Chapter 33

Thud. Thud.

Ariel, walking towards where the group was, deactivated her shield.

Ghost wagged her tail and greeted her immediately, but Mitchell and Jenny just stood there awkwardly.

Mitchell and Jenny didn’t know how to react.

The existence of a dragon and its overwhelming magical power.

Ariel, who took no damage from that magic…

There were too many things to be surprised about.

Of course, Ariel didn’t care how Mitchell and Jenny reacted. She just gently petted Ghost.

“Ariel…”

Jenny was the first to speak.

“Are you hurt…?”

At Jenny’s question, Ariel nodded slightly. Jenny forced a smile.

“That’s a relief. Ariel, you’re really strong.”

Jenny felt embarrassed inside.

She had proudly declared that she would protect Ariel after just dealing with a troll in the morning, and now she felt ashamed.

Ariel had subdued the dragon with just a flick of her finger.

Could such a being really exist in the Empire?

Even if Sir William, the Empire’s greatest swordsman, and the Grand Mage Laiar came together, they wouldn’t be able to handle a dragon.

If the high-level magic the dragon had cast earlier had fallen on the Imperial Capital, the Empire would have suffered irreparable damage.

Ariel, who took that magic head-on and was completely unharmed, was beyond Jenny’s imagination.

“Umm…”

Jenny quietly looked around.

The temple, built by dwarves and seemingly indestructible even after hundreds of years, was completely destroyed.

In fact, it could hardly be called a temple anymore. It was just a pile of rubble.

The only intact area was where Ariel had deployed her shield, and the surrounding land was all uneven, exploded, and heavily charred, resembling a horrific battlefield.

“Uh, over there…”

Rakia, hopping over the intact parts of the ground, quietly approached Ariel.

“Um, may I know your name?”

Rakia’s face as she looked at Ariel was filled with admiration.

In fact, Rakia admired Ariel.

Not only had she, an elf, overwhelmed her, a dragon, but she had also shown mercy by sparing her life.

‘There’s so much to learn from her…’

Fighting Ariel, Rakia deeply realized her own shortcomings.

Her mother’s words that there was no being in this world capable of opposing a dragon were wrong.

There were beings as strong as Ariel.

‘I’m not ready yet.’

This time, Ariel showed mercy, but the next opponent might not.

If the next opponent had a cruel nature like a demon, they might not spare Rakia.

‘I need more training.’

Rakia wanted to live as long as possible. To do that, she needed to become strong enough to repel enemies who came to her lair.

“Ariel.”

When Ariel told her name, Rakia nodded exaggeratedly.

“Lady Ariel…! I, I’m Rakia. Um, do you remember what I said earlier? That I wanted to be your subordinate…”

Rakia blushed and fidgeted with her fingers.

Even so, a dragon wanting to be an elf’s subordinate was somewhat embarrassing.

But Rakia wanted to become Ariel’s subordinate no matter what.

By following Ariel and learning from her, she would one day become strong enough to protect her lair alone.

“……”

Ariel silently stared at Rakia.

Ariel didn’t particularly need a subordinate. She didn’t even remember Rakia saying such a thing.

“P-please!”

Seeing Ariel’s lack of response, Rakia, feeling anxious, prostrated herself on the ground.

“Please take me as your subordinate, Lady Ariel! I may be an inadequate dragon now, but I will do my best to serve you and be of help!”

Ariel’s eyes widened.

‘A dragon…?’

Rakia’s appearance was that of a human child.

She had thought Rakia was an extraordinary being after seeing her use powerful magic, but she never expected her to be a dragon.

Ariel had no idea.

‘A dragon…!’

A faint smile spread across Ariel’s lips.

Though it was hard to imagine from Rakia’s current appearance, if she was a dragon, her true form must be a large, winged dragon.

Which meant.

‘I can ride her.’

Ariel knelt down and took Rakia’s hand.

“Alright.”

At Ariel’s response, Rakia looked up at her with teary eyes.

“Thank you… Lady Ariel… Sniff, sniff…!”

Eventually, Rakia burst into tears.

*

Mitchell and Jenny decided to leave soon.

The abandoned temple was completely destroyed, and Mitchell’s mission to investigate the area was over.

Now, Ariel would head to the Dwarf Mountain Range in the west, while Mitchell and Jenny would have to retrace their steps.

Since their paths diverged, there was no need to travel together anymore.

“Take care, Ariel. Let’s meet again someday.”

“Ariel, I hope we meet again.”

Mitchell and Jenny spoke with regretful expressions, and Ariel quietly waved her hand at them.

Would they really meet again?

Perhaps. If they continued their adventures, they might cross paths again.

Even if they didn’t, the time they spent together would remain as a small memory.

“Take care.”

Ariel murmured softly and turned around.

Ghost and Rakia followed the departing Ariel, while Mitchell and Jenny stood still, smiling as they watched Ariel’s back.

When Ariel’s figure completely disappeared, Mitchell spoke.

“A lot happened in such a short time…”

“Right… Seeing a dragon, it’s the first time since I saw one flying in the sky from afar as a child.”

“Same here. Even though she took the form of a human child, the power of her magic was beyond compare. The stories of dragons turning entire kingdoms to ash in a day were clearly not exaggerations.”

“I thought the world was ending. If it weren’t for Ariel’s shield, we wouldn’t even have bodies left.”

“The dragon is one thing… but what exactly is Ariel?”

“……”

Mitchell and Jenny fell silent, lost in thought.

“Let’s just say she’s an incredibly strong elf.”

“Yeah…”

An elf strong enough to overwhelm a dragon. No other description came to mind.

“Anyway, I’ll never forget Ariel. Those squishy cheeks, and how she acted shy during the bath, it was so cute. Sigh, I want to meet her again.”

Jenny started walking, and Mitchell followed quietly with a smile.

“We’ll meet again someday.”

The two were heading in the exact opposite direction of where Ariel had gone.

*

“…I see. Lady Ariel is on an adventure. Thank you so much for letting me join your adventure. I’ll do my best.”

“Do your best…”

Ariel quietly repeated Rakia’s last words.

Did she really need to try hard on an adventure? Wasn’t it just about enjoying it?

“Then, Ghost, let’s get along well from now on. I’m a dragon, and you’re just a wolf, but I won’t look down on you. We’re comrades now, so we should rely on each other. By the way, can I pet you once? Thanks. Ah, wow, you’re so soft. You’re amazing.”

Watching Rakia happily petting Ghost, Ariel felt like she had forgotten something.

Was this the whole party?

‘Ah.’

At that moment, Ariel suddenly stopped walking.

She had felt something was missing, and now she realized Roo wasn’t there.

“What’s wrong, Lady Ariel?”

“…Roo’s missing.”

“Roo? Who’s Roo… Oh, now that I think about it, wasn’t there a fairy in the party?”

Ariel quickly turned her head to look back.

In the distance, she saw a sparkling creature flying towards them at high speed.

“Nunim!!”

It was Roo.

“You can’t just leave me behind!!”

Roo flew at the speed of light and clung to Ariel’s face.

“That’s so mean, really!”

Ariel turned around and started walking again.

She almost forgot, but since Roo had found her way back, they could continue on their journey.

Roo opened her mouth.

“Did Jenny and Mitchell leave? No, more importantly, that human girl we met at the temple earlier! She’s definitely not human. That was Dragon Fear, I’m sure of it. Good grief, a dragon! I was so worried when I woke up and saw the surroundings in ruins. I thought something might have happened to you. But seeing you unharmed, that dragon…”

Suddenly, Roo stopped talking and looked at Rakia.

Roo’s complexion gradually turned pale, and Rakia smiled sweetly at her.

“Hi. From today on, I’ll be serving Lady Ariel too. I decided to become her subordinate.”

“W-what are you…”

Roo looked incredulous.

No matter how strong Ariel was, her opponent was a dragon.

A dragon becoming an elf’s subordinate? She had never heard of such a thing.

“You’re Roo, right? I’m Rakia. Let’s get along well.”

Looking at Rakia’s cheerful outstretched hand, Roo didn’t know how to react.

But she couldn’t just ignore a dragon offering her hand.

Roo finally hesitantly approached and shook her hand.

“N-nice to meet you, Dragon-sama…”

“Just call me Rakia. We’re comrades now.”

“R-Rakia… sama…”

Dragons were usually a very arrogant race.

The strongest beings on earth, absolute existences.

Terrifying creatures that would turn any race that invaded their lair to ash.

For such a being to act so friendly, Roo couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

Was this because Ariel was amazing, or was this dragon just strange?

“……”

No matter how much she thought about it, no clear answer came to mind.