Shut Up, Malevolent Dragon! I Don’t Want to Have Any More Children With You

Vol 9. Chapter 44: I’m Taking Over the Battlefield

The squad continued deeper into the forest, toward the area with demon vines.

When they passed through a patch of brush, Vivian—who had been following at the very back, careful every step of the way—suddenly let out a scream.

"Noa, come back!"

"What is it, Vivian?"

From the other side of the brush came Vivian’s trembling voice.

"I... I think something bit me... some kind of bug..."

Demonmoon Forest was full of strange peril-forms. Any “bug” here was definitely not an ordinary bug.

Being bitten was not something you could take lightly.

Noa immediately pushed through the brush and followed the sound to Vivian.

Vivian was already slumped on the ground. The exposed skin of her lower leg had turned red over a wide area, and there was a small wound on it.

Noa crouched and examined the wound carefully. After a brief look, she said:

"This is a venomous paralysis bug. Even with a dragon’s constitution, after being bitten, it’ll take at least twenty minutes before the toxin can be neutralized."

Vivian’s face went pale instantly, and her voice wavered with tears.

"Then what do I do, Noa? Am I going to die... I don’t want to die... I—I can’t feel my leg anymore..."

Noa took off her pack and pulled out disinfectant and gauze. As she treated the wound, she said:

"Don’t worry. This toxin isn’t fatal. It only causes local paralysis. Your leg being numb is just temporary. In about twenty minutes, it’ll be fine."

Only then did Vivian finally breathe out in relief.

"That’s good... that’s good..."

After a pause, she looked at Noa, who was carefully bandaging her.

"Noa, you’re amazing. You’re younger than all of us, but you know everything."

Noa’s hands paused. She wasn’t used to praise from someone she didn’t know well.

So when Vivian complimented her like that, a faint blush spread across her expressionless little face.

"It’s nothing... When we’re on break, Dad often takes me hunting. After a while, I learned to recognize these inconspicuous peril-forms."

Vivian smiled.

"Your father is that hero from Sky City, the one named Leon Casmod, right? A lot of people in Sky City know him."

Noa couldn’t help letting a proud smile slip out, but she only answered with a low:

"Mm."

"What’s wrong with her?"

Tucker came over as well, asking coldly.

"She got bitten by a venomous bug. She can’t move for at least twenty minutes."

After finishing the bandage, Noa stood up and turned to Tucker.

"We can’t leave Vivian here alone. The depths of Demonmoon Forest are extremely dangerous. So I suggest we rest in place for thirty minutes. Once the toxin eases, we continue."

Tucker looked at Vivian with icy contempt and said in a mocking tone:

"We don’t have time to waste. She got bitten because she was careless, so she can bear the consequences herself. We’re moving on to search and rescue Senior Yuna’s team."

"It’s only thirty minutes. The academy has already sent out more than ten squads like ours. Waiting won’t meaningfully reduce the rescue efficiency. Besides, Senior Yuna and the others are experienced adult-division trainees. Even if they can’t escape, they can ensure their own survival."

Noa’s voice wasn’t loud. She simply stated it coldly.

"But Vivian can’t. If we leave her here, she has no ability to deal with the peril-forms in Demonmoon Forest on her own."

It wasn’t that Noa didn’t want to find Yuna.

Yuna was a senior she got along with reasonably well. If she could, Noa wouldn’t want to waste even a minute before going to rescue Yuna.

But the reality was exactly as she said.

Yuna and the others had the ability to preserve themselves—otherwise they would never have had the chance to send a distress signal to the academy.

Vivian, on the other hand, had no ability to protect herself. One entire leg being numbed by the toxin meant that when danger came, she wouldn’t even be able to dodge.

So Noa’s decision was the optimal solution under a difficult dilemma.

But Tucker didn’t want to listen to advice from a little girl.

"I said it already. She got bitten. She bears the consequences."

Tucker folded his arms across his chest, his tone carrying a high-handed superiority.

"Besides, you want to stay here and wait for her—don’t tell me it’s because you’re scared, and you don’t dare go deeper."

Noa frowned.

"Me... scared?"

Tucker spread his hands.

"As the daughter of a Dragon King, raised in comfort from childhood, never seeing anything dangerous—being scared is normal."

It was hard to imagine someone speaking four lines and only the first one being true.

"But I won’t indulge you. If you won’t come, I’ll execute the mission alone. Without you dragging me down, the efficiency might even be higher."

With that, Tucker turned and walked into the depths of the forest without looking back.

He was the type who did what he said.

When he said “alone,” he really went alone.

Noa watched his back disappear into the jungle. She didn’t feel angry about his scorn.

Tucker wasn’t wrong. The truth was a fast knife.

When Noa was kicking ancient peril-forms to pieces, she didn’t even know where he was.

So Noa couldn’t be bothered to take that kind of talk to heart.

What she felt instead was quiet relief that she hadn’t let her mother personally write her recommendation letter.

That had been a very correct decision.

Tucker was exactly the type of person Noa least wanted to deal with severe stereotypes, and hostility, contempt, and disdain for other people’s identity and background.

The adult dragon division...

They really were full of characters.

She muttered that, then looked back at Vivian.

"Don’t worry. I’ll stay with you until your leg recovers."

Vivian’s eyes went hot. She nodded hard.

"Mm. Thank you, Noa!"

...

Deep within Demonmoon Forest, many squads from the adult dragon division were converging toward this area.

After a carpet search, they had finally roughly confirmed the location where Yuna’s squad was trapped.

And Tucker, who was moving alone, found it as well. He quickly linked up with the other squads.

That included Helena’s team.

Seeing Tucker without anyone beside him, Helena hurried forward and asked:

"Where’s Noa? Why isn’t she with you?"

"Oh, Her Highness is being merciful in the back."

Tucker snorted, unwilling to explain more.

"If you’re scared, you can go back and find her."

"What do you mean by that? What do you mean?"

"Helena", the squad leader said in a low voice, "Now is not the time to start internal conflict. We’ve basically locked down where Yuna’s team is. It’s in the clearing ahead. All units on alert. Prepare to move."

Helena glared at Tucker unwillingly, but she didn’t say anything more. She followed the leader and moved out.

All the squads that had reached this place gathered together with an unspoken coordination.

They spread their line and advanced toward the clearing not far ahead.

Before they got close, a deafening roar shook the air.

"ROAR!!—"

Someone in the formation recognized the sound.

"It’s a Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion!"

Hearing that, Tucker immediately mobilized his magic and charged straight in without coordinating with anyone.

"Tucker! Don’t go in alone! The instructor said to use the recording stones to communicate and act together!"

"Against a peril-form like that, I’m enough by myself!"

"Tucker!"

Without waiting for further persuasion, Tucker vaulted over the brush and rushed into the clearing.

The other squads immediately followed.

In a short time, dozens of adult-division trainees appeared, completely surrounding the monster in the center of the clearing.

Helena also saw that beneath a massive tree to the side, Yuna and several injured teammates were there.

"Helena, take a few people and check on Yuna’s condition. Everyone else stays here and holds the Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion together."

"Yes, Captain."

Helena responded and ran over with a few teammates to Yuna.

Helena wasn’t especially strong in direct combat, but healing magic was no problem.

She immediately began treating Yuna’s injuries.

After fleeing for two days and one night, Yuna was exhausted in body and mind. She leaned against the tree trunk, her eyelids half-lowered, holding a shattered communication recording stone that had been ruined earlier by the Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion.

When she saw her companions, Yuna forced a tired smile.

"You finally came... Is that you, Helena..."

"It’s me, Senior. You’re safe now. Everyone will definitely deal with that Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion."

Helena spoke as she cast healing magic.

But Yuna’s expression tightened.

She looked toward the trainees who had already engaged the Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion, but she didn’t see the familiar figure she was searching for.

So Yuna’s face sank even further, and she asked urgently:

"Helena, where’s Noa? Why isn’t Noa here? With the recommendation letter she had my father write, she should have already checked into the adult dragon division."

"Senior, don’t get worked up. Noa is in the back taking care of an injured person. She hasn’t made it over yet. I..."

"Get Noa here, Helena!"

Yuna drew on the last of her strength, sat up straight, and grabbed Helena’s wrist.

"That Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion is very strong—and very... strange. It doesn’t seem like it wants to kill us. In any case, even my squad wasn’t its match. You newcomers definitely can’t handle it."

"Go find Noa. You know how strong your friend is. Only she can..."

Before Yuna could finish, an enraged roar erupted from the clearing.

Helena turned.

Dozens of trainees were hurling spells in a wild bombardment at the Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion.

Under normal circumstances, with that level of attack intensity, it should have reduced a super S-rank peril-form to scraps...

But.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion was still standing there, steady and unmoving.

There wasn’t even a single wound on its hide.

"Damn it... how is this possible..."

"This thing is way tougher than the records said!"

"Bookworm. You’re already an adult-division trainee and you still trust what books say like that?"

"If you’re not a bookworm, then go knock it down yourself."

"Enough arguing! Next we focus our attacks on its—Tucker!"

"Tucker, why are you charging in alone again?!"

Tucker leapt into the air. Flames gathered in his right hand, wrapping his entire fist. He dropped straight down over the Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion’s head and brought his fist down—

The head was hard. Hitting it was like smashing rock.

Seeing the Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion neither dodge nor evade, Tucker’s eyes lit up.

"Hmph. Got it!"

If this punch landed, that monster would be dead or crippled.

But at the instant before Tucker’s attack could touch it—the enormous beast “vanished” before his eyes.

Gone without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Tucker’s strike hit empty air. He panicked and scanned around, searching for it.

"What the hell? Where did it go?! Ugh!"

Before he could finish, a violent impact slammed into his chest, blasting him backward several meters.

Blood sprayed from Tucker’s mouth. He tumbled across the ground and forced himself up, staggering.

"W-what... It... it turned invisible..."

"Everyone, be careful!"

A captain from another squad shouted, "The Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion can turn invisible, and it moves fast. We—ah!"

He didn’t even finish before he too was smashed away by the invisible beast.

"So fast, and it can turn invisible... what do we do?!"

"Use the recording stones and call the instructors! We can’t handle this thing!"

"Right, right—recording stones, recording stones!"

But the Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion moved like it had an extremely high intelligence.

It prioritized members with command ability, and it attacked anyone trying to call for support.

One trainee had just fallen to the ground and pulled out a communication recording stone when the beast pounced and flung both person and stone away, smashing the trainee’s head into the earth.

Worst of all, after launching three consecutive attacks, nobody had managed to catch even a glimpse of it.

Helena stood frozen, her dragon pupils trembling violently.

She watched her companions get injured one after another, fear and rage surging up like a flood.

"That monster really is... that strong."

Yuna clenched her fist. "If this continues, everyone being killed is only a matter of time. Run, Helena. Get the information out. We can’t all die here."

Helena snapped back. While the battle in front was still ongoing, she quietly pulled out her communicator and recording stone.

"I’ll call for support. The Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion hasn’t noticed me!"

But in the next instant, a massive shadow slowly covered her from behind.

The Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion was already at her back, and it was slowly shedding its invisibility.

Cold crawled up Helena’s spine and spread through her whole body. She nearly forgot to inject magic into the recording stone.

"I can’t move... My body... I can’t move at all..."

She could clearly feel that the pressure behind her was not that of a conventional peril-form from Samael.

That fear felt like it came from another world—something sinister and unclean.

"Helena! Helena! Hey!!"

Seeing Helena stunned by the oppressive force, Yuna shouted her name.

But Helena didn’t respond. Her pupils went dull, her expression blank, and the recording stone rolled from her hand onto the ground.

"Damn it..."

Yuna tried to gather magic, but she was already completely drained. She couldn’t cast anything.

A faint light flickered twice in her hand and went out.

And along with it went Yuna’s last remaining hope.

"How could... this happen..."

She closed her eyes as if accepting it, waiting quietly for death to arrive.

Behind her, the trainees who had been beaten into severe injuries—some tried to crawl up and fight again, some tried to use shattered communication recording stones to beg for support, and some, like Yuna, lay there in despair, motionless.

The Phantom-Shadow Demon Lion let out a shriek, filled with provocation and mockery—behavior no peril-form of its supposed intelligence should have been capable of.

It opened its massive jaws and slowly lunged toward Helena.

At that moment, the communication recording stone that Helena had dropped on the ground suddenly lit up with a symbol—a silver-white crescent wheel.

In the next instant, every recording stone in the field that hadn’t been destroyed lit up with the same black moon.

Then, from more than a dozen recording stones at once, a familiar voice rang out:

"I am Noa Melkvey, newly promoted member of the adult dragon division. All units, fall back. I’m taking over the battlefield."