We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Slaton’s Adventure
“Dragon Knight, please save our village!”
That’s what I was asked when I crossed a grand bridge, heading deep into the mountains in search of Duranel’s food.
Apparently, my appearance with the Earth Dragon, Duranel, is quite conspicuous.
As for me, I’ve always traveled with the Hero Listea, so I don’t particularly care about the gazes of others.
However, Duranel seems sensitive to the stares of humans. He’s surprisingly delicate.
I could have traveled from the Yorttenitos Kingdom to the Armēdo Kingdom and headed straight for the capital, but considering Duranel, I decided to take a less populated path. After safely crossing the Shū River, I turned north from the port town on the Armēdo Kingdom side. As I moved away from the endlessly stretching east-west road, large villages gradually became fewer. Then, from a certain point, I headed west along a sparsely populated mountain road, searching for that day’s meal.
It was then. Following deer tracks down a game trail, I was spoken to by a beautiful woman.
She was a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. She looked about my age. She wasn’t very tall, not even reaching my shoulder. However, her refined features were so beautiful that even I, who had seen many women flock to the Hero, had to admit she was lovely. To think such a beauty would be found here, so deep in the mountains.
“So, what do you mean by ‘save the village’?”
Even though she had rushed up to speak to me, I asked back, looking at the woman who was cowering in fear as she gazed up at Duranel, the Earth Dragon, standing behind me.
We are traveling separately for now, but I am the Hero’s partner. I cannot ignore the words of this desperate woman.
“M-my village will be destroyed by that snake woman if things continue like this!”
“Snake woman!?”
The woman introduced herself as Nazari and told me about her village.
“My village is located by Horista Lake.”
Horista Lake. I recall it’s a lake deep within the mountainous region north-east of the sub-capital, Ambis. It’s close to the Northern Land, a remote countryside where few humans live.
I’ve ventured into the northern mountainous region with Listea and the others on adventures several times in the past. However, I had never been as far as the area where Horista Lake is located.
“Actually, a snake woman has taken up residence in Horista Lake…”
Nazari called it a snake woman, but from her story, it seemed to be a type of magic beast. It had a pale, feminine upper body, but from the waist down, it was a serpent, a ferocious water-controlling demon. While the snake woman claimed Horista Lake as its territory, it would sometimes come ashore and rampage. Nazari’s village eked out a living through fishing on Horista Lake. But since the appearance of the snake woman, they could no longer fish. So, the village men rose up to defeat the snake woman. However, the result was devastating. They went out in three boats with ten of their most skilled men, but they never returned.
“Haven’t you put out a request with the Adventurer’s Guild?”
“Yes. The one instructed by the village chief went to a nearby village with a guild. And several adventurer parties came to defeat it, but…”
I knew the rest of Nazari’s story without her having to finish it. There aren’t many skilled adventurers in such remote places. Most likely, after accepting the subjugation request, inexperienced adventurers were defeated.
“If this continues, we won’t be able to fish, and the village will be destroyed by the rampaging snake woman.”
“So, you were on your way to request help from a barracks or an adventurer’s guild in a larger village?”
“Yes. The adventurers who came to our village said that only someone like the Hero of the Armēdo Kingdom or a Dragon Knight of the Yorttenitos Kingdom could defeat that snake woman.”
What the heck. A monster that requires a Hero or a Dragon Knight? That’s quite an exaggeration. To put it bluntly, requests that call for a Hero or Dragon Knight usually involve a truly formidable opponent or a matter that shakes the kingdom. Normally, the Adventurer’s Guild wouldn’t accept such a request for a mere magic beast appearing in a remote mountain village? At best, it would be a reconnaissance mission for a second-rate adventurer, or a subjugation request for a first-rate one. Well, the villagers are from the countryside, they might not know these standards.
“Well, it’s a good thing you ran into me.”
I don’t explicitly state that I’m the Hero’s partner. Uttering only my name, I decided to accept Nazari’s request. After all, I’m the Hero’s partner. I can’t just turn away those in need.
“Hey, Duranel. That’s how it is. We’re taking a slight detour.”
“Hey, you. What are we going to eat tonight?”
“Let’s show that snake woman the power you and I possess.”
“You’ve strayed from the deer tracks. If you can’t prepare food, I’ll eat you.”
Duranel also seems motivated. He purred, his ferocious eyes gleaming.
Unfortunately, I cannot understand dragon language like Elnea. However, having traveled with him through the winter and until now, I can vaguely understand what he’s thinking. Duranel usually lives in the mountainous regions of the Yorttenitos Kingdom, but he appears when I call for him. That was the contract originally made between Duranel and me. However, during the demon incident, I was admonished by Elnea and realized my immaturity. So, we re-contracted. We would strive to understand each other. For that purpose, I pulled out the short sword embedded in Duranel’s neck and we’ve been traveling together. Well, it was Elnea who pulled out the sword… Recently, we no longer bicker like we used to.
Nazari looks up at Duranel, who walks behind me, with apprehension. Although Duranel is a young dragon, he possesses an imposing presence and a colossal body that overwhelms humans.
“Don’t worry. He’s far more intelligent than humans. He won’t rampage like the snake woman.”
“You say whatever you want. Know that humans depend on my mood. More importantly, food. I haven’t had meat in three days? Shall I make that woman your dinner tonight?”
“A rumbling throat is a sign of contentment. Good. If you’re in a bad mood, even I can’t handle you. It seems you’re in a good mood this time.”
“You are truly a foolish man. I’ve become so used to it that I’ve lost the desire to get angry. Also, I’ll give you a warning. Since crossing the great river, we’ve been pursued by someone. Are you aware of it?”
Duranel purred and looked down at me and Nazari.
“A-are you really alright? I feel a presence that seems like it could attack at any moment, though I’m ignorant.”
“Hahahaha, no worries. The presence of a dragon is just like this.”
I petted Duranel’s face, trying to reassure Nazari.
“Ah, if only I were a companion of the Dragon King… You fool who too readily accepted a woman’s request and isn’t aware of the presence behind you. May you be coiled and die by the snake woman!”
Duranel closed his eyes as if in pleasure, letting me pet him. He’s a cute one. As our bond deepened, the master-subordinate relationship I had when I controlled him felt ridiculously superficial. We are partners who fight together. It’s impossible to achieve skillful cooperation through a master-subordinate relationship that threatens lives. This journey together, to deepen our friendship and understanding, had become important for Duranel and me.
“Well then, guide me to your village.”
I urged Nazari along and started walking. Her village is apparently further down the game trail. A village without even a forest road? I was surprised by how remote it was.
Horista Lake was in a small basin surrounded by deep green mountains. The slightly greenish water was highly transparent, and I could see fish swimming beneath the surface. Nazari’s village was a small fishing village nestled by the beautiful lake. Old houses were densely packed on the flatland by the lake. Judging by the number of houses, there probably weren’t more than fifty villagers. When I arrived, the village lacked vibrancy, with only the elderly and children present.
“There aren’t many adults.”
“Yes. The men were lost in the previous subjugation… Currently, those who can move go into the mountains to gather wild vegetables and somehow manage to survive.”
One shouldn’t compare the Dragon Forest spreading out in the southern part of the capital to these deep mountains in the mountainous regions. Even near settlements, forests and mountains present many dangers. Bears and wolves alone are formidable threats, and if monsters appear, women and children wouldn’t stand a chance. Considering that, even gathering wild vegetables in the mountains is a life-or-death struggle for Nazari and the others.
“Alright, I’ll lend you a hand!”
The villagers, who had lost their vitality, rejoiced at my appearance with a dragon in tow. Now, I’ll turn that joy into the jubilation of being saved.
“Duranel, let’s go!”
“Tch. It’s tiring to look after a fool. But well, let’s go on a rampage for the first time in a while.”
I mounted Duranel, who bared his fangs fiercely, and headed towards the surface of Horista Lake.
“Hey, you disgusting snake woman! I’ll grill you, so come out!”
I shouted, and Duranel provocatively struck the lake surface with his thick tail. Then, a wavering shadow rose from the depths of the lake. It was recognizable from a considerable distance due to its transparency.
We moved away from the lake surface for a moment, waiting for the snake woman.
First, small bubbles appeared. Then, with increasingly violent splashes, the snake women appeared in swarms, their disgusting forms revealed.
“Whoa, there are so many!”
I wasn’t told about this! There are nearly fifty snake women!
The villagers, leaving me and Duranel behind, screamed and fled one after another. Nazari fled too. Damn it. Give me accurate information! I’ll give them a thorough lecture after I slaughter these snake women. Clicking my tongue, I confronted the snake women emerging from the lake.
Their pale upper bodies indeed took the form of women. However, I felt no lust for their naked forms. First, their color was disgusting, and their expressions were completely monstrous. It seemed like they had no jaws, and their mouths opened so wide that they revealed yellow fangs, as if they had never brushed their teeth. Their black eyeballs with red pupils radiated only madness. And, above all, the way their lower bodies writhed was so disgusting that they seemed closer to yōma than magic beasts.
“Duranel, no need for restraint!”
In response to my command, Duranel unleashed a breath of darkness. The snake women, hissing like snakes as they approached, were swallowed by the mist of darkness. From within the jet-black darkness that swallowed even light, ear-piercing screams of women echoed.
“As expected of dragonkind. These so-called magic beasts are no match.”
I praised Duranel, who was overwhelming them with his breath of darkness. I’ve grown too. If it were me a little while ago, I would have mistaken Duranel’s abilities for my own and failed to properly appreciate his work.
“Are you so foolish that you’ve forgotten your own words? You said you’d grill them. If I annihilate them with my dragon arts, there won’t be even bones left, let alone grilled meat.”
“Hahaha. Are you having fun finally unleashing your power? Don’t hold back. Sweep them away!”
“Is that so? Have you forgotten…?”
Duranel continued to unleash his breath of darkness with a roar. This guy is all fired up. Since we started traveling together, we haven’t encountered many significant monsters. Perhaps he had pent-up frustrations.
“Hey, hey, leave some of my prey for me?”
“…You probably don’t understand my words anyway. But I’ll give you a warning just in case. The real fight starts now.”
Facing the overwhelming combat power of dragonkind, the snake women were annihilated before they could even reach the land from the lake. But there were so many of them. A few snake women who escaped the jet-black mist of darkness approached, wriggling disgustingly.
“Hyaa!”
My greatsword roared. Creacio isn’t here, but I still made the greatsword glow blue with ki. The greatly sharpened greatsword sliced the upper body of a snake woman vertically in half. Dark blue blood, darker than their skin, gushed out.
“Ugh! This is Genuinely disgusting.”
Dodging the blood spatter, I swung my greatsword at another one. This time, I severed the woman’s upper body from her serpent lower body. Trash. These guys are no match for me and Duranel. But then again, over fifty magic beasts is a matter that would normally require an army if the information were accurate. It’s lucky you could request it from me. Duranel overwhelmed them with his breath, and I finished off those who were lucky enough to escape. In the end, they were just numerous, nothing special. Or is it? Have we become strong enough to fight against such a large number of magic beasts? This means we can stand shoulder to shoulder with Listea, who has reached the realm of non-humans.
“Hey, you trash! Is this all?”
I returned to Duranel’s back and looked around. However, there wasn’t a single moving shadow left. Moreover, the fifty or so snake women that appeared had vanished, leaving only the few that I had cut down. The power of Duranel’s breath of darkness is terrifying. I surveyed the surroundings and let out a victorious roar. Hahaha! Perhaps my legend begins here! Raising my pale-glowing greatsword high above my head. Then, I froze.
“Gyaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!”
A monster, letting out an ear-splitting war cry, emerged from the bottom of Horista Lake, sending up a magnificent splash of water. It was a colossal snake woman!
“I wasn’t told about THIS!”
Give me accurate information! This snake woman, whose upper body alone was several times larger than Duranel and possessed a body that would make even a giant gasp, looked down at us from high above with an enraged expression.
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