Chapter 256 – [13th Round] Because of Love~

With the wings of the righteous hero flapping, I flew high into the sky.

If I arranged our battle in the city, its people would instantly be killed.

I’d then hear the system’s annoying voice again, telling me that we’d have to re-record everything from the beginning.

I was a little worried that he wouldn’t follow me, but my dear comrade immediately changed his form from human to dragonian and began his chase.

? Race: Dark Dragonian

? Level: 999+

? Job: Traveler (Travel → Fighting Spirit ↑)

? Skills: Taekwondo ZZ, Dragon Scale ZZ, Fortitude ZZ, Physical Strength ZZ, Fighting Spirit Z…

? Status: Transformation

Though he was able to repel my attack, Noebius’s skills weren’t as high as I thought since he wasn’t in his twilight years yet, which was often the case when I met him. He was just a young traveler right now.

Regardless, his combat power was still great enough to hurt me.

Dragons were a fraudulent race, but Noebius was exceptional even among his kind.

“I think we’re high enough.”

“How nice of you.”

The Noebius I knew couldn’t care less about people and just spewed his deadly breath wherever, whenever, and however, he wanted.

However, his younger version was different.

He was belligerent and inquisitive, but at the same time, he tried to avoid unnecessary sacrifices.

I found it strange.

When buildings were being made, engineers would first negotiate with the landowner and notify the residents near the construction site. However, they never paid any attention to the insects that lived there.

From the perspective of dragons, humans were just microbes.

Therefore, those of their kind who took on human forms and decided to live among them could be normal.

Noebius was acting like that right now. He cared about people.

“You’re completely different from your usual self.”

“And your words remain strange to me.”

“Fair enough.”

Our aerial battle began.

We didn’t try to attack each other from a distance but fought in close combat, using only our arms and legs.

It was time to use the real “power of heroes.”

Their knowledge and experience helped me so much that I started feeling like a martial arts master.

My new ability wasn’t a skill.

Unlike skills, which could be pumped up to MAX rank and then raised to the next level by sacrificing other skills, the “power of heroes” wasn’t even reflected in my stats.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Likewise, my dear friend wasn’t so simple either.

While I absorbed the experience and knowledge of other heroes, Noebius gained his through his long life.

My knowledge was much broader due to the large number of heroes that I devoured, but the data in Noebius’s mind were more combat-specific. Hence, he easily negated that gap.

Our fight proved tough, even though his younger version was weak compared to his maximum potential.

If so…

“Hey, Noebius, how about we call it a day here? We both don’t want this to continue anyway.”

Hearing my suggestion, Noebius stopped and moved away from me.

“You’re right, but I still can’t seem to fathom why my scent’s coming from you.”

Aha! That was the problem.

I answered naturally:

“Because we are comrades. You don’t know it yet, but in the future, you and I will meet and get to know each other.”

“…”

“There is nothing I can do if you don’t believe me.”

“Are you saying you came from the future? That is definitely interesting, but friend or foe, it doesn’t explain why I smell my scent from you. Whether you answer or not does not concern me. I can just find out for myself through combat.”

“Ha! There is nothing I can do if you don’t believe me.”

? Anxiety: Cadet Kang Han Soo…

If we continued at this rate, the scope of our battle would increase exponentially.

I didn’t care what happened to the locals and me, but I would never want to give the beautiful Trainee Teacher any trouble.

I couldn’t bring myself to hurt my secret friend!

“Hmm. A way to prove it, you say?”

***

“Have you started to go bald, my hubby?” Ssosia asked me with a serious tone when I descended to the ground, having agreed to a temporary truce with Noebius.

I put on a helmet to hide all the hair that had fallen out, but Ssosia immediately suspected something was wrong since I usually didn’t wear hats.

“The thing is—”

“Auntie! Look at this, my beloved and respected aunt! My husband isn’t even a hundred years old yet, but he already has a bald spot! Isn’t that a valid enough reason to file for divorce?” Ignoring my words, Ssosia complained to the First Spirit, who notarized our marriage.

But she wasn’t allowed to separate herself from me.

Because of the cold and hard helmet, the First Spirit moved from my head to my shoulders temporarily and busied herself just laughing at all this.

“I’m not going bald, and baldness is not a sin.”

That condition could be acquired from defective hair products or stress. However, while keeping one’s hair healthy was relative to keeping themselves in good shape, its leading cause was genes.

And my father didn’t have a bald head.

Although my grandfather had little hair, the reason for that was his old age. At least, I wanted to believe that was the case.

? Consolation: It’s okay. After all, hair isn’t what makes a man!

‘This isn’t what it looks like, Trainee Teacher!’

“My dear friend from the future, I saw a hidden message on your scales, which complicates things. I’m just a wanderer now. I cannot give you anything in return,” said Noebius, who had returned with me.

I was wondering what the message was, but I didn’t ask about it.

It wasn’t written in a common language, after all.

A dragon’s whole life was recorded on their scales, and by reading his own history on the scales he gave me, Noebius learned what kind of life he would live at the end of his years and what he would feel then.

It couldn’t be explained in words.

“Master N-Noebius?!”

Noebius grabbed Erdanti, who had turned into a human, around her waist and hugged her thin body.

Though surprised by his actions, the green beauty soon rested her head on his wide chest, enjoying the moment.

“Come with me, Divine Dragon Queen Erdanti.”

“Yes! I will follow you wherever you go!

Their relationship progressed quickly!

He was a little assertive, but judging by Erdanti’s heart-shaped eyes, she liked it.

It seemed that the scales that Noebius passed on to me influenced his younger version’s state of mind.

FSHUKH

Spreading his black dragon wings and preparing to fly away, Noebius looked at me and left me with a few words.

“I don’t know why my future self hates humans, the members of his own race, and angels so much. Since you’re from the future, you’re most likely aware of the reason, but I will not ask for it, for I have already stepped on a different path.

“Okay.”

It was unfortunate that I didn’t get any rewards.

“I… don’t know what happened between you, but thanks to you, Sir Hero, my dream has come true. I want to give you all my jewelry, but the cost of the wedding… Oh! In any case, I would like to share my life energy, my power, with you.”

Erdanti, delighted by the sudden turn of events, readily offered me a reward in her poor boyfriend’s stead, who had nothing but a handsome face.

She would definitely make a good wife.

Erdanti’s strength was in life energy.

Through it, she could free one from the bonds of death.

I didn’t know how long its duration would be since the Erdanti before me was just a version that the system created and not the real her, but it certainly wouldn’t be superfluous.

“I pray for your good fortune.”

A bright light enveloped Noebius as he rose to the skies. Soon enough, his original appearance appeared.

It was incomparable to his size during his twilight years, but even now, he was ten times larger than Green Cake and could destroy an entire city with just his landing.

Eridani also returned to her dragon form as she followed him.

Dragons were born hermaphrodites, but that green dragon sounded like she was a woman.

She wasn’t as aggressive as Noebius but rather was as sweet as Green Cake.

“Grrrraaaaarrrr!”

“Griiiihhh!”

The black and green dragons soon disappeared behind the clouds.

Only the blue dragon remained.

Cursed Queen Malfaricia.

Since my senior’s younger version had died, she was now free, but she still seemed unable to move.

“Thanks.”

But it didn’t last that long. Perhaps she just came to her senses a little too late.

“Long time no see.”

“So you are that Hero. Thank you for avenging me and freeing me. Having lost everything, I have nothing to offer you, but I will try to give you whatever you desire as soon as possible. If you want, I can help you earn a reputation for yourself.”

If I defeated her, I would receive the title “Dragon Slayer.”

It was an achievement second only to defeating the Demon Lord!

It was true that my reputation would grow as soon as I killed the infamous Cursed Queen Malfaricia.

But I shook my head.

“What good would it do if I killed you now? If I wanted to do that, I already would’ve done so.”

“That’s true.”

The rest of the dragons had already died in the form of beautiful women.

If they were in their dragon forms, then it would’ve been possible to rip out their hearts and use them for my own gain, but their parts were useless since in human form, except for their souls and abilities, they were no different from humans.

Their bodies slowly made their way back to nature.

The red dragon was enveloped in fire and soon turned into ash, and the blue dragon turned into water and returned to the ground. An earthen mound appeared where the brown dragon fell, looking similar to a grave.

All but their clothes and personal belongings disappeared.

“The same goes for his Holy Sword.”

Because my senior emerged from a woman’s womb, his tattered body didn’t go anywhere.

I picked up the First Holy Sword.

It was a masterpiece. The Dwarf Prince apparently poured his heart and soul into making it.

“Sir Hero, this is a rude request, but if you don’t want my life, could you give me that sword?” Malfaricia asked me carefully.

I answered her with a question of my own.

“Is it because this is the last creation of your favorite dwarf?”

“Before, I would have said that it is not, but yes, it is. I love the works of the Dwarf Prince. His paintings, weapons, sculptures, dishes, rings… I sincerely loved everything he did for me.”

So she wanted to pick up his last piece.

The Dwarf Prince put all his life into creating the “First Holy Sword,” which ultimately resulted in his death by exhaustion.

However, wasn’t all of that my senior’s fault since he was the one who ordered this weapon from him?

Only the victim knew the truth.

“I get it, so I’ll give you a choice. Would you rather have this sword or your dwarf back?”

“Huh? What—”

“Don’t waste my time. Give me a straight answer.”

“Of course, I’d choose the prince… Are you toying with me? Why are you asking such meaningless questions…”

“Because it’s not meaningless at all. Rice Cake!”

My wonderful apostle heeded my call.

The snow-white characteristics of angels emanated from her before, but her glow now had turned emerald. It seemed like the Divine Dragon Queen’s power had influenced her.

The procedure was simple.

I destroyed the First Holy Sword.

They said that outstanding works of art contained the “soul of its creator.”

It was just a pretty expression on Earth, but here in Fantasy, they literally did contain their makers’ souls.

Ego-Swords were common here, which contained someone’s spirit.

If the soul of the Dwarf Prince hadn’t been imprisoned in the First Holy Sword, he most likely wouldn’t have died.

“Oh… I-I thought I was dead for sure…”

In place of the broken Holy Sword, like a monster born of nature, a dwarf appeared.

“Prince!”

“Kh- A hug?! Mistress Malfaricia is hugging me! Am I dreaming?!”

“I will not lose you again!”

Having dealt with the Great Disasters of the Central and Eastern Continents, I had finally completed them, finalizing their positions in textbooks as intermediate bosses.

Ironically, three of them were spoiled by love.

Oh! That applied to me too, didn’t it?

“Hmm? So you do love me after all, my cowardly husband.”

“Shut up.”

The time had come for me to file a complaint to my father-in-law that gave me his daughter, ultimately ending my cloudless life.

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