The Former Demon King

The Black Dragon King consumed Substance X, and the effect was instantaneous. Thick white smoke vented from its scales as its massive frame began to dissolve.

Slowly, the draconic form shrank and shifted, molding itself into a human shape.

When the smoke cleared, a pale girl with long, silver hair lay on the ground. She had lost consciousness, though her body still reflexively retched, spilling more of that Substance X from her lips.

She wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, so I immediately spun around.

While I kept my back turned, Fee moved in to dress the Black Dragon King.

"Does this actually count as a subjugation?" Elu asked, her voice tinged with doubt.

"Um... it might be a case of mistaken identity. Or rather, the wrong Dragon entirely."

Elu had a point. Despite being called the Black Dragon King, the girl was as white as snow. Even my Appraisal results were displaying her name as White Dragon God.

Then again, there was always a chance Appraisal was glitching. If this wasn't the Black Dragon King, it raised the question of where the real one had gone. Or perhaps I had simply overlooked the possibility that the soldiers had mistaken a Black Dragon for a White one from the start.

Regardless, the threat had been neutralized. If we kept this routine up for a few more days, the quest for the White Dragon God [Black Dragon King] would be officially complete.

The rest just depends on how hard she’s willing to work, I thought.

I gave a dry, pragmatic smile and splashed a handful of cold Water onto the unconscious girl’s face.

"Hah?! W-what happened?! If I recall, I came here to eat, and then a Demon..."

"You’re awake? Good. Let's get back to the training."

"Hieee! A-A Demon?!"

"How rude," I said. "I might look like this, but I'm just a normal person."

"I-I suppose that’s true. You certainly look the part, but... then why?"

"Well, now that you’ve had your Cooking, it’s time for the next exercise."

"I—I have no memory of eating anything yet!"

"You just finished," I countered, pointing to the ground. "Look, the plate is right there in front of you."

The girl caught sight of the faint purple smears of Substance X remaining on the dish and let out a blood-curdling scream.

"This is actually working out well," I noted. "It doubles as practice for Fee’s Cooking."

"I-I just want normal food—"

"Fee’s Cooking is perfectly normal."

"No... someone save me..."

Elu watched with a wry, pained smile as I forced the reluctant girl back into her grueling regimen.

◇　◆　◇

The trio of First, Emilina, and Fritz had been scouring the area for the Black Dragon King, a search that had somehow led them deep underground.

"I really don't think there's going to be a Dragon down here, you know?" Fritz complained.

They were currently navigating a Dungeon that bore a striking resemblance to the Ancient King's Tomb.

First, however, remained undeterred. "True, a Dragon couldn't fly without a view of the sky. But we haven't found it anywhere else. Doesn't it stand to reason it would be hiding in a place like this?"

"No, it doesn't. The only things hiding down here are Undead, Dragon Zombies, and other Monsters of that ilk."

"Exactly what I was hoping for!" First declared.

"Don't hope for that!" Fritz barked.

The moment Fritz’s voice echoed through the halls, Skeletons clawed their way out of the earth, surrounding the group.

"I see," First said, his voice dropping into a calm, analytical tone. "Make a loud noise in here, and the Monsters attack."

"Is this really the time for analysis?!" Fritz panicked, raising his Shovel into a defensive stance.

In that heartbeat, the Skeletons were pulverized into fine dust.

"They aren't even enough to entertain me," First muttered.

Fritz lowered his Shovel, feeling like an idiot for even bothering to prepare for a fight. First’s power was simply too overwhelming.

"Hey... are we even necessary for this?" Fritz asked.

"We are likely here to provide a baseline for common sense," Emilina replied with a faint, weary smile.

They followed in First’s wake, and before they knew it, they had reached the lowest floor of the crypt.

"How disappointing," First sighed. "I suppose a Dragon really wouldn't be in a place like this."

"You should have realized that the moment we started heading downstairs!" Fritz yelled, though his retort was ignored as usual.

"By the way," First said, his expression turning serious. "I mentioned joining his ranks, but which faction does Yuri-sama actually belong to?"

"Yuri is with the Kingdom of Inraku—"

"He represents a Complete Independent State, of course," Emilina interrupted, clapping her hands together happily.

Fritz looked at her with pure exasperation. "There you go, making things up again..."

"No," First said, nodding. "For Yuri-sama, such a thing would be only natural. I expect he will achieve nothing less than world unification."

"Oh, I couldn't agree more!"

For some reason, Emilina and First found common ground and began laughing together. Fritz, left out in the cold, slumped his shoulders.

"Am I the crazy one here? Usually, 'independence' involves actually, you know, building a country, right?"

"On another note... do you think that's the Black Dragon King?" First asked.

His tone had shifted. Standing before them was a Lich clutching a gnarled staff, radiating an aura of absolute malice and pressure.

"No... no matter how you look at it, that's not a Dragon," Fritz said.

"But it looks quite powerful," Emilina added. "Perhaps it's the type that can transform?"

"I see," First said, a joyful smile spreading across his face. "In that case, we'll just classify it as the Black Dragon King and proceed with the subjugation."

Without another word, First lunged forward, his blade whistling through the air toward the Lich.