Ch.102Black Dragon and Explosive Dragon – 3

Betrayed by fellow humans for the absurd reason that they might threaten their power, I had to turn away and flee despite witnessing others fall into traps and die before my eyes.

I still haven’t forgotten that memory. I never will. The Chairwoman must feel the same.

“…Because of what happened back then, when I heard from the Sword Saint that the Explosion Dragon Maghbat had appeared, I went looking for revenge. But looking back now, I think the dragon’s appearance itself might have been a succubus trap. To separate me from the Academy.”

It wasn’t just a possibility—it was definitely a trap. I heard that after the incident, people mentioned that if the Chairwoman had been present, the damage wouldn’t have been so extensive.

Even if she was overwhelmed by the Explosion Dragon, a dragon is still a dragon. Enough of a threat that Astaroth would have prioritized eliminating it.

“So that’s how you were injured by this Maghbat?”

“That’s part of it, but something strange happened. At first, he said he was disappointed he couldn’t eat me and left, but suddenly returned to attack me again. Somehow, in that brief interval, he had become much stronger than before. I could barely escape. That’s why I was driven to the brink of death.”

As soon as I heard about him becoming much stronger in such a short time, something came to mind.

“Did you notice a darker demonic energy from him than what you’d normally sense from demons, or perhaps some kind of black aura you’d never seen before?”

“…How did you know? Yes, that’s right. Now that I think about it, even his breath seemed noticeably more corrupted.”

The Chairwoman nodded with a surprised expression.

‘Just as I thought.’

Just like Elysiere mentioned clearing out creatures tainted by black energy in the demon realm, the Explosion Dragon must have been contaminated by that demon god.

I don’t know when it fell to such a state. Given that it left normally but returned to attack, it probably happened during that interval, though I can’t be certain.

“Because of me, the Academy suffered tremendous damage, and my sin is great. I hear you also endured great hardship. I’m truly sorry.”

Erestica hung her head weakly.

“This isn’t something you should apologize for, Chairwoman.”

I swallowed the words “I would have done the same.” If someone told me I could get revenge on those who trapped us back then, I would have dropped everything and rushed there too.

“So I’ll ask you this. Please answer honestly.”

Sensing the emotion in my words, the Chairwoman hesitated before responding.

“…What is it? If you intend to reproach me, I will humbly—”

“If I offered to help you get your revenge, would you accept?”

“Do you mean that?”

Her golden vertical pupils widened.

“I’m completely serious, so your intention matters most. People have different views on revenge. You might believe revenge must be taken by your own hands.”

Given that it’s been corrupted by the demon god, it’s a creature we’ll eventually have to fight and kill anyway. If the Chairwoman’s revenge is tied to it as well, there’s no reason not to step forward.

The Chairwoman fell into urgent contemplation, then calmed her excited expression and shook her head.

“…No. There’s no need for that. I appreciate the sentiment. I know you’re strong, but you’ve seen the state I returned in. I don’t want to drag my student into danger for my personal affairs.”

“I understand. That’s exactly why I’m offering.”

“What did you hear in my words? Didn’t I say you’re my student at my Academy? To send a student into danger for personal revenge—I could never do such a thing!”

The Chairwoman’s voice rose.

Thinking about it, her protectiveness toward students probably comes from seeing her daughter in them. For dragons, a few years’ age difference by human standards wouldn’t even register.

“This isn’t just personal revenge. It involves me too.”

But this was no longer just Erestica’s problem alone.

If it’s connected to the demon god, it’s something we’ll eventually have to face anyway. And from the moment I started seeing parallels between the Chairwoman and my past, it became impossible to separate the two.

“…What do you mean, Student Mira?”

“It’s about our relationship. I mean this is no longer just your problem alone.”

I can’t carelessly reveal the demon god’s existence, and I absolutely cannot speak about my past. So I have to express it indirectly. This way, she’ll come up with her own reasonable explanation.

With those final words, I turned and walked out. Brunhild, who had been awkwardly caught in the middle, followed me outside, while Aria stayed behind to look after the Chairwoman.

“Mira! Mira! Wait! What was that about? What kind of relationship do you have with the Chairwoman?”

Brunhild caught up to me hurriedly and questioned me.

“A student-chairwoman relationship. Isn’t that obvious?”

“You made it sound like it wasn’t obvious! Making people misunderstand! Are you really going after that dragon? The one that nearly killed the Chairwoman? Even for you, a dragon is—”

“I’m not going recklessly.”

Of course, I don’t plan to charge in blindly. I’ll need to gather information first. I have Priscilla and Elysiere to help.

“…You’re acting strange, Mira.”

Brunhild spoke with slightly trembling eyes.

“You seem completely on edge. Was the Chairwoman’s story that shocking to you? It’s sad, yes, but you seem to be… taking it differently somehow.”

“…”

Was it that obvious? I touched my face slightly. My lips had stiffened, and though I tried to smile reassuringly, it wouldn’t come. The fingertips touching my cheek were trembling slightly.

I had to admit it. This would make it harder not to be discovered.

“This won’t do. I’m coming too.”

“You too, Brunhild?”

Brunhild, who had been looking at me with concern, declared firmly.

“I can’t let you go alone—it makes me too anxious. Didn’t you say it yourself, Mira? That you don’t need to protect everyone. If I made that resolution but couldn’t protect someone close to me, what kind of hero would I be? I’m coming too, so don’t try to stop me.”

Her face showed resolute determination. It seemed pointless to try to persuade her otherwise. From my perspective, having the holy sword would reduce the chances of me needing to draw out the divine spear, so it was beneficial.

I nodded, letting her do as she pleased. Brunhild made me promise not to try sneaking off without her, then left to pack her things. Left alone, I touched my lips again.

They were still stiff.

When the three heard what I had to say, they were shocked by the Chairwoman’s past, surprised that Maghbat had been corrupted by the demon god, and then dumbfounded that I planned to go after it.

“…So to summarize, you’re going to hunt this dragon alone because you see parallels between your past and the Chairwoman’s?”

“Not alone. I’m going with the hero. And we’ll have to fight it eventually anyway, so it’s better to deal with it now. It might get stronger later.”

“That’s true. But rushing to handle it now is ultimately because you see yourself in the Chairwoman’s past, right? Am I wrong?”

“…”

I had nothing to say to that. It was true. Seeing my silence, Rosaria sighed deeply and beckoned to me.

“Come here for a moment.”

“Why?”

“Just come quickly, no questions.”

I approached her. Rosaria, who had risen from the sofa, suddenly pulled me into an embrace. My head was buried between her breasts. Though not as impressive as the Chairwoman’s, they were still quite soft.

Or rather, in this case, the Chairwoman’s size was simply overwhelming.

“What are you doing?”

“What are you doing?”

Priscilla and Laura’s displeased voices came from either side. One voice carried a hint of anger, the other disbelief.

“I’m comforting her. Stay quiet if you don’t understand.”

“Comforting?”

“Can’t you see her mental state is clearly not good? Should we just leave her like this? If we send her off this way, she won’t be able to catch anything. No, it would be fortunate if that’s all that happened. What if she gets hurt or doesn’t come back at all?”

“I know Mira is unstable too. But why that method specifically?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I have the biggest chest here. Both of you combined wouldn’t match me, right?”

Priscilla and Laura fell silent. Rosaria stroked my head triumphantly.

In truth, though she was confident now, Rosaria herself would be in a similar position if she stood before the Chairwoman. Even the three of them combined wouldn’t match the Chairwoman’s size.

“Mira. I can’t presume to judge the pain you experienced in the first world. But I can tell you’re very anxious right now.”

“…”

“So sometimes, lean on us too. Sure, we’re incredibly weak compared to you, but we’re not only useful in that way. I can comfort you like this, or like Priscilla did before, sleep with you under the covers.”

“…Did that happen?”

“It did.”

“I don’t know what happened between Mira and you while I lost my memory. Did you cross any lines?”

No lines were crossed. Even when Priscilla slept holding me while wearing only underwear, I just gently stroked her.

“What are you two doing? Aren’t you going to come hug her too?”

“…Us too?”

“Who else is here besides you two? Or are you going to leave me like this alone? Fine by me.”

Priscilla seemed to approach quickly, as I felt warmth fill the empty space, followed by Laura. After some time passed, I truly felt my mind calming down.

As my thoughts cleared, I realized it. From the moment I started seeing the Chairwoman as a reflection of my past, I had indeed been acting rashly.

“…How long are we going to stay like this?”

When everyone showed no signs of letting go even after my mind had cleared, I asked.

“We’ll let go when you say you’re okay, Mira.”

“I’ve been fine for a while now. Weren’t you going to judge that, Rosaria?”

“What are you talking about? How am I supposed to judge if you’re okay?”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell. The pleasant atmosphere suddenly turned awkward. Everyone slowly released their arms. I lifted my head too. My face, which had been buried in her chest, felt warm.

Though it was over clothes, the sensation had definitely been transmitted.

“I feel much calmer now. Thank you all.”

When I said that with a smile, not just Rosaria but Laura and Priscilla too stared at me with blank expressions.

“What?”

“No… wow… I didn’t know you could make that kind of expression. This is crazy…”

“What’s wrong with my expression?”

“Nothing. Never mind. It’s better you don’t know. We’ll just keep it to ourselves.”

Rosaria rambled incoherently. Laura was continuously muttering something, and Priscilla offered her head to me with a melting expression. I stroked it reflexively, wondering what was going on.

“Will it really come here?”

“It will. We let one scout escape earlier, remember? Since this area is its territory, it won’t miss the opportunity to kill a hero in its own domain.”

Brunhild and I stood on a barren wasteland of ruins. We had coordinated with Elysiere to make it seem like we accidentally encountered scouts, deliberately letting one escape to spread the news.

To an outsider, it would appear that the scout reported back and Maghbat came to kill the hero. In reality, Elysiere had pushed it to its death.

“Okay. So how will we catch it when it comes? It’s a dragon, right? It flies around?”

“How will we catch it?”

I quietly loosened my shoulders.

“We’ll bring it down.”