Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Evil Dragon
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Dragon.
The core of this world could be said to be the balance of power. If the demon race had the Demon King, then the human side had the Hero and the Saintess.
All the Heroes summoned up to now had met their end at the Demon King's hands. For hundreds of years, the Demon King had launched frequent raids and plundered, killing other heterogenous races or bending them to his will.
But the Demon King, who had processed every Hero party that came his way like a Hero shredder... why hadn't he exterminated the human race?
Were they all idiots, just like the Demon Kings you'd encounter in myths or novels?
No, that wasn't it.
From what I'd seen firsthand, the Demon King was an incredibly cunning and intelligent bastard.
It was simply that this latest Hero party was the strongest in history, and at that time, the demon world was in the midst of a civil war. We waged guerrilla warfare and finally fulfilled centuries of pent-up desire by severing that bastard Demon King's neck.
In any case, the reason the Demon King hadn't wiped out humanity was simple.
The existence of the Guardian Dragon.
The Guardian Dragon, imprinted in the heart of the Empire—summonable only by the imperial bloodline.
A deus ex machina created directly by the Goddess herself, it could only be summoned when the Empire itself was directly invaded by the Demon King, or so the legends went.
...But, to say it again—if such a thing existed, the balance would collapse.
According to the words from the Goddess delivered through Saintess Lena, the magnitude of power the Goddess could bestow was determined by equivalent exchange.
If she made a Hero stronger, the mana in the demon world would surge accordingly.
If she granted some blessing, the scope of her divine authority would shrink by that much.
This applied to the Guardian Dragon as well.
Unable to make a Hero strong from the start, she created a Hero with high potential and provided a minimal grace period for growth via the Guardian Dragon.
And to counter that Guardian Dragon, what was born in the demon world was...
The Evil Dragon.
The space inside the dragon's lair was incredibly vast.
The entrance had clearly been just big enough for two or three people, but inside, a space the size of a small village unfolded.
Scattered at my feet were gold coins and various gems.
That was when it happened.
A waterfall-like surge of overwhelming, thick and murky demonic energy.
Crunch—
Isabella instantly drew up her aura and slowly expanded her domain.
Crimson energy rippled around her—and soon, the black, murky demonic energy oozing in began to recede from the surroundings.
[...You've come quicker than I expected.]
"......Ugh."
In the distance, two massive glowing eyes.
Having faced a dragon directly—something she'd only heard of in myths—Isabella began to feel crushed by an immense pressure and weight.
She had felt Adel's prime or even the full power of the Demon King, but the power emanating from this being surpassed them.
But soon—Adel started walking toward it, step by step.
"...Lady Barbatos. We have slain the Demon King."
[........]
The moment Adel opened his mouth, the thick demonic energy enveloping the surroundings vanished in an instant.
"Haha... That damn blockhead bastard is finally dead. It feels like a thousand-year-old grudge has lifted from my chest...!!"
Like a child... no, in the form of a real girl, Barbatos lay on Adel's lap listening to tales of adventure, bursting into laughter and excitedly piling on words.
But upon hearing about the curse and the three years of suffering in the underground prison, she quietly listened without interrupting.
"...No wonder. The only tolerable thing about him was his looks anyway. At least the curse only lasted three years—that's fortunate."
".....Pardon?"
"?"
There seemed to be some points in the story where things didn't quite line up, but Isabella just silently listened to the two.
Then, suddenly turning her head sharply.
Barbatos began staring at Isabella with evident interest.
"...Hmm...?"
Appearing before Isabella in an instant, Barbatos stared at her intently before posing a question.
"Have you met me before?"
"...No. Ah, no... I haven't."
"...Strange. Tell me your name."
"......Isabella Raymond..."
"...Raymond... Raymond...? Aha."
Barbatos tilted her head, seemingly pondering for a moment, then dropped a bombshell fact.
"That child is my son. A child I bore during my escapades. Shall you call me great-great-grandmother?"
"......Pardon?"
Barbatos stared at Isabella with a serious expression, then chuckled dryly as if it were lame and ended the joke.
"Just kidding. As if I'd bear a child with a human. You're from the same humorless, gloomy knight family as your ancestors, the Raymond house."
"......"
She rolled around for a good while. Then, slowly approaching Adel, she spoke to him.
"Hmmm... Still, that little one managed to sever that damn tyrant's neck after all. Have you come to claim the promise?"
"...Yes."
"...I do not break promises. Ask for something within my power. As you know, I cannot act against humanity due to the restrictions."
Barbatos jumped to her feet and declared confidently to Adel.
Of course, even jumping up, she didn't reach half of Adel's height, but her white hair and brightly glowing red eyes still instilled primal fear.
Adel slowly approached Barbatos and, to fulfill the purpose of this visit, made one wish.
"...Please give me a scale."
"......Huh? A scale?"
"Yes. As you can see, I've become a self-employed freelancer, and all my swords are broken."
Adel showed her the sword broken during the raid, sighing lightly as he looked at Barbatos.
"...Hmm, a scale... a scale..."
Barbatos pondered something—then suddenly lifted her top, revealing her slightly bulging lower belly.
Pop—
Showing off the slightly protruding scale, Barbatos grinned at Adel.
"Here, pull it out if you want."
"....."
"...You've gotten boring with age. Tsk."
Click—
She plucked off the scale and handed it straight to Adel.
"...Ah, could you perhaps smelt it into a sword form as well? Human technology can't process dragon scales yet..."
"......Hmmm."
Barbatos tilted her head exaggeratedly, as if one more request was pushing it, teasing Adel.
"No can do. Wishes are limited to just one."
".......Lady 'Barbatos'."
"........."
"...Understood. Farewell then. Rot away in this cave for eternity, enjoying your escapades and basking in immortality."
As Adel turned to leave, she toddled after him in slight panic, grabbing at him.
And then, Barbatos made a certain proposal.
After pondering it briefly, Adel...
Nodded, accepting her offer.
Swish—
I swung the dagger once, and the sound of air tearing reached my ears.
If I couldn't use aura, at least the blade shouldn't break.
Made from the strongest material in this world, this sword wouldn't snap even if a Swordmaster slashed it with an Aura Blade.
...I have no idea why her name and a heart are engraved on it, but anyway.
That wasn't important right now.
"How is it? I made and engraved it myself. A one-of-a-kind piece in the world—treasure it as a lifelong gift."
"......"
I slowly turned around.
...How did it come to this?
Of course, by her words, it was just for a fleeting moment. Just a brief time of escapades that she'd follow along for...
[...Sigh. So, how long do you plan to tag along?]
[...Um... Th-three...]
[...Three days?]
[.......]
[...Three months?]
[......]
[..........]
My head throbbed, so I gripped and massaged the dagger to calm myself.
"Everyone—!!!! At attention!!!!!!"
".......?"
When we arrived back at the checkpoint by the walls, dozens of guards had already lined up on either side, swords drawn in salute.
"Salute—to the 3rd Knight Commander!!!"
"......."
Then, a knight-like figure appeared, bowing deeply and politely before saluting Isabella slowly.
Isabella seemed to recognize him, returning the salute with a handshake.
"...Hee? So that redhead is quite the big shot?"
"...Just... be quiet..."
Squeeze—
I pressed down on Barbatos's head, but she slipped out from my grasp.
Seeing that, the knight saluting Isabella—Hans—slowly asked her a question.
"...Lady Isabella. What exactly is... that child...?"
"......."
In an instant, the situation turned incredibly awkward.
No matter her status as Knight Commander, she couldn't just let anyone from the demon world pass freely.
Of course, at a normal imperial checkpoint, she might have a free pass, but there had been incidents caused by demons disguised as humans.
Proper identity verification was the guards' duty and creed.
"...Uh, this child is..."
Isabella scrambled for an excuse but soon grew flustered.
Of course, there was no ID, and claiming human wouldn't fly since she wasn't one. Though her appearance was that of an impeccable little girl...
That was when it happened.
Barbatos's eyes flashed brightly for a moment.
And then, tightly hugging Isabella, she began wailing loudly.
"Waaah... Mommy... These people are scary..."