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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 324 – Reunion, Rage, and the Dragon
Ain fighting enemies was a sight that almost everyone was seeing for the first time.
Of those who had come with him, only Dill had ever seen him fight from beside him. Though the battlefield was different from the one in the Heim War, one thing was the same.
“Impressive.”
Despite his past as a rampaging Demon Lord, Ain’s power was beyond measure, so much so that the words slipped out involuntarily.
Attacks from blind spots were primarily handled by Dill, while the Black Knights kept a close watch. Yet, as if to say he needed no such assistance, Ain had already defeated those enemies before anyone noticed.
Astonishment spread not only among the enemies but also among the allied knights, who marveled at his strength.
Dill addressed Ain.
“Still, there are way too many enemies!”
“Yeah. They’re everywhere, and sheer numbers are a formidable force in themselves.”
“But to think such a dangerous element lurked within our own country…it’s unbearable!”
“I suppose it’s proportional to the population. Not everyone can grow up to be a decent person.”
“…I suppose so.”
One, then two more robed men fell, but there were still far too many.
Just as Ain began to feel thoroughly fed up with over a hundred—maybe two hundred—enemies…
He exhaled and glanced at the fallen enemies when, suddenly, the screams of an Ishtalika knight echoed through the air.
“Gwaaaaaaaaaah!”
Ain hurriedly looked over. There stood a knight whose arm had been sliced clean off.
A Heim Knight faced him, but his body was unnaturally large, and his strength was overwhelming. The surrounding knights gasped.
“Ain-sama! That one is likely—”
“Leave this to me! Take the Black Knight and defeat the others!”
“Yes, sir!”
Dill gave the order and moved away from Ain’s side. He obeyed without question, realizing there was nothing more he could do there.
Soon, he slipped between them just as a knight was about to lose his life.
“Stay back! We’ll handle this!”
Five knights stood swollen and bloated.
In contrast, the Black Knights, without Marco, numbered only three, including Dill.
“…Dill. It seems they’re not quite as strong as you anticipated.”
Dill’s childhood friend Clive remarked.
Dill replied,
“Honestly, they seem to have grown stronger than we expected. But they’re opponents we can defeat one-on-one. This time, they simply had too many.”
Nodding with a wry smile, Dill fixed the enemy with a direct stare and declared firmly,
“They’re death soldiers, just like us. Since the moment when our loyalty was sworn, it’s only natural that we’re stronger.”
“What kind of forced logic is that? Besides, this is the first I’ve heard that we’re death soldiers too.”
“From the moment we swore to offer our lives to Ain-sama. That can’t be wrong, can it?”
“…Well said.”
As the two shared a small laugh, Cyrus, the sole remaining elf among the Black Knights, spoke up.
“Should we fall, we shall become the mud beneath the feet of the noble-blooded one. For we are the ones tasked with dealing with this.”
“Indeed, Cyrus-dono speaks truly.”
Taking Dill’s reply as their cue, the three charged at the five Heim Knights.
Whether because of their training under Marco or their transformation into beings beyond human, they gained the upper hand despite being outnumbered.
Clive excelled in close combat, and Cyrus could use his bow to keep the Knights at bay.
Finally, Dill, the Black Knight Commander, boasted the agility he gained by becoming a Cait Sith. He parried enemy blades with elegant swordplay, slipping through gaps in their armor to unleash flashes of steel.
Soon, under the pressure of Dill’s swordplay, the helmet of one Heim Knight shattered.
Exposed was…
“How hideous.”
Just as Cyrus said, the Heim Knight’s appearance was grotesque.
Centered around a black stone embedded in his forehead, bulging veins of a blue-black hue asserted their presence, and the whites surrounding his pupils were dyed crimson.
Fangs protruded savagely from his mouth and leaked purple bodily fluid.
Taking advantage of the Heim Knight’s opening, the three pulled back as well.
“Destroy that stone! It worked during the Heim War!”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
After giving the order, Dill looked toward where Ain was fighting.
As he watched Ain outmaneuver the enemy forces and fight against overwhelming numbers, Dill was reminded once more that Ain was in a different league. Since Chris was also near Ain, Dill could focus entirely on his own battle.
“Dill, then a wave attack…”
“No, Clive-dono. That won’t be necessary.”
“…Cyrus-dono?”
Cyrus, who had served as Warrior Captain in Chris’ homeland, the Elf Village, spoke with confidence.
He wielded blades, too, but his greatest weapon was the bow. Shouldering his longbow, he drew a single arrow and pulled back the string.
The shattered-helmeted Heim Knight raised his sword, but the arrow flew past—just beside the blade—passing through the air right before it could touch the steel.
“It helps that he wasn’t protected like that. If I could stand still and use my bow like this, my arrows would never miss.”
His confident words were reassuring.
As knights serving Ain exclusively, they proved that they all excelled in at least one skill compared to ordinary knights.
The three of them reduced their opponents’ numbers, defeating the five Heim knights.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
As the enemy forces steadily dwindled, a thought formed in Ain’s mind.
“I suppose they’ve prepared reinforcements elsewhere, too.”
Hearing his voice, Chris approached.
“The outcome is practically decided already. Our knights have the advantage in numbers, and it’s no exaggeration to say that those in robes have lost the will to fight. If they chose this place as the decisive battlefield, then Ain is correct.”
“Yeah. Maybe it was good we saved our trump card.”
“T-truly, it was a trump card… Yes. I believe it was fitting for Ain-sama.”
The two sheathed their swords and surveyed their surroundings.
Ain’s side had suffered some casualties, but, as expected of elite troops, the losses were few.
It was about time.
Shortly after Ain scanned the area, he heard the sound of wind cutting through the air.
“—Ain-sama! Watch out!”
Chris saw a flying dagger hurled to pierce Ain’s back.
But Ain didn’t turn around. He only murmured back to Chris, “I’m fine.”
Suddenly, tree roots sprouted from the ground behind him. Rapidly growing vines layered upon each other and caught the dagger.
“This dagger must have been very important to them,” he said.
“I told you not to do dangerous things! Honestly! Do you recognize this dagger?”
“I saw it almost every day at the Roundheart mansion when I was little. I didn’t think it had a blade back then, so I imagine they had a blacksmith forge it specially.”
Though the information was sparse, Chris understood.
“…So it belonged to Grint?”
“Exactly. That’s why it finally surfaced, right, Camilla?”
Ain’s gaze shifted slightly away.
Chris noticed two adults standing in a small passageway deep within the basin. They had appeared there unnoticed.
One was a man, and the other was Camilla.
“Neusch, I see.”
“Yeah, definitely the same Neusch we spoke with in Ist.”
“I’d be curious to hear how they connected and ended up working together…”
“Sorry. I’m afraid I won’t be sharing that.”
Chris glanced at Ain’s profile and noticed the blue vein pulsing near his forehead.
His anger was at its peak. Seeing them now meant he was nearing his limit.
“Talking needlessly lets them escape. Giving them time only prolongs the fight.”
As he spoke, he thrust his right arm forward, and the floating jet-black mass pulsed violently in response.
He was about to release the wave when—
The ground shook violently, and the sound of something flowing through the earth could be heard.
The sound and tremor headed toward Camilla and Neusch, revealing the reason just before Ain could release the wave.
“I am proud! Because I can be here before the return of the great dragon!”
After Neusch’s joyful exclamation, lava erupted violently behind him.
Camilla and Neusch were untouched, protected by a mysterious barrier.
It was likely some sort of magical artifact.
“I bear no grudge against you, Your Highness! I know you well—the hero, the Crown Prince, the one who has achieved so many great deeds. You are someone even I admire and respect!”
His words made Camilla, standing beside him, grimace.
“But I’m sorry! I long for dragons more than I long for you, Your Highness. Their majestic, powerful presence above all else…! Could anything be more splendid than a dragon? No, there simply can’t be!”
“…Enough.”
Ain clenched his fist tightly, and finally, a wave of energy erupted from the jet-black mass!
Imbued with power potent enough to shake the air and warp space itself, it lunged forward, intent on taking Camilla and Neusch’s lives.
But—
“How beautiful the ancient dragon is. Your Highness will witness its power firsthand!”
From the raging lava, an arm as black as Ain’s emerged.
Thick, knotted, and muscular, it was a powerful limb.
Before anyone could guess what the black arm would do, it seized the waveform Ain had unleashed and scattered it.
“Wh-what… Ain-sama’s power!?”
“It’s okay. I’ll handle it. But he seems strong, huh?”
“H-Hold on! Ain-sama, why are you so calm?”
“Well… I have no choice but to handle it…”
Beyond their exchange, Camilla chuckled.
She smirked when she saw that Ain’s attack had failed.
“Long time no see, Ain.”
“Indeed. I don’t intend to talk long, so you needn’t bother telling me about your recent affairs.”
“…That disagreeable personality of yours remains unchanged. From you, who stole my Grint, I shall take everything in return.”
Stole? Yet it was he who attacked first.
He swallowed those words, not uttering them.
“Camilla-dono! A dragon is far more precious than words! The black dragon I have resurrected is here now! Show me its body! I must prove that I am right as a researcher and spread my name as the god of researchers across the entire continent!”
He seemed surprisingly honest about his desires.
It was unclear what hardships Neusch had endured, but his straightforward nature regarding his desires was evident.
After he spoke, more of the arm stretching out from the lava was revealed.
Then, the gold coating on the arm fell to the ground, covering the entire floor in pure gold.
“Ah! All my suffering is finally rewarded! My beloved dragon! Reveal your full form—full form…”
A painful crunch echoed around them. The dragon’s hand had seized Neusch’s body.
Its arm was enormous, likely exceeding 100 meters in length.
Gripped by such an arm, Neusch seemed small and fragile, like a human catching an insect.
“So, you’re taking me, your father, to the VIP seats—Guhhhhhhh!? W-wait… I…your father… Ahhhhhhh… Ahh… Ahhh…”
“Wh-what… Neusch-dono? How could you?”
A viscous liquid dripped onto the ground.
It dripped onto the pure gold floor, and what was left of Neusch slid down. He had been gripped by the arm and crushed beyond recognition.
Before Ain and the others stood in stunned silence, the raging lava gradually melted into pure gold.
Within it, two crimson eyes glowed, and a low voice echoed throughout the area.
“O sinful kin of the dragon… I shall devour your entrails… My wrath shall not be appeased…”
These words were directed straight at Ain.
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