Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Phantom Dragon
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The Phantom Dragon, the Chameleon Dragon before my eyes, boasted a size incomparable to the young one I had seen before.
"So this is the mastermind behind the fog devouring this village. I think I understand why there are no people."
A pale mist was rising from the shell-like carapace on its back, like a turtle's. It looked emaciated, its bones seemingly pressing against its skin, as if it had starved for a long time.
"...It seems this monster has devoured everyone."
Before engaging in battle, Victoria performed an act of prayer, respectfully clasping her hands together before her chest.
"Our Mother in Heaven, as we must now face the great evil before our eyes, grant us courage and peace in this hour. Please banish the fear rooted deep in our hearts, and grant peaceful rest to that lost sheep. I pray in the name of the beacon that restores light to this world. Amen." No matter how much the opponent was a monster or a demon, Victoria never forgot to offer a prayer.
Her attitude, saying that even enemies are ultimately all living beings and must be pitied, was something I couldn't understand even after spending a year together.
"You do useless things even in such a critical situation."
I readied myself by unfolding my palm and stacking magic circles, then spoke while lightly grinding my molars.
For me, demons and monsters were just damn bastards who killed my parents and the people of my hometown.
Therefore, no matter how much Victoria preached, I couldn't think of them as beings deserving of sympathy or comfort at all.
"It's not useless, Lord Astal. It is the cornerstone for all of us to go to Heaven later. We all bear the karma of killing and being killed to survive, but later, by God's will, our transgressions will return to us."
Victoria looked at me and spoke with a faint smile. That tone and expression of hers were always among the things that annoyed me.
To think that a Saint who shows such devout piety could turn into a vulgar woman in front of me was beyond comprehension.
"Hah, so you'd die if the Heavenly God told you to? Try resisting a bit. Rational thinking and doubt are essential for surviving this treacherous Demon Realm."
I let out a deep sigh, having already stacked usable magic circles on my palm. The Chameleon Dragon was an entity that crawled on the ground because its wings didn't function properly.
Based on this weakness, I combined the Earthquake magic, which causes tremors, with the Gravity magic, which strengthens gravity, to create a new spell.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Gravityquake Combines seismic force with amplified gravity
Kugugung—!
The ground where the Chameleon Dragon stood split apart with a great roar, and the surroundings shimmered like a heat haze as an invisible force pressed down on the opponent.
"I also complain to the Heavenly God at times. Even though I am a Saint who follows God's will, I have something more precious than that."
- I got properly angry when the Heavenly God spoke ill of Lord Astal so recklessly…! How can he be so clueless about a woman's heart!
As she said that, Victoria drew a hammer as tall as herself for battle. It was a weapon she often used, one that could fully utilize the unique, powerful arm strength of a dragon hybrid.
As the saying goes, the best defense is offense. If we defeated the enemy before Victoria used a miracle, she wouldn't need to sacrifice herself.
"...Who is it?"
Curious about Victoria's words, I asked her back. What on earth could a Saint hold more precious than God's word?
"That's a secret. I can't just obediently tell a woman's secret."
Then Victoria raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at me as if uncomfortable. It seemed she didn't want to tell me willingly.
- It's you. Astal Caisaros, the kindest mage in the world.
Her inner thoughts were confessing the truth without any filtering.
"...Are you two fighting again, even though you just made up?"
The Hero Kyle shook his head toward us while summoning armor made of flame. He looked like living fire itself.
Igknight.
When he thrust his holy sword into the ground and turned the hilt, the flame stored within would burst forth and become protective armor for him.
"Leave them be, Kyle. That must be how they express their love. Last time they did that, they went at it like beasts in the inn room, remember?"
"Seeing them fight and make up the same way every time, I'm not sure if I should say they have a bad relationship or if they're a match made in heaven."
Anima and Taryon also chimed in with a word each as they finished their battle preparations, looking at us. An Elf drawing the bowstring of a bow made from a World Tree branch, and a Bearfolk woman who had summoned all four Great Spirit Kings.
"...We didn't do that."
Looking at such comrades, I furrowed my brow into an eight shape and showed slight irritation. Why on earth do they think we crossed the line like other couples in just one day?
"My, then where did the gentleman who shared my bed last night go? I'm quite sure he promised me in a hot, sweet voice, 'I'll just hold your hand and sleep…♡'."
Victoria wore a bewitching expression, slightly parting her lips and sticking out her tongue as if to seduce me.
"...You're dead tonight."
To directly counter such seduction, I deliberately said something to provoke Victoria. Because I knew that even if I said that, I wouldn't have the courage to actually act on it.
The only variable would be if she got drunk—the moment she, who's weak to alcohol, becomes intoxicated, even I wouldn't be able to stop the situation.
"I'll be looking forward to it. Though I wonder how much our affectionate doggy here will be able to satisfy me."
- Ah, ahh…. Am I really going to lose my virginity today? Or will the mark of being Lord Astal's woman be engraved all over my body, in every nook and cranny….
Shiver.
Hearing Victoria's inner thoughts, I couldn't help but feel fear. How can a person's insides be so sinister, like the abyss of a brothel?
'Originally, I planned to tickle her until she cried, so she'd never bother me again….'
If we ended up sharing a bed again tonight, my plan was to tickle her until she apologized, writhing and saying sorry.
Victoria's sides were sensitive.
It was a weakness of hers that I, who could hear inner thoughts, could detect, even though she tried her best not to show it.
"Victoria, aren't you liking me a bit too much?"
I continued the conversation as nonchalantly as possible. To the people around us, it seemed like I confessed to Victoria because I liked her,
but the reality was the opposite, so I had to curb her tyranny bit by bit like this.
"Me? Liking you? Delusions are free, but that's unpleasant."
Victoria immediately shadowed her face with a scornful expression. Her gaze looking askance at me and her mannerisms clearly showed she disliked me, but—
- I like you♡ I love you♡ I love you♡ Like♡ Like♡ Like♡ I like you♡ I like you♡ I like you♡ I love you♡ I love you♡ I love you♡ I love you♡
Her inner thoughts were feelings too heavy and intense to accept. Victoria was endlessly repeating cries of liking me.
The chain of similar words, almost like brainwashing, made me feel slightly dizzy.
"...I only accepted it as a test because your confession was admirable. Please think of it as camaraderie as comrades who must subjugate the Demon King."
As she said that, Victoria swept her hair behind her ear with a haughty expression. She was still using the story that I confessed first.
"If you really had no feelings at all, wouldn't it have been better not to accept the confession in the first place?"
"I am a Saint, you see. It is my mission to shoulder the worries of all people and fulfill their wishes."
I was dumbfounded and asked Victoria back. Wasn't she the only one with romantic feelings from the start?
I only thought of returning to being friends once the Succubus Queen was vanquished or this contract relationship period ended.
"Helping the love life of a virgin mage who hasn't even held a woman's hand past the age of majority is also one of the good deeds others can't easily do, isn't it?"
- I want to monopolize all of Lord Astal's firsts. Holding hands, hugging, pecks, kisses, and climbing the adult stairs together to become your woman, all of it….
Victoria was speaking as if looking down on me, but the hidden emotion within was more possessive than anyone's.
"...I have a lot I really want to say, but I'll hold back."
I clenched my hand into a fist, trembling slightly as I suppressed the rising anger. Because I didn't know what she might do if I told her I could hear her inner thoughts right here.
"You seemed quite impatient last night, but I guess the saying that men's lower bodies and brains operate separately is true after all."
- If I get married, will I become Victoria Caisaros? I want to have about 11 children, so we won't be short of players when playing ball games…♡
Look at her now, pouring out such lewd and sticky emotions. If I revealed the truth to Victoria, who knows what reaction would come back.
"......"
I gulped down saliva and barely maintained my silence.
If I messed up, I might end up being dragged to bed and forced to obediently offer up what's precious to me as a man. I recalled someone's saying that even dried squid yields water if you squeeze it.
"...Everyone, be prepared. The Chameleon Dragon seems to be starting its mimicry. Since it's an adult, it will transform into something more dangerous than the young ones. It might target the strongest among us."
Kyle, who had been continuously swinging sword energy at the enemy, gave us a command in a low voice.
"Dispel? How can the opponent use my specialty?"
The sudden sense of incongruity made me realize something was wrong. I thought innate mana control abilities couldn't be copied.
Perhaps it was because the opponent was a dragon that had grown into an adult, not a young one.
Seeing that the magic I was using to restrain the enemy was also broken, it seemed this wasn't an opponent to be easily vanquished.
"...You lot, especially the Saint and the mage."
Eventually, the Chameleon Dragon revealed itself from within the billowing cloud of dust. Its body had shrunk to about the size of an adult male.
"Why the hell are you causing a ruckus in my nest? Fighting and mating, fighting and mating—are you humans, or are you beastly bastards like demons or monsters?"
It glared at us with narrowed brows, in the form of a handsome man with blue hair and blue eyes.
"Would you look at this guy? It's not even trying to hide that it's a fake anymore?"
I let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded. Because an identical face, as if looking in a mirror, was before my eyes.
The entity known by the epithet Phantom Dragon was now wearing the face of Astal Caisaros and showing displeasure.