Upon arriving in the demonic city, thanks to the assistance of a passing, kind-hearted dragon, we found ourselves in a city located high above a valley, a place said to be governed by a high-ranking demon.
“Are you sure it’s safe to eat these things?”
“Perhaps it might look a bit unsettling to other species, but think about it. The demon realm doesn’t even have a blue sky—it’s red.”
“That’s true, but…”
Though it was indeed a city of demons, it wasn’t particularly a slum or a crime-ridden place.
It simply felt like an ordinary city, except that the residents had rather unique appearances.
But that was just the feeling.
Once I made my way to the market, it became clear why this was a demon city.
I had come here specifically for fresh fruits, as the village near the castle had limited options.
Yet the fruits here seemed like they would make me as sick as a beer bottle if I tried to eat them.
They looked unappetizing, to say the least.
“Usually, apples aren’t twisted and purple like that.”
“They’re a different variety, cultivated to suit the demon realm’s soil.”
The red sky of the demon realm is due to the properties of the magic present in the atmosphere.
Science explains that light scatters through transparent liquids and solids, sometimes making the sky appear blue, yellow, or red.
Perhaps that’s why these apples look like they were grown in some twisted abyss.
***
Flua looked at the fruits with a curious expression.
‘Did she want to try them?’
“Do you want to taste one?”
I pointed at a fruit that looked somewhat edible.
“If you half-closed your eyes, it resembled a bizarre tropical fruit.”
“According to the label, it was a banana, but since when did bananas come in blue with turtle-shell-like skins?”
“Then let’s give it a try.”
I had a feeling my appetite would drop if I stared at it any longer, but since we were here, it seemed like a good idea to try it at least once.
Fortunately, they sold one bunch for tasting.
“Wait, that fruit’s skin is as hard as steel. You’ll need a special tool to—”
“…Strangely, this banana tastes like vanilla.”
“I was worrying for nothing.”
“Would you like to try one?”
“No, thanks. I don’t like that fruit.”
Anyway, I split it in half to share with Flua.
Surprisingly, it tasted decent.
The seeds were large but not hard; instead, they were soft like jelly, giving it a fun texture.
“How do you like it, Flua?”
“It tastes better than it looks.”
“Right?”
Not only was the taste better than expected, but the banana’s flesh and seeds had a soft and sweet vanilla aroma, almost identical to vanilla beans.
Considering the price of vanilla beans is even higher than premium beef, it’s something I hesitate to buy.
But if these bananas are a decent substitute and aren’t much more expensive than other cities’ bananas, I might take a few back with me.
It would be perfect for making a cake later.
“For now, explore to your heart’s content. We’ll be heading somewhere else later today.”
Perhaps this is why people say not to judge by appearances.
At first, it felt like an orchard straight from the abyss, but now it looked like a paradise.
…Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration.
‘If possible, I’d prefer not to cross paths with any dragons…’
Arsep, upon seeing the two enjoying the demon city, felt somewhat relieved but couldn’t shake the memory of their journey here.
They had captured a dragon flying through the skies of the demon realm and forcibly made it carry them on its back.
The gatekeeper had assured them that they got the dragon’s consent, but it was more of a ‘physical request,’ so it still lingered in their mind.
‘I should have explained things in advance.’
In truth, Arsep’s reason for advising against bothering the dragon wasn’t simply because it was a powerful creature.
She knew that even if the dragon was strong, it would hardly pose a threat to her gatekeeper.
His powers were so mysterious that no one else could understand or analyze their nature.
A young dragon like the one they encountered wouldn’t stand a chance.
However…
‘If that particular dragon finds out, it could become an issue.’
After all, it was still a dragon, and as long as it wasn’t a notorious troublemaker in dragon society, today’s incident could become a serious problem.
Like demons, dragons have a hierarchy.
And because dragons are few in number, they often form exclusive groups, with each dragon in the vicinity of the demon realm reporting to a leader whom Arsep was familiar with.
‘Back in the day, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but now… if that dragon leader finds out about my current condition, it could cause a huge hassle.’
Dragons are known for retaliating in groups if one of their own is harmed by another species.
Though they weren’t always like this, one day, a dragon remarked:
“Isn’t it because we’re too isolated and don’t cooperate with each other that other species try to hunt us down?”
Dragons, though immensely powerful and often considered the strongest creatures, are not invincible.
When humans or demons form elite dragon-hunting squads, dragons sometimes find themselves on the defensive.
“So, if arrogant creatures like humans or demons ever dare harm one of us, we’ll show up together and crush them as an example.”
From then on, whenever another species threatened a dragon, they would descend upon that species’ city and leave it in ruins.
Just one dragon could require multiple opponents, so a group of dragons could spell disaster for humans or demons.
Thus, during the war between the human and demon realms, both sides avoided dragons at all costs.
But today, unaware of these circumstances, he had managed to provoke a dragon.
‘I doubt a proud dragon would report back just because of a few punches, but…’
That wasn’t entirely out of the question.
Dragons, known as the apex of dragon-kind, might just retaliate over being struck by a mere human.
Especially if it’s that guy who loves meddling and showing interest in others’ possessions, he might come here personally.
And indeed, Arsep’s worries became reality.
Leaving the red skies of the demon realm, a dragon flew across the blue sky over the middle of the sea.
Originally, its nest was on the outskirts of the demon realm, but today it had come to an island in the middle of the ocean, all because of what had happened.
The dragon’s reason for coming was simple.
It was here for revenge.
***
“That damned insect dared to treat me like a mount?”
Although it was truly humiliating, to bow down to some unknown demon and let them ride on its back was a disgrace that the dragon simply could not overlook.
“Let’s see if they can get away with this…”
Of course, it didn’t want to handle this alone.
So, it decided to bring along other dragons as well.
It wasn’t out of fear but rather to remind the demons of their place, as it seemed their discipline had grown lax recently.
Bright light suddenly shot up high into the sky from the island.
It was a signal, calling the other dragons, a light used when a fellow dragon was in need.
The other dragons saw this light.
***
Contrary to its intimidating appearance, the demon city felt like a paradise.
While the fairy city wasn’t bad, this place had various high-quality household and kitchen items.
Especially convenient was an automatic whisk.
Well, it wasn’t exactly a real automatic whisk but rather a drill that could be used as one.
By placing a magic-infused stone in it as a power source, it became small enough to serve as a whisk replacement.
Though I didn’t mind whisking by hand, it took time, and if I misjudged the force, things would splatter everywhere.
But with this, all those issues were solved.
I could probably even make a cake now.
“Flua, when we get back to the castle, I’ll make you a real cake. Look forward to it.”
“…Really?”
“Really. The milk and butter they sell here are of better quality than I expected, so we’ll have plenty of ingredients and tools when we leave.”
“Yay!”
Flua smiled brightly at the promise of cake.
Seeing her enjoy herself so much was endearing.
And considering she was indeed a child, it was only natural.
Meanwhile, Arsep let out a deep sigh.
“Are you alright?”
“I didn’t expect today to be a holiday… I finally found the place, only to realize it’s closed.”
Arsep’s disappointment stemmed from the fact that the shop she visited was closed.
It seemed like it sold books or rare items—likely what she needed, but the closed doors made it just a distant dream.
“We can just come back tomorrow.”
Fortunately, the shop would open the next day, so we decided to stay in the city for the night and come back.
“…True, but I wanted to leave this city as soon as possible.”
Arsep seemed eager to depart quickly.
“Why are you in such a rush to leave?”
Both Flua and I were enjoying our time here, so it was surprising that, as a demon, she seemed to dislike it.
Curious, I asked why.
“There’s a reason for it. Although, perhaps it’s just a needless worry. That guy does have his pride…”
She answered vaguely.
“Well, why don’t we find a place to stay? There should be an inn here, and it’d be best to find one before sunset.”
“Yes, that would be wise.”
Since we were staying for the night, securing a place to sleep was the first priority.
A city like this was bound to have an inn, so finding one shouldn’t be difficult.
But then—
“What’s wrong, Flua?”
As we searched for an inn, Flua suddenly turned and stared outside the city.
“Something… something big is coming.”
“Is it rain?”
“…Something’s coming?”
Hearing this, Arsep’s expression turned to shock.
Just as I was about to ask why she seemed so alarmed—
—”Air raid alert. All citizens are advised to evacuate immediately.”
“Air raid alert?”
A strangely familiar siren began to echo throughout the city, followed by a broadcast urging everyone to evacuate.
Whatever was happening seemed urgent enough to call for a full-scale evacuation.
From the looks of it, it could be due to war.
If it’s an air raid alert, then something must be approaching from the sky…
‘Could it be some kind of airship?’