Atelier Tanaka

Volume 1

Atelier Tanaka Chapter 15.3

Chapter 15.3

Dragon Extermination 5 Part 3

The night passed as Christina continued pummeling me.

I just now noticed the sky was beginning to turn white.

.Isnt it about time you gave up?

This suggestion came from the side being beaten to a pulp.

I know that I wont die, or at least I think so, but that doesnt make this any less painful. More importantly, after all of Christinas attacks, my clothes are now completely gone. In other words, my miserable blood-soaked naked body is now exposed for all the world to see.

Ive lost all dignity now.

Guu..

Christina responded with an annoyed groan as I took one painful step forward.

Its understandable that she would be annoyed. After all, shes been attacking me nonstop for an entire night.

It seems that shes getting exhausted.

Even if her status is staying the same, she will be getting mentally exhausted seeing an enemy get hit repeatedly yet show no signs of taking damage.

Thats why I have this to say,

I have a proposal.

I stand back up and face the dragon.

What

A calm one-on-one discussion finally began.

From the very beginning, we never wanted to fight with you.

.

After hearing my words, Christina let out a Guu sound.

Rather, it seemed like she was more shocked than anything.

Its not that surprising considering this has been a pretty one-sided fight so far.

To her, Im nothing more than an empty can on the side of the road. Yet, this empty can, no matter how many times she stepped on it, it would never be crushed. Its actually a funny story if you think about it.

I have no intention of harming you.

.You expect me to believe that after this battle has been going on for so long.

I could see the exhaustion in her body and hear it in her voice.

Thats why I know shes willing to consider it.

Instead, I have a favor to ask. Will you listen? It is something that will benefit us both. And we truly do not want to harm you.

.

Something we need.

A way back home.

A substitute for a now broken airship.

Something capable of carrying the corpse of a Red Dragon.

Or should we continue this fight until we both can no longer move? If thats so, Ill just burn you to a crisp.

(TN: I genuinely dont know if this is NSFW or not)

..

How about it?

Now that several hours have passed, my MP has recovered considerably.

I conjure a small fireball in my hand near my waist.

It was a signal for her to decide.

.What is your wish?

I did it.

The Ancient Dragon agreed to listen.

Im sorry to ask, but can you fly with me and my companions on your back?

.Aaaah?

Christina just looked at me, puzzled.

And our party became airborne.

This is amazing. As expected of a dragon; the speed of an airship cant even be compared to this.

We were riding on the back of Christina to the capital city of the Peni Empire. Of course, the noble mage, Team Orgy, the female knight, and Sophia are all here.

Honestly speaking, the ride is very uncomfortable.

The scales are rather rough and I would do anything to have even a small cushion.

Still, theres nothing that can com

pare to this speed.

By the way, Sophia-chan had found some clothes for me in the crashed airship. Her LUC has restored at least some of my dignity.

Though exposing myself publicly wasnt so bad, but for now, I think its best if I cover up.

If we keep flying at this pace all night we should be able to reach the capital by tomorrow. Even if we stop and take several breaks we shouldnt be behind our original schedule.

I see, so this dragon was really a blessing in disguise.

The noble mage spoke as he sat with his legs crossed on the dragons back. He seems rather calm considering hes riding on the back of a dragon. He would occasionally reach out and pat the dragons scales and seemed to be deep in thought.

Sophia-chan, on the other hand, looks incredibly nervous and I can tell shes covered in sweat from here. She looks like shes about to cry. She reminds me of a child that was forced onto a scary ride at an amusement park.

U-Umm, can we really return to town like this?

She asked this with teary eyes.

She looks incredibly stressed.

We dont have much choice but to use the dragon. Besides, it will be fine.

She looks somewhat pitiful after hearing the answer.

..Really? Is that so?

She was carrying the liver of the Red Dragon in her hands.

It was wrapped in a small piece of leather and similar in size to a small bag of rice.

The parts of the dragon that could not be wrapped up are currently stored elsewhere.

Shes able to wrap things properly and create leather sacks. Shes strangely suited to being a luggage carrier. The way she pushes forward through teary eyes is amazing. I want to marry her.

Yes, so please try to relax a little.

B-But..

Sophia-chan doesnt seem to relax at all. I want to put her at ease so she will enjoy being in the party more. Maybe she can try talking to the dragon directly?

It does make sense for a woman riding on the back of some strange beast to feel nervous. Its similar to being asked to ride on the back of some strange man youve never spoken with. The only one that seems to be enjoying the ride is the noble mage.

Dragon-san, this passenger feels uneasy about the journey, can you try talking to her a bit? And dont talk about your excellent flying abilities, because she wont care.

Of course, as the leader of the party, I have to ensure everyone feels comfortable.

I tap on her scales while asking this.

The man, who I plan to make kneel before me some day, asked me to talk to you. Though I am rather unwilling, I promise to deliver you safely to wherever that man wishes.

Nice, Christina.

Is that so?

Y-Yes.

She held the leather bag filled with the liver close to her chest. Im still afraid she might not be able to handle the stress of flying, but lets hope that she can hold on a little longer.

Ill remember thishuman.

Christina continued to be annoyed.

How am I supposed to respond to that?

The mind I developed from being a company slave my entire life suddenly kicked in.

Perhaps we should make an appropriate appointment for you so we can talk this over.

.

Absolutely not!? Does that mean theres zero chance of us talking!?

Im sorry for making such a dangerous creature my enemy.

How much pain did she cause me in just one night? If the blonde haired lolita hadnt been taken hostage I wouldve been able to attack properly, but I feel like Ive experienced enough pain to last the rest of my life.

But it really doesnt seem like she wants to negotiate.

So, Ill just need to change my plan.

Even if we do end up fighting again, I will beat you. Even if Im at a terrible disadvantage. I will improve more than you can ever hope to. I will never negotiate with you again.

My level is only in the double digits; while Christinas level is already in the thousands. The only way she will improve is if she defeats something equally powerful.

.

I stood firm.

And Christina didnt argue.

It actually felt pretty good.

However, I really cant tell how much more my recovery magic will improve. I feel a little anxious thinking about it, but its not like I can do anything. I absolutely cant think about that. If I lose my ambition, society will be the one to pay the price.

Ah, I do hate society though.

Maybe I should throw in a few more bluffs to ensure the safety of the world.

If you ever try to hurt Ester in the future, I will find you. I will never stop until I am able to crush you. There will be nothing left, not even a single bone. I dont know much about Ancient Dragons, but I know that I can handle one or even two of you.

I declared this.

You disrespectful..

Is that it? Did she give up?

Do you understand?

..On one condition.

Is that not acceptable?

Christinas tone suddenly became suspicious.

I can feel a sense of restraint coming from her when she talks.

I show a smile full of confidence similar to the one Id show customers when I worked in customer service.

Tell me your name?

What?

The name of this lowly human.

Eh?

I dont want to tell her any personal information.

I really dont like the idea of her knowing my name. It may be best to use a pseudonym here.

Its Saitou.

Saitou, the strongest legend.

Who is Saitou?

Its a random name that Christina can chase for all of eternity.

..Ill remember. Even after hundreds of years pass, I will never forget the name Saitou.

Eh, yeah. Please remember it properly.

Fuhahahaha. Youre insanely powerful. For me to be humiliated like this. Ive probably never experienced anything like this in over a thousand years.

She has an extremely long lifespan. Is that common knowledge?

Even more reason for her to go searching for Saitou-san.

The Tanaka route ends here.

Before long, I will definitely defeat you.

Eh, please feel free to try. However, please be sure to always make an appointment. This is a very busy time for us, but Im sure my boss would be more than willing to talk with you.

I never want to see you again. This damn dragon.

Good, at that time Ill make you clean my scales with your tongue.

Sure.

Clean your scales?

I have no further use for this dragon. Just like a rental car, once we get to the capital I hope to never see this thing again. Be sure to search hard for Saitou-san for the rest of your life. I hate you.

Now that thats taken care of, I turned back to my original purpose, Sophia.

Ha~.Hii~

Sophia seems to be taking deep breaths and has calmed down some.

Mission accomplished.

Im relieved.

Now she should be fine.

I then look over at Team Orgy. There was the figure of the blonde lolita watching the exchange between Christina, Sophia, and I, with a stern expression. I could see the ikemen trying to talk with her.

E-Ester? Is something wrong?

What do you mean?

Its nothing. Its just I feel like youve been rather distant for some time now.

Im sorry. Im just thinking about something

IIs that so?

Did that blonde lolita just apologize to someone?

I feel like this is a rare sight.

Allens expression seemed to stiffen after hearing Esters words.

.Ester?

Can you please leave me alone for a little while?

Her behaviour is rather cold.

She doesnt seem to be showing much affection to her boyfriend.

Ah, okay. I understand. But if you have any problems, dont be afraid to rely on me. Id be happy if you asked me for help.

The relationship between the ikemen and blonde lolita doesnt seem to be going well. I wonder if its some kind of fight. It may be Sophie-chan plotting behind-the-scenes again. It seems she has a netori habit.

Well, its not like I care about the sexual habits of these riajuu anyway.

I dont need to think about them anymore.

Both Ester-chan and Sophie-chan are obsessed with that stupid ikemens penis. Theyre definitely not my type of girls.

I doubt there are any virgins that would be interested in a middle-aged virgin in this world.

.

I will definitely create an elixir of youth.

I wont lose.

Absolutely.

So my mind turned to the next party member. That lesbian female knight. Mercedes-chan was quietly sitting alone, the complete opposite of Team Orgy. There is something I need to do.

I walked carefully along the dragons back before sitting down near her.

Thank you for everything youve done.

She was clearly surprised and I could see her jump a little from where she was sitting.

Wh-What are you talking about?

I just wanted to express my gratitude to you. I asked you to come with and barely gave you any information. The situation turned out to be even worse than we had imagined. So, I just wanted to thank you for coming.

She still thinks Im a criminal. If she were to find out my true identity at a later time it would be bad. Thats why its best if I start building a foundation of trust now.

She could also be on the verge of leaving the party. I need to follow up with her to make sure she sticks around.

When I think about it, Mercedes-chan was also imprisoned but I dont know why. Well, whatever the reason may be it seems its been cleared up now as shes been allowed to walk freely in the noble district of the city.

W-Well, it doesnt matter now. Ill soon be able to return to the capital safely and then I wont have much reason to complain about everything that has happened.

Is that so? Thank you.

..Yeah

Well, if thats the case, it should be fine.

Maybe this is due to the fact that we talked for a while before we left on this trip. After all the easiest way to communicate with someone is to talk with them in a normal conversation.

Once we return to town well still have many things to do, but please be sure to get any wounds you may have treated. Again, thank you for everything.

Ah, right..I understand.

Thank you.

Mission complete.

With the money we get from this, even after splitting it evenly between everyone, I will have more than enough money to buy my house. I could also pay for the damages to the noble mages airship. I may have to sell some of the mana stones from the Red Dragon in order to pay for that. Though, from what he told me, he may even be able to create a new airship with all the materials weve gathered.

Im actually feeling pretty good.

I worked hard.

Im pretty amazing.

A Japanese man can only demonstrate his true value once he becomes a home owner.

Renting doesnt count.