Chapter 32

"──I thought I was going to die."

I really thought I was going to die.

When I was blown here by the force of Lean's magic, I lost consciousness for a moment. When I came to, the ground was right in front of me. I immediately understood the situation: my body was flying horizontally through the air.

──If I keep falling like this, I'll die.

Well, maybe not die, but I certainly won't get away unscathed. I kicked the ground desperately and ran a few steps, managing to avoid the fall. But just as I was feeling relieved, the castle walls of the capital loomed in front of my face with terrifying speed.

I narrowly avoided hitting the wall, and with all my might, I stomped the ground with both feet and jumped as if I were truly going to die. In the next instant, I cleared the wall and thought I had made it.

But then, the dragon's head appeared right in front of me. It had seemed so far away just a moment ago, but now it was right in front of me.

Those scales look tough. If I hit them, it will be much worse than hitting the wall. Thinking this, I swung the 'Black Sword' frantically. Somehow, I managed to avoid a collision with the dragon's head, reducing its momentum and avoiding the crash. I fell to the ground with the dragon, which had cushioned my fall.

──But, what happened next was even more difficult.

When I came to, I found myself facing the dragon in the midst of a storm, surrounded by flying debris.

──What the hell is going on here?

I was thoroughly confused. Everything had happened so quickly that I didn't really understand what was happening, but more than that, I couldn't figure out why I was in this situation.

──Yes, that's a dragon.

A legendary monster that appears in fairy tales and legends, known to even me. I had never seen one before, but it was truly massive. The legendary creature from the stories was right in front of me, more ferocious and much larger than I had imagined. I could see its massive body, which seemed to reach the sky, raising its claws as if to crush me.

But I watched the movements of this enormous creature with a strange feeling.

The disparity in size between a human and a dragon was more desperate than I had imagined. I should have been terrified just by facing such a creature, but for some reason, the dragon in front of me didn't seem that scary.

Perhaps I had been blown away at such an incredible speed and felt death so many times that I had become numb. The dragon's movements seemed incredibly slow. Although it was indeed massive, its size made it clear what it was about to do next.

If that's the case──even if I can't fight it head-on, maybe I can avoid its attacks. Despite feeling a bit dizzy, I calmly readied the 'Black Sword' and struck the dragon's claw that was falling towards my head.

"Crack!"

The dragon's massive claw missed me and fell to the side, shattering the ground as it sank in. ––Surprisingly, it was easier to deflect than I thought. Of course, it was incredibly heavy, far more powerful than a rampaging bull or a goblin. But it didn't feel as heavy as I had imagined. The impact of Lean's attack, which had blown me away, was much more intense. I had truly felt death then, but I was still alive after taking a direct hit.

──If that's the case, maybe I don't need to fear the dragon's claws so much.

With that thought, I used [Low Heal] to heal my body while focusing on not dying, desperately deflecting the incoming attacks. I dodged and deflected the attacks with minimal movement, avoiding flying debris and rock fragments. The dragon's attack patterns were not very varied, so once I got used to them, it wasn't that difficult. ––Except for the occasional massive tail strike, which was truly terrifying. The dragon also spat a powerful 'Light' from its mouth, but for some reason, I could deflect it with the 'Black Sword.' I had always wondered about this sword; no matter how hard I hit it against anything, it never showed any new damage. What is this sword, really?

"──Grrr..."

I was starting to feel a bit more at ease, swinging my sword while thinking about these things, when the dragon in front of me suddenly stopped attacking and became docile. I was relieved, thinking I had survived. But as I looked at the dragon crouching in front of me, I felt puzzled.

What had happened?

The dragon's posture.

It looked like it was lying down, but its eyes were open and fixed on me. It was in a completely defenseless position, as if it was saying, "Do with me as you will."

I thought to myself, perhaps this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The dragon's neck, suddenly extended in front of me. The heroes in the adventure tales I enjoyed as a child had defeated the 'Evil Dragon' by cutting off its head, becoming celebrated as 'Dragon Slayers.' The scales, claws, fangs, and bones of the slain dragon had become high-quality materials for weapons and armor, bringing great prosperity to the land. My father often told me such heroic stories when I was young, and I had often dreamed of becoming the protagonist in a dragon-slaying tale.

If I could slay this dragon now, I might become a hero like those in the tales I admired. But──

"……I don't think I can become a hero."

I looked at the docile dragon and shook my head. This dragon was undoubtedly an 'Evil Dragon.' It had likely destroyed countless homes in the capital and possibly killed many people.

But now, it was offering its neck to me as if begging to be killed. It showed no resistance.

Moreover, it almost seemed to be looking at me with a sense of familiarity. ––Once I started thinking about it, I couldn't stop. The thought of killing this dragon became unbearable.

"I can't kill this thing──it's just not possible for me."

I gave up and relaxed my grip on the sword. I had no problem killing prey for food, pests that ravaged fields, or animals that attacked. But I was not good at killing animals that showed such submissive behavior, especially after the dragon had been so aggressive just moments ago.

……Still, why did it change so suddenly?

The dragon, which had been attacking madly, suddenly became docile, as if it had received an order.

Suddenly, I sensed someone behind me and turned around, finally understanding the situation.

"I see, that's what happened."

There stood Lean, Ines, and the young 'Ma' boy, Roro, who had the mysterious power to control monsters.

"Teacher! Are you alright? Are you hurt!?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I had a few scratches, but they're already healed."

"……What? ……Healed?"

I felt a few cracks in my bones from Lean's magical impact, but they had healed during the fight. Lean looked at me with a puzzled expression, but I thanked Roro.

"Roro, I really owe you. You saved my life."

"……What?"

"Didn't you calm the dragon down?"

"…N-no, it wasn't me… I didn't do it…?"

Roro looked surprised, shaking his head vigorously in denial.

"What? It wasn't you? ……Really?"

When I asked, Roro shook his head up and down this time.

……It wasn't him?

No, it probably wasn't. This boy had said earlier that some people feared his power. So, he probably didn't want others to know that he had controlled such a massive dragon. He might have been afraid that we would be scared of him.

But hiding such a wonderful talent and, worse, belittling it, is not right. He seemed reluctant to admit it, but I thought it was a waste.

"Anyway, Roro, I have a favor to ask."

"……A favor?"

"Can you send that dragon back to its original home?"

"Back to its original home…?"

If the dragon stayed here, it would likely be killed by someone. It was probably a dangerous creature, and that might be for the best. But……I wanted to let it go before that happened. Despite knowing it was a bad idea, I felt a strange sense of empathy.

"I know this is a lot to ask, but I don't want to kill this dragon. Can you help me? I'm not asking you to do it if it's too difficult."

"……Maybe I can try to talk to it and ask it to go back, but I don't know if it will listen."

With that, Roro approached the dragon, which was lying on the ground, and began some kind of silent 'conversation.' It seemed he would try, though he appeared uncertain.

But, thinking about it, he was actually quite admirable.

Roro, despite his remarkable talent, never boasted about it. For someone his age to be so humble was truly impressive. Most boys his age would be more arrogant, but he didn't use his abilities to show off. Still, he could be more confident.

"Alright, I'll try."

Roro approached the dragon, closed his eyes, and began his silent 'conversation.' The dragon growled lowly.

"Huh?"

Roro suddenly let out a small cry and looked at me.

"What's wrong?"

"I… It said it will listen to anything 'My Master' commands. …'My Master'…?"

"That's impressive."

I was taken aback. I hadn't expected his power to be so strong. For him to be revered by such a massive dragon was truly frightening.

"Can you ask the dragon to return to its home peacefully, Roro?"

"……Y-yes…"

Roro faced the dragon and closed his eyes for a moment. He seemed to be communicating something. The dragon growled lowly and then lifted its massive body.

Then, the dragon took off into the sky, creating a storm-like wind.

"……Amazing."

"Really, this is incredible──!"

Lean and Ines watched the dragon fly away in amazement. Roro did too.

"It's gone."

"……Y-yes…"

We watched the dragon fly away in silence for a while.

The major crisis was over.

I felt a bit relieved.

But suddenly, a strong purple-red flash appeared in my vision, and the sky turned red in an instant──

"──What is this──?"

As we watched, the dragon, which was flying away to the east, was swallowed by a red 'light' that suddenly appeared in the sky──its body was burned, and it fell headfirst to the ground, sinking into the earth.

This part might need revision.

There's not enough time…