“………Uu………!”
Her face became flushed by embarrassment with an almost explosive rage building up underneath, but by exerting her entire body and her pride, she somehow managed to keep it down. She didn’t like her tone, but Faceless was right. If she talked back here, she’d have to deal with the shame over and over again. But she couldn’t just obediently thank her, and as she was fretting, the voice of Jin Russel came from the cliff above her.
“Asuka-san! So you were okay!”
“Jin-kun………!”
Jin made his way down on the broken root of a tree. Next to him was Pest in a maid outfit.
“………Kasukabe-san and Leticia aren’t with you?”
“T,That’s right. We were staying at the same lodge, but………”
As he gave a vague reply, his shoulders drooped. She looked at the reserved Pest questioningly, but she did not return Asuka’s glance, and silently looked at the night sky covered in storm clouds.
“………Jin. It would be best if we leave soon.”
“Eh?”
“The contract is in effect, so it would be problematic if you died, and I do intend to protect you, but─────guarding you against that will prove difficult even for me.”
Even with a composed and collected look, beads of cold sweat appeared on her face. Puzzled, everyone looked up at the sky and then.
“─────GYEEEEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaEEEEEEEEEYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaa!!!”
─────What they saw was a scene from mythology. The massive dragon’s roar that shook heaven and earth rang across Underwood. Its scream was impossible to understand in a human language, but it demonstrated its overwhelming presence. Hit by a roar that could’ve blown out their eardrums, they just stared up in amazement at the sky.
“J,Jin-kun………that just now was,”
“A pure blood dragon………! It can’t be, why is the strongest class down here………!?”
The words he spat out were filled with fear. They’d seen all sorts of miracles after coming to the world of the Little Garden, but none of them could even compare with this extraordinary presence. Emerging from the thick storm clouds was the figure of a dragon whose size was on a scale of monolithic proportions. An icy chill ran down Asuka’s spine, but she clenched her teeth shut and suppressed her trembling.
“………Jin-kun. Let’s go look for everyone. Izayoi-kun aside, I’m worried about them.”
“O,Of course.”
Jin nodded in response. Finding a barely usable staircase on the rocky surface, everyone began to run for it, but Pest pulled them back by their sleeves.
“Jin, stay close to me.”
“P,Pest?”
“─────It’s coming!!”
Pest’s voice tensed up. The night sky followed up with a spark of lightning. The dragon that had emerged from the storm clouds let loose a roar; its scales scattering like buckshot all over Underwood. The scales then transformed into huge serpents, salamanders, and massive five-tailed scorpions. Against these summoned rabid beasts attempting to overrun Underwood, Asuka raised her Gift card in preparations for battle.