Vol 3 Chapter 10: Battle Preparations

“Arcturus, are you sure this is a good idea? The hunters still haven’t finished scouring the area for any possible ambushes from other monsters.”

“It’s fine, Red. Stop being such a worrywart. For a bear man, you sure are not ferocious enough at times.”

“Arcturus! The lives of my party are at stake here! If you’re not going to take this seriously, just because of some woman—”

“The hunting groups have slayed enough frost drakes already. If there are any remaining, then there shouldn’t be that many to the point that we would be overwhelmed. Remember, we have conquered a dungeon before with less men, and that place’s boss was also an S-rank monster.”

“But that guy wasn’t a dragon! Dragons are—”

“The peak of strength in the monster world, I know. But consider this. Why would they place dragons and non-dragons at the same rank? Because their strength isn’t that different from each other. Sure, a dragon might be stronger, but not by much. So your worry is unfounded. A dragon isn’t this unbelievable strong beast like you imagine. In fact, this fight should be easier, since we would be doing it in an open field. That dungeon, with its tight space, had far less room for maneuverability.”

The two adventurers, Arcturus and Red, were arguing away from the ears and eyes of Hugo and Flameu. Red was somewhat of the second-in-command to the whole clan. He was the leader of the Desert Bandits, an A-rank party. However, his own ability could be considered S-rank. It’s just that his subordinates were still stuck at A-rank, so the party stayed at that classification.

“Hmph, you and your cravings for women. Aren’t Sylphy and Marka enough for you?”

The two names the beastkin mentioned were part of Arcturus’ party. Sylphy was the party’s archer—a beautiful elven warrior with green clothes and long blonde hair. Marka on the other hand was the party’s rogue—a sexy black-haired tigerkin who was never seen without wearing a pair of short shorts that emphasized her butts to the world. And, just like Red suggested, they were Arcturus’ girlfriends. Even so, the man would still chase and sleep after every beautiful woman that he took interest in. He even frequented brothels and slept with the prostitutes there. To him, there was no shame in doing so. After all, his girlfriends tolerated it. Whenever they pouted out of jealousy, he would just have to grope them in their special places, whisper some sweet nothings into their ears, and they would beg for sex from him right away. Such was the sweet adventuring life that he had.

Ironically however, the clan itself bans any relationships between its members. Supposedly it’s for the sake of preventing arguments and drama that could happen. Many parties have been ruined by one guy preferring one girl, making a different girl jealous, competition between the two happens, etc, etc. In the end, they would disband and split.

Arcturus was the exemption. Mostly because he’s the one calling the shots. And also because he has mastered the art of having two girlfriends while sleeping with other women on the side with barely any repercussions.

“Heh, those two are nice for sure but being with all the time can get boring very quickly. Sylphy would always come just by me simply massaging those large breasts of hers while Marka would always ask me to play with her tail and butt every time. Those two don’t really know how to please a man, you know. But that woman, I have a hunch she’s the type that’s really good in bed.” He finished with a grin.

“Which, I assume, is completely not related to you wanting a redhead in your little harem,” Red remarked. Many times he had heard his friend speaking of that desire to him—a conversation he actually found somewhat annoying, if he were to be honest.

“Hey, redheads are great, you know. There’s just something about those crimson strands that are just so attractive.”

“Alright, alright, I don’t need to hear about that again.” The beastkin sighed. “Look. I trust you as our leader. Don’t let us down just because you want to sleep with some woman.”

“Hey, she’s this kingdom’s court mage. Won’t it be good for us to have some connections with bigwigs up there?”

“Not this kingdom no.” The beastkin shook his head gravely. “Haven’t you heard? The king is an even bigger skirt chaser than you. He would bed every single woman he finds attractive, whether they’re willing or not. And that woman… I would bet 10 gold pieces that she’s part of the king’s harem. You’d think he would be happy if you steal his woman?”

“Steal?” Arcturus laughed. “Oh no. This is just a one-night thing. I know my place. We’re adventurers. The moment we start having relationships with important figures like that, that’s the moment we stop being one. Our freedom will end and we will just be lapdogs of the ruling folks.”

“Excuse me.”

Suddenly, an entirely new person barged into the tent they were talking in. It was Sylphy, the beautiful, big-boobed elf Red had just brought up.

“Arcturus, the hunters have come back. And we’re now waiting for you for our strategy meeting.”

Her expression was flawless. From the outside, she looked nothing like the sweaty, needy elf she was whenever she slept with her boyfriend. She simply looked like a haughty, expressionless elf, almost fitting the stereotype to a T.

“Good,” he replied without skipping a beat. “Well, Red.” He put his hand on the bearkin’s shoulder. “I trust your advice on this one, as usual.”

----------

Hugo

“Hmm? What’s the matter, Milord? You look pale.”

“...You know, I can take him on. There’s no need for you to give your body to him like that.”

The alchemist then broke out into a grin.

“Oh my, is that jealousy I sense in your words, Milord? If you want to do it with me too, then apologies, but I would have to refuse. Come back in a few years when you’re older, alright? I’m just not comfortable doing it with a boy. And besides…” She trailed off for a few moments before continuing. “It would be better this way for you, Milord. You wouldn’t draw the ire of the leader of a big adventuring clan like him. Your life as an adventurer would be much harder if you have him having a vendetta against you. They could spread bad rumors about you, and make it hard for you to get into another adventuring party. I know you’re strong but it’s always safer to do your travels in a group. You have other people to watch your back for you after all.”

“Oh, and if you worry about pregnancy, don’t worry. I am an alchemist after all. Contraceptive drugs are well within my skill to make.”

I wanted to respond to her but I simply couldn’t. Because I know what I was feeling was irrational. It was me making her out to be this saint of a person, even though she’s not.

She’s right. It is better this way. Why do I care if an adult woman have sex with another adult man? It’s not my business. He’s certainly a decently good-looking man. No reason why she shouldn’t be welcome to the idea. After all, it would only be one time thing. He’s not asking for her to be his permanent girlfriend or anything.

Still, I still feel that it’s all wrong. Maybe it’s because of how sheltered I was in my old life. My old self would’ve probably called her a slut or something on that term, but I’ve outgrown that, haven’t I?

“So, what now?” I decided to just change the topic of the conversation.

“Now, we should take a look at the dragon itself, don’t you think?” She smirked. “Just in case.”

“Just in case for what?”

“In case these guys can’t actually defeat it on their own, of course.”

--------

We then told the nearby adventurer that we wanted to go to the location where the dragon was. Red and Arcturus had disappeared somewhere after our meeting. Probably to discuss their fighting plans.

“You guys better not plan on killing the dragon before us. Well, not like the two of you would be able to anyways, haha.” The man laughed while putting his hands on his waist. He seemed to be a dwarf, judging by his round and stocky, short build. That, and the beard all dwarves seemed to must have.

“Oh, you wouldn’t have to worry about that,” Flameu replied with a smirk. “We would just be there as spectators, nothing more. As this country’s court mage, I would like to see what your clan is capable of after all.”

“Hmm, I see.” The man grinned. “However, if you think of recruiting us as mercenaries, young lady, think again. We don’t like being ordered around. As adventurers, we value our freedom above everything else.”

I can’t help but think that there’s a certain contradiction to that statement though. To me, being part of a large group like this, it just feels like there will always be something that chains you down, whether it’s the group’s rules or even mere peer pressure. To be truly free as an adventurer, I feel, you have to be doing it alone or with a small group.

He then told us where we would need to go. Luckily for us, it didn’t seem to be that far from where the encampment was.

We headed up the mountains as per the man’s directions. As we did, the temperature around us dropped more and more. Luckily, I could cast this spell I had invented in free time, called Warm Breeze. Like the name suggested, it generated warm air around the caster. It was a hybrid spell of fire and wind, but surprisingly, it wasn’t that difficult for me to think it up on my own.

And of course, I could cast the opposite as well. Cold Breeze. I would use it if I ever ended up in a hot region.

“I’m once again impressed by your magical prowess, Milord,” Flameu spoke after I cast the spell with a smile. "I've never known a spell like this exists before. Although, are you sure it's fine for you to continuously cast it? Won't you run out of mana?"

"It's fine," I replied with an easy-going grin. "My mana capacity is pretty good after all." All thanks to me learning magic from a young age. The more you use magic, the more your capacity increases after all.

"Perhaps you might teach me how to cast it later? I'll pay you for your time, don't worry."

"Eh?" Me, being a teacher?

"Or, would you like the payment to be of a… different sort, Milord?"

It was clear as day that she was teasing me as she said it. She fluttered her eyelashes excessively, and she gave that sensual look with upturned eyes that would make any healthy man's loins stir.

Oh, have I told you that she has beautiful and long eyelashes? Accompanied with her pretty emerald eyes, it would deal a fatal blow to any men who were fortunate enough to be given the privilege of seeing them flutter.

She then giggled. Damn, she must have noticed my blush.

Composing myself back, I replied with, "How about a spell exchange? You can use Dimensional Storage right? I’ve been wanting to learn that spell myself, but I’m just never able to get it right. So you teach me that and I’ll teach you my custom spell.”

“Ah, that could be arranged. Though I was under the assumption that you were already able to cast it. It seems even the talented Lord Pendleton has some magic he’s not good at,” she added with a smirk.

We cut our chitchat as the air around us grew colder. Now there were snow actively falling from the skies, and a strong wind going against the direction where we were heading. Judging by what that man told us, this is a sign we’re getting near to the dragon. And indeed, as we grew closer and closer to the X, the more furious the cold wind became, until it became a full-blown blizzard.

And then, we saw it, in a distance, the silhouette of a large white creature. It was sitting at the far end of the valley we were currently on. Thanks to the elevation being higher there than here, we could get a clearer look at it than otherwise possible.

Oh wow, that’s… That’s big. That’s really big.

The biggest monster I had fought so far was the wyverns. And they were dwarfed in size in comparison to this fully adult dragon right in front of us. Or at least, that’s what it seemed. Our vision wasn’t that clear, thanks to the weather that no doubt the dragon was creating.

It doesn’t seem to move though. Is it sleeping or something?

“Milord, it would be dangerous for us to go further. We should turn back now and look for a better vantage point where we could witness the fight of those adventurers.”

Yeah, she’s right. Wouldn’t want to wake up the dragon.

We then made a beeline to the side of the valley, climbing up the rocks there to survey the area from a higher vantage point. Using my Wind Spell, I helped her in the process. And I was rewarded by multiple lovely sightings of her black lace panties as her skirt got lifted upwards.

Mature panties really are the best… even though frilly white ones are great as well… Honestly, as long as they're tight-fitting, I'm fine with any kinds of panties....

Once we reached the top, we could see that the fight would indeed take place inside a valley, with two tall cliffs on each side. Pros: It was large enough that there was plenty of room to dodge out of the way from the dragon's attacks. Cons: Meaning, the only direction of retreat is to go back the way we came.

“So, what now?” I glanced at Flameu. “We just wait here until they finish the job?”

“Yes,” she replied with a smirk. “We should be safe here. Relatively speaking anyways. I’m sure the dragon could just fly here and blast us with its frost breath if it so chooses. But, as long as we don’t attack it as well, it should leave us alone. Its attention would be wholly spent on the people who are currently assaulting it after all.”

“True enough.” I stated my agreement with her.

We then stayed up there for a while, making sure to survey every inch of the place as much as we could. After we found a place where we could see the battlefield relatively well, while still remaining safe, we waited until the adventurers arrived.

And it didn't take long for them to do so. One by one, the adventurers entered the valley. As expected, Arcturus was the one leading them, giving them commands as they stood before them. I couldn’t really hear what he was saying, but judging by how they split up afterwards, it was clear that they tend to give the high ground to mages and archers, while the frontline fighters stood on the low ground. A classic formation. The latter draws aggro while the former DPS it from afar.

“Oh, it’s you people.”

One of the groups that split up met up with us. Just like I predicted, they were a group that consisted of archers, mages, and a priest. If I had to guess, the latter was only there as a precaution, in case they messed up drawing the aggro and the dragon ended up attacking their group instead.

Their leader was a blonde blue-eyed elven woman, and a beautiful one, if I do say so myself. I would not presume to know the age of an elf, but in human years, she was around mid-twenties, if I had to guess. Basically, a big-boobed elf onee-san that I certainly would not mind cuddling with. She wore a green flowing dress that showed a generous amount of legs, thanks to her incredibly short miniskirt. Her shoes were peculiar, also green but with wings on the sides. And she carried with her a bow, which signified her archer role.

"You really are going to stay here just to watch us do our job?" She crossed her hands with a somewhat exasperated expression.

"Of course," Flameu replied with a smirk. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Not here. We're going to use this space. Go higher up."

"Ah, very well. We shall remove ourselves from the premises then."

And so we surrendered the spot. To think that they were actually going to use it though, that meant they would have to fire their spells and arrows through a really long range. Spells and arrows both weaken the further they are from their target, especially in a windy, snowy weather like this. Oh, and speaking of that, caught many glimpses of the elf’s green panties as her skirt fluttered. Very nice. Though kinda cliched as the color just followed the rest of her attire.

We climbed ever upwards. At this height, we really could no longer see well what’s going on all the way down there, which was a shame.

Eventually, we stopped at another point, and we watched as the mages and archers spread themselves all around the cliffs, while the knights and swordsmen stood on the large valley in the middle.

Kinda wish I had a snack with me right now. I would ask for a popcorn but that’s obviously not a thing in this world.

I took out some hard bread from my bag though. Hard breads were the common food for adventurers. They weren’t delicious. Not in the slightest. But they could keep themselves in a relatively good quality for a decent amount of time. Still, I warmed it up a bit using my magic before munching it. Thankfully, after all these months adventuring, I was already used to eating such food.

And then, I relaxed and watched the ensuing combat.