Chapter 95
*
The second start was taken by the Jewelhead Dragon.
Several lines of magical energy pierced through my body.
Without even time to think about what it was planning, the gem-like scales of the Jewelhead Dragon came flying at me like a hailstorm.
From its perspective, it might have been meant as a feint, but for me, it was a troublesome attack—if I dodged carelessly, stray shots could hit the carriage.
I struck down the scales flying at me like a solid wall head-on with my sword.
Compared to Oganight's fists, this was much slower.
By the time the stray scales exploded on the ground, I had raised my sword right in front of the dragon's eyes.
Since returning from the forest in the Demonlands, Tepe's sword had changed.
Before, I thought that as long as I channeled physical enhancement through the sword, it would never break.
Now, I think, if it's going to break, let it try.
I closed the distance between its six legs in half a blink, pouring all that momentum into my sword without losing any force.
Where I slashed, it severed cleanly.
Crush, shatter—I poured that intent into my sword, using it like a dull bludgeon to strike the dragon's skull.
Twisting my whole body into the swing, the sword came down, crushing and shattering the dragon's forehead.
Even as the eyeball popped out of its socket from the impact, it still glared at me.
Using the momentum of the swing, I spun half a turn on the spot, scraping the ground as I struck upward, scooping at the dragon's foreleg coming toward me.
The dragon's foreleg broke, scattering scales, and under the immense strain, the soles of my boots sank into the ground while half of the dragon's body lifted into the air.
Heavy, tough, and starting to regenerate from the crushed parts—this is why the dragon species are such a pain.
My body, outpacing my racing thoughts, let out a roar.
While half of the Jewelhead Dragon's body was still in the air, I constructed a second magic circle on my back.
Clearly, the strength of the physical enhancement was now far beyond what I could handle.
Even so, I scolded myself not to fear.
To call myself a follower of logical (Erika) theory, I needed guts.
The foot I stepped forward with shattered the ground.
As I slipped into its range, the dragon tracked me with eyes regenerating in its sockets.
I can do this now—crush and slash its neck. The hilt I gripped with both hands creaked in my palms.
At the moment I swung, I saw an illusion of blue flames bursting from the blade.
"Uooraaa!"
The dragon's body was blown away.
*
"Erika...... is that...... what is that?"
Shara Lansra couldn't get the words out of her brain properly.
Even though the newly tailored monastic robes she wore for traveling with adventurers had a built-in magic tool for temperature regulation.
Shara Lansra felt cold sweat running down her back.
That was because Erika Longdagger was doing construction work right in front of her.
Erika's outfit was her usual practical clothing—plain-looking but surprisingly expensive with intricate stitching.
Yet, what she was doing was construction work.
It made no sense.
Shara regretted not showing up at the Longdagger household every day.
Wasn't it she who had worried about what would happen if Erika was separated from Shin? And yet, she thought it would be fine to skip a couple of days—what a blunder.
"Um, Erika?"
Are you okay? Shara tried to ask Erika, who was building some kind of foundation in the Longdagger household's yard with earth magic, but she swallowed her words at the last moment.
That was because Erika was muttering something while using earth magic with a serious expression.
Her instincts screamed that this was bad, but she couldn't help straining her ears to listen.
"I'm fine alone, not lonely, I'm fine alone, not lonely, alone......"
——Hie.
The coldness in Erika's voice, so detached from her serious expression, almost made Shara let out a scream.
When Erika, with a face that looked like she could burn the world to ashes with hellfire, transformed what should have been a mere dirt foundation into a substance shining like marble, Shara reached her limit.
"Shin-san! Hurry! Hurry back!"
Shara Lansra finally shouted.