“Ohh! It’s a wolf!”
After departing the Demon King’s Castle, Mil had set off east, and it wasn’t long before she reached a lush forest beneath a blue sky. According to Crowell’s map, this forest was infamous among demonkin for the ferocious monsters lurking within.
The forest quickly lived up to its reputation when she was surrounded by creatures lurking in the undergrowth. She recognized them as monsters called greatwolves. To them, it must have looked like a tasty treat had wandered into their backyard.
“Grarr!” One of the greatwolves lunged at Mil.
Since she had no time to prepare herself, the girl was knocked to the ground. The creature showed no mercy, going straight for her throat with its sharp fangs.
“Nether hand.”
Mil cast the spell as she fell, summoning translucent black hands from the ground around her to ensnare the greatwolf that just her pinned down. However, the grip of the dark hands wasn’t enough to stop the wolf’s fangs from reaching Mil’s neck.
“Ah ha ha!” Mil laughed. “That tickles.”
But the fangs couldn’t so much as pierce her skin.
Nether hand was a spell that created ghostly hands around the caster. Rather than simply immobilizing a target, they sapped the strength of any creature they touched.
“Grrhh!”
Several more greatwolves lunged at Mil. Now there were wolves biting her arms, abdomen, and legs, each one gripped by a dark hand.
“I count five of you! Maybe I’ll take one of you with me. But who should I pick...?”
Mil stroked one of the greatwolves under its chin. The stiff bristles of its fur coiled around her finger tips. The greatwolf was a cute creature in spite of its angry-looking face, but its breath didn’t smell too good.
“Slave chain!”
This was a forbidden dark magic spell for capturing a target. Several black orbs appeared in the sky around Mil, and from these sprang several thick chains.
“Grroh?!”
The chains wrapped around each of the wolves, binding them tightly.
“Got you.” Mil climbed to her feet, finally free. “Yay. I’m gonna have so many friends!”
“Grawwhn...” Mil’s smile must have been a terrifying sight for the greatwolves. Faced with an overwhelming foe in command of forbidden magic, they trembled like mere puppies.
“Let’s start by naming you all. You can be Doggy, and you—ahh!”
Just as she’d started naming the wolves, Mil was struck by a gust of wind.
Mil crouched low to the ground in an attempt to stay on her feet as she heard tree branches breaking all around her. It felt like she was enduring an explosive blast.
Mil’s spell weakened while she was distracted, giving the greatwolves a chance to slip free of the magic chains and run off yelping.
“Aww, they’re gone. I didn’t even get to teach them to sit.”
But what was that gust of wind? Mil looked at the sky through the gaps in the trees.
“Grrroooooooh!” A great howl seemed to shake the air around her. The source was a massive red dragon flying overhead.
“A fire-breathing dragon as big as a mountain?!”
Mil completely forgot about the greatwolves.
“No! Luludra! Wait up!”
Having already decided on its name, Mil kept her eyes on the dragon in the sky as she ran after it.
“Oh?”
Something seemed to grab the dragon’s attention, and then it descended from its place high in the air.
Could this be my chance?! Mil ran after it, full of excitement.
“Eeek! A d-d-dragon?!” She heard someone cry.
Mil didn’t know whether the voice belonged to a human or a demonkin, but either way, the dragon had scared someone.
“Oh no! I’ll have to train it!”
Mil wasn’t going to let her dragon attack people. She was determined to teach it how to behave before it came home with her.
She quickly made her way through the trees and then stepped out onto a road wide enough for a horse and carriage. In the center of the road, a cowering human was staring up at the sky. He was a burly merchant with heavy luggage on his back.
“Are you all right?!” Mil asked.
“L-Look! Up there! A d-dragon!” he cried with a trembling voice.
Mil stood in front of the merchant with her sword drawn. “It’s all right! Hide someplace nearby.”
The merchant followed Mil’s advice and hid himself in the undergrowth by the roadside.
The dragon was slowly descending, unleashing a powerful gust of wind at Mil each time it beat its massive wings. Its scales were red, there were sharp claws on each of its feet, and a pair of large horns extended from its head. Its keen eyes were soon fixed on Mil.
“It’s huge. I didn’t think its stomach would be so big and round.”
“Graaah!” With a roar, it swooped down at Mil from the air.
Mil was ready for it. “Dark plasma!”
A lightning bolt shot from her outstretched hand. This forbidden torture spell created plasma bolts that would wrap around a target and cause it continuous pain.
“Grrroooh!” Caught in Mil’s electric net, the dragon howled in agony.
“It’s just a little lesson for you. Poison mist!”
Mil’s plan was to restrict the dragon’s movement by covering the area around it in poison. The dragon crashed to the ground with a great thud, landing in the middle of the mist and sending up a cloud of dirt and gravel.
“Now to bind it with slave chain. I’d better give it a collar too.”
Mil was delighted by the idea of having a dragon for a pet.
“Graaoh!”
“Ahh!”
With a great howl, the dragon broke free of the net of lightning. The plasma spell wasn’t powerful enough to keep the dragon contained. The poison mist helped a little, but that hadn’t sapped the dragon of its strength either.
Mil was left with just one option. She returned her sword to its scabbard and assumed her stance. “Yah!”
Her sword whooshed through the air, unleashing a demon slash. Though Mil made sure not to attack with all of her power.
“Graah!”
“Yah!”
“Grr!”
“Yahh!”
“Grraaaoooh!”
She struck the dragon repeatedly with black shock waves, while taking care to hurt it as little as possible.
This ought to weaken it.
“Graaaoh!” With another great howl, the dragon took to the air.
“Aah! No, wait!”
The effect of the poison mist hadn’t been enough. It had been a mistake to hold back against a dragon.
The dragon turned its back to Mil and quickly disappeared into the distant sky.
“Aww. It’s gone. I can’t believe how tough it was. Wish I could’ve rode on its back.”
If only she could fly with magic, she’d have chased after it, but sadly, there’d been no such spells in the castle library. Mil made a mental note to learn a flying spell the moment she found one.
“Y-Young lady...?” The merchant emerged from his hiding place in the undergrowth.
“Oh, is everything all right? You’re not hurt?”
The merchant looked surprised to see Mil approaching. So surprised that he backed off a few steps. “N-Not at all! I’m fine!”
“Hm?”
The merchant looked afraid for some reason. Oh, but of course. Luludra must have scared him. Mil accepted that as an explanation. She had no idea how the sight of her tormenting the dragon with a smile on her face had looked from his point of view.
“Y-You’re strong, young lady... Are you an adventurer?”
“An...adventurer...? Uh heh heh, heh heh heh.”
She must have looked the part, with a bag over her shoulder, light armor, and a sword, just like any other adventurer.
“Well...”
Mil’s bashful smile was making the merchant even more nervous. Mil wasn’t sure why.
“Teh heh heh... Yep, I’m an adventurer! What about you, mister?”
Mil was assuming he was a merchant, but there was still a chance he was an adventurer too.
“I’m a merchant. I’m planning to sell my goods at a small village that’s supposedly somewhere up ahead. I never expected there’d be a dragon flying around... I should’ve done a little more research before heading out.”
“A village?! Could you guide me to it?”
“Oh, no problem. It’s a relief to meet a strong adventurer like you along the road. I should be the one asking for help.”
“Yay!” Now I feel like a real adventurer!