Half-Dragon Slave Life - Chapter 19
Basement… Is she talking about that place with the dragon corpse I found my way to through all the collapsed dirt and sand?
Other than that there was the huge pile of gold, mythical class equipment, and weapons that didn’t seem like they could even be used all lying around .
Hearing “basement” put me in a state of confusion, and probably because I was thinking about all that, I reacted too slowly .
The silver girl closed the distance between us in the time of a single breath .
“—Oh cr-?!”
“Eir!”
The small fist comes down right toward me .
For some reason I just knew the fist had unbelievable power behind it .
—Screwed up!
Berating myself in my mind, I start moving my left arm to shield from the blow and keep the damage to a minimum . But it doesn’t seem like I’ll make it in time .
Just then, with me unable to avoid it, a figure pushed me away .
“Eh…?”
“Gah, haguh!”
Master pushed me out of its path, and took the girl’s fist in his side .
While coughing up blood, Master collapses to the ground .
“Whoops, and here I didn’t wanna cause any unnecessary damage . ”
The girl mutters carelessly, like it’s someone else’s problem . It sounds kind of distant too .
“Ma… Master Rimuru?!”
Even if I tried to run over, the girl there wouldn’t allow it .
If I got close without thinking first, I’d get taken down by the counterattack . I know it .
Seeing me unable to move, the girl stepped on Master’s head, and continued speaking .
“This’ll take treatment if you want to save him . So? If you return it now, I’ll release him . ”
“Let… Him… Go…”
—The hell are you doing, punk?
Blood rushed to my head at the sight . Something important to me is, quite literally, being stepped on .
“Hm? You don’t want to save him?”
“I’m saying…”
—Who do you think you’re stepping on? He’s…
I can feel all sorts of limiters in my brain being removed .
“Move that leg…”
“Hm?”
—Don’t go around… Stepping on my Master!
Relying on my anger, I let everything explode .
Her counterattack? I don’t give a damn!
“Right now!”
I apply “Magic Power Bestowal” to my right leg, and put everything into ramming her .
Even the girl showed surprise at the speed .
“No way, [Body Reinforcement]?!”
“Get ooooooff!!”
Leading with my left shoulder, I ram into the girl, taking her into a roll on the ground .
The shoulder I struck with ripped wide open and bled . But I have no time to worry about that right now .
“How dare! You put your foot! On Master!”
Straddling the girl, I recklessly strike with my fists . With “Magic Power Bestowal” infused, deadly fists .
But she dodges and handles the fist strikes like they’re nothing .
“Kgh, you little…!”
This is a dangerous opponent . My instincts are telling me that .
At this rate, without even being able to fight back…
The moment I tried to strengthen my offensive, my vision spun .
“Wheh?”
Before I knew it, I was rolling somewhere several meters away from the girl .
“Wow, you surprised me . I had no idea there was a human who could use [Accel Boost] in this era so well . ”
While knocking the dust from her clothes, the girl stands back up .
“What… Did you just do?”
“Sh-… cough, she knocked you away, cough… Just by… Releasing magic power . ”
“Master Rimuru?! You okay?”
“I’m not okay… I’ll heal though, just buy me… Time…”
“Will do!”
With Master being safe, I abruptly got fired up .
Though I may be serving him so he’ll release me from slavery, I don’t want him getting hurt too much .
“Yup, you’re interesting . And since you’re interesting, I’ll treat you a little more seriously as my opponent . ”
And then the girl’s voice hits me like ice water .
The girl kicks off the ground, and leaps into the air . Her body didn’t fall back down, but instead flew high up… And then swelled up and exploded outward .
There appeared, sporting gigantic wings, the form of a black dragon .
At full length the body was probably more than thirty meters . It floated in the sky as if ignoring gravity .
“Come to think of it, I never introduced myself . Aa—aaa—, mm, ahem… Mine name is Yig . With name linking myself as kin to the god of destruction, I am the demon dragon, Fafnir . ”
“… Eh?”
There are a lot of things I couldn’t comprehend at first .
For starters, that a dragon suddenly appeared right in front of me .
And then, that the girl’s voice came from the dragon .
Moreover, that the dragon is the demon dragon, Fafnir .
And the finisher, that Fafnir is part of the god of destruction’s family .
“Well, the matter of returning the corpse can come later . Mine urges take precedence at the moment . ”
“W-why…?”
“How many centuries has it been… Since I last found an opponent I could let everything out against? How could I not enjoy this? Now, let us wholeheartedly indulge in this match!”
So you’re just a battle freak?! While rebutting the dragon in my mind, I leap to the side .
Where I jumped from was swept in a flash of breath .
The ground there melted down, becoming lava… That’s some ridiculous heat .
“So you sensed my fighting spirit and dodged? You’re letting me enjoy this!”
“Can it! Don’t attack out of nowhere without even getting consent!”
“Battles begin when one side decides it has begun! So said my lord . ”
“That’s supposed to be “both sides” though . ”
“Hmph, how naive . Even if your opponent isn’t ready, you can still strike at them . ”
Even while talking, the breath attacks continued to be spat out .
Luckily the breath seems to be formed with magic; I can sense the magic power’s flow before the attack comes .
That said, if I keep running along the ground like this, it’s hard to know when a stray attack will fly toward the carriages .
Between dodges I spread out my wings, and also fly into the air .
“Oho, so you can fly too? Then I need not restrain myself!”
“How is this restrained?!”
The ground has lava pools in a few places .
We probably won’t see grass coming back to any of the areas that have turned glassy .
It’s at the level of environmental destruction, and this is restrained…?
“Daaryaaaaaaah!”
I draw the sword from my back, as it would get in the way of my wings, and slash while rolling past the breaths .
With agility unthinkable for its massive body, Fafnir dodged the slices .
I go in close, and this time get attacked by Fafnir’s claws, but I have the advantage in finer movements so I easily evade .
Many times over, whenever I’m far away the breath comes, close in and I have to dodge the claws, it dodges or stops my sword slashes, and it all repeats .
And then, after some time, the settling difference between us showed through—stamina .
“Crap . ”
I wipe away the sweat dripping down my forehead with the back of my hand . If it gets in my eyes… Especially if it gets in my left eye, it would be fatal .
Flying isn’t even what’s using my stamina; I fly using magic, so it’s not what’s wearing me out .
But processing everything around me is putting my brain at its limits .
A migraine attacked my head, and my vision started turning red . My capillaries must have started bursting…
It’s not hard to tell… I won’t hold out much longer .
“My opponent… Still looks fresh, huh . ”
I’ve taken a lot of distance, so it can’t even use its breath right now . Instead it flaps its wings and comes in a fierce pursuit .
Taking advantage of my advantage in maneuvering, I somehow manage to keep my distance though .
“This thing is definitely not in the same class as the grand hedgehog . ”
Its power is at least one, maybe two or three orders of magnitude higher .
My opponent has better attack, defense, and endurance . The only advantage I have is better agility thanks to my petite stature, but even then…
Taking a more powerful opponent head-on is just insane .
To win I would have to take it by surprise, and create an opening .
“… Actually, fighting against its strengths itself is a mistake . ”
I look around . It’s a clear, cloudless sky; there’s no way to spring a surprise attack .
Even if I want to fight with something it doesn’t have, all I’ve got is… Tight maneuvering, agility, a small body, and then my gifts .
“—Ah . ”
I thought of one possibility .
But I don’t know whether I can do it or not . I’ll be doing it without practice… But with the situation just getting worse, I can’t think of any other option .
“Seriously, it’s been nothing but this stuff for me lately!”
I shout desperately, and flip around .
“Hum, getting desperate? Human limits really are… Well, no helping it I suppose . ”
Perhaps determining I had charged with abandon, Fafnir opens its mouth wide for a direct breath attack .
This time I don’t take evasive maneuvers, continuing to fly directly at it .
A roar, and even the air burns as the bright breath stretches forward .
I shield myself from the light with my left hand—
And pull the ‘breath’ into my “Dimensional Storage” .
“What?!”
Fafnir shows surprise once again in this battle .
Based on our conversation so far, I can tell it doesn’t know about this gift .
Nor that my left arm has resistance to high heat . If this was my human right arm, it would have been burned off before I could do anything .
“Take… Thiiiiiis!”
And then I got in as close as I could, made the ‘breath’ I took in reappear, and hit Fafnir with it .
“Im-posssssiiiiiibllllle!”
Leaving a kind of idiotic shout behind, Fafnir hit the ground because of its own breath .
Translated by Soyokaze Translations: soyokazetranslation . Com
The demon dragon seemed to have passed out, as it didn’t move for a bit .
I shakily approached Fafnir… And just then the demon dragon opened its eyes .
“Hyau?!”
I jump back several meters and remain vigilant .
However, the demon dragon changed back to its girl form in an instant, and cheerfully spoke .
“Oh wow, you got me good . You’re just as strong as expected . ”
“Eh?”
I can’t feel the slightest intent to fight anymore . My instincts aren’t suggesting there’s any danger either .
“Is it over now?”
“Yep, all done . You win . ”
To be honest, from the sudden challenge, I don’t want to let it go with a simple “you got me” .
But I’m already at my limit . If I suggested, ‘hey, why not fight to the death?’ or something right now, I would definitely be the one dying .
It pisses me off, but pulling back is the best plan right now .
“But I’d like you to spare my life if you could?”
“I don’t even get why you attacked in the first place . ”
“Oooh, that was one of those “hit first, ask questions later” things . I’ll tell you what’s going on; you wanna hear?”
“Before that, put on some clothes . Master is looking at you funny . ”
“I am not!”
“Before that, put on some clothes . Master is looking at you funny . ”
“I am not!”
She switched from giant dragon size to a little girl, so of course she wasn’t wearing any clothes .
Having gotten caught up in the fight, Master was hiding nearby, so of course he’s watching . Lecher .
“Oh, but I don’t have a change of clothes . ”
“… Here . ”
I took my own change of clothes out of “Dimensional Storage” and tossed them at her .
What can I say? I couldn’t stand her displaying herself naked in front of Master .
“Thank you . So y’see? I’ve been managing that basement . I was away when the eruption happened, but when I got back it was all cleaned out, and I was in shock . ”
“Ah… Eh?”
While wiggling the clothes on, the demon dragon explained her circumstances . It’s probably a kind of weird sight .
“So when I chased after in a panic, I felt the signs from a girl who seemed kinda like the same race, right? And I was like what’s going on, see?”
“What are…”
“Aah, I do feel bad about suddenly attacking, okay? But look, if you suddenly told a robber, ‘give it back’, normally they wouldn’t listen, right? So I figured I should go in strong from the get-go . ”
“I…”
Do I have to give it all back? I mean, the original owner appeared, so I know I have to return it .
But… I’m not completely satisfied . Especially because of the huge injury Master took .
“Hmm~, but y’know… Telling you to give it back feels kind of strange too . ”
“Eh?”
“Yeah, I mean you’re the kid who was at the foot of the mountain, right?”
“Yeah, and?”
Finished with changing, she crosses her arms and nods firmly .
“Well, I only realized it now too of course . But see, that’s where the god of destruction’s relatives live . ”
“Huh?”
I’ve never heard about that . Why we would purposely live on an inconvenient and dangerous mountain is something I found strange though .
Like at Sokaris, living a little closer to the city and commuting to the mountains would have definitely been more convenient .
“Which means you’re a descendant of the god of destruction, Yuuri, and so… In other words, that means, as her descendant, you’re qualified to inherit all the treasures in the basement… Right?”
“Uh, not sure why you’re asking me . ”
“So y’see, for the time being I’ll acknowledge you as their owner . Forcibly plundering all the treasure a dragon is guarding kinda makes this like a fairy tale!”
“Uh, not really getting… Your reason…”
“Oh, but I’ll be monitoring you! There’s a lot of dangerous stuff in there, after all . ”
“Eh? Umm…”
“Oh, since I lost, should I call you “master”? When I called the god of destruction that, she got a nosebleed and was really happy . ”
What the hell are you teaching her, god of destruction? I felt a slight desire to murder her .
“So yeah, I look forward to working with you!”
The demon dragon gives a sharp salute .
“Eh, you’re coming with?”
“Of course . I can’t monitor you if I don’t . ”
“Eh, EEEEEEEHH?!”
And so our traveling companions grew in number I guess?
Basement… Is she talking about that place with the dragon corpse I found my way to through all the collapsed dirt and sand?.
Other than that there was the huge pile of gold, mythical class equipment, and weapons that didn’t seem like they could even be used all lying around
Hearing “basement” put me in a state of confusion, and probably because I was thinking about all that, I reacted too slowly
The silver girl closed the distance between us in the time of a single breath
.
“—Oh cr-?!”.
“Eir!”.
.
The small fist comes down right toward me
For some reason I just knew the fist had unbelievable power behind it
.
—Screwed up!.
.
Berating myself in my mind, I start moving my left arm to shield from the blow and keep the damage to a minimum . But it doesn’t seem like I’ll make it in time
Just then, with me unable to avoid it, a figure pushed me away
.
“Eh…?”.
“Gah, haguh!”.
.
Master pushed me out of its path, and took the girl’s fist in his side
While coughing up blood, Master collapses to the ground
.
“Whoops, and here I didn’t wanna cause any unnecessary damage . ”.
.
The girl mutters carelessly, like it’s someone else’s problem . It sounds kind of distant too
.
“Ma… Master Rimuru?!”.
.
Even if I tried to run over, the girl there wouldn’t allow it
If I got close without thinking first, I’d get taken down by the counterattack . I know it
Seeing me unable to move, the girl stepped on Master’s head, and continued speaking
.
“This’ll take treatment if you want to save him . So? If you return it now, I’ll release him . ”.
“Let… Him… Go…”.
.
—The hell are you doing, punk?.
.
Blood rushed to my head at the sight . Something important to me is, quite literally, being stepped on
.
“Hm? You don’t want to save him?”.
“I’m saying…”.
.
—Who do you think you’re stepping on? He’s….
.
I can feel all sorts of limiters in my brain being removed
.
“Move that leg…”.
“Hm?”.
.
—Don’t go around… Stepping on my Master!.
.
Relying on my anger, I let everything explode
Her counterattack? I don’t give a damn!.
.
“Right now!”.
.
I apply “Magic Power Bestowal” to my right leg, and put everything into ramming her
Even the girl showed surprise at the speed
.
“No way, [Body Reinforcement]?!”.
“Get ooooooff!!”.
.
Leading with my left shoulder, I ram into the girl, taking her into a roll on the ground
The shoulder I struck with ripped wide open and bled . But I have no time to worry about that right now
.
“How dare! You put your foot! On Master!”.
.
Straddling the girl, I recklessly strike with my fists . With “Magic Power Bestowal” infused, deadly fists
But she dodges and handles the fist strikes like they’re nothing
.
“Kgh, you little…!”.
.
This is a dangerous opponent . My instincts are telling me that
At this rate, without even being able to fight back….
The moment I tried to strengthen my offensive, my vision spun
.
“Wheh?”.
.
Before I knew it, I was rolling somewhere several meters away from the girl
.
“Wow, you surprised me . I had no idea there was a human who could use [Accel Boost] in this era so well . ”.
.
While knocking the dust from her clothes, the girl stands back up
.
“What… Did you just do?”.
“Sh-… cough, she knocked you away, cough… Just by… Releasing magic power . ”.
“Master Rimuru?! You okay?”.
“I’m not okay… I’ll heal though, just buy me… Time…”.
“Will do!”.
.
With Master being safe, I abruptly got fired up
Though I may be serving him so he’ll release me from slavery, I don’t want him getting hurt too much
.
“Yup, you’re interesting . And since you’re interesting, I’ll treat you a little more seriously as my opponent . ”.
.
And then the girl’s voice hits me like ice water
The girl kicks off the ground, and leaps into the air . Her body didn’t fall back down, but instead flew high up… And then swelled up and exploded outward
.
There appeared, sporting gigantic wings, the form of a black dragon
At full length the body was probably more than thirty meters . It floated in the sky as if ignoring gravity
.
“Come to think of it, I never introduced myself . Aa—aaa—, mm, ahem… Mine name is Yig . With name linking myself as kin to the god of destruction, I am the demon dragon, Fafnir . ”.
“… Eh?”.
.
There are a lot of things I couldn’t comprehend at first
For starters, that a dragon suddenly appeared right in front of me
And then, that the girl’s voice came from the dragon
Moreover, that the dragon is the demon dragon, Fafnir
And the finisher, that Fafnir is part of the god of destruction’s family
.
“Well, the matter of returning the corpse can come later . Mine urges take precedence at the moment . ”.
“W-why…?”.
“How many centuries has it been… Since I last found an opponent I could let everything out against? How could I not enjoy this? Now, let us wholeheartedly indulge in this match!”.
.
So you’re just a battle freak?! While rebutting the dragon in my mind, I leap to the side
Where I jumped from was swept in a flash of breath
The ground there melted down, becoming lava… That’s some ridiculous heat
.
“So you sensed my fighting spirit and dodged? You’re letting me enjoy this!”.
“Can it! Don’t attack out of nowhere without even getting consent!”.
“Battles begin when one side decides it has begun! So said my lord . ”.
“That’s supposed to be “both sides” though . ”.
“Hmph, how naive . Even if your opponent isn’t ready, you can still strike at them . ”.
.
Even while talking, the breath attacks continued to be spat out
Luckily the breath seems to be formed with magic; I can sense the magic power’s flow before the attack comes
That said, if I keep running along the ground like this, it’s hard to know when a stray attack will fly toward the carriages
Between dodges I spread out my wings, and also fly into the air
.
“Oho, so you can fly too? Then I need not restrain myself!”.
“How is this restrained?!”.
.
The ground has lava pools in a few places
We probably won’t see grass coming back to any of the areas that have turned glassy
It’s at the level of environmental destruction, and this is restrained…?.
.
“Daaryaaaaaaah!”.
.
I draw the sword from my back, as it would get in the way of my wings, and slash while rolling past the breaths
With agility unthinkable for its massive body, Fafnir dodged the slices
I go in close, and this time get attacked by Fafnir’s claws, but I have the advantage in finer movements so I easily evade
Many times over, whenever I’m far away the breath comes, close in and I have to dodge the claws, it dodges or stops my sword slashes, and it all repeats
And then, after some time, the settling difference between us showed through—stamina
.
“Crap . ”.
.
I wipe away the sweat dripping down my forehead with the back of my hand . If it gets in my eyes… Especially if it gets in my left eye, it would be fatal
Flying isn’t even what’s using my stamina; I fly using magic, so it’s not what’s wearing me out
But processing everything around me is putting my brain at its limits
A migraine attacked my head, and my vision started turning red . My capillaries must have started bursting….
It’s not hard to tell… I won’t hold out much longer
.
“My opponent… Still looks fresh, huh . ”.
.
I’ve taken a lot of distance, so it can’t even use its breath right now . Instead it flaps its wings and comes in a fierce pursuit
Taking advantage of my advantage in maneuvering, I somehow manage to keep my distance though
.
“This thing is definitely not in the same class as the grand hedgehog . ”.
.
Its power is at least one, maybe two or three orders of magnitude higher
My opponent has better attack, defense, and endurance . The only advantage I have is better agility thanks to my petite stature, but even then….
Taking a more powerful opponent head-on is just insane
To win I would have to take it by surprise, and create an opening
.
“… Actually, fighting against its strengths itself is a mistake . ”.
.
I look around . It’s a clear, cloudless sky; there’s no way to spring a surprise attack
Even if I want to fight with something it doesn’t have, all I’ve got is… Tight maneuvering, agility, a small body, and then my gifts
.
“—Ah . ”.
.
I thought of one possibility
But I don’t know whether I can do it or not . I’ll be doing it without practice… But with the situation just getting worse, I can’t think of any other option
.
“Seriously, it’s been nothing but this stuff for me lately!”.
.
I shout desperately, and flip around
.
“Hum, getting desperate? Human limits really are… Well, no helping it I suppose . ”.
.
Perhaps determining I had charged with abandon, Fafnir opens its mouth wide for a direct breath attack
This time I don’t take evasive maneuvers, continuing to fly directly at it
A roar, and even the air burns as the bright breath stretches forward
I shield myself from the light with my left hand—.
.
And pull the ‘breath’ into my “Dimensional Storage”
.
“What?!”.
.
Fafnir shows surprise once again in this battle
Based on our conversation so far, I can tell it doesn’t know about this gift
Nor that my left arm has resistance to high heat . If this was my human right arm, it would have been burned off before I could do anything
.
“Take… Thiiiiiis!”.
.
And then I got in as close as I could, made the ‘breath’ I took in reappear, and hit Fafnir with it
.
“Im-posssssiiiiiibllllle!”.
.
Leaving a kind of idiotic shout behind, Fafnir hit the ground because of its own breath
.
~*~.
Translated by Soyokaze Translations: soyokazetranslation . Com.
The demon dragon seemed to have passed out, as it didn’t move for a bit
I shakily approached Fafnir… And just then the demon dragon opened its eyes
.
“Hyau?!”.
.
I jump back several meters and remain vigilant
However, the demon dragon changed back to its girl form in an instant, and cheerfully spoke
.
“Oh wow, you got me good . You’re just as strong as expected . ”.
“Eh?”.
.
I can’t feel the slightest intent to fight anymore . My instincts aren’t suggesting there’s any danger either
.
“Is it over now?”.
“Yep, all done . You win . ”.
.
To be honest, from the sudden challenge, I don’t want to let it go with a simple “you got me”
But I’m already at my limit . If I suggested, ‘hey, why not fight to the death?’ or something right now, I would definitely be the one dying
It pisses me off, but pulling back is the best plan right now
.
“But I’d like you to spare my life if you could?”.
“I don’t even get why you attacked in the first place . ”.
“Oooh, that was one of those “hit first, ask questions later” things . I’ll tell you what’s going on; you wanna hear?”.
“Before that, put on some clothes . Master is looking at you funny . ”.
“I am not!”.
.
She switched from giant dragon size to a little girl, so of course she wasn’t wearing any clothes
Having gotten caught up in the fight, Master was hiding nearby, so of course he’s watching . Lecher
.
“Oh, but I don’t have a change of clothes . ”.
“… Here . ”.
.
I took my own change of clothes out of “Dimensional Storage” and tossed them at her
What can I say? I couldn’t stand her displaying herself naked in front of Master
.
“Thank you . So y’see? I’ve been managing that basement . I was away when the eruption happened, but when I got back it was all cleaned out, and I was in shock . ”.
“Ah… Eh?”.
.
While wiggling the clothes on, the demon dragon explained her circumstances . It’s probably a kind of weird sight
.
“So when I chased after in a panic, I felt the signs from a girl who seemed kinda like the same race, right? And I was like what’s going on, see?”.
“What are…”.
“Aah, I do feel bad about suddenly attacking, okay? But look, if you suddenly told a robber, ‘give it back’, normally they wouldn’t listen, right? So I figured I should go in strong from the get-go . ”.
“I…”.
.
Do I have to give it all back? I mean, the original owner appeared, so I know I have to return it
But… I’m not completely satisfied . Especially because of the huge injury Master took
.
“Hmm~, but y’know… Telling you to give it back feels kind of strange too . ”.
“Eh?”.
“Yeah, I mean you’re the kid who was at the foot of the mountain, right?”.
“Yeah, and?”.
.
Finished with changing, she crosses her arms and nods firmly
.
“Well, I only realized it now too of course . But see, that’s where the god of destruction’s relatives live . ”.
“Huh?”.
.
I’ve never heard about that . Why we would purposely live on an inconvenient and dangerous mountain is something I found strange though
Like at Sokaris, living a little closer to the city and commuting to the mountains would have definitely been more convenient
.
“Which means you’re a descendant of the god of destruction, Yuuri, and so… In other words, that means, as her descendant, you’re qualified to inherit all the treasures in the basement… Right?”.
“Uh, not sure why you’re asking me . ”.
“So y’see, for the time being I’ll acknowledge you as their owner . Forcibly plundering all the treasure a dragon is guarding kinda makes this like a fairy tale!”.
“Uh, not really getting… Your reason…”.
“Oh, but I’ll be monitoring you! There’s a lot of dangerous stuff in there, after all . ”.
“Eh? Umm…”.
“Oh, since I lost, should I call you “master”? When I called the god of destruction that, she got a nosebleed and was really happy . ”.
.
What the hell are you teaching her, god of destruction? I felt a slight desire to murder her
.
“So yeah, I look forward to working with you!”.
.
The demon dragon gives a sharp salute
.
“Eh, you’re coming with?”.
“Of course . I can’t monitor you if I don’t . ”.
“Eh, EEEEEEEHH?!”.
.
And so our traveling companions grew in number I guess?.