With a roaring ‘dodododo!’ and a cloud of dust billowing behind it, the Desert Parasaur dashed forward at full speed.
The wagon rattled more than usual, but thanks to the evenly arranged magic orbs cushioning the base, neither my back nor my butt hurt, and the heat wasn’t unbearable. It was actually a comfortable ride.
「I see itssu! There’s sand rising up ahead!」
Renge shouted from the driver’s seat, drawing all of our eyes in the same direction.
Far ahead, an unusually large cloud of sand shot high into the air, far taller than any natural gust could cause.
That could only mean one thing, Kuduro-san was in battle.
「We’re heading straight inssu!」
「Yeah. Don’t worry, when the fight starts, I’ll keep the Desert Parasaur in the air. We’ll stay clear of the danger zone.」
That was the plan from the start.
We wouldn’t get in the way.
I’d just do what I could from behind.
Normally, the Desert Parasaur should’ve been left behind in the nearest town.
Bringing it near an earth dragon would be like bringing along a meal on legs.
But if we wanted to reach Kuduro-san as fast as possible, we needed the creature’s speed.
So, I’d decided that once we got close, Wendy and I would retreat to safety together on the Parasaur, while the others handled the fight.
「Hmmn… There! I see grampssu!」
Renge’s voice rang out again, and I leaned forward over the driver’s seat to check for myself.
The figure ahead was still small, just a shadow against the desert, but as we drew closer, the scene became clearer, and more terrifying.
「That’s… the earth dragon…」
Its body was massive, its hide as hard and rugged as stone.
It moved on four thick, short legs ending in sharp claws.
Its head was enormous, crowned with a single large horn, and its teeth, jagged and cruel, looked made for tearing through flesh.
It was indeed a dragon, but a land-dwelling one, no wings.
To put it bluntly, it was terrifying.
My skin prickled as I stared.
I’d known it was dangerous, but now that I was seeing it up close, the fear became painfully real.
Those claws, those fangs, they could easily kill me.
That thing could eat me.
I couldn’t look away.
The fear crept into me, numbing my hands, and before I realized it, my body started to tremble.
Then, something soft brushed against my fingers, and I flinched in surprise.
「Master, it’s okayssu. We’ll protect you, no matter what.」
When I looked up, Renge’s face was calm and confident.
Turning around, I saw Shiro, Aina, Sorte, and even Wendy nodding firmly, all wearing the same determined expression.
「Ah…..thanks」
「Yessu!」
Really, thank you.
The trembling stopped.
I was still scared, of course I was, but thanks to them, I found the courage to at least keep watching.
「Alright, I’ll take the reins! Everyone, get ready and go help Kuduro-san right now!」
「Got itssu!」
「Hmm. My stomach’s full. Shiro can fight anytime. …I’ll make room for the earth dragons in my belly.」
「Hey, Aina, how about we make this interesting? Let’s bet tonight’s sleeping place with my lord on who can slay more dragons.」
「Hm? I don’t mind. But can your spear even pierce that thick hide, Sorte?」
「Ara, and can your legs outmatch my spear, Aina?」
Wow… they’re facing a horde of earth dragons, and they’re still relaxed enough to banter.
It really reminds me just how strong these girls are.
But more than that, Aina’s actually gambling?
And over who gets to share the bed? …I guess I must be calmer than I thought, if I can still react to ‘that’.
「Alright then, we’re going in!」
「Yeah. Be careful out there!」
「You too, masterssu! No looking away, got it!?」
With that, Renge leapt from the driver’s seat and charged straight into the swarm of earth dragons.
Right after her, Shiro, Sorte, and Aina followed, one after another.
At the same time, I ordered the Desert Parasaur to brake and come to a full stop.
I cast ‘Invisible Jail’ around the feet and sides of the wagon for protection, then had Wendy calm the Parasaur as it lifted us into the air, just high enough to see the battlefield clearly.
「Deryaaaaah! Crushing Meat Ball Fist Secret Technique, Meat Ball Knuckllllle!」
As expected, Kuduro-san was still fighting fiercely against the earth dragons.
He curled his fingers slightly and drove his palm strike deep with his full weight behind it.
With a thunderous crack, the monster’s armored hide shattered, and its massive body bent the wrong way before collapsing in a heap after a brief delay.
Around Kuduro-san lay the remains of many slain earth dragons already, but there were still more, far too many.
Judging by the sheer number, he’d taken down an incredible amount, but even from this distance I could tell he was exhausted, his shoulders heaving with each breath.
Just then, Renge soared over the heads of the dragons and landed near him.
「Grampsss!」
「Hngh…!? Princess!? Why are you here!?」
「Master gave us permission! We all came to helpssu!」
Renge closed the distance while striking down dragons left and right.
She must’ve activated some kind of skill, because despite their rock-hard shells, the dragons she punched were blown away like they weighed nothing, crashing to the ground and writhing in pain.
「Unbelievable… that gentleman actually allowed it…」
「Master’s here too! But he’s waiting above since it’s dangerous down here!」
When Renge said that, Kuduro-san looked up toward the sky and turned his gaze in my direction, so I raised my hand lightly to greet him.
It was safe on my end, but he was still surrounded by a swarm of earth dragons. I couldn’t let this take too long.
「Hm. Quite tough, but not unbreakable.」
Aina crushed one of the dragons with a powerful downward strike.
「Hey, Shiro! Don’t steal my prey! I’ll lose to Aina at this rate!」
「Hmm? First come, first served. Master, keep the one Shiro defeated. I’ll eat it later.」
The earth dragon Sorte had just speared was cleanly decapitated as Shiro slipped her blade precisely into the gaps of its armor.
She even summoned her ‘Cloak of Black Shadow’ here and there, overwhelming the dragons with sheer force as she hunted with remarkable energy and vigor.
Still, more than anything…
「So, she really ‘is’ planning to eat it… got it.」
I formed a magic sphere infused with water magic power and sealed the meat inside to keep it from spoiling.
Shiro had already drained the blood for me, and as I lifted the carcass, a flood of red poured from the severed neck.
Well, one dragon should be enough…
Even Shiro couldn’t possibly eat an entire one by herself… right?
「Ohh… your companions are quite formidable as well.」
「Of course! They’re my proud partnersssu!」
「Truly reassuring… and to think I would one day stand beside the Princess in battle again…」
「What’re you getting all sentimental for, gramps? You can leave the rest to us. You’ve been fighting nonstop, haven’t you?」
「Nonsense! I can still go on! Behold! Crushing Meat Ball Fist Secret Technique, 『Two-Ninety-Nine Consecutive Blows』!」
…Was that name meant to be a joke?
He’s got such a deep, dignified voice, yet hearing ‘meat ball fist’ in there makes it sound almost tragic.
Kuduro-san bent his knees slightly and unleashed a rapid flurry of palm strikes.
His attacks even reached dragons that were clearly outside his range.
It was a storm of strikes too fast for the eye to follow, each blow landing with relentless precision, how many times had he struck without taking a breath?
「Use a move like that and your back’s gonna go out again, gramps…」
「N-no worries! Thanks to lord master’s help, my back and shoulders are in fine condition! I can still, ugh… ahh…!」
Kuduro-san suddenly froze mid-flurry, his body completely still.
Did he throw his back out again? He didn’t even twitch.
「Ah, geez… see? You overdid it again, gramps. Master! Can you lift him up here? We’ll be fine down here!」
「Ah, got it.」
I formed an ‘Invisible Jail’ beneath him like a gentle scoop and carefully lifted him into the air, making sure not to jostle him.
「O-ohhh… wh-what in the world!? This is quite, ouch ouch ouch!」
「Please stay still. I’ll give you some medicine right now.」
I laid Kuduro-san down on the wagon bed and prepared the poultice.
It was made by extracting medicinal components from hot spring minerals through alchemy, turning them into a therapeutic solution, then soaking cloth strips in it and mixing in menthol for a cooling effect.
I usually used it myself for shoulder stiffness, but it should work just as well on his lower back.
Then, using the magic orbs embedded in the wagon bed, I cooled the air around his waist as he rested.
「Haaah… One cannot win against the advance of age… You have my thanks…」
「If you’re going to thank someone, thank Renge. I only came along because I was worried about her.」
「Haha… Is that so… It seems she truly has found herself a fine partner…」
Kuduro-san smiled gently, though the pain in his back quickly twisted his expression again.
I noticed smaller injuries as well, so I took out a healing potion and handed it to him. After he drank it, he exhaled deeply and looked a little more at ease.
「Alright, I’ll go check on Renge and the others. Call me if you need anything.」
「Understood. I’ll be fine here… nghh…」
When I stepped down from the wagon and looked below, most of the battlefield had already been cleared.
Dozens, no, maybe hundreds, of earth dragons lay defeated across the sand. It was honestly terrifying.
「I’ll take the last two! That makes it my win!」
「Tch… Like I’ll let that happen!」
「Hmm. I’ll leave the rest to you. I’ll cut the meat and grab the magic stones.」
…They were really handling this like a friendly competition.
I’d thought this would be a much tougher fight, but… well, they ‘are’ A-rank adventurers, and Shiro’s here too.
「With everyone together, it’s a piece of cake, huh.」
Renge was cutting down the last few dragons without breaking a sweat.
Before long, the final earth dragon fell.
「Master! You can come down nowssu!」
「Alright!」
I slowly lowered the ‘Invisible Jail’ back to the ground.
The Desert Parasaur, which had been restless above the sand, finally seemed to calm down.
「Tch… A draw, then…」
「If Shiro hadn’t gone for the same ones, I would’ve won…」
「Master, meat, cook it!」
「Already? You want to eat it now? Well, I can’t just yet, so I’ll keep it chilled in the magic space for now.」
In this desert heat, the meat would spoil quickly.
I’d cook it later, but for now, temporary storage would do.
…Still, I couldn’t help but wonder, does earth dragon meat even taste good?
Leave a Reply