Prologue.
Sometimes I wondered. How did I even get this far? How did I end up in a situation like this?
“Shaaah—!”
A giant carnivorous plant gaped open and sprayed sticky dark-green fluid. Immediately, Gerard raised his staff and formed a shield.
“If that sticky fluid touches you, your body will melt.”
I listened to Gerard’s cold analysis as Kakaros, the Forest Elf, stepped forward.
“The bud is its weak point. Aim for that.”
Kakaros nodded and released the bowstring. The arrow tore through the air, but a swinging tendril lightly deflected it.
“Rishian, stay back—it’s dangerous,” Elonen said, grabbing my arm. Behind him, I saw Kyle Delos turn with his sword raised.
“All right, leave this to us and hide yourself!”
I shrugged my shoulders slightly.
Honestly, a mid-class monster like this was nothing to me. If I had let a little miasma show, it would have fled in terror.
After all, I was the strongest dragon of all monsters.
But there was no need for me to step in, so I nodded and retreated.
“Good.”
As soon as I backed away, Gerard swung his staff and began his assault in earnest. Seizing the plant’s momentary lapse, Kakaros’s arrows rained down in a volley.
While those two unleashed their furious onslaught and the monster was still dazed, Kyle charged forward with his sword.
“Haah!”
Kyle leapt high, raised his blade, and brought it down in a wide arc. The giant carnivorous plant split in two, spraying dark-green fluid everywhere.
I stayed hidden behind a massive tree trunk, merely watching their efforts.
“Did we take it down?”
Kyle uttered that flag-raising line as if it were nothing. Once they confirmed the monster was dead, the four of them rushed over to where I stood.
“Rishian, are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.”
Elonen asked with concern, but I felt too embarrassed to point out I was completely unscathed.
Having stayed behind the trunk, I bore no wounds and not a single hair was out of place. Then suddenly Kakaros grabbed my hand and lifted it up.
A drop of dark-green fluid had splashed onto my sleeve and eaten through it. Without a word, Kakaros rolled up my sleeve to reveal slightly reddened skin. Elonen cried out and grasped my arm.
“My goodness, you got it on you! That could have been bad. Let me heal it for you.”
It was only a light burn no bigger than a fingernail, but Elonen began casting his healing magic.
Watching with his arms crossed from a distance, Gerard remarked casually,
“I told you to stay back. The weak shouldn’t prance at the front.”
Kyle shoved Gerard aside and suddenly appeared in front of me, pushing Elonen to one side. He grabbed both my shoulders.
“There might be more injuries. Why don’t you take it off?”
“I said I’m fine.”
I shook my head, but Kyle smiled and gripped my collar.
“I’ll decide if you’re fine—take it off.”
Used to his rude manner, I only sighed deeply.
I couldn’t shake the thought that I had somehow ended up traveling with the strangest bunch of people.