That's why I've come. This is Dragonia, the land of the Dragon Knight.

　We came to Dragonia, a country known as the holy land of dragons, to train Gyro-kun and his friends.

"So this is Dragonia........it's a surprisingly normal country, isn't it?

　says Norbu.
　Certainly, at first glance, Dragonia is an ordinary country.
　But there's one thing that sets us apart from other countries.
　But we have one thing that sets us apart from the rest of the country: those needlepoint mountain ranges that you can see from this far away along the border.

That's what makes us unique in Dragonia," he said, "and that's the Dragon's Peak Ronride, which is called the Sanctuary of Dragons. That's the home of so many dragons that they call it the holy land of dragons. And that's where we train.

'You really do fight dragons...'

　With a distant look, Liliera-san looks at Ronride.

''It's okay, if you're on the periphery of the peak, most of them are only green dragons, so even if you get out, it's still around blue dragons.

That degree isn't normal anymore, but...

　No, no, if it's only green or blue, it's like a flying lizard.

''The Dragon Peak is the land they live in for the dragons, but it's a place that means something else to the dragon knights.

You mean something else?

Yes, the dragon knights can earn the right to ride a dragon by battling the dragon of their choice one-on-one in that mountain range and winning the battle. That's the process of choosing a dragon to become a dragon knight.

　And since this is a land related to dragons, we decided to talk about dragon knights to pass the time before we reach our destination.

'A dragon knight before performing the ritual is treated as an apprentice no matter how strong he is. Only after you succeed in the selection dragon ceremony will you be allowed to call yourself a dragon knight.''

'So my brother, who can easily defeat a dragon, is a dragon knight too?

　Jairo asked a simple question.

'That's a good question. But unfortunately, I'm not a dragon knight. It is said that in order to become a dragon knight, you have to perform a ritual that is considered to be a secret among the dragon knights for generations.

　Yeah, I was taught the Dragon Emperor Style Sorcerer Technique by a dragon knight I knew, but he didn't teach me about the ritual until the end of my life.
　He told me that you're a hero, you don't need to be a dragon knight.

''I see, there are things even my brother doesn't know.

'I mean, a dragon knight is a fairy tale, of course you don't know that, right?　It's rather amazing how much Lex knows so far.

Oh, well, I see. I was kind of paralyzed.

　And Mina tasted Gyro-kun.
　Hmm, I've had others say that to me before, but what does a dragon knight mean by a fairy tale?

'Well, besides, it's a bit of a bad ride, but if you can get on top of your head and force it to fly to its destination, you don't have to be a dragon knight to ride a dragon.

" " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "

　Huh?　Why did I get denied by all of them?
　It's a common way for people who can't use flight magic to get to far or high places.

　◆.

　We crossed the border and came to the town of Tatsutron, the closest town to the Dragon's Peak Ronride.

'Welcome, welcome, welcome!　It's Landlizard's dragon roast!

There's even a brace of fly snake baked goods!

　A fragrant smell wafted out of the stalls and stimulated my stomach as they called out to me.

Oh, it's a busy town!

'Yeah, we're close to where the dragons live and no one's spooked.

　Mr. Meghri voiced his agreement with Gyro's impressions.

''That's right. Why are the people of the town so calm when the dragons are so close to their home?'

　Norbu-san seemed to have the same question as Megri-san.
The two of them were right, no one in the town of Tatsutron cared, despite the proximity of Ronride.

''That's because we don't have to worry about the dragons attacking us, brothers.

　'I don't know,' said the uncle of the stall owner, who was right next to Norbu and the others, answering their questions.

'What do you mean by that?'

....

　In response to Norbu's question, the owner of the shop pointed to the skewers on the stall.
　So that's what he meant.

"Uncle, I'll have six skewers, please.

Hey, you're here!　You're buying six Landlizard dragon roasts!

'Swoosh!

　Oops, I forgot about the mofo portion.

I'm sorry, I'll need another bottle.

　As we bought the spit-roast, the man began to talk about the situation like a well-built door.

It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what's going on. It's a good thing that you're able to do that.

　Yeah, dragons are also territorial creatures, as long as they're animals.

And I'm told that deep inside the Dragon Peak there is a chief that follows all the dragons living in the peak. If you do anything on the boss's territory, you'll be in big trouble.

　Every creature has its own rules when it lives in a group.
　It's the same for dragons.

　And this Landlizard's dragon roast is pretty good.
　It looks like a bold roasted meat, but the sauce is sweet and salty, different from ordinary salt-grilled meat.
　Hmm, I think I'll get another one.

"Give me another bottle, old man!

Me too.

Cue!

Hey!

　But then Jairo-kun and Meguri-san were ordering a refill.
　Yeah, I'll order one too.
　And who's going to pay for Fluffy's share?
　Huh?　Is it your pet's duty to feed your pet?　Yes, that's right.

Well, that's why, if it weren't for the bad-tempered hugulets, they wouldn't come to town. It's just a matter of time before one of them shows up in a few decades.

'So what happens when this Hagre shows up?　The rumored dragon knight is the one you're going to defeat?

　Jairo-kun asks the owner of the restaurant while biting into his third skewer.

'Dragon Knight?　Wahahaha, you can't joke about that, brother. Dragon knights are just a kid's fairy tale nowadays!

　Then the owner of the store denied Jairo-kun's question with a big smile.
　Hmmm, but what does this uncle mean by the dragon knight as a fairy tale too?

'What?　Don't you have a dragon knight?

It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect. I'm sorry to get your hopes up, but it's impossible to follow a dragon in a one-on-one fight to begin with.

"..........

　Silently, Liliella and the others stared at me, but in my previous life, I was rather normal....

''Well then, what about the Golden Dragon that the Dragon Knight King rides?　They say that the most powerful dragons with wisdom can live for thousands of years, though.

''That's a legend. Rumor has it that the boss of the Dragon Peak is the legendary Golden Dragon, but no one has ever seen him. In the first place, no daredevil would want to enter the dragon's lair!

"..........

　Lilliera and the others stared at me again in silence.
　But in my past life, there were plenty of people who would normally enter the dragon peak on foot and slay the dragons.
　That's enough to limit hunting so that the number of dragons would not decrease too much.
　Hmmm, the dragon knight is just a knight and no one has ever seen a golden dragon...
　I wonder what happened to this country while I was dead?

''Um, so you've never heard of the Dragon Emperor's Empty Spear Art?''

Hmm?　Ah, you mean the spear techniques used by the dragon knights in fairy tales. Well, every once in a while a self-proclaimed dragon emperor style appears, but it's all fake.

　Hmmm, how is it that even the Dragon Emperor's School of Sorcerer's Art is treated as a fairy tale?
　Could it be that in this era, both the dragon knights and the users of the Dragon Emperor style sky spear technique have died out?
　No, no, no, no, there's no way those people are going to be destroyed or anything.

'Hey, what's that?'

　And then someone pointed up into the sky with those words.

'What's the matter?'

　The people who were around him also look in the direction he was pointing.

...What is that?

　As if caught, a number of people turned their gazes toward the direction of Longfeng, beyond the sky.

　At first, they saw a small green figure floating in the blue sky.
　But in no time at all, the figure grew in size.
　No, that thing is approaching us at breakneck speed.
The whole town is abuzz with excitement.

"Oh, that was...no way!

　The thing that was a green dot at first has already approached the town by quite a distance.
　And once it gets that close, its true identity is obvious to anyone who sees it.　

''It's a dragon.''

　Those words were the signal.
　Screams came from all over the town and people ran everywhere.
　People heading for the exit of the town, people running into the buildings they see.
　You have your own house in that direction, that dragon, yeah it's green, so it's a green dragon that's not very strong. There were also people running in the direction where that thing was headed.

''However, it's a mess...''

　The knights defending the town are screaming to calm the panicked townspeople, but it's unlikely they'll be able to make it in time for the Green Dragon to arrive.
　Even though the opponent is weak, Green Dragon is still a threat enough for the townspeople who don't have the strength to fight.

''Oh, could it be that way?''

　Could it be that the Knights of this town can take down the green dragon that's coming at them right now with no problem?
　So I guess that's why they're letting people in town evacuate who are obviously not used to it.
　Normally in this kind of situation, they make a loud noise with a bang to calm themselves down.

　I'm sure this is also a practical training for newcomers.
　It's a good idea to have an experienced knight to cover you if the situation arises.
　That's not a problem.

And it looks like the dragons aren't the only opponents. It was too small to see earlier, but there's a bunch of wyverns following behind us.

　Yeah, wyverns are a subspecies of dragons, but it's not uncommon for people around green dragons to use wyverns as their minions.

'Mr. Lex!

　In the midst of all this, Liliera-san calls out to me.
　Not only Rieliela, but Jairo and the others are also staring at me.

The town will be attacked by dragons if things don't change. We have to do something about it!

Yeah, brother!　Let's beat up the dragon so lightly!

　Apparently, Liliera-san and the others are going to fight to protect the town.
　Hmmm, I think the Knights will protect the town if we leave them alone........

Mr. Gyro, don't be so carefree...

What are you talking about, Norbu?　We've got a big brother on our side, man!

　Mr. Norbu shows his weakness, but Jairo-kun seems to be at ease.
　Yeah, on second thought, this might be just the right time to do it.

Okay, let's all protect this town!

Yeah!

That's my brother!　That's the way it should come!

Oh, well, that's just the way it is.

Well, yeah, but Lex is here.

Yeah, right. You have Mr. Lex.

　Since the two of them are so motivated, Mina and the others prepare for battle, holding their weapons at the ready as if they've given up.

　'Yeah, yeah, everyone is full of motivation, which is good.

It's a good thing that you have a good idea of what to expect when you see them. I won't fight them, though.

All right, brother! I'll take care of the small fry!

Yes, we'll be supporting Mr. Lex... what?

　What did Lilliera and her friends say?　He looks at me as if to say, "I'm not going to fight.

'I'm not going to fight, so good luck beating them all.

　So I told them.
　I have to fight.
　Yes, for their training!

Ha, ha, ha!

　You're not going to be able to do that.

What?　Seriously, bro?

　Everyone rolls their eyes in surprise at my declaration not to fight.

I'm serious, I'm not participating in this fight. You're going to take it on yourselves.

But it's a dragon and a wyvern!　We can't win this thing alone!

　Mina screams that she can't do it, but I don't think so.

'It's okay, we've all worked hard on our training a lot, haven't we?　It's a wyvern, not a number of things. And Mr. Liliera.

'What?　Me?

'Yes, I want Liliera-san to take down that green dragon by herself.

...What?

　Liliera-san looks at me with a puzzled look on her face.

''Don't worry, I'll protect the people of the town. You all just focus on defeating the enemy.

　It's not easy to fight your first dragon slaying while being mindful of your surroundings, as expected.
　I'll be there to support you in that regard.

"Wait, are you serious, Mr. Lex?

I'm dead serious. Good for everyone's training, right?

The training...

　We came to this country originally to train everyone.
　It's just that our plans were pushed back a bit.
　We were supposed to start our training in Dragon Peak.

Come on, Gyro, you guys can deal with the wyvern.　They're not much of an enemy, but there are a lot of them, so be careful!

Yeah, you got it, bro!

　Gyro-kun and the others start to move after receiving my instructions.

The wyvern is a B-ranked demon, right?

It's okay, it's okay. I'm sure we can all do it.

　Mina is a worrier.

　◆

d*mn it, you have to do it!

　Prepared, Liliella activates her ice attribute enhancement and freezes the ground around her thinly, and then disrupts the Green Dragon while gloriously sliding on top of it with the ice blades grown on the soles of her feet.
　As Liliera-san slides on the ice, shimmering pieces of ice dance around her as the ice under her feet scrapes against each other.

''Beautiful........''

　One of the women who was watching the scene involuntarily let out a voice.

''Gaoao!

　The Green Dragon is just at the mercy of Liliella's speed, unable to keep up with her speed as she moves around in all directions at high speed.

''Haha!''

　On the contrary, Liliera-san exploited Green Dragon's gap and accurately attacked him.
　The spear made from blade wolf material easily cuts through the Green Dragon's scales.

''Guaaaaaah!

　At that time, the green dragon that was being attacked in succession let out an angry roar.
　And then a high density of magical power swells up around their throats.

''Be careful, everyone!　Green Dragon spits breath!

""Breath!"

　It wasn't Liliella and the others who reacted more sensitively to my words, but the people of the town.
　Oops, I have to protect them from the Breathless.

''Breathguard!''

　I protect the townspeople with a magic that specializes in anti-Breath.
　Immediately after that, a green dragon spits out a breath.

　The high density of magical energy masses attack the residents while melting the ground.

''Hee!''

　The townspeople screamed and cowered in a huddle.

''It's all right now.''

　I called out to the frightened people.

"What?

　People looked up at the fact that they thought it was all over, but the destruction that was going to burn them down didn't hit them any time soon.
　Then they rolled their eyes when they saw the scene in front of them.

''What the hell?!''

　What the townspeople saw was the sight of a dragon breath stopping in front of them as if it was blocked by a wall and then deflecting upwards.

''This is a magic for anti-dragon breath, Breath Guard. A lower level dragon breath can be easily blocked with this magic.''

What, it's easy... for a dragon?

Yes, it's only a green dragon.

It's just a mere mortal!

　Huh?　Why are people surprised?　If there are a lot of dragons in Dragonia, I think breathguards are basic for breath protection.
　In fact, even the ordinary knights and wizards who protected Dragonia in my era could use it, and even if the dragon knights are gone, I don't think breathguard-esque magic won't go away.

''Oh, I'm about to finish.''

What?

　If you look at it, the battle between Liliera-san and Green Dragon was coming to a climax.

''Ta-ah!''

　With a flash of spirit, Liliera's attack stabbed deep into Green Dragon's forehead.

''Freeze!　Freeze Lance!

　Liliera-san passed ice magic power through her own spear and froze the Green Dragon from the inside.

''Huh?''

　There is no way to prevent the Green Dragon from having its head frozen from the inside, and it was cut off when its head was pickled in ice.



　After defeating the Green Dragon, Liliella-san slumps down on the Green Dragon's forehead, exhaling heavily.

''Good work, Liliela-san. Nice job defeating the Green Dragon.''

Well, I didn't think I'd be able to take down a dragon on my own...

　You can't believe it, but I believe that with her ability, she could have defeated the Green Dragon a long time ago.

"d*mn, they accomplished the Dragon Slayer first....

　And it was Gyro-kun who acted frustrated.
　He doesn't seem to be injured, and Gyro-kun and the others have successfully defeated the wyvern crowd.

I wanted to be the first one to kill a dragon, as my brother's apprentice.

Good job, Gyro, it looks like you and the others have taken out all the wyverns.

'Oh!　For me, a wyvern is not much of a thing!

　Gyro-kun pointed confidently at the pile of wyvern carcasses.
　If you look closely, you can see that Megri-san is quietly dismantling the carcass.

'Nah, I know you say that, but to be honest, there were quite a few dangerous moments. You're sticking out too much.''

Ugh.

　When Mina-san's tsk, Gyro-kun looks like he's bitten down on a bitter bug.

'Be careful, Jairo-kun.

Yes.

By the way, where's Mr. Norbu?

　I've been wondering why Norbu-san hasn't been seen since a while ago, so I'll ask him just in case.
　I don't think Norbu-san's ability would have been hit by a wyvern or so.

Yeah, Norbu is treating the townspeople and guards who were injured during the first attack.

　Oh, I see, Norbu is a monk.
Even so, Norbu is a good monk to be the first to go to help people at a time like this.
He's a far cry from the greedy, fake monks I met in my previous life.
I'll help you, too, to the best of my ability.

"Rielieliela, we'd like to help heal the people of this town...

　And when I turned my gaze to Liliella-san, who was resting on top of the green dragon she had defeated, I noticed something strange.

''Oh, I defeated that girl dragon...''

The Dragonslayer....

And he's got a spear...

Could it be that a spear-handling maiden who can slay a dragon...?

　The townspeople are mumbling something as they look at Liliera-san.

''Huh?　What?　What is it?

　Liliella is also confused as to why she doesn't understand.

'Definitely!　That person was the successor of the Dragon Emperor Style Empty Spear Technique, the legendary last dragon knight, Princess Long, the last dragon knight in the ministry.

What?

"The Dragon Princess really existed!

That's the legendary Dragon Emperor Style, the empty spear technique!

''When we were fighting, Dragon Princess-sama, you were so sparkling and beautiful!

"[Dragon Princess-]

'What?　Huh?　Huh?　What do you mean?　What do you mean!

　Amidst the excitement of the whole town, only Liliella was unable to understand the situation, and she was very puzzled.
　Yeah, we don't understand.

But it's the anniversary of Riela-san's first dragon slaying, so we should also celebrate. Congratulations, Rieliela-san!

""Congratulations!"

　Jairo and the others congratulated Liliella as well.

''Stop!　I don't know what it is, but don't worship it, and don't mix it up with Lex and the others.