<h4>Volume 4 Chapter 6: Dragon-san Worries About Her Friends</h4>


    As I watched Mikoto running out of the living room, the only thing I could do was shake my head in disbelief.


    「Well that didn’t go so well. Guess she really is still just a child.」


    Seeing how oddly calm Senjiro was upon seeing Mikoto act like that, we all couldn’t help but be amazed. We could also feel all of our energy leaving us.


    When the atmosphere got a little less tense, Kyle turned to Senjiro after putting his hand to his forehead in an exaggerated manner.


    「Senjiro. Let me just say this, but that was pretty insensitive of a thing to say.」


    「Umu. I’m aware of that.」


    Mikoto has been searching for her dear older brother for years, and when she finally found him he was together with Ligur, a woman who was really hard to get along with if you didn’t know her long enough.


    I’m sure it must have been pretty shocking to her and that she took it really bad.


    I too, had a lot of things to reflect on, but what about what Senjiro said?


    I looked at him, and he didn’t seem to be fazed by this situation in the slightest. However, what came as a surprise to me was the fact that he looked as though he was trying to hide his pain behind a mask of carefree attitude.


    「It’s so nice to finally be able to see someone from your own country. I’m d I could see Mikoto again, I didn’t think she would end uping here. It’s a shame that things got soplicated.」


    「Does your country impose any kind of restriction on its citizens when they are going abroad?」


    I asked, but Senjiro shook his head.


    「Not really, no. As long as you get all of the paperwork done right, you are basically free to go wherever you want. For me, it was departing on a trading ship that wasing here.」


    Senjiro put his hands into his sleeves as he continued.


    「I do believe I have mentioned that before, but the Eastern countries are different from the ones here. There are monsters appearing on the main roads and near cities almost on a daily basis, and that is why the Guardians and Shrine Maidens who defeat them are held in such a high regard.」


    「You were one such Guardians, Senjiro?」


    Senjiro nodded his head in confirmation, although his expression was aplicated one.


    「Our responsibilities...... Guardians are tasked with destroying any kind of physical threats, while the Shrine Maidens dispose of any spiritual dangers. However, since our duties are so important, it is unthinkable for a Guardian or a Shrine Maiden to suddenly up and leave the country.」


    Senjiro then sighed deeply and smiled bitterly.


    「People of the Eastern countries are usually not a bunch that would ever think of leaving their country. The Guardians and the Shrine Maidens protect the peace, so the idea of them going away is simply too outrageous for the people toprehend.」


    From his words alone, we could already piece together the whole picture surrounding their circumstances.


    「It’s not like people don’t like their homnd, just that some want to venture out and see the things that the world has to offer. But I’m the one who abandoned my own country, so I’m not exactly in any position toin. But maybe the times have changed since Mikoto, a Shrine Maiden, was allowed toe here. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m not going back.」


    We were sorry to hear that in order to fulfill his dream, Senjiro had to abandon his home and position. Still, he continued on.


    Even though I knew about his circumstances, it was amazing just what lengths Senjiro was ready to go through just so he could find Ligur here.


    「But, you are yet to make a proper contract with Ligur, right, Sen-san?」


    「That doesn’t really change anything. It was better to remain silent than speak up and make the situation worse.」


    Was I really thinking too much about it? I was embarrassed with myself and my own self-assurance.


    If he tells us something like that, there is nothing that we can really do about it.


    But, Kyle opened his mouth as if suddenly noticed something.


    「Say, does Lily know about your circumstances at all?」


    「Which part are we talking about?」


    「The part about you abandoning your homnd and not intending to ever go back there.」


    Senjiro moves his ears for a moment, as if trying to remember something.


    「I don’t think I have.」


    So Ligur doesn’t have a clue about what’s going on......?


    At first I didn’t understand the intention of Kyle’s question, but seeing Senjiro’s sour expression, I was slowly beginning to understand.


    「...... Senjiro, I think it would be best for you to follow after Ligur right away.」


    「Why would I do that?」


    Hearing Senjiro’s question, Kyle, who apparently reached the same conclusion as me, mmed his hand onto his forehead yet again.


    「Most likely, Lily thought that upon being reunited with your family, you would want to go back home together with them.」


    「Why!?」


    「Additionally, since you yourself weren’t bringing that subject up, she must have felt like it wouldn’t be wise to pry too much into your personal affairs.」


    But even so, that reaction was far too different from the Ligur I know.


    If she got the wrong idea, it was small wonder that she acted in the way she did.


    At that moment, Senjiro stood up from his chair.


    Indeed, he was the one who knew Ligur best.


    However, Senjiro’s grey tail was shaking nervously, as if something was bothering him.


    「But, Mikoto......」


    Yeah, both of them were important to him.


    「It would be truly unwise of you to go after Mikoto now.」


    「If you are worried about her, I can ask Aru to keep an eye on her. In the meantime, you go after Ligur. You’re the only one who can do this, Senjiro.」


    When both Kyle and I said that, Senjiro bowed his head to us.


    「Please excuse me. I need to find Ligur.」


    He then left the room, and Kyle and I could finally let out sighs of relief.


    「I feel so awfully tired for some reason.」


    「Yeah...... It was a whole lot of work. To be honest, I thought that they would never be able to understand one another.」


    Kyle looked as if he wanted to say something, but he ultimately decided to stay silent, as there was nothing that we could possibly do for them now.


    I was hoping that everything would eventually turn out alright, but I felt so tired that Iid down on top of the table.


    I would really like to rx in the hot springs, but at the moment it was virtually impossible.


    「Hey, Nectar –– why don’t we go out and have some fun ourselves......?」


    I was waiting with anticipation for his answer, but when it didn’te I raised my head only to see Nectar jotting something down furiously in his notepad.


    「Nectar?」


    「Ah, yes, what is it? Huh? Wait a minute? Mikoto-chan? Sen-san? Where have they gone?」


    「You......」


    Taking a look at Nectar’s notepad, it was filled to the brim with fresh notes written so tiny that you would have problems deciphering them. They must have been notes that Nectar took regarding the Eastern countries and the magic that Mikoto was using.


    Normally I would say that was too much, but currently I didn’t have any strength left to do even that.


    As Nectar continued to stare at us, both Kyle and I felt the rest our our strength leave us permanently.


    After that, I yed with Aru for a bit, since he was left all alone.


    I used my magic to create an artificial wave on theke’s surface, so that they all could y in the water and even surf if they wanted to.


    I originally prepared three water boards, but after Iori and Nectar dered they wanted in on the fun as well, we had to make some more and cast the spell all over again.


    Iori was well versed in creating various kinds of tools and machinery; Nectar was a master magician, so when they handed Aru the fruit of theirbined efforts, even I was getting all curious at what it would be like.


    But surprisingly enough, thebo of Marca and Vaas-senpai was something that you needed to watch out for.


    Under Marca’s precise direction, Vaas-senpai sshed water all over us all without mercy.


    Senpai was so fierce that initially Kyle and Elvie wanted to retreat to somece safe, but ultimately they were caught in the st as well.


    And you could see that Marca was finding herself fitting into her new role of the demoness just fine.


    Ah, I might want to rify that we were just ying around, ying a little game that was known around these parts as “Dragons and Sorcerers.”


    The game rules were simple: there were two groups – dragon and magicians. The magicians were trying to “calm down” the raging dragon, while the dragon was trying to “eat” all of the magicians. The stake was a pile of the dragon treasure.


    I wonder if us “magicians” are going to endure long enough for the “dragon” to eventually get tired and stop being so relentless.


    ...... How long are we going to let the dragon’s reign of terror continue?


    On a side note, Mikoto was swimming furiously across theke as a way to blow off some steam, but when invited, she yed together with us and currently was rxing in the water, ying with the swimming board.


    I was d that Mikoto was finally able to rx and have a goodugh together with her friends, instead of being depressed all on her own.


    However, both Ligur and Senjiro didn’t return, not even for dinner.


    I wasn’t all that worried about them, thinking that they might have just stepped outside of the barrier’s reach, hence bing unable to detect.


    But even Nectar was getting slightly worried.


    「I’m going to prepare dinner for Senjiro. That way, he can eat it whenever hees back.」


    「That’s right. If he’s being dragged around by Ligur, he’s bound to end up being hungry.」


    However, it was definitely weird that I wasn’t able to sense Senjiro’s magical waves.


    But the two of them must have had some reason for concealing their presences, and we just didn’t understand that reason.


    With that being said, that conversation came to an end.


    Upon confirming that the children all went to their respective rooms, I could finally go to the hot spring myself.


    Kyle was already out for the night and Nectar went back home to study all of the notes he had taken during the day.


    Before, it was Ligur who has been upying the springs almost the entire time, so now that she was gone, it was my chance to have a go at them myself.


    I already had ns made for tomorrow, so right now was my only real chance to enjoy the hot springs nice and slow.


    In awfully high spirits, I pranced into the changing room, took my clothes off and went right into the bathroom.


    But I could see that there was someone already here, amidst the hot steam.


    As I checked the silhouette of that someone, I smiled.


    「Oh, Ligur? I didn’t know you were back.」


    As if answering to me, the figurees closer, sending ripples through the hot water and shaking her long, golden hair.


    It was indeed Ligur, wearing a somewhat embarrassed look on her face.