Chapter 96
Crack!
Its claws struck down on the corpse of a monster that had already stopped breathing.
The claws easily pierced through the hide without any resistance, tearing apart muscles and splitting the corpse in half.
Crunch, crunch.
It savagely chewed on the monster that once ruled over the fears of mercenaries but had now been reduced to mere chunks of meat.
Red blood dripped down between its sharp teeth.
After devouring the remaining half without leaving a single piece behind, it scratched the ground irritably.
“Not enough….”
This was not enough to sate its hunger.
These alone were not enough to restore its former strength.
To regain its strength…
The prey that looked like humans but gave off an ominous scent.
When it first encountered those prey, it had instinctively fled due to the ominousness that rang an alarm bell deep within its instincts.
The closer it got to those beings, the more it felt as if its own existence was being twisted.
But now, it understood.
In order to regain its strength, it needed to consume those prey that gave off that ominous scent.
It had realized that it, too, now emitted a scent similar to theirs.
It turned its gaze.
Toward the distant, tranquil scenery of the village.
***
“Was it really just a coincidence that Krumo’s Shadow attacked the village while we were away?”
“…It’s too long and cumbersome to keep saying Krumo’s Shadow. Let’s just call it Shadow for short.”
“Anyway, was it really just a coincidence that the Shadow appeared?”
“Or did it target the village knowing it was vulnerable?”
‘Hmm, I have no idea.’
Personally, I’d like to believe it was a coincidence.
If it’s the latter, then that means it has a level of intelligence, which would make it an even more troublesome opponent.
Either way, what needs to be done doesn’t change.
“We have to go back.”
As soon as possible.
Artisha’s voice, saying this, was cold and firm.
The languid tone that had always hung in her words had disappeared, as if it had never existed in the first place, making me wonder if she was the same Artisha.
A serious-talking Artisha feels so strange.
It hasn’t even been a day since we met, and yet, the image of her in my mind has already solidified as someone endlessly lethargic.
Of course, that aside, I fully understood why Artisha was reacting this way.
There’s no way that creature, which had torn apart all the monsters around its lair, had come to the village with good intentions.
Expecting it to suddenly show up and say, ‘Hi, I’m the new neighbor, Krumo. Please take care of me,’ is not being optimistic—it’s just being plain stupid.
“Canaria.”
For the first time, my name slipped out of Artisha’s mouth.
“Please help.”
“I was planning to do that anyway.”
I came here in the first place to do exactly that, so there’s no need to ask me so earnestly.
I’d be in trouble too if the ships bound for Laxia were destroyed due to that thing rampaging around.
More importantly, the village isn’t only occupied by the Demonic Race right now.
‘I should’ve brought her out with me when I had the chance….’
Sometimes, the decisions that seemed like the best option at the time turn out not to be, in hindsight.
Yeah, just like right now.
As I let out a sigh, frustrated and preparing to set out, a warm presence gently reached out to me.
“…Celine?”
Celine and I didn’t talk much.
It wasn’t that it was awkward or uncomfortable—it was simply the language barrier.
Whenever Celine spoke to me or I spoke to her, we had to go through Da-eun, which made the whole process tedious.
Thanks to the word cards Da-eun had made for us, communication had improved a little, but having a natural conversation was still difficult.
That’s why Celine coming over to pat my back like this was a first.
“It’ll be okay.”
A short sentence.
Maybe it was because of that brevity.
I could feel the sincerity of her heart in those words.
“…Yeah.”
Well, we have the magic tools, so we should be fine.
Because it’s made of the Dragon Orb, it should have some resistance against attacks that use Mana….
If it’s crushed by that enormous body, it won’t matter, but as long as it has even a bit of intelligence, it won’t recklessly descend to the ground.
That’s what the wings are for, after all.
‘Hmm, maybe not.’
If the Shadow really has a personality similar to a Dragon, then that could be a different story.
If it’s anything like the one I know, it would scoff, thinking that mere humans couldn’t possibly harm it, and charge straight in.
“Hoo….”
I should stop overthinking this.
Panicking and worrying here isn’t going to help solve the situation at all.
“I’ll go first.”
Exhaling a faint breath, I drew upon my Mana and shot off without waiting for a response.
‘Ah, I should’ve brought Celine along.’
Her Holy Arts would’ve been helpful.
But it’s too late to regret now; I’m already far ahead.
It would be better to arrive and fight first rather than go back to carry Celine over.
With the sparks flashing and the Magi flaring violently, it already seems like a huge mess over there.
Even as the surrounding scenery blurred and distorted, my eyes stayed focused on my target.
As the distance between me and the village closed, the figure of the creature became clearer.
‘It’s definitely not a Dragon.’
Not only is its size too small, but it also can’t use magic.
A Dragon, known as the Lord of Magic, unable to cast spells? That’s a ridiculous joke.
Say something like that in a cheap tavern, and you’d get scolded for spouting nonsense.
“Talk sense,” they’d say.
Though I was lost in trivial thoughts, I ran diligently, and soon, the entrance to the village came into sight.
Even though I could see it, the actual distance was still quite far, but at this pace, I’d cover it in no time.
Luckily, I’m not too late.
Just as I was about to feel relieved,
I saw the Shadow taking a deep breath.
“A Breath Attack…?”
…Come to think of it, despite not being able to use magic, it can still use Breath Attacks.
I have no idea what made it so angry, but it had stopped shooting fireballs and was now preparing to launch a Breath Attack.
This is bad.
It wasn’t just mimicking the form of a Breath Attack—seeing the immense amount of Magi gathering around it was unsettling.
“Magi… Breath….”
The more I understand, the more absurd this becomes.
But ridiculous or not, I had to block its Breath Attack.
Where the Shadow’s gaze was fixed stood someone very familiar to me.
‘What did you do to get into this situation….’
No, I can guess.
If it’s Da-eun, she probably meddled where she didn’t need to.
I won’t say it’s wrong, but….
Seeing her standing boldly in front of the Shadow, holding her sword as if to block it, made me let out a helpless laugh.
With that determined expression, she clearly knows what it means when that thing takes a deep breath, yet she’s still trying to block it.
No matter how much power she borrows from the Dragon Orb, there’s no way it’ll work.
‘…Guess I have no choice.’
I withdrew some of the Mana encircling my body and directed it elsewhere.
Buzz—
A small vibration rang out as the ring started to glow red.
Simultaneously, fierce Mana surged within me, sending searing pain through my body as if I were being stabbed all over with needles.
“Urgh…!”
I clenched my teeth, but couldn’t completely suppress the groan that slipped out.
…This is why I don’t want to use it.
As I always feel, Dragon Mana is just too ferocious.
Every time I activate it, it leaves my body in shambles. No matter how much this is an item directly gifted by a Dragon, it’s practically a burden.
The personality of this item is just the worst—whoever made it did a fantastic job of being absolutely nasty.
– It’s been a while since you called for me, and you haven’t changed one bit.
“People die if they change.”
– No, I meant your appearance.
“….”
…Whose fault do you think that is?
Responding halfheartedly to the voice ringing in my head, I reached out my hand.
In my hand was now a sword, faintly pink yet tinged with a pale red hue.
“…Hmph.”
Suddenly, a laugh escaped my lips.
To think I’m standing against an Evil Dragon, borrowing the power of Grasid.
It almost feels like I’ve become the protagonist of an old story.
Of course, I’m not Zigrid, and I didn’t directly make a contract like he did, but the creature in the sky over there isn’t the Evil Dragon from back then either.
It’s just a feeling, that’s all.
I gripped the familiar sword and infused it with Mana.
Whoosh—!
The red Mana, darker than my usual one, flowed along the blade.
It looked as if I were holding a blazing flame in my hand.
There’s no time to waste.
The Breath Attack it had already unleashed was pouring down on Da-eun.
Swoosh!
With a light leap, I jumped over Da-eun’s head.
The searing heat, mixed with Magi, rushed towards me as if it would swallow me whole.
It’s quite hot for a fake Dragon’s Breath Attack.
“But it’s nothing compared to the real thing.”
While still airborne, I swung the sword down.
─────!
Red flames blossomed along the sword’s path.
The flames, flickering like a mirage, seemed weak, as if they would be extinguished any moment in front of the crimson Breath.
However, the small flame that bloomed amidst the intense blaze did not wither.
Ssshhhh—!
Rather, the flames began to devour the Breath flying toward it and pressed forward.
Little by little, but surely.
The further it advanced, the stronger and more ferocious the flames became.
As the flames burned through the Breath and reached the source—
Fwoosh—
Sensing the danger right in front of its neck, the Shadow abruptly stopped its Breath Attack and quickly moved its body away.
It was almost amusing to see it flail around, desperately trying to avoid the flames despite its large size.
…For now, this is taken care of.
I turned to look at Da-eun behind me, and fortunately, she seemed unscathed.
Not that she would’ve been hurt, since I blocked the attack from the front.
Da-eun’s tightly shut eyes slowly opened as she glanced around.
“Ah, ahaha…! I did it! I did it!”
Confirming that the Breath Attack had stopped, she jumped around with joy.
I could clearly feel Da-eun’s emotions flooding into me, leaving me baffled.
“You did it, huh.”
…Sure, I get that you’re happy to be alive, but am I invisible or something?
The way her gaze just barely skimmed over me made me wonder for a second if she was doing it on purpose.
“Barely saved you from getting burned to a crisp, and this is what I get.”
If I hadn’t helped, she’d be one of those ashes scattered around here.
Or perhaps she would’ve been incinerated without leaving even a trace.
Suppressing the throbbing pain in my body, I grumbled to her.
—
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