Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 123
Chapter 123: The Dragon Girl’s Dream
The dragon girl with red hair and tanned skin was having her usual nightmare.
It was a dream where a pure white world was slowly being swallowed by pitch-black darkness.
Within that darkness, there was a giant dragon.
No matter how much she tried to run, it would tell her it was futile and relentlessly chase after her.
It wasn’t comparable to a ?Lesser Dragon? or even a ?Greater Dragon?.
This was an enormous, overwhelming dragon.
As it chased her, the girl ran across the still-untainted white ground, desperate to escape the creeping darkness.
She ran with all her might, never allowing herself to be caught.
Running, fleeing, escaping—again and again.
She couldn’t let the darkness, which beckoned her ominously, consume her.
With the colossal dragon closing in alongside the darkness, she turned her back to it and kept running.
She swung her arms, moving her legs frantically forward.
But no matter how much she ran, it continued to chase her from behind.
Terrified, she called out for help, but in this place, she was alone.
Her strong brother Sora wasn’t there.
Her kind companion Kuro wasn’t there.
And her gentle sister Alice, who made her feel so at peace whenever she was nearby, wasn’t there either.
“Someone help me. Please, someone…”
The girl kept running.
But it was useless, the huge dragon was closing in from behind.
It was almost within reach, just a stretch of its massive claw away.
Overcome with fear, the girl squeezed her eyes shut, crouching down and curling up into a tiny ball.
And then, something unexpected happened.
Normally, the nightmare would end with her being caught, but no matter how long she waited, the dragon’s claws never captured her.
“What happened?” The girl nervously lifted her head.
Today, the ending was slightly different.
Someone was standing protectively in front of her.
It was a dragon woman with long red hair, wearing white robes, with two horns and a swaying tail.
The giant dragon had stopped, facing this woman.
The eyes that usually looked down on the girl with contempt were now filled with a sense of irritation.
“You… how dare you…?!”
The woman, who stood between the girl and the dragon, raised her staff toward the sky and shouted something.
“Evil, arrogant demon dragon, I will not allow you to torment this pure and innocent child in her dreams!”
With a calm yet powerful condemnation, the light from her staff dispelled the darkness.
“Curse you, Dragon Shrine Maiden!”
With a roar, the demon dragon vanished from the world, along with the darkness.
What remained was the white world, with only the girl and the woman.
The woman turned around, then rushed over and gently embraced the girl’s small body with affection.
“Oh, Satanas… you are the love that slipped through my fingers…”
“…Who are you?”
The girl, Satanas, tilted her head in confusion.
Why did this feel so familiar?
When she was in the woman’s arms, her anxiety faded, and she felt a deep sense of comfort.
This feeling was familiar.
It was like when her beloved Alice hugged her tightly.
The woman’s face looked as though she was about to cry, but she forced it into a smile.
Struggling to hold back sobs, she apologized with trembling lips.
“I’m sorry, I can’t answer your question. But believe me, I am on your side.”
“…Okay, I believe you.”
Her brother Sora and her sister Alice had always told her to run and not trust strangers if she was ever left alone.
But this person… she could trust her.
Satanas accepted the woman’s embrace.
“Thank you, Satanas. I don’t have much time, but please, promise me you’ll follow what I’m about to tell you.”
The woman’s face grew tense as she continued.
“During the Dragon King Festival, do not leave the angel’s side. That person will protect you no matter what happens.”
“You mean I should stay with Brother Sora?”
“Yes, that’s right. The angel will surely fend off the followers of the demon dragon for you.”
“Okay! And Sora always tells me not to leave her side, so Satanas will be fine!”
Seeing Satanas’ bright smile, the woman began to cry.
The girl gently touched the woman’s cheek.
“What’s wrong? Does it hurt somewhere?”
“…No, it doesn’t hurt. I’m just so happy… happy that you’re alive.”
Satanas tilted her head, not understanding the meaning of the woman’s words.
The woman lovingly patted the girl’s head.
Then, even though it was a dream, a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over her.
As her consciousness began to fade and she started to sway, the woman sat down, gently laying Satanas’ body down and resting her head on her lap.
“Ah… I guess I’m really tired… suddenly so sleepy…”
“Yes, sleep now, Satanas. The time has not yet come.”
With her head resting on the woman’s lap, Satanas closed her eyes.
Just before falling into a deep sleep, she whispered one last word.
“Mom…”
………………………
With only two days left until the Dragon King Festival, Sora and the group visited the last town, ?Euthenia?, to make the most of their remaining time.
The group consisted of Sora, Kuro, Alice, and Satanas.
Shio was at Kirie’s shop, working on the sauce for their ?Kushidora katsu? skewers.
Perhaps because the revival event of the Demon Dragon King Belial was approaching, the long-distance travel had recently been plagued by increasingly severe attacks from Lesser Dragons.
While Sora didn’t like using Satanas as live bait, the more ingredients they had, the better.
To defeat the previous Dragon King in the food stall showdown, they couldn’t afford to be picky about their methods.
Justifying herself with this thought, Sora took a bite of a Lesser Dragon skewer she bought from a stall.
The juicy texture, combined with the tender meat that was easy to chew, was truly impressive.
There were other varieties as well, like herb-roasted, sweet and spicy glaze, and simply seasoned with salt and pepper. The variety was quite extensive.
Earlier, Sora also tried something that resembled a sausage made from Lesser Dragon meat, which was equally excellent.
Among the interesting foods from the stalls, there was also something made from the fruit of the ?Refractory Tree?, which grows using magma as its nutrient source. The fruit, known as the ?Refractory Fruit?, was quite delicious.
If she had to describe it visually, it would be like a “red corn.”
At first, Sora had her doubts.
“Is it safe to eat this? Will magma come out and melt me from the inside?”
But after taking a bite, all those fears sank like a thumbs-up descending into bright red magma.
“Wow, I never imagined it would taste that good…”
The texture was also like corn, and when Sora bit into it, the rich umami, absorbed from the magma, burst like a powerful torrent.
If Sora had to describe the taste, it was like the deep, concentrated flavor of something that had been simmering for a long time.
She thought to herself, “This would be amazing grilled with soy sauce.”
With that thought in mind, Sora strolled through the streets of ?Euthenia?, hand-in-hand with Kuro.
Next to them, Satanas clung to Alice’s arm, while Alice walked along with a resigned expression.
“You two really do get along like sisters,” Sora commented.
“Indeed,” Kuro agreed.
Alice gave a wry smile at their remarks.
“Even I’ve started to find that less strange lately,” Alice admitted.
“Sister Alice?” Satanas looked up at her with a curious expression.
The dragon princess turned her gaze to Sora, and while stroking Satanas’ head with her free left hand, she explained, “Actually, I’ve asked my father to formally take responsibility for Satanas’ care, and our royal family will take her in. That way, even after all of this is over, we can stay together.”
“Oh, does that mean…?” Sora started.
Kuro finished, “Alice is going to be Satanas’ big sister?”
Alice nodded deeply at Kuro’s words. She then stopped walking, turned to Satanas, who didn’t fully grasp the situation, and spoke to her in a way she could understand.
“After this journey is over, will you stay with me, Satanas?”
The little girl’s eyes lit up as she broke into a wide smile.
“Yeah! Satanas will stay with Sister Alice!”
In that moment, Sora silently vowed to herself, ‘I will protect these two, no matter what.’