I explained the situation to Dad and the others...
Got everything ready...
And then, Sofia and I left the house.
"Yeah, we’re all set."
I wore warm clothes that wouldn’t get in the way of movement, and underneath, light armor.
Even though it was light armor, it was made by my father — the one known as the God of Smithing.
It was very sturdy, and resistant to magic as well.
At my waist was a sword Sofia had lent me.
It didn’t bear a name, but apparently, it was forged by a certain master craftsman.
Not only was it sharp, but it also had excellent durability.
It was the perfect sword for me.
After that, we met up with Mr. Horn at the city gate.
"I've been waiting."
Mr. Horn was heavily equipped.
He wore so much armor that it puffed out his winter clothes...
And on his back, he carried a large bag of supplies.
"That’s some impressive gear..."
"Will you be alright?"
"Yes, no problem. My mobility is a little reduced, but everything here is necessary. I’ve packed potions, bombs, and various other things. We’ll be using them up during the battle, so I’ll get lighter as we go."
"I see..."
In other words, that’s the kind of opponent we’re facing… one you need to prepare that much for.
The legendary Purgatory Dragon.
Just how strong is it, really?
Can we really defeat it?
The thought made me a little anxious…
"Fate."
"...Ah..."
Sofia gently took my hand.
Even through our gloves, I could feel her warmth.
"It’ll be okay."
"...Yeah, you're right."
My doubts vanished.
Courage welled up within me.
Yeah.
As long as I’m with Sofia, I feel like I can do anything.
"Good grief, you two are putting on a show in front of an old man,"
Horn said teasingly, and both Sofia and I blushed.
Is it really okay to be acting like this right before the final battle? I couldn’t help but wonder...
But I also felt like it eased the tension a bit.
Alright, let’s go.
To the final battleground.
――――――――――
Today the weather was unfortunately terrible, with a blizzard blowing.
It wasn’t so bad that our vision was completely blocked, but traveling took longer, and our stamina was drained.
Still, we didn’t rush and carefully kept moving forward…
Despite the bad weather, we managed to arrive at our destination relatively quickly.
"This is where the Purgatory Dragon is..."
It was a small cave, so small it could be buried in the snow.
However, that was only the entrance.
The deeper we went, the wider it became.
No matter how far we walked, there was no sign of the end.
"What an incredible cave."
"It was very narrow at first, but now it’s this vast... big enough to fit a large castle inside."
"It’s like a natural prison. With Nonoka’s power as well, we sealed him here."
Mr. Horn’s voice was tinged with sadness as he spoke.
He was probably recalling those times long ago.
"...We should be close now."
True to Mr. Horn’s words, after walking about ten more minutes, we reached the deepest part.
And then, we were left speechless.
"This is..."
"The Purgatory Dragon..."
Inside a huge block of ice, an equally gigantic dragon was sleeping.
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