Chapter 28

The area where the white dragon had fallen was in a terrible state.

The trees and ground in the forest were completely crushed by its massive body.

"Oh no, the area around my house is in ruins again."

Even without this, there were many spots turned to ash due to this troublesome dragon.

The view had improved, but the scenery was bad, so I would fix it later.

"Should we plant some fruit trees, Master?"

"Yeah. Planting trees would also serve as anti-aircraft defenses, and it would be just right. Those guys in the sky might attack again."

Looking up, the other dragons were starting to flee.

"R-Royal Dragon has been defeated!? By such a small human!?"

"Run! Run!"

"Y-Yeah!!!"

"...Their tone is incredibly light, isn't it?"

I can tell they are panicking, but it's ridiculously light.

Well, if it means I don't have to fight unnecessarily, that's fine.

"So, the problem is this big guy..."

"Be careful, Master. He's still breathing."

Yeah, I know.

This dragon isn't dead.

I can hear its heartbeat through the ground.

So, I cautiously approached the dragon's head, and its large eyes caught me.

"Kill me."

It moved only its mouth slightly, growling.

From the fact that it didn't even twitch its neck or body, it was clear it was quite exhausted.

"I can't move anymore. I've used up all my breaths. I have no strength or magic left. Kill me."

The white dragon lay spread out, displaying its vulnerability.

It's good that it's not struggling,

"Who would kill you, you troublesome dragon?"

"What...?"

I never intended to do that from the start.

"If I kill a big one like you, it would dirty my house and land."

"Wh-What...!?"

The forest is already in ruins from this big dragon, and I don't want to dirty it further.

So, I thought I would drive it away once it could move again,

"Alright. ...Then, I'll shrink."

"Huh?"

The white dragon said this and started to tremble.

Then, a mist-like substance began to form around its white scales,

"Is this better?"

As the mist cleared, a white girl appeared, sitting on the ground.

She was wearing only a skin-colored undergarment, the same color as her scales.

It seems that in this world, dragons can turn into humans. That alone is surprising,

"You... Hestia?"

I was surprised to see a familiar face.

Especially since it was the young girl who had helped me before.

"Yes, I am Hestia Raudna, the White Flame Dragon King. --No, the former Dragon King."

"While attacking, you kept glancing at the apple orchard, my house, and me... What was that about?"

I thought dragons often talk during attacks, but it turns out you were familiar with me.

"Alright, I've shrunk. This way, I won't dirty anything."

Then, Hestia lay down on her back in her young girl form.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Because. Resolution. In this state, it should be easy to kill me."

"Hey, wait. Why are you assuming I'll kill you?"

I have no intention of killing a friend.

Besides, even if she was a Dragon King, that's a separate issue.

"Why did you attack me, Hestia?"

I hadn't heard that.

From the voice before the battle, I could tell she wasn't after my magic. If she was, there were plenty of chances.

She could have attacked me when I was distracted talking to her.

But she deliberately started the battle again.

"Why did you specifically attack me this morning?"

When I asked again, Hestia looked troubled.

She seemed to be unsure if she should say it.

...This suggests there's some reason behind it.

If so, I need to hear it.

"Anyway, just tell me, Hestia. I won't treat harshly those who no longer cause trouble to my home."

Saying this, I removed my wooden armor and sat next to Hestia.

We no longer had any fighting spirit, so the armor was unnecessary.

All that was left was to talk.

As I waited for Hestia to speak, she started to talk hesitantly.

"---I wanted to lose for the sake of the dragons. To show that you are stronger than the dragons. You are the strongest I know..."

●●●

I spent a few minutes listening to her explanation.

About dragon habits and temperaments.

And by defeating her, the Dragon King, no dragon would attempt a reckless challenge.

"Ah, I see. You fought for the dragons. And you achieved your goal, right?"

"Yeah, if I was defeated so spectacularly, no one would come. ---But just in case, if I show them my head, they will definitely listen."

I understood the dragon's principle of following the strongest.

"So, take my head."

She understands, so she closed her eyes and extended her neck.

So, I gave her a good whack on her white, beautiful head.

"!"

Hestia opened her eyes in surprise.

She was slightly teary-eyed.

"This is for the trouble you caused me and Sakura."

"It hurts..."

Hestia was holding her head, trembling.

I put a lot of force into it.

I wanted her to feel the pain. But,

"Alright. So, this is the end of the resolution. The rest is forgiven!"

"Eh..."

If you had a reason, it's understandable. So, I'll be angry to the extent of the trouble you caused, and that's it.

My home was damaged, but Hestia was also sufficiently hurt.

So, I declared it over.

But Hestia was wide-eyed at my judgment.

Is it that surprising?

"T-That's not how dragons usually think..."

I'm human.

I don't care about dragon common sense.

Besides, fundamentally,

"Hestia, if you were in trouble, you should have said so. You had plenty of chances to talk, so you should have consulted."

If you had consulted from the start, this battle might have been avoided.

"Consult...? But I don't know how to do it."

"That's what I'm saying. It's not a bad thing to ask for help from your neighbors when you're in trouble."

It's a mutual thing.

When I'm in trouble, I get help, and when they're in trouble, I help them.

That's what neighborhood relations are about.

...I'm not really into that kind of thing...

But this time, I can say it with confidence.

"If you're in trouble, ask for help, Hestia. I can at least listen to you."

"..."

Hestia nodded slightly.

With this, the decisive battle with the troublesome dragon came to an end.

"---But, the area around my house is definitely dirty, so you should help clean up."

"Y-Yes, I'm sorry. I'll help."

And we started the post-battle cleanup as a way to make amends.