Why did Alfred appear now?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out.
A nameless dragon that appeared without any warning.
And Alfred, who was hostile towards her.
He was a character who had to appear in the middle of the game at the earliest.
A series of situations occurred that went against my knowledge.
But I couldn’t just stand there.
‘I need to stay calm.’
I quickly assessed the situation.
First, I had to protect the nameless dragon.
Alfred was eyeing her and her injuries.
I was the only one who could fight in the current situation.
I approached her with a shield.
Seeing this, Alfred smirked with crooked lips.
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”
“No need to know.”
It was true. Who I was didn’t matter.
“I’ve never heard of a dragon having a friend. Are you an adventurer who got entangled by chance?”
I didn’t respond. I approached the nameless dragon, supporting her without uttering a word.
There was nothing good about her lying on the ground like this.
And I quietly asked her.
“You.”
“Yes…?”
“Are you being pursued by the Demon King’s army?”
The nameless dragon nodded with a complex expression, filled with regret and apology.
It seemed like she thought she dragged me into this mess.
“And you’re the one who came to capture this person.”
Alfred was smiling the whole time.
“Yeah. I received orders to capture that dragon alive.”
As expected, Alfred was chasing the nameless dragon.
His answer painted a rough picture of the situation in my mind.
‘I roughly understand the situation.’
Looking at the situation, the nameless dragon was not the Demon King’s army.
In the original story, the nameless dragon was supposed to be taken by Alfred and become part of the Demon King’s army.
But now, I intervened in the middle of the situation.
I had a rough understanding of the situation. And what I had to do became clear.
I raised my sword, facing the opponent in front of me.
Alfred still had an arrogant expression, brushing off his hair as if he was satisfied.
“Even an ordinary adventurer knows my name. Not bad.”
Alfred seemed content, reveling in self-admiration.
He was the epitome of an obnoxious character.
‘Still, the Demon King has charisma, and in the end, he dies in a cool way.’
Alfred was just nothing.
Maybe he was a character explicitly created for criticism in the game.
It could be a case where the character became famous due to negative reviews.
“You’re an unlucky human. Looks like an ordinary adventurer.”
“Unlucky?”
“Yeah. Originally, I was just planning to take that half-wit dragon.”
The nameless dragon trembled at Alfred’s words.
If it weren’t for me, she might have ended up in a situation worse than death.
Captured, tortured, and maybe even forced to submit to the Demon King.
But now, she had a chance at redemption.
If I defeated Alfred, not only could she survive, but she could also avoid becoming a part of the Demon King’s army.
Maybe I could have her as a companion.
‘But is it possible?’
I was only at level 8, facing one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
In normal circumstances, it would be impossible to win.
If this were a game, I might have just accepted defeat and looked for another route.
But having come this far, I couldn’t give up.
If I abandoned everything now, death was the only option.
“So, you’re trying to save that b*tch?”
Without answering, I firmly held my shield.
Upon seeing this, Alfred began to mock me with a sneer.
“Give it up. Looks like a newbie, just talking big for no reason.”
“You won’t know until you try.”
Certainly, I was in a tight spot.
Objectively, my chances of winning were slim.
“Do you think you can defeat me, a high-ranking member of the Demon King’s army, alone?”
“…”
A quick response didn’t come to me.
I knew it was challenging.
Alfred, seemingly in a good mood, hummed a tune while looking down at me.
But there was a part of me that believed.
‘Erina.’
Without a doubt, she would come to rescue me.
If Erina joined the battle, maybe we could defeat Alfred.
Until then, I had to protect the nameless dragon and buy time.
‘It won’t be easy.’
The arrival time of Erina was uncertain.
But a moment ago, I managed to block Alfred’s Wind Cutter and got a sense of his abilities.
“You, there.”
“What?”
“You mentioned being a high-ranking member of the Demon King’s army, not one of the Four Great Blades.”
At my words, Alfred smirked.
Then, he seemed to catch the intention of my words and furrowed his brows.
“Don’t tell me you’re disrespecting me by saying I’m just a high-ranking member and not one of the Four Great Blades?”
“Take it as you want.”
Alfred, at my words, became cold-eyed, as if he was angered.
The atmosphere froze, and the wind inside the cave intensified.
Dealing with a wind magic user was quite troublesome.
Things flying in the air would be hard to approach.
Still, I pretended to be calm and held my sword with one hand.
“I really don’t understand the reason. You’re acting too relaxed.”
“Yeah. Honestly, if it’s just you, it’s a piece of cake.”
Both Alfred and I burst into laughter.
We were both underestimating each other.
‘Can’t lose to a guy like this.’
A while ago, I managed to block his Wind Cutter and could roughly estimate his strength.
If he was overwhelmingly stronger than me, I wouldn’t have been able to block it with just a shield.
Originally, he was a guy who used high-level magic like Sonic Boom or Gust.
Seeing him use a mere Wind Cutter was strange.
Alfred wasn’t a member of the Four Heavenly Kings yet. In other words, he was currently weak.
‘Maybe it’s worth a try.’
Rather than just holding out, there might be a chance to win.
I calmly raised my shield. I had to win somehow.
Though it wouldn’t be easy, if I found a momentary opening, I might have a chance at victory.
“Do you really intend to fight? It’s annoying for me too.”
It wouldn’t be easy, but there was no other way.
I strengthened my grip on the shield.
The trembling in my hand from a moment ago was calming down.
“Phew…”
The air inside the cave became tense.
Inhaling the air, Alfred was preparing magic.
It was disadvantageous to keep distance from a magician.
I had to narrow the distance as much as possible to have a chance at victory.
In the moment I rushed forward, someone grabbed my shoulder.
“Wait a moment…!”
The nameless dragon, in a battered state, hung onto me as she struggled to stand.
Even standing seemed to strain her, as her legs trembled uncontrollably.
Nevertheless, she forced herself to shout towards Alfred.
“Rather…!”
“What?”
“Take me! Spare this person…!”
Upon hearing her words, I immediately pushed the nameless dragon cautiously behind me.
She seemed to be the only one unaware of the absurdity of her request.
Alfred looked at us with a bewildered expression.
“What’s going on? What’s the relationship between you two?”
“It’s a plea…”
“Is there someone the dragon trusts? This is a sight I’ve never seen before.”
Alfred, seeming to sense that something was wrong, ruffled his hair with his hand.
‘Something’s not right here.’
Was there something unusual in their conversation?
“Please. Just wait quietly for now…”
Watching her plead while still holding onto my shoulders, Alfred’s expression turned even more menacing.
“I was originally planning to take her as my subordinate.”
“…”
“Darn it. Things have gone awry. It’s meaningless like this.”
Alfred muttered some incomprehensible words.
I couldn’t grasp the meaning of their conversation.
‘Explain it properly, whether it makes sense or not.’
In the already confusing situation, my thoughts were becoming more complicated.
In a hurry to understand the situation, I rummaged through my memories for knowledge.
“This is all for your benefit, so please be patient…”
She was surrendering to Alfred, asking for my life to be spared.
It was an unreasonable request, but she seemed to be the only one unaware of the situation, where the initiative had already shifted to Alfred.
“Darn it. A dragon lowering its tail for a mere adventurer like that.”
But Alfred was muttering incomprehensible words, unlike before.
His mocking attitude disappeared, and he swept his hair aside with a serious expression.
Suddenly, information about the nameless dragon crossed my mind.
Dragon.
Compared to other races, Dragons were born as significantly powerful beings.
And,
Dragons served those they acknowledged as strong.
‘Ah.’
Although it was a fleeting explanation, I managed to recall it somehow.
I cautiously turned to look at the nameless dragon’s complexion.
Even in this precarious situation, she clung to my shoulders, looking as if she was about to collapse any moment.
She was sacrificing herself to save my life.
Even now, in this moment, the nameless dragon continued speaking to reassure me.
“If Alfred disappears, please run away as far as possible… There are many monsters around, so be careful…”
Watching her, Alfred frowned in displeasure and glared at me.
‘Does that mean…’
I had a vague sense of why he reacted so unpleasantly.
