第１０８２堀：ゴブリンとドラゴン (Part2)
"Then, once this job is finished, I'll show you around."
For me, having another "tasting volunteer"—or as I call them, a sacrificial lamb—is a blessing, so I’ll definitely be showing them the ropes. Even Comet and Firia, who are like parents to me, will press their hands over their mouths and flee the moment they sense Alfin approaching with her endless barrage of sweets.
Don't get me wrong, I was happy at first. Even now, the first bite is always delicious. But everything has its limits. That was the first time I truly felt like my entire body had turned into solid sugar.
"Are you feeling the tension of the situation, General Steve?"
"Huh? Oh, well, I mean, it is a dragon, after all."
Yikes. I can't exactly tell him I was busy calculating how to trick Alfin into feeding her sweets to Gaul-san. Yeah, that’s it—I’m just staying focused and tense because of the dragon right in front of us!
"Tight spaces are a real pain, too. When the room to maneuver is limited, it puts us smaller folks at a disadvantage."
"Haha, you jest. If you and your men were to unleash your full strength, a dragon of that size would be nothing more than a target."
True, if I got authorization to use heavy weaponry, taking it down would be simple. But this is a former mine. If we start blasting away in here, the tunnels are bound to collapse. I’m not worried about dying in a cave-in myself, but if that happens, the water source could be destroyed. The amount of time and effort it would take to restore it… and more importantly, the penalties for failing the mission… Ugh, just imagining it is terrifying.
This is bad. I need to pull myself together.
As I steeled my resolve, the exit of the tunnel came into view.
"Alright, Gaul-san. The target is still sleeping, but can I leave this to you?"
"Yes, leave it to me. Though, I am only here to talk. I shall leave the protection to you."
"Understood. Leave it to us."
I replied, double-checking the positioning of my subordinates. Everyone was already in place, ready to move at a moment's notice. In this scenario, I’m the one standing on the front lines shielding Gaul-san, so I’m the most likely to end up dead.
Still, why is a General personally escorting a VIP? Shouldn't that be the job of a dedicated guard unit? I really need to ask the Boss for more personnel.
With that thought firmly in mind, I stepped into the dragon’s lair. There was no ceiling; the blue sky stretched out above us. Well, it makes sense—a giant like a dragon can only enter this underground clearing by descending from above. There’s no way it could fit through those tunnels.
And more importantly…
In the corner of the clearing lay a pile of rusted armor, along with bones, bones, and more bones. Those were the remains of the survey teams and adventurers who came before us. Man, what kind of sick joke is it to encounter a dragon during a simple water source survey? Even with proper preparation, very few people survive an encounter like that.
I guess that’s the reality behind all those heroic tales—they’re built on a mountain of sacrifices. I suppose I should be grateful that the death toll is only this high so far.
Ah, wait. We might just be adding our own remains to that pile.
Just as I was thinking that, the dragon sleeping in the center of the clearing snapped its eyes open.
*“...Humans again? You lot have been awfully noisy lately.”*
Its voice was laced with irritation. Well, anyone would be annoyed if their peaceful slumber were interrupted. Still, it only noticed us after we dropped our guard, so it’s a pretty dim-witted dragon. I suppose that’s the level of strength I expected, so I should be happy about that, at least.
*“I’m tired of you pests. Die.”*
Whoops, it just started breathing fire without a word. Time to defend…
"Leave this to me."
"Understood."
If Gaul-san wants to handle it, I’ll stay out of the way. Besides, I doubt that level of fire would do much damage anyway. Still, just in case, I’ll put up a magic barrier and watch the show.
"Katsu!"
Oof. I was bracing to defend against an enemy attack, but my own ally hit me with a *Katsu* that sent me reeling. Incidentally, the dragon’s fire was blown away by that single shout. He must have released a burst of magic to disperse the dragon’s magical flames.
Man, that’s a real "breath-killer."
"Oops, my apologies."
"No, that was an eye-opener."
While we were chatting so casually, the dragon whose breath had just been dispersed looked on in shock…
*“W-what…?”*
It actually said the line. Ah, man, the Bosses back at base must be clutching their stomachs laughing right now.
Goblins and a dragon. Sounds like the title of a picture book, doesn't it? I feel like this is a first.
Anyway, good luck with the negotiations!