternmost fort in our country, about six days east of here……do you know about Ghibli Fortress?”

“More or less”

It should be the fortress farthest from Rennesto, with the Great Knight Annette.

“If possible, I want to send support there. That’s the most fierce battle ground. I don’t wish for direct support from the Blue Dragon, but if we can send Red Arms a little bit, it will be easier”

It will soon be understood without any commentary from Dianne or Lord Buster. Yes, even if there is no direct dragon attack, the dragon will support them……a morale boost that will be tremendously encouraging for frontline soldiers.

“In other words, once we go to Rennesto, we carry reinforcements to Ghibli Fortress……?”

“If possible. It’s just a request and I’m sorry that I can’t give you much reward here”

“…………”

I calculate in my head. Is it a horse or a 6-day walk, and how far is it in Maia’s wing equivalent? ……I can’t really calculate, but Renfangas is much narrower than Celesta or Trot, so on Maia′s wings it’s not time-consuming. Will Dianne be reluctant? No, Dianne and Laila said, 「Show the power of the dragon and install cooperation」. Now, there is no definite element to cooperate with.

“Understood”

I will accept the request. ……I was just interested in that place, called Ghibli Fortress. I wanted to see a 「Fortress」 that was seriously built in Renfangas, who creates a building like Catalina just as an experimental defense facility.

“However, tell Rennesto to prepare a carriage or a box-shaped thing to board, as the reinforcements will be held by the dragon”

“Understood. Hey, tell the communication magician about that quickly”

———————

Because it is a schedule change, I try to recruit people who follow me.

“I’d better stay here until Dianne-san returns……”

“I’m the same”

“Ah, Boyd cant leave too. We train in the afternoon”

“Hii!?”

Ace Knight group & Boyd remain. Other men also seem to want to rest and decline.

“What about Almeida and the others?”

“Can I go?”

“Ahaha, well, we don’t seem to be very useful here”

“No, I’m not going to take a break? I’m not going to go to Ghibli without any special purpose, as it’s not really interesting because I’m not going to go to Ghibli and do a full throttle battle”

“Naris, you’re too honest”

Tetes and Almeida will follow.

“If it’s about fighting or avoiding, it’s the duty of a hero to fight”

Naia seems to follow too.

“I’d like to see the fortress, which Renfangas is proud of”

“Yes Yes, Irina-chan rashness is not good☆”

Of course, Irina and Hilda are also there. Apple, who is afraid of heights, can’t fly so often, so she’s out of question. So.

————————————-

“It’s just 10-man captain Smithson from the special duty corps member”

“……If you say that”

“Okay, it’s a mission, I’ll keep you safe, so don’t worry, Andy Smithson”

“As long as there’s nothing really going on, Smithson-san will be protected by the dragon”

“E, Enthusiasm!”

“Because there is no turn for the spear woman. Andy-sama, I will protect you”

“Don’t quarrel, because we don’t plan to fight like that. If the terrain and circumstances seem to fine for Maia to help, she just blows her breath a little and then we come back”

“Terrain……?”

“You can’t breathe close to your allies, because Maia′s breath spreads a lot”

We arrived at Rennesto while chatting. When we landed carefully in the courtyard of Rennesto′s castle, Lord Buster made a strange face.

“……What, where is Irina-dono and Dianne-dono?”

“Both of them are inconvenient, so I’m the one who’s going to be the one to help”

“And it’s still cool at this time”

“……Just to be sure, the blue dragon is spitting ice”

“Ye, Yes. Well is that the carriage you want us to sent. Alright”

It was a fairly large carriage that had been placed. To pull it you need five or six horses.

“Is everyone on board”

“Yes. Don’t let it fall, because the elite is in it”

“Understood”

I let Maia grab the carriage and take off again.

—————————-

Although Catalina was left at about nine o’clock in the morning, Maia’s wings were indeed fast. By noon, we had reached a location where we could see the Ghibli Fortress.

“Is it okay to be over there, Tetes?”

“Perhaps. I haven’t been there so often”

“Do you know when we arrive?”

As expected, there were a lot of monsters on the way. Although it was still daytime, I couldn’t hear any stuttering voices, but it was still a reckless number to be able to set up a team with an odd strength.

“Is this Ghibli fortress……”

While swirling in the sky, I gasp from the sight of that majestic appearance. Originally a mountain with complex terrain……or rather, it is a complex fortress with a structure consisting of stone walls on a terrain with strangely shaped rocks. It is designed to allow a small number of people to enter the gap between the walls, which look like a small room and make a concentrated attack. And using the terrain, many warriors were actually fighting. Some were surprised to see a blue dragon flying in the sky with some room, but the majority were so busy fighting the monsters in front of them that they couldn’t afford to look up.

“……Andy Smithson, let me help them”

“Wait, Almeida. Let’s put this carriage down first”

“After one second, it’s one second too late. ……I’ll hear you later!”

Almeida can’t wait for the fight and jumps down from Maia. Though I thought it was still high, Almeida killed her falling speed while turning her iron cane and descended to the battlefield dexterously, while jumping triangularly on the strangely shaped rocks.

“As usual irresponsible utterance……”

“Okay. We’ll work too, 10-man captain Smithson”

Tetes is not moving at all. What if I could do that up to Tetes?

I measure the area around the inner citadel of Ghibli Fortress and let Maia land there. The soldiers were confused by the dragon’s appearance, but a man who seems to be the fortress commander appeared and calmed the surrounding soldiers. A lizardman. I feel that he is neat in the standing behavior, but I feel that he is a little odour in the attitude whether he shrinks when it is indeed against the dragon.

“Welcome, Celesta……no, elf territory dragon”

It’s better not to travel here. I whisper to Chibi Maia and let Maia speak.

“Hearing a friend’s request, I came to lend a hand”

“Th, Thank you……”

“I want you to receive a souvenir”

Maia lowered the carriage. And the door of the carriage opens.

“Is this Ghibli fortress?”

“It looks robust”

“It looks difficult to attack. It’s good that Renfangas is not an enemy”

From inside, men in armor appear one after another. When I think they′re elite Gauntlet Knights, that’s not the case. However, their appearances were familiar.

“……A, Aaa……!”

As I raise my voice from above the dragon, a bearded man in deep red armor looks at me and smiles grinningly.

“It’s a coincidence”

“……100-man commander……Grants!”

Men’s cape dances in the strong wind. It was a strange picture, though it should have been disturbed by the wind. Looking back at the Sword Saints behind him, 100-man commander Grants says in a good mood.

“Now, let’s start after a long time, everyone. There seems to be a noisy Celesta person here. ……It’s been a long time since we’ve been 『Sword Saints』, so let’s protect this fortress”