Chapter 16 – The Evil Dragon Drops 【Light】 from the Castle in the Sky 【Part 1】

Three days had passed since he was confined to the castle in the sky.

One afternoon, Ryuuji was in the Adventurer’s Guild tavern.

“Haaaah… I’m beat.”

Ryuuji flopped onto the table, completely limp.

Sheila was sitting next to him.

“Um, um, umm… Ryuuji-kun!”

“Hm? What is it, Sheila-san?”

Sheila squeezed her eyes shut and declared,

“If you’re tired, I’ll give you a shoulder rub!”

Huff, huff, Sheila said, her breath coming in determined pants.

Ryuuji blushed.

“Ah, no, it’s okay, really…”

He said, looking away.

“Oh, is that so…”

Seeing her rabbit ears, already drooping, sag even further, he quickly added,

“Ah, well, in that case, maybe I’ll take you up on that!”

“Yes, of course!”

Ryuuji turned his back to Sheila.

Her small hands touched his bare skin.

He could feel her presence right behind him. The sweet, flowery scent and her occasional hot breath tickling his ear were unnerving.

“Heave, ho… heave, ho… How is it?”

“Eh, ah, yeah. It feels… really good, I guess!”

(That’s what I said, but I was so flustered by the situation of having a girl this close to me that, honestly, I couldn’t feel a thing from the shoulder rub.)

(What if someone sees us like this…?) Just as he was thinking that.

THOOOOM…

A low rumble echoed in the distance.

And the ground shook slightly.

“Eek! An-an earthquake?”

“Maybe? Probably.”

For an earthquake, the shaking stopped quickly.

“Hey there, Ryu. It’s been a while.”

Just as the tremor subsided, the elf Observer, Chequita, approached their table.

“Oh my, was I interrupting something?”

Chequita chuckled.

Ryuuji remembered the situation.

He was just getting a shoulder rub from Sheila, but…

For some reason, Sheila was now clinging to him.

“Eh, ehh?!”

(The earthquake must have startled her, causing her to grab onto me.)

THOOOOM…

THOOOOM…

Again, the low rumble sounded from somewhere, and the ground trembled slightly.

“Things are getting a little rough, huh?”

Ryuuji tilted his head at Chequita’s wry smile.

“Sh-Sheila. Hey, it’s okay now, you can let go, okay?”

“Auu… I’m sorry, Ryuuji-kun.”

Sheila let go of him, her face flushing bright red as she looked down.

“I-It’s fine. Really, it’s nothing to apologize for. Yeah.”

Her adorable reaction made Ryuuji blush as well, and he turned his face away.

“Ah, youth. I’m so jealous.”

Chequita nodded to herself.

“S-So, what brings you here, Chequita-san?”

Ryuuji changed the subject to break the strange atmosphere.

Chequita sat down in front of them. Her enormous breasts landed on the table, squishing flat.

(My eyes started to wander, but I quickly looked away.)

?

He met Sheila’s eyes. He glanced at her chest. (I shouldn’t compare them.)

“Eheh.”

She gave him a pure, innocent smile, and Ryuuji was struck with a wave of guilt. (Sorry for thinking you were flat as a board…)

The elf giggled at Ryuuji for a moment, then said,

“It’s not really business. You see, for the past three days, you’ve been… well, not missing, but up in the sky, right?”

Chequita is an Observer.

She has been ordered by the King to monitor the Evil Dragon to ensure she doesn’t go on a rampage.

“We knew where she was from the outside, but we couldn’t see what was happening inside from the ground, you see.”

“So you’re here for questioning…?”

It had been three days since they were taken to the castle in the sky.

Karma had taken only Ryuuji and Sheila with her, so Chequita, who was left on the ground, had no idea what had happened inside.

“I have to submit a report to the King. Would you mind cooperating?”

“I understand.”

In exchange, Chequita offered to treat them to dinner.

He told her the whole story over their meal.

…Three days ago.

Ryuuji was trapped in the castle in the sky.

There was no way for him to get back to the surface on his own.

So, Ryuuji tried desperately to persuade his mother.

He argued that danger was a normal part of life, and that getting hurt was just part of being an adventurer.

However, his mother seemed to have been deeply disturbed by the time he got injured.

He could feel her iron will: I will never let you leave this place for the rest of your life.

The persuasion attempts continued for three days and three nights.

In the end, Ryuuji had no choice but to use his final weapon: “If you don’t send me back to the surface, I’ll disown you.”

His mother burst into tears, and that was how Ryuuji returned to the surface.

“I see. …So, Ryu, why the long face?”

Ryuuji hadn’t even noticed until the elf pointed it out.

But it was true, his mood had darkened.

“…I made my mom cry.”

Ryuuji drank a glass of water from the table.

“That’s nothing for you to worry about. It’s her fault for going crazy like that.”

But… Ryuuji shook his head.

“The reason my mom… made a castle in the sky and tried to lock me up is because she was trying to be considerate, to keep me out of danger. I think.”

Having lived with her for fifteen years, Ryuuji knew his mother’s behavioral patterns inside and out.

“That side of her is a huge pain… but, I can’t just ignore it. It’s an annoying favor, but, um…”

“You’re right. It’s not like she does these things with bad intentions.”

“Exactly,” Ryuuji agreed.

“That’s why… I feel so bad. I said something I knew she’d hate to hear. And I made her cry…”

“I see. You’re a kind person, Ryu,” Chequita said.

Smiling, Chequita leaned forward and hugged him.

“Whoa!”

Squeeeeze… An almost violent wave of pleasure washed over him.

The sweet and sour scent of a tropical flower, and the lukewarm touch of skin.

And more than anything, the sensation of Chequita’s breasts, softer than jelly or pudding, made his head spin.

“Hawawa, they’re huge…”

Remembering that Sheila was right next to him, Ryuuji panicked.

The elf quickly let him go.

“S-So now it’s a little… awkward to face my mom.”

“I see…”

Chequita thought for a moment in silence, then replied cheerfully,

“Well, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“She’s pretty tough mentally, and she bounces back quick. She’ll be fine even if you leave her alone.”

“Y-You think so…?”

“Yes. You should focus on your work right now. You have a quest coming up, don’t you?”

Today was a goblin extermination job in a nearby forest.

“If you’re distracted, you’ll get hurt. And that will really make her go on a rampage again.”

“You’re… right.”

He couldn’t afford to make his mother worry.

(I’ll return from today’s quest completely unscathed and show my mom that I’m okay!)