By the way, what's this whole Dragon Princess thing all about?

　After that, one thing led to another, and I ended up accepting Ryune's offer to become his apprentice.
　But since we have our own home, it was decided that Ryune's apprenticeship would be for a limited time.

　And the next day, on the way to Longfeng to test Ryune's abilities, Liliera said something that had been on her mind for a long time.

''Eh?　Ah, yes. The ceremony of the Dragon Princess is, you know, a kind of traditional festival in this country.

A festival?

''Yes, I told you about the Dragon Princess and the Dragon Emperor yesterday, didn't I?　The Dragon Princess ceremony is a festival about these two.

　I see, they are the main character in this country's tragic love story.
　If that's the case, it's not surprising that it was chosen as the subject of a festival.

But what does this have to do with your training?　Something about yesterday's story made it sound like you had to become stronger to appear in the Dragon Princess ceremony.

　Yeah, that's what I thought too.
　From the way you spoke yesterday, the Dragon Princess Ceremony sounded more like a slaughterhouse ceremony.

''Well, the Dragon Princess Ceremony is a festival based on a love story between the two of you, but it's also a martial arts competition to determine the strongest woman.

"[?

''No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Mina has a good point.
　I'm not sure how it's done, but to be honest, I don't understand why it's done either.

It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.

　Yeah, that's good. I know what you mean.

"So why does it all turn into a martial arts tournament?

The Dragon Princess is the last dragon knight in this country who fought alongside the dragons. Therefore, the mayor of the town decided hundreds of years ago that the woman who would play the role of the Dragon Princess should be the strongest woman in this festival. Since then, the role of the Dragon Princess was decided not on the basis of beauty or acting ability, but on the basis of strength, and martial arts competitions were held as a way of doing so.

""The mayor is too annoying!"

It seems that they used this as a way to revitalize the town for a modest festival. In fact, the festival that was once enjoyed only within the town limits is now attracting more and more people from the outside looking for the strongest name.

Hmmm, the method is a thing, but does that mean he was a competent manager?

''And I, as a descendant of the dragon knight in the lineage of the Dragon Princess, want to show the world how strong I am by winning the Dragon Princess' ceremony with flying colors. To declare on a high note that the dragon knights have not perished and that the blood of the knights is still passed down to us even now!

　I see, it is a festival to show off the strength of our ancestors, so we can't face our ancestors unless we, our descendants, win.

　While we were talking like this, we arrived at Longfeng, which we were using as a training ground.

Then, before we start our training, let's first evaluate Ryune's strength.

Wow, am I that good?

''Yes, because we need to make sure that Mr. Leune has the right skills to cultivate effectively.

''Yes, I understand that, but........then you didn't have to come all the way to Longfeng to do it near the town, did you?　This is the dragon's territory!

　Saying that, Leune-san is looking around anxiously.
　It seems to be anxious about when the dragon will attack.
　However, there's nothing to worry about so much.

''Don't worry. This area is still the entrance to the Dragon Peak, the only ones that will attack are the lower level dragons.''

　The dragons also seem to have noticed the intruders, and the demon's reaction, which was detected by exploration magic, comes closer.

It's not that I don't mean that, I mean, it's not good that even the lower levels are dragons!

''Oh, look, here they come.

''Hee!''

　Even as I was saying this, Green Dragons were coming towards us.
　They came.........

Huh?

　For some reason, the Green Dragons stopped approaching us and started wandering around in the distance.

'What in the world is wrong with them?'

　What's the plan?

...Oh, you're afraid of Mr. Lex, aren't you?

　When I was wondering what the Green Dragons were doing, Liliera-san started to say something like that.
　Scared?　Me?
　Green dragons aren't supposed to have the wisdom to sense the strength of their opponents.

''I mean, Lex, you defeated the Golden Dragon the other day. Golden dragons are the most powerful of all dragons, right?　If that's the case, do you think his men will attack the one who killed the swarm's boss?

　Oh yeah, come to think of it, the Golden Dragon the other day seemed to be the one that held the flock together around here.
　But that was just a kid's dragon.

Hmm, I'll hide myself for a bit then.

　With that, I hide in the shadows and activate my figure-hiding magic.

''Invisible Field!''

　Then, when the dragons were blinded, he came back to everyone with a nonchalant look on his face.

'Huh?　Huh?　Where did Master Rex go!

　With me disappearing, Leune-san anxiously scurries around and looks for me.

''I'm right here.''

What?　Huh?　Huh?　What?　Where are you?

　Ryne-san doesn't even notice that I'm right next to her and looks around.

It's a good idea to use magic to hide yourself from the dragons so that they can easily attack you. Ah, they're here as soon as possible.''

Transformation by magic?　I've never heard of such magic........?

　The green dragons started to move because I was out of sight.
　It's really a cash cow, isn't it?

"Woo-hoo!

　As the green dragons attacked, Leune-san ran away in a hurry.

''Mr. Leune, if you don't fight properly, you won't be able to figure out your abilities.

'No, no, no, no!　I can't even fight a wyvern properly!

　While saying that, Leune-san avoids the Green Dragon's attack.
　Hmm, from the feeling of watching that bodywork, I don't think he can't fight that well.

'Lex-san, why don't you cast a defensive spell on him for now?　I think it's a lot easier for me to fight emotionally when I know I can get hurt.

　And Liliera-san gives me some nice advice while fighting the blue dragon.
　'I see, it's like putting on armor and training with a wooden sword.

'And also pour it on us.

　Huh?　I don't think Liliera and the others need it anymore.

'Please, brother!'

Come on, Lex!

Please, Mr. Lex!

Nice to meet you.

　For some reason, everyone wants defensive magic.
　I'm so worried.

'Okay, area high protection!'

　The defensive magic I unleashed enveloped everyone, and their bodies were filled with magical protection.

''Huh?　What is this!?

　Leune-san shouts in confusion at the defensive magic that was cast on her.

''It's a defensive magic. With this, if it's only a Black Dragon attack, you can fight it with no damage.

'What?　Defense?　Black Dora..........................ugh!

　Having turned around to look at us, Leune-san, whose footing was neglected, accidentally stumbled over a pebble at her feet and fell down.

''Aaaaatte........''

''Mr. Leune, the green dragon is coming!

What...?　Caaaaaaaah!

　As the Green Dragons attacked Ryune who fell down like a swarm, they slammed their large, sharp claws into Ryune.

''Caaaaaah!　.........and that?　Does it hurt?

　However, the claws of the Green Dragons were not good enough for Ryune, who was under a defensive spell, and the Green Dragons who attacked him were not good enough for him.　He nodded his head.

'Well, um ... what?　Why?

It's time!　Attack the Green Dragon while the defensive magic is still in effect!

'What?　Oh, yes!　Tee-hee!

　Leune came to himself at my voice and attacked the Green Dragon with the spear in his hand.

　Bash!

　However, Leune's spear was played without penetrating the Green Dragon's scales.

''This!　This!

　However, no matter how many times you attack it, it can't penetrate the Green Dragon's scales.

''That's strange, from the way it looks, I think it's good enough for Green Dragon.

　Could this be........could it be that thing?
　I pull my own sword out of its sheath and throw it at Leune-san.

''Ryune, please use this!

'What?　What the hell?　A sword suddenly appeared?　Why?

　Ah, by leaving my hand, which was using a concealment spell, it seemed as if a sword suddenly appeared in the air in Leune's eyes.

"Come on, try fighting with it!

Yo, I don't know what's going on, but I get it.

　Ryne-san changes her weapon and goes towards the Green Dragon without hesitation.
　With the fact that she no longer has to worry about damage with her defensive magic, she seems to have no more hesitation in her movements.
　That's a good trend.

''I'm not used to sword spacing, but at this distance!　Taaaaah!

　Ryune-san attacks again, but the Green Dragon doesn't even show any signs of evasion.
　They couldn't inflict a single wound on themselves despite the fact that they've attacked so many times before, so they probably thought they were just a bit stiff and didn't need to be warned.

　It was a literal carelessness.
　Leune's sword entered the Green Dragon's front leg without any resistance at all and severed its leg as it slid.
　Having lost one of its legs, the Green Dragon lost its balance and fell to the ground before it could understand the situation.

''Huh?　What?　What just happened?

　Yeah, I knew it.

''The reason Leune-san couldn't defeat the Green Dragon was because of the weapon.

A weapon?　What does that mean...?

　I picked up the spear that Leune had thrown out and checked the condition of its blade tip, and then peeled the scales from the green dragon that was nearby.
Then I used the scales to sharpen the tip of Ryune's spear.

''Ryune, try fighting the dragon again with this spear!

　I improvise and throw the sharpened spear to Leune.

''Huh?　Oh, yes!　I understand!

　Leune, who received the spear, holds it in a familiar manner and goes towards the green dragon.
　After all, it's easier to fight with a weapon you're used to handling.

Taaaaah!

　With a flash of spunk, the spear wielded by Ryune easily sliced through the Green Dragon's scales and tore through its body to the very end.

''Ugh, lie!　This is my spear!

　Leune was surprised as she rolled her eyes, wondering if the spear in her hand was really her weapon.

''That spear, until a moment ago, the tip of the blade was mostly crushed, so it was more like a blunt instrument than a spear.

　Of course, if you improve your slashing ability with enhanced magic, you'll be able to fight with this spear as well.
　The spear itself seems to be reasonably sturdy, so it should be fine for dealing with ordinary demons.

"Probably, but I think the master who let Ryune-san take over that spear gave it to him with the blade crushed on purpose.

What?　Why would you do that?!

　I'm surprised when Leune-san looks like she can't believe it.
　Well, I don't expect my own master to deliberately give me a weapon in a ruined state.

'This is my guess, but I think Ryune's master wanted his apprentice to be able to survive in any situation. For example, even when you can't use your weapons properly...''

　When I was training in my past life, my master suddenly handed me a piece of an iron rod, but he said I had to use it to survive for a month on a deserted island.

So, does that mean I have to be more powerful so that I can fight without using a weapon?

Or maybe you wanted me to be able to take perfect care of this spear myself.

''Your father did that.......I thought it was because I was too inexperienced to use this spear....

I mean, didn't you take care of that spear yourself?

Or you could have a blacksmith take care of it for you.

　Yeah, gyro you guys have a good point.
　I don't think a warrior can't take care of his own weapons, or worse, ask a blacksmith to do it for him.

'Well, if it's a practice spear, I've been taking care of it myself and using it to slay demons. But this spear is the only one that I couldn't cut properly, no matter how much I took care of it. I asked a number of blacksmiths to take care of it, but for some reason, no matter who I asked, it never became sharp. That's why I thought that this spear must have a special use for slaying dragons.

　I see, you're too serious to come up with any other cause.
　But I'm relieved to hear that. The reason for this is because of the care of weapons, and even though I lost my profound knowledge of the art, I didn't think that a descendant of the dragon knight would be able to defeat a green dragon.
　With the right weapons, even a rookie should be able to defeat a Black Dragon without any problems!

By the way, how did you get this spear to work?　And that too in this short time.

Oh, that bothers me, too.

　Meghri and the others join in the conversation as they hunt dragons.
　Everyone is starting to feel more comfortable.

Oh, I just used the green dragon scales as a grindstone.

"What?　Dragon scales as a whetstone?

That's right, dragon scales can be used not only for equipment, but also as a tool, like a whetstone. Experienced craftsmen can lightly process the dragon scales they find and turn them into an improvised tool.

　Well, since it's improvised, I can only imagine the quality of the care, so I still think it's better to ask the right person to take care of it later.

It's great!　I didn't know you could make such an amazing cut with scales you picked up!　As expected of the Dragon Emperor!

''No, I'm not the Dragon Emperor. Besides, it will definitely be much sharper if you ask a proper blacksmith who is an expert, rather than a dexterous poor man like me to do it.

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

　Huh?　For some reason, I got a lucky break from Liliera and the others.

'For that matter, how to care for that dragon's scales, by all means teach me how to care for it!　I want to know how to take care of it without a whetstone!

　Mr. Megri seems curious about how to take care of it without it costing him a lot of money.

'You can seriously do anything you want, brother!　That's really awesome!

　No, no, no, you can't do everything, Mr. Gyro.

　And that's when it happened.
　The dragons in the surrounding area suddenly began to dance in the sky and take their distance.
At the same time, the air in Longfeng changed to a swift one.

''Eh?　What!

　Liliera and the others also felt the air and became more alert.

''This.......is a swarm of dragons approaching, isn't it?

　I used my exploration magic to examine the reactions of the dragons in the vicinity, and although slowly, the dragons were approaching while encircling us.
　However, they are strangely slow in comparison.
　It's as unnaturally slow as a human walking.

''There's something strange about it. Everyone please pay attention!

Okay, okay!

'I've never seen my brother so alarmed before...'

Yeah, well, I guess you have to be careful.

Uh, what's going on here?　Maybe it would be better to run away!

　Certainly, in terms of uncertainty, running away is an option.
　However, we are only here to train in this Dragon's Peak.

''Ryune, if you want to become a top-notch dragon knight, running away from dragons is not an option.

''Huh?''

　Leune huffs at my words.
　That's right, a person who becomes a dragon knight must defeat and obey a dragon.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make your life easier.
　I'm not a dragon knight, so it's perfectly fine for me to run away.

　When I canceled the spell of concealment, I retrieved my weapon that was lent to Ryune and held it ready.

''The decision is yours, Ryne-san. What do you want to do?

　At my words, Leune-san showed a momentary expression of hesitation, but quickly revealed a determined look in her eyes.

''I have never been able to defeat even a wyvern before. But I was able to defeat the Green Dragon just after meeting you. That's probably because of the power of the weapon, but even so, I was able to do what I couldn't do. So......

　Mr. Leune tells her the words of preparedness.

''Please. Train me.........to fight the dragon!

　Yeah, it's settled.

I understand. So, let's start the real training now. It's going to be a real battle style training, but please do your best to follow me.

Okay, okay!

　Ryune's resolve has been hardened and we prepare to attack the approaching dragons.

It's not just a matter of time before you get a chance to see them. Also, I'll use strengthening magic to improve your physical abilities as well.

　It's an exercise, but this time the enemy is acting strangely.
　So I make sure to be ready for them.

"They're coming soon!

　A silvery white wing appears from across the land.

''What color are those wings...?''

　And a dragon covered in silver scales appeared.

''Silver Dragon!''

"What?　A silver dragon is the next strongest class of dragon after that golden dragon?

　Yes, the one who appeared in front of us was the No. 2 Silver Dragon of the dragon world, just like Ryune said.

You are going to be able to get the most out of it," he said, "I thought I was going to die the other day, but this one is tough too.

　Liliella and the others are sweating fat sweat, yet they still don't lose their weapon stance.
　Yes, everyone seems to have gained some courage after the fight with the Golden Dragon the other day.

It's the silver dragon. .........we're going to die.......

　You're exaggerating, Leune.
　If it's only a silver dragon, I don't think you need to be so vigilant.

As much as I'd like to say it, it seems strange to me.

　Yes, that Silver Dragon was strangely murderous.
　It is true that even among dragons, the Silver Dragon is the most proud of all the dragons, so it is understandable that they would not forgive an opponent who entered their territory.

　However, the murderous spirit of the Silver Dragon in front of me didn't look like it was just angry at being trespassed upon.
　Besides, that slow movement speed.......I'm also worried about another enemy that's approaching right now.

''Everyone be careful, the real target isn't this Silver Dragon!　They're coming already!

　As if to answer my concerns, another reaction that had been belatedly approaching the Silver Dragon appeared.

"!

　Zuri zuri zuri.
　Jittery jittery.

"...what?

　What appeared there was the figure of a golden dragon that had been forcibly dragged along by many of his fellow dragons while desperately trying to escape, and was being carried away.

''What is that?''