Three Black Dragon Kings?

By the time Fritz realized what had happened, the shattered remains of the Lich lay scattered before him.

The end had come in a heartbeat.

In the span of a single blink, First had vanished, reappearing only after he had carved the Lich’s body into a dozen pieces.

“Wait, what?!”

Fritz’s voice escaped him just as the butchered Lich began to laugh.

“Ka-ka-ka! Do you really think an Attack of this level could affect one who has claimed the power of immortality?”

“No,” First replied flatly. “It’s already over.”

“W-what...?”

In the game, Automatic HP Recovery was constantly active for this enemy. It was impossible to defeat without dealing damage that exceeded its regeneration rate. On top of that, it unleashed spells of devastating power and possessed lethal physical strikes—an opponent truly worthy of the title of a former Demon Lord.

However, the gashes First had carved into its form were not closing.

“Did you truly believe such a pitiful level of resurrection would work against me?”

“M-my body... it’s crumbling... I haven’t... I haven’t taken my revenge on the Hero and his party yet...”

“I see. Then your defeat stems from the fact that you neglected to train your own Meat while preoccupied with such trifles.”

First turned his back on the creature.

As he did, the Lich disintegrated into sand, leaving behind a massive Magic Stone, a heavy staff, and a few stray bones.

“We shall take this Magic Stone back as proof that the Black Dragon King has been subjugated.”

“Wait, wait, wait! No matter how you look at it, that was a completely different enemy!”

“No problem.”

I see nothing but problems, Fritz thought, though he sensed it would be wiser to regroup with Yuri before arguing further.

“Fine. If we’re going with the ‘Black Dragon King’ story, we should probably let Yuri know, right?”

“Indeed. We shall inform him immediately! Do not dally!”

With that, First completely ignored the one-way path. He marched toward a solid, featureless wall and began digging a hole with his bare hands.

“Can I ask why you’re digging?”

“Because I can sense Yuri-sama’s presence in this direction!”

“Okay, but wouldn't it be faster to just go outside and walk there normally?”

“Are you a fool? The time spent traveling to the surface would be a total waste.”

“Digging a tunnel is a bigger waste of time!”

“No problem. If I dig at a speed equal to a walking pace, the issue is resolved.”

“...That resolves nothing. In the first place, there’s no way you can—"

Before Fritz could finish his protest, First had already vanished into the depths of the wall.

By sheer force of will, he fulfilled his promise of maintaining a walking pace through the rock, tunneling straight toward the source of Yuri's presence.

◇　◆　◇

Several hours had passed since we started the Dragons’ Boot Camp.

My stomachache had completely cleared up, but the White Dragon God’s sagging belly was still going strong. I had to harden my heart and continue the training if I wanted to fix it quickly.

Suddenly, a massive hole opened in the ground, and First emerged from the dirt.

“Yuri-sama. I suspected I would find you here.”

I was a little surprised he had come up through the floor, but then again, the man was elusive and unpredictable by nature. I suppose some days just called for tunneling.

“Did something happen?”

“I have returned from defeating the Black Dragon King,” First declared, his voice brimming with confidence.

I looked at the girl currently struggling through her diet right in front of me. Since the real Black Dragon King was occupied with cardio, it was easy to imagine First had found a different Dragon entirely. Or perhaps he had just killed something with comparable power.

First is surprisingly impulsive sometimes, I thought as I pointed toward our captive.

“Oh? Why is the White Dragon God in a place like this?” First asked.

“That’s the Black Dragon King,” I corrected.

“No, no. No matter how you look at it, she’s white, isn't she?”

Fritz had finally climbed out of the hole, sounding exasperated. However, First’s eyes began to gleam with a strange intensity.

“Indeed, this is the Black Dragon King. So long as one claims the title of Dragon King, they must possess power on the level of a Dragon God.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about anymore,” Fritz muttered.

“So,” I asked, “what kind of thing did you guys actually kill?”

“It was made of bones,” First said.

“I see. A Dragon Zombie or something similar? I suppose if it was a Dragon of the Dark Attribute, it’s only natural you’d mistake it for the Black Dragon King.”

“It was a Lich. It had absolutely nothing to do with Dragons...”

Fritz looked like he wanted to scream, but Emilina quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

“W-what are you doing?!”

“That thing was likely an even more troublesome enemy than the Black Dragon King,” she whispered. “Instead of making a scene, it’s better for everyone if we just agree that it was the Black Dragon King and leave it at that.”

“...I see. So that’s why you two are being so insistent about it. But wait, then where did the actual Black Dragon King go?”

“I’m not sure,” Emilina replied. “But since she hasn't appeared on Yuri-sama’s Magic Power Detection, she must not be nearby.”

Fritz looked back at the training field, his expression deadpan. “Anyway, what on earth are we even watching right now?”

“The sight of a Dragon God being forced to run laps,” she said.

“I really don’t understand any of this.”

Regardless of their confusion, the grueling special training continued until the sun began to sink below the horizon.