The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 141

When my vision returned to normal, I found myself in the king’s chamber, a place I had visited before. The king was seated, and the same maid and middle-aged knight from before were waiting in attendance.

“Oh, Yuuma! It hasn’t been that long, but it’s been a while. I’m glad to see you’re well.”

As usual, the king greeted me in a friendly manner.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty. I’m glad to see you’re in good health as well.”

“Yes, yes. No need for such formalities. Take a seat.”

Urged by the king, everyone took their seats, and the maid poured tea for us.

“Uncle, these are Annie and Alice, B-rank adventurers from the group ‘Wings of Wind.’ They are members of Yuuma’s party.”

When Leanne introduced the two, they bowed their heads.

“Ah, I see. I appreciate both of you for getting along with Leanne. Also, thank you for working on behalf of the kingdom and its people. I’m counting on you both going forward.”

“Yes. We’ll do our best.”

“…We’ll do our best.”

Once again, the two bowed their heads.

“So, Your Majesty, I hear you want to ask me about the dragon?”

“Indeed. To be honest, it’s hard to believe. But according to reports gathered by the guild staff, there have been several eyewitness accounts.”

So there were other sightings…

“Did they confirm it was a dragon?”

“No, that’s unclear. Apparently, it was flying quite high in the sky, so they couldn’t make out what exactly was flying.”

“But we saw it up close… quite close.”

It felt like it was only tens of meters away.

“Master. I believe it likely reacted to your spiritual power.”

Did it come to check because it sensed someone with high magic power?

“Hmm… So, you guys saw it up close and judged it to be a dragon, right?”

“I wouldn’t know. But if AI-chan judged it to be a dragon, then that’s probably the case.”

“I see…”

The king began to think.

“Is there a problem? If it’s gone somewhere, can’t we just leave it be?”

“That’s true, but… hmm… Yuuma, could I ask you to take on a job?”

A job?

“You want me to go slay the dragon?”

“I wouldn’t ask something like that. I just want you to go check it out.”

Just check it out…?

“Um, how exactly am I supposed to find something whose location I don’t even know?”

“The thing that looked like a dragon flew west of the town of Celia, didn’t it? Just head west. Specifically, go as far as the border.”

If it’s crossed into another country, it’s no longer our problem.

“What about the military?”

“I don’t want to make this public. Dragons are an even greater taboo than demons.”

I knew it…

Everyone’s reactions had made me suspect that.

“You want me to go on an expedition in the middle of winter while I’m supposed to be resting? Honestly, I’m not up for it.”

“That’s it. You hate going on expeditions and camping out in the cold, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah, that’s true.”

Tents are cold, after all.

“Use Leanne.”

Leanne?

“Well, Leanne’s magic is amazing, but…”

“You’re thinking about it wrong. Using teleportation you head west during the day to investigate. Then, when evening comes, you teleport back home. The next day, you return to the spot where you left off and continue the investigation. Since Leanne can teleport to places she’s been to once, there’s no need for camping out.”

I see.

That would definitely make things easier.

“How long would this go on?”

“I’m not going to push you. Take it at your own pace. This is just a precautionary investigation.”

A precautionary investigation, huh…

“Is it really that much of a threat? I’ve heard they’re intelligent and gentle.”

“Yes, they’re extremely gentle and don’t usually pose a threat to humans. But the problem isn’t with the dragon—it’s with our side.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dragons are incredibly rare and valuable. It’s said that not even a single drop of their blood is without worth. Taking down a dragon would let someone live in luxury for the rest of their life.”

That valuable, huh?

“…So, even if the dragon isn’t doing anything, adventurers or others might provoke it?”

“Exactly. If they manage to kill it, that’s one thing. But if they fail and enrage it, we’re in big trouble. In fact, there have been cases in the past where entire towns were destroyed because of that.”

That’s definitely a serious problem.

“So, you want me to prevent that from happening?”

“No, I’m not asking for that much. I just need to know whether it’s still in the country or not. If it’s gone, then there’s no problem. If it’s still here, we’ll handle it. I might ask for your help later, but first, we need to know if it’s within our borders.”

I see…

“I understand.”

“So, will you take on the task?”

From the way the king is talking, it seems like he doesn’t want to ask either the soldiers or adventurers for help.

He doesn’t want this to become public, and asking adventurers might lead to the worst-case scenario.

In that case, it makes sense to rely on us, since we can make use of Leanne’s teleportation.

“What’s the reward?”

“I won’t be stingy this time. I’ll give you five gold coins as a daily allowance. And for a successful completion, a reward of 200 gold coins.”

This time…

Don’t admit you were stingy last time.

“I’ll explain that part in more detail. The daily allowance is five gold coins per person. And the success reward is 200 gold coins for the party,” Leanne added as a supplementary explanation.

“That’s pretty generous. Does the royal family even have that much money?”

“We’ll also get some funds from the guild.”

I see.

“Understood. I’ll take the job.”

“Hmm? You’re agreeing pretty quickly. Don’t you need to consult with your teammates or your clan leader?”

Nah, it’s pointless to consult the clan leader.

She’d just say, ‘Do whatever you want.’

“I don’t know what my companions will say, but if it comes to it, I’ll go by myself.”

“Are you sure?”

“Leanne’s going anyway, right? If it’s between me and some nobody, I’d rather go myself.”

It’s almost certain that Leanne, who can teleport, will be going. The only question is who will go with her.

“‘Some nobody’… If we send someone, it’ll be one of our elite, you know.”

That’s pretty much the same as a nobody.

“I’ll go. I’m not someone who would lose to a flying snake like that. Besides, I’ll protect Leanne.”

“I see… Then, I’ll leave it to you… Hey, Leanne… Leanne?”

“………………”

Even though the king called her, Leanne just kept looking up at me, completely ignoring him.

“Is it okay if we proceed as we see fit?”

“Ah, yes… That’s fine. Since Leanne will be with you, we’ll receive reports regularly.”

“Then we’ll do that. We’ll start preparations immediately, so we’ll be taking our leave.”

“Very well. I’m counting on you.”

The king nodded.

“Alright, let’s head back. Leanne, we’re leaving.”

“Yes! Leave it to Leanne! Oh, Uncle, we’re heading out now. I’ll be sure to report regularly.”

The king just said that…

She didn’t even hear him.

“…Ah. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes! Now then, Yuuma-sama, let’s return to the dorm. Please… touch me…”

Leanne, blushing, said that while offering her shoulder for me to touch.

“A priestess who gets flustered so easily, huh?”

“Shut up, you little fox. You all touch too, and hurry up.”

Leanne snapped back, her eyes narrowing. AI-chan, Alice, and Annie, all with exasperated looks, reluctantly touched Leanne.

Meanwhile, the king, the maid, and the knight also stared at Leanne with similar exasperation.

“Alright, let’s return to Celia.”

As Leanne said that, my vision went completely dark.