CHAPTER 310: CONCERNING DRAGONS 1

 

～Drake’s Perspective～

――Flying through the sky felt amazing.

When I flew in dragon form, I could feel the air splitting apart with every beat of my wings, and the scenery stretching out below me from so high up even gave me a sense of freedom.

What spread out beneath me now was a vast sea of trees. An endless ocean of green.

Beyond this deep forest lay our first destination.

「Drake, are you tired?」

Shinku-neesan’s voice rang out from my back.

She was usually strict, but when it was just the two of us, she was actually pretty gentle. Since she was the type to put others first by nature, it was probably why she could handle her position as a maid, almost like one of Aniki’s closest aides, without any trouble. But that kind of contrast sometimes made my heart skip a beat.

The same went for the stern side she often showed. She said exactly what she felt because she cared about the other person.

Everyone in Seiha understood that, and that was probably why they respected Shinku-neesan and honestly accepted her strictness.

More than anything, Shinku-neesan was strictest on herself. Sometimes, she did things that went beyond stoic and straight into absurd, and although I could never say it to her face, there were even times when I wondered if she might be a massive masochist.

On the other hand, she showed absolutely no mercy to anyone she recognized as an enemy.

In Wislo, she had gone so wild that she earned the title 【Calamity Star】, and sometimes I wondered if that side of her made her a massive sadist instead… Yeah, I shouldn’t think any further than that.

I’ll just consider it one of her charming sides.

「You must not overdo it. There would be no point in exhausting yourself before we reach our destination.」

「I’m fine! I’ve got confidence in my stamina!」

I raised my voice so she wouldn’t realize what I’d been thinking, then answered a little more seriously while keeping my eyes forward.

「Besides, I’ve decided I’m gonna gain enough strength to stand beside Aniki.」

「Master Aun and Kinu-sama have gone to Bukyo as well. If the gap between us has widened when they return, they will be disappointed. I must put my own spirit into this as well.」

「Haha, yeah. Knowing Aniki and the others, they’re probably doing something ridiculous. But if we challenge the attribute dragons, I’m sure we can get stronger too. I wanna grow enough to surprise them the next time we meet!」

「…The first is the earth dragon, yes? If it manipulates earth-attribute magic, as its name suggests, the same as my primary attribute, I expect there will be much to learn.」

「Quelebre-sama told us, ‘You must go to the earth dragon first,’ after all. He said it was ‘someone easier to reason with than the others’… but does that mean some of the other dragons can’t be reasoned with?」

「I imagine so. In that case, we simply defeat them head-on.」

「…You’re bold as ever. Well, if we keep going until we win, then it’s a win! Oh, looks like we’re almost there.」

When I lowered my gaze, I began to see a small hill deep within the forest.

Apparently, the lairs of ancient dragons who had lived for long ages tended to have denser mana. Because of that, the monsters nearby were apparently more active too, but since I could fly, I was able to ignore the surrounding monsters and head straight for our destination.

「…That’s it, huh.」

As I lowered my altitude a little, I gradually began to sense how abnormal the place was.

It had been hard to tell from a distance, but in the middle of the small hill, a large hole opened wide, almost as if someone had deliberately carved it out.

I landed on the ground and undid my dragon form.

When I stood at the entrance to the great hole, the strangeness of it became even clearer.

Somehow, the air felt heavy.

On top of that, I could sense something pulsing from deep within the hole.

And around this area alone, I couldn’t hear a single monster. It was as though they were intentionally avoiding this place…

Shinku-neesan probably felt the same thing, but even so, she spoke calmly, in her usual tone.

「Let us go, Drake.」

「Yes, ma’am!」

 

The inside of the cave was much wider than I had expected, and the path continued gently down underground.

Faintly glowing stones were scattered across the walls, so although it was dim, we could still see.

But the farther we went in, the more a dull vibration traveled up from beneath our feet at a steady rhythm.

――The cave itself is alive.

That was what it almost felt like.

As the two of us continued walking side by side, we emerged into an especially large cavern.

At its center was a single shadow. And I could faintly hear a deep voice.

「――9987, 9988, 9989, 9990…」

A huge mass of rock rested on the back of the figure doing push-ups while lightly controlling his breathing.

The vibrations echoed in time with the rhythm of his movements.

He had probably noticed us, but even so, there was no sign that he intended to stop doing push-ups.

I froze without thinking.

A man training in the earth dragon’s lair――the situation was so far beyond anything I had imagined that my thoughts stopped completely.

「――9998, 9999, 10000. Phew… finish! Today’s triceps are good as well, yes! The pectoral pump is also good. As expected, consistent effort never betrays you!」

The rock on his back fell to the floor, sending an especially heavy boom through the cavern, and the guy slowly stood up.

Then, instead of paying attention to us, he began checking his own glossy black muscles first.

After making his muscles twitch and carefully inspecting his upper body, his golden eyes slowly turned toward us.

――There was no sign that he intended to attack. But my body tensed up on its own.

…Actually, who the hell is this guy?

The answer came surprisingly quickly.

「You possess… the ice magic core, yes?」

The first thing he said out of nowhere made the depths of my chest heat up faintly.

「Yeah.」

I answered shortly, but he had already seized control of the conversation.

「Oh. So Quelebre entrusted it to you.」

He closed his eyes and nodded in understanding, then opened his mouth again after a breath.

「Me’s name is Landbulk. I am currently in human form, but my species is… earth dragon, yes.」

His self-introduction flowed out smoothly, accompanied by a beautiful side chest pose.

Bulging pectorals. Deltoids like melons. Trapezius muscles that brought a mountain range to mind.

And more than anything, his absurdly shredded abs and his far too unnatural beaming smile.

This guy is… the earth dragon?

Why is he in human form?

More importantly, how does he know I have the ice magic core?

There were countless things I wanted to ask.

――But right now… before any of that, there was something I had to say!

「Are your abs a freaking chocolate bar or what?!」