NOVEL NEXT Chapter 73.2
“One of the demons survived, so we helped him and hid from the dragon in the lair of a demonic beast.”
“I see. So, did that demon lead you to their city?”
“No. He had been burned by the dragon’s flames and was on death’s doorstep. We didn’t know if he would live; even with fairy dust we couldn’t tell. I was able to find the Demon country thanks to Zell’s efforts.”
“You found it on your own then.”
“Yes, the demons hid behind a barrier during the day, fearing the dragon’s attacks, and led a miserable existence at night.”
“Demons leading a miserable existence…”
When it came to demons, they were a race known for their arrogance and pride. Judith had only heard stories, but it was said that some of them brought bathtubs to the battlefield. They cared so little about the other races, and the idea that they led a miserable existence was unimaginable.
“Anyway, since you helped the warrior, they must have given you a warm welcome, right?”
“Demons giving us a welcome? No, but they weren’t hostile, especially after I mentioned Nazar’s letter. Things got much better from there.”
“We’re talking about demons, after all… Well, there must have been something else.”
“Then, after delivering the letter to General Demon Sequence, we set out to subdue the dragon in the mountains.”
“I see, to subdue the dragon… wait, did you go dragon hunting!? Why?”
“Thanks to the letter. After Sequence saw the letter and read it, he told me I could keep his daughter, who had gone to kill the dragon as well.”
Judith looked at Nazar as if asking him what kind of letter it was, but Nazar also had a puzzled expression. According to what Judith had heard, it was supposed to confirm if Poplatica’s actions represented the will of all demons.
In that case, Judith reflected. Sequence must have manipulated Bash. The man was a famous and astute general. And Bash was the “Dragon Slayer”. It’s possible that Sequence used a woman to incite Bash and send him after the dragon.
“Sir Bash, did that seem fine to you?”
“Yes, after all, I went to the demon country for that.”
For dragon hunting? No, thought Judith. She reflected on Bash’s journey, his achievements so far, and his pride as an orc. Despite some deviations, Bash was on this journey to reclaim the pride of his orc heritage. He had helped the elves in the Siwanasi Forest, rescued captive orcs from dwarves, and attended a beastmen wedding alone to heal the scars with the Beastmen. Now, he had helped the demons and gone dragon hunting. While it might not align perfectly with Bash’s original goal, it seemed that the demons were genuinely threatened by this dragon, and there was nothing wrong with helping them. Demons were proud beings, but they were also honorable. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have become leaders of the Seven Races Federation.
“We climbed the mountain and entered the dragon’s lair through a hidden passage the demons had made.”
“I see.”
“When we were about to exit the tunnel, I saw something in the depths: a pair of eyes. Golden eyes looking into the tunnel. Without hesitation, I drew my sword and drove it into the ground, creating an improvised barricade. At the same time, a scorching wave of heat hit me: it was the dragon’s breath.”
“Ugh…” Judith noticed that she had clenched her fists unconsciously. She had heard heroic sagas before, but this was the first time she had heard one directly from a real Dragon Slayer. While others might take this story lightly, considering it little more than tavern tales, the strength of the orc in front of her was undeniable. So she believed every word he said.
“While enduring the breath attack, I began counting slowly.”
“Why?”
“I learned it when we fought in the Lemium Highlands. Dragons can’t exhale their fire indefinitely, there’s always a moment when they need to catch their breath: Thirteen seconds. After counting to thirteen, I drew my sword and charged at the dragon while counting again. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9! I plunged my sword into the eyes peeking into the tunnel.”
“Wow!”
“But it wasn’t enough to kill it. I pushed the staggering dragon aside and entered its nest.”
Then, the narrative shifted to Bash’s battle with the dragon for a while. But when the dragon fled, and Bash pursued it, entering the ruins on the mountainside, Nazar and the others’ expressions changed.
Ruins in a mountain inhabited by a dragon… It wouldn’t be strange for something to happen there. Perhaps it had something to do with the “relics” needed for Gediguz’s resurrection… Furthermore, it wasn’t commonly known, but scholars had discovered that dragons had a habit of creating nests near objects of great power. However, Bash’s story didn’t mention that. Judith thought for a moment that he might be keeping a secret, but it didn’t seem that way. He genuinely didn’t seem to care.
“But there was a woman there. A survivor of the demon’s extermination squad.”
“A woman…”
“Sequence had given me permission to take his daughter as my wife, but King Orc’s orders prohibit mating with other races without consent. So I had to talk to her to get her consent.”
“As expected of Sir Bash. But didn’t it seem suspicious to you that there was a woman in a place like that?”
“Do you think I would notice something suspicious just because I saw a human?”
“Oh no, I didn’t mean to underestimate orcs. It’s just that dragons are intelligent creatures, and it’s unlikely for someone to escape from their lair, especially when it comes to humans…”
“I see. You’re right. However, I didn’t realize. As you guessed, that woman was actually the dragon in disguise.”
Judith looked puzzled and turned to Thunder Sonia and the others.
Thunder Sonia also chimed in, “I’ve heard stories like that, so they can really transform,” with admiration. It seemed that Nazar was quite interested too, as he leaned forward slightly.
“I was deceived, and I told her my tales of valor, thinking she would fall in love with me, to make her mine. Then, the moment came. The woman grabbed me tightly, and in the blink of an eye, she transformed into a colossal dragon.”
“R-really…”
“I had massive fangs in front of me, and I thought it was the end… But the dragon spared my life and simply flew away into the sky.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. But according to Zell, probably because the dragon recognized me after the tales of my valor in our recent conversation.”
Judith wasn’t familiar with dragon behavior or mentality, but she knew they were very intelligent beings. The human Sage had even formed an alliance with a dragon in the past, gaining its support as an ally. If the dragon spared him in recognition of his valor or as an excuse to escape, it wouldn’t be surprising given their intelligence.
“We couldn’t catch up to the dragon, so we left the mountain… It was a defeat.”
If anyone other than Bash had said that a dragon had “escaped” from them, Judith might have laughed it off. But Bash had a precedent. Moreover, it was confirmed that a dragon had flown from north to south. It wasn’t a lie. By the way, it had landed on a mountain in the Elf Country, but its whereabouts were unknown afterward.
However, if the dragon had fled, wasn’t that a victory rather than a defeat? Judith couldn’t help but think that, but if someone as powerful as Bash called it a defeat, then it was a defeat.
“What happened next?”
“After our prey escaped, I returned to the border checkpoint to avoid being ridiculed by the Demons.”