A Demon Lord’s Tale: Dungeons, Monster Girls, and Heartwarming Bliss

To the Dwarf Village (1)

A few days later…

I, Nell, and Lyuu bid farewell to everyone who would not be coming with us to the Dwarf Village. By the way, Enne was also joining us on this trip.

"Well, I'm off then! Call me right away if you need anything. I'll be back immediately." (Yuki)

"There might be messengers coming over to look for me, do contact me if they arrive! I have already asked Rir to watch over people who might arrive in the forest." (Nell)

"We don't have anything special in my hometown, but I'll bring you some souvenirs! Please look forward to it!" (Lyuu)

"Hmm… I'll also bring something that catches my eyes." (Enne)

"Well, if something happens here, I'll let you know as soon as possible. So, enjoy the trip and don't worry about us." (Lefi)

"""Have a good trip.""" (Layla, Shii, Illuna)

We left the house after being seen off by the members of our family.

***

The purpose of this trip was to visit a Dwarven village.

So, the first place we headed for was the Rogard Empire.

It seemed that there was not much difference between the Allysia Kingdom and the Rogard Empire in terms of the distance to the Dwarven homeland, but only the Rogard Empire provided airships to get there.

Allysia Kingdom also purchased a few airships along with engineers, but they were mainly using them for domestic deployment and had not yet completed the route to foreign countries.

The Rogard Empire, on the other hand, was mostly colonized, so it prioritized flexibility to foreign countries rather than domestic deployment, which was why it extended its routes to the defeated countries in the war.

However, since the Rogard Empire could function as a transit point for a long time to come, it was not without economic advantage.

In fact, it could be said that the Rogard Empire would gain a definite advantage over other countries in the future.

To make that country a place where various races resided, the King of Demons had been doing a good job in those areas.

With airships, the humans had gained wings, and the world of mankind expanded considerably.

The Elrene Confederation could be said to have moved the world forward by one step.

We were approaching the waiting area for airships in the Rogard Empire. When Lyuu heard that we would be using an airship for transportation, she muttered while showing a face similar to a person who hates roller coasters.

"I thought we were going on a trip together, so I said yes… but an airship again?" (Lyuu)

It seemed that she was slightly traumatized because she had been motion sick when she rode it before.

"Haha, well, you'll get used to it and recover from the sickness in the second half, won't you? Don't worry, you won't get motion sick this time as long as you don't get nervous. Also, I've prepared Sobering medicine just in case." (Yuki)

"… Sobering medicine?" (Lyuu)

"Right, so you'll be fine. If you worry too much, you'll just end up getting dizzy." (Yuki)

"That's right, Lyuu. Motion sickness is often caused by your mood. If Onii-san says you will be fine, then you should just take it easy and think that you will be fine. This will actually lessen symptoms." (Nell)

As we talked like that, Enne, who was sitting next to me on the bench, tilted her head curiously.

"Getting dizzy is the same as getting drunk on alcohol, right?" (Enne)

"No, it's the same sensation, but it's not quite the same thing. Getting drunk with alcohol makes you feel more comfortable, but getting nauseous in a vehicle like this simply makes you feel sick. Well, unless you've experienced both, you might not understand." (Yuki)

"…I'd like to try a drink." (Enne)

"That's for when Enne is older. Nell, Lyuu, how old do you think Enne should be before she can drink?" (Yuki)

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"Uh… I don't know. I don't want her to drink too much alcohol, but… I don't think Enne would have a problem with how much she drinks…" (Nell)

I guess so.

I knew this was completely imaginary, but I thought she might be the strongest drinker in our family.

After all, Enne had a special constitution… when it comes to drinking, the closest that could follow would be Illuna, though that would be when she grows up, I think?

"Well… that would be fine." (Yuki)

Illuna was the only one among the group of young girls who could be considered a normal child.

As she grows up, Enne and Shii may want to reach that part of their lives as well.

I looked forward to the day when we could have a drink together.

"Also, I heard that Onii-san is now an emperor… but… did you really become the emperor?"

Nell muttered as she looked around.

This airship waiting station, which was built near the emperor's castle – there were dozens of soldiers guarding our perimeter at the moment.

Most of them were demons, with a few elves, beastmen, and humans mixed in.

When I came here, I told a demon official who knew my face that I wanted to use the airship, and an escort followed me without exception.

They were supposed to accompany us to the Dwarven village.

I didn't need them… but they said that an emperor of a country could not travel with his family alone.

I knew I was strong, but if I said, "Well, I don't need an escort", the official would probably beg me to reconsider, or he might get dismissed from his position.

…We agreed that if it was only for transportation on the way, then it should be fine for them to come along.

But still, human soldiers to protect me?

I wondered if they were getting a little more civilized.

By the way, it seemed that there were other guests besides us.

Since the ship was going to a Dwarven village, the largest number of passengers were dwarves, followed by beastmen and then humans.

We were greeted and exchanged words with several people who seemed to be high-ranking officials from their respective countries.

I was sure there would be more opportunities like this in the future.

It was a hassle, but I'd better get used to it.

I was just thinking to myself, but then someone mentioned, "Oh, if it isn't the Emperor."

"It's rare to find a ruler who doesn't look like a King. No, not a king, but an emperor."

"Oops, you are talking to our husband, right?" (Nell)

"Well, we, Nell, and of course, Enne and everyone else love the current master!" (Lyuu)

"Yes, yes, that's to be expected." (Nell)

"You guys are getting stronger, aren't you?" (Random Mob)

"We've been training a lot at home, you know." (Lyuu)

"That's because of our husband's training." (Nell)

They were smiling at me, and I couldn't say anything.

As we were chatting away our spare time like this, we soon began to hear a sound like the roar of an engine in the distance, and then the figure of an airship appeared in the sky.

Passengers began to disembark one after another as soon as the ship stopped in front of the waiting area, and the maintenance crews that had been standing by began their maintenance work.

Hmm, it's well organized, wasn't it?

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After that, it was around 30 minutes before boarding began.

We also boarded the ship, following the directions, and were shown to our rooms.

"Well, Your Majesty. If you need anything, please let us know immediately. We will make sure that someone will be there to assist you." (Soldier)

One of the guards, a female soldier of the demon tribe, said so.

The room we were taken to was as luxurious as the one we had been taken to on our previous airship to the village of the Sheep Horn Clan.

It was the so-called VIP room.

This ship was also built to the specifications of a passenger ship – or perhaps all ships were built this way, except for military ships.

"Thank you very much. Please let me know if there are any strong monsters appearing and approaching the ship as well. I hate to say it this way, but it would be more helpful if you relied on us than if you had to deal with it all by yourselves." (Yuki)

"Yes! Thank you, Your Highness! I know of Your Majesty's strength from the war, and I hope I can count on you in that case!"

After saying this, she bowed respectfully and left.

"…Onii-San, the woman just now, she had a sparkle in her eyes, didn't she? It was like she was a female fan who got to meet a famous person." (Nell)

"Yes, yes, really. Aren't you quite a celebrity, my husband?" (Lyuu)

I hurriedly explained to my two wives, who were staring at me with a stern look in their eyes.

"Wait a minute, if you guys don't like it, I'll ask them to go away, okay? I didn't say I wanted an escort this time either, I just accepted it because they insisted…" (Yuki)

"Hahaha, we're kidding! I'm not in such a panic. Don't worry, I know exactly what happened." (Nell)

"Our husband likes to take care of everything for us, after all, doesn't he?" (Lyuu)

Nell leaned in with a smile and a giggle, while Lyuu leaned in on the other side.

The comforting weight and scent of my wives.

It was the best sensation. I could say that this was paradise on earth.

"…Lately, I feel like there are more and more factors that make me think I can't beat you guys." (Yuki)

"Hmph, women are strong! Right, Lyuu?" (Nell)

"I'm still learning about being a [woman], though. Every day, I'm trying to learn from Nell, Lefi and Layla about their strengths." (Lyuu)

"Well, I think Lyuu is pretty enough, as a girl." (Nell)

Incidentally, Enne seemed more interested in what's going on outside than what we're doing during this time, and she's looking out the window, watching the preparations for launch.

This was the third time in total that she had been on an airship, but she still found it interesting and unusual.

"So, Onii-san, I don't know much about the situation. Why did you decide to go to the Dwarves' village and the Beastmen's village this time? I heard that you promised to do so in the Rogard Empire, but that's not all, is it?" (Nell)

To this question, Lyuu, not me, replied.

"It's about that, right? He's been wondering about that myth, hasn't he? You know what that was? Something about the myth was bothering him a little, right? The reason the husband looked like he was deep in thought, I heard a little about it from Lefi." (Lyuu)

"Myth…? Why, all of a sudden?"

Nell looked at me curiously.

"I'm a Demon Lord. I'm the master and administrator of the dungeon, but I don't think I know much about it. I didn't care before because it's just the way it is, but… well, I got curious. After that, I heard about the myths of this world." (Yuki)

"So, you decided to go to the dwarves' village and the beastmen's village?" (Nell)

"Right, you learn many things by going to different places, don't you? I really want to meet that person though, the Spirit King, but I heard he is very unpredictable and waiting in the dungeon is the most likely way to meet him, so I thought I'd go where I can go and ask the people at that place about it." (Yuki)

"The king of spirits… I think he was an acquaintance of Lefi's who came when I was away, right?" (Nell)

"Yes, he's an old man with incredible power, as powerful as Lefi. Well, if your curiosity has been piqued, I guess there's nothing we can do about it! Well, we'll be happy to indulge your curiosity." (Lyuu)

"I don't get out of the country very often, so I'm looking forward to going along with you."

While we were talking, the airship seemed to be ready to launch. The engine seemed to be ignited, a slight vibration occurred, and a feeling of floating enveloped our bodies.

-and so the air travel began.