"Now, ......, that's not the end of the story, is it?

　I glare at the dragon.
　You can't do even a tenth of what you really do with a ward-disabling breath.
　And it's far too simple for me to have thought of a thousand years ago.

"Ma, Master ......, I guess your soul hasn't changed in a thousand years. When Master sees me, I naturally squirm.

　The dragon shuddered.

"Of course, this is not the end of the ordeal. You know what's coming, don't you, Master?
"Yes, I have a pretty good idea.

　I grinned and continued.

I'm going to have to fight you for real now, aren't I?

　The dragon shook his head.

"Exactly.
"A surprisingly easy test. It'll be over soon if all you can do is breathe the ward-disabling breath you just used.
What do you mean? That's not all. And I was created a thousand years ago by a master. I don't like to think it's going to be that simple.

　Maybe the dragon was right about this too.
　It would be too tedious an ordeal just now.
　But - I can't remember the details, maybe it's a side effect of the reincarnation magic - I created this dragon a thousand years ago.
　It's not going to be so boring.

"Kurt, ......, are you sure you want to fight a dragon?
"I don't think Kurt can defeat a dragon twice. ......
Kurt crushed dragons in the Empire. He'll win this time too. ......

　Lara and the other three seemed to be excited despite what they were saying.
　I guess they are convinced of my victory.
　They must be curious to see how I'll fight. And I'm sure they're eager to learn what they can from it.

　But ......, there is only one regret.

Lara, Marise, and Cynthia. Unfortunately, there's nothing the three of you can teach me this time.
"?

　The three of them looked puzzled.

　Without further explanation, I use my magic to levitate to the dragon.

"Well, dragon. Let's get right to it.
"It's been a while since I've fought a master, and I'm looking forward to it.

　The dragon's expression was hard to make out, but there seemed to be a slight smile on his face.
　I'll deploy the spell.


　--There's nothing you can teach me.


　The reason I said that to the three of you is because .......


"It's too early to see.


　I muttered and launched an efreet flare at the dragon.

　That was the signal for battle.
　A huge explosion goes off around the dragon.
　But...

"Is that what you really want, Master?

　The dragon seemed to be on edge, flapping its wings.

"No way.

　We're only about a fifth of the way out.
　The dragon quickly unleashes a high-powered breath. I blocked it with my warding spell and dodged it easily while gliding.

　That's pretty fast.
　In addition, even if it is hit by an efreet flare, it has a high level of defense that does not allow it to inflict a single wound. It would be extremely difficult to defeat.
　Normally.

　But I took out my magic sword from another dimension and used magic at the same time to hunt down the dragon.

"That's great, ......, Marise. Can you see Kurt and the others moving?

　I could see Lara and the others talking on the ground.

No, I don't see them at all.
Cynthia can't ...... see what Kurt is doing either.

　Marise and Cynthia were stunned.

I know. That's not helpful at all.

　Lara's hands palms up to the sky as if she had no choice.

　Well, it can't be helped.
　No matter how well you have mastered the mind's eye, the three of you will never be able to catch our movements.

"Master!　This is fun!
"Yes, it is.

　I remember when I was reincarnated and fought Desmond in the entrance exam of the academy.
　It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of meeting someone with some backbone.

"Well, Master. Master, you already know the purpose of these trials, don't you?
"Pretty much.

　In other words, this test is to make me get serious.



　Defective magic ...... is only possible with golden colored magic.
　If you have a golden magic power that grows the more you master it, the more you take it seriously ......, that is, the closer you move to the limit, the higher the quality of your magic power will be.
　This is a fact that has become commonplace due to the magical revolution I brought about a thousand years ago.

　But in this world, it's hard for me to take it seriously.
　This battle will give me the strength I need to regain my original power.

　But there is one problem with .......


You can't get serious like this yet.


　I gripped my magic sword tightly and gave the dragon one last stab.
　The name of the spell is Divine Roi.
　It's the magic that buried the dragon-turned-Fombasque with a single blow.

"GOOOOOOOOO!

　The dragon's final cry.
　The dragon that was struck by the Divine Roi turned into particles of light and disappeared.

This is it?

　I put away my magic sword and landed on the ground.

　At the same time, Lara and three others, as well as the Red and Blue Birds, approached.

"Kurt!　Did you kill the dragon?
I couldn't see what they were doing at all.
Go to ...... and explain.

　During this battle, I cast a thousand spells on the dragon, none of which the three of you would have been able to see.

The dragon was defeated. But ......

　If I remember correctly, it was .......

　As I thought this, a gentle light flashed before my eyes.
　Then it gradually took shape, and a small lizard-like thing appeared.

"Master, you're good.
"Oh, my God, what is that?

　Lara sees it and rolls her eyes.

"It's the dragon from earlier. I'm going to defeat it ......, but it's only for the test. You don't have to destroy the whole soul.

　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

"But ...... it's a shame. I couldn't get the Master to take me seriously. If we don't, the Master will regain his original power .......
"What are you talking about?

　I said this to reassure the dragon.


I have regained my powers.


"......!

　The dragon's eyes widened in surprise.

　That's right.
　I wasn't able to put my best foot forward in the fight earlier, but ...... it was still a very worthwhile fight.
　The magic is growing. The quality was much better.
　Mmm, yes. That's the feeling. It's been a thousand years, and I miss it.

But the master wasn't ready to take it seriously. So why ......?
"You can't improve the quality of your magic if you don't take it seriously. Only for me.

　In the first place, even a thousand years ago, I was hardly able to be serious.
　Still, I needed to keep aiming high.
　I couldn't stop moving.
　As a result, I created this training method that allows you to increase the quality of your magic power without having to be serious.

　However...

I couldn't have done it without your help. I wouldn't have been able to regain my original power if I had been fighting other monsters. Thank you.

　I thank the dragon.

　I think I'm doing the obvious thing.

I think I'm doing the obvious, but ...... Kurt's talking nonsense again.
"It's Kurt who ignores all assumptions.
"I've met ...... Kurt for a long time, but I still can't get used to ...... him.

　Lara and the other three looked stunned.

　Well, we're all set.
　Now that we're all set, let's get out of here and get rid of the evil god Bagnuba.