TN: Please read my translations only on my website nyx-translation.com since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi and Patreon to read several chapters ahead!
Enjoy~
ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 330 – Her Whereabouts
When Batz opened his eyes again, a white wooden ceiling stretched out before him.
The thought, “Why am I here?” barely formed before—
“Awake, you fool?”
“…Leonard, you—”
“I heard the details from Marco-sama. He was concerned, but you insisted on coming along, didn’t you?”
“…Where am I?”
“Sigh. I wish you had answered first. This is Tigre’s mansion in the port town of Roundheart.”
Now that he was told, it rang a bell.
Batz looked around. He was lying in a bed, and Leonard was sitting in a chair beside it.
Seeing the thick stack of papers in Leonard’s hands, Batz realized that Leonard must have been working while keeping an eye on him.
“Ah, right. The Red Dragon—”
“Forgotten already? You were the one who shattered the Red Dragon’s magic stone, weren’t you? Thanks to that, you’re now known as the Red Dragon Slayer.”
“Oh, uh… I guess you’re right. But isn’t that nickname wrong?”
“I heard Marco-sama loudly proclaim Batz the Red Dragon Slayer. I can imagine the circumstances. But even if you have thoughts, it’s best not to say too much.”
Leonard reached for a cup of water on a nearby table and handed it to Batz.
“Drink up.”
“Ah, thanks.”
Batz downed it in almost one gulp. After a few seconds, Batz spoke up.
“What do you mean by ‘don’t say too much’?”
“It’s obvious. Don’t voice any reluctance about being called the Red Dragon Slayer, even though you’re the one taking all the glory.”
“Leonard, you bastard! You want me to accept being called a hyena?”
Back when he fought the Red Dragon in aerial combat, his spirits were high, and he embraced Marco’s powerful words and fought.
Now, however, even if people spoke of him as the Red Dragon Slayer as if it were his own achievement, it tore at his heart.
Leonard met his glare but sighed with practiced ease.
“I think the problem lies more in how you phrased it.”
He answered in a tone that seemed to rebuke.
Batz scratched his hair as if the sting had been taken out of his words.
“Didn’t you ask to be present yourself, Batz? You followed Marco-sama’s orders, cooperated, and shattered the Red Dragon’s magic stone. Honestly, I don’t think you did most of the fighting, and I don’t want to say anything that would hurt your pride. But accept the consequences of your actions as one of the commanders.”
“But still… what I did was…”
“I don’t know. If you want to judge the scale of the matter, leave that to His Excellency. What I’m saying is that even if you can’t accept it yourself, you must accept the consequences of your actions.”
“That’s why I—”
“Batz. In a way, you prioritized your own feelings. Therefore, you must take responsibility for that.”
Even so, Batz couldn’t quite grasp the meaning of those words.
He furrowed his brow slightly, waiting for Leonard to continue.
“The young commander showed courage and merit in defeating the Red Dragon. Everyone’s morale is skyrocketing. I won’t allow any remarks that might dampen that spirit, no matter what.”
“Hmph… Ah, so that’s what you meant. Finally got it.”
“That’s good to hear. The commander also serves as a symbol. In other words, I want you to accept greetings that may seem beyond your station.”
“…Understood.”
“Haha, no need to sulk like that. But—”
Leonard now wore a gentle smile.
He rose from his chair, turned his back to Batz, and began walking. Just before exiting the room, he paused.
“I’m proud of your courage, Batz. As a friend and colleague, I want to offer you the highest praise possible. You’re an amazing man, Batz.”
Batz stared at the wooden door as it closed with a quiet thud. He was stunned for a long moment.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Several hours after the defeat of the Red Dragon, Batz awoke.
This meant that Ain, who had also defeated the Black Dragon, was in the same situation. He traveled alone along the treacherous path, searching for Chris and the others, who were pursuing the hostile forces led by Camilla.
It took only tens of minutes, hardly long at all.
However, thanks to Ain’s physical abilities, his speed was faster than that of any beast lurking in the forest.
Crossing mountain ranges and forests and occasionally fording rivers, he reached a secluded coastline that resembled a hideout.
“Chris-sama! They must have escaped out to sea from here.”
“Yeah… They sure had incredible speed when it came to running away.”
Chris and Dill stood shoulder to shoulder.
The two knights watched the captured robed men while discussing what to do next.
Unnoticed by those behind them, Ain stood with a serious expression, his stern gaze fixed on the horizon.
“Commander Christina, excuse me. I have a report from someone surveying the area from the high ground.”
“Yes, did you find anything?”
“They observed unusual patterns in the waves. It’s likely traces of several ships sailing, possibly escorting a sea monster.”
“Hmph… Which direction?”
“Ah, regarding that… —Huh!?
The guard knight delivering the report noticed Ain emerging from the woods behind them.
He hastily dropped to his knees and bowed his head.
“W-welcome back!”
His loud voice drew everyone’s attention.
Ain looked slightly embarrassed but brushed back his longer black hair and approached Chris and Dill, who stared at him in astonishment.
As he did so, every knight, regardless of their position, dropped to their knees.
“I’m back. It took a bit of effort, but I defeated it.”
Dill smiled gently, crossed his arms, and bowed his head.
Meanwhile, Chris, perhaps because she had been worried, broke into a smile, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Wait, Ain-sama! That hair…!”
“It just…grew. Maybe because I absorbed the Black Dragon’s magic stone and grew stronger.”
“Oh, you just say that so easily. Welcome back. I truly waited for you to return.”
Hearing his lighthearted reply, Chris shed a single tear of relief.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t believed him; the return of her beloved, after he had battled such a formidable foe, brought an unparalleled sense of security that wouldn’t cease.
“By the way, your face seems a little different, too.”
Dill spoke next.
“Huh, really?”
“Yes. It’s just a feeling, but you seem about a year older. Even more dignified.”
“Could you stop saying things like that? It’s embarrassing.”
Then, Ain commanded the knights kneeling before him.
Raising one arm, he said, “Everyone, return to your duties.”
Everyone responded with a sharp “Yes!” and dispersed, except for the knight who had come to report to Chris.
“Chris.”
“Huh? Ah, yes!”
“Do you have a spare hair tie I could borrow?”
“I do! Um, here you go.”
Ain took the brown cord hair tie and held it in his mouth while gathering his hair with his hands as if combing it.
Eventually, he tied his hair into a single ponytail with the hair tie he had borrowed from Chris.
“Well now, Ain-sama’s aura really is different, isn’t it?”
Dill found himself smiling awkwardly.
The reason was simple. Despite being male, Ain’s mannerisms, inherited from Olivia, were strikingly elegant.
They were enough to draw attention from other women, and Chris couldn’t help but blush and look away.
“Hey, you came to report something, right?”
Ain addressed the knight.
“Ah! I’ve determined the likely direction in which the target headed—”
“You mean the route? If so, I probably know where they’re hiding, so it’s fine. On the way here, I was thinking about where Camilla could hide safely.”
Ain said this, gazing out over the sea.
“As I thought, I can sense their presence from the direction I predicted.”
Those listening to him felt his absolute aura intensify and overwhelm them.
He had always commanded obedience with his strength, but now it radiated a power that made them feel as if they had been born solely to follow him.
“Um, Ain-sama…? That direction you mentioned… how did you know where the hideout is?”
Chris, still avoiding eye contact, spoke up.
“Well, I figured it out. There’s no way they could carry out such large-scale operations without a base of operations. It’d be tough to do that within Ishtar. Surveillance on the other continent has been tight lately, too. Chris, could you look at me now? Could you look at me now?”
She finally met his gaze and looked apologetic.
Her eyes, moist with relief, were beautiful, like jewels.
“I remembered there was an island with all kinds of easy-to-use facilities. It’s an island perfect for a base, making intercontinental travel simple.”
For a moment, the three of them tilted their heads slightly.
After several seconds, Chris was the first to speak, letting out a soft “Ah.”
“There was one, wasn’t there? That convenient island.”
“Ah, you remember?”
“Ahaha…yes… I couldn’t forget that island.”
It wasn’t a bitter memory, but it wasn’t filled with good ones, either.
From Chris’ expression, Dill could tell that it had happened shortly after watching Ain and Marco battle.
He sighed, too, and said,
“It took me a while, but I understand now. What Ain-sama is referring to is the uninhabited island we used for the meeting with Heim, right?”
The island was uninhabited, had decent facilities under Ishtalika’s leadership, and was free of monsters.
Its convenience was well-established, and Ain nodded in agreement.
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read several chapters ahead!