Chapter 43: Red-colored Giant Dragon

 

Night, in the bedroom.

 

The door opened when I was sleeping alone, and a girl entered.

 

It was footsteps that I was familiar. When I opened my eyes, there was Helene as I expected.

 

Helene who was wearing thin layers of clothes stopped in front of the bed, and looked at me intently.

 

「Kakeru-sama」

 

「n, what is it」

 

「I came to have your mercy」

 

Mercyーーshe means she wanted to be loved, huh.

 

「I also want to have a child like Hikari-sama. I want to have Kakeru-sama’s child」

 

「My child?」

 

「Yes, a very lovely child like Hikari-sama」

 

Helene nodded clearly.

 

「Please」

 

Helene was begging.

 

It might be the first time that I saw Helene this serious.

 

「I got it」

 

There’s no reason to refuse, the way she asked for it was cute.

 

That’s why, the whole night, I loved Helene thoroughly.

 

It was already morning, Helene who was exhausted on the top of the bed said.

 

「If……the child with Kakeru-sama was born safely」

 

「Safely?」

 

「Together……can we live together here as parents」

 

An instant, I was surprised, and laughed after.

 

Helene who was asking for something that natural was very cute.

 

That’s why, although the night has ended, I loved her more.

 

☆

 

Morning, after finishing the daily work, I was walking around the town of Roizen carelessly.

 

It was a walk around here and there randomly.

 

Suddenly, I saw that there’s a commotion in the town’s entrance.

 

Thinking what it was, I approached, and I saw a tattered soldier who had a lot of wounds.

 

The townspeople were looking at that like a crowd.

 

The town’s soldier came, and raised the wounded soldier’s body.

 

「What is it, what happened」

 

「Re……Red Dragon appeared」

 

「What?!」

 

The soldier raised his voice. The noise of the townspeople had increased.

 

Disturbed, frightened, and when I look closely there were some people who ran away in panic.

 

Those people were shouting while running「Red Dragon appeared」, and spreads the fear further.

 

「Hurry up……and run……」

 

Leaving that as his last words, the soldier died.

 

☆

 

Lanmari Merchant Company, Delfina’s mansion.

 

I decided to ask her what I didn’t understand for the meantime and warped there, and told her happened earlier as it was.

 

Delfina’s face colors changed. Silent, but she made a grave face.

 

「Please wait for a while」

 

She said that and let me wait, Delfina called her subordinate. She whispered to the man who entered.

 

The subordinate changed his face colors, and jumped out of the room.

 

It was like this since earlier. The townspeople, Delfina, and even the subordinate she whispered to.

 

Everybody, they were reacting the the term 「Red Dragon」.

 

「What the heck is a Red Dragon」

 

「It is a dragon……a kind of dragon that has its days numbered」

 

She means, about to die? Then, why are everybody that frightened?

 

Guessing my question, Delfina started to explain in a silent tone.

 

「The ones that are called dragons, all have tremendous powers, they are living beings that have high intelligence. In both, they have far more than humans have」

 

Is that clear? Delfina made a face of that.

 

If it was dragons, then surely that would probably be true, I nodded in return.

 

「Proud, they are acting with the pride that they have as a dragon. From the time they were born, until they die」

 

「……and?」

 

「There are few ends for those dragons. The stronger, the higher the intelligence the dragons have, at the time that their life was about to end, their power……and their body size itself, explosively increases. You can think of it as the candle’s last sparkle」

 

「They get stronger」

 

「Yes. And this is the important part, dragons that become like that have their intelligence and reason disappear」

 

「Mu!」

 

I somehow found how it was.

 

「Their powers devour their intelligence, and become something that only spreads out violence. From the color that is emitted from its body at when they became like that, they are called Red Dragons」

 

「The dragons that are already strong, are running wildly with ten times the power huh. 「Well, that figures out why everyone is scared」

 

「Dragons that have that kind of possibility have high intelligence basically, and they also have a huge pride, so they would either have their end in some place no one would know, or take care of themselves. Because they are thinking that, they did not want to see their pathetic appearance, and they do not want to show it to anyone else」

 

「I see」

 

「But rarely, there are ones who clings to their life」

 

「Those dragons become epitomes of destructionーーRed Dragons, it was like that huh」

 

「It is as how you have said」

 

I figured out most of the story.

 

「I made someone to run and check it earlier. Soon, I think that we would know the current situation」

 

「Current situation?」

 

「It is impossible that wouldn’t be any casualties when a Red Dragon appears. That is proven by histoーー」

 

When Delfina was only starting to say that, her subordinate earlier ran inside.

 

Throwing away even the leeway of knocking, he came back only to report immediately.

 

「Delfina-sama!」

 

「Un」

 

「Rodos is……」

 

「Rodos?」

 

I asked Delfina.

 

「It is a commercial city that has approximately ten million in population desu wa」

 

It’s quite a huge city huh. I mean, isn’t that the largest one since I came to this world?

 

「What is it with Rodos」

 

「It was devastated」

 

「Devastated?」

 

I mumbled. Delfina’s subordinate said.

 

「It was devastated, and the city itself was mostly in ruins」

 

「What happened to the residents?」

 

「They knew the information that the Red Dragon attacked a different town beforehand, so almost every resident has escaped. But, their town is……」

 

「An abandoned town and Red Dragon. That would probably take 10 years to restore」

 

Delfina said. The casualties were that huge huh.

 

「What about the subjugation?」

 

「Helene-denka and General Gigis leading a few thousands of soldiers, are on their way. And just in case, they have sent rescue request to the adventurer guild and the Undying Saint Melissa」

 

「As expected of Helene-denka, her decision is quick」

 

That’s too much for one dragon.

 

At this time, I was thinking of it like that.

 

☆

 

「Helene-denka!」

 

One soldier jumps into the tent.

 

「The main troops have entered the battle against the Red Dragon・Olivia in the valley. The battle situation is 50-50, Gigis-sama is asking for reinforcements if possible」

 

「General Gigis and 2000 soldiers, and finally equal huh. That is very scary」

 

I thought for a while, and ask Fortis who was beside me.

 

「How many soldiers are there that we can move」

 

「If it was Denka’s personal defense troops, a thousand as soon as you want」

 

「Send them immediately. The fight against the red dragon should not be prolonged」

 

「Ha!」

 

「You should take command」

 

「But with that, the safety of Denka’s surroundings」

 

「Olivia must be defeated first. You saw the ruined Rodos right. Tragedies like that should not be increased」

 

「ーー! As you command. I will reinforce them immediately」

 

Obeying my order, Fortis was about to jump out of the tent, at that time.

 

「R-Reporting」

 

A soldier jumped inside.

 

With an irregular expression, with a hurry.

 

I somehow felt a terrible feeling with it.

 

「What happened」

 

Composedly, composedly, while I was letting myself hear, I asked the soldier.

 

But.

 

「Gigis-sama dead in action! The subjugation army main force rout」

 

「……」

 

No way.

 

Those words came to my mind first.

 

But, it was real.

 

I heard the roar of the dragon from far away.

 

It was not a death cry, it was a roar that made me feel its anger.

 

The Red Dragon・Olivia is alive, and it was the proof that it was angry.

 

「What happened? Was it not an equal fight earlier?」

 

「Gigis-sama and the surroundings were burned down by the dragon’s breath. The front lines that lost Gigis-sama fell into chaos」

 

「……the casualties are」

 

「There are only 30% who can move……but they have started to rout, so……」

 

The soldier did not finish saying it.

 

Almost annihilated, I knew that it was annihilation as his words said.

 

For it to become like this in an instant……it was something that far beyond expectations.

 

「What happened to Olivia?」

 

「It is moving towards west」

 

「West……this is bad, in that direction, Reya is」

 

「There are 20 thousand people. There is still distance, but it would probably reach there without taking a day」

 

Fortis said with a very sour face.

 

I ordered the soldier.

 

「Run immediately to Reya, make the residents evacuate」

 

「Yes!」

 

「Fortis, collect the fleeing soldiers, and re-organize them as much as possible」

 

「What will Denka do」

 

「I will lead the soldiers left, and stop Olivia at its feet」

 

「It is too dangerous!」

 

「The soldiers are not enough. The morale must be raised even a little or else it would not be stopped at all. And the best way to increase the morale, is for me to stand there」

 

「Butーー」

 

「Fortis」

 

I called his name, and stared straight at him.

 

After staring for a while, his side was the one who gave up.

 

「I have understood. I will immediately collect the fleeing soldiers, and move as reinforcement」

 

「That is good」

 

Fortis jumped out.

 

I led my personal soldiers, and chased after the Red Dragon・Olivia.

 

「……Kakeru-sama」

 

My right hand, was grabbing my stomach.

 

☆

 

「Message! Centurion Spiros dead in action!」

 

「The ten men commander directly belowーーpromote Pan to a Centurion. And order to continue stopping it」

 

「Yes!」

 

The messenger soldier went running.

 

In front of me……I could see the huge red dragon that was like a mountain from afar.

 

Until I was able to see it directly, I could not imagine that it was this huge.

 

U〜un, it was larger that what I have imagined, was more precise to say. It was clearly, more huge by one level than the Red Dragons that was written in the records.

 

Was the record wrong, or is Olivia special.

 

「Message! Fortis-sama, wounded! He has no consciousness having grave wounds!」

 

「Evacuate immediately. Promote the person who has the highest rank there by one rank, and let him lead the soldiers」

 

The soldiers that Fortis re-organized were dying one next to the other.

 

Still, we cannot move back, if we move back from here, Reya would be……

 

At least, just like Rodos, we should buy time for the residents to evacuate.

 

But as if to make fun of that, the soldiers were dying one next to the other.

 

The Red Dragon・Olivia was gradually closing its distance.

 

It was closing in while scattering violence.

 

It’s the limit, I felt.

 

It could not be blocked more than this, more than this, even I wouldーー.

 

But.

 

If we move back from here, the residents of Reya, more than half of them would most probably be caught up by the violence of the dragon.

 

Hesitation.

 

「Denka! It would not take any longer」

 

「……stand your grounds」

 

At the end of hesitating, I decided.

 

The casualties for the common people should never be allowed.

 

A few hundred soldiers and I.

 

Twenty thousand people.

 

It should probably be, the latter that has the balance tilted in.

 

「Then, Denka should at least run away. We would take care of here」

 

「Thank you, but it looks like it was too late」

 

Breaking through the wall of decreasing soldiers at an accelerating pace, the Red Dragon closed in.

 

A roar that shakes the land. Earthquake that was enough to not anyone stand.

 

Death, had come in front of me.

 

My hand touched around my abdomen.

 

At least, those words came to my mind.

 

A picture of a happy family of three came up to my mind.

 

I closed my eyes. At least, I could die thinking of that.

 

At that instant, a different kind of roar echoed.

 

Falling down from the heavens as if a dark lightning, stopping the Red Dragon’s march.

 

The next instance, one man stood with an air of composure, having in his hands, a dark light.

 

Demon Sword in the right hand, and Demon Sword on the left.

 

「Kakeru-sama!」

 

The wielder of two Demon Swords, he reflected into my eyes as a savior.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 42 <-> Chapter 44