This is the worst situation I have encountered since what happened five years ago in the Kyrie Kingdom. The suspicious black knight that we had been following since he entered the Illumbee village's road, turned out to be a Dragon Lord.
The others haven't noticed it, but it is to be expected, not many see a Dragon Lord and live to tell the tale. Even I want to forget those memories, but that has proven to be a grave mistake.
Yes, I made the mistake of not being able to gauge his strength and tried to ambush him with my comrades.
A mistake that might cost us our lives.
Maybe I have grown accustomed to this life of ambushing suspicious merchants and slave procurers, letting dust cover my instincts.
But I know that this is a battle we would lose, no questions asked. No matter what tactic, trick, or strategy I were to come up with, it would be useless right now.
Still, we are not dead, and blood has not been spilled. This Dragon Lord wants to talk. So, we shall talk.
Even then just being near him and his gaze is overwhelming…
Kuh...I cannot let this pressure beat me!
I shall not fall. That would be like laughing at the loyalty of my men and the sacrifices we have made. For I am their pillar.
And so, I look at him in the eye and ask for his name, trying to get as much information as possible.
Auros…
His name might be a fake one since there are no Dragon Lords who have that name, that I know of, but he could be speaking the truth too.
I need more information.
Perhaps he is willing to show his face as a sign of good intentions, so that shall be my next request.
He is granting it under an obvious warning, one backed up by the actions of one of my comrades. Still, he stands down the moment I glare at him.
Sorry, my friend, but not even you can land a surprise attack on him and not just because of the full armor that he is wearing.
With that dealt with, he is now taking off his helmet and…!!
I…what is this…?!
He is a Dragon Lord, of that there is no doubt and yet…I feel as if I’m in front a King among Kings?!
It feels as if I’m being swallowed up by his presence and my body screams for me to kneel before him but…I won’t.
I can’t.
Because this presence also means that his threat is far greater than I thought…
So shaken I am that I sigh and murmur without thinking.
All as my body keeps screaming to me, but I refuse to hear it. I won't bend the knee.
I need to know. I need to hear the reasons for this...being to be on its way to the Kyrie Kingdom. I must at least ascertain that.
I look at him in the eye once more, at those golden draconic eyes he has and ask exactly that.
He chuckles while commenting about me and my comrades. He asks whether it is fear, loyalty, or both that makes them so different from the bandits he knows.
It is something beyond loyalty, but I don't know if someone like a Dragon Lord can understand it. Not after witnessing how they act towards the world and its inhabitants.
As such, I give him silence as my response. Even if that may cause him to end me right here.
But that doesn’t happen, simply moves and begins answering my…?!
What...did...he just spoke of?! He wants...he wants to end the other Dragon Lords, his own kin, in the name of the Goddess?!
That is…absurd.
I almost shout at him accusing him of lying but...!
There is no divine punishment falling upon him for using the name of the Goddess in vain…
That means…that he is speaking the truth…
That he is indeed on the side of the Goddess…
He seems amused by my reaction and even more, he seems eager, as if he isn’t done saying unexpected things.
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What else could he say that…?!
"...!"
He...! How foolish of me! Of course! A Dragon Lord would not fall for an ambush like this! To think that the ones who were being watched and ambushed were us! Not only that, he is sharp to the point of knowing part of our circumstances…
Most important of all, he wishes for us to serve him so that he may accomplish his objective.
This is truly a situation I could have never expected.
One that I need to think about carefully, not just for my sake, but for theirs.
To serve a Dragon Lord...a member of the race that is the enemy of the world...
Someone that could invite ruin to us, and anyone related to us, even if we have been forgotten by them.
But I believe that doing so would mean following the very will of the Goddess who gave life to the world itself. That could mean that at this moment the Goddess is not only extending a helping hand to us, but also a trial of faith and willpower.
Yes. That is what my heart is telling me.
I have made my choice, but I cannot speak for the others. I will make it clear that this is a choice that everyone...
Damn!
Idiot! He lost his calm and shouted something inconvenient!
I have to say something before he ends up killed! That fool!
Before all—!!
Kh...! This pressure is even more intense than before...! My body is screaming even harder!
No! I won’t!
I. REFUSE. TO. BEND. THE. KNEE!
Because I need to ask him to stop and forgive that fool...
I also have no more time to obtain more information on him and I do not know how he will react to what I will ask of him, but I will have to do with what I have.
I will say my terms.
May my heart be right.
__________________________________________________________
"Hoh~~. Even after hearing that you don't have a choice you ask of me to give your comrades the choice of serving me while offering yourself to make it possible, am I right?"
The terms he spoke of were the typical ‘Do not kill civilians. If there is the possibility to protect them and better their lives, then that should be done’ and so on. He strayed so much from the image of a bandit, that I would believe him if he were to say that they were vigilantes. And then he offers his loyalty as payment for giving his men the choice of serving me.
He is brave and has a strong will. Now I know that for sure.
Too bad for him that his terms were already part of my morals to begin with. I mean, I am not some monster, and until a few days ago I was but a simple human, living a simple life with simple tastes.
Indeed, simple.
For me this is a good deal, so, of course I'll take it. He doesn't even know that they always had a choice and what I did was only to keep them from doing something stupid.
Even so, this is more fun than my job, even though I'm still dealing with people. Yay for this second life!
"Interesting. Very interesting indeed. Umu, I shall accept those terms."
"I thank you, Lord Auros."
I could hear the relief in his voice, he must cherish these people with all his heart to be able to do this. And that is why they will follow you into serving me, Erevain.
Also...Lord? Did I mishear? He called me 'lord', right?
"If Pr-Leader Erevain has decided to serve you, then I will follow you too."
Huh, what was that? He corrected himself so fast that I didn't quite catch that. I feel that is something important... but well there goes one.
"Eric...are you sure?"
Oh, he looks kind of young that Eric. Seventeen? No...eighteen. Perhaps twenty? Yes, I think that is the correct number. Yep, no ban-hammer for me.
"I vowed to follow you, my friend. That is not something I plan to break today or ever."
"Me too."
"And me."
Oh! There it is!!! The moving 'me too' scene, where true comrades choose to stay together and face whatever may happen. Such friendship! Such brotherhood!! Oooooh! My shounen friendship moments battery has been replenished to the brim!! This! This one was the right choice!!
Every single one of the 'bandits' chose to serve me. Even the one who shouted apologized. Thank you Erevain, you did your job perfectly!
"Very well then. With your help we will end the threat of the Dragon Lords and bring peace to this world. This I swear!"
I grab the Holy Lance and lift it, letting out its holy radiance. Everyone opens their eyes widely.
"""""....!!!!""""
Now they know that my words are the truth and there shouldn't be any more problems, but they do something unexpected. I mean, I thought they would shout and put their fists in the air, but they all knelt. Even Erevain.
"You underestimated how strong is the faith they have in me, Auros. Just as you said, now they know you are speaking the truth and that you are on my side. They will follow you to the ends of the world."
Says Nerinne through the lance. Ah, nobody but me can hear her so there's no problem. Also, if that's the case then it will be easier to accept what is going to happen next.
"What is?"
The fun part.
"Fufufu~~"
She giggles. Heh, she can't wait any longer I bet, so let's show her.
"I, Auros, High Dragon Lord of the Goddess claim you as my servants, my followers, and companions. Become part of my strength and part of my strength shall become yours!!"
I recite a similar spell to the one Nerinne taught me and a magic circle appears beneath my feet extending through the whole area where the bandits are. It shines brightly in the same dark red light and then it disappears. I can already feel the burn-like feeling on my hands and parts of my body.
I bet there are more crest-like marks on it now. No problem. They look cool and save me the terrifying experience of getting a tattoo with those scary needles. Win-win.
"I can feel power surging through my body!"
“Me too!”
“And me!”
Says one of the bandits with similar responses coming from everyone. It seems my attempt at a pact spell worked wonders.
"That is only the first part of the process. We are going against the enemies of the world, and that means my followers must have the strength to do battle with their forces as their natural enemy."
I say so with a serious voice. Everyone seems surprised, except Erevain, he just nods as if saying that the power he is feeling is not enough. Hmm there might be an interesting story there.
"Hold the hand of the one beside you. That way I will only need to use this spell only once for everyone."
Everyone does as I say. Good.
Nerinne, watch this.
"Erevain, your hand."
"Yes, My Lord."
He extends his free hand towards me and I grab it.
"Heed my words. Picture the type of woman who you like the most, your perfect woman, you as a woman, any one of those or all of those made into one."
""""Eh?""""
Everyone makes a confused expression. That is also my signal! It has appeared in their minds!
"[Shapeshifting Touch]"
Light envelops every single one of the bandits and expressions of surprise are heard among them. But that doesn't matter because...HERE IT IS THE SHAPESHIFTING GACHA!!
I can't wait to see what comes out of this! Right Nerinne?!
"Indeed. I couldn't have guessed this turn of events...fufufu~~~"
I told you that it would be fun.
You all will serve me.
Yes, you will serve me…as my loyal Maid-Knights.
Let us take care of each other from now on.
To be continued... (cue splash page art with the waifus of this first volume)