Chapter 71: Something Dangerous Was Waiting at the Summit

The wyvern was dead—completely and utterly—felled by Sarassa’s magic.

I stood there, blinking in disbelief. Just like that? So easily?

Well… Sarassa is a B-rank adventurer. It’s only natural she’d be strong enough to handle something like this. But even so… my lazy little sister being this powerful? That’s another matter entirely.

“…Sena.”

“Hmm? What is it, Onii-chan?”

“You were that strong all along! That was incredible!”

“Heh-heh, right? Right? Took you long enough to notice!”

Her chest puffed up and her nose tilted high with pride, that smug grin of hers making it all too obvious how much my praise pleased her.

“Sena is remarkable,” Shifa declared firmly. “She’s already the core of the party. Her strength easily matches that of a B-rank adventurer—perhaps even beyond. The blessing of the Sword God is no mere title.”

“See? See? I told you I’m super strong already! Which means I don’t need to work any harder, right?~”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Eh?”

“You’ve been given such talent! You should use it to its fullest!”

“Ehh… that sounds like a lot of effort.”

“If you put your heart into it, you might even reach the legendary S-rank! You can’t waste time lazing around now! You’ll take on more quests, gain experience, push our limits—”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying, Onii-chan!”

“Wait—hey!”

The fire that once drove me to become an adventurer surged up again, and before I knew it, I was lecturing her with all the intensity of my younger self. That, of course, was enough to make Sena take off running.

“I’ll help however I can!” I shouted after her.

“You don’t need to! You just have to spoil me like always!”

“Absolutely not! From now on, I’ll be stricter than ever!”

“Nooooo way!”

As we darted around, arguing like a pair of children, Anii watched us with a long-suffering sigh.

“…You two are as lively as ever,” she muttered. “Almost makes me jealous.”

“I agree,” Sarassa added softly.

“I… kind of wish I had a big, muscular brother too,” Shifa said under her breath.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t keep up with Sena’s pace. Of course, no ordinary man could hope to match the stamina of an adventurer.

“Haa… haa…”

“I win! I totally won, Onii-chan! So that means you have to pamper me even more now!”

“That… wasn’t… a competition… haaa…”

Yeah… I should’ve known better. This sister of mine never listens.

If only our gifts had been swapped.

If I had received the Sword God’s Blessing, I would have poured every ounce of my will into mastering it. I might’ve become a great adventurer by now.

Meanwhile, Home Garden would’ve suited Sena perfectly—she could laze around all day, conjure food whenever she pleased, and even make money off it.

…Honestly, maybe the gods mixed us up.

After collecting the magic stone from the wyvern’s corpse, we decided to continue up to the mountain’s summit. Anii said she could still feel something sinister lingering in the air.

“You think there might be another wyvern?” I asked uneasily.

“It’s possible,” she replied. “That would explain the extent of the damage the village suffered.”

Yeah… probably not the best time for sibling games, huh?

Still, if it was just another wyvern, we’d handle it easily like before.

Soon, we reached the top.

“Ugh—bones!?” I blurted out.

“Probably animal bones,” Sarassa murmured, crouching to examine them. “I’d guess they were livestock from the village.”

“There’s… so many,” Anii whispered.

The ground was littered with bones—an appalling number of them. Even for a single wyvern, this was far too many.

Then suddenly—

Anii’s expression hardened. She lifted her gaze sharply to the sky.

“…It’s coming,” she hissed. “And whatever it is—it’s stronger than a wyvern.”

From beyond the mountain ridge, a massive shape burst forth, wings unfurling wide enough to blot out the sun.

It was enormous—twice the size of the wyvern we’d fought earlier. No, even larger than that.

A chill ran down my spine. How could something that big even fly? But then I remembered—dragons use magic to keep themselves aloft.

Yes. The creature before us was unmistakably a dragon.

Unlike wyverns, it possessed both forelegs and hindlegs, and its wings sprouted from its back like a cloak of shadow. Its entire body was covered in deep crimson scales that gleamed like molten steel.

“A… Red Dragon…”

“That’s insane!” I shouted. “That’s way too strong for us!”

“Eh? Is it strong?” Sena asked, tilting her head.

“Strong?!” Anii snapped. “It could rival Atlas himself if we’re unlucky!”

“Atlas?!” I gasped.

Wait—if it was really that strong, maybe I could use my golem to— No. It was flying. My golem couldn’t even reach it. There was no way.

“Hmm, maybe Sara-chan can just zap it with lightning again?” Sena suggested casually.

“…I don’t think it’ll work, but… I’ll try,” Sarassa murmured, already raising her staff.

Unlike the wyvern, the Red Dragon hung motionless in the air, glaring down at us with predatory calm. It didn’t rush to attack—it was watching, either gauging our strength or simply too confident to bother.

“Lightning!”

A crackling roar split the sky.

Pshhaaaaaaang!

Sarassa’s lightning bolt streaked upward, striking the dragon square in the chest.

“—!”

“I knew it… it didn’t work…” she whispered.

The spot where her magic had landed was barely scorched. Not a single scale had been shattered.

The Red Dragon’s eyes flared with fury. It opened its jaws wide—

“OOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARGHHHHH!!”

“““Ahhh—!?”””

The roar ripped through the air like a physical shockwave.

I fell backward instantly, my legs giving out beneath me. That sound alone—so raw, so primal—crushed every ounce of courage I had.

A dragon… there was no way we could win against that.

Even Anii and Sarassa, seasoned adventurers both, looked pale and shaken.

Only Sena stood unfazed, blinking up at it in confusion. …Then again, she’d always been a bit slow on the uptake—but maybe this was something else entirely.

“There’s no need to fear,” Shifa’s voice cut through the air, calm and commanding. “We can defeat it. We will defeat it.”

Her words carried weight beyond simple encouragement.

The Empress’s Radiance—that was the name of Shifa’s Gift.

It didn’t just stir the spirit—it strengthened the body, sharpened skill, and amplified magic itself. It didn’t affect me, but for the adventurers around me, it changed everything.

Sarassa steadied her breath, her eyes fierce again.

“Then—one more shot…!”

“Lightning!!”

This time, her magic flared brighter than before, thunder crashing as a searing pillar of light descended upon the Red Dragon.