Ankoku Kishi Monogatari (WN)

◆Dark Knight, Kuroki

I descend from Glorious and go toward the entrance of the cave at the mountainside – the dwelling place of holy silver dragon king.

The cave is so big, even Glorious’ huge body can easily enter it.

I'm currently in my dark knight form as this might be turn out into a battle out of nowhere.

If that were the case, I'll escape right away.

I don't want to forcibly snatch away the dragon horn. I'll try to negotiate and exchange for the horn. However, the possibility of that is quite low.

Darkness pervades inside the vast and deep cave.

I walk along with Glorious.

I suddenly seem to have arrived at a vast space after walking for quite a while. This wide space is bright despite being located in a place without sunlight.

The source of that brightness is the countless light crystals that illuminate the interior of the cave.

And then, a dragon is present right in the center of that room. This dragon is definitely the holy dragon king.

This dragon is far bigger than Glorious, and on top of that, an extremely beautiful one, too.

It appears that this dragon doesn't have scales like a normal dragon. It is instead covered with silver colored hair, with each one of those silvery hair glimmering with light.

And then, the silvery body of the dragon that is sparkling under the illumination of the crystal light really completes the fantastic scene.

I am unintentionally fascinated by the scenery.

Noticing my arrival, the dragon is looking at my direction. The blue pupils of the dragon are focussed at me.

I couldn't feel any hostility from it. This might be a sign that I can settle this matter peacefully.

「You have finally arrived, dark knight. I know the reason for your visit」

Its voice is clear and transparent.

Did it just say that it knows the reason for my visit? Could it be that it could prognosticate?

「It’s because Modes told me about this matter」

But the answer provided by the dragon completely betrayed my doubt.

「Modes told you?」

The dragon nods to me.

「I was troubled since my horn had grown too long. If it's someone of your caliber, you might be able to trim my horn beautifully, right?」

「Hah … Ah」

I feel exhausted after hearing those words. Even though I came here fully prepared for a sudden attack, the result was rather anti-climatic. Nevertheless, I should be delighted now since I can end this without using force.

Come to think of it, Modes did say that I had to travel here to trim the horn of the dragon, but he never said that I literally had to cut the horn of the dragon.

It seems it was a misunderstanding on my behalf.

In the end, it was nothing but a simple errand. I must apologize to Modes for doubting his intentions in my heart.

I'm currently looking at the head of the dragon. Its crystal-like transparent horn is shining even brighter than the surrounding crystals.

When that horn is added to its already gigantic body, it ended up bumping on the roof of the cave. It definitely would make one uncomfortable.

「Will you make a beautiful cut at the center? Since it'll grow to the same length in around 5000 years, please take care of my horn again when the time comes」

Though I don't know whether I'll be there 5000 years later, I just nod to the dragon’s request.

「Understood. Please leave it to me」

When I mounted the trimmed horn on Glorious’s body, Glorious is trembling slightly.

「Sorry, Glorious. Please endure this for a while」

I apologized to Glorious.

The horn is too big that it can't be placed on transfer magic along with Glorious. And I couldn't bring such a huge thing while flying. Thus I decided to mount it upon Glorious and take it to Nargol.

「Woah, you saved me there」

The holy dragon king expresses its gratitude.

「I should be the one saying that. Thank you very much, Holy Silver Dragon King」

I bowed again to the Holy Dragon King.

「Uhm…」

Holy Dragon King is also nodding back in response.

「Is there something …」

I asked the Holy Dragon King.

「As expected, it seems that you are really capable of using dragon abilities. I can smell a nice fragrance coming from you」

The holy dragon king is bringing it nose closer and sniffing.

I'm happy and yet slightly bewildered when its nose brushes on my body. Upon seeing that, Glorious also brings it nose closer to my body.

The holy dragon king seems happy.

「I kept observing all your actions ever since you're arrived in this kingdom, you know」

I'm quite surprised in hearing its words. I should have noticed about that matter if such huge dragon had kept observing me closely.

「I am capable of clairvoyance. Thus, I can see your every action with this ability. Moreover, as I expected, you won't be able to notice this unless I'm hostile toward you」

Maybe because it can sense the doubt in my mind, the holy dragon king answers to the question in my mind.

「Other than you, I also observed the hero party. As expected, it seems that short-haired girl somehow managed to notice my action」

This short haired girl might be referring to Todoroki Naomi. It seems her perception ability is more evolved than mine.

「Thus, I witnessed about what happened in that kingdom. The thread of Zarxis is connected to god. Even I will become his prey if I were to enter his domain」

I receive a shock after hearing the last sentence.

「You know about Zarxis?」

「Naturally. It's better to ask Modes if you wish to know more about that guy. They're former comrades, after all」

This is the first time I heard about this.

「That's also another thing for which I want to offer my deepest gratitudes to you. The one who stopped Zarxis is you, right?. But I couldn't see the situation in that basement since there's a barrier surrounding it. There was a bit of relationship between me and that kingdom. Thank you for protecting that kingdom in my place. Thank you very much, Dark Knight Diehart」

Despite the huge size of Holy Silver Dragon King, it seems it is lacking in combat prowess.

「No, such a grandiose thing is … Great」

But, it sure makes me feeling good to receive such a praise from this perso- … cough … I mean from this dragon. I know that I'm blushing right now.

「I never expected that you'll cooperate with the hero. As expected, is this a united front against a common enemy?」

「No … It wasn’t a united front」

I just deny his accussation. I have no intention to fight with him. It was just a coincidence.

「Well, whatever is fine, I also have no intention to be involved in the conflict between Rena and Modes. I'll maintain my position as a neutral party」

I heard about that matter from Modes. It seems the dragon king is neutral in this conflict.

「Even so, I can feel the soul of dragon within you. It might be because you released the soul of the dragon who had been taken captive by Zarxis」

It seems this dragon has seen through every bit of me.

「Despite having grown too long, at first I was hesitating whether to give that horn to you. But then, I changed my mind after observing all your actions」

「So, that was the case …」

「You can create the best goddess that you wish with this horn. It seems you're suffering from a similar problem as Modes. You're not popular with women, aren't you?」

I think that's none of your business. I want to say so.

Well, I can make a goddess as long as I have this horn. Thus, I should feel grateful toward this dragon.

「My power is affiliated with the healing attribute. Thus, the goddess that will be born from my horn will definitely inherit my healing power. She'll be a great help on your side」

Holy Silver Dragon King says so while looking at the horn tied to Glorious.

I brush the horn. It was a beautiful horn that shines even brighter than the crystal of this place.

It will definitely give birth to a beautiful goddess.

「Thank you very much, Holy Silver Dragon King. I'll come again for a visit after the goddess is born」

I smiled and bowed again in gratitude to the holy dragon king.

「Yeah, see you again, one who bears the power of dragon」

「Yes. Let's go, Glorious」

After raising my head, I urge Glorious to go with me toward the entrance.

There are a lot of things I have to do after going back to Nargol. It'll become a hectic day.

I walk while thinking about such things.

After arriving at the entrance of the cave, I suddenly felt powerful magical power mixed with killing intent.

「This … This is!」

I stopped Glorious on track and then invoked my magic.

「Maximum dark hole!」

A gigantic black hole formed in front of me. That moment, it faced a torrent of light.

That was close. The light vanished as it got sucked by the black hole.

I knew that light. It was the light magic used by Reiji last night. A normal defensive magic might be terminated if it blocked that level of magic. I could somehow devise a way to deal with that magic after seeing it yesterday.

What the hell is this guy trying to do by using that magic despite knowing that Holy Dragon King’s inside?

「Glorious. Wait right there」

After telling Glorious to stand by for me, I went alone toward the entrance of the cave.

Just as I expected, Reiji-tachi was waiting for me outside the cave.

There are 7 of them. All of the members are there except for that girl called Kyouka, Reiji’s little sister. Naturally, Shirone is there, too.

I don't know why they're here, though. They really surprised me.

「Diehart!」

The black haired woman shouts my name. It's Mizuouji Chiyuki.

「It's a fact that you're powerful. And none of us can beat you in personal combat. But then, what will happen if we combine our powers?」

After saying so, Reiji draws his weapon.

WAIT A MINUTE――! ! ! I am screaming inside.

「Spirit of wind, protect everyone!」

Our body became lighter along with Rino’s words. Now, we can move even faster and more comfortable.

「Holy power, bless everyone」

Our body got covered by white light after Sahoko’s spell. Though this light is scarce, it blesses us with continuous healing power.

Two people are reciting the magic while setting their stance.

I start chanting my magic, too. I enchant everyone’s weapon with magic. This should raise everyone’s offensive power.

We are facing against Diehart, after all. This is the third time we are meeting him.

It really surprised me when Reiji suddenly used the Light Cannon of Heavenly Might magic toward Diehart. The holy dragon king might be alive in there, you know.

I don't know what will happen inside the cave if Diehart didn't use his magic to protect himself against Reiji’s.

Since Reiji thinks that it's okay as long as he doesn't harm any women, he might not even care about what would happen to the dragon king who is protecting the Rox Kingdom.

Nevertheless, why could that guy neutralize Reiji’s magic? It shouldn't be possible to defend against that magic with your average magic skill. I feel again the pressure of fighting a powerful opponent.

Looking from where Diehart’s coming out, I have no doubt that the horn of dragon king was just stolen by him. What the heck is Rena doing right now?

We haven't hear any particular tactics about this operation from Rena except that we have to keep Diehart busy.

And now that I can't see her figure, did she just encounter an unfortunate incident?

That's why the horn of holy dragon king should have been easily stolen.

Even though I was hesitating whether to fight Diehart or not previously, the situation has changed now. They tried to annihilate the Rox kingdom completely. I won't leave this kind of dangerous guy to his own devices.

Though I still think that we've to act carefully, I'm not hesitating anymore. I'll take him down with everything I got.

Our formation has Shirone and Kaya as our vanguards, Reiji in the middle, with Nao supporting from the side. Rino and I will attack with magic as rear guard, and Sahoko would healing everyone on the frontline. This is our sure win pattern.

Since there's no thick fog like last night, now we were fighting with our full strength.

Nao takes the plunge first with her projectile. Nao’s boomerang is whizzing toward Diehart.

Nao’s boomerang will split when it’s thrown toward the target; moreover, it'll create vacuum blades that are capable of slicing several targets.

But, after Diehart unsheathed his sword, he made all those vacuum blades vanish with one swing of his sword along with all the boomerangs. Splendid, there's no hesitation in the way he swung his sword.

Though he can defend himself from those boomerangs, it's enough for us since Reiji is already rushing to attack him by taking advantage of the gap created when he swung his sword.

According to Kaya and Shirone, Reiji’s attack is really hard to dodge and almost impossible to predict. Diehart, whose stance has been disturbed by those boomerangs, might be unable to dodge that attack.

「EEEH! ! 」

The next moment, I didn't even know what happened. Reiji attack just passed through Diehart’s body.

Even Reiji is dumbfounded by that situation.

Though I don't know what just happened, the next moment, Shirone spread her wings and already dived from above. Though it couldn't be used in closed spaces or in a room, this open space gave her absolute advantage. She swings her sword while dropping down from overhead. But, Diehart easily dodged that attack by a paper thin margin.

From below, Kaya rapidly approaches Diehart while unleashing her fists. As long as Kaya’s fists connect, the damage will definitely passing through his shield and armor and destroy him from the inside.

But, Kaya’s attack also passes through Diehart’s afterimage just like Reiji’s attack.

「EVERYONE! MOVE OUT――!」

Upon hearing Rino’s voice, the four people in the frontlines retreat immediately.

When I turn toward her, a tall woman, wearing a pale blue dress, is already standing in front of Rino. And then, a gigantic bird with thunder coiling around its body is rising above us.

They are the superior spirits under Rino’s command, the Snow Queen and the Thunder Bird.

It seems the number of people who could summon superior spirits could be counted using the fingers in two hands even amongst the elves who have great affinity with spirit, much less to say summoning two superior spirits at the same time; I heard that even the elf queen is unable to do that.

But, Rino can do that easily.

If physical attack can't get through to him, how about the attacks from these two superior spirits?

「Please, Spirit-san! FINISH HIM OFF!!」

A storm of icicle lances from the Snow Queen and lightning storm from the Thunder Bird come into existence along with Rino’s appeal.

Along with a thunderous noise, my field of vision is blocked by a cloud of dust in the next moment.

The cloud of dust clears up several seconds later. And Diehart is there, standing on his place.

「What's wrong with that guy! ! He’s not even injured by this level of attack?!」

I'm shocked. What the hell is wrong with this guy?

「He avoided that with his Mikiri*, huh. Our attacks can't reach him at all. There's a legend that Miyamoto Musashi can cut a grain of rice on his opponent’s forehead without even wounding his opponent, and this guy might be able to do the same thing」[TL* : A state in combat where one judges the technique, stance, and movement of their opponent to fight them with paper thin margin.]

Kaya elaborates about what happened.

「What the heck is that!」

What's with that godlike ability? Why is he still okay after all those attacks.

「But, it seems he couldn't perfectly withstand the attack of the spirit」

「Eh …」

Looking closely, Diehart’s body seems to be trembling.

「Moreover, he isn't coming to attack us since the start of the battle and is always on a defensive stance」

I smiled upon hearing Kaya's words. We can win as long as we can somehow inflict some damage upon him.

「In that case, let's attack him without giving him any chance for rest」

I am really scared of what happened in that basement, after all. It's wasn't done personally by Diehart, but he might be similar to that masked man. I'll make you pay for your sins.

Now, I'll make Diehart pay for what he did including the share of the Rox kingdom’s citizens.

「Ouch … That … Hurts」

Maybe it is because I couldn't perfectly dodge the attack of the spirit. My body is in pain.

As expected, 7 against 1 is just too much. [TL: This might be what the last boss feels when he's against the hero party.]

Why did things turn out like this.

It's just a simple matter for me to dodge Shirone’s attack; I used to spar with her so many times, after all. It's just the same even when she’s attacking from above. No, it's easier to dodge her aerial attack since it's follows a linear pattern.

The attack of the girl who used her fists was sharp. But, it was not at the level of a master. I could dodge her attack by parrying it.

Reiji’s attack was scary. This guy already killed a few people even back in our world. Every one of his attacks were aiming for my life.

But, I can read Reiji’s attack pattern to some extent. He never comes to attack me from the front; the attack always comes from outside my field of view. Just like a beast.

Normally, one can't do that kind of feat, but Reiji’s physical capability enables him to do so. That's why I can deliberately guide him to attack a designated spot by shifting my line of sight.

But still, I can't protect myself from the spirit attack. Though I might be able to protect myself from that attack as long as I use my magic barrier, their vanguard won't give me the leeway to do so.

Well, what should I do now?

I have no choice but to escape by looking for a gap. But, that's also difficult. Even if I were to escape with metastasis magic, I can't leave Glorious in this place.

When I'm looking around, Reiji and his party rush toward me again.

It's not so bad if it's just Reiji alone, but the mental damage caused to me is too much when even those girls are fighting to take my life.

I have no intention to fight against Reiji's women.

「Why did things turn this way …」

I wanted to laugh on myself.

But when I think carefully about it, maybe I know why things turned out this way.

Anyone who makes an enemy of Reiji will also become the enemies of the women around him. That's the one thing that doesn't change whether in our world or in this world. I should have anticipated this matter when I fought against Reiji.

That's why anyone who makes an enemy of Reiji will be hated by everyone. You can say that Reiji is a protector of girls in a certain sense.

Those women are standing on Reiji’s side. Truly an unpleasant situation, isn't it.

And the result of following my foolish sense of rivalry is this messy situation I'm currently at. I might be an idiot.

I should have prepared myself to become the enemy of those girls the moment I made an enemy of Reiji.

Now I'm driven to the corner since I'm lacking that resolution.

Maybe I shouldn't have saved Mizuouji Chiyuki back then. Her magic is aiming for my life now. I mean I'm sure that she wanted to be saved by Reiji, not me.

That's why I should launch my counter attack and not just remain defensive. It would mean that I must make the resolution to cut them down, including Shirone.

It might be only a matter of time before I die unless I retaliate.

The attacks from Reiji and the girls are reaching me now. If it's not for the damage of the previous attack, it's not that difficult to dodge their attacks.

Reiji is attacking as the vanguard while the magic bombardment is coming from behind.

Though my power keeps falling, it isn't the case for Reiji-tachi, thanks to Yoshino Sahoko who’s restoring their stamina repetitively.

I know that I'm slowly being driven to a corner.

But I couldn't force myself to attack those girls. Why am I such an idiot?! Even after reaching this point, why am I more worried about them than my own safety.

「GUH!」

I wonder how many times I have received that spirit attack now. I fall on my knees due to the pain.

Though my power has fallen, I have to still fight. I wonder how many times I would have to say those words to inspire myself.

But, that's no longer enough for my current state.

The way Reiji-tachi is retreating isn't normal, they took quite a far distance from my .

「What is………….」

And then, it was too late by the time I noticed so.

I don't know since when but, Mizuoji Chiyuki fired a gigantic light ball that set ablaze toward me.

I can feel an absurd amount of magical power from this magic ball.

「This is the compression of several fire magic and explosion magic skills, OVERLIMIT FIERY EXPLOSION MAGIC!! ! NOW YOU'LL PAY FOR YOUR SINS, DIEHART!! [TL: HE IS INNOCENT!] ! ! 」

Mizuouji Chiyuki is shouting that words.

Crap. I can only see that magic in silence. It's coming toward me.

I couldn't dodge it with Glorious right behind me.

I then start releasing every bit of magical power in my body. At least I'll do my best to protect Glorious. That is my resolution.

The magic ball is colliding against my defensive barrier.

And then, a gigantic storm of energy envelopes this area.

「Did I do it …」

It is the most destructive magic inside my arsenal. Yep, I want to believe that he has died by that attack.

The problem is that I might ended up demolishing the cave of the Holy Dragon King, but I will bet on the defensive magic of Diehart.

As long as we can end this fight with my magic alone, we don't need to destroy this cave.

And then, as if proving my premonition, even though the power behind this magic should be enough to demolish this mountain completely, the mountain isn't damaged in the least. It seems he took the brunt of that magic by himself. I might have to praise Diehart for his toughness.

「In the end, this villain is done for good」

I'm laughing.

「As expected, Chiyuki-san」

Nao is approaching me.

「It's not my own power, it's thanks to everyone’s cooperation」

Since it takes quite some times to prepare for that magic, our opponent can easily deal with me during that time.

Reiji-tachi is the one who was filling those gaps, and I managed to complete that magic.

「Thank you, Spirit-san」

Rino unsummoned her spirits after we confirmed our victory. The forms of Snow Queen and the Thunderbird become more transparent and eventually vanish.

「Did we kill him … Should I finish him off with my own hands …」

Shirone is saying so with a sad face.

「It's the same for me, Shirone. At any rate, he should be heavily injured right now」

Reiji is saying so while looking at the entrance of the cave where Diehart was.

We couldn't confirm his death with all that smoke from that explosion.

The smoke is gradually receeding.

「NO WAY!」

As the first one who noticed the situation, Nao is shouting loudly.

Diehart still standing right there on that place.

「NO WAY!? THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!」

I'm screaming. He shouldn't be able to survive from the collision with the magic into which I poured my entire magical power head on.

「How can he survive that kind of explosion …」

Even Sahoko is showing a face of disbelief.

「No, this is the end. Look closely」

Kaya is saying so while pointing at Diehart.

I take a close look at Diehart with magic. There are cracks on his armor and helmet. And then, it seems he was in pain to the point of using his sword as a cane.

「Fuh! As expected, it seems he won't die just from that attack! But, this is the end!」

Reiji is pointing his sword at Diehart.

「Wait, Reiji-kun!」

I'm trying to stop him in panic.

「What's the matter, Chiyuki」

Reiji is turning around with a dissatisfied face. That's natural since I stopped him when he tried to put up a front.

「What's the matter, Chiyuki-san. Are you trying to save him?」

Rino is asking me.

「She's right! He is dangerous, you know! We should finish him off right here! This is strange, why are you trying to save him!」

Shirone said so.

「Save him? As if I would! There's something that I wanted to ask him」

「Something that you wanted to ask?」

I nodded in hearing her question.

「You want to ask him too, right? It's about that masked man」

I have a debt I want to repay to that masked man. Thus, I want to know the information about him.

「That's why, let's keep his life for a little while longer」

We won.

「… If you say so, I have no choice then」

Shirone and Rino agreed to my request.

「In that case, maybe we should enquire several things that we want to know about. Even if we have to force him to spit it out」

Reiji is laughing. It seems he's going to torture Diehart.

「… Do it moderately, you're in front of girls after all」

Though I'm quite used to it after coming to this world, I'm still hesitant to use torture, even toward demons.

Nevertheless, it's a completely different case if he's not going to be obedient.

I went toward Diehart with smile on my face.

Reiji is shouting.

Though my consciousness is hazy, I heard him.

It's as he says. There's no goddess who will come to save me.

This is the difference between Reiji and me. An absolutely unsurpassable wall for me.

I'm alone facing seven of them. To be honest, that's quite unfair.

I couldn't help but think about such things after going this far.

The magic from before was too much. It's already a miracle that I'm still alive after receiving such magic head on.

I'm placing my hand on my chest. I can feel the breath of fire dragon inside myself.

「You saved my life … Thank you … But then … I guess I'm done for」

I muttered disappointedly.

I could withstand the flame explosion thanks to the fire resistance I got from the soul of the fire dragon. This is the reason why I survived that attack.

But, I couldn't withstand the shockwave from that explosion. Thanks to that, my armor is tattered right now. I'm barely standing on my feet.

I see them approaching me. All of them are smiling delightfully.

They might be delighted being able to defeat me.

I know that I'll be in a deep quandary if things keep going on like this, but my body couldn't move.

Why am I still okay after all of those attacks? They might spare my life as long as I reveal my identity and apologize properly to them.

But, I couldn't bring myself to do such things. Though my life is already in jeopardy, I wonder why I am such a blockhead.

Because I know from the sign behind me that Glorious is ready to pounce at me at anytime.

「Stop it, Glorious … Keep yourself hidden in there」

They shouldn't be able to find Glorious in its hiding place. That should at least save the life of Glorious.

They are …

My body is staggering, and my head is spinning.

「Ah …」

By the time I noticed, it was too late.

It might be because I shook my head. My heavily damaged helmet fell to the ground.

Diehart’s helmet falls on the ground at the same time as his body staggered.

At that moment, Diehart’s face is exposed to us.

「Eh … A human」

I'm surprised. I'm sure that it was the face of a demon behind that helmet.

His face is not that of a demon nor a monster; it was the face of a normal human. His slender features and that black hair. His slightly flushed red face.

「A――AAAH！ ! ! 」

Rino suddenly starts screaming while pointing at Diehart.

「What's matter!? Rino-chan!」

I look at Rino.

「AH! I've seen him before, you know!」

Rino has met Diehart before.

「Ku, roki…?」

Shirone is muttering in a low voice.

Upon hearing those words, everyone is looking at Shirone.

「W-WHY ARE YOU HERE, KUROKI――!」

Shirone's scream reverberates throughout the surroundings.

「AH! ! THAT'S RIGHT, HE'S SHIRONE-SAN CHILDHOOD FRIEND! ! 」

「「E――EEEEH！ ! 」」

Nao and I are screaming in response to Rino's words.

Come to think of it, Rino did say that she had seen Shirone’s childhood friend before. And to think that the he was Diehart.

That person might be him, right?

Why is Shirone’s childhood friend here?

My head is enveloped in chaos.

「Why’s Shirone’s childhood friend here? 」

Reiji is asking that question. I want to know that, too.

After that, I look at the childhood friend.

Indeed, that's the face of someone who is one step away from his grave.

「Ah, he is falling!」

Rino is shouting.

His body is swaying, and then falling backward.

「AH, KUROKI!」

Shirone is about to rush toward him.

But, a gigantic shadow comes out from the cave even faster than her.

「EH, A DRAGON!」

The one that came out was a jet-black dragon.

After that dragon picked him from the ground and placed him on its back, it flew away at a tremendous pace.

We couldn't move due to such an absurd development.

「Eh, what … WHAT JUST HAPPE――――NED!」

Shirone continues to scream. It seems she was at a loss about what just happened.

The dragon that took him had already became a dot in the sky.

I couldn't do anything but to watch that dragon flying away blankly.

I'm flying on Glorious back.

「You saved me there, Glorious」

It seems Glorious jumped on reflex upon seeing me fallen.

As a result, Glorious saved my live.

I have no Goddess of Victory, but I have a dragon who saved my life. That's why, even if I lost, I survived.

For some reason, Reiji-tachi isn't chasing after me. I don't know why.

I placed my hand on my face. My helmet is no more. It's my bare face.

「My identity is exposed huh …」

I'm no longer Diehart, just an extremely despicable person called Kuroki. At any rate, I was the one who cut down the one they love, after all. There's no turning back for me.

「As I thought, I really can’t win, huh …」

If such a sense of rivalry is useless, I wonder for what reason I am fighting.

「I really am an idiot, aren't I…」

I snickered on my own foolishness.

Then, I touch the horn of holy dragon king on Glorious’ back.

「I wonder if a goddess will come to me with this …」

I might be able to defeat them the next time we meet.

My consciousness is getting fainter by moment. As expected, I'm worn out.

「Sorry, Glorious … I'm going to sleep for a while」

My consciousness is fading away on Glorious back.

Glorious is flying under a vast, blue sky. Flying above the clouds, the sun is shining upon us.

Thus, I fell asleep on Glorious’ back.