Don’t Run Away My Lord

8 – Dragon Hunting Dragon (4)

Something was circling the sky on the other side of the pitch-black night sky.

Other humans probably wouldn’t be able to see it, but I could definitely see it.

Considering the distance, it’s quite a large aircraft.

Could it really be a dragon…? Did it come here after smelling the barbecue…?

“Liana, stay here for a moment.”

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“I should go and take a closer look.”

Upon hearing this, Barfelt raised his voice.

“Are you crazy? What if you go and a dragon actually shows up? Don’t mess around, stay here. Do you think you’re some legendary hero, going to save that person?”

“It’s not about that. I have something to confirm.”

As I stood up, Barfelt waved his hand as if to say, “Do whatever you want.”

“After helping you not die, you’re going to go and die on your own. Do as you please, you crazy bastard.”

I couldn’t understand his mindset, but right now, I had to find out about that dragon.

If it really came after me. And if that’s the case, it’s unfortunate, but I’ll have to kill it.

In its polymorphed state, they wouldn’t recognize my presence, and if I ambush them, I can definitely succeed.

For that, it would be best to go there and wait.

“Erga-nim. Are you really okay with this?”

“I’m fine. Nothing will happen, so stay here.”

Riana, who had already witnessed my true form, no longer tried to stop me.

As I went out into the moonlit hilly area, I could hear the shouts of other shepherds from behind me.

“Hey, hey! Where are you going?”

“Hey! Come back right now! Are you insane and want to die?!”

“Leave him alone! How are you going to stop someone who wants to die?”

Barfelt scolded and silenced the other shepherds.

“Since we’re already in this situation, should we make a bet? Whether that guy will come back alive if the dragon appears, or if he’ll become one with nature.”

“Isn’t that too obvious? Of course, he’ll die.”

“If he happens to come back alive, there’s nothing I desire more than that.”

“hahahaha. That’s true. Then I bet three silver coins on his return!”

The shepherds soon started placing bets among themselves, based on whether I was alive or dead.

* * * *

I crossed the road and approached the mercenaries after climbing a few hills.

A man holding a torch thrust his sword forward and shouted sharply.

“Halt!”

Upon hearing his voice, the others noticed me and raised their weapons with hostile expressions.

“Who are you?!”

“Are you mercenaries who came to capture the dragon? Is that your plan?”

He raised his hands and pointed with his chin at the meat roasting on the torch.

The legs of an unknown animal were simmering in oil, emitting a delicious smell.

“Who are you? Which guild do you belong to? Huh?”

“I’m not a mercenary. I’m just here out of pure curiosity to see the dragon up close.”

The mercenaries looked at each other in confusion.

“What the hell…? He’s dressed like a desert nomad, but he doesn’t look like one.”

“Check his appearance. He might be a member of another guild who came to keep us in check.”

The mercenaries approached me and roughly patted me down.

Starting from my shoulders, then my arms and sides, Sun suddenly groped between my legs and quickly grabbed something.

“Huh? You hid a club?! Take it out right now!”

“That’s my genitalia.”

“Huh…?! Ah, I see… I’m sorry.”

The mercenaries who were tearing at it quickly backed away, feeling embarrassed.

“I don’t think there’s anything hidden.”

“Is that so?”

A man who seemed to be the captain hesitated and spoke up.

“What the hell are you? Did you come here to see the dragon?”

“Yeah. I mean… I’m a monster enthusiast.”

“I see. So you’re a reptile or scale enthusiast.”

“What? Uh, well. Yeah. Something like that.”

Not understanding the meaning, I gave a vague answer, and a sense of disgust appeared on the mercenaries’ faces.

“Captain… Isn’t this human dangerous? Did he come here to provoke the dragon…?”

“Well… I’m not sure if he came to provoke…”

“Huh?!”

While they were muttering, I looked back at the distant sky where the aircraft had been seen.

But it was no longer visible, as if it had gone up into the clouds.

I didn’t misread it. Where did it go?

“Well… if that’s the case… you can stay by our side. Just don’t get in the way.”

The captain waved his hand as if telling me to step back a bit.

As I took a few steps back, the mercenaries continued with what they were doing.

It means grilling meat and fanning it with large leaves.

“But a Black Dragon?”

When I asked the mercenary who was leaning against me, he flinched and quickly covered his buttocks with his hand.

“What? Uh, yeah. It’s a Black Dragon. Hard to believe, but that’s what they say.”

“Have you seen it before?”

“I’ve seen it a few times from a distance. No one knows the details. A group of demon hunters once encountered it and was wiped out.”

“Then why did they conclude it was a Black Dragon?”

“Tusenne, a poet, said it was a Black Dragon. It’s because it appears suddenly, black and huge, destroying houses and slaughtering livestock.”

Hmm… Judging from the shepherd’s words and this mercenary…

It seems highly unlikely to match the behavior of a dragon.

Perhaps it’s not an adult, but a juvenile just learning to fly.

Juveniles are mischievous and impulsive, often engaging in such behavior for fun.

Sometimes, when I see them fluttering about, I feel like feeding them a hundred barrels of honey mead.

As far as I know, dragons on the continent completely ignore each other.

Once they hatch, they immediately leave the nest and have to survive on their own without seeking their parents or anything.

Even adults have their own territories and won’t bother each other’s nests unless provoked.

It’s truly a free and unrestrained life that can be described as wild.

Even in the strict habitat of Black Dragons like us, it’s like that. So imagine how it would be for dragons on the continent.

If it’s a juvenile raised in this kind of atmosphere… I don’t even want to think about it.

There might even be a juvenile around here who has made a nest and enjoys preying on humans.

If it’s that kind of person, even grilling meat would be enough to lure them.

More precisely, they would be interested in the humans who fan the smell of meat from the top of the hill in the middle of the night.

Should I wait a little longer then?

“But aren’t these people who came to hunt dragons a bit feeble?”

“It can’t be helped. Wizards and battle maidens charge ridiculously high fees, and the cost of hiring them exceeds the commission.”

“So, you’re just going to face the dragon with that sword and spear?”

“We have our own strategies, so mind your own business.”

They’re crazy humans.

From Noble mtl dot com

No matter how much humans have fought against the harsh nature with their weak bodies and created civilization…

To think that they would come to hunt dragons with such meager power.

“I heard there are many other mercenaries, why aren’t they with you?”

“After all the hard work, we should share the money?”

“Hmm…”

In the end, it’s all about money.

Risking their lives in a hunt that seems to have no chance of success, all for the sake of money.

“But where did you come from? Judging from your clothes and the way you speak, it seems like you’re from far away.”

The captain of the mercenaries asked.

“I came from the south. I was on my way to a place called Rosence, where there’s a peculiar monster den.”

He loosely fabricated the words that the shepherd Bafelt had told him, pretending to be a monster enthusiast.

The captain of the mercenaries took his words at face value.

“Ah, you’re talking about that inn in Rosence? I know it well too. I’ve read the flyers that are scattered everywhere.”

“While on my way there, I heard a rumor that a Black Dragon appeared, so I quickly changed direction and came here.”

“Oh really? This is a genuine demon’s den, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

The mercenary captain turned his head and ignored me, as if he didn’t want to continue the conversation.

“Can’t you see anything yet?”

“I don’t see anything.”

“Try fanning more vigorously. It seems like the smell isn’t spreading enough.”

As the meat sizzled and dropped its fat, it became even more delicious.

Watching that, my stomach started to growl.

Although I had some dried meat earlier, there wasn’t much of it… huh?!

It was at that moment that I heard a suspicious sound.

I quickly raised my head.

It was right above our heads in the sky…!

It looked like a dark gray spot on the black cloud.

Judging by the large wings covered in scales and the swaying tail, it was undoubtedly a dragon.

Although its body was thinner than average, dragons have different body shapes, so that’s understandable.

Seeing that it had only one tail and two wings, it was fortunate that it wasn’t a Black Dragon.

It must be one of the dragons that inhabit this continent, just as I suspected.

I reached out and tapped the mercenary captain’s shoulder.

“What’s up there?”

“Up there?”

“It looks like a dragon.”

“What did you say?! Where…”

Before the mercenary captain could finish speaking, our bodies were suddenly lifted into the air with a tremendous shock.

As I crashed loudly onto the ground, I quickly shook my spinning head and urgently assessed the situation.

Screams echoed from all directions, and several mercenaries lay sprawled on the ground, unable to move.

The torches flickered and created dizzying shadows, intensifying the chaos.

“Help me…!”

A lower body-crushed mercenary crawled towards me, scratching the ground with his arms.

Just as I reached out my hand to him, something large snatched the mercenary away in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, warm blood poured down from above like a waterfall.