Ch.222Chapter 222 – Four Hatchlings

“Lorona.”

“Mr. Mask. As you know, you cannot lay a hand on us.”

“Please step back.”

When the blue-haired girl standing with Lorona spoke, Mask bit his lip slightly and looked at me.

I nodded, and she nodded back before speaking to Perry and Asam.

“Um, excuse me?”

“Non-combatants, stick to the wall. Looks like a fight is about to break out.”

At Mask’s words, Perry and Asam didn’t argue and headed straight for the wall.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

As if signaling the start of battle, Lorona charged at me while spewing flames.

When I swung my halberd to scatter the fire, the blue-haired girl immediately launched icicles and shouted.

“Lorona, don’t rush ahead recklessly!”

“Sorry, Sister Lirina.”

Lorona winked and backed away.

Then long icicles appeared in the hands of the girl called Lirina.

And she immediately swung those icicles toward me.

-CLANG!!

‘Quite heavy.’

The attack was heavier than I had expected.

It was a strength I wouldn’t have thought possible from that frame.

And as if coordinating with her, Lorona began throwing fireballs again.

“Come to think of it, they called them hatchlings.”

I recalled what Mask had said as I stepped back slightly.

Lorona the hatchling.

Girls with similar appearances.

Our opponents might be four hatchlings.

‘Is everything alright on the other side?’

When I glanced over, I could see Beatrice clashing with a green-haired girl in mid-air.

The green girl was floating and launching green blades, while Beatrice was jumping around, using gravity to her advantage by pushing off the walls.

And I saw Chris blocking the electricity emitted by the remaining yellow-haired girl with holy magic, while Eve quickly darted out.

“Coming out from behind the shield, what are you trying to do!”

The yellow-haired girl laughed boldly as she began shooting lightning at Eve.

And Eve…

As if she could see the trajectory, she was advancing while narrowly avoiding the lightning.

The yellow-haired girl immediately shouted.

“Stop cheating! Acting like you know where I’m going to attack…”

“Perhaps your attacks were just too predictable?”

Eve tried to stab the girl with her sword.

In response, the yellow-haired girl jumped backward.

However, Chris seemed to have predicted that the opponent would move like that.

“‘Protect the young lambs!'”

A golden shield immediately appeared in the air above, becoming a ceiling, and the girl collided with it and fell to the ground.

Then, as she tried to get up covered in dirt…

She began to sink.

“It’s magic that turns the surroundings into a swamp.”

“Damn it!”

The yellow girl started sinking into the swamp created by Sera.

Eve didn’t miss the opportunity and rushed toward the girl, who soon gritted her teeth and shouted.

“Don’t make me laugh!”

With a small explosion, the girl forcibly escaped from the swamp.

Then Eve immediately called out.

“Miss Eina! Miss Lara!”

“Coming!”

“I know!”

Eina swung her axe down at the girl, and I could see the yellow-haired girl blocking it with lightning.

But that left her stomach exposed, and the small-framed Lara swung her hammer.

In the end, the yellow-haired girl was sent flying into the wall.

Seeing this, the green-haired girl, who had just blocked Beatrice’s attack and retreated, began to shout.

“Get it together, Lightina!”

“Shut up, you should be the one not letting your guard down, Windina!”

I could see the yellow-haired girl grinding her teeth as sparks flew around her.

My companions began to take battle positions against her.

‘We’ll be fine.’

At least no one was being overwhelmed.

Feeling relieved at that fact, I continued to withstand the enemy’s attacks.

“How long do you plan to look elsewhere!”

“My apologies.”

I lightly apologized to my opponent who was swinging her ice weapon and swung my halberd.

Soon the blue-haired girl’s ice spear was cut in two, and she retreated again.

As I tried to pursue her immediately, Lorona shouted.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Fireballs flew in to block my path.

Then Lorona herself charged through the flames and aimed a kick at me.

-BOOM!

My arm felt a bit numb after blocking her kick.

In that state, Lorona grinned.

“As expected, you can handle this much!”

“Did you think I couldn’t?”

“To be honest!”

Flames began to rise from Lorona’s foot.

At the same time, my arm started to be pushed back slightly, and Lorona smiled as she said.

“Since you’re a mixed being, to be honest, I thought you couldn’t use dragon power without armor!”

I applied more strength to my arm, but the opponent was still a dragon after all, and I was gradually being pushed back.

Lorona laughed and shouted.

“Come on, show me some strength, Mr. Hybrid!”

“Hybrid?”

I remembered those eyes.

Looking closely, Lorona’s eyes resembled those eyes too.

‘Those eyes.’

Though they merely looked similar.

They’re extremely unpleasant eyes.

“You need to be taught a lesson.”

“What?”

While Lorona was confused by my words, I concentrated my mind on my heart.

Smoke began to rise slightly from my body.

And then.

Red sparks started to flicker across my body.

“Huh? This is…”

Lorona began to panic.

Looking at her face, I pushed up my arm.

Lorona also tried to push with her leg, but unfortunately, I was stronger.

“How can you use dragon power without armor…”

“Who knows!”

I smiled fiercely and pushed Lorona’s leg hard.

Since she couldn’t withdraw her leg in time, Lorona began to fall backward, and in that state, I grabbed her falling leg.

“Wait, calm down…”

“No.”

I grabbed Lorona’s leg and swung her around.

After swinging her in the air about twice, Lorona began to scream.

“KYAAAAAAAH!!!!”

“Lorona!!”

Lirina charged at me with ice swords in both hands.

Since it would be difficult to counter two swords with a one-handed halberd, I put down the halberd for a moment and drew the sword at my waist.

And I swung both the sword and Lorona as a blunt weapon.

“Uh, wait, I’m not a weapon!!”

Ignoring the blunt weapon making strange noises, I swung it, causing Lirina to grit her teeth and dodge backward.

I blocked her weapons with my sword as she charged again, and kept swinging the blunt weapon to make her retreat.

“Please let go of Lorona!”

“Sure thing.”

At Lirina’s cry, I spun around once and threw the blunt weapon.

Screaming, Lorona flew through the air, and Lirina barely caught her, causing them both to roll on the ground.

As soon as I saw the opening created between the two, I sprang forward, grabbed my halberd, and charged.

“Eek!”

Lirina gritted her teeth and created an ice spear to block the halberd.

However, she was gradually being pushed back by the force, and soon Lorona joined in to help lift the spear.

“I didn’t expect such a difference…”

“You just had a bad matchup.”

Neither Lorona nor Lirina were weak enough to lose to ordinary opponents in terms of speed or strength.

They could probably defeat several knights from the Emiris Order without much trouble.

It was simply unfortunate that I was their opponent.

“But isn’t this a bad time to be chatting?”

“…Eek!”

Realizing they couldn’t push back the halberd with their strength, Lorona gritted her teeth and gathered magical power.

I quickly withdrew as a small explosion occurred around Lorona.

“Tough ones.”

I readjusted my grip on the halberd and looked at where Lorona and Lirina had been.

As the two rose from the dust, I addressed them.

“Will you surrender?”

Lorona and Lirina looked at each other briefly.

Then they quietly said.

“We have no choice. We need to buy time to combine the power of us four sisters…”

“Ganging up, huh.”

At my words, Lorona smiled and said.

“The two of us aren’t enough, so we need to combine the power of all four.”

“That’s a valid strategy too.”

Throughout history, gathering numbers to fight when lacking in strength was a natural approach.

But there was one problem with their thinking right now.

“That premise assumes your friends have defeated my companions, right?”

I gestured slightly behind me.

And with perfect timing, Beatrice was shouting gleefully.

“Got you, you slippery eel!”

“I’m a dra—I mean, a dragon!”

The green-haired girl was already bound by Beatrice’s chains, unable to move.

And the yellow-haired girl by the wall was caught by a golem summoned by Sera.

“G-ganging up is unfair!”

“Who told you to attack several people with a sword?”

Eve said with a relaxed smile.

I checked if anyone was injured, but it seemed only Eina had a slight scratch.

Seeing this, Lirina sighed in defeat.

“…The premise itself was wrong.”

“Honestly, we thought we just had to be careful of this man…”

Their eyes showed they realized there was nothing more they could do.

After a moment.

“We surrender.”

Lorona and Lirina raised their hands.

+

After the battle ended, we first restrained the arms of all four.

We had them put their hands into clay spheres made by Sera, which then hardened into temporary restraints, and Beatrice’s chains bound their bodies.

“You know what happens if you try anything funny, right?”

“…Damn it.”

The yellow-haired girl growled at Beatrice’s words, but that was all.

Beatrice handed me the chains and said.

“Here, pull them, helmet.”

“Sure.”

Just as I was about to pull the chains.

“Wait.”

“What is it?”

Mask stopped me.

“Sorry, but give me those chains.”

“Why?”

“There’s something I want to do.”

Following Mask’s gaze, I saw Lorona at the end of the chain.

“Here.”

“Thanks.”

As Mask pulled the chains, the bound girls began to rise one after another.

Then Mask approached Lorona with what seemed like a pleased expression.

“So, how does it feel now? Hmm? How does it feel to be dragged along looking like a loser? Tell me.”

At Mask’s words, Lorona looked away.

Each time, Mask would lean in slightly and continue to provoke Lorona.

‘Come to think of it, Mask seemed to have quite a grudge against Lorona.’

Maybe that’s why.

She looked quite excited.

‘…Even though Mask didn’t actually do anything.’

Since she said she couldn’t attack due to the contract, her actual contribution was close to zero.

But she seemed so happy that I figured I should just leave her be.

“But if Mask is like that, we don’t have anyone to guide us.”

“I’ll do it.”

Lirina, who was bound, suddenly volunteered.

Looking at her, I asked.

“Suddenly?”

“You are the victors. It is the law that the defeated must follow the victors.”

Lirina spoke calmly.

However, hearing those words reminded me of those eyes, making me feel somewhat uncomfortable.

“I don’t know what your code is, but in the realm ruled by our master, it is the basic code that the weak follow the strong.”

“…Fine, lead the way.”

There was no point in arguing further; I couldn’t change that mindset right now.

Soon she took the lead and guided us.

“This place is basically a single path. There are hidden rooms here and there, though.”

“Is it okay for a lair to have just one path?”

At my question, Lirina smiled and said.

“We usually activate traps. We also keep monsters that Lorona raises. We had them clear out because you were expected to come. The three of us, excluding Lorona, usually guard this place.”

Lirina explained that normally the three of them, except Lorona, were in charge of security here.

“It still seems a bit flimsy even considering that.”

“It may seem that way, but in fact, not many beings enter through the main entrance in the volcano’s crater.”

Lirina said that while she didn’t know about the old days, there certainly hadn’t been many recently.

“To be precise, there have been only two intruders since I was born.”

“Two?”

“One was Mr. Mask over there.”

And Lirina said there was another intruder who came before that.

“Who was the other person?”

“That’s…”

Lirina was about to say something.

But she paused briefly and then said.

“The master says he wants to meet you up ahead.”

“Master?”

“Yes.”

Can I finally see that damned guy?

Clenching my fist slightly, I asked Lirina.

“Where is he waiting?”

“Just ahead. There’s a secret room.”

Lirina guided us forward.

Then one of the walls opened.

Right in front of us was a cliff with lava flowing below.

“There’s nothing but lava?”

“Yes. Just lava. Normally, this is the room where intruders are lured and eliminated.”

So it was a trap.

I glared at Lirina immediately, but she smiled and said.

“Excuse me. I should have explained that it’s a kind of reception room.”

“Reception room?”

“Yes. There isn’t much space for the master to move around in his original size.”

So it’s both a reception room and a trap room, Lirina clarified.

“But I don’t see your master.”

“He’ll come when we signal him.”

After saying that, Lirina walked forward slightly.

And quietly looking at the lava, she said.

“I’ve brought guests, Master.”

Shortly after Lirina’s words.

A massive form began to rise from within the lava.