Atelier Tanaka

Book 1: Chapter 15: Dragon Extermination 5

This is bad. This Ancient Dragon is incredibly dangerous.

The fight with Christina had been going on for quite some time now. The battle started during the day, but the time now is probably close to midnight.

During that time I’ve been flying around shooting fireballs at her.

I’ve had no chance to use the toilet during this fight. Due to the urine in my pants, right now they’re making a strange squelching sound whenever I move.

This battle may seem very fantastical, but the situation in my pants is very real.

“Yo-you’re quite an impressive lizard….”

Obviously, I’ve had no way to keep hydrated during the fight.

As might be expected, I’m incredibly tired.

I’m so thirsty.

“Shut up, you insolent human!”

A large magic formation forms in front of Christina.

The dragon could use several other types of magic in addition to the recovery magic she used earlier. She could shoot fireballs similar to what I use, cause huge storms, or even fire large lightning bolts.

Thanks to this, I’ve been having a hard time so far.

Without my flying magic, I would certainly be dead by now. Though I don’t know how effective flying magic would be at level 1, based on how many close-calls I’ve had with level 55 flying magic, I doubt it would be useful. With a lower level of flying magic, I doubt I’d be able to move around so easily or even be able to shoot the fireball while flying.

“Die!”

This time, there were ten or twenty pillars of ice formed in the sky. They were probably about the size of the main guns on the battleship Yamato. Then, all at once, the ice pillars came flying at me. I could feel my skin start to freeze as they approached me.

I’d like to crush them up and put them in water. I’m so thirsty.

“Sorry but…..I can’t die just yet!”

I feel like the speed of her barrage has doubled.

I create some distance between us and avoid her attack. I casually avoid the ice pillars as I fly through the air. I must look so cool right now.

It’s almost like I’ve become a fighter pilot.

Because I’m so thirsty I have little energy left. So tired. So thirsty. I want to drink a lot.

“Guu, stop running around so much!”

“It’s not my fault you’re so slow.”

I shoot my fireball out after avoiding all of her attacks.

The fireball hits her right on the chin.

“Guuaaaaaa!”

A somewhat cheesy monster scream echoes out through the surrounding area.

That was the 81st fireball.

I’d say I’ve hit about 30% of my attacks. Man, I seriously want to drink something.

After all, it is quite difficult to shoot a fireball while also flying. On top of that, the dragon is flying around as fast as me. Even if the target is big, if my aim isn’t perfect I’m likely to miss.

I probably only need to hit her eleven or twelve more times.

I still need to try my hardest.

This is how my status looks right now.

My stats haven’t gone down at all. The dragon, on the other hand, is barely hanging in there.

If it’s like this, I can win.

I can’t relax just yet; I need to stay focused.

As long as I can endure the stench and discomfort from my pants, I can win.

I’m so close to victory now.

“Y-you bastard……”

“After you acted all powerful before, this is all you’re capable of?”

I unconsciously start acting aggressive.

I actually feel quite good at the moment.

My words seemed to break Christina. She was now just standing completely still.

“Nnuuooooooooooo! Don’t fuck around with me!”

The dragon’s personality seemed to completely change.

That’s when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. The rest of my companions were standing there. At the front of the group was the blonde Lolita.

Despite being at least 100 meters away, the dragon closed the distance in an instant. Does she have some kind of turbo mode?

“Wai….”’

I tried to rush over to her, but the dragon arrived before me.

Why would a dragon feel the need to take a hostage during a fight with a human opponent?

I can’t help but panic a little in this situation.

Inside the massive hand of the dragon was the small figure of Ester.

“St-Stop!”

The blonde lolita let out a scream.

Apparently, she had no time to escape.

We’ve already recovered the liver so why are they still here? Behind the blonde Lolita, the rest of the party could be seen.

I wonder if they were waiting for me.

I’m a little happy, but this may lead to our defeat.

I mean if they had already got supplies from the airship and left they could’ve already had dinner prepared. Sophia-chan is the one that normally makes dinner. I can see it now; the soup boiling in a large pot.

Ah, such a good smell.

Looking at Sophia-chan now, she seems to be incredibly frightened.

The image of the dinner in my mind was shattered by the dragon. The giant gusts of wind created by the dragon’s wings bring me back to reality.

Except for the blonde Lolita, everyone was knocked to the ground and sent rolling.

“Wh-What are you planning to do with her!?”

I chased after Christina yelling this to her. She slowly turned around to look me in the face.

Ester looks tiny in the large hands of the dragon.

It seems like if the dragon wanted to, she could kill Ester with the slightest movement of her hand.

“If you don’t want me to kill this girl, don’t move from that place.”

“…………”

This is the moment where the last boss resorts to underhanded methods.

I have to be smart here.

“…….You’re just a lizard after all. You’re even below a lowly lizardman.”

“Shut up! Do not open your mouth again!”’

The dragon smashed its wing into my side.

Because the blonde Lolita was being held hostage, I had no choice but to stay still. The force behind the dragon’s wing sent me flying to the ground.

“Gyah……”

I could see the ground quickly approaching and then everything went black.

I could tell I was seriously injured. I couldn’t even move my fingers.

I’m in an intense amount of pain.

I didn’t even know someone could be in this amount of pain and remain conscious.

I’m in serious trouble of dying here.

Just barely safe after that attack.

“Re…Recovery….”

My breathing is ragged and I’m barely able to heal myself.

Just standing was difficult. When I was younger I was hit by a car. Even at that time, I wasn’t in this much pain. My vision was turning black. I seriously thought I was going to die after that attack. My pants were ripped to shreds and I clearly lost control of my bowels at some point.

“Haa……haa..….haa….”

My breathing increases with the rising tension.

I’m still in an unbelievable amount of pain.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re all that durable.”

“T-That’s because I’m a normal human being!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! There’s no way a normal human could pose a threat to me!”

We stare into each other’s eyes. One man, one animal.

In the middle of this, the blonde Loli could be heard screaming out.

“…..Yo-you don’t ne-ne-ne-need to be worried about me!”

She’s trying to be brave.

That’s not really fitting for her character.

Either way, it’s not like I can even move in this situation.

I want to do everything I can to save her.

“I can’t do that. After all, we’re members of the same party. There’s no way I can sacrifice a party member. We’ll all return home and have a drink together.”

I answer like a proper gentleman.

Ester’s eyes widen and she tries to speak.

“T-That’s…….I…..I…..”

“No matter who you turn into an enemy, I will never abandon you.”

“……”

But I have no intention of dying here.

If the enemy uses recovery magic, then I will use recovery magic. Recently, in fantasy games, there were spells that could be set on a target continuously. Spells like Reraise and Re-hoimi that I wanted to try my own versions of. (TN: Reraise revives an ally after death and is from Final Fantasy. I think Re-hoimi is from Dragon Quest and it heals after every attack.)

I used the spell similar to Reraise to withstand that attack from a little while ago.

I’ll need my passive magic recovery to be at full power.

I can’t afford to conserve any MP here.

I’m hoping this will make me a bit more durable. Please.

As long as I don’t get one-hit killed, my recovery magic should be able to heal me quick enough between each attack.

There are other things to consider. Like what if I’m crushed by the dragon, but surely I’ll be able to endure that. I have to believe it.

Thank you very much.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

Christina grew confident after seeing my internal struggle.

Damn it.

If it’s like this, I have no choice but to respond now.

I try to hide my true feelings and act as confident as possible.

I must remain completely composed.

For me and for the blonde Loli.

“Fuu….”

I tried to show Ester my bravest smile.

I then slowly raised my hand into the air.

“Bastard……”

Christina’s face stiffens.

Naturally, because I’m focused on my recovery magic, I don’t fly towards her. Instead, I stood there enveloped in a glowing white light. I can feel the magic start to pulsate through me. The magic makes me feel very powerful, it’s the complete opposite feeling of being an unemployed virgin.

“If you’re confident you can defeat me, please do not hesitate.” [Tanaka]

Just by seeing how much my MP has gone down, I can see how difficult continuous healing is to use. Continuous recovery. It uses a massive amount of MP when I focus seriously on it. I can hopefully withstand any attack and have time to recover after.

The day before yesterday, when I used it to heal the damage to my heart after witnessing Team Orgy, my MP was in the same situation. At that time, the noble mage had to rush me to my room. Yet, my heart never recovered.

“Are you wondering what to do? Are you scared of me?”[Tanaka]

“Y-you bastard….”[Christina]

Even after the initial activation of the passive recovery, the spell seems to need a massive amount of MP to stay active. As long as I have it active I won’t have much MP to use for anything else. My MP is recovering slowly, but compared to normal it’s barely even increasing.

Based on the speed it’s recovering, I’d guess it would take all night to fully recover.

That means, by using this I can no longer attack. If I don’t go to a purely supportive role in the party I won’t be able to regenerate any MP. Also, I feel completely exhausted when I’m glowing like this.

“I’m superior to you. I’ll make your death as painful as possible.”

I braced myself for Christina’s attack.

She’s aiming to kill me with her next attack.

I was hit with a multitude of attacks from her wings, tail, and magic.

However, my body was able to withstand it.

I received the wave of attacks, but my health never reached zero. Like a gas gauge on a car constantly in the red but it never reaches empty.

◇◆◇

【Sophia-chan’s point of view】

This is terrible. Ester-sama has been taken hostage by the dragon. As a result, Tanaka-san has been unable to fight back as the dragon beats him relentlessly. Originally, he was only hit and kicked, but now he’s being hit with an endless rain of magic.

Still, Tanaka-san is alive. Is he really human?

“N-Nobleman! Well…..!”

I could no longer hold back and spoke up.

It’s not possible for him to last any longer and, if that’s the case, we need to leave now. Ester-sama was just taken; maybe I’ll be next. Just thinking about this makes my legs shake and I feel like I may collapse.

However, my desperate appeal didn’t even reach the nobleman’s ears.

“Amazing! What absolutely wonderful recovery magic!”

The shouting noble doesn’t even notice anything else around him.

He was staring at the battle between Tanaka-san and the dragon without noticing anyone speaking around him. He wouldn’t even blink, not wanting to miss a second of the battle before him. He must really love magic. Rather, he seems to be a little crazed.

“This is the magic that guy was trying the day before yesterday!”

Nothing will get that nobleman to move from this spot. So, I turned to another party member.

It was the beautiful knight from earlier.

“Umm….A-Allen-sama….”

Allen-sama is the most level-headed one here.

However, I couldn’t speak with him either.

“Ester! W-Why!?”

Allen-sama also can’t think clearly right now. His girlfriend, Ester, has been captured and it’s impossible for him to remain calm. He looks like he is on the verge of crying as he stared at the dragon. Blood began to drip from his hand as he dug his fingernails into his palm.

There’s no way I can convince him to leave.

Sophie-sama was clinging to Allen-sama’s arm. She too was concerned about her friend……Ah, no, she seems much less worried than Allen-sama. It seems like she is just calmly watching the battle between Tanaka-san and the dragon.

I really don’t like Sophie-sama. I turn my attention to another member.

I turned to look at Mercedes-sama.

“Umm…M-Mercedes-sama!”

This girl is seriously a lesbian. So, I really don’t want to talk with her, but because of the situation we’re currently in, I don’t have much choice. It seems she’s higher ranking than Allen-sama. So, if she were to order everyone to withdraw, they’d have to listen.

“Mercedes-sama! There’s nothing we can do to help in a fight like this…..”

I walked to her side calling her name and appealing to her.

“Are you worried? Ah, there’s no reason to be shy. I also feel anxious. It will be fine, just come closer to me.”

“Eh? Ah, wai—”

She grabbed my arm.

Then, she hugged me close from behind.

Why did it become like this?

“Um…..Mercedes-sama, this is…..”

I look down at my feet.

I could feel Mercedes-sama’s knees trembling behind me.

Yet, her arm still held me in place. She’s not holding back at all even though this is clearly sexual harassment.

“There’s no need to be ashamed. Everyone is afraid of something.”

“Hii~!”

Mercedes-sama is still afraid to admit she’s a lesbian, but she has no issue acting on her sexual desires. I can’t suppress the goose bumps on my back as she stroked my chest and butt. This feels terrible. Ah, wai-, just now, was that a finger!? Hii~!

NSFW[Click for the NSFW image that goes here]NSFW

“Pl…Please stop…..Mercedes-sama…”

She must realize it’s possible she might die soon. She’s not holding back at all.

I…I can’t escape; she’s so strong.

This person wouldn’t even know what to do if she were caught. There’s no doubt about it.

“It’s okay for you to tremble. I’ll hold you tightly until the end.”

“No, uh…umm…..”

Tanaka-san, please end it quickly.

End it in whatever way you can. Quickly.

My chastity is in trouble. I-It’s entering…..

◇◆◇

The night passed as Christina continued pummeling me.

I just now noticed the sky was beginning to turn white.

“….Isn’t it about time you gave up?”

This suggestion came from the side being beaten to a pulp.

I know that I won’t die, or at least I think so, but that doesn’t make this any less painful. More importantly, after all of Christina’s attacks, my clothes are now completely gone. In other words, my miserable blood-soaked naked body is now exposed for all the world to see.

I’ve lost all dignity now.

“Guu…..”

Christina responded with an annoyed groan as I took one painful step forward.

It’s understandable that she would be annoyed. After all, she’s been attacking me nonstop for an entire night.

It seems that she’s getting exhausted.

Even if her status is staying the same, she will be getting mentally exhausted seeing an enemy get hit repeatedly yet show no signs of taking damage.

That’s why I have this to say,

“I have a proposal.”

I stand back up and face the dragon.

“……What”

A calm one-on-one discussion finally began.

“From the very beginning, we never wanted to fight with you.”

“…….”

After hearing my words, Christina let out a ‘Guu’ sound.

Rather, it seemed like she was more shocked than anything.

It’s not that surprising considering this has been a pretty one-sided fight so far.

To her, I’m nothing more than an empty can on the side of the road. Yet, this empty can, no matter how many times she stepped on it, it would never be crushed. It’s actually a funny story if you think about it.

“I have no intention of harming you.”

“….You expect me to believe that after this battle has been going on for so long.”

I could see the exhaustion in her body and hear it in her voice.

That’s why I know she’s willing to consider it.

“Instead, I have a favor to ask. Will you listen? It is something that will benefit us both. And we truly do not want to harm you.”

“…….”

Something we need.

A way back home.

A substitute for a now broken airship.

Something capable of carrying the corpse of a Red Dragon.

“Or should we continue this fight until we both can no longer move? If that’s so, I’ll just burn you to a crisp.”

(TN: I genuinely don’t know if this is NSFW or not)

“…..”

“How about it?”

Now that several hours have passed, my MP has recovered considerably.

I conjure a small fireball in my hand near my waist.

It was a signal for her to decide.

“….What is your wish?”

I did it.

The Ancient Dragon agreed to listen.

“I’m sorry to ask, but can you fly with me and my companions on your back?”

“….Aaaah?”

Christina just looked at me, puzzled.

◇◆◇

And our party became airborne.

“This is amazing. As expected of a dragon; the speed of an airship can’t even be compared to this.”

We were riding on the back of Christina to the capital city of the Peni Empire. Of course, the noble mage, Team Orgy, the female knight, and Sophia are all here.

Honestly speaking, the ride is very uncomfortable.

The scales are rather rough and I would do anything to have even a small cushion.

Still, there’s nothing that can compare to this speed.

By the way, Sophia-chan had found some clothes for me in the crashed airship. Her LUC has restored at least some of my dignity.

Though exposing myself publicly wasn’t so bad, but for now, I think it’s best if I cover up.

“If we keep flying at this pace all night we should be able to reach the capital by tomorrow. Even if we stop and take several breaks we shouldn’t be behind our original schedule.”

“I see, so this dragon was really a blessing in disguise.”

The noble mage spoke as he sat with his legs crossed on the dragon’s back. He seems rather calm considering he’s riding on the back of a dragon. He would occasionally reach out and pat the dragon’s scales and seemed to be deep in thought.

Sophia-chan, on the other hand, looks incredibly nervous and I can tell she’s covered in sweat from here. She looks like she’s about to cry. She reminds me of a child that was forced onto a scary ride at an amusement park.

“U-Umm, can we really return to town like this?”

She asked this with teary eyes.

She looks incredibly stressed.

“We don’t have much choice but to use the dragon. Besides, it will be fine.”

She looks somewhat pitiful after hearing the answer.

“…..Really? Is that so?”

She was carrying the liver of the Red Dragon in her hands.

It was wrapped in a small piece of leather and similar in size to a small bag of rice.

The parts of the dragon that could not be wrapped up are currently stored elsewhere.

She’s able to wrap things properly and create leather sacks. She’s strangely suited to being a luggage carrier. The way she pushes forward through teary eyes is amazing. I want to marry her.

“Yes, so please try to relax a little.”

“B-But…..”

Sophia-chan doesn’t seem to relax at all. I want to put her at ease so she will enjoy being in the party more. Maybe she can try talking to the dragon directly?

It does make sense for a woman riding on the back of some strange beast to feel nervous. It’s similar to being asked to ride on the back of some strange man you’ve never spoken with. The only one that seems to be enjoying the ride is the noble mage.

“Dragon-san, this passenger feels uneasy about the journey, can you try talking to her a bit? And don’t talk about your excellent flying abilities, because she won’t care.”

Of course, as the leader of the party, I have to ensure everyone feels comfortable.

I tap on her scales while asking this.

“The man, who I plan to make kneel before me some day, asked me to talk to you. Though I am rather unwilling, I promise to deliver you safely to wherever that man wishes.”

Nice, Christina.

“Is that so?”

“Y-Yes….”

She held the leather bag filled with the liver close to her chest. I’m still afraid she might not be able to handle the stress of flying, but let’s hope that she can hold on a little longer.

“I’ll remember this……human.”

Christina continued to be annoyed.

How am I supposed to respond to that?

The mind I developed from being a company slave my entire life suddenly kicked in.

“Perhaps we should make an appropriate appointment for you so we can talk this over.”

“….”

Absolutely not!? Does that mean there’s zero chance of us talking!?

I’m sorry for making such a dangerous creature my enemy.

How much pain did she cause me in just one night? If the blonde haired lolita hadn’t been taken hostage I would’ve been able to attack properly, but I feel like I’ve experienced enough pain to last the rest of my life.

But it really doesn’t seem like she wants to negotiate.

So, I’ll just need to change my plan.

“Even if we do end up fighting again, I will beat you. Even if I’m at a terrible disadvantage. I will improve more than you can ever hope to. I will never negotiate with you again.”

My level is only in the double digits; while Christina’s level is already in the thousands. The only way she will improve is if she defeats something equally powerful.

“……….”

I stood firm.

And Christina didn’t argue.

It actually felt pretty good.

However, I really can’t tell how much more my recovery magic will improve. I feel a little anxious thinking about it, but it’s not like I can do anything. I absolutely can’t think about that. If I lose my ambition, society will be the one to pay the price.

Ah, I do hate society though.

Maybe I should throw in a few more bluffs to ensure the safety of the world.

“If you ever try to hurt Ester in the future, I will find you. I will never stop until I am able to crush you. There will be nothing left, not even a single bone. I don’t know much about Ancient Dragons, but I know that I can handle one or even two of you.”

I declared this.

“You disrespectful…..”

Is that it? Did she give up?

“Do you understand?”

“…..On one condition.”

“Is that not acceptable?”

Christina’s tone suddenly became suspicious.

I can feel a sense of restraint coming from her when she talks.

I show a smile full of confidence similar to the one I’d show customers when I worked in customer service.

“Tell me your name?”

“What?”

“The name of this lowly human.”

“Eh?”

I don’t want to tell her any personal information.

I really don’t like the idea of her knowing my name. It may be best to use a pseudonym here.

“It’s Saitou.”

Saitou, the strongest legend.

Who is Saitou?

It’s a random name that Christina can chase for all of eternity.

“…..I’ll remember. Even after hundreds of years pass, I will never forget the name Saitou.”

“Eh, yeah. Please remember it properly.”

“Fuhahahaha. You’re insanely powerful. For me to be humiliated like this. I’ve probably never experienced anything like this in over a thousand years.”

She has an extremely long lifespan. Is that common knowledge?

Even more reason for her to go searching for Saitou-san.

The Tanaka route ends here.

“Before long, I will definitely defeat you.”

“Eh, please feel free to try. However, please be sure to always make an appointment. This is a very busy time for us, but I’m sure my boss would be more than willing to talk with you.”

I never want to see you again. This damn dragon.

“Good, at that time I’ll make you clean my scales with your tongue.”

“Sure.”

Clean your scales?

I have no further use for this dragon. Just like a rental car, once we get to the capital I hope to never see this thing again. Be sure to search hard for Saitou-san for the rest of your life. I hate you.

Now that that’s taken care of, I turned back to my original purpose, Sophia.

“Ha~….Hii~”

Sophia seems to be taking deep breaths and has calmed down some.

Mission accomplished.

I’m relieved.

Now she should be fine.

I then look over at Team Orgy. There was the figure of the blonde lolita watching the exchange between Christina, Sophia, and I, with a stern expression. I could see the ikemen trying to talk with her.

“E-Ester? Is something wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just I feel like you’ve been rather distant for some time now….”

“I’m sorry. I’m just thinking about something”

“I…Is that so?”

Did that blonde lolita just apologize to someone?

I feel like this is a rare sight.

Allen’s expression seemed to stiffen after hearing Ester’s words.

“….Ester?”

“Can you please leave me alone for a little while?”

Her behaviour is rather cold.

She doesn’t seem to be showing much affection to her boyfriend.

“Ah, okay. I understand. But if you have any problems, don’t be afraid to rely on me. I’d be happy if you asked me for help.”

“……”

The relationship between the ikemen and blonde lolita doesn’t seem to be going well. I wonder if it’s some kind of fight. It may be Sophie-chan plotting behind-the-scenes again. It seems she has a netori habit.

Well, it’s not like I care about the sexual habits of these riajuu anyway.

I don’t need to think about them anymore.

Both Ester-chan and Sophie-chan are obsessed with that stupid ikemen’s penis. They’re definitely not my type of girls.

I doubt there are any virgins that would be interested in a middle-aged virgin in this world.

“…….”

I will definitely create an elixir of youth.

I won’t lose.

Absolutely.

So my mind turned to the next party member. That lesbian female knight. Mercedes-chan was quietly sitting alone, the complete opposite of Team Orgy. There is something I need to do.

I walked carefully along the dragon’s back before sitting down near her.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

She was clearly surprised and I could see her jump a little from where she was sitting.

“Wh-What are you talking about?”

“I just wanted to express my gratitude to you. I asked you to come with and barely gave you any information. The situation turned out to be even worse than we had imagined. So, I just wanted to thank you for coming.”

She still thinks I’m a criminal. If she were to find out my true identity at a later time it would be bad. That’s why it’s best if I start building a foundation of trust now.

She could also be on the verge of leaving the party. I need to follow up with her to make sure she sticks around.

When I think about it, Mercedes-chan was also imprisoned but I don’t know why. Well, whatever the reason may be it seems it’s been cleared up now as she’s been allowed to walk freely in the noble district of the city.

“W-Well, it doesn’t matter now. I’ll soon be able to return to the capital safely and then I won’t have much reason to complain about everything that has happened.”

“Is that so? Thank you.”

“…..Yeah”

Well, if that’s the case, it should be fine.

Maybe this is due to the fact that we talked for a while before we left on this trip. After all the easiest way to communicate with someone is to talk with them in a normal conversation.

“Once we return to town we’ll still have many things to do, but please be sure to get any wounds you may have treated. Again, thank you for everything.”

“Ah, right…..I understand.”

“Thank you.”

Mission complete.

With the money we get from this, even after splitting it evenly between everyone, I will have more than enough money to buy my house. I could also pay for the damages to the noble mage’s airship. I may have to sell some of the mana stones from the Red Dragon in order to pay for that. Though, from what he told me, he may even be able to create a new airship with all the materials we’ve gathered.

I’m actually feeling pretty good.

I worked hard.

I’m pretty amazing.

A Japanese man can only demonstrate his true value once he becomes a home owner.

Renting doesn’t count.