REFDL 88

Grrr!

The cheers that had died down grew louder again as I roared.

“……Were you trying to look cool just now?”

The corners of Tortan’s lips twitched. Anyone could tell he was desperate to tease someone.

[……Do you want to fall?]

“Hmm. Not really.”

Having finished the scheduled flight, I headed toward the open space where I had first taken off.

At the same time, a transparent tar-like substance rose from the crowd.

[……?!]

It was the Fourth Prince, Valita.

The swaying energy of the tar gradually grew in size. The demonic energy, now as large as a spire, transformed into something like a giant hand and waved towards me as if in greeting.

[…….]

My gaze turned cold as I looked down.

Valita was smiling from the center of the tar. The citizens, who couldn’t see or feel the demonic energy, crowded the area around him.

Are those knights standing near him?

……Why is a man who should be in the VIP seats mingling with the crowd?

In that instant, goosebumps ran down the back of my neck.

Valita smiled, baring his white teeth. His smile, full of sincerity, seemed at first glance to be filled with goodwill.

……It felt like a warning light was blaring in my head. As if responding to it, the ominous demonic energy gained even more volume.

Valita wore a face full of kindness and affection, but the demonic energy he emitted was filled with hostility and twisted desire.

It felt like he might pounce on me at any second.

It felt as if he wanted to snap my wings, break my spine, and drag me before him.

Grrrr!

I had no intention of just giving in.

The Pensiltas, who only finally sensed something once the demonic energy swelled like a curtain, began to growl along with me.

Threatening growls burst out from their drooling mouths. Their eyes flashed, searching for the enemy that dared to target me.

The demonic energy that had been growing without limit began to shrink again.

The gradually subsiding energy disappeared as if being sucked into his left leg.

For a moment, it felt as if everything had become quiet. That was how great the demonic energy’s presence had been.

It was disgusting…… and frightening.

I kept my guard up while hiding my inner thoughts.

However, nothing more happened.

The Fourth Prince stared at me for a moment before pulling up his hood and turning away.

He and those following him disappeared into the crowd.

“What’s going on?”

The emperor, who had noticed something unusual and had been keeping his presence low, asked.

[It’s better to talk after we head down. For now…….]

At that moment, the demonic energy that had condensed and disappeared inside Valita’s leg shot out like a spear towards me.

The attack happened without warning. And it happened too quickly.

I was hit by the demonic energy.

Skreeeeek!

It felt like dunking my head into a bucket of concentrated, rotten water. The nausea made me want to vomit.

However, separate from the feeling, there was no major damage.

I wasn’t bleeding, and no bones were broken.

The demonic energy harmed me in a more insidious way.

[……!]

I feel my scales softening.

Actually, it wasn’t just my scales. Every part of my body touched by the demonic energy grew soft overall. In game terms, it felt [unauthorized copy]like a ‘debuff curse.’

That wasn’t even the end of it.

Creak!

An ominous sound came from the saddle. My neck grew stiff.

When I turned my head back, the flustered Emperor’s gaze fell on the ropes that connected me to the saddle.

The ropes, which had been perfectly fine during the inspection, were now frayed. It looked as if they had been scraped by an invisible wire saw.

“……Ha.”

Tortan clenched his teeth and let out a hollow laugh.

“Damn it.”

Snap!

The rope snapped. The saddle joint was torn.

The scene of him being thrown off my back played in slow motion.

[Tortan!]

“Your Majesty!”

Kaelus was the first to react. However, since he was waiting with the ground team, he had no dragon. The dragon knights immediately turned their heads this way. Their reaction speed wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t enough to solve the situation. They would be late.

Shit…!

I had no choice but to head for the ground. The earth was too close. Below me, countless crowds were gathered.

In this situation, a way to safely save Tortan while avoiding the crowd was…

…There isn’t one.

If I save Tortan, I have to trample on the crowd; if I avoid the crowd, I can’t reach Tortan.

Is there really no way?

Is there really no way?

With my vision slowed by accelerating thoughts, I spotted the clock tower next to the open space where I was supposed to land, and the luxury inn being newly built beside it. As expected of buildings in the middle of a busy district, both looked very tall and sturdy.

…If I can’t let go of either.

I just have to throw something else away. However……

Can I do it?

The negative thoughts that rose like thorns vanished like bubbles.

Grrr!

This wasn’t a matter of believing or not believing.

It was a matter of something I absolutely had to do.

 * * *

Boom!

Crash!

It happened right before his eyes.

Kaelus couldn’t believe it even though he saw it with his own eyes.

The Kremlis, flapping his wings as if to create a storm, somehow caught the Emperor and held him in his embrace.

Instead, a massive, meteor-like body approached the ground, seemingly ready to crush the crowd at any moment. ​Read on​Escape was out of the question. Huddled together, the people simply obstructed each other’s escape.

It was over. People covered by the giant shadow screamed in despair.

That was when the anomaly occurred.

The shadow took a turn in another direction. The Kremlis had hooked his tail on the clock tower to change course.

Crack!

The clock tower, which boasted a history similar to Firmus, had protection magic cast on it to keep it safe from earthquakes and other external shocks.

The tower was damaged, but not completely destroyed.

Boom!

Bang! Bang!

The Kremlis, who had turned his direction, crashed into the inn building that was under construction.

The crowds, who were trembling and stepping on each other as they scattered, didn’t know, but Kaelus knew. That was a movement Yuram intended.

He sacrificed his own body to slow down.

Crash!

As expected of an expensive building, the inn under construction also had protection magic similar to the tower’s.

A strong backlash equal to the force of the impact poured into the huge body.

The Kremlis didn’t resist. Instead, he softly relaxed the tension in his scales, which could normally bounce off most auras. Like a hedgehog laying down its quills.

The protection magic scratched against the Kremlis’s body.

Then, as if caught in a briar patch, his speed gradually slowed.

The dragon’s body hit other buildings under construction next to the inn one by one, and the impacts repeated a few times.

Rumble.

Thud……

When the speed significantly decreased, the Kremlis, who had fallen sideways, slid into the open space.

Coincidentally, it was the very spot where he was originally supposed to land. The Kremlis’s back landed on the fountain in the open space

Crack!

At the same moment, a decoration from the top of the fountain fell.

The curled dragon’s body finally came to a stop. His whole body was covered in blood.

“Yuram!”

Kaelus ran over, calling for Yuram instead of Tortan.

He pushed through the crowd and poured mana into his legs to jump.  He was clearly getting closer, but it didn’t feel like he was getting any closer.

That was when Yuram woke up.

Pulling himself together, he first checked the emperor, whom he had protected by wrapping his whole body around him.

“Cough!”

Tortan was fine. He coughed a bit, perhaps due to pressure on his lungs, but he didn’t have a single scratch.

He stiffened upon seeing Yuram, who looked as if he had been bitten by a monster, but then quickly composed himself.

Even while bleeding from his whole body, Yuram stood up straight. He placed Tortan on his flat crown. The two of them matched each other naturally, as if they had agreed on it beforehand.

Kaelus was the only one in agony. He bit his lip and urged Yuram.

“Damn it! Whatever it is, stop. You need treatment now!”

[Later.]

“……What?”

[It’s okay.]

‘I’m glad the debuff is temporary.’

He felt vitality overflowing in his body again. It only looked terrible. Compared to the full-body fractures he suffered in the hollow of Anax, these kinds of abrasions were nothing.

Yuram, who smiled faintly enough that only Caelus could recognize it, took a deep breath.

Grrr!

It was a tremendous volume.

The roar shook the building and stopped people from moving.

Taking advantage of the gap, the mage Odan ran over. He quickly created a loudspeaker and offered it to the Emperor. Yuram straightened his body so people could see the Emperor better.

“Look!”

Everyone stopped their attempt to flee and looked toward that spot.

“Firmus does not break under any trials.”

He called it ‘Firmus’ and placed his palm against his chest. Atop Yuram’s head, that sight was visible even to the citizens far away.

“Glory of the West!”

The Emperor led the chant.

The knights responded in one voice.

“Julan!”

“Firmus!”

“Last forever!”

The fleeing citizens stopped in their tracks, the commotion died down.

The knights responded to the Emperor by shouting at the top of their lungs, and then they quickly scattered to assess the situation and tend to the injured.