Cheers of joy rise from all around from the defense squad of Encartone, who had a history with the magic dragon.
“Ouga!”
Karen, who has joined us, can’t hide her joy either as she comes running to embrace me.
“We did it! We defeated that magic dragon!”
“… I’m sorry, Karen. Could you stay away for a bit longer?”
“Huh…?”
“This might just be my imagination, but… I can’t believe that magic dragon would be defeated so easily.”
She seems convinced we’ve defeated it, but I’m still watching the magic dragon intently.
Alice and Reina seem to be of the same mind, not letting go of their weapons.
“Mashiro. Go behind us with Karen.”
“O-Okay!”
Seeing that we battle-hardened fighters haven’t let our guard down, the two maintain their tension and move as instructed.
“Alice. Do you have experience in slaying magic dragons?”
“… I apologize. I have never participated in such… However, from what I’ve heard, the threat was not of this level.”
“I agree. Indeed, everyone here is quite capable, but even so, this seems too…”
“You two think so too?”
Hearing their opinions, I make a decision.
Ten minutes.
If the magic dragon doesn’t move for ten minutes, we’ll consider it dead.
Until then, we must not let our guard down.
[—It can’t be helped]
“…!? That voice just now!?”
A low voice resonating with authority echoes in my mind.
I’m not the only one who heard it; the defense squad, who were filled with joy moments ago, now look at each other with puzzled expressions.
Sensing something ominous, I turn my gaze back to the magic dragon.
Tail, legs, torso, neck, head—as my eyes move, they meet the dragon’s crimson eyes, sending a chill down my spine.
In the moment I blink, overwhelmed, the magic dragon that should have been trapped in the ice tree vanishes.
“What!? Where did it—!?”
Before I can finish speaking, I sense a violent presence and immediately move my feet in that direction.
Alice, who noticed almost simultaneously, moves in the same direction.
“Karen!”
“Miss Levezenka!”
“Huh?”
As Alice raises her sword to protect the bewildered Karen, a shrill metallic sound cuts through the air.
Sharp claws growing from the hand of a tall man were about to claim Karen’s life.
“Ugh!? Uuuu…!”
“A-Alice-san is being overpowered!?”
Even Reina can’t hide her shock at this unprecedented sight.
At this rate, Karen will be cut along with Alice…!
“Get away from Karen!”
Catching up a beat late, I drive a front kick into the exposed flank.
But what I feel in return is not resistance, but a numbness that shakes my own foot.
It’s not muscle, but something harder than even metal.
Bulging, blood-red pupils turn towards me.
[Was it you who opened a hole in my belly?]
Those words just now… I had a vague feeling, but it really is…!
“You… You’re that magic dragon, aren’t you?”
[It seems I am indeed who you think I am.]
I’m not sure how it works, but apparently the magic dragon we thought we had defeated has transformed into a human form and appeared before us.
[You should die.]
“Guh!?”
Its target shifts to me, and with blinding speed, its claws pierce my abdomen.
The impact violently shakes my internal organs, powerful enough to momentarily stop my breathing.
Ah, that was close…! It’s a good thing I focused [Limit transcendence Gear Change – Strength] only on my stomach.
I didn’t want to use it, but if I hadn’t activated [Limit transcendence Gear Change – Strength], my torso would have been torn in two by now.
I almost want to praise myself for managing to stay conscious!
[Oh? You managed to defend against that. Well then—]
“Hey now. Is it okay to focus only on me?”
“You shouldn’t forget about us—”
“—it’s troublesome!”
“[Ice Frost Hurricane]!”
A simultaneous attack by the three.
Taking advantage of the moment when the magic dragon’s attention was slightly diverted, I also launch a counterattack.
This should definitely land a hit…!
However, the scene before our eyes filled us with despair.
“What…!?”
Mashiro’s magic hit directly, Reina’s kick connected with its head, and Alice’s sword was swung down.
But none of them inflicted even a single wound on the magic dragon.
[…Hmm. You seem to be mistaken, but I was aware and simply ignoring you. I can kill you anytime.]
Saying that, the magic dragon casually raised its hand and—
“…! Everyone, retreat immediately! [Magic Burial]!”
[…What a peculiar technique.]
Sensing an enormous amount of magical power in its palm, I realized I couldn’t let it fire. I touched it directly to cancel it out with [Magic Burial].
This thing…! It’s become incomparably stronger than before…!?
[Let me teach you something as a parting gift for the afterlife. Among magic dragons, there are those like me who can transform into a human-dragon form. As the volume is compressed, the power is also concentrated, increasing many times over.]
“…Thanks for the kind explanation.”
[You’re welcome. You’re about to die anyway. It’s the duty of the strong to bestow knowledge upon the weak.]
My right arm is grabbed. The wrist, gripped with tremendous force, is easily crushed.
[You’re first.]
The tail that has grown on it is raised high.
The next moment, I hear something tear as a mass easily capable of taking my life strikes from the right, and I’m sent flying far away.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
I’ve always looked up to my old man’s back as I grew up.
I thought it was amazing how the things he made brought smiles to everyone’s faces. I thought it was cool.
That’s why I decided to become the world’s greatest mechanical engineer, just like my old man.
From a young age, I’d go into the workshop, imitating my old man, and even get praised by the craftsmen around.
I thought I’d join the Lurudaan Workshop and eventually take over my old man’s position.
[Yueri. You should work at a different workshop.]
That is, until my old man said this to me on the day I became an adult.
I think my encounter with that boy was one of the worst kinds.
He saw us, father and child, hurling insults at each other, and even saw me being kicked out… If he hadn’t offered me work, I probably would have sealed away the memory of meeting him as a dark history.
But the boy I met turned out to be the best person for me.
Would anyone entrust the creation of their prosthetic arm to someone who hasn’t left any mark on this world yet?
For a mechanical engineer, an arm is more precious than life itself. It’s absolutely impossible.
Yet, after seeing my magical tools and hearing about my dream, he decided on the spot.
Every day after I became an adult and left home was the same routine.
Training at the forge, arguing with my old man, training, arguing… Creating magical tools all alone, without any requests.
Just making, making, making magical tools without any users… I thought such days might continue forever, when it happened.
I thought he was the person of destiny who would set in motion the time that had been stagnant for so long.
These five days were the most enjoyable time I’ve ever had creating magical tools in my life.
But that’s over now.
Even though I was in top form, I showed such a pathetic magical tool in front of my damn old man… Back to square one again.
As I was huddled in my shabby hut thinking about such things—I found myself running towards the workshop.
It was purely by chance, as I saw the boy challenging the magic dragon on my way from the shabby hut to the underground shelter.
From what I heard, his right arm is broken.
The magic dragon isn’t an easy opponent that can be defeated with just one arm.
I know that because I’ve been aiming to defeat it for years. I understand all too well.
At this rate, the boy will certainly die…!
The boy who believed in me, who could only talk about my dreams in this town, will be gone.
Thinking that, my body moved on its own.
“Ah, there’s Yueri-san! Miss, where have you been and what have you been—”
“Out of my way!”
Kicking aside everything in my way, I reached the forge and entered the workshop without even catching my breath.
“Huff… huff…!”
How selfish I am.
The boy never ran away even in such a desperate situation.
Yet I ran away after just one failure seen by my damn old man.
To be honest, I’m not confident I can make a magical tool better than the [Dragon Slaying Fist].
That’s how confident I was in it.
So I got carried away thinking I could get back at my damn old man, and then I was disappointed in myself—
“—Ah, shut up already!”
Throw away all unnecessary thoughts.
Focus only on your passion! Who do I want to create for? Wasn’t it him who rekindled the dying flame of my life!?
“…Finally warming up, my heart is…!”
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