It was when I was gobbling up the lunch Tachibana had brought, as usual, after fighting Kukuri at Roukaku until I could not move.
「Shiro-san has become quite strong. Ah, you can keep eating. Please do not rush.」
「Mugumugu… Mm. I can probably beat Kukuri soon.」
「Auuauu… That is still as far as the end of a distant continent on the other side of the world, but you have become stronger.」
…I wanted to say she was exaggerating, but since I had not actually landed a single hit and Kukuri had not gotten serious either, I accepted it reluctantly.
Shiro knew that lord had made Kukuri melt, so she knew Kukuri had weaknesses too, and believed she would catch up someday.
「…So, what about it?」
「No, no. I just thought that while raising your basic strength is good, it would be even better to prepare for various special situations.」
「Special situations?」
Hmm, basics are important.
Through training with Kukuri, Shiro realized she still lacked many things, and since basics were important, I thought it was better to continue raising them, but what was this?
「Shiro-san has become very strong. I think she is now one of the top fighters in this world. Therefore, I thought it would be good to identify opponents Shiro-san might not be able to defeat and prepare countermeasures.」
「Hmm?」
「The 『Cloak of Black Shadow: Green Qilin』 you learned recently. You conceived that technique thinking it would allow attacks to penetrate even enemies specialized in defense, right?」
「Hmm.」
Green Qilin was a technique conceived to penetrate Reagaia, whose attacks had previously not worked, as suggested by Kukuri.
At that time, thanks to Kuduro’s special move, Crushing Meat Ball Fist, we managed, but I thought we would not have won without Kuduro, so I devised the technique.
「Then, next, let us assume an opponent flying in the sky.」
「Sky?」
「Yes. For example, if we speak of opponents stronger than the current Shiro-san, the heads of Dragons come to mind, and many Dragons fly.」
「Dragons… I do not want to fight such things. It is dangerous for lord.」
「Auuauu… Well, usually you would not fight them unless you deliberately stepped on their tails. However… Shiro-san’s Master seems to be frequently involved in troubles… ne. Well, they say preparedness prevents misfortune, so it is not bad to consider it.」
…Hearing that, I had no rebuttal.
It was not lord’s fault, but lord was truly prone to getting involved in troubles…
It was better not to have to fight such opponents, but indeed, it would be troublesome if I had to fight an opponent I could not reach even by jumping.
「So, how will you deal with enemies who attack from high in the sky? Will you enable long-range attacks, use a technique to knock them down to the ground, or…」
「Hmm. Shiro will also learn to fly in the sky.」
If it was a countermeasure against flying opponents, this was the best choice.
It was versatile and seemed easy to use.
「You choose that. It is not unprecedented, so I will not say it is impossible. However, flying in the sky… That is an act too distant for those who walk on the ground, so you will not understand the sensation, and it will be difficult to learn.」
「It is fine. Shiro has always looked up at the sky. Shiro watched the birds’ movements closely. Besides…」
「Besides?」
「Shiro wants to fly freely in the sky too.」
「…That is like Shiro-san, and I think it is wonderful. Well then, let us do our best.」
「Hmm!」
※※※
「…『Cloak of Black Shadow – Sixth Cloak: Scarlet Swallow』」
Scarlet aura enveloped Shiro’s body, taking the shape of a swallow, and she flew straight toward Saracrim, who was storing up flames.
Whether because it was aura or because it was scarlet, the shape of the flame-clad swallow also reminded one of a burning bird.
Seeing her approach Saracrim at a speed that made one think gravity was acting in reverse, although people often thought falcons were faster, I recalled irrelevantly that falcons were fastest when diving, while swallows were faster in normal flight.
「She flew!? A mere low-life! To fly in the sky, which is the Dragon’s territory, is unforgivable! Burn to ashes! 『Volcano Breath』」
Saracrim released super-high-temperature yellow flames, close to white, toward the ground, including Shiro.
Shiro dodged it as if it were natural… Wait!
Since she was striking downward, were not we on the ground also in danger!?
We had to escape quickly! …Or so I thought, but Shiro did not dodge and went straight into the flames.
What was wrong, Shiro!? Was she not used to the new technique!?
Or did she intend to cut it?
No, but even if she cut it, the fall could not be stopped, so we would still be in danger!
If we were in danger, I thought Shiro would take some action, but she just plunged straight into the flames. At the moment Shiro and the flames collided, the flames vanished.
The huge flames that had been blazing brightly just moments before scattered like mist, sparkling as they fell, and completely disappeared before hitting the ground.
「Wha…! My flames!」
It was not just us who were surprised, Saracrim seemed equally shocked.
Well, if the flames you released disappeared without a trace for no reason, and Shiro, who had been chasing you, was flying toward you, you would be surprised.
And perhaps because she had used a major technique, or perhaps out of surprise, she showed an unimaginable opening in mid-air.
As a result, after Shiro passed around Saracrim several times, large round holes appeared in Saracrim’s wings, and the surrounding area was shredded.
「Ah… No way! Am I falling!?」
Saracrim, whose wings were damaged, began to fall according to gravity.
Knowing what would happen if she fell from the one-sided battle earlier, she struggled as if swimming in the air, but it was meaningless, and she continued to fall.
Then, when Shiro charged from the sky toward Saracrim’s abdomen, what had been a natural fall turned into being slammed into the ground at super-high speed, raising a loud noise and dust cloud.
――A brief silence.
No, perhaps it was better to say we were dumbfounded because Shiro had won so one-sidedly against a Dragon.
It was probably our consensus that we were too astonished to speak.
Also, Ryuubi-san.
It was fine that she hid behind Aina and me, but hugging me tightly was a bit…
Even Wendy was focusing on Shiro, so was she surprisingly composed to deliberately press her softness against me?
I did not know if her courage was amazing or if she was naturally airheaded… Wait? On the other side was… Kan’u-san?
Um… She seemed unaware, but she was pinching my sleeve… Ah, she noticed and let go, but glaring at me was strange, I thought!
…When the dust cleared, Shiro was straddling Saracrim, holding a knife to her neck, ready to cut it off at any moment.
「Kuuu… Hic… Y-you… What do you intend to do!」
「Hmm. Will you still fight? Will you surrender and apologize?」
「S-Surrender is out of the question… Hiii!」
Saracrim still acted tough in this situation, but when Shiro brought the knife closer to her neck, she let out a scream-like cry.
No matter how you looked at it, she was helpless, but as expected of someone who called us inferior species, she was stubborn to the end.
「What should I even apologize for! We did not do anything wrong!」
「Hmm. You ruined lord’s soup.」
「Hah? Soup…? But that was… not delicious…」
Ah… Well, she was a Dragon.
Thanks to my interactions with Reagaia and Cassandra, I understood what Dragons found delicious, so even if that soup was delicious to us, if it contained no mana, it would taste like nothing to them, which was understandable.
「Everyone said human cooking was delicious, so I looked forward to it, but it was not delicious at all… My stomach was empty… I was irritated…」
「Hmm. I understand being irritated when hungry. But that does not mean you should spill it on the floor. That is something Master stayed up all night to make. He worked hard to make it delicious for you.」
Shiro…
I see… She was not angry because the soup she wanted to drink was ruined, but because my efforts were trampled on.
My mouth… My mouth was inadvertently smiling.
「Uu… Uuu… Uuuuu-! …S-Sorr….」
「! Lord!! Return immediately!! Take Ryuubi and the others――――Guh!!」
Eh? Suddenly what,
「You bastardsaaaaa! To my cute, cute daughter Sara-chan! To the world’s cutest Sara-chuwan! What are you doing guraaahhh!!」
A roar so loud I instinctively covered my ears.
Breaking through the ceiling appeared a huge, bright red Dragon.
This guy… This guy was surely…
「Volme…teus…」
I instantly understood that this Dragon, whose name I did not even know, was Vol-chan, the head of the Fire Dragons, Volmeteus, whom Reagaia had mentioned.
It was because the terror I felt from this Dragon was close to the terror I had previously felt from Reagaia.
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