Chapter 6: The Assassin from Harunae
Chapter 6:
The Assassin from Harunae
Part 1
A GROUP OF MONSTERS was headed our way. I wanted to shove the ballrabbit and Nina into my mouth and use Roll, but I needed to check my enemy’s stats. Fleeing now didn’t mean I could flee forever. If they could move this quickly, the chances of running into them again were high. I needed as much information as possible.
But…what if this wasn’t even their max speed? Maybe I should run while I still had the chance?
Please, please, please do not be as nasty as the giant centipede. Please only have high speed and low power.
I focused on Psychic Sense. Individually, the creatures weren’t huge; surely they couldn’t be that strong. They were rank C at the very most. Regardless, I needed to let the ballrabbit and Nina know my plans.
“Graah!” They both jumped in surprise. I should put them both into my mouth, just to be safe. Chances were the monster would target Nina, whether I decided to fight or run, and I couldn’t discount the possibility of a long-range attack like Heat Beam. I couldn’t run with them on my back.
I opened my mouth wide and stuck out my tongue. Come on, get in.
Nina’s own mouth fell open, and she looked at the ballrabbit. Oh, that’s right. The only time she’s been inside of my mouth was when she was unconscious. You jump in first, Ballrabbit. Show her how it’s done.
“Pfeff! Pfeff!” The ballrabbit resisted, shaking its head.
This is no time to be difficult! Our lives are on the line here! C’mon, you can just wash off later in the ocean!
(“No! No!”)
It was using Telepathy just to say no!
Listen, if the enemies are that fast, the only way we’ll outrun them is with Roll! Don’t you understand? I’m not doing this to annoy you! What? Is my mouth really that dirty? Well…I guess you still wouldn’t wanna ride in it even if it were clean.
The ballrabbit expertly used its ears to dig a hole and burrowed inside, covering itself up.
Hey, come out of there! This is no time for jokes!
Damn it. Psychic Sense told me the enemies would be here any minute. I looked toward the top of the hill. Straining my ears, I heard faint footsteps on the wind. There they were—horses. But no ordinary horses. They were huge, with uncomfortably long legs, like the sort that had pulled the carriage Nina was in.
There were humans riding the horses, with heads wrapped in turbans and cloaks streaming out behind them. They carried weapons on their hips.
One, two, three…about eight men on horseback appeared over the crest of the hill. They didn’t slow down when they saw me.
The second man from the front held a golden instrument that looked like a telescope. I got the feeling they’d known I was here from the start. They weren’t after water—they were after me.
This did seem to be their maximum speed, though. I could outrun them.
“The rumors are true! It’s really here! It’s huge!”
“Don’t get too close! Stay back and shoot it with arrows!”
“Hey, there’s a person with it!”
“No, look closer. It’s just a demi-human. Don’t pay it any heed. If it gets in the way, kill it!”
Nina drew closer to me. I could feel her trembling through my scales.
Were they soldiers from the walled city? I wanted to ask a human for advice on Nina, but these guys were clearly not worth talking to. They were my enemies. There would be no negotiating with them; they were out for blood.
Their intentions were so obvious that I didn’t even need to use Human Transformation to get a read on them. No point.
“Raaar!” C’mon, Ballrabbit! Come out! We gotta use Roll to run away! These guys aren’t anything to sneeze at! The sand dune swayed slightly in response. An image of the rabbit inside the burrow was projected straight into my brain, shaking its head back and forth vehemently.
Are you really that scared? I’m gonna leave you behind, then!
“A-are we really going to do this, Commander? I’ve never heard of such a small group taking on even a juvenile dragon! Maybe we should return home and report—”
“If we go home now, the hero will take all our glory!” one of them yelled.
The man in front flashed the others a grin. “Don’t be afraid. I’ve been in a hunting party that killed a dragon at least this size! Let me take the lead. You just watch and make sure the dragon doesn’t escape. And make sure to aim your arrows at its eyes and mouth!”
That’s right. I can just fly away. Good idea, old dude! I’m gonna steal that one from you.
Hey, Ballrabbit! I’m not gonna use Roll! Get out of there, I won’t put you in my mouth. I’ll dig you out myself if I have to!
On second thought, the humans were already so close, I wondered if I should just chase them away. Depending on their stats, I could take Nina somewhere safe and then come back for the ballrabbit. The men were obviously targeting me.
I focused on the man in front, who was holding his spear at the ready. He was bald beneath his turban. He ordered the other men to shoot arrows; he was the only one with a close-range weapon, and he oozed confidence. He rode the biggest horse, and his saddle and bridle were elaborately decorated. He had to be their best fighter.
Hagen Baumann
Species: Earth-human
Status: Normal
Lv: 22/45
HP: 82/82
MP: 68/68
Attack: 97+26
Defense: 63+24
Magic: 47
Agility: 48
Equipment:
Weapon: Harunae Soldier’s Spear: C
Armor: Harunae Soldier’s Breastplate: C
Special Skills:
Grecian Language: Lv 5
Swordsman: Lv 4
Guaranteed Bull’s-eye: Lv 2
Fury: Lv 2
Resistance Skills:
Magic Resistance: Lv 2
Confusion Resistance: Lv 2
Normal Skills:
Shockwave: Lv 3
Clay: Lv 3
Rest: Lv 3
Eight Hit Punch: Lv 1
Title Skills:
Harunae Soldier: Lv 3
Wow, he was much weaker than the giant slug. That thing had attack power of around 200, but this guy didn’t even come close with his weapon. His skills were weak too. He was about the same threat as a rank-D+ monster.
Well, I figured all eight of them together might equal the Little Rock Dragon’s power, but I wasn’t worried. I couldn’t see how they hoped to damage me with an Attack score of 100. Honestly, I was more scared of the horses than the guys riding them. I’d just chase them all back home.
Part 2
HAGEN, the man with the spear, was shouting orders to his fellow soldiers. “Listen up. I’m going to circle around behind the dragon. You catch its attention while staying out of the range of its Breath attacks! Then shoot it in the eyes.”
Sorry, but just so you know…I understand everything you’re saying. Yelling out your entire battle plan is dumb. Especially if you’re trying to fake me out.
Just as Hagen said he would, he charged toward me, then veered left to circle around. A few others gathered behind my tail. Were they trying to box me in?
“Go, Maria! Go tease that stupid, slow dragon!”
I didn’t know what he meant, but then I realized that huge horse must be called Maria. The big black mare obeyed her master and picked up speed. I reached out and grabbed Maria’s tail just as she slipped past me, pinning her in place.
“Hii-hiiin!” Maria let out a high-pitched whinny. Her tail caught, she stopped in her tracks and reared up, kicking her front legs at nothing.
“Neeeeeigh?!”
Her momentum sent Hagen sailing through the air in a clean arc.
“Oof!” His yell was cut off by his hard impact with the sand. Was he dead? No, he had close to 100 HP. He should be fine.
Hagen Baumann
Species: Earth-human
Status: Normal
Lv: 22/45
HP: 32/82
MP: 68/68
Still alive. He’s tough. I pulled my claw out of the ground, and as soon as Maria was free, she raced away as fast as she could.
“Ah, Maria!” Hagen moaned sadly, reaching after her with both arms. Maria paid him no heed, disappearing over the rise of the hill. Hagen’s head drooped with defeat. That was him taken care of.
I turned to the other seven soldiers.
One of them, upon seeing Hagen so easily dispatched, screamed and ran for it. “I told you we should go home and give a report first!”
The other six glared after the deserter and then back at me, readying their weapons. Four of them had bows, while the other two had swords. The latter charged, flanking me on the left and right. Ugh, stop it! I had to make sure neither of them attacked Nina. They might use her to try to distract me.
“Why is there a demi-human here?”
“Plague Dragons like to keep humans alive to eat them later. I heard a poem about it once while I was on an expedition!”
Hang on just a second here, that’s slander! It probably depends on the dragon!
“What an awful creature! We have to rid the world of it!”
The archers sneered. What a nasty conversation to have right in front of someone.
Well, as long as they kept their filthy eyes off Nina, that was all I cared about. l didn’t like their attitude.
I swatted their arrows aside with my claws. Thinking I was distracted, the men flanking me charged. I swept my tail under their horses’ hooves.
“Arghh!”
“Whoa!”
Their screams were so loud that they were an active distraction. I turned back just as an arrow struck close to my foot—ugh, my blind spot. If they got too close, I wouldn’t be able to avoid them.
The tip of the arrow shone in the sunlight, covered in a slick black liquid. Poison, probably. They came prepared. The slave trader from the carriage must have told people in town that he saw a dragon in the desert.
Their stats were low to act so cocky, but if they had a special anti-dragon poison, that made more sense.
They were humans, and therefore didn’t have any bonkers skills, but I’d still been overconfident. Humans could be dangerous in their own way. The desert was crawling with terrifying monsters, but what were they compared to an intelligent species who built cities and made technological advances? Obviously they would have ways to deal with dragons.
An arrow hit my foot and clattered off my scales. Hm? Not even a scratch.
The camel’s thorns stabbed me, though. Maybe they should be firing those instead of arrows.
The archers watched their arrows bounce off me in a state of shock. They stopped in their tracks, faces expressionless. I just needed to give them a good scare and they’d run off home, I was sure of it.
“Raaaaaaaaar!” I lifted my face toward the sky and let out a loud Bellow. One of the men dropped his bow and fell off his horse. Cool. You guys leaving or what?
“Waaaaaah!”
“Waaaaaah!”
“Waaaaaah!”
The three remaining men shot wildly. Hey, knock it off. If one of those arrows hits Nina, I’m gonna be pissed.
(“Leave…”)
A voice flashed through my mind. Was that telepathy? I’d thought it was one of the men in front of me, but they all froze. They could obviously hear it too. All the color left their faces, and their teeth began to chatter. They all stared at me.
No, that wasn’t me. Wait, is there another monster here?
(“Are you. Really ready to fight me? In that case. I will tear off. Your arms and legs. Rip off your skin. And suck out your. Intestines.”)
The three men screamed their heads off and fled back the way they came. Well, their horses ran back the way they came, carrying the men like sacks of grain. Hold on tight!
The two swordsmen scrambled onto their own horses and ran. Without his beloved Maria, Hagen was forced to flee on foot. Man. The walled city was far away, huh. Good luck, dude. Hope you and Maria find each other again! Even though I’m the one who split you up, I guess.
“Pfeff!”
That was you who used Telepathy just now, wasn’t it? I can tell by that smirk on your face.
Awesome, but likely there would be even more tales of terrifying dragons by the end of the day. Psychic dragons who would threaten people with their minds.
Title Skill “Protective Spirit” Lv 6 has become Lv 7.
Hm…when I let enemies get away, Protective Spirit levels up. That’s my highest-level skill right now, isn’t it? Yeah, it is. And then the next highest is Wrongdoer at level 6. I feel like that one levels up when I breathe, so there’s nothing I can do about it. Oh, I have View Status at level 6 too. I use that one a lot. After that, there’s Roll level 6 and Loneliness Resistance level 6. The other higher ones are at level 5. I wonder if my next evolution options will include Rolling Dragon or Lonely Dragon?
Part 3
ALL THE HUMANS disappeared beyond the hill. That guy Hagen made it all the way there on foot, but I was a little worried about him. Maria didn’t come back, and none of the other soldiers offered him a ride. They were too busy running away as fast as they could.
They were about three times faster fleeing than they were on the way here. My fault, I guess. But I was acting in legitimate self-defense. And I didn’t hurt anyone.
Why did the giant centipede ignore me when everyone else won’t leave me alone? I’m just glad it was humans and not another powerful monster. I let out a sigh of relief. Nina must have thought I was upset, because she looked startled. God, I really wanted to become a human as fast as I could.
The ballrabbit climbed out of its burrow and shook the sand off.
“Pfeff…”
It let out a little sigh of its own.
Nina giggled and picked it up. The rabbit’s eyes softened happily. I remembered back to when I was a Kid Dragon and met Myria. Man, now I felt sentimental. My body had changed so much that now it all seemed like it was long ago.
I wondered what the black lizard and the orangurangs were up to. Were they still making pottery and drying jerky? I hope no other monsters got them.
The ballrabbit agreed to purify more water for us, so we returned to the mud pit. It scolded me, warning me not to drink too much this time. Yeah, yeah, I know. I feel bad about it!
Just like last time, the ballrabbit shot light at the water, changing it from muddy to clear. It was just as amazing as last time—a small section of the muddy pond turned into pure, transparent water. You had to drink it fast before the mud could mix in.
The rabbit used its ears to hop from the sand into the water. It completely submerged itself and then popped back up, gasping. Oh, it’s bathing! If you tried to bathe in the ocean, you just got covered in salt. It was taking advantage of the clean water.
Since everyone thought I was so dirty, maybe I should bathe too. Was I really that bad? I couldn’t smell anything. But smelly people sometimes just get used to their odor. Now I’m getting self-conscious.
“Graah.”
Hey, Ballrabbit? Can I wash myself?
“…” It glared at me. That hurts my feelings. You’re like a kid who doesn’t want to take a bath after their dad uses the bathwater. But on second thought, I might contaminate the lake with my Dragon Scale Powder. I figured I could bathe last, or maybe wash myself after using Human Transformation…
Nina watched the rabbit, then sniffed herself, narrowing her eyes. She hadn’t rinsed off since I carried her in my mouth. She’d been unconscious then, so from her perspective, one minute a giant centipede was chasing her and the next she woke up smelling like dragon.
Did she stink? I couldn’t tell. And my sense of smell was pretty good.
The ballrabbit invited Nina into the water with a wag of its ears. Those things were really dexterous.
“Pfeff, pfeff!”
“Th-thank you, Bally!” Nina’s face brightened as she reached for her clothes. She was wearing what were basically tattered rags, just like the other demi-humans in the carriage. A lot of the buttons on her dress were missing.
She unbuttoned the remaining ones, exposing a pale shoulder. I thought about how slender she was and how beautiful her skin looked, before snapping back to reality. “Gaaar!” Without thinking, I let out a noise as loud as the one I’d used against the soldiers.
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“Pfeff?”
Stop! Human! I’m a human on the inside!
I didn’t have Telepathy, but Nina must have remembered after seeing my reaction, because her face and the tips of her ears turned red.
“N-nyaaah?!” She flailed, grabbing her clothes and pulling them back up. “S-s-sorry!!”
I whirled around, crouching. Jeez, that freaked me out. Nina totally forgot I used to be a human.
It was an easy mistake to make. Sometimes I forgot too. I didn’t think anything of it when I watched her unbutton her dress. If I’d kept spacing out, I might not have screamed until she was completely naked.
After a few minutes, I heard splashing, then water dripping onto the sand. She must’ve been done.
“S-sorry I took so long. You can turn around now.”
Her clothes were dripping wet—she washed them too. She didn’t have anything else to wear, but they’d dry quickly under this hot sun.
Enough time had passed since the giant slug dropped dead that the rain clouds above the mud pit were starting to thin. They’d disappear entirely soon.
I was getting thirsty, and I joined Ballrabbit at the side of the lake. I was careful not make the same mistake twice, moderating my intake.
I raised my head, about to swallow, when suddenly I remembered just how much the ballrabbit hadn’t wanted to get inside my mouth. If I cleaned it out well enough, maybe my friends would let me carry them. It was the easiest way to escape from enemies.
I gazed up at the sky as I gargled. This was, I realized, the first time I’d done any sort of oral care since arriving in this world. I felt bits of meat and gristle stuck in between my teeth begin to loosen and wash away. Even just rinsing made a difference.
I bent my head down and spat the water back into the lake.
Ahh, that felt so much better. Now if there was an emergency, they could climb in without worrying.
“Pfeff!” Ballrabbit spit out the water in its mouth.
Hm? What are you doing? Were you gargling too? I glanced at the lake. Bits of rotten meat and a mysteriously sticky yellow liquid floated on the surface.
“Pfeff!!” Ballrabbit whacked me with its ears.
Ow, ow! Stop hitting the same spot. I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! If you rinse, you have to spit! It’s just an old habit from my previous life! It wasn’t on purpose!