3 bar menu

Volume 9 Chapter 241

Ryuushin’s Kin

「──Huh?」
The wicked dragon fell to the ground, motionless.
Huh…… di-did it die?
For r-real?!
The flying punch I threw as a feint ended up slaughtering the dragon, one of the mightiest monsters in the world─especially the highest ranking among them, an elemental dragon.
And it was even the one that had turned into a wicked dragon.
When they turn evil, their intelligence diminishes, but their strength and endurance skyrocket, making them even harder to kill.
Their tainted scales reject all magic except light element, and they usually deflect most physical attacks.
Even if you manage to inflict a fatal blow, a wicked dragon will resurrect roughly a thousand times.
To defeat a wicked dragon, you either need overwhelming firepower with light element magic to purify its soul or inflict a fatal blow a thousand times.
I, without any particular element, hurled a mass of magical energy at the wicked dragon.
So, if it died because of that, it means my flying punch has the power to kill wicked dragons a thousand times over.
Could it be that I’m stronger than I think?
As the strongest coloured dragonewt, who was trained by Haruto the Monster, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised I got stronger.
Being able to defeat a wicked dragon in one blow means I’m quite strong.
Oh!
I’ve gotten really strong!!
I feel great.
But this girl doesn’t seem to think so.
「W-What have you done!?」
「Huh?」
The girl scolded me with great anger.
「If I had been a sacrifice, everyone would’ve been saved! Th-That’s─」
Tears overflowed from her eyes as she glared at me.
「I just defeated the wicked dragon, didn’t I? What’s wrong?」
「……He has placed his dragon kin as guards in my village. Because of that, we couldn’t escape or call for help because of him」
「You think his dragon kin will attack your village?」
「He said that if anyone opposed him, his kin will destroy the village!」
I see.
That’s bad……
「I understand. I’ll save your village」
「…….Eh?」
I release my magic.
Giving that magic a dark element, I summon small dragons from within my shadow.
Shadow dragons─ black dragon’s kin who rule over darkness and shadows.
Twenty shadow dragons gather within the shadows around me.
「Master, you called?」
「 —-Huh!?」
One of the shadow dragons emerges from my shadow.
The sudden appearance startles the girl, and she lets out a small scream.
「The village near here is being controlled by the wicked dragon’s kin. I want you to defeat them all」
「As you command, Master」
The one who emerged is the leader of the shadow dragons.
Upon receiving my command, it disappears into the shadows.
Immediately, the other dragons receive the command, and the shadow dragons scatter around this area.
Although shadow dragons aren’t elemental dragons, they’re quite powerful.
They move swiftly through the shadows, killing enemies silently.
Even the elemental dragons are no match the generals of the shadow dragons.
If the minions of the defeated wicked dragon start causing trouble, my shadow dragons should defeat them before any harm becomes significant.
If there’s any casualty, I’ll ask Ryuuka for help.
For now, this should be fine, but—
「They will take care of the wicked dragon’s kin. Is there any other problem?」
「…….U-Um, just who are you?」
「I forgot to introduce myself! I’m Ryuushin, of the dragonkin」
「D-Dragonewt!?」
The girl distances herself from me as if trying to escape.
When she steps back, she stumbles and falls on her butt.
She’s really scared……
Well, considering she’s been tormented by the wicked dragon for so long, it’s understandable that she’d fear dragons.
And maybe she thinks dragons and dragonewts are similar.
The dragonkin’s population is small, so they’re not very well-known.
「The dragonkin eats the same things as humans. So I won’t attack you. You can relax」
I extend my hand to the girl sitting on the ground.
「I’ll protect your village too」
After hesitating for a while, she nervously takes my hand.
I pull her up and help her stand.
「Again, I’m Ryuushin. And you?」
「I-I’m, I’m called Hinata」
「Hinata, that’s a cute name. Nice to meet you」
「N-Nice to meet you…… I’ll be in your care」
The slightly embarrassed Hinata is cute.
But for now, there’s no time to relax with her.
I need to make sure all the wicked dragon’s kin are defeated, and if there are any casualties, I have to go call Ryuuka.
「Let’s go to your village, Hinata. I’ll need you to guide me」
「Y-Yes! Understood」
Hinata tries to run, but she immediately trips and falls.
Because she was toyed with by the wicked dragon, her body is covered in wounds, and her stamina is significantly depleted.
It’s unfortunate, but I can’t use magic to heal others.
But I can carry her, at least.
I transform into a black dragon.
The wicked dragon’s cave is vast, enough for me to fly from the deepest part to the entrance.
It’s faster to fly with Hinata on my back.
The problem is whether Hinata will be scared of me in my dragon form—-
「A-amazing. Beautiful……」
Hinata touches the scales on my black dragon’s face.
Maybe she’s comparing them to the dull scales tainted by evil magic?
I hope she’s not making that comparison.
Dragon scales are naturally attractive to humans.
Unblemished scales are a dragon’s pride.
Being praised by Hinata for those scales makes me happy.
「Hinata, let’s go to your village. Ride on my back」
Since it seems she’s not scared of me in my dragon form, I decide to let her ride on my back and fly.
I squat down to let Hinata climb onto my back.
「Um, is it really okay for me to ride?」
Dragons are said to only let those they acknowledge ride on their backs.
But I don’t really care about that.
「Yeah. It’s fine, so hurry up」
「Okay… …Excuse me then」
Hinata climbs onto my back.
She sits on my back.
Her buttocks should be against my back─
But since my scales have no sensation, I can’t enjoy any softness or anything.
Damn it……
Oh well.
It feels kind of nice to have a girl ride on my back for the first time in my life, though.
I’m a bit happy.
Now, all that’s left is to protect Hinata’s village safely and then get her to go on a date with me as a reward.
I’m looking forward to it.
……Hinata, I wonder if you remember our promise?