Yoem and his group had set out on a journey to the Kingdom of Falmuth, and simultaneously, Hughes had already used his own connections to spread rumors among the neighboring countries. He truly was a man of efficient action.
Since arriving here, several weeks had flown by in an instant. From tending to Milim's whims to dispatching talented individuals to various nations, and managing the maintenance and strengthening of the state—it would have been an exhausting ordeal if not for my parallel existence.
Having finally concluded my duties, I decided to visit the hot springs—a local specialty of this country—with my lover, Shizu, to wash away the fatigue.
I entered the men's bath while Shizu went to the women's. After quickly undressing and stepping into the steaming water, I found that someone had arrived before me. It was Hughes.
“Hughes, is it?”
“My, if it isn't Lord Vertis.”
“There's no need for such formality. I've never been fond of it.”
Hughes had been so shocked when he first realized I was of the draconic lineage and that Milim was the Demon Lord Milim that he had been rendered speechless. Now, however, he seemed to have grown accustomed to it, and we spoke with ease.
As I soaked in the water and let the tension leave my body, I asked him, “What do you think? About my existence.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by...?”
“I am asking if I am a being that should truly exist.”
At my words, Hughes's gaze sharpened, his eyes becoming piercing as he looked at me.
“I wonder about that often myself. Why was I born as a dragonkin? Because of it, there are many who do not look upon me kindly. Not that I intend to let them walk all over me, of course...”
“...This is merely a hypothesis of mine, but I suspect you may be a being created by the will of this world.”
“...The world?”
“I'll skip over the Voice of the World, as you are already familiar with it. Originally, there were four True Dragons, but when one disappeared and the balance of the world became unstable, I believe the world created you to fill that void.”
Hughes spoke calmly, taking a sip of his drink while immersed in the hot spring.
The will of the world, huh...
“...Hah. If only I could ask the world itself, but since that's impossible, I suppose it doesn't matter.”
I gave a self-mocking smile and drained my drink.
Come to think of it, Veldanava's remnant consciousness said something similar. I wonder if there's a connection. I'll have to look into this properly later.
After fully relaxing my muscles in the bath, I stepped out first and waited for Milim.
“Wahaha! I have returned!”
Boom!!
Milim launched a powerful body tackle straight into me. The impact was comparable to a missile; I staggered for a moment, barely managing to regain my balance.
“M-Milim? I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t just charge at me like that...”
“Hehe, sorry~!”
I didn't feel like a simple apology covered it, but I let it slide.
Just then, someone appeared before us. If my memory served me correctly, it was Dryas, one of the dryads.
“What is it? Judging by your look, this isn't a routine matter.”
“Yes, it is an emergency! Charybdis has been revived. My sisters went to intercept the monster, but their attacks are completely ineffective. Furthermore, the creature is currently heading toward this land. Ground-based attacks are useless against Charybdis, the ruler of the skies. I have come to warn you so that you may immediately take defensive positions and prepare for battle!”
“Charybdis?”
Charybdis—a monster known for its endless cycle of resurrection and regeneration. I had always known it as a mindless beast. I heard it had eventually been sealed by a Hero because its rampage was unstoppable...
I had faced Charybdis a few times myself, but I had always treated it as nothing more than a giant flying fish.
“Is that all? It's nothing special. I could wipe it out in an instant...”
“Eh?”
Dryas stared at us with a blank expression as I folded my arms, acting as if it were a trivial matter. Why the look? Did she actually think we would lose to Charybdis?
“You don't actually think we'd be defeated, do you?”
“N-no, it's not that, but the opponent is Charybdis, a creature with power rivaling that of a Demon Lord!”
“And? It's just a flying fish, isn't it?”
“Exactly! A fish that's only big isn't a match for us!!”
Seeing Milim puff out her chest with confidence and my own relaxed demeanor, Dryas was left speechless. To her, Charybdis was undoubtedly a terrifying threat, but to the two of us, it was merely 'Mob A' passing through.
“Don't worry. We have no intention of losing. Where is it?”
“R-Rimuru-sama is currently intercepting Charybdis on the road leading toward the Armed Nation of Dwargon...”
“I see. Shall we go, Milim?”
“Let's go!!”
Milim and I immediately headed toward Rimuru's location, where the other companions had already assumed their battle stances.
I believed that if either Milim or I stepped in, the fight would be over in under a minute. However, Shion and Shuna, members of Rimuru's executive circle, refused our help. They insisted that this was their responsibility and that they could not accept outside assistance. Rimuru had also given me a hint: do not intervene unless he is in genuine danger.
“Well, if that's the case... Milim, I'll go make something for you.”
“Yay!!”
Milim, who had been slightly gloomy a moment ago, brightened up instantly at the mention of delicious food.
Shortly after, Charybdis revealed itself. Twenty massive sharks, each exceeding twenty meters in length, swam leisurely around the beast.
And leading those twenty sharks was a colossal, one-eyed dragon. It was so enormous that even a megalodon looked small by comparison.
Beneath its shark-like pointed head sat a repulsive, singular eye.
It possessed decorative legs and two pairs of wings of varying sizes.
—GTEYAAAA!!!!
Using a roar that sounded like a scream as a signal, the twenty megalodons charged simultaneously toward Rimuru and his allies, while Charybdis merely watched from the air.
Watching this, I felt something was wrong. Normally, it would have ordered the megalodons to attack and then charged in itself. Why was it just observing?
Charybdis was a monster devoid of reason, a creature driven solely by the instinct for slaughter. I had never seen it act as a spectator in a fight before.
On a whim, I observed Charybdis more closely and detected a life reaction. For a spiritual life-form like Charybdis to exhibit a life reaction meant there was a possessing entity inside it.
If that were true, then Charybdis's revival was not an accident, but a calculated, artificial act.
Well, whether there was a possessor or not, if Rimuru ever got into real trouble, I could just drop a bolt of lightning on it and fry the whole thing. So, did it really matter?
Having reached that conclusion, I continued to watch the battle. Rimuru seemed to decide to annihilate the megalodons first and sent a thought transmission to Benimaru. Upon receiving the order, Benimaru skillfully took command, isolating the megalodons one by one to defeat them in detail.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register