Volume 4 Chapter 41 The Rotting Dragon’s Flame and the Shield of Kindness
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
We made it to the Shadow Forest in the west of the kingdom.
To stop the predicted monster flood, the Stampede.
But the flood already happened.
Lifia’s Spirit Magic managed to slow down the monsters some.
We kept marching and found the thing we think caused the Stampede.
It was a massive dragon corpse… no, a living corpse.
A dragon zombie.
And even weirder, a group of black-robed figures following the Rotting Dragon.
What’s the deal with the dragon zombie and the group?
Adventurers aiming to take it down can’t see a thing.
Instead, it’s like they’re just tagging along behind the Rotting Dragon.
They’re close enough to definitely notice, but the Rotting Dragon doesn’t seem to care.
It’s walking slowly, but steadily towards the edge of the forest, towards where people live.
”Is the Rotting Dragon… being controlled?”
”Sure looks like it.”
I mutter without thinking, and Yomi answers while raising an eyebrow.
If they’re controlling the dragon zombie, then what’s their goal?
To cause the Stampede?
They look suspicious as hell.
No way they’re normal.
”The one at the front of the group, close to the Rotting Dragon, is a human. The others aren’t.”
Lifia whispers the news.
By the way, “human” in this world doesn’t just mean us humans, but elves, dwarves, and beastfolk too.
Elves and dwarves might seem like fantasy beings back on Earth, but not here.
That means those guys are even more alien.
”If they’re not human, then monsters?”
There are monster types like goblins, orcs, and skeletons that look humanoid.
But Lifia shakes her head.
”I don’t think they’re monsters either. More like… something in between humans and monsters, I guess.”
Her words drop everyone into silence.
Something between humans and monsters?
Could it be…
”The Demon Race?”
Yomi whispers it softly.
The Demon Race, the enemy of humankind.
Yomi and the rest of the high school class were summoned as heroes to fight the Demon Race.
And I got dragged into this world along with them.
I never had any reason or duty to fight the Demon Race.
I wasn’t planning on following the orders from those guys in the castle, and to be honest, I don’t even know if the Demon Race is really the enemy of humanity.
I could smell something fishy about the so-called justice and mission from the castle side.
And after they summoned me against my will, they banished me for having a ‘shabby skill.’
They can do whatever they want.
That’s what I thought.
But in this situation, those guys in black robes are clearly trying to attack the village.
With dragon zombies and their stampede.
There’s a church in the village where Tifi’s family lives.
If they’re going to cause harm there, then they’re my enemies.
I don’t know much about the situation.
But I can’t just stand by and do nothing.
”I don’t know who they are or what they want. But we know what we have to do.”
I look ahead and declare,
”We’re taking down that dragon.”
”Yes!”
”Understood!”
”Of course!”
The girls reply energetically.
Their expressions show no fear or hesitation.
They’re reliable as ever.
The plan is simple.
The enemy will come to us through the forest entrance.
We’ll aim for them there.
We’ll hide in the shadows of the trees and wait for them to come closer.
The zombie dragon moves slowly.
It lumbers along.
If we wait a bit, it’ll pass right by us.
We’ll strike at that moment.
First, Lifia and Yomi will hit the dragon with their magic.
The rest of the black robes will be dealt with by me and Kéa.
Tension fills the air.
The only sound is the rustling of the plants.
And then──
”Now!”
At my signal, Lifia and Yomi release their magic.
”Altair Ray!”
”Mooluumve, Air Torment!”
Yomi’s beam of light pierces the dragon’s head, while Lifia’s spirit magic blasts its body with wind.
Both spells hit their mark.
A thin hole is drilled into its head, and Lifia’s magic tears a gaping wound in its body.
GROOOOOOAAAAAAR…!
The Rotting Dragon lets out a deep, guttural roar.
It’s a scream ── a mix of agony and rage.
The low, heavy voice shakes the air itself.
Then, the massive body crashes to the ground with a thunderous tremor.
It kicks up dirt, knocking down trees as it falls sideways.
The biggest threat is down.
Now, we just have the black-robed ones left.
What will they do?
”They’re coming!”
Kéa shouts.
Right after, figures leap out from the dust cloud.
Three of them.
Knives gleam in their hands.
Kéa and I brace ourselves to face them.
But the third one slips past us, heading straight for Lifia and Yomi at the rear.
”Mooluum, Wind Wall!”
Lifia chants.
A wall of wind pushes the black-robed figures back.
”Altair Ray!”
Yomi follows up with a blast of light.
It cuts through their defensive magic, striking them directly.
But for a brief moment, I catch the tremble in her voice.
”Gwah!”
With a scream, one of the black-robed figures stumbles back.
Didn’t expect to have their defense pierced like that, huh?
But their aim was off.
The light beam only grazed their shoulder.
I deflect the enemy’s knife with my sword.
In one smooth motion, I slash across their torso.
Kéa uses one of her swords to block their knife, and with the other, she decapitates them.
The enemy hit by Yomi’s magic jumps back, putting distance between us.
Their movements remind me of a trained assassin.
But they’re still human.
Not impossible to beat.
Just as I think that, Lifia screams.
”Master, the dragon!”
I look over.
The dragon zombie is moving.
”What!?”
I turn my gaze sharply.
The dragon zombie, which should have been lying still, slowly starts to rise.
The hole in its head and the gaping wound in its body are writhing.
The flesh twists and reconnects, as if trying to heal itself.
Bones and muscles shift.
Instead of blood, black smoke leaks from its body.
”…It’s regenerating?”
I can’t help but hold my breath at the grotesque sight.
Just because it’s a zombie… it’s like this?
Its recovery speed is beyond what I expected.
”────! ────!!”
One of the black-robed figures is shouting something.
It’s the one closest to the dragon, in the front line.
I can’t make out the words, but it looks like they’re giving the dragon some kind of order.
The dragon moved in response, as if obeying.
Slowly, it lifted its head and turned to face us.
Its empty eye sockets locked onto us.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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