There was a vast space.
It could probably contain many towns the size of Anise. The Cyclops wouldn’t have been able to reach the ceiling even if it tried.
In that dark room, there was a mountain.
No, a Dragon the size of a mountain.
A neck stretched up from that mass of black. It was too big.
Jet black scales. Golden eyes.
To even think that something that ridiculously large could exist was ludicrous.
Dark Dragon Valis.
With a single glace, the group stopped moving.
Their hearts and lungs stopped moving. Dying. Death.
“Sorry.”
Its words were like a coercive pressure, making the group prostrate themselves on the ground.
“Be at ease.”
A short while passed while their bodies once again began to send oxygen back through themselves.
Even Ria wasn’t able to move, it was as though she had been tied down.
“It’s been such a long time since I have met mortals. I forgot about adjusting.”
In the age of legends, they finished their dispute against the gods to overthrow heaven and earth, and were now this world’s absolute guardians.
She was restraining her power. They had no choice but to wait if she said so.
“Matching a human, it’s difficult.”
The mountain wiggled.
It undulated. It surged.
The black mass gradually shrank.
Ria relaxed the hand she had unintentionally placed on the katana at her waist.
That freak—no, the thing that rivaled a god, was she planning on fighting it?
Before she noticed it, the mountain had disappeared.
In the dark area in front of them, she heard footsteps.
Before long, a beautiful woman entered Ria’s view.
Her face was similar to Ria’s.
“Welcome, to my residence.”
“It’s different. Our residence? Human speech has changed a little since then… have I made a mistake?” [1]
Was the overwhelming presence earlier unneeded swaggering?
Valis turned around. The cave’s walls, filled with lots of holes—
There were countless dragons in them.
They gasped. They were each around one hundred meters long. An innumerable number of them slept in the holes along the wall.
More?
“Only when the world approaches destruction shall we truly awaken. For the degree of a Millennium, although we originally should not need to stir, I have a pact with Ryuke Riana. Among the Black Dragons, only myself shall support the humans.”
Valis waved a hand. Enough chairs were created from the floor for each person.
Saying so, she also sat down. She created the chairs in a circular pattern. Since Ria sat down directly, the others also did the same.
“Now then, what would you like to talk about? Is it the matter about Clarise?”
“Quite recently, humans—no, it’s we now, eliminated the God Dragon named Clarice.”
“We do not know the cause. Rather, although we know, I don’t have the words to describe it to you all. The concept doesn’t exist in human language. At any rate, with a strong Demon King and Hero, if both cooperate, it may have been feasible.”
The Demon King cooperate with the Hero?
Valis pointed towards the infant Dragon gatekeeper.
Next, she pointed at Ria.
She fixed her eyes on Ria. From the beginning, she hadn’t so much as looked at the other humans.
“You having chose this world, that is the first reason.”
“Iii—iii!”
“I chose the blessing myself. I didn’t know that chose the world!”
It was the power of rule.
“Perhaps I spoke incorrectly. You came to this world due to the [Universe’s Law of Causality].”
Because, the words spoken by the Dark Dragon included Japanese.
He was convinced that wasn’t it. He thought there must be a different reason.
“Next topic. You were born a Dragonslayer.”
“Power that goes beyond a human body. Although it is not a big deal for me, it might be an important thing for you all.”
“A Dragonslayer is a person who has more power than a Dragon. A person equal to the Hero and the Demon King. If you make a mistake in handling them, the Millennium’s order will be lost, and will lead to a large collapse.”
Despite having the power to kill a god, she abandoned it to live as a person for that human.
She wondered what sort of conclusion the humans in front of her would produce.
“Though it’s a third thing, it’s related to this world’s order.”
“My soul will soon wear out.”
“Afterwards, for the role of protecting this world… I request it of you.”
“That is the second reason why you chose this world.”
Moreover, she spoke as though the story was already over.
No one spoke at all.
This wasn’t a place for a person to live, the small humans knew that.
The overwhelmed humans, as though forgetting how to speak, were just trying to survive.
“There’s one thing I want to ask.”
Only Ria was able to resist this place’s pressure.
“Naturally.”
In desperation, Ria had asked the question as though she were preparing for death. She was given a complete response.
At that moment, Ria had an incredibly peculiar expression.
To begin with, just what is love?
“Do you not have someone you love sincerely?”
No.
It wasn’t love, it was more affection. Like she loved the sky, sea, and land, she loved Maal.
However, this wasn’t that.
Ria answered listlessly. She felt exhausted.
“However, Anaia and I sincerely loved each other.”
She wanted to cry, but didn’t show any tears. Because her mind was still a man’s! … Probably.
She’d consult Serge later. That’s what she decided.
Because she decided, she didn’t turn around anymore.
“I want you to lend me your power.”
“To unite the people on this land, to make it through the Millennium.”
However, after hearing Valis’ story, how small-minded was that desire?
No, it’s different.
For those doing their best to live, even if it was small, it wasn’t vulgar.
Valis stood up, compromising with Ria.
An enormous black fang even taller than Ria appeared in the room, piercing the floor.
That fang certainly was the color of a mineral.
She gracefully extended her hand to Ria’s brow.
Her Crisis Perception wasn’t operating either. Valis was definitely not harboring any ill will.
The fingertip touched, it felt like an electric shock.
Very quickly, Ria lost her grasp on consciousness.