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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 319 – In the Divine Abduction Dungeon
(――I can’t win)
The red dragon instinctively sensed.
According to Marco, these were the twin sea dragons that were already showing signs of evolution. Even without revealing themselves to the people of Ishtalika, the sea monsters and the red dragon were now nothing but prey.
If only they had fought desperately here―.
“Gyaaah… Gyaaah…!”
Leonard muttered, almost like a curse.
Above him and the knights, the red dragon was fleeing for its life. At the same time, Batz beside him sensed the danger.
“Hmph. I thought they were too proud to ever flee.”
“Not a good sign. We shouldn’t have let it escape.”
“Yeah, it’ll be even stronger next time.”
“What’s with you? You sound cold.”
“That’s impossible. I’ve just lost my edge.”
“I see.”
Looking at Leonard’s face, I noticed beads of sweat on his forehead. Though he smiled, his hands trembled slightly from fear.
Batz roughly ruffled his hair in praise of his effort.
“Gaaah…?”
“Kyu—Kyuaah!”
The twins’ anticlimactic cries drew laughter from the two of them and the knights for the first time in ages.
Ultimately, they failed to save Tigre and incurred casualties, but they gained valuable knowledge about the red dragon.
Leonard dismounted his horse and gazed at the sea, where the wall of water was beginning to subside. He murmured to himself,
“Let’s rest a bit and return to the port town of Roundheart. It seems there’s a lot we need to report.”
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
That evening, as news of the Red Dragon and Tigre’s kidnapping reached the Royal Capital, Ain stirred from a light slumber just past one in the morning.
Buried in paperwork, governance matters, and countless other tasks, he had been getting little sleep lately.
As he began to emerge from the edge of sleep, his arm pillowed on his desk in the study, an unfamiliar male voice echoed in his mind.
(I will not forgive—that girl’s betrayal.)
The voice was low and muffled by a noise like a strong wind, making it difficult to understand.
An indescribable sensation finally woke him.
“…What was that just now?”
He scanned the office, but no one was there. Of course not; everyone else was busy with work.
Rubbing his eyes, he stood and walked to the window, but he didn’t see anyone. Only a profound silence hung in the air.
Suddenly, that silence was shattered by a knock on the door.
“Ain-sama, it is Martha.”
At this hour?
“Come in.” He replied briefly, letting her enter.
“A guest has arrived. Would you kindly come to the carriage outside immediately?”
“Huh?”
“I apologize. It seems to be rather urgent.”
“…Just to be clear, this guest is for me, right? And it’s someone I can handle, right?”
“Of course.”
“Understood. I don’t know all the details, but I understand that this is something I should handle.”
It was strange enough that they were visitors at this hour, but they weren’t even inside the mansion—they were waiting in a carriage. It was strange, but Ain wasn’t slow on the uptake.
(Probably from the capital.)
Since it seemed urgent, he left his room without bothering to dress properly or put on his coat. Guided by Martha, he headed outside and found a single carriage stopped beside the main gate.
It looked like an unremarkable carriage, the kind merchants might use — not particularly expensive.
Martha left him partway through the journey, and Ain walked toward the carriage alone.
As he approached, the carriage door slowly opened, as if sensing his arrival.
It was Marco who opened the door from inside the carriage.
“Oh, Marco was summoned too?”
“Ha—my apologies for startling you.”
“It’s fine. If my guess is right, well, it’s Warren-san after all.”
Seated opposite Marco was the elderly figure of Prime Minister Warren.
Wearing his usual kind smile, he explained the reason for his sudden visit.
“I sincerely apologize for this unannounced visit. I hope you’ll forgive me; it was simply that urgent.”
He had likely come secretly, wary of hostile forces.
“Without further ado, please review this report. I’ve highlighted the crucial sections.”
“Understood. Just a moment.”
The report detailed the disturbances on the other continent over the past two days and the incidents involving the red dragon and Tigre that morning. All were attributed to Leonard.
Ain’s expression twisted halfway through reading, and by the end, his face was stained with anger and sorrow.
“I too wish to fight—”
“No, not yet. I anticipated you would say that, but Ain-sama, I must ask you to hold back for now.”
“Hmph… I knew it, but hearing it said out loud still hurts.”
“Please bear with us a little longer. As you say, Ain-sama, it’s true that our forces are insufficient, so—”
Now, for the main point.
Warren cleared his throat and straightened his posture.
“We wish to request Marco-dono’s assistance against the forces currently deployed in Heim.”
“…Hm? Me?”
“Yes, while I have other duties, I also came to make this request.”
“Hmmm… I’d like to grant your wish, but I serve only Ain-sama. Even if it were His Majesty, King Sylvird, himself speaking.”
Still, Ain wasn’t opposed to the idea. That said, the reason for choosing Marco was intriguing.
“Will you tell me? Why Marco?”
“There are several reasons. While we have significant combat assets like Cain-sama, Sylvia-sama, and Arche-sama, why Marco-dono? First, Marco-dono experiences no difficulty negotiating with the other knights.”
“What I mean is…”
“Marco-dono has had numerous opportunities to speak with both Leonard-dono and Batz-dono. The other three, however, have not, and some information regarding the former capital remains unrevealed. Marco-dono has not only served as your guard for a long time, Ain-sama, but his loyalty is also well-known. Therefore, I judged him to be the best choice.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, you’re probably right.”
Marco nodded deeply, just as Ain had done.
“Hey, Marco. Personally, I think it’d be better if you went. What do you think?”
“There’s no need to try to understand my feelings. Just give the order, and I will do my best.”
“Honestly, you’re too perfect a subordinate.”
“Haha. Those words warm my heart, too.”
“Then, though it will be an inconvenience, I’d like Marco-dono to continue assisting us.”
However, if that happened, Strohm’s mansion’s defensive strength would decrease. That was also a fact.
That said, though she’s not very visible, Arche was here. With her power, no major problems should arise.
Ain, who had been thinking this internally, asked,
“By the way, how’s the search for Tigre going?”
“Oh, I forgot to explain. Regarding Tigre-dono, a certain individual concerned about the dungeon matter has offered to lend a hand.”
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
“Gaaahh――!”
A beast-like monster let out a cry of fear in the shadow racing through the midnight forest.
In this deep, unapproachable land, even the fiercest creatures cower and back away.
Suddenly, black hair illuminated by moonlight swayed in the cold wind.
“Hmmm… So it wasn’t just tall tales after all.”
The voice came from Sylvia, who was standing atop a tall tree.
The story had sounded like pure nonsense—vanishing instantly to another continent and connecting to a dungeon of divine abduction. She had doubted its credibility, but seeing what was before her now, she couldn’t help but believe.
Beneath the tree was a vast ruin, an open space paved with stone. Gathered there, as if for some eerie assembly, were former Heim Knights and men clad in robes.
Their numbers exceeded a hundred, and every single one was armed.
“Where is that former prince?”
Beyond the stones sat a massive ruin, silent and still.
Unlike the small one near the former capital, this one had a presence that made it seem like a miniature castle. Moss grew thickly on its cracked exterior, which was lined with several spires and led to a shrine that descended underground.
A bitter wind suddenly howled fiercely.
Camilla was nowhere to be seen. Had she already moved on? As Sylvia pondered over this, the knights and robed men began heading toward the ruins.
“We depart at first light. We must hurry and pursue Leader-sama and the others!”
“Yes, sir!”
The one in charge, also clad in robes, gave the order, and everyone responded.
Just as Sylvia was about to attack, the stone pavement surrounding the ruins began to glow a pale blue.
Soon, particles of light danced through the air. Everyone watched warily as the particles coalesced into a mass.
Instantly, the mass took the shape of a small human figure.
“…What is that thing?”
Sylvia also halted her assault and watched the situation.
Initially, she feared her presence had been detected, but when she saw the others below on guard as well, she reconsidered. This was an unforeseen situation for everyone.
The dazzlingly bright humanoid drew everyone’s attention as it waved its hand in the air.
In the blink of an eye, the humanoid held a massive scythe.
“Eh—”
Her eyes widened. She recognized the humanoid’s silhouette. Even though the light prevented her from seeing the full details, she knew it was a form she couldn’t possibly fail to recognize.
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