Chapter 60

【Pull it out, please, the one in my butt.】

In the middle of the deforested hills and desolate riverbanks of the Northern Mountain Range, a truly pitiful voice echoed. The voice was female. It wasn’t coming directly from her mouth but seemed to be a wide-range telepathic message. The dragon’s vocal cords and mouth structure prevented it from speaking human language, so it must have used a method other than air vibration to convey the message.

However, to begin with, monsters themselves were incapable of speaking human language. The only confirmed monster capable of communicating with humans was a certain anthropomorphic fish somewhere. Generally, no other monsters were known to understand human speech except for that one exception. Furthermore, the black dragon before them was a strange existence. It was a powerful monster that could withstand Azumi’s electromagnetic cannon and breathe an equally powerful breath attack, and it shouldn’t have been found in such a place. If such a monster really existed in the outside world, its danger would have been widely known.

Therefore, there were two possible explanations. The first was that this black dragon was an entirely unknown monster living further north of the fifth mountain range. The other was…

“Are you… perhaps, a member of the Dragonkin race?”

“Oh? Indeed. I am one of the proud Dragonkin. Very great, you know? Very powerful, you know? So, I hope you can pull out what’s in my butt… My magic is almost depleted… If this state continues… It will be quite serious… My butt…”

Azumi asked the black dragon this unlikely question, and the response was exactly as expected. Azumi was inwardly surprised by the concept of “fate.” How many times had he encountered “rare beings” since coming to this world? The moon was a vampire clan destroyed in a war three hundred years ago, Shia was a “throwback” (estimated) of this era, and the black dragon before him was a Dragonkin, a race that should have been extinct over five hundred years ago.

“…Why are you here?”

While Azumi was lost in thought, the moon’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she questioned the black dragon. For the moon, the Dragonkin were legendary creatures, just like her, a remnant of an extinct species, which piqued her interest.

“No, before that, the thing in my butt… My magic is almost… Ah! Stop! No vibrations! No stimulation! Ah~!”

The black dragon ignored the moon’s question and conveyed its request. In response, Azumi, with a thug-like attitude, said, “The moon is asking you, you know?” and pounded the half-stake outside the black dragon’s butt. The impact was transmitted directly into its body, and the black dragon screamed, writhing in pain. The imposing presence it had at the beginning, which could have been mistaken for a grim reaper, was now completely gone.

“Why is a supposedly extinct Dragonkin here, and why attack a mere adventurer… I’m a bit curious about that too. I was thinking of just piercing you through the butt, but I hesitated for a moment. So, hurry up and speak clearly.”

For Azumi, the actions of the legendary Dragonkin were too unnatural. As an enemy, it was unforgivable, but he hesitated for a moment and urged her to speak quickly, while twisting the stake with one hand.

“Ah~ Gah, the hard thing~ inside me~ is spinning~. Yes, I will speak!”

Watching Azumi’s actions, the people around were completely shocked, but Azumi didn’t seem to care. If this continued, the black dragon wouldn’t be able to speak, so Azumi stopped twisting the stake. The black dragon, noticing the stake had stopped, let out a sigh of relief. Then, she began to explain the situation, a bit anxiously. Her voice seemed a bit suggestive, but that must have been a psychological effect, right?

“I was being controlled. Attacking you was not my intention. My former master, that man, ordered me to find and kill that young man and his companions.”

The black dragon’s gaze turned to Will. Will’s body shuddered for a moment, then he glared back at the black dragon with determination. Perhaps, after seeing Azumi’s battle, some confusion in his heart had disappeared.

“What’s going on?”

“Hmm, in order, I am…”

Summarizing the black dragon’s words, it went like this.

This black dragon had flown here from the secluded place of the Dragonkin for a specific purpose. That purpose was to investigate visitors from another world. The details were omitted, but in short, a Dragonkin with excellent magic sensing ability had detected a massive release of magic several months ago, and something had come to this world.

The Dragonkin, as a race, had a rule not to appear in the outside world, but completely ignoring an unknown visitor was not a good thing for them. After much discussion, they decided to send someone to investigate.

The black dragon before them had left the village with the purpose of investigation. Originally, after crossing the mountain range, she planned to transform into human form and blend into the bustling city, concealing her Dragonkin identity and gathering information. However, before that, she wanted to rest properly, so she rested in the area between the first and second mountain ranges. Of course, because there were monsters around, she used the innate magic of the Dragonkin, “Dragonization,” to transform into a black dragon.

At that time, a man completely covered in a black robe appeared before the sleeping black dragon. That man used various brainwashing and suggestion dark magic on the sleeping black dragon, gradually eroding her thoughts and spirit.

Of course, if such a thing happened, anyone would normally fight back. However, the Dragonkin’s bad habit came into play here. Yes, as the saying goes, a Dragonkin in “Dragonization” form, once asleep, would not wake up no matter what, unless kicked in the butt. Despite this, the Dragonkin’s mental strength and resilience were formidable, so they wouldn’t be easily controlled.

So, why was she so perfectly controlled? It was because…

“A terrifying man. His skills in dark magic are at a genius level. Being subjected to continuous casting for a whole day by such a man… Even for me, it was unbearable…”

It felt like a lifetime of failure, and the black dragon let out a pained voice. However, Azumi, with a cold gaze, retorted.

“So, you were supposed to be investigating, but you lazily slept for a whole day and didn’t even notice you were being cast on, is that it?”

Everyone’s eyes seemed to look at her as if she were an idiot. The black dragon’s gaze turned away, and she continued as if nothing had happened. By the way, why did she know it was a whole day? This meant that after being brainwashed, she still had her consciousness and memory. It must have been that the black-robed man, after finishing, complained, “I had to do it for a whole day…” and she heard it from him.

After that, she followed the black-robed man and helped him brainwash the monsters beyond the second mountain range. One day, the blue trolls moving to the first mountain range encountered Will and his party, who had been commissioned to investigate the first mountain range. Because she received the order to eliminate witnesses, she pursued them here. When the black-robed man received the report that “one escaped,” he thought it would be bad if the fact that he had gathered a large number of brainwashed monsters was known, so he sent the black dragon to ensure everything was under control.

Then, when she realized, she was already pinned to the ground by Azumi’s Pile Bunker. Knowing that she would die if this continued, she panicked and triggered the magic explosion.

Because the brainwashing had firmly ingrained the habit of obeying orders in her brain, she launched a final kamikaze attack, but she lost consciousness from the blow to her head by Shia. The indescribable impact and stimulation to her butt then awakened her consciousness. As for why she returned to normal, she didn’t know if it was because of the blow to her head or the blow to her butt. (Translator’s note: The blow to the head helped her break the brainwashing, while the blow to the butt opened a new door.)

“…Don’t joke around.”

To the black dragon who had finished explaining the situation, one person spoke with a trembling voice, as if trying to suppress intense emotion. Everyone looked at that person. The one tightly clenching his fists, with eyes burning with anger, was, of course, Will.

“…Being controlled… Mr. Gail, Mr. Nabaro, Mr. Lente, Mr. Vassili! You’re saying it was unavoidable to kill them!”

Clearly, because the situation was no longer as tense, Will’s anger over the death of the adventurers seemed to surge, and he roared at the black dragon with great agitation.

“…”

The black dragon did not refute this. She only looked at Will with calm eyes, fully accepting his words. Perhaps unable to accept her attitude…

“Anyway, we don’t know if what you’re saying now is true! Probably, you’re just making it up to avoid death!”

“…What I’m saying now is the truth. I swear by the pride of the Dragonkin, this is not a lie.”

As Will, getting more and more agitated, was about to say more, the moon interjected.

“…It’s not a lie.”

“What, what’s the basis for that…?”

Glancing at the protesting Will, the moon slowly spoke while looking at the black dragon.

“…The Dragonkin are noble and pure. I lived a long, long time ago. The legends of the Dragonkin are closer to me. She said it’s her ‘pride.’ So, it’s not a lie. And, I know what lying eyes look like.”

The moon’s gaze slowly moved away from the black dragon, looking into the distance. She must have been remembering things from three hundred years ago. The people around her revered her as a proud princess, but in the end, that place must have been full of lies. The people closest to her were all “liars,” and her continuous avoidance of this fact led to her being “betrayed.” Therefore, after the somewhat painful experience of “life’s lessons,” her eyes were now sensitive to “liars.” Entrusting herself to Azumi, whom she met for the first time, was indeed because that was the only method at the time, but Azumi himself had never lied to her. Reflecting on it now, that was probably the biggest reason.

“Hmm, there are still people who know what the Dragonkin should be like in this era… No, you said ‘long ago’?”

The existence of the Dragonkin, as they should be, was still known to future generations, and the black dragon sounded a bit pleased.

“…Yes, I am a survivor of the vampire clan. Three hundred years ago, I heard that the Dragonkin were the role models for the royal family.” (Translator’s note: Were all royals supposed to be perverts?)

“What, a vampire… and three hundred years ago… I see, so you were the vampire princess who was said to have died. I remember your name was…”

Clearly, this black dragon seemed to have lived as long as the moon, if not longer. Moreover, from her tone, she seemed to have some understanding of the world’s situation. Perhaps, like this time, she occasionally concealed her identity to investigate the world. The black dragon was surprised by the survival of the vampire princess, and the people around her, including Will and Aiko, looked at the moon with astonishment.

“Moon… This is my name. A name I received from someone important. I hope you will call me by this name.”

The moon’s cheeks turned slightly red, and she made a gesture as if hugging something. For the moon, the Dragonkin were a role model-like existence. The subtle nuances in her words also conveyed a sense of respect. Will’s angry words stopped, perhaps considering the moon’s feelings.

Somehow, a happy aura seemed to surround the moon. Everyone listened to her sudden recounting of her love story, and the women had expressions as if they had eaten something very sweet, while the men were entranced by the moon’s blushing and charming demeanor.

Will’s momentum was somewhat weakened. However, even so, the words of regret still came out when he thought of the kind adventurer seniors.

“…Even so, the fact that they were killed won’t change, right? …I know it’s useless to say, but even so! Mr. Gail was going to propose after this mission… How can his regret be resolved…”

Will knew the black dragon’s words were not lies. But even so, he couldn’t help but blame her. His heart couldn’t accept it. Azumi thought, “Again, he’s setting up a beautiful flag,” feeling both amazed and impressed. (Translator’s note: This story tells us that proposing and getting married before work is the way to avoid regrets…) At that moment, he suddenly remembered the pendant he had picked up on the way here.

“Will, is this Gail’s thing?”

Saying this, Azumi took out the pendant and threw it to Will. Will caught it and stared at it intently, his expression of sorrow and pain turning to one of joy.

“This, isn’t this my pendant frame! I thought I’d never find it again, you picked it up for me? I’m really grateful!”

“Huh? Yours?”

“Yes, it has a picture of my mom, so it can’t be wrong!”

“Mom?”

The unexpected result and the somewhat subtle answer made Azumi’s cheeks twitch. The woman in the photo was probably in her early twenties. When he asked about his doubts, he got the response, “Since it’s a picture of my mom, isn’t it better to have the one from her most beautiful time?” as if it were a natural law. Everyone present said, “Ah, mother complex,” and their expressions became very subtle. The women were shocked…

Incidentally, the person Gail was fighting was a “man.” And Gail’s full name was Gail Kiyoluka. His name already described what kind of person he was.

With the recovery of his mother’s picture, Will’s demeanor became quite calm. It was really hard to understand how effective this thing was. However, although he was calm, the bitter hatred did not disappear. This time, Will, very calmly, argued that the black dragon should be killed. The reason was that she could be brainwashed again and become a threat. Clearly, this was just a pretext, and the main reason was revenge.

At this point, the black dragon, in a repentant manner, began to organize her words, her voice filled with guilt.

“Although I was controlled, the fact that I took the precious lives of those innocent people is true. If this can be compensation, I will accept the judgment. But, can I have a reprieve for now, at least until we stop that dangerous man? That man plans to create a large army of monsters. Although the Dragonkin have a rule not to interfere with the fate of this continent, I have a responsibility in this matter. I can’t just ignore it… I know this is presumptuous, but please spare me for now.”

Hearing the black dragon’s words, everyone was shocked by the phrase “large army of monsters.” Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned to Azumi. In this group, Azumi had naturally become the leader. In fact, since he was the one who delivered the final blow to the black dragon, it was natural to leave the decision to him.

Azumi’s response was…

“No, I don’t know your situation. I only know that you caused a lot of trouble and then lost to me. Apologize and die.”

Saying this, he raised his prosthetic hand to strike.

“Wait, wait! You, the conversation shouldn’t end with a final blow without a second thought! Please! If you apologize, I’ll definitely… After the matter is resolved, you can do whatever you want! So, please, a temporary reprieve! Please, I beg you!”

Azumi, with a cold gaze, ignored the black dragon’s words and swung his fist. However, it didn’t work. At the moment of the swing, the moon’s arms wrapped around Azumi’s neck. Surprised, Azumi instinctively hugged the moon, and she whispered in his ear.

“…Do you have to kill her?”

“Huh? Well, this is mutual combat, isn’t it natural…”

“…But, she’s not an enemy. She never had any intent to kill or harm. Her will was taken away.”

It seemed the moon didn’t want the black dragon to die. For the moon, the Dragonkin were a race she strongly admired, and she must have had a great deal of respect for them.

Moreover, although this was mutual combat, the black dragon never directed any intent to kill or harm at Azumi and his group. Now, the reason for this was clear: her will was taken away, and she acted like a machine programmed with orders. Even so, the