Chapter 203 - From A Close Encounter To Battle (1/2)
Loren’s honest impression, if he had to give one, was that it was not that big.
From the term ‘Ancient Dragon’, Loren had expected a being that could cover the sky with its wings. But when he thought about it, he realized that if such a huge creature existed in this world, its home must also be huge. The mountain they were currently on was a huge mountain, but it was not big enough to be described as covering the entire earth. Since the dragon lived here, it shouldn’t be any bigger.
But still, the creature that was slowly descending from the sky while beating its wings surely did possess the presence of an Ancient Dragon.
“Do you think we can escape?”
Looking up at the sight of a dragon slowly descending from the clouds, Loren said, but not to anyone in particular. He was hoping that either Lapis or Gula would answer, and it was Lapis who did:
“It’s impossible, isn’t it? We can’t find a place to hide, and even if we run, it’s probably faster than us.”
“Lapis, this is the first time I’ve seen a dragon, but… Damn, are you sure that really is an Ancient Dragon?”
When Loren was still a mercenary, dragons were things that existed in fairy tales only, so he had never seen one. In the first place, there was no room for an existence that only appeared in stories to intervene in a battle between humans. That was the reason why Loren had to ask.
Lapis slowly nodded:
“Judging by this sense of intimidation, I’m almost certain it is.”
There was no way Loren could tell the difference in the sense of intimidation between an ordinary dragon and an Ancient Dragon. But if Lapis said so, then it must be so. Loren thought and decided to assume that the being above them was indeed an Ancient Dragon.
“Do we fight?”
“If necessary. But Loren, we have a better chance if we ask Gula to hold it back and run.”
“You want to use me as a sacrificial pawn?!”
Gula clung to Lapis as if to stop her from doing that, and Lapis wordlessly gave her an elbow to the brow. It made a rather loud sound, and Gula reflexively covered her face with both hands and dropped to a crouch. Loren had no time to care about it though.
“ARE YOU THE ONES WHO DISTURB MY DWELLING?”
The dragon that had been hovering overhead opened its mouth.
Loren found the sight of a dragon that looked like a lizard speaking human language with its mouth extremely disturbing, but despite being taken aback, he knew that he had to give some kind of answer, and he managed to open his mouth somehow:
“We are not the one who caused the explosion with magic!”
Thinking that the disturbance was about the magic explosion, Loren raised his voice and denied it.
Considering the distance between them and the dragon, Loren was not sure if it could hear him or not, but it seemed like it had picked up his voice.
“THAT MUST BE THE DARK ELF THAT JUST RAN AWAY. I THOUGHT I HADN’T SEEN THEM LATELY. TURNS OUT THEY’RE STILL LURKING AND SCUTTERING AROUND, AS INCORRIGIBLY ALIVE AS EVER.”
That sounded more like how one would describe something lurking in a dirty kitchen than an elf. Loren thought, and raised his voice even more:
“If you want to chase her, go that way. We have nothing to do with her!”
“THOSE EXPLOSIONS WERE UNPLEASANT, YES. BUT THAT’S NOT WHY I’M HERE.”
Loren had assumed that the dragon had come out because of the noise of the explosions, but judging from the way the dragon was talking, he was wrong. His cheeks twitched as he realized that there was only one other factor that could have upset the dragon.
“Don’t tell me…”
“WHAT ARE YOU? THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A PERSON CARRYING SUCH A THICK PRESENCE OF DEATH IN MY DWELLING, EVEN IF I DREDGE UP MY MEMORIES.”
Both Lapis’ presence and Gula’s power were suppressed to some extent. Their influence was limited, and perhaps if that was all, they would not have offended the dragon.
However, in order to peel away the cover of the dark elf, Shayna, the King of Death inside Loren, had used her power lavishly without suppressing it. The King of Death’s extravagant energy drain was so powerful that it nullified the dark elf’s magic and turned the mountain surface into weathered dust.
It was ridiculous to think that the dragon would not notice it.
“I CANNOT FORGIVE YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UNPLEASANT PRESENCE INTO MY HOME. YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT CRIME.”
“Wait a minute! That was our last resort…”
“YOU CAN MAKE YOUR EXCUSES IN THE AFTERLIFE.”
There was no point in saying any excuses. After all, it was true that Loren had the spirit of the King of Death inside him, and it was also true that Shayna had wielded her power without restraint.
However, Loren felt that he had to say something, but the dragon would not listen.
“Loren! Dodge!”
Hearing Lapis’s voice, Loren held his greatsword at the ready.
It was only in the next moment that he realized that it would be useless against the dragon’s attack from above, but it was natural for him to hold his sword in battle, and he had never experienced combat against a flying opponent like a dragon.
By the time he realized that he had made a mistake in judgment, countless spears of red-hot flames had appeared around the dragon, and there was no time to run away.
As the flames illuminated the night sky, Loren noticed that the dragon’s body was red in color, and he put all his strength into his hand holding his greatsword.