Nido Tensei Shita Shounen wa S-rank Boukensha Toshite Heion ni Sugosu ~ Zense ga Kenja de Eiyūdatta Boku wa Raisede wa Jimi ni Ikiru ~

Episode 88: The Dragon’s Kingdom and the Dragon Slayer

“And so, here we are.
This is the country of Dragonia, the land of dragon knights.”

“For the training of Gyro and the others, we have come to the country of Dragonia, known as the sacred land of dragons.”

“So this is Dragonia… It’s surprisingly just an ordinary country.”

That’s what Norbu said.
Indeed, at first glance, Dragonia appears to be an ordinary country.
But Dragonia has unique features that other countries don’t have.
One of them is the mountain range that stands like a needle, visible even from this faraway place along the border.

“The characteristic of Dragonia is Dragon’s Peak Ronride that you can see over there.
Many dragons live there, which is why it is called the sacred land of dragons.
And that is where we will be training.”

“We’re really going to fight dragons…”

Liliera gazes at Ronride with a distant look in her eyes.

“Don’t worry, if we stay on the outskirts of the peak, most of the dragons there are just green dragons.
If any, maybe a blue dragon.”

“Even that is not normal…”

Well, if it’s just green or blue dragons, it’s like riding flying lizards.

“Dragon’s Peak is the land where dragons live, but for dragon knights, it has a different meaning.”

“A different meaning?”

“Yes, dragon knights fight dragons one-on-one in those mountains and, if they win, they earn the right to ride a dragon.
That is the dragon selection ceremony to become a dragon knight.”

Since we’re in a place related to dragons, I decided to talk about dragon knights to pass the time until we reach our destination.

“Before the ceremony, even the strongest apprentice dragon knight is still considered an apprentice.
Only after succeeding in the selection ceremony can they call themselves a dragon knight.”

“So, is my big brother, who can easily defeat dragons, a dragon knight?”

Gyro asks a simple question.

“That’s a good question.
But unfortunately, I’m not a dragon knight.
To become a dragon knight, you have to perform a ritual that has been passed down among dragon knights for generations.”

“Yeah, I learned Dragon Emperor’s Sky Spear Technique from a friend who is a dragon knight, but I wasn’t taught the ritual.
They told me that I don’t need to become a dragon knight because I’m a hero.”

“I see, so even my big brother doesn’t know everything.”

“Well, to be fair, dragon knights are like fairy tales, so it’s natural not to know.
Rex is amazing for knowing this much.”

“Ah, well, I guess so.
I feel a bit numb.”

And just like that, Mina scolds Gyro.
Hmm, I’ve heard someone else say that dragon knights are like fairy tales before.
What could they mean by that?

“Well, even though the ride is a bit uncomfortable, if you can force a dragon to fly you to your destination, you can ride a dragon even without becoming a dragon knight.”

“”But that doesn’t mean you’re actually riding it.””

Huh? Why is everyone denying it? It’s a common means for people who can’t use flight magic to travel to distant or high places.

After crossing the border, we arrived at the town of Tatsutron, the closest town to Dragon’s Peak Ronride.

“Welcome, welcome! We have dragon grilled lizard!”

“We also have fried snake breath!”

With a lively call from the food stalls, a savory smell fills the air, stimulating my appetite.

“Oh, it’s a lively town.”

“Yes, even though it’s close to where the dragons live, no one seems afraid.”

Meguri agrees with Gyro’s impression.

“That’s true.
Why are the people in the town so calm, even though they are so close to the dragons’ habitat?”

Norbu seems to have the same question as Meguri.
As Norbu and Meguri said, despite being close to Ronride, the people of Tatsutron don’t seem to be concerned.

“Well, it’s because there’s no worry of dragons attacking, my boys.”

The answer to Norbu and the others’ question came from the nearby stall owner.

“What do you mean?”

In response to Norbu’s question, the stall owner points to the skewers lined up on the stall.
Ah, I see.
That’s what he means.

“Uncle, please give us six skewers.”

“Sure thing! Six dragon grilled lizard skewers coming right up!”

“Sizzle!”

“Oops, I forgot about Mofumofu’s portion.”

“Sorry, one more please.”

As we buy the skewers, the stall owner starts explaining, like a well-practiced storyteller.

“Dragons are creatures that are fundamentally territorial.
So, they rarely leave Dragon’s Peak.”

Yes, dragons, like any other animals, prioritize their territory.

“And beyond Dragon’s Peak, there is said to be a leader who commands all the dragons living on the peaks.
If you do anything foolish in their territory, you’re in big trouble.”

Just like any other creature that lives in a group, there are rules.
Dragons are no exception.

Also, this dragon grilled lizard is quite delicious.
It looks like a hearty grilled meat, but unlike simple salt-grilled meat, the sauce is sweet and salty, making it delicious.
Hmm, should I buy one more?

“Hey, give me one more!”

“Me too!”

“Kyuu!”

“Here you go!”

Just as I was thinking that, Gyro and Meguri ordered another serving.
Well, I’ll order one too.
Now, who will pay for Mofumofu’s portion? Huh? Is it the owner’s responsibility to pay for the pet’s meal? Yes, that’s right.

“Well, that’s why even if they’re not aggressive, they won’t come to the town.
And even those aggressive ones only appear once every few decades.”

“So what would you do if one of those aggressive ones appeared? Would the legendary dragon knights defeat it?”

Gyro asks the stall owner while biting into his third skewer.

“Dragon knights? Hahaha, you must be joking, kid.
Dragon knights are nothing more than characters from children’s fairy tales these days!”

The stall owner laughs heartily, denying Gyro’s question.
Hmm, even this stall owner considers dragon knights to be fairy tales.
What does that mean?

“Huh? So there are no dragon knights?”

“Well, there is a knight order called the Dragon Knight Order that protects the capital, but they are just ordinary knights in name.
Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s impossible for anyone to fight a dragon one-on-one and tame it.”

“……”

Liliera and the others look at me in silence, but in my previous life, it was quite common.

“Um, then have you ever heard of the Dragon Emperor’s Sky Spear Technique?”

“Huh? Ah, that’s the technique used by the dragon knights in fairy tales.
Occasionally, there are self-proclaimed practitioners of the Dragon Emperor’s style, but they’re all fakes.”

“Hmm, even the Dragon Emperor’s Sky Spear Technique is considered a fairy tale.
What’s going on? Maybe dragon knights and users of the technique have disappeared in this era? No, wait, it’s impossible for those people to disappear.”

“Um, so, does that mean there are no dragon knights?”

“Well, there is a knight order called the Dragon Knight Order that protects the capital, but they are just ordinary knights in name.
Sorry to disappoint you, but it’s impossible for anyone to fight a dragon one-on-one and tame it.”

“Oh, by the way, what’s that?”

At that moment, someone pointed to the sky and said those words.

“What’s wrong?”

The people around also look in the direction he pointed.

“What is that?”

Many people are drawn to look in the direction of Dragon’s Peak in the sky.

“……”

“What is that?”

People are looking in the direction of Dragon’s Peak in the sky.

At first, it was a small green figure floating in the blue sky.
But it quickly grew larger.
No, it’s coming towards us at a high speed.
The town becomes restless.

“Could it be…!?”

The green dot that was initially seen is now approaching the town from a considerable distance.
And when it gets closer, its true identity becomes clear to everyone.

“It’s… a dragon.”

Those words were the signal.
Screams rise from the town, and people run in all directions.
Some head towards the town’s exit, others seek refuge in the nearest buildings.
There are even people running towards the direction the dragon is coming from.

“But still, this is chaotic…”

The knights who protect the town try to calm the panicked townspeople, but it seems unlikely that they will be able to do so before the green dragon arrives.
Even though it’s just a weak green dragon, it is still a significant threat to the unarmed townspeople.

“Oh, could it be because of that?”,Perhaps the town’s knight order can easily defeat the Green Dragon that is approaching? That’s why they’re leaving the evacuation to people who clearly aren’t used to it, right? Normally, in a situation like this, they would use a loud noise from a sound amplification magic or something to calm everyone down.

I see, this must be a practical training for the newcomers.
Skilled knights will probably come to support if necessary.
That’s reassuring.

“And it seems like the opponent is not just the dragon.
It was hard to see earlier, but there’s a flock of wyverns following behind.”

Yeah, wyverns are a subspecies of dragons, and it’s not uncommon for Green Dragons to use them as minions.

“Rex-san!”

And amidst all that, Liliera-san calls out to me.
It’s not just Liliera-san, Gyro-kun and the others are also looking at me.

“The town will be attacked by the dragon if we don’t do something! We have to do something!”

“Yeah, big bro! Let’s easily defeat the dragon!”

It seems like Liliera-san and the others intend to fight to protect the town.
Well, even if I leave it to the knight order, I think they’ll protect the town…

“Gyro-san, it’s not that easy…”

“What are you talking about, Norbu? We have big bro with us!”

Norbu seems to be showing a weak attitude, but Gyro-kun seems carefree.
Yeah, come to think of it, this might be a good opportunity.

“Alright, let’s protect this town together!”

“Yes!”

“That’s right, big bro! Let’s do it!”

“Well, there’s no other choice.”

“Well, Rex is here.”

“Y-Yes, Rex is here.”

The two of them are full of enthusiasm, and Minna and the others prepare for battle, holding their weapons.

Yeah, everyone is filled with motivation.
It’s great.

“Alright, let’s intercept that Green Dragon and the flock of wyverns.
I won’t fight, though.”

“Got it, big bro! Leave the small fry to us!”

“Yes, we’ll support Rex-san… Wait, huh?”

What did Liliera-san and the others just say? They look at me as if they’re asking that.

“I won’t fight, so do your best to defeat them, everyone.”

So I told everyone.
I won’t fight.
That’s right, it’s for everyone’s training!

“Wha-!?”

“Wait, seriously, big bro!?”

Everyone’s eyes widen in surprise at my declaration of not fighting.

“Yeah, I’m serious.
You guys will defeat them without me.”

“But the opponents are dragons and wyverns! We can’t win against them alone!”

Minna screams that it’s impossible, but I don’t think so.

“It’s okay, everyone has been training hard until now, right? Wyverns are just a matter of numbers.
And Liliera-san…”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yeah, I want Liliera-san to defeat that Green Dragon alone.”

“…Huh?”

Liliera-san looks at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“It’s okay, I’ll protect the townspeople.
Everyone should focus on defeating the enemy.”

It’s difficult to fight while worrying about the surroundings during the first dragon subjugation, so I’ll support them.

“Wait, are you serious, Rex-san?”

“Yeah, I’m serious.
It’s perfect for everyone’s training, right?”

“Training…”

After all, I came to this country for everyone’s training.
Well, it’s just that the schedule got moved up a bit.
Originally, I was planning to start training at Dragon’s Peak!

“Alright, Gyro-kun and the others, take care of the wyverns! They’re not that strong, but be careful because there are many of them!”

“Got it, big bro!”

Following my instructions, Gyro-kun and the others start moving.

“Wait, aren’t wyverns B-rank monsters?”

“It’s okay, everyone can defeat them.”

Minna is such a worrier.

“Alright, we have no choice but to do it!”

Liliera-san, who has made up her mind, activates her ice attribute enhancement and gracefully slides on the thin layer of ice on the ground, disrupting the Green Dragon.
As Liliera-san slides on the ice, the ice under her feet rubs against each other, creating sparkling ice fragments that dance around her.

“Beautiful…”

One of the women couldn’t help but exclaim at the sight.

“Gyaoohhh!”

The Green Dragon is unable to keep up with Liliera-san’s high-speed movements and is just being toyed with.

“Haahh!”

On the other hand, Liliera-san takes advantage of the Green Dragon’s openings and accurately lands her attacks.
The spear made from Blade Wolf’s materials easily cuts through the Green Dragon’s scales.

“Gwoaahhh!”

At that moment, the Green Dragon, who had been continuously attacked, roars in anger.
And a high-density magical power swells up in its throat.

“Be careful, everyone! The Green Dragon is going to breathe fire!”

“Breath fire!?”

The townspeople, sensitive to my words, react, not Liliera-san and the others.
Oops, I need to protect them from the breath.

“Breath Guard!”

I use magic specialized in countering breath attacks to protect the townspeople.
Immediately after, the Green Dragon breathes fire.

The high-density magical mass melts the ground and attacks the townspeople.

“Eek!”

The townspeople scream and cower, curling up on the ground.

“It’s okay now.”

I reassure the frightened townspeople.

“Huh?”

The townspeople raise their heads, expecting the imminent destruction that they thought would consume them, but it never comes.
They look at the scene in front of them with wide eyes, surprised.

“W-What is this!?”

What the townspeople see is the dragon’s breath stopping as if it were blocked by a wall right in front of them, and then veering off upwards.

“This is a magic called Breath Guard, which is used to counter dragon breath.
It can easily defend against the breath of lower-level dragons.”

“E-Easily… It’s a dragon, you know?”

“Yes, it’s just a Green Dragon.”

“Just a Green Dragon!?”

Huh? Why is everyone so surprised? In Dragonia, where there are many dragons, I think Breath Guard, a breath countermeasure, is basic.
Even ordinary knights and mages who protected Dragonia in my time could use it, and even without dragon knights, I don’t think a magic like Breath Guard would disappear.

“Ah, it’s almost over.”

“Huh?”

Looking closely, Liliera-san’s battle with the Green Dragon is reaching its climax.

“Take this!”

With a burst of determination, Liliera-san’s attack pierces deeply into the forehead of the Green Dragon.

“Freeze! Freeze Lance!”

Liliera-san infuses her spear with ice magic and freezes the Green Dragon from the inside.

“Guh!?”

The Green Dragon, unable to defend against being frozen from the inside, is frozen with its head encased in ice and dies.

“…W-We won.”

Liliera-san, who defeated the Green Dragon, collapses on top of its frozen head, panting heavily.

“Well done, Liliera-san.
You’ve successfully defeated the Green Dragon.”

“I-I never thought I could defeat a dragon alone…”

Liliera-san has an unbelieving expression, but I think she could have defeated the Green Dragon a long time ago with her abilities.

“Damn it, she beat me to becoming a Dragon Slayer…”

Gyro-kun acts frustrated.
He doesn’t seem to be injured, and it looks like Gyro-kun and the others have successfully defeated the wyvern flock.

“As your disciple, I wanted to be the first to slay a dragon…”

“Good job, Gyro-kun and the others.
It seems like you’ve defeated all the wyverns.”

“Yeah! If it’s us, wyverns are nothing!”

Gyro-kun proudly points at the pile of wyvern corpses.
Meguri-san seems to be silently dismantling them.

“But honestly, there were quite a few dangerous moments.
You’re too reckless.”

“Ugh…”

Gyro-kun’s face contorts as he chews on a bitter bug.

“Being careless is not good, Gyro-kun.”

“…Yes.”

“By the way, where’s Norbu?”

I haven’t seen Norbu since earlier, so I ask just to make sure.
If it’s Norbu’s strength, I don’t think he would have been defeated by wyverns.

“Ah, Norbu is treating the injured townspeople and guards from the first attack.”,I see, Norbu is a monk after all.
But it’s impressive that he’s the first one to go and help people in times like this.
He’s a good monk, unlike those greedy fake monks I met in my past life.
I’ll also do my best to assist Norbu, even if it’s just a little.

“Liliera-san, let’s also help with the treatment of the townspeople…”

As I turned my gaze towards Liliera-san, who was taking a break on top of the defeated Green Dragon, I noticed that something strange was happening.

“Ah, that girl defeated the dragon…”

“She’s a dragon slayer…”

“And she’s holding a spear…”

“Could that maiden who can defeat dragons be…”

The townspeople were murmuring while looking at Liliera-san.

“Huh? What? What’s going on?”

Liliera-san was also confused because she didn’t understand what was happening.

“There’s no mistake! That person is the successor of the Dragon Emperor’s Sky Spear Technique, the legendary last Dragon Knight, the Dragon Princess!”

“Huh!?”

“So there really was a Dragon Princess!!”

“Is that the legendary Dragon Emperor’s Sky Spear Technique!”

“The Dragon Princess when she was fighting, she was sparkling and beautiful!”

“Dragon Princess!”

“Huh? Huh? Huh? What does this mean? What are they talking about?”

Amidst the excitement of the town, Liliera-san was the only one who couldn’t understand the situation and was left dumbfounded.
Yeah, we don’t understand either.

“Well, it’s also a celebration of Liliera-san’s first dragon slaying achievement, so let’s congratulate her.
Congratulations, Liliera-san!”

“Congratulations!”

Gyro-kun and the others joined in to celebrate Liliera-san.

“Stop it! I don’t understand, but don’t worship me or bow down to me, and don’t involve Rex-san and the others!”