It became quite a half-hearted situation on the way back from the underground empire of the Dragonkin Zumw.
I saw beautiful flowers blooming in the forest. Between the grass, delicate little flowers in yellow and pale purple were swaying here and there. As I stepped in and walked down a forest road flanked by thick trees, I found a herb called Moryu growing!
With its white milk-like flowers and black roots, there was no doubt about it! I immediately gathered it and followed Kingu, who was walking ahead, searching for other herbs.
But then… I got lost.
“Come to think of it, you were searching for the underground empire of the Dragonkin Zumw and ended up in the Dead Sea, right? You must be directionally challenged,” said Ekvar .
“W-well, it can’t be helped! Normally, there’s always someone to guide me. Anyway, I’m sure if I just walk straight through the forest, I’ll find the way out!” I argued, though it was a rather unreasonable theory.
Still, he kept walking forward, determined.
“Should we turn back? I know the way back,” Ekvar suggested, but Kingu seemed like the type who only knew how to move forward.
We continued walking deeper into the forest…
“Ah! Kingu-sama, wait…!”
Crack!
There was a sound like thin ice breaking, and the view in front of me cracked. It shattered like painted glass, revealing a path leading further into the forest, similar to the one we were walking on.
It was probably an illusion spell.
“Who dares break our spell? Beyond this point lies our domain!”
A woman’s voice called from above the trees. It seemed like someone was coming.
“No… we…”
“Hah! How could someone not even see who I am, and expect me to explain myself!” Kingu provoked, even though it was he who had broken the barrier himself!
It seems Dragonkin have a lot of pride…
“…Elves, show yourselves. This man is short-tempered,” said Belial, sounding a little exasperated. After all, we had been walking aimlessly for a while. And here we were, encountering elves again. Elves are beautiful and often targeted by bad humans, so they tend to live quietly in the depths of the forest to avoid being discovered. This makes their encounters more frequent than one might expect.
Upon realizing they were elves, I became even more cautious. I could hear voices from above the trees, likely discussing us.
Stepping forward in front of Kingu, I decided to apologize and bow to the elves.
“Excuse me! I am a lost traveler, and I apologize for breaking your barrier. I am a friend of Lord Justus from Montian, and I bear no ill will toward the elf tribe.”
I had been told I could use his name if things ever got complicated, so I decided to try it here.
If Kingu got angry, the elves in this area could be wiped out…
A man, about the same age as Justus , descended from the trees. He had yellow-greenish blonde hair.
“I heard that Montian was attacked by thieves and burned… So, you must be the one who helped them, along with the woman named Iriya and the demon named Belial?”
“Yes, that’s right! And this is Kingu-sama, a friend of Lord Belial, and Ekvar , my companion,” I introduced them.
“Friends?”
Belial and Kingu both grimaced at the same time. They seemed to get along just fine, though…
“Everyone, lower your guard. This is the benefactor of our kin!”
The man called out to the elves above, and soon two elves appeared. One was a woman about my age, and the other was a man. All of them had long ears and fair skin.
“I see. You were the one Montian spoke of. We apologize for the misunderstanding. We were told that you are a magical item crafter and often enter the forest to gather herbs, so if we meet you, we should express our gratitude,” the female elf said cheerfully as she offered me a handshake. Elves seem to have a deep bond with each other. Justus was a kind elf.
“…What is your contractor doing?” the man asked.
“He seems to enjoy sticking his nose into troublesome situations,” I replied.
“Ah, so that’s why you’re contracted with him. I understand now.”
“How do you understand that?!” I responded, confused.
It seemed Belial and Kingu had a certain affinity for each other.
The elves led us to their village and treated us to a meal and wine, as thanks for saving their companions.
“…This is a fine wine. I wish I could share it with my mother!” Kingu said.
“You really do think about your mother a lot… No wonder she’s always worried about you,” Ekvar teased.
Apparently, elven wine was really delicious. I can’t really judge the quality of alcohol, but it seemed to be well-liked by others. Ekvar quickly drank his glass.
There was a low table in the middle of the large room, and instead of chairs, we sat directly on the floor, with thick carpets laid out and cushions and blankets provided.
“Thank you, being served by beautiful women makes the wine taste even better!” Ekvar said with a broad smile.
Since I don’t handle alcohol well, I opted for grape juice, which was delightfully sweet and refreshing.
The food was healthy, mostly consisting of vegetables. Since I usually just grab whatever is convenient, I appreciated it. By the way, Ekvar was actually better at cooking than I was. He had learned to cook from solo camping.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
The woman from earlier sat next to me. She had long platinum-colored hair that swayed with her movements, and was dressed in a white long-sleeved turtleneck with a young green dress, paired with white pants.
“Of course. Thank you so much for your generous hospitality. I was lost and walking for a long time, so this is very refreshing,” I replied.
“You got lost? Where did you come from?” She asked as she refilled my glass with grape juice.
“I came from a town called Renant and visited the underground empire of the Dragonkin Zumw. I was on my way back.”
“…The underground empire of the Dragonkin? Humans aren’t supposed to know about that place…”
The woman’s smile froze. Oh no, maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that so honestly?
“Lord Belial is aware of it, so…”
“Ah, I’m in a good mood! If you have a wish, speak it! I’ll grant it!”
As I was considering how to explain things, Kingu raised his glass loudly with a big grin. The wine sloshed and spilled slightly.
The elves exchanged glances at his sudden proposal. Yeah, that was a bit unexpected.
“No, this is just to thank you for helping our kin…”
“That’s nothing to do with me. When it comes to gratitude, us dragons always go above and beyond!”
“Hahaha! Here comes your speech!”
While Belial clapped his hands and seemed to enjoy it, the elves stared at Kingu, confused. They hadn’t known he was a Dragonkin, so when he suddenly declared “us dragons,” they were taken aback.
Still, given that elves are sensitive to magical power, they probably realized he wasn’t human. Perhaps they had assumed he was another demon since he was with Belial.
That said, Kingu had the demeanor of a warrior. Could it be that when he’s drunk, he starts giving speeches like this?
“Weaklings must never forget their devotion to the strong! The strong must protect the weak! This is the礼 (respect) and義 (duty) of the matter!!!”
“Considering that, wasn’t your mother quite a handful, causing a ruckus?”
“There is no consideration for those who lack礼 (respect)! Loyalty to your lord, filial piety to your parents! And you must strictly discipline yourself…”
“Isn’t your lord and your parents the same to you?”
“Kingu-dono, by the way, how far can you fulfill wishes?”
Ekvar asked while offering some snacks. The conversation was getting off-track. Since Belial is a troublemaker, it’s better not to leave it to him.
“Hmm… It’s easiest to defeat enemies. If you want gold and silver, just extort them from this guy. If I tell my mother, she’ll give you as much as you want!”
“Is that a declaration of extortion?! Where is the義 (duty) in that!!”
I see, he has the strongest word, “mother,” to rely on.
“Mother” refers to, of course, the Black Dragon Tiamat. Even Belial fears her, the primal, raging sea dragon. And Kingu is the supreme commander of her black dragon army, someone she publicly declared as “my most beloved child.”
To give you an idea of just how fearsome she is, during a war with her descendants, the peace emissary was so terrified of Tiamat’s fury that he couldn’t even step forward to meet her.
“Ah, Kingu-sama, could it be that you’re…”
The woman sitting next to me spoke in a trembling voice.
“I am the son of the Black Dragon, Tiamat-sama. Please, show no disrespect, and if you have any simple wishes, do not hesitate to ask. It would be disrespectful to hold back.”
“Dragon… God, clan!”
“I-I deeply apologize for not knowing this!!”
The man who had been on guard earlier knelt and apologized. Kingu stirred his glass and glanced at him disinterestedly.
“It’s fine. More importantly, your wish, your wish.”
“Wish, you say…”
The elves looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Among them, the woman sitting next to me hesitantly spoke.
“Actually, we have a problem. It’s the reason we were on alert earlier, but…”
“Speak up, then!”
Finally, a topic seemed to be coming up, and Kingu raised his glass and gestured toward her with a pleased expression.
“Recently, the barrier has been breached, and our livestock have been attacked. They are drained of blood, and the weaker animals are eaten.”
“Not just drained of blood, but eaten too. And breaking through the barrier…”
“Alright! Then guide me, let’s go see the site!”
Kingu finished his wine in one gulp and stood up, showing no signs of being drunk. Then Belial slowly stood up as well.
“This sounds interesting, I’ll go too.”
In the end, we all moved to the barn where the livestock had been attacked.
The barn had goats, sheep, and several pigs. There was also a single Pegasus. There were bloodstains on the ground, suggesting the blood had been drained here. The wooden walls showed signs of being repaired, implying that they had been broken into forcibly. A large, strong creature must have done this.
“Ah… This is bad. Belial, I’ll leave it to you.”
Kingu glanced at the bloodstain in front of the barn and touched the wall, which had only been patched up with minimal effort.
“…Where did all your enthusiasm go from earlier?”
“Dragon’s aura. Flying Dragon… it sucks blood, and I think it’s a Quereble. If that’s the case, it would fly away if we don’t catch it. I can’t transform into a dragon, after all.”
Kingu can’t fly in human form. But his black dragon form would stand out too much. It seems that’s the problem.
“…Ilya, do you know about the Quereble?”
“Yes, it’s a two-legged flying dragon that lives in lakes or caves. It breathes poisonous breath and has very hard scales. They grow large by sucking blood.”
Having dealt with monsters, Ekvar nodded in understanding.
The elves had been observing our conversation from a distance.
If the creature attacking the livestock turned out to be a quick and tough flying dragon, it would be a terrifying monster. But they were able to leave it to a stronger being, so they must have felt somewhat reassured.
“Your contractor sure knows a lot. That’s not a major flying dragon, is it? As expected of your partner, who enjoys dragon hunting.”
“Partner, you say? I’m not sure about that.”
It’s a bit strange for a dragon to acknowledge someone as a partner in dragon hunting! But then again, I can’t deny it, since we do go hunting dragons together.
This flying dragon attacks its prey regardless of whether it’s day or night. It continues to visit the hunting ground until all the prey is gone, and when it gets hungry, it returns.
After a while, we heard a loud roar. A large, serpentine flying dragon with dark green scales appeared from the sky, breaking the barrier.
The livestock, apparently recognizing the roar, gathered in fear near the walls.
“Two waters, mixed and turned to blood. I am Kingu, the successor of the Black Dragon! O primal, raging tide, become the storm that swallows ships!”
Though he said it was impossible, Kingu made his declaration with great enthusiasm.
The magical energy rising from the ground seemed to carry the scent of the sea. With a sharp kick to the ground, he moved with such speed that distance was meaningless, striking the Quereble with a single slash without even showing his hand.
He struck precisely at the Quereble’s weakest spot—the neck, cutting through it without a single mistake.
The flying dragon was one of the fastest types of dragons. In its shockingly rapid movement, it could only resist slightly before blood started flowing, shaking its head in agony. Without hesitation, Kingu delivered another strike to its abdomen, impaling it with his magic.
As expected of the commander of the black dragon army, his attack was so fast it couldn’t be followed by the eye.
Ekvar was also fast for a human, but he probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with Kingu.
However, the Quereble, having been well-nourished, was quite strong. It used the force from Kingu’s magic to escape into the sky.
Spreading its large wings, it attempted to flee back to the sky, but standing in its way was Belial, with his red hair and cloak fluttering in the wind.
“Flames, surge like a torrent! I am Belial, the King of Flames! My sword, forged in the heat of the fire, appear!”
With a flame sword in hand, Belial attacked the Quereble.
“See? I told you its scales were too tough!”
Though he managed to wound it, the attack wasn’t decisive.
The Quereble was slashed from the head and let out a large groan before falling down. Before it could hit the ground, it flapped its wings again, desperately trying to fly away, twisting in pain as it attempted to change direction. Belial sent a fireball to block its path, but the Quereble didn’t stop and continued its charge.
“Tch, troublesome!”
Belial clicked his tongue at the enemy that showed no signs of hesitation.
“Breath, solidify, and turn to ice! Prepare, grant me the trigger! Let countless hard ice shards rain down like a storm! Create a barrage! Glass Ron!”
I had already anticipated this and had been waiting from a distance. As soon as the Quereble approached, I flew to intercept it and launched a magical barrage of ice shards. While the ice wasn’t very large, the rapid impact of multiple ice pieces physically slowed the dragon’s movements.
Then I chanted an additional spell.
“Fragments, gather and become one. Combine until you become a great boulder!”
Immediately, the small fragments turned into a massive block of ice, about the size of a person. When I hurled it at the Quereble, the dragon was forced to recoil and plummeted to the ground.
The large sound and vibrations resonated as the Quereble was slammed into the earth. Kingu jumped lightly and swung his sword, finally decapitating it.
“Well done, Kingu-sama.”
As I descended, I was greeted with what seemed like a lukewarm gaze.
“No… What was that magic you used? Wasn’t that last part a bit… abnormal?”
“Iriya-dono. Was that magic really the same as what the adventurers used in the mines…?”
“I specialize in water magic. The extra incantation increases its power, so it’s very useful!”
Belial’s expression clearly showed he couldn’t understand. The elves observing from a distance also seemed a bit puzzled.
“That water magic of hers is particularly abnormal, but her light magic is even further outside the realm of reason,” Belial remarked as he returned.
I had a slight objection to his comment.
“I think it’s quite strong… I mean, ice melts, so why does it matter if it’s big?”
“…Indeed, it’s certainly abnormal.”
For some reason, Ekvar nodded in agreement. What did that mean?!
“Well, that was an interesting sight. Shall we head back now? You all probably have things to do, right?”
“Yes, if we’re late for Baal-sama’s banquet, it would rain blood…”
That sounds like a dangerous banquet…!
Belial sighed.
After finishing the hunt, we informed the elves that we were leaving. They guided us and gave each of us two bottles of wine as souvenirs.
Both Kingu and Belial happily accepted their gifts. I was planning to give mine to someone who had helped me. Ekvar kept one for himself and decided to give the other to Timo, the dwarf blacksmith. They must have gotten along while working on armor for him.
After parting ways with Kingu, I didn’t get lost on the way. I wonder if he made it back safely… Well, if he got lost, it wouldn’t be a problem. If things were really bad, he could always transform into a dragon and fly.
