339 - - The Sign of a Dragon

"......"

"What's wrong, old Narn?"

Reno is concerned about Narun, the blue dragon who started to pull when he saw me in his vision.

No, I'm not going to attack you without a reason.

The location is in the Parthin Mountains, at the foot of the foothills near the sleeping quarters of the Parthin. Today is the day of the confrontation between the two dragons that are courting the golden dragon Paltin, and Reno has been asked to be present for the battle. The team consisted of myself, Reno, Kal, Ruba, and Narun, who was also present. I had just picked up Ruba in Fuso and met up with Reno and Narun.

Narun, the blue dragon, is in human form. The tips of his visible hands, hair, and beard are slightly bluish, and he has scales on the back of his hands, but he is a small old man. It looks as if I am frightening the old man, which is very bad for his appearance. So, will you please stop pulling on me?

"Homura, thank you again."

I was about to say something to Narun when Luba, holding a sword in front of him, bowed his head.

"You should thank Reno or Paltin, right?　I've only helped move them."

"Of course, you should thank Lord Reno. But without Homura, I don't think I would have been allowed to be present at the battle of the dragon's courtship."

I have not done much, and yet they are so gracious as to thank me.

The fire dragon Grasha and the green dragon Taral, who are wooing Pertin, are ferocious dragons that are not very good for people. And Taral the green dragon is an enemy of Luba's best friend.

"Only old Narn, the dragon, can intervene, and he is not to be touched until the courtship is over. --But after that, you're free to go."

"Yes, I know what you mean. Yes, I know what you mean. Besides, it's more convenient to be weak."

Luba replies to Leno who nails him.

Ruba's goal is, of course, to kill the green dragon. Although Ruba is skilled with a sword, he is not very strong. The correct answer is that there is a high probability that the green dragon will be defeated by Pertin, so his goal is to thrust his sword at the fallen dragon. Perhaps he intends it to be a way of mourning for his friend.

The sword that Luba is carrying is said to be the sword of his friend who had broken it and had to be re-hammered.

He has been growing his own hair in order to strike the best one someday, and he offered it to his friend when he re-sheathed the sword. Luba is not bald.

I wonder what the source of the hair and blood dedication is?　There is a story collected by Koizumi Yakumo about a Chinese emperor who ordered his artisans to kill them if they could not cast a large bell to tell the time by a certain date, and a daughter threw herself into a furnace for her father who was unable to make it by all means.

And hair is said to be the residue of blood, so I guess it is an allusion to that story. Peace is better than sacrifice.

When the fighting starts, I'll ask for your help.

Yes, sir.

I feel like I'm asking a lot, but Cal accepts with a smile.

If the green dragon is not defeated by Paltin, I will lend a hand. But before that, it was like a big battle of three monsters, and I had no confidence in my ability to protect Luba, so I asked Kal to come along with me. Today is Galahad's first day as a lone bouncer at the general store.

Reno is taking care of Narun, who is still limping, as they walk along the mountain road. Are you all right, grandpa? Luba's tight-lipped mouth won't open and Cal has a spring smile. What am I supposed to look like?

, which had been hidden from Fuso, is gently put back in the display state. The mask and Tasya's white leaf hat are often hidden. This is the same function as the master ring, which is equipped but appears to be invisible.

The special effects of the mask are disorientation, inspiration and exaltation of oneself and one's comrades in combat, and awe of enemies. It increases STR, VIT, and AGI of you and your companions by 3%, and decreases STR, MID, and DEX of your enemies by 3%, and can be used in combination with other skills and meals of the same type.

The recognition blocking works whether it is hidden or not, but it is displayed in the presence of people. Because I don't feel comfortable to show it. I sometimes forget to do so.

When hidden, it seems that those who have seen Rengaard's mask appear to see his masked face, while those who have not seen him cannot see his face. It seems to be invisible, or rather, it seems to be the only part of the face that is missing from their consciousness. And to those who know it is me, my face is visible. Conveniently, I've recently been using "Utsuroshin" (Depressing Mind) as well.

"Thank you for coming, old Narn. I thank Homra as well."

The place where we were welcomed by the humanoid Paltin was a valley near the sleeping quarters. A wide chasm with cliffs on either side. This is probably where Galahad and his men passed through on their way out of the empire, and where Paltin's hunting grounds began.

"Are we there? ......"

Luba wipes away sweat.

"Good work."

and .

The place looks like it's made of rock and sand, influenced by Paltin, and it's amazing that you've been able to follow me here despite being a production worker. I have the [transport] and I'm used to it from my stay in the mountains of Fuso. By the way, Cal was quite normal.

Paltin passed by everyone except me and Narun. And Cal also went through and brought out a tea table and began to brew tea. In a lined glass, he pours a much stronger tea, honey-dipped oranges - so far I made them - and ice, and pours the stronger tea on top.

"Here you go, Lord."

"Thank you."

Drinks the offered iced tea.

"If you would like to join me, Mr. Luba."

"Oh, ......."

Ruba is sweating again when Cal calls out to him.

"You have a lot of guts to be able to withstand the chi of two famous dragons," he said.

"It's tough. The knight is cool as a cucumber."

.......

I'm the only one who has gone through the dragon's chi!　Dull, dull am I!

"Tsk!　The old stinkin' blue dragon is here to stay."

"There are some dwarf humans here, not to mention my servant, the dragonet!"

Just as a black shadow appeared, a fire dragon and a green dragon appeared in the sky above us with a line that sounded like the third most powerful dragon in the world. They are so far away and so big that their voices might be diffused before they reach us, but strangely enough, they sound normal.

The fire dragon has a long face, neck, and arms, and its scales are huge. The green dragon is...

"Mold?"

"Lord ......"

"Homura ......"

Cal calls me to rebuke him with a troubled smile, and Reno looks at me with a disappointed look.

No, I only feel that way because he has his blinkers closed. An opaque membrane covers his eyes, which are a little darker gray than his whitish face. On land, his eyes are dry, so they are closed most of the time. I wondered why they could see so opaque, but then again, I can see normally even if I wear a mask.

The back of the green dragon is covered with grayish green. It is not a cute kind, but something lumpy and still.

"The green dragon Talar exudes a small amount of poison through the gaps in its scales, and over the years it has built up a body covered in poison."

Reno explains. It seems to be the result of blotting and drying, blotting and drying. The stillness is probably due to further oozing from underneath the hardened material.

"I understand Narun, but this guy is a witness?"

I'm sure the bride has prepared a feast for me.

"I'm the one who puts Parthin on watch."

Come to think of it, they both eat people.

?

!"

Just as they start to argue, they suddenly stop and look at me.

"If you could refrain from doing that, it might complicate things..."

Reno calls out to Cal.

I look at him to see if he has done something wrong, but he gives me his usual spring smile.

"You've got some nerve for a human, huh?"

"I was going to eat you later, in front of Paltin, right?"

And then a dragon like the three youngest dragons involved.

"Youngsters!　Don't provoke this one too much!　Get on with it!"

Narun interrupted in a hurry.

No, you can't treat me like I'm some kind of a dangerous animal, can you?

"Homura, what on earth have you done with old Narn?"

Paltin asks curiously.

"I was just trying to hit him with some agreed-upon special move, that's all.

It was Narn who started to ask me to prove it.

"Is it a Homura technique?"

Reno asks with interest.

"Yeah!　You may begin!"

"Ha-ha-ha!"

"Let's get this over with!"

Nalun shouts in desperation, and two of them rush toward Paltin, who is still in his dragon body.

"We'll beat them!"

Partin barks and flies into the sky above the two animals, transforming into a dragon body.

"No one but dragons are allowed to interfere in the courtship battle!　Watch and be quiet!　...... please!　Really ......"

Narn, don't let the second half of what you're saying get weird.

I don't understand why it started, as if it was to stop me and Kal from joining the battle, but then the three of them started fighting, either in the sky or smashing themselves against the cliff.

Shockwaves and bounced stones were flying through the air, but they seemed to be protected by something like a transparent round dome. Only when something hits it does it light up, confirming that there is protection there.

"Thank you, Cal."

I thank Cal, who has already been working for the protection.

"It would be my great pleasure to be of service.

You're overreacting as usual, Sir Knight.

He puts his hand on his chest and bows his head a little. I can only do it to return the gag.

"I'm not good at stopping a continuous attack, I can't do it. Thank you."

I guess I'll just have to work harder at raising my level of [warding].

The battle between the three dragons was a three-way fight, with the fire dragon and the green dragon both aiming at Parthin at the same time, and one biting the other when the other showed an opening to get at Parthin. I have a feeling that Paltin is the strongest, but the fire dragon and the green dragon are cunning and troublesome to fight.

The green dragon does not seem to be as powerful as partins and fire dragons. Perhaps, it is so difficult to break through the scales of a parting dragon. Instead, its body is covered with poison, which limits the area that partins and fire dragons can touch.

And it is going for the wounds that the fire dragon inflicts on partins and partins inflicts on fire dragons, and bites them.

--Ah, poison.

I look at Paltin and the fire dragon as they are slowing down.

"Ha-ha-ha!　It's me, I'm the one who gets Paltin!"

"You're a green dragon with fangs that looks like decoration!　Stay back!"

The fire dragon slams its long, spiked tail into the green dragon, but it is clearly not fast enough.

"Grasha the fire dragon, I will be the strongest dragon after I take your heart!"

"Shut up!　I am the strongest dragon!"

"The strongest dragons are not like you--"

"Ah."

I who raise my voice to the words of the three animals who argue with each other.

"Is something wrong ......?"

Before Cal could finish, a black bullet flew out of my chest.

"I guess we should have fought the most powerful dragon-banning word."

I guess it's safe to say that it was the dragon that got into the fight. .......

I have Pertin promise not to say that he is the strongest dragon on the condition that he comes to my island, but I can't make all the dragons promise. Besides, fire dragons and green dragons are the type that will definitely talk as soon as you talk to them.

Bahamut easily slips through both of them, and looks back at me bloody with what looks like two hearts in his mouth. Parthin is frozen in the sky.

"It's a result of the way things were meant to be. ......

I am thinking that I can fly without flapping my wings, and I am making excuses to no one.