The Mother Dragon's shriek echoed through the cavern. She shook her head and beat her massive wings, slowly lifting her huge body from the ground. Though her nose had been crushed and her wings riddled with holes, the dragon's fighting spirit never flagged. If anything, her murderous intent seemed to burn all the brighter.
"Everyone, please retreat!" Wolf called out.
"Wolf-sama, where did you get that sword?" Anri asked, having woken from her earlier daze. She didn't seem to have any major injuries and seemed in good spirits. Once Wolf confirmed she was safe, he smiled.
"...Probably a gift from a capricious god," he said.
"A god?" Anri asked.
"Never mind that. I'll keep the Mother Dragon occupied. In the meantime, you all need to withdraw. Lymat-san, Dallas-san—cover the rear."
The two nodded. Just as they began to pull back with Grand Duke Hairyl and his private soldiers, another beast's roar rang out—a wyvern. Apparently, the commotion had roused the rest of them. Fortunately, they'd already cut off the tails of the ones they'd fought earlier, so the wyverns' movements were sluggish. Still, they raised their voices in threat. And then their maws glowed crimson as they unleashed a torrent of flame.
"Wind Demon Shield (Silphine Guard)!" Dallas traced a shield with his magic, blocking the oncoming fire.
"Are you all right?" Wolf turned at the unexpected ambush.
"We're fine!" It was Anri who answered. The princess knight, now fully in combat mode, drew a sword from the sheath of a private soldier nearby. "Go! Protect Wolf-sama's back!"
The Blue Brigade captain charged ahead. Lymat, Dallas, and Hairyl's private soldiers followed. The clash of blades rang out as battle began.
"Wolf-sama, we'll handle this side!" Anri declared, beheading the attacking dragon in one stroke. Soaked in its black blood, her eyes didn't waver for an instant. Gone was the maiden who burned with love—in her place stood a battle maiden giving off terrifying intensity.
"You there—Wolf!!" a voice called out.
He turned, his eyes meeting Hairyl's.
"Impressive! Slay that mother dragon for me!" the Grand Duke commanded.
To receive such words from His Excellency was an honor beyond measure. A lifelong ordinary existence would never have given him such a moment. For just an instant, a shiver ran through him. The fire that had burned low—yet still remained—stirred Wolf's warrior blood.
"Leave it to me," he said, nodding with conviction. His expression more resolute now, he turned back to face the Mother Dragon.
The nameless D-class adventurer from the borderlands squared his shoulders before an enemy that even A-class adventurers would have struggled against.
Once again, he faced the Mother Dragon.
"Reminia, may I ask you something?" Hashiry said.
"What is it, Hashiry?" Reminia replied lazily.
Reminia was spread out across the sofa in the corner of the lab. She tossed a snack into her mouth—a simple thing made of crushed and fried corn kernels. She seemed to be enjoying it a lot; a pleasant crunching sound had been echoing through the lab for some time now.
It was hard to believe this was the same person who'd just cast the great holy artifact summoning spell moments ago. She looked so totally relaxed.
"How powerful would you say the buff magic you cast on Wolf-sama is, exactly?" Hashiry asked.
"Oh? Hashiry, are you interested in Papa?" Reminia's cat-like eyes gleamed. The kind of gleam that said: If you give me an opening, I'll talk about Papa for a whole day or two.
Hashiry had already done everything she could for the day. Listening to Reminia's stories might at least pass the time.
And besides, Hashiry was curious, just as Reminia had said. Not that she'd ever admit it to her face, of course...
"For example, what class of magic beast do you think he could defeat?" Hashiry asked.
"Hmm... I'd say an A-class wouldn't even be a challenge," Reminia said.
"An A-class? Even with a buff, it can't be that simple," Hashiry said.
Against an A-class magic beast, even an S-class adventurer would struggle if they misjudged the matchup or tactics. Even a [Great Hero (Legend)] like Reminia could get seriously hurt if she let her guard down. Given that Wolf had been buffed by Reminia and now wielded a holy artifact, his chances of winning were probably about fifty-fifty. That was how dangerous magic beasts were.
"Wolf-sama might even get hurt, you know," Hashiry pointed out.
Let's say, as an absurd example, that he became aware of the buff placed on him. A person suddenly given power would seek to understand their new standing, to calm their inner fear. The most effective way to do that would be to fight an opponent above their weight class.
Even if he didn't seek it out himself, some third party might notice his new power and try to test him. In such a case—however low the chance—there was every chance Wolf could be hurt.
Yes—Hashiry realized her mistake the moment she asked the question. Reminia might become anxious and try to return home once more.
But to her surprise, Reminia remained perfectly carefree. She dismissed the concern outright.
"No problem. My Papa is strong," she said, smiling confidently. There was something almost unstable in that smile. Hashiry caught her breath.
"Hashiry..." Reminia said softly.
"Y-yes?" The unexpected address made Hashiry flinch.
Reminia slowly rolled over on the sofa, still smiling. "Can I go?"
"No," Hashiry replied flatly.
The [Great Hero's] request was shot down without a second thought.
"AAAAAAGH!!" Wolf screamed.
He dropped to his knees, gripping his left bicep, bent over. His hand—it was just gone from where his arm should have ended. Blood poured out like juice from a too-ripe fig.
Wolf mentally berated himself for letting his guard down, but that wasn't quite accurate. What he lacked was simple experience—the knowledge of how to face a dragon. Nothing more than a tactical error.
And yet, in that single moment, the Mother Dragon's heat ray had taken his arm.
"Wolf-sama!" Anri screamed.
She'd heard Wolf's cry and turned back. She tried to rush to him, but the wyverns blocked her path.
"Out of my way!!" Anri shouted.
"Princess, you're being too careless!" Lymat called out, piercing the head of a wyvern that had been about to strike Anri from behind. He caught the princess knight's hand as she tried to run to Wolf. That moment of hesitation slowly worsened the battle that had barely held at a stalemate. Anri's vision was filled with many wyverns.
Wolf saw the situation too. He wanted to help, but the bleeding was bad. Even if he tried to stop the blood, he couldn't imagine the Mother Dragon before him giving him that time.
"But—" Wolf stood up. Even in this hopeless situation, this D-class adventurer had faced down death many times before—for Anri's sake, to protect Lymat, Dallas, and His Grace the Grand Duke, and above all, for the promise he'd made to his daughter.
"I CAN'T DIE YET!" Fighting through the pain, gritting his teeth, Wolf roared.
And then—as if planned from the very beginning—the miracle occurred.
Suddenly, Wolf began to glow. A soft, warm green light enveloped the one-armed adventurer.
"Beautiful..." Anri stood frozen, seeing the strange green light. At the same time, the clash of blades ceased. Not only the soldiers, but even the wyverns and the Mother Dragon herself had halted at the sight of the intense green glow.
Wolf was changing. His arm was growing back. Like a fast painter redrawing a missing limb, it grew back. Cut blood vessels, nerves, bones—even the faint old scars on his skin—were all restored. The speed was unreal.
"Is that man immortal!?" Lymat shouted.
"That's Timed Healing (Limited Heal)... And a fairly high-level one at that," Dallas explained.
A magic that automatically healed wounds over a set period. The range of recovery should have been limited to minor cuts. Growing back an entire arm was something Dallas had never seen before.
Before anyone knew it, Wolf's arm was completely back to normal.
Wolf himself couldn't understand what had happened to him. He simply clenched his fist, feeling the healed limb. Of course, there was no pain.
"Really... my daughter is such a worrywart," he said, smiling. He gave a small shrug of his shoulders, but inside, he was grateful to his daughter.
He gripped his sword once more. The blade gleamed sharply, challenging the dragon that faced him.
"Here I come!" he declared, kicking off the ground.
Was this the effect of the Timed Healing, too? His body felt light. Wolf dashed forward as if he had grown wings.
The Mother Dragon, still drawn in by the mystical green light, finally regained her wits. Her maw glowed red-black as she met Wolf's charge. A heat ray erupted.
Wolf sped up further. He dodged by a hair's breadth, using the shockwave of the heat ray to push himself forward as he closed the distance.
The Mother Dragon roared directly at him—but it wasn't just a sound. It was a skill that could freeze human movement for a short time. Some dragon species had such abilities.
Earlier, Wolf had forgotten about this skill. He'd been frozen for an instant, caught off balance, and the heat ray had taken his arm.
"I won't fall for that twice!" Wolf sped up a third time. An A-class magic beast's skill was useless against him now.
He dove into the dragon's chest, landing within striking distance.
His blade carved in, slicing through the hard dragon scales as if cutting bread. Bodily fluids sprayed, and the dragon reeled back.
The attack didn't stop.
He unleashed a nonstop attack—front legs, hind legs, wings, flanks—striking again and again. The dragon thrashed violently, shaking her head, twisting to shake off the human clinging to her, but Wolf moved with total freedom. The beast had no answer. Before long, her body was covered in red.
Wolf leaped up alongside the dragon's face.
Their eyes met. She bared her fangs, her purple gaze filled with hatred fixed on Wolf. But—there was nothing left the dragon could do.
"OOOOHHHHH!" A battle cry that cut through the air echoed through the mine.
He swung with all his might.
The Mother Dragon's massive head separated from her body. Carried by the momentum of the strike, it soared into the vast sky. The headless dragon's huge frame crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar.
In that moment, a D-rank adventurer had slain an A-class magic beast.
Wolf watched the dragon's final moments. Gasping for breath, he was amazed at what he'd done.
At the same time, his sword melted into light and vanished.
"Wolf-sama!" Anri threw her arms around Wolf's neck. The unarmed adventurer, swaying on his feet, caught the princess.
His face was covered in blood and dirt, but he seemed to have no serious injuries. Behind him, the wyverns were all dead. Dallas let out a relieved sigh. Lymat gave a casual wave.
"Just as I'd expect from my Wolf-sama," Anri said.
"Wh—! Anri-sama!" Wolf stammered.
Anri bravely pressed a kiss to Wolf's cheek.
Summary:
Wolf confronts the Mother Dragon in a desperate battle, losing his arm to her heat ray before a divine green light regenerates it—a gift from his daughter Reminia. Empowered, he defeats the dragon in a climactic strike, only to be embraced and kissed by Anri while the rest of the party recovers from the wyvern onslaught. Meanwhile, Reminia and Hashiry's interlude reveals the depth of her power and obsession with her father, leaving Hashiry to manage her unpredictable behavior.
Trivia:
Wolf lost his left arm to the Mother Dragon's heat ray before it was regenerated.
The regeneration magic is called Timed Healing (Limited Heal), a high-level spell that automatically heals wounds over time.
Reminia is Wolf's daughter and an SS-rank adventurer known as the [Great Hero (Legend)].
Hashiry is Reminia's secretary and tries to keep her focused on practical matters.
The Mother Dragon's roar has a skill that can freeze human movement temporarily.
Dallas recognizes the Timed Healing spell as far beyond normal recovery magic.
Anri switches from princess to fierce warrior mode during the wyvern battle.
Grand Duke Hairyl commands Wolf directly, inspiring his resolve.
The sword Wolf uses dissolves into light after the battle ends.
The battle takes place in a mine, with wyverns as secondary enemies.
Reminia had already cast a great holy artifact summoning spell before the interlude.
Hashiry worries that Wolf's new power might attract dangerous challengers.
Anri kisses Wolf on the cheek after the battle, much to his surprise.
The Dragon Slayer arc is stated to conclude in the next chapter.
Notes:
• Wolf - A 42-year-old former A-rank adventurer now operating at SSS-rank levels, he retired to Nicalas Village to raise his daughter, Reminia, as a humble farmer and craftsman. Though soot-stained and calm, this protective, curly-haired father possesses immense, beyond-human strength. A pragmatic, understated mentor, he leads by example, balancing quiet devotion with the quiet authority of a seasoned guardian.
• Anri - A beautiful half-elf princess knight and daughter of Grand Duke Hairyl, she is a B-rank adventurer, Captain of the Blue Brigade, and frontier vigilante. With blonde hair, pale skin, and a slender, muscular frame, she carries an aristocratic bearing. Recently rescued after being carried off by a dragon, she is Wolf’s devoted fiancée, possessing absolute confidence in his strength.
• Dallas - A B-rank knight, adventurer, and mage, he serves as Anri's attendant and Lymat's companion. Clad in black robes, he wields wind magic like Silphine Guard and Zin Vitt Fin. Though nervous and prone to visible stress in tense situations, he is a capable combatant who works alongside Wolf. He speaks casually, often displaying more emotion than Lymat, and was involved in the ruse regarding Anri's kidnapping.
• Lymat - A young, B-rank knight and mage serving under Henri. With pale green curls and narrow eyes, she is a pragmatic, observant attendant who uses far-seeing goggles for reconnaissance. Skilled in swordsmanship and respectful in speech, she acts as a capable adventurer. Working alongside Wolf and Dallas, she is increasingly awed by Wolf's abilities, though remains suspicious of his secret knowledge of dragons.
• Hairyl - Grand Duke and Lord of Rifalas, older brother to King Murad and a powerful mine operator ruling 15% of Lexenil. A formal, extremely busy royal, he is the devoted father of Henri and Anri. Driven by genuine concern for his daughter’s safety, he arrives with private soldiers to execute a desperate rescue mission, balancing his heavy political responsibilities with deep paternal instincts.
• Hashiry - A 24-year-old A-class mage and researcher at the Royal Magical Research Institute, she is Reminia’s tall, slender, white-haired advisor and secretary. Sporting a white and gold jacket, boyish features, and pale blue eyes, she balances professional, patient service with a playful, teasing dynamic. Often exasperated by Reminia’s overprotectiveness, she observes her superior's magical feats with disbelief.
• Reminia - Fifteen-year-old Great Hero of Straval and researcher of the Double World Theory, this willful, intelligent girl sports striking red hair, amethyst eyes, and a slender build. A dedicated protector of her father, Wolf, she balances a tomboyish exterior with immense, limited-use magic—including holy relics and teleportation. Her speech shifts between analytical precision and deep devotion to him.