Derke's Crisis
—Clang! Creak…! The thick iron door of the guard post swung open, its hinges screeching loudly. —Crunch, crunch, crunch…! Then someone stepped out with small feet, heading toward the pristine white world blanketed in snow. Those footsteps were neither hurried nor heavy.
—Crunch, crunch…! Something small and light trod across the snow. It moved as if dancing a waltz alone—lighthearted and excited, its steps erratic yet filled with more joy than anyone else in the world. Delicate footprints etched themselves like engravings across the vast, canvas-like snowy path.
“Hehe, hihihit-♬” The silver-haired girl bloomed with laughter. She looked utterly delighted just from stepping on the snow. Simply leaving footprints was all it took to make her beam and wander about with a silly grin plastered on her face. Both hands clutched tightly around glass bowls.
That was right. The girl hadn’t come out to play. She had only stepped outside for a moment to gather some snow in the bowls. Yet the thick drifts seemed to have stolen her attention, making her forget her original purpose.
“It’s gotten darker than when we first arrived, but the weather’s definitely better now-desu-yong-!” Derke murmured as she looked around, her face brimming with satisfaction. A bright smile still bloomed on her lips.
Just as Derke said, the weather had improved considerably. The fierce blizzard had died down, and the terrifying monsters had vanished. —Whoosh…… Only a gentle breeze occasionally brushed through Derke’s hair.
—Rustle…! A strand of Derke’s hair drifted down onto one of the bowls, carried by the breeze.
“Huat, that’s right! I was supposed to bring back snow in the bowls, wasn’t I…?!” Derke suddenly cried out, having been wandering the snowy field like a puppy seeing snow for the first time. She had only just noticed the glass bowls in her hands, and her original reason for coming outside finally returned to her.
‘Sofia-senpai’s words to Oppa earlier are bothering me a little…… But Derke trusts Breeder Oppa-desu-yong. There’s no way he did anything with the second-years-desu-yong.’
—Scoop, scoop…! Derke muttered to herself while scooping snow into the bowls, all the while picturing Breeder’s face on the snowy ground. The image of the black-eyed man smiling at her with the kindest, gentlest expression rose in her mind.
“Hehe…♡” Every time, a smile bloomed on her lips. She looked ready to burst into a fit of giggles. Just thinking of his face filled her with happiness. It was no wonder her favorability toward him had reached worship level. Even hating him would be difficult.
Until moments ago, Derke had been suspicious of Breeder just like Sofia. She had come all this way worried about him, only to find him looking awfully close with the second-years. Plus, there had been a strange scent on his body. Still, the cold had frozen her nose, so she couldn’t quite identify what it was……
“It’s probably nothing at all-eeyap…! He was probably just cooking and the smell stuck to him-desu-yong-!”
—Nod, nod! Derke convinced herself through self-questioning and answering, choosing the most comforting interpretation. After all, there was no real evidence otherwise. And this jealousy of hers was proof of just how much she liked Breeder. That was why trusting him at least once wasn’t impossible.
“The second-year seniors must have fallen for Oppa’s kindness too-eeyap-! Derke understands that much…!”
—Rustle, plop…! Derke continued murmuring to herself as she filled the last bowl with snow. “Still…… I don’t like it when he’s kind to just anyone……”
Even so, disappointment was disappointment. No matter that she had formed a pact with him first, she was still behind Sofia in many ways. ‘Next time for sure! Derke will be with Oppa just like Sofia-senpai……!’
—Clench! Derke set the bowls down and tightened both fists, silently reaffirming her resolve. “Still, he did say he’d make something delicious, so Derke will let it slide this once-desu-yong! A dessert made from snow…… Derke’s looking forward to it-eeyap-!”
Derke snorted loudly with a face full of dragonly generosity, as if forgiving today’s events in exchange for the dessert. ‘Once we return to the academy, Derke will watch him even more closely…! Now that we’ve formed a love pact, the wraith that entered Oppa’s body will keep watch for Derke-eeyap-!’
—Thud, thud…! Derke buried her complicated feelings in the snow and turned back toward the guard post, bowls piled high with snow like little mountains in her hands.
“…Just a little while ago I was scared because of the monsters, but now Derke isn’t scared at all-desu-yong.” Derke glanced around as she walked back, recalling the events. Traces of the battle still lingered in the distance—remnants of Sofia’s fight against the monsters. Not far away, the ground was stained black with demonic energy. Rocks lay shattered in disarray. The spots where monsters had fallen remained pitch black, and strangely, no snow had accumulated there. Thanks to that, the brutal traces of the battle remained perfectly preserved.
“But it really was scary earlier-desu-yong…… Still, it’s a relief we were with the seniors-eeyap.” Derke shuddered at the memory of the monsters and shook her head vigorously.
It was just as Derke was about to look away from the ruins that something happened.
—Twitch, twitch…!
“Hueet? W-what just moved……?!” Something stirred among the black remains. Yet it was completely invisible to the naked eye. The sun had already set, and the evening light made visibility poor.
“What was that? It felt like something moved just now-eet……?” Derke’s green eyes flashed with an inner light as she activated her vision. Darkness was no obstacle for Derke. She could see clearly even in the dark. After all, she was a Death Dragon—a Desu Dragon.
—Flash! Derke’s vision was now entirely tinted in green, as if she were wearing night-vision goggles. Just as she was carefully scanning the darkness with her enhanced sight—
“Huaaaat-?! W-what is that……?!” Suddenly, a long, massive dragon skull appeared before Derke’s eyes. It was nothing but bare bones, stripped of all flesh. And yet, it was now……
—Screeeeeech……!!! Not only was it floating in midair, it was charging straight at her with terrifying speed, as if it would collide with Derke any second.
—Thud! “Owowow……!” Fortunately, Derke tripped over her own feet and fell backward, narrowly avoiding the impact.
「Grrrrrr……!!!」 The monster skull that had missed its target let out an eerie howl and slowly turned its head. Upon closer inspection, black demonic energy swirled around the skull.
“Hiiik?! W-why is it still alive-desu-yong……?” 「Khaaaaaak──!!!」 The monster skull lunged at the bewildered Derke once more.
“I-I don’t like this-! Go away……!” Derke thrust her hand toward the monster. Then—
「Nyororong…!!!」 Countless wraiths from the Wraith Legion were summoned before her eyes. The fluffy beings blocked the path, forming a barrier around Derke like an airbag.
—Clang clang clang!!!! The Wraith Legion clashed with the monster.
“Th-the wraiths are protecting Derke……?” The Wraith Legion had successfully defended her. But it wasn’t a perfect defense. They remained locked in a stalemate in midair, as if in a contest of strength. Meanwhile, the monster kept ramming its white skull forward, trying to slip through the gaps in the wraiths’ formation.
“I-I need to run away-desu-yong…! We can’t keep holding on like this-eeyap-!” Even though only the head remained, the monster was still too much for Derke to handle. In reality, the gaps between the wraiths were steadily widening.
‘B-but my body won’t move the way I want……?!’ Derke wanted to dash back to the guard post while the wraiths bought her time, but her body refused to obey. She had frozen up, facing a situation she had never experienced before. It made sense—she was a new student who had only recently enrolled, far removed from real combat. But the monster wasn’t kind enough to show mercy to someone like Derke.
「Kiheeeeeek━──!」 With a piercing shriek, it mercilessly tore through the wraiths. 「…Nyorurung!」 The relentless assault caused the Wraith Legion’s formation to slowly crumble.
“H-hiiik……?!” The monster’s snout was now inches away from breaking through the wraiths’ barrier.
「Khaaaaaak━──!!!」 Finally, the wraiths’ defensive line was breached.
“O-Oppaaaa……!!!” Just as the monster’s head flew straight toward Derke—
—Whoosh…! —Thwack! A dull impact sound rang out, followed by the sharp noise of something piercing through. It sounded as if a thick object had been effortlessly penetrated.
「Keheeeeeek……?!?!」 At the same time, the monster let out a scream. A single knife was now embedded right in the center of its forehead—a fruit knife, the kind used for peeling.
“Derke, are you okay?!” “I-it really is Breeder Oppa-?! A-amazing……!” “Are you hurt anywhere?!” “N-no, Derke’s fine-eeyap…! But how did you do that with just a regular knife……?”
That was right. The one who had thrown the fruit knife was none other than Breeder.
—Slide…! He stepped in front of Derke and muttered toward the monster. “Now that I’m here, you can relax. I’ll turn that skull into bone broth for soup.”