“I can’t even see your gold ring. Your magical power is also barely there—no, they are both sealed. That’s why the rRed dDragon is confused. But now, everything’s different.”
Even though the low voice of the black dragon, which carried a cheerful undertone, could be heard, it didn’t match the movements of its mouth. Jill considered that it might be speaking right into her mind.
“You were not surprised when you saw me, that courage alone deserves praise. However, that doesn’t mean I acknowledge you.”
“Are you the one who saved me?”
“You dare ask a question without permission? Well, the answer is correct. As per the request of the red dragon, I teleported you here.”
As she thought, it had something to do with Georg’s red dragon. She learned in class that the red dragons were as smart as human beings. It may had spat out that flame to disguise the teleportation.
In any case, she had to be courteous. Although she hadn’t yet learned how to be courteous to a dragon in class, Jill stood up, placed her hand against her chest, and bowed.
“Thank you for your help. Forgive me, but may I ask for your name, Your Majesty Black Dragon?”
“Just ‘Black Dragon’ is fine. I’m the only remaining black dragon in this world as of now.”
Did that mean he no longer bothered with distinguishing titles?
It felt kind of lonely, but his color was also an absolute sign of his status in the ranks of dragons.
Calling him, ‘Black Dragon’ might be as honorable as calling Rave the ‘Dragon God’.
“My name is Jill. I’m the Dragon Princess.”
“I said I haven’t acknowledged you as one, yet.”
The earth boomed again, and the purple eyes of the black dragon narrowed.
“Unfortunately for you, little girl, if you don’t receive my acknowledgement, you won’t leave this place alive.”
“Please help me out?”
“When your fate is already sealed? This is a dragon’s nest. Humans can’t just set their foot here as they please!”
In a flash, a blue flame was emitted in a straight line from its mouth.
Focusing her magical power on the soles of her feet, she ran across the ground.
But, when she changed directions, the black dragon had already chased Jill through scaling the wall.
“Won’t you listen to me for a bit!? His Majesty is in trouble!”
“So what?”
“Isn’t he the Dragon Emperor?!”
“Then why wasn’t a golden-eyed black dragon born in his generation!? Why did the eggs not hatch!”
Jill frowned at the unexpected information. However, she couldn’t afford to ask for details when the rocks behind her were evaporating due to the flames.
“—what’s more, a girl this little is the Dragon Princess?! The Dragon Princess is a shield which protects the Dragon Emperor, the only one who can defeat the love of the Goddess!”
Behind her, the dragon spun its tail with tremendous force. After evading it by a mere hairline, Jill hid behind the shade of the rocks.
I have a lot of questions to ask, but what should I do to escape? It’s impossible without magical power. To begin with, even if I had magical power, this is the dragon’s nest. Would it even activate properly? Dammit! Isn’t there anything I can do?
She looked around while hiding behind a rock.
She could see rocks and the ceiling of water which couldn’t be reached. The stones lying on the ground and thin glass-like debris—could it be, a dragon scale? Jill, who just touched something with her foot, looked down.
“As if you can protect the Dragon Emperor to begin with!”
The echo of the black dragon’s criticism harshly reminded her of Hadith who collapsed in front of her.
“I received the information from the Red Dragon. Why would you stop the Dragon Emperor? In fact, you should have been the one who chopped the enemy’s neck off, and made an escape plan with the Dragon Emperor!”
She didn’t think it was wrong to stop Hadith from killing Elynsia.
However, the black dragon’s criticism was justified.
At that moment, Jill had indeed wasted Hadith’s efforts after he went straight to her at the risk of his own life.
“Or perhaps, were you sympathizing with the traitor?! You dare say you want to protect the Dragon Emperor with such overflowing naivety!?”
“You even had your magical power sealed by the power of the Goddess! You aren’t a Dragon Princess, you’re just a mistake! Rave is too naïve!”
“Wait, what did you say just now?”
She stepped out of the rock shelter for information she just couldn’t allow to pass by.
The black dragon turned around.
“I said Rave is too naïve. After the Dragon Princess sealed the Goddess and died, reason had won. Ever since then, Rave didn’t just lose his divinity, he also separated himself and created the Dragon Emperor—”
“—no, not that, well, that sounds important too. But, did you just say something about my power being sealed by the Goddess?”
“That’s right.”
She grabbed her shoulder on reflex. The scar had healed, but the magic which had entered her body through the wound still remained. Only the Kingdom of Kratos was capable of producing that much magic.
Although she was knowledgeable about that, why didn’t she realize the material of the fake sword until now?
“Could it be… that thing was made from the Holy Spear of the Goddess?”
“That’s the only way to seal the magical power of the Dragon Emperor.”
The black dragon, who answered quietly, fired a question instead of an attack that time.
“—What are you laughing at? Have you gone mad?”
“I made such a big deal about it. Turns out it’s that Goddess again. She’s so obsessed, she’s even willing to harm herself.”
“By trying to sympathize with the love of the Goddess, you’re unqualified to be the Dragon Princess.”
As if seeing something threatening in her, the black dragon’s murderous intent and vigilance doubled. However, Jill only faced the black dragon straight on and replied.
“I’m going to help His Majesty. Move aside.”
“Humans who dare enter the dragon’s nest will not return alive. I also don’t obey the weak. That’s only logical.”
“Logical or not, I’m His Majesty’s wife!”
“What nonsense! If you’re truly the Dragon Princess, then hit me with everything you got!”
Once again, a straight blue flame was emitted. Jill ran and kicked the wall, channeling all her magical power to her legs. She somersaulted off the ceiling made of sparkling water and faced the black dragon head-on.
“Cease all your quibbles about being reasonable and what-not! His Majesty aside, won’t you even help us for the sake of the Dragon God!?”
“So, you want to talk about love, instead!? As I thought, you’re indeed a servant of that witch—the Goddess of Kratos!”
“—and that’s precisely why none of you can triumph over the Goddess!”
She extended her right arm forward and pierced said arm with the dragon egg fragment she had just picked up.
Then, as intended, Jill’s right fist was filled with magical power.
“Wha—!!”
“A woman who’s risking her very life and a dragon who does nothing but grin—without love or reason, it’s obvious which side would win!”
The dragon egg fragment could briefly negate the seal. Of course, if she tried to exert magical power, the seal on her magic would also try to invalidate it.
The fragment pierced into her arm broke. Despite so, there would be a delay before Jill’s magical power was sealed again.
It was enough to deliver one blow—
—and how many dragons do you think I have beaten down with this fist!?
“If you don’t want to be reduced into mere food, keep quiet and obey me, Black Dragon!”
Her right fist struck the area between the black dragon’s eyebrows. Its eyes uncontrollably widened. The giant black dragon, after staggering for a bit, collapsed.
Jill staggered and landed on the ground, gazing at her bloodied right arm. Her right hand felt weak. She tried to clench it several times, but she simply didn’t have the strength.
Oh no, if His Majesty knew about this, he’d cry…
She had to go help him soon.
She suddenly noticed it—there was a hole in the rock wall near where the black dragon had fainted. Was that the exit leading to the outside? She saw faint light at the back of it.
As she proceeded with a slightly uncertain gait, she immediately realized she had misunderstood. What she had just seen wasn’t light from outside. It was a golden egg about the size of Jill.