A kind-hearted angel, maybe?

The dwarven nation's border was a sturdy stone fortress, visible even from a distance.

Kind of like the Great Wall of China, maybe? Except this wall is apparently made from a single piece of stone.

"What do you think? This massive monolithic structure is one of the most famous landmarks in the dwarven nation."

"Ooh, it's definitely impressive that it's this big without even using concrete."

"It's said the late first king created it with magic."

Oh right, magic exists in this world. So maybe it wasn't that difficult after all?

Though I suppose it must have been challenging enough to become a legend.

Anyway, we arrived at the border in our magitech car.

Carriages were lined up at the border entrance… A queue? It's really long.

"We're getting a lot of stares, Dea-kun…"

"Well, it's a horseless carriage. It's definitely unusual."

Dea-kun, who had a hand in creating it, looked rather proud.

Then Aishia leaned out the window to get a look at what was happening up ahead.

"Master. This line might take quite a while."

"Hm, why's that?"

"The merchants up front have pitched tents. The inspection might be suspended."

"Ugh, seriously?"

If that's the case, then simply waiting wouldn't get us into the dwarven nation.

In our case, we could claim to be staying inside the car while actually lounging around in our storage space base, so waiting as long as needed wasn't a problem. But still, I didn't want to wait indefinitely without any idea when things would start moving.

"What could've caused this situation?"

"I don't know. Should I go find out?"

"When it comes to gathering information, bards are the experts… Can I count on you?"

"Yes! Leave it to me!"

With that, Aishia grabbed her glockenspiel and hopped out of the car, heading toward the front of the line.

She was already exchanging information, it seemed.

"An ogre with an iron club, a bard with an instrument… Aishia really does have great communication skills."

"You can't be a bard if you can't communicate. Shall I do some maintenance on the car while we wait?"

"It's being moved by Spatial Magic, so it hasn't really been running. I think it's fine?"

"I've come up with a control mechanism, so this is prep work for installing it!"

"I learned a lot from studying the golem's mechanisms," Dea-kun said as he started tinkering with the engine.

Dea-kun really does love making mechanical Magic Tools like this. I love it too.

But the line really wasn't moving at all… With nothing else to do, I passed the time reading my alchemy textbook on medicinal recipes.

Time passed leisurely, and Aishia returned.

"Welcome back. Did you find out anything?"

"Apparently a dangerous monster appeared inside the country. Everyone lined up here is waiting to go through immigration once it's safe again… Though it seems you can enter at your own risk if you want. What should we do?"

"Huh, what kind of monster?"

"A Thunder Dragon, apparently."

Oh. A dragon… A dragon!

Now that's romantic! And thunder means electricity!

"Aishia-san, do you know how long it would take for things to be safe if we just left it alone?"

"Well, the national army is being deployed, so… hmm, maybe about a week until they subjugate it?"

If it's just that long, we might as well keep lounging around. That'd be the smart move if we don't want to stand out.

"… Onee-san, could you take it down?"

"Hm? I think so, easily enough. Why do you ask?"

"Even for the dwarven army, fighting a dragon means there will probably be casualties. If possible, it would be better if you handled it so no one dies…"

"I see."

Aww, Dea-kun is so precious. Worrying about dwarves he doesn't even know…!

"Are you a kind-hearted angel, maybe?"

"N-no, that's not it. If there are lives that can be saved, wouldn't you want to save them?"

"Especially when you have both the means and the ability to do so, right?"

"Dea-sama is truly so kind. You're too radiant for me to look at directly."

Aishia covered her eyes with both hands. I get it.

No, I mean, it's not like I think people dying needlessly is fine either.

"Alright, I'll do it. For you, Dea-kun."

"! Thank you, Onee-san!"

"I offer my thanks as well, Master. Please help my dwarven brethren."

Seeing how happy Dea-kun looked made both me and Aishia feel warm and fuzzy.

Then a thought occurred to me.

"Hey, since I'm granting Dea-kun's request, I'd like some kind of reward from you, you know?"

"A reward? Yes, I'll do anything within my power."

Hm? Did you just say anything?

Hehehe, maybe I should think of something a little naughty to ask for. Like letting me nibble on your ears.

"… Oh. Do dragons transform into human form?"

"I've heard of dragon-type beastkin, but dragons transforming is just fairy tale stuff."

It's funny that fairy tales exist in a world that's already fantasy, but that's just between us.