Encounter with the Legendary Beauty

Elemental Dragons, at times, toyed with human armies like tin soldiers. It was not uncommon for the empire's greatest swordsmen—clashing in historic wars that decided the fate of nations—to end up as picnic lunches for an Elemental Dragon's leisurely outing. Therefore, no matter how skilled the knights before me were, they were nothing more than a pleasant diversion.

Whoosh, whoosh—

I landed my dragon form a fair distance ahead of the knights' path. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!! A thunderous impact shook the entire area as if the heavens and earth were splitting apart.

The original Dragonai, unlike other "thuggish" Elemental Dragons, had formed a contract with the kingdom and was revered as its guardian deity—a Guardian Dragon. Of course, that was only from the royal family's perspective. To ordinary citizens, a dragon was the apex predator of the ecosystem. No matter how much one honed their personal martial prowess, they were nothing more than a single bite to a dragon. So the moment I performed my landing, the horses began panicking and rearing violently. The vice-commander raised his hand and ordered the knights to split left and right.

Thududududu—

These guys… Even if I was just a person possessing a game character, wasn't it a bit rude to react like this to a dragon…?!

'Hey, you. Come here.'

With a mere thought, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠magic activated. The spell was Air Walk. Several knights at the front of the charge suddenly soared into the air. And right in their path, a massive dragon—its wings folded—had already descended and settled in the sky.

"Huk!! No!"

"Vice-Commander! Vice-Commander!!"

"Everyone, draw your swords… s-s-swords…"

"W-we have to rescue him… but my body… it's frozen…"

A dragon whose height could rival two ordinary castle walls stared down at them with its enormous draconic visage—hundreds of times larger than their own bodies. Dududududung… Even the horses were terrified, thrashing helplessly in midair. Most of the knights trembled violently and began begging for their lives.

"Please, spare us!"

"Sob sob sob, I don't want to die here. Please, if you just let us live, I'll do anything!"

Yet unlike the majority, one knight continued charging straight toward my snout with unwavering courage. Clop-clop— It was none other than the vice-commander of the Black Star Knights.

*

'Oh, she's quite beautifully made.'

Truthfully, the reason I had descended to the surface while rushing to loot the treasure vault known as the imperial capital Lukan was because of a certain smiling girl from my dreams. 'Save me, she kept saying… but I can't quite remember…'

I had possessed a character in the novel I wrote. That novel was a game-fantasy story about a world destroyed by a dragon and a girl. Strangely, the female protagonist kept surfacing in my mind. 'Please save me. I'm in Pu■…'

Come ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on, surely the heroine who fell into Pu-something wasn't begging me for rescue? I believed the novel's story should proceed exactly as written. Of course, the author must have had a reason for possessing me into this game, but whatever that reason was—something I once thought I remembered—I could no longer recall at all. So I figured that if I saw a beautiful girl as lovely as the heroine, maybe my memory would return. That was why I had stopped them.

However—

"Hiiiiik! Vice-Commander!!!"

"Vice-Commander!! Don't go that way!"

The vice-commander of the Black Knights continued marching boldly toward the dragon's maw. Unlike the other knights, his lithe frame seemed to command considerable respect among them.

'Is it because he's pretty…?'

The knights left on the ground wailed as the vice-commander drew closer and closer to my face. I felt that he carried himself with far more dignity than any human should. Most humans—regardless of age or gender—would faint instantly before a dragon's true form, especially an Elemental Dragon. After all, the might of a single Elemental Dragon was powerful enough to overwhelm hundreds of thousands of the kingdom's regular troops. A dragon's power, containing natural disasters, was a force beyond human control.

'Why is his attitude so composed?'

The beautiful vice-commander showed not the slightest fear despite my draconic form. With a calm demeanor, he rode straight through the air until he reached my eyes, then dismounted gracefully and knelt.

Thud—

The beautiful black-clad vice-commander offered proper courtesy before me. It was as though he regarded the dragon not as a separate being or a calamity, but simply as a noble he was acquainted with. Yet the moment he dismounted and paid his respects, a burly subordinate with a particularly loud voice shouted from among the evening's retainers.

"Everyone! Dismount at once!!!"

Thud!!!!

Only then did the surrounding knights—finally realizing they wouldn't fall even after dismounting in midair—hurriedly descend from their saddles and kneel.

"We pay our respects to the great Dragon Sanctity!"

"We greet the Sun of Lusa, His Dragon Sanctity!!!"

Ho? Cube, who had been flapping his small gargoyle-like wings beside me, raised his eyebrows as if to say these fellows were quite something.

"We welcome Your Sanctity, who has awakened from centuries of slumber, to the Corazm Autonomous Territory! O great Sanctity!"

Ah… I've been had. Truthfully, while confirming the beauty's appearance, I had planned to play a little prank on the excuse that they hadn't dismounted while I was flying. Regardless of why the author possessed me into this tremendous dragon's body, it was certainly a body one could enjoy. So perhaps I was possessed so I could enjoy it?

'But if they suddenly offer such a formal salute, punishing them feels a bit awkward.'

I gave Cube a meaningful glance. As my servant, Cube could read my thoughts through my eyes alone—it was one of the powers of a dragon's "servant."

—Hohoho, you may punish them!

'What?! Isn't it a bit much to mess with them right now?'

—No. There is no greater sin than ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠disturbing a dragon's mood.

I see. Human emperors say "My word is law," but dragons can declare "My mood is law." Gazing at the knights who lay prostrate, trembling and some even wetting themselves, I shouted.

"Well, since you've recognized me, I suppose I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠should give you a reward?!"

Cube stared at me with wide eyes.

—Eeeeh—?! You're not punishing them, but giving them a reward instead?!

I chuckled.

'A whip given together with a carrot hurts more than a whip given without reason!'

Cube grinned.

—As expected! Such ingenious wickedness, Lord Dragonai.

Though Dragonai had spoken in what he considered a whisper, the vice-commander felt his entire body tremble violently for a moment, his mind going blank. A whisper? Hardly—it was an enormous roar from a human's perspective.

'Nod nod.'

Yet once again, unlike the other knights, he merely nodded calmly and composedly. Was this the benefit of being beautiful? Because he wore a black helmet, the other knights couldn't see it, but it was clearly visible to my eyes.

This game was one where status windows appeared and you could view others' status windows as well.

Even for dragons, the visible status window was limited to "appearance" alone if intimacy was lacking. But how could a person's charm reach one million? Usually, only those on the level of a "legendary beauty" exceeded one million in charm. In other words, the charm value of the girl before me was truly extraordinary!

"Hahaha, what a rare display of spirit from a young lady. I find your courage to my liking, so I shall bestow upon you a particularly grand reward."

"·····?!"

At that moment, upon hearing the word "young lady," I should have noticed the knights tilting their heads in confusion.

Great Permanent Enchant.

Was that roughly the name of the magic dragons used when bestowing blessings upon humans? The moment I finished speaking, beautiful silver and red twin flames rose from the knights' weapons.