In the audience hall, I was caught in Mimis’ report.
Unlike usual, Mimis was preparing to report the details from the beginning, whether it was something much more important.
“That’s right. There is a directive from the kingdom, and by no means, it got stimulated”
“What is the shadow of the dragon king”
“The previous story is about a dragon-type monster. Its power is tremendously strong ―― but it will never rampage unless it’s stimulated.”
“Hee”
“However, it was said that once it gets angry, it can easily destroy a human country. Because of that, we were given a decree that we should never meddle with it.”
“Understood, don’t stimulate it”
I nodded.
It’s a troubling story, but if they want to leave it alone, I’ll do it.
I’ll just leave it as ordered. I haven’t had such an easy command.
But.
“……Hey, is there any chance that the kingdom has ordered me to subjugate it?”
I who became suspicious of what I’ve done this far, confirmed it with Mimis.
Even this act of confirming it could be a flag, but still, I couldn’t help but confirm it.
Mimis said this flatly without any hesitation.
“That’s not possible. We’ll let sleeping dogs lie. For the last 200 years, not only in the kingdom, the world took the same stance in the shadow of the Dragon King. If you put your hands on it, you could become the enemy of the world.”
“Is that so”
I was relieved to hear that.
I with a sigh of relief, continue working. I was just listening to him, though.
After that, nothing in particular happened, and rather, my official duties ended earlier than usual.
Watching the vassals walk away from the audience hall, I think.
Since it ended earlier than usual, I’m going to play somewhere today.
I’ll go to Orthia for the first time in a long time huh.
It’s about time for her to say, “It’s a once in a lifetime request, Hermes-chan”.
Alright, let’s do that.
The moment I tried to stand up, and put my hand on the armrest of the chair.
Baki.
The well decorated armrest, broke with a noise.
“Hmm?”
While grasping the broken handrail, I gaze at it. Some are shattered.
This chair, have this much backlash?
…… No, it’s different! Then, the shattered wood chips jumped into my nose when I remembered something.
The result.
“――Hekshou!”
Dogoon!!!
With a single sneeze, half of the audience hall was blown away.
“Kuh! Have I start rampaging again!”
As my vassals and soldiers assemble together in a gathering noise for some reason, I, was only thinking about leaving this place first.
☆
At the summit of an empty rocky mountain, tens of kilometers away from Pindos.
I was sitting there by myself.
There’s nothing around; no one.
There are no animals, let alone humans and plants, there’s nothing.
I evacuated to a place where I wouldn’t involve anyone and reveal my secret.
Still, this time has come.
Once every few years, there is a time when I lose complete control of my strength.
Not being able to control it isn’t a metaphor, it’s literally out of control.
The output of the force, is fixed with a completely constant amount.
As a result of several experience, I’ve found that this lasts for about five days.
On the first day, everything will be done with 100% power.
For example――
Doooooooohhn!!!
It’s been a while, so it can’t be helped, and the moment I put out my tongue to moisten my lips.
The shock wave generated by the friction between my tongue and lips, caused an explosion that shook the mountain.
I can’t control it.
On the first day, no matter what I do, the output would be 100%, then it will decrease down by 20% every day, and if I endure for five days, it will return and I can control my force again as it was.
During that time, I have no choice but to keep my breath still, especially for the first three days.
It’s strictly forbidden to move, and even to sleep.
When I was a kid, I couldn’t do anything on the first day, and just by me turning over in my sleep, a mountain was blown off.
It’s literally out of control, I can’t do anything.
Even now, a gust of wind is occurring just by me breathing through my nose.
Anyway, I’ll stay still for the first three days; that’s just it.
It was pretty hard to just stay still, but with my experience so far, I chose an empty rocky mountain, so nothing happened.
I’ve hidden in the forest before.
Then, small animals gathered at me who didn’t move, and the feathers which were dropped by a flapping bird tickled my nose, then I’ve blown off the front half of the forest with a sneeze.
Cave is no good, and there’s no dust-ish enclosed space.
That’s why, I came to a rocky mountain like this that is open and empty.
On the first day, nothing happened.
On the second day, the sky was cloudy enough that it rained, but I managed to avoid it.
On the third day, my stomach was reasonably empty. Every time it rang, there was a thunderous roar around me, but since I am 60% empty stomach, it’s about the sound of a firecracker.
Nothing happened on the fourth day. When it dropped to 40%, I could afford to rearrange my legs.
As I was able to feel at ease in my heart, a slime appeared on the way and attacked me, but the moment I touched it, it disappeared.
The monster seems to have reacted to my power which was grandly leaking out of control.
While doing so, I reached the last day without any problems occurring.
Even though I still couldn’t control it, it has fallen to 20% of my full power, so I was able to stand up and stretch.
When I stood up, I stepped through the ground and I was able to make a little pitfall, but it’s cute considering what I’ve done so far.
One more day, if I can survive today, my daily life will start again from tomorrow ――.
“……Ah”
My eyes went down because I got up and stretched.
Under the rocky mountain, there’s a huge body that looks like a small mountain in itself.
The Dragon has a black body, but a red light is blinking repeatedly from under its skin.
That guy has its eyes on me.
And, I saw humans behind it.
It was a group of soldiers; their number is less than 300 ―― a squad level huh.
Looking at their behavior, it feels like they’re following the dragon and surrounding it at a distance.
Are they subduing it? No, I can’t feel the fighting spirit from the soldiers for that.
It feels like they’re completely in a wait-and-see mode.
It’s a strange sight――
“――Ah”
I remember.
The story I heard from Mimis just before the running wild of my power began.
Dragon King’s Shadow.
It’s a bad opponent who can’t be stimulated, even a little bit.
Those soldiers are defending it.
From the human beings, to the Dragon King’s Shadow.
It it’s stimulated, it will start rampaging, so it seems that they’ll eliminate those who give it even a little bit of stimulation before that happens.
That’s why they are there.
“Guuuoooooohh!!”
The Dragon king’s shadow roared while looking up to the heavens.
This is bad, I can see that it is strong just by its roar.
It’s strong as expected, and that’s simply an entity which was said that I can’t take out.
It jumped at me.
It jumps up the mountain in an instant, turns around in the air, and rushes towards me.
“Kuh! Did it see me as a threat!”
Like the yesterday’s slime, in response to my power —— it got stimulated and attacked me.
Dammit, there should be nothing amiss if I was normal!
I can do something like “turn off my sign”, but I can’t do that right now. I can’t control it.
In the mean of that, the dragon approached me.
It has bloody eyes, and furious facial expression.
It opens its huge mouth and bites me.
I didn’t have the time to think about it, my body reacted without permission.
Strong, this is not a measure-by-feel opponent, I have to fight back.
I grab the fangs of its mouth that was biting me, stopping it ―― and I tear it off.
I tore the dragon’s jaws up and down.
Soon after, the soldiers caught up.
I didn’t have the time to destroy the evidence.
As I tore the dragon apart, I was covered in its blood.
The 300 soldiers saw it and made a blank look.
“The Dragon King’s Shadow …… it’s a lie, isn’t it?”
A man who seems to be the head commanding officer murmured so.
Kuh, it’s the Dragon King’s Shadow after all huh.
I wonder if I can somehow deceive them from here on.
……Impossible huh.
Even if I deceive these guys, if they can trace my power, I will be exposed in the end.
If the Dragon King’s shadow is defeated, it will definitely be investigated, and Aegina will reach that it’s me in an instant.