It’s Not Night - Chapter 128

Dustin took the lead and Andra followed from behind. The two began to slowly approach the shape. The big monster seemed to be busy dealing with the queen ant, so it didn’t realize that Dustin and Andra were approaching.

Andra gasped when she saw the yellow pupils revealed through the fog, now that she stood relatively closer. No way…

“…Dragon?”

A half-dazed voice came out of Andra’s lips, and in an instant the yellow pupils turned to where they were standing. Dustin sent Andra right behind him, and drew his sword from the scabbard. The monster fought the queen ant and killed the worker ants attacking him while keeping its eyes fixed on the two.

Andra demonstrated her magic. Even in the Aslan dungeon, when the dragon saw her using magic, it acted like it knew her. So if this was the same dragon from that time, it would recognize Andra too.

And that prediction turned out to be true. The dragon’s slit pupils went round, and then it opened its mouth wide and said the words.

[ Lady Anat? ]

The dragon spoke, and Andra gasped in surprise. It did say it was going to catch someone. The big monster was the dragon she and Dustin met in Aslan Dungeon. However, the surprise was cut short, the queen ant tried to attack the dragon again.

Kaahhk!

The dragon breathed fire again. Pure blue flame rained down on the queen ant. But the queen ant clicked her own claws even more ferociously, resisting the flames with her hard shell. For that reason, the dragon growled when its fire did not work.

“Dustin, you have to help the dragon!”

“You want to kill the queen ant?”

Dustin looked like he was asking if Andra had gone crazy and had lost her mind. It’s crazy enough to be this close, but to kill the queen ant? Andra steadfastly pushed her opinion.

“You said you wanted to do anything for me! You promised!”

“You only shamelessly brought it up now…”

“So you won’t? If you and I work together, there’s nothing we can’t do. We even have a dragon!”

“…Damn it. Andra, don’t take another step. Watch my back.”

In the end, Dustin was forced to go to the place where the dragon and the queen ant were fighting each other. Andra wanted to go with him, but she thought Dustin would be very angry if she did. She chose to follow his advice and stayed there to guard the rear.

Andra used her magic to create something resembling a bow and arrow from the twigs around her.

Dustin leaped lightly and slashed away the worker ants surrounding the queen. Then he used the dragon’s body as a stepping stone to approach the queen ant.

The queen ant’s sharp, hard jaws opened against the dragon’s claws. Gathering strength, Dustin slammed the ant queen’s jaws off the dragon.

Kieeck! The queen ant backed away while making angry noises, and then she opened her claws again to attack the dragon and Dustin. At that moment, the dragon opened its mouth and spewed fire. Lava fire poured down on the queen ant.

The queen ant, who had been resisting the fire so far, started howling in pain little by little this time.

Taking the opportunity, Dustin plunged his sword into the queen ant’s eye. The queen ant started shaking wildly. Not stopping there, Dustin went a little further and slashed the queen ant’s thin body joint with his sword.

As the queen ant retreated back, writhing in pain, the dragon slashed and bit the queen ant’s body with its sharp and terrifying claws.

The queen ant’s stomach split open, pouring out fluids. Kieeeccckkk! Worker ants climbed up from below to protect the queen, but they couldn’t last long in front of Dustin and the dragon’s claws. In the end, the queen ant fell down with a thud.

As soon as the queen ant fell, Dustin put his sword in the scabbard and quickly returned to Andra’s side. The dragon belatedly led its huge body and quickly came in front of Andra, making a thumping sound.

The dragon noticed Andra, despite being obscured by Dustin, and began to smile. It’s really Lady Anat! On the other hand, Andra looked incredulous.

“Why are you here?”

After waking up after being hit by a falling rock in the Aslan Dungeon, Andra hadn’t seen the dragon again. She went back into the dungeon and she tried to find the dragon, but she couldn’t find it. So she wondered where the dragon had gone, but she never imagined that they would meet here.

Suddenly, the dragon changed into a small lion-sized body like the last time, pushed Dustin who was blocking Andra with a headbutt, and charged at Andra.

[ Lady Anat! I missed you! What about you, Lady Anat? ]

“Huh? I, missed you…”

Looking at Dustin, who had been pushed out of the way, Andra naturally started stroking the dragon. Dustin glared at the dragon with a bewildered face. Ignoring him, the dragon looked teary-eyed and rubbed itself against Andra.

[ Do you know how surprised I was then? The temple suddenly collapsed! Lady Anat and that human man suddenly disappeared too! ]

My nest! Hnf, I liked it! The dragon whined at Andra, recalling the memory of being left homeless overnight.

“Did the dungeon collapse? It can’t be…”

[ It collapsed! My nest is also gone! ]

“Then where have you been?”

[ I just walked around! Meeting my friends! They’re all doing well! ]

“Oh… I see…”

Upon learning about the dragon’s friends, which she hadn’t been too curious about, Andra nodded her head with a timid face.

“Like I asked earlier, why are you here?”

[ That’s right, I came to find Lady Anat! Lady Anat suddenly disappeared! After looking for traces of Lady Anat, I was here before I knew it. ]

The dragon suddenly put its nose in the air and sniffed. I can feel Lady Anat’s power here. It’s faint but clear. Andra thought that maybe the dragon could help her reach the ‘end of the world’.

But before that, it didn’t make sense why the dragon would break into the anthill and attack.

“But why were you attacking the anthill if you were looking for me?”

Andra’s gaze lingered on the fallen queen ant for a moment, then she turned back to the dragon. Then the dragon began to grumble with a sullen face. About that. Listen carefully, Lady Anat. Excited, the dragon fluttered its wings as if it was about to take flight.

[ The ants stole my egg! Those petty thieves! ]

Kyaaackk! Still upset, the dragon thundered at the dead queen ant.

[ My egg! Where the hell did you put it! ]

At this time, Dustin, who was listening to the dragon’s complaint, said something.

“Was it female?”

[ What are you saying, human man! I am genderless!]

“Then why do you have an egg? Did you not bear it?”

[ I am genderless! You foolish thing! I will chew you right now! ]

“Anat won’t like it if you chew me.”

[ Lady Anat! Why do you still have this useless, treacherous human man with you! ]

“I’m better than you to have around.”

While Dustin and the dragon were squabbling, Andra looked puzzled at the word egg. Egg? Egg… was it referring to the egg that Dean stole? Then, did Dean know that the ants would steal the dragon’s egg?

…No, it couldn’t be. If the dragon would kill the queen ant, Dean’s plans would be ruined. The fact that the ants took the dragon’s egg must have been purely coincidental because of their habit of picking up things.

While thinking so, the dragon suddenly raised its face in front of her and asked.

[ Have you seen it, Lady Anat? Where is the egg? ]

“Well, I hadn’t seen anything like an egg… How long has it been since you lost it?”

[ It’s already been 3 days! Those petty thieves! Give me back my egg right now! ]

“Three days? You mean it’s been three days since they stole your egg?”

[ Yes! It’s already been three days since they stole my egg! Lady Anat! Let’s go back to the anthill! Let’s go find the egg, Lady Anat! ]

It has been about three days since Andra and Dustin set foot in Morgennis. Thanks to this, Andra decided to change her hypothesis. Maybe Dean knew that the ants stole the dragon egg.

Come to think of it, Dean was very skilled. He knew the geography of the anthill and passed by without the ants attacking him.

‘What, then did he really think the dragon would come here? But when the dragon kills the queen ant, Dean’s plan…’

Andra hastily turned her head to look at Dustin, who was squabbling with the dragon again.

“Dustin, if you kill the boss in a monster dungeon, what happens to the monsters below it? Do they all die and disappear?”

“No, they’re still alive, but they won’t attack anymore. Sometimes they wait until a new queen is born.”

“That’s it!”

Andra shouted in a low voice. The dragon stared at Andra with a startled face. What is it? The dragon then ran around her looking curious.

“The existing queen ant was bait. What Dean was aiming for from the beginning was a new queen ant. That’s why he told me he was going to steal the treasure of the dungeon, the egg! Look, even though the queen ant died, the dungeon was not cleared. This is proof that a new queen ant has already been born. As expected, that guy Dean let me go on purpose…”

“He dragged you on purpose and let you go on purpose?”

Dustin didn’t understand Andra’s murmur so he asked back.

“He did. When I asked why he was taking me to the dungeon, he said that if I go in…”

“Why?”

“In his plan, he let me meet you and the dragon. Because we have to get rid of the existing queen ant!”

It was obvious what Dean would do with the new queen. Andra’s face hardened.

[ Then, let’s go get rid of the new queen ant this time! ]

The dragon shouted from the side. Andra’s head naturally turned to where the queen ant had fallen. There was a gap where they could go right into the anthill.

She hesitated. This, too, must be what Dean wanted. For the three of them to go back into the anthill.

The anthill was a closed space. It was an advantageous place for Dean, who had acquired the new queen ant.

Maybe Dean was hoping for this situation.