When Tino followed Sister Sitri into the men's bath, he saw a scene he couldn't understand.

Masutaa was in the hot spring with a light blue dragon. Forgetting his nervousness, he rubbed his eyes, careful not to let the towel fall off, but it did not seem to be an illusion.
The expression on Masutaa's face, with only the upper half of her body above the water, showed no sign of impatience. He just smiles with a sense of satisfaction.
A light blue dragon that I have never seen before roared when it saw Sitri and Tino.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with your time.

When you think about it, there is no way a strong man would call for help from a weak man.
If you think about it, the word "help" was not in the shout. I had assumed that he had asked for help when he had announced the appearance of the dragon, but the [Thousand Transformations] even had the title of Dragon Slayer.

The embarrassment he had felt earlier had vanished. He took a step back, ready for the dragon to strike at any moment.

Tino was almost completely naked. She had a short towel wrapped around her body to cover her private parts, but she didn't have her knife with her, and she wasn't wearing any shoes. Because people don't usually think that dragons appear in hot springs.
Still, Tino's mind was relatively stable in his defenseless state. Thanks to the presence of big sister Citri next to him.

I didn't know what he was thinking when he was preparing to bring the potion to the hot spring, but I guess he is a seasoned hunter.
The potion that blew up the fence was much more powerful than a mere potion. There is an image that alchemists are not good at fighting, but it seems that this is not the case at the highest level.

In the event that you've got a lot of time and energy, you'll be able to take advantage of it.

'............ What are you doing?

'Can't you see that ............?'

I don't know. More like.

Dragons get stronger roughly in proportion to their size. The light blue dragon is small for a dragon, so in that sense it is not the strongest of dragons. Perhaps this is the hot spring dragon that your sister went to look for a nest.
But it's still a dragon. It's still a dragon. A demon among demons, the king of phantoms. The title of dragon-slayer is known as a sign of strength in all ages.

Only Masutaa in the whole world would take a hot spring with such a dragon in peace. Such situations don't usually arise in the first place.

The dragon, recognizing that Tino and the others were worthy of caution, climbed out of the hot spring and spread its wings. The hot water splashed on its wings, making them shine brightly. Its scales were also shining brightly.

The "dog chain" that had been wrapped around his body stopped twining as if it had given up.

Citri thought for a moment, then patted his hand and said to Tino.

'All right. So, Tee-chan, ......, please?

'What?

The dragon was walking on two legs, inching closer and closer. Sister Sitri, who was standing next to me, grabbed my shoulder and hid behind the confused Tino.
Instantly, the light blue dragon swung its tail with great force.

The tail, long and lustrous compared to its body, struck like a whip. Sister Sitri whispered in Tino's impatient ear.

'If it's a dragon like this, Tee-chan can handle it, right?

'What? What?

I stepped back almost reflexively. I must have taken a few steps back, but I didn't collide with Sister Sitri, who was using Tino as a shield. Perhaps she had anticipated Tino's movement and avoided him by moving to the side.
Sister Sitri passed by the edge of Tino's vision. She swung her tail and ran next to the dragon, leaving a small gap, and jumped into the bathtub, which was running low on water.

'Sitri-sama!

'Good luck, Tee-chan! I'm rooting for you!''

I let out a short scream, but it seemed that big sister Cicely had already stopped listening to me.
She hugged Masutaa's arm, who hadn't changed her position since the beginning, and smiled at Tino.

I've been betrayed. It's too late to tell now.
The speed of its tail is quite fast. I don't know if it can fly, but it has claws, fangs, wings, and all the external characteristics of a dragon.
Its movement itself is not that fast, but it is quite difficult to fight while keeping the towel from falling. He can't even use his kick. However, it is doubtful that a kick can be used against a dragon.

If he is in perfect condition, he might be able to fight. However, Tino was at a severe disadvantage, and this was the first time he had fought a dragon.

As he slowly measures his distance, Tino shouts with all his might.

'Mastaa, I thought you were on vacation!

'What are you talking about, Tee-chan? Did you take a bath in the hot spring?

'No, I haven't!

The dragon shook his head at Tino, who was filled with tension, confusion and a little shame.
It's a sign of breath. He rolls across the floor in panic and takes evasive action.

And then - Tino saw it.

What the dragon spat out of its mouth was hot water.

The hot water, spewed out under tremendous pressure, pierced and destroyed the place where Tino had just been.
A splash of hot water splattered and made a big scratch on the floor. He got up with the momentum of his evasion and shouted.

'What the hell is this? What the hell is this dragon?

'Don't be squeamish, just kill it! It's just a hot spring dragon!

'!

I was shocked by the harsh words of big sister Sitri, but there was no time to stop.

The joke of a dragon, spitting out hot water with its breath, is holding its chest out proudly as if to show off the dignity of a champion. Even if I could defeat such a dragon, I would be too ashamed to call myself a dragon slayer.
Mastaa, his only hope, is frozen in place with a calm, Buddha-like expression on his face.

Tino made up his mind.
This is a test. Perhaps, perhaps, Sister Sitri is right, it is a test. Perhaps it's Mastaa's way of thinking.

It's too much, Mastaaa.......

Tino fought back tears and stepped toward the joking dragon.





The light blue dragon slid heavily across the ground, rolling over with its belly exposed.


On the side, Tino crouched down, hiding his body with the palms of his hands and sobbing.

'Ugh......egg...... it's terrible,masuda...... this......'

Tino's tough. I don't remember him being this strong.

It was clearly more powerful than when he fought the Rabbinical Institute. The way the small Tino's kicks and thrusts blew away the stocky dragon was like a joke.

Nearby was a towel that had been caught in a claw and was now torn to shreds. It was as if he couldn't hold it in place and threw it away. It is an aside that from that point on, Tino's movements became fierce and violent.

I was planning to speak up when the time came, but the battle ended without that moment ever coming.

Don't worry, ......, I was careful not to look at him. I'm a pro at not looking.

Sitri comes back after going to the changing room to get a towel. He's the one who did this.
Tino said it was my fault, but I was going to let Cicely handle it. It's not my fault.

............ Well, it's not my fault either.

I comforted Tino.

'Well, that was a pretty good fight. Well done, well done.'

'? I hate you .......'

Tino hugs himself tightly, but it doesn't make much sense.
I'm not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Then, after he calmed down a bit, he spoke harshly to his junior.

I'm sure you can understand the importance of preparation.

'......'

Tino nodded desperately with tears in his eyes. Citrie pats him on the head, but I wonder if that's enough to forgive him for what he's done.
I looked around the much-destroyed bathhouse, saw the rolling, trembling hot spring dragon, and sighed.

'...... But normally, you wouldn't be wary of dragons when entering a hot spring, would you?

'!!!

Tino looks at me as if he's looking at something incredible. Even if he looked at me like that, ...... even I, a hot spring lover as I am, wouldn't have tried to enter the hot spring if I had known that dragons were there.

I guess I'll be taking an open-air bath in my room for a while.







'Let's go to .............'

'Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

The party members roared at Arnold's short words.
The expressions on their faces show a slight fear and a strong will to fight.

After two days of rest, they had recovered their strength. We have prepared as much equipment and items as possible in a nearby village.
Then all that remained was to challenge them with valor and bravery.

This may be my last hunt. But even so, I can't stop moving forward.
That was the nature of a treasure hunter.

At his side were the members of the Crimson Flame, who looked even paler than the Misty Thunder Dragon, and Luda Rumbeg.
It would have been wiser to separate their activities considering their abilities, but they are still following me, not because their purpose is to be in this treasure house, but because they are also low-level treasure hunters.

There was already no resentment towards the "Thousand Transformations" in his mind. The castle of the demons is not a sweet treasure house that can be challenged with such thoughts.
What was in Arnold's mind was willfulness. It could be called a creed or a pride.

The castle that loomed before him was no different in majesty than it had been a few days ago.
The swirling thunderclouds and the silence were no different.
In other words, this was the normal level 8 treasure house that did not exist around Nebula Nubes.

I'm not going to bury my bones here. Instinct tells me. It's probably impossible to break through.
But if I take a step inside and experience firsthand the difficulty of a treasure house that a small group of people probably entered, I can accept the reality.

This is--this is a decision.

Suddenly, Aei's brow twists and he says suspiciously. You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

'...... There are no carriages. Are they really there? ......'

'......There must be. So far, they haven't bluffed about their actions. But that doesn't matter now.'

'Oh, of course I know. I know who our leader is.

Stingray forced his lips up into a smile.
As if he had been waiting for Arnold, a huge gate opens. A chilly air enveloped Arnold and the others.

And so began the challenge to the treasure hall of the Gorai Hashen .