2nd Round Villain

96 – – 100, The Joker card – 2

rustle-.

“Ahhh… !”

“Merlin, stay still. If you keep moving, you might fall.”

I didn’t know, but Merlin seems to have a disease that can’t stand being quiet. It is quite uncomfortable to procrastinate without rest.

“Sorry, sorry… But… Something keeps touching my butt… .”

“Touch? hehehe, I’m a little heavy. Pretend you don’t know, though. There’s nothing good about making men blush.”

“Muk… now? hee hee… !”

As if something more troubled him, Merlin flinched even more. He was quite gasping for breath.

I guess it’s not because of me. Tension is evident on the face.

Well, it’s an ambush situation in the dragon king’s bedroom, but it’s even weirder if you’re not nervous. Besides, Merlin at this time was not even 20 years old.

I need to ease Merlin’s tension. Merlin, who is already timid, would be in trouble if he told me to make a mistake out of overexertion.

slap-!

“Huh!”

He turned around and slapped Merlin on the butt like a slap. Of course, the ass covered by the ragged robe. Merlin was stunned and looked at me with frightened eyes.

“hahahaha, your ass is chubby. But there’s too much power in it. Let me relax a bit.”

“When, don’t hit… ! You never know when the dragon king will return… !”

slap-!

“Kyaa!”

“You worry about everything. Don’t worry. If it’s the dragon king’s size, the floor will thump and thump just by coming near.”

“Uh, uh… .”

slap-!

“Huh!”

“Well, finally, my stiff body has loosened up a bit. You will soon be fighting the strongest being in the world, so you should be prepared for that.”

“Heh heh heh… it hurts… .”

When he hits three times in a row, Merlin slumps after bouncing three times as if in a fit. I laid back on it with a satisfied smile.

I never thought I’d tell you this much pain. Even though he was a wizard, he had no idea that his body would be this weak. If you get hit by the Dragon King, your limbs will be crushed.

A time of silence ensued. It was even dark all around, and though it was dark adaptation, it was not as bright as daylight. It’s a boring time.

“Our party… .”

“hmm?”

“Sah, can I go back alive… ?”

Merlin, unable to wait, asked cautiously. Unless we shout out loud, our voices cannot reach other corners.

“Well, the Dragon King is not an easy opponent. They say they came to hunt, but we could be eaten instead.”

“Then, Suoka-sama, why did you come all this way… ? If you can’t guarantee life or death… They say we have the duty to subdue the Dragon King, but you’re not Suoka-sama.”

“You have a friend over there. He is the only comrade who has survived while living in Masurim, and if he says he will die, then you should go with him.”

I pointed my finger at the corner where Nioh and Katarina were hiding. Come to think of it, Nioh and Katarina are a man and a woman. Would they lie in the same position as us? It doesn’t matter since we’re male and female, but it might be a fun moment for Nioh, who has been clinging only to Saint Irowell his whole life.

“Ugh… ! Mo, a comrade with whom he shared his life… ! It must have been a tough decision though… .”

“Wouldn’t my friend be lonely if he went alone? It’s good for me to walk together on a long, long road to the underworld. After all, as long as I am a human being, I will also walk the path someday.”

Of course, I’ve already walked, but heck.

Perhaps impressed by my words, Merlin smiled brightly under the robe he was wearing. I could see only the corners of her mouth and the frame of her glasses. At first glance, the eyelashes were uncharacteristically long.

“You look great… Mr. Suoka.”

“Thank you. However, in my opinion, Merlin-kun is cooler.”

“yes yes? Me, why me?”

“You didn’t disobey the order of the empire and bravely entered Masurim with your colleagues. Even veteran warriors who are much older than Merlin can’t dare to go to the forest.”

“Ah, ah… ! me, i… .”

“Are you not even twenty yet? They look like they’re in their late teens at most, but it’s normal for boys of that age to run around playing soccer or something in the local playground. On the other hand, Merlin-kun was even chosen as the hero’s party.”

He gave mouth-watering compliments. The genius wizard boy was at a loss as to what to do when he heard the praises that lifted him up.

I spat out words of praise for Merlin even more passionately. It was so much fun to fidget in the robe and be shy, and to smirk at it.

In the meantime, Merlin retorted in a crawling voice. This was the first time he had been seen contradicting someone’s words.

“but… I didn’t apply for the warrior party with a pure heart.”

“hmm? Support?”

Isn’t the wizard of the warrior’s party ‘selected’ like a normal warrior? Everyone on the continent considers it an honor to be counted as a member of the warrior party. By the way, did you become a warrior party because you ‘applied’?

“Did you not know? Ah, come to think of it, Suoka-sama spent almost 20 years confined to the magic forest. It is natural that you do not know the atmosphere of the continent.”

“It seems like a history, can you explain it?”

“Of course, back in the day, the warrior party was an enviable job. However, from the time the warrior party from a hundred years ago was massacred after entering the demon forest, no, from the time the demon king expressed his intention not to invade the continent, the perception towards the warrior party began to change little by little. Finally… There were also people who were outspoken.”

Ah, I think I know what it is. If the continent a hundred years ago thought of the warrior party as a nuisance, the present continent seems to think of the warrior party as a nuisance.

I have nowhere to use it, but I enjoy all kinds of benefits just because I am a human chosen by the god. It’s just that I’m afraid of my eyes. Even if there is nothing wrong with the warrior party.

“Everyone hated being a warrior party. In the past, there were too many applicants, so it was a way to select one of them, but now, the people who support the hero go around looking for the strong and beg to join the hero party… .”

“Is that enough… But then how did Merlin-kun apply for the hero’s party?”

“Gwi, he said he would give you a precious artifact… ! A bandage enchanted with shrinking magic… omg! I-I shouldn’t say this… .”

Merlin suddenly covers his mouth with his hand. A question mark appeared in my mind.

“Merlin, why are you surprised? You have to tell me where to use the shrinking magic bandage or something.”

“That, that, that’s a secret! I can never, never tell you… !”

“secret? I thought we’d gotten to know each other, but it’s disappointing to have a secret. I won’t ask though Because everyone has at least one secret.”

Not one or two of my secrets. Right now, the name is a blatant lie. Merlin never knows.

“… In fact, an artifact is an artifact, but… I felt sorry for the warrior party. They said that they came to the Mage Tower to save colleagues, but no one supported them. There was a prevailing airflow as if everyone was avoiding the warrior party… .”

“You mean you applied because you didn’t like that?”

“yes… Maybe that’s why the magicians of the Mage Tower don’t deal with me anymore… No regrets! Serel, Katarina, Igor, and Viktor are all good people! Traveling around the world with great friends has been a dream since I was little!”

“… .”

Should I give him a hint that his proud comrades are about to die? I have the most pity for you.

“Before applying for the warrior party, how were the people around you? Has the way you treat Merlin changed a lot?”

“I-I’m not very friendly, so I wasn’t good at conversation, but… Everyone was nice to me though! When I found something like a magic experiment tool, he often helped me… .”

It’s okay to help Who could ignore the greatest genius who was even revered as the next Mage Tower lord? The future Merlin establishes Eden Academy and spends his life as a principal.

wheein-.

The sound of the wind blowing through the door cracked my ears. This is a cave where air does not circulate. In other words, if the sound of the wind is loud enough to penetrate through the crack in the door, it means that something has changed outside.

He put two fingers to Merlin’s mouth and held his breath. Merlin, who understood my actions, immediately stopped talking.

thump, thump, thump-.

The floor shakes. Something huge and heavy is coming. It seems that we are passing through the passage of the cave we passed through, and we feel its presence on our skin. Even though it doesn’t breathe life, the skin feels numb.

“Dragon King… !”

“Come on, get ready. When the Dragon King falls asleep, it’s your role to launch an all-out attack. i will watch over you There should be at least one person to protect the wizard.”

“Su-Suoka-san is protecting me… ? Eh, like a knight and a lady… .”

“Shh, the dragon king has come to the door.”

The dead silence breaks in half at the sound of a door opening. Unlike when we gathered our strength and pushed with all our might, the iron gate opened smoothly.

The door opened wide, and a black dragon appeared. It’s not just black. Its eyes show off a golden brilliance as if they were inlaid with gold, and an unquenchable fire burns roaring from its tail.

The beginning of all dragons.

Dragon King Endros.

One of the five strongest monsters in the forest, and the origin of the dragon species, a giant monster derived from chaos.

The pinnacle of dragons, the master of magic, and the owner of infinite lifespan. There were several modifiers to refer to Endros. If you abbreviate and summarize them, only one meaning emerges.

The most powerful monster in the current world, excluding non-standard beings such as the Demon Lord. Among the Five Kings, he is the Dragon King with the power to destroy. The name is not End Loss for nothing.

Of course, as time goes by, the world develops and dragons grow too. If you compare the dragon lord and dragon king I killed in my previous life, they’re probably pretty similar. In this lifetime, I will absorb the dragon king’s soul instead of the dragon lord’s soul to increase my strength.

cooong-.

The dragon king entered the room with slow but heavy steps like a large rock. I didn’t even glance at the corners of the four beds where we hid. He didn’t seem to be particularly interested.

As if not paying any attention to what other dragons might do, such as loafing around and studying magic, the dragon king immediately collapsed onto the bed. The bed, which could have accommodated a thousand people, filled up in an instant and rocked.

“Kreur… .”

Hurreuk-tadak, tak-.

I used the fire on the dragon king’s tail to examine the dragon king’s pupils. Instead of golden color, only dark ink light is in place. I guess I’m going to sleep right away

When I saw the timing to attack, I turned my head to Katarina, who was supposed to give a signal. As if waiting for the dragon king to fall asleep completely, Katarina sat quietly on the other side of the pillar.

I didn’t know when to give a signal, so I didn’t take my eyes off it. Had it been like ten minutes?

“Krrr… .”

The dragon king’s snoring sound filled the hall. At the same time, Katarina’s hand came up on the pillar. There were three thin pillars on top of a small hill. That means 3 seconds.

“Get ready, Merlin.”

“yes yes… ! Burn, flames of hell that burn monsters… !”

Katarina’s fingers folded quickly. 2 seconds. In the meantime, Merlin memorized the start language and summoned a fireball in the air. The braves Serel and Nioh, the assassins Katarina, and Viktor and Igor were putting their soles on the roof, ready to jump out at any moment.

The last finger is folded. 1 sec. Everyone but me and Merlin rushed at the sleeping Dragon King at the same moment. Some with spears, some with swords, some with daggers, some with fists. Merlin fired a hellfire right next to me.

Originally, magic requires time to prepare magic, but Merlin is the greatest genius of all time, having already reached the 6th circle. 3 seconds was enough time for the archmage to blow 6 circles of magic.

aaah-!

“Huh!”

“ha!”

“Burn it! Hellfire!”

“Nyan!”

Kwakkwakkwak-!!

A loud roar followed. The flames, swords, spears, and fists plunged head-on into the dragon king.

A huge amount of dust rose. His vision was obscured by black smoke, and a storm-like air current fluttered at the hem of his clothes. I narrowed my eyes and opened my invisible field of vision.

Both the hero’s party and the king’s attack hit the dragon king’s vital points. eyes, neck, heart, etc. Each one was an attack with enormous power, and there were also attacks made with swordsmanship.

… however.

“Are you guys?”

The smoke cleared and the body of the dragon king was revealed. Surprisingly, there were no injuries. No, the attacks didn’t even reach in the first place. All the attacks of the hero party and the king passed through the body of the dragon king and hit the bed sheet.

Oh my, it was an illusion.

Squeak-.

The shape of a dragon floating in the air was transparent at first, but slowly began to become clearer. It is a dragon that looks exactly like the illusion that the warrior party attacked. Unexpected development, we looked up at him dumbfounded.

Golden eyes that stretched straight without even the slightest movement scanned us.

“They are blue-eyed kids who are at an age where they like to play.”

This is not a sound heard by the ears. The dragon king just stares at us with his mouth shut.

An oppressive low-pitched voice echoes in my head. There is not even the slightest hint of surprise in his voice. It means that they were aware of our existence in the first place.

“I have to take my breath away to hang out with this old man, but would you like to play?”