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 89: Ryuhou and Dragon Hunting

“Ah, this place is so quiet and nice.”

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

The reason why we are here goes back to this morning.

“Well then, let’s go to the adventurer’s guild today and have them appraise the materials from yesterday’s green dragon and wyvern.”

“Brother, aren’t you going to take any job requests?”

Gyro-kun raised his hand and asked, so I answered as well.

“We came to this country for training.
Our plan is to earn money by selling the materials of defeated monsters instead of taking requests.”

“I see, that makes sense.
It will definitely be good for training.”

Actually, I want to take on unique requests that are specific to this land or gain experience as an adventurer in other countries.
But Liliera and the others prioritize having the strength they are satisfied with and the power to not be a burden, so that takes precedence.

My companions are filled with the desire to become stronger, so I have to support them with all my might!

“Hmm, I suddenly feel a chill.”

“Coincidentally, Liliera, I feel the same way.”

For some reason, Liliera and Mina hugged each other tightly and trembled.
Could it be that they caught a cold?

It’s important to catch a cold at the beginning, so I’ll cast Elder Heal on them later.
With that, whether it’s a scratch or an incurable disease, it will be cured instantly!

“Well then, shall we go?”

We left the inn and headed towards the adventurer’s guild that the staff had told us about.
And then…

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

“Huh? Dragon Princess?”

“Really, it’s the Dragon Princess!”

The townspeople started to make a commotion when they saw Liliera.
The commotion spread quickly, and everyone passing by stared at Liliera.

“W-What…!?”

Hmm, what exactly is a Dragon Princess? Maybe it’s a term used in this country to refer to a girl who defeated a dragon? But they also use honorifics, and I can feel a sense of respect…

“Huh?”

At that moment, I noticed that the emotions mixed in with the people’s gazes were the opposite of respect and gratitude.

“…Hostility?”

There’s no mistake, someone is sending hostility towards us.
But who, and for what reason?

Hmm, I have no idea.
I think this Dragon Princess commotion is the cause, but even in my past life, I’ve never heard of the term Dragon Princess.
I heard Dragon Emperor frequently though.

“Hey, Rex-san.”

Liliera called out to me.

“Yes, what is it, Liliera-san?”

“Well, now that I think about it, the guild at this time is crowded with adventurers checking for new requests.
So why don’t we prioritize the training we came to this country for?”

“Training? But is it okay to sell monster materials?”

“We have the magic bag that Rex-san made, so there’s no worry about them spoiling, right? And we don’t have to worry about money either.
So it’s better to prioritize training.
If we ask for an appraisal, it will probably take time to evaluate the group of wyverns that Gyro and the others defeated, so we can just ask for the appraisal when we come back from training in the evening and receive the money the next day.”

“I see, that does make sense.”

As Liliera said, I only remember the adventurer’s guild being crowded in the morning.
So Liliera’s suggestion is a good one to use time efficiently.

“But in the end, you just don’t want to attract unnecessary attention, right?”

“Well, I understand.”

Mina and Meguri seemed to understand and accept Liliera’s strong recommendation for training.
Ah, I see, that’s also the reason.
Liliera is really shy and doesn’t want to be embarrassed by people staring at her.
But well, if that’s the case, it might be best for Liliera to focus on training until the excitement of the townspeople subsides.

…Also, I’m curious about the identity of the hostility I felt earlier.

So that’s why we came to Dragon’s Peak.
Liliera must have really wanted to train, as she immediately flew up using flight magic and flew to Dragon’s Peak.
She must have really wanted to fight a dragon.
I have to respond to Liliera’s determination too!

“So, Rex-san, what kind of training are we going to do!?”

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

“I see! Underst-”

But then, Liliera, who was full of spirit, suddenly stopped moving.

“Eh!?”

Everyone stared at us with wide eyes.

“We’re going to hunt dragons.”

And everyone took a step back.

“No way, no way, no way, impossible!!”

Huh? Why?

“Are we going straight to hunting dragons? Shouldn’t we take some steps first? Like a lecture on how to defeat dragons, or getting used to fighting wyverns before facing dragons?”

“That’s right, Rex-san.
Shouldn’t we come up with a strategy?”

“Strategy?”

Liliera and Norbu’s words made Gyro and the others nod in agreement.

“Yes, we should discuss things like the dragon’s weak points and where to confront the dragon.”

I see, it’s true that as adventurers, it’s important to have such prior discussions.

“Well, I think the weak point of a dragon is its neck.”

“The neck…?”

“Yes, if you cut off its neck, you can defeat it.”

“…Um, could you suggest a weak point that’s a little easier for amateurs…?”

Huh? I think cutting off the neck is a really simple method.
Hmm, but maybe what Norbu wants is an even simpler way, like a way for children to challenge dragons?

Ah, I see.
Norbu is a priest after all.
He considers it his role to help those in need, so he probably wants to know how to defeat dragons even in a situation where there are no warriors like us, in other words, a situation where only people who can’t fight are present.

“Well, if that’s the case, let’s try it out in actual combat.”

“Actual combat?”

“Look, it seems they’re coming towards us.”

I looked around and saw countless dragons heading towards us.

“D-Dragons!? And so many!?”

Everyone’s voices harmonized.

“I mentioned earlier that this place is where we wait for dragons, but Dragon’s Peak is their territory.
Once you step even a little inside, they will sense it.
And dragons fly in the sky and destroy the surrounding terrain with their breath, so taking advantage of the terrain doesn’t make much sense.”

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

“So let’s put the dragon countermeasures into practice.”

I ran towards the dragon in front of me.

“Dragon extermination method number one, cut off the wings first!”

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

“Gyaaaahhh!!”

“Kyuuu!!”

Mofumofu immediately went to the dragon’s feet, grabbed the wings, and returned to the back.
Well, good job on the material recovery.

“Dragons tend to fly away when they are at a disadvantage, so if you want to take advantage of the terrain, the first thing to aim for is their wings.
If they can’t use their wings, they won’t be able to attack from the sky unilaterally.
That’s the first strategy.”

As I explained, the dragons around us started showing strong magical reactions.
Yes, it’s the breath, the trademark attack of dragons.

“And then, we’ll seal their breath by blocking their mouths!”

I cut nearby rocks into suitable sizes and threw them into the mouths of the dragons one after another.

“Gumoaa!?”

Instantly, there was a big explosion in the dragons’ mouths.
Yes, the breath exploded inside their mouths, killing two birds with one stone.

“Oh no!”

“What’s wrong?”

Norbu raised his voice at my carelessness.

“When you blow up their heads, the quality of the head materials deteriorates!”

“Is that so?”

No, no, it affects the selling price and it’s an important matter.
Ah, darn it.

“Well, anyway, that’s the dragon countermeasure.
Reduce the risk of being attacked unilaterally from above by cutting off their wings, and seal their wide-ranging breath.
After that, it’s just a slightly tough lizard with tough scales.
You can cook it or roast it.
If you’re still worried, you can aim for their legs or eyes to further restrict their movements.”

I continued to cut off the dragons’ heads.

“That’s the general idea, so why don’t you guys give it a try? With that many dragons, each person can defeat at least 10, so it’s perfect as a practice target to obtain materials cleanly.”

I pointed to the second wave of dragons approaching us as I said that to the two of them.

“Well, it’s probably impossible, right?”

“It might be a bit difficult for us.”

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

“It’s too much to fight dragons alone…”

“In other words, you’re telling us to fight 10 dragons each!?”,But everyone shook their heads and backed away, saying it’s absolutely impossible.

“Eh? With everyone’s abilities, I think we can handle around 10 Green Dragons.
After all, Liliera defeated a Green Dragon yesterday… Ah, there might be a few Blue Dragons mixed in, but that’s just a margin of error.”

“That’s not just a margin of error!”

“Blue Dragons are a higher species than Green Dragons, right?”

“Yes, they’re just one step above Green Dragons.”

“Just one step…”

Norbu is such a worrier.

“It’s okay.
Everyone can use the higher-level attribute enhancement of body strengthening magic, so if you avoid getting hit and attack, it’ll be an easy win.”

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

Hmm, this is troublesome.
But forcing everyone to fight against their will is not good for their future training either.

“Then I’ll support you guys.”

“Support?”

“Yes, I’ll use auxiliary magic to enhance everyone.”

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 magics covered everyone’s bodies.

“O-Oh! What is this!?”

“T-The magic power is enveloping my body!”

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

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

“I feel more power from this enhancement magic than my attribute enhancement!”

Everyone enhanced by the strengthening magic exclaimed in surprise.

“I enhanced everyone’s physical abilities, defense, and attack power, and also enhanced the magic power.
And as a bonus, I cast defensive magic against breath attacks, so we can fight dragons on equal or higher ground!”

It might be a bit overprotective, but they need to feel that they can win first.
Then gradually reduce the enhancement magic, and eventually they will realize that they can defeat dragons with their own power.

“Hey Norbu, with this, we can do it, right?”

“Uh, yes.
I’m surprised at how much my power has increased.
Maybe we can do it…”

“Well, there’s no choice.
If everything is prepared like this, we have to fight.”

“If worse comes to worst, Rex will help us… right?”

“Ugh, I defeated one on my own in the town, and with Rex’s support, maybe, possibly…”

Everyone showed their determination that they can do it.
Yeah, it’s good that I also cast courage-enhancing magic.

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

“Yeah!”

“Yes!”

“Okay.”

“Let’s do this!”

“Gyuu!”

“Haa!”

Gyro jumped onto the back of the Green Dragon and cut off its wings.

“Wow! I feel so light, as if it’s not my own body!”

“Guh!?”

Norbu was blown away by a strike from the tail of the Green Dragon, but Norbu emerged from the dust unharmed.

“Amazing, not a scratch…”

“Take this!”

Meguri increased her speed with wind attribute enhancement and cut the tendons of the legs of the Green Dragons whose wings were cut by Gyro.

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

Mina’s magic hit the face of the Green Dragon, freezing its head as it tried to breathe out its breath.

And with its means of counterattack cut off, Liliera cut off the head of the Green Dragon.

“We can do it! We can do it!”

Alright, it seems like the enhancement magic I cast on everyone is working fine.

“Gyuaaa!”

Oh, it’s coming this way too.
It’s the Blue Dragon, an upper species of the Green Dragon.
But it’s still just a bit stronger than the Green Dragon, so I keep cutting off the heads of the Blue Dragons one after another.

“Take this!”

“Mogumogumogu!”

And Mofumofu bites into the fallen Blue Dragon’s feathers on the ground.

“Hey, stop that! Don’t just eat the feathers right away, Mofumofu!”

“Kyukyukyu!”

Even if you make that round-eyed face as if it’s delicious, I won’t be fooled! Hmm, it seems like Mofumofu really likes chicken wings.

Wait, then earlier, when it took the wings in its mouth, was it not for collecting materials but to secure snacks?

Oh well, that’s just the way it is.
I’ll have to properly train Mofumofu so it doesn’t eat too much and get fat.

“Gruooon!”

At that moment, a furious roar echoed through Dragon’s Peak.
Immediately after, a new enemy appeared from the depths of Dragon’s Peak.
Its body was as black as obsidian, and its ruby-like eyes glowed with fiery anger.

“That’s… a Black Dragon!”

I never expected a Black Dragon to appear in such an outer area.
Usually, they wouldn’t appear unless we went deeper.

And it seems like it’s angry… Dragons are individualistic creatures based on strength, so even if a lower-ranked Green Dragon or Blue Dragon is killed, they shouldn’t care.

Hmm, come to think of it, the Green Dragons are unusually numerous and strangely aggressive.
Could it be that we’ve come during their breeding season?

“U-Um… Rex-san, is that… the Black Dragon that became the cause of the Black Magic Twilight!?”

“Huh? What’s the Black Magic Twilight?”

Norbu trembled and took a step back, glancing at the Black Dragon.
Ah, but he’s subtly avoiding eye contact.

“T-The Black Magic Twilight is a horrific incident that happened in the town of Rigun…”

“Gruooon!”

“Hey, be quiet!”

I cut off the dragon’s head that interrupted Norbu’s story with a single jump and returned.

After that, Norbu just stared at me with wide eyes, still frozen.
I wonder if he was surprised by the dragon’s roar? Well, their roars are noisy after all.

“So, Norbu, continue.”

“…Huh? Oh, yes.
The Black Magic Twilight refers to a gruesome incident that happened in the town of Rigun.
It seems that an evil mage living in that town was conducting research on controlling ancient monsters.
Unfortunately, he tried to control dragons with that technique, and as a result, the experiment failed, causing the wrath of the dragons and the destruction of the town along with the mage.”

Wow, the town got involved because of a mage’s failure.
That’s a terrible story.
And to think that he couldn’t even control the dragons, he must have been a really lousy mage.

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

Just as Norbu cut off his words, he pointed behind me.

“The Black Dragon has been defeated.”

Ah, so the one I cut earlier was the Black Dragon.
Well, it’s a Black Dragon, so it’s fine.
It’s just a bit stronger than the Blue Dragon, after all.

“Well… if it’s a Black Dragon, it will be quite a good material.”

“…Seriously, bro?”

“Black Dragons are considered a disaster that can destroy nations…”

Hahaha, Norbu, you say funny things.
Even if a hundred Black Dragons gather, there won’t be a nation destroyed.

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

“Yeah!”

“Yes!”

“Okay.”

“Let’s do this!”

“Gyuu!”