Character Descriptions
- Castais – A-rank male, uses bows and magic
- Yvette – A-rank female, uses sword and magic
- Liet – B-rank male, uses spear
- Lucia – B-rank female, uses magic, specializing in healing magic
I thought I should describe the scenes where others are fighting, but it ended up being confusing with so many new characters. Sorry about that! (´-∀-｀；)
Scene
“This is the so-called dragon’s lair, a rocky area with several large caves.”
“Yvette, let’s proceed cautiously. If we’re surrounded inside a cave, it could get dangerous. This is a task that should ideally be done with a larger group…”
Castais, a wizard with bluish-gray hair, carries a bow. He also uses a short sword, in addition to his bow.
I’m Yvette, a magic swordswoman. I’m more skilled with a sword.
We’ve come to the mountains where dragons are said to live, after accepting a request to collect dragon scales in the Fen Kingdom.
In the town of Chenkaslar , we met a strange trio: a young D-rank adventurer, a quiet woman with lavender-colored hair, and a flamboyantly-dressed red demon.
We accepted a dangerous, yet interesting challenge with them—to see who could collect more types of dragon scales. The D-rank adventurer seemed quite confident. He must have abilities beyond his rank.
The first to speak with them was Liet, a B-rank adventurer, a spear-wielder with short, light blue hair, and Lucia, a brown-haired mage who specializes in healing. I felt reassured knowing Lucia could handle healing magic, and both she and I can cast breath defense magic, which is crucial when facing dragons. Even an S-rank adventurer would struggle against a dragon without breath defense magic.
While discussing which cave to enter, a lower-ranked dragon appeared from behind a rock. It was too weak to even use breath attacks. Still, for low-rank adventurers, it could easily take a life. For us, however, it’s perfect as a warm-up for our high-rank party!
“Hold off on the magic! Castais, shoot from a distance, and Liet and I will attack from the sides. Lucia, keep an eye on the surroundings!”
“Understood!!”
Liet and I dashed forward, and Castais shot a perfectly aimed arrow into the dragon’s forehead. As it let out a scream and looked up, we attacked from both sides, and Liet finished it off with a deep strike to the chest.
With a loud crash, the dragon fell, raising a cloud of dust.
“…Impressive, as expected.”
“It’s all thanks to your instructions, Yvette!”
Liet smiled shyly. With his strength, I’m sure he could take on even stronger dragons. I’m pleasantly surprised by his performance. Though, I don’t think we need this dragon’s scales, but I’ll take one just in case.
We then explored the first cave, but there were no dragons inside, only a few beasts.
Taking a break outside, I noticed the trio walking at a distance. They were planning their next move, so I decided to observe them a bit.
“Oh, a dragon! But it’s just a low-ranked one.”
“…Leave it to me. I’m not feeling up for it.”
“I only have a high and advanced mana potion, and a couple of medium ones. Should we save them?”
“Yeah. Got it.”
The group seemed oddly relaxed…
The man, Ekvar , I think his name was, unsheathed a thin sword and charged at the dragon without any proper armor. What on earth were they doing, dressed like that in a place like this!? Unbelievable!
Ekvar was incredibly fast, closing the distance to the dragon in the blink of an eye. He slashed its belly, then leapt into the air and struck its neck. With just those two hits, he defeated the dragon.
“We don’t need the scales from this one.”
And then, uninterested, he moved on to find another prey.
This guy’s strength is definitely above A-rank… What’s going on with that reckless guy?
Soon after, a mid-rank dragon appeared from the cave. This dragon was long like a snake and frequently flew, unlike the stockier, more grounded dragons. Without flight magic, it could be a challenge to defeat.
“Hoho! This one’s mine!”
The demon’s hand ignited, and a red-black sword materialized in his grip.
That sword… is it made of fire? I’ve never seen or heard of a demon like this before! What kind of demon nobility is he from?
And to consider that dragon his prey!?
“Aah!! I want that dragon’s claws and whiskers…!”
What’s up with that woman…?
“Here it comes… a mid-rank dragon!”
It seems our group has encountered it too. Perhaps due to the earthquake, it’s strayed pretty far from its usual area…
When I returned, the mid-ranked Storm Dragon, a wind-affinity dragon, was raising its large head and preparing to unleash its breath attack.
“Protect us from the heat of the approaching sandstorm, from the cold of the glaciers that take us away, and from all kinds of disasters. O atmosphere, grant us a soft membrane, an invisible wall. Suful Defense!“
Lucia, the B-rank adventurer, cast a breath defense spell that blocked the breath of the mid-level dragon, and it shattered as soon as the spell was completed.
“That was close…”
I told her, “Well done,” as I noticed we shouldn’t let it drag on for too long.
“Drift across the sea of drifting ice, swim through the harsh winter. Knock on the window with nowhere to go, bring the blizzard that cuts the body and the breath of piercing ice! Blizzard!“
Castais cast a mid-level water-element attack spell, bringing cold air and ice.
The spell hit the dragon’s stomach, and while it staggered back, Liet attacked it with his spear and retreated to the side. I cast a large flame spell as I approached.
“Red heat, burn fiercely! Scatter the embers, turn to ash, let the breath burn golden and become a swirling fire that engulfs all! Burn it all, Fire Lady Eight!“
After launching the fire and ice spells, I slashed at the dragon’s leg with my sword, but mid-level dragons are tough. Even so, wind-type dragons generally have higher magic defense than physical defense, so I had to focus on increasing physical damage.
I wanted to cut off its wings, but I didn’t have the strength. Still, if I hurt it, it shouldn’t be able to fly. While Liet distracted the dragon with his spear, I attacked its wing joint, hoping to prevent it from flying.
The dragon raised its hand to strike Liet, but then Lucia cast a spell.
“Unshakable, supportive. Earth, strike down a wall that marks you! Separate! Earth Wall!“
The dragon’s hand was stopped by a magical wall, and Liet was unharmed.
Castais fired arrows, piercing the dragon’s face and abdomen. We continued to deal damage. The dragon prepared another breath attack!
This time, I cast Suful Defense.
“Don’t worry! We can defeat it like this!” I said, trying to encourage the group. Castais nodded, but then suddenly his gaze darted to the left, towards a rocky mountain. He shouted urgently.
“Yvette, hurry and finish it off! Something’s approaching…!”
“Tch…! I’m going!” I shouted as we moved into the offensive.
The moment the breath attack stopped, we charged forward. I ran straight at the dragon and swung my sword down at its abdomen. Liet aimed his spear at the dragon’s attacking arm, but was swatted away and sent flying toward the rocks, hitting his back and falling down.
It was a close call, but Castais’s arrow pierced the dragon’s neck, and as it recoiled in pain, I thrust my sword into it and unleashed fire magic, finishing it off.
Lucia was healing Liet.
However, there was no time to celebrate.
A dark figure was hiding behind the rocky mountain. Slowly moving, it was a snake-like creature with thick, tough skin… It was the dark, gigantic dragon preparing to unleash its breath!
“Y-… Yormungand… an advanced dark dragon…!!” Castais shouted.
It was hopeless. A foe like this… much harder to defeat than a dragon of the four basic elements—earth, water, fire, or wind.
A dark dragon is a higher-tier element. If only the usual members of our party were here, we might have at least been able to escape.
The enormous Yormungand’s mouth opened wide, and it unleashed a black, horrifying breath.
We wouldn’t be able to defend in time, it’s over!
“Suful Defense!”
A woman’s voice.
A light barrier appeared before us, completely blocking the breath.
What?! She blocked an advanced dragon’s breath all by herself?! The other three of us stood there in shock.
“Ah, Yormungand. This is… troublesome,” she said.
“Too bad, you won’t be able to collect the Dragon Tear.”
“Wait, we can’t?”
“The dark-element dragon’s parts are contaminated,” she explained.
It was those three again. It seemed they had noticed something was wrong and came to help. But why was the woman so concerned about the dragon’s materials? We have to defeat it to collect them…!
“Did you… come to help?”
Lucia, the mage, shouted with a trembling voice. In a normal situation, when an advanced dragon appears, anyone would think to escape, leaving their teammates behind.
“Even if you leave us behind, no one will blame you. It’s better to have fewer casualties,” Castais said, clearly struggling with his A-rank pride, unable to simply ask for help.
“Leaving you behind is unthinkable. I will cast support magic,” said the woman, introducing herself as Iriya . She then cast a spell to boost our attack power. I had thought she would cast an offensive spell, but she didn’t.
“Raise the flag to the heavens and stir the dust, stomp the earth. I will sing, honoring the brave warriors who will never falter before any army, a song for a thousand, a million times over! Exaltation!“
“Wow, this is the effect of Lady Iriya ’s magic! As expected!” someone said.
The demon Belial floated in the air, and the D-rank adventurer Ekvar spread out to the left, both preparing to face Yormungand.
During this, Iriya continued to chant. It was the first time I had heard this incantation! I looked to Castais, but he shook his head, seemingly unfamiliar with it.
“Born from the primordial darkness, the cold blade. The blue of the dark, frozen in the void of snow and ice, gleaming like a meteor. Stalactite de Glace!“
A massive ice pillar emerged above Yormungand’s head, and its sharp tip pierced the dragon’s back.
“Fuguuuaa!!” The dragon screamed in pain. What a powerful attack!
Belial easily sliced through the dragon’s large scales and cut off its wings.
Ekvar swiftly struck the dragon’s abdomen with his sword, returning and slashing it again in the blink of an eye, too fast for me to follow.
“What are you doing! Castais, shoot the hands!” Iriya shouted at the stunned Castais.
The dragon’s hand was targeting Ekvar .
“S-sorry! I’ll provide support right away!” Castais, true to his A-rank skills, quickly nocked an arrow and fired smoothly. I too rushed to support Ekvar .
“This is great, this is fun! Now this is a battle!!” Ekvar yelled, laughing.
… Ekvar is dangerous. From now on, I’ll make sure to avoid him.
“The sound of explosions from flames continues. This is the work of that demon named Belial. While attacking with a sword, he’s scattering fire.
Iriya instructed Castais to strike the dragon’s jaw with an arrow, preventing it from using its breath attack. She also had Lucia target the jaw with magic while she herself used Storm Cutter to slash at Yormungand’s neck.
That spell, despite being a mid-level magic, had a large amount of power, but it wasn’t enough. The sharpness of the cut was almost unnatural.
“Cease the attack! Fall back for now!” Iriya shouted, and Ekvar , who had leaped and slashed at the dragon’s abdomen, corrected his posture mid-air, kicked the dragon’s belly, and flew towards her. He’s a skilled man. I quickly retreated as well.
What’s going to happen?
As I was wondering if we would have to brace ourselves again and use defensive magic, the fire on the ground flared up and red lines ran across it.
Then, flames like magma burst from the ground, surrounding Yormungand and burning the powerful dragon intensely!
What is this!? What kind of magic is this!?
Bathed in orange light, Belial gently landed next to Iriya.
“Once preparations are complete, it’s clear to me.”
“I’ve seen it before.”
“To have the timing of the activation predicted after just one look…”
Belial sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It seemed his prized technique had been easily seen through. That must have been a shock.
With this, Yormungand was completely defeated. Although it had been weakened first, even its scales were completely charred… What kind of power is that?
Behind the fallen Yormungand, a few of its scales had fallen, and we were tasked with taking them back.
“…Ah! My apologies, it was an emergency, so I ended up addressing you without honorifics!” Iriya suddenly bowed her head. What is she worrying about?
“You’re worrying about something strange. No one minds, right? Feel free to call me without honorifics from now on.”
“Thank you for your help!” Lucia and I said, and Iriya seemed somewhat embarrassed.
She’s an odd one.
But, maybe she’s just used to commanding in battle. Could she be someone connected to the military?
“Alright, here you go!” Ekvar , who had picked up the fallen scales, handed them to us.
“You all defeated it, right? I can’t accept this. How would the other two feel about this?” Castais’ reaction was understandable. However, Ekvar was laughing happily.
“No, no, actually there’s a reason for it. I’m not supposed to stand out. So, I thought I’d press it on you like this.”
“Well, I guess that works. I’m fine with the materials I’ve gotten,” Iriya said.
“I have no interest. Do as you wish,” Belial remarked, glancing around. He seemed to be looking for the next prey…
What is going on with this free-spirited trio!
For now, we accepted the scales of Yormungand and decided to use them for the cost of accommodation in the Fen Duchy. It was still far from enough, but they seemed fairly happy about it.
Liet, who had been hit in the back, was still in pain even after receiving healing magic from Lucia.
Then Iriya took out a white bottle and told Liet to expose the affected area.
“It’s a painkiller, let’s apply it.”
“Then, I’ll do it, as I’m the same gender,” Castais said, taking the ointment and applying it thinly to the bruised area before returning the bottle.
Ekvar , upon seeing the bottle, blinked repeatedly, and the next moment, he had a wry smile on his face.
“Iriya-sama… what is that?”
“It’s medicine? The pain will go away,” she said with a smile. But what? What kind of medicine is it? I hope it’s not some strange drug!
Though, she doesn’t seem like the type to carry strange medicines…!
Liet said the pain quickly subsided, and we descended the mountain, heading towards the town.
The Fen Duchy’s main industries are the export of mana potions and magic-related products.
We decided to spend the night in Grinansen, the second-largest city in this country, located near the mountains.”
