A Dragon’s Pride

 

 

 

 

“Onii-chan”

Crystal Tower First Floor, when I had become half melted from basking in the sun, unusually Yui came down, and came to my place.

“What’s wrong Yui”
“I was injured a bit, Onii-chan heal it”
“An injury? Where?”

From the feeling of looking she’s uninjured and lively though.

“Here”
“Here you say……that one on the face?”
“What else is there”

Her lips pouted seemingly in sullenness.
If you don’t look carefully it’s at the level where you won’t understand, there is a small thread like injury.
A scratch––––even more of a scratch than a scratch. Within everyday life a scratch you did yourself, an injury of that level.

I cast restoration magic on that.

“It’s rare isn’t it, such a thing like Yui being injured”
“Being able to by themselves, they made it up to the eighth floor”
“Even if you say they were able to, they were someone who was only able to inflict this level of scratch right. Then in the first place it would have been fine if you hadn’t gotten injured right? Or were they that fast”

Since the heroes pass through the first floor I don’t remember and I don’t know.

“Not really. Normal”
“Then why?”
“It’s no good for a dragon to avoid an attack. Accepting it from head-on, in addition knocking them down is a dragon you know”
“Now that you mention it there was that as well right”

I feel like I heard that from Kaa-san long ago.
Due to that high pride dragons do not deem restlessly escaping acceptable. Preferring to, like Yui said, fight head-on and force them to yield.
If I were to say more, then they don’t really like Preemptive attacks either, on top of receiving it, crushingly defeating them is a dragon’s style.
That’s a dragon’s pride, but since the thinking was old fashioned I didn’t really like it, and until just now I had forgotten.

“Onii-chan as well, since you’re Kaa-san’s son properly do it like that ok. ––––if it’s Onii-chan then you have room after all”

Though she said something taperingly, I ignored it.
Since that kind of thing is a pain, I’ll pass.

☆

Shesta and the other monsters went out of the tower. Their destination is the previous village, in order to maintain the fear towards the dungeon they’re on their way to attack the village.

“Let’s do our best today too!”
“Un! Let’s make it known that Dragon Knight is in Crystal Tower!”

Being pulled by Terry and Lily, I was forcibly brought along.
It’s a pain, but well if I suitably do it then there’s no problem.
The village we’re attacking is the same as before, if I attack while going easy so as not to kill them (if I kill them then they’ll come struggling to the death) then there won’t be any problem.

“Ryu too, seriously do it”
“That’s right. You’re the strongest among us after all, properly defeat plenty of humans ok”
“Yea yea”

To the mission condition raising war results was added by Terry and Lily as well, but well if it’s to this degree then there’s no problem.

Well then, we should reach the village before long––––.

––––thud.

The body of the lizardman who was walking suddenly collapsed.

“Rayman! What’s wrong Rayman, get a hold of yourself!”

The other lizardman walking next to him lifted his fallen lover in his arms.
The march heading to the village stopped, everyone looks at the lizardmen.

“Oi oi is he ok?”
“Didn’t his fatigue come out? That’s bad, no matter how young you are if your night activity isn’t moderate your body won’t last”
“Lizardmen are male bonding so it seems intense right”

The surrounding monsters were all like that, they thought that the collapsed lizardman was surely overworked or something like that. However,

“––––everyone take cover!”

I shouted in a loud voice, and everyone looked over here.
Except for Yurie, everyone “What is this guy saying” was making that kind of face.

“Listen up and take cover, quickly!”

I shouted, but no one took cover.
Immediately following, another monster collapsed.
This time it’s an ogre. The oni giant opened his eyes wide, and he crumpled down from his knees.

When the ogre collapsed, the monsters finally reacted.
They all simultaneously took cover, and curled up to protect their bodies.

I look at the collapsed lizardman and ogre. Their face is darkening––––it’s poison!
I quickly searched the surroundings, for a sign that seems like that––––it was there.

I jump down from Yurie, and I ran towards the direction where the presence was.

“Oi! Where are you going boy!”
“Shesta should defend everyone!”

I said something suitable as I left, and ran after the presence.
The presence that until just before was right beside us, at almost the same time as I shouted, ran away.
Chasing after that presence I broke into a run.

“Magic to hide the figure huh, what’s more as it is he’s fast”

I organize the situation.
Apparently, the opponent seems to have used magic to hide his presence.
At first I thought he was sniping from a long distance and said to take cover, but it seems it wasn’t like that.

The chase continued on for a while.
Since I couldn’t see the opponents figure, searching for the presence while chasing after him was hard.

Before long when he came out into a clearing, the other side showed his figure.
A long haired young man, his expression was grinning and not at all tense, a seemingly frivolous image is received.

That guy turned towards me, and with a grin laughed.

“What, I was trembling wondering what kind of guy was chasing me, but it’s just a simple slime isn’t it”
“……”
“You’re lucky slime, I’m in a good mood today. If you leave now, I’ll overlook you”

I advanced a single step forward.

“Oi oi do you want to do it? I’m saying this for your own good so stop. Do you understand?”

The man took a pendant out from his chest. A pendant made of about five fangs of something linked together.

“What is it, that”
“This is you see, dragons’ fangs. Up to now I’ve defeated 5 dragons. So to speak a dragon killer, a Dragon Slayer”
“Dragons’ fangs?”

That is? It’s different right, no matter how you look at it those are some wild animals’ fangs.

“That’s right. I defeated them with this”

The man showed me a knife. In the middle of the blade there was a strange groove set in, a type of knife where poison is poured into there.

“Being ignorant is scary huh”
“What do you mean”
“A slime is unlikely to understand, but this is poison. In addition it’s a kind of poison that a dragon will run away in fear just by having seen it. I’ll say it once more, if it’s now I can still overlook––––”

I didn’t let him speak to until the end.
I released my magic power, I made that into the shape of a forefoot and swung it down.
To the man, with the forefoot I crushed him underfoot.

Inside the crater, the crushed man trembledly convulsed.
Did he still have breath, should I go with one more blow?

“Y-o……”

The knife that rolled next to the man I burned to nothing with a magic flame.
In that instant the man’s complexion changed.
It seems he finally understood that the slime before him was a dangerous guy.

“Give it”
“W-what……”
“The antidote. If you don’t give it, I’ll proceed with one more blow”
“Hii! S-stop please! The antidote is inside this––––”

The man held out the pendant.
Taking it, I put in light power.
From within the fang of something a small glass bottle came out. I see, this is the antidote huh.

“With this overlook––––”

I finished off the man trying to say something.

“You should stop with your jokes. There’s no reason a dragon would run away right, from a poison knife of this level”

Dragons are stupidly noble, no matter what kind of strength, no matter how cowardly a blow, receiving that and overturning it is a dragon’s pride.
There’s no reason they would run away from a poison of this level right!

Well it’s fine, there’s no point in going along any more with the braggart.
The problem is this antidote, how should I pass this to everyone I wonder.
If I foolishly pass it over honestly it seems like it’ll be variously troublesome…….

“I’ll receive that”
“––––eh? Yui!?”

When I was pondering Yui appeared.

“What’s wrong Yui, in this kind of place”
“N-nothing, anything is fine right. That is……s, a stroll ok, taking a stroll I just happened to pass by is all”
“A stroll you say, you……”
“Is there some problem? I’m not like Onii-chan a lazybones after all”

If I’m told that, it’s difficult.
Certainly, when compared to me, even if she takes a stroll it’s not mysterious right.

“More importantly, give me that. It’s Onii-chan after all, in any case you’re worried if it will become something troublesome right”
“O, ou……in that case I’ll rely on you”

I pass the glass bottle to Yui. Certainly, if Yui passes it––––in other words, if we make it that Yui defeated him, then there’s no kind of problem either. Everything works out peacefully.

Yui takes the glass bottle, and she faces the direction where I came from, the direction where the monsters are, and starts running.

For a while I remained in that spot, in a little while I’ll return, and make it that I couldn’t find the enemy.
In order to do that, I remained in that spot.

“Onii-chan……like I thought you’re wonderful”

That’s why, although Yui who left muttered something, it didn’t reach my ears.

---

 

<< Back TOC Next >>