Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

“Brother, what do you think that white thread is?”

One day, as we approached the Black Dragon Mountain Range, my younger brother suddenly asked.

“Where?”

“Look, between those peaks.”

It must be extremely thin.

Unfortunately, my eyesight couldn’t make it out.

All I could see were countless silhouettes resembling wyverns flying around the peaks.

“That is the World Tree.”

“That is?”

My brothers looked puzzled since they didn’t know what a “World Tree” was, but I recognized the name from a game I played in my previous life.

It was a title I bought for 100 yen at a used game sale, and I remember playing it obsessively for about a year.

The fox girl’s previous life had ended early, so she didn’t have such memories.

Anyway, moving on—

“Mize, it’s fine to cross that mountain range, but shouldn’t we prepare for the wyverns?”

“It’s okay. The master of the mountain range will drive them away. That’s why I prepared this.”

The rat tribe warrior Mize glanced at about ten goats tied to a horse.

“Brother!”

When I turned around at my brother’s warning, a black shadow appeared before us.

It came with ground tremors that rivaled several tornadoes combined with powerful gusts of wind, making even the monsters in monster movies look cute by comparison.

“Ryu?”

The quiet fox girl looked up at it in a dreamy tone.

Unlike us, who couldn’t even move or make a sound, she seemed remarkably brave.

“Greetings to you, Black Dragon Palace!”

Mize called out while still on horseback.

His voice trembled.

He must be scared of the black dragon as well.

“These goats I’ve brought are offerings for Black Dragon Palace! Please enjoy them to your heart’s content!”

The black dragon seemed to understand Mize’s words, letting out a terrifying cry before grabbing a goat with its massive hand and starting to devour it greedily.

The screams of the goats and the crunching of their horns and bones made me envision my own future.

In no time, the black dragon finished eating the goats and looked at Mize as if encouraging more.

“I’m glad it’s pleased. We have business on the other side of the mountain range. We’d like to ask permission to pass through Black Dragon Palace’s territory.”

—RWULOOOUUUUUNN!

Responding to Mize’s words, the black dragon emitted a flash of light.

The mountain was carved with black grooves stretching tens of kilometers, releasing white steam.

“Dragon Breath…”

I hadn’t realized that dragons from another world were such extraordinary beings.

—RWULOOOUUUUUNN!

The black dragon gave a roar and flew off into the distant sky.

Following Mize’s lead, we crossed the mountain range along the warm black path and arrived at the Forest of Boruenan.

Perhaps due to the black dragon’s aura, we were never attacked by monsters in the treacherous Black Dragon Mountain Range.

◇

“Purple fur, is it…”

Before the barrier of the Forest of Boruenan, we faced an elf who spoke in a formal “gozaru” dialect.

“You rat tribe with Yuya’s letter of introduction may enter the village, but the weasel tribe and foxmen cannot be allowed inside.”

The “gozaru” elf said so, and another elf behind him muttered softly, “If it weren’t for Toya’s matter…”

“Elf-sama, we want to learn agriculture. Could you at least accept my younger brothers?”

“Brother!”

If the purple fur is a problem, then as long as the fox girl and I stay apart, there should be no trouble.

Fortunately, there were many wild beasts at the foot of the Black Dragon Mountain Range.

We could survive on our own until my brothers finished their studies.

“What shall we do, gozaru?”

“I understand.”

The other elf, who had been silently thinking with his arms crossed, nodded at the “gozaru” elf’s question.

“If you want to learn agriculture, I will introduce you to the gnomes of Boruesen. Our agriculture cannot be imitated by anyone besides elves. The gnomes also frequently use earth magic, but it should be similar to general farming.”