"I see... I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.
Aileen nodded nervously at the dragon's words.
It was after he had finished explaining the whole situation.
This is the sword that your father, the king, told you to take with you. Do you recognize this sword?
Irene picked up the sword on her back and showed it to the dragon as if offering it to him.
The dragon stretches his neck and looks at Irene with a quizzical expression.
I'm sure I've seen it before. Tell me the name of the king.
'Oh, it's Andrew.
'Andrew, Andrew. ...... Oh! That Andrew kid?
The dragon leans its head back.
You can't tell by looking at the dragon's expression, but from the tone of his voice, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
I've missed you. By the way, I gave that sword to the boy from among my treasures. What's the matter with him? He's a king now? And you're his daughter?
'Yes, yes! My name is Irene.'
Irene replied in a very nervous manner.
She seemed to be absorbed in the atmosphere of the dragon.
Aileen's father, Andrew, the king of the Grace Road Kingdom, was an adventurer before becoming king, which is an unusual background.
Strictly speaking, Andrew, who was originally in the position of heir to the throne, disregarded the restraints of those around him and began to work as an adventurer in order to 'broaden his knowledge', and after accomplishing a number of great feats, he returned to the royal palace and, after much debate, sat on the throne.
As an adventurer, he is said to have eventually risen to the rank of A.
Even now, he is known as 'Andrew the Warrior King' and is feared as one of the strongest warriors in the kingdom along with Dylan, the leader of the Kingdom Knights.
However, I didn't learn of this fact until long after I had become close friends with Irene, and my perception of King Andrew hadn't moved much from the position of 'best friend's father'.
He is the closest 'hero' to me, but I don't feel that way about him.
It seems that childhood impressions are deeply rooted.
Anyway, the story of King Andrew's encounter with the dragon in front of him must be from his adventurer days.
I don't know how they met, but from what I've heard, it seems that they at least parted on good terms.
"I see. That little boy's daughter has grown up so big. Human beings grow up so fast. I'm glad you've come this far. I can't offer much in the way of hospitality but I will welcome you.
The dragon seemed to be in a good mood the whole time.
The dragon seemed to be in a good mood the whole time... I'm sure all his friends here thought that things might go well.
But that was a naive outlook.
The next thing the dragon said was.
But... You said you came to me for a favor, daughter. So why hasn't the boy himself come? Do you think I'm stupid?
The dragon's voice was low with a hint of sullenness.
The clouds are getting darker.
Irene desperately tried to explain.
'Well, that's because your father is the king now, and as the lord of the kingdom, he can't leave the castle. Instead, I, his daughter...'
'That's none of my business. If you want me to do something for you, the least you can do is to come here and bow to me yourself.
'That's true, but ......'
Irene was speechless and turned her head away.
I see, it seems that King Andrew was right when he said that this dragon is difficult.
But this dragon's argument seems reasonable at first glance, but there are some subtleties that I don't understand.
It doesn't look like we're going to get anywhere if we leave it up to Eileen, so I might as well interject.
'I have a question, can I interject?
As I said this, the dragon's head turned from Irene to me.
'What? You're the one who was wise earlier. Go ahead, say it.'
'Thank you. Dragon, you said it was only right for King Andrew to come and bow to you himself. From what I've heard, you don't seem to be interested in your position in the human world. And yet, you want the king to visit you himself. That part doesn't quite make sense to me.
I'm sure you're not the only one who has a problem with this.
I don't think there's anything strange about it. It was Andrew's boy, not his daughter, who recognized me as his equal. It is only natural that he should feel insulted that I should send him a messenger and ask him to help me instead of going to him myself.
...... I see, that's what you mean.
That certainly makes sense.
But if that's the case, it's easier to say the opposite.
'All right. So that's it, dragon. If we're accepted by you ( ), you're willing to help us ( ).'
When I said that, the eyes of my friends were all on me at once.
The dragon, on the other hand, heard this and chuckled.
'That's quite a funny thing to say, human wise man. Do you think you are as good as Andrew's boy?"
The dragon raises its head again.
And then...
Whoa!
I'm not sure what to make of that.
I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.
But this time, I'm ready.
Without being pressured, I stand there quietly and say something back.
'I don't know how good you are... but I think I can beat you.
When I replied that, Irene, Satsuki and the others who were listening to me showed a shocked expression.
They stepped on their feet, which had been trying to retreat just before.
And then...
'''Huh!
With a spirited shout, the girls also opened up their auras and pushed back the dragon's pressure.
In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do.
On the other hand, Irene and Satsuki...
'I see, Will's right, you're right. We just need to be recognized ourselves.
'Good. I like it when things are simple like that.
And with that, he stepped forward.
An aura was rising from both of their bodies.
If they are willing to go head to head, they are no match for us.
Seeing this, the dragon once again emitted a muffled laugh from the back of his mouth.
"So, so, so... Very well. Then let's see if you can defeat me yourselves. You'll win if I say 'yes'. Then I'll help you or whatever you want.
Good.
Thank goodness the dragon is so understanding.
And the dragon people are proud.
They won't go back on something they've said.
And then there's ...... that's right.
I'll check with the dragon one more time.
I'll get one more thing for you, dragon.
"...... What? I don't like the idea of you going easy on me. He talked a big game when he said he could beat me. If you're going to complain about life and death, we can't talk about this. Now wrap your tail around your head and go home.
I shook my head at the dragon's words.
'No, I'm not. Rather the opposite.
"...... The opposite?"
I'm not sure what to say.
It's not that I don't like it.
'Yeah. I've heard that the dragon race is a proud race, so I thought I should tell you in advance. I'll go easy on you ( ) to defeat you ( ), but this is necessary due to the nature of the matter. I hope you won't be offended.
So I took my sorcerer's staff and faced the dragon.