Episode 23

The hole in the wall was completely filled, and I stared blankly at it for a brief moment before standing up. It was because I had been distracted by the smile I had just seen on Ruden’s face.

I had seen him smile many times at banquets. He would smile out of courtesy when talking to other nobles. But to think I would get so dizzy like this. Well, it couldn’t be helped since it was the first time he had smiled at me like that.

Is Ruden trying to treat me like a younger sibling now?

At the thought of my mind drifting to the mountains, I shook my head violently and gripped the swords. For now, the immediate task was to give these two swords to those idiots!

One was moderately thick and long, while the other was only my size. It was so light that I wondered how it could possibly be this way.

I was wondering whether to toss them the swords or call Daiwen over while Sion had the Half-Dragon pinned down—right when I turned around.

A sight far removed from what I had imagined unfolded before me.

The two people who I thought would be fighting in sync were instead hitting each other.

Sion swung his sword at the Half-Dragon, barely missing Daiwen who was nearby, and Daiwen, furious at that, was throwing punches not at the Half-Dragon but at Sion.

Are you telling me that while I was working hard discussing with Ruden to retrieve these swords, those guys weren’t taking this seriously and were pulling that crap?

“Are you guys not going to take this seriously?!”

Furious to the tips of my hair in an instant, I shouted again. Upon seeing me, Daiwen dodged the Half-Dragon’s attack and approached.

“Oh, where’d you get my sword? No, more importantly, how can you hold that so lightly…….”

But before Daiwen could reach me first, something quickly passed him by and charged at me. It was none other than the Half-Dragon.

His eyes, full of madness, seemed to say he would kill me right this instant. Naturally, I panicked. I hadn’t expected him to bypass Sion and Daiwen ahead and come for me.

Above all, I had believed Sion when he said he wouldn’t let the Half-Dragon approach me.

“Damn it!”

“Dodge!”

Both shouted. I glanced at Sion, and the sword in his hand was snapped in two, just like Daiwen’s.

It had been fine just a moment ago; seeing it in that state, it seemed the Half-Dragon had broken it immediately and headed straight for me.

What do I do? What do I do?

Sion and Daiwen both chased after him, but the Half-Dragon seemed like he would reach me first no matter what.

What am I supposed to do! I have two whole swords, but there’s nothing I can do with them!

-Why not? Just swing the sword.

Huh?

A strange voice came from somewhere. No, to be precise, it rang inside my head. In the split second I reflexively tried to look around, the voice scolded me.

-Where are you looking? Look forward. Throw away that unnecessarily large greatsword and grip me properly.

“H-Hold you? What are you talking about…….”

-First, dodge to the right!

The Half-Dragon had closed the distance to mere steps away and swung his sword; reflexively following the voice, I dodged to the right. The voice shouted again.

-Hurry up and throw away the greatsword!

“Y-Yes!”

Not knowing where the voice was coming from, I immediately hurled the greatsword to the ground and clutched the remaining one like a lifeline. Then the voice praised me.

-Good, well done. Stay still while holding me like that. I’ll take care of the rest now.

“So what exactly are you……?”

-You just focus on breathing properly.

My mind was a mess. The only thing I could do was repeat the voice echoing in my head like a parrot.

Soon after, the Half-Dragon straightened his staggering body and charged at me again. Then a miraculous thing happened.

The sword gripped in my hand moved on its own.

Clang! A metallic sound pierced my ears with a sharp ring. It was enough to hurt my eardrums.

A crisp sound on a completely different level from when heard from afar. How could anyone remain unharmed after hearing this from such a close distance?

I was marveling at Sion and Daiwen anew when the voice commanded.

-You’ve got impressive strength. Hold steady. Now, kick that bastard with all your might!

“What?”

-Hurry! Kick with all your strength! Believe in your power, hurry!

W-what power am I supposed to believe in?

The Half-Dragon’s hideous face was clearly visible right beyond the clashing sword. I scrunched my face up in disgust when the Half-Dragon spoke to me in a chilling voice.

“They and you wench……. Struggling while caught in that one’s clutches, how amusing…….”

“What?”

“No human who has defied that one’s will survives unharmed. You too, and them as well—you may seem fine now, but you will surely die before long!”

“What bullsh—,”

Suddenly, the Half-Dragon gripped his sword with only one hand and snatched my hand with the other.

A terrible sensation of scales covering my skin sent chills down my spine. When I couldn’t fathom why he was suddenly grabbing my hand, the pitch-black sword gradually began changing back to its original color.

As if water was draining away, black energy trickled down from the tip of the blade toward the hilt.

That black energy continued to flow and consume the Half-Dragon’s hand. The skin covered in black scales darkened even further, making it easy to notice.

-Ah, I’m doomed. We have to get away quickly!

The voice shouted urgently. I agreed wholeheartedly.

That was because the black energy flowed up the Half-Dragon’s hand to his shoulder, then came down the opposite shoulder, continuing along the arm that held my hand.

As if it was aiming for my hand.

Though it wasn’t a situation I could understand immediately, I instinctively knew I had to break away as soon as possible, just as the voice said. The moment I realized that, I kicked the Half-Dragon without thinking.

As if my hesitation to kick him just moments ago had never happened.

Then, with a loud crack that was no exaggeration whatsoever, the Half-Dragon flew several meters away.

Immediately after, a loud bang rang out as he crashed into a black wall.

“Whoa, what?”

Daiwen’s dazed exclamation came from beside me—who knows how long he’d been nearby. I was a little amazed too.

Seriously, what was that? Was this the voice’s power too?

From the Half-Dragon’s body, which lay motionless as if dead, black scales vanished as if evaporating. At that sight, I guessed.

I don’t know what happened, but I think the Half-Dragon is dead!

‘Then does that make me a Dragon Slayer too?’

My excitement didn’t last long.

Like Daiwen, Sion—who knows when he had arrived—grabbed my hand. The one holding the sword.

Ah, was he asking for the sword? I immediately tried to relax my hand that gripped the sword, but for some reason, Sion instead wrapped his hand around the back of mine and gripped the sword together with me.

And before I could even say a word, he brought the sword straight down.

“Aaaaaargh!”

A horrifying, dreadful scream rang out, startling enough to make me flinch. I knew this voice. It was the Half-Dragon’s voice that had been spewing nonsense at me until just now.

I dumbly lowered my gaze and saw Sion’s sword embedded in the pommel of the Half-Dragon’s sword.

Black energy slithered up from the black gem and evaporated. The long sword also crumbled away like sand and disappeared.

That black thing, it was the same one that had been aiming for my hand just now, wasn’t it?

The Half-Dragon’s sword had been near my feet, dangerously close. If Sion hadn’t stabbed it with his sword, I would have unknowingly stepped on it, unable to move, and been consumed by the black energy.

“Th-thank you…….”

“It was nothing.”

“What just vanished was the dragon’s spirit. Seeing it evaporate, it seems we killed it cleanly.”

Daiwen spoke in a light tone, but his complexion was worse than before. He was sweating as if it were raining, and his lips were pale white.

His face had been somewhat handsome, but seeing him look like death was a total turn-off.

“Anyway, did you learn swordsmanship too?”

“Huh?”

I was inwardly clicking my tongue as I looked at Daiwen’s face, pale enough to make one feel sorry for him, when he asked casually. Startled as though I’d done something wrong, I barely managed to shake my head.

“N-no……? That just now was luck.”

“If that was luck, then you have a talent for it, my lady. Judging by the way you kicked it away just now, you seem to have strength as well.”

“No……. I think that was luck too…….”

“You’re calling that luck?”

Daiwen gave me a meaningful look, then trudged over to where the greatsword lay sprawled on the ground.

Just then, the black wall slowly began to crumble down from the ceiling and likewise evaporated. At the sight, relief shuddered through my body.

“Ah, we’re finally free.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Me? You knights look far worse off than I do.”

“Indeed. We have no excuse. To think that we, bearing the name of the Hugo Knights, couldn’t even take down a single half-dragon…….”

‘No. I wasn’t talking about your skills.’

Beyond the crumbling wall, the coral-colored sky I had seen earlier looked beautiful. Night seemed to be approaching, and the far distance was gradually being dyed a deep blue-black.

I stared blankly up at the sky, wondering what to say, then shrugged.

“Well, none of you were fighting with your own swords. Besides, that man didn’t look well either.”

“…….”

“Oh, right. This sword and that sword are the ones Reuden brought…….”

As I spoke, my mouth closed on its own. With the black wall gone, what came into view left me at a loss for words.

What is that?

Beyond the black wall was an enormous crowd, enough to make my jaw drop.

There were soldiers armed in armor, of course, and also people dressed in the sort of clothes Reuden often wore. They seemed to be mages.

Among them were a few people in uniforms as well. They were all large and rough-looking, so they were probably the Hugo Knights.

Wow……. This is way too much pressure!

They were looking at us. With dozens…… no, nearly hundreds of gazes on me, my body grew hot from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.

Out of sheer embarrassment, not knowing where to put myself, I tried to hide behind Sion’s back out of habit, but then I realized Sion was still covering the back of my hand with his and stopped short.

His gaze followed mine downward, and he started in a way that was almost unlike him, pulling his hand away from mine.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hold it on purpose.”

“No, well……. I suppose not…….”

I answered half-heartedly and handed him the sword, and just then, someone cut in.

“The half-dragon?”

It was Reuden.

“Good day, Marquis. The half-dragon has been safely eliminated.”

“It is not a good day. His Majesty will be sending a letter in the near future, so answer it this time.”

“Mm…….”

“I intended to speak with you when we were alone, as Sir Fergus wished, but since things have come to this, I must ask.”

With a grave expression and an irritated tone, Reuden continued.

“How much of the dragon bone was stolen?”

Huh……? Stolen?