◆ Chapter 25: The Lucors’ Strongest Warrior
THE dragon writhes violently on the ground but is too injured to take flight again. I heal Lex with my left hand first. Then, under everyone’s vigilant protection, I cautiously near the wounded beast and touch it.
The purification is a success.
Between its mist shield and terrifying endurance levels, this dragon was quite different from the last one, but everything else went the same after purifying it. After emitting a dazzling flash of light, it splits into a flock of birds. What used to be a dragon has disappeared.
“We did it! We won!”
“You were the coolest, Boss Lady! Miss Nady has got game too!” Rosso exclaims.
“The Goddess has won the day! Iris’s goddess is the bestest!”
“Did you all behold my glorious strike that slayed the dragon?! That was the power of my and MiZUha’s love!”
Everyone loudly celebrates now that the imminent threat is gone. Ignoring the people who are still uttering delusions, I can understand the excitement the rest feel after taking down a second powerful dragon. That said, we aren’t completely out of danger yet. I bring my index finger—from my non-reeking hand, of course—to my lip and address the group.
“Keep it down, guys!”
The zombies infesting Cladorca look smaller than black beans in the distance, but they are slowly ambling towards us. It seems the holy effect has worn off the spring water as most of the zombies have regained their usual plodding gait. A good number have already moved out of the water. It’s definitely not safe anymore.
“Retreat as soon as we finish collecting the purified birds! Please make haste!” Lex commands.
The soldiers quickly get to work. They divide up hundreds of bags and gather the birds inside them. I feel bad about how roughly they are being treated, but we can’t risk them flying off and forming a third dragon.
I wonder if this world has as many birds as Earth does. If they do, then we have a frightening future filled with dragons ahead of us. As I’m shivering from that horrible premonition, I hear a whole lot of heavy panting. Searching for the source, I spot my followers arriving at our location looking beat.
“Haa…haaa…we finally made it…”
“G-Good. Everyone, take up your st-statues. We will protect Goddess Mizuha…!”
“Yeah…” the fanatics chant in feeble voices. I have a lot to say about them raising my statues in the air as blunt weapons, but they look so pathetic right now, I can’t do it.
“Hey guys. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we just finished vanquishing the dragons and are about to head back home now,” I say to them.
“H-How could this be…?”
“So... I need you to turn right around and march back home.”
I feel sorry for them, but they’re the ones who chose this. They have no choice but to run the way back home too. As I’m watching their forlorn backs trudge off toward the royal capital, something I glimpse out of the corner of my eye catches my interest. Nady and Theos are facing each other, awkward as can be.
“…Father.”
“You did well, Nady.”
Nady’s eyes bulge as if she never expected to hear those four words from her father’s mouth. Receiving his praise should make her happy, but her expression is more pained than anything.
“This experience has taught me that I still can’t stand shooting a living, moving creature,” she confesses. “It’s just too hard for me when I think it stopped moving because of me…”
“…You fulfilled your duties gloriously. Your life is yours to live henceforth.”
Those words are meant to push her away, but Theos said it with his daughter’s wellbeing in mind. From the bottom of his heart, he wants her to live life her way, free from obligation as his daughter. Nady has deep-set reservations against shooting living creatures, so I expected her to happily accept Theos’s gift of freedom.
“I hate it, but…but by defeating that dragon…with the skills you taught me, I was able to save the life of my best friend.”
“…Nady.”
“Therefore, I will continue to be an archer, to protect what matters most to me.”
For the first time, Nady looks her father in the eye despite having always looked away from him. Her tightly squeezed fists show just how much courage she needed to say it. Driven by the unnameable emotions bubbling up from deep within me, I throw my arms around Nady’s neck.
“M-Mizuha?”
“I just had to hug you! Sorry if I smell…”
“There you go bringing up your smell again. I told you I don’t mind it.” She squeezes me back with a blissful smile.
Many of the Lucors called Nady a coward, but I know that’s not true—she’s just kind through and through!
“My mind remains unchanged. You are free to choose whichever path suits you,” Theos repeats. He didn’t really change his wording all that much, but his expression has softened. The soft smile blossoming on Nady’s face proves it.
“…I will!”
The question of whether Nady uses the bow or not is up to her. Whatever she chooses, she will always be my friend. The fact that her father has finally acknowledged her is the best thing that’s happened today. Nady and I share a look and smile.
Meanwhile, Lex and the soldiers seem to have finished wrapping up preparations to ride home. Almost everyone has gathered in the area. They seem mostly unharmed. Even so, this was still an extremely dangerous operation.
I raise my voice so everyone around can hear. “Thank you all for partaking in this mission for me!”