It's their fault for misunderstanding

And just like that, we illegally crossed into the Empire. The oni village we're looking for? Right there.

… Seriously though, Arthur is fast. He covered a month's journey on foot in a single flight.

"I'm a Thunder Dragon after all!! It's been a while since I got to go all out!!"

"You still seem pretty chipper though? Got more in the tank?"

"Heh heh heh, when it comes to mobility, I won't lose to even you, Anego!"

"Oh? I can get from here to Tessin in a single step, on foot."

"… Sorry, I lose!"

Well, if Arthur's got that kind of mobility as a Thunder Dragon, then from now on we can put that front and center. It should be perfectly believable to say we made it from one town to the next in about a day. Way faster than the magitech car.

Now, riding a dragon straight into an oni village that's scared of dragons would be a bit much, so we landed quietly nearby and switched to walking.

I stored the container. Arthur shrank down too, taking up position at Dea-kun's feet as if to guard her.

In exchange for adding Misha to our party, I'd sent Aishia back to base. Even if I could protect her, taking her somewhere dangerous felt wrong, and it's a place she can come back from anytime anyway.

She was a bit reluctant about not being able to follow me, but I won her over by creating a window at the base that lets her peek over here. Same technique I used when tailing those pirates. Voice carries through too.

"Um, where did the half-dwarf go…? She was still in the box, right?"

"Yep. Now then, shall we go, Youki-chan?"

"W-wait, um…"

"She's just house-sitting. Don't worry about it. Now come on, let's go? You wanted something done about that dragon problem, right?"

"Y-yes… Miko-hime-sama, attendants, please follow me."

And so, with Youki-chan leading the way, I followed, then Dea-kun, then Misha.

A perfect formation for protecting a princess.

"Arthur, Misha, make sure you protect the princess properly!"

"Yes ma'am! Roger that, Anego!"

"You got it, nya! Leave it to me, nya! But if a dragon shows up, that's all you, nya!"

Ei, ei, oh! And like that, we were united as one.

"Um, princess… Onee-san, don't you have dwarven prince status yourself… No, never mind."

"Nya? Karina's a prince, nya?"

"Shh, it's a secret. Mie-chan made me a forged ID."

"Isn't that just a crime???"

How rude. It's a perfectly legitimate forged ID, properly issued through official procedures by the Dwarf Queen herself. For the record, in this case it's not the "ID" that's forged, it's the "identity."

The oni village was mostly wooden construction, encircled by a moat and wooden fencing. It had a somewhat Japanese feel to it, like a farming village from around the Warring States period.

"Miko-hime-sama, I'll go into the village first and explain. Please wait here for a moment."

Youki-chan said that while looking at us, so we waited in front of the village.

Of course, her gaze was directed at Dea-kun.

"I see, miko-hime, nya. Dea-chan is a princess after all, nya!"

"Exactly. Today, we're playing the part of attendants serving Dea-kun. Youki-chan definitely thinks that's the case, so play along, okay Misha?"

"So you're letting them misunderstand who's in charge, nya. That sounds fun, nya! Being Dea-chan's attendant beats being Karina's pet, so I'm in, nya!"

I knew my BFF would say that.

"Ehh… Um, ehh? Onee-san, Misha-san, I think it would be better to clear up this misunderstanding sooner rather than later…"

"It's their fault for misunderstanding, nyan. Besides, if they're plotting something, this misunderstanding could work in our favor, nya. Even if we do come clean, it should only be after we've judged them trustworthy, nya."

When Misha put it that way, Dea-kun conceded with a "Mgh, that's true."

In moments like this, Misha can be surprisingly shrewd.

Oh. That said, Misha still thinks the Five Elders are fakes, but that's just the Five Elders having fun messing with her. It's not that we don't trust her or anything.