Awaiting, The White Dragon

“Waaaaah…! Amazing! Incredible!”

In an instant they rose from the mountain peak into the wide sky, and Jonah let out a sound of wonder at Fafnir’s flying speed and the shrinking landscape below.

Meanwhile.

“Uuu, um. Y-yeah, that might be so…”

Patricia’s face was ashen as she clung to Fafnir’s scales.

“Um…”

“…!? O-of course I’m fine! No matter how high we are, I’m not scared!”

From her proclamation—spoken without being asked—Jonah inferred several things.

In other words, Patricia was afraid of heights.

However, Henrik and Kuu seemed to be the same.

“Ku, Ku, Kuu! Ooooh, even if we die we’ll always be together!”

“Kyuuun…!”

Over here as well, they hugged each other and trembled.

From Jonah’s perspective, what surprised him more was that despite flying at such speed they could remain seated without being blown away.

“Gwahahahahaha! We dragons, when we fly, create a membrane of air around our bodies. Those of you inside it are unaffected.”

“I-I see!”

Fafnir seemed to notice Jonah’s question and answered with a laugh.

Learning of the dragon’s power, Jonah’s onyx eyes shone even brighter. It looked far too relaxed to be about to face Lindwyrm.

“Jonah, Patricia, and…”

“Mr. Fafnir, his name is Henrik.”

“Oh, is that so. Henrik, and a descendant of the Wolf King. Look down.”

Jonah looked at the two and the one animal; they were pale and shook their heads violently. Apparently, they were in no condition to look down.

With no choice, Jonah forced a wry smile and, as Fafnir had instructed, looked down.

“This is…”

Before him was the brutal sight of the capital Helsing, utterly wrecked by Lindwyrm.

“…This is the end result of dragons having tasted humans.”

Fafnir said it in a heavy tone.

Jonah was speechless as he was shown, in vivid detail, the scars left by the dragon nature that, intoxicated by the taste of humans, relentlessly sought and devoured them.

“That is precisely why we dragons made eating humans taboo. We are dragons. We are by no means beasts without reason.”

“……………………”

Surely dragons once made this mistake in ancient times.

What happened to the first dragon who knew the taste of humans is unknown.

However, the fact that such things did not happen until Lindwyrm learned of the forbidden fruit, and that no legends or history record it, is solely thanks to the dragons who used the first dragon as a warning and endured a temptation and curiosity so irresistible.

And Jonah realized.

That humanity had been kept alive by the dragons’ reason.

“…Dragons are truly powerful beings, aren’t they.”

“Perhaps. But we wish to remain dragons until the end.”

Staring at the crimson sky, Jonah and Fafnir exchanged words quietly.

“…So they noticed after all.”

Fafnir murmured as the sun set and stars glittered in the night sky.

According to Fafnir, dragons resonate with each other, so just as they could sense Lindwyrm’s position and actions, Lindwyrm could likewise be fully aware of them.

“Is it going to be okay?”

“Yes. He knows I’m coming yet shows no sign of moving. In other words, he intends to confront me. He has defeated me once before. But…”

“But…?”

“He does not know that Jonah and the others are with me.”

It seemed that the victory two weeks ago had instilled Lindwyrm with confidence and arrogance.

That said, dragons rarely interact with humans. So it’s understandable Lindwyrm wouldn’t notice that possibility.

“In any case, Jonah is reliable. Please make it so that I and Lindwyrm can fight until the end.”

“Eh…?”

Jonah felt a sense of discomfort at Fafnir’s words and asked back in a dazed voice.

Though he said “Jonah is reliable,” it sounded as if Fafnir intended to face Lindwyrm alone.

“I will kill Lindwyrm even if I must die stabbing him. But that one will surely flee rather than fight to the end. Even if he wins and slays me.”

“That is…”

“To fight me means he will not come out unscathed either.”

As it’s a battle between dragons of roughly equal strength, Lindwyrm will not remain unscathed either, as shown by the wound on Fafnir’s chest.

In that case, it might choose to deliberately avoid Fafnir.

“…I wonder.”

Jonah murmured softly as he looked up at the night sky.

As Fafnir said, is Lindwyrm unwilling to fight to the end because it doesn’t want to suffer a grievous wound?

Jonah’s thoughts were different.

He thought Lindwyrm’s true feeling was that it did not want to fight Fafnir, who had been its mate.

But then, why, knowing that Fafnir is approaching, would it still intend to confront him?

Fafnir and Lindwyrm—each acting in ways full of contradictions—left Jonah constantly puzzled.

“In any case, you only need to prepare the place for me and Lindwyrm to fight. And should I fall, Jonah… you must deliver the killing blow to Lindwyrm.”

“Don’t dump that on me.”

Jonah spat the words at Fafnir, who was speaking as he pleased.

Indeed, a surviving Lindwyrm would be a threat to humans, so Jonah could not let it go.

Still, Fafnir’s request felt as if he were asking Jonah to abandon everything and throw away his life.

To Jonah, who had less than ten months left to live, Fafnir’s words felt unbearably irresponsible, selfish, and willful—an affront to his determination to live his life to the fullest.

“…In any case, I will challenge Lindwyrm with everything I have. First, I leave it to you.”

A single beautiful White Dragon floated in the pitch-black sky.

–Lindwyrm, one wing of the “Paired Dragons,” waited in ambush.