Chapter 28 : The Third Girl (3)

“Uh… huh?”

After seeing the treasure chest, I definitely shouted at the humans out of anger, but parts of my memory had turned pitch black, as if I had gotten drunk.

Still, according to my original purpose, I warned the humans not to offer sacrifices again, so it must have had some effect.

The humans, too, seemed to have a vague fear of not knowing what to do if they actually harmed me with swords or axes, and it looked like they all ran away.

They would not dare to come back here again.

At least for a while.

“But… why didn’t this one leave?”

My gaze naturally turned to the figure left alone at the center of the chaos.

The child in white clothes who gave me an odd sense of discomfort.

Amidst the collapse and scattering of everything,
only she remained in place.

It was unclear whether she didn’t flee, or if she simply didn’t even have the strength left to run.

Now, she no longer gave off that strange feeling.

She was like a small sailboat abandoned in a storm,
shaking precariously amidst waves of immense terror.

A pale face, trembling shoulders, eyes about to spill tears at any moment.

The disgusting smile and grace from before had vanished without a trace, leaving only the figure of a human completely consumed by terror.

The pandemonium around her and her lonely figure created a bizarre contrast.

It felt as if all the noise of the world was avoiding her,
and time itself had stopped only in the space where she stood.

“…Now, what should I do with this woman?”

My anger had achieved its goal.

The procession of sacrifices was broken up, and my warning was delivered.

Now the only remaining problem was this woman.

Dealing with her would mark the true end of this cursed ritual of offerings.

The surest method would be… to kill her.

“Kill her?”

Was it because of the holy radiance faintly visible on her body?

Because of that unpleasant aura, I found myself thinking of actions I usually wouldn’t consider.

Also, she was like a symbol of this sacrificial procession, so removing her would be the cleanest way.

Turning her to ash with a single breath, or tearing her apart with my claws would be easier than eating porridge.

“But there’s no need to kill her, she’s just a child.”

Yet somehow, I hesitated.

Was it because of memories from my human life?

A vague aversion to the act of killing.

Or perhaps, as a dragon, it was my pride that resisted harming someone already defeated and trembling in fear.

Or maybe… I was just too lazy?

I didn’t even want to deal with disposing of a corpse or the potential consequences.

Then, should I simply chase her away?

One shout of “Get lost!” would make her run on her own.

But… if I leave her alone in the forest like this, she might end up as food for wolves or other beasts, or lose her way and starve to death.

That wouldn’t be much different from killing her myself.

“…Am I weak to children?”

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Seeing her trembling so fearfully, I honestly found it hard to harm her rashly.

Damn it.

Even after being reincarnated as a dragon, I couldn’t shake off the emotions of my human life.

“…This is so bothersome, truly bothersome.”

In the end, I just watched her quietly without making any decision.

Who in the world was this woman?

What was that strange aura around her?

Why, of all people, was she chosen as a sacrifice?

She still couldn’t move.

Yet even amidst extreme terror, there was still a faint spark of willpower in her eyes.

Her pupils were trembling slightly, as if she was desperately thinking of something, or searching for a way out of this situation.

Maybe, contrary to her fragile appearance, she possessed a mental strength far greater than that of an ordinary human.

I slowly lowered my head closer toward her.

My giant face came right up to her nose.

She held her breath and shut her eyes tightly.

She looked as if she had accepted death.

[・・・Who are you?]

My telepathic voice echoed once more in her mind.

This time, without anger or threats, but filled with cold, emotionless curiosity.

Before deciding what to do with this woman, I needed to at least know who she was.

The woman slowly opened her previously closed eyes.

Fear still filled her gaze, but within it, I could faintly feel a spark of determination shining.

With great effort, she opened her blue-tinged lips.

Her voice was very small, but strangely, I heard it very clearly.

“…Elisia… is… my name.”

Elisia.

Is that her name?

I quietly repeated the name.

And I resumed worrying about what to do with her.

There was plenty of time.

As long as that woman didn’t move first, or until I made a decision.

In front of the cave entrance, in the clearing full of destruction, only Elisia and I remained, locked in a strange standoff.

Elisia.

I rolled that name around in my mouth.

For a human girl’s name, it was rather… glamorous, perhaps.

It was at that very moment when hearing her name deepened my worries.

Behind me, deeper inside the cave, I sensed a familiar commotion.

At first, I thought I misheard.

I had left the children in Mir’s care, and I believed he could control them well enough.

But the signs grew increasingly clear.

“Dragon!”

The first voice I heard was Sori’s.

A cry filled with urgency and worry.

Then I faintly heard Lisette and Mir’s voices following after.

“I told you not to go outside!”

[…You little brats!]

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

Right now, outside the cave was a scene of utter chaos.

Frightened humans could pop out from anywhere, and the remnants of my unleashed magic still dangerously lingered.

And yet, they dared to come out here!

“Dragon! Are you okay? That sound just now…!”

Finally, three small figures emerged from the darkness at the cave entrance.

At the forefront, of course, was Sori.

She looked visibly scared, but her worry for me seemed to overwhelm her fear.

Following her was Lisette, whose face had gone pale, and Mir, looking highly annoyed, seemed to be chasing after them.

“Hey! Stop right there! It’s dangerous…!”

Before Mir’s shout even finished, the children’s gazes locked onto the scene outside the cave.

And at that moment, the expressions that appeared on their faces were… a much deeper shock and terror than I had anticipated.

To the children’s eyes, the world before them was no longer the peaceful front yard of the cave where they had played just moments ago.

It was like the ruins of a battlefield.

Broken carts and scattered treasures, weapons and armor lying miserably on the ground, soldiers groaning or not moving at all.

And most of all, my massive figure towering over it all, surrounded by a chilling and oppressive aura.

“Ah… Ah…”

Lisette gasped and stumbled backward.

Her eyes shook with intense fear.

Perhaps she recognized the insignias on the fallen soldiers’ armor or the wrecked wagons.

From those emblems, she might have realized who they were—judging from her expression, they were likely people connected to her.

Those who had abandoned her, now lying so pitifully defeated—what meaning did that sight have for her?

Sori’s face also stiffened.

But unlike Lisette, she didn’t completely collapse.

She instinctively grabbed Lisette’s arm as if to protect her, glancing anxiously between me and the surroundings.

“Tch, they just don’t listen, do they.”

Mir clicked her tongue and stepped forward to shield the children.

Though she still looked annoyed, there was a clear sense of protectiveness in her gaze.

[Go back! This is no place for you!]

I commanded them telepathically.

My voice came out mixed with irritation and worry without me even realizing it.

While I was resentful that they had rushed into such danger, I also feared these tiny beings might get hurt.

Damn it.

Despite my command, the children didn’t retreat easily.

Still stunned, they stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

And then, at that moment, their gazes settled on one spot.

Beside my massive body, a woman in white stood alone.

On Elisia.

“……?”

In an instant, their focus shifted to Elisia, their faces filled with both confusion and wariness.

Who is she? Why is she here? Their questions were plain on their faces.

Elisia, too, seemed momentarily frozen by the sudden appearance of the children.

Her gaze turned toward them.

Her light pink hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and her golden eyes, shining like sunlight, opened wide.

Even in fear, the children’s presence must have been an unexpected shock for her.

The situation was becoming increasingly complicated.

I had to put aside the issue of what to do with Elisia for now.

First, getting the children safely back into the cave took priority.

[Mir! Take the children back immediately…!]

Before my telepathic message could even finish, a new chaos erupted.

“Kyaaah! Th-those!”

“The sacrifices are alive!”

“Witch! They’re the dragon’s minions!”

Some of the soldiers who had fled into the forest spotted the children.

They had already lost their sanity in the face of my power.

To them, seeing the sacrificial girls—who should have been dead—alive and breathing was a nightmare come true.

In their crazed eyes, Sori and Lisette, and maybe even Mir, were no longer just ordinary children.

They were witches bewitched by the evil dragon, or cursed beings sent to punish them.