And so, it seemed that we had considerably advanced further while I was enjoying fluffing him to the point when I looked back, the demon lord’s castle was completely out of sight.

Beyond the vast grounds of the demon lord’s castle. Ahead of its walls, we passed through the town near the castle where various demons gathered. Then, further through the enchanted forest that surrounded it, constantly bewitching creatures with its illusions.

It would normally take two days for carriages used by humans, but Azel was still going fast.

Across the fields. Across the mountains. Across the valleys. Across towns. Across the back of a bugbear taking a nap. Even when Azel had stepped on the shell of a kanikilos1kanikirosu (カニキロス) – probably a crab lol, he still ran on foot.

He single-mindedly ran, and in a blink of an eye, I could see the ocean beyond the mountains.

Would it really be this fast if you went on straight ahead? I was so deeply moved that I became elated to the extent which was unusual for me.

“Wow, you’re amazing, Azel. It hasn’t even been half a day and I can already see the sea. It seems like I’ll be able to leisurely eat the lunch that Maruo gave me yesterday.”

“! Aroooooo!”

“Woah…!”

Every time I praised Azel, his speed went up and up.

He seemed to be too much of the type who grows when praised, but my eyes were also gleaming, and I was so overjoyed that I couldn’t stop showering him with praises.

With that, Azel ran as fast as he could. I praised him. Azel ran.

Reisen said that the distance would make us arrive there by evening or so, but we were about to arrive there in just a few hours.

Well, it was really amazing.

Monsters didn’t attack us, of course, and it was a surprisingly peaceful trip.

That peaceful trip was coming to an end, and as we were descending the last small mountain, I could see the interior of the bulwark near the sea.

That was Svenmarina. The closer we got to that city, the more beautiful it proved to be.

Nearly all of the buildings had a clean exterior based on white, and the contrast between the sky and the sea was dazzling.

It seemed to be lively there too, seeing how various creatures filled the streets.

Flying jellyfish, mermans, sahagins2fish men, sometimes even with a mix of a turtle; walks on two feet, and other demons living by the sea went back and forth through shops and harbors.

I was looking forward to going over there, but I’d have to wait until Azel finished the inspections. It would surely be exciting just by looking at it.

‘Heheh,’ I let out a giggle as we finished descending the mountain and took a straight path.

—Hm, however.

“Hey, Azel. If you don’t stop soon, you’re going to crash into the city gate.”

“Woof! Wooof!”

Uhhmm… I’m sorry. It’s impossible for me to decipher what you’re saying even if you made a fierce sound with a feeling of, “Just leave it to me.”

Azel didn’t seem to slow down even though we were getting closer and closer to the city, so I called out to him in trouble. However, I was a human being who didn’t understand the monster language in his reply.

Meanwhile, the entrance to the city looms right in front of us, and we’re about to crash! Or so I was thinking, but at that moment.

Shudder.

“H-Hiee–”

The giant carrying me leapt up with great force and fluttered over the city wall.

I felt my insides rise due to an unexpected event and let out a strange voice for a moment.

However, Azel ran through the air at a buoyant speed, generating a small foothold in the air with a defensive wall parallel to the ground.

He generated it several times to match his running speed and hopped lightly over the city.

It was as if he was just attaching stickers, but… it was impossible for a human to generate defensive walls at that speed. Does the demon lord’s potential know no bounds?

He was still nimble as ever even when he was jumping around, so the demons in the city would only be able to recognize him as a black thing traversing in the sky.

However, in reality. I was enduring my insides tingling3tamahyun (たまヒュン) – the feeling you get when you look down from a tall building or when it is cold; it’s also the phenomenon where male testicles shrink due to some influence on the back of Azel, who was hopping around.

“Awa, wah, woaaaah…!”

“Aroo, aroo, arooooo!”

Ugh, howling in high spirits while being oblivious to how I’m feeling…! Aren’t you so cute, damn it…!

It was good to see Azel in a good mood. My insides were a noble sacrifice. Although my semicircular canals were also shaken.

I somehow endured as he searched for our destination while spinning around, and saw a fortress surrounded by high stone walls at the end of the coastline. That seemed to be the naval headquarters.

Hopping around in the air while howling, Azel would probably go directly to that place. Taking me along, who was groggy.

—Urgh, later, I’m going to fluff you around until you’re fed up with it, okay…!

I tried to complain just like how I thought about it in my mind, but I only let out a small sigh and clung to Azel with a slightly pale and troubled face.