Luna and Elga are native to this island, and although they have animal ears and tails, they don’t look that different from humans. That’s why it’s easy for us to communicate, and to decide to start talking in the first place.
On the other hand, the wolves and emperor boar that attacked us suddenly are full on wild beasts. They only saw us as prey, and I had no trouble punching them as hard as I could either.
Now the problem is the jet black dragon looking down at us.
The forest trees shake violently with just a slow flap of the wings, creating a force that’s like a hurricane.
Is this being intelligent like Elga and Luna, or a wild beast like the beasts in the forest?
My idea of what dragons are like from before I reincarnated tells me dragons could go either way. That’s why I’m not sure.
“Tch! An ancient dragon, and that Bahamut youngster even. We got an annoying one here!”
Elga’s words tell me a little about the dragon’s nature. He talked about those ‘youngsters’ before.
That means we’re dealing with a being that can talk like Elga and Luna, but still a dangerous one.
And as I think about this, the black dragon suddenly drops the emperor boar this way.
That big mass is falling from the sky like a meteorite.
“Wai…”
We don’t even have time to run.
I figure I need to at least make sure they don’t get hurt, and catch the emperor boar.
Thankfully, the cheats given to me by god let me catch it easily, but the size still makes it hard for me not to lose my balance.
“A-are you all right, Arata!? I’ll lift it!”
“L-lift it?”
Reina whispers something, and then a gentle wind blows around me.
That wind turns into several small tornadoes that spread out around me, and gradually get bigger.
Eventually, they get bigger than me, support the emperor boar’s weight like they’re wrapping around its fur, and the emperor boar is balanced in the air.
Maybe it’s just because I’m not used to magic, but seeing tornadoes lifting a giant boar is a really weird sight for me.
“You can let go, Arata.”
“Ah, yes. Thanks Reina.”
I slowly let go, and it doesn’t look like the emperor boar is in any risk of falling.
After checking that, I turn my attention to the black dragon in the sky, and our eyes meet. It looks like I’m the dragon’s target.
“…Why?”
“Don’t go looking for logic from them. They don’t need a good reason.”
“I see.”
That said, those eyes tell me I’m the target here, but still…
“But if they never crossed into divine beast territory, why now?”
“Just to bring back the emperor boar?”
“Hum, Luna, if that was it, just placing it here would be a much better way to do it.”
Elga and Luna don’t show any fear, as the black dragon imposingly looks down at us from the sky.
Elga said it’s annoying, but they’re not scared or anything.
“Still, that thing’s gotta be ready, to cross into our turf like that.”
Elga cracks his knuckles with a daring smile on his face, and the dragon turns his way for a second, before turning right back to me.
“But seriously, why?”
“Here we go!”
The dragon spreads its wings wide and suddenly comes towards me.
Normally, seeing a gigantic being charging at you like that would be very scary, but just like with the emperor boar, I’m strangely calm.
In fact, I have this feeling inside me telling me it will work out.
“Hey Arata! Can you catch that!?”
“Probably!”
“All right, you stop it then, and I’ll take care of the rest!”
Elga drops his posture and gets ready to intercept.
A powerful white aura envelops his body, and it cracks the air around him just by being there.
“…!?”
Reina’s face turns pale, probably because of that pressure. I think she’s a lot more sensitive to magic energy than me.
I’m worried about her, but the dragon is a more pressing issue right now.
I thought about this with the emperor boar too, but normally, it would be impossible to catch something that big. I’d just end up dying.
But it’s like the organ that controls fear in my body is broken or something, because I don’t feel scared at all.
“Now I can catch it!”
I hold out my hands towards the rapidly approaching dragon, and then…
“That’s the spirit, real man! I expected no less from the brave one who asked for my hand in marriage!”
“…!?”
“Toh!”
I hear an excited and cute female voice, and then the black dragon starts shining and shrinking.
I’m too surprised to move, and the dragon keeps going towards me and hugs me.
“Hum…?”
There’s a black-haired girl wearing a black sundress in my arms. I’d put her age around high school, and her slightly fluffy hair is being held to the side by a red ribbon.
I know this girl is that dragon, but my brain can’t keep up with what she’s doing and this sudden development.
I turn and look at Elga, and see he’s frozen in that fired up pose, with the white aura still around him.
It feels like a cool scene from a fighting anime, but the situation around him is making him look a little lame.
“Yes yes. My husband’s body is fairly meaty, tight, and it feels nice to hug!”
“Hum, thanks?”
The girl is holding me tightly while pressing her head against me. It looks like she doesn’t mean any harm, but what does she mean by husband?
Elga’s no help, so I turn to Reina, but she’s looking even more sick than before.
“…! Just let go of me for now!”
“Nuoh!”
I pry the girl hanging on to me with her arms and legs away from me, and hold Reina, who looks like she’s going to collapse at any moment.
“I’m… Fine… It’s just a little magic energy intoxication…”
“It doesn’t look like a little…!”
She does look like she’s seasick or something, but seasickness can affect someone’s future activities too if it gets too bad.
Apparently Elga and that dragon girl’s magic energy are too concentrated for a normal human like Reina. She’s breathing heavily, and doesn’t look well.
I should probably get her away from them, so I put my arms under her knees and arms, and hold her while supporting her back too.
I’m pretty sure this is normally called princess carry, but overlook that for now.
“Wai, Arata!? What are you…!?”
“You can complain later, but we have to get you away from here!”
“Hyah!?”
I kick the ground and jump. I haven’t used my full power since I got to this island, but I suddenly accelerate and run through the forest.
“Darling! Are you betraying your wife right in front of her!? That strong spirit is good for a powerful male, but if that female wants to compete…”
I hear the girl say things I don’t fully understand, but I ignore it and eventually reach a calm river.
If this was caused by Elga and that dragon girl, she should be fine if we put some distance between them.
“Are you all right?”
“Ahh… Ahh…”
Her voice sounds weak. I sit down with my back against a rock, and hold her body while rubbing her back.
I’m holding her in front of me, so her rapid breathing is hitting my ear directly, and that’s not good for my heart.
But her condition is more important.
“…Ah… Ahh…”
After a while, her breathing starts to slowly calm down.
It’s very quiet here, with the only noise being the gently flowing river and the wind shaking the trees.
“Uu…”
I get worried that she’s hearing my heart, and that my face might be red right now. I actually feel like my face has never been this hot before.
Then I look at the side of her face, and through her red hair, I can just barely see her ear, which is deep red. She’s trembling a little too.
Her breathing is getting calmer, but she’s still not feeling well.
And here I am thinking about myself. That’s just awful.
I empty my mind, and keep rubbing her back until she feels better. I feel her relaxing in my arms, and although I can’t see her face from here, it feels like she fell asleep.
“Hn?”
I can feel someone watching me, and when I turn to look, I see Luna looking this way with a worried look on her face.
“…Is she all right?”
“Come here, slowly and calmly.”
I say, and Luna fearfully walks this way, before grabbing Reina’s clothes, seemingly anxious.
“Is she in pain because we were close?”
She’s worried about Reina, but also about our future. But I can’t imagine Reina is going to be hard on her.
And so, I gently pat Luna’s head.
“Au…”
“A kid like you shouldn’t be worried about that sort of thing. I’m sure Reina likes having you around, and she’d be sad to hear you say that.”
“Really? But..”
“If you’re still not sure, try to contain your magic energy or something when you’re near her. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Reina’s condition stems from taking in much more concentrated magic energy than humans can handle. But she’s fine when Luna is acting normally, so she should be fine if people around her are careful.
I tell that to Luna, and she nods with a serious expression on her face. I think she understands.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Yes, that’s great.”
I pat Luna’s head again, and her bright smile finally returns to her face.
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Dragon joins the harem. Thanks for the chapter!