Chapter 44: Olivia

 

I drew out Eleanor that was pierced to the ground. I heard a shouting voice inside my head immediately.

 

『You bastard! You threw me with full force!』

 

「It was an emergency so it can’t be helped, you’re the only one that I was able to throw that was in my hand. There’s no way I could’ve thrown Hikari too」

 

『Of course!』

 

「And, you’re the only one that can be in between that and stop it」

 

I looked at the dragon in front of me. The dragon that was kicking the hell out of the soldiers while charging had stopped its momentum completely.

 

「It’s true that it stopped. It’s not for show that you’re living as a Demon Sword for hundreds of years」

 

『As expected of Okaa-san〜』

 

『F-Fun! That’s natural』

 

With Hikari’s cheer, Eleanor’s momentum gradually decreased.

 

I was somehow able to imagine her looking to the side with blushed face.

 

I saw Helene at the opposite side of the dragon.

 

In the middle of fleeing soldiers, Helene was staring here intently.

 

「Helene!」

 

「Yes!」

 

「Leave it to me!」

 

「ーー! Good luck」

 

She only said that, and Helene started giving orders to the soldiers near her.

 

Within the distance her order had reached, tens of soldiers had gathered, and retreated while protecting her.

 

After I looked that off, I faced the dragon.

 

It was ridiculously huge, a dragon that emits red light from its whole body.

 

It had its bloodshot eyes glaring at me.

 

「Ghuoooooooooooon!」

 

It roared gazing up to the heavens. The sleeves of my clothing were trembling.

 

Its front feet swung down towards me.

 

I jumped straight to the side, and hit Eleanor to the front feet that I dodged.

 

There was a metallic sound, and it was blocked away.

 

「It’s hard huh」

 

『Seems like it』

 

『Otou-san, are you okay?』

 

Hikari’s worried voice echoed inside my head.

 

「It’s alright, Hikari. Right, Eleanor」

 

『Of course』

 

『Really?』

 

It still seemed like a worried voice.

 

「I should show her, that it has no problem」

 

『I guess so』

 

Eleanor, and Hikari.

 

I made a stance with Eleanor on the right, and held Hikari back-handed.

 

I made a stance with the two Demon Swords, clad their auras to my body, and jumped towards the dragon.

 

☆

 

「Helene-sama! Where should we go」

 

While retreating, one soldier asked.

 

It was one of the tens of soldiers that I was able to gather somehow.

 

I thought for a while, and answered.

 

「We are going towards Reya. We will re-organize there for once」

 

「Ha!」

 

While being protected by soldiers, I moved towards Reya.

 

After moving for a while, I saw a group moving towards us from ahead.

 

「Is it reinforcement」

 

「That is……this is bad! Helene-sama, they are bandits」

 

「Bandits?」

 

Was it like that?    While I was thinking of that question, the group came in front of us.

 

They really looked like the kinds of bandits, and their numbers are three times of us.

 

「What? Government soldiers?」

 

「Probably, that woman in the middle. That’s possibly」

 

「Yeah. A high noblewoman protected by the government soldiers, coming from the direction of the dragon」

 

The man who was the leader grinned, smiled showing his dark teeth.

 

「The rumored Princess Helene huh」

 

「That’s for sure」

 

「Today’s a good day. Not only were able to get valuable things, there’s even this kind of bonus」

 

The bandits were grinning while looking at me.

 

They were disgusting, unpleasant eyes.

 

But, rather than that.

 

「Valuable things……?」

 

「They are looters. The residents of Reya should probably have evacuated, so these guys have looted it」

 

One of the soldiers said.

 

「How can you do something like that……」

 

「What the heck are you talking about」

 

The bandit leader said with a grinning face.

 

「This is called waste recovery. Even if it was left just like that, it’s going to be trampled by the dragon right? Rather than something that’s such a waste, we can use it to do “good” things, that’s better. right」

 

「That’s right, that’s right」

 

「As expected of boss, you’re too smart」

 

The bandits talked while having a disgusting smile.

 

「Rather than that」

 

I stepped one step backward.

 

「Since we’ve met, I will take the princess with us」

 

「Honestly, compared to the junk that we collected, the princess has a lot more value」

 

My soldiers repulsed.

 

「Don’t fuck around!」

 

「I won’t let you let touch even Princess, whatever happens」

 

「Ho〜n. Then we’ll just use force. Let’s go you bastards!」

 

The bandits attacked.

 

The soldiers came in front and fought.

 

Soldiers that were wounded in the fight, their opponent was more than three times.

 

Gradually, one by one, they are being defeated.

 

「Helene-sama, please run away while we are stopping them」

 

「But」

 

「Please hurry」

 

Questions and answers, hesitation in an instant. That was fatal.

 

I turned around and tried to run away, but the bandit leader got in front of me.

 

「O,tto, you can’t run from me」

 

「Ku!」

 

I heard a scream behind me, and it became quiet.

 

I knew that all of the soldiers that were protecting me were killed.

 

「Come now, dear princess, give up already」

 

「……」

 

I saw through the bandits.

 

The giant body of the Red Dragon that could even be seen here.

 

And Kakeru-sama who was fighting it.

 

Kakeru-sama was overwhelming the Red Dragon. With Demon Swords in both hands, he was overwhelming Olivia that destroyed our army.

 

As expected of Kakeru-sama. I thought from the bottom of my heart.

 

But, that is.

 

It means that I would not be saved this time.

 

He was overwhelming it, but it would still take time to defeat it, and there is also distance.

 

I closed my eyes. And, gave up.

 

This body is Kakeru-sama’s, I cannot let any other men touch me.

 

I thought, the instance that I was about to bite my tongue.

 

「UGYAAA!!」

 

「Who the fuck are you!」

 

I heard death cries of the men from behind.

 

I opened my eyes, and looked back.

 

The bandits were being slashed down one next to the other. And the one who was thereーー.

 

「Nana-sama?!」

 

Nana Kanou.

 

One of Kakeru-sama’s women. I have seen her once in the battlefield, but she slashed at the bandits, and saved me.

 

「I’m sorry I was late」

 

「Rather than that, why are you here?」

 

「I came with the order of Aruji to save you. He ordered to send you to a safe place, whatever happens」

 

「Kakeru-sama has……」

 

Was he worried about me?

 

Warmth swelled out from my chest, I grabbed my belly.

 

And while I was doing that, the bandits that were around 30 people slashed and killed by Nana.

 

「Come now, let’s go」

 

「Rather than me, to Kakeru-sama’s place!」

 

Nana shook her head silently.

 

「There is no need. There is no way that Aruji would lose with something like that」

 

「……!」

 

I looked behind, and saw Kakeru-sama.

 

Kakeru-sama who was in a skirmish with the Red Dragon.

 

Even alone, Kakeru-sama who was able to fight more than equally.

 

It was true, our helpーーit did not look like he even needed Nana’s help.

 

☆

 

Since I came to this world, this was the longest fight.

 

The dragon’s scales is hard, and if I didn’t slash with my hips on it, even Eleanor would be blocked away.

 

Even if I shot it with magic, it was only in rage and it’s not clear if it dealt damage.

 

And above that, its attacks is heavy, and the flames that came out from its mouth have a large range making it hard to dodge.

 

After dodging and slashing at it for an hour, its body had gotten smaller compared from the start.

 

It was a five-story building at the start, but it only had half of that right now.

 

『It’s movements have stopped』

 

I heard Eleanor’s voice that I didn’t hear that much during the fight.

 

It’s true that the dragon’s movements had stopped, on top of that.

 

『It’s staring at us, Otou-san』

 

Not the bloodshot eyes at the start, its eyes had felt they have reason, it was looking at me with peacefully.

 

【Human child】

 

I heard the dragon’s voice.

 

It was completely different from a human’s, and a different type of voice from Eleanor or Hikari.

 

【For stopping me, I have gratitude】

 

It probably returned to its senses……its end was near.

 

The dragon that told me that collapsed to the ground, and stopped its movement.

 

Its skin fell into crumbles, its body was destroyed.

 

「It’s finished huh」

 

『Umu』

 

I returned Eleanor to her sheath, Hikari changed into human form.

 

I looked around.

 

While fighting, I didn’t have the leeway of looking around, but when I look closely, soldiers that were killed by the dragon were here and there.

 

「With one dragon……how many casualties were there」

 

『This time, it even more little』

 

Eleanor said casually.

 

『I have seen Red Dragons closely a lot of times, but this time have lesser casualties overwhelmingly. About 1/4』

 

「I see」

 

If Eleanor was saying it, then it was probably true.

 

Even if she’s like that, she’s a Demon Sword that had lived for hundreds of years, she’s what you call the living witness of history.

 

「Whatever, it was good that had ended. I’ll leave the rest to Helene」

 

『I guess so』

 

「Let’s go home」

 

When I was going to jump with the Warp Feather, I noticed that Hikari was not around.

 

I looked around, and called out to Hikari

 

「Hikari? Where are you」

 

「I’m here〜」

 

I heard Hikari’s voice from afar.

 

The dragon’s corpse, from the back of the tattered dragon, Hikari came out.

 

Hikari was, hugging an egg.

 

An egg that was big enough for Hikari to hug with both hands.

 

「Hikari……what’s that」

 

「It was shining」

 

「Shining, you say」

 

「It was shining inside that」

 

Hikari looked at the decaying dragon while hugging the egg.

 

What does she mean?   When I was thinking of that.

 

『Reincarnation, huh』

 

「Reincarnation?」

 

『There are rare times. The dragon that had ended its life, it returns to its egg instead of dying. I don’t know the detailed though』

 

It was something that I probably heard somewhere.

 

『By the way, it will hatch soon』

 

「Wha!」

 

When I was surprised, as Eleanor had said, *Pishi* the egg started to crack.

 

*PishiPishiPishi*, it cracked. *Paka*, it opened from the top.

 

What appeared from inside, was a small winged dragon that was about the size of a small dog.

 

I put my hand to Eleanor’s handleーーbut.

 

「Myu〜」

 

The dragon’s tongue came out, *Pero* licked Hikari’s cheeks.

 

After that, it jumped out of its shell, clung to Hikari, and snuggled.

 

 

 

Uhmm……this, maybe.

 

Was it that, the thing that makes the chicks think that the first animal they saw is its parent?

 

The Chibi Dragon snuggles Hikari, and Hikari was tickled, but happily played with the Chibi Dragon.

 

『It looks like it’s safe』

 

「……looks like that」

 

I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s probably okay.

 

I removed my hand from Eleanor, and after watching Hikari and Chibi Dragon play around, we came back together using the Warp Feather.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 43 <-> Chapter 45

---

Hikari + Chibi Dragon, <- from the 3rd volume of the light novel, from a different story. I’ll probably post the one I have after I catch up.