Chapter 529: Interlude, the war god’s decision
“Why did you come back!”
Polka, Baron Guto’s residence. Selenium was attacking Dianne with a voice that no one had ever heard before.
“Andy-san! Why……leave Apple behind too! How can you come back with a face like that!!”
“Selen-chan, calm down. It’s bad for the child”
“Hilda-san too! Laila-san too!!”
“Calm down. Are you going to kill Andy’s child?”
“Tss……”
Selenium glares at Hilda with a face that looks like she’s about to bite her, then follows Jeanne, who takes her hand and sits down in her chair.
“……It won’t be a battle with more than ten. No matter how fierce Laila is, she can only take on three at most. Fighting head-on requires strength”
Even after Dianne quietly explained this, Selenium’s rage did not subside.
“Is that why you’re begging for Andy-san’s life?”
“Its different”
“No, it’s not! You knew the Dragon Palace was there……you were too careless!”
“……I don’t know what to say to you”
Dianne’s voice is low and she takes Selenium’s words in stride.
“We need power against them. I will mobilize all the dragons of Misty Palace”
Laila declared to Broll, who was present. Broll nodded.
“I will obey you. But there are many old and decrepit dragons in our household. I don’t know if there will be enough”
“I know that. And I will do everything in my power to make sure that we have enough”
“……Large-scale conflicts between dragons are rare, but it is a case in point”
Broll growled and strode out. The baron, who had been anxiously watching the conversation from the side, beckoned to Laila, who looked away.
“So……do you think there’s any chance of saving Andy and the others?”
“If the opponents are all lawless and evil dragons, there may be no more life. However, it seems reasonable to the extent that they send messages. Until the 『Rider-to-rider settlement』 as per the pact, the dragon’s power will not force the owner to be killed……”
“In other words, it all depends on the other dragon rider?”
“That’s the point. ……It seems that their leader, the rider is a hero on par with Neia……a warrior comparable to Dianne. I am sure that Master is a man who knows how to live and he would not be so very busy to fight with them, but if……Neia is taken as a pawn, I don’t know what will happen”
“……Everything is on the other side’s initiative, isn’t it?”
“It’s frustrating. In order to overturn that, we need to adjust the number of dragons and attack. As long as we can stop the dragons from taking the lead in the field, Dianne won’t be left behind due to problems caused by humans”
“Hmm. In other words, the dragons are to avoid domination of the scene by enemy dragons, not to be a force for all-out warfare……”
“The human world is like that. The battle of armies does not end with the devouring of each other. It is also a common practice for armies to form up and stare each other down so that they can’t move”
Laila’s and Dianne’s plan for the future is to use a good number of dragons to block the other dragon rider from gaining more power. The dragon pact was established to govern the dragons, who by their very nature could only bring destruction to other races. The method of settling issues is not intended to establish a social system based on hierarchy, but rather to avoid the ugly consequences of 「Mere arm-twisting」 by the dragons when the riders’ actions are incompatible. Dianne and her colleagues are trying to align the dragons because they cannot even intervene in the current situation, but there is no need to turn it into an all-out war of the dragons as it is.
“Then, I think about what would have happened if Andy had been killed first”
“Dianne……”
“Not that there wouldn’t be”
All eyes are on Dianne, whose voice is as restrained as ever. Most of the gazes are a mixture of surprise and concern, 「Can you say that?」, and…….
“Don’t be silly”
“Selenium, stop it”
“Don’t be silly, Dianne. If Andy-san was dead……then, thats it……!! I’ll kill them all!!”
“Thats right”
Dianne nodded indifferently at the furious Selenium.
“I’ll take responsibility and annihilate the silver dragon and the Heroes Alliance”
“Dianne”
“Laila. I’m sorry, but I’m not that good-natured”
Dianne’s suppressed killing intent slowly seeped out.
“If you take away the people I love, I will definitely kill them all, no matter how long the war god’s bad name remains for a thousand years. If you pretend that you are trying to protect the country, I will erase the whole country from this world. I will use every means possible to do that”
“……You”
“I will show them how much it means to truly offend me. After that, Selenium”
“……Eh”
“If you want to kill me too, then you can have my head. So……take care of that child for now. After Andy is gone, the only one who can comfort those who adored him will be his child……”
Dianne smiles as she says this. While she speaks of her fierce determination, her tone remains the same to the end. This is precisely the opposite of Dianne’s inner tormented anger. Everyone thought so.
“Sahul. Bauz. I’m sorry, but I need your help too”
“I’m fine, but old man Bauz is……”
“No, thanks. With the arrangement of the cherry blossoms’ name, Yufa will get a good magic treatment”
Two dragons were summoned. In front of them, Dianne opens her mouth without smiling.
“Sahul will be assisting in the Renfangas area and Bauz will be assisting in the Celesta area”
“Transportation of military power……?”
“I thought we were going to use them to round up the dragons? I think we got hit by a herd of dragons”
“Just getting the dragons together is uncertain. If the opposing dragon rider comes out, dragons without a master cannot fight. You have a master, so you have no obligation to follow the enemy’s riders, but in any case, there would be no reason to force them to fight”
“……Then”
“The way things are going, things are moving against Andy. The other party’s strength is unknown, but as a warrior, there is no way Andy can win by direct violence. Worst case scenario, he might already be dead. But in that case, I have no intention of forgiving the enemy. I will annihilate dozens of dragons”
“Impossible”
In place of the stunned Sahul, Bauz declares.
“You are certainly strong, but you will never be able to defeat a dragon that has lifted the ban on breath and flight”
“Even if that’s the case. I’ll definitely kill them all. If the dragons think humans can’t do that, then they’re wrong”
Dianne intimidates Bauz. Bauz, who was about two meters tall, and Dianne, who was about average or slightly smaller than that for a woman, were like an adult and a child…but still, Bauz took a step back under the pressure of her gaze.
“Dianne-chan, don’t get too murderous about the dragon regardless of who it is. You have to tell me what you’re going to do first☆”
Hilda, who appeared from the side, admonished her and Dianne let out a small sigh. And then she looks up again.
“I’m going to use all my connections to organize a human strike force. Even if dragons cannot fight each other, there are humans and other races who can fight dragons on their own. I want them to serve as messengers and transport to bring them together”
“There must be only a few of them. Even if we assume that they fight using dragon slayers, there is no way we can gather that many fierce fighters in this day and age”
“There are. ……And they will gather”
Dianne laughs wryly. Like a beast showing its fangs.
“I don’t know if it’s possible for me to gather them all by myself, but it’s for Andy’s sake. If it’s for him, I can gather that power. ……I’ll show you that there is a mind that governs power in this world. That there is such a thing as a king. If you do anything to harm it, what will happen?”
“……You’ve gone that far”
“Up until the halfway point, it was just a misunderstanding. Up to that point, I just wanted to give everything I had to the man I loved and give him my freedom. But not anymore. I can say with confidence that Andy Smithson is not just there by sheer luck”
Dianne said and offered the letter to Bauz.
“Take this to Talc. Give it to the colony leader, Carlos and he will arrange the rest”
“……I understand”
“‘I’ll have Sahul take Sharon with him to Rennesto. Do you know where Rennesto is?”
“I’ve never been there, but……”
“The layout of the town of Renfangas is unique, so you will recognize it easily. I am now heading for the royal capital. Sister, you will take care of things while I am gone, won’t you?”
“Yes, yes. I’m so excited, I can’t believe I’m doing this……”
“Laila”
“Ho. Anzeros. Are you ready to go to the royal capital?”
“……Yes. But first, a word of advice”
“Ho?”
“……I’m weak. I can’t fight like Dianne-san. I’ve always thought so”
“Hmm”
“But I can no longer say that at this point in my life. I think the time has come for me to fight”
“…………”
“I’ve been behind Dianne and I’ve been quiet. I knew that Dianne was stronger than me, so I was only doing what I could do. But I am not the kind of person who can be strong while hiding in the shadows and staying safe. I had spent years just sitting on the throne of ace knight once I had it, until I fought that General Lucas. Aurora trained hard and became strong enough to beat Sharon. I’m……”
“You want to be strong. ……You also thought that if you faced something on your own and got a chance, you would have the groundwork to become stronger……”
“……Is it presumptuous?”
“No. …….I’ve made up my mind”
Under a distant sky, the women are beginning to fight back.