Chapter 57 – A Commission After a Long Absence (highlight)
Around ten days have pa.s.sed since I’ve returned from the castle.
I rehabilitated during that time, or rather, I led a very ordinary everyday life.
Well, I haven’t received any commissions though ne. Since the guild has nothing but men after all…
By the way, although the Prince didn’t come over on the day I returned, he came over to eat just like usual after the next days.
Rather than just like usual, he would randomly approach me, then it reached a point where he’d touch me but…
In the beginning, I would tremble from just being approached and completely stiffen up when I was touched, but thanks to the Prince’s persistent skinship (?), things like stiffening up stopped happening.
According to the Prince, it was 「rehabilitation」 but…. I wonder in what way was it rehabilitation by touching a woman who’s crying while trembling…?
Well, my androphobia became considerably better as a result you know? Even if I’m touched, I only tremble for an moment… I have feeling I’m not fully satisfied1.
Well, can androphobia improve in such a short period?
Was what I thought but, 「It’s because it hasn’t been long since it started so it’s possible to improve in a short period. When time pa.s.ses and it becomes a habit, it’ll be harder to cure you see.」 was Len-san’s words. So I’ve actually improved ne.
By the way, it seems the treatment of that chubby old duke-sama and the ojou-sama have been handed down.
The chubby old man will be fined, his inheritance handed over, and be retired. It seems the ojou-sama has been prohibited from approaching the Royal Capital. Could I be the only one who thought ‘those were unexpectedly light punishments na‘?
Ah, I also received Len-san’s homemade magic tool. It was a necklace since a bracelet would get in the way of my protectors.
I tried it, but it seems I’m unable to use both sorcery and qigong.
I practiced sorcery in my free time after that. Since I only had the knowledge ne.
Thanks to that, I reached a point where I could roughly use the sorcery I could use in my previous life. I can also use Aria Destruction if it’s just intermediate sorcery.2 Ahem.
Well, for that reason, I think it’s about time to restart my adventurer occupation.
I also need to earn my living expenses ne.
So because of that, I’ve come to the Adventurers’ Guild.
It’s somewhat been a long time. The last time I came was…… to report the escort commission, was it more than half a month ago? It’s been quite a considerable period.
And so, the commission I received for the first time in a while, was a D rank Goblin subjugation…… was what it should’ve been but…
Why is there’s a dragon in front of me?
There wasn’t anything particularly unusual about contents of the commission, because Goblins have settled down in a location around half a day on foot from the Royal Capital, the contents were to defeat them.
I took that commission first thing in the morning, got on a carriage that was heading in the same direction for two hours, and arrived at a village where the commission was at just before noon.
I talked to the village mayor at once(omitting the usual exchange), then imm
ediately had them guide me to the location where the Goblins were discovered.
From the story I’ve heard, the number of Goblins were around 10, so I should be able to return to the Royal Capital by the end of today if things go smoothly. Yes, it went smoothly. Until arrived there…3
I was led to the location where the Goblins were discovered, it was an open location inside a forest so to say…… in other words, it was a nest.
No, that wasn’t the problem though…
The problem was there wasn’t a single Goblin there. Accurately speaking, there wasn’t any ‘living Goblins’.
Goblin-like corpses and bloodstains were scattered everywhere
And above all…… a dragon remained at the centre of the nest.
I’m sure the Goblins here were killed by this dragon.
No no, leaving such things aside. Why’s there a dragon in this sort of place…?
Speaking of dragons, even the lower grade types like Wyverns and Drakes are equivalent to S rank.
Dragon types are divided into, the ancient species; which are Ancient Dragons that are at the top, the superior species; which are n.o.ble Dragons, the medium species; which are Lesser Dragons, and then the lower species; which are Hydras, Wyverns, and Drakes.
The one in front of me is, judging from its shape, a Lesser Dragon.
The habitat of a Lesser Dragon should in the frontier’s mountain range. It shouldn’t be in this sort of place.
「GURUAAAAAAaaaaa!!」
When I got surprised at the sudden roar that echoed and looked at the dragon, its fiery and shining eyes locked onto my direction. I should’ve escaped instead of being surprised that there was a dragon…!
When I looked, the person who had guided me had already disappeared. I believe that was a good decision.
No, more importantly, if I don’t think of a way to escape right now…
「FUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! A black haired girl huh? How unusual na! Although I don’t know why you’re in this sort of place, how about I make you my subordinate?4」
I suddenly heard a man’s voice inside the forest which shouldn’t have had anyone in it.
「I’m here!」
A person’s figure could be seen on the back of the dragon.
That’s not possible. The intelligence of a Lesser Dragon is the same as an ordinary beast with ferocious personality on top of it. For a person to get on the back of that dragon, is an unbelievable scene. If it was an Ancient Dragon or a n.o.ble Dragon that’s more intelligent than a person, then I wouldn’t know but…5
「I like that expression, little girl! Do you want to know why I’m accompanied by a dragon!? Fine then, I’ll tell you! I’m the man who’s going to become the Demon King! It’s a Subordination Magic that I developed! However, this sorcery has a flaw, it’s only effective against an opponent that has low intelligence. However, I, a genius, thought of this. High combat strength and low intelligence, it would be good if I subdued a Lesser Dragon! And so, by possessing that overwhelming combat strength, I can subdue others!! Even though I wanted these Goblins as subordinates at the beginning, they couldn’t understand my words and it turned out like this you see.」
What? Demon King? Aah, it’s that ne. That thing you come across at around 14 years old that’s like a disease. Moreover, Subordination Magic he says? No, this Lesser Dragon seems to be somehow doing what he says, so it might be the truth.6
However, he’s good at continuously chattering even when I didn’t ask. Could he be a person who has a strong desire to be in the spotlight?
「So, how about it? Little girl. I’ll give you the honour as my number 2 manservant, okay?」
No no, why did this happen?
I only came to exterminate Goblins you know?
But despite that, what’s this about a dragon or Demon King, and finally, a manservant?
Even if it’s a rapid development, isn’t this going too far!?
「Now! How…… hey! Don’t suddenly move like that!!」
I suddenly heard a ‘dosu dosu‘ sound, and before I knew it, in front of my eyes was…… a dragon’s tail.
Without time to even think ‘eh?’, my body was blown away by the dragon’s tail.
I can’t be, was his speech earlier for the sake of putting me off guard!? To put me off guard and surprise attack me, as expected of something a self proclaimed Demon King would do! In other words…… a coward!!
Surprisingly, I was calmly thinking of those sorts of things while being blown away. I didn’t expect that in this sort of situation though.7
My body was launched nearly twenty meters away, and landed (?) while bouncing.
「Listen to what I say! Is there anyone that starts running when a person is in the middle of speaking!?! I could’ve bitten my tongue!」
The Demon King (temporary) was making a fuss about something. I don’t understand what that something was though.
No, rather than ‘I don’t understand’, wouldn’t ‘I can’t hear’ be correct?
As expected of dragons that are called the strongest. That blow just now, just from what I’m aware of, I think my arms and ribs have been fractured, and I fear there’s damage to my internal organs too. Merely a single blow and I’m on the verge of death. Oh…? Am I, going to die in this sort of place…? Aah, in the end, I wanted to eat my mother’s curry…
My consciousness broke off right after that.