Rather Than The Son, I’ll Take The Father

Although he teased me harshly, Paimon helped me get on his back.

A warm breeze mixed with flame lifted me lightly.

Miraculously, Paimon’s flame was not painful even if it touched his skin directly. Rather, it was cozy and warm, as if approaching a fireplace.

Even after I settled on Paimon’s back, the small flames did not disappear and spun around like fireflies.

Occasionally, it swept past my cheek, and when it did, it tickled as if I was being tickled by a feather.

When Paimon’s laughter finally subsided, I explained it again.

“Paimon, I can really help you.”

[“Don’t overdo it, Eve. It would be of great help to the contractor just by supplying the mana from your side. Oh, of course, your magic is only equal to the size of the tail of a mouse, so it’s still going to be me moving around on my own, but isn’t that the way the world is?”]

Are you teasing me or comforting me?

I was trying to refute that no matter how small my magic power was, it made you 15 meters tall, but Paimon spread its wings.

I thought it would be difficult for my body to focus, but the flames didn’t go away because of that.

The flames began to mix with the wind again, supporting my body like an invisible pillow.

Thanks to this, there was no fear of falling from Paimon’s back.

Paimon asked as he flew into the sky.

[“Which way should I go?”]

“First, go to a place with a lot of people. I know where Gilbert might be, but I don’t know where he is.”

As he flew high, the wind made a loud noise.

Even if I didn’t raise my voice too much, Paimon understood everything I said.

[“Is it okay if I fly away? Eve, you look cold, hungry and pitiful.”]

“Won’t it be less pitiful than you, who will still be locked in the cave again?”

If he thought I would continue to accept it, he would be mistaken.

Paimon flinched when I couldn’t bear it any longer, and took out the key.

[“That…… Just tell me how he looks! Master! You don’t need to jump on your feet, I’ll fly and find him! I have really good eyesight! Haha, let’s get it out of the way and go eat! Ha ha ha ha ha!”]

I said as I glanced at Paimon, who spoke more respectfully.

“You just need to find someone with silver hair. The only ones with silver hair around here are Gilbert and Regen.”

It should be around here, but even in the capital, it was rare to find a person with silver hair.

[“Up! Here we go!”]

Paimon, who was intimidated, answered quickly.

Putting aside the complexities in my head, flying on the back of a dragon was a fascinating experience.

The flames controlled the wind blowing me and put less pressure on me.

My long hair fluttered so lightly that it was hard to believe that I was flying through the air.

Originally, it should have been sporadic.

It must have been difficult to breathe because of the pressure of the wind.

I was grateful for Paimon’s meticulous consideration for taking care of all these things, but I wondered why it was impossible to pay attention to what he had to say.

Did Regen have a good dinner?

It’ll be fine because Aedis went with him, but…

Come to think of it, I think Regen will also like Paimon when he sees him.

Mrs Theresa once told me that Regen had read a fairy tale about dragons several times.

At the same time, he also secretly talked about the hero Evie.

Sadly, it seemed like everyone in Cyclamen Castle now knew the story of this hero.

Sarah had asked openly when she could hear the sequel.

[“Hmm, not here.”]

Paimon looked away from a certain land far below without any regrets.

No matter how hard I tried to frown, I could barely see the shape of the house or the shape of the roof.

Paimon flew towards the next land.

He crossed the sky at high speed and started spinning around the same spot at some point.

[“Eve, I think I found it.”]

I looked down at my feet. Yep, it’s just dark.

Paimon did a relay for me who couldn’t see anything.

[“Who is he with? I’m seeing a polished sword from that person.”]

“Can you hear him talking?”

[“Ugh. He said he was going to kill someone with his own hands?”]

That’s right.

Even if I don’t hear any more, that’s Gilbert. Paimon descended slowly.

A dragon quietly landed.

It was fortunate that the surroundings were dim.

I slipped down Paimon’s back.

Paimon’s body was well hidden in the darkness, but the long, vertical line of his eyes was shining and his presence was considerable.

If they didn’t know Paimon’s original personality, they could only get scared and run away.

“Paimon, are you going to go down in that body?”

[“Of course not! Do I have no clue?”]

Paimon flapped his front paws and surrounded his huge body in flames.

A pillar of fire was created, and this time, it did no damage to me, who was in front.

But doesn’t this stand out…… Oh, it’s gone.

Fortunately, the pillar of fire was quickly extinguished.

And the 15-meter-tall dragon disappeared, and out of nowhere, a large man in his early 40s was there.

“Huh…”

Who?

It was a strange man I had never seen.

He was a giant over two meters tall, and it seemed that he could lift even a carriage with his bare hands.

His dark hair was sparse, his eyebrows were thick, and his impression was very harsh.

He looked like he had been operating a few pirate ships, so I couldn’t hide my bewildered expression.

The man called me with the same voice as Paimon.

[“Eve? Why are you stepping back?”]

“It’s so unfamiliar……?”

[This, this isn’t really me! I transformed into the one who sealed me!”]

Paimon hurriedly followed me and caught me so I could not escape.

The closer I looked, the more terrifying it was. I wrinkled the bridge of my nose.

“You’ve transformed into the first Grand Duke? But in the portraits I saw, he didn’t look like this.”

The first Grand Duke in the portrait was a handsome man exuding elegance and intellectual beauty.

He didn’t look like someone who sleeps with one hand in the sea.

Uummm.

I looked down at the arm caught by Paimon.

Except for the voice, this giant was not like Paimon at all, so I felt a sense of rejection.

As if noticing that fact, Paimon grumbled.

[“There must be a lot of different points of views. Anyway, it’s a painting, isn’t it? This is what I saw.”]

Since the first Grand Duke was a person from 500 years ago, it was difficult to grasp the truth. I’ll have to ask Aedis later.

[“Then, let’s go!”]

Paimon pulled me in.

My body leaned forward with the unstoppable force.

“Oh! It hurts!”

[“Gasp! Sorry!”]

Still, the quick apology made it seem like it was really the spirit I had signed with.

Paimon was restless as if he could really chew off Gilbert’s fingers one by one.

[“What should I do? Are you hurt? I haven’t been in a human form a lot, so I can’t control my strength well!”]

“It’s okay, so don’t cry and let go of my hand.”

[“Yes!”]

Paimon carefully removed his fingers one by one.

Whew, I avoided breaking my wrist.

“Then shall we walk now? I’d appreciate it if you could keep up with my pace.”

[“Can’t we hold hands?”]

Do I have to hold……

Seeing my trembling expression, Paimon sniffed his nose.

No, that’s why. Don’t have a runny nose like that!

“I heard that close humans walk hand in hand…… I’ve been alone for 500 years…… I was stuck in a cave until you rescued me……”

Paimon said sadly.

I-I don’t know.

“Hold it gently.”

Resigning and reaching my hand out, the man who looked like a pirate captain excitedly grabbed it.

“Paimon, strength control.”

[“I-I’ll be careful!”]

Throughout the walk, Paimon fiddled with my hands.

[“Eve, your hands are really small.”]

“It’s because you turned into a person with big hands.”

[“Can we come out to play like this next time?”]

“I…… Okay. If I get a chance.”

Each time I said a word, Paimon’s expression changed dramatically, so my heart weakened.

The change in Paimon’s expression was much more realistic because he had a normal face.

“Paimon, is it possible to transform into another person?”

[“It is possible for anyone who I observe closely…… There is still no such person other than the first Grand Duke and you.”]

Wouldn’t it be better to transform into me and insist that we are twins?

There were still a few people roaming the estate area.

There were also merchants cleaning up the store, but as soon as we entered, their eyes began to gather.

Most were worried about me.

“Who is that man? Is he dragging the woman away?”

“Should I help her?”

A misunderstanding was occurring because the impression of the first Grand Duke that Paimon transformed into was too harsh.

Paimon was still not looking around properly, trying not to hold my hand too tight, but it was only a matter of time before he noticed something strange.