Vol.10 Chapter 4 : Makoto Takatsuki Meets the Holy Dragon

Chapter 4 : Makoto Takatsuki Meets the Holy Dragon

The three of us were traveling over the underground lake. I was using Walk on Water and Flow, so we were essentially skiing across the water.

"We're going so fast!" Momo cheered.

"There are monsters behind us!" Abel warned. "Hm?"

I turned around, and sure enough, sea serpents and kelpies were chasing us, looking primed to attack.

They wanted a race? I'd give them a race. "I'll speed up, then. Hold on tight, you two." Both uttered sounds of surprise.

Water Magic: WATER JET.

This was an original spell I'd made up just for fun. A second later, it felt like we were in free fall—a blast of water went off like a bomb, propelling us forward at crazy speed. We also opened up a lot of distance between us and the monsters. I could see them staring after us in bewilderment.

Momo and Abel's screams echoed through the caverns.

"I thought I was going to fall off," Momo complained once we'd arrived on the other side of the lake. "That was awful!"

"Makoto...was that much speed really necessary?" Abel asked pointedly. "Ah, right. Sorry." I'd made both of them angry.

We were now in front of a submerged cave. This entrance led deeper into Labyrinthos—my party hadn't ventured this far the last time we were here. Actually, if I remembered correctly, this was the place where the blight dragons had emerged. Man, that takes me back...

"Hold my hands, you two," I said. "Right."

"Got it."

 The two of them gripped my hands and I cast a spell, engulfing them both. Water Magic: Water Breathing and Flow.

I also used Stealth to hide us as we progressed through the cave, and Night Vision was the only way to peer through the pitch-blackness.

All around us were a whole bunch of massive aquatic monsters. I spied a silhouette that looked around ten meters long... Was that a shark monster? I didn't care what a shark was doing in fresh water—there were some huge sea serpents and water dragons to worry about. We kept on swimming so that nothing had time to notice us.

"Um, Sir Makoto?" Momo asked. "Why did you suddenly want to get to the bottom of the dungeon?"

"I heard there were ancient dragons living down there. It's dangerous," Abel warned.

Both of them were cringing away from the looming figures of the monsters around us.

"Well, you'll see when we get there," I said vaguely. Momo sighed. "All right..."

Obviously, I wouldn't take them somewhere this dangerous for no reason. I was after something specific.

I'd managed to remember a detail—a memory from right after I'd arrived in this world. Back then, I'd dedicated myself to reading through everything I could get my hands on in the Water Temple.

World of Adventure — Uther Mercurius Pendragon

That book had been written over a hundred years prior, and it was a record from a great adventurer. One day, after all my classmates had left me alone at the temple, I stumbled across it. I'd really enjoyed the book, and I'd read it over and over. The pages offered detailed information about many of the world's dungeons.

Of course, that included the largest one on this continent—Labyrinthos. This excerpt came from a chapter about the western continent.

◇

The great adventurer Uther visited Labyrinthos. His purpose was to catch a glimpse of the Holy Dragon Helemmelk, who had once flown through the heavens with Abel the Savior.

 A thousand years ago, Abel the Savior had met this holy dragon in the depths of Labyrinthos, and they had vowed to save the world together. True to their word, Abel the Savior defeated the demon lords astride the dragon's back.

Uther was awash with anticipation at the chance to meet the legendary holy dragon!

However...the holy dragon was nowhere to be found. Much like Abel the Savior, the dragon had also vanished.

◇

If I'd searched for this holy dragon during my own time period, I wouldn't have been able to find it. However, I was now a thousand years in the past. Assuming the information in the book was true, I figured that the legendary dragon had to be here now.

It would definitely help the hero at my side!

Also...the only transport we had in this era was walking...which, considering my stamina, wasn't a great option.

I wanted something ASAP. That was why I was here. It went without saying, but I hadn't told either of the others. After all, I couldn't let them know I was from the future.

On another note, Uther had also challenged the Seafloor Temple. In other words, he'd visited all of the last dungeons in the world. He had this to say about the Seafloor temple.

◇

The adventurer Uther attempted the Seafloor Temple. He was...

... ... ...

...not successful. Time to give up.

◇

C'mon, Uther, you could've put a bit more effort in.

 That book had probably discouraged lots of people from venturing to the Seafloor Temple. Even I'd been against giving it a shot after reading about Uther's failure.

As I considered that, we slowly made our way down through the lower layer. The cave was dark and long. Just as I thought it was going to go on forever, it finally ended.

I bumped into a solid rock wall.

"A dead end?" I murmured. Apparently, I'd gone the wrong way. "Doesn't look like we can go any farther," Abel said.

What a shame. It seemed like this was where our adventure would end. But then, Momo spoke up. "Um, is there something over there?" She

pointed at a corner of the cave.

Even with Night Vision, I could barely see. I used Water Magic to slowly guide us to the spot Momo was pointing at.

A transfer circle! "Well spotted, Momo."

Abel shook his head in disbelief. "I couldn't see it at all."

Momo giggled shyly. "I guess my eyes are better now that I'm a vampire." I inspected the circle closely. "The destination shouldn't be far from here.

Judging by the distance, it'll probably transport us...to the next layer?" "Makoto..." Abel said cautiously. "We shouldn't mess with it without

knowing where it leads."

"It's probably a natural one generated in the dungeon. It's fine." Dungeons often formed natural transfer circles that invited people to delve farther in. Though, this was the first time I'd seen one.

It feels like a proper expedition now! This is great! "Can we go through?" I asked excitedly.

Momo and Abel exchanged a look. "Well, I'll follow your lead," Abel said. "Sir Makoto's words are absolute!"

They were both willing. Although, they could have disagreed. Welp, I'll get my way this time. Still holding their hands, I stood in the circle.

An instant later, we were teleported away.

We were no longer in the water.

The cave around us seemed more open, and there were periodic pinpoints

 of dim light glowing in the darkness. I looked more closely. That's...pure magicite. Where are we...?

◇

The deepest layer of Labyrinthos is near the leylines. Mana therefore leaks from those leylines, creating huge natural magicite deposits.

Even a small piece of magicite could make someone a fortune. But is it worth the risk?

The deepest layer of Labyrinthos is home to dragons, and even ancient dragons reside in its depths. There is no guarantee anyone might live to sell their treasure.

—World of Adventure, Western Chapter

◇

We'd arrived. Fortunately, there were no monsters in sight. However, Scout told me that there were ferocious foes deeper in the cave.

"Abel, Momo, let's take a break here for now." "R-Right... Where are we, exactly?"

"The deepest layer of Labyrinthos. The monsters are going to be stronger from here on out."

"Are you not going to rest?" Momo asked. "We'll take turns. You rest first."

"Got it," she answered with a serious nod. I used my magic to dry the two of them off.

We had a simple meal of bread and ham from the provisions I'd brought along. I'd also packed some furs—Abel and Momo wrapped themselves up and lay down. Before long, I could hear their breathing even out. While they were sleeping, I kept watch.

The dungeon was quiet; the glowing magicite dimly lit the cave. "Lucy, Sasa, I made it all the way here," I murmured.

It felt like years and years since the time we'd all fought together and escaped Labyrinthos's middle layer. I could see their faces in my mind and was getting kind of sentimental. To shake away those thoughts, I started training my Sun and Fate Magic.

 What should our next move be?

We'd gotten here more easily than expected. I'd anticipated us needing to scout it out a few more times, so I hadn't even packed much food. Maybe we can go a little farther after our break and then head back.

Suddenly, the air shimmered like a heat haze.

××××, ×××××××××××? (You seem bored, my liege. Would you like to chat?)

"Undyne..."

A blue-skinned woman was now sitting next to me. I hadn't called her— she'd just decided to appear. It was well-timed, though. I was starting to get kind of bored. There was also something I wanted to ask her.

"Hey, Undyne, why do you call me 'my liege'?"

She smiled at the question. "Because one day, you will become our lord. I can tell..." She looked at me with adoration.

"One day," huh? Was she talking about when I would fight Alexander in the future? Noah had explained it—when I'd unleashed the power in my arm, I'd become an elemental lord. However, Noah had bound me after that, restricting me from ever becoming one again.

After arriving in the past, I'd attempted to transform, but it still hadn't worked. It was possible to turn just my arm into an elemental, but I'd fainted when trying to go all the way. Even though I wasn't part of Noah's faith anymore, it looked like the contract hadn't released me.

I watched Undyne as she smiled wider.

She wanted me to become an elemental lord, but I couldn't anymore. It felt like I was stringing her along somehow, but I couldn't really say anything.

"Incidentally... I have a request, my liege."

Hesitantly, she wrapped an arm around mine. She was made of water, of course, but since she possessed an infinite amount of mana, her touch felt like skin.

"Wh-What is it?" I asked. Undyne? What could you possibly want me to do?

"Can you call me by name?" "By your name?"

"Yes, that's right."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Uh, sure. What is your name?"

 "I don't have one..."

I paused for a moment, then flatly asked, "What?" I had no idea what she meant.

She quickly clarified. "my liege...please, give me a name." "You want me to name you?"

"Yes, please do."

Huh. So "call me by name" meant "give me a name and then use it." I could understand that at least. I wasn't able to become an elemental lord anymore, but I could do that. Undyne had helped me over and over, so there was no reason for me to turn her down.

Her request was a bit sudden though, so I couldn't think of anything at first.

"A name... Hmmm, a name... This is hard."

"If it is from you, I will be happy with any name." "Still..."

She was gazing at me excitedly. Hmmm. Oh, I know.

"Right, so we can take the 'D' from 'Undyne,' and since we believe in Noah of the Titanea...we can borrow the 'A' from 'Noah.'"

Is that a bit much? I wasn't sure, but I had a feeling Noah would just laugh it off and say she didn't mind. Our goddess was a generous one.

"I've got it."

"Yay!" Undyne was brimming with excitement. "How about...Dia?" I asked.

She looked blankly back at me. Does she not like it?

"Dia... Diiiia... Diaaah," she said, sounding it out. "What a wonderful name!"

Phew, guess she does.

But then, she started to glow. "Huh?"

Undyne—no, Dia—was surrounded by a veritable maelstrom of mana. Labyrinthos seemed to shudder in response. Mana was overflowing from her. The ground, walls, and even the air started to freeze. Ack, this is bad!

"S-Stop! Dia, stop!"

"R-Right. Apologies, my liege... I was just too happy to contain it."

I stared at her silently and she bowed. Then I peered around at our frozen

 surroundings. All of that had happened because of Dia's overwhelming joy. I...might have miscalculated slightly.

The chill woke Momo and Abel.

"M-Makoto! What's all this ice? Did someone attack?!" Abel was shivering somewhat. Momo seemed fine with the cold, though. Probably because she was a vampire.

Still, they looked confused.

"Sir Makoto?" Momo said eventually. "Who's that woman?" She was pointing at Dia, who was hanging off me.

Wait, what?

"You can see her?" I asked.

"When did you sneak a woman along? Ahh, she's so pretty." Momo was kind of scaring me.

"Wait, wait. Dia, what's going on?"

"Now that you have named me, my liege, I can materialize myself. I will be at your side until you die."

"Huh?"

M-Materialize? Uh, so anyone could see her without needing to train their magic? Just naming her had done that?

"Who is she, Makoto?" Abel asked, glaring at Dia. "She has a horrifying amount of mana."

"You didn't say anything about this," I said to her sharply. "Tee hee."

So she knew what would happen. She was even imitating Noah now. "Sir Makotoooo."

"Makoto?"

"Um, you see..." Frantically, I began explaining.

When I was done, Abel spoke first. "Let me get this straight—she's Undyne, an arch elemental?"

"And when you named her, it allowed her to manifest herself so that we could see her?" Momo asked.

"Yes. My liege...is wonderful..." Dia said dreamily.

While the other two were looking at Dia suspiciously, the arch elemental herself seemed unbothered.

Well, maybe she was holding on to me a bit too tightly...

"Don't drape yourself all over him!" Momo protested. "You're new

 here!"

"Oh? I've been by his side this whole time," Dia retorted. "You've only just become his apprentice."

"Sir Makoto, she's too full of herself!"

"My liege, this kid's the one who's full of herself!"

The two of them were somehow already at odds, and they'd turned toward me in unison.

"No fighting in the party," I told them. "Hmm..."

"Hmph!"

The two pointedly turned their backs to one another. I have a feeling I'm going to regret this. But now, Dia could talk with people, which had to be a good thing. Still, something was bothering me.

"Are you going to stay visible the whole time?" I asked her.

"No, I will normally hide away in the elemental realm. I don't want the damned gods in heaven to discover me."

"The gods in heaven?" Momo asked. "Discover you?" Abel added.

Ack, this topic is a problem.

I quickly covered her mouth and spoke in Elemanti.

"××××××××. ×××××××××××××××××××! (Don't mention anything about me following Noah. Abel is one of the Sacred Deities' heroes!)"

"×××××××××! (A-Apologies, my liege!)"

That'd been close... I had no idea what Abel would say if he found out I was a "former" believer of a wicked deity. After all, Cain had earned his enmity.

"Suppose I'll be off, then," Dia said suddenly. An instant later, she vanished.

She was way too carefree. And now I'm exhausted.

"I'm going to take a rest, and then we can start exploring again," I told the others.

Momo paused for a moment. "Okay... I'll keep watch." "Thanks."

"You're so easygoing..." I heard Abel mutter in exasperation.

I ignored him. My body felt heavy, and as soon as I lay down, I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

 I had no dreams.

When the three of us woke from our rest, we proceeded deeper into Labyrinthos. Colorful magicite was embedded in the walls and floor of the massive space. It was a gorgeous sight. At first glance, the cave itself appeared completely barren, but when I looked closer, I could see that odd, oasis-like pools of water had formed here and there, with plants growing around them. Birds and animals congregated in those areas as well.

But...

"It's quiet, Sir Makoto," Momo whispered.

"It is," Abel agreed. "Is this really the deepest layer?"

Both of them looked somewhat confused. We hadn't encountered a single monster for quite a while. If this was the right place, then surely it should be crawling with calamity-level foes. This whole area was known as "the Dragon Nest," and by all accounts, dragons should be all around us, ready to attack at any moment. And yet...

"Tee hee hee! Looks like they're scared of my manaaa." Dia danced through the air, her voice singsongy and melodic. Her body was indeed radiating huge amounts of mana, almost like a bomb on the verge of detonation. She stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Dia, can you weaken it a bit more?"

"Unfortunately, My Liege, this is the minimum I can output." "I-I see..."

The mana felt like the amount you'd sense just before someone cast a king rank spell, but apparently, that was essentially idling for her.

Momo and Abel had initially felt on edge about being in the bottom layer, but now they looked somewhat lost. Dia was probably right—even the dragons were wary of her mana. The situation's far different than I expected... That wasn't a bad thing, though. Peace was ideal. Also, it helped me understand how powerful Dia actually was.

"Say, Dia. If this is the minimum amount of mana you can use, then how about your maximum? I'd wager you could do saint rank spells no problem...but what about divine rank?"

"I apologize, my liege, but I do not know exactly what those terms mean. I assume that mortals use them to quantify spells in some way..."

"I see..." Well, it made sense that mortal magic classifications wouldn't mean much to the elementals.

 "However, I can answer your question of how much mana I can gather. I would like to say that I can pull all the water-aligned mana in the world. However, you would not be able to handle that. As you are currently... I could call the other Undyne—my sisters—from around the world, and they would listen to you."

"Your sisters? There's more than one Undyne?"

"There are others. Once, we were one, but in that damned Titano— Ahem. In the war, we were split..."

A damned war, huh? She probably means Titanomachia. Guess that's a legend in this era too. Still, I didn't realize there was more than one water arch elemental.

"Got it. So your sisters'll help me if I need it?" "Precisely, my liege."

Several Undyne lending me a hand... Definitely reassuring.

Dia offered a proud hum as she puffed out her chest. That's just like Noah too. I wonder how my goddess is doing...

As that thought crossed my mind, Momo tugged on my sleeve. "Sir Makoto! We're being watched."

"Where?" I asked, quickly peering around. There—I think Clairvoyance picked something up.

"Oh, they hid when I spotted them," said Momo. "I think they're dragons." "I didn't notice anything at all..." Abel murmured.

"Nor did I," I assured him.

Momo's vampirification had made her abilities, quite frankly, terrifying. Once we increased her magic skills, she'd leave me in the dust in terms of combat.

"Thanks, Momo," I said, stroking her hair.

She giggled in response. Such a cutie... She seemed completely different from the future Grandsage. They looked identical though, so they were definitely the same person.

"You need not worry, my liege," Dia interjected. "As long as I am here, you have nothing to fear from any monster."

"But letting your guard down is deadly. Right, Sir Makoto?!" Momo insisted, squeezing my hand.

"Carelessness is out of the question, my liege," Dia said, grabbing my other hand. "Let us Synchro."

 Uh, having both hands full is kinda...

"Okay, you two keep watch on our surroundings," I told them, slipping my hands free. As I did, I activated Scout. Of course, there were no monsters nearby, but we stayed fairly alert as we went farther in.

In the end, no monsters ended up appearing.

Half a day of exploration later, we were as far into the layer as you could get.

"This..."

"Is the way down..."

We stood in front of a huge threshold, like a gate. It yawned half open in the darkness, and the path beyond it went even deeper. I'd expected some signs of a barrier, but there were none. I guess an open gate is like a challenge...

The legendary holy dragon lived just down that path.

I took the bait and slowly stepped through. The path was like a long, winding slope downward, and gradually, the ground evened out. Additionally, plants started to sprout from the plain stone floor, though none of the vegetation was like anything that I'd seen aboveground. Despite us still being in the dungeon, this area was brightly lit. I could tell that it wasn't sunlight, though—it was magic.

This layer was a massive dome.

The odd, shadowy figures I spotted were all dragons—probably ancient dragons. They didn't approach, but they were watching... I could feel it. It was kinda frightening. They didn't seem on the verge of attacking, but the atmosphere was far from friendly.

We slowly carried on. Right in the center of the space was a spring. It must run through a leyline, since it's sparkling with a massive amount of mana. Pure white flowers bloomed around the water's edge. The area around the spring was brighter than the rest of the dome, and I quickly realized that this was the center of the whole layer.

There was something besides flowers next to the spring—something massive that was lounging in the open space.

A single white dragon.

Abel the Savior and the Holy Dragon Helemmelk. Depictions of the two were everywhere: from statues in towns to picture books to murals in

 churches. This duo had made the most impact in the battle that'd sealed Iblis's defeat, and therefore, future generations had immortalized them everywhere.

But in the present, a huge dragon with white scales was right in front of me. So this is the holy dragon... I forgot Calm Mind for a while and just let myself marvel at the sight.

"Sir Makoto..." Momo murmured, gripping my sleeve tightly. "What's up, Momo?"

"That. That dragon is 'what's up.'" She was shaking.

Abel turned to me. "Makoto, that is the boss of Labyrinthos." "It is?"

"An ancient dragon said to be over ten thousand years old that resides in the deepest reaches of Labyrinthos," he recited. "To think it really exists..."

Abel's voice was shaking as well. Well, ten thousand years was damn impressive! Just what you'd expect from the savior's mount!

"Let's go say hi," I declared.

The other two stared at me like I'd just gone mad. Had I really said something that weird?

I glanced at Dia.

"What is it, my liege?" she asked, casually stretching her limbs. Well, she's acting normal at least.

I strode briskly over to the white dragon, with Momo and Abel trailing behind.

The dragon kept its eyes closed as it slept. I realized this only when I got within ten meters of it—those eyes opened partway and fixed on me. Seeing them from such a close distance was really overwhelming.

"It's nice to meet you," I called up to the dragon. "My name's Makoto." No response. Maybe it couldn't hear me?

"Um, hellooo? Holy dragon?"

Still no response. Uh? Could the dragon not understand our language? This might be a problem...

"Can you under—"

A voice resounded in my head. "What do you want, human?"

O-Oh... Was it speaking straight into my mind?!

"Um, well, a group of us are traveling to defeat Iblis. Would you be

 willing to help us?" I only realized after I spoke...but maybe I should've had Abel say that.

"And why would I help humans?"

Well, that wasn't a friendly answer. Quite the opposite, actually. "M-Makoto..."

"Sir Makoto..."

Momo and Abel yanked me back.

"What's up?" I asked, looking at them. Their expressions were tight. "L-Let's go..."

"Th-That dragon seems angry..."

Does it? It's a legendary dragon, so I doubt it's short-tempered.

I looked back, but the white dragon seemed completely uninterested in us now—its eyes were closed again. It also wasn't reacting to Abel at all. Uhh? Wasn't it going to help? Maybe we'd come too early?

According to the picture book, the holy dragon had joined Abel after he'd defeated Bifrons. Maybe that victory was what made the dragon recognize him.

Right now, at least, Holy Dragon Helemmelk definitely didn't seem willing to help.

Oh well. Guess it's time to head back.

I'd just decided to call the visit a partial triumph when there was a blast of air. The ground shook, and a massive red dragon appeared in front of us— it was ancient, and its crimson scales almost seemed to burn.

It spoke, licking its lips. "Hey, mother, can we eat them?"

C-Come on! This monster was over a thousand years old... Hadn't it grown up by now? There were dragons that acted like bad-boy teens?!

"Makoto, this is the legendary village eater!" Abel exclaimed. "It loves attacking humans, and no one knows how many of us it's eaten!"

Momo yelped in fear.

Hmm...an ancient dragon that likes eating humans... Getting spotted by that thing was definitely a stroke of bad luck.

"Holy dragon." I spoke over the red dragon in front of us, addressing the white one that lounged by the spring. She seemed to be the one in charge. "We didn't come here to fight. Would you let us leave in peace?"

"Do as you wish," she said.

Unfortunately, that reply had been to the red dragon's question—not mine.

 Instantly, the fiery dragon grinned and moved to attack. This was...not good. I grabbed Dia's hand.

Time Magic: Mind Accel.

This was one of the low rank Fate Magic spells I'd learned recently. The spell made a single second mentally feel like several dozen times that. Those effects were also shared with Dia through the contact with my hand.

I used Synchro and spoke mentally to her. "Dia, can you hear me?" I asked.

"I can, my liege. What is your plan?"

"Well, I don't want to fight the holy dragon's comrades..."

"Even though that red lizard had the gall to suggest eating you?"

I glanced at her. She was gazing coolly at the dragon, but I thought I saw a fleck of irritation in her eyes.

"Dia, disable him without killing him." "Yes, my liege."

The Mind Accel stopped. Dia's voice sounded in my head once more. Freezing Breath.

She exhaled a puff of air. Instantly, the red dragon transformed into a statue of ice. He...wasn't dead?

"Dia?" I asked.

"It's fiiine," she replied with a snicker. "I held back." Well, she seems to be in a better mood now...

"Uh?"

"H-Huh?"

Abel and Momo, along with all of the other dragons in the area, were agape. But, a moment later, all of those dragons stood and advanced on us menacingly.

Yeah...that figures.

"Holy dragon, we don't wish to fight you. Please, let us—" I was cut off by roars.

"You lowly human!"

"Don't think you'll escape alive!"

Yeah, this wasn't good. Ancient dragons were more short-tempered than expected.

"Makoto! Let's get out of here!" Abel exclaimed, drawing his sword. "T-Teacher!" Momo stammered. "The others are attacking!"

 I'd come here to meet the holy dragon, not to fight. Plus, if we beat up all these dragons, would the holy dragon actually be willing to work with us? I glanced her way, but her eyes were closed. She wasn't going to stop them.

"Escaping will be difficult, my liege," Dia whispered cheerily. She was right. They had surrounded us, so we couldn't run away. It

seemed like we weren't going to avoid a fight. One of the dragons opened their maw, ready to unleash their breath upon us.

I sighed, casting fate magic once more. Time Magic: Mind Accel.

I turned to Dia. "Can you disable all of the ancient dragons here?" "Sure! Though it might be hard to do on my own."

"How many Undyne do you need?" I asked.

I think another four or five should be fine. Shall I call them? Well, it's not like we've got another choice. Go for it.

I will need a small amount of your mana to summon them. Is that acceptable?

My mana? Well...I don't mind.

I was a mage apprentice, so I had essentially no mana to begin with. Why would she need it?

Tee hee. Thank you. Well then... Come here, little sisters. Dia waved a hand, and blue light gathered in the air, immediately coalescing into people.

Five Undyne appeared. They looked just like Dia. H-Huh...

I was feeling woozy. It was like I'd lost all of my strength and lead weights had been dumped on my shoulders. Was this...?

"Say, Dia. How much of my life span did you use to summon your sisters?"

"Huh?" She looked blankly back at me.

She'd definitely taken my lifespan, not my mana. Although, both mana and lifespan were infinite for elementals, so I suppose an Undyne didn't see any real difference between them.

"Um... Oh. Roughly ten years of mana, I think." "Right."

Ten years of my life span... Ten years for five Undyne. That wasn't sustainable. Actually, using the arch elementals at all was oddly tiring...so maybe working with them used up my lifespan? I'd need to top up

 somewhere.

"U-Um...did I mess up?" she asked nervously, eyes watering. "No, you're fine."

This was an extenuating circumstance—we were in real trouble. If I died now, that was it.

"Dia, make sure you put that life span to good use."

Her face broke out into a wide smile. "Of course, my liege. Order us as you wish. Let us educate these young lizards. Altogether, they've only got a few millennia between them."

Her smile took on a cruel edge. Well, I suppose the Undyne were an emotional bunch.

I sighed slightly before issuing my orders.

◇ White Dragon Helemmelk's Perspective ◇

For millennia, I have existed in this world. My family spread my reputation as an ancient dragon who had been alive for over ten thousand years. I have not yet lived that long...but no matter.

Over the span of my life, I'd grown to rather dislike conflict, so I spent my time in peace in the depths of Labyrinthos. The lack of sunlight irked me, but the surface was blanketed by those damned Clouds of Darkness anyway. Therefore, even if I climbed aboveground, not a sunbeam could be found. It was completely demoralizing.

My life was static. My boredom grew as time passed with nothing happening. I did not hate my lot, but I was losing interest. Then, one day, strange invaders appeared.

One of them was half vampire. Another was a hero of the goddesses.

Another was a mage woman with vast amounts of mana.

And the last... What in the world? He seemed to have no strength at all. Perhaps he was the hero's attendant.

They were a strange group, likely what the surface dwellers called adventurers. I had not intended to interact with them...but then the weakest of the bunch asked for my strength. Foolishness. Why should I aid humans?

I ignored the human's words. He would understand that it was pointless to inquire and then leave. That was fine. The lowest depths of Labyrinthos were

 not hospitable to humans.

But then, the situation churned into motion.

The youngest of the ancient dragons made a move on the humans. I barely had the chance to feel exasperated before that dragon was frozen solid. It happened in an instant.

The female mage had done it. What?!

That was when I realized...she was not a human. She was an Undyne. But...manifested in physical form? Impossible. That technique had been

lost to the sands of time. Even I had never seen it. That old magic was the domain of the wicked deities' believers—but those zealots were gone now, relics of the past. There should have been no current users of such a technique.

Yet the Undyne called the male "my liege."

There were traces...traces left behind from the distant war between the gods. Traces of those who bent the elementals to their will.

She served him? He was one of the wicked deities' believers?

No, there was another—Black Knight Cain, who had been rampaging across the surface. He had called himself the Wicked Deity Noah's disciple. I had seen him once. He was a broken man, unable to withstand the goddess's love. The affection of a wicked deity would either complete a person...or break them.

But what of the man in front of me? As far as I could tell, he was a normal person. However, the arch elemental at his side was serving him. In that case, how could he possibly be normal? Was he one of their disciples?

No, that was not the concern. The problem here was whether we dragons could stand against him.

That doubt swirled through my mind for a moment. But then, in the next instant, all thoughts were blown away.

Five Undyne appeared.

I-Impossible. The arch elementals were embodiments of raging nature. They were calamity by another name. And now, five of them, standing in front of me. In other words, five calamities were taking place at once.

The whole of Labyrinthos will drown! H-How can we face someone like this?

"Everyone, stop," I commanded.

 But I was too late. "Ah ha ha ha ha!" "Tee hee hee..." "Ga ha ha ha..." "Heh...heh..."

The elementals' laughter echoed through the cave. As the noise reverberated, enough mana to swallow the entire bottom level tore through the air in a vicious torrent. Horrifying. It was barely even mana at this point, but more like an ominous power similar to the anima the gods wielded.

Suddenly, an absurd spell—miracle?—occurred. ××××××××××× (Quiescent World)

Those ancient words were spoken in the elemental language. I had lived for millennia and this was still the first time I had heard this spell.

The entire layer was enveloped in white. Floors, walls, even the air itself had frozen. I couldn't hear my brethren breathing; I couldn't even hear their heartbeats. The world was silent... Dead.

Th-That was close...

I had cast a barrier just before the spell hit. Thanks to that, I had managed to avoid the magic. However, my family...

E-Everyone...they're all...

I looked around—literally everyone but me had been frozen solid. I stared at the one who had caused this. The wicked deity's follower was standing in the middle of six Undyne.

I could feel essentially no mana coming from him...but he had definitely led the elementals. His frozen eyes pierced me.

Y-You...

However, as I tried to speak to him, my voice shaking, there was a roar. "Youuuuu!" The young red dragon who had first attacked was free once

again.

A spell like this wasn't enough to kill us, but...

"Oh, little lizard. I'm glad you're well. However, don't you think you are being rude to my liege?"

The Undyne stole his freedom once more. "Guh...I cannot move..."

This young dragon was no match for the arch elementals. "My liege, what shall we do with this impudent lizard?"

 Throughout the elemental assault, the manaless man had remained quiet, but he spoke now. "Well...I do need to fill up on my lifespan." He drew the dagger from his waist. The moment I saw the blade, I felt like it had been driven through my heart.

What is that dagger?! It was tiny, but the mana surrounding it felt all-consuming, like it was breathing everything in. It wasn't like the holy swords the heroes wielded. This was not a weapon that creatures living in this world should possess. Rather, it was like one of the gods' weapons I had once seen.

The man slowly approached the red dragon, dagger in hand.

"Eep! S-Stay away!" Even the young one seemed to understand what was happening. He tried to escape, but the arch elementals' magic wouldn't allow it.

What was going on...? At once, time itself unfolded in front of my eyes. This ability was a blessing given to me by a goddess. I activated my vision and gazed into the near future.

For some reason, I could not see the man's future. I could see ours, though.

Today, we would be destroyed by ×××××××.

The moment I saw that, I threw myself to the ground. "Please, wait! Don't kill my family!!!"

I abandoned my shame, lowering my head to the human man.

◇ Makoto Takatsuki's Perspective ◇

"Please, wait! Don't kill my family!!!"

The white dragon's thoughts echoed loudly in my head. The voice wasn't the dignified speech I'd heard earlier, but a panicked gabble. I exchanged glances with Dia.

"What shall we do, my liege?"

"We'll leave it there." We weren't going to keep fighting if the dragons ceased their attack. "Dia, unfreeze them."

"Of course, my liege."

Dia and the others got to work, and before long, the ancient dragons were breathing once more. I could see them cringing away from the Undyne in fear.

That should be fine, right?

I glanced toward the white dragon—she had lowered her head in relief.

 "My thanks. You may do as you wish with my strength. I shall aid you." Whoo! She'd agreed! Things hadn't gone according to plan...but we had

her help now.

"I look forward to working with you, holy dragon." "I-Indeed..."

I had done my best to be friendly, but her voice in my head sounded confused. Things had been a bit touch and go...but oh well. We'll just have to proceed slowly.

"So, our plans are—"

"S-Sir Makoto! It's awful!" Momo interrupted, tugging at me.

I turned and saw where she was pointing. There, on the ground, was Abel —he was prone, the whites of his eyes showing.

What?!

"Abel? What's wrong?!" "He's not breathing!" "Wha?"

Wh-What happened? Did the ancient dragons attack him?!

I glared at the white dragon, but she was shaking her head swiftly. "I-I believe it was due to your magic. The vampire girl has more

resilience, but his body likely couldn't stand the arch elementals' magic up close."

"Guh!"

So it was my fault. Or, well, the Undynes' magic was to blame. Are their spells like freaking indiscriminate bombs or something?!

"Wh-What do we do, Momo?!" "I don't know!"

The two of us were panicking, when suddenly, the white dragon interrupted.

"Let me see. I will heal him."

At once, Abel's body began to glow. His pale face began to redden, and I could hear him breathing quietly.

"Ph-Phew..."

If my spell had killed him...we'd be pretty boned. The world would just end. And Althena'd kill me.

"Thank you...holy dragon," I mumbled.

She looked quizzically back at me, and her voice in my mind was full of

 confusion. "I have been wondering... What do you mean by 'holy dragon'?" Huh? Was she not the legendary Holy Dragon Helemmelk? Had I

recruited the wrong dragon?

"Incidentally, could you tell me your name?" I asked.

"My name is White Dragon Helemmelk. I am the boss of Labyrinthos." Helemmelk... That was the same name, so "holy dragon" must have been

something they'd started calling her later.

"Lady Helemmelk, thank you for saving Abel." I bowed my head deeply, properly showing my appreciation.

"You spared our lives. You need not thank me. Additionally, you should allow him to rest. He has been pushing himself rather hard, and fatigue is building within him. I have created a place where a human may rest next to the Spring of Life. Place him there."

I glanced over and saw an out-of-place bed lying at the dragon's side, next to the glowing water.

Huh. That wasn't there before... So she'd made it in an instant. She'd used a healing spell on Abel as well, so she must use all sorts of magic.

Momo and I pulled Abel over to the bed. He was still sleeping. I glanced to my side and saw that Momo seemed tired as well.

"You can rest too, y'know," I told her. "O-Okay... You look tired too." "Yeah, I am."

Losing so much of my lifespan had really worn me out. Right now, I just wanted to lie down and sleep.

"I will keep watch," Dia offered. She was the only one of us still properly awake.

"Thanks, Dia. I'll count on you, then." "Of course, my liege."

The white dragon made Momo and I beds as well. Momo collapsed into hers and fell asleep immediately.

I lay down in mine as well and closed my eyes. In seconds, I was drifting off.

I woke up. I wondered how long I'd slept, but I had no watch, so I couldn't tell. Though I was still somewhat tired, the all-encompassing exhaustion had gone. I could hear cute little snores behind me, so I knew

 Momo was still asleep.

"Are you awake, human?" came a low voice in my head.

Whoa, that was a surprise! I jolted as I saw the white dragon's massive frame in front of me. That's one way to shake off my grogginess...

"I slept well, thank you," I told her. She replied with a dignified nod.

Now for the elemental who'd been keeping watch... "Huh. Dia?"

She was supposed to be standing guard...but she was nowhere to be found.

"The Undyne have returned to the elemental realm. Of course, this 'Dia' also said that she would be watching and would be at your side in an instant if we dragons tried anything."

I sighed. "Oh, right..."

Where was the elemental realm, exactly? Eh, whatever. Dia was a real help. I'll thank her later.

Now all we needed was for Abel to wake up.

I moved over to his bed to check on him. He still seemed to be sleeping, so I moved close enough to inspect him properly.

"Huh?"

I stopped in my tracks.

Abel should have been sleeping there, but in his place...was a familiar woman.

I blinked several times, thinking I was still asleep. However, the sight in front of me didn't change.

I peered closely at the woman in the bed. She had sparkling golden hair and skin that seemed as smooth as silk. Her face was almost angelic as she slept. Slowly, her eyes drifted open.

"Mmm, huh? What happened?" she asked tiredly, rubbing her sapphire eyes. She sat up, and I saw that her hair was slightly mussed from sleeping.

I was lost for words. Then, she looked at me.

"Makoto? Ah! I fell asleep?! The ancient dragons are right there!"

Her clothes were...Abel's. Of course, he was fairly petite to begin with, but she was even smaller. The woman seemed flustered as she shifted back and forth on the bed. She looked just like...

P-Princess Noelle?

The person was the spitting image of the princess of Highland.

That was impossible, though... We were in the past, so this couldn't be her.

"Are you awake, human hero?" Holy Dragon Helemmelk's relieved question sounded in my mind.

And yet...I was far from relaxed.

"Um, Makoto? What's wrong?" The Princess Noelle look-alike cocked her head, confused.

She was in Abel's clothes... And on top of that, she was speaking the same way as he did. So the only question I could ask was...

"Are you really...Abel?"

She looked confused for a moment. Then, she seemed to realize something. She whipped her head this way and that before noticing the spring, then rushed over and peered at her reflection in the water. Her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of her appearance.

She looked awkwardly back, her eyes drifting slightly to the side as she gazed up at me.

They were exactly the same as Abel's eyes.

"Yes...I'm Hero Abel..." she murmured, fidgeting and then linking her hands behind her back.

A-Abel turned into a girl?!