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 91: The Emperor’s Awakening and the Mineral Dragon

The presence of the Storm Dragon has moved away from Dragon’s Peak.

What does this mean?

They should have gone to hunt down those who intruded into the territory where the surplus live.

They escaped? No way.

The embodiment of the merciless storm, they would not even flee in front of the gods.

However, it is also true that there is no sign of the lower-ranking dragons calming down.

…Something is happening.

And the restlessness and ominous presence in my chest have not disappeared yet.

It seems that the Red Dragons are heading there, but the Black Dragon will not be able to handle the opponent.

Moreover, if even the Storm Dragon has disappeared…

There is no choice but for me to go.

Hm, it has been hundreds of years since I last went out directly.

If I go out, the problem will be resolved quickly, but it will bother my wings.

I hope the intruders find some comfort in this boredom, even if only a little.

Please don’t break easily.

“Yeah, everyone has become quite accustomed to fighting dragons.”

After Bahamut disappeared, we resumed hunting dragons.
I supported everyone with my auxiliary magic, replenishing their stamina and magic with healing magic when they ran out, and sending them back into battle with the dragons.

In any case, by continuously fighting dragons, I wanted them to gain as much experience as possible in battling dragons.

“With this, everyone’s fear of dragons will disappear quickly.”

That’s because Liliera and the others, despite already having sufficient power, were excessively afraid of dragons.
That was clear from the recent battle in the town.

“I can understand being afraid of higher-ranking dragons, but being scared of a low-ranking dragon like the Green Dragon is just being overly cautious, don’t you think?”

It’s good not to underestimate the opponent, but being overly cautious is also dangerous.
In reality, they are just big lizards flying in the sky and breathing fire.

And at that moment, I noticed that a newcomer was approaching from the depths of Dragon’s Peak.

“This speed… is it them!”

It’s good that a good person came at just the right time.
I floated up higher than everyone else with flight magic and used amplification magic to call out to Liliera and the others.

“Everyone, a newcomer is coming!”

As soon as I said that, a loud noise echoed through Dragon’s Peak.

“What!? What was that!?”

Gyro and the others became alert at the sudden noise.

“That was the sound of the enemy colliding with the defensive barrier I deployed.”

And shortly after that, a giant object fell to the ground.

“What is it this time!?”

“Everyone, look at what fell over there.”

I pointed to the giant object that had fallen to the ground.

“…What is that? It’s green and sparkling…”

At the place I pointed to, there was a giant green object that sparkled in the sunlight.

“It’s an Emerald Dragon.”

“Emerald Dragon? What’s that?”

“I’ve never heard of that dragon.”

Oh, Gyro and the others don’t know about Emerald Dragons.

“That one is a dragon made entirely of jewels.”

“Jewels!?”

Meguri stared at the Emerald Dragon with sparkling eyes when she heard the word jewels.

Ah, come to think of it, jewel dragons are often targeted as decorations, so it would be better to designate them as protected dragons.
And since ore dragons are called living mines, just like Mithril Dragons, they were heavily hunted.

If that’s the case, even in this era, Emerald Dragons are probably prohibited from being hunted as protected species, so it’s not surprising that everyone doesn’t know about them.
Especially for some of the protected monsters that can collect valuable materials, it is not uncommon for their habitats and information to be deliberately concealed.

“That one, just like the Mithril Dragon, is a dragon whose body is covered in scales made of rare ores.”

“There’s a dragon like that…”

“And it’s not just that one.”

I pointed upwards and directed everyone’s gaze to the red silhouette and the yellow silhouette in the sky.

“Those are also jewel dragons, just like the Emerald Dragon.”

Judging from their colors, they are probably Ruby Dragons and Topaz Dragons, right?

“Those are also jewels!”

Meguri looked at the two dragons with a delighted expression.
Rather than being objects of fear, she looked at them like treasures.
Yes, it was a good decision to allow them to approach.

Once they understand the value of ore dragons, everyone will no longer fear dragons indiscriminately.

“Since there is still time until they arrive, should I explain a little?”

Saying that, I descended onto the fallen Emerald Dragon on the ground to confirm its condition.
Yes, it was critically injured, so I should finish it off.

“Dragons whose bodies are made of jewels or ores are classified as intermediate to high-ranking dragons because they can use their bodies as catalysts for magic.
However, their strength varies depending on the value and purity of the jewels that make up their bodies, so please be careful.”

“Purity?”

“Yes, the abilities of ore dragons increase as the purity of the ores they are made of increases.
So, even if you have won easily in the past, if you underestimate them, you may have a tough time fighting against a high-purity ore dragon.”

“I see, got it, big bro.”

Gyro and the others nodded solemnly.

“Hunting ore dragons can be quite profitable, but sometimes inexperienced adventurers or poachers miscalculate their opponent’s strength and end up wiped out.”

Well, those who make such mistakes are truly inexperienced, only seeking money and being impatient or overconfident in their own abilities.

“If you get greedy and make a careless move, you’ll get burned.”

“Yes, it’s better for us now to not get involved.”

“Aww, too bad.”

Huh? Why does it turn out like that? As long as you don’t let your guard down, it’s fine, right?

Oh no, it seems like I scared them.
I need to properly teach them about the power of ore dragons so they won’t be so afraid.

“For example, this Emerald Dragon is a dragon that instinctively wields powerful wind magic, and it is called the Assassin Dragon because it can silently eliminate its targets by charging at them with a speed faster than the wind.”

“A-Assassin Dragon!?”

Norbu was taken aback when he heard that nickname.
It’s okay, it’s just a name.

“This Emerald Dragon… around that sharp peak… about 5 kilometers away.
It silently closed the distance from there in an instant and attacked me.
It was about 3 or 4 seconds, I think.”

“I-I didn’t even notice…”

Well, that’s how Emerald Dragons fight.

“And, how can it approach from such a distance in just a few seconds!? What kind of abnormal speed is that!?”

It’s okay, it’s just a speed that humans can perceive.

“The best way to deal with it is to detect the enemy’s approach with detection magic and intercept it with defensive magic.
But if the range of your detection magic is narrow, by the time you feel the reaction, the enemy will already be right in front of your eyes, so it’s dangerous.”

“That’s basically a sneak attack, isn’t it!? Besides, it’s impossible to detect them with detection magic when they can approach from such a distance in an instant!”

“No, it’s something a magician can do normally.”

“Impossible, impossible, impossible.”

For some reason, Mina shook her hands and denied it, saying that it was impossible.
Huh? Even during her training, I think Mina, as a magic specialist, can easily detect things within a range of hundreds of kilometers.

“What do you mean by intercepting with defensive magic? Isn’t that a mistake for offensive magic?”

Oh, Mina hit the nail on the head.
With the right countermeasures, it’s easy to intercept an Emerald Dragon, so it’s not an opponent to be feared.

“Yeah, as a countermeasure against Emerald Dragons, it’s good to deploy a defensive magic that fixes the area where it is activated.
That way, when the Emerald Dragon attacks, it will collide with the defensive magic and self-destruct by crashing into the ground.”

In simple terms, it’s like building an invisible wall between yourself and the opponent.
Just by doing that, it’s easy to defeat an Emerald Dragon, so for adventurers who are getting used to it, it’s not an exaggeration to say that they are easy targets.

“But to do that, you need to be able to use detection magic that can reach that peak… Wait a minute.
Does that mean Rex, who defeated the Emerald Dragon, can use detection magic that can reach such a far distance!?”

“Yes.”

“You casually affirmed it!?”

I don’t think it’s something to be surprised about.
Usually, I don’t need to detect things that far away, but this is Dragon’s Peak, where all kinds of dragons are said to reside.
Naturally, I expanded the detection range as a countermeasure against Emerald Dragons.

“So, for inexperienced parties, Emerald Dragons are considered a formidable opponent, but once you overcome that, it’s not difficult to defeat them.
That’s why hunting ore dragons is said to be a stepping stone to becoming a full-fledged dragon hunter.”

It’s also good practice to be able to immediately deal with sudden dangers.

“By the way… what was it like when Rex encountered this dragon for the first time?”

“Huh? When I first fought an Emerald Dragon? Um, let me think…”

When asked by Mina, I recalled my memories from my previous life.
Ah, at that time, I made a little mistake.
It’s embarrassing to say, but if I don’t properly teach them what happens when you make a mistake, it won’t be beneficial for everyone.

“Well, when it happened to me, I was visiting a place for training and got distracted by the scenery, so I accidentally got attacked.
I panicked and cut it in half with my sword.”,Thanks to that, my focus was scattered! I got scolded by my mentors.

“You got approached by an opponent that fast… and cut it in half?”

“Yeah, cut it in half.”

As I answered, Liliera and Minasan put their hands on their foreheads and sighed.
Oh dear, did they find it wasteful and ridiculous?

“Being able to instantly cut down an opponent that fast is just absurd…”

“If you can do that, then dragon slaying must seem easy, huh… sigh.”

“Well, it’s Rex after all.”

Huh? What kind of reaction is this? It’s just an opponent that approaches silently, without making any sound, so it can’t deceive detection magic, you know?

“As expected of my big brother! He can cut down any dragon in half!”

“Unlimited dragon hunting with jewels…”

On the contrary, it seems like Gyro-kun and Meguri-san would be fine with hunting any dragon.

“Dragon slaying is dangerous, after all.
It can only be done safely because Rex is here.”

“Yes, honestly speaking, if Rex wasn’t here, I wonder if we could have fought the first dragon properly.”

No, no, everyone’s self-evaluation is too low.

“…Hey, in that case, the dragons that are coming now are quite strong, right?”

Liliera approached us and asked while increasing her vigilance towards the two dragons coming towards us.

“Yes, from their appearance, the red one…!?”

And then, it happened.
Suddenly, I felt a strong presence coming from beyond Dragon’s Peak.

“……!?”

Liliera and the others also trembled as they sensed that presence.

“W-What is this!?”

“M-My body is trembling on its own…”

It’s not just Liliera and the others.
The Green Dragons that had been flying around and intimidating us were also showing signs of fear, curling their tails.
Moreover, even the two Stone Dragons that were coming towards us were spinning around in surprise.

“…This presence, it’s not just an upper-level dragon.”

“W-What do you mean?”

Liliera asked while trembling.

“Dragons are divided into three ranks: lower, middle, and upper.
But there are a few dragons that don’t fit into these ranks.
They are called Special Class Dragons.”

“S-Special Class Dragons!?”

The reaction of the dragons that I sensed with detection magic wasn’t initially this strong.
But suddenly, the waves I felt from one of them became stronger.
They were probably hiding their true strength.

“And judging from the reaction of the surrounding dragons, it seems like that one is a special dragon even for the dragons themselves.”

Saying that, I pointed to the golden dragon that took off from the middle of Dragon’s Peak.

“There’s no mistake, that’s the strongest dragon… the Golden Dragon!”