Jessica and Marion descended the hill in their dragon form and displayed themselves before the villagers. [1]
As expected they panicked but Sheryl, being the lord, calmed them down.
She also told them about the fact that the two have already lost to Iris.
They didn’t have any hostility against this village in the first place.
And once Sheryl explained about their pledge of loyalty and rea.s.sured them, the panic subsided.
However, that by itself couldn’t win their complete trust.
The villagers were finally relieved once they saw their human appearance.
「Henshin!」
Following Jessica’s voice, the dragon pair transformed into humans.
Having seen this, the villagers lost their words.
First, they were surprised at them becoming humans.
Second, their human appearance was that of two beauties.
With men turning particularly attentive as a matter of course, even fellow women were attracted to them. At the very least, it was hard to perceive them as『enemies』.
In such a manner, Jessica and Marion were somewhat accepted by the villagers.
Of course, there were those who didn’t trust them.
Won’t they eventually turn back into dragons and go on a rampage or something along those lines.
However, the two worked hard to dispel their doubts.
Even though they became humans, they didn’t lose any of their power.
In light of that, they work speed was much faster than that of ordinary people. The two did as much work and roughly hundred people.
Thanks to that, the work was completed ahead of schedule.
After that, the two used their dragon forms to bring a giant rock from somewhere as a「Sign of Friendship」.
It was a beautiful piece of granite. I was about five adult males in diameter.
「There isn’t much building materials around here. If you need some, you can cut a part for yourself」
As Jessica said, there was plenty of wood but not enough stone around these parts.
As it stands, Sheryl brought some from the capital but, considering the future development, having local supply would make it much easier.
Eventually, they might build a wall, and having kilns and furnaces would be quite convenient. They would be able to make various good in the village. Maybe even foster their own ceramics craftsmen.
Besides, Sheryl was still a baroness, living in the same type of house as her subjects won’t be appropriate.
She should eventually move to a fine stone house of her own.
「Having dragons in our village is quite helpful」
Or so you could hear here and there.
After a month, there was no one in the village who still thought of the nonchalant Jessica and childish Marion as『enemies』.
Well then.
Since the field was ready ahead of schedule, Sheryl decided to cultivate potatoes according to her initial plan.
Iris watched over them together with Punigami from the top of the hill.
Everyone did their best.
It was worth to protect them as the Guardian Deity.
「Geez. Not working and relaxing on top of the hill all day……aren’t you embarra.s.sed? 」
Arrogantly said Marion as she lazed next to her.
「…….Dragons have a mysterious sense of values. Is it normal for dragons to put themselves on a pedestal? 」
Iris let out a sarcastic remark.
However, she was sure that it was a sound argument.
「I’m not on any pedestal! Although I’m relaxing now, I plowed the field, carried rocks, and did all kinds of other things. There is only you. A person that doesn’t do anything! 」
「Me, you know. I made the lake appear, grew the forest, and revitalized the soil just by being here. From a certain perspective, I’m the biggest contributor」
「Even if you contribute, you aren’t working」
「Wrong. It’s much more important to produce results, not to work. 『Any effort deserves a praise, even if it doesn’t produce results』I this is how you think, I’m not going to reject it. Nevertheless being accused of『not doing anything and producing results』doesn’t sit well with me」
「Gunuu……so logical for a little girl…….」
「Fufu. Arguments of this caliber won’t be able to defeat a NEET, even without the logical armament」
「Don’t swagger!」
Marion interjected with an honest retort.
Because of her personality, her retorts are even more on point than Sheryl’s. Sheryl’s is more often than not on the other side of the retort, which makes it rather tiring.
「Hey, Marion. How long are you going to rest? You too should help us plant potatoes」
Then, Jessica appeared.
She was covered in dirt, there was no doubt that she worked hard in the field.
And even though the mother, Jessica, was hard at work, the daughter, Marion, didn’t move from Iris’ side.
「Mother, We, dragons, shouldn’t bother ourselves with such miscellaneous jobs as planting potatoes. There should be something more dynamic for us to do! 」
「Don’t force your strange logic. There were fields in the Village of Dragons and you helped me out. Come on, come on. Mother understands that you don’t want to leave Iris-chan’s side but even I’m barely holding myself back」
「T-There is no such thing! It’s not like I want to be by Iris side! 」
「Then let’s hurry and go back to the field. Or could it be? Even the lord herself, Sheryl-chan, is sowing potatoes while you are idling? I don’t remember raising you this way」
「Uguh……I get it, I’m going! 」
Shouted Marion in annoyance.
She followed after her mother, however, then she suddenly stopped and turned towards Iris.
「I-I’ll come to play again, if I feel like it!」
Or so she said before running off.
「……Is this the rumored tsundere? 」
「Punipuni」
This must be so, said Punigami.
If Marion is tsundere that means she actually likes Iris.
Which makes it quite embarra.s.sing.
Iris hugged Punigami and buried her face in his cool body.
Three months later.
By November, potatoes have been harvested.
As expected, almost every potato, grown on the soil, which sucked Iris magical power, turned out to be big.
Iris watched over the harvest from the top of the hill as her stomach made rumbling sounds.
Maybe because their heard it, Sheryl, Marion, and Jessica came running up the hill with a big basket.
「Iris-sama. Punigami-sama It’s long-awaited potatoes~~」
「Sheryl. How did you know that I waited for them? 」
「Yes. Even from below, I saw Iris-sama drooling」
「Eh, really!?」
「No, I’m kidding」
「……I hate Sheryl」
「Eeh!?」
Hearing that, Sheryl turned pale in the face and jumped in horror.
「I’m kidding」
「Hoh……there was no need for such cruel revenge. Please, be more forgiving as the Guardian Deity should be」
「Abusing humans on a whim, isn’t that what the G.o.ds do?」
「Un…….Iris-sama is gradually getting used to her divine authority……..when did my humble Iris-sama……oyoyo」
Sheryl covered her eyes with her sleeve.
However, from her voice it was easy to understand that she didn’t actually cry.
「But I did indeed saw Iris-sama drooling」
「I saw that too. Fufu, as Iris-chan’s drool fell on Punigami-chan’s body, Punigami-chan absorbed it」 [2]
Said the dragon.
「I won’t be deceived. To use the same joke as Sheryl, you people have no originality」
「Ridiculous. We are dragons. Even in our human forms, our eyesight stays the same」
「……..Eh……I did? 」
「You did」
Marion gave a short confirmation.
「Punipuni」
Punigami too said「You saliva became my flesh and blood」.
He sounded proud for some reason.
Maybe because he sucked the saliva of the Demon King’s daughter.
「Wa, how embarra.s.sing…….since it came to that, I have no choice but to go into seclusion」
「You can’t, Iris-sama. If you do, I won’t give you any potatoes. Look, they are freshly picked, right from the field~~」
Said Sheryl as she took out potatoes from the basket.
It was still unpeeled. A ma.s.sive one. What an impressive potato it was.
However, there was steam rising from it. Just this alone was enough to ignite someone’s appet.i.te.
「Achacha!」
The one who touched this steaming hot potato with her bare hands, Sheryl, raised a scream.
The long-awaited potato ended up on the gra.s.s.
Then, it rolled down the hill as it fell apart.
「Ah, please wait!」
Sheryl chased after the rolling potato in a hurry.
「…….What a stupid baroness」
As Iris spoke in frustration looking at Sheryl’s back, Marion curiously tilted her head.
「This isn’t that hot in the first place. You can easily hold it with your bare hands」
「That’s right, it’s only slightly warm for us dragons」
Having said that, the dragon duo grabbed potatoes with their hands and started peeling them.
「Judging me by dragon standards would be inappropriate. I’m just a weak feeble girl. Right, Iris-sama? 」
Sheryl, who came back with the potato, objected to Marion and Jessica.
However, regretfully, Iris couldn’t agree with her on this matter.
「Sorry, I too can hold it with my bare hands」
「Mumu, come to think of it, Iris-sama in the G.o.ddess. My my, am I the only normal girl here? 」
I have a feeling that an idiot like Sheryl isn’t that common too.
Besides, Iris wasn’t the G.o.ddess but the daughter of the Demon King.
That being said, pointing it out won’t make Sheryl believe it. Recently, Iris got tired of retorting and gave up.
「Puni」
「Of course, there is one for Punigami too. Here」
Iris peeled a potato and stuffed it inside Punigami.
「Punii!」
「Ah, sorry, was it too hot? Fuu, fuu」
Punigami jumped away, so she pulled out and let it cool before doing it once more.
「Punini」
「This much should be just fine. Is it good? 」
「Puni!」
It seemed to be very tasty.
Everyone, except Iris, was already in the middle of eating.
Joy was apparent on their faces.
Iris too bit down with a sense of defeat.
「Wafu wafu……hiya, delicious! And it was only steamed! Why is it so good!?」
Not too hard, not too soft, it had a nice texture.
It had a rich and sweet taste.
I want to eat my fill of these potatoes only!
「It must’ve happened because Iris-sama’s magical power permeated the soil」
「In other words, although indirectly, we are eating Iris-chan」
「If you think like this, it makes it rather creepy……….」
Marion stared at the potatoes and made a long face.
「How rude, my magical power is in a state of constant spillage, so everyone’s already permeated by it. It doesn’t end with only these potatoes! 」
As Iris objected, 「Come to think of it–」Sheryl realized.
「I’ve already talked about how amongst those people, who I brought from the capital, there were some mercenaries, right? They were saying something about their old wounds hurting but, since they came to this village, they feel exceptionally good. Could this change be brought by Iris-sama’s magical power too? 」
「Eh, no way. I don’t think that my magical power has such an effect…」 [3]
Iris chose to deny that. However, as it stands, she didn’t do any extensive research into her own magical power, so she couldn’t deny with absolute confidence.
What face would the Great Demon King make when he learns that Iris, who was created with the sole purpose of eradicating humanity in mind, spends her time injecting her magical power into potatoes?
Since she left the capsule, she only spent about half a month on the Kurifot continent.
Her relationship with the Great Demon King wasn’t that deep.
She didn’t know a great deal about him.
However, the other party was still a parent.
She didn’t want to purposefully make him sad.
That being said, she had no intention of destroying the human race, so she had no choice but to wait for the Great Demon King to give up.
Until that time, Iris would gladly live here as a NEET.
ReferencesAnd it’s Jessica again, people. ↩I’m disturbed. ↩I predict an army of superpeople nurtured by this village. ↩