Chapter 16
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: One Shot
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Beyond the horizon stretched the golden wheat fields of the Enker Plateau. The wheat, grown under the brilliant sun, filled the vast plains, their heads bowed low as if waiting for someone to harvest them.
No matter how far the carriage traveled, the surrounding scenery remained unchanged.
Wheat.
Wheat.
Wheat.
The wheat fields were, quite literally, endless. If not for the occasional windmill of a slightly different shape, we might have thought we'd fallen into an infinite loop without even realizing it.
No monsters of note could be seen on the vast expanse.
It was likely because this area was once heavily populated, its surrounding monsters wiped out, but the biggest reason was probably the fact that a dragon had taken up residence here.
“We'll leave the horses here and proceed on foot.”
In the presence of a dragon, said to be the apex of all living creatures, the horses might take fright and break formation.
If the horses scattered into the wheat fields, the journey back would become exponentially more complicated and difficult.
Tying up the horses as far away as possible was the best course of action.
…Yes, I knew it was the best course of action too.
“…How long will it take on foot before we can see the dragon?”
“At our usual marching pace, it should take about three hours!”
Three hours.
I had to drag this garbage body of mine on an arduous march for three long hours.
I fought back the urge to make the unreasonable request, ‘Couldn't we just take the carriage a little closer?’
Even though I wasn't carrying military gear or wearing armor like the soldiers….
All I had was a flowing robe, a wide-brimmed hat, and a slightly thick grimoire…!
And yet.
“…Let's rest, just for a little bit.”
During the march.
“Hah… A break! Let's take a break, a break!”
Time and again.
“Wow… I really can't go on. I think I'm actually going to die.”
Time and again, I had to collapse onto the bare ground, slowing the soldiers' advance.
The march, which should have taken only three hours, met with the natural disaster that was 'me' and turned into a grand trek of six long hours.
It was so long that they started nibbling on rations that should have been saved for the dragon's nest or the return journey. Some of them even stripped the husks from the surrounding wheat and popped the grains into their mouths.
And at seven in the evening.
As the sun set, the wheat fields blazed red.
We could finally see them beyond the horizon—hard scales and sharp teeth.
The dragon was asleep in a meager nest it had built from the readily available wheat and planks torn from human houses.
“Hah… You've all worked hard to get here. From this point on, I'll go alone.”
I moved my trembling legs and slowly approached the dragon's nest.
No matter what, I had to proceed alone from here.
Artifacts, unlike other items, had a binding effect.
This meant that the character who first acquired the artifact had to carry it for life.
Transferring it to another character, or even discarding it, was impossible.
But what if, after killing the dragon, another soldier rummaging through the spoils accidentally touched the artifact hidden in the treasure pile…?
And what if the artifact then bound itself to the soldier who had merely brushed against it?
It would be nothing short of a catastrophe.
I could let other things slide, but the artifact from the young dragon of the Enker Plateau was something I absolutely, positively had to get, no matter what.
If you were to ask if it was some game-breaking artifact with outrageously powerful stats, the answer would be no.
For an ordinary mage, it was a C-rank, or B-rank at best, kind of artifact—nice to have, but not essential.
…For an *ordinary* mage, that is.
But for my 'One-Shot Mage' build, which had no basic attack, the artifact from this young dragon was the alpha and the omega.
A-rank? No, it was SSS-rank, EX-rank.
Twice, I'd carelessly let my AI companion rummage through the treasure pile, only for them to snatch this artifact, forcing me to delete my character and start the game over from the beginning.
…I might have done it in the game, but I have no desire to delete my character in reality. And I don't think I can.
So I absolutely cannot repeat the same mistake.
“I'll be back shortly.”
I turned back to the squad leader's worried face, gave him a knowing, enigmatic look, and said as much.
There was no point in telling them that an artifact was hidden among the gold and jewels.
Who knows how the human heart might change when faced with a rare and precious treasure…?
It's not that I don't trust you all, but if I fail to get this, I'll be in serious trouble.
***
The moment he met the eyes of the dragon, which watched the intruders silently from its nest in the quiet wheat field, the squad leader felt a terror he had never known before.
Every nerve in his body screamed at him to run. The trembling in his arms and legs was exactly the same as when he had first encountered a Mazoku as a child.
“…”
A dragon.
Yes, standing before them was that colossal monster, considered the apex of all living things.
Though it was not yet a full-grown adult, its sharp claws, massive wings, and enormous teeth were more than enough to instill a profound sense of dread in every soldier present.
Could they fight it?
Us?
The fundamental question dominated his thoughts. A cold sweat soaked the leather under his steel armor, and an unidentifiable itch tormented his entire body.
“You've all worked hard to get here. From this point on, I'll go alone.”
It was then.
That the white-haired boy's voice echoed across the silent battlefield.
Facing the dragon, the boy maintained his characteristic cold and indifferent expression, as if utterly unfazed.
The boy, who looked to be no older than sixteen or seventeen, showed no fear. Instead, he moved his slender legs with confidence, heading toward the monster's nest.
The squad leader, and every soldier there, couldn't help but feel ashamed.
They had trained tirelessly under the calling to protect the continent, yet here they were, frozen in fear before the very monster threatening its food supply.
That frail-looking boy was walking toward the dragon, so what in the world were they doing?
“W-We'll help too!”
The squad leader shouted in a trembling voice.
“I'll be back shortly.”
The white-haired boy merely replied with a faint smile, as if commending his courage.
Just then, the setting sun warmly embraced the boy's face.
With those words, the boy resumed his walk.
The young dragon, which had been lying in its nest merely watching the group, slowly lifted its head, its gaze fixed on the white-haired boy who was slowly but surely approaching.
“So this is our first time meeting in person.”
The dragon bared its sharp teeth at the white-haired boy, a clear threat that to come any closer meant death.
The boy, as if the dragon's threat was no concern of his, simply opened his grimoire.
Grrrrrr….
A low, immense growl filled the silent plains. Just hearing it from a distance made the soldiers' legs go weak.
The boy ignored the dragon's threat and took another step forward.
Fwoosh—!
At the same time, a massive claw sliced through the air, flying toward the boy's head. It was a half-hearted, indifferent swipe, as if shooing an annoying fly from its nest.
“Blooming.”
That was the moment.
A sudden bolt of lightning struck the wheat fields, bathed in the clear light of dusk.
Along with the flash that burned the crimson sky white, the dragon's foreleg, which had been flying toward the boy, vanished.
“…If the lightning spreads, all this precious wheat will burn.”
The boy muttered, closing the blue-glowing grimoire. He then created a small electric orb at his fingertips and presented it to the dragon.
“Let's end this as quickly as possible.”
The dragon's eyes widened slowly.
Its beastly brain seemed unable to process the sudden reversal of predator and prey.
“…What a strange sensation.”
Having activated Blooming and discharged all the mana in his body as electricity, the boy muttered as he saw a pure white line appear before his eyes.
The white line, starting from his fingertip and leading to the dragon's heart, seemed to tempt him, beckoning him to fire his electricity along its path.
The boy could feel it instinctively.
That by following this line, he could kill the dragon in a single blow.
It was a sensation he had never felt before, but the boy decided to trust his instincts.
And so, the boy slowly raised his finger and sent the electric orb flying along the white line.
The orb, flying at the speed of light itself, pierced through the dragon's thick hide, muscle, and bone, and burst its heart before it could even react.
A perfect strike aimed at a vital point.
How the boy, who had never even seen a dragon in his life, could so precisely locate and strike its vital point was something no one present could understand.
Even the boy himself only had a vague inkling and lacked the confidence to explain to others exactly what this phenomenon was.
“…Looks like I got a crit.”
A critical hit in reality was different from the ones in games, which were accompanied by flashy effects and exhilarating sounds.
An attack that took a life in a single blow could be this calm, this quiet.
A moment later, the dragon, which had lifted its upper body, collapsed to the ground, its pupils dilated. The earth shook, and the surrounding wheat fields all bowed their heads in the same direction.
On the deathly still wheat field, the boy silently clenched and unclenched his fist, as if trying to recapture the sensation he had just felt.
“What… are you?”
It was then.
That a voice filled with bewilderment and fear came from above the boy's head.
“…?”
The boy looked up, his face filled with confusion at the unfamiliar voice.
There, he saw a Mazoku with red skin.
…A Mazoku?
“…Why are you coming out of there?”
The boy scowled, looking utterly baffled as he glared at the red-skinned Mazoku spreading its wings above his head.
The Mazoku, looking equally bewildered, stared down at the boy with a somewhat dazed expression.
It was an awkward and sudden encounter.