Chapter 11: Sierra remembers her battle with the dragon.
Sierra was utterly hopeless when it came to history classes.
Literature was just as bad, and she was completely lost with mathematics.
At this point people were openly wondering how she had even passed the entrance exam.
But it wasn’t as if she was bad at everything.
“…《Alma Gal》 is a monster with extremely hard carapace, so magical attacks are far more effective than physical ones. Earth-attribute spells from below are especially advantageous. However, since the Alma Gal itself can burrow into the ground, you have to stay alert for that—”
The one rattling off the explanation without pause was none other than Sierra, who had been a walking disaster for most of today’s lessons.
The current class was 《Monster Studies》.
When it came to monsters, Sierra’s knowledge went far beyond “well-informed”; the entire class couldn’t hide their astonishment.
“Perfect answer. Outstanding, Alcnys-san.”
Praised by the instructor, Sierra gave a small nod and returned to her seat.
A nearby classmate immediately spoke up.
“That was incredible, Sierra-san. You know so much about monsters.”
“Yeah. Thanks to my job— I mean, my adventures.”
“Tell us about those adventures sometime!”
“Sure.”
When people approached her like this, Sierra could respond without any trouble.
The lesson moved on to the next monster.
“Yes, the monster widely regarded as the strongest on the surface is the 《Dragon》. Of course, dragons come in many varieties, and the rare 《Named》 dragons are said to be overwhelmingly powerful.”
(Named… I wonder if that’s the one Dad and I fought?)
Only Sierra would zone out in class thinking something like that.
It had happened about three years ago, on another continent.
A dragon known as a walking calamity: the Named dragon 《Ul-Vaash》.
“A ragtag army of small nations wouldn’t even scratch it. That’s the kind of monster Ul-Vaash is. First time fighting a dragon, right, Sierra?”
“Yep, first time.”
Even though they were about to face a dragon, Sierra answered with perfect calm.
It really was her first dragon.
“Even I could die if I make a single mistake. To put it bluntly, we don’t actually have to win.”
“Huh?”
“There aren’t many humans in the world who can beat a dragon in a straight fight.”
“…Can’t you win, Dad?”
“No, I can win; I’m just saying we don’t need to. Ul-Vaash will chase its recognized prey until they’re dead. So you and I are about to become that prey. Our job is to keep its attention.”
“I see. So we don’t kill it, we just run?”
“If you feel you’re in danger, yes, get out. I, of course, am going in planning to kill it.”
Only a handful of people on the entire planet could declare that so casually before facing a dragon.
Sierra tilted her head slightly.
“If it’s just you, Dad, it’ll be dangerous. I’ll fight to the end too.”
“You still can’t maintain 《Weapon Materialization》 for very long. You’re only allowed to fight as long as you can keep that active. Any longer and your mana will run dry.”
“…Got it.”
Sierra obeyed Ainz’s words.
At that time, she already possessed near-complete strength; the only thing lacking was stamina.
That weakness would be overcome a few months later.
Suddenly, a rumbling like an earthquake shook the air.
“GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!”
Sierra instantly recognized it wasn’t an earthquake; it was a monster’s roar.
A shadow blotted out the sky.
《Ul-Vaash》.
Jet-black scales covered a body well over a hundred meters long.
Pure size symbolized biological supremacy.
If that colossal frame ever landed on a town, the town would be annihilated by sheer mass.
“Here it comes… Let’s go, Sierra!”
“Yeah.”
Ainz fired magic skyward: lightning-attribute 《Gray Lightning》.
A bolt of ashen thunder streaked upward and struck Ul-Vaash square on.
“GUOOOOOOOO!”
Whether it actually hurt or not, a pained roar resounded everywhere.
A single flap of its wings leveled the nearby forest.
Through that storm of destruction, Ainz and Sierra charged.
“Listen up! Its weakness is also its size! The bigger they are, the slower they move! We start by wearing it down!”
“Got it!”
What followed was a grueling battle that lasted hours.
That was the memory Sierra revisited in the middle of class.
“The Named dragon Ul-Vaash is recorded as having been subjugated on another continent some years ago… likely the first such event in observed history.”
(Oh, that’s Dad’s story.)
And so, right in the middle of a lesson, Sierra found herself listening to an account of something that, to her, was simply a personal memory.