Chapter 41

As the western sky was dyed a deep crimson, we were looking at our "destination" from a distance.

It was supposed to be a dragon ranch where an accident had occurred.

"Sir Cyril, is this the right place?"

"Yes, according to the map, this is it."

"It looks... like a prison..."

Emma, standing next to me, gazed at the "ranch" with a puzzled expression. I completely agreed with her.

The "ranch" in front of us didn't look like a ranch at all.

It had high walls, and the air above was crackling with electricity.

It looked like a prison designed to hold serious criminals.

"Emma, this isn't what a ranch where you grew up looks like, right?"

"No, it was much more open, with vast grasslands."

"What about you, Yui?"

"I was in a store."

"I see."

I nodded.

Sometimes it happens this way.

Dragons that are born in the dragon market exist.

This is a rather unpleasant story.

Sometimes dragons don't sell and end up growing too large.

The longer they stay unsold in the store, the less value they have.

Sadly, most dragon knights, though not as extreme as Lintvurm, see dragons as tools to be used.

Older dragons have a shorter working life, making them harder to sell.

In such cases, they are either sold at a throwaway price as "problematic items."

Or, if they have good "lineage," they might be bred to sell their offspring.

Yui might be one of those cases.

Anyway, that aside.

"That's strange, it's not a normal ranch."

"Sir Cyril, haven't you heard anything?"

"Nothing from Rose. I tried to ask the messenger discreetly, but they gave off the vibe that 'you don't need to know the details.'"

"I see..."

There must be some hidden reason, something they don't want to be found out.

But that's not important right now.

There's no point in speculating about hidden reasons we can't know here.

The only thing that matters is solving the request.

"Let's go."

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm..."

"Stay close to me, both of you. If you get too far, it'll be a problem in an emergency."

"Understood!"

"Yui, be ready to camouflage at my signal. I know it's tough, but please do it."

"...Understood."

With that, we started walking again.

We headed towards the facility that was called a ranch but looked like a prison.

The main gate was crushed and collapsed.

It was probably destroyed from the inside out, likely part of the "accident" that happened here.

We approached the gate and peered through the gaps in the collapsed sections.

"How does it look?"

"It seems safe, let's go."

"Yes!"

We entered.

On the other side of the sturdy walls were buildings that looked like a prison, grim and imposing.

Most of the buildings that could contain dragons had collapsed.

"What is this?"

"What is it, Emma?"

"There are many dragons rampaging."

"What do you mean?"

"The claw marks on that wall, the way the building over there is burned, and the fact that this building is chewed up—"

"I see."

I followed Emma's explanation with my eyes.

Indeed, these were signs of attacks.

Dragons attack in different ways.

For example, even if Emma and Louise attack the same thing, the "marks" left behind would be different.

Emma, who is skilled in combat, noticed this before I did.

"From what I can see, there are at least six types of dragons."

"I see, thank you. Let's be careful."

"Yes!"

With Emma and Yui nodding, we walked through the ranch.

My hand naturally touched my pocket.

The thing in there gave me a slight sense of reassurance.

At least six types, which means at least six dragons.

Dealing with that many dragons would be a matter of life and death.

Just as I was thinking that—

"What is that!?"

"What!?"

Emma was shocked.

Following her gaze, I looked ahead and was also shocked.

Emerging from the shadow of the collapsed building was a creature that could hardly be called a dragon.

Its shape was unnatural, looking like it was "patched together" from several different things.

Its front and back legs were completely different, and it had different types of wings on either side of its body.

Most notably, it had two completely different types of necks.

"...Chimera."

Yui muttered.

"Chimera?"

"Yes. A modified dragon, a synthetic magical beast created by patching together several types of dragons."

"!!"

In an instant, I understood everything.

This is why it's better not to know too much.

This is the "entrance."

"Roar!!"

"!!"

The Chimera noticed us.

It roared to the sky and immediately spewed fire from its mouth.

Reacting to this, I tried to dodge—just as another head spewed a white substance, a blizzard, from the other side.

It spewed fire and blizzard from its two mouths.

Something a normal dragon couldn't do.

"Dodge!"

I jumped to the right.

Emma, quick to react, followed immediately, and Yui followed a bit later.

The fire grazed Yui's torso.

"..."

Yui groaned in obvious pain.

Before I could ask if she was okay, the Chimera launched another attack.

Tasting the success of its fire grazing Yui, it continued to spew fire.

"Sir Cyril!"

"Damn!!"

I extended both hands.

Nine-fingered Flame Bullet—shooting flame bullets in rapid succession.

The two flames collided and exploded.

In the midst of the explosion, I said to Yui.

"Vanish."

"Okay."

An unusually short and clear response.

Immediately after, the three of us disappeared.

"Don't make a sound, we'll move slowly."

I led Emma and Yui, moving them along.

We moved away from the swirling flames and hid behind cover.

Once hidden, I gave Yui instructions.

"Okay now."

"Understood."

Our forms reappeared.

From our hiding spot, we observed the Chimera.

The Chimera, having lost sight of us, was wandering around, searching.

"Why is it...?"

"I don't know why, but this might be the answer."

"Answer?"

"Follow me. Yui, be ready to act at any time."

I said this and led the two of them, moving away from the Chimera and exploring the ranch quietly.

We listened for the Chimera's movements and kept our distance as we searched.

"The dragons... are gone?"

"It's just that one. There aren't six types of dragons, just one that combines six types."

"Oh..."

Emma was taken aback by my explanation.

"So, all the traces are from that Chimera?"

"That's right."

"What do we do?"

Yui asked.

"It would be nice if we could talk."

"Can we?"

"I'll try. Yui and Emma, stay back. I'll approach and try to talk. If I give the signal, attack a completely unrelated area to distract it, and then escape."

"Understood."

"Please use camouflage while we're escaping."

"Okay..."

After a brief discussion with the two of them, I moved away and approached the Chimera.

As I got closer, it noticed me.

"Roar!!"

A scream, no, a roar.

At the same time, the left head stretched out and tried to bite me!

"Damn! On closer inspection, the heads and necks are separate!"

I dodged and cursed, noticing the detailed patchwork, which made me feel even more revulsion.

"Listen to me! Can you hear my voice!"

I dodged and tried to talk.

"Roar!!"

"Give me a response!"

"Roar!!"

"Damn, no good!"

I dodged, frowning at the lack of response.

All I could hear were roars.

Normally, if it were a dragon, even if it roared, I would hear words with some meaning.

But not now.

I can understand dragon language, but not other animals.

For example, no matter how much a lion roars, it just sounds like a roar to me.

This is the same.

So, the creature in front of me is not a dragon but some other kind of life form.

"What do you think of life!"

As I cursed at the faceless people who caused this—

(…Kill)

"Huh!?"

(Cut, Kill)

I heard a voice.

A voice I could clearly understand.

But it wasn't a clear voice.

It was more like an auditory hallucination.

But I was certain.

"This is your voice!"

It was the voice of the Chimera in front of me.

(Kill me)

"Why!?"

(Painful... So painful... I want to die...)

"Damn!"

A proper conversation wasn't possible.

The mind was severely clouded.

It seemed to be barely holding onto its personality.

(Kill... me...)

"..."

I stopped.

I took a deep breath.

There was no other choice.

It was a gamble, but there was no other option.

"Sorry."

I ran, charging towards the Chimera.

The Chimera roared and extended its right head in a spiral to bite me.

I extended both hands.

I thrust all nine fingers forward.

"Full power."

I muttered.

In the next moment, I shot flame bullets in rapid succession.

Nine-fingered Flame Bullet, in rapid succession.

Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six—

I shot in multiples of nine.

Without holding back, I unleashed all the energy I had stored before leaving, directly at the Chimera.

Its wide-open mouth became a weak point.

The flame bullets were shot into its mouth one after another.

Into its mouth, neck, and belly.

It gradually swelled up.

And—exploded.

The Chimera's body exploded.

In the smoke, a white mass was visible.

A mass that looked like a sea urchin with all its spines turned into crystals.

The core.

That word came to mind.

And it was correct.

The thing I thought was the core said—

(Thank you, finally, I can go)

The patchwork flesh surrounding the core had disappeared, releasing some kind of curse.

So, I—

charged.

I charged towards the core.

I took out what I had in my pocket and thrust it into the core.

The Phoenix Horn.

This—was my gamble.

☆

At the Persolon base, in the dragon stable.

Chris and Colette were facing each other.

Colette was fidgeting, standing and sitting restlessly.

"Hahaha, don't worry so much."

"I, I'm not worried!"

"If you're a heart friend, you won't die. I gave you my bone."

"What? Bone, you mean—"

"That."

Chris nodded clearly.

The Phoenix Horn.

A divine tool that takes your place when you die, saving your life.

Chris had given it to Cyril.

"You, you gave it to him?"

"Of course. As long as I'm here, I won't let you die in a trivial way."

"S, so you did..."

Colette visibly relaxed.

Knowing that Chris's power, the blessing of the phoenix, would protect Cyril, she felt relieved.

Chris found Colette's reaction amusing, but more than that—

"Now, how will the heart friend use it?"

Chris was curious about how Cyril would use the Phoenix Horn.

"The way you use a valuable tool shows your character. Show me, heart friend."

Chris smiled, raising the corners of her mouth.

☆

"...Huh?"

After the light faded, a small dragon was in front of me.

The small dragon, realizing it was alive, was surprised.

"Why am I alive... and in my original form!?"

"It seems to have worked."

I was relieved.

I was relieved that the gamble paid off.

As the person themselves said, that kind of curse can only be released by death.

So—I killed it.

I killed it, and once the curse was released, I used the Phoenix Horn that Chris had given me as a precaution.

And the Chimera's curse was released.

It returned to its original form as a small dragon.