We eventually reached the front of the cave.

As we stood in front of the entrance, we felt the enormity of the cave.
The ceiling of the cave was five times as high as I was tall, and the width was the same.

The reddish-brown earthen walls seem to continue all the way to the end, and except for the area near the entrance, which is lit up by the setting sun, it is completely dark and I cannot see any further.
The tunnel, which was so huge that it made me feel faint, had a gradual downward slope and seemed to be leading us to an endless abyss.

Someone in the room gulped and spat.

'It's like a gateway to the underworld. ......'

Irene, who was in the lead, let out such an impression.
Her dignified profile was indeed tinged with tension.

But no matter how powerful the opponent is, what we need to do is the same.
As long as the place we're going to is a cave, we need to scout it out beforehand.

I was about to cast my wizard's eye spell, as I always do...

That's when.
There was a sudden, horrifying response to the alert spell I'd been casting.

'...... William? What's wrong?

Cyril, who was standing beside me, looked into my face.
He must have sensed my change in color quickly.

'There was a response to the alert. But...'

'And by reaction, you mean a dragon?

Mee turned around and asked me, to which I shook my head.

'No, it's not that huge. And it doesn't look like it's deep in this cave.

The Alert spell places a magical barrier 50 meters around the sorcerer.
If any creature passes through the membrane, it will be reported to the sorcerer, and I have been using this spell almost constantly during my adventures.

The detection criteria of the Alert spell are based on the intuitive skin senses of the sorcerer.
If an insignificant swarm of ants passes by, it will not be detected.

My intuition gave me a chill when something passed through the sensing membrane.

However, there are various oddities in the idea that it was a dragon.
The physical size of the thing that passed through was about the same as or smaller than a human, and the location was not inside the cave but outside.

As I was wondering, Mee reacted next.
The beastman girl instantly became tense, and her two cat ears twitched.

'The sound of stepping on gravel...... bipedal...... human? But it looks a little different ...... approaching us.'

We focus our attention on the direction in which Mee is glaring sharply at us.
We waited for a while with the utmost caution.

And then, there it was...

'What is it with you people? What do humans want in my roost?

With a young girl's voice came a young, innocent-looking girl.

Her height and age were almost the same as Mee's.
She had flowing silver hair, and her eyes were scarlet like flames.

She was dressed in what looked like a black one-piece dress, but it was dirty and the hem was torn or frayed in many places.
The dress is dirty, and the hem is torn or frayed in many places. It looks like what a wild child would look like after a month of being fed clothes.

However, it may not be correct to say that she is a human wild child.
This could be seen from the girl's characteristic appearance, which was different from that of an ordinary human being.

Two horns sprouted from the side of the girl's head.
Her back was covered with red wings that looked like those of a bat, and a long, thick tail with scales grew out from near her hips.
There was no way that such a thing could be a mere human being.

And it was not only her appearance that made her unique.
What she was carrying on her shoulders ( ) was also unusual.

It was a large bear.
The bear was more than twice the size of the girl's, and she was carrying it lightly on one slender arm.

When the girl came close to us, she threw the bear in front of us carelessly.
The bear was thrown incredibly high and fell to the ground in front of us with a heavy thud.
It was obvious to us that the bear's life had ended some time ago.

The girl, on the other hand, snapped her neck, and then her mouth lifted up in a grimace.
Her large red eyes turned a fierce color, and she looked at us.

'What do you want? What do you know about the purpose of humans coming here? It is said that being a dragon slayer is a great honor for a human warrior. Or else they're treasure thieves... in any case, there's no way we're letting them leave alive.

A violent aura blasted from the girl's small body.
It spread out softly like an insubstantial shockwave and stroked us.

That's it.
Irene, Satsuki, and Mee reflexively put their hands on their weapons, and Cyril shivered.
I also experienced a hair-raising sensation just by being exposed to that aura.

But...
That's not it. That's not good enough.

I took a small, deep breath and called out to the girl.

'Hold on. Are you the master of this Fire Dragon Mountain... or are you a dragon? We've come to ask for help from the dragon that lives in this mountain.

When I told her that, the girl's expression changed to a puzzled one.
The violent aura that had been directed at us weakened slightly.

'What's with the cooperation ......? Humans, to me?'

'Yes, I've come to ask you a favor. Irene, your sword.

'Oh, wait a minute, Will. What do you mean ......? Do dragons really look like people like that?

Irene seemed to be having trouble understanding the situation.
Satsuki, Mee, and Cyril all had questions on their minds as well.

It was understandable.
I told my friends my own opinion, which was a bit of a guess, but I couldn't think of anything else.

'Some dragons - and not just dragons, but monsters in general - are born with the ability to 'humanize'. If you have this ability, you can transform into a human-like form called an 'incarnation' in addition to the monster's original form.

'Well, there's someone who knows a lot about things. That's exactly right. I have the power of incarnation. If you don't believe me, let me show you what I really am.

The girl who followed my words said that and began to take off her clothes.
When Irene and the others saw this, they looked at me and the girl and panicked, but the girl herself didn't care about that.

The girl then completely stripped off her clothes and took on a completely clothed appearance.
Next, her small body suddenly glowed with a bright light.

The light, which had taken the form of a girl, changed its shape and size, becoming a large light that made you look up.
When the light ceased, the creature's form was revealed.

It had the appearance of a giant lizard with wings, its entire body covered with scales of a burning color.
It was looking down at us with an imposing figure.

A red dragon.



It is not the size of an infant dragon at all.
If the kind of infant dragon that a dragon knight rides has a weight reminiscent of a warhorse, then what can we compare the monster in front of us to?
It could be a rhinoceros, a hippopotamus, or even an elephant.

And, of course, its fighting power would be incomparable to those animals.
I don't deny that rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses and elephants are incredibly strong in the natural world, but they are no match for dragons, which have sharp claws and fangs that can tear through steel, are clad in dragon scales that are harder than steel, fly freely with the wings on their backs, and spit scorching flames that can melt rocks from their mouths.

'Ho, it really was a dragon......'

'Wow. ......'

Irene and Satsuki looked up at the huge beast and puzzled.
Mee and Cyril were equally dumbfounded as they stared up at it.

After the transformation, the dragon opened its mouth, lined with sharp fangs, and spoke in a voice that seemed to echo to the depths of the earth.

You said you had a favor to ask me. Speak now, humans.

It seems we've managed to get to the table.
I breathed a sigh of relief and pondered how to start the next conversation.