Author’s note:

Volume 2 of the story begins with the subjugation of the Evil Dragon.

I’ll be in your care.

Chapter 22: Finally, we have become stronger in the underground dungeon! Evil Dragon Subjugation! Part 1

There is no prince on a white horse. I wonder when we realized that.

When we were six years old.

That day, at that time, I said to him.

“Hey, Lute? They… They said I was a hero… To protect everyone… They said I have to fight… To be honest… I’m scared… What should I do?”

That day, at that time, he said to me.

“You’re a hero. So, fight to protect everyone.”

In response to those words, that day, at that time, I said to him.

“But… I’m scared… Devils, Evil Dragons, Demon Lord… the Demon race too… They’re all the hero’s enemies right? I can’t do it!”

Taking in those words, that day, at that time, he said to me.

“… In that case I’ll help you. No matter what happens, no matter where you are, no matter what we face… Whenever you’re in a pinch I’ll run to you, I’ll definitely beat them up… So, rest easy… You fight as the hero. I will… help you. Definitely.”

I remember being incredibly happy when I was a child.

Actually, he was really grown up for a child – When we were kids, I was always the little sister and he was always the big brother.

Comforting me when I scraped my knees, finding me when I got lost in the forest.

To me, he was a prince on a white horse, which only existed in fairy tales – Un, if I exaggerated a little, then he was such an existence to me.

But, when I was a bit over ten years old I realized.

A prince on a white horse who’d come whenever I was in a pinch and beat up the bad guy… Didn’t exist.

He was a villager, and I am a hero.

That obvious fact, and its true meaning – I realized it.

Difference in growth rates and difference in occupational skills.

Everything changed… The path to his future and that of mine were suddenly… headed in completely different directions.

However, I was relieved with that.

If he was a villager, I am a hero.

At that time, he said he’d protect me with the air of an elder brother, but… It’s fine if I protect him.

It’s fine if he just cultivates the fields in peace.

With him, with his family, with my family, with the neighbouring uncle and aunt… Using the prey I won… Once in a while, if I can have a barbecue with them, that’d be enough.

And protecting everyone’s smile was my job. Un. That’s fine. My duties have… Only grown slightly bigger, that’s all.

Thus resolving myself, and giving up on so many things… I decided to receive training as a hero and live as a hero.

And, three years ago.

That day, when I was twelve, a peculiarity took place.

He confronted a horde of hundreds of goblins and displayed strength that surpassed that of even the hero.

That said, the power he had at that time compared to mine was like 100 to 50… In reality, he was also incredibly worn out and on that day, just as he had said, he saved me from a pinch. I couldn’t believe it.

Well, a villager managing to fight up to that point… I was really surprised by that.

And, with that I want to say…

– There is no prince on a white horse who’ll save you from any pinch you find yourself in.

However, a reliable warrior… with whom you can get over any pinch you find yourself in, definitely exists. Well, that’s all.

And so, when I finished speaking up to this point, I was surrounded by roars of laughter.

The time is night. The location is a banquet.

“Reliable warrior… Again with that story, Cordelia? Twelve years of age, before a status even develops, there’s no way a villager can contend with you, is there?”

While lightly sipping on the wine, I ate and chatted with the Knight captain.

“No, but… I really did at that time… thanks to him, narrowly escape death…”

“And, the next part is hilarious. Your prince was taken away by a dragon on a journey to someplace? Where did such a fantasy come from?”

Once again, the laughter strengthened.

Drinks were passed and everyone was in a somewhat good mood.

“Even if you say where…”

“To begin with, Cordelia.”

I matched the knight captain’s smile with a slightly prickly one of my own.

“What is it?”

“Wasn’t it around four hundred goblins? If it’s only that many, including me, couldn’t any veteran adventurer take them on? I can even take on a thousand five hundred… In fact, the you of now might even be able to take on over ten thousand easily.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“If it’s a twelve year old villager… That is abnormal, but from there that villager… How much can he grow? If I’m right, his growth rate won’t even touch the bottom of your growth rate.”

“Well, that might be so, but…”

“For such a villager, to be your ‘reliable warrior’, isn’t it too big a burden to bear? To begin with, the story is made up.”

I puff my cheeks.

Well, it’s a ridiculous story… I wouldn’t believe such a story if a stranger told me about it either.

My growth record – on the alliance’s official records, regarding the case pertaining to the goblins… It was covered up as a case of cloudy memory caused by magic depletion.

The one to actually kill off the goblins was me, and the boy named Lute died, and as a result… my vision became hazy while my magic power went rampant.

That was the conclusion they decided on.

Well, it is certainly an outrageous story… And since a dragon is said to have appeared, it was difficult to believe.

Even… I myself think so sometimes.

That was all the officials from the alliance had to say, it was all a turbidity in my memory – a dream.

If Lute died back then, it wouldn’t be something the twelve year old me would be able to handle.

And, result wise… If Lute died because I was unable to protect him… That would be what happened.

When I thought of that, my heart could never withstand that melancholy.

My brain would definitely fail, and fall into a fatal state along the lines of mental disorders.

That’s why – as an emergency measure, it showed me an impossible illusion… Is what I doubt.

So, I puff up my cheeks.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s how it is. In any case my memory of that time…”

Saying so, I drank the red wine.

Then the bearded vice-captain of the knights said such with a fun atmosphere:

“Oh, Cordelia? It has a good taste, right?”

Then, the knight captain gave a big nod.

“Well, the reason we can drink in the deep part of the Great Forest within the valley… Is Cordelia, after all. As long as you’re here… Even if there are monsters around us, they aren’t our opponents.”

And there, a slight discomfort rose in my mind.

The mission this time is beyond the Great Forest… The subjugation of the sandworm of the desert.

The merchant who put up the request gave a large compensation, and the target monster was also strong. My level, which had reached a hundred and twelve would also increase slightly.

However… I remember the bad feeling in my chest.

Truthfully, it was fine to drink in this forest. It was also fine to have no alertness.

The knights are all excellent.

Even if I don’t enter the fray… If it’s a normal monster it would get killed instantly.

That’s why we’re having a pre-celebration banquet, but… I had a prickling bad feeling in my chest.

The total amount of wine I drank was a glass and a half – No different from a regular dinner, with no affect to my combat ability.

But, I get up in a hurry. And discarding the wine, in one go, I drink water again and again.

– To increase survival rate.

“What happened Cordelia?”

Unpleasant sweat flowed down my back. This feeling… It was the same one I had when the goblins attacked the village three years ago.

“No… Just… Got a little drunk.”

Already, the stupor is fading away.

Well, to begin with, I wasn’t really drunk.

I may have been pretending to drink reading the atmosphere, but in the first place… Everyone’s life was left in my hands.

Strictly speaking right now, the knight captain is my aide.

Everyone in the knights treat me like a child, but when it comes to battle, they’re all pros. They know what is alright and what must not be done.

That’s why everyone’s under my command.

While having the necessary education, I also have the overwhelming power needed to shut down any unexpected situation.

Seeing the change in my behavior, everyone else also started drinking water.

Everyone held up their equipment in their hands and surveyed their surroundings.

As expected, this was the knight squad led by the man once called the ‘Orc Killer’.

He was making quite a ruckus, but it seems the amount of alcohol he really had was rather little.

“… My lady?”

The way he addressed me on the battlefield changed from the way he did otherwise.

He had incredible faith – in my sixth sense as a hero.

“… The sandworm subjugation… It might be best to abandon it. I’m getting a bad feeling that’s not half-hearted in any way.”

Hearing my words, the knight captain nodded silently.

Then, raising his hand, he spoke in a voice everyone in the region could hear.

“- As of this moment I take back the order to subjugate the sandworm. Everyone, prepare to retr- Gyaah-!?”

Before I realized it, the captain’s upper part and lower part had been separated.

Strictly speaking, it was the severance of his head.

— ‘Beheading’… Is what it’s called, I think.

A slash so fast even I, who is a hero couldn’t see it.

To begin with, the members who had noticed my change in behavior.

To add to it the captain who died in the middle of ordering a retreat.

What was truly fatal was – that I couldn’t even respond to the attack, and the members saw that.

“Aha~! Ahaha~! AHAHA~!? Hey, hey, big sister? And… big brothers? What happened? What happened?!”

Without letting even a hero like me sense her presence whatsoever… Suddenly appearing ten meters in front of me, clad in a black and purple gothic lolita dress, was a little girl.

She looked about ten years old with blonde hair… Just a few years younger than me.

And she – perfectly matched the appearance of that dangerous existence.

“… You are?”

“Aha!? Ahahaha!? Hey, hey big sister? You’re a hero, right? Big sister is a hero, right? That too, a hero still in the growing phase, a weakling hero, right? Such a big sister leading such weakling knights… hey, hey? Can I ask you something?”

“… What?”

“Do you want to die? Are you stupid? Are you going to die? Do you feel like dying?”

“… As I said, I am asking you… What in the world are you?”

She picked up her frill skirt with both her hands and raised it, then, lowering her head slightly, she said.

“Evil Dragon: Amanta… I’m a relatively well known… Legendary monster?”

“I don’t know anything about that!”

Until now, several heroes… While they were young… Before they grew up, they had been eaten by her.

However… Even though she killed the captain, if everyone present here worked together to face her… Even though it’d cost us a lot, we’d be able to deal with it.

As cold sweat flowed down my back, I reached towards the long sword by my hip.

“Everyone! For now… Let’s surround this girl together!”

But my voice didn’t reach anyone.

“Wait, wait? Big sister? Big sister? Is big sister an idiot?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do you think I – instead of the strongest big sister, – purposely killed the knight captain instead first? Why?”

“… ?”

“I wonder how many knights trust the orders of an outsider? I wonder? And… Watching the knight captain who they truly believed in getting killed in an instant before anyone else… That too, with big sister not even being able to react to it… I wonder what everyone will normally do? I wonder?”

Within the air that reeked of fear, I turned around.

The over hundred knights – were struck with panic.

People running away while still holding their weapons.

People discarding their weapons and running away.

Those made up 98% of the knights.

Only three were standing behind me, facing Amanta with their swords in hand.

And then the sound of Amanta’s laughter spread.

“Skill: Mesmerization”

At the same time, the three raised their weapons and attacked me.

“Kill the strange one!”

Along with Amanta’s voice, the knights’ crotches wiggled under their pants.

‘Ah’, I exclaimed.

— It’s the worst.

As expected of an Evil Dragon. It really was the worst kind of enemy.

I swing the sword three times. Three corpses fall behind me.

“I’m sorry… But, I don’t feel like putting you guys up. Sorry… Really sorry.”

I glared at Amanta with murderous intent, and then, I yelled at the knights who were all running their own way.

“Don’t run away! All of you… Calm down! If we all fight together… We’ll make it out somehow!”

However, no one heard my voice.

“Hehehehe… Hey, big sister? What does it feel like right now? Being abandoned and ignored by everyone in the knights’ squad… What does that feel like?”

By the way… Amanta continued with her advance.

“A hero that can’t even gather a team of proper knights, it’s really hilarious, though-!”

Again and again Amanta kept shaking her hands one after the other.

At the same time I saw wind slashes.

Dead bodies fall to the ground one by one.

If they had been facing the front, the situation would probably be different, but just striking down the defenceless backs of people running away from you – was a simple matter.

Eventually, the breath of any living thing other than Amanta and me disappeared.

“Hey, hey, big sister? We became alone… What should I do? What should I do?”

I took my stance with my sword and responded.

“If you want to kill me, kill me – I will lose. However, If I lose… I will take an arm with me.”

Kyahaha, Amanta laughed.

“Big sister doesn’t have the freedom to do that, though?”

Amanta laughed as though she was having fun and cocked her blonde head sideways.

And, raising a finger, she said.

“A~♪”

A ball of magical energy about 20 centimeters in radius formed on her fingertip.

And shot towards me.

“Fuuun-!”

The holy sword flashed.

The magic ball was cut into two.

“Heh~. Then how about this? A~♪”

“Fuuun-!”

I cut down the magic ball 50 cms in radius.

“A~♪”

“Fuuun-!”

I cut down the magic ball a meter in radius.

“A~♪”

“Fuuun-!”

I cut down the magic ball 2 meters in radius.

“A~♪”

“Fuuun-!”

I cut down the magic ball 3 meters in radius.

And now, a drop of unpleasant sweat ran down my back.

— Cutting a magic ball larger than this… I can’t.

“Well, well? Big sister, what happened? A~♪”

A magic ball five meters in radius is released from Amanta’s fingertips.

And it closed the distance at an insane speed.

I turned my body and avoid it.

The magic ball passes behind me as I avoid it, but, it seems to be a homing spell and chases after me.

The magic ball I should’ve dodged locks on to me once again and comes to strike me.

Once again, I turn my body to face it… But unable to avoid it – I get hit.

I take the blow with my right hand, as though trying to grab it.

Feeling an abnormality in my right hand, I drop the long sword I was wielding.

And then the magic ball disappears.

“Kyaha~! Kyahaha~!! Kyahahahahaha~!? Are you dying? Are you dying? Hero? Are you dying hero?”

Laughing amusedly, Amanta raised her right index finger again.

Then, I exclaimed.

— A ten meter radius magic ball… What kind of a joke is this?

When I tried to avoid – arms sprung up from the ground and reached for my legs.

My leg was caught by the hand and the magic grazed my left hand.

If I took it directly, if I were unlucky, I’d be dead… However, with this timing, getting hit by it directly in such a situation…

No, this is… So I think.

“You… missed on purpose?”

‘Nice’, watching my two hands, Amanta nodded with satisfaction.

“After all, I… Like it.”

“Like… What?”

“Pigs – watching heroic men and women get raped by orcs… I love watching that♪”

Amanta shakes her finger.

A humanoid pig, Orc, burst out of the ground.

All put together, the number of two legged humanoid pigs were a total of ten.

Then, as suddenly as they arrived, I entered the sights of the group of orcs, their nostrils blared and their groins turned upright as their eyes set on me.

“A… Ah…”

My hands couldn’t move due to the injuries.

Certainly, orcs are weak.

However, since there is the absolute force called Amanta in the background… There is no need to say what’s going to happen next.

Even as I fell to the ground, I glared at Amanta.

“… Even so, I’m a hero… I won’t crumble before evil.”

“Kusukusukusu”

Amanta continued with glee.

“Hey, hey, big sister? Can you still say the same… with their seed in your womb? Hey, hey? Even if you’re a human, you can get pregnant with an orc’s seed, you know?”

It’s true that a disgusting feeling ran down my back upon hearing those words.

But, I’m a hero… No matter what situation I’m in, I must not crumble.

The orc approached me.

I turned my face away from that crotch.

Fifty centimeters is well beyond the limits…

At the same time, the physiological disgust filled me to my brain.

“… op”

“Hmm? What is it? What is it? Big sister?”

“… I said… st… st… op…”

“Hmm? What… Do you want me to stop?”

“-I have someone I like. So… Just the orcs… Just the orcs… Stop… them!”

Hearing those words, Amanta nodded with glee.

And then, again, she raised a finger with a twenty meter radius magic ball.

“Kyaha~!” Kyahaha~!? Hey, hey, big sister?”

“… Will you stop this?”

“Yeah? Both your feet are fine right… If it’s big sister, you might kick and kill off the orcs… So, I’ll have one leg incapacitated, okay? Watching a girl getting unwantedly raped by orcs… Is so much fun…”

Then, Amanta raised her finger.

— A magic ball with a radius of 20 meters, huh…

I kinda don’t feel like I’ll make it out.

Thinking so, I put a tablet I had in my mouth onto my tongue.

Then, sticking my tongue out, I showed it to Amanta.

“It’s a jellyfish and mandrake tablet. It doesn’t dissolve with saliva, but it does with gastric juice.”

Since there are situations like these, there are provisions for these situations.

If I’m gonna die anyway, I’ll die pure.

“You’ll die? You’ll die? Big sister… You’ll kill yourself?”

“As expected… There’s something called pride too.”

“Kyahaha? Kyahaha? Hey, hey, big sister? You’ll really die? Will you die?”

“I don’t mind that.”

Amanta puffed her cheeks as though it was boring.

“Really boring. Starting with the orc gangbang… I was thinking of a few things… A bukkake tournament with a hundred slaves… Skirt-snatching competition… And a few more.”

The magic ball on Amanta’s finger expands further.

Radius twenty meters, twenty five meters, then thirty meters.

The finger pointing to the heavens – I was at a loss of words at the sight of the boundless magic power.

“But, well, if you’re saying you’d rather die, it’s no fun. If that’s the case, will you die by my hand? Will you?”

Overwhelming magic power approaches me.

Ah, so this was it… My memories so far ran through my mind like a flash of light.

Using all my strength – I turned my back to Amanta.

And then ran with all my might.

It was clumsy.

It was very unlike a hero.

— But in this case, I had only one winning condition – That was, my survival.

In the most miniscule of chances that I had, I bet it all.

But the speed of the magic ball is several times greater than that of me running at my best pace.

I turned to look back.

— There is a magic ball with a radius of over thirty meters. Even the Emperor’s Great Magician… Couldn’t make a magical ball this large without the support of a massive ritual and lots of preparation.

No, that’s why, that is the reason why, this monster was left as a legend.

“Looks like this is the end. Sorry, Lute…”

However, I protected my virginity.

Serves you right, you orcs – There’ll be no feasting on virgins for you.

I look back again.

The distance between me and the magic ball is about three meters.

Soon, I’ll be swallowed by the magic power… And die.

“Goodbye… Goodbye – Lute”

And now, just as I was about to be swallowed up by the magic power – I heard that voice.

“You aren’t… Selfishly thinking of bidding me goodbye, right?”

A figure broke into the space between me and the magic ball.

And the figure, while letting out a shout – without even unsheathing the sword on his back, hit the sixty meter magic ball with his fist in an upper hook.

— A ‘boing’ sound cuts through the wind.

At the same time, the magic ball of Amanta – who had killed countless heroes so far vanished.

To be honest, I couldn’t believe any of it.

The phenomenon of a human erasing Amanta’s power.

And, why was this man standing in front of me too…

“Lute…?”

Lute turns around, and walks towards me.

And, gently puts a hand on my shoulder.

“Ms. Hero? Your shoulders are trembling…? Really… how unlike a hero. Well, as for the rest… Leave it to me.”

“……… Eh?”

“… I promised, right? That ‘no matter what happens, no matter where you are, no matter what we face… Whenever you’re in a pinch I’ll run to you, I’ll definitely beat them up…’”

Dropping a fist on my head, the way he used to, Lute advances forward.

Really, I couldn’t tell what is what. I couldn’t understand what this means. I couldn’t understand what was happening.

A villager… stopping a magic ball heroes couldn’t stop with swords, with just a fist? That’s stupid. Impossible.

But, Lute… Said to leave the rest to him.

— And ever since we were kids, he never lied to me.

That’s why I collapsed right there from exhaustion. The tension in my body had faded.

I don’t know why, but ever since Lute came… My heart feels reassured that it will all turn out well.

It was imprinted in me from when we were kids…

Right now, I’m a hero and he is a villager.

Even though our position and abilities should be completely different… For some reason, the sense of security from his back hadn’t changed one bit.

Lute’s back, a reliable back.

— I don’t feel like I’ll lose to a surprising degree.

And… While watching that back, I always felt.

— There is no prince on a white horse. I wonder when I realized that. There is no prince on a white horse who’ll save you from any pinch you find yourself in.

But, the moment Lute arrived, I thought.

No matter what kind of a pinch I was in, he’d come running to me and save me… Such a prince on a white horse… certainly exists.

— That was Lute Macklen. My childhood friend.

Well… So I think.

It had been three years since the goblins attacked our village. Since then, a lot of things have happened… Yeah, even after the Dragon zombie, a lot of things have happened.

I can’t tell how many times I thought I’d die.

But that was why I became strong.

— And now.

— Behind me, a trembling hero, in front of me, an evil dragon.

The bad guys and the ones to protect – The situation was extraordinarily simple.

“Hey, what? What are you? To repel my magic, what are you? An A-rank adventurer sent out by some country somewhere? Hey, hey, really, what are you? Or could it be… a Hero? Hey, hey, are you a hero?”

“What… I am. An A-rank adventurer huh? I’m thought of pretty highly, it seems.”

Thinking of the words I am about to reply with, I laughed.

“I am-”

And continued.

“ — The world’s strongest villager”