Dragon Slayer King – Part 03
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Translator: Kell | Editor: Ryunakama
“Should I thank God for this?”
“You should thank me,” the priest said.
His sweet voice was grating to my ears. I couldn’t help but scowl at his patronizing words.
“So it was your staff that tripped me.”
“A filthy Beastfallen is not appropriate for tribute to a sacred dragon. You’re buying time for them, yes? I won’t let you take the spotlight alone. I am an adjudicator from Dea Ignis.”
Okay, that was pretty cool. But now was not the time to be acting like a hotshot.
The fallen dragon rose back up and glowered at us, its eyes burning with fury. I grabbed the priest’s arm firmly and swung it as hard as he could.
“What…?” The priest looked at me.
Even though he couldn’t see my expression through his eye patch, I gave him my best smile. “No hard feelings. We just need a decoy!”
I threw the priest right into the air, and the dragon turned to follow him. I quickly ran up a tree branch and jumped on the dragon’s back, which was big enough to hold a whole house.
I almost fell from the momentum, but I managed to hook my claws on its rugged body and hold on. I clambered up the dragon’s back and clung to its neck in one breath.
You think I wouldn’t kill the dragon? Sorry, Father, but I care more about my life than my faith. He wouldn’t be able to find fault with the Magic Corps if I decided to slay it myself.
I stroke the dragon’s neck, looking for a gap in its scales.
“What the hell?”
I searched all over its body, but couldn’t find a single seam that a knife could penetrate through.
“Feels like stone… Wh-Whoa…!”
The dragon wriggled and flapped its wings to get rid of the insect—me—on its back. Losing my balance, I fell and rolled around on the ground. A huge foot threatened to crush me, but I quickly scurried away and slid behind some tree roots.
The dragon swung its tail, knocking down trees all around, then spread its wings and soared into the sky. I felt relieved that it didn’t pursue me. Then I spotted Zero and Gouda rushing towards me.
“Mercenary, are you all right?”
“All my limbs are intact, so I’m good. What about the Magic Corps?”
“I led them all to the valley,” Gouda replied firmly. “If we stay here and make a ruckus, it shouldn’t chase them into the valley where it’s difficult to attack.”
“That sounds too good to be true. Ouch!”
A sharp pain jolted through my head. Profanity followed.
“You useless bastard!”
It was the priest. The dragon didn’t devour him, unfortunately. As soon as he ran up to me, he smacked my head with his staff.
“How could you use a priest as bait?! You’re worse than a demon! If you’re going to throw someone, at least make it worth it!”
“Shut up! It’s better to use useless people like you as bait! Besides, that thing’s body is covered in stone. There’s no gaps at all.”
“Stone?” Zero blinked. “Not scales?”
“Yup. It was hard stone.”
For a moment, Zero was lost in thought. Then realizing something, she jumped to her feet. “I understand now! Its body is covered in hardened lava. The dragon retreated back then even though it was not seriously injured because it started raining!”
“Rain?” Gouda leaned forward. “So it doesn’t like water because it lives in lava?”
“No. You could say that, but it is not that simple. To be more precise, there is a time when it hates water.” Zero looked up at the sky and clicked her tongue. The dragon circling above was descending towards the valley. “There is no time to explain. All you need to know for now is that we have a chance to defeat it. There is one problem, however.” Zero gazed at the priest.
Noticing her stare, the priest tilted his head curiously. “Me?”
“It is time you stop pretending, priest.” Zero gave a sweet smile.
The priest’s expression tightened. Zero made a motion of drawing a bow towards the sky. An arrow of light shot out from her hand, hitting the dragon’s body, then bounced.
The dragon, ready to pounce on the Magic Corps that fled into the valley, turned its attention to us again. Zero and the dragon glared at each other, their eyes filled with murderous intent. It reminded me of the moment when they exchanged glances when the ship was attacked. But unlike that time, Zero wasn’t the least bit intimidated by the dragon.
“We are taking the offensive,” Zero declared with a smile. “It is time for a fun dragon extermination.”
“This is foolish!” the priest shouted. “I thought the dragon can’t be injured! And what are you thinking, using Magic in front of me?! I spared you because I had no concrete evidence, but now… Don’t you value your life?!”
“I do not,” Zero replied. “But I do not plan to give it up either.” She turned to me. “Mercenary!”
I grabbed the priest’s neck from the front as he was about to take a step forward, then slammed him against a nearby tree and lifted him up so that his feet were in the air. He groaned.
“Roger that,” I said. “I’ll keep this guy in check. Go! Captain, you assist the witch!”
“Got it!” Gouda replied, and started running with Zero.
“S-Stop! Y-You bastard!”
The priest poured his strength into his staff. But before it could transform into a scythe, I stabbed his wrist with a knife and pinned it to the tree. Biting his lips and grunting in pain, he twisted the strings from his staff around my neck.
Sensing the danger, I grabbed the strings directly and shook them off my neck. Blood sputtered from my palms, but it was better than being beheaded. In the meantime, Zero and Gouda were already gone.
I distanced myself from the priest. Immediately he pulled the knife out his wrist without so much as a scream, and entwined a string around it to stop the bleeding. The strings were quite handy, usable both for attacking and first-aid. I wondered if he’d cut his wrist off by mistake, but I couldn’t really ask him anything in this situation.
The sun was still high in the sky, shining bright. It was an unfavorable situation for the priest, but he transformed his staff to a scythe and charged straight at me without any hesitation.
Zero and Gouda jumped out into the road, arguing about the dragon circling in the sky. The occasional flickering from above—probably Zero’s Steim to keep the dragon in check—distracted me for a split-second. I might have completely underestimated the priest. The moment I raised my sword to catch the priest’s scythe, he suddenly changed course.
“Huh? Wait, where are you going?!”
“I’m not stupid enough to go head-to-head with a Beastfallen during daytime!”
The priest slipped past me and headed for Zero. Spinning around, I quickly followed him. The priest ran up a tree, kicked the trunk and jumped over my head. Considering the unusual distance he flew, he must have hooked a string to a branch. As soon as he landed, he started running towards Zero.
If it was a straight chase, I’d have the advantage, but with dense trees blocking the way, I wouldn’t be able to catch up with my size once he put some distance between us.
Cursing, I shouted, “Hey, Captain! The priest’s headed your way! Protect the witch!”
I leapt out into the road. The priest was already closing in on Zero and Gouda. Pushing the witch behind him, Gouda drew his sword.
A metallic clank rang out, the sound of Gouda blocking the priest’s scythe. The dragon was swooping in from above, its claws closing in quick. Zero’s barrage of Steim was interrupted for a moment when the captain pushed her, and the dragon didn’t let the opportunity slide.
“Oh, shit… Above you! Watch out!”
Gouda quickly looked up. He stayed put, however. He knew that if he backed down, Zero would be vulnerable. To make matters worse, the priest wasn’t retreating either. They were both morons who put duty first before their own safety.
I won’t make it.
There was a sudden flash, followed by an explosion. I looked away from the blinding light. Letting out a surprised shriek, the dragon soared back up, zipping just past Gouda and Zero’s heads.
“That was Redaest!” I exclaimed.
A spell from the Chapter of Hunting, Page Four. I remembered it because it was the same Magic Zero used when she confronted the dragon on the ship.
I lifted my head and glanced at Zero. That was definitely Magic just now. But Zero was also looking away from the light, which meant it wasn’t her that cast it.
My gaze darted towards the valley. People in their matching uniform were standing there—the Magic Corps.
“I thought they esca—”
Before I could finish my sentence, Gouda shouted, “You idiots! What are you thinking?! I ordered you to escape!”
“We can’t comply with that order!” Guy shouted back.
His injured leg seemed to be completely healed, as both his feet were planted firmly on the ground. He looked determined to stay in his spot even if it meant death. He was as stubborn as the priest and Gouda, apparently.
“You always risked your life for the people!” Guy continued. “You protected us! We all decided that now is our turn to put our lives on the line!” His face was that of a warrior prepared to die. Right now he couldn’t care less about the dragon’s threat or the wrath of the Church. Running away from this battlefield was the one thing he couldn’t stand.
The priest turned pale. He brushed Gouda’s sword aside with his scythe, grabbed the captain by the collar, and pulled him close. “Tell them to retreat, now! The sorcerer is dead. If they still want to use Magic themselves, I will have no choice but to condemn them to death!” His voice was stiff, as if saying, “Please don’t make me kill them.”
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