My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 100: Chapter 100

Chapter 100 - Monster

William tried to raise everyone’s morale as much as possible, even if it meant pushing them a little too hard.

Fortunately, it worked. The defensive formation held, and the spearmen gripped their spears even more firmly as they aimed at the monsters’ bodies.

—Public Security Force Captain, what’s your situation?

A voice echoed through Communication Magic.

William shouted back.

"We’ve encountered three monsters! The Public Security Force alone isn’t enough! We need reinforcements!"

—Understood. Two descendants of Iorga are on their way. Hold out just a little longer.

A moment later, something with wings descended from the sky toward them.

It landed gracefully before confronting the monsters.

"You filthy monsters. Your master has already gone to the afterlife, yet you worms are clinging to life for no reason."

"Go back to your master."

The descendants of Iorga revealed their hostility as they uncorked the water flasks at their waists.

The transparent water inside moved with the motion of their fingers before splitting into ten whip-like strands.

Whoosh!

As they swung the whips, the ten divided strands scattered and shot toward their targets.

They wrapped around the monsters’ bodies with perfect precision, as though they were extensions of the casters’ own limbs.

In an instant, all three monsters were restrained.

"Public Security Force Captain, finish them."

"Yes!"

The knight’s sword, wrapped in crimson sword aura, struck one vital point after another on the bound monsters.

"Raaagh! Die!"

The spearmen could no longer stand by and watch.

Their courage surged as they rushed forward.

There was an old saying—no one could withstand being ganged up on.

The immobilized monsters were inevitably pierced by a rain of spears.

William finished off two of them, while the spearmen took the last one’s life.

Only a few minutes earlier they had been struggling desperately, yet now the monsters had been subdued with astonishing ease.

"Th-thank you very much, Mages."

"......"

The descendants of Iorga merely glanced at William before turning their heads away.

As if their task was complete, they flew off once again.

The proud Dragon Spawn never associated casually with low-ranking humans.

’So, to them, I’m not even worth speaking to.’

Although it stung, William quickly accepted it without resentment.

’If only I were stronger and possessed greater charisma, perhaps I could have handled this myself.’

He accepted his current standing, but instead of settling for it, he resolved to use it as motivation.

The Public Security Force Captain, William, made a vow to himself.

’I’ll become stronger.’

As the captain of a village under the rule of the Red Dragon, he would gain strength worthy of that honor.

***

"The knights of Grand Duchess Valdrova’s territory have begun their deployment."

—Understood. Please secure the northern sector.

Two mounts descended from Valdrova Castle.

No... one of them wasn’t a horse at all.

It was a donkey.

The man riding it wore a hopelessly bewildered expression.

"S-Sir Zed! I don’t think I’ll be of any help! W-What should I do?!"

The one who answered was Penelope, seated behind Zed.

"What else? Go eat some popcorn."

"S-Should I really?"

"Of course. Make enough popcorn for my share too—Gah!"

"Ugh... Every time you open your mouth, all I hear is nonsense."

"Ghk! I surrender! I surrender!"

Zed tightened his grip around Penelope’s neck, and she desperately smacked his muscular forearm.

"If you want to be useful, at least be a meat shield! If the Wolf Monsters appear, draw their attention or something!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

"I’m heading that way! You keep going straight down this road!"

"Understood!"

As Malcolm rode away on his donkey, Penelope spoke again.

"You seriously told him to be a meat shield? Isn’t that a little heartless?"

"If things get bad, he’ll probably run away."

"He didn’t exactly look smart enough for that."

"Still smarter than you, idiot."

"What!? You jerk!"

Just as Penelope reached out from behind to grab his hair, a massive figure entered their sight.

A Wolf Monster.

They immediately stopped bickering and focused on their target.

"Enemy spotted. It looks just like the one back then."

"Yeah."

"The size and shape are almost identical. We barely escaped last time. Are you sure you’re okay now?"

"More than okay."

Zed smiled.

Hadn’t he endured all that pain for this very moment?

"The chance to take revenge... it’s exhilarating."

Now it was time to reap the rewards.

Zed drew the short sword hanging from his waist.

Blue sword aura surged from its blade.

The blindfolded horse charged forward bravely before suddenly coming to a halt.

Using the momentum, Zed launched himself high into the air.

"Pepe! Now!"

"Haste!"

The pink-haired demon cast an acceleration spell on the airborne Zed.

By now, the two of them had developed excellent teamwork.

He landed with even greater speed and agility——and vanished.

Grr?!

The Wolf Monster was startled.

It tried to follow Zed’s movements, but the snake heads attached to its body could only chase after his afterimages.

This was nothing like the desperate escape from before.

The blue sword aura coating the short sword carved a long trail through the air.

Shhhk!

The arc struck the Wolf Monster, piercing straight through its body.

Every snake head was severed.

Its tendons were cut.

The monster was completely incapacitated.

The moment it diverted its strength toward regeneration——that was the opening Zed had been waiting for.

He drove the short sword straight into its chest.

Unlike when he had protected Ferda, the battle ended with remarkable ease.

"Whoa! That was awesome!"

Penelope jumped excitedly.

"Ze-Ze! What have you been doing over there?"

"You think I was playing around, you crazy woman?"

"You actually look kind of sexy. I’ve never seen a man this captivating before."

"Haha. Back off. Quit trying to suck away my life force."

"Come on... You haven’t even been with a woman for a whole week...!"

Penelope stroked her empty stomach while sending him a seductive gaze.

To Zed, however, it was nothing more than a face begging to be punched.

At that moment, Isabella’s voice reached him through Communication Magic.

—Sir Zed.

"Go ahead."

—Sir Malcolm is currently luring monsters. Please head over and support him.

Zed answered immediately.

"Where is he?"

—He’s coming your way. Watch the alley.

There was no need to search.

The noisy commotion was already approaching.

The first thing Zed saw was the donkey’s face.

Then came Malcolm, screaming in a voice that barely qualified as human.

"Aaaah! Aaagh! I’m gonna die!"

Hee-haw!

Malcolm and the donkey came charging toward them, tears and snot flying everywhere.

Moments later, two Wolf Monsters appeared behind them.

Seeing the scene, Zed was left speechless.

’How in the world is that guy still alive?’

The man possessed no remarkable physical ability or martial skill.

He was simply fleeing for his life atop a single donkey.

Well, riding the donkey was one thing.

But the donkey itself wasn’t anything special either.

Its speed and agility were both inferior to the Wolf Monsters.

By every reasonable measure, Malcolm should have been easy prey.

Yet somehow, the Wolf Monsters couldn’t catch him.

More precisely, every time the two monsters tried to attack him, they got in each other’s way and tangled themselves up.

Whether they were unusually clumsy or Malcolm was absurdly lucky...

It didn’t matter.

Killing the monsters came first.

"Hey! Donkey man! Over here!"

"Aaagh! Aaagh! Aaaah!"

Instead of answering, Malcolm only screamed louder.

What a useless fellow.

Just as Zed wondered if he would have to adjust to Malcolm’s movements instead—

The donkey, as though it had understood Zed’s words, suddenly changed direction and charged toward him.

The enraged Wolf Monsters immediately gave chase, determined to catch the pair.

Either way, everything was unfolding exactly as intended.

The donkey dashed past Zed.

He counted down silently.

Three...

Two...

One...

Zero.

The Wolf Monster’s body entered his range.

Zed burst forward with explosive speed and drove his blade into the crazed beast’s heart.

Yelp!

One Wolf Monster died instantly.

The other finally realized chasing the donkey was pointless and turned toward Zed.

But a lone wolf was nothing more than prey to him.

Holding the short sword in a reverse grip, Zed pierced the remaining monster’s heart as well.

He had thought taking on two at once might be difficult.

The result exceeded all expectations.

’He’s the perfect bait.’

Was this why Ferda always kept Malcolm around?

Whatever the reason, Zed decided to praise Malcolm out of camaraderie.

"Wow. You really were the perfect bait. Nice work, old man—"

"Ghk! Ghk! I’m dying... I’m dying..."

"..."

It took another three hours before Malcolm’s soul finally returned to his body after serving as such excellent bait.

***

Before the monsters attacked, Valdrova stood quietly in the alley she had been assigned.

’The monsters are coming.’

The moment those words echoed in her mind, all five of her senses reacted.

Everything around her became a living map.

She could see and hear every event occurring in every direction.

Her awareness extended beyond the village...

Past the forest itself...

Nothing could escape her perception.

And so, Valdrova suppressed those senses.

’What I have to do is...’

Kill the Wolf Monster that came into this alley.

That alone was enough.

Everything else could wait.

A moment later, the presence of her enemy caused her eyes to open.

Grrr...

The Wolf Monster bared its fangs.

Its teeth were not the yellow of an ordinary beast——but an eerie green.

Roar!

It lunged straight at Valdrova.

Its charge was as terrifying as a cannonball hurtling toward its target.

An ordinary human would freeze in fear and scramble to defend themselves.

But to Valdrova...

It was nothing more than an insignificant creature.

Moving with speed and strength far beyond the monster’s own, she seized its jaws and lifted it effortlessly into the air.

Unable to resist, the Wolf Monster was dragged upward.

Valdrova thrust her left hand straight into its body.

Thrust!

Its hide was pierced as easily as wet paper.

She reached inside—

Grasped its heart—

And crushed it.

Crunch!

The entire process took only 0.1 seconds.

Having slaughtered more monsters than anyone else, Valdrova completed the task as effortlessly and efficiently as routine work.

Gurgle...

The Wolf Monster died instantly without even managing to let out a proper cry.

Valdrova confirmed that the monster was dead and withdrew her hand.

Then, as if she were throwing away a piece of trash, she hurled the monster’s corpse onto the ground.

Valdrova did not look at it.

No—

She couldn’t.

’Don’t look.’

The moment her gaze lingered on it, something stirred deep within her heart.

Valdrova knew this feeling.

It was hatred.

Whenever she faced monsters, she felt vivid hatred, and she had always used that hatred as fuel to burn even brighter.

That was how she had slain countless monsters trying to march out of the Land of Demons.

But the emotion she felt now was different from the familiar hatred she had always known.

It was fear.

’Why...?’

The answer was simple.

Because things were different now.

Back then, she had fought as a dragon protecting the continent.

Now, she fought as a single knight protecting a village.

When she had been a dragon, she had flown into the Land of Demons, tearing everything apart and reducing it to ashes.

Everything she needed to protect had been behind her.

There had been nothing to worry about.

No matter how wildly she vented her endless fury, no one else would be hurt.

If anyone suffered...

It would only be herself.

But now...

Everything she had to protect was right in the middle of the battlefield.

’If I lose control...’

Everyone would get hurt.

Hestia Village would burn.

People would die.

That was why she feared this emotion.

’Calm down.’

She tried to suppress the boiling rage.

But her five senses far surpassed anyone else’s.

The smell of monster blood...

The echoes of their horrifying cries...

Those were not things she could block out through sheer will.

In the end, a monstrous wave of sorrow overturned her heart and swept everything away.

Only one thing remained.

An inextinguishable flame.

It was a profound fury directed toward the Demon Race.

That flame—

That rage—

Touched wounds that had never truly healed.

The pain reopened old memories.

’They’re trying to take everything away again...’

Everything she had built.

Everything she loved.

Because Godwin’s malice, intent on taking everything and trampling it beneath his feet, was still alive.

It forced her to relive that hatred.

"Uuugh..."

The fire was lit.

Her unstoppable rage was beginning to turn into uncontrollable impulse.

’I have to go back.’

She had to leave this village immediately and return to her Lair.

If she rampaged there for a little while...

Everything would be fine.

She prayed.

That everything would go smoothly until then.

Please...

Let nothing happen.

"Aaaah!"

She raised her head.

Two girls who had failed to evacuate came into view.

One was a tiny little girl.

The other, slightly older, was shielding her.

Valdrova knew them well.

They were the children she had rescued for three shillings.

Before them loomed the grotesque form of a monster opening its jaws wide, ready to swallow them whole.

’No.’

The beast opened its mouth to brutally devour the two defenseless girls.

The moment those jaws closed...

Their bodies—

Their lives—

Would disappear.

’No!’

At that instant, a voice rang clearly inside Valdrova’s ears.

—Look, Valdrova.

It was Godwin’s voice.

The words he had spoken before the Dragon-Demon War began.

—This is what it looks like when everything you wanted to protect disappears.

In that instant...

All hesitation vanished from Valdrova’s mind.

Her body moved instinctively.

Her right leg bent.

Her left leg stretched backward.

She took her stance.

Boom!

Leaving behind a tremendous shockwave beneath her heel, she shot forward like a human cannonball.

Valdrova’s fist flew toward the monster’s jaws with overwhelming force.

CRACK!

The wolf’s snout didn’t merely twist—

It tore apart completely before the monster was blasted into a wall.

Its body rolled across the ground like a toppled barrel before tumbling all the way into the main street.

Ghk... Grrgh...!

Unable to regain its senses, the Wolf Monster coughed up the blood filling its lungs.

Created solely to destroy everything in its path, the savage creature charged straight at Valdrova.

Grrrr... ROAR!

Its muzzle had been obliterated.

Yet it could still roar without difficulty.

It had never truly been a wolf in the first place.

It was merely something imitating one.

Nothing more than a filthy, crude amalgamation masquerading as a wolf.

’Don’t touch them.’

The fury inside Valdrova burned hotter.

Even then, teeth harder than steel clamped onto her shoulder.

But her armor was forged from a rare ore many times stronger than steel—

A masterpiece created by the Bronze Dragon, a smith equal to the god of blacksmiths.

The meaningless attack accomplished nothing.

Instead, the wolf found itself caught.

Valdrova slammed its hideous body into the ground.

’Don’t touch them.’

Her fist plunged into the wolf’s flesh, shattering bone after bone.

CRUNCH!

Yelp!

Only then did the Wolf Monster realize its mistake.

It should have run.

Not attacked.

But Valdrova’s hand, buried deep within its body, had no intention of letting it escape.

’You’re the one who should disappear.’

She was the Aspect of Strength.

And crimson light blazed from that Aspect.

Still gripping it tightly, Valdrova ripped upward.

The spine hidden beneath its flesh—

Its ribs—

Were torn free with a grotesque ripping sound.

Even its internal organs were violently churned.

Everything inside became nothing but pulp.

’Not yet.’

Monsters did not die so easily.

Valdrova reached in once more.

She seized its heart.

Then crushed it.

The source of the monster’s life was pulverized.

Its wolf-like body began melting away.

This...

Was the monster’s complete death.

’Not yet.’

Her rage still refused to stop.

She hated even the shape that remained.

Even that corpse seemed to mock her.

To laugh at her.

Valdrova clenched her fist and raised it toward its face.

’Disappear...’

Her fist came crashing down together with the earth itself.

’Disappear from this continent forever!’

BOOM!

A deafening impact echoed throughout the area.

At the same moment, green blood splattered across the inside of her helmet and touched her skin.

Only then...

Did she realize she had completely lost herself.

"Ah..."

Only ragged breaths escaped her lips.

Before her eyes lay a ground stained with purple and green.

More grotesque still—

Were her own blood-soaked hands.

She slowly raised her head.

Valdrova stood at the bottom of a crater driven deep into the earth.

Everyone had come outside.

Every single one of them was staring at her.

She turned her gaze toward the alley.

The two girls were still there.

Just like everyone else.

They were still trembling in fear.

Even though the monster that had tried to kill them...

Was already dead.

’Ah...’

She knew.

She knew exactly where that fear was directed.

Toward her.

Because...

She was the monster.