He fled without looking back. The sound of trees snapping came from behind, approaching with a tremor in the ground.
“Alana! Wake the villagers and retreat! Something dangerous is chasing us!”
Alana, who had likely been watching through a crystal ball, was already in a combat stance.
“I’ll fight too!”
“First, wake the villagers and have them evacuate. Just yell ‘Fire!’ and everyone will think it’s about them and wake up.”
Before Alana could move, it emerged from the forest and appeared before us. Its black iron-colored scales gleamed sickeningly in the moonlight.
As it opened its mouth, larger than mine, it spewed flames without warning. I scooped Alana up and leaped to the roof of the barn behind us. Has Alana gained a little weight? Especially around the chest…
The flames reached the house we had leaped onto, and the entire wall was engulfed in fire. A fire-breathing giant lizard shouldn’t be able to survive in the forest. This must be the cause of the forest fire.
“Alana, that’s bad. It really looks like a fire is about to break out. Please wake the villagers and have them evacuate.”
I set Alana down and leaped to a spot without flames, drawing my black sword. I thought it would be easier to fight in an open space, but that must be true for it as well.
Faster than it could breathe fire at me, I approached its legs with Godspeed and slashed with all my might. Got its right leg!
*B McQueen!*
My black sword was easily deflected by its black iron-colored scales. Where did that sharpness from before go? The sensation of Alana’s chest vanished as I endured the throbbing in my hands and tried again.
*B McQueen!*
Dodging its lunge to bite me as it turned, I leaped onto its back. I like rodeos. Especially when its back is wide open. A full-force downward strike.
*B McQueen!*
As I landed on the opposite side, I retreated with all my might. This is no good. I can’t even scratch those scales. Being able to breathe fire in the forest means those scales must be incredibly strong.
Only now did I truly assess its strength. But this is a village; there’s nowhere to retreat. If I run, the villagers could be eaten or the village completely burned down.
In situations like this, the mouth or eyes are usually the weak point. I’ll pierce it from its mouth to the top of its head and finish it in one go!
No, wait, self. Am I going to stick my hand into that massive mouth? Impossible. To pierce it to the top of its head, I’d have to put my whole upper body in. I’d be bitten in half.
Even if I only lost an arm, Sophia isn’t here, and I doubt there’s a mage in this village capable of regrowing an arm.
Should I endure the pain, take my severed arm, and go to Maugana to get it fixed? That’s out of the question. I’d definitely get tetanus, and I hate pain.
Then it must be the eyes. I’ll target its ridiculously small eyes for its body and gouge them out, then scrape out its brain. If that doesn’t work, I’ll carry Alana and flee, feeling the sensation of her breasts.
With my plan decided, I positioned my right hand next to my face, my left hand on the back of my black sword, and adopted a thrusting stance, like aiming a billiard ball.
Fire! I dashed forward after a high-speed step to the right. Was it watching me? The flames followed me like a pursuing shadow. I moved to the rear legs of the giant lizard and, thinking I had finally dodged the flames, it swung its massive tail down from above.
I narrowly avoided it and it followed with a sweeping blow to the side. I blocked it with the shield I wore like a gauntlet, but the difference in weight was too much, and I was blown away. That hurt. That hurt.
Did it smile for a second just now? Such an insolent giant lizard! It may be insolent, but I have no countermeasures. I didn’t expect it to move so agilely.
It approached quickly, trying to bite me, but I wouldn’t lose in speed. Dodging its bites again and again, I managed to land a blow, but its small eyes were blocked by hard scales, and I couldn’t even scratch them.
“I’m back!”
“Alana, aim for its eyes with this.”
I tossed a knife, one of Orietta’s creations, to Alana from my waist. No matter how strong Alana’s claws are, they won’t be able to pierce those black iron-colored scales.
I’m the fastest in the group. I’m like cheating. With the two of us creating a diversion, we’ll aim for its eyes. The two of us can have a speed battle.
Alana and I spread out to our sides, maintaining distance and looking for an opening. Alana moved first. Without any feints, she closed the distance instantly. Just as it lunged to bite, she dodged with such speed that she seemed to leave afterimages and aimed for its eyes from below.
I wouldn’t lose either and charged forward. Seizing the chance while its face was turned towards Alana, I dodged its tail and ran across its back to aim for its eyes.
*Clang!*
*Clang!*
Simultaneously, I heard the sound of swords being deflected. Mine hit off-center, but Alana’s also didn’t inflict any damage. Is the target just too small? I backstepped to create distance but immediately launched a second thrust.
It missed. Its eyes are too small, and I keep missing. No matter how many times I thrust at the armor-like scales around them, I can’t inflict a fatal wound.
Alana is also struggling. Even after changing positions and increasing our speed, we couldn’t hit its eyes.
I was the one who panicked. Greedy for one more thrust, I took a blow to the jaw from the giant lizard and was slammed to the ground.
“Captain!”
From above, Alana shouted, as if to draw its attention to her. The giant lizard turned towards Alana and opened its mouth.
I can see what’s coming. It’s going to breathe fire. Alana, floating in the air, was engulfed in flames without even being able to dodge.
“Your breath stinks, you bastard!”
Before the giant lizard could exhale fire, I delivered a full-power kick to its jaw from below, using all my cheat abilities. The flames that were supposed to erupt spread within its mouth, scorching the air between its fangs.
My right knee, which I kicked with, is now pointing in the wrong direction. Before the pain registered, I saw a soft, pinkish underside stretching from the giant lizard’s throat to its belly. Putting all my weight, spirit, and determination into my still-straight left leg, I leaped!
“Die already!”
The slash of my black sword cleanly sliced open its throat, and fresh blood dyed the earth. The giant lizard, over ten meters long, fell without a roar. The blood gushing out seemed to extinguish the surrounding flames.
I sat down, cradling my bent right knee, while Alana hugged my left arm. We just sat there, watching the giant lizard’s death throes.
“It’s over.”
“It’s over. Go call the ones who ran away. We need to put out the fires.”
“Understood. Captain, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. My leg is just broken.”
“You’re not fine. I’ll go call a mage right away.”
“Alana, Alana. I’m fine. Please go call everyone. We need to put out the fire and discuss what’s next.”
After finally persuading the reluctant Alana, she left. We managed to defeat the giant lizard, but this was more troublesome than I had anticipated.
We were told it would be goblins and orcs, and I never expected something this troublesome to be present. A mistake in information could have been fatal.
Speaking with the village chief, he said he had rarely seen such a large lizard. He was happy that the village only suffered the loss of one house and one barn.
“Are you sure?”
“Please don’t worry about it. Use it for the village.”
this giant lizard, or more accurately, the Black Flame Dragon, had abundant scales and meat, and the chief said this one dragon could feed the village for a year.
“Well then, everyone, take care.”
After confirming the remaining goblin corpses eaten by the Black Flame Dragon, the request from Hasuhanto was completed, and the guard work for the village concluded.
Placing the pine crutch made by the villagers on the cart, I thanked them as Alana guided the carriage and we left the village. This time, the information was wrong, I had a fracture, and there were no cute girls.
I’ll have to get it treated by a mage when we reach Maugana. Magic is great because it can heal fractures quickly. This job is over, and I want to return to the Imperial Capital soon after getting healed.
“Horse, listen up. From now on, you’ll pull the carriage to Maugana by your own strength. If you stop or slow down midway, this is what happens!”
Alana slashed the horse’s rear with the knife she had borrowed from me. What are you doing?! I didn’t say anything, but this horse is a sacred beast. It’s a being to be revered!
“It’s fine now. This horse listens when you do this.”
I know that. That’s why it’s like this. But slashing it—is that animal abuse or BDSM by consent? Which one should I choose?
“Captain is injured, so you just rest. I’ll do everything else.”
It takes about half a day to reach Maugana. The swaying of the carriage and Alana’s swaying on top of it reopened the healing wound on my back. The journey, dripping with sweat, was a little… enjoyable.
