The 5000-year-old Herbivorous Dragon

Chapter 9 – A pitiful elephant — and other matters

Translator: Luk2048

It was pretty obvious, but there was absolutely no way I’d win against that giant elephant monster. The reason for me acting as if I were motionless wasn’t a show of complacency, but simply my legs have frozen from fear.

However, the same thing could be said about the opponent.

“I beg ya, let me off. I promise I won’t ever again go after humans. I’ll return to my native forest.”

The elephant monster completely forfeited his fighting spirit and curled up before me. Even though he was trying to look small, his body was still far bigger than my youthful form. But he was doing his best to look like a small puppy.

“Erm, you—”

“Eek. Please Big Boss, at least let me off from the usual eternal hell course. Not letting me die while burning me in hellfire of darkness, furthermore tearing me apart piece by piece, just to finish off with drawing my soul out and making me serve as a slave for eternity, this I’d definitely hate. Kin lady, please help me out here.”

Rēko answered with cold eyes.

“Stop unsightly pleading for your life before the Evil Dragon Lord. Your fate is already in the Evil Dragon Lord’s hands. Consider the very right to hold life dear as no longer yours.”

“Wait a minute, Rēko. Just what are you saying?”

“As a show of small benevolence, I’ve taught this beast his path to the underworld.”

There are limits to confusing someone’s path. To begin with, I’ve no intention of sending him to the underworld. Why do I’ve to argue back and forth about vainly taking a life? In the first place I told you to bring a weak one, so what’s up with that elephant, you no good Rēko.

Measuring his strength with my power of insight, he was at the level that needed a dozen first-class adventurers to take him down. His intelligence was also high enough to speak, while in addition no one knew what his racial ability could be.

“You.”

“Please, please at least my life!”

“For now, as you just mentioned, return to your forest. However, no more doing bad deeds.”

“I-is that okay?”

I nodded in a dignified manner. After all, even if I only trained with him, I’d just wind up dead.

After I calmly followed with my gaze the causing earth tremors quickly running away elephant, Rēko came over and knelt down.

“I’m terribly sorry, Evil Dragon Lord. After all, one of such level was way too weak, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

I already couldn’t say anything else. Anyway, I decided it was still too soon to accumulate actual combat practice.

“Rēko, you can ride on my back. It seems there are no monsters nearby that could be my sparring partners. Let’s take our time searching slowly for an appropriate training place.”

Doing as she was told, Rēko immediately jumped on my back and sat down. Just a young girl wasn’t heavy, but still, there was some weight. There was a few days’ worth of luggage, along with claw weapons and armour.

If I ran with it attached to me — I should be able to develop some physical strength.

I took a deep breath, and started running across the vast land with my four legs. I was desperately trying to breathe out calmly from my covered in scales nose, so that Rēko would in no way be able to realize that I was running with all my power.

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“Aaaaaaaaaaa———!!!”

“Too slow! Run faster! You think that your legs will fall off?! Don’t worry, even if they will its fine, as long it’s less than five seconds! I’ll immediately attach them again, so be at ease and run till they fall off!”

In the still scarred by fire town of adventurers Peryudōna, one rickshaw and a cart was running around wildly. Pulling it was just one person with one passenger, along with a large mass of debris.

“You must be lucky! Since no matter how much you pick up, there will still be some left!”

“Uoooooooooo———!”

“Answer with words, you fool!”

“Ughh!”

After being hit with a scabbard, a gold haired boy pulling the rickshaw raised a scream.

It wasn’t child abuse.

It was Raiotto and Ariante, working to restore town while training at the same time.

“Sheet! What the hell, teacher! Even though you said you’d teach me, to make me do something like pulling a cart!”

“Nonsense! If you want to become a warrior, first you need to build physical strength! Especially you, since you don’t have even a trace of magic power, you’ve no choice but to fight with that body of yours! First off, build up your endurance by running till you die! No, first try dying once!”

“So you’re saying, but it was this way all day long since morning! I’ll really die! Let me rest a bit or I’ll die!”

Town residents were laughing while mercilessly stuffing debris onto the cart. Not even one of them was showing any signs of mercy. And then, sitting at the backseat Ariante asked adding insult to the injury.

“Hey brat, do you know why restorative medicines or white magic exist?”

Raiotto answered while out of breath.

“—― To heal injuries and illnesses, right?”

“Wrong.”

At that time Raiotto felt a shiver down his spine.

“Morning, afternoon, evening. Even if you keep tempering your body diligently every day and every night, without any sleep or rest, it’s a convenient tool to barely keep you from dying. Be glad, there are still a great number of skilled people in this town.”