The evil dragon is born again
In the Forest of Seal, it is said that an evil dragon is imprisoned.
How many people truly know if this fantastical rumor is real?
The oldest history of the Luandor Empire.
Long ago, there was a dragon feared as an evil dragon and still sealed in this land.
A dragon that devoured the earth, cities, and people with its greed.
In terms of classification as a monster, it is closer to a ground dragon.
It crawls upon the earth, wrapped in a hard shell, and has four legs.
Indeed, monsters of lower rank than this dragon devour the land and pulverize mountains, being feared by certain tribes as their enemies.
There are similar monsters.
However, this evil dragon is in a class of its own.
It suddenly emerged from underground, rampaging through the empire and causing immense damage, like a disaster.
The powerful figures of the time all went to defeat it, but everyone was repelled.
After much hardship, it was finally sealed by one with the inherent ability of "sealing"—but otherwise, it would have continued its rampage, devastating the land.
The name of this evil dragon is――――Eclipse Dragon.
If this monster had wings strong enough to support its massive body and fly through the sky, it would have swallowed the moon.
The Eclipse Dragon still sleeps unchanged in a certain part of the Forest of Seal.
But today, there are those who have reached the deepest part of the Forest of Seals.
What could their purpose be, disturbing the dragon's slumber?
"…………Where did you go yesterday?"
In the deepest part of the Forest of Seals, a stronghold of powerful and untamed monsters.
But only the area around the three standing there was unusually quiet.
On a small hill, there was a spot devoid of any grass or trees, forming a perfect circle.
Strangely, monsters never approached this place.
And it was no wonder why.
In the center of the hill, a single ancient sword was embedded in the ground.
Its surface was covered in rust and moss, yet it remained steadfast, anchoring itself firmly in the earth—this sword was the key to sealing the evil dragon.
Among the three, a man with a particularly bizarre appearance, dressed in flamboyant clothing, questioned a woman who was idly inspecting her manicured nails in the sunlight.
The question concerned her mysterious actions the previous night.
The three had a common purpose in visiting this place.
However, the woman, Elimes Lokorofi, had left her sleeping quarters and gone out without informing anyone of her destination.
This unauthorized and impulsive behavior was typical of Elimes, but it was clear from the voice of the bizarrely dressed man, covered in a tattered robe and hiding his face with a reddish-brown cloth, that he was not pleased.
"Huh? What? You usually don’t seem to care what I do, so are you suddenly interested in me?"
"…………No."
"If you’re not interested, then what’s the big deal?"
"…………"
"Ugh, I don’t get it. What’s the problem? I just went to check out the condition of the forest. It’s not like I caused any trouble. I came back quickly, so what’s the issue? I don’t understand."
"Hey, Elimes, it's pointless trying to reason with this grumpy guy. He’s like this all year round, you know—Scarecrow, the dummy."
The one who calmed down Elimes, who was getting defensive about her actions, was a man named Moritz. With a nonchalant and mysterious demeanor, he smiled slyly at Elimes, who was clearly annoyed by the Scarecrow.
"I’ve been thinking for a while now, but even though your innate attribute is what it is, calling yourself Scarecrow is a really lazy pseudonym. Just use your real name. You know, like how Moritz and I use ours."
"…………"
"Well, don’t push it, Elimes. He has his own reasons for it. Besides, isn’t it best if we don’t pry into each other’s personal matters? As long as we have the same goal, it doesn’t matter."
"Is that so? But I’ve never seen his real face. Well, he’s better than you, who clearly can’t be trusted. Still, since you always make things difficult for me, I think I’m entitled to say this much."
"Oh, so you’re calling me untrustworthy again, huh?"
"Well, you’re the type of person no one would want to be around, aren’t you? You seem to be sneaking around behind the scenes."
"True, I do operate behind the scenes, but it’s part of my job. …But about my real face, well, who cares? It’s just one face. Haha, even he has the freedom to hide his face."
"…Moritz, you’re unusually defensive of Scarecrow. …Are you two involved in some way?"
"Me!? With him? Come on, don’t be ridiculous!"
Moritz’s reaction was dramatic.
However, what followed was even more extreme.
Despite Elimes’s suspicious gaze, Moritz began to theatrically explain his preferences as if he were on stage.
"I like women. Specifically, women who are on the path to ruin and fall deeper and deeper into despair! I love it when a foolish, pitiful woman pulls the trigger of her own misfortune and desperately seeks my help! And what I enjoy most is pushing her further into the abyss!"
"…That’s a terrible taste."
"Why? Isn’t it good? The face of a woman who has fallen to the bottom of despair and realizes she can’t fall any further is the most beautiful, isn’t it?"
"…Gross. Hey, you think so too, don’t you?"
"…………"
"Ugh, still silent? Unbelievable."
Elimes sighed in exasperation at Scarecrow, who refused to participate in the conversation.
Although the three had arrived at the deepest part of the Forest of Seals with a common goal, it was evident from their interactions that they did not trust each other.
"So, more importantly, we’ve finally found the location where the evil dragon is sealed. Let’s get this done and head back."
Moritz, clearly taking charge, spoke about the next steps.
"Ugh… I’m really sick of camping out. Even though we had a general idea of where to search, spending days in this forest is crazy. By the way, you have the means to remove the seal, right?"
"Of course. What do you think we came all this way for?"
Moritz then pulled from his magic bag a large number of colorful magic stones.
"Even though the seal is from hundreds of years ago, there are certainly some flaws and weaknesses. It seems that a person with the 'sealing' innate attribute sealed it, and I have the means to remove it. The issue is…"
"Oh, I see. Well, forget about the old stories and just get on with it."
"Don’t rush. The procedure isn’t too complicated. It’ll be over quickly. Also, apparently, removeing the seal will remove the barrier that keeps the surrounding monsters at bay. You guys should be fine, but watch out for the monsters."
"Yeah, yeah." "…………"
Moritz approached the sword that was the key to the seal.
As he said, removing the seal was a simple process. Although there were preparations to be made, the final step was merely to pull out the key sword.
Moritz worked quietly, while Elimes and Scarecrow silently observed his back.
After several minutes or possibly longer, the moment finally arrived.
"…Alright? We’re going to start. I’m going to pull it out now."
"Hurry up." "…………"
Moritz grasped the hilt of the rust-covered, moss-encrusted sword.
His expression, perhaps due to anticipation of what was about to happen, was twisted with a hint of malevolence.
"!"
The sword was pulled out with surprising ease.
In the next moment, there was a pulse.
The entire earth beneath them, including the three of them, trembled with a massive vibration.
"Oh no!"
"What's this?!"
"…………!"
The earth shook.
No, it wasn’t the ground itself.
There was grass, trees, and soil.
But the hill, the connected mountains, and the place the three had recognized were part of the forest, but not the forest itself.
It was the back of a monster.
It was the enormous back of the Eclipse Dragon.
Cracks tore through the ground as something emerged from beneath.
"Tch――――Come forth, Earthquake Centipede!!"
A gigantic centipede, created by Moritz's innate attribute "Centipede," used its countless legs to grasp the shaking earth.
"Get on!"
"Ugh, I don't want to ride this thing. It’s gross."
"Shut up! You rode it here too! Hurry up!"
Reluctantly, Elimes jumped onto the back of the centipede. Despite her flippant demeanor, she felt a slight pang of anxiety inside.
A bead of sweat trickled down her cheek.
The three of them, now on the centipede’s back, avoided the fissures in the ground as the earth exploded in a burst.
"Roooooooooooar!!!!!!!!"
A roar that shook the entire Forest of Seals.
The very air seemed to tremble.
"Ugh, my ears are going to be ruined! What is this thing?!"
"……This is the ancient evil dragon, Eclipse Dragon. ……It’s too big."
With a somewhat stunned expression, Moritz looked up at the sky.
It was gigantic.
Far beyond the scale of any ordinary monster.
A dragon of a size that greatly exceeded his expectations.
The roar was like a birth cry.
A great disaster had awoken once more.
——.