Vol 8 Chapter 4 (2/2)
It was shi+ning with clear blue light
My dragon ive off the same color—
About to be fully tainted with purple, Iris' dragon mark was now repainted blue
”Mononobe”
The restrained Iris called my name with a hazy look on her face
”Gahhhh!?”
In pain, Kraken Zwei pressed her hand to her forehead Her silver hair quivered like a wave as she tossed Iris to the ground
Froers, held to her forehead, two colors of light—purple and blue—were leaking out at the same time
I did not knohat had happened
But I instinctively understood what I had done
I had marked her—I marked Iris
Refusing to hand Iris over to anyone, I wished to make her mine
Hence, I ons did
I originally did not know I could do that
However, once I had done it, I seemed to feel certain of my ability to do so
”Ahhh I get it now”
I lowing blue
So—I'on
With that thought, everything made sense now
Why was e? Why was I able to reject interference from Kraken Zho had attempted to mark me? How could I mark Iris in this manner—
The ansas sion wasa dragon than anyone else
”Guuuuuuuuuuuu!?”
Kraken Zwei held her forehead, still in pain
Most likely, I had influenced her dragon mark when I marked Iris
It was proof that Kraken Zas also a D, indicating that she was the one getting
She was different from me Surely, I—did not even count as a D
Marking their ets with their own color, one-sided plunderers
Solitary monsters without others of the same species
But even if that were true, it did not et Iris back!
”Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
Yelling, I rushed out
I rushed over to Iris, as lying on the ground, and Kraken Zwei, standing in front of her
Power surged froht as ”Fafnir”—It felt like my body had become a different existence
”——”
Fear surfaced on the girl's face while the glowing dragon radually painted with my color of blue
Perhaps instinctively fearing contact with me, Kraken Zwei did not attack with her hair Instead, she julowed
She shot anti down, I extended my left hand
I generated dark ravitationalthe resulting repulsive field
However, Kraken Zwei had seized that opportunity to generate dark enic transmutation, she expanded herher entire body
Then she used part of her hair like tentacles to wrap around Iris as lying on the ground, pulling Iris towards her
”Ugh Guh Mononobe”
Despitein pain, Iris still reached towards me
”Iris!”
I called her name and summoned my fictional armament
Kraken Zwei probably intended to flee with Iris but I was not going to let her succeed
”Air Bullet!”
Firing a bullet of air underfoot to accelerate rapidly, I chased the receding Kraken Zwei
Darkto interceptof that level will not deter me!
”Smoke Bullet!”
I used thick s in her transmutation process Since I had the same ability too, I knew its weaknesses well
This alone was not enough to erase all of the dark matter The projectile of fire created Kraken Zwei approached me
”Antigravity!”
I used the last of the dark ravitationalthe flame projectile with a small-scale repulsive field, then rushed past the smoke
Just a bit before I reach Iris!
”Mononobe!!”
With tears in her eyes, she extended her left hand desperately
”—Iris!!”
I reached out for Iris' fingertips with loith dazzling blue light
Make contact!!
I grasped Iris' hand, which was covered with red scales
In that instant—The light erupting froon mark colored the entire area blue
Part 3
Rustle
I heard the sound of rustling aetation
I woke up to find round with the taste of soil inwarm
”!?”
I looked up to see Iris' face next to htly with her
”Mmm”
A faint breath escaped from between Iris' soft and tender lips Her eyes slowly opened and met mine Blue and clear, her eyes were the same as usual—
I realized suddenly in alarhtly The red scales on her skin were already gone
”Iris! Your body!”
I sat up and checked her entire body Froed jacket, I could see her delicate skin, the color of on mark either
”Mononobe? My body is—Wahhhhhh!?”
Realizing her chest was almost exposed, she instantly covered up frantically with her arms
”Jeez Mononobe, you're such a pervert”
Iris blushed and looked up at me shyly
”Eh? Oh, no, sorry—I just wanted to say that your body has recovered, Iris”
I shi+fted aze away and hastily explained to her
”Recovered? Oh—It's true! The scales are gone!”
Only then did she finally realize her change and cheered
”By the way, your eye color is also restored Youthe battle, Iris, your eyes were red”
Iris widened her eyes after listening toher head in puzzlement
”Why did I recover? Say, what happened that? What about Kraken Zwei?”
These words pros had unfolded like a dream, but if this really was reality, then she should still be nearby—
After surveying s, I saw a pale foot under a tree's shade
”That's”
Iris and I exchanged a glance then stood up, supporting each other My legs were quite hileintensely After a moment's delay, I also felt pain on my back and the back of my head
”Gah”
The pain I had forgotten was attacking all at once I gritted my teeth and endured The fact that I could move seemed like a miracle already
”Mononobe, are you okay? Oh my—Your back is all bloody!”
Lending me support, Iris called hoarsely
”I'ht But not critical either Right now, the i is to confirm that”
I motioned with iant tree
”Hether”
”Yeah, be careful”
I leaned against Iris' shoulder and walked slowly We kept our distance froet and circled around to peer from another side of the tree
”Eh—”
Iris and I both gasped at the same time
There a young girl, all naked, was collapsed in the bushes
”Kraken Zwei”
Her face was similar to shi+nomiya-sensei's so we could not be mistaken, but one part of her was clearly different from before
”Mononobe, her hair—”
Just as Iris pointed out, the drainally made of mithril, her hair used to be hard and silver Now, it had turned into purple hair that seemed quite soft in texture I bent down and tried to touch the tips of her hair—Her hair did not exhibit the hardness of metal
Judging fro, apparently asleep
”What happened She's almost like an ordinary—human's child”
Iris murmured in a daze
I had a wholeIris restored to human appearance and Kraken Zwei's loss of mithril hair, I came up with a hypothesis
”Iris—I think I marked you”
I quietly said to her
”Huh?”
Iris looked at me, quite perplexed
”I didn't want you to be taken away I didn't want to hand you over to anyone Those thoughts, those iushed out By the tion mark had already turned into my color”
I glanced at on mark and confessed to her what I had done
Iris iainst her dragon mark
”I see So that's what happened”
”—Aren't you shocked? I thought what I said would probably be quite far-fetched”
Seeing Iris accept my explanation so easily, I could not help but feel doubt
”Because I have faint memories of it Back then, theon s, Mononobe It made me really happy”
Iris blushed and stared at me from extremely up close
”What”
I felt my face heat up With ot what to say
”Then Mononobe, you caon houtme I felt very blissful”
Iris recounted excitedly with joy, lifting her right hand whose scales had disappeared
”That's as far as I reain, I was already like this, so I had a faint feeling that you were the one who cured me, Mononobe”
”R-Really? But you're probably correct”
Feeling very embarrassed, I could not look squarely at Iris' face, so I turned to different direction while I spoke
”Huh?”
”Soon, to becoon of the same kind”
In response to Iris, as tilting her head in puzzle class back in Midgard
”Is there anything wrong with that?”
”You don't get it? The following is justyour body, I turned you into my own kind”
”Eh? Eh? Eh—”
Iris blinked in confoundment, perhaps because her comprehension rate could not keep up with the conversation, but gradually, her face turned red
”U-Uht now, I am your mate, Mononobe?”
”Huh—?”
This tih spot Indeed, on further thought, that was true
”N-No good, Mononobe! So suddenly I still haven't prepared myself A-And you still have Mitsuki, Mononobe—”
Iris began to panic but she suddenly stopped herin the bush
”H-Hold on! Co back to a human appearance is—”
Iris went pale and said in astonishment
”Yeah, probably because I on ed color co into the same kind' happened to her in addition to you”
I nodded in affirs basically made sense
The proble become my kind, could the two of them still be considered ”ordinary humans”?
Unless I found out what my real identity was, then there was no answer
”Uh Umm Simply stated, that means you immediately had an affair, Mononobe? You clearly turnedwith this child!?”
”Huh?”
However, Iris' accusation had nothing to do with rily, she denounced me
”A-And she's only a newborn child, you know? M-Mononobe, you pervert!”
”W-Wait! I think Kraken Zwei's dragon mark was affected because she was next to you, Iris And she turned back to human like this—”
I frantically explained but when I said the words ”turned back to hu
Perhaps feeling my emotions, Iris also put on a soleirl
”Has she really turned human?”
Iris asked ariness in her gaze and tone
”Well—I don't know”
I answered Iris hesitantly It was also possible she ht fire anti her enerate dark matter was most likely intact
Because her dragonlost color, could still be seen faintly on her forehead
And she had killed shi+noe after the battle, to regard her as a target for protection was extremely difficult
Rustle—!
Just as I was pondering how to handle the girl, the bushes on the side shook—A blonde girl appeared
”Jeanne! I'lad you're okay—”
Although covered in wounds with burns left on parts of her clothing, Jeanne looked like she had no major injuries
”Oh Captain~ You are fine—!?”
Jeanne looked aton the ground
”Are you alright!? Hang in there!”
Jeanne ran towards the girl without any hesitation, picking up the sleeping girl in her arms
”Wait, it's still very dangerous!”
I hastily warned her but Jeanne was unconcerned After exa she was unhurt, Jeanne took off her own jacket to cover up the girl
”Don't worry—Captain, you two please keep your distance”
Jeanne shook her head with an expression of resolve She hugged the girl tightly
”Until the very end, I will continue to be this child's good fortune”
”Jeanne”
Seeing her deterue
”Mmm”
At this htly and her eyelids twitched Then she slowly opened her eyes
The ies of Jeanne, Iris and I were reflected in those purple eyes
I gulped and focused my mind so that I could suency
While atched in concern, tears flowed out of the purple eyes
”Ooh Oooooh Ooowahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
Kraken Zwei began to cry loudly
The girl clung to Jeanne's boso like a baby
”It's okay You're no longer alone I will always stay with you from now on”
Stroking the girl's soft hair, Jeanne spoke gently to her
Kraken Zwei's iht have disappeared as a result of losing her traits as a dragon Or perhaps Jeanne's body warotten
I did not knohich was the correct answer but upon witnessing this scene, I understood that there was no longer any enemy here
”She is huht? That child is already—”
Iris smiled and asked me
”Yeah”
I nodded deeply in agreement Then just at that moment, my tense consciousness broke off
Instantly, th and my mind went hazy
”M-Mononobe!??
With Iris propping me up, I fell unconscious
It had not been easy but with this, the incident finally came to a close
This was definitely not the best outcome, because I—we—had lost someone irreplaceable
However In the end, we ed to retrieve what shi+nohout the whole time
Hence—
”—Mononobe Yuu, you did very well Most sincerely You have ratitude”
Just before I sank into deep slumber, I seeain—