Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

I couldn’t hide my surprise at the suddenly engraved inscription behind me and the Dragon Slayer.

I thought only the Dragon Slayer was an outsider in this fantasy realm, but it seems this side is no different!

Moreover, it felt like what had just been inscribed was closely observing us.

…I couldn’t help but think it might just be a voyeuristic patient.

If the inscription was made suddenly like this, it seems the Record Keeper had determined that to eliminate the Dragon Slayer’s anchor, a kiss was necessary.

No way, isn’t that a bit too much?

How long has it even been since we met to be talking about ‘kissing’?

Besides, someone else is clearly watching us.

“Huh?”

Others might have collapsed from exhaustion, but Bell…

“My body is becoming transparent again!”

…Damn it.

Whether it was a divine trick or not, Bell had returned to the original world, leaving only the Dragon Slayer and me together.

「…You can’t be seriously thinking of doing that, right?」

I heard the voice of the Gardener mixed with incredulity.

Would she dare to do that?

And the Dragon Slayer came down partly to experience the ‘romance’ in the human world.

Wouldn’t it be better for her to remain here instead? I could even ask her to help defend Rondan as a favor.

“…Haha, I don’t know who you are, but that seems a bit…”

I turned my head, thinking that the Dragon Slayer would certainly feel the same, only to be horrified.

She had a somewhat embarrassed expression, much like when I grabbed her horns before.

Hey.

Don’t do that.

Get it together! Hang in there!

Noticing my gaze, the Dragon Slayer jumped in surprise and punched the inscription.

When she removed her hand… the letters left by the Record Keeper had vanished.

“…Huh?”

Was it really possible to erase this?

I stood there blankly for a moment, wondering if this was a normal occurrence.

「…Have you really reached the point where you can erase even the Record Keeper’s words?」

The Gardener was also taken aback.

Right? This isn’t something that should be normal, is it?

This is the first time I’ve seen an outsider erase the Record Keeper’s engravings!

The Dragon Slayer, having performed such an extraordinary act, breathed heavily, then suddenly turned her gaze toward me, a shocked expression on her face.

And then she quickly turned away.

No, why.

What on earth is going on?

Maybe she interpreted my surprised stare as something strange, as the Dragon Slayer stammered.

“…It’s fine.”

“Huh?”

“Well, if that’s what you want… then, just for a moment! It’s okay… But instead, the time….”

No, crazy outsider!

You should be denying it here, why are you affirming it!

I desperately tried to ignore the astonished voices of the two outsiders echoing in my head.

“I’m not afraid of kissing at all! It’s just! You, you’re a human, right? You could get burned by the fire I emit. I just meant I need time to let that out first….”

The Dragon Slayer’s words, pointed at me with a finger, gradually lowered in volume, ultimately becoming a mumble.

No, must you do it even like that?

There’s nothing worse than being forced to do something you don’t want to do.

I felt that if I left it as is, the Dragon Slayer would continue to spiral out of control, so I reached out to stop her.

“Calm down! Clearly the Record Keeper is just messing with us. Ignoring his antics is better for our mental health. We’re not that close anyway, and we were just fighting until a moment ago.”

As I cut off her spiraling thoughts firmly, the Dragon Slayer’s face, which had been flushed red, started to return to its original color.

See? If we didn’t mediate like this, she wouldn’t be able to think rationally.

I cut the timing just right.

Seeing the Dragon Slayer’s expression turn serious as if reflecting on her actions, I thought we were through with this.

“We should tend to those who have collapsed. They all seem sturdy enough, so I don’t think they’ll die….”

As I said this, my gaze fell upon Asti, who was lying down.

She was the one who had shown me that unknown power.

What on earth was that white hand?

It was definitely not within the range of power a person could wield.

As the Gardener mentioned, is Asti also related to the outsiders in the end?

Or… is she being threatened under the name of a contract with the outsiders?

I thought that was a bit too far-fetched, but still.

With limited information, it was impossible to know anything.

To find out, I need to hurry back and gather some information.

Just as I thought that and stood up to support the others back, it happened.

Thump.

Before I even realized my wrist was grabbed, my body was suddenly pulled back hard.

When I regained my senses, I saw the Dragon Slayer pressed closely against me, looking up with her lips pursed, and just as I tried to say something, her face got closer.

Her tightly closed eyes, that pure white skin.

And above all, the warmth spreading from her lips and the strangely floral scent.

What is this?

What’s this sensation?

What am I doing right now?

「…!!!」

「Woof! Grrrr…。」

There was another loud noise in my head, and my mind became a mess.

While my rational side didn’t register it, my instincts seemed to react, and my heart began to race uncontrollably, flushing my face with heat.

And soon, as I began to grasp what was happening, the Dragon Slayer slowly fell back.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one affected; the Dragon Slayer also panted, and we exchanged stunned glances.

I thought the embarrassment would push us apart, but she remained close, covering her mouth with her hands and staring down at the ground.

“…Is a deep relationship… not okay?”

She spoke with words that seemed to pull my sanity away.

Ah.

This can’t be happening.

Leydan Tanton.

I’ve become a man who seduced an ‘Outsider’.

#

“Wow, I can really ride a dragon…. It’s way bigger than I expected. The feeling of the wing bones moving beneath me is also quite fascinating.”

“It feels like riding on the back of something I thought I had to eliminate for sure. There are no words to describe it. Its entire body is dark purple, which seems a bit creepy too.”

Riding on the obedient dragon provided by the Dragon Slayer, we were flying near Rondan.

Those people were talking as if they were dragon riding.

The broad back, and when seen up close, those creepy wings.

In my eyes, it looked like ruffians being carried on the back of a fragile Dragon Maid.

“Disciple, you seem deeply lost in thought. What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Are you unwell? Should I treat you like last time….”

“Haha, I’m fine….”

As Muyun and the White Mask looked at me with concerned gazes before returning to focusing ahead, I unconsciously ran my fingers over my lips.

‘Yes, you’re the one at fault! You just carelessly touched my horn… And now… having even stolen my lips, take responsibility!’

I recalled the Dragon Slayer’s image, who had talked back with a tone of unjustified accusation after forcibly stealing my lips.

It had happened so suddenly that my heart hadn’t calmed down yet.

This was undoubtedly Leydan Tanton’s body responding.

It couldn’t be otherwise…

「She liked it.」

At that moment, a brusque voice echoed in my head.

「Why? Just go and live happily with that romantic being, right?」

The Gardener’s suddenly aggressive tone left me feeling somewhat awkward.

No, why is this happening?

Typically, this would be the time for playful jests and light jabs, but today felt particularly persistent.

“Ugh, jealous?”

“What?! Why would I be jealous of her…”

“I wish a human would just pet me too….”

“Don’t compare me to you…!”

Even Bell, caught up in this, looked confused as well.

She seemed particularly on edge today.

Or perhaps it was because she wanted to do ‘that’ with the Dragon Slayer herself?

“Ugh… Enough, you flirt!”

The Gardener went suddenly quiet.

What a strange outsider, I really don’t get it.

Now that my thoughts had calmed down a bit, I looked at Asti, who was still sleepily lying there.

She seemed to be in good health, given her tranquil expression.

I did say earlier that it was a wild thought, but the circumstances do add up.

Then it also made sense why she would attack me while asking me not to hate her.

“Asti….”

It seemed I had more and more to think about.

If I go back, there’ll be a lot to do.

I figured tomorrow, I needed to summon a Cook and eat something first.

Wait, would the Dragon Slayer react to that too?

…Eh, I don’t know.

What’s more important than embarrassment is satisfying my appetite.

If I can enjoy the delicious food from my hometown, I’m willing to take the risk.

After all, all I could think about was wanting to rest soon.

I had only taken one day off, and I’d already met the Princess and eliminated the Dragon Slayer.

Isn’t this already the level of being a fallen human?

Ah, I meant to go home to sleep.

My eyes began to close.

“…Sorry, I’m going to lean on you for a bit.”

“Yes, good night, Master.”

With the sound of the Dragon Maid’s voice fading away.

My consciousness began to drift away.

#

“Hehe, you’re doing well.”

There was a woman.

With skin and hair as pale as snow, with red-tinted eyes, and a red mark on her cheek resembling a scar.

The color of her skin was like that of the massive hands that had overwhelmed the Dragon Slayer.

She wore an ecstatic expression in a world dyed bright red, similar to the color of her irises.

“Ah, it won’t be long now. My time is coming.”

That woman spoke, holding something in her hand.

One with brown hair and one with pink.

“Until then, just suffer a little longer for me.”

That woman had the softest voice in the world, yet her expression was the most wicked.

#

As soon as we arrived in Rondan, the obedient dragons that had been carrying us began to become transparent.

Perhaps since the Dragon Slayer’s desires had been fully realized, the obedient dragons were unable to maintain their forms.

The Dragon Slayer was much stronger than the typical outsiders. Still, it was ironic that even her fragments struggled to maintain their existence.

Could it be that there exists a power balance unique to these outsiders?

“Rest well today. It seems you took a little nap earlier too.”

“Yes, Master. I’ll be going in now.”

“Be careful as you enter, Tanton!”

After shaking my hand enthusiastically to the White Mask and Muyun, I hurriedly dashed into the branch.

“Tanton-kun, I didn’t expect you to be gone for several days. Did your meeting with the Princess take a while?”

“No, I was dragged by the White Mask to deal with the Dragon Slayer.”

“What? Wait, what? Did you say you dealt with the Dragon Slayer? Tanton-kun, wait!”

Right now, I didn’t have the capacity to listen to the Branch Manager.

I felt like I might fall apart if I didn’t lay on the mattress immediately.

When I arrived at my room, I locked the door and practically dove onto the bed without a thought of bathing.

I’ll just wash the bed later.

It will get dirty anyway.

Lia walked out from my pocket while holding a potted plant and went near the window.

Maybe because the Gardener had given it to me, but I felt the speed of the dandelion’s growth was incredibly fast.

When I first planted it, all the existing petals had fallen off, leaving only the flower cup.

Now, I could see buds were hanging, ready to bloom again.

Now that it has grown so much, I’m curious to see what will happen.

“Anyway… everyone, sleep well….”

No answer returned, but it felt like there were enough presences around, so I didn’t feel lonely.

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