I Couldn't Become a Knight, But for Some Reason, I'm Beloved by Dragons - Chapter 11: Monster of the Abyss

Chapter 11: Monster of the Abyss

“… Runa”

“… Who’s that?”

Leaving Rito confused by the sudden appearance of Runa, I just stared at her intently. 

She always had a reassuring smile that I looked at, but I had to desperately figure out what to do in this situation.

(Why is Runa here… I can’t let her get hurt!)

Knowing that the two people restraining us were opponents with high abilities, I couldn’t just stand still if their focus were to turn to Runa. I looked for an opportunity in the movement of the woman restraining me from behind, and stepped forward to escape the restraint.

“… Huh?”

However, contrary to my expectations, I was able to easily escape from the restraint. While I wanted to help Rito, I first protected Runa’s safety by standing in front of her.

“It’s okay, Xeno. I’m fine.”

“… Runa?”

Runa behind me came up and hugged me. 

Not just her arms, but also her legs were wrapped around my body, and the sensation of her ample chest was pressed against me from behind.

“… We need to retreat… Let’s run!”

“I know!!”

“… Eh?”

The man left Rito behind and the woman quickly leaped away from the scene into the darkness of the night. While I compared the feeling of the sharp blade that I felt on my back to something soft, I temporarily moved away from Runa and went to Rito’s side.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… it hurts a little, though.”

The area where he was hit was swollen and red, but he had some medicinal herbs at home in case of injury, so he seemed to be okay.

“Is he okay over there?”

“Yeah… But, why is Runa here?”

“Ah~… I was just taking a walk.”

“A walk…”

Walking through this alley where such people might appear? 

Well, it’s not like I’m in a position to complain about it being dangerous since it’s rare for something like that to happen… But anyway, I was relieved that nothing happened to Runa.

“Runa”

“Oh…”

I rushed over to her and hugged her delicate body. Although she looked surprised, she hugged me back with both hands and whispered in my ear with a chuckle.

“I’m glad you’re safe. And… although it was in the heat of the moment, your back when you tried to protect me was cool.”

“… I can’t do anything. All I can do is put my body on the line.”

“Even so, it’s enough. You’re still wonderful.”

At times like this, when I have no power, I can’t help but envy those who are like knights. 

Even if I pick up a weapon, I’ll just be thrown off balance by its weight, and I can’t even use simple magic because I have no magical power… I ended up thinking that I want more strength. 

However, right now, my own situation doesn’t matter. First, I have to report about the duo we encountered and make sure Runa is safe.

“As for those two, don’t worry.”

“Eh?”

“You know I can use magic, right? So I’ve already contacted the castle, everything’s okay.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yeah, so let’s relax and head back home.”

With those words, Runa took my hand, but naturally, Rito voiced his question.

“Hey, Xeno. Who’s that woman who looks so friendly with you?”

“…Ah~”

After that, I introduced Runa to Rito a little bit. However, even though Runa had contacted the castle with magic, I still wanted to check what had happened before going to Luna’s place tomorrow. But I’m glad that no one was seriously hurt.

“…Take them straight to the castle and make the arrangements.”

“Runa?”

“It’s nothing. There are many things that concern me, but first, I have to make sure you get to the inn safely♪”

▽▼

The two continued to run away… even after leaving the capital, they continued to run through the plain, completely disregarding their breath.

“W-what was that monster!?”

“I don’t know… but I can’t explain that indescribable sense of oppression it gave off.”

What the two remembered was the silver-haired woman. Her figure, illuminated by the moonlight, was so beautiful that both men and women were mesmerized, as if they had forgotten their circumstances. However, they saw the abyss behind her eyes.

“…I can’t stop shivering… what is this?”

The woman’s reaction was especially noticeable. 

Although she didn’t hear her directly, she felt like she could hear the girl’s voice in her head telling her to stay away from the guy… that’s why she couldn’t take any action when he managed to break free from her restraints.

“We have to go back to Isastria right away.”

“Yes, you’re right. This is unexpected— huh?”

At that moment, the woman tilted her head in surprise. Although she had been running alongside the man, her body suddenly slid across the ground.

“…Huh?”

The woman tried to get up but couldn’t, and was perplexed by the situation. As soon as she looked at her body, she turned pale. 

“Ah…ahh…ahhhhhhhh!!” 

A high-pitched scream echoed. The woman looked at her waist and found that everything below it was missing. It was as if something had bitten and torn off her lower body, and a large amount of blood was flowing out. 

“Help…” 

She tried to call out to her male companion for help, but then saw something race past him and take off his entire body from the neck down, leaving only his head on the ground. 

“… W-what is this… what’s… going on!?” 

However, even though he only had his head left, the man did not die. She also realized that she did not feel any pain despite not having anything below her waist —it was too unnatural. Suddenly, two huge shadows descended. They were dragons. 

“Dragons…” 

“This is…” 

One of the dragons moved and bit the woman’s chest. Bones crunched and flesh tore apart as she was reduced to just a head like the man, but she still lived without feeling any pain. 

“Is this… a dream?” 

She couldn’t help but think that this was a terrifying nightmare. The man and woman were roughly carried away by the dragons, and their destination was the castle in the capital city, where the throne awaited. 

“So these are the intruders.” 

“…!” 

“… you?” 

Lichter, the king of Dragonis, sat on the throne and looked down on them. 

“Keeping the head alive by magic, how remarkable Luna-dono’s magic is.” 

“What is happening!?” 

“What did you do to us!?” 

“Infiltrating the capital city and even attacking the kingdom’s dragon handlers is unforgivable. Even if it fails, you will be made to confess all of your connections to this.” 

Lichter continued to speak. 

“Give up. You have incurred the wrath of the greatest dragon in this country. Your bodies will not return to normal. You are kept alive only by magic that connects your head to your consciousness. When that magic is broken, you will die.” 

It was a death sentence executed after the fact. Not knowing about the magic that kept them alive with only their heads, the two were perplexed, their hearts filled with despair and resignation. 

“Humans and dragons have different sensibilities. I already have no fear of being ruthless for my country, but I still can’t compete with Luna-dono… —as long as I have my wits about me, it should be enough. Well then I will leave the rest to Luna-dono, who keeps her word.”

And so, everything was resolved without Xeno ever knowing anything.