After continuing running for a few minutes――
I felt a little dizzy at the sight before my eyes.
...Wow, there really were two blue dragons!
I meant, five-meter blue dragon was a spine-chilling sight, right? And there were two of them.
I gazed at the Blue Dragon, which looked imposing even from a distance, with a feeling of despair.
...I don't think it's possible to defeat this. I think the best thing to do is for everyone to run away as quickly as possible, but what are the captains going to do?
When I looked around, an amazing sight came into view.
Umm? …Why is Captain Quentin facing off against the Azure Dragon at a distance of about 10 meters?
Well, in a way, it's amazing!!
Facing the Blue Dragon in such an overwhelmingly unfavorable situation, with no hope of victory, would take someone with an average nerve. It's so scary, so I was surprised Captain Quentin could even stand up. ...If it were me, I'd run away at full speed. If you die, you're worthless. As expected, Captain Quentin's way of thinking was so different from mine that I couldn't understand!
As I was thinking that, frowning and looking at Captain Quentin, Zavilia flew over and landed on my shoulder.
"Those two are a pair. They must have come here to look for a lot of food before breeding. ...But that strange knight is really strange, huh?" (Zavilia)
Zavilia sighed in exasperation.
Well, that strange knight is Captain Quentin, right?
"It seems that monsters and humans have equal weight in his mind. He's willing to sacrifice his own life to protect his familiars, you know." (Fia)
I looked in surprise and saw that the dragon had the griffin pinned down under its claws. And now Captain Quentin was facing the dragon, ready to attack.
Oh, our captains are so wonderful, right? Captain Zachary has no intention of abandoning his only subordinate. Captain Quentin has no intention of abandoning even his family. I think those Captains are wonderful!
"No, Fia, that's not true. They are responsible for all the knights they have led. It would be the height of folly to lose all the rest in order to save one, you know." (Zavilia)
"That's true. But the captains are saving one person, so aren't they planning on saving them all? Even if Captain Quentin can't defeat the Blue Dragon, I think he can at least get the Griffin back." (Fia)
And so, when things really became too tough, they would likely choose to make minimal sacrifices, but they would likely maintain their stance of not abandoning everything until the very last moment. I was sure these two were such captains. That's why the morale of the knights was always high, and everyone trusted their captains.
"Yes, I like that Captain Quentin and Captain Zachary!" (Fia)
I said it out loud without thinking, and Zavilia let out a tired sigh.
"Well, I'm sure those two have some good points, too. And yet, I find it appealing that they throw themselves into battle. ...I have a strong feeling that your future lover, chosen by Fia, will be a hopeless nuisance." (Zavilia)
"Z-Zavilia, stop casting strange curses!!" (Fia)
Words had power, so what if you kept saying them and they would become true?!
I shook my head to shake off Zavilia's_ curse, then checked everyone's location again. A five meter blue dragon had a griffon pinned under its feet, and diagonally behind it was another blue dragon of a similar size. Captain Quentin was positioned 10 meters in front of the blue dragon, and now Captain Zachary was standing next to him. And far behind the two captains were about 15 knights and 10 familiars.
The saints... I can't see them, so I wonder if they're run off somewhere, huh?
…Yeah, I guess they're at a disadvantage, huh?
Although both Captain Quentin and Captain Zachary were strong, they clearly did not have enough personnel to take on the two Blue Dragons. Just as I was wondering what he was planning to do, Zavilia called out to me.
"...Fia. I never told you, but I used to be the Blue Dragon." (Zavilia)
"What?!" (Fia)
Suddenly, an unexpected conversation came out and I couldn't help but stare at Zavilia.
"A-Blue Dragon?! Huh? H-how, did Zavilia have a past life?! Ah, no, wait. I've heard that dragons live for a thousand years..." (Fia)
"Yes, a dragon that has lived for a thousand years is reborn as a black dragon. That is me." (Zavilia)
"Heh……" (Fia)
"So, I know I'm being selfish, but if possible, I don't want to fight the Blue Dragon." (Zavilia)
Zavilia muttered softly, looking as if he was having difficulty speaking.
It was the first time I'd heard Zavilia said he didn't want to do something.
If I deny this, I'm not fit to be huh friend, right!
"Of course, Zavilia! Leave it to me!!" (Fia)
If he was originally a Blue Dragon, then to Zavilia those two were of the same species, right? Certainly, he wouldn't want to fight them.
I smiled to reassure him that everything was okay, but Zavilia just looked downcast.
"Sorry, Fia." (Zavilia)
No, no, I can't let Zavilia be depressed. I had to do something to make sure that the situation didn't turn out like "Zavilia's absence led to bad results."
I'll do my best! ...I thought to myself, when I noticed Captain Quentin moving in front of me.
"Huh?!" I stared in surprise, as Captain Quentin took a running start, leapt into the air, and at the same time unsheathed his sword, slashing at the blue dragon that was holding the griffin captive. At the same time, Captain Zachary moved and attacked the Blue Dragon from the opposite side of Captain Quentin.
It's fast! And the swordplay is sharp!
I couldn't help but stare at the attack, which was much sharper than I'd imagined.
In particular, Captain Zachary was a greatsword user. The first time he used his sword, he couldn't just increase his speed. In order to maintain the momentum of the sword, it was important not to stop the sword, but he skillfully changed the direction of the slash and continued swinging the sword.
Wow, he's an expert. And to be able to keep swinging that heavy sword, he must have incredible strength.
Watching with admiration, I noticed that every few times he landed a really good hit.
"Wow, Captain Zachary! What a barrage of critical hits!"
The knights were shouting, but no, this was physical strengthening.
Although it was not yet in its complete form, Captain Zachary seemed to be acquiring a sense for strengthening his body through his many battles.
I was truly impressed.
Z-Captain Zachary is amazing...
Even though it's not complete, it's the first time I'd seen someone who has mastered physical strengthening by themselves. He had an overwhelming sense for it, right? I wondered if this kind of person was called a genius?
Captain Quentin also worked well with Captain Zachary to slash at the Blue Dragon. Captain Quentin's sword was a bastard sword, longer than normal. He held it in one hand, then shifted to both hands, delivering a critical blow. Continuing to be attacked, the Blue Dragon fought back by swinging its tail, but the captains were skillfully dodging them. The enraged Blue Dragon instinctively lifted its leg that was holding the Griffin down halfway up... and taking advantage of that momentary gap, the Griffin took off!
Yay! Now the griffin is free from its restraints!
The griffin was obviously injured, but it didn't leave the spot, and instead moved behind Captain Quentin, flapping its wings in the air.
...What a brave familar!
I could imagine that Captain Quentin's love for his familiar was intense, so this was a gift of that love.
That's great, Captain Quentin! Your love will be conveyed to those who understand (monsters only)!!
The blue dragon, having missed its prey, seemed to be in a very bad mood. Now that it was no longer bound by the need to keep the griffin under control, it would be free to move about freely. I was also curious about the other blue dragon waiting behind.
As if by agreement, the captains scattered to the left and right and ran towards us.
"Let's withdraw! Archers, mages, and familiars, provide support! Everyone, withdraw quickly while keeping an eye on the Blue Dragon!"
The captain and the others ran up to the knights, then turned to face the Blue Dragon again and drew their swords. It seemed that they intended to act as rear guard and protect the knights to the end.
Wow, these captains are really handsome!
In order to not let the captain and his subordinates' heroism go to waste, he and his fellow knights sprinted as fast as they could to escape without getting hurt. The familiars I brought with me gathered around the blue dragon, drawing attention to themselves and helping the knights escape. The archers and mages also came to their aid.
Just as they thought they might be able to escape, one of the blue dragons flapped its wings straight up into the air. Then the other one also flew up. Griffons and other winged familiars tried to block its path, but were blown away one by one. The two blue dragons quickly closed the distance between us and the ones fleeing.
"Hey... the Blue Dragon has come!!"
One of the knights shouted the obvious in fear.
The blue dragon came over our heads and then swooped down. Although they were running in the same direction, at some point, a certain distance had formed between the knights. So it was clear that the descending blue dragon was targeting one knight—me.
...I looked up at the sky and saw an endless blue sky and an approaching dragon with its mouth wide open, revealing its gleaming fangs.
Ah, this is bad――――……
I got bitten...
Bracing myself for the impact, I instinctively stiffened my body, and a blue shadow passed in front of me.
"Fia!!"
Was it Captain Quentin or Captain Zachary that shouted?
Before I could determine whose voice it was, an explosion occurred in front of me, sending up a cloud of dust. Even in the thick cloud of dust, a large, black shadow was clearly visible.
"Ahh... Zavilia..." (Fia)
Appearing in a position to shield me from the blue dragon, was a large and beautiful black monster. It was a legendary monster, the Black Dragon...