Pioneering the Apocalyptic World - Chapter 98
Chapter 33: And then it blows again
At the same time as I purified the magic stone, it felt like the alert that had been ringing in my brain had stopped. In other words, I made it on time.
“Haaaaaah… Thank goodness…”
I take a deep breath and sit down as if I’ve fallen.
It’s not just my feet, but my whole body is shaking, and even standing is painful.
Looking at my status, my LP is halved, my SP is about to run out and my MP is empty. My hands also hurts, so I use some LP potions and MP potions.
Then Uru finally arrived with Regulus.
“Rion… I have a lot to say, but…”
Ah, ahaha… Her voice is trembling and her eyebrows are really wrinkled… I guess she is really angry…. Well, I know that I was being reckless though.
However, Uru didn’t continue to scold me, and knelt down in front of me. And she put her forehead on my shoulder.
“…… I’m glad that you are safe.”
The words whispered in my ear were said in a tearful tone. …… And made me wonder if her voice was trembling because she was about to cry instead of being angry.
“I’m sorry for worrying you,” I tried to pat her on the shoulder, but when I saw my hand lifted up… I froze.
“…… OuchOuchOuch!?”
“R-Rion!?”
My right hand that was still holding the magic stone was in a terrible state. And as soon as I realize it, I was attacked by an intense pain.
I used my left hand to remove the magic stone while peeling off my fingers, that aren’t moving, from the magic stone, and hurriedly used an intermediate LP potion, but it didn’t seem to heal my hand and just the pain subsided a little. No, it’s good even if just the pain subsides…! Should I try to create painkillers and anesthesia for times like this…?
It’s all red… Or rather pich-black. Even while it’s my own hand, It’s so grotesque that just looking at it makes me feel sick.
When I thought it was weird that it isn’t bleeding, It seems that my blood vessels have rotted and became a mess, and on the contrary, the blood flow seemed to be blocked. I can see bones sticking out from some parts. The surrounding skin is also stained with a poisonous color, it extends to the elbow area, and it has an appearance like it’s screaming ‘It is cursed!’.
[Pollution: Level 4] is displayed at a corner of my status. I feel like I’ve been purified because the holy attribute magic passed through me, but I wonder if its current state is the already purified state… If I continue to touch that dense miasma without any countermeasures, It will end looking like this…
“Ueeee, that looks painful…”
“I want to scold you for being reckless… But it was a scene that you needed to be reckless…”
For some reason, Regulus had teary eyes, and Uru, who was surprised by my scream and jumped back, also looked troubled.
Yeah, it was reckless, but I have no regrets… I’m sorry to bother you…
For the time being, as an emergency measure, I pour holy water over the affected area and wrap a cloth soaked in holy water as a bandage. Just looking at it makes me feel more pain!
“Anyway, let’s go home quickly for Rion’s treatment.”
“… No, not yet.”
“Mu?”
Certainly our goal was to exterminate Zephyrus, but that wasn’t the only goal.
“There must be a reason why the miasma has gathered so much, we have to find it.”
“… Fumu? In that case, it should be under him.”
Ahead of Uru’s gaze was the corpse of Zephyrus.
Certainly, Zephyrus was unable to move due to the miasma’s binding. If there’s a reason for that, then this place ??It would mean that there was something Zephyrus was protecting(?) under the church.
No… Judging from Zephyrus’ state, it might be more correct to describe it as ‘forced to protect’. Who would want to let his body rot and, while having wings, be unable to fly freely in the sky?
Defeating him might even saved Zephyrus… Well, It’s just my selfish desire to say that. At least that’s not a sentence that the one who defeated him should say.
Although my heart and waist were very heavy, when I tried to stand up for the search.
Zephyrus’ corpse moved.
“-!?”
Uru was the first to notice it, and instantly grabbed me and distanced herself from Zephyrus’ corpse.
“No way, It’s still alive…?”
“No, He don’t have a magic stone, so that shouldn’t be the case…”
Undead monsters exist, but like normal monsters, they should not be able to move without the energy source called a magic stone.
Or perhaps… The magic stone I got was just the dungeon core, and Zephyrus’ own magic stone was a different one…? So he had two?
A chill ran down my spine at the thought of it.
Leaving our vigilance aside, the corpse of Zephyrus wriggled, and when Uru was ready to throw stones.
??Piii…
“…… Mu?”
“…… Yes?”
“What…?”
A high-pitched voice that was too out of place, made everyone’s shoulders involuntarily relax.
The thing that came out after pushing aside the Zephyrus’ flesh was.
A small dragon puppy with pure white scales and a body length of less than 1 meter.
Its form is exactly like the child form of Zephyrus who has just been defeated.
However… From the round body, wobbly movement and Its twinkling eyes, I didn’t feel any hostility, and it didn’t look like was being affected by the miasma.
“… Is it the child of that Zephyrus? I didn’t send any presence until now… It had just been born…?”
“Hmm… I don’t think so…”
There is a material called [Dragon Eggshell], but in the first place monsters are beings that occur, and not the type that reproduces by laying eggs, should be. As for why there are eggs, I don’t know that far.
It was viviparous, and Zephyrus fought with a child in his(her?) belly, It’s not like that could happen… Or should be.
So… where did this little dragon come from…?
“Could it be that is, Zephyrus…?”
At Regulus’ words, I tried to laugh it off, but couldn’t.
I don’t know the truth. But that’s what made me feel the most probable.
“… N-No, no matter what. If it’s a dragon, we can’t leave it alone. If it grows, it will become an enemy.”
At the same time as Uru took up the stance of throwing stones again, her eyes met with the small dragon??
“Kyuun…”
The small dragon rolled over and showed its stomach to the sky, letting out a pitiful cry like a dog.
Uru’s posture collapsed as if she had lost all her energy.
“… Eh…”
It’s true that when wild animals (though I’m not sure if I can count dragons as just animals) show their bellies…
“Did that means total surrender or obedience…?”
“… But that’s a dragon, isn’t it…?”
No, well, even if it’s a dragon, it’s still a small child…?
Even the horses were frightened by Uru, and from its wild instinct, did it realized at a glance that he couldn’t win…?
Uru looks at me with a strange face, perhaps because she feels that it’s pitiful.
“… What are we going to do, Rion. It still a monster…?”
“That’s right…”
Just as Uru said, if we leave it alone there is a high possibility that the residents will suffer damage when it grows up.
That’s why we have to defeat him, but…
“Kyukyuu…!”
“…”
I couldn’t make up my mind when I saw it crying desperately.
Regulus whispered to me, who was worrying about what do.
“… Why Rion don’t just raises it?”
“Yes…?”
“Well, we can’t kill it, we can’t leave it alone. Then we don’t have other choice than keep it at hand, right?”
“Kyu!”
The little dragon cried as if to say, “That’s it!” …… Is it possible that it can understand our words……?
Whipping my still aching body, I stand up and slowly walk towards the small dragon. Uru and Regulus were preparing just in case, they followed me one step behind.
Uru reacted when the little dragon slid and moved its body, but it only behaved (?) and shifted to a sitting posture.
Two meters left, one meter left. It doesn’t look like it’s trying to jump at me.
Finally, I stood in front of it and crouched down. When I looked into its eyes, they were so pure and full of intelligence that I couldn’t believe that it’s a monster.
I stretch out my left hand towards the little dragon.
“— Hand.”
“Kyu.”
As soon as I shout, the little dragon puts its little hand on it.
I felt like the two behind me had dropped their shoulders again. …… No, I’m sorry, it looked just like a loyal dog, so I reflexively…….
I cleared my throat and asked the small dragon with a serious face. …… It makes me question my sanity asking something to the dragon, but this child definitely understands our words.
“Can you promise not to attack people?”
“Kyu.”
“Can you listen to what I say and those who follow me?”
“Kyu.”
It nodded with a short cry. “Did it really understand words…” Regulus groaned.
Even in the game, there were monsters who, let alone understood it, even spoke human language (although without exception, they were vicious, and even though they could understand words, we couldn’t even negotiate), this dragon must be something similar.
Well… If it’s like this, it’ll be fine. And if It broke our promise.
I will take responsibility and ‘dispose’ it. …… No, I should make my move before that happens. Haa…… I have to keep my eyes open.
“Okay. Come with me.”
“Kyu!”
And like It was as if he had seen it through.
Zephyrus’ corpse turned to ashes and was scattered by the wind.
While picking up the few remaining scales, claws and fangs, I suddenly tilt my head.
“Speaking of which, do you have a name?”
“Kyu?”
Just like me, he tilted his head… It didn’t imitate me, from its reaction he didn’t have a name, or that he didn’t know it.
“Isn’t his name Zephyrus?”
“Hmm… I feel like it’s a separate entity… And to be frank, it’s hard to pronounce it.”
Uru smiled wryly at my answer. How many times did I almost mispronounce his name…
After thinking about it for a while, I called it by a name that came to my mind.
“Zephyr. Is that name okay?”
“Kyu!”
It’s just the English reading of Zephyrus.
But, since the person(dragon?) himself replied “That’s OK!”, it should be fine.
Thus, I got a pet(?).