Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

※2016/5/10 Typo corrections made.

※2016/5/8 Some additions made (details in the afterword).

This is Satou. Influenced by picture books and foreign children’s animation, when I think of magic, I picture an old wizard using a staff to cast spells. My friends who got into fantasy through home consoles deny that, though.

◇

“Is this the continent?”

I asked my companion while surveying the vast wilderness ahead.

“Indeed, the ancient dragon should be somewhere around here. That wasteland must be the scar left by the ancient dragon’s ‘Destruction’ breath.”

Heilong, the black dragon who brought me to the southern continent, said confidently.

Ah, it seems we’ve just entered the southern continent area from the sea zone.

This continent doesn’t have a World Tree, so it’s my first time visiting.

I used the “full map exploration” magic to retrieve information on the southern continent area.

It seems the northern half of the continent forms one map.

The map is called “Wasteland of the Ancient Dragon,” and aside from some villages and small towns along the east and west coasts, the population is sparse.

Apparently, the ancient dragon is more of a rampager than expected.

“Heilong, fly a bit more to the right, toward that ridge visible far ahead.”

“Kuro, your eyesight is sharp. I can’t see that far.”

Well, I can’t see it either.

I asked him to fly toward the bright spot on the map.

—Danger sense.

Following an ominous premonition, I conjured an advanced arcane magic shield in the shape of a horn in front of the black dragon.

Its defensive coverage was narrow, but it was excellent at blocking the black dragon’s breath attacks from the front multiple times.

“What’s wrong, Kuro—”

Heilong suddenly made a sharp left turn mid-sentence.

My view tilted nearly 90 degrees.

In the distance, something sparkled, and the next moment, a black jet passed close to the black dragon’s belly.

It was probably the ancient dragon’s breath.

At this range, the ancient dragon shouldn’t be able to see us, so it must have fired based on instinct.

Still, the range is terrifying.

With a roar, Heilong countered with a breath attack toward the ancient dragon.

Maybe retaliation, but Heilong’s breath didn’t even reach halfway to where the ancient dragon lay before dissipating.

“Hmm, with this, the ancient dragon should have noticed me.”

Heilong said that and resumed the original flight course.

Come to think of it, that seemed more like a declaration of war.

◇

—It seems Heilong’s actions were ultimately correct.

After the retaliatory breath, no more breath attacks came from the ancient dragon’s side.

Soon, we saw the ancient dragon lying on a mountain ridge.

—Huge.

The ancient dragon I encountered in the Mount Fuji Mountain Range was about twice the size of an adult dragon, but this one was on another level.

At least a kilometer long. If it stretched its body straight, it’d look about 20% longer.

I wondered how a living creature maintains that size — probably some magic-related factor.

The ancient dragon’s red scales shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.

“You’re the rampaging black dragon, huh? If you want to fight, wait till daylight. Today’s a perfect day for a nap. Fighting’s fine, but a comfortable nap’s better.”

“Agreed.”

The ancient dragon’s low, vibrating voice made Heilong agree, and he landed on a nearby peak to sunbathe.

They’re pretty laid-back, I thought.

I came here to seek the ancient dragon’s teachings, so I decided to join their nap with a ‘When in Rome’ spirit.

Despite the cold, strong alpine winds and the intense southern sunlight, I could adjust the wind and sunlight to comfortable levels just by lightly enveloping myself in magic power.

Feeling a gaze, I opened my eyes.

According to the clock in the menu, two hours had passed.

Before me was the ancient dragon’s massive profile, its ruby-colored eyes bigger than mine, watching me.

“—Liu Yi?”

“No, I am called Kuro.”

I recognized the name Liu Yi the ancient dragon mentioned.