Thanks to Tom for the Ko-Fi and this chapter! Join our Patreon to get more chapters, enjoy~
ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 6 – King’s Sword
Part 1
The royal capital showed its usual night scene, regardless of the mixed feelings that Krone and the others had.
Krone left the castle and headed for the dock at the harbor. She told no one what she was going to do. She knew that if she told them, they would oppose it.
After arriving at the dock, she approached the August Trading Company sailors who were doing their work.
On the other hand, the August Trading Company sailors were surprised by her sudden appearance.
“Take the ship out. Head for Heim.”
Krone turned in the direction of Heim and spoke.
“Is that an order from the castle…?”
“No. It is my order.”
Several of the sailors looked at each other in wonderment.
It would be suicide for the young lady to go to Heim alone at this time.
“Please explain to us why you are going to Heim.”
“I have an important matter to do.”
“If you cannot tell us what this important matter is, we cannot send a ship for you.”
Then, Krone showed her annoyance to everyone, which was unusual and comprehensible for her.
This was not right.
One of the sailors, who had been watching the situation, ran and went to Graf, who was still in command of the head office, to report the situation.
“I wonder if my words are not good enough.”
“No. Rather, I would like to be very careful because it is you.”
“You don’t have to worry about it. I have made my decision.”
“No, you mustn’t. Please wait a moment. I am sure the chairman will be here soon.”
The main office of the August Trading Company was not far from the harbor.
As the distance was enough to take a few minutes, even on horseback, Krone wanted to get the conversation underway before Graf arrived.
“What should I do…..?”
Krone didn’t want to spend time on this conversation.
There was no way she would be able to use force in front of a grown man on her own. She did not want to give up, but she could imagine being forced to give up. Her body trembled slightly in fear of the possibility of that happening.
But as if to support the trembling Krone, the talisman in her pocket emitted light.
Those around her covered their eyes at the dazzling sight, but strangely enough, Krone was not dazzled, so she thought that the talisman was on her side. But the next sight she saw made her realize that she was wrong.
◇ ◇ ◇
He didn’t know how many hours he had already spent fighting. Perhaps it was because the sky never changed, unlike in the real world, that he has a poor sense of time.
In the first place, both the sea dragon and the Upashikamui were monsters that have carved their names in the history of Ishtalika, which were known as a national disaster or a calamity. Even if they were opponents who he had already defeated once, this fact remained the same.
Moreover, in this situation, where most of the skills were useless, it would actually be best if it were only a hard fight.
In fact, it was a terrible fight, and it’s not so bad that he hasn’t suffered a defeat so far.
“Ugh….!”
The Upashikamui’s cold air froze the ray-like water currents emitted by the sea dragons like blades.
Because of Upashikamui’s stiff arm, the Leviathan had already been half destroyed, and Ain’s body was about to be thrown into the sea.
The sea dragons ferociously exposed their fangs and turned their murderous eyes.
Ain, who was pitifully sinking into the sea, used tree roots to set up a foothold and first avoided the rush of the two dragons.
“Gogaaaaaaaa──!”
But this time, it was the Upashikamui.
From the half-destroyed Leviathan, it released cold air and attacked, freezing the surface of the sea.
“──So, it’s the Upashikamui before it was wounded by the first king?”
The strength of its muscles and the speed at which it moved were not comparable to the one that Ain had fought.
Realizing that he could not avoid it, Ain put up several layers of tree roots to form a wall, but it did not work against the stiff arm, which penetrated easily through it, like a finger tearing through a piece of paper.
“Gah──.”
The huge fist was even bigger than Ain’s whole body, and the difference in size became even more apparent when he was hit hard. His whole body creaked and screamed.
Two sea dragons were waiting for Ain, trying not to let him escape.
The sunlight reflected off their fangs. At this rate, he would end up being devoured easily.
──There was no way out.
He racked his brain frantically but could think of only one move to make.
“Pierce it and absorb it.”
That was it.
The only thing left for Ain to do now was to fight the same way he did the day he went to rescue Chris, and that was the only way he could break through this situation.
“Come on… fall down!”
Ain dexterously rotated his body in the air to adjust his center of gravity.
Holding onto a tree root that emerged from the sea, he whipped his screaming body into the sea dragon’s forehead. Then, thrusting his black sword into the sea, Ain simultaneously activates his absorption skill.
Normally, the magic power gained would have given him a sense of satisfaction, but there was no sign of that.
He expected to regain his power but ended up being betrayed.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Instead, the scream of the sea dragon pierced his ears.
Relieved that he had inflicted certain damage, he immediately noticed a presence at the edge of his vision and clicked his tongue.
There was not just one sea dragon. It was two.
The torrent of water spewing out from the sea snatched at his clothes and cheeks, causing pain.
The enemy was not only the sea dragons. The cold air from Upashikamui’s magic burned his skin, freezing his wet clothes, and his whole body became heavy in no time at all. The cold deprived him of his physical strength, and the black sword that he had thrust into the sea dragon’s forehead fell out.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the eyes of the sea dragon, which had been held up by the black sword in its forehead, lit up and bared their fangs. Ain managed to escape somehow, putting his hand on the outstretched tree root and adjusting his stance.
However, the tail of the sea dragon loomed in front of him.
He tried to take an interceptive stance with his black sword, but Ain, who was covered in wounds, reacted only a moment too late, blinking in time.
As a result, the entire tree root was struck by the sea dragon’s tail. His body was blown away again, this time plummeting into the half-destroyed harbor.
The speed at which it slammed into the stone harbor was faster than a shooting star shining in the night sky.
“Ugh….. Agh….. Guahh…..”
Rolling repeatedly, Ain came to a standstill with his black sword against the dock.
In the sea, two sea dragons let out a cry of joy, and the Upashikamui came running across the frozen sea, aiming for land.
“──If it were His Majesty Gail.”
What would this battle have been like if it had been that man instead of him who was fighting?
The lack of the skills he gained by absorbing them only made him so much weaker. He still had the physical strength he gained by becoming a demon king, and he could use his dryad power more satisfactorily than before, but if he couldn’t win the battle, it wouldn’t mean much.
On the other hand, a man named Gail could have won this battle. Ain was convinced of that.
“Hah….. hah…..!”
It was not that there was no way to win like the Hero King. It was untrue, but there was only one thing left to do.
If asked if it was realistic, it was like dreaming within a dream.
Ain laughed as he realized this. He wondered what he was thinking about at this time, with the black sword stuck in the dock at his side.
Hopefully, enough vitality to make one more effort.
Even though he had no intention of giving up, he resented the fact that his body wouldn’t listen to him.
As he was breathing hard, his cheeks contorting in pain that ran all the way down to the tips of his fingers, a blue light blinked at the edge of Ain’s vision.
“Ain!”
There was a voice that he should not have been able to hear.
He was unsure because his body was not moving, but it was probably from the one from whom the azure light had blinked. The next thing he noticed was the scent of flowers wafting through the air, and his attention was completely diverted to that direction.
◇ ◇ ◇
──The scenery completely changed, and Krone’s vision was filled with the sight of Ain fighting.
She rushed to his side as he collapsed. But she could not touch him. Even though she knelt down close to him, he did not seem to notice her.
Why would he show her such a sight that made her realize her helplessness?
A tear overflowed from her eye and trickled down her cheek.
“Krone!”
But when he called out to her, she forgot about her tears and leaned forward.
“…..I thought about it before I lost consciousness.”
“Yeah. What did you think?”
“As I thought, maybe it was a mistake to be pretentious.”
“Eh…..? Pretentious, you say? ──Could it be…”
Krone was stunned.
She knew what he meant. So when she heard Ain’s words in a relaxed, tension-free tone of voice, she immediately knew what he was talking about.
Thinking back, this dock was the place where she saw Ain off. When sending him off, she told him that she would kiss him on the lips when he returned, but she had never thought he would say this to her in such a situation, even if this were a hallucination.
But she felt her cheeks relax a little at the jokingly, resentful tone.
“I’m sorry. ──But.”
Ain stood up without waiting for Krone to finish and reached for the black sword.
Then, tears rolled down Krone’s cheeks as she leaned in close.
“Next time, I won’t be so generous.”
Krone appeared strong, but in fact, she was a lonely person. Yet, she said it with such a strong spirit.
She thought it must have been an auditory hallucination, but it was still enough for Ain to restore his vitality.
“I’ve never wished so strongly for someone to be next to me.”
“──Then I’ll go. I’ll definitely come by your side.”
Ain’s shoulders shook slightly as Krone threw those words at his back. Apparently, he laughed. He must have thought of Krone’s words that she would go to a dangerous place without hesitation and remembered that it was just like him.
Naturally, Ain did not ask her to come. Instead, he just said over his back.
“I’ll definitely go back. Back to you.”
──And.
Thanks for the chapter
LikeLike