"By the command of King Murad of the Lexenil Kingdom—Reminia Midres, you are to subjugate the Grand Dragon, a Calamity-Class magic beast that has breached the Absolute Boundary."
His voice turned the throne room air taut. Murad, having issued the decree aloud, drew a sharp breath. Hearing this, his vassals straightened their postures in unison. Hashiry, seated among them, bowed his head even deeper.
"Understood," came Reminia's reply.
Only the one appointed to the task responded—and her voice carried a light, airy quality that eased the tension in the room. After all, what King Murad had just commanded was a task of extreme peril.
The Magic Beast Front—
The war between humans and magic beasts was being waged at the northernmost tip of the Larchen Kingdom—a location sixty days by carriage from Lexenil, or forty by sea and river. Two hundred years had passed since Straval fell to the magic beast invasion. Periodically, humanity was struck by the "Great Emergence Periods"—times when the probability of localized outbreaks spiked dramatically. Each time, massive forces were deployed, wearing down the human side with heavy losses.
And the intelligence brought back from that Magic Beast Front sent Lexenil's high command into shock.
Namely—a Calamity-Class magic beast had breached the Absolute Boundary.
The Absolute Boundary was the final line of defense. A steel-clad law that permitted no further retreat. Its breach signified humanity's defeat. And if a Calamity-Class magic beast had broken through, even if total annihilation was avoided, one had to assume a population reduction of roughly half. It was an unprecedented crisis.
Larchen Kingdom had already abandoned its capital. Nearby allied nations were overflowing with refugees. The Grand Dragon that had shattered the boundary had turned the Larchen capital into a sea of flames and was now advancing south—straight toward the Lexenil Kingdom.
"So then, [Great Hero]—what forces do you estimate you'll require?" Murad inquired.
As misfortune would have it, the fierce general Graf Zehes had returned to the Magic Beast Front with half of Lexenil's army. Other renowned commanders had gone with him. They were rushing back, but by the time they arrived, the royal palace of Rudrum would likely be engulfed in flames. What remained in the kingdom were D-rank soldiers and raw recruits. Still, thinking that even that was better than nothing, Murad showed concern for the young [Great Hero] and deliberately posed the question.
"None at all," Reminia replied, her voice as light as ever despite the heavy atmosphere.
Faced with a crisis that shook the very nation—did she feel no sense of urgency? Her expression and voice showed no hesitation whatsoever. And she declared firmly: "One person will be more than enough."
And so, Reminia's subjugation of the Grand Dragon began.
One person is more than enough, huh...
Rocking along on her swift horse, Reminia glanced to the side. Hashiry kept his eyes forward. Unlike the [Great Hero], his expression was rigid.
The two had departed the kingdom immediately and were heading for the Surimira Plateau—the site they'd chosen for their decisive battle with the Grand Dragon. A desolate landscape stretched before them. No mountain villages or farmland in sight. The nomads would likely be farther south at this time of year as well.
"Do we actually have a chance?" Hashiry asked, his tone betraying his concern.
"Of course. Easy win," Reminia replied with a dismissive wave.
"The opponent is the Grand Dragon—the strongest of the dragon kind."
"Hashiry... are you worried about me?"
Reminia flashed a mischievous smile. Her secretary's shoulder twitched. His face reddened.
"I-I'm not worried about you at all!" he sputtered. "What I'm worried about is you letting your guard down and Lexenil—"
"So honest, aren't you? Still, I'll thank you. Thank you, Hashiry."
"You're wel—I mean, that's not the point!"
Exchanging lighthearted banter, the two arrived at the battlefield. As expected, there was no sign of people. Perhaps sensing something ominous, even the wildlife had vanished. It was as quiet as being inside an empty toy box.
"According to estimates, the Grand Dragon should be about a day away," Hashiry reported. "For now, if we set up some traps—"
"Unnecessary. Besides, I don't think we have time for that."
Beyond the mountain peaks. A change occurred in the clear blue sky. Clouds suddenly gathered, and then an ominous black mass—like nothing ever seen before—spread across the heavens. Suddenly, thunder roared, and from above came a rumbling groan like an earthquake.
And then—it arrived.
"S-So big!" Hashiry couldn't help but shout.
He thought a mountain had fallen from the sky. But its hide was clearly pulsing with life. More than that, he could distinctly hear the thumping of its heartbeat, each pulse trembling the very air. A black dragon slowly descended through the clouds. There was no mistaking it—that was the Grand Dragon.
"It sure is big," Reminia observed, cupping a hand over her brow with an utterly nonchalant air.
"Wh-What are we going to do?" Hashiry demanded.
"Let's see... For starters..." She raised her hand. She chanted a spell.
O embodiment of hell, who rages and rampages—Ira, the Fire God of Wrath.
In an instant, flames erupted. Watching the towering pillar of crimson fire, Hashiry was struck speechless. And what appeared was an avatar of flame itself.
"Fire God Summoning!" he exclaimed.
A lesser god-class summoning requiring not only the difficulty of the magic itself but also level-eight high-tier skills. While less challenging than the Divine Armament Summoning he'd seen before, this was still a high-difficulty grand magic. At the same time, Hashiry muttered under his breath—"We can win..." With a Fire God, they might just be able to annihilate that Grand Dragon. The secretary held his breath—but the next moment, his expectations were dashed.
"Ira, protect Hashiry for me," Reminia commanded.
At the summoner's command, the fire avatar nodded obediently. Hashiry, meanwhile, panicked.
"Wait just a moment!" he cried. "Aren't you going to send the Fire God against the Grand Dragon?"
"Ira is insurance. Just in case," Reminia explained.
"So you have some other way to defeat it?"
Reminia smiled. A defiant smile—like a little devil's. She stepped forward and drew a line at Hashiry's feet.
"Don't step past this line until I say so," she instructed. "You know the Grand Dragon's skills, right?"
Of course he did. The Grand Dragon was the strongest of the dragon kind. Superior in attack, defense, and magic defense—and on top of that, it used Skills just like humans. "Air Cure"—the skill that erased all air from the surroundings. "Curse Bile"—which inflicted every status ailment imaginable. The latter was especially vicious; magic-based resistance to status effects was useless against it, and without "Yumin's Tears"—a substance extracted from rare magic ores—avoiding it was nearly impossible.
"Getting any closer to that thing is dangerous," Reminia continued. "If you get caught in its 'Curse Bile,' even I would have trouble escaping."
"What are you going to do, Reminia?" Hashiry asked, his voice tight with worry.
The Great Hero gave no answer. She simply smiled faintly. A chill ran down Hashiry's spine. His heart suddenly pounded violently. Seeing that smile on a fifteen-year-old—one that seemed almost ephemeral—the secretary was shaken.
"No way... Reminia..." he breathed.
"Absolutely do not leave that line," she said firmly.
Reminia walked forward. Toward the approaching Grand Dragon—without sword or shield, she advanced. Watching her small back recede, a certain premonition swirled and swelled within Hashiry. He nearly stepped past the line. What stopped him was the Fire God. It silently shook its head. That wordlessness only stoked his fear further.
The Grand Dragon, which had been flying through the sky, locked onto the tiny human standing in the grassland. It raised its long neck—and a grating sound like bones being struck in rapid succession echoed out.
"No! That's Curse Bile!" Hashiry shouted.
The strange rhythm acted directly on the human brain. It dulled the nerves, suppressed muscle movement. It even manifested strange diseases, eventually leading to organ necrosis. A terrifying Skill.
"Reminia! Run!" Hashiry screamed.
At this rate, his superior would die. No—it was more than that. A fifteen-year-old girl, dying to protect her country. History would surely tell it as a noble tale—but Hashiry could not accept that. Using magic, Hashiry tried to forcibly move the Fire God aside. But before he could, the Curse Bile was unleashed—and—
"Chrono Jail—The Sword Prison of Heaven's Binding!"
The next instant, massive swords of light rained down from the sky. They pierced the Grand Dragon's wings, torso, tail, limbs, and even its jaw. It froze midair. Then, slowly, its colossal frame fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust like smoke. The swords of light gouged deeper into the dragon's body. Pinioning it to the earth. The Grand Dragon didn't move so much as a twitch. It was as if time itself had stopped around the dragon alone.
"Time-attribute magic..." Hashiry murmured in awe.
Time-attribute magic wasn't particularly difficult in itself. It was magic that accelerated, decelerated, or stopped the speed of a target. Though the variety of spells was extremely limited, the degree of effect was determined by the caster's magical power. Hashiry had never seen it before. Time-attribute magic that could halt a colossal body like the Grand Dragon's. It proved that Reminia was a mage of immense magical reserves.
Truly... Truly, she was an SS-class—a [Great Hero].
"It's okay now, Hashiry," Reminia called out. "—Wait, why are you crying?"
"I-I'm not crying!" he protested.
"You... Don't tell me you thought I—"
"Shut up. Don't say another word, you brat," Hashiry snapped.
"Whoa! Calling your superior a brat? I'll have to think about your next bonus evaluation," Reminia said with mock offense.
"That's for the Personnel Board to decide," Hashiry retorted. "Besides, that's textbook power harassment... Anyway, let's just finish off the dragon already."
"No."
"Huh!?"
"I'm going to leave it like this for about five days," Reminia declared. "Don't worry. After five days, I'll have the Fire God finish it off."
"Why would you do that..." Hashiry groaned. "Let's just complete the mission quickly and go home."
"Hashiry, you don't understand anything," she said with a shake of her head.
Suppose Reminia defeated it right now. The kingdom would celebrate the young [Great Hero]'s triumph. And the king, along with public opinion, would surely demand this: Send Reminia Midres to the Magic Beast Front, exhausted and worn down—and force an early end to the war. If that happened, Reminia would be fighting on the front lines. She could accept anomalies like this one, but being sent there as a job was something she absolutely despised.
"I didn't come to the capital to fight magic beasts," Reminia explained. "I came because they promised I could do as much magic beast research as I wanted. If that wasn't the case, I'd head back to my village as fast as I could and read books on Papa's lap."
Hashiry found himself imagining it. A fifteen-year-old girl reading on her father's lap. His head spun.
Reminia shook with quiet laughter. "Hashiry, what you want to say is this, right? 'If you sent me to the Magic Beast Front, at least this war-like situation would end.'"
"Yes," Hashiry admitted. "Even now, countless soldiers and adventurers are dying there. But you—you could end that war."
"End it, huh. If I were your teacher, I'd only give you half credit for that answer."
She produced a book from somewhere and lay down on the ground. The spring breeze brushed through her red hair. The black clouds had dispersed, and the sky had returned to clear blue. It was a beautiful day. If not for the dragon right in front of them, it would've been a wonderfully pleasant time.
"In this world," she continued, "there is just as much malice that doesn't want the war to end as there is goodwill that does. I'm not ready to make an enemy of that latter group yet."
She was likely referring to those who profited from the war. But coming from Reminia, it made him suspect there was something even more significant behind her words.
"And besides—" she added.
"Besides...?" Hashiry prompted.
"If I go north, I'll be even farther from Papa."
She smiled faintly. Hashiry caught his breath. Beyond anger, he was almost dumbfounded.
"Isn't that the real reason after all?" he asked.
"Caught me."
She stuck out her tongue. She was playing it off, but this girl meant every word from the bottom of her heart. Feeling a strange sense of defeat, Hashiry lay down as well. It was surprisingly comfortable. Hard to believe there was a Grand Dragon just beside them.
"Such dereliction of duty, Hashiry-kun," Reminia teased.
"Shut up, Reminia," he shot back. "You're planning to spend the whole five days lounging around here anyway, right?"
"Now you get it. Hehehe..."
Reminia laughed. The aloof [Great Hero] was nowhere to be seen. Just a fifteen-year-old girl, laughing with her body curled like a crescent moon.
Summary:
Reminia and Hashiry depart for Surimira Plateau, where the Grand Dragon descends from the sky. Reminia summons the Fire God Ira, then uses Chrono Jail to immobilize the dragon, revealing her SS-class power. She insists on delaying the kill for five days, explaining her refusal to be sent to the Magic Beast Front, culminating in her confession that going north would take her further from Papa.
Trivia:
The Magic Beast Front is located sixty days by carriage from Lexenil, or forty by sea and river routes.
Straval fell two hundred years ago to the magic beast invasion.
The Absolute Boundary represents humanity's final defensive line—breach means near-certain population loss of roughly half.
Larchen Kingdom's capital was already abandoned before the story begins.
Graf Zehes and other commanders are returning from the Front but won't arrive before Rudrum falls.
The Grand Dragon is the strongest of the dragon kind—superior in attack, defense, and magic defense.
Curse Bile inflicts every status ailment and bypasses magic-based resistance; only Yumin's Tears can counter it.
Time-attribute magic's effectiveness depends entirely on the caster's magical reserves.
Reminia is SS-class—an officially recognized [Great Hero].
Reminia initially came to the capital to study magic beasts, not to fight them.
Reminia's father ("Papa") is the emotional anchor keeping her from volunteering for the Magic Beast Front.
The "Hundred-Man Slayer Arc" is confirmed to begin next chapter.
Notes:
• 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.
• Murad - Job: King of Lexenil Kingdom; Relationship: Brother-in-law to Hairyl; Note: Ruling monarch.
• 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.
• Zehes - Graf's family name. The Fierce general of Lexenil Kingdom.
• Graf - Fierce general of Lexenil Kingdom. Currently at the Magic Beast Front with half the kingdom's army.
• Ira - Fire God of Wrath summoned by Reminia. Fire avatar with obedient nature. Protects Hashiry during the battle as insurance.