Chapter 16

Beyond the horizon stretched the bright yellow wheat fields of the Enker Highlands. Bathed in the intense sunlight, the wheat bowed its head as if awaiting the hand that would harvest it, filling the vast plain.

No matter how fast the carriage sped, the scenery remained unchanged.

Wheat.

Wheat.

Wheat.

The wheat field continued endlessly, and if not for the occasional, slightly different mill dotted across the landscape, we might have feared falling into an infinite loop without even realizing it.

There wasn’t so much as a monster to be seen in the sprawling wilderness.

No doubt it was partly because this area had once been heavily populated, driving the local monsters to extinction, but the biggest reason was likely the dragon’s presence here.

“We should leave the horses here and continue on foot.”

Before the dragon, considered the apex of all life, horses could become frightened and break formation on their own.

If that happened, the journey back would be exponentially more complicated and difficult, as they scattered into the wheat fields.

It was best to tether them a good distance away and proceed from there.

…Yes, even I knew that was the best course of action.

“…How long of a walk until we’re likely to see the dragon?”

“At our usual marching speed, I’d say about three hours!”

Three hours.

Dragging this pathetic body of mine on a grueling march for a whole three hours.

I forced myself to swallow the unreasonable request clawing its way up my throat, a plea to be ferried at least part of the way by wagon.

Even though I wasn’t burdened with military packs like the soldiers visible over there, nor clad in armor…

All I possessed were fluttering robes, a wide-brimmed hat, and a somewhat weighty grimoire…!

Even so.

“…Just a little… just a little rest.”

Throughout the march.

“Hoo… Rest! Let’s rest, rest, rest!”

Repeatedly.

“Wow… this is really… not going to work. I think I’m actually going to die?”

Repeatedly, I collapsed onto the bare earth, forced to slow the soldiers’ advance.

What would normally have been a mere three-hour march was twisted into a grueling six-hour ordeal by the cataclysm that was ‘me.’

It was such a long time that we nibbled at the rations meant for near the dragon’s nest, or for the return journey. Some of them even stripped kernels from nearby wheat fields and chewed on the husks.

And then, at seven in the evening.

As the sun set and the wheat fields burned crimson.

We could finally make out, beyond the horizon, the gleam of tough scales and the flash of sharp teeth.

The dragon, it seemed, had built a modest nest from wheat readily available in the area and planks torn from the homes of humans, and now it slumbered.

“Hoo… you’ve all worked hard to get here. From this point, I’ll proceed alone.”

I urged my trembling legs forward, slowly approaching the dragon’s nest.

From here on, no matter what, I had to proceed on my own.

Artifacts, unlike other items, were bound by a unique effect.

It meant the character who first acquired that artifact would have to carry it with them for the rest of their days.

Transferring it to another character was impossible, of course, and so was discarding it.

But what if, after slaying the dragon, another soldier rummaging through the spoils accidentally nudged the artifact hidden within the treasure hoard…?

And what if the artifact chose to bind itself to the soldier who’d so carelessly touched it?

That would be nothing short of a catastrophe.

Whatever else happened, this artifact from the young dragon of the Enker Plateau, that much he *had* to secure, no matter what.

If you asked if it was some overwhelmingly powerful, game-breaking artifact, it wasn’t.

For ordinary mages, it was a C-rank, B-rank at best, a nice-to-have-but-not-essential kind of trinket.

…For ordinary mages, that is.

But for his “one-shot mage” build, which utterly lacked ordinary attacks, this artifact from the young dragon was the alpha and omega.

Not just A-rank, SSS, EX-rank, even.

Twice, he’d carelessly left it to a companion AI to rummage through the treasure, only for it to selfishly consume the artifact, forcing him to delete the character and restart the game.

…He might not care in the game, but he definitely didn’t want to delete his character in real life. He shouldn’t, either.

So he absolutely couldn’t repeat the same mistake.

“I’ll be back shortly.”

He turned back, a knowing look on his face, as if understanding the squad leader’s worried expression, and spoke those words.

There was no point in needlessly mentioning the artifact was hidden among the gold and jewels.

Who knew how a human heart might twist when confronted with such rare and precious treasures…?

It’s not that I don’t trust you all, but really, if I happen to miss out on this, I’m truly in big trouble, you see.

* * *

Having nestled in the tranquil wheatfield, when his eyes met the dragon’s – calmly scrutinizing them, the intruders – the squad leader felt a terror of a magnitude he’d never known.

Every nerve ending screamed for immediate flight, his arms and legs trembled, the sensation mirroring exactly that first encounter with a demon in childhood.

“…”

A dragon.

Yes, standing before them was that gargantuan monster, reputed to be at the apex of all creatures.

Though not yet a fully-grown adult, its razor claws and immense wings, its formidable teeth, sufficed to instill in every soldier present an overwhelming dread.

Could they fight it?

*They* could?

A fundamental doubt took root in his mind. Cold sweat soaked the leather beneath his iron armor, and an inexplicable itching tormented his entire body.

“Everyone has worked hard to get here. From this point, I shall proceed alone.”

It was then.

The voice of the white-haired boy rang out across the silence-laden battlefield.

The boy, seemingly unperturbed by the dragon’s presence, maintained his characteristic cool and indifferent expression.

Barely sixteen, seventeen at most, the boy, far from being frightened at the sight of the dragon, was confidently moving his slender legs towards the monster’s nest.

Every soldier there, including the squad leader, couldn’t help but feel a sense of shame.

They, who had trained ceaselessly under the banner of protecting the continent, were now frozen in fear before a monster that was suppressing the continent’s food supply.

That frail boy could walk towards the dragon, so what, in truth, were they doing?

“We… we will assist you!”

The squad leader cried out, his voice trembling.

“I’ll be done shortly.”

Then, the white-haired boy, as if impressed by his courage, offered a faint smile in response.

The sunset warmly embraced the boy’s face.

With those words, the boy resumed his stride.

The young dragon, who had only watched the group from its nest, slowly, yet resolutely, lifted its head, glaring at the approaching white-haired boy.

“It’s the first time we’ve actually met, then.”

The dragon bared its sharp teeth, signaling it would kill the boy if he came any closer.

The boy, indifferent to the dragon’s threat, simply opened his grimoire in silence.

Grrrrr…

A low, immense growl filled the quiet plains. Even soldiers far away felt their knees weaken upon hearing it.

The boy, ignoring the dragon’s intimidation, took another step.

Whoosh—!

Simultaneously, a massive claw tore through the air, aiming for the boy’s head. A careless, indifferent gesture, as if shooing away a bothersome gnat from its nest.

“Bloom.”

It was at that moment.

In the sun-drenched granary bathed in the clear evening glow, an inexplicable lightning bolt struck.

With a flash that bleached the crimson sky white, the dragon’s foreleg that was lunging at the boy vanished.

“…If the lightning strays, all that precious wheat will burn.”

The boy mumbled, closing the blue-glowing grimoire, and held a small sphere of electricity towards the dragon at his fingertips.

“Let’s finish this as quickly as possible.”

The dragon’s eyes widened slowly.

The beast’s mind seemed unable to process this sudden reversal of predator and prey.

“…A curious sensation.”

Activating Bloom, the boy unleashed all the magic accumulated within him as electricity, muttering as he gazed at the pure white line stretched before him.

Starting from his fingertips and reaching towards the dragon’s heart, the pure white line seemed to beckon him, as if urging him to unleash a surge of electricity along its path.

Instinctively, the boy knew.

Following this line would allow him to instantly kill the dragon with a single blow.

Though he had never experienced such a sensation before, the boy decided to trust his instincts.

And so, the boy slowly raised his finger and sent a sphere of electricity hurtling along the pure white line.

With the speed of light itself, the sphere pierced through the dragon’s thick hide, muscles, and bone, detonating its heart before it could even properly react.

A perfect strike aimed at a vital point.

How a boy who had never even seen a dragon in his life could precisely locate and strike its weak point was beyond the understanding of anyone present.

Even the boy himself could only vaguely grasp at one explanation, lacking the confidence to describe the phenomenon accurately to others.

“…Must’ve been a crit.”

A critical hit in reality was different in essence from its game-like counterpart, which was accompanied by flashy effects and boisterous sounds.

An attack that steals a life with a single blow could be this composed, this still.

A moment later, the dragon raised its upper body, its eyes unfocused, before collapsing its massive form onto the ground. The earth trembled, and the surrounding fields of wheat turned their heads in unison.

Upon the starkly quiet wheat field, the boy silently clenched and unclenched his fist, as if trying to relive the sensation he had just experienced.

“What… are you?”

It was then.

A voice filled with confusion and fear echoed from above the boy’s head.

“…?”

The boy tilted his head, a question blooming on his face at the unfamiliar voice.

There, bathed in the fading light, stood a demon with skin the color of dried blood.

…A demon?

“…Why are you crawling out of there?”

Disbelief twisted the boy’s features as he glared at the crimson-skinned demon spreading its wings above him.

The demon, equally taken aback, stared down at the boy with a stunned expression.

An unwelcome and abrupt encounter.