Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 8 Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Attack of the Demonic Dragons

Part 1

Ash shuddered as he awoke from his slumber. The interior of his room was completely dark. Only a faint sliver of moonlight shone into his hospital room from the slit in the curtains. Although it sounded a bit noisy outside, the inside of the hospital was as perturbingly silent as a ruin. The hospital had set an early time for the lights to be switched off, and it was always extremely quiet at night. But, what was it about tonight that made the silence feel so eerie? In any case, Ash reached across with his hand in an attempt to pick up the silver pocket watch beside his pillow to confirm the time.

—It’s soft.

However, the object that he grasped with his right hand felt so comfortable that its softness seemed like something out of this world. That object wasn’t just soft either, it was gently warm as well. The warmth of something that belonged to a living being.

“Uwah!”

Ash was so shocked that he jumped sat straight up in his bed, causing his wounds to momentarily sting. The pain caused his face to contort, and he ignited the Dragon Crystal lamp by the side of his bed. The dreamy orange glow that casted its light across the room bathed everything that it touched with a soft luminescence. The figure illuminated by the Dragon Crystal lamp was an angel clad in white.

“Eeh!”

She wore a white cap and dress, and her long hair which had been tied into a braid hung over her shoulder. No matter how he looked at her, she was indeed a nurse. The nurse had fallen asleep in Ash’s bed, and when he listened carefully, he could even hear the heaves of her breathing. Because the lighting was dim, Ash was unable to catch a clear glimpse of the nurse’s full appearance.

“…………”

Ash gulped. The two bulging peaks which pushed the chest of her white uniform out tightly were caught in his view. It almost seemed as though the buttons on her uniform were about the fly loose. Although it was unintentional, once he realised what kind of object he had grasped, Ash couldn’t stop his face from turning bright red.

Anyway, why is there a nurse sleeping with me?

“…That’s strange, I don’t remember there being a nurse as sexy as this in the hospital?”

As Ash’s heartbeat accelerated, he looked closely at the nurse’s face.

“Hmm?”

As he took a closer look, he noticed that there were two sharp and pointed horns at each side of the nurse’s cap. It was only then that Ash realised the nurse’s true identity.

“You’re Navi! What are you doing here!?”

Just like she did earlier, Navi had once again materialised herself. Originally, Navi didn’t require a body of flesh as the Dragweiss, but…. Navi opened her eyelids and revealed a playful smile. It seemed that she had just been pretending to be asleep. Navi slowly lifted her upper body off the bed. The slow manner in which she did so made every move that she made appear even more charming, and Ash was at a loss for where to direct his eyes. Navi placed her right hand onto Ash’s thigh, and in an extremely precarious location as well.

“…!”

With just this, Ash’s body trembled as if he had received extraordinary stimuli.

“Ufufu.”

After Navi revealed a sweet smile, she brought her lips toward his ear. Her lips parted slightly, and she nibbled on Ash’s earlobe.

“Uh…!”

As a tingle of pleasure ran up his spine, Ash arched his body backwards. The region spanning Ash’s ear to the nape of his neck was all coated in a sweet breath.

“You’re rather sensitive.”

“Navi, you really know how to tease people…but that aside, why are you dressed up like that?”

Ash asked as he gasped.

“Oh my. I’m currently Ash’s personal nurse, so that’s why I’m sleeping with you.”

“Sleeping together doesn’t fall into the scope of a nurse’s job! And what are you trying to do by dressing as a nurse?”

“Because, a few days ago…when Raymond asked you ‘Are there any angels clad in white?’, you replied ‘Unfortunately, all of the nurses in this hospital are veterans’, didn’t you?”

Now that she mentioned it — Ash did indeed recall having a conversation like that with Raymond when he had just been admitted to the hospital. He simply hadn’t expected Navi to listen in on such a conversation.

“Fufu. I thought you were a bit unsatisfied with those old ladies, so I decided to give you a bit of special service.”

“I’m not unsatisfied with them…though, it’s rare of you to wear a white uniform. If possible, I’d like it if you could wear it for me to see during the day as well.”

Ash jokingly said. But when she heard that, Navi suddenly turned her face to the side as if she was sulking.

“…It’s because doctors come around to give treatment or perform examinations, and there’s always someone who visits you during the day. I don’t have the chance to even appear until nightfall.”

“Navi…”

The mature Navi was acting like a spoilt child. Her actions and expressions were all incredibly charming, and Ash couldn’t help but blush as he felt his heart race.

“Oh—”

Navi appeared to notice something, and her expression suddenly turned serious.

“What is it?”

“…Sorry, Eco is calling me. Please wait a moment.”

After Navi closed her eyes, she began to murmur something incomprehensible which sounded like a chant to Ash.

“Eco is calling…?”

Ash frowned.

Could something have happened? At this time of night, Eco should be sleeping in Silvia’s room…

—Doooon…

And then, an earth-shaking noise rumbled off in the distance, arousing and amplifying Ash’s uneasiness. He was also vaguely able to feel the floorboards in the room trembling.

“…An earthquake?”

Ash slid out of bed and got in position to open the curtains that obscured the view beyond the windows, but—

“—Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Navi seemed to have just concluded her contact with Eco, and she suddenly embraced him from behind. Her well-endowed breasts pressed tightly against Ash’s back. Her sensual limbs exuded the sweet scent of vanilla Ansal.

“Navi…?”

Amidst his panic, Ash reacted just a moment too late and ended up being pushed down onto the bed. In that instant, Ash seemed to have caught a glimpse of a fiery flare which illuminated the night sky through the cracks of the curtains, but it was suddenly obscured by Navi’s body.

“H-Hey, where do you think you’re riding!?”

Ash felt unbelievably nervous as Navi rode on top of Ash’s waist. Her snow-white skin was faintly exposed between the hem of her nurse’s uniform and her stockings. A pair of sexy and seductive thighs firmly gripped Ash’s body from both sides.

“Hey, Ash…I can’t hold it in anymore. You don’t mind the fact that I’m the Dragweiss, and you see me as a valued companion. I’m truly happy…”

“Navi?”

“Embrace me, Ash.”

“Eeeeeeh!?”

While Ash was awestruck, Navi faced him as she began to unbutton her outfit from top to bottom. The buttons of her nurse’s uniform had been sewn on from the top all the way to the bottom on the right side. It began with the collar, followed by the chest area, and then the side…with every button that was undone, more and more of Navi’s skin was liberated from her uniform. Under the illumination of the Dragon Crystal lamp, her skin glistened as if it was coated with a moist sheen. The underwear which Navi wore underneath her white outfit was actually black. The elegant lace design only served to make Navi look even more glamorous.

“Fufu.”

After casting her white outfit aside onto the floor, Navi revealed a bewitching smile. However, she still kept the nurse’s cap over her head on. Because Ash was currently in an actual hospital room, he felt as though he was flirting with a real nurse.

“H-Hey, Navi…something seems to be amiss outside…could something have happened? And it’s also rather unusual for Eco to call you at a time like this.”

To stop himself from letting his rationality slip away, Ash intentionally asked a serious question.

“Please rest assured. You are still a patient nonetheless, so you shouldn’t concern yourself with anything at all.”

“No, but…”

“No, I am in the midst of performing an examination on you. Will you not listen to your onee-san in white?”

After Navi jested with a quiet voice, she slowly leaned forward. The firm and elastic sensation of her breasts pressed up against Ash’s chest. As she leaned over him, Navi bent down and kissed Ash on the lips.

“…!”

Their lips touched and overlapped. Naturally, Navi’s kiss wasn’t merely going to stay on the level of a light peck. Her tongue forced its way through Ash’s lips and into his mouth. The technique of her tongue was so intoxicating that Ash felt as though both his mind and body would melt, but…

—Dan!

The hospital room’s door was suddenly pushed open, and Ash was instantly brought back to his senses from that intoxicating kiss. Jet-black figures darted into the room. Ash quickly swept his eyes across the invaders, but all of them wore gas masks to cover their faces, and they were also equipped with sub-machine guns. They were mechanical firearms, not magical types. As for the armour that these intruders wore, it was vastly different from the armour used by knights. They wore battle suits and vests, as well as tall boots. The mechanical devices that were visible across their bodies were a distinguishing characteristic. Judging from the equipment of the armed intruders, Ash found himself shocked by a certain realisation…

—Are they from the Imperial Army…!?

While Ash tensed up, the soldiers quickly spread their formation out and surrounded the bed. Five cold muzzles were pointed directly at Ash and Navi.

“Damn it! Why—”

Ash panicked and tried to get up from the bed, but Navi stopped him.

“No, just stay still.”

Navi rode atop the confused Ash as she coldly glanced around at the soldiers.

“Such tactless people. Why couldn’t you have waited another fifteen minutes before breaking in?”

“…Tsk. Even though he’s still an immature child, he’s managed to lure a nurse onto his bed! As expected of the Avalon Knight!”

One of the soldiers snarled as he complained. The voice that was emitted through the gas mask had a rather heavy accent, but it was still the Chevron language, and thus Ash was somewhat able to comprehend the meaning.

“Aren’t you getting worked up over the wrong thing?”

Ash couldn’t help but retort as he lay beneath Navi who straddled him. But from the perspective of an outsider, the scene laid out before their eyes most certainly did make it seem as though Ash was spending the night pleasurably with a nurse.

“Avalon Knight Ash Blake. We hereby arrest you—”

Just as the soldier spoke coldly in the Chevron language and made that judgement…

—Zuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Outside, an ear-splitting explosion echoed out. Struck by a sudden fright, Ash cast his eyes to the window. Through the gap of the curtains, he caught a glimpse of the fiery red night sky. In that direction—

“The Academy…is on fire…?”

“Kuku…that’s right. Open your eyes wide and take a good look at it!”

When the soldiers heard Ash’s murmur, one of them let out a sinister laugh. He even assisted by opening the curtains completely. Ash simply stared at the scene outside the window without uttering a word. It was a scene that was beyond belief. Every corner of the Academy was ravaged by a fierce inferno. Furthermore, shrill cries could also be heard. The things which flew about the fiery night sky like mad beasts — they had to be Stradas.

The ones causing chaos in the Academy are actually dragons…!

At last, an alarm rang out across the entire city.

“How is this possible? What happened?”

Before long, a commotion had stirred up even inside the hospital. The staff and patients had most likely found out about the turmoil outside, and thus were thrown into disarray. However, Ash was unable to help them. Moreover, the five soldiers in front of them had gradually narrowed their encirclement.

“Fufu.”

Even so, Navi maintained a calm smile as she continued to straddle over Ash’s body. Ash was unable to understand what Navi’s thoughts were. He simply asked the soldier who spoke in the Chevron language.

“What are you planning to do with me?”

“We are simply soldiers. Everything is by the will of Klaus-sama.”

“Klaus…?”

Who is that? —As Ash racked his mind for clues, he finally recalled something.

Klaus is the Count of the Vandenhaar border.

The Chevron Kingdom had recently made several moves which drew everyone’s attention to them, and so everyone had completely forgotten about the existence of this other party.

“After all this, what does the Count of the Vandenhaar border want me for? To begin with, he was the one who first tried to harm Eco. If he’s come back for revenge today, then shouldn’t we determine who the real victim is?”

“…Didn’t I just say? We are simply Klaus-sama’s subordinates. Also, since we’ve been seen by you, woman, we won’t be able to leave you alive. It is most regrettable that we have to kill a nurse, but you should blame it upon your poor luck!”

Simultaneously, the soldiers aimed their guns at Navi.

“Stop…!”

Ash frantically tried to get up from the bed to protect Navi, but—

“Indeed, you’re the ones who are unfortunate.”

Navi exposed a mischievously flirtatious smile as she pressed herself against Ash’s body and rolled under the bed with him. Everything in Ash’s vision suddenly became dark. Navi had smothered Ash’s face with her well-endowed bosom.

“Ugh!”

Just as Ash tried to cry out in response to the sudden change in situation—

—Doooooooooon!

An ice-blue meteor suddenly crashed in through the windows and wall, flying in from the outside.

“I am the Fourth Princess of the Knight Country’s Royal Family, Ark Dragonar — Silvia Lautreamont! If you do not wish to flee despite knowing my name, then come forth directly!”

The Princess Knight was dressed in a magnificent golden Ark as she majestically declared her name to the five armed soldiers. In her hand, she held her graceful yet imposing Ark Weapon — the Sacred Dragonar Gun Arondight.

“Hey, Silvia! Why are you stealing the spotlight all for yourself!?”

Having been clamped underneath Silvia’s arm, Eco jumped down to the ground. She then revealed her true nature as a dragon and scorned the attackers who stood before her with a ferocious look in her eyes.

“How dare you attack my knight…I won’t forgive you all!”

“Darn it, why is the young dragon Eco here!? Could they have failed…?”

One of the soldiers couldn’t conceal his surprise as he muttered that to himself.

“Sacred Dragonar Gun Arondight — ‘Royal Halberd’!”

Silvia cried out with a sonorous voice, not bothering to answer that question. Arondight glowed, and began to transform as it emitted a low-pitched metallic sound. Finally, the magical energy ejected from its muzzle formed the sharp blade of a halberd, and its shape solidified. Arondight had instantly transformed into a sacred halberd. The magical bullets of the Sacred Dragonar Gun were far too destructive for this small indoor room, thus Silvia shifted to a different mode of combat.

“Hah!”

Silvia’s thirsting anger radiated in every direction.

“Kuh!”

The soldier who became the first target positioned his sub-machine gun horizontally and used it as a shield. However, the blade constructed of magical energy easily cut through the metal. As the sub-machine gun was sliced apart, its surface glowed deep red, an indication that it melted. The sub-machine gun that the Empire was so proud of had instantly become a lump of scrap metal. Silvia gracefully wielded her sacred halberd to smack the back of the soldier’s head with one end, causing him to instantly lose consciousness. The tip of the sacred halberd was then pointed at the next soldier.

“Don’t forget that I’m here as well!”

Eco also approached the soldiers and launched her assault. She clutched a soldier’s body using her immense innate strength and tossed them out.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaah!”

The soldier drew out a beautiful parabola in the air as they were swallowed by the night sky—. In less than a minute, Eco and Silvia had made light work of the five soldiers. However, as soon as they confirmed that Ash was safe, both Eco and Silvia immediately began to trouble Ash. Strictly speaking, the problem lied with Navi. It was because the only thing covering her body was her suggestive underwear, and she had entangled herself with Ash.

“…So, what were the two of you doing in this room all alone?”

Eco violently snatched up the nurse’s outfit which had fallen onto the ground.

“Whether or not you survive this will depend on how you answer.”

Equipped with her armour, the imposing sense of pressure that Silvia emitted was even greater than that of Eco’s.

“Hey, compared to this, there are more important things to think about right now! What happened to the Academy?”

Ash maintained a stern expression as he pointed to the blazing sky outside the window.

Part 2

After Eco and Silvia calmed their tempers, they gave a rough explanation of the situation. Not long ago, a group of soldiers attacked Eco in an attempt to kidnap her. On the other hand, the dragons lost control of their minds and began to wreak mass destruction. Even though only a few Stradas could be seen flying through the night sky from Ash’s hospital room window, it seemed that all of the dragons had actually gone berserk. Not even Maestros had been spared from this. Since Silvia was unable to ride Lancelot, she had flown over using the magical energy stored within her Ark. In addition, a new member of the <Pluto Children> had emerged — Eco claimed that she had seen a girl with two eyes of Pluto in a dreamlike illusion. The suspected reason for the dragons going out of control was that girl’s song. Although the Count of the Vandenhaar border seemed to be the mastermind behind that girl, Rebecca speculated that Prince Uriel was very likely to have some kind of involvement with this destruction. Given the dire circumstances, the silver lining was that Ash felt proud of the fact that Eco had replicated Lancelot’s Ark and given it to Silvia.

“You did well, Eco.”

Ash exposed a natural smile as he petted Eco’s head, while Eco blushed as she pressed her thighs together and fidgeted.

“Huh…the dragons suddenly seemed to have calmed down.”

Navi looked towards the Academy and muttered in disbelief. Ash also looked out the window.

“You’re right. That’s strange, they were just making such a ruckus earlier…”

Although flames still ravaged every corner of the Academy, the dragons had suddenly stopped crying out. No sign of the Stradas navigating the night sky could be seen either, as they seemed to have gone off to rest at some point.

“…Has the effect of Pluto been interrupted?”

Ash said, his words carrying a slight trace of hope.

“No, I just tried to summon Lancelot, but it’s completely ignoring me.”

However, Silvia flatly denied this possibility.

“At such a distance, perhaps human ears can’t hear it…but I can still hear it clearly. That girl is still singing…”

Similarly, Eco did not let her guard down either.

“Then, are you okay, Eco? Since it affects dragons, you could also…”

Ash gazed at Eco’s face with worry.

“Hmph! Who do take me for? How could a mental attack possibly be effective against me as the Avalon Princess!?”

“Really? If I hadn’t slapped you that time, wouldn’t you have rushed off to join the enemy’s side already?”

Silvia narrowed her eyes in doubt while Eco replied with her face bright red

“What did you say!?”

“Okay okay!”

Seeing that the two of them had begun to quarrel again, Ash stepped in to break them up.

“In any case, we can’t just stand by and watch. Everything that has happened tonight is undoubtedly the greatest crisis that Ansarivan has ever faced in history.”

Ash’s words caused Silvia to regain her calm.

“That’s right. First of all, we should leave this hospital which has already been compromised. Because Eco and I — our objective as Team A is to protect Ash, so we need to take you to a safe place for refuge.”

“…That makes sense.”

Although it was clear that she was still in a fit of anger, Eco also agreed.

“Can you walk, Ash?”

Silvia extended her hand and supported Ash from his right side.

“Thank you, Princess-sama.”

After Ash thanked her, Eco followed suit and embraced him from the left side.

“Thank you too, Eco.”

However, Eco simply averted her face from him. It seemed that she didn’t want to be seen with a shy expression, and Ash couldn’t help but smile bitterly at that.

“Let’s go then, shall we? With an angelic nurse by your side, you’re in good hands.”

Navi joked as she threw a provocative wink at Ash. At some point, she had put her nurse uniform back on.

“You’re just role-playing…”

Silvia simply shook her head and sighed with a pained expression. Eco also made a bitter expression that was tinged with anger. Though thanks to Navi, the atmosphere became somewhat less tense. Thus — after Ash changed into his Dragonar Academy uniform, he left the hospital together with Eco, Silvia and Navi.

Part 3

The sirens wailed on endlessly, their sound oscillating through the cold night air. As soon as Ash, Eco, Silvia and Navi rushed out of the hospital, they immediately felt the perturbed atmosphere engulf them. Despite it being the middle of the night, the street was packed with people bearing witness to the commotion. There were also many residents who had opened their windows to look out with troubled expressions. Both dragon carriages and horse carriages moved along the roads. The security officials all rushed straight toward the Academy with pale expressions. Due to the showy nature of Silvia’s Ark, Ash’s group had no choice but to hide as they made their way forward. Even though they had left the hospital, they had yet to decide on a destination. They simply needed to bring Ash to a place where he would be safe.

“—Hey, the dragons are starting to move!”

At that moment, someone among the crowd shouted as they pointed to a corner of the night sky — the area above the Academy. The rest of the civilians also looked up.

“They’re finally taking action huh…”

Silvia made a bitter expression as she whispered. She held up the Sacred Dragonar Gun Arondight and recited a certain chant. Suddenly, a flat, imaginary projection appeared in mid-air upon which an enlarged scene was displayed. It seemed like magic intended to assist with aiming.

“—!”

Ash held his breath as he kept his eyes glued to the image. Both Eco and Navi also looked at it. Although the large dragon displayed in the image had jet-black fur, it was most certainly Cú Chulainn. Upon its head rode a tall and thin-looking young man as well as a girl who had a metal mask which covered the upper half of her face. The young man seemed familiar to Ash — he was the Count of the Vandenhaar border. The feeling of riding a dragon through the sky seemed quite comfortable for him, given how there seemed to be a light breeze pushing against them.

“It’s that girl! Look, she’s still singing!”

Upon seeing the girl in the image, Eco immediately cried out. It seemed that she was the possessor of Pluto. Although they were too far from her to hear her voice, her posture seemed to resemble that of an opera singer. Just as Eco said, it did seem that she used her voice to control dragons through a song. The ones that followed behind Cú Chulainn were Lancelot, Gawain and Arianrhod. All of them had also become jet-black dragons, and behind them were a horde of Stradas.

—Boom!

Accompanied by an astonishing shockwave, Cú Chulainn began to accelerate in flight.

“Uoooooooooooooooooooohhhh!”

Cú Chulainn let loose a majestic roar as it flew in a straight line over the city. If not for Silvia and Eco by his side to support him, Ash probably would have been blown away by the strong wind pressure. Many of the onlookers were thrown off balance by the sudden gale of wind and fell to the ground on the spot. Lancelot then followed behind and flew overhead Ash and the others. Silvia watched its departure from below with reluctance. Arianrhod and Gawain also flew off, and were finally followed by the horde of Stradas. It almost felt as though the dragons had formed an aerial platoon as a demonstration of their strength. After all of the Stradas disappeared into the depths of the night, the commotion in the city became even worse. As if a thought had suddenly struck her mind, Silvia began to ponder

“That’s right…I don’t think I saw Tristan just then?”

When she said that, Ash also realised that this was the case.

“You’re right. Hopefully it’s alright…”

Just as Ash replied…

—Dodododododododododododododododododododododododo!

A deafening rumble resounded in the distance.

“This sound couldn’t possibly be…!”

Ash was no stranger to the noise. It was a sound that was inevitably heard during Dragon Races, the footsteps from a horde of Asias all running together…!

“Look out!”

Silvia forcefully pulled Ash and Eco away from the road and onto the sidewalk. The next instant, a storm swept through the road. A jet-black horde of Asias charged through the area. As soon as Ash thought that Brigid could be mixed in with them, he couldn’t help but gnash his teeth together. Although Brigid was Raymond’s Pal, it also had a rather close relationship with Ash. Navi suddenly knelt down and placed her palms against the ground.

“What’s wrong, Navi?”

In response to Ash’s question, Navi answered with a serious look

“The Hydras are also moving through the underground waterways. In summary, all of the dragons affected by Pluto appear to be leaving Ansarivan.”

After listening to Navi’s explanation, Ash felt a bit relieved. Klaus’ motives were most definitely something to be concerned about, but for now, the crisis at the Academy City had diminished somewhat…

“Huh…?”

Ash’s knees suddenly weakened, forcing him to kneel on the ground. His body felt as heavy as a sandbag. An uncomfortable sensation radiated through his head as a splitting headache assaulted him. He also felt the wounds at his sides begin to grow hot. With all the tension fading away, it was almost as if his body had remembered all of its injuries.

““Ash?””

Although he seemed to hear the voices of Eco and Silvia calling his name, the stone cold ground quickly entered his view — Ash’s consciousness was plunged into darkness.

Part 4

“Ash! Ash…!”

Eco kneeled on the ground as she continued to call Ash’s name. However, Ash had already become unconscious.

“Wake up, Ash!”

Silvia’s face was also pale as she grabbed Ash’s shoulders and tried to shake him awake. At this time, Navi reached out and touched Ash’s forehead with a solemn look. It was almost as if she was a real nurse.

“It’s no good, he’s got a high fever. We need to find a place for him to rest…”

After Navi said that with a bitter expression, she alternated her gaze between Eco and Silvia’s faces. Although Navi usually maintained a calm demeanour and a mischievous smile, she was incredibly serious right now. This only caused Eco’s anxiety to intensify.

“It seems we have no choice but to return to the hospital…”

Just as Silvia reluctantly clenched her teeth…a dragon carriage that had rushed past them at high speed came to a sudden halt and then turned back to Eco and the others.

“—Hurry, get on!”

The one who called out for them to get on was not the coachman. It was a man who sat in the carriage and poked his head out. As he wore a hooded shawl over his head, it was not possible to see his face.

“What’s going on now…?”

Eco hesitated. Even though they seemed to have encountered someone generous enough to lend a helping hand, it was rather foolish to simply do as a stranger commanded just because they said ‘get on’. Instead, it was Silvia who made the bold and unexpected move. She immediately stood up and shouted at the carriage

“Thank you for the assistance!”

“Wait, Silvia!”

Eco looked up at Silvia in surprise.

“Don’t worry, Eco. That person is trustworthy!”

However, the confident expression that Silvia made gave some reassurance.

Part 5

After Ash was carried into the carriage, it began to move again. The layout of the carriage had seats which faced opposite each other, and Ash was placed on one of those seats while Eco used her thighs as a pillow for him. Although Silvia seemed a bit dissatisfied with that, she was still equipped with her Ark, so it was not possible for her to give Ash a lap pillow; she reluctantly took a seat on the floor. Navi knelt down next to Ash and made caring gestures like that of a real nurse, such as helping him to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

“—So, who are you two? It seems that you are acquainted with Silvia…”

 After hopping onto the carriage, Eco still kept her guard up against the two people who sat opposite them. Of those two people, the man still wore a hood that covered his eyes. The dirty coat that he wore gave off the vibe that he was some kind of traveller. And judging by his ostensibly energetic voice, he seemed to be a youthful man. The person who sat beside that youth was a young woman. Her naturally curly hair was shoulder length, and she still wore a bold outfit which exposed her chest despite the cold weather. Her curvy thighs were covered by fishnet stockings which gave off a flirtatious charm. The two of them look like adventurers from straight out of a story, Eco thought.

“Haha. You don’t recognise me?”

After the man laughed, he finally removed his shawl.

“…Ah!”

Eco immediately exclaimed in surprise. Hidden beneath the hood — was silver hair streaked with red and a silver mask. The young man had a fair complexion, a strong nose line, and despite the mask obscuring his face, it was quite clear that he was handsome man.

“Milgauss — no, Prince Julius!”

Like a fish out of water, Eco couldn’t stop her mouth from jittering. Navi seemed to have known for a while, and thus she didn’t seem particularly surprised. Only now did Eco understand why Silvia had made up her mind so quickly. She had only needed to listen to his voice to realise that it was her own brother.

“Long time no see, dear older brother. I heard that you went to see the world outside…but I didn’t imagine that you would pass through Ansarivan.”

“As a graduate of Ansarivan, I couldn’t possibly miss an event as big as the Five Hundred Years Festival. To be honest, I’ve already been here for a month.”

“If that’s the case, why did you not come to greet me sooner…”

“That will not do. To the common public, Julius Lautreamont is a criminal who committed the taboo of killing a dragon. Right now, I am merely a traveller.”

“Brother…”

“Let us not speak of me — that Ark looks great on you. Congratulations on becoming an Ark Dragonar.”

“T-Thank you for your compliment, brother…”

Silvia blushed in embarrassment, but she looked sternly at the woman who gave off the air of an adventurer. She then made a dry cough to clear the air.

“Brother, speaking of which…may I know who the woman beside you is? As your younger sister, I am somewhat curious…”

“What are you talking about? The one beside me is Dr Angela Cornwell — your teacher.”

““Eeeeeh!?””

Both Eco and Silvia exclaimed at the same time.

Part 6

The destination of the dragon carriage was Angela’s residence.

“Hey…I only have a very bad impression of this house…”

As soon as she stepped off the carriage, Eco looked up at the house with disgust, treating it almost like a haunted house. Perhaps because it had been a long time since it was last maintained, the house looked more decrepit than it had in spring. The incident in which Eco was kidnapped by Angela not long after being born in early spring was still fresh in her mind.

“Don’t say that. Let bygones be bygones and hurry on in. I’ll also see to the care of Ash.”

“You’re a doctor who specialises in dragons!”

Eco immediately showed her discontent toward Angela.

“Regardless of whether the patient is a human or a dragon, there is little that differs in the treatment.”

When Angela let her hair down, took her glasses off, and removed her white coat, her image greatly differed from that of a teacher’s, though her personality was the one thing that didn’t change. In any case, Ash was carried into the bedroom where Angela and Navi took responsibility for his care. On the other hand, Eco and Silvia stayed in the living room to converse with Julius. The light which radiated from the fireplace illuminated the side of Julius’ face. The first person to speak was Silvia.

“Dear brother, what is your relationship with Angela-sensei…?”

“Hey, Silvia! Now isn’t the time for that!”

“As a younger sister, it’s difficult not to concern myself with it…”

Julius made a wry smile as he watched the two girls bicker.

“I met Angela at a certain point in the past. I’ll leave what developed from that up to your imagination.”

“Now that you mention it, Angela-sensei did indeed disappear for a while. I just didn’t imagine that she was travelling together with you, brother…”

“To be frank, we originally planned to leave Ansarivan at the end of the Five Hundred Years Festival…”

“Really…?”

“However, the existence of Pluto came to light during the Dragonar’s Gunnar Bout. After learning that it allowed dragons to take orders from their magic stone, Angela became very curious about it. As a result, she chose to extend her stay…and that’s why we bumped into you on the road earlier today.”

Just as Julius smiled, Eco’s famished belly made an exaggerated grumble. The great sound which resembled that of a normal dragon’s echoed throughout the living room, causing Eco to blush with embarrassment. Although the present situation was critical, she recalled that it had been quite a while since she last ate.

“It can’t be helped. After all, dragons must have five meals a day. There aren’t too many ingredients left in the house, but do let me make something to eat.”

Just as Julius got up with a wide grin and prepared to head over to the kitchen — the door was abruptly opened. Angela and Navi had returned.

“Is Ash okay?”

Casting her hunger aside, Eco ran up to the two of them to ask.

“Hmm, he’s fine. His condition has already stabilised. His breathing and pulse are also very stable, so as long as he’s able to rest, he’ll bounce back to good health very soon.”

Upon hearing Angela say that, Eco finally felt relieved. Perhaps due to her nerves suddenly relaxing, she grew close to being on the verge of tears.

“Eco, it’s too early for you to relax.”

However, Navi spoke up to make a correction. Even though she was still dressed up as a nurse, her expression was serious.

“Have a look at this—”

Navi infused her magic onto the wall, causing the entire surface of the wall to suddenly become a screen. Shown on the wall were images of the night sky, grassland and the Astraea River. A swarm of Stradas flew high across the night sky. A horde of Asias galloped across the grasslands. A legion of Hydras swam through the great river. The one flying in front as a leader was Lancelot. Like a general, it commanded three large squadrons. Flying behind its right wing was Arianrhod, while Gawain flew on the left side, and at the rear was Cú Chulainn. It totally seemed like a commander. Two figures could be seen atop Cú Chulainn’s head. One of them was a young man, whilst the other was a girl.

[Haha! Go forth! Advance! My <Schwarz Drachen Panzer>!]

After seeing the young man shout ecstatically, Julius stood up in surprise.

“That man is — the Count of the Vandenhaar border, Klaus!”

Klaus and Julius had an amicable relationship. When Julius’ body was controlled by the Dark Dragon King Mordred, he acted under the identity of Milgauss, and Klaus was his boss. The girl wearing a mask which covered the upper half of her face sang beside Klaus.

“Hey, weren’t you an Imperial soldier before? You didn’t hear any information about that girl?”

With a sudden burst of inspiration, Eco tugged on Julius’ sleeve. After narrowing his eyes at the girl, Julius said

“That girl is likely to be Kriemhild. I’ve never seen her before, but I’ve heard about the rumours. I didn’t expect it to actually be complete…”

Complete — the unnatural sensation hidden within that word caused everyone in the room to shudder. Navi was the first to break the silence.

“Getting back to the topic at hand, the sky, land and waterways…although the march of the dragons has been divided into three different types, their end goal is the same. They’re all advancing towards the north.”

“Did you say north? Could it be…”

Silvia’s restlessness was painted clearly over the expression on her face. Navi nodded.

“Judging from their positions, the most likely place — should be the capital of the Knight Country, Fontaine City.”

“The Flames of War ~A.S.B.1365.11~” is closed.

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