Nido Tensei Shita Shounen wa S-rank Boukensha Toshite Heion ni Sugosu ~ Zense ga Kenja de Eiyūdatta

Nido Tensei Chapter 102

Episode 102: The Golden Melancholy and the Silver Big Wheel

―― It happened just a little while ago ――

“Oh no, Golden! Those terrifyingly strong humans have come back to our territory again!?”

Saying that, the black dragon twisted its face in fear and flew into my lair. By the way, this black dragon is not the individual that was defeated by the humans yesterday. It’s a different black dragon, a different dragon.

Oh well, even though it boasted about being the epitome of fear for humans, it’s quite ridiculous. Not just the black dragon, but the green dragon, blue dragon, red dragon, and even the gemstones that claim to be the nobility of dragons have come.

Honestly, just when my scales were feeling refreshed, the nest has become cramped.

“What should we do, Golden!?”

“There’s nothing we can do. Even if we all join forces, we can’t defeat those monsters.”

It seems that the green dragons and the others joined forces to attack the weaker humans in their group, but they were only able to cause a little fatigue.

“Then what do you suggest!? Are you planning to tremble and wait in the nest until they leave!?”

“Hmph… That’s exactly right!”

Yes, that would be the only correct answer. Specifically, I think it would be best to destroy the entrance of the nest a little so they can’t enter.

“What!? Don’t you have any pride as a dragon!?”

Pride? That was taken away along with my scales the other day!

“Say whatever you want. I won’t move. If you don’t want to die, you should stay in the nest. Stay still…”

Well then, shall I admire the treasures I obtained by foolishly challenging those humans who came?

“Hmph, you’ve become quite weak during the time I was away.”

“Whose voice is that!?”

When I turned around to the voice that was insulting me, there was the troublesome sight of a dragon, just as I expected.

“Silver… You’ve returned.”

Yes, this person is the silver dragon, who is the No. 2 in our territory.

“Oh my, the one who claims to be the king of dragons is quite spineless. Hmph, could it be that you’ve fallen behind the humans?”

“I never claimed to be a king. It’s just that everyone around me started calling me that.”

Dragons are sensitive to hierarchy. And for dragons, gold is the ultimate proof of strength. In reality, I am strong. That’s why I have been called the king by others.

“Is that so? Then maybe I should become the king in your place? In place of a coward like you.”

“I don’t mind.”

If you can take care of those humans who came to challenge me, then go ahead.

“What? Don’t you have any pride as a king!?”

I just said I don’t. And didn’t I just say that I would change the king myself? Honestly, this guy has always been a nuisance to me.

“What’s with your indecisive attitude? Could it be that you really fell behind the humans?”

“Yes, that’s right. I was defeated by humans just recently. It happened in the blink of an eye.”

“Wha… What!?”

The silver dragon looked at me with an unbelieving expression. Oh, I’ve lived for hundreds of years and this is the first time I’ve seen this face. Haha, yes, if I can see this face, losing doesn’t seem so bad.

“Th… That’s impossible! Golden was defeated!? By humans!? Just humans!?”

The silver dragon seems to be in shock. Haha, I was shocked when I lost too. Now I have a stronger desire to not get involved with those humans.

“This is ridiculous… Ridiculous… Yes! Could it be that your appearance is also because of those humans?”

Oh, you finally realized.

“Yes, that’s right. That’s why I no longer intend to fight those humans. Or rather, I don’t want to be involved, so just leave me alone.”

“Wha… Wha…!”

The silver dragon froze completely in shock when it learned that my scales had become like this because of those humans. Well, I understand how it feels. But well, at least it’s a bit quieter now.

Well then, let’s go back to admiring my collection…

“Ha… How dare you! My scales! The scales of a dragon!”

“Not just the scales, but the horns too.”

“What!? The horns too!?”

Upon hearing that the horns were also shaved, the silver dragon’s face turned red. This guy is also quite old-fashioned.

“…I won’t forgive them! I won’t forgive those humans! I’ll personally tear them apart!”

“Well, do your best.”

But I don’t care.

“Hey, even though it’s about you, why are you acting like it’s someone else’s problem! Everyone, let’s drag him to the battlefield even if we have to!”

What are you saying!? I just said I don’t want to get involved! Stop dragging me!

“Stop it! I’ll die!?”

“Then let me show you! What it means to have the pride of a dragon!”

I don’t want to see that! Let go! Seriously, let go!

“And you shall realize! Who you truly rely on!”

This is not a joke! I can’t stay here! I’m going to run away! Somewhere far away where those humans can’t find me! No, I don’t want to be found and attacked, so I’ll hide! Hide really well! So let go!

Ah, now that I think about it, I understand why the storm dragon ran away first. Who would want to get involved with such a monster!

“Charge!”

Stop it! I absolutely won’t go out!

Shuffle, shuffle. Struggle, struggle.

“Um, what’s going on?”

Honestly, I can understand why Liliera said that. The one who appeared before us was a golden dragon. It’s probably the same individual we fought before.

However, what confused us was that the golden dragon was being dragged by its fellow dragons. Huh, extreme homebody?

“G-Golden… Dragon?”

At that moment, Lune, who was nearby, muttered with a pale face.

“What’s wrong, Lune? Your face is pale.”

“W-Why… It’s a golden dragon! The strongest dragon!”

“Well, yeah, but that dragon was defeated by Rex.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, it was a one-hit punch from my brother!”

“A punch!?”

“So don’t worry, it’s like a pet to Rex.”

“A pet!?”

Lune was reassured by everyone, and the redness returned to her cheeks. That’s right, once Lune calms down, she’ll understand that this is just a child even though it’s called a golden dragon. It’s not an opponent to be afraid of.

“Ah, the golden dragon moved.”

When we turned around at Meguri’s words, the golden dragon, who had been dragged by its companions earlier, was now walking towards us on its own.

“Is it trying to say that it wants to fight one-on-one after watching its companions?”

Minna speculated about the golden dragon’s strange behavior. Well, even the dragon knights, who are experts on dragons, probably don’t know about the detailed habits of dragons. Should I ask Lune? Even though she’s an apprentice, she should have been taught about dragon ecology.

“…”

Just then, something happened.

“Huh?”

The golden dragon suddenly lay down, and before we knew it, it rotated its body and lay on its back.

“G-Grooo…?”

The dragons around us were tilting their heads as if to say, “What’s going on?” And the golden dragon stretched out its limbs diagonally and lazily lay down.

“What is this…?”

Hmm, I’ve never seen a golden dragon do something like this in my past lives. What on earth is it doing?

I thought that Lune might have some detailed knowledge about the golden dragon, so I decided to ask her.

“Lune, do you know anything about the golden dragon’s behavior?”

“Huh? Me? No, no, no! This is the first time I’ve seen a golden dragon, and I’ve never heard of it doing something like this!”

Even the dragon knight, who is an expert on dragons, doesn’t know about this behavior? Could this be some kind of incredible new discovery? There are still unknown worlds out there from the ancient times!

Hmm, I’m getting excited. There are still unexplored parts of the world. The golden dragon, which took that pose, doesn’t show any signs of moving. It doesn’t even twitch, so both we and the dragons wait patiently to see what it will do next.

“…Could it be that it’s just surrendering completely?”

“Huh?”

That’s when Meguri said something outrageous.

“No way. I’ve never heard of a golden dragon surrendering completely.”

I don’t think so either, right?

“I see, it makes sense. The golden dragon, who has already experienced defeat, surrenders completely in front of Rex, who is beyond common sense.”

(Note: The translation may not be perfect and some parts may require further context to fully understand the meaning.),”It’s the result of the monster’s instinctively seeking a way to survive.”

Everyone started saying whatever they wanted.

“That’s our big brother for you! Making the strongest dragon bow down without even fighting!”

“No, no, it’s impossible for a proud Golden Dragon to surrender completely.”

While saying that, I cautiously approached to gauge the Golden Dragon’s reaction. I remained on high alert, ready to respond to any attack. Slowly, I got closer and closer, until I could touch it with my hand.

Still, there was no reaction, so I decided to try sitting on its stomach. Dragons are proud creatures, so if I did something like this, it should immediately get angry and attack. Walking on its scales, as hard as cobblestones, I made my way to the middle of the Golden Dragon’s stomach.

“Grrroooo!?”

The surrounding dragons exclaimed in surprise, but the Golden Dragon remained motionless.

“Why isn’t it getting angry? Normally, if you do something like this, a dragon would try to kill me to protect its pride, right?”

“Don’t do something so dangerous so casually!”

Oops, sorry. I just did it to test the Golden Dragon’s reaction.

“Hmm, it still doesn’t move. Is it really surrendering completely?”

“It’s like its eyes are dead…”

“It seems to be saying, ‘Do whatever you want.'”

Meguri and the others commented on the Golden Dragon’s appearance, unaffected by their actions.

And then, it happened.

“Grrrooooaaoo!!”

The Silver Dragon, which had been standing near the Golden Dragon, let out a fierce roar filled with killing intent.

“Huh!?”

Suddenly hit by a strong killing intent, Lune flinched and fell on her butt.

The Silver Dragon spread its wings wide and assumed a threatening posture.

“Seems like it’s full of fighting spirit.”

Well, it’s a bit reassuring to see the dragons move like this.

“N-No, it’s not full of fighting spirit! Doing something like that to a proud dragon! W-We should run away quickly! Otherwise, we’ll be killed! The opponent is the Silver Dragon, which has power second only to the Golden Dragon!”

Ah, yeah, Silver Dragons are useful for making weapons against undead.

“But it seems like they have no intention of letting us escape.”

Not just the Silver Dragon, but the other dragons also started moving, drawn in by the Silver Dragon.

“By the way, Rex? Honestly, with this many dragons as opponents, we’re at a huge disadvantage, or rather, we’re more likely to die, aren’t we?”

“Y-Yeah, I think we could handle two or three Green Dragons, but this is a bit…”

“It’s fine. This number is not a lot at all.”

“We have a problem, though.”

I think everyone’s abilities will be fine.

“Then I’ll cast support magic on everyone. Area High Protection!”

I cast a support magic to enhance everyone’s defense. Now then…

“Then, everyone, please take care of the other dragons…”

At that moment, the Silver Dragon charged towards me. It wasn’t a dive attack from above, but a magical maneuver using propulsion force. This magical maneuver can achieve the same speed regardless of the starting position, which makes it troublesome. Dragons also have a lot of magic power.

“Master Rex!?”

Lune, who witnessed the scene, screamed. It’s okay, it’s okay. I have a countermeasure for this kind of attack.

“Hmph!”

I lowered my waist and received the Silver Dragon’s attack, then used its momentum to throw it. At the same time, I was thrown along with it.

And when the thrown Silver Dragon hit the ground and bounced, I controlled my posture with flight magic, landed, and threw the Silver Dragon again. I continued throwing it two, three, four times.

“This is a technique that utilizes the momentum of a giant opponent to endlessly throw them. It’s called Infinite Throw. It’s good to remember when you need to fight a large enemy for a long time, as it conserves energy.”

“T-That’s impossible!”

Huh? I don’t think that’s true.