“The Villainess Makes Her Resolve”
Deep, deep within an endless darkness, a single enormous eye slowly opened.
A golden iris burned with a piercing gaze, turning toward a distant city far beyond the void.
“….”
The earth rumbled.
Goooooo—
Within the darkness, that eye briefly broke through the gloom, catching a faint trace of light. A pale glow—moonlight.
But clouds drifted across the sky, swallowing it once more, and the eye was plunged back into darkness. When the clouds passed, the moonlight returned again, as if teasing the world below.
That dim, intermittent radiance gradually revealed the vast form connected to the eye.
It was something larger than the surrounding mountains.
“…Grrr.”
A low growl rumbled from it.
A mouth like a crocodile’s—wide enough to swallow everything—stretched open beneath a long, serpentine neck reminiscent of a qilin. Its entire body was covered in massive scales, and four bat-like wings unfolded from its back.
It was unmistakably a creature of myth.
A dragon.
And at the same time, a calamity-class monster ranked S in this world’s standards—an existence that should not belong here.
The dragon exhaled.
“Fshoo…”
Just that single breath was enough to make the trees at the mountain’s base sway violently, as if struck by a storm, scattering leaves into the air.
Its gaze was fixed on the city below.
Takuras.
A town so small it looked as if it could be wiped away with a single beat of those wings.
“Grrrrr…”
The dragon rumbled in its throat, drool dripping lazily from its jaws onto the mountain rock.
Then—
It rose.
Slowly, it lifted itself into the dark sky, drifting toward the town.
If it dove straight in, Takuras would be erased without a trace. But the dragon had no need for haste.
That was not its goal.
“…Grrr.”
Its purpose was simple.
A meal.
Nothing more than devouring the humans living peacefully in that town with its massive jaws—an act that would inevitably result in the town’s destruction.
But the dragon did not care.
It moved through the darkness like something slipping between shadows, a natural disaster taking form, closing in steadily on Takuras.
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“…It really isn’t tasty.”
That was my honest impression of the centipede spider I had just eaten.
Honestly, it felt like chewing rubber. No matter how much I bit down, it wouldn’t tear. In the end, I had to reinforce my jaw with magic just to force it down.
Completely flavorless.
The steak sauce barely managed to coat the surface with any taste, but the substance itself had none whatsoever.
It was questionable whether this even qualified as food.
“That’s because it’s like that, you know. Also, is your impression just about taste? Could you at least comment on the appearance?”
Yua sounded exasperated.
I tilted my head, while the others around us—who had been noisy just moments ago—were now quietly keeping their distance for some reason.
“Appearance?”
I looked down as told.
It looked like a snowman stuffed full of branches. Oddly… cute, in its own way. Was there something wrong with it?
“What’s wrong with it? It’s cuter than I expected.”
“Everything is wrong with it! And cute!? That’s seriously disgusting!”
“I wonder about that.”
I reinforced a knife with magic and sliced into the centipede spider’s abdomen. From there, I cut it open.
Inside… there was nothing.
No organs. No bones. Nothing at all.
Just a mass of elastic flesh.
Was this thing even alive?
“Ugh… it really doesn’t have bones or organs.”
“Seems like it.”
I cut it into bite-sized pieces and continued eating, using magic to assist.
Yua ate her own portion as well—but she still refused to touch mine.
(I mean, it’s not exactly delicious, but wouldn’t she at least want to try a bite?)
As I thought that and continued eating—
“…!”
I noticed it.
What is this massive presence…!?
It was approaching the town… steadily, relentlessly. Far stronger than the one I had defeated this morning.
Even though it was still far away, its pressure was already reaching us.
Yua must have sensed it too—she tugged at the hem of my clothes.
“Lady Vina…!”
Her eyes, once gentle, now held a sharp intensity.
“You felt it too? At least A-rank or higher…”
“Yes. It’s definitely S-rank.”
Others nearby had also noticed, but the sheer pressure of it left them half-dazed. That was only natural.
An S-rank monster was not something individuals dealt with. It was a national crisis—something requiring a kingdom to assemble elite mages and form a formal expedition just to stand a chance.
And yet—
This presence was on that level.
There was no way we could win.
Then what? Run?
With Yua, escaping would be easy enough.
As I hesitated, Yua stood up.
“Lady Vina, let’s go.”
In her eyes burned unwavering resolve.
“We, as nobles, exist to protect the people. So—”
That was true.
But I was no longer a noble.
“Yua. I don’t really care about this country anymore.”
“…Lady Vina…”
Her eyes wavered with sadness for a moment, and it pained me more than I expected.
“But—”
As if escaping that feeling, words slipped out of my mouth.
“If you’re going, then I’ll go too… to protect you.”
Even I was surprised.
Those words were the opposite of what I truly believed.
I had been ready—if it meant survival, or if it meant Yua survived—to abandon this town without hesitation. My thoughts had already been leaning that way.
So why—
“This isn’t for the country. It’s not for the people.”
That was the truth.
I didn’t hate them. But I hadn’t forgiven them either.
I had no intention of risking my life for them.
“Only to keep you from dying.”
The words spilled out almost unconsciously.
And then I realized.
…So that’s it.
That was what filled my heart now.
The one who had filled the emptiness of my ruined life with something to live for—my precious princess.
“Then… I will live for your sake alone—”
I stood up.
And took Yua’s hand.
She smiled softly, almost happily, and nodded.
“Then shall we go, Yua.”
“Yes. Let’s go, Lady Vina.”
If it was only to keep her alive, I would face any threat.
That was the decision I made.
And what awaited outside that resolve—
was far beyond anything I had imagined.
“…Heh.”
A laugh escaped me without meaning to.
Those who had sensed it after us had also come outside—and were frozen in place, just like the others.
And then someone whispered its name.
“…A dragon.”
