256 – Departure

Once Tatark has gone back, I undo the Humanisation Technique to return us to dragon form. We’ve got to conserve MP. I don’t feel like we’d fall behind the manticore, but I want to be as sure as I can.

I lay down on the ground with my eyes closed, resting my body.

“…Are you really onee-san?”
“Why… After so long… All this time, where…”

That exchange earlier must have eased their fear, because the girls have begun calling out to us intermittently. I’m sorry, but I don’t know where the dragon-god went, or what they’ve been doing all this time. I’m sorry, but I don’t know.

I open my eyes and glance at my partner. At the same time, she also turned to look at me. Our eyes meet, and we give each other a small shake of the head.

It’s unfortunate, but I have no words of response for them. I’m not the same dragon as the former dragon-god, but even so, I can’t go throwing away my position as the dragon-god. Even though I’m comfortable with their current misconception, I know I can’t deceive them forever. However, I should wait until the problems have been dealt with to some extent before coming clean. If I had to leave them now, who knows how many would die.

“…Dragon-god…sama”

The eldest girl calls out to me.

“…Honestly, there’s way too much that I don’t know. I know it might be selfish of me to ask this, but…that is… Please do your best!”

This girl, she really is mature. While I’m being impressed, my partner nods her head.

“GuuOH”

“…This one’s onee-san, right?” 

W-well spotted. She’s perceptive.

“Guuu…”

My partner purrs, clearly not dissatisfied. 

With the passage of time, the red light of evening fades. Soon, the cave is plunged into darkness. Only faint moonlight remains.

If they’re left like this every night, I can only imagine how disheartening it must be for them. While I’m thinking such things, I hear Yarg’s voice. 

“Hey, it’s time. Move the boulder.”

“…R-right.” 

Tatark replies to Yarg and the entrance cover is removed.

It seems the time of sacrifices is close.

Finally, the time has come.

I activate [Humanisation Technique], pulling my head into my body as I transfer control to my partner. Once again, I’m able to smoothly complete the transformation.

Transformed, my partner picks up the rags of her clothes and reluctantly puts them on. Once she’s finished, I finally notice.

The rope that was binding us is still untied! If Yarg sees we’re no longer restrained, won’t he run away? Losing his fingers would have traumatised him. A-at least the arms, we have to tie up our arms.

“Hey, the rope… My arms, tie them up behind me please.”

“Eh? Y-yes…”

A look of wonder on their faces, the girls gather beside my partner. She turns her back towards them, holding her arms behind herself. They’re able to frantically tie her arms somehow… It’s not as tight as before, but it should be fine, I think.

From above, I can hear Yarg and Tatark’s conversation.

“Tatark, you’re looking rather pale, you know. As I thought, you’re not suited for the task.”

“That is, about the meeting… How will… This village…”

“We are not yet at the stage to inform recent outsiders such as yourself.”

“B-but…”

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Following Tatark’s protest, a dull sound rings out.

“A-agah…!”

I hear the sound of Tatark crouching down. Probably, Yarg hit Tatark on his chin with the blunt end of his spear.

“If you think it’s dangerous here, why don’t you try going back to that village and bowing your head? You obviously treasure your life that much. You really have no pride at all, do you Tatark? Otherwise, how could you be so soon to change your loyalties?”

“Th-that’s not… I was…”

I feel my partner raising an eyebrow as she hears what Yarg said. Tatark ossan was proposing to sacrifice himself in order to get the hostages to a safety and was talking about trying to get the villages to reconcile. For that Tatark to be criticised as a coward, it certainly doesn’t feel good.

“Today’s your last as gatekeeper. I have Nagrom-sama’s orders, so I won’t kill you, but as I thought, you can’t be trusted. For someone like you, standing watch outside the village is an appropriate assignment.”

“…”

“I’m going down to get today’s live food. You’ll wait here.”

Yarg says frostily, before dropping a rope into the cave.

Seeing that, my partner sprints towards the entrance. W-wait a second! What are you doing!?

She kicks off the wall, before springing off the wall again midair to launch herself past the rope and though the hole.

“Wh-, wh-!”

Yarg, who was peering into the hole, leans back in astonishment. She somersaults through the air and knees him in his face.

“Buh!”

Yarg staggers and collapses to his knees. Holding his nose, he glares at her in disbelief.

O-oi, partner…

“Ah? I held back, so there shouldn’t be anything to complain about. But this is the guy that served us poison, you know?”

If this goes badly, our plan will come to nothing! I understand your feelings, but please hold it in! That person, I didn’t know what he said about the ossan, so maybe can’t be helped, but still!

“H-how? Were the bindings loose…?”

“I dealt with it. Weren’t you going to offer me as live food?”

“Th-this bitch!”

Yarg tries to stand up, but she forces his shoulder into the ground. She strains his joint to the limit of resistance.

Stop! Stopp! I get that you hate the guy, but seriously calm down for now! If you take it out on him now, those children are the ones who’ll suffer!

“Cheh.”

She releases her hold on him and tosses him to the ground.

“…Haa, haa. As expected, you’ve no more energy to struggle.” 

No, she actually has plenty though…

“Wh-what should we do, Yarg-san?”

“…We’ll take her. If holding me down for a bit is the limit of her strength, she shouldn’t anger the manticore. I was considering postponing giving her until her body grew weaker… But it was strange how she was able to slip out of the rope and kick off the wall to get out. So if we leave her, there’s a good chance she’ll escape. We should give her as live food before that.”

Ah, that was close. He was planning on leaving her for later. Her recklessness had a  miraculously positive effect. Feel free to kick him some more.

“It’s okay?”

Sorry, that was a joke. Please don’t take it seriously. I forgot that you might actually do it.

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