What Are You Wretches?

“Let’s go.”

When Kikori said that and started walking, Orphe flew over to his side.

“What about me?”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you going to do anything for me?”

“Anything…? Uh. Is there something you want?”

“Ohh? Well, whatever. It’s not like I care.”

“Uhh…?”

Kikori was left puzzled by Orphe, who seemed to have somehow taken offense.

He had absolutely no idea what had been wrong with how he responded just now.

That said, it would be very bad if Orphe stayed in a bad mood.

So Kikori desperately racked his brain and spoke to Orphe.

“Orphe.”

“What?”

“Let’s go shopping together next time. There might be something that would suit you.”

He had no idea whether there actually would be, but when he tried saying that… Orphe glanced over at Kikori.

“…Well, fine. I’ll let that settle it.”

“R-right.”

“So? Which way are we going? Straight ahead?”

“That is the plan.”

There was no point in hesitating. Kikori thought the sensible thing to do was to keep going straight first.

And so, after making their way forward through several battles… night eventually came.

The snow that kept falling even at night would normally sap one’s strength.

In that sense, Kikori’s Dragon Crown, which was preventing that, truly was an astonishing ability.

That said, he had no intention of making camp in a place like this.

They walked and walked. Then, around the time dawn broke, they finally reached the next Transfer Gate.

“Let’s go, Orphe.”

“You sure? Without getting mentally prepared or anything?”

“It has to be better than this place.”

“How do you know?”

Trading light banter like that, they passed through the Transfer Gate and found themselves in… a wasteland.

A barren wasteland… no, that was not right.

There was a gigantic volcano here. The volcano billowed out smoke in great clouds, yet even so, in this place, it did not stand out at all.

A fleeing horde of goblins. As if that were the only thing left on their minds, the goblins ran in wretched desperation, chased by flames.

With a heavy whoosh, the flames that caught up to them mercilessly burned and melted them away.

After that thing, which looked as though it would burn the entire land itself, passed through, nothing remained but the dreadful ruin of everything there having melted.

And the one that had done it was—

“…What are you wretches?”

“Eek!”

“Uwah…”

Orphe cried out, and Kikori did as well, both turning deathly pale.

Terrifying.

That was the only word that came to mind.

There had even been “books about defeating such things” at Aria’s house, but… its overwhelming presence made it painfully clear that those were no more than fairy tales.

A body wrapped in such immense mana that it felt as if the surroundings would burst into flame just from its presence.

Thick limbs, and majestic wings.

Fangs that looked capable of crushing anything and everything.

Yes, this was… this was exactly—

“A dra… gon…!”

A being that possessed Dragon Crown, allowing it to adapt to all manner of environments.

A being that possessed both a weapon that pierced everything and armor that blocked everything.

The very byword for the strongest.

A being that had experienced death only within fairy tales.

A dragon.

A creature called by that name stood there.