Chapter 12

Ｒｅａｄ​ ｏｎ​ Ｋａ​ｔＲｅａｄｉｎｇＣａｆ​ｅ

Kairos is a dragon who has protected this forest for centuries.

He loved the forest more than anyone else, so he considered maintaining its balance and peace his life’s mission.

For such a forest to be tainted by the presence of an undead was something Kairos could never tolerate.

Kairos immediately sent his guardian, the golem.

Kairos’ golem was incredibly powerful and had easily dealt with all the unclean beings that had intruded into the forest so far.

This time was no different.

Kairos’ golem punched the undead, sending it flying, and then mercilessly stomped on it, leaving the undead incapacitated and buried in the ground.

It was a fitting end for a cursed being that had transcended death.

Sitting in his lair and observing the situation through the golem, Kairos smiled victoriously.

“Hmph.”

How dare an undead set foot in this forest?

Kairos tried to recall the golem.

At that moment,

Boom―!

A powerful force struck the golem.

It shattered into pieces.

The connection with the golem was severed.

“…?”

Kairos’ face stiffened.

His guardian had been destroyed in an instant.

Whoever did it was clearly no ordinary being.

An enemy?

Someone capable of wielding such a powerful force wouldn’t have come to the forest without a reason.

Perhaps they had come targeting Kairos.

There was a time when humans tried to hunt dragons.

They called themselves dragon slayers and attacked dragons to obtain their scales or hearts.

But humans were no match for dragons.

Humans who challenged dragons met a miserable end under the dragons’ overwhelming magic.

Once, they even succeeded in hunting a newly hatched dragon, but the enraged mother dragon turned not only the human but also the entire kingdom to ashes.

After that incident, the term “dragon slayer” disappeared.

Dragons were too powerful a species for such a term to hold any meaning.

If dragons wished, they could wipe out the human race from the continent in no time.

Of course, there were a few humans who could somewhat stand against dragons.

Such beings were usually referred to as sword saints or archmages among humans.

Had one of them come to this forest now?

Whoosh!

Kairos, gathering his mana, headed to the place where his golem had been destroyed.

It didn’t matter who had come.

Dragons do not avoid battles. No matter the opponent, the outcome would not change.

Dragons were absolute beings.

No other species could stand against them.

◈

Whoosh—!

As a massive pillar of fire erupted from the spot where Lucy stood, Kairos thought the battle was over.

It was anticlimactic, but there was nothing he could do.

Battles between humans and dragons were always like this.

Humans could not withstand a dragon’s magic.

Of course, an archmage might be able to block it once or twice, but to Kairos, Lucy was just a young girl.

A fragile being protected by an undead.

He didn’t know how such a fragile being could have destroyed his guardian, but in any case, the situation was over now.

Flicker—

As the pillar of fire gradually faded, Kairos turned away.

With the situation resolved, he planned to return to his lair and create a new guardian.

As he was about to take a step, Kairos paused.

He noticed a fruit basket lying nearby.

“…”

So she really had come to pick fruits.

The girl had clearly said so.

That she had only come to pick fruits.

But Kairos didn’t believe it.

The fact that she controlled an undead meant she was no ordinary girl, and an extraordinary girl wouldn’t come this deep into the forest just to pick fruits.

She must have had some ulterior motive.

Whether it was true or not, Kairos had concluded as much.

In any case, the girl was dead, and there was no point in overthinking it…

“Ohh, you’re amazing, Master.”

A voice came from behind.

A deep, resonant voice.

It was the voice of that undead from earlier.

“To block such a powerful spell so easily, you truly are a perfect being, Master.”

Kairos slowly turned around.

He saw the girl and the undead standing where the pillar of fire had erupted.

Unharmed and perfectly fine.

Kairos’ eyebrow twitched.

‘She blocked my magic…?’

It was unacceptable.

Crack.

Kairos clenched his teeth. His golden eyes burned even brighter.

“How dare a mere human.”

A surge of blue lightning shot from Kairos’ hand, tearing through the air.

A high-level lightning spell that had once slaughtered hundreds of humans in an instant.

The forest might be slightly damaged, but it couldn’t be helped.

For Kairos, dealing with the girl now was more important.

The girl watched as the lightning flew toward her and extended her hand.

A shield made of white bones formed in front of her.

Seeing this, Kairos smirked.

How foolish to think such a crude shield could block a dragon’s magic.

‘How naive.’

The shield would undoubtedly shatter into dust, and the girl would turn to ash on the spot.

But the expectation was wrong.

Boom!

The moment Kairos’ lightning struck the shield, it vanished without a trace.

The shield remained intact, without a single scratch.

‘How is this possible…!’

Kairos’ eyes widened.

How could someone block a dragon’s magic so easily?

It was impossible.

Unless the opponent was another dragon…

“!”

Kairos couldn’t continue his thoughts.

A shadow had already tightly wrapped around his legs.

Kairos tried to move, but the shadow didn’t budge.

It was clearly just a simple binding spell, yet Kairos couldn’t break free.

“H-How dare you!”

Kairos glared at the girl, seething with anger. He had never been pushed to such a brink in his life.

Whoom!

Dark clouds gathered above Kairos’ head.

Within them, purple lightning flickered…

It looked incredibly powerful and ominous.

“W-Wait…”

Kairos was gripped by fear.

He thought he might die.

A dragon dying.

He had never even imagined such a thing.

But if things continued like this…

“…Spare me.”

The words slipped out before he could stop himself.

“Spare me, please…”

Dragons were a long-lived species.

Because of that, their attachment to life was stronger than any other race.

Lucy waved her hand lightly.

The shadow binding Kairos’ legs disappeared, and the dark clouds in the sky scattered.

Kairos slumped to the ground, his face drenched in sweat.

Plop—

His heavy breathing showed just how terrified he had been.

Lucy walked up to Kairos and said,

“I’ll spare you.”

“…”

Kairos slowly raised his head and looked at Lucy.

“Are you… a dragon like me?”

At that, Lucy’s eyes trembled slightly.

“A dragon?”

“Yes. Only another dragon could corner me like this.”

Kairos looked almost certain, but Lucy slowly shook her head.

“I’m not a dragon. I’m human.”

“L-Liar. A human can’t possess such power. Especially a young human like you…”

“Are you a dragon?”

Kairos nodded.

“Yes. My name is Kairos. I am the dragon who protects this forest.”

“That explains it.”

Lucy understood.

His handsome appearance, his attire—she had thought he wasn’t an ordinary human.

After all, a human with such a noble aura wouldn’t wander deep into the forest controlling golems.

Above all, Kairos’ magic had been powerful enough to surprise even Lucy.

Though she had blocked it easily with her Bone Shield.

Kairos stood up.

He straightened his clothes, adjusted his posture, and said,

“I will express my gratitude for sparing me. Tell me what you desire. I will grant you anything.”

“I don’t really want anything… Oh.”

Lucy paused mid-sentence.

Now that she thought about it, there was something.

“Can you use healing magic?”

“I can.”

“Then, could you heal my grandfather?”

“Is that all you want?”

Kairos looked surprised.

Humans were greedier than any other race. That’s why they had once tried to hunt dragons.

A species that coveted wealth more than their own lives. A species that would kill even their own kind for riches.

And yet, all she wanted was healing magic.

“I could give you wealth. Enough to last you a lifetime…”

“Just the healing magic is enough.”

“…”

Kairos looked slightly displeased.

Even so, the price for sparing his life was just healing magic?

This was unacceptable for a dragon’s pride.

As Kairos stared at her, Lucy spoke again.

“Actually, there is one more thing I want.”

“What is it?”

Kairos looked straight at Lucy, and she smiled faintly.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Prideful enough to grow a superiority complex, yet not enough to throw away his life.

The guardian of the forest (self-proclaimed) lives for another day, I suppose.