For an exchange of a greeting, I approached a goblin and slashed it.
Slashing its stomach as if using a knife to cut a cheese cake, its internal organs popped out.
–Kimonhou power increase…… !
A vermilion miasma seeped out from my body.
And, accelerate.
The scenery moved as if it was in slow motion.
A swing of a sword.
The internal organs of the goblin flew out.
Accelerate more– a swing of the sword.
As if a ragged dust cloth, I turned the goblins into skulls.
Slash. (tl: Or 'kill' if you want, the word is 斬る but for some reason I like to stick with 切る, both is read the same way)
Evade the attack. And then lacerate the goblin’s meat.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
— I chose the most appropriate options within the countless ways of defeating them.
If I had made a mistake somewhere, I would surely be pushed back by their numbers.
And, I saw from the corner of my eye that Cordelia was being ambushed.
Hastily, I ran towards Cordelia.
Idle thoughts and impatience will lead to mistakes.
I took an arrow to my shoulder. And at the same time, there’s a goblin from behind me pointing a spear at my head.
Without turning my head back to look, I evaded it by tilting my head a little.
A line of blood formed on my cheek from the graze– and, I faced back and slashed.
Tsk, I clicked my tongue while I pulled out the arrow.
–To protect a person while fighting is really difficult. No…… Cordelia also did protect me while……
Accelerate. Accelerate. Further accelerate– at full power.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
–At some point, I’d completely stopped thinking.
The total number of goblins is not more than 400.
Even if I had the advantage, it really doesn’t feel like it to face this much.
My thoughts could not catch up with his body movement.
Yes.
Not moving after thoughts— but reflexively moving.
In these few years, while I had Bernard-san became my master…… we have crossed swords more than ten thousand times training me to be able to move reflexively.
The spurt of blood had splashed onto my whole body, my eyes refused to open….. I couldn’t even attempt to wipe the blood off.
Cordelia’s now tattered sword does not only has countless of chips in it, there is also a mixture of blood and oil on it.
At that moment, I decided that this blade cannot do its job anymore, I got myself a spear from the dead body of a goblin lying around.
Accelerate. Accelerate. Pushing over the limit — Accelerate.
Both thoughts…… and the body…… accelerate them all.
The lactic acid in my body was building up.
My wrist became heavier and heavier whereas my legs couldn’t move as I wished.
My knees started trembling, and I let out a sigh when my legs fully came to a halt.
This was not caused by the depletion of Magic Point used by the body strengthening techniques.
–Just purely out of stamina.
This is a real battle.….. She swallowed her sigh. Cordelia could not let out a smile being the one depleted of MP.
The overly used body (tl: sounds so so wrong) raised a scream, Budum, Budum, Budum– my heart was beating fast. (ドクっ x 3: dokun)
A heavy, heavy, deep breath.
The phrase 火事場の馬鹿力 really defines this situation …… It seems like, my body can still move.(火事場の馬鹿力[kajiba no bakachikara]: when people are in a desperate situation, they let out more power than they have when their power is released. direct translation: fire place の stupid power)
Legs…… Move.
Even so, if I I took a vehicle for an example, the gasoline meter in the dashboard would be in the red.
–Of course, I will not last long.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
And at some point, I couldn’t even see the surrounding scenery.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
Slash. Evade. Lacerate.
–And when I had noticed, all presences of evil magical type beings were lost.
Using a spear from the goblin as a support, I panted a little while looking up at the sky.
Then, I heard a voice from behind me.
「Lute……? You….. are you really Lute?」
With a shaky voice, Cordelia asked me.
「……Is there anyone else besides me」
「But, you are a villager……」
Her line of sight was directed towards the endless sea of dead bodies.
Half of the pile was done by Cordelia, and the other half was done by me.
「That’s why I had said…… Among the villagers…… I’m the closest to the strongest」
While I laughed bitterly at my own words, Cordelia pouted with a tone as if she could not accept it.
「…… Probably, you’ve hunted the last hundred goblins right?」
After thinking for a while, I nodded my head.
Even though my whole body was covered in cuts, my body screaming for rest…… I could still move.
My Magic Point has not even depleted by 10% yet.
「A villager stronger than a hero…… You…… what kind of trick……?」
A trick.….. I shrugged my shoulders.
「Truly a trick. In actuality, there are tricks」 (tl: I just want to mention that people these days or only the people around me don’t get sarcasm. Sometimes, I really want to strangle them)
「……?」
When Cordelia tilted her head to the side, I felt a heavy pressure from behind me. (small spoiler for easy understanding: wind pressure)
Her face turned blue when she noticed the presence behind me.
It seems like my ride has arrived
「……Aa…… Aa…… a…… Awawaa……」 (tl: stuttering like this and this )
Her sight made her speechless.
I turned to the back.
「Hehe……Didn’t you arrived a bit too slow? I finished them…… all by myself?」
There was simply a huge red dragon.
It’s length is more than 15 metres, as if time stops from the pressure released by the gigantic body.
「Fate brought me here…… I’ve gotten an oracle about a danger faced by a young one– by the looks of it……. what happened here……?」
The dragon look at me with a quizzical look.
「Just read my thoughts. That will be faster.」
The dragon squinted his eyes, and made a shocked expression (tl: really? the dragon-san did? how?)
「I gave a troublesome word…… With this, I must bring you to the Dragon’s Residence.」
Without thinking, I whistled.
「Really word by word?」
「Dragons…… do not lie」
「Then, I’ll have you take me there?」
The dragon and I nodded our heads, and I walked towards the dragon.
And, I heard Cordelia’s voice at that moment.
「……Lute? Where…… you…… Where are you trying to go to?」
「It’s the Dragon (Residence). I will not be back in a few years
「……………………In the…… Dragon (Residence)?」 (tl: 龍の中: inside the dragon)
I shrugged my shoulders and said.
「There are secrets to my power.In actuality, there are tricks…… that is the fruit of effort…… it is like that」
「…… Why…… into the Dragon (Residence)……?」
「You are a Hero. Now, I may be stronger than you. However, at this rate, you will overtake me in 1-2 years time…… That’s why I’m doing this」
Cordelia closed her eyes.
「…… The fact of you becoming a being out of the norm…… can be seen from the dead goblin bodies………… You will selfishly go to another place…… become stronger just like a monster…… saving a hero even though you are just a mere villager…… Selfishly disappear from the village for a few more years?」
「It is something that is needed. To be a normal person while being shoulder to shoulder….. this is needed」
「Of course! If you want to be stronger than a hero being a villager, you should have put tremendous effort using unthinkable ways to be that strong! At a place that I don’t know of…… selfishly…… unknowingly doing reckless things alone! I don’t like this…… I really don’t like to just keep quiet and see these things happening!」
「No…… Even though you say that you don’t like this……」
「In the first place, to be on shoulder to shoulder with me…… we don’t really need that right? You are a villager and I am a Hero…… Isn’t it good enough to let me protect you? You don’t have to put effort recklessly into something like that right?」
「No, but you……」
Then, she frustratedly stomped her feet.
「I hate this…… Are you expecting me to say it out?」
「Hate? What are you talking about?」
「I absolutely……. hate it……」
「Hate? That’s why I’m asking, what is it?」
With teary eyes, she shouted.
「About not being able to see Lute for a few years…… I’m saying that I hate it! I didn’t give you my consent! It’ll cause problem for me if you decide everything on your own!」
Really…… This child is so troublesome…… way from before…… really troublesome.
I mean, me going with the dragon should be my own will, I don’t need your permission for it.
Haa..…. I let out a small sigh.
「…… I won’t say goodbye」
I walked towards Cordelia.
「–I will be back for sure」
And, I hugged her, and kissed her forehead.
「……………………Hoe? 」(tl: definetly best line for the year)
She opened wide and she made a ふにゃあ[funny] expression. (tl: ふにゃあ: just get it with your otaku knowledge)
And her muscle from her hips relaxed, she fell to the floor.
Yoshi, taking this opportunity, I walked to the dragon and activated Physical Strengthening.
I jumped, and got onto the dragon’s back.
「As a goodbye…… Is this okay?」
The dragon said that with a half-smiley voice, I said with embarrassingly.
「I said I will definitely be back. That’s why this is enough」
「In actuality, You won’t be back in just a few years」
「I will be back…… surely. That’s why it’s okay like that.」
The crimson dragon stretched out its wings and took flight.
Flight.
It flapped its wings, and slowly raised its elevation.
And at that time, I heard Cordelia voice from below.
「Idiot! Lute is an idiot! You don’t decide everything by yourself….. you…… idiot!!! When you come back, I will not listen to you anymore!」
Really, you never changed from your childhood……
Then, stray tears made its ways down my cheeks.
And– the dragon didn’t ask about the silent tears streaming down my cheeks.