The Former Swordmaster Who Pretends to Be the Worst, and the School’s Top-Ranked Chairman’s Daughter Who’s Way Too Sweet in Public, It’s a Real Problem
“Hey, what happened?! What’s going on?!”
“If you’ve got time to space out, you better run too!”
“That’s why I’m asking what happened!!”
I grabbed one of the panicking Class A students and demanded an answer in a bellowing voice.
Then, the student replied, sounding slightly irritated.
“A dragon! A dragon! A dragon showed up!”
“Wh-what…?”
I furrowed my brow at those words.
A dragon appearing in a beginner-level, government-certified dungeon. It was hard to believe at first, but judging by the commotion, it seemed to be true.
In that case, we had to evacuate immediately to ensure everyone’s safety—
“—Hey, wait a minute. What about Rika? Where is she!?”
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I realized my childhood friend wasn’t anywhere nearby.
So I grabbed the student by the shoulders and yelled at him again, and he replied.
“Ah, Agatsuma san… well, she said she’d buy us some time…!”
“Damn it, that idiot…!?”
At that, my body moved before my mind could even process it.
I shoved the student aside, gritted my teeth to suppress my panic, and started running.
◆
“I wonder if everyone managed to escape…”
—The dragon continued to roar, smashing through the surrounding walls.
While its appearance seemed less like raging fury and more like it was losing its mind in agony, Rika’s mind remained, in stark contrast, completely calm. In government-certified dungeons, the concentration of magical energy is lower than in ordinary ones. There simply isn’t enough of it for a monster like a dragon to exist.
Rika understood that as well.
So the dragon shouldn’t be able to unleash its full power, she reasoned.
“Still, it’s going to be tough.”
Even though she was ranked first in the academy, she was still just a student.
Even if she possessed the greatest raw talent in history, that rough gem was still in the midst of being polished. Even against a weakened dragon, if asked whether she had a chance of winning, she’d say it was fifty-fifty—or perhaps even slightly in its favor.
Still, this was the only way to protect her classmates.
Having made up her mind, Rika deployed her magic circle.
“(A dragon’s scales are as strong as steel. To destroy them—)”
Taking a slow, deep breath, she poured every ounce of her magical power into her first strike.
And, imbuing it with the wish that this would end it all—
“—Explode! Explosion!!”
The most powerful strike she could currently unleash.
She concentrated the magical power she had refined to its absolute limit even further, maximizing its density before unleashing it.
――GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?
An advanced fire-based spell――Explosion.
The explosive magic unleashed by Rika, which even her instructors struggled to control, struck the dragon’s throat without missing its mark. That area was relatively unprotected by scales.
If there was any chance of defeating it, blowing that spot away was the only option.
And then,
“……I did it!”
The dragon’s head, revealed from the smoke of the explosion, had been blown away spectacularly.
Staring at it as it returned to its crystalline form, Rika found herself falling backward onto her butt. She couldn’t muster any strength left in her body. She had used up all her magical power in that single strike.
But the danger should be over now.
Thinking that, she tried to catch her breath. —It was at that very moment.
“――――――――”
Her breath stopped.
She couldn’t breathe.
A cold, clammy sweat trickled down her cheeks.
“No way… right…?”
Because “it” wasn’t just one.
The situation had been so overwhelming that she’d completely let her guard down. —No, it was unthinkable that dragons, creatures that primarily act alone, would ever move in a group.
Rika let out a wry smile and said,
“…Five more, then.”
Her voice was tinged with fear.
Desperately suppressing the tremor in her throat, she bit her lip in frustration. The taste of iron slowly spread, and along with the pain, a wave of sadness washed over her.
What flashed through her mind, of course, was her dear childhood friend.
“(Ah, I’m such an idiot… thinking I’d gotten stronger too.)”
Saito, who had saved her life that day.
Recalling the image of his back—which had seemed so large despite his youth—behind her eyelids, a single tear trickled down Rika’s cheek. Frustration, sadness, or perhaps loneliness.
She hadn’t wanted an end like this.
“(…I’m sorry, Saito-kun.)”
If only, just one last time.
The girl wished to hear his beloved voice and see his face one last time. And then,
“………………Ah—”
She slowly closed her eyes, as if giving up.
The scorching flames spewed by the dragon engulfed her—
“I guess this is goodbye.”
Just as those words slipped out,
“You idiot, don’t just give up on your own…!”
“Huh…?”
His voice reached her ears.
“Saito…!?”
“Sorry, Rika, I’m a little late.”
When she opened her eyes, there he was—her childhood friend.
Tears of joy, different from before, welled up in the girl’s eyes. They fell one after another, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop them.
Acknowledging that, Saito looked up at the dragon.
And then,
“Wait here for a little while. …I’ll take care of this right away.”
“………………Okay!!”
At those resolute words, Rika pressed her fist to her chest and nodded.
Maiban
Ahhh she got rizzed all over again.