The roar resounded through the skies of Seraiya.

It was strong enough to shatter all the windows of the Queens estate.

Every bird took flight.

Every horse bucked and bolted.

Even the mana around shook.

Arthur Queens stood in the courtyard of his manor, staring at the distant mountains.

There was no doubt about this.

"The Calamity Dragon..."

It was only a legend he had read in history books.

A beast, capable of wiping kingdoms from existence before Seraiya came into being.

Arthur immediately turned towards his guardsmen.

"Ring the alarm!"

The bell resounded through the manor.

"Gather every knight!"

"Notify the capital!"

"Get every able-handed man ready!"

The manor turned into a battlefield in a few minutes.

Servants ran through its halls with weapons and equipment.

Knights rushed to put on their armor.

Messengers left on horses.

Arthur fastened his sword strap.

He knew very well that a lesser noble like him could not defeat such a creature.

But...

If all nobles had such thoughts...

Who would stand against it?

He looked at the manor.

"...Protect our family until I return."

One knight saluted.

"Yes, my Lord Arthur."

---

Inside the manor...

Elena Queens held Jennie in her arms.

Her hands trembled.

She had never seen such a serious look on her husband’s face.

The nursery door burst open.

Lucas ran inside, wearing leather armor far too big for him.

His wooden training sword had been replaced by the real steel weapon.

He was only twelve, but he had started knight training.

He managed a smile.

"Mother."

"I’m going with father."

Elena opened her eyes wide.

"No."

Lucas lowered his head.

"I know I am weak."

"But Father shouldn’t stand alone."

"If I can save even one person..."

His voice trembled.

"...I have to go."

Elena walked to him and embraced him.

For a few seconds...

Neither of them said anything.

Finally...

She kissed his forehead.

"Come home."

Lucas nodded.

"I promise."

Jennie silently watched everything.

Inside her...

Leonis sighed.

"He is too young."

"But... he has courage."

---

Arthur entered the room a minute later.

He smiled softly at his wife.

"I am leaving."

Elena forced a smile.

"I know."

"I’ll protect everyone."

Arthur looked at Jennie.

She stared directly at him.

For a strange moment...

He felt as if the baby told him something with her eyes.

"Don’t die."

Arthur chuckled.

"I’ll come back."

He touched her forehead softly.

Then he turned.

Lucas followed him.

The door closed.

Jennie watched them leave.

---

Until noon...

The manor almost emptied.

Only elderly servants, children, and women remained there.

According to the kingdom’s protocol, all the women from nearby estates gathered in the strongest room of the manor.

Stones walls.

Iron doors.

Magical protective spells created by court mages years ago.

Elena stood before all of them.

"Everyone."

"Be calm."

"Our husbands..."

"Our fathers..."

"Our sons..."

"They are buying us time."

"We should believe in them."

Several women silently prayed.

Other held crying children in their arms.

Jennie slept in Elena’s embrace.

"Biding time?"

Leonis thought.

"Against a Calamity Dragon?"

"No."

"They are marching to their deaths."

He had fought dragons before.

Even in his previous life...

Such creatures required armies.

This Arthur...

Wasn’t strong enough to survive.

---

Hours passed.

And then...

The ground began to tremble.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Each bang was closer.

Women screamed.

One servant whispered through tears.

"It is coming..."

The pressure increased so much that protective magic of the room started to falter.

Jennie frowned.

"No."

"Is heading to the battlefield."

"My Father..."

"My Brother..."

Her tiny fists clenched.

She had promised herself.

No politics.

No heroics.

Only the sword.

But...

These people outside...

Were now her family.

She couldn’t just wait.

"Fine."

"If the dragon doesn’t want to come here..."

"I’ll force it to do."

---

Jennie closed her tiny eyes.

Deep inside her soul...

The mana she unconsciously restrained since birth awoke.

Not released.

Just...

Called.

An invisible wave spread outwards.

Pure.

Concentrated.

Ancient.

Mana like no other existed in this era.

It was like igniting a lantern in complete darkness.

Far away...

The Calamity Dragon stopped.

Its huge golden eyes shifted slowly.

It had found something.

Something impossible.

An ancient soul.

An aura that reminded it of an age that was long forgotten.

It left the battlefield.

The dragon unfolded its huge wings.

Then...

It flew to the Queens manor.

---

Somewhere away...

Arthur stared in disbelief.

"It changed direction..."

One knight shouted.

"The dragon is retreating!"

Another yelled.

"No..."

"It’s heading to the manor!"

Arthur’s face paled.

"Elena..."

"Jennie..."

"Lucas!"

He started to run immediately.

---

Inside the safest room...

All candles suddenly went out.

Silence.

And then...

CRASH!!

The ceiling fell down.

Stones fell in the room.

The enormous head of the Calamity Dragon crashed into the roof, roaring so loudly that the whole manor shook.

Women screamed.

Some of them fainted instantly.

Other grabbed their children and fled through the fallen ceiling.

Chaos began.

Elena protected her daughter with her body.

A falling beam crashed right next to her.

The shockwave pushed her to the wall.

She lost consciousness.

Jennie landed softly on the floor from her mother’s arms.

Silence.

The dragon lowered its head.

Its ancient eyes stared at the tiny infant.

It roared.

Curious.

Confused.

Greedy.

Jennie stood up.

Or rather...

She floated so that her tiny feet touched the broken floor.

Her red eyes stared at the dragon.

Inside...

Leonis smiled.

"You are much smaller than the last dragon I fought."

The dragon roared.

Mana gathered in its mouth.

It was a breath attack.

Jennie only lifted one tiny finger.

All the mana concentrated inside the room concentrated into one spot.

No chant.

No spell circle.

No pointless movements.

The former Sword King merely whispered in his mind.

"Disappear."

An invisible blade of mana flashed one time.

Nobody saw it.

There wasn’t any sound either.

The dragon froze.

Its eyes opened wide.

A thin line appeared on its neck.

In one heartbeat...

Its huge head fell off.

The dragon’s enormous corpse crashed with a deafening noise.

Everything was silent.

Jennie looked at it for a while.

"Hm."

"A thousand years really changed everything."

"Dragons became weaker..."

She tilted her head innocently.

"...Or I haven’t become weaker."

She yawned.

Having to use this baby body was tiring.

Using that much mana made her sleepy.

She crawled back to her mother who was sleeping.

She curled into a ball.

And fell asleep.

---

Minutes later...

Arthur, Lucas and dozens of knights entered the ruined room.

Everybody stopped.

Silence filled the room.

There...

Lay the corpse of the Calamity Dragon.

Severed cleanly.

No signs of any prolonged fight.

No burn marks.

No collapsed walls except for the initial impact.

Only...

One perfect cut.

Arthur slowly lowered his sword.

"...Impossible."

Lucas stared with his mouth hanging open.

"Who..."

"...could kill something like this?"

The remaining women emerged one by one.

They didn’t understand what had happened.

All they remembered was that the dragon appeared...

And then darkness.

Arthur hurried to Elena.

She slowly woke up.

"W-What happened...?"

He shook his head.

"I don’t know."

Lucas suddenly pointed.

"Father."

Elena peacefully lay with Jennie next to her, both girls with their own small blankets were still sound asleep, showing no signs of either girl being disturbed at all.

The smile on Jennie’s face was barely noticeable, but existed.

Arthur carefully picked up Jennie from the bed and cradled her against him.

"...At least you are safe."

Though they did not see it, there was a very faint wisp of mana that disappeared right after Jennie settled into Arthur’s embrace.

As she watched the scene above the clouds Miasa couldn’t decide whether to feel entertained or to be bewildered.

"...Leonis."

"You just got to this world a little over a year ago and you have already defeated a Calamity Dragon."

She sighed once more.

"I guess there are certain things that don’t ever change."