The Villainess That Was Once A VRMMO player - CH 63.2

For some reason, I felt like everyone was more nervous than when the demons were around, but if I cared about that, I would lose…. But what exactly was the difference between me now and the way I usually was? Was there some kind of subtle substance dripping out of me?

Then, we went deeper into the Demon Forest for about an hour, taking a bath in the now completely peaceful forest…

[Carol, I have arrived to pick you up!]

“”Hiii!””

Maia and the others screamed as a huge, jet-black shadow suddenly descended from the sky without a sound.

It was Pochi, the dark dragon. It appeared exactly like a dog that jumped out to greet us, but thinking about it, Pochi’s speech seemed to be in old magic language, and it probably sounded like the roar of a dragon that no one but me could understand. It would certainly be frightening.

As I was racking my gray brain cells trying to explain how this dragon was just a pet dog, a figure as black as the dragon’s protective fur that rode on its back fell down.

“Ji, young lady… I did it!”

“”Hiiiiiiiiiii!””

Black armor in the shape of a Demon or Demon God. The armor, which had once been brand new, was indestructible and not even scratched, but it was stained with blood and mud and appeared to have been used to kill everyone in some village.

Uncle Bert, you did your best. I didn’t think you could make it through on the first try even after all that careful preparation. The next step would be to strengthen your skills… it would be a hassle.

“Don’t worry. The man inside is a good-natured uncle.”

“Is that so…?”

Bert-san was a little depressed at the sight of the girl hiding behind me as I comforted a tearful Maia by saying something reasonable. Remove that helmet, please. You actually like it, don’t you?

When I looked at it again, I realized how bizarre my surroundings were. Compared to that, I appeared ordinary.

“What’s going on with the people in the village?”

I asked Pochi while casting a recovery spell on Bert-san. It seemed that the invading army of Caenista Kingdom had completely retreated, and the Daemons who evacuated had returned to their villages.

Hmmm…there was a chance that some adventurers stayed behind to scout the area, so I wondered if they’d be discovered if they returned too soon. We’d have to start thinking about concealment and defensive measures all over again.

There was still some distance to the Daemon’s village, so I thought I would ride back on Pochi’s back.

[What… you want all of them to ride on my back?]

“It’s okay. Pochi is a strong and cool dragon, so even if a hundred people ride you, you’ll be fine.”

[Mm-hmm. Indeed, I am strong and cool.]

He was originally an NEET dragon, so it was important to praise him moderately when trying to make him work.

We rode Pochi to reach the Daemon’s village. However, when I tried to get them all to ride on Pochis’s back, Maia and the others seemed afraid. Meiya and Maia ended up clinging to me with their eyes closed. But Danny, the male, was clinging to Bert-san.

I didn’t realize it because we always came and went using [Space Transition], but it was quite a long trip.

“We can see it.”

“Woooah…”

Maia, who was clinging to me, opened her thin eyes and let out an amazed sigh at the city stretching out into the forest in the distance. …It really was a [city], huh? I had not seen it from above for a long time, but didn’t it spread out considerably?

There are now several thousand people in what was once a village of a few hundred….

Surely, this could not have been helped if the humans found it.

When Pochi went down the plaza, the Daemons, who noticed us, greeted us with cheers.

It was a terrible battle, but seeing everyone so happy like this, I could honestly say that I was glad to have been able to protect them.

But–

*Zazazazazaza!!!

“…Eh.”

The moment I landed, the smiling faces of Daemons and the others twitched and fell flat all at once.

What’s going on? I was thinking when a blue-faced elder jumped out from among the prostrate Daemons.

“Carol-sama, please calm down.”

“…Ah.”

Speaking of which, I was still releasing my pressure. I had forgotten about it because the high-level (or dull) Pochi and Bert-san were acting normal.

“Also, there is someone here who would like to have an audience with Carol-sama…”

“Who…?”

Someone who would come to visit me in the village of Daemons? Could it be a Bert-san class adventurer?

“So where are they?”

“Well…”

I asked the elder to show me the way, and followed his blue-faced gaze to a corner of the front row of prostrate people in heavy armor.

…I quickly turned off my pressure.