I’m the Only Male Knight in a Chastity-Reversed World, and When I Enrolled in a Female Knight Academy, I Somehow Got Treated Like a Hero — Dominating with an Unparalleled Skill That Makes Me Stronger the More Sex I Have - 38

Chapter 38: The Black Dragon

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The carriage that had brought me and the captives this far had not returned to the village. It had only pretended to turn back, then waited at a spot some distance away from the hideout.

We needed to secure a way back. That was why we had coordinated this in advance. Once we loaded the rescued captives onto that carriage and the one Sophia and the others had arrived in, we hurried back toward the village. We left the hideout around sunset, and by the time we arrived, night had already fallen deep.

The village was in utter chaos. What stood there was a gigantic dragon. It was nearly ten meters long. A four-legged creature covered in jet-black scales, bearing wings and razor-sharp claws.

“That is—the Black Dragon…!? An S-rank monster with disaster-level threat…! Why is something like that here…!?”

Sophia stood frozen in shock at the sight of the massive black dragon. Judging by her reaction, this was a situation that should never have occurred under normal circumstances. The Black Dragon was laying waste to everything in its path. Buildings were trampled underfoot, and flames erupted everywhere from the fire it spewed. The screams of fleeing villagers echoed through the darkness.

I stood there, stunned by the unreal scene…

“Aah…! Knights’ Academy students…!”

The village chief, having spotted us, came running over.

“Thank goodness. You returned safely.”

“We eliminated the bandits and rescued all of the captives,” I reported, then asked, “More importantly, what happened here?”

“…We don’t know. About an hour ago, it suddenly appeared from the sky, and then that Black Dragon began burning the village to the ground.”

The village chief spoke with a grave expression.

“…Normally, Black Dragons inhabit lands far to the north. There is no way one should appear in such a remote region.”

“The reason doesn’t matter!” Berga shouted. “At this rate, the village will be wiped out! We’ve gotta do something about that thing first…!”

That was when…

“Hey, look over there!”

Where she pointed lay the rubble of a collapsed building. A young girl had her head poking out from it, her lower body apparently buried beneath the debris. Nearby, a woman who seemed to be her mother was crying out for help. This was bad.

At this rate, she would enter the Black Dragon’s line of sight.

Just as I thought that… Berga spoke up.

“I’ll draw that dragon’s attention! Kreto! Sophia! You two rescue that kid while I do!”

“Got it.”

“Understood!”

We kicked off the ground and rushed toward the girl trapped in the rubble.

“Y-you’re…!?”

The woman who appeared to be the mother murmured in surprise.

“We’re students of the Knights’ Academy. We came to save her.”

As I said that, I began clearing away the debris pinning the girl’s lower body. Sophia immediately moved to assist me. While we focused on the rescue, Berga stepped forward toward the Black Dragon and raised her voice.

“Hey, you big bastard! Over here!”

The Black Dragon reacted to her voice and slowly turned its gaze. Their eyes met.

“Frau!”

“—Acknowledged.”

Frau placed her hand on the ground and released her mana. In the next instant… Multiple magic circles appeared around the Black Dragon, and massive pillars of water erupted from them. Pressurized torrents blasted in from all directions, attempting to crush the colossal body.

But the Black Dragon roared and effortlessly dispersed the attack. Its scales’ defensive power far exceeded the offensive force of the water magic.

“No problem. This is just groundwork for the real strike. Nee-san!”

“Hell yeah! Eat this! Lightning Bolt!”

Berga infused her sword with lightning magic and unleashed a full-power thrust. The lightning discharged from the blade raced violently through the Black Dragon’s water-soaked body. The combination of water and lightning caused the Black Dragon’s body to seize up for an instant.

“Alright! Now’s our chance! Let’s press the attack!”

“Yes!”

Berga and Frau rushed in together, swords in hand, slashing at the Black Dragon simultaneously. Once within range, they unleashed a relentless barrage of sword techniques.

““Haaaaaah!””

A flurry of strikes so intense there was no time to breathe. A perfect sisterly combination. However…

“W-what…!? It’s not working at all…!”

They couldn’t leave even a single wound on the Black Dragon’s body.

“How are we supposed to fight something like this…?”

The overwhelming difference in power twisted Berga’s expression. Her fighting spirit wavered, fear seeping into her eyes. But then…

“Both of you, fall back!”

Sophia joined the fight. She left the rubble to me and rushed to support Berga and Frau. Wrapped in radiant light, she closed the distance to the Black Dragon in an instant, drawing its attention with a powerful slash. Light-speed movement. She evaded every one of the Black Dragon’s attacks and struck it with blindingly fast sword techniques. Though slight, she was managing to wound its body.

“Amazing! It’s working!”

“…So this is the strength of the top student.”

Berga and Frau spoke in awe.

“Keep it up!”

“You can do it!”

The villagers shouted encouragement as well.

☆☆☆

Sophia continued battling the Black Dragon while murmuring to herself internally.

I can do this.. Little by little, but I’m dealing damage. I can’t lose here. If I retreat now, so many people will die. I won’t let anyone die. I’ll protect everyone here. It’s fine. There’s no way it can keep up with my movements.

But that tiny sliver of overconfidence proved to be fatal. Sophia moved at light speed to the enemy’s blind spot to unleash her next strike. Until now, it hadn’t been able to react at all. Naturally, she believed this time would be the same. However…

The Black Dragon had already locked onto her destination.

“—!? ”

She had been completely read. The Black Dragon precisely targeted where Sophia would reappear and launched its attack. Its massive, razor-sharp claw came rushing in, ready to tear through flesh. An S-rank monster, classified as disaster-level. Its adaptability far exceeded anything Sophia had imagined.

She had underestimated it. She barely avoided a direct hit, but was slammed into the ground. As she struggled to rise, pain shooting through her body, she looked up to see the Black Dragon staring straight at her, its jaws wide open. A light projectile of tremendous energy was released.

In that instant, she understood. She couldn’t dodge it. She couldn’t block it. That amount of mana… The entire village could be wiped out.

I couldn’t protect them…!

As Sophia was overwhelmed by despair and braced herself for the end, the attack dispersed before it could engulf her. A man was standing in front of her.

“Kreto… -san?”

“I’ll handle it from here.”

Kreto turned back and said so quietly.

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