Chapter 72: Instant Retreat

Crackooooom!

A blinding flash split the sky, followed an instant later by a deafening Pishaaan!—a second bolt of lightning came crashing down, striking the Red Dragon square in its scaled chest.

“Guaaah!?”

The monster’s enormous body convulsed, arcs of electricity dancing across its crimson hide. Even the air seemed to scream from the sheer force of the impact.

“It worked! We got it!” I shouted, heart pounding with exhilaration.

But beside me, Sarassa’s calm voice cut through the chaos like cold water.
“…No. It’s not enough. That didn’t do any significant damage.”

I froze, my triumphant grin faltering. R-right. Of course. I shouldn’t have celebrated so soon. Ugh, how embarrassing…

Still, the Red Dragon must have despised that lightning strike, because it beat its vast wings and rose higher into the heavens, its form glinting like molten steel against the sunlight.

“At that height, my magic won’t reach!” Sarassa muttered.

“Yeah, and mine can’t either,” Shifa groaned. “What a pain…”

For a fleeting moment, I thought that maybe—just maybe—this meant we were safe too. If we couldn’t reach it, perhaps it couldn’t reach us either.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Wait—its breath! It’s about to use its breath!” Anii shouted, her face suddenly pale.

“Breath?” I repeated blankly.

“The Red Dragon’s fire breath! It exhales flames hotter than molten rock!”

“Wha—!?”

My gaze snapped upward just in time to see the dragon’s neck swell grotesquely. A heartbeat later, its jaws yawned wide—and from that abyss of a mouth burst a torrent of blinding orange fire.

It wasn’t a beam. It was a storm.

A burning deluge came crashing down toward us, roaring like the end of the world.

“Uwaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!?”

“Geo!”

“Wha—!?”

Before I could react, Shifa threw herself against me, wrapping her arms around me tightly.

Her body was soft. Her face was so close. She even smelled… really nice.

“Teleport us! Now!”

Ah—right!

A split second later, Anii, Sena, and Sarassa all leapt toward me as well, clinging to me desperately.

I’d learned by now that when teleporting others, I had to consciously think of bringing them with me. Physical contact made it much easier to synchronize the spell. That’s why they were holding on so tightly— not because I was suddenly popular or anything.

Still, having several girls pressed up against me like this… Yeah, this wasn’t the kind of thing that happens twice in a lifetime.

(Though one of them was my little sister, so—well, never mind that!)

Focus, Geo!

Even as that thought raced through my head, the inferno was already descending upon us, searing everything in its path.

〈Would you like to teleport between gardens?〉

“Yes! Please, do it!”

At my shout, the world twisted—and in the blink of an eye, the roaring flames vanished.

When my vision cleared, a serene blue sky stretched endlessly above. The gentle breeze of my first home garden brushed against my face.

“…We made it,” I breathed, collapsing to the ground as the tension drained from my body.

“That was close,” Shifa sighed.

“Thanks to you, Geo,” Sarassa said softly.

“Well,” Anii added with a smirk, “if it had been anyone but you and Sarassa, we might’ve barely dodged it anyway.”

“I… I might’ve wet myself a little…” Sena mumbled, face red.

Before I could respond, familiar voices greeted us.

“Nya!”

“Piii!”

Milk and Pippi bounded toward me, their fur gleaming in the sunlight. I knelt and buried my hands in their soft coats. The warmth of their tiny bodies and their gentle chirps washed away the lingering fear.

“Yeah… I’m home,” I whispered.

The moment was short-lived. Anii’s tone turned serious.

“So, what do we do now? At this rate, we can’t even fight properly.”

“Yeah, good point,” Shifa replied. “Alright, let’s just give up!”

“Denied,” Anii said flatly, cutting her off.

Sena frowned. “We can’t defeat it on our own… Maybe we should call for reinforcements…”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have the time,” Shifa said grimly. “At the pace it’s going, it’ll devour all the livestock soon—and once it’s done, the villagers will be next.”

Her words made my stomach twist. She was right. By the time help arrived, it could be too late.

“Even if I used my teleportation to speed things up, we’d still need to find high-ranking adventurers willing to take the job first…” I muttered.

“Then… what if we evacuate the villagers?” I suggested hesitantly. “If we can get everyone out safely, we can take our time planning the subjugation.”

“That’s… surprisingly sensible of you,” Anii said, raising an eyebrow. “But the problem is—do you really think the dragon will let us evacuate? The worst thing that could happen is it attacks while people are running.”

“Oh… right.”

Most of the villagers couldn’t fight. If we tried to protect them and fight the dragon at once, we’d never hold out.

“Then… I’ll just have to use my gift to move everyone if it comes to that!” I said.

“As a last resort, yes,” Anii replied. “But let’s see if we can handle this ourselves first.”

It seemed she still hadn’t given up. There was a glint of determination in her eyes.

“If we can somehow deal with its flight and fire breath, it’s not invincible. Sarassa’s lightning did hurt it, even if only a little. You can amplify that power, can’t you?”

“Y-yes,” Sarassa nodded. “If I have time to build up my mana, I can make it much stronger…”

Wait—stronger than that? That lightning bolt was already terrifying!

“In that case,” I offered, “what if we went for a sneak attack? You could prepare your magic beforehand, and I’d teleport us near it so you could hit it before it takes off.”

I half-expected them to dismiss it immediately. But—

“That’s it!” Anii exclaimed.

“That could actually work,” Sarassa said, eyes lighting up. “At the very least, it’s worth trying.”

“Nice idea, Geo,” Shifa added with a rare grin.

Whoa… okay, I didn’t expect that kind of reaction. Maybe it really was a good idea.

Even if we failed, I could always teleport us back again.

“But,” I said, “do you think the Red Dragon’s still near the garden? What if it’s moved?”

“Can’t you bring the garden closer to it?” Shifa asked.

“Hmm… I could, but not unless I know exactly where it is. I’ll have to go check myself.”

“In that case,” Anii said decisively, “you and I will go together.”

“Me and you?” I blinked.

“Too many people will give away our position. Two’s best. You’re essential for teleportation, and I’m the best at masking my presence and detecting monsters. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“…Yeah, it does,” I admitted.

No one argued.

And so, it was decided—Anii and I would return to face the Red Dragon, just the two of us, to prepare for one last desperate strike.

The calm blue sky above us belied the storm that awaited.