As the snowstorm breeze swept through the air and the trees bowed under its weight, four figures trudged across the snow-covered landscape. Natalia's keen eyes spotted what appeared to be a village in the distance.
"Everyone, I believe there's a village up ahead," Natalia said, her voice carrying through the cold air. "We should seek shelter there for the night before the snowfall worsens."
Xialdre directed Clementine and Isayao to follow Natalia, and together they made their way towards the village. Upon reaching it, they realized it was abandoned. Undeterred, they forced open the door of one of the houses and entered, quickly shutting the door behind them.
"We're finally indoors," Isayao remarked, his young body weary from the journey.
Clementine and Isayao lay down on the floor, exhaustion evident in their movements. Meanwhile, Natalia and Xialdre began to search the house for anything they could use. Xialdre's gaze fell upon a picture resting on one of the shelves.
Natalia discovered a stash of firewood in the basement and set about starting a fire in the chimney. Isayao and Clementine nestled close to the warmth, while Natalia joined them. Xialdre remained fixated on the picture, which depicted a family of five generations.
"Big brother, come warm yourself by the fire before you freeze to death," Isayao urged.
Xialdre complied, placing the picture back on the shelf before taking his place beside the fire with the others.
Clementine remarked, "Freezing to death might be a bit dramatic."
Isayao retorted, "I'm just stating the facts here."
Clementine pouted, "You're mean."
"Thank you, Natalia, for guiding us here. We could've been in trouble without you," Xialdre expressed his gratitude.
Natalia replied, "No worries. I only did what was right. Besides, we're comrades, and most importantly, I'm your slave and you're my master."
Xialdre reflected privately, "It's been three months since she became my slave. I suppose it's time to take action, like seeking revenge or other matters."
As the fire dwindled and darkness enveloped the room, Xialdre stirred awake, realizing the fire had died out. He rose to fetch more firewood from the basement and heard a faint rattling sound. Realizing the source, he rushed to wake up Natalia, who also heard the noise.
"Natalia, use your light magic. I'll wake up Isayao and Clementine," Xialdre instructed urgently.
Natalia nodded, invoking her holy magic. Isayao and Clementine jolted awake as they witnessed snakes dropping from the ceiling, their tails rattling menacingly. Isayao swiftly grabbed her bow while Clementine readied her assassin's pins. Xialdre broke a window, allowing Isayao and Clementine to escape as he carried Natalia outside. They found themselves amidst a heavy snowstorm in an abandoned village infested with toxicant snakes.
Natalia invoked the power of fire, calling upon Lord Daitrus for strength as she unleashed a blazing attack, aimed directly at the head of the approaching giant serpent. The fire blast struck true, instantly killing the serpent and bringing a sigh of relief from the group. However, their respite was short-lived as four more serpents emerged, signaling they had entered the heart of serpent territory.
Isayao, sensing the imminent danger, urged Natalia to create a protective barrier around them. With determination, Natalia began to chant a protective spell, invoking the divine protection of Adonai. But before she could complete the incantation, a serpent lunged and sank its fangs into her thigh. With a sharp cry, Natalia collapsed, unconscious, leaving the party vulnerable to the looming threat.
Xialdre realized Isayao and Clementine also was bit as Xialdre saw the one that bit them is a militant hasten Toxicant black serpent, as how long its name might be its incredibly fast and extremely poisonous as one bite of it could kill a person in an hour, as the serpent jumps to Xialdre, Xialdre kicks it as it flew to the fire wall burning it to death, As Xialdre then carries the three girls out of the Snakes Teritory. As he escapes along with the girls that are unconscious xialdre found a nearby cave as he entered there and layed the three girls in the ground as he looks for their bites as the girls wake up.
Isayao winced, rubbing her head. "Ouch, I have a headache!"
Clementine nodded in agreement. "Me too."
Natalia's expression darkened. "We'll succumb to the poison within an hour if we don't find a way to heal."
Isayao paled at the thought. "I don't want to die yet."
Xialdre's voice cut through their panic. "Shut up and show me where you were bitten."
Xialdre quickly assessed their injuries, noting Clementine's neck, Isayao's lips, and Natalia's thigh. Without hesitation, he rushed to Isayao, extracting the venom from her lips. Isayao was taken aback by Xialdre's swift action, blushing as he worked. Moving to Clementine, Xialdre repeated the process, drawing out the poison from her neck. Clementine smiled gratefully and embraced him.
Turning to Natalia, Xialdre noticed her embarrassment and averted gaze as he removed the venom from her thigh. Natalia couldn't suppress a soft moan, causing the other two girls to glance at her, prompting her to cover her mouth in embarrassment.
After spitting out the poison, Xialdre collapsed to the ground, visibly drained.
"We need to retrieve our belongings from the serpent territory first thing tomorrow," Xialdre declared. "It's safer during the day when the serpents are dormant."
Isayao expressed her gratitude. "Thank you for saving us, Big Brother!"
Natalia nodded, feeling a sense of relief. "I'm grateful I wasn't betrayed again. Thank you, Master."
Clementine chimed in. "Yes, Master, thank you."
Xialdre reassured them. "I'll never betray any of you. You're the only ones I care about right now, and I'll protect you with my life."
The three girls blushed and exchanged glances, smiling softly as a sense of camaraderie enveloped them.
But then a dragon emerged from the depths of the cave. As it awoke, it flew towards the group with an imposing display of pride. The dragon's tail lashed out, striking the four of them and sending them crashing against the cave wall.
Clementine and Isayao fell unconscious instantly. Natalia, struggling to rise, coughed up blood, while Xialdre's head bled profusely. The dragon surveyed its handiwork, its eyes gleaming with malice. Despite the pain, Natalia fought to stand, and Xialdre, showing no fear, locked eyes with the beast.
With surprising agility, Xialdre ran circles around the dragon, dodging its swiping claws. He leaped and landed a powerful kick to the dragon's head. The dragon laughed, unfazed, and retaliated by biting off his left arm and throwing him across the cave.
"Pathetic," the dragon sneered. "Your agility is impressive, but you cannot hope to pierce my scales with mere human strength."
Xialdre, grimacing in pain, retorted, "Do you think I'm a dumbass? Think again."
The dragon turned its gaze back to the girls, only to notice one was missing. Above it, Natalia was chanting a spell, her voice echoing through the cave.
"As wavering waters chant into my hand, put it to my wand as I let it flow. Turn it into sharp ice, with the rigidity of my wand as it flows. Please, may I ask you to die within my hands as I will kill my enemy with one attack, MAGICAL X SPEAR EXPLOSION!"
With a surge of power, Natalia unleashed a massive spear of ice directly at the dragon. The spell struck the beast with explosive force, aiming to penetrate its formidable scales.
As a flow of immense water took the shape of a spear and transformed into ice, it plummeted into the dragon's mouth. The ice exploded, turning the dragon's head into a frozen mass that shattered into countless pieces. Natalia, slowing her descent, immediately ran to Xialdre, who was sitting on the ground without his left arm. The dragon's body fell with a heavy thud as Natalia began to heal Xialdre, who was unable to stand.
"You're strong, Natalia," Xialdre said, wincing in pain. "How did you cast such a major attack without draining your mana?"
"I'm not an S-rank adventurer for nothing," Natalia replied with a determined smile.
Suddenly, the dragon's head regenerated, and it roared angrily, its eyes turning a furious red. It glared at Xialdre and Natalia. Reacting quickly, Natalia chanted a spell to form a holy barrier.
"Holy magic, cover us with your palms and protect us from our enemy's attacks. Holy Barrier!"
As the dragon breathed blue flames at them, Natalia continued to heal Xialdre, the barrier absorbing the brunt of the dragon's fiery assault. When the barrier began to crack, Natalia summoned a portal and pushed Xialdre through it before jumping in herself. The portal transported them to where Isayao and Clementine were waking up.
The dragon turned its attention to them and charged. The three girls charged back, and Xialdre, now fully healed, joined them. The dragon struck the ground where they had been, but the three jumped to dodge the attack. Clementine threw a pin at its neck, but the dragon's scales were too tough for it to penetrate. The dragon swung its tail, hitting Clementine, but Xialdre caught her mid-air.
Isayao shot an arrow at the dragon's eye, causing it to scream in pain. Natalia teleported above the dragon, chanting another spell.
"Dark magic, veil upon me, show me the shadow of beam. Show me the attack for the one we fought, BLACK HAZARDOUS BLA—"
Before she could finish her chant, the dragon struck her in the waist, sending her crashing into the stones above the cave.
As the dragon's attention shifted to Isayao, it swung its tail at her. She leapt, dodging the attack, and landed on the dragon's back. Running along its spine, she jumped onto its head, executing a mid-air spin before striking the dragon's gums. The blow sent the dragon into a berserk frenzy. It slammed its head, dislodging Isayao and throwing her across the cave.
Clementine shot three pins at the dragon's ankle. Confused at how the pins pierced its scales, the dragon noticed bruises where the pins had struck. Realizing the pins had been enchanted to be ten times stronger, the dragon growled. Xialdre seized the moment, leaping above the dragon's head and thrusting his dagger into its skull. The dragon collapsed, but the four stayed vigilant as it began to stir again.
The dragon's bruises healed, and it emitted a red aura. It moved with terrifying speed, five times faster than before, and struck the four across the cave with its tail. Each blow rendered them unconscious, and the dragon stopped to breathe fire upon them, incinerating everything in its path. Laughing, the dragon turned back, expecting to see their charred remains.
To its surprise, the three girls lay unconscious, but Xialdre stood, barely holding on. Raising his arm, he halted the dragon's movements. Slowly, the dragon's body began to crumble, its bones shattering. Xialdre's unwavering gaze, filled with a deadened resolve, bore into the dragon. As its head detached from its body, the dragon remained conscious, unable to move.
Xialdre walked toward the dragon's head, his eyes piercing its very soul. The dragon, powerless, trembled.
"Finally, the second life has died. Fifteen more to go. One of my powers has finally returned to me as an AΩ." Xialdre muttered.
"Dragon, do you want to see the Grim Reaper?" Xialdre taunted.
The dragon blinked, realizing she could move again and her body was back to normal. She looked at Xialdre, and his presence made her sweat and tremble.
"Crash!" Xialdre commanded.
The stones above the dragon fell, burying her beneath them. She struggled to escape but to no avail. She tried to summon her full power but failed again. Her heart stopped, as if bound by a million chains. The three girls woke up, sensing Xialdre's immense mana and presence, stronger than anything they had ever felt. A barrier surrounded them, protecting them from dying due to Xialdre's overflowing mana and aura, which grew thicker and thicker. The dragon fell to her knees as Xialdre walked towards her. She had transformed into her human form, naked and struggling to move despite being of the dragon race herself.
Xialdre stepped on the dragon's head, smashing it to the ground and forcefully slamming it slowly. Tears of disbelief and pain welled up in her eyes at the realization of such power existing. Her head bled as Xialdre looked down at her with dead eyes.
"How sad," he murmured. "Now why do you look like a kid? It's like your age is similar to those girls behind me."
The dragon girl looked up, seeing Xialdre's emotionless face. She saw the true face of a sociopath as he stared at her intimidatingly.
"W-who ar—" the dragon girl began, but Xialdre kicked her in the stomach, making her vomit blood. He grabbed her by the hair, pulling her back up.
"Don't add a question under my question," Xialdre said coldly. "Now again, why do you look like one of those girls beside me? Or in short, why do you look like a loli despite being a dragon? Why are you still a child or something?"
"I-it's be—" she tried to reply, but Xialdre smashed her head on the ground twice, looking at her pathetic face.
"Actually, what is your name?" he demanded.
The three girls watched as Xialdre did this, witnessing the other side of him.
"M-my n-name i-i-is Asa-be, Asabe Dracura," the dragon girl stammered.
"You're 4'11/150 cm. How old are you?" Xialdre asked.
"One th-thousand e-eight hundred th-thirty-t-two," she replied.
"Damn, you're one small old woman," Xialdre remarked.
In his mind, he thought, She definitely looks young for a girl to be one thousand eight hundred thirty-two years old. I guess dragonborne do live quite a long life. From what I read in the book called 'The Truth and Unheard,' it says in the record of the dragon race, age 98-2-26: 'Look upon the dragon, whose appearance remains constant despite the passing years. Though it seems youthful, this creature carries the wisdom of ages. Time flows by, leaving no mark on its timeless exterior, embodying a guardian beyond mortal understanding.' As it said, a dragon race can live forever, but their appearance stops around ten to fifty years old. This girl's—or rather dragon girl's—age might have stopped around fifteen years old since her height is close to Natalia's, who is around 5'0/152.40 cm. Anyways, she's a dragonborne, making her one of my ideal comrades or tools, or even slaves. This might give me a higher chance of surviving while finding Adonai.
"Just kill me already," Asabe pleaded.
"Well, isn't that a paradox?" Xialdre mused. "Wishing to die but too terrified to follow through? How quaint. You've got more strength in you than you think. Let's see if you can muster the courage to live as boldly as you fear death. It's time to stop wallowing and start facing reality. Show yourself what you're made of, if you dare."
"How could you say that when you're just actually going to kill me anyways?" Asabe retorted.
"I will, but I won't on one condition," Xialdre replied.
"And what's this condition?" Asabe asked.
"Become my slave," Xialdre stated.
Asabe stayed silent, looking Xialdre in the eye before answering, "I refuse!"
Xialdre smirked. "You're putting up quite the determined front, even as your hands tremble with fear. It's admirable, in a way, to see your resolve amidst such apprehension."
"What are you after, my body, you freaking pedophile!" Asabe screamed.
"Well, that doesn't really sound that bad, am I right?" Xialdre taunted.
"Just kill me already!" Asabe cried.
Xialdre's aura, mana, and presence then disappeared as he let go of Asabe. "I spared you, so don't you dare try refusing," he said, walking back to the three girls.
Asabe quickly looked around her body and realized that right on her chest was a slave contract that had been forcefully placed there by Xialdre. She sighed, realizing she had been spared, and then followed Xialdre back to the three girls.
"Girls, this is Asabe, a dragon, and she will now be adventuring with us," Xialdre announced.
"EHHH!?" Natalia exclaimed. "With that much presence you just showed right now, you managed to tame a dragon?"
"Wait, a dragon in our team? That is so cool," Clementine said excitedly.
"Aww, I wish I was the one that tamed her," Isayao added with a pout.
Asabe was shocked at how peaceful they were, considering she was the reason their interaction had first turned violent. The three girls were already fully healed, with Natalia's mana still half-full despite all the magic she had used. Asabe smiled as she looked at Xialdre, who looked back at her.
"Remember," Xialdre said, "not every opportunity that initially seems unfavorable will lead to a negative outcome. This decision may feel forceful, but I believe it will ultimately bring greatness into your life, proving that sometimes the most unexpected paths lead to the most rewarding destinations."
"Sorry for entering your territory and forcing you to be my slave," he added.
"It's okay since you told me yourself that this might not be that bad of a decision, right?" Asabe replied.
"Right," Xialdre confirmed.
The next day, the five returned to the abandoned village. As they entered the house, Xialdre set about knitting some clothes for Asabe, who was impressed by his skill.
"Sooo… will your clothes, ya know, tear when you transform into your dragon form?" Clementine asked.
"Yeah, why? Is that a bad thing?" Asabe replied.
"Kinda," Clementine said. "You don't want to be naked after you transform back to your human form."
"What's wrong with being naked?" Asabe asked innocently.
"It's a big world out there, full of pervs and pedophiles," Xialdre interjected.
"Aren't you a pedophile yourself, Xialdre?" Asabe said.
Natalia looked shocked. "Eh? What are you talking about?"
"Well, Xialdre said he made me a slave because he's after my bo—"
"Shut up," Xialdre cut her off. "I only said that to intimidate you. I'm not actually going to do that. It doesn't matter. Just don't talk about it anymore. That sentence was only for your ears to hear."
"Why is that, big brother?" Isayao asked.
"Didn't I say it's only for her ears to hear? Anyway, let's go," Xialdre said.
The four girls left as Xialdre looked at the family picture on the wall one more time before leaving.
"Geez, big brother, you're so slow," Isayao complained.
"Now, now, Isayao, you shouldn't hurry. No one is chasing us," Xialdre replied.
They walked through the snowy forest, Isayao and Clementine playing as they went. Natalia and Asabe stayed beside Xialdre, who walked in silence, detached from the beauty that captivated the others. The sunlight cast a golden glow over the snow-covered landscape, making the world look like a living, breathing masterpiece. Natalia's mature presence grounded the group, while the younger pair, Clementine and Isayao, radiated innocence and curiosity, adding a youthful spark to their wintry expedition. Asabe, despite her expressionless demeanor, still felt emotions stirring within her, appreciating the world's beauty just like the others—except for Xialdre.
Suddenly, a giant pig jumped at them. Clementine sensed it and immediately shot a pin into its Stapedius muscle, killing it instantly.
"Ehh, looks like we're eating good tonight!" Isayao exclaimed.
"How much do you eat every day?" Xialdre asked Asabe.
"Two thousand five hundred pounds," Asabe replied.
Xialdre smirked. "Can't believe you could actually do math. Congrats."
Asabe frowned. "That's rude. Of course I can do math. Anyway, all of this pig wouldn't be enough for me."
"Yeah, it looks like this pig probably only weighs about one thousand seven hundred fifty pounds," Xialdre assessed.
"Don't worry," Natalia interjected. "I actually carry more than that every day."
Asabe looked surprised. "Huh? How?"
"Well, I have a freezing portal spell," Natalia explained. "This spell can handle about a million pounds, and it also works like a freezer."
"Really? A food-storing magic!?" Asabe exclaimed.
"Of course," Natalia said. "Although right now it only carries around five thousand eight hundred sixty-four pounds. So, you should probably hunt some more food so we can store it in my freezer domain."
"Of course! I'll be back!" Asabe said, sprouting wings from her back and flying off to hunt for food.
Isayao looked confused. "Ehh, is the food we caught not enough?"
Clementine sighed. "Isayao, I think you really shouldn't act like that. Asabe has her own diet, unlike us who are human beings."
Xialdre turned to Natalia. "Do you lose mana carrying stuff in your freezer domain?"
"Don't worry, master. I only lose mana when opening and closing the portal to my domain," Natalia reassured him.
"So, do you have other domains besides this freezer of yours?" Xialdre asked.
"Of course. I'm not an S-class adventurer for nothing. I have four others, making a total of five domains," Natalia said proudly.
Xialdre thought to himself, *I know you're an S-class adventurer, but you really shouldn't rub it in my face like that.*
"Wait, sorry. Was I boasting?" Natalia asked, realizing her mistake.
"Don't worry about it," Xialdre replied. "But I think you really shouldn't talk like that to those below you. Although, thanks for being this open about yourself to your master."
"Of course, master," Natalia said.
Xialdre looked around. "Now, let's find a clearing where we can set up camp for the night."
"Right!" Natalia agreed.
As the four found a clearing, they set up camp. Shortly after, Asabe returned, naked, carrying ten different animals. She held two gigantic red-scaled serpents, three pig orcs, two noble wyverns, two flying mates Tyrannosaurus, and one disastrous crocodile. The total weight of her haul was fifty-seven thousand pounds, all carried effortlessly with her dragon arms in her human form.
"I'd better knit her some new clothes," Xialdre muttered to himself.
Natalia's eyes widened in shock. "How did you catch all of this!?"
Isayao stared in disbelief. "Um, what the heck? I guess I really shouldn't talk big, huh?"
Clementine nodded. "I told you."
Asabe laughed heartily. "Hahaha, no such creatures could defeat me since I'm a candidate to be the next Dragon King."
As Xialdre turned back, he noticed the stunned expressions on the girls' faces as they heard Asabe's revelation. "She's a candidate to be the next Dragon King," Xialdre mumbled to himself. "Well, I guess she is going to be more useful than I thought."