"Hey! You two stupid humans, get off me right now! The god's sword on my back is not something mortals like you can touch!"
The green dragon warned them sternly. "If mere mortals touch the god's sword, your minds will surely collapse!"
"A god's sword? Whoever named that thing has zero naming sense. It's tacky as hell."
Raize examined the rather plain giant sword and mocked the one who named it.
"Yeah, it's like some low-tier MMO equipment."
Kobayashi chimed in while gripping the sword. After finding a proper leverage point, she began pulling upward with force.
The broad blade, as if washed in blood rain, was slowly pulled out along with blood and chunks of flesh from the dragon's back.
"No way… how can a mere human pull out the god's sword…"
The dragon widened its eyes. It could clearly feel the god's sword being slowly extracted.
It was utterly shocked, unable to understand how this powerless human woman could pull out the god's sword.
"Mmph! I don't care! If gods really exist… then fix my back pain already!!!"
Kobayashi exerted all her strength, veins bulging on her forehead. The god's sword was pulled out inch by inch, dragon blood spreading outward and spraying in shocking arcs.
Slash—!
The sword was carefully and steadily pulled free. Kobayashi flung it backward, and it landed in the grass not far away.
Boom!
Raize twitched at the corner of his eye as he looked at the sword crashing to the ground with a loud impact. That thing was definitely heavy. Drunk Kobayashi was terrifyingly strong.
Soon, the god's sword seemed to exhaust its remaining divine power. After being pulled out, it gradually dissolved into particles of light and vanished.
{ This human called Kobayashi has no faith, and because she is drunk and mentally disordered, she ignored the divine protection of the god's sword and did not suffer mental collapse. }
{ Moreover, part of the sword's divine power fused into this woman's body at the moment she pulled it out. }
Sei also saw this scene. Compared to Raize, who only saw the divine sword disappear, what she perceived was something far deeper and more precise.
And after hearing Sei's words inside him, Raize felt genuinely happy for Kobayashi for obtaining such an opportunity.
He helped Kobayashi jump down from the dragon's massive body. In the end, Kobayashi plopped down on the ground, picked up her bottle again, and started drinking.
"So what if it's some divine sword? I'm totally fine, aren't I? Hey, dragon, are you feeling better now?"
Kobayashi patted her completely flat chest to show she was perfectly fine, then shouted loudly at the dragon in front of her.
The green dragon looked at the drunken human acting up and felt both speechless and quietly grateful and respectful. After carefully examining Kobayashi and Raize, her voice sank slightly as she spoke:
"You're probably fine because you don't have any faith, which is why you were able to pull that sword out…"
Having no faith was only part of the reason. The other part was likely because Kobayashi was drunk and mentally abnormal.
Raize did not believe that a god's sword could simply be pulled out just because someone lacked faith.
"Let's forget about the vanished divine sword for now. Now that the sword has been pulled out of your back, how are your injuries?"
Raize pointed at the wound on the dragon's back that was still bleeding and reminded her.
"Without the divine sword blocking it, as long as I expel the divine power left inside me, relying on a dragon's self-healing ability, I'll recover after resting for a while."
The dragon turned her head to glance at the wound. Her tone no longer carried as much hostility. Then she looked seriously at Raize and Kobayashi and said softly:
"By the way, I don't know your names yet. Since you helped me, I will repay you."
"My name is Raize. This drunken lady is Kobayashi. By the way, what's your name? A wise being like you should have one, right?"
Raize slowly sat down beside Kobayashi and took the bottle from her hand, stopping her from drinking more. If she kept going, tomorrow morning would be absolute hell.
"My name…?"
The dragon responded softly. Then she formed a magic circle in front of her mouth. Soon, a golden light poured out of it and enveloped her body. The light was dazzling in the night, forcing Raize and Kobayashi to squint.
When the magical glow faded, the massive green dragon was gone. In her place stood a woman wearing a brown cloak. The hood covered part of her bright orange hair, yet still looked beautiful.
A smooth, pale face, strikingly beautiful eyes, and a pair of strangely shaped dragon horns on her head.
"My name is Tohru. Remember it well."
The dragon—now the female humanoid Tohru—calmly introduced herself to the two humans.
"Ah~ the dragon turned into a girl!"
Kobayashi stared at the horned girl with a dazed, drunken expression, her brain struggling to process it.
Raize's eye twitched as he glanced at the glimpse of pale skin occasionally exposed beneath the loose cloak, as well as her curvy figure. He spoke up to remind her:
"Um… Tohru, right? Since you can transform into a human, could you change your clothes? That cloak is way too easy to expose things."
Tohru knelt in front of them. After hearing Raize's words, she looked down at her cloak and pursed her lips.
To be honest, ever since she learned to transform into human form, aside from this cloak, she had never worn anything else. She wasn't human, and her values were different. Clothing meant very little to dragons.
"I don't really understand human clothing. For dragons, it's meaningless. When I take human form, I've always just used a cloak like this," Tohru explained softly, pinching the fabric.
"Mm… I see. Since you can create clothes, then try wearing a maid outfit!"
Kobayashi nodded in understanding, then suddenly became excited and said to Tohru.
Knowing Kobayashi was a hardcore maid enthusiast, Raize didn't say anything. As long as she changed clothes, that was fine. Talking while she wore that cloak was just too awkward.
"What's a maid outfit?"
Tohru asked, puzzled.
Raize reached behind himself and pulled out paper and a pen from his storage space, then started drawing rapidly in front of her. After a few seconds, he handed her the paper.
"Something like this. Kobayashi really likes maid outfits…"
On the paper was Tohru wearing a maid outfit, smiling—exactly her original appearance from the source material. Raize had sketched front, side, and back views from memory.
After examining the drawing carefully, Tohru nodded in understanding and activated her magic.
Another flash of bright light appeared and vanished just as quickly.
Soon, a beautiful maid girl wearing a maid outfit, with a green dragon tail beneath her skirt, stood before Raize and Kobayashi.
"Oh~ you're really suited for a maid outfit!!"
Kobayashi's eyes sparkled as she admired Tohru's appearance.
Raize stroked his chin and looked her over as well. Kobayashi was right—Tohru really did look perfect in it.
"It looks great. Way better than the cloak."
"Really…? It feels a bit strange, but unexpectedly comfortable and well-fitting."
Tohru smiled as she examined herself and lightly spun around once.
"Ah… right, Tohru, why were you injured in the first place?"
Kobayashi, her cheeks flushed with drunken redness, asked with concern after recalling Tohru's earlier condition.
"That's a long story…"
Tohru's mood visibly sank.
"I come from an adjacent otherworld. After losing a great battle against the gods who oppose our dragon race, I was badly injured and had to escape here using magic. I was originally waiting here to die… and then I met you."
"Thank you very much for saving me."
Tohru bowed solemnly to the two of them. A life-saving was enough for even a proud dragon to lower her head.
"What a bizarre experience. It's like a light novel…" Kobayashi muttered, then looked Tohru up and down. "Since you're fine now, are you going back home?"
"Home…"
That word hit something sensitive. Tohru lowered her head silently, her voice turning faint and bitter.
"I can't return to my world right now. The damage from the divine sword requires rest, and I'm alone… I have nowhere to go."
"That makes sense. You lost a lot of blood when Kobayashi pulled the sword out. You need a proper place to recover. And the ones who hurt you might chase after you, so you can't stay here."
Raize understood her situation well. He knew Tohru longed for a place to belong, and Kobayashi was exactly that place.
As Raize laid out Tohru's difficulties, sympathy appeared on Kobayashi's face. Raize leaned closer and whispered something into her ear.
"Huh? Really?"
Kobayashi looked at Raize in surprise. Raize simply nodded.
He was just giving her a suggestion while the moment was right. The final decision was hers.
He believed Kobayashi would choose something that satisfied everyone.
Kobayashi looked again at Tohru, who wore a lonely expression. Something inside her was stirred. She herself lived alone and often wore that same lonely look.
That was why she drank after work so often. Going back to an empty home alone wasn't much fun—might as well get drunk.
As a kindhearted person, Kobayashi couldn't bring herself to abandon someone just like her.
So she asked softly, "Tohru… you have nowhere to go in this world, right? You're all alone?"
Tohru stopped hiding her loneliness and nodded gently.
"Then… would you like to come to my place?"
Kobayashi spoke calmly, looking at Tohru's lowered head, unable to see her expression.
She thought Tohru would probably refuse. After all, she was a proud dragon.
But Kobayashi didn't know what Tohru truly longed for. Her invitation struck directly at Tohru's softest spot.
"I want to go!!"
Tohru snapped her head up, tears of excitement shining in her eyes. Afraid Kobayashi might change her mind, she immediately accepted, her voice trembling with joy.
It wasn't strange for her to react like this. Dragon families weren't like human ones. Once grown, even seeing family members was rare.
Her father, a leader of a major faction, was constantly fighting gods who sought to reclaim lost territory. She rarely received care, even among her own kind.
Now, in her loneliness, she encountered Kobayashi—and she clung tightly to this precious chance.
Seeing Tohru agree, Kobayashi finally relaxed. She closed her eyes briefly as the alcohol surged again, then reopened them, once more the boisterous drunk.
She grabbed Tohru's shoulders, eyes blazing—Raize even thought he saw drool—and shouted:
"Then come be a maid at my place!"
"Listen carefully! Being a maid isn't just about housework! There are household maids, laundry maids, all kinds of roles! Becoming a maid requires proper training!"
"It's totally different from roadside maid cafés! Of course, I'm not saying maid cafés are bad…"
Kobayashi rattled on like a machine gun, her excitement skyrocketing.
Tohru stared blankly at her, then slowly turned to Raize for help.
Raize could only shrug, helpless.
Just like that, Kobayashi gained herself an adorable dragon maid, and Raize could finally feel at ease about this woman who always came home late at night.