The invoked 【Dragon Breath】 wasn't adjusted for a friend at all.

  "Mathi-kun!"

  I could hear Alma and Ruli's shout.

  『Dragon Breath』 is an assembly of extremely sophisticated and fine magic.

  Even if it's not at full power, its destructive force is in a wholly different level than anything I've faced so far.

  If it hit its target, it would probably blow me and even Ruli and Alma away. There won't even be an ash left.

  However, that won't happen.

  I instantly kneaded my mana while staring at the breath's mana, and then I trusted my mana into the breath when it got right before me——

  And then the 『Dragon Breath』 vanished almost at the same time my mana touched it.

  『Dragon Breath』 is a very fine spell art without any waste.

  It's also why it's extremely fragile when the weak part of its spell art gets precisely shot.

  ""《…Eh?》""

  Two humans and one dragon's overlapping voices.

  《Erasing Dragon Breath with that kind of magic… U-um…》


  《What》


  《Do you maybe know someone called Gaias? Several thousands years ago he passed away while leaving words that he'd reincarnate…》


  《'Course I do, I'm that Gaias reincarnated.》


  《Hiii!?》


  Dark Dragon Iris took several steps back while shrinking its body when I said that.

  《I'm sorry, I never thought that Gaias-sama would really get reincarnated, it was a mistake, so… Please don't killmeeeeee》


  It vigorously threw its head and wings onto the ground and rapidly asked for forgiveness in dragon language.

  The force was enough to form a crater on the ground where it hit its head.

  Just where did the dignified speech this dragon used in the beginning go.

  《…Don't worry. I'm not here to kill you. You'll keep your life if you can accept my term.》


  《Is that true?》


  《Yeah. It is. I'd have killed you already if I wanted to anyway.》


  《Hii!?》


  Dark Dragon Iris retreated several steps back while getting frightened.

  Well, to tell you the truth, the me right now would have a hard time killing this dragon… Being excessively feared is convenient in its own way.

  For now, I'll just scare it a bit.

  《And that term is…》


  《A-are you going to… peel off my scales while I'm alive?》


  《No. What do you think I am anyway?》


  Even if I kill my enemy, I don't take a liking in uselessly torturing them.

  《…The strongest dragon slayer in history who single-handedly slew most of the dragons?》


  《You're not wrong, but the dragons were the one who picked a fight with me first weren't they.》


  《That's true and all, but…》


  The reason was… What was it again.

  I already forgot about it, but it was quite asinine.

  A great number of dragons attacked my house, then I attacked them back in response, and ultimately, most of the dragons were slain except for ones that were absent and surrendered.

  That said, Dark Dragon Iris was unlike other dragons as it wasn't really hostile to me.

  It acted alone among the dragons to begin with, and it didn't look like it had a grudge against me even in my past life.

  《I've come here not for such a boorish reason. I want to go kill some annoying demons, but the destination is too far away you see. Just then, I found a mana reaction that seemed right for it.》


  I showed Iris the crest on my hand.

  《Aa. Fourth Crest is it. It's Gaias-san's favorite crest, or rather I feel like it's exactly the crest that shouldn't be given to Gaias-san, but it's not suited for teleport magic huh.》


  《You got that right. By the way, my name is Mathias in this life, call me that. Keep the thing about my reincarnation a secret from other humans.》


  《I understand!》


  I feel like it'll just bring trouble if the thing about reincarnation gets found out.

  Particularly, one of the religious sects in my past life forbade magic that's related to souls.

  I don't know the current situation of sects today, but hiding it should be the right thing to do here.

  "Mathi-kun! What's with this situation!?"

  Alma's voice forced its way through while I was conversing with Iris.

  Well, after all, just when the dragon suddenly shot a great magic which then vanished, it proceeded to prostrate itself. Of course, you'd want to retort that.

  "We're still negotiating, but it's going well!"

  《Um… I haven't said that I could do it though…》


  Dark Dragon Iris said that it wasn't going to accept the term when it heard me.

  It's speaking in dragon language right now, but dragons that are higher than a certain rank can understand human language.

  By the way, this dragon can also assume human form. I haven't seen it though.

  《Hn?》


  Maybe I should threaten it more.

  I knead my mana a bit while thinking that.

  《Hii!? Noo, it's not that I won't do it, I can't do it! Look at my wings!》


  When it saw me kneading mana, Dark Dragon Iris stepped back while spreading its wings for me to see.

  Those wings are tattered in a way that has never been seen before——

  Magically and physically speaking.