Defeating Dragons

 

 

TL Note: The release schedule for this series will be once a week every Wednesdays starting this month!!!
Please look forward to the releases

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As we run toward the village’s last defensive wall, we hear a low, earth-shaking roar from behind us and the footsteps of the dragon as it starts to run with such force that the ground shakes.

 

Behind me, a short distance away, I could see Espada and Camsin.

 

I thought about telling Espada to use his magic, but there was no way I could get there in time.
It would be better to draw it closer to us and shoot it with the ballistas.

 

But it’s a delicate distance.
If the ballista is evaded, as it was at the castle wall, it will take time for our ballista to fire a second time.

 

It might be able to hold them back, but in that case, everything would depend on Panamella’s magic.

 

If that was the case, should we use Panamella’s magic to stop it and then use the ballista as planned?

 

No, that would be a difficult distance.
If the distance was too great, there would definitely be a lag.

 

“If I can somehow buy enough time for Espada and the others to escape this way…!”

 

The moment I said that, something passed by me at a great speed.

 

“Leave it to me!”

 

The one who jumped out was Dee, holding the big sword I had made.
She was wearing armor and carrying a large sword in both hands, and she was running faster than I could run at full speed.

 

“Leave it to me!”

 

“Vice Commander, you’re fast!”

 

Lagging behind, Irv and Roe also ran.
They were both equipped with large shields and long swords.

 

“The three of us are fine!”

 

I shouted in surprise, but Dee was already running past Espada.

 

“Seeaaaaah!”

 

With spirit, he swung down from the top.

 

The dragon didn’t care and tried to slice through Dee with its claws.
The speed was even.
The claws and the sword clashed beautifully as Dee brought his sword down to meet the dragon’s claws.

 

With a thud, Dee’s sword hits the ground.

 

Then, two of the dragon’s claws were severed, and it rolled on the ground.

 

With an ear-piercing screech, the dragon shook its face.
Then, it spun its body halfway around, gaining momentum.

 

“Iyaaaah”

 

“Doryaahhh!”

 

Irv and Roe appeared next to Dee in his defenseless state, rushing forward while holding their shields, and were blown away by the dragon’s tail.

 

Irv and Roe were flung away while being caught by the shield, and Dee, who was next to them, was blown up as well.

 

As the three of them rolled around like a ball, Espada stopped and activated his magic.

 

A wall of earth appeared to hide Dee and the others, and the dragon destroyed it with a swing of his arm.

 

“Run! Everyone!”

 

I shout, and Espada and Camsin come running towards us first.
Those two should be fine now.

 

Dee and the others were in trouble, but perhaps because they were superhuman, they quickly regained their bearings after being blown up so much.

 

“Retreat!”

 

“Ha!”

 

At the same time as Dee’s call, the three of them came running towards the village at the same time.

 

Dee, who was supposed to be the oldest, was the fastest.
At the back of the pack, behind Irv and Roe, is an angry dragon.

 

“Hyaaaah!”

 

As Irv approaches with a half-cry and a scream, the dragon decided that it had attracted enough.

 

“Panamella-san!”

 

“Yes!”

 

I called out her name, and Panamella replied as if she’d been waiting for me, thrusting one hand forward.

 

“Fire Javelin!”

 

The magic was activated, and a spear of flame came at the dragon’s face, which was aiming for Irv.

 

However, the dragon slowed down on the spot and braced itself by wrapping itself with its wings.
The flaming spear struck it directly, causing a pillar of flame to erupt.

 

“Aah! Ballista! Only the western half of the village, fire all at once!”

 

I had a bad premonition, so I quickly gave such an order.

 

Immediately afterwards, the dragon spread its wings all at once in the pillar of flames and instantly extinguished the flames that had been burning.

 

Then, arrows fired from the top of the village wall rained down on it.

 

The dragon twisted and avoided most of the mass of the bolts.
Only a few of the bolts hit it in the shoulders, hind legs and the tip of the tail.

 

But the bolts did indeed damage the dragon.
The dragon crumbled to the ground, slumped diagonally.

 

After confirming its appearance, I give the order again.

 

“Ballista! Fire all remaining shots!”

 

The moment I said that, all the ballistas were fired at once.

 

The dragon twisted and turned as it fell, but it was barely able to avoid hitting its head.

 

It was hit by several iron bolts from the markings on its body, piercing the base of its wings and its legs.

 

It was a clear fatal wound.

 

With a final scream, the dragon fell over sideways.

 

“Ballista! Prepare for the next round of bolts and stand by!”

 

I give the order to prepare to continue the battle.
Perhaps in line with that, Panamella also started chanting her magic.

 

“Dee, can I check?”

 

I asked Dee, who was close to the dragon, and she responded by raising her sword.

 

Everyone watched with bated breath as Dee slowly approached the dragon.

 

Dee walks right up to it and holds up his sword.

 

With the tip of his sword, he pokes the bloody dragon in the arm.

 

Immediately, the dragon’s limp neck moves and its large mouth closes in on Dee, ready to swallow him.

 

“Nnn!”

 

Dee dodged the dragon’s head and brought his greatsword down.

 

He slashed it with a single swing.
The severed head of the dragon rolled on the ground.

 

“Kah, I won!”

 

Roe shouted, confirming that the dragon’s head had fallen.

 

Yeah.
That one should be okay now.

 

Confirming it with my own eyes, I looked at the villagers on top of the wall and shouted as loud as I could.

 

“Our village has won! Raise the battle cry!”

 

At my declaration, the village erupted in loud cheers.

 

“Are you okay, Van-sama?”

 

“Are you hurt?”

 

When I returned to the village, Till and Arte came running.

 

“I’m fine.
Rather, keep an eye on Espada, who had a long run, and Dee and the others, who took a hit from the dragon.”

 

“Wow, I understand! But first, Van-sama.
Come on, this way.”

 

With that, he made me sit on a chair he pulled out from a nearby house.

 

Ah, but I was tired, so it was a relief to sit down.

 

“That was a good command, boy.
And again, congratulations on defeating the dragon.
They are beings that could destroy a medium-sized city.
No doubt word will get around about this fact.”

 

Panamella walked towards us, looking in a good mood.

 

The soldiers also looked happy for the moment as they walked towards us, chatting with other soldiers nearby.

 

The villagers were laughing and rejoicing, as if they had no sense of reality, but I think they were more excited about the Armored Lizard incident.

 

“Defeating a dragon, huh? It was pretty close, though; if it weren’t for Panamella-san, Espada, and Dee… no, it wouldn’t have been possible without Panamella-san’s men.”

 

When I implied that I was lucky, Panamella smiled wryly at me.

 

“…To be honest, if that green forest dragon had attacked in the Count’s homeland, the city would have been half destroyed.
At the very least, part of the city walls would have collapsed and there would have been hundreds of casualties.”

 

“Is that so? If it’s a city where the Count’s residence is located, it would have been properly defended, though.”

 

“Hmm.
It’s not every day you get a butler named Espada or a master like Dee who can cut off a dragon’s head with a single blow.
Above all, that ridiculously powerful ballista.
I didn’t think it could even penetrate the scales of a dragon.”

 

I nodded with a grin as she said this in a slightly dumbfounded voice.

 

“We’re all very proud of our men, you know.
Irv, Roe, and Camsin are going to be just as strong as Dee.
After that, we’ll have to improve the ballista.
We should be able to fire it at least ten times in a row.”

 

“…I feel like I just heard a horrible statement, but oh well.
First things first, we need to hold a ceremony for defeating a dragon.
The first is Dee-dono, who now has the title of Dragon Slayer.
The second is Van, the commander and lord, and I’ll ask Espada to join the list.”

 

And that’s what she told me.

 

What? Dee is going to be a dragon slayer?