Chapter 130
Alraune, having received the urgent report, began gathering the necessary items.
Since an imperial decree had come down, as the great mage, he could not refuse to comply.
Furthermore, he hadn't joined the subjugation of Grafden the Deep under various pretexts, so this time, he would have to fulfill his responsibility.
'First it was Benelrode the Incandescent invading the eastern territory. Then it was Grafden the Deep...'
Alraune, looking back on the recent incidents, was seized by a vague sense of estrangement.
Dragons had invaded the Agnes Empire three times in rapid succession.
That could not simply be dismissed as coincidence—there must be a clear reason underlying it.
'Ru the Luminescent never threatened humans. But he only maintained neutrality and let the other dragons act as they pleased.'
Alraune had long recognized that each dragon possessed independence.
This fact had been demonstrated by the previous great mages and was even recorded in separate materials.
If the dragons had ever joined forces, the Agnes Empire would never have escaped destruction.
'That must be why no one intervened when Ekexax the Tempest was hunted. The same would go for Tiksa the Frostbane.'
Ekexax the Tempest was the first dragon to be repulsed by the Agnes Empire.
Tiksa the Frostbane had been sealed away, but so far, no incident related to him had occurred.
Still, he was a special case, and a dragon's life had to be ended without fail, one way or another.
'Grafden the Deep lost his discernment after being contaminated by slime. Since the dragon's body was abused like that, Ru the Luminescent probably intervened.'
Through the series of incidents, Alraune drew a tentative conclusion.
Dragons, guided by their individual purposes, refrained from intervening with one another—a taboo among them.
Lately, after learning a secret about the Agnes Empire, hadn't their desires only intensified?
'What could a dragon covet...?'
Alraune fell deep in thought, unable to find an answer.
With only the information at hand, he couldn't make a complete inference.
Now that Mwin the Thunderstorm had also appeared, they must prepare for battles with the other dragons as well.
'Lailnetia the Devouring once corroded the land. Even now, not a single blade of grass grows on that earth.'
To Alraune, Lailnetia the Devouring was the most dangerous dragon.
Dragons with immense mana could transform the environment around them, but in time, things would gradually return to their original state.
Only, the tracks of Lailnetia the Devouring spawned nothing but a stagnant aura of death.
'Hmph... Perhaps the very survival of the Empire hinges on these times.'
* * *
Alter was silently leaving the capital.
He had anticipated this situation to some degree, but it felt a bit too soon.
Most of all, he grew uneasy, unable to say anything to his fiancé.
'If things go on like this, there'll only be a chill between us.'
Recalling the previous incident, Alter cautiously glanced over at Brillie.
Brillie simply held the horse's reins, a chilly expression on her face.
She was fully aware of the situation, but having been entangled in it repeatedly, she found it hard to accept.
'We even messed up spending the night together...'
Alter still harbored the memory of that moment.
He had seemed hesitant at the time but hadn't put up much of a resistance.
But since Brillie had been the first to give up, an unconscious distance had formed between them.
'Should I have just stayed quiet?'
Feeling embarrassed, Alter's eyes twisted into a grimace.
It was his first time dealing with something like this and it was hard to handle it smoothly.
Besides, it wasn't a skill he could pick up through real-life experience; he could only rely on theory, one-sided as that might be.
'It's not like I can suddenly ask to try again now...'
"Alter."
"Yes?"
"It seems this will be another tough fight, doesn't it?"
"I doubt it will be easy. After all, the opponent isn't injured, like Benelrode the Incandescent was."
"And another dragon probably won't help us, right?"
"That situation was rather unique. I doubt anyone will go out of their way to help this time."
"In the eastern territory, you almost got hurt, Alter. In the southern region, I couldn't hold my ground. Will we make it through this time?"
Brillie looked at Alter, caught in a web of anxiety.
She had longed to become stronger as a swordsman, but now, she acutely felt she'd hit her limits.
To stand against a dragon as a mere human meant staking countless lives.
Even those considered the powerful could only witness fleeting results in the end.
"The great mage and the Sword Saint are joining the fight. The Holy Order of Semerune will arrive soon. As we've defeated dragons so far, our odds aren't hopeless."
"I'm sure the Knight of True Flame will show up soon, too. I have to face a dragon again, but..."
Brillie's lips quivered, unable to finish her sentence.
The fact that she'd been defeated by the Knight of True Flame gnawed at her heart.
If Alter hadn't intervened and counterattacked, where would she be now?
"Brillie, can't you have a little more faith in me?"
"I can't keep depending on you, Alter."
"I trust you, Brillie. I'm certain you'll take the lead to protect me."
"......"
"I've always seen only your back. I'll probably continue to do so. How do you think that makes me feel?"
"......"
"You always have to fight close to the enemy, so it can't help but be dangerous. That's why what happened then occurred."
"......"
"I think I've become stronger because you're by my side. What about you, Brillie?"
"I still have a long way to go. That's why, back then too..."
"No, you've reached a much higher realm than before. You just can't realize it because your opponent is a dragon."
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes. I don't want to lie just to comfort you."
After awakening to the power of the dragon, Alter could distinguish mana even more precisely.
That allowed him to quickly discern changes in mana, detecting even deliberate attempts to erase a presence.
He was certain Brillie's strength had steadily increased since their first meeting.
"I'm not sure how to put it... But Brillie, your mana is filling up bit by bit. Before long, it's going to transform."
"A transformation? What do you mean by that?"
"It's hard to explain. That's why I called it a transformation. The one thing I can guarantee is you'll become stronger than you are now."
Alter could only comprehend this phenomenon in simple terms.
It was less reading mana as a mage and more an empathy with something fundamental.
Thus, even as he understood Brillie's mana deeply, he couldn't label it precisely.
"I still don't really understand, even after you say that."
"You'll see when the time comes. Right now, you're prepared. You'll have to learn for yourself how to unleash it."
"...?"
Brillie frowned, trapped in confusion.
Alter was saying strange things, not like himself at all.
Could it be that, in learning magic, his mind had become excessively distorted?
"You're not sick, are you?"
"... I'm not ill."
"I know your skills are outstanding, but are you really okay?"
"I think you've misunderstood. There's nothing wrong with my body. How about considering it the opinion of a mage?"
"If it's the opinion of the next great mage, then I can't just disregard it, can I?"
Brillie mulled over Alter's words, then tried to shake them off.
She had never learned magic before, so she couldn't fully accept the opinion of the next great mage.
All she could do was recognize the possibility that she could still rise higher.
'He doesn't seem to be lying... But why is he saying these things? Has he grown a bit too obsessed with magic?'
* * *
The Knight of True Flame cautiously moved forward, keeping a close watch on the area.
He'd taken the long way around to the western region and had suffered much for it, but he still hadn't been discovered.
And since a dragon was rampaging, nobody was likely to pay him any mind.
'Has it already wrecked everything around here?'
The Knight of True Flame surveyed the devastation and then turned away.
Unlike other dragons, Mwin the Thunderstorm did not command monsters.
He simply invaded the territory of the Agnes Empire alone and unleashed indiscriminate bombardment.
Because of this, countless civilians had lost their lives, and entire settlements had been utterly destroyed.
'No defensive lines here... Not enough soldiers. And that thing has been attacking relentlessly from the start.'
The western region, unlike the southern region, was not typically troubled by monsters.
That meant fewer soldiers had been assigned, and even the fortresses were sparse.
But from the enemy's perspective, it made the invasion easier—all the more reason to press the attack en masse.
'We're at a big disadvantage this time.'
The Knight of True Flame involuntarily recalled Alter Radiant and Brillie.
In the eastern territory, he'd taken the mana from Benelrode the Incandescent, but in the southern region, he had failed to achieve his aim.
He'd cut down the Sword Saint and the second holy apostle and tried to take Brillie out as well, but he hadn't expected to be stopped by a breath attack.
'They don't trust me. So I have no choice but to use other methods.'
The Knight of True Flame had tried to cooperate as much as possible with the Agnes Empire, but he didn't want to accept unnecessary losses.
He could understand their intentions and policies, but from his position, it all seemed pointless.
'Once again, you have to cast me as the villain.'
The Knight of True Flame moved his right arm, only to suddenly feel a tingling numbness.
He'd eventually regenerated his right arm completely, but he had yet to overcome the aftereffects.
In other words, he couldn't easily engage in combat with the one imbued with dragon power—Alter Radiant.
'But this won't be the end.'
The Knight of True Flame came to a stop, having spotted a vague shape in the distance.
Yellow-tinted tendrils roared as they occasionally flashed with light.
Somewhere nearby, Mwin the Thunderstorm was sure to be lurking.
'He must have sensed me by now...'
"You... Why do you possess Benelrode's mana?"
A grand voice rang out as a hulking figure emerged.
The Knight of True Flame calmly looked up to the sky and replied impassively.
"You already know, don't you? I took that mana myself."
"Benelrode the Incandescent is my kin. Dare to harm my kind... Do you wish to be annihilated right here and now?!"
Mwin the Thunderstorm glared at the Knight of True Flame, murderous intent blazing.
But the Knight of True Flame met that gaze, not even drawing his sword.
"... Are you lying? You don't seem the type to mourn a fellow dragon's death. In fact, you almost look pleased."
"What? Are you trying to mock me?"
"I don't care about that. Shouldn't you be focused on achieving your objective first?"
Mwin the Thunderstorm seemed ready to strike first but instinctively hesitated.
Arrogantly, his kin's power had been stolen, yet before him stood a figure maintaining his physical form as if nothing were amiss.
Most of all, this person mentioned his objective so calmly, standing right in front of him, that Mwin couldn't help but feel a little dumbfounded.
"What are you getting at?"
"I'll help you. All I have to do is crush the humans. That's a pretty good deal, isn't it?"