The 5000-year-old Herbivorous Dragon-Chapter 67 - The unruly Evil Dragon Lord

Fortunately we had plenty of targets. The garrison grounds were mostly unpaved with clumps of grass growing all over the place.

Maybe because she’d be able to show her real abilities as a former demon, Lady Saintess was brimming with motivation. Putting on a straw hat and working gloves she pulled out from god knows where, she gave off an impression of a professional whose job is to send the grass on their way.

We first visited the rear of Haizen’s residence. Since it was the back of the building it wasn’t meticulously cared for so I’ve been often conveniently nibbling on the grass here since yesterday.

―― Whereas this time we’d be purposely wasting it.

“Hey…uup!”

Lady Saintess had already begun vigorously plucking grass. Seeing the pulled by the roots grass, flustered, I had to suppress the drool hanging from my mouth. I shouldn’t. I didn’t come for a meal this time.

“I can’t let only Lady Saintess get her hands dirty…”

I steeled my resolve and set about removing the grass. However, I wasn’t able to nimbly grasp it with my claws. Inevitably I wound up uprooting the grass with my mouth.

“… I can’t.”

The moment I held a bite in my mouth the taste of grass spread on my tongue. With the smell of fresh green grass tickling my nasal cavity, an instinct inside me whispered softly for me to chew and engulf it right away.

“You mustn’t! Don’t lose to the temptation Mr. Lizard! You’re making a face like you’re on the verge of losing to your appetite!”

“Uhh… But Lady Saintess, just think about it. At this point it’s already half-torture for me. To have to spit out food right after putting it in my mouth… Such a waste. Besides I’ll get hungry”

“Listen, you won’t become an Evil Dragon if you continue saying such weak spirited things, you know? It’s the only way to take back the magic power which went to Lady Rēko.”

That’s right. Although a pity, I mustn’t forget that at this rate I’d be forced to go at full speed with berserk Rēko on a Demon King conquest.

Thus I finally resolved myself. Becoming a god of destruction, I gently let fall to the ground the grass I ripped up with my mouth.

“Fuu… How’s it Lady Saintess? Just now, was I fairly Evil Dragon like?”

“I also can’t really put my finger on how exactly an Evil Dragon should be like, but compared to the usual Mr. Lizard gave off a wild impression!”

“Then I’m glad. Well let’s go ahead and continue.”

The me who overcame the wall of my conscience and appetite began to dispose of grass in earnest shoulder to shoulder with Lady Saintess. The residence’s backyard covered in green very quickly was exposed to be the colour of earth.

Thereupon, a voice came from one of the estate’s windows.

“… Say, what are you doing, you two…?”

It was Sheina, who still was fervently trying to win over the mountain spirit by giving her a ride on her shoulders. Her face grew stiff, maybe because she froze in fear after seeing our figures single-mindedly focused on tearing out weeds.

Not good. We might’ve scared her.

This was where I should go and say “Were you overcome with dread, Sheina? This is my true figure. Carve the fear of Evil Dragon Rēvendia deep into your heart.” However, if I did that I might traumatise the poor young girl.

When me and Lady Saintess were exchanging glances and thinking how should we patch things up, Rēko popped out her head out of the residence’s window frame. I ordered Rēko to keep an eye on the spirit just in case that the demons came to recapture her.

Then she fixedly stared at me and said with satisfaction.

“Today’s Evil Dragon Lord is much more malevolent than usual…”

Great, it transmitted to Rēko. After all this wasn’t a mistake. Now I only need a quick follow-up for Sheina―― 𝒇𝒓eewe𝒃𝑛𝒐𝘃𝒆𝚕.co𝘮

“Hey, Evil Dragon Lord? I-If the weeds bother you that much I’ll have them cleaned up right away, there’s no need for you to do something like this!”

Terribly flustered, Sheina jumped over the window frame. The spirit was sitting on her shoulders but she landed safely with skilful movements. Oh, that’s right. I forgot that this child, for one reason or another, held me in high regard. She might be trying to obtain the Evil Dragon Rēvendia’s strength by taking part in this evil herself.

―― Wait. Since the power has once drifted to Rēko, it’s more than possible that it’ll drift over to Sheina if she commits a misdeed here.

“No, you cannot. It’s something we’ve to do ourselves. You just take care of the spirit.”

“Ah, but I can’t make the Evil Dragon Lord do something like―”

“That’s enough, step back. Do not object to the words of the Evil Dragon Lord.”

Before I knew it Rēko jumped down to the backyard and restrained Sheina by gripping her wrist.

“But Rēko, if I won’t help out here it’ll be too much…”

“―― Listen, it’s also for your sake. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen Evil Dragon Lord rampage so much. If you were to act with the current Evil Dragon Lord, you would no longer be able to stay human.”

“I-Is really such an amazing situation unfolding? Now?”

Unexpectedly receiving Reko’s help I gave Sheina a deep nod with my head.

“That’s right Sheina. The current me is awfully amazing. Right, Rēko?”

“Yes, I feel an unprecedented darkness from the Evil Dragon Lord.”

With both of her fists tightly clenched, Rēko happily nodded her head in agreement over and over. Feeling enough joy to have my eyes fill with tears, I took advantage of the confusion and merrily nibbled on some grass. It was exquisite.

“Incidentally why are you allowing this water demon to attend you? If it was the act worthy to be called destruction of the great darkness, Lord just had to call and this one deserving of the name kin would come immediately.”

“Ahem! That’s because Mr. Lizard judged that it’s still too early for Lady Rēko! In that respect, I’ve become a dependable adult that came to fully comprehend the ways of the world and――”

Not reading the mood and plunging with a self-appeal, Lady Saintess was cut off short by Rēko.

“That so, I’m proud of you. It looks like demons are drawing near your town, but to think you’d leave it and swear your loyalty to the Evil Dragon Lord…”

“Eh? Lady Rēko? What did you just say?”

“I’ve sensed it just now, but demons are once again approaching your town. Certainly if you’re to walk with the Evil Dragon Lord on the supreme road of destruction, abandoning one or two towns like that is a matter of course.”

Lady Saintess petrified with her mouth hanging wide open. It looked like she completely forgot about her own duty of protecting the town once she got kidnapped.

“Send me back to my town right away, Lady Rēko! You can even throw me or boil me!”

“What the, your determination was that weak, huh… Evil Dragon Lord, may I?”

“Uh huh, send her back as soon as possible. Gently if you can.” 𝗳𝘳𝒆𝘦𝑤𝐞𝚋𝗻𝚘𝘷𝘦𝙡.𝑐𝐨𝘮

When Rēko snapped her fingers a subspace gap opened identical to the one which transferred Mr. Adonis over, and as if swallowing her whole Lady Saintess vanished.

“I sent her back. Those demons are even inferior to the wolves which came to the village, so that water demon should be more than enough to deal with them.”

“Ah that’s great, but you already started to use that skill casually huh. Each and every time you use it is nerve wracking for me so I’d prefer if you held yourself back unless it’s an emergency.”

“Understood. As I’ve expected, skills bending the natural laws have a considerable influence on this world, don’t they? Just like Evil Dragon Lord doesn’t create subspaces rashly I’ll also restrain myself from now on.”

While nodding relieved, I stared at the space in front of me and tried ordering in my mind “Bend, like Rēko’s.” Of course nothing happened.

Since I was wasting grass I thought that the Evil Dragon power should soon take shelter within me, but it looked like the effects weren’t visible yet.

However, at this rate it’d surely dwell inside me in the near future. With a somewhat lighter heart I decided to continue relentlessly plucking out grass.

Only there was one thing.

“Rampage…? This…?”

Sheina looking over here with her neck tilted was the only thing that bothered me slightly.