Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 48: Favorite Treasure-Announcing Dragon
“Here, Witch-sama. Eat, eat.”
“Ugh, it’s such a waste…”
Inside a massive cave dug into the side of a breached dam, the Dragon Witch was reluctantly eating Gremlins while holding back tears. She hesitated to consume the sparkling treasures she had gathered with such effort, but her adjutant, the chubby man named Kintarou Zaizen, urged her on.
This was part of the Dragon Witch’s battle preparations.
Dragons possess internal flames that allow them to unleash powerful fiery breaths. However, these flames serve another crucial function:
The digestion of Gremlins.
Dragons consume Gremlins, melt them down with their internal fire, and circulate the liquefied remains throughout their bodies for self-enhancement. Their breath becomes stronger, their flight speed increases, their physical strength grows, and all of their bodily abilities—agility, dynamic vision, and even magical resistance—are heightened. This is why dragons are considered among the most powerful of all monsters.
“I hear the Arataki gang coming here possesses magic stones. If you hold back and lose, it’ll all be for nothing.”
“I know that. But my treasure will shrink.”
The greedy dragon looked at the mountain-range-like piles of gold and silver treasures spread across her nest and hesitated to eat even a small mound of Gremlins. She was not eating enough.
Zaizen desperately coaxed and persuaded her.
“Witch-sama, think of this as an investment. You eat the Gremlins, crush your enemies, and obtain the magic stones. You love magic stones, don’t you?”
“I do, I do! I love them so much! Ugh… This is an investment. An investment…”
Convincing herself, the Dragon Witch reluctantly devoured the necessary amount of Gremlins. As the Gremlins coursed through her massive body, her red scales began to emit a faint magic glow, and her intimidating presence grew.
The pouch sparrow Zaizen carried for message delivery fainted inside his chest pocket, unable to withstand the overwhelming aura of the dragon. Though loyal, the bird could endure its flight instinct against the dragon but not the sheer pressure. A truly tearjerking effort.
Now prepared, the Dragon Witch lumbered outside her nest. Leading her security forces, she headed toward the Saitama Prefecture border. From the Belluna Dome stadium, now with a completely ruined roof, a lone witch approached.
She was a woman in her forties, dressed in a loose black kimono, with a horse’s lower body. In her right hand, she held a drawn sword.
“Oh? A familiar face. Uh… Kiwada?”
“Ah, it’s been a while, Dragon Witch. Looks like you’ve had a warning from the Seer mage, huh?”
With a sultry smile, the centaur-like witch Kiwada faced the Dragon Witch, who was surrounded by her security forces.
But the Dragon Witch’s gaze was not on Kiwada herself. She was fixated on the magic stone clenched in Kiwada’s left hand.
“I’ve heard about your invasion plans. Drop the magic stone, your head, and all your waist accessories, and get lost. Oh, and the sword too. Do that, and I’ll let you go.”
“You talk big. You’re a troublesome witch. But do you really think you can defeat me while I hold a magic stone? I’ll give you a piece of advice—surrender. I’ll put in a good word with the boss for you and your little followers. You like a world ruled by power, don’t you?”
“I do. But in that world, the Blue Witch is queen. It’s suffocating. The world as it is now is the most comfortable for me.”
“Is that so? Is that so…?”
Kiwada’s smile changed.
It was no longer a playful grin but the feral smirk of a beast eyeing its prey.
And it wasn’t just a metaphor. The very air trembled.
The magic stone-enhanced energy coursed through Kiwada, crackling in the atmosphere and sending ripples through the surroundings. Leaves and gravel on the ground vibrated, and unnatural whirlwinds twisted into being.
The Dragon Witch remained unfazed. She crouched slightly, leaning forward, and filled herself with magic power and murderous intent.
As the air grew suffocatingly tense, the security forces and Zaizen quietly took a step back and whispered among themselves.
“Uh, excuse me. Can I say something?”
After a brief hushed discussion, Zaizen raised his hand and shamelessly declared, representing the visibly intimidated security forces:
“We’ve had a change of heart. We’ll side with the winner. As long as it’s a strong person who protects the citizens from monsters, we don’t care who’s on top.”
“WHAT!? ZAIZENNNNN! YOU TRAITOR! I WON’T FORGET THIS!”
“Ahaha! I don’t hate that kind of attitude! In that case, get out of the way, you weathercocks!”
Kiwada laughed as the security forces tossed their weapons aside and fled at full speed.
Then, she lowered her sword and lunged forward with explosive force, officially igniting the battle.
Before Kiwada’s blade could reach her, the Dragon Witch spat out a large Gremlin and chanted a spell over the scattered stones beneath her.
Kiwada slashed down at the Gremlin at the center of the formation, attempting to cut the rock-winged gargoyle in half in a single stroke. However, her sword was halted by its astonishing toughness, managing only to slice halfway through its torso.
She swiftly withdrew her blade and slashed multiple times, but the gargoyle crossed its arms to block the attacks. In retaliation, it kicked at her.
Kiwada caught the kick with her front legs but was sent flying several meters back. She landed heavily on all fours, cursing.
“Damn, it’s tough! You magic-power freak! How much energy did you pour into this thing!?”
“Stay down there and play! I’ll burn you from above!”
Circling in the sky, the Dragon Witch let out a triumphant laugh and unleashed a blazing crimson breath upon the ground.
From the front, the powerful golem charged at Kiwada. From behind, a scorching tsunami of fire bore down on her.
Caught in a pincer attack, Kiwada clicked her tongue and cast another spell.
“The way of the Rainbow Step, learned from the Wind of Ketenele!”
“What—!?”
Kiwada’s legs glowed for an instant, and she launched herself into the air.
She looked down to see if the gargoyle was following, but it simply flailed its stone wings in frustration within the inferno.
“What, those rock wings are just for decoration!?”
“No one told me you could fly!”
“Well, I didn’t mention it, did I?”
The Dragon Witch panicked as Kiwada chased her through the sky.
Flapping her wings, the Dragon Witch burst through the clouds and accelerated, but Kiwada kept up the pursuit.
However, even with her magic stone-enhanced aerial movement, Kiwada couldn’t match the Dragon Witch’s speed. Slowly but surely, she was being left behind.
In an aerial battle, the Dragon Witch had the advantage.
Kiwada not only struggled to keep up but also had to dodge the erratic fire breath the Dragon Witch spewed at her, which put a strain on her movements.
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She attempted to close the gap by kicking off the clouds with forceful strides, but the distance remained unchanged.
Kiwada furrowed her brows, sheathed her sword, and raised both hands toward the Dragon Witch.
“No choice. If I amplify it even at this range… The way of the Bird’s Drop, learned from the Rainbow of Gyodo!”
An invisible wave of energy, amplified by the magic stone, surged toward the Dragon Witch.
She suddenly felt as if an enormous weight had been pressed down on her from above, causing her to plummet and lose speed.
However, her glowing red scales canceled out the unseen force, and she quickly regained her posture.
“Gehh!?! Ughh! Y-you weakling! That didn’t hurt at all!”
“Not falling!? You’re stubborn, huh! I learned how to take down a bird Nyanka from Ukoiro Niji and Gyodo!”
“Gah-buh!? I told you, it doesn’t work—”
“I learned how to take down a bird Nyanka from Ukoiro Niji and Gyodo!”
“Bokeee!!!”
The dragon witch, forcibly brought down three times, crashed into Lake Tama near the battlefield, sending up a massive pillar of water.
She crawled onto the shore, spitting out water through her nostrils, paddling like a dragon instead of a dog. Shaking her massive body, she scattered the water droplets before taking a few steps back. In front of her stood Kiwada, sword at the ready. Seeing her, she paled and swallowed hard.
“A-are you sure? If you stay there, I might just burn you up.”
“At this distance, I can cut faster than you can breathe fire. You can’t even bite me, can you? And of course, I won’t give you time to chant a spell either.”
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“Ughhh…!”
“With one leg missing, you can’t fight me in close combat. Surrender.”
“……”
“Say something already. Hm?”
“…Something.”
“Huh? Oh, trying to buy time? You’re planning to have that gargoyle attack me from behind, aren’t you? If you don’t surrender in five seconds, I’ll cut you down. One… two…”
“Grrr…!”
“Three… four…”
“I-I surrender!”
Kiwada, wearing a sadistic smile that suggested she’d rather just kill her, was struck by four ice spears to her side just as he was about to hear the words of surrender.
Thrown off balance by the unexpected ambush, she instinctively turned to the side.
There, hiding in the bushes, were the security team and Zaizen, who had supposedly thrown down their weapons and fled.
“Do it, Witch-sama!”
“If you can’t finish her here, you’re just a lizard!”
Hearing the security team’s jeers, Kiwada hurriedly turned her gaze forward again.
What she saw was the dragon witch, eyes gleaming with greed, grinning wickedly as she ignited a searing flame deep within her massive jaws.
“A great discovery! ××××! It seems fire burns when mixed with Jin-ga, doesn’t it, Nashinka?”
“Shit—!”
A dragon’s breath, enhanced by the Gremlin running through her body, layered with flame magic.
A blindingly bright crimson heat ray engulfed Kiwada.
Her blackened silhouette writhed and twisted in the flames, crumbling apart before their very eyes.
When the breath finally ceased a few seconds later, all that remained was a small, smoldering pile of white ash.
Kiwada had been burned to death.
“Hmph! Weakling! That’s right! I really am strong! Gahahaha!”
The dragon witch laughed triumphantly as she stomped over to the pile of ash, snorting to blow it away.
There, amid the embers, lay a glowing magic stone.
All magic stones were once meteors. Unlike Gremlins, they possessed extreme heat resistance, having survived atmospheric entry. Not even a dragon’s fire could melt them.
Drooling with delight, the dragon witch quickly stuffed the still-hot magic stone into her belly pouch and danced with joy. The security team and Zaizen gathered around her, chattering excitedly.
“I thought she was a sharp witch, but she’s actually pretty dumb. I can’t believe she fell for such a simple trick so perfectly.”
“A trick? …Oh. Zaizen, you’re really competent, aren’t you? I knew that. Of course, I trusted you all along.”
“Oh, I’m honored. Witch-sama, your acting was so convincing. It really looked like you believed I had betrayed you.”
Zaizen chuckled, his plump belly shaking with amusement, and the dragon witch, looking a bit awkward, chuckled along.
Meanwhile, the security team rudely spat on the pile of ash that had once been a witch and flipped their middle fingers as they laughed.
“Idiots. Like hell our Witch-sama would lose to some weakling holding onto a magic stone.”
“Exactly! Strength is her only redeeming quality, after all.”
“To be fair, if Zaizen’s plan hadn’t worked, we would’ve lost…”
“Well, Zaizen is basically the witch’s external brain. So, technically, it’s still her solo victory.”
“Yeah? Maybe so.”
Though it had been a hard-fought battle, the result was a flawless victory—no casualties, not even injuries—against a witch who wielded a magic stone. The dragon witch, exhilarated, heard Zaizen clear his throat before making a suggestion.
“Witch-sama, shouldn’t we go help the other witches? We could get even more magic stones.”
“Mmm… I’m exhausted. Tonight, I’m going to sleep cuddling my magic stone. Tomorrow, I’ll go attack those trash heaps again and rescue more poor little magic stones. One per day!”
“Understood. Then, I shall take care of guarding the territory in your absence. Well, if a witch or wizard shows up, I’ll surrender immediately, but I’ll make sure you can take it back easily afterward.”
“Do as you see fit. Yaaawn, I’m going to sleep now. The rest is up to you.”
“Good night, Witch-sama.”
Zaizen bowed politely and watched as the dragon witch lumbered off toward her nest.
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Kidnapping, wasting resources, theft—the dragon witch did whatever she pleased on instinct alone.
But she was incredibly strong.
If not for the Blue Witch, she would be the most powerful force in the Witch Assembly. Among transcendents, she stood a head above the rest.
As long as the dragon witch remained, her territory would be secure.