That means Tailtiu must really be out of the ordinary, to be on even footing with someone like him.
“Move aside! Hngggh!”
Then, interrupting my thoughts, the Fierce Ogrefolk man kicked my back with a leg as thick as a tree trunk. Just like before, there was a tremendous crash, but I didn’t move an inch.
“I-Impossible...”
He was dumbfounded, but no attack could harm my invincible cheat body, and it was unaffected by any negative statuses as well. It wasn’t something I could be proud of, as I hadn’t achieved it through hard work, so I had no desire to use it for fighting, but it was perfect for mediating disputes.
“Well then, are you two satisfied now?” I said, giving them a friendly smile. For some reason, they both looked at me with terror.
Hold on, it’s not like I’m trying to threaten you or anything.
Then, Tailtiu in her human form slowly came down from the sky.
“Darling... Umm, I...”
“Hey, you didn’t run away today.”
“I-If I did, you’d just come after me as fast as you could again, wouldn’t you?!”
“Of course. Then it’d be another chase. And I definitely wouldn’t let you get away.”
She shrunk back slightly at my straightforward reply. She appeared to be embarrassed that I had seen her earlier behavior. Perhaps because she was conscious about her usual solitude, she glared at the other two to try and hide her embarrassment, and they flinched.
“See, you’re threatening them. You won’t be able to make friends like that,” I said. I grabbed her and lifted her up by the scruff of her neck, and she returned to her usual peaceful self.
“Waaa... Darling...”
“So, why did you attack them?”
“Well...”
I had been watching for a while, so I pretty much understood why. But it would be good for her to think about this and come up with an answer herself, rather than me simply telling her. So, I waited.
“They always leave me out of the group...”
“Okay...”
“Even though I just want to fight together with them...”
“Okay.”
First, setting aside the fact that she wanted to fight, it was clear that, in her own way, all she wanted was to be included with everyone else.
“Hmm...”
Judging from what I had just seen, what was the reason they were excluding her? After all, based on their earlier conversation...
“Tailtiu! So it’s you again! You’re an Ancient Dragonfolk like us, so why the hell’re you screwing around?!”
“Loner dragon over there! Must you always flaunt how much stronger you are?!”
Tailtiu butting in whenever the Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk fought must have been a regular occurrence. However, I couldn’t think of a reason they would only exclude her.
“I’ll ask more about that later... Hey, you two!”
The leaders each had nervous expressions, perhaps because they could sense the gap in strength between us.
“Wh-What do you want?” the Ancient Dragonfolk man asked.
“You can call it a day here, can’t you?” I said.
“Huh?! Why do I gotta take this crap from some outsider who came outta nowhere?!”
“It is galling to be of the same opinion as this brute, but I concur. I do not know who you are, but you have no right to interfere in our contest with the Ancient Dragonfolk!”
The members of each group behind their leaders raised their voices too, as if to say, Yeah, that’s right!
“So that won’t satisfy you, huh?” I said.
“H-Hey, you all!” Tailtiu said. “You should quit while my darling is still being kind—”
“Actually, Tailtiu! It isn’t even a fair fight if someone like you is there, so stop butting in!”
“Ngh... But, I’m an Ancient Dragonfolk too...”
“It vexes me to say it, but you are exceptional... If you truly intend to eradicate us, we will have to put our lives on the line to stop it.”
“So that’s how it is...” I said.
Although the Ancient Dragonfolk and Fierce Ogrefolk disliked each other and had a fractious relationship, they did seem to have a point where they drew the line. And Tailtiu was someone on the outside, who didn’t belong. However, they had drawn that line with quite a narrow-minded perspective. I had actually been planning to persuade Tailtiu and then try to make them all get along, but this changed things.
“You know, you guys are actually pretty lame,” I said.
“What?!”
“Do you mean to mock us?!”
“I mean, it’s the truth, isn’t it?”
For all their spirited fighting, they ganged up together to cast someone out for being too strong. Tailtiu’s efforts to join in were forceful, but if she hadn’t tried, then they would have no doubt pretended she didn’t even exist. Of course, that didn’t make it right for her to lose her temper and attack them. But if that was the conclusion she had come to after trying desperately to think of a solution, then it was the duty of an adult to accept that. So, I wanted to reward Tailtiu for her perseverance.
“You really shouldn’t be surprised when someone calls you lame, seeing as you don’t want to fight with anyone stronger than yourselves.” I took a step forward, consciously pointing hostility toward them.
“Wha—”
“S-Such power...”
“So, if someone even stronger shows up, will you let Tailtiu in then?” I clenched my fist and punched the ground as hard as I could. The earth cracked, debris flew into the air, and everyone there was similarly sent soaring.
“Wh-Whoooaaaa?!” they all shouted.
Still, while they may have been young, as you might expect from paramounts, they were instantly ready to fight despite how sudden everything had been. The Ancient Dragonfolk spread their wings and the Fierce Ogrefolk stood on rocks suspended in the air, all glaring at me like they were facing a monster. In contrast, I levitated in midair and spread my arms, looking down on them like the final boss of a video game while making my hostility felt.
“Now then, why don’t we go for a round?!” I said.
“G-Get hiiiim!”
“He’s dangerous! Everyone, attack all at once!”
My words were the cue for the two races to leap into action. The first ones to move were the Ancient Dragonfolk.
“GROOOAAARRR!”
They each transformed into dragons and fired their signature laser beams at me. But even Tailtiu’s flames couldn’t hurt me, so their attacks were entirely meaningless. I purposely let myself get hit without blocking, showing off the fact that I was unscathed.
“Now! Let us attack!”
I was blinded due to the beams of light. But I didn’t need eyesight to sense that the Fierce Ogrefolk were approaching.
“Hraaaahhh!”
They leaped from one floating boulder to another, closing in at high speed and using the physiques they were so proud of as weapons. These were tough, fierce attacks. I hadn’t studied any combat sports in my past life, but I could clearly tell that they were highly trained in some sort of martial art. That must have been why, when I fended them off with just my staggeringly superior physical ability, they all looked at me with astonishment.
“One, two, three...”
I floored them with kicks in turns, purposely not using my hands.