Chapter 253 - Dragon Hunt, Part Three

My name is Zeke Greyrat, and I am six years old.

Ever since I was three, Papa and Nanahoshi-nee always went out together.

They were looking for dragons, people said.

Real dragons.

The kind that can fly.

The kind that breathes fire.

The kind that shows up in books all the time.

At first I didn't think much of it.

Then Windsor-nee started telling me about dragons. How huge they were. How terrifying. How... cute?

She told me so many things, because for the past few years, whenever Windsor-nee asked, Papa would take her along to hunt dragons. To slay dragons.

And that was when I started to feel it. That gnawing envy.

Why could Windsor-nee go?

Why couldn't I?

I'm Papa's child too.

Papa would pat my head and say I was still too young.

But I was already six.

So I decided to ask the gentlest person I knew.

Mama.

--------

In the kitchen.

Mama was making lunch. Blue Mama and Summer Mama and Red Mama were there too.

The whole room smelled incredible.

I walked over and hugged Mama's leg.

Looked up at her.

"Mama."

"Hm?"

"I want to go find dragons with Papa."

Mama looked down at me.

A few seconds of silence. Then a helpless little smile.

"Zeke wants to go?"

"Yes!"

"It's very dangerous, you know?"

"Papa will protect me!"

After I said that, Mama didn't argue.

She just gently stroked my head.

"Should I ask Papa for you?"

"Really?"

"Mm."

"Mama is the best!"

I flung myself at her. She laughed and hugged me back, then went right back to chopping vegetables.

The other mamas didn't object either.

-------

At dinner that evening, Mama spoke up.

"Rudeus."

"Hm?"

"Zeke wants to go with you."

Papa paused. "Go where?"

"To find dragons~"

I sat up straight immediately, watching Papa's face.

He met my eyes for a few seconds. Then asked, "Why do you want to go?"

"Because Windsor-nee has gone!"

"..."

"And I want to see a dragon too! I want to know what the dragons in stories are actually like!"

Papa rubbed his chin, thinking it over.

Mama kept ladling soup for everyone.

Blue Mama set down her bowl. "Rudeus, Zeke stays home reading storybooks every single day. Taking him out to see the world would be good for him."

Lily-nee was sitting beside me. She reached over and pinched my thigh.

I turned to look at her. "What?"

"Do you really want to go?"

"Yes."

"It's very scary, you know!"

"Papa will be there."

"...Well. That's true."

After a moment, Papa nodded.

"Alright. Since both Roxy and Sylphie have said so."

I nearly jumped out of my chair. "Really?!"

"Mm."

"Yes!"

Summer Mama laughed out loud. "Brother really does spoil the children~ Should I come along too?"

Papa shrugged. "If Aisha wants to come, then come."

"Mm-hmm~ Then I'll make the trip! It's been ages since I've stretched my legs, except at night~"

"...Don't say things like that in front of the children."

"After all these years, Brother still gets embarrassed~"

"Ahem. It's not embarrassment."

Blue Mama nodded approvingly. "Rudeus is just like that~ I really like it."

"...Roxy, don't tease me."

"I'm being serious. I think I've turned a bit strange, honestly."

"Huh?"

"How do I put it~ Rudeus, you're so imposing and dashing out there, but when you come home~ when night falls~ aren't you completely at our mercy?"

Papa didn't answer. He lowered his head and went back to eating.

Eris Mama nodded. "Exactly! Aisha told me this is called gap moe! I like it too!"

Mama covered her mouth, laughing softly, and slid into the seat beside Papa to feed him.

Summer Mama kept saying things I couldn't understand at all.

I couldn't follow what any of the adults were talking about, but one look at Lara-nee's expression told me it was very funny.

Either way, the important part was decided.

We were going to find a dragon.

--------

The next morning I woke up far earlier than usual.

The sky wasn't even bright yet, and I was already packing.

Wooden sword.

Bring it.

Water bottle.

Bring it.

Snacks.

Bring it.

Spare clothes.

Bring it.

The moment I finished, Mama walked in.

She looked at my bag. Smiled.

Then she started repacking it herself, talking as she went.

"You don't need this~ This one's too heavy! This will spoil on the road. Mama will swap this out for you..."

Somehow my pack ended up much smaller, but also much better.

At the end, she stuffed it full of food anyway.

"Eat these if you get hungry on the road."

"Thank you, Mama."

"Remember to listen to Papa."

"Mm!"

"And listen to Nanahoshi-nee too."

"Mm!"

I nodded hard.

I already liked Nanahoshi-nee a lot. People said she was even the one who picked my name.

I didn't really know why she chose Zeke.

But if Nanahoshi-nee chose it, there had to be a reason.

When I stepped outside, Papa and Summer Mama were already waiting in the yard.

Nanahoshi-nee had come too.

She was wearing a traveling robe today, that familiar notebook tucked under her arm.

When she saw me, she visibly stopped.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm going too!"

Nanahoshi-nee looked at Papa.

Papa spread his hands. "Sylphie and Roxy approved it."

"..."

She sighed. "Your family really is casual about things."

Summer Mama smiled. "Isn't that nice?"

Nanahoshi-nee shook her head. "Don't come looking for me if something goes wrong."

"Don't worry~ Miss Nanahoshi, if you don't trust Brother, surely you trust me?"

"I suppose. You're a monster too."

Nanahoshi-nee rolled her eyes.

I couldn't help laughing.

They were always like this.

Then the teleportation magic opened.

My vision twisted.

And just like that, I was somewhere far away for the very first time.

A town on the Demon Continent.

An unfamiliar city stretched out in front of me. The streets were full of people I'd never seen, lots of demon folk among them.

I looked everywhere at once, wide-eyed.

Papa led us toward the Adventurers' Guild.

We had barely walked through the door when someone spotted Papa.

The man froze.

Then shot to his feet.

"Lord Rudeus?!"

The entire hall went silent.

Every head turned at once.

Then it erupted.

"The Magic King?"

"Is that really him?"

"It's him! It's really him!"

"Lord Rudeus has come!"

I felt a swell of pride.

That was my Papa.

Papa seemed used to this. He just smiled politely.

"Hello, everyone. I heard there were reports of a dragon here, so I came."

The next second, an old man dropped straight to his knees.

"Lord Rudeus!"

I flinched. He wasn't alone. People all around the hall knelt too.

"Please save us!"

"We beg you!"

"That dragon has appeared again!"

The hall dissolved into noise.

Papa spoke calmly. "Stand up first."

His voice wasn't loud. But the hall went quiet almost instantly.

Everyone stood.

"What happened?"

The old man's voice trembled. "A vicious dragon has appeared in the western mountains. It has already destroyed three villages. Many people have died. The adventurers nearby are no match at all. Even an A-rank party was completely wiped out."

I quietly sucked in a breath.

That sounded terrifying.

I glanced at Nanahoshi-nee and Summer Mama.

Neither of them looked the least bit concerned.

Papa looked at the old man. "Location?"

The old man scrambled for a map. His hands were shaking.

Papa scanned it and nodded. "Understood."

"Thank you, Lord Rudeus! A few years ago we heard rumors you were hunting dragons all over, and we barely believed it. We never imagined that just a few months after we sent you a letter, you would actually come. Thank you!"

Papa didn't reply.

We walked out of the guild. I finally let myself ask.

"Papa."

"Hm?"

"Is that dragon very strong?"

Papa considered it. "Probably."

"Probably?"

"It did destroy three villages."

A knot tightened in my chest.

Then Nanahoshi-nee patted my head. "Don't worry. Your Summer Mama and your Papa are far scarier than any dragon."

I looked up at Papa.

He coughed. "Ahem. That's right!"

Summer Mama smiled and pinched his cheek. "Lord Rudeus the Magic King~ Let me handle it this time?"

"Why?"

"I came all this way. Let me show off a little in front of Zeke~ The children only ever hear about how amazing Brother is~"

"No. Today is Zeke's first time coming out with me. I have to put on a good show."

"Brother, honestly..."

Papa raised his staff.

A massive magic circle bloomed beneath his feet. A fierce wind whipped at his robes. The distant sky began to glow.

I clenched my fists tight.

My heart pounded.

The scenery around us warped and shifted, my vision fracturing like shattered glass, and then it snapped back.

We were standing on a desolate stretch of earth.

The air was thick with the smell of char. Scorched forest stretched into the distance, vast blackened swaths reaching as far as I could see. Collapsed houses. Only wreckage left behind. The ground everywhere was carved with enormous claw marks, the deepest gouges 2 or 3 meters down.

I swallowed.

Nanahoshi-nee nodded. "We definitely found the right place."

Summer Mama crouched and touched one of the claw marks. "This dragon is very big."

Papa closed his eyes.

Sensing something.

After a moment, he opened them and looked into the distance.

"Found it."

I looked up. "Where?"

He pointed toward the mountains. "20 kilometers out. It's sleeping."

Sleeping?

It destroys three villages and then just goes to sleep?

Papa activated gravity magic. The few of us rose into the sky together.

Wind roared past my ears. The ground shrank fast.

I looked down and immediately grabbed Papa's sleeve.

Too high.

Way too high.

Papa smiled and touched my head. "Scared?"

"A little."

"That's normal." He said it simply. "Everyone's scared the first time they fly this high."

I don't know why, but hearing him say that made the fear ease a little.

The mountains drew closer.

And then I saw it.

The moment I did, my whole body locked up.

It was so big.

So much bigger than anything I had imagined. The dragons in books were nothing compared to this. It lay sprawled in the center of the valley like a small black mountain, dark scales covering every inch of its body. Every breath it drew exhaled billowing white steam.

I suddenly understood why those villagers were so afraid.

This thing didn't look like a living creature. It looked like a natural disaster.

We landed on a nearby peak.

I couldn't make myself get any closer. I stayed right next to Papa.

He looked down at me.

"Zeke."

"Hm?"

"Are you scared?"

I hesitated.

Then nodded honestly.

"Scared."

Papa smiled. "Being scared is normal."

Normal?

It wasn't normal.

I was Papa's child. Rudeus's child. And here I was, afraid of a vicious dragon. I read picture books about heroes every single day, and now that I was standing in front of a real one, I was just... scared.

I shook my head. "If it were Windsor-nee, she wouldn't be scared. I'm supposed to be the only boy among Papa's children. And I'm scared. That's not normal."

Papa's brow furrowed slightly. He seemed genuinely surprised.

But that was truly how I felt. Papa's child shouldn't be scared.

He thought for a long time. Then he stroked my head.

"Zeke."

"Hm?"

"Fear is a good emotion."

"Huh?"

"Do you want to be a swordsman or a magician?"

"I... want both. Like Summer Mama."

"Then you absolutely must learn to be afraid."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to have one more option when you face something that scares you. That option is to run."

"But that's not what heroes do. And I'm your child. How could I run away..."

"Precisely because you're my child, I hope you can run. When I faced an opponent I couldn't beat, I knelt in front of my enemy too."

I stared at him. "An opponent Papa couldn't beat?"

"Mm. I was crying while I knelt. Begging him not to kill Red Mama. Begging him to spare Summer Mama."

"That's impossible! Papa, you're lying! How could you ever kneel and beg for mercy!"

Papa just smiled at my outburst.

Was it... actually true?

I looked at Summer Mama. She was smiling too.

My throat felt tight. "Who... was that opponent? Did you defeat him afterward?"

"Mm. I won't say the name. But after that day, we became friends."

Papa gazed at the dragon in the distance. Something far away moved through his eyes.

"So sometimes fear is a good emotion. Being afraid of losing something you care about is normal. I just hope you won't throw your life away for something hollow like glory or reputation. To me, you living well is everything. Because you are my child."

In my eyes, Papa had always been invincible.

The storybooks said so.

The picture books showed him that way.

The plays in the theater told it that way.

But Papa said he had once knelt before an enemy and begged.

Just then, the dragon's eyes opened.

Enormous vertical pupils fixed on us.

The next second, a roar split the sky.

ROAR!

My ears shrieked with it. The mountain shook underfoot. Rocks tumbled and scattered.

I stumbled back a step without thinking. My whole body went rigid.

The dragon was already rising. Wings unfolding, blotting out the sky above. A crushing weight of pressure crashed over me like a wave. My breathing seized.

In that instant I finally understood what dragon's majesty meant.

Just looking at it made something primal inside me want to run.

But Papa took a step forward.

Just one step.

The dragon lurched to a halt.

In those enormous vertical pupils, something flickered.

Fear.

I thought I was imagining it.

The dragon was afraid?

Afraid of Papa?

Summer Mama let out a low whistle. "Go, Brother~"

The dragon screamed with rage and charged.

The valley shook. The earth split. Boulders exploded into gravel. The sheer force of its rush rooted me to the spot completely.

I couldn't move. I could only watch.

Papa raised his staff.

No incantation.

No preparation.

Just a casual lift of his hand, like he was brushing away something trivial.

The sky lit up.

I don't have words for it.

It was like the sun had fallen to earth. Searing blue-white light swallowed the entire world.

BOOM!

I couldn't hear. I couldn't see.

Only white.

When the light finally faded, the world was silent.

The wind had stopped. Every sound had stopped.

Everything had stopped.

I stared at the valley.

The dragon was gone.

Except that wasn't quite right. It was still there.

What was left of it.

The enormous body lay still on the ground. Its chest had been punched completely through. Around it, the valley was almost entirely undamaged, as if that annihilating force had only ever existed for the dragon and nothing else.

The monster that had stopped my breath minutes ago was dead.

Papa hadn't moved a single step.

Summer Mama clapped slowly. "Brother is so cool~ Zeke probably didn't see it though."

"Huh? Really?"

"Too bright."

Nanahoshi-nee was already walking toward the corpse with a bottle in her hand. "Rudeus! Why did you use that spell! You nearly evaporated all its blood!"

Papa scratched the back of his head. "Because Zeke was here... I wanted to show off a little. Gravity magic doesn't look as impressive..."

"There's still some left, thankfully. Otherwise this whole trip would've been a waste."

"Sorry, sorry."

I wasn't listening to any of it.

I was just looking at Papa. My heart was still going like it wanted to come out of my chest.

Papa turned and noticed me standing there in a daze. He crouched down.

"What's wrong?"

I opened my mouth.

It took a while to find the words.

"Papa."

"Hm?"

"You're amazing."

Papa paused. Then smiled.

That same smile as always. Gentle, ordinary. Nothing at all like someone who had just killed a dragon with a flick of his wrist.

He reached out and ruffled my hair.

"Zeke will be amazing one day too."

I shook my head hard.

"It's different."

"How so?"

I looked straight at him.

"Papa is the most amazing."

Papa went still.

Behind him, Summer Mama burst out laughing.

Nanahoshi-nee paused her writing and glanced over.

Papa cleared his throat. "Ahem. So did you remember what I said?"

"Huh?"

"Don't throw your life away for something like fame."

"Mm... Papa, have you ever had a fight like that? A real life-or-death one?"

"Hm? Like what?"

"A battle where you bet everything."

"I have. For your mamas."

"I see."

"Mm. What I mean is, if you stake your life for the people you love, I allow it. Even if you die for that, you would be my pride. But if it's for something empty like a reputation, then I would be very sad, and very angry."

"I understand!"

From that day on I finally understood why the world called Papa the Magic King.

Why those villagers had knelt.

Why even a dragon would be afraid of him.

Because Papa really was as powerful as the heroes in the stories.

No. That wasn't quite right.

The heroes in the stories weren't even close.

➤ Next: Dragon Hunt, Part Four