Scales and Flame
RUSTLE!
At that moment, something else leaped out of the bushes. The enormous lizard, covered from head to toe in thick gray scales, was nearly twice the size of the Griffon.
“Damn it! What the hell is that now?”
“A Drake?!”
The giant lizard pounced on the Griffon and pinned it beneath its body before crunching into the back of its neck. The Griffon flapped its wings and thrashed its limbs in a desperate struggle, but before long, its strength gave out and its body went limp.
[Drake]
[A subspecies of dragon resembling an enormous lizard. Its entire body is covered in scales as hard as stone. Despite appearing sluggish at first glance, it is remarkably agile.]
‘Why is this creature here?’
I quickly read the information in the Status Window, unable to suppress my confusion.
This was not Drake territory in the first place. They were monsters that inhabited the mountainous region beyond the forest, so why had one descended all the way here?
However, my question vanished almost immediately.
The Drake had already dropped the Griffon’s carcass and was now glaring at us.
GRRRR….
Blinking its bright yellow eyes, the creature slowly turned toward us with a low growl. It had clearly decided that we were enemies attempting to steal its prey—or perhaps merely another meal.
“We are finished. Damn it….”
Hakon grimaced and drew the greatsword from his back. Meanwhile, I moved to the right and shouted,
“Over here! Look at me!”
Perhaps it was sensitive to sound, because the Drake immediately turned its head toward me. Taking advantage of the opening, Hakon rushed toward its flank.
CLANG!
His greatsword struck the Drake’s side with tremendous force.
However, it merely left a faint scratch on the scales before bouncing away. The recoil instead sent Hakon staggering and destroyed his balance.
WHOOSH!
THUD!
The Drake’s tail swept through the air and struck Hakon, knocking the greatsword from his hands and sending him crashing to the ground.
After bringing Hakon down with a single blow, the Drake turned its head toward me.
A chill ran down my spine when I met its gaze, which contained the cold and instinctive bloodlust of a wild beast.
‘How am I supposed to kill this thing?’
I remained intensely wary as the creature turned its massive body toward me. At the same time, I opened the Status Window and searched through Ragna’s records, hoping he might have written something about the Drake’s weaknesses.
[Record No. 1058 - Drake: Its tail attacks and the flames it breathes from its mouth are extremely powerful. Its weak points are its eyes, the inside of its mouth, and the Flame Sac located within its throat. It is sensitive to loud noises, which may also be exploited.]
Fortunately, information concerning its weaknesses immediately appeared.
However, its head, where its eyes and mouth were located, towered almost as high as a person. It would not be easy to strike those areas with the weapons we carried.
‘Then what about the Flame Sac?’
Between the Drake’s neck and chest, I saw an area covered in slightly paler scales. Even at a glance, it appeared much weaker than the rest of its body, and it seemed possible to attack it from the side.
Then that area suddenly began glowing red.
If the place where the Flame Sac was located was heating up… could it be?
“Watch out! It is going to breathe fire!”
I threw myself to the side as the Drake opened its crimson maw.
The next instant, flames erupted from its mouth, and scorching heat enveloped my entire body.
The flames that had scorched the air vanished almost instantly, leaving behind smoke and the stench of burning wood. The ground where I had stood moments ago had been charred black, and the surrounding trees bore clear scorch marks.
Although it was merely an inferior subspecies of dragon, it was still a member of dragonkind. Even that crude Breath Attack was more than dangerous enough.
“Ugh, now it breathes fire as well… We truly are going to die here.”
Meanwhile, Hakon staggered back to his feet. He held an arm beneath his chest and groaned, so it appeared he had been injured.
He would probably have difficulty fighting properly. In the end, it seemed I would have to face this creature alone.
If I aimed for the weakness I had just discovered, I might somehow be able to kill it. However, finding an opening would be difficult, and doing so alone would not be easy.
‘Then I simply need one more person.’
I hurriedly spoke in a low voice that only Hakon could hear.
“Hakon, shout as loudly as you can. Draw its attention.”
“What? What are you talking about? Are you asking me to become its meal?”
“Hurry! Do you want to die here?”
“Damn it! Hey! Over here! Look this way!”
Although Hakon grimaced, he raised his voice and shouted.
The Drake flinched and swiftly turned its head toward him.
This was my opportunity.
While its attention was diverted, I discarded the mace and shield in my hands and picked up the greatsword Hakon had dropped.
‘A mace will never pierce those scales deeply enough to inflict a fatal wound. I need this.’
I rushed toward the Drake’s flank. Putting the full weight of my body behind the attack, I thrust the greatsword toward the pale scales with all my strength.
CRACK!
The blade shattered the scales and pierced deeply into the Drake’s neck. Flames leaked through the opening around the blade.
I had clearly struck the Flame Sac inside.
RAAAAARGH!
The Drake thrashed wildly with an agonized roar. Its ruptured Flame Sac must have been burning it from within.
RAARGH! GRRRAAGH….
It continued to roar and struggle with all its might. Despite the mortal wound, it did not seem likely to die immediately.
I needed to finish it.
Another monster might appear if this continued, and we still had to butcher the creature and return with its valuable materials before nightfall.
“Haaah!”
With a forceful shout, I drove the greatsword into its crimson mouth.
The long blade pierced straight through the roof of its mouth.
CRACK!
When the blade emerged through the top of its skull, the Drake convulsed violently before all four limbs went limp. The light of life vanished from its bright yellow eyes, and they slowly closed.
“Huff, huff, haaah….”
I pulled the blood-soaked greatsword free with all my strength and stared at the mountain-like carcass while breathing heavily.
‘I truly killed it….’
Relief flowed through my veins.
I could hardly believe that the two of us had defeated it. According to common knowledge, a High-Rank Monster like this required dozens of well-trained soldiers to subjugate.
“…Is it dead?”
A short while later, Hakon’s voice came from beside me. I released a low breath before answering.
“Yes. I think it is dead.”
“Ha… Thank goodness. Truly.”
“Are you all right? Its tail struck you squarely in the stomach.”
“It is nothing serious. Although it hurts enough to make me wish I were dead.”
Hakon still held a hand beneath his chest as he spoke. His face was contorted in pain, but since he could stand on his own feet, the injury did not appear fatal.
The chain mail he wore must have reduced the impact.
“More importantly… What were you thinking, using me as bait? I nearly became a piece of charcoal!”
“There was no other choice. We could not have killed it without attacking the Flame Sac. I needed an opportunity to strike it.”
“A weakness, you say… Ha. It would have been helpful if you had told me about that in advance instead of keeping it to yourself, especially when you ordered me to accompany you.”
Hakon glared at me while grumbling.
He had nearly died, so I could hardly blame him for complaining.
“I can already see the resemblance to the late Duke. You certainly treat your subordinates just as harshly as he did.”
“……”
“Then again, perhaps you are disappointed that I survived. As far as you are concerned, it would have been ideal if someone as troublesome as me had disappeared during this hunt.”
“You seem well enough if you still have the strength to speak like that. I am relieved.”
After answering Hakon’s grumbling, I took a whistle from my pouch and blew it with a shrill “PEEP!”
The hunt was over. It was time to return.
“Try to look on the bright side. We defeated a Drake and survived, did we not? You will soon become famous as a knight who slew a creature of dragonkind.”
“Yes, yes. It is truly an honor that my descendants will celebrate for generations.”
Hakon answered bitterly and leaned against a tree.
Having taken the full force of the Drake’s tail, he clearly found it difficult to remain standing.
A short while later, Wilhelm and several other servants emerged from the undergrowth with a cart. Their duty for the day was to collect and process the materials from the monsters we hunted.
“Good heavens, what happened here? That is a Griffon, and the other one… Is that a Drake?”
“Did His Lordship and Sir Hakon kill them? Good heavens!”
“That is incredible, my lord! When did you become so powerful? I heard that it takes more than twenty soldiers to defeat a Drake!”
The servants exclaimed in astonishment, each offering their own remarks.
Their gazes moved between the fallen Drake, the Griffon’s carcass, and the two of us. Before long, the shock on their faces gave way to joy.
“Just how much money are these worth? Ha ha ha!”
“Everyone who remained at the castle will surely be delighted!”
Leaving their excited voices behind, I looked up at the sky.
Judging from the position of the sun, we would have to hurry.
“Get moving. We must return to the castle before nightfall.”
“Yes, my lord!”
“Everyone, get to work! Start with that Griffon!”
While the servants hurried about their work, I leaned against a scorched tree and sank to the ground. As the tension left my body, the exhaustion I had not noticed before finally washed over me.
“Good heavens, how much is all of this worth?”
“Never mind the price. So this is what they call a Drake. I have never seen one in my entire life.”
“Stop looking around and be careful when you pluck those feathers! Do you have any idea how valuable each one is?”
The servants plucking the Griffon’s feathers flinched at Wilhelm’s scolding and began working with far greater care.
That was only natural. The flight feathers were used for the finest arrow fletching, while the inner down feathers were used in luxurious garments. Every part was an expensive material.
Its beak and claws were also used as ingredients for medicines and ornaments, making the Griffon a monster with almost nothing that needed to be discarded.
I had not chosen it as our first prey without reason.
“The Drake’s materials should also fetch a considerable price. We nearly died, but in the end, we have stumbled upon an unexpected fortune.”
The blood and organs of dragonkind were used in high-grade potions, while its bones and horns were used to craft weapons and armor. We would undoubtedly be able to sell them for a great deal of money.
It was somewhat regrettable that the Flame Sac, the most valuable part, had been damaged.
In any case, once we sold all these materials, we could finally begin.
We would be able to establish the territory’s basic foundations by repairing the castle and purchasing livestock and tools.
‘Now the real work begins.’
As I imagined how the territory would develop in the future, satisfaction filled my heart once more.