The 5000-year-old Herbivorous Dragon-Chapter 45 - A bleak burnout

“Rēko… I’m a little tired… Let me sleep a while…”

After we turned the embodiment of the berserk magic power dragon into dust, Rēko’s excitement didn’t settle down easily. Sitting astride me and revelling in the victory while we were continuously swivelling in the air, she kept on matching my screams with her roars. Rēko probably didn’t think I was screaming. She might have mistaken that I felt like singing happily in a choir. Because of that, I had to perpetually experience the terror of the skies.

As soon as the long flight came to an end, my knees immediately gave way and I pleaded for sleep in a caterpillar-like posture. With a quiet thup, Rēko hopped off my back and ran up to my face.

“Please accept my apologies. I caused you trouble without thinking, making the Evil Dragon Lord devote the words of encouragement for the likes of me. Please rest to your heart’s content.”

“No, I’m not tired because of lecturing you… Yeah… I guess it doesn’t matter… Good night…”

I acutely felt like the fire of my soul was about to burn out. I was extremely drowsy. When I closed my eyes, a soothing, shining waterfall filled landscape of dreamland beckoned me to――

“Hooray――! You did it! You really did turn Lady Rēko back!”

Foomp, Lady Saintess threw herself and clung to my face. Her face was gleaming with joy, but behind her back Rēko’s eyes were shining dazzling blue.

“Water demon, the audacity when the Evil Dragon Lord is trying to rest! I will have to kill you after all.”

“Kiss me? Ehehe, Lady Rēko, even if you returned to normal, that’s a bit too much. Ah right, maybe now we can play together at the festival?”

Heck, this wasn’t the time for me to explore the gently misting rainbow waterfalls of dreamland. The vast expanse of alternate reality occupied by Lady Saintess’ mind was much more serious. If it continued on like this, those dazzling misty waterfalls would be fountains of blood instead. However, no voice of reason came out of my lips - the fatigue enveloping my body had absolutely no consideration for my fervent efforts.

Only Lady Saintess’ screams and Rēko’s shouts echoed in the plains for a little while. Screw it; thinking so, I laid flat on the ground. It should be fine. She looks like she’s fooling around with a friend.

“Rēvendia, resting is fine, but don’t sleep. You look like you really might die if you fall asleep like this.”

“… Nn. I appreciate it.”

While Rēko and Lady Saintess were playing tag, Ariante walked in front of me. After clearing her throat in a stiff manner, she lightly touched my arm with a clenched fist. freℯ𝓌e𝚋𝐧𝘰vℯl.𝐜𝚘𝗺

“Not bad. Unexpectedly, your efforts were fitting of calling you an Evil Dragon Lord.”

“Do you really think so from the bottom of your heart?”

“No, not really.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Your screaming was similar to a dying lizard.”

“Not similar, but exactly like one.”

Ariante folded her arms and laughed. I responded with a hoarse laugh of my own.

“Still, it looks like you got a little bit better at babysitting. That girl seems to be even more attached to you than before.”

“You grasped even that?”

“I don’t know the concrete details, but compared to before the volume of her magic power has increased. Probably because her faith in you has deepened, the amount of strength she’s able to control has grown too. Incidentally, in my estimation it’s by roughly more than three times.”

For a while silence descended between us. When I hung my head down in embarrassment, Ariante held the bridge of her nose and murmured,

“You really went and did something outrageous now, didn’t you?”

“I only wanted to cheer her up a bit…”

“What exactly did you say?”

“You’re my kin, so you can do it as long as you try.”

“That has to be a godd*mn joke. Looks like she really can do anything.”

Far away in my field of vision the fierce chase of Lady Saintess by Rēko was still unfolding. If one were to exclude the glittering dagger she held, it was the very appearance of children merrily playing a game of tag.

“Well, it’ll probably somehow work out. Despite appearances, she’s surprisingly holding it together.”

Boom, the flames exploded and Lady Saintess rolled right over to us with her eyes spinning. She passed out, but it appeared there wasn’t any significant damage. As I thought - she might not be aware of it, but I could see she bore moderation in mind.

“Let’s leave it at that for now.”

“Yeah, I also think it’s for the best.”

Rēko, who came back with satisfaction written all over her face, climbed onto my back and clung to me tightly with her whole body.

“Evil Dragon Lord, I am grateful for before. The words this vassal of yours received, I will not forget a single phrase till my life comes to an end.”

“For some reason I feel uneasy, for the time being could you repeat what you memorized?”

“『As the kin of my omniscient and omnipotent great self, you also are the possessor of an almighty power. Until the day we cast the foolish Demon King into his eternal prison and rule over the world, let us walk the path of dominance together.』”

The speed at which she altered her memories was amazing. Just where did exactly the promise of not forgetting it for your whole life go? Ariante too, please stop looking at me with eyes half-believing what she had said. I’d never have been able to come up with that.

“You also said that I am like a grandchild to you.”

“Ah, you remembered that one right.”

“I think it would be presumptuous for the likes of me to call myself as a dependant of yours, even so, I was happy. Somehow it feels very comfortable.”

“Yeah, me too. I’m happy if you think that.”

“Yes, in which case, let us make haste to bring down the Demon King.”

“Could you try and put a little more order into the cause and effect of the conversation? My comprehension isn’t able to catch up with your speed.”

Then she began her fervent speech filled with determination about defeating the Demon King. While I was listening to Rēko’s voice, who was orating her exaggerated and reeking of blood speech, I had been nodding my head, each and every time saying “no” or “you can’t” and―― before I was aware, I fell asleep like that.

After that, with my personal dreamland shattered, I made terrible noises throughout the nightmare I saw, where Rēko was riding on me and we were charging at the Demon King.

Note: In japanese it was a perfect homophone written in different characters, read as chuu suru, which means to execute and to kiss repectively.