Chapter 89: Dragon Peak and Dragon Hunting

“Haa, it’s nice and quiet here.”

Liliera removed the hood hiding her face and took a deep breath, looking completely relaxed at the deserted foot of the mountain.

Why are we in a place like this? The story goes back to this morning.

◆

“Alright, let’s go to the Adventurer’s Guild today and ask for an appraisal of the materials from the Green Dragon and Wyverns we defeated yesterday.”

“Big Bro, aren’t we going to take any job requests?”

Jairo raised his hand and asked, so I answered him.

“We came to this country for training, after all. The policy is basically not to take requests, but to earn money by selling materials from the monsters we defeat.”

“I see, that would certainly be better training.”

Honestly, I wanted to gain experience as an adventurer by taking rare requests unique to this land that aren’t available in other countries. But since Liliera and the others said they wanted to gain enough strength to be satisfied with themselves—strength enough not to be a burden—that takes priority.

Since my companions are full of motivation to become stronger, I have to support them with all my might!

“…I suddenly felt a chill.”

“What a coincidence, Liliera. Me too.”

For some reason, Liliera and Mina hugged themselves and shivered. Could it be a cold?

Treating a cold early is crucial, so I’ll cast Elder Heal on them later. With that, whether it’s a scratch or an incurable disease, it’ll be cured in one shot!

“Then, let’s go.”

We left the inn and headed for the Adventurer’s Guild that the employee had told us about. And then…

“Hey, isn’t that the Dragon Princess?”

“Eh? Dragon Princess?”

“It’s true, it’s the Dragon Princess!”

The townspeople started making a commotion upon seeing Liliera. The uproar spread in the blink of an eye, and everyone passing by stared at Liliera.

“Wh-wha…!?”

Hmm, what exactly is a Dragon Princess? Is that perhaps what they call a girl who defeats a dragon in this country? But they’re adding “Sama” (Lady/Princess) to it, and I sense a feeling of respect…

“Hmm?”

That’s when I noticed something mixed in with the emotions in people’s gazes—an emotion exactly opposite to respect or gratitude.

“…Killing intent?”

No mistake, someone is directing killing intent at us. But who, and for what purpose?

Hmm, I have absolutely no clue. I assume this “Dragon Princess” uproar is the cause. But even in my memories of my past life, I’ve never heard the term “Dragon Princess.” Dragon Emperor, sure, I heard that frequently.

“Hey, Rex.”

Just then, Liliera called me.

“Yes, what is it, Liliera?”

“Um, you know, now that I think about it, isn’t the Guild crowded at this time with adventurers checking for new requests? So, why don’t we prioritize the training that was our purpose for coming to this country?”

“Training? But what about selling the monster materials?”

“The monster materials won’t rot since we have the magic bag Rex made, right? Besides, we’re not worried about money. In that case, it’s better to prioritize training. Even if we ask for a purchase assessment, assessing the flock of Wyverns Jairo and the others defeated will take time, so we can just ask for the assessment when we return from training in the evening and pick up the money the next day.”

“I see, that certainly makes sense.”

Just as Liliera says, I only have memories of the Adventurer’s Guild being crowded in the morning. Thinking about it that way, Liliera‘s proposal is a good one that uses time efficiently.

“She says that, but basically, she just hates being made a fuss over.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

Mina and Meguri accepted Liliera‘s strong recommendation for training with that understanding. Ah, I see, so that was also a reason. To be shy about being stared at by people—Liliera really is a shy person. But well, in that case, for Liliera‘s sake too, it might be best to focus on training until the townspeople’s excitement cools down.

…Also, I’m curious about the identity of that killing intent I felt earlier.

◆

And so, we have arrived at the Dragon Peak. Perhaps she really wanted to train, because as soon as we left the town, Liliera floated up with Flight Magic and flew straight to this Dragon Peak. She must have really wanted to fight a dragon. I have to respond to Liliera‘s enthusiasm!

“So, Rex, what kind of training are we doing!?”

“You’re full of spirit, Liliera. Today’s training is dragon hunting to the limit here at Dragon Peak!”

“I see! Underst—”

Just then, Liliera, who had taken a spirited first step, froze.

“Ehhhh!?”

Everyone stared at me with wide eyes.

“Dragon hunting.”

And everyone took a step back.

“No, no, no! Impossible, impossible, impossible!!”

Eh? Why?

“Starting with dragon hunting right away? Shouldn’t there be more steps? Like a lecture on how to defeat a dragon, or getting used to it with Wyvern hunting before dragons?”

“That’s right, Rex. Don’t we need to come up with a strategy or something?”

“Strategy?”

At Liliera and Norb‘s words, Jairo and the others nodded in agreement.

“Yes, I think we need to have a meeting about things like dragon weaknesses, or what kind of location to intercept dragons in.”

I see. Indeed, for adventurers, that kind of prior meeting is important.

“Right. First, a dragon’s weakness is its neck, I guess.”

“Neck… is it?”

“Yeah, if you cut the neck, you can defeat it.”

“…Um, could you give us a weakness that’s a bit easier for amateurs…”

Huh? I think cutting the neck is a super simple method. Hmm, but maybe Norb is looking for an even simpler fighting method, like something a child could use to challenge a dragon?

Ah, right, Norb is a Priest. As someone who considers helping those in trouble his role, he probably wants to know a way to defeat a dragon even in a situation where there are no warriors like us—in other words, a situation where there are only people who can’t fight.

“Right. In that case, first… yeah, let’s demonstrate it in actual combat.”

“Actual combat?”

“Look, it seems they’re coming from over there just in time.”

When I looked around, countless dragons were heading towards us.

“D-Dragons!? And so many!?”

Everyone’s voices harmonized.

“You mentioned a place to intercept dragons earlier, but the Dragon Peak is their territory. If you step even one foot inside, they’ll detect you. And since dragons fly and wreck the surrounding terrain with their breath, taking advantage of the terrain doesn’t mean much.”

Saying that, I drew my sword and took a battle stance.

“Then, let’s try putting the dragon countermeasures into practice.”

I dashed towards the dragon in front.

“Dragon Subjugation Method No. 1: First, cut the wings!”

I jumped onto the dragon’s back and severed its wings from the base.

“GUGYAAAAAA!!”

“Kyuu!!”

Immediately, Fluffy headed to the dragon’s feet, grabbed the wing in its mouth, and returned to the rear. Good work on material recovery.

“Dragons flee to the sky when disadvantaged, so as I said before, gaining terrain advantage is usually meaningless. So if you want to use the terrain, aim for the wings first. Once they can’t use their wings, you won’t be attacked unilaterally from the sky. This is the first countermeasure.”

As I was explaining, the surrounding dragons began to show strong magical reactions. Yeah, it’s the dragon’s signature attack: Breath.

“And next, block the mouth so they can’t breathe fire!!”

I cut a nearby rock into a handy size and threw it continuously into the dragons’ mouths.

“Gumoh!?”

Instantly, explosions occurred inside the dragons’ mouths. Yeah, the breath exploded inside their mouths—killing two birds with one stone.

“Ah, crap!”

“Wh-what happened!?”

Norb called out, wondering what my mistake was.

“I exploded the head, so the quality of the head material got ruined!”

“Is… is that it?”

No, no, it affects the purchase price, so it’s important. Ah, I messed up.

“Well anyway, countermeasures against dragons are like this. Cut the wings to reduce the danger of being attacked from above, seal the wide-range breath, and after that, it’s just a lizard with somewhat hard scales. Then you can boil it or grill it. If you’re still worried, aim for the legs or eyes to further seal its movements.”

Saying that, I proceeded to cut off the dragons’ heads.

“It’s like this, so everyone give it a try. With that number, each person can defeat 10 dragons, so it’s perfect practice for getting clean materials.”

I pointed to the second wave of incoming dragons and told them.

“No, that’s impossible, isn’t it?”

“I think that’s a bit difficult for us.”

“I’m a mage, so cutting necks is a bit…”

“Taking on a dragon alone is way too impossible…”

“Or rather, 10 per person means fighting 10 to 1!?”

However, everyone shook their heads saying it was absolutely impossible and backed away.

“Ehh? I think with everyone’s ability, you could take on about 10 Green Dragons. Actually, Liliera defeated a Green Dragon yesterday. …Ah, there are a few Blue Dragons mixed in, but that’s within the margin of error, right?”

“That is definitely not a margin of error!!”

“Blue Dragons are a higher species than Green Dragons!”

“Yeah, just one rank above Green Dragons.”

“‘Just’…”

Norb is such a worrier.

“It’s fine. Everyone can use Attribute Enhancement, the advanced form of Body Enhancement Magic, so if you attack while dodging so you don’t get hit, it’s an easy win.”

“Th-that’s the opinion of someone who can do it…”

Hmm, this is trouble. However, forcing everyone to fight when they are reluctant isn’t good for future training either.

“Then I’ll support you.”

“Support?”

“Yes, I’ll strengthen everyone with support magic.”

Saying that, I cast area enhancement magic on everyone.

“High Protection! High Arms Boost! High Anti-Breath! High Physical Boost! High Mana Boost! Brave Heart!”

Multiple body enhancement spells covered everyone’s bodies.

“O-oh!? This is!?”

“A-amazing magical power is wrapping around my body!?”

“You cast this much magic on all of us!?”

“Woah, suddenly my body feels as light as a feather!?”

“I feel more power from this than my own Attribute Enhancement!?”

Everyone, strengthened by the enhancement magic, raised voices of surprise.

“I strengthened everyone’s physical abilities, defense, attack power, and magic potency. Plus, as a bonus, I cast defensive magic against breath attacks, so with this, you can fight on more than equal terms with dragons!”

It might be a bit overprotective, but first I need them to realize that they can win. From there, if I gradually reduce the enhancement magic, they’ll eventually realize they can win against dragons with just their own power.

“Hey Norb, with this, we might be able to do it?”

“Y-yes. My power has increased to a surprising degree; with this, maybe…”

“Haa, can’t be helped. If the table is set this perfectly, I guess we have to fight.”

“If push comes to shove, Rex will save us… right?”

“Ugh, I managed to defeat one by myself in town, so with Rex‘s support, surely, maybe, possibly…”

Everyone showed motivation, saying they could do it with this. Yep, yep, good thing I cast the courage-boosting magic too.

“Then, let’s continue the dragon extermination!”

“Ooh!!”

“Yes!!”

“Yeah!”

“Understood.”

“If it’s come to this, I’ll do it!”

“Gyuu!!”

◆

“Hah!!”

Jairo jumped onto a Green Dragon’s back and severed its wings.

“Awesome! It’s so light, like it’s not my body!”

“Guu!?”

Norb was blown away by a blow from a Green Dragon’s tail, but emerged from the dust without a single scratch.

“Amazing, not a single scratch…”

“Sei!!”

Meguri increased her speed with Wind Attribute Enhancement and successively sliced the tendons of the legs of the Green Dragons whose wings Jairo had cut.

“Take this! The magic I just learned from Rex, Freeze Sphere!”

The magic Mina released hit the Green Dragon’s face, freezing the head that was about to release breath.

And then, Liliera cut off the head of the Green Dragon whose means of counterattack had been cut off.

“We can do it! With this, we can do it!”

Good, good, it seems the enhancement magic I cast on everyone is functioning without issues.

“GYUAAAAAA!!”

Oops, one came this way too. This time it’s a Blue Dragon, the higher species of the Green Dragon. However, since it’s only a level above a Green Dragon, I proceeded to decapitate the Blue Dragons one after another.

“There!!”

“Mogu mogu mogu mogu!!”

And Fluffy bit into the Blue Dragon wing that fell to the ground.

“Hey, wait! You can’t just eat the wings immediately, Fluffy!”

“Kyuu kyuu!”

Don’t think you can fool me by making a face that says “It’s delicious!” with those round eyes! Hmm, Fluffy seems to really like chicken wings.

Wait? So when it took the wing earlier, it wasn’t for material recovery, but to secure a snack?

Good grief, what a hopeless guy. I have to train it properly so it doesn’t get fat from overeating in the future.

“GRUOOOOOOON!!”

Just then, a roar trembling with rage thundered through the Dragon Peak. Immediately after, a new enemy appeared from the depths of the Dragon Peak. Its body was black like obsidian, and its ruby-red eyes shone like raging fire fueled by anger.

“That is… a Black Dragon!!”

To think a Black Dragon would appear in an outer area like this. Usually, they shouldn’t appear unless you go a bit deeper.

And it feels like it’s angry… Since dragons are individualistic on top of being meritocratic, it shouldn’t care no matter how many lower-ranking Green or Blue Dragons get killed.

Hmm, come to think of it, the Green Dragons are also unusually numerous and strangely bloodthirsty. Did we perhaps come during mating season?

“U-um, Rex… B-Black Dragon… is that by any chance the Black Dragon that caused the Twilight of Black Magic!?”

“Hmm? What is the Twilight of Black Magic?”

Norb, trembling and backing away, glanced at the Black Dragon. Ah, but he’s averting his gaze slightly so their eyes don’t meet.

“The T-Twilight of Black Magic refers to Lig…”

“GRUOOOOOOON!!”

“You’re a little noisy!!”

I jumped and severed the head of the dragon that interrupted Norb‘s story with its roar, then returned.

Then, for some reason, Norb froze, looking at me with blank eyes. Was he surprised by the dragon’s roar? Well, their roars are loud.

“So, Norb, continue?”

“…Eh? Ah, yes. The Twilight of Black Magic refers to a gruesome incident that occurred in the town of Ligund. It seems an evil wizard living in that town was researching how to control ancient monsters, and of all things, he tried to control a dragon with that technology. As a result, the experiment failed, and the town of Ligund incurred the dragon’s wrath and was destroyed along with the wizard.”

Wow, the town got involved because of the wizard’s failure. That’s a terrible story. And to not even be able to control a dragon, he must have been a pretty lousy wizard.

“And the dragon at that time was a Black Dragon, but…”

And cutting his story off there, Norb pointed behind me.

“The Black Dragon has been defeated.”

Ah, was the one I cut just now a Black Dragon? Well, it’s just a Black Dragon, so whatever. It’s only about a rank stronger than a Blue Dragon, after all.

“Umm… Lucky us, a Black Dragon provides pretty good materials.”

“…Seriously, Big Bro.”

“A Black Dragon is supposed to be a monster treated as a nation-destroying level disaster…”

Hahaha, Norb says funny things. No country would perish even if 100 Black Dragons gathered.

“Come on, let’s hunt more dragons to improve everyone’s equipment!”

“O-Oooh!!”

“Kyuuu!!”