Chapter 60: Secret Maneuvers and the Dragon King
The enormous dragon, forced into a humiliating retreat before the Demon King’s overwhelming might, beat its vast wings with ragged desperation as it fled through the skies. Leaving the battlefield far behind, it eventually descended into the depths of an ancient forest, where the crumbling remains of a forgotten castle lay hidden beneath centuries of tangled vines and towering trees.
Waiting amid the silent ruins was a woman.
She wore nothing but a microscopic bikini beneath a loosely draped robe, her appearance as shameless as it was bizarre.
It was Orvier.
“So,” she said with an amused smile, “you charged off so full of confidence, only to come crawling back after getting utterly crushed.”
“Shut up!!” the dragon roared, its voice shaking the decrepit walls. “That was some kind of mistake! It has to have been! There’s no way I, who received such power, could possibly lose to the Demon King! Yes… hahaha! That’s it! It was simply too soon!!”
“Oh?” Orvier raised an eyebrow.
“The magnificent power bestowed upon me by that great one is still growing stronger within my body. I was too impatient. First I’ll let my strength mature… and then I’ll kill the Demon King! With these very claws, I’ll avenge my father—”
“Sorry,” Orvier interrupted with a dismissive shrug. “But you’re no longer of any use.”
The dragon’s enormous golden eyes narrowed into murderous slits.
An indescribable killing intent exploded from its body.
It was enough malice to make any ordinary human collapse on the spot, trembling uncontrollably while losing control of their bladder and bowels. The pressure alone could have driven lesser creatures mad.
Yet Orvier merely shrugged again, utterly unfazed.
“Dragon King-sama didn’t give you power because they believed in you.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “…Well, that’s not quite right. Maybe ‘expected something from you’ is a better way to put it.”
“What… do you mean?”
“You’re nothing more than vegetables growing in a field.”
“…What?”
“They fed you power, nurtured you, and let you grow nice and fat… all so you’d be delicious when the time came to harvest you.”
“…!?”
The dragon’s colossal body began trembling violently.
Its confidence evaporated in an instant, replaced by naked terror.
The proud beast that had moments ago proclaimed its vengeance now desperately lowered its head.
“N-No…! I don’t want to die! I haven’t avenged my father yet! I can’t die now!!”
“I don’t exactly enjoy this either,” Orvier replied quietly. “But this decision came from none other than Dragon King-sama.”
“——!!!!”
Suddenly, the dragon sensed something behind it.
A presence.
A horrifying, impossible presence.
Its entire body froze solid.
“…Mmm… I’m… hungry…”
“D-Dragon King!?”
Without anyone noticing her arrival, a young girl who appeared no older than ten years old was standing directly behind the dragon.
Her platinum-blonde hair shimmered like liquid moonlight, falling to her shoulders. Crimson eyes, heavy with perpetual drowsiness, stared straight at the dragon without a trace of emotion.
She wore absolutely nothing.
Yet rather than indecent, her naked body possessed an almost divine purity, as though clothing itself would have diminished her sacred existence.
Panic consumed the dragon.
“I-I can still fight! My subordinates may be gone, but I swear I’ll kill the Demon King with my own claws and repay the kindness You’ve shown me—”
“…Thank… you… for the meal…”
“…Eh?”
The next instant—
Half of the dragon’s body vanished.
Simply… vanished.
Where its right side had once existed remained only a grotesque bite mark, as though an unimaginably enormous mouth had taken a single bite from reality itself.
Standing nearby, the little girl called Dragon King slowly chewed.
Crunch.
Crunch.
“G-GAAAAAH!?”
“…Mmm… delicious…”
“Y-You… you bastard!! I’ll tear your throat out—”
Crunch.
With another sickening, wet sound, the dragon’s head disappeared entirely.
There was no struggle afterward.
No scream.
No resistance.
Only silence.
The Dragon King swallowed.
“…Gulp… Thank you… for the meal… But… I’m still… not full… Orvier…”
“Yes, my lord.”
“…Your arm… give it… to me…”
“…As you command.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Orvier drew her sword.
Then she pressed its blade firmly against her own arm.
Grinding her teeth as agony twisted her features, she forced the weapon deeper.
Bone snapped.
Flesh split apart.
Blood poured onto the ruined stone floor.
Suppressing a groan of unbearable pain, she completely severed her own arm before kneeling respectfully before the Dragon King.
Holding the freshly severed limb out with both reverence and submission, she bowed her head.
“Please accept this humble offering.”
“…Thank you… Nom… munch… gulp… …Burp… I’m… full now… Time to… sleep…”
“As you wish.”
Having devoured every last piece of Orvier’s arm, the Dragon King simply flopped backward onto the ground, spreading her limbs into the shape of a starfish.
Moments later, gentle, peaceful breathing escaped her lips.
She had fallen fast asleep.
Watching the sleeping face that looked no different from that of an ordinary little girl, Orvier quietly cast a healing miracle upon herself.
Her missing arm regenerated little by little.
“No matter how many times I do this…” she muttered with a weary sigh, flexing her newly restored fingers. “…you never get used to that kind of pain.”
Then her eyes shifted toward a nearby pile of collapsed masonry.
“And Arcia… how long are you planning on hiding over there?”
“My god, you’ve seriously got something wrong with your head, Orvier.”
A woman stepped reluctantly from behind the rubble while keeping as much distance as possible.
It was Arcia, the former royal court chef.
“You chopped off your own arm and served it to someone like it was today’s special. That’s not sane. That’s completely insane.”
“Oh? So you were watching.”
“I couldn’t exactly ignore those chewing noises. Listening to bones being crushed together with flesh is enough to haunt anyone forever.”
Keeping several cautious steps between herself and Orvier, Arcia glared at her.
“I’m never forgiving you for using me… and while we’re at it, I’m definitely not forgiving you for cutting my arm off either.”
“Fair enough,” Orvier admitted with surprising ease. “Though to be precise, using you to eliminate the Saint was only a side objective. My real goal from the very beginning was freeing Dragon King-sama from the seal beneath the capital.”
At the very end of the operation, she’d made a single miscalculation.
The master of the Assassin’s Guild had launched a relentless pursuit.
Every one of her subordinates had been wiped out.
Even Orvier herself had suffered injuries.
And yet…
Everything had gone according to plan.
To prove the innocence of the young man named Eight, the Temple had mobilized nearly all of its personnel.
That distraction had created the perfect opportunity.
While everyone’s attention was elsewhere, Orvier had quietly broken the ancient seal imprisoning the Dragon King beneath the royal capital.
Better yet…
The Temple still hadn’t realized what had happened.
No one knew that Orvier’s true objective had already begun moving steadily toward completion.
“All that’s left is breaking the seals imprisoning Dragon King-sama’s eyes, claws, horns, scales, wings, and tail throughout the world. Once that’s done, my goal will finally be achieved.” A confident smile spread across Orvier’s face. “And when that happens, I’ll grant whatever wish you have.”
“…Anything?”
“Within reason,” Orvier laughed. “World destruction is off the table. That would make all the blood, sweat, and effort I’ve put into this rather pointless.”
“…Then… what if I wanted an entire country?”
Orvier merely shrugged.
“Easy enough. Creating a nation where every citizen obeys you without question and everything unfolds exactly according to your ideals? That’s child’s play.”
“Boss Orvier!” Arcia exclaimed, instantly bowing with theatrical enthusiasm. “Starting today, I’m officially your loyal underling!”
“I’ve always appreciated people who are honest about their greed.”
It was then—
Ignoring Arcia’s shameless grin, Orvier suddenly turned her gaze toward the distant horizon.
Her expression sharpened.
“…Arcia. I’m heading out for a little while.”
“Huh? W-Wait, Boss!? Where are you going?!”
“It seems there’s a woman who might become an obstacle to today’s plans.” Orvier calmly adjusted her robe. “I’m simply going to remove her.”
“W-Wait, wait, wait!! What if the Dragon King wakes up while you’re gone!? If she asks me for an arm, what am I supposed to do!?”
“Don’t worry.” Orvier waved a hand dismissively as she walked away. “Dragon King-sama only likes prey that’s large enough to sink their teeth into… or tender women whose flesh is rich with holy power.”
“…Those conditions don’t make me feel any safer!!”
And so, for the next several hours, Arcia found herself trapped in the abandoned castle alongside a Dragon King who feasted on human flesh.
By the time Orvier finally returned…
The overwhelming stress had burned a hole in Arcia’s stomach.
And she had developed a perfectly round, coin-sized bald patch on her head.