Dragon Slayer.

　That was the title given to me when I returned to Ishka. Slaying a dragon in human flesh is a feat comparable to that of a divine hero. As an adventurer and a warrior, I had earned the highest honor imaginable.

　However, the "solo" part has been removed, so in terms of my original achievement, it's been reduced to a quarter.

　What this means is that this time the defeat of Hydra was certified as a four-man party - me and the three of us, Onigashima.

　Well, it's only natural that a person who was despised as a 'parasite' just a few months ago would be suspected if he claimed to have killed a dragon species by himself. Although he had made a name for himself recently, the majority of his actions were as a dragon knight, that is, largely due to the power of the Indigo Winged Beast (Klau Solas).

　On the other hand, the trio of Onigashima had been working hard to suppress the Stampede even before the Dragon's Roar (Dragon Roar) and had shown their inhuman strength in front of the crowd. The soldiers and adventurers who had joined the garrison had great faith in them, and they thought that it was no wonder that the three of them could defeat the dragon.

　As a result, the conclusion was reached that the defeat of Hydra was due to the power of the four of them.

　To Cryer's defense, she forcefully denied this conclusion. We didn't do anything about the extermination of Hydra, she said, and it was all to my credit.

　But few people took this in stride. The Adventurer's Guild is aware of the fact that three men attacked a sparrow in my house during the Stampede. The guild staff, who know me as a parasite, whispered that "Cryer and his team, who defeated Hydra, may have given me a share of the credit as an apology for the incident.

　If you know about the attack, then you should know that I dismissed the three of them, but either Liddell and others didn't report it, or Liddell reported it properly and the people who received the report didn't believe it. It's a good thing that you're not the result of a battle, or that you got the honor of being a dragon slayer as a result of a negotiation.

　These people called me a false dragonslayer. A fake dragonslayer who did not take part in the Hydra, but only stole the credit for his achievements.

　As annoying as it sounds, this kind of misunderstanding was easy to dispel. You can take your heart out in front of the public and show them what you're made of.

　I'm sure you're not going to be able to find a way to get your hands on any of them.

　But I wasn't going to take that approach.

　I'm not going to be a rich man's fighter, but compared to the vast amount of souls I've gained from Hydra, fame in Ishqa is like a copper before gold. I had no intention of pursuing what was available to me in the future if I wanted to.

　It's a good thing that I have a lot of work to do right now, and I don't care if I become a dragon slayer or a fake dragonslayer.



　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one.

　One of these was to investigate the dragon pit and monitor it in preparation for the rebirth of the illusory species. This includes investigating the hydra poison that invades the forest of Titis.

　I don't expect the dragon species to reappear in a day or two, but as long as the possibility is not zero, I must be prepared.

　That's why I've decided to move to the former Lord of the Flies' nest with Cryer. Even though we're moving to this place, we're going to spend half the day in Ishqa as we travel back and forth between Ishqa and the depths of the sea on Klaus Solus.

　There are three reasons why I chose to put Cryer in the Lord of the Flies' nest.

　The first was out of consideration for the feelings of Sparrow, Seal and Miroslav. After all, it was only a few days ago that he had attacked a sparrow and cut down a seal. As for Miroslav, he used a suicide spell to protect them and was mortally wounded. There was no way he could say that he could live under one roof with such an opponent.

　The other was simply a result of calculating their strength. In the unlikely event that an illusory species is reincarnated, the only person who can fight this properly is Cryer, except for me. Considering the fact that I would be returning to Ishqa from time to time, it was necessary for Cryer to be stationed in Titis.

　Regarding the last one, this is for my own personal purposes, which have nothing to do with dragonholes or illusionary species. I'm the man of the hour in Ishqa, and so is Cryer. Wherever we go and wherever we are, people will always be looking for us. If we stay in our homes, we can block out people's eyes, but if we do, we will now be inundated with a constant stream of visitors.

　In this sense, the Lord of the Flies' nest was the perfect environment to exclude others. Here, he could treat Cryer from morning to night with as much force as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, from morning to night as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted, as much as he wanted!　--I'm just kidding, though, about the teasing. To be precise, it's not entirely a joke, as that could happen, but as long as Crya was obeying my orders, and as long as the guys from Onigashima didn't get in the way, I had no intention of abusing my white-haired classmate.

　Then what do you do with Crya? It's a serious battle, so it can also be a deadly battle.

　You're going to have to make sure that you're not going to have to worry about it. I'm going to refine my own sword, which is very close to my own style, by fighting with her in earnest.

　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of this game.

　For this reason, we set conditions for our fights, such as fighting without the use of Kokoroi, or fighting purely with swordsmanship without the use of the power technique, or even fighting completely flesh and blood without the use of physical enhancements. As I grew accustomed to this, I was now the only one who didn't use the mind-body armor or power techniques.

　I'm sure you'll find that the use of power makes it possible for you to fight for long periods of time, and in the heat of the moment, you often lose track of time. It was the same today, and the next thing I knew, I found myself overturned by a sweat-soaked Cryer, who had reached his limit.


◆◆◆


Welcome home, Master.

　When I returned to the den with Crya on my back, it was Lunamaria who greeted me. Now there are three of us in the den: me, Crya, and Lunamaria.

　The reason I brought Lunamaria here is because Lunamaria was the only one who didn't directly fight with Crya. Lunamaria fought Klimt alone. Of course, that didn't mean she would be able to remain vacuous about Cryia's presence, but at least she would have less fear of Cryia than the other three.

　Besides, there was also the reason why he wanted to hear the opinion of Lunamaria, the forest fairy and wise woman, about the depths of the Hydra's poisoned depths and the dragon hole in the deepest part.

　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of this article.

　It's not the first time that Crya has run out of energy and collapsed in an encounter with me. I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work. I'm sure Lunamaria must have a good point or two to say.

　It's a good thing that you're able to do that, because you're not going to be able to do that.

　I'm pretty vindictive, despite my appearance. There is no intention to let bygones be bygones for what the trio did, but rather to retaliate in painful ways against Goz and Klimt. It's not only because of the fact that he got down on his knees, but also because he wanted to be useful in this way. I'll have to let her serve as my training partner for a while longer.

　I'll be returning to Ishqa with Lunamaria, by the way, so Claia will be the only one left in the den. Naturally, you can escape if you want to, but if you do, you will have a role to play other than a training partner - a provider of souls.

　Frankly speaking, I also want to try to eat the soul of a person who has an anima, so I couldn't deny the fact that I'm deliberately placing them in an environment where they can easily escape.

　While I was thinking about this and that, Lunamaria, who had finished taking care of Cryer, came up to me and opened her mouth with a serious face.


''Master, I would like to talk to you.''

Talk?


　I knew it was about Krya, but I knew that I was wrong with my next words.


'It's about the dragon hole you took me to the other day. It has to do with the demon gate that is located on Onigashima.

"M


　As Lunamaria said, I've already taken Lunamaria to the dragon hole once.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out the meaning of his words the other day - that he called it a demon gate, referring to the dragon hole.

　However, Kuria's story was quite vague, and to be clear, the awakened Kuria didn't quite remember what he said. It seems that he was quite dazed when he arrived at the dragon pit.

　What Kuria remembered was that the sensation she felt when she went near the dragon's hole was very similar to the sensation she felt when she passed through the demon gate. Perhaps that was that '.......Is this the demon gate?' I guess that's what he meant by the words "I'm not sure.

　Since I was not allowed to go beyond the trial, I was not even allowed to approach the demon gate, let alone go through it, so I don't know the truth of Cryer's words.

　However, there are several similarities between the dragon pit and the demon gate, such as bringing about major changes in the land's vegetation and the ecology of demonic beasts.

　I told Lunamaria about these things and then took her to the dragon pit. I was hoping that the elven wise man, who noticed my Anima before anyone else, might be able to notice what I couldn't.

　Apparently, Lunamaria has met my expectations.


I'm going to tell you now that the idea of reasoning is a ridiculous one. Please entertain me with that in mind.

Okay.

''First of all, regarding the dragon pit, that was a gushing point from which the power of the earth gushed out. What was flowing from there was a muddy stream of pure magic. Think of it as a volcanic eruption, or else it's like a river that has broken its banks. It is not something that can be touched by human hands.

'I see. If possible, I was hoping that I could use that thing to get rid of the Hydra's poison in the depths...


　As I said, Lunamaria shook her head once and for all.


If we come into contact with it, it will cause even more havoc than the hydra's poison. That extraordinary magical power is an unmistakable poison to ordinary plants and animals. The Master's vision of the deepest part of the chamber is the best proof that it was poisonous.


　When she said that, Lunamaria refused, "This is the part where I come up with the idea," before continuing.


I've never seen it, but if the demon gate, which is said to be on Onigashima Island, works the same way as the dragon pit, then it is also considered to be poisonous to plants and to animals.

Yes, I've heard that the vegetation on the island has changed a lot since the demon gate was built. I've heard that the vegetation on the island has changed a lot since the demon gate was established. The strength of the demons is also incomparable to that of the continent. It's all due to the influence of the Demon Gate.

If that's the case, Master, then don't you think it's only natural that the people who live there have been affected in some way? Isn't it natural that the people who live there should be affected in some way?


　I raised an eyebrow at Lunamaria's question.

　It's not that I thought the other person's words were wrong. It's just that I wondered why I hadn't noticed something so obvious.

　On second thought, however, the answer was obvious. The residents, including me, know that the people living on the island have not been affected in any way.

　Not once have I heard of a person suddenly becoming a demon, or a baby born with horns, for example.

　It's precisely because it's been established that the influence of the demon gate does not extend to humans that the residents of Onigashima are able to go about their daily lives in peace.

　Lunamaria gave me a scary, sharp look in response to my opinion.


''Master, I only know four residents of Onigashima. And all four of them were people with powers that could not be compared to ordinary people. I also have a taste for the bow. There is certainly a realm that can be reached by mastering a certain school. However, the masters' power is too great. Don't you ever think that this is a power that transcends the human species?