“W-where are you going!? That’s dangerous!”
“No! Hurry up and get out of here!”
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?”
I hear their panicked voices as I head towards the dragon they called Walpurgis.
“Gyah! Gyaaaaaa! Gyaaaaaaa!”
Walpurgis keeps trying to intimidate me, but it’s not really doing anything else.
In the middle of all that screaming, I notice it’s shrinking back.
I keep walking towards the dragon, one step at a time, as those three keep yelling behind me.
“Yes, no problem.”
I look up again, but still don’t feel that ‘something’ I feel from Wil and the others.
“G-g-guaaaaaah!”
It opens its mouth and expels flames, like it’s telling me not to get any closer.
I remember being hit with fire too when I first met Tiltue, but just like back then, I basically feel nothing.
“Ah… Ahh… It’s all my fault…”
“No, I couldn’t save him…”
“You idiots, don’t torment yourselves! We need to at least avenge… Eh?”
I hear the confused voice of the girl that apparently is called Witch of Destruction.
As the flames die down, they’re starting to be able to see me again.
“Wait… He’s alive?”
“It can’t be, Erie. Did you feel the magic energy in those flames? Who could be on the receiving end of that and survive… Hn?”
“Yes. The church’s history says this dreadful flame destroyed multiple countries… Oeh?”
I guess Walpurgis is getting tired of letting out its breath, because it gets weaker and weaker.
And here I am, completely unharmed.
“Guah!?”
“““…Ah?”””
Those three are surprised, but I’m used to that reaction by now.
It started with Reina, and then Xellos and Merlin, but even they just go ‘well it’s Arata’ at this point.
“Even though I am still human.”
They call me Arata like it’s my species. That’s kind of mean.
Anyway, this Walpurgis looks to be an enemy of mankind, so it should be fine if I treat it like a monster in the same category as something like the emperor boar.
It’d be one thing if it could turn into a person like Tiltue… Well, even so, it attacked me first…
“It’s my turn to attack, right?”
I feel like Walpurgis is shaking its head, but I don’t think it can even understand me, so I’m probably just imagining it.
I put a bit of strength into my leg, and take a step forward. At the same time I put out my fist and hit the dragon in the belly, sending it flying high into the air.
“““…Ah?”””
About half a minute later, Walpurgis’ huge body falls to the ground with a thunderous noise.
Apparently that one attack ended its life, because it doesn’t show any signs that it’s going to move. The emperor boar survived it, but I guess this one isn’t as resilient.
“Is that good enough?”
I turn around with a smile, and those three look at me with their mouths wide open.
The fact that they’re so incredibly beautiful just makes those expressions even funnier, so I laugh.
“So… I took down that annoying dragon. Can you send me back?”
“Eh? Ah… Eh?”
I ask the saint, since it looks like she’d be the one to know about it, but it sounds like her mind is still not back to reality.
I don’t have any choice but to wait for her to calm down. Hm, does dragon taste good?
“…Can I take it with me?”
I have storage magic, so I think I can, but… Maybe Tiltue won’t like that, so I better not.
And as I think to myself that I should ask someone else if dragon tastes good, the same golden light that brought me here appears below me.
“Oh…?”
“H-hum! Are you god!?”
The saint sees the magic circle appear again, and rushes to ask me like she just finished rebooting.
I’ve met god, so I know better than anyone else I’m not it, and I shake my head.
“I’m (probably) human.”
The other two are looking at me like they don’t believe me, but I’m telling the truth.
I’ve been questioning that too lately, but I keep telling myself no one will believe it if I don’t believe it myself.
The magic circle keeps shining brighter, like it’s telling me to go home now that my job is done.
“Well, I think I’m going back.”
“But… We haven’t even thanked you!”
“Don’t worry about that. It wasn’t a big deal.”
I think a lot of the monsters I hunt on the island are stronger and quicker. A monster that doesn’t even run or hide is nothing more than easy prey.
“Then… At least tell us your name!”
“…Arata.”
Well, there’s no harm in giving them my name.
And then the saint, Ceres, speaks to me with a smile on her face.
“Mister Arata… I understand. I, Ceres the saint, will spread word to the church about your fantastic achievement. Your greatness will be passed down for generations!”
“Eh? Wai, no…”
Don’t do that, that’s embarrassing!
I try to reach out with my hand, but the shine coming from the magic circle is at its brightest.
“Leave it to me! I will take on the duty of spreading word of the messenger of god… No, the living god Arata!”
“Can you just calm down…!?”
“…Thank you very much, our messiah Arata…”
The moment I try to stop her, the scenery changes again.
It’s the forest I’m used to seeing. It’s dark, so I assume some time has passed.
“…What was that all about?”
Was I dreaming or something?
If not, I guess I’ve been made out to be a messiah or messenger from god or a living god in some place.
“…I wonder if Reina and Tiltue have settled down.”
Well, I don’t think I’m leaving this island, so I don’t need to worry about all that.
No one’s going to believe that the guy I think was a hero couldn’t beat that dragon, and then some guy showed up and downed it in one hit anyway.
I go back while thinking about that, and…
“Ah, Arata… Hum, I…”
Reina’s face turns bright red from embarrassment when she sees me. It looks like she remembers what happened earlier today.
You’re going to make me feel self-conscious too…
“Kukuku, welcome back, Arata.”
“You look like you’re having fun, Wil.”
“That’s because I actually am.”
Wil is relaxing in my house, so I guess she did do as I asked. That’s all fine and good, but this mood around her like she’s going to go all out making fun of me isn’t.
“Darling. Wel-come-back!”
“Whoa…”
After stopping a tackle that carries more force than you’d expect from her body, Tiltue looks up at me with the same happy expression as always.
It looks like she’s back to normal. Not that she’s not doing the same thing anyway.
“I’m back.”
“Mfuh…”
She rubs her head against me, and I pat it while approaching Reina.
“I’m back, Reina.”
“…Yes, welcome back, Arata.”
Her face is still red, but I notice how just seeing her smile makes me feel relieved.
I guess I didn’t realize how much I…
“Well then Arata. Now that you’re back, I should be leaving soon.”
“You could stay here.”
“Hmph. I wouldn’t do something so vulgar. Hey dragon, you’re coming too.”
“No! I want to sleep near my darling!”
“Good grief, that wouldn’t be fun.”
Wil uses shadow magic to hold on to Tiltue as she protests, and leaves.
She completely ignores Tiltue screaming next to her.
“Well then, Arata and Reina! Have a fun night!”
She says, and the two of them disappear into the darkness of the night, leaving me alone with Reina…
“Hum… Arata… About earlier today…”
Reina wants to say something, but I don’t think we should be starting anything now.
“A lot happened today, so let’s just rest and go back to normal tomorrow.”
“…Yes. Let’s do that.”
That’s why I spoke over her.
“But Arata… That means we don’t have to go back to normal today.”
“Eh?”
I’m taken aback, and she hugs me tightly.
And then…
“…What happened earlier today wasn’t just because of the alcohol.”
“Reina…”
“I will go back to normal tomorrow, so can you spoil me just for today?”
Those whispers carry enough destructive force to obliterate my sense of reason.
And so, like I’m touching a fragile jewel, I slowly, gently, hold on to her soft and slender body.
It really, really makes me feel like this is the place where I belong.
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