203 Four Dragons

We barely had time to enjoy the village’s hospitality before we were trudging back into the forest.

It was already evening. We’d been told to take it easy and start tomorrow, but I figured the sooner we got this over with, the better.

Sure, I was tired, but my training hadn't been soft enough to let a little fatigue stop me.

Marching through the woods on zero sleep was practically a daily routine for us.

I took the lead, with Tura and Lilith following close behind and Biado sandwiched in the middle.

Olynn brought up the rear, her Mana Sense sharp and ready for anything.

I wanted to say things were going smoothly, but of course, something was already wrong.

A Bell Bear lunged out from the trees.

It looked like a standard bear, but its body was infused with mana, making it unnervingly tough.

Biado whipped out his sword and let out a panicked shout.

"T-this is bad! This thing is—"

"Yeah, I see it."

One strike with my Dual Sword and the bear was history.

It split down the middle and slumped to the ground in two very distinct pieces.

"Lilith, Tura, stay sharp. Olynn, keep that radar of yours scanning."

"Understood."

"Got it!"

"On it. But something’s definitely wrong here. The miasma is getting thicker."

Biado froze in his tracks.

Lilith looked back at him. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"...No, sorry. I just... I didn't expect you to take it down in a single blow."

"Weiss-sama is in a league of his own," Lilith replied matter-of-factly.

"Ah, clearly. Still, the villagers said there weren't any monsters around here. This is strange."

He was right.

That monster shouldn't even be in this habitat.

Had it fled from something, or was it drawn here?

Given that there was a dragon involved, my money was on the former.

The real problem was that I couldn't feel the dragon’s mana at all.

Back when I fell off that cliff, I’d sensed a massive presence immediately.

Now? We were closing in on the source, and I was flying completely blind.

Dammit, Noblesse Oblige. What the hell are you playing at?

We pushed forward in tense silence.

A few more monsters popped up, but we dispatched them without breaking a sweat.

To her credit, Olynn didn't start screeching every time we saw a monster.

She was actually pretty level-headed when it came to judging a situation and knowing what needed protecting.

I can respect that.

Unlike me, she’s motivated by a sense of justice, but she’s way more pragmatic than Allen, which makes her much more likable in my book.

As we neared the objective, I dampened my mana as much as possible.

We crept forward until the roar of the waterfall finally reached our ears.

"Weiss-sama," Lilith whispered, "is it even possible to be this close and not feel any draconic mana?"

"It shouldn't be. If even Olynn’s sensing isn't picking up a ping, something is seriously abnormal."

But one possibility did cross my mind.

...Though it shouldn't be possible.

I stayed low and focused on the waterfall.

I wanted to use Dark Eye, but the mana levels were too erratic to risk it.

Through the intermittent spray of the waterfall...

I saw something extraordinary behind the curtain of water.

Nearly transparent, colorless scales.

It wasn't actively harboring mana, yet it projected an overwhelming aura of sheer dominance.

Those massive talons brought back memories of the terror I'd felt once before.

But then I realized something even worse.

"...This is—"

Olynn must have seen the look on my face because she hurried to my side.

Being the monster nerd she is, her face went just as pale as mine.

"Weiss... is that...?"

"Yeah. One of the Four Dragons... the Water Dragon."