episode_0121

000

A quiet room where the morning sunlight shines in little by little through a half-open curtain.

Along with the chirping of birds from outside, Cleon’s consciousness was gradually approaching full awakening.

As he groped through vague memories of how he had returned home last night…

After the lengthy act with the twin sisters, dragging his body with the subtle remnants of the drug’s effects.

Returning to Ryla’s mansion with Caliburn on his back….

Drinking the high-end wine that Quon had received as a reward from the Theology Department with the group….

Someone came to visit, and he went out to greet them-

After that, he had no memory.

Anyway, the moment he grabbed his aching head and put one arm on the bed to get up.

A soft sensation, different from the softness of the cloth covering the sheets, was felt on his palm. When he slowly turned his head,

“…Mmph…”

A pink-haired girl breathing in and out –

A small horn sprouted from her head, and a magnificent lizard’s tail grew above her buttocks.

The only thing she was wearing was, by all appearances, Cleon’s dress shirt.

Beneath that, she was lying next to him wearing nothing but pure white underwear.

Cleon realized a beat late that his hand had touched the chest area of ​​such a girl.

“… …”

Just before he could properly understand what was happening, tap. Tap. A knock on the door.

“Master Cleon. I have prepared your change of clothes and breakfast.”

The voice calling him in a calm, yet distinct, and clear pronunciation completely snapped Cleon awake, his eyes widening.

He almost doubted whether the events at the academy until yesterday were not a dream.

He hurriedly got out of bed and first completely pulled back the curtains to look outside. Fortunately, what unfolded was the residential area of ​​the academy.

Which meant-

“…Master Cleon? Are you still asleep?”

The owner of the voice coming from outside and the draconian [dragon person] lying on his bed.

“Perdia…? Ruti?”

The two of them had come to the academy.

001

“Ahaha~ Sorry. Suddenly showing up and even getting lodging and meals~”

As Ruti scratched the back of her head and spoke, Ryla, the homeowner, took a sip of coffee and then spoke with a sigh.

“That doesn’t mean I can just kick you out, does it? After you came all this way.”

“Thank you, Lady Ryla.”

Ryla gave a short `Mm.` in response to Perdia’s greeting, then nodded.

After the simple breakfast was over, Sasha and Quon had gone out early in the morning to the streets of the academy at Caliburn’s request.

Remaining at home to enjoy tea time were Ruti and Perdia, and Ryla and Cleon.

Galatea was probably enjoying her newly-acquired habit of a morning bubble bath, with Inis standing by her side as if she were a servant.

For reference, Inis had called Galatea “Galatea Stepmom” and got hit.

Ruti was spinning the teaspoon in her teacup while looking at Cleon and smiling.

Feeling her gaze, Cleon met her eyes with a slightly awkward expression, and then decided to ask what he needed to ask.

“What brings you here without any notice?”

As Cleon asked that question, Ruti replied as if she had been waiting for it.

“You said in the letter you sent me recently that there was something pretty huge going on! I came because I was worried as your older sister!”

“It seems that Master Cleon is safe. I’m glad.”

As Perdia added to Ruti’s answer, Cleon recalled that he had sent them a letter after the incident was over, as a status report.

Even if they had come here as soon as they received that letter, they had arrived quite early.

“Is the guild master’s work okay?”

“No problem! I finished all the paperwork for the week, and left it to the kids.~”

Ruti answered proudly while making a V-sign, and watching her, Perdia clapped her hands lightly and praised her, `You’re amazing, Lady Ruti…`.

Somehow, the two of them seemed to have become quite close in the meantime.

Cleon then asked Perdia.

“Perdia too. What about the work at the clinic?”

“A child who assists me pleaded with me to let her take care of it…. Unlike the other children, she is very interested in medicine, so I thought it would be good to give her the opportunity to take charge of the clinic on her own, so I asked her.”

What Perdia was talking about was probably one of the children who had been raised as assassins with her in the past.

With the death of the previous leader, Perdia was the last to formally inherit the path of the assassin.

The remaining children seemed to be heading in their own desired directions.

“And, the children asked me to convey their gratitude to Master Cleon.”

“…Me?”

Cleon replied with a question in his voice to Perdia’s words. Then, Perdia gently closed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest and spoke.

“Yes. The children who were injured in the previous Albein attack have now all recovered, and some are making a new start as rookie adventurers, while others are helping with the work at the guild office and making a living on their own in order to study various academic subjects. If it were not for Master Cleon’s help, they would all have sunk into the darkness and lived without achieving what the previous leader wanted.”

“That’s… not all my help.”

Cleon scratched his cheek a little shyly in response to her words, but Perdia smiled gently.

“Someday, I and the children hope to be of help to Master Cleon.”

Just as they were about to drift into such a heartwarming atmosphere, Perdia’s expression became a little stern.

“But before that, Master Cleon, you must take good care of yourself.”

“That’s right! I was so surprised yesterday. I thought the front door had opened, but suddenly you collapsed in front of us and fainted, didn’t you?”

Ruti nodded, recalling the events of last night.

It was the moment when Cleon’s film had cut off.

“Everyone was in a flurry. Ryla grabbed Cleon’s chest and cried and cried. Saying, `Cleon~ Don’t die~ I don’t want you to~!`, and stuff.”

“W, wait a minute! Ruti! What are you talking about! I, I never did that!”

Ryla’s face turned bright red at Ruti’s revelation, but come to think of it, Cleon seemed to have heard such sounds in his fading consciousness… Thinking that, he remained silent.

“Everyone was quite drunk. Only Sasha was sober. The reason Master Cleon collapsed was that the components of the potion remaining in his body and the components of the wine combined to temporarily and significantly impair his body’s functions, I believe.”

Cleon flinched at those words and recalled the events of yesterday once again, but he avoided eye contact as if trying not to show it as much as possible.

“So. Instead of an antidote, I fed you some of my blood and stayed by your side all night casting recovery spells. How about it? Did you feel better when you woke up this morning?”

“No, the hangover was still there….”

The effects of the aphrodisiac were certainly gone, but the headache he felt when he woke up in the morning was definitely from a hangover.

However, Ruti just tilted her head as if it was strange.

“Huh…? That’s strange. I should have burned all the toxins in your body…”

“In that case, isn’t the problem with Lady Ruti’s blood? I read in a previous book that you don’t know what effects will occur if a human consumes the blood of a different species.”

“Dragon blood is different. It’s almost a pure mass of magical power. More so than Cleon’s semen.”

Ryla shook her head and replied to Perdia’s words.

It couldn’t be helped that the comparison was like that, but Cleon was in a slightly complicated mood.

“Humans and dragons have a structure that never mixes. Even if a human consumes dragon blood, it won’t have any effect beyond restoring magical power and vitality.”

“I see…. Then I’m even more concerned about the cause of the headache. Excuse me for a moment.”

Perdia said that and got up from her chair and placed her hand on Cleon’s forehead.

Among the medical skills she possessed was one that allowed her to briefly grasp the subject’s health status by palpating them.

It could be said that Cleon was able to control magical power without magical power to check Caliburn’s physical condition yesterday.

This skill, which instantaneously scans everything such as pulse, blood flow, and muscle condition, is a useful ability that can be used to find the target’s `weak point`.

That is, the vital point, for assassins.

“Hmm… There doesn’t seem to be any physical problem. You’re really healthy.”

“If Perdia says so, it must be okay. I’m actually not having a headache right now.”

Cleon spoke as if trying to reassure her, and Perdia nodded in response to Cleon’s words and sat down again.

“Alright! Then it’s decided that the three of us will enjoy the festival together today, right?”

“Well…. I thought you’d say that. Is there anywhere you particularly want to go?”

Ruti nodded and replied to Cleon’s words.

“Of course! The Theology Department’s tea house!”

“No.”

“Why!? Why!? I heard you’re active in the Theology Department, Cleon!”

Ruti whined and clung to Cleon at Cleon’s firm refusal, but Cleon’s will was firm.

“Perdia?”

“I… If I can spend time with Master Cleon…. I don’t mind the place.”

“Ruti. Learn from Perdia.”

“I also enjoy being with Cleon no matter where we are! But I want to go to a more fun place.~!”

Ryla spoke, looking at Ruti as if she was pathetic, and Ruti raised her voice even louder.

Was this really the appearance of a dragon who had lived for thousands of years?

What would the guild adventurers who knew her usually think if they saw this?

Ruti clung to Cleon like that for dozens of seconds.

The next moment.

Kiiiing-!

A sound rang in Cleon’s ears.

Cleon flinched and covered his ears at the tinnitus that came without any warning.

At the same time, Ruti, who had been grabbing onto Cleon’s pants, momentarily stopped moving.

“…? What’s wrong? Cleon?”

Ryla asked, looking at Cleon, who had suddenly covered his ears, as if something was wrong.

Apparently, Ryla hadn’t heard that ear-splitting sound just now.

“Are you alright? Still having a headache….”

“Ah, no. I’m fine.”

Cleon answered Perdia like that, but Cleon’s gaze was directed at Ruti, who had stood up and was staring blankly in one direction.

Her eyes had somehow split into vertical pupils and she was staring at that spot without even blinking.

That appearance was not that of the childish Ruti who had been acting spoiled until just now, nor that of the guild master who was respected and loved by everyone.

It was the face of a disaster of the world, a `dragon`, that he had never seen before.

“…Sorry. Cleon. I guess the tea house is okay. Instead, let’s go somewhere else.”

“…? Okay. Good call.”

Cleon was slightly overwhelmed by Ruti’s spirit as she glared at one side and spoke, and he answered like that.

Perdia looked at the two of them and seemed to be bothered by something, but she decided to put aside those suspicions for now.

002

After that, Ruti maintained that attitude for a while, but soon returned to her usual self.

Cleon and Perdia were both inwardly worried about her changes, but first, they reaffirmed that she could not harm humans except in retaliation due to the effect of the `covenant`, so they were relieved that she would not suddenly run wild in the academy.

Then, as the three of them went out to the streets of the academy as planned, the crowds were packed with even more tourists visiting the academy for the second day of the festival than yesterday.

“Amazing… It’s a sight you can’t see in Elesia.”

“The population there is quite large in terms of people coming and going, but the resident population is small. Even if there’s a festival, it doesn’t get this crowded… right, Ruti?”

“… …”

Cleon asked for Ruti’s agreement, but Ruti was staring in one direction again with the same face as before.

“…Ruti!”

Eventually, Cleon, unable to watch any longer, called Ruti’s name loudly, and Ruti flinched and looked up at Cleon.

“A, I’m… sorry. Cleon.”

“…What’s wrong? What on earth is over there?”

Ruti hesitated for a moment at Cleon’s words, but then opened her mouth while still hesitating.

“Maybe… they’ve come to find us. To be exact…. It’s probably me. Come with me, Cleon.”

Ruti’s hand, grabbing Cleon’s hand as she said that, was trembling a little.

Cleon directly felt Ruti’s strange state and thought it was an unusual situation, so he nodded.

And, Perdia, who was next to the two of them, couldn’t just leave Ruti alone, so she asked her.

“May I… come with you?”

“To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend it, but… I won’t stop you.”

In the end, Cleon and Perdia headed through the crowds in the direction Ruti was leading them.

From the perspective of the entire academy, the direction they were heading now was the center of the academy, where the Elder Council building, the Monad Hall, was located.

As they walked to match the pace of Ruti, who was walking forward without looking back, they came out into the open central plaza.

The Monad Hall, visible from nearby, still felt huge.

But Ruti’s gaze was on the roof of the Monad Hall.

Directed towards a woman standing on the top of the building, which was considered the most important in the academy and which no one could easily enter, looking down at the ground.

Even from a distance, her presence was clearly felt.

Long, white hair. Red eyes.

And, what she was wearing was black pants, a navy blue coat, and a reddish-brown cloak. It was a male noble’s attire, but the shape of her face and body was definitely that of a woman.

What stood out more than anything else was an organ growing from her body that humans did not have.

A pair of black horns sprouting magnificently from her temples and pointing upward, and a reptile’s tail growing from her waist.

The other people around her were going about their usual daily lives, as if no one had noticed the woman’s presence.

Ruti looked at that woman and gripped Cleon’s hand tightly.

“…Master Cleon? Lady Ruti? Is there something there?”

Perdia looked at the place where Ruti and Cleon’s gazes were directed, but she couldn’t see anything.

“… …”

Apparently, Ruti and Cleon were the only ones who could see that woman.

“Ruti, that-”

“That, you say. How harsh, human.”

A voice suddenly heard from next to him.

The woman who had been on the roof of the Monad Hall just a moment ago had approached Cleon with a speed that was almost as if she had crossed space.

Cleon hurriedly leaned back and tried to retreat, but she grabbed Cleon’s wrist and brought his finger to her mouth.

“Master Cleon!”

It was then that Perdia was able to visually confirm the woman’s appearance, and she hurriedly tried to protect Cleon.

But even faster than that, the woman’s mouth moved.

Qua-duk!

A sound was heard and sharp teeth pierced Cleon’s skin.

Even though it had been trained, Cleon had no choice but to scream at the pain, as if a part of his finger had been cut off with a knife.

The skin was torn and blood flowed out.

Ruti’s wind magic, as sharp as a weapon, swirled towards such a woman.

The woman looked at it, took two or three steps back as if it was uninteresting, and wiped the blood that had flowed from Cleon’s mouth with her finger.

“Ah… I see. It’s mixed.”

Saying that, she was looking at Cleon and Ruti with half-open eyes.

“…Don’t do it here. There are too many humans here.”

Ruti cast healing magic on Cleon’s finger and looked at the surrounding academy students.

“…Hmph. You, who were called the Storm of Annihilation. To be worried about such a thing…”

“You…!!!!! If you call me by that name in front of me one more time…!!!”

Killing intent exploded from Ruti’s body.

Perdia, who had been supporting Cleon right next to her, was almost stopped breathing by such killing intent.

But the woman in front of her shook her head as if it was nothing.

“It can’t be helped.”

And, the next moment after snapping her fingers.

The four people were somewhere else, not where they had been just now.

They had moved to a place like a wide prairie.

On the prairie where a cool breeze was blowing, the woman still spoke to Ruti with a blank face.

“Rutios. You know your situation well, right? If there is a resonator, bring them to us. That must have been one of your covenants.”

“…Lety. He is not a resonator. In order for a resonator to awaken, their horns must be broken.”

Ruti spoke while glaring at her.

“I cannot allow you to lay a hand on Master Cleon…”

Perdia drew her dagger and stood in front of Ruti and Cleon, taking a stance and glaring at the woman called Lety.

However, she could painfully feel the difference between her skills and Lety’s even without directly competing.

Perhaps, the woman in front of her was the strongest being on earth like Ruti, and the ruler of primordial magic.

A `dragonkin`.

Even so, she kept her trembling legs on the ground and did not try to retreat, such a commendable figure.

Ruti placed her hand on Perdia’s shoulder.

“No, Perdia. Aiming your weapon at her means antagonizing the dragons.”

“That’s what she said, human. I’ll show mercy this once. Ignorance is not a sin.”

Perdia turned to look at Cleon at Ruti’s words, but-

Cleon also seemed to think that it was wise to follow Ruti’s words here, so he shook his head.

Perdia put the dagger back in her belt as if she was upset and stood next to Cleon.

Cleon looked at Lety with his healed finger and opened his mouth.

“…Who are you?”

“My name is Letios. The older sister of the foolish younger sister there, Rutios, and one of the five dragons. Human. You must be the magic swordsman Cleon, right? One of the few survivors of the cursed black magic clan. The fallen hero. The deforester of the barrier tree. The subjugator of the ancient monster.”

“…To attach such grand titles that I haven’t even heard of before. I’m honored. Are those nicknames that you dragons have given me?”

As Cleon replied to Letios, who was talking as if she knew about him, Letios continued speaking indifferently.

“We do not remember human names one by one. So, it is not a bad idea to think of it as an honor that our names are remembered and called as titles.”

Ruti looked at Cleon with a slightly worried expression, but Letios didn’t seem to show any signs of suddenly attacking like before.

“So, why did you come looking for me and Ruti?”

“I felt a response. The response of a resonator.”

“…Resonator?”

As Cleon questioned the unfamiliar word, Letios looked at Ruti.

“…A resonator is a human who, very rarely among humans…. Is capable of partnering with a dragon.”

“Partner…? Does that mean they can be in a romantic relationship?”

As Cleon asked for clarification on Ruti’s explanation, Letios explained instead.

“…There are examples of a few foolish dragons taking humans as partners during their games. But their endings are mostly unhappy. No children are created between them, and they cannot overcome the difference in lifespan.”

“… …”

It couldn’t be helped, but Cleon’s mind flashed back to his intercourse with Ruti in the past.

“But resonators are different. If they mate with dragons, they can create children, and they can enjoy a long lifespan like dragons by using special methods.”

Ruti answered that while looking at Cleon. Perhaps Ruti was thinking the same thing.

“Are you saying I’m that resonator?”

“That’s right.”

“No.”

And, Letios and Ruti’s contradictory answers.

Letios frowned and looked at Ruti with an expression as if saying what are you doing, and Ruti was also glaring at Letios as if she was going to kill her.

“Cleon is…. He’s half a resonator, but not a complete resonator. It is possible to impregnate our dragons, but it is impossible to enjoy the same lifespan as a dragon.”

“That’s…. That’s a subtle explanation in terms of how to react to it.”

As Cleon spoke like that, Letios sighed and spoke.

“Has he been exposed to Rutios’s magical power since he was young, so only half of his talent has been awakened? But, even so, Rutios, you should have told us about this human.”

“Don’t talk nonsense…! Cleon has more important things than becoming a dragon’s stud!”

“A dragon’s…. Stud?”

Perdia noticed a word that bothered her and brought it up, but Letios spoke as if she was annoyed.

“Are you okay with your race going extinct…?”

“Dragons who call themselves the managers of the world but neglect human affairs can go extinct for all I care…!”

“You are truly foolish, little sister. That’s why you are the magic sword emperor…”

The two people’s magical power swelled and collided.

Sparks flew, a harsh wind blew, and lightning struck.

As their emotions escalated, the inhuman parts slowly grew larger, and the two people’s bodies were gradually returning to their original forms.

“Ruti! Calm down!”

“I’ll…. I’ll protect Cleon!”

Despite Cleon’s restraint in trying to stop Ruti, Ruti was completely revealing her original form.

That and Letios transforming into a beautiful white dragon with red eyes happened at the same time.

“Did you move to the prairie because you thought it would end up like this from the start…!”

“Master Cleon, your orders!”

Perdia handed Cleon one of her daggers and spoke, and Cleon looked up at the two dragons soaring into the sky.

“…First, we have to calm these guys down! Even though it’s a prairie, if dragons clash, this entire area will be devastated!”

Eventually, Letios’s lightning breath and Ruti’s stormy wind magic collided.

The battle between two giant dragons with the power to bring about destruction was about to begin.