I could always count on Marie. She could use Sorcery in addition to Spirit Magic, letting her adapt to a wide range of situations.
Her fingers, which she pressed firmly against my forehead, glowed faintly in the gloom. This apparently granted a buff that amplified light like a cat’s eye, making it seem as if my surroundings were shining.
I looked down once again, my heart jumping, as I could now clearly see an enormous dragon.
So big...
Judging from its size and staggering intensity, it could be the rare legendary-class dragon. Its estimated level may have even surpassed 1,000. Being only level 72, I wouldn’t stand a chance against it.
(It really is big... Do you know what this dragon’s name is?)
(It’s black and possesses dense magic, so possibly an arkdragon, a type of magi drake. Look, the marking on the surface of its body is moving. So it’s true, they can generate magic simply by breathing...)
Marie seemed timid at first, but she was now full of wide-eyed curiosity.
But... how to put this...? The cape wasn’t all that big, so she was holding tightly onto my arm. She may have been slender, but she was still a girl. My arm was squeezed between the two mounds on her chest, and...
(Are you listening, Kazuhiho? Do you know what it means if that really is an arkdragon? Their spawning season only comes once every one thousand years. One of their scales... no, even one drop of saliva from them could be sold for a high price! Oh my, this is so exciting!)
(You can be pretty un-elf-like at times, Marie. Do you ever get told you’re worldly-minded?)
In response to my comment, her amethyst eyes looked at me. Her eyelashes seemed even longer from up close, and she looked like a beautiful doll with her pale skin. But she was giving me a cold glare, so I couldn’t just keep staring.
(You are the one to blame, Kazuhiho. I never would have become interested in the human world if it weren’t for you. You’re the one who troubled me with talks of the city full of excitement and all the things I would love to buy.)
Huh? And that’s my fault? Did I ever say I’d take her to the outside world...?
I’d visited her elven village before, having hung out and learned some Elvish while I was there. I didn’t recall ever inviting her out of there, though.
But, more importantly, the sensation of her breasts squeezing my arm harder may have been the bigger issue here. I may have been mature mentally, but Marie could afford to be a bit more modest about these things.
Well, not that I don’t enjoy it, of course.
I soon realized it wasn’t the time to be troubled over such things. The arkdragon’s eyes had opened before I knew it, and it was now giving off a warning growl.
(I-It hasn’t noticed us, right? I mean, its eyes are...)
(Yup, it’s staring right at us. But don’t worry, I’ve already secured an escape route.)
I looked behind me and saw a small cave. It was just big enough to fit both of us, so there was no way for the dragon to chase us through there.
Baaam!
Lattices came down with a heavy, metallic sound, and we both froze in place.
Don’t tell me this is an inescapable event! It really may be legendary-class!
The rumbling music that followed signaled the start of a battle, and its imposing tone indicated the might of our opponent. It was a surprisingly slow and steady rhythm, but from the low sounds of the music, I could tell there would be sorrow and despair followed by a tragic end. It told us we were about to face death, and all we could do was tremble as we held each other.
The dragon’s gigantic claws perched on a foothold with a loud scraping noise, its glowing eyes appearing before us. I embraced Marie in my arms in an attempt to protect her, but then the dragon’s mouth opened like a volcano’s throat.
It was a sight that shook me to my very soul: a dragon’s breath igniting before my eyes.
Yup, looks like I’m dying again today. I wish I could’ve at least seen its eggs...
As soon as the leisurely thought crossed my mind, my surroundings were enveloped in a furious torrent of power, and I felt every hair of my body evaporating. I vanished in a mere instant. My very existence was destroyed before I could even register pain.
The overwhelming nature of this lifeform was both horrifying and moving at the same time...
Then, the fierce stream of energy that had bent light itself suddenly stopped. The world went from black and white to vibrant colors again, and the arkdragon let out a satisfied-sounding snort as tranquility returned to the cave. Eventually, it climbed down the sheer wall and went back to its nest of eggs.
＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋ ＋
I let out a long yawn in a pitch-black room, then moved aside my comfortable blanket to stretch out my limbs. It was still dark, as expected, and I looked up at the clock to see that it was three in the morning.
That’s a shame. I was having so much fun with Marie...
I scratched my head, thinking of how I wished I could have spent more time with her.
If I was defeated in my dream like I was earlier, or if I fell asleep over there, I ended up being forced awake here. So, when I looked at the bottle and bento box next to me, they were, as expected, empty.
This is my “strange side,” despite being an ordinary salaryman otherwise. I could play and eat in my dreams... not that that was something I could really brag about.
I muttered to myself and flipped the bedside switch to turn on the indirect lighting. It cast the darkness away, just like the light spirits. But right as I was about to get up to go to the bathroom, I froze. It was likely safe to say that anyone would be surprised if they suddenly noticed the bare skin of someone’s arm wrapped around their chest.
I slowly turned to my side and found hair whiter than my sheets, and the smooth skin of a shoulder...
“M-M-Marie?!” I cried out hysterically, despite it being the middle of the night. Any hint of lingering sleepiness was instantly blown away.
In my bed was a half-fairy elf girl sleeping comfortably.
And so, the most bizarre incident in my life had been overwritten by that moment. It was slightly... no, incredibly peculiar, but it seemed my dream had become reality, and an elf showed up in my room.