Chapter 5

Tears of joy were shed by me when the cold wind slaps my reptilian face. I couldn’t help it. Even though the sky wasn’t as bright as I imgined it to be, the handful blinking stars hanging in the dark limitless space were enough to elevate my mood. I fathomed my arms and enjoyed the breeze from my view, standing 30 meters on the ground.

As a firebreathing(Or ice breathing, I don’t know) creature, the cold wind felt pretty bearable to me, but not for Elfina who’s shuddering on her feet. Out of pity, I told Elfina to turn around and not look back until I told her to before opening the Online Store to look for a cape. The beautiful designs of the cape almost got my attention, but I must make haste to provide Elfina with better clothing so she didn’t freeze to death. With careful decision, I chose a cape for her—A black colored cape with lines of neon green on it’s hem—which I deemed as a safer design rather than the other grandiose design which I’m itching to buy although I’m a dragon and I won’t be able to wear that sadly.

“Here you go.” I let the fabric fell over her body.

Astounded, she spared a glance at me before looking at the cape. “It’s beautiful…”

 My heart clenched. At such rare times were I able to meet Elfina—said to be one of the most beautiful elf princesses in the continent, why did I meet her in a time where I’m unable to dress her as I like?

I want to don her with the best outfit I could find in the Online Store—a blinding white illusion body con dress with emroidery of neon green roses on the back and one side, matched with some veils—but I don’t think it’s safe to let her wear a striking outfit when she’s with a dragon. It prevents people from saving her.

“Thank you…” She said, before slowly putting it on.

I nodded as a response. While facing the forest in front of me—towering trees prevent any light from slipping through, I’m overwhelmed to take the next step forward, but I have a strange feeling when I’m with Elfina for too long, and I too, don’t want to see a country destroyed if per chance, the plot still progressed as accordance to the original plotline.

She squealed a bit when I scooped her up with my hand. “Alright, let’s go.”

Elfina shifted on my palm and tilted her head to look at me. “Are we walking like, right now?”

“Yeah.” I stepped through the lining of bushes the height of my knees.

“But…It’s kinda dark, don’t you think?” Elfina expressed her fear by clutching the cape she’s wearing.

Dark? But I can see pretty well though? Eh don’t tell me she couldn’t see a thing?

“Elfina.” I raised my other hand and pointed towards my front, where a rock golem is staring at us with strange eyes. “Do you see that black, obsidian like golem over there?”

The princess flinched and darted her eyes everywhere frantically as if she didn’t see that golem. “G-Golem? At this time?” A great horror masked her quivering thin voice.

Aw heck. I don’t have a great feeling about this.

The golem suddenly presumed a stance and it immediately, literally skied to us.

“Are you serious?!!!” I exclaimed in Japanese. I don’t care if Elfina shot me a strange look, what I know is that golem literally moved like that one ghost in a movie I have watched back in my old world; fast and murderous.

Witnessing the golem getting closer, I stood frozen on my feet. I was about to scream when it came closer, but instead I burst out laughing. This golem indeed looks murderous, but it was just the same height as my waist.

The golem stopped skiing, dumbfounded by me.

Letting more laughter escaped my mouth, I then smacked the golem with my hand, causing it to flew to one of the trees and the tree broke apart and fell, rendering the ground to quake.

“Stupid golem, don’t surprise me like that, idiot.” I mumbled and continued walking.

“T-That…” Elfina couldn’t believe her eyes. “D-Did you just singlehandedly destroyed an obsidian golem?”

Her tone sounded like she just saw something incredible. But I don’t have even the slightest clue of this obsidian golem she spoke of. Really, I should buy an encyclopedia of monsters in this world because the web novel didn’t explain a thing about any monsters. What I do know is that  they explained many common monsters like trolls and goblins, because they played a role in some rescue scenes between the harems and the villainess.   

“That thing? What does it do?” Commented by me in monotone as I sauntered my way through another patch of bushes.

“That- The obsidian golem is known to be among the rarest, yet most dangerous A-class monsters. It can only be found in this forest but that too, doesn’t determine if you can successfully find it or not.”

Elfina is tripping in her words, but I can conclude from the hype she gave me that the rock- ahem, I mean obsidian golem that uselessly cause me a fright is a rare monster.

Wait, if she said rare…

“Is that golem is hunted for materials?” I stopped under one of the trees and turned to look at Elfina below me on my hand.

The elf princess nodded. “Yes. In fact, obsidian golem’s magic steel is the most expensive material in the market right now due to it’s hunting season that had just passed.”

I creased my brows. “Why would the price skyrockets if the hunting season just passed?”

“Ah, well, because they couldn’t fill up the quota. That’s why they’re buying the material in high prices.”

I nodded my head understandingly.

I then buried one of my feet on the ground, again causing the ground to quake a bit, and pivoted my heels before I performed a power dash to get the obsidian golem’s body.

I smell money~ ;P

The golem’s lifeless body entered my view. I have to step through some bushes and remnants of some blocks and even moving vine I don’t know were there before I can even fetch it. The golem’s body is now safe in my hand. I giggled happily.

“Elaine.” I mused. “Can you close your eyes for a moment?”

“Eh?” She blinked.

“You trust me, right?”

Hesitant, she followed my words and closed her eyes.

Quickly, I opened my inventory and threw the dead body in. I wanted to sell the golem’s body fast, but if what Elfina said was true, I’m afraid my body will tremble again from shock.

“Alright, done!” I chirped, causing her to open her eyes.

“Eh? Where is the golem?” Elfina peeked at my empty hand.

I shrugged and pulled a straight face. “Let’s say I used some magic.” I grinned.  Leaving her with no space to wonder, I opened my steps and dashed forward deeper into the forest.

“Now then, let’s gooo!!!”

***

As of now, the 30 meters me is slouching as smaal as I could as me and Elfina hid in between the trees just nearby a village. I can see some of the villagers looking confused and worried at the same time. I can say I know the cause. In front of me, Elifna is trying to straighten her messy hair caused by me running at a fast speed when I looked for somewhere with people. I guess it’s probably because of my stats, but the ground shakes when I ran at about a 100km/h just by foot. Because of that too, the two of us reached an inhabitable village in just half an hour, yet another hour is spent with me trying to make the elf princess gain her consciousness because she fainted from the speed.

Gladly she woke up. The first thing she did was exclaiming a WOW before looking around and saw her hair has completely messed up, so now we spent another fifteen minutes with her tending her hair while we

“Are we done, princess?” I grumbled, my head rest low on the ground as my whole body lay flat, casing me to look like some kind of a weird living hill. I just wished there’s no curious climber trudging through my body at this time.

“Just a little bit more, Suna-sama.” Elfina said softly while she gently caressed her hair until it straightened. Heaving a relieved sigh, she informed, “I am done now, Suna-sama.”

I gestured a thumbs up.

“Alright, you may go now.” I lifted my huge head a bit and jerked it towards the village.

The elf princess shot me a confused look. “Aren’t you-” Her eyes suddenly widened in shock when her eyes met mine.

“Oh, right…” Somehow she sounded sad. She scraped the ground with her beautiful bare feet and fumbled on some strands of her hair as she continued her muttering, “I forgot that you’re a dragon.”

I scoffed. This girl, she’s so kind that it’s kinda sad knowing that she died in the original plot.

“No worries, I guess I better go now-”

“Look, it’s a dragon!” A villager exclaimed from afar. Instantly, some other villagers head straight to me, briging their weapons; some in a form of forks and some are swords and arrows.

They all stopped briefly after stepping quite near to me before little by little, they inched closer.

“No, wait!” Elfina shouted and shielded me. “This dragon will not harm you, trust me!”

The crowd that had completely surrounded my upper half went silent.

“P-Princess?” One of the villagers reaffirmed.

“Yes, I am Elfina Rustaval, Crown Princess of the Rustaval Kingdom. I returned after being saved by this dragon.” Elfina said sounding glad. She then motioned to me while addressing me as savior.

Some of the villagers looked glad, while some others is still confused. But there’s one expression that they made in unison, that is the hostile look they threw me after that one moment.

“The princess is under that wretched dragon’s spell. Kill it!!!” One villager with a shining great swords shouted.

“No, please don’t!” Elfina’s voice sank beneath the villager’s angry voices as the crowd inched near.

I narrowed my eyes before heaving a tired sigh. Gosh, darn it. Every place I go people will always look at me in fear or anger. Like, what did I do to you? I’m not the one razing your grounds, I’m just a unversity girl.

One villager brazenly stepped close to my hand with his fork high up above his head, probably anout to stab my beatifully shiny and scaly hands. Do you think I will let you touch this amazing body of mine?

I clawed my hand on the ground and pushed myself up. Because of my rapid movements, a cold gush of wind slaps their faces and even made them lose balance. After that trance moment, I stood towering them all, thei angry faces now submitted into fear.

So this is what it feels like dominating people with only a gaze. It’s amazing in a sense, but in a span of one day, I’m already tired of being a fire-breathing (or ice-breathing I don’t care anymore) rare creature that people feared.

I internaly sniffled.

I wanna treat my poor and lonely self with some green tea and various kinds of bread.

“Elfina.” My voice echoed through the air, making me look exactly like the last boss of a game, except there’s no dramatic music rolling in the background.

“May you live a prosperous life.” Meaning, may you live well.

My wings expanded on my will. Without bothering to even read the flying manual (Which, I don’t think I have one) I leaped off the ground and start gliding mid air, disappearing from her and the villager’s sight.