The next day, as I was making breakfast, my stepfather woke up earlier than usual.

“Lark, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Yes, what is it?”

I stopped cooking and turned around to see him with a serious expression on his face. His usually intimidating face seemed even more so.

“Lark, because it’s you, you might have noticed, but it seems like the guys from the Holy Kingdom have been looking for you recently.”

“Yes, I was warned by a god yesterday about that. Apparently, the god the Holy Kingdom worships took an interest in me.”

“As expected of Lark, to receive a warning from a god first… So, Lark, you’re still on spring break, right? I think it would be better if you’re not in this country for a while. How about going on a trip somewhere?”

“A trip… you say?”

“Ah, I have something to do at the guild, so I can’t go, but it might be a good idea for you to head to the Kingdom of LeBlanc with Rin-chan.”

A trip… that’s certainly plausible. Regarding the store… given the circumstances, it can’t be helped. I feel sorry for Naraba-san and others, but if I explain the situation, they should understand.

“That sounds good. I’ll talk to Rin later, and if she agrees, we’ll go to the Kingdom of LeBlanc together.”

“Yeah, if anything happens, the king of LeBlanc should be able to help. Right now, with Ars and the others away, it’s probably safer in the Kingdom of LeBlanc.”

Right, Ars-san and the others haven’t returned from their trip yet. I could probably get in touch with Fia-san or Idel-san, but I’d feel bad to call them back when they’re enjoying themselves.

As I was talking with Father, Rin came into the living room, so I explained the situation and asked if she would like to go to LeBlanc.

“I’d like to go to the Kingdom of LeBlanc, too!”

With Rin cheerfully hopping up and down in agreement, our spontaneous trip was set. But how should we get to LeBlanc… Just as I was pondering this, the doorbell rang.

“If it’s someone from the Holy Kingdom, it could be dangerous. I’ll go.”

Father went to the entrance as he said this, and quickly returned with Asura. So, Asura was the one who rang the bell.

“I heard from Guldo-sama, Lark-kun, are you coming to LeBlanc to hide?”

“Yeah. It seems that I’m being targeted by people from the Holy Kingdom, so I thought I’d stay away from the capital until the heat dies down.”

“… Now that you mention it, I have noticed an increase in people dressed in white lately. Well then, since you’re coming, why don’t you stay at my house? I’m sure my mother and others will welcome you.”

“Sure, thank you. But, can I go to my grandparents’ house first? If I don’t seize this opportunity, I won’t be able to see them much.”

“I understand. Then, I’ll bring my attendants and come back later. Oh, I was supposed to receive a request at the guild with Leticia-san today, can I invite her too?”

“Wow! Yes, please do. But you might want to get permission from Leticia-san’s parents too.”

Asura nodded with a smile and left the house. Then, about an hour later, he returned with Leticia and his usual attendant.

Leticia spoke with a sympathetic voice, “I heard from Asura-kun. It sounds tough for you, Lark-kun.”

“Yeah, but we’re all going on a trip together, so I’m surprisingly enjoying it.”

After responding with a bitter smile, I turned to Father. “Well then, I’ll be going. If anything happens, I’ll come back right away, so please let me know.”

“Yeah, I’ll relay any messages to guildmaster. There might also be people from the Holy Kingdom in LeBlanc, so be careful.”

Responding to my stepfather’s advice with an “Okay!” we used Asura’s retainer’s teleportation magic and teleported in front of my grandfather’s house.

The sudden appearance of us startled the gatekeeper, who drew his sword, but upon seeing my face, he cried out, “Lark-sama!” and rushed into the mansion. 

Several seconds later, my grandparents emerged from the entrance to greet us. After exchanging greetings with my grandparents and explaining that we were staying in Leblanc due to being targeted by the Holy Kingdom, they responded with a pained expression, “That must have been difficult for you.”

After a brief conversation inside the mansion, we then teleported to the castle of Leblanc. Upon our arrival at the castle, Asura was the first to speak. “Lark-kun has been here several times, but this is the first time for Rin-san and Leticia-san, so I’ll guide you.”

“Thank you, Asura-kun.”

“Nice to meet you, Asura-san.”

A few minutes into Asura’s castle tour, we ran into Diblo, the king of this country.

“Ah, Lark, you’re just in time. Come with me. Asura, I’m borrowing Lark.”

No sooner had Diblo said this, than he grabbed me by the collar and I was dragged off without having a chance to speak. He took me to his office. Sitting me down on a sofa, I finally managed to ask, “Why did you only take me here?”

“Because I have something to discuss with you, Lark. For now, read this letter.”

Diblo handed me a single piece of paper as he said this. The letter was from Ars.

“What’s this…

‘Hi Lark, if you’re reading this letter, it means you’re targeted by the Holy Kingdom, retreated to Leblanc, and were found and dragged here by Diblo’

… Ars, isn’t this a bit too much of a prediction…?”

“Well, Ars is always thinking several steps ahead. He probably wrote this letter when he found out on his journey that the Holy Kingdom was targeting you.”

“…But where did he get such information in the first place?”

“Who knows? But he was an adventurer who traveled to various countries, he probably maintains connections with the people he met during that time. After all, that’s how I got to know him.”

I see, that’s why Ars knows so many people. I continued reading the letter, astounded by what was written.

“Ars is truly remarkable in many ways.”

“What does it say?”

“In summary, it says that Ars’s subordinates and my uncle are secretly gathering information in the Holy Kingdom, so for now, just enjoy your trip.”

“He’s always quick to act… well, here in Leblanc, both the Guild Master and I are watching out for anyone coming from the Holy Kingdom, so you can rest assured.”

“Thank you.”

After thanking Diblo, I put the letter in my “Useful Box” and discussed the future a bit before leaving the room. I then rejoined Asura and the others and was shown the rooms where we would be staying. Each guest room was separately prepared, furnished with a bed, table, and sofa, providing a comfortable atmosphere.

Leticia and the others wanted to continue touring the castle, so we parted ways for a bit. I went to each room and took out Leticia and Rin’s luggage that I had stored in the “Useful Box” in advance.

Just then—

“…Lark, why are you in Leblanc?”

“Wha-! You startled me…”

Suddenly, Shafal, who was inside me, started talking.

Even though Shafal can now take on a human form, it consumes a vast amount of magical power each time he transforms, so he doesn’t live in human form and ends up spending most of the time inside me.

(“Don’t just start talking out of nowhere, Shafal. And why are you…wait, have you been asleep until now?”)

(“Indeed, I have. Sleeping feels good, you see.”)

…He’s becoming more and more of a useless dragon. Is this okay for a legendary dragon? As I was thinking this, I conveyed the events of the past day to Shafal.

(“I see… that country is quite cunning, so it’s right that you didn’t confront them and fled instead.”)

(“Shafal, you know about the Holy Kingdom?”)

(“Yeah. It’s better not to get too close to that country. Even those who were born there, if they’re wise, they’d cut their losses and leave the country as soon as possible.”)

(“…Is it that bad of a country?”)

(“Yup. I despise that country. If you wish to crush it, Lark, I will lend you my power.”)

It’s unusual for Shafal to express his opinion so strongly. I wonder if something happened in the past?

(“I don’t intend to crush it for now…but if you say so, Shafal, I guess I could at least start preparing? It might be a needless worry.”)

The moment I said this lightly, Shafal appeared in his humanoid form. “Okay, understood. Then, I shall start gathering my followers now.”

As soon as he said this, Shafal flew out of the window.

“Hey, wait! … He’s already that far.”

I rushed to the window in a panic, but all I could see was the figure of Shafal, having transformed back into a dragon, flying towards a distant mountain.

“But what does he mean by followers? What is he planning to do?”

Maybe he intends to bring many dragons of the same kind as him. If this imagination turns into reality, this country will undoubtedly be plunged into chaos. …I should report this to Diblo-san just in case.

I left the guest room and headed again to the room where Diblo was. When I told him about the situation, he started to ponder with a “Hmm”.

“So the followers of the Silver Dragon… does this mean that those legendary beasts are coming…”

“Eh? Diblo-san, you know about this?”

“Well, yeah. It would be more fun to see what kind of magical beasts are coming when they actually arrive.”

Diblo said in a grandiose way and didn’t tell me anything else.