“So, you scared the passing peddlers and just snatched away their food?”
“Yes… But as it got more fun, I started adding some lines, and gave them a bit of a scare. Since I became a dragon, I wanted to show off a bit! Isn’t that cool?”
“That’s true! Ah… I’m so jealous. A dragon! If it were me, I’d fly straight to the imperial palace and unleash some breath attacks into the air! That’s what I would do.”
“I thought about that too, but if a really strong person popped up, I’d be in big trouble and end up as dragon roast…”
“Anyway, men are like that…”
Finally, a long-awaited friendly encounter with someone he had desired.
To top it off, the fortunate meeting was with a fellow Korean who was in the same situation as him.
As all the hardships he had faced flashed before him, Tenebrix Knox, also known as the Black Dragon, finally calmed down and began to babble about everything that had happened up to that point.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Um… I’m not sure?”
The two siblings looked at each other and said, “We can’t just leave them here, so isn’t it right to take them home?”
“Will that be okay? After all, we are nobles.”
“Are you both nobles?”
“Oh, sorry for the late introduction. We are possessed by the Evergarden Count family. This is my younger sister, and she is now the eldest son of the count family, while I was originally the older brother of the second daughter, but now I’m the count’s daughter.”
“Evergarden… Everga… Oh! Isn’t that the villain whose family gets completely wiped out after picking a fight with the protagonist in the early stages?”
“That won’t happen anymore, but it feels a bit strange, doesn’t it?”
“By the way, you’re not an older sister but an older brother?”
“Older brother? Wait, are you also…?”
“Huh? Who’s coming?”
Just then, as Tenebrix Knox, the Black Dragon, felt a strange sense of kinship with Rosaria as she introduced themselves, he was about to continue speaking.
Clop, clop, clop—
“Is that… a carriage…?”
“Yeah. It looks like an old man wearing spectacles and butler attire is driving a carriage and coming here quickly.”
“What? You can see all that from this far away?”
“Ever since I became a dragon, my eyesight has improved a lot. Wow… that carriage is huge. Is that all jewelry?”
“No, no, that’s not the issue… Then isn’t that the butler?!”
“…It seems they’re coming to catch us?”
Riding the approaching carriage, which was stirring up dust from afar, was none other than Gordon, the butler of the count’s family.
As if he was some kind of omnipotent being, Gordon, who was also acting as the coachman, skillfully grabbed the reins of the horses and quickly approached them.
The two siblings, feeling anxious as if they had been caught sneaking out, and the Black Dragon, who merely blinked in confusion, were in a tense situation.
The carriage, which had been far away, quickly arrived right in front of them and came to a stop.
And then.
Bang—
“Son… Daughter…? What are you doing here?”
“Um… hey… you guys’ dad is really, completely losing it, you know? I don’t know what’s going on, but just beg for mercy…”
As the carriage opened, Freya gracefully landed on the ground and approached them with a bright smile, followed by Dariann, who was sweating profusely and whispering to himself.
Just like always, Dariann, who had finished his morning exercise and was drinking a refreshing glass of water, was brought here without knowing what was going on, but he could tell something was off about Freya.
Freya was usually gentle and kind, but once she got angry, even Dariann, the head of the family, couldn’t move an inch.
Especially on days when he returned late from drinking without contact.
Even though there hadn’t been any major victims so far, he hadn’t been able to pinpoint the source of the rumors, especially in the rather dangerous Evergarden territory.
During such times, he was worried that if the two had gone out, something terrible might happen, but now Freya was fully ready to unleash her rage.
“First, let’s go home and talk about this. But…”
“Ah, hello…”
“Who is this child…?”
As Freya prepared to take the two of them back to the mansion, she noticed a girl standing between them, staring at her blankly.
Like her spouse and daughter, she had black hair, but unlike them, she had jet-black eyes.
Despite wearing a dirty rag that she had thrown on, her skin was remarkably clean and she had a beautiful face.
Overall, she looked like a pitiful yet beautiful girl.
But why does she have horns and a tail?
“Step aside, my lady. Master.”
Swoosh—
“Gordon?”
“Huh?”
Just as they were questioning the horns on her head and the mysterious tail wrapped around her body, Gordon, who had been sitting in the driver’s seat, suddenly blocked Freya’s path, gripping an even sharper and more menacing dagger than the one he had during the previous Red Fang visit, and shouted.
“A monster… no, something even more… something indescribably powerful.”
And unlike his usual calm and friendly smile, Gordon’s eyes were wildly shaking, and he was drenched in cold sweat.
At that moment, the Black Dragon appeared to be an extraordinarily beautiful being, except for the horns and tail.
Most people would think that the horns and tail were peculiar but would not feel particularly threatened.
But Gordon was different.
Having fought against countless powerful opponents and stained his hands with much blood, Gordon had a talent for assessing the strength of others compared to his own.
The moment he saw the presence before him, he felt every hair on his body stand on end.
This wasn’t just a powerful being.
It was on a level that he couldn’t even dare to measure himself against.
That’s why Gordon felt so bewildered.
Despite appearing to be an ordinary girl, she was a monster with an unfathomable strength within her.
This was Gordon’s true perception of the Black Dragon, and he had clearly seen through the polymorphed form of the Black Dragon.
‘I’m going to die. I can’t think of any way to defeat that monster.’
He had already drawn the weapon he used during his prime, which he kept hidden for emergencies, but Gordon couldn’t bring himself to charge in first.
His instincts warned him that if he charged, he would be overwhelmed immediately, and they were screaming at him to run away, ringing alarm bells frantically in his mind.
Literally, the being in front of him had the power to wipe Gordon out with just a flick of her fingers.
“If I signal you, you must somehow take the young master and young lady and escape as far away as possible. I can’t even guarantee that I can buy you time… no, I can’t promise that either.”
“…You can’t be serious?”
“Yes, it doesn’t seem to be a rumor.”
As Freya saw Gordon standing firm with his weapon drawn, she quickly realized how serious the situation was.
Despite being a simple commoner who couldn’t feel any magical energy or killing intent, Freya had always felt that Gordon was strong after having fallen into this world.
And she confirmed that strength even more during her encounter with the Red Fang.
Even surrounded by numerous criminals, he had said he could slaughter everyone present if he wanted to.
Now, seeing Gordon unable to hide his confusion and stating that even buying time would be difficult left her in shock.
The rumors about the Black Dragon, the source of those rumors in the alley, and Gordon’s actions.
As the previously disconnected keywords began to click together in her mind, Freya quickly grasped the present situation.
“What… what is going on? What’s happening all of a sudden?”
“What? Is the butler that kind of character?”
“Is that really a knife? Why is that…?”
“Uh, uh…? Something seems to be going strangely here…?”
However, the Black Dragon, who had no idea about Gordon’s true identity and suddenly found itself in a situation where a knife was thrust towards it, could only wear a bewildered expression.
To them, it looked like a kind grandfather had suddenly pulled a knife from his sleeve and was glaring at them as if he was about to kill them right then and there.
“Ah, wait, could it be because of her?”
“Me?”
“Hey, butler! Sir?! She’s not a bad kid! So, can you just put the knife down for now…?”
At that moment, Felix, who knew the identity of the Black Dragon, tried to find the source of the situation and shouted loudly to let them know she wasn’t that scary, but it didn’t seem to have much effect.
In Gordon’s eyes, no matter what was said, she just appeared to be a horrific and terrifying mass disguised as a human.
“Hey, first, you should go out and explain.”
“Me?! But that old man has a knife! And there’s something like an aura rising from it?!”
“Why is a dragon afraid of a knife?”
“I was just a student a few days ago! Does having a bulletproof vest mean a gun doesn’t scare you?!”
In that situation, Rosaria elbowed the Black Dragon and tried to speak, but the Black Dragon just shook its head in hesitation.
At that moment,
“Now! My lady!”
Whoosh—
As Gordon threw a signal to Freya, he vanished to buy time and quickly reappeared right in front of the Black Dragon, swiftly swinging the knife in his hand.
The speed was so fast that the Evergarden family felt as if Gordon had teleported.
However,
‘Oh… wow…!’
To the Black Dragon, who possessed the dragon’s dynamic vision, it seemed like Gordon was moving in slow motion, walking slowly and swinging his knife.
The gap was truly on a different level.
‘If I just deflect the weapon, maybe I can calm things down?’
The high school boy, who felt as if he had become a superhero with ultra-fast movement abilities, soon gained a bit of confidence.
Yes, wasn’t the merciless and terrifying Black Dragon just him?
If he could just deflect the weapon without any damage, maybe he could somehow sort out the situation.
His competitive spirit began to ignite.
‘Gently… just don’t hit too hard…!’
Whack—
In a world where everyone was frozen, the Black Dragon bent its fingers, took a stance, and slapped Gordon’s blade with a flick.
Then,
Clang—!!
“Uh.”
What was merely intended as a light deflection resulted in Gordon’s knife, struck by the Black Dragon’s slap, shattering into pieces with a sound reminiscent of glass breaking.
Boom—!
“Whoa!!!”
“My eyes…!”
“What’s happening?”
Then, as the delayed shockwave spread and dust flew, Felix and Rosaria, who were closest, closed their eyes tightly to avoid the dust.
When they opened them, they saw Gordon staring blankly at the remnants of his knife, which had shattered completely, leaving only the hilt.
“…I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to break it…”
Gordon looked at the shattered blade with a vacant expression, and the Black Dragon stood in front of him, flustered.
“…A mithril blade… broke this easily?”
“Mithril?! Isn’t that expensive?!”
Even during his active days, the mithril blade was renowned for its sharpness and durability, as well as being extraordinarily costly.
Seeing it shatter so easily caused Gordon to lose all his fighting spirit.
At the same time, the mention of mithril startled the Black Dragon.
“…I think it would be better to go home and talk about this.”
Seeing that scene, Freya, who was confused about whether this was a fantasy or a comedy performance, finally spoke up, and the situation momentarily came to a halt.