"Ugh..." Wes struggled to open his eyes and found himself lying in bed. Beside him was Villy, shrunk down to the size of a cat. He tried to move, but could not help letting out a groan.
"What... happened to me?" Wes forced himself upright through the pain and looked at Villy beside him.
"Nothing much. You just got struck by lightning," Villy said calmly without moving, pursing his lips.
"Oh, right! That's right!" Wes scratched his head as he finally remembered what had happened. A pillar of lightning falling from the sky had struck him.
"You're awake?" Charlie Pross entered while holding the Holy Tome. After checking Wes's condition, he smiled.
"Looks like you recovered well. No lingering aftereffects!" Charlie Pross nodded in satisfaction, apparently quite pleased with his own handiwork.
"So what happened afterward?" Wes asked in confusion. He had been knocked unconscious by the lightning strike and knew nothing of what came next.
"You got lucky, kid! Your dragon took most of the damage for you! That was a Grand Forbidden Spell—Heavenly Punishment! If your dragon's bloodline hadn't been high-tier and it hadn't possessed dragon armor, whether it could have protected you would have been another matter entirely!" Charlie Pross laughed happily.
Wes shifted his gaze to Villy, only to see him holding his head high with pride.
"Thank you," Wes said awkwardly, scratching his head.
"You're welcome, my Knight!" Villy flicked his tail.
In truth, the Purple Blazing Thunder Dragon's desperate struggle had exceeded everyone's expectations. When a high-ranking dragon fought for its life, even a Dragon Marshal had to be cautious!
The dragon-language Grand Forbidden Spell—Heavenly Punishment—could be considered a single-target forbidden spell. Unlike Adolf Heinrich's Rhine Storm, it did not inflict terrifying area damage. On the contrary, its casting range could be