Hikaru first instructed Paula to save Claude from certain death. After Mikhail arrived, they carried him inside lecture building C so he could be healed completely. Hikaru didnât want to show Paulaâs powers out in public.
While Claudeâs wounds were healed, it would still take time for him to fully recover. Paula couldnât return the blood he lost. Claude then fell asleep.
ăSo what are you doing here?ăHikaru asked Paula.
ăLavia-chan came to my place. She said youâd be fine, but the others might get injured.ă
Lavia apparently went to the guardsâ station to ask for help as well. She wanted to help Hikaru in a way that wouldnât hinder him. Hikaru felt happy at her thoughtfulness.
Mikhail and the other succeeded in subduing the enemies, but some of his men suffered serious injuries. Paula provided them with first-aid treatment. That way, they would see her as simply a fairly skilled Healer.
Five of the eleven assailants were dead, and the rest were arrested.
ăYou can come out now, Drake.ă
ăPhew.ă
Drake came out from under Hikaruâs coat. Paula and Mikhail moved to a different building to tend to the wounded. They moved Claude with the other injured as well as that would be more convenient. Luka went to be by his side, leaving only Hikaru and Drake outside.
ăSo what was bothering you?ă
Hikaru returned to lecture building C. Josephâs body was already taken away; only blood and pieces of his flesh remained. The moon sat high in the sky, illuminating the red stain on the pure-white snow.
Ray survived and was imprisoned along with the other assailants. The interrogation about the new weapon should begin once dawn broke.
ăWhat do you think about those⌠tentacles?ă
ăI thought they were creepy.ă
ăI sensed something awful from those things. Like they were related to something evil.ă
ăAre you talking about the evil drakon?ă
ăNuh-uh. Not that awful. But still, itâs not too far off.ă
ăI wish youâd be more specific. So what was that exactly?ă
ăMaybe they used some kind of method to boil down something pure evil and by feeding it to someone, they change form.ă
The drakon wasnât talking about cooking. A syringe lay on the snow. As Hikaru reached for it, Drake stopped him, saying the source of the transformation could be in it.
ăShouldnât we examine it?ă
ăYou shouldnât carry it around. Itâs dangerous.ă
ăIâm sure Iâll be fine as long as I donât touch it with my bare handsâă
Everything went dark. Hikaru thought clouds mightâve covered the moon.
ăWhat is that?!ă
His Mana Detection that he left running detected something huge flying high above the sky. Slowly, it swirled around as it descended.
ăWhoa, whoa, whoaâŚă
Closer and closer it came. The wind howled as the creature landed, crushing down trees on the courtyard and causing a shock wave. Snow on the ground prevented clouds of dust from rising. Suddenly, the whole place went quiet. The monster before him was as big as the earth dragon Hikaru fought before.
Somehow the thought of running away or hiding didnât cross Hikaruâs mind, most likely because he didnât feel any animosity from the creatureâa gray colored drakon with red eyes.
ăââââPuny human from another world, and my comradeââââă
Its voice was like pure sound pressure, assaulting his body. Hikaruâs coat fluttered. He couldnât keep his eyes open. He couldnât move as he listened to the voice. Even breathing was difficult. His heart raced.
The voice died down, and Hikaru glared at the drakon. It looked like Drake, except several times bigger. Its eyes were larger than Hikaruâs head and its body glowed under the moonlight.
ăââââAre you the one who used the evil being?ââââă
Once again, its voice reverberated throughout the place.
ăCan you shut up for a minute?! How do you expect me to talk when you sound like that?!ă
The drakon raised an eyebrow.
ăââââI do not care. Answer my question.ââââă
It put more force into its voice. Hikaru felt like his soul was leaving his body. When the sound quieted down, he was breathing heavily.
ăI see. So thatâs how you wanna play.ăHikaru was getting pissed.
ăW-Wait, Hikaru!ăDrake said.ăYouâre a Gray Noble Drakon, right?! Hikaru has nothing to do with the evil presence here!ăhe cut in, panicking.
ăââââA Young White Drakon. You must return to the drakonsâ home. ââââă
ăI-I have my own freedom!ă
ăââââPreposterous. A drakon that has not even fully-grown yet has no right to freedom.ââââ
ăPlease listen, oâ great Gray Noble Drakon. Humans are interesting creatures. They make lots of delicious food. I want to learn about their culture and bring the knowledge with me back home! Iâm sure the elders willâă
The Gray Noble Drakon didnât seem the least bit interested as it turned its attention towards Hikaru.
ăââââI see. You are the one who deceived the Young White Drakon.ââââă
Hikaru was getting used to the immense pressure. He could now breathe and keep his heartbeat under control.
ăDeceived, you say?ă
Hikaru scoffed. If anything else, he had been the one paying for Drakeâs food expenses. Sure, he helped with the Drakon Passage, but if Drake wanted to go home, he wouldnât be against it. But right now, he didnât feel like saying that to the Gray Noble Drakon. To Hikaru, this creature that came swooping down, destroyed the yard, and ignored his request to lower down its voice, was an enemy.
ăââââYou are a Heavenâs Messenger, are you not? Yet you dare deceive a drakon. Your transgression will not go unpunished. I will personally hand down your retribution right here and now.ââââă
In an instant, more than ten magic circlesâsmaller than the one that formed when Lavia used her Flame Gospelâappeared around the creature.
ăN-No, stop! Hikaruâs a good guy! Iâm staying here out of my own will. Donât kill Hikaru!ă
Drake cried out, desperation in his voice. The Gray Noble Drakon didnât pay him any heed. A wordless chant, and red rocks emerged from the magic circle.
ăââââBegone.ââââă
A metal pipe was pointed at the Gray Noble Drakon.
ăAs you wish, you will be gone.ă
Hikaru pulled the trigger, and a giant fire materialized in the air, surging towards the Gray Noble Drakon.
The Gray Noble Drakon misjudged. Humans are humans. Drakons are drakons. It believed that the latter were higher beings that lived in a completely different world. For the long-lived Gray Noble Drakon, humans were nothing but insignificant creatures.
The Gray Noble Dragon had never interacted with a human like this before. But he believed humans could use their silver tongues to tempt drakons, especially younger ones.
As such, he deemed it necessary to end this humanâs life immediately. Even if the Young White Drakon got caught in the crossfire, it would recover quickly. The young drakon should be returned to its home.
It was an extremely reasonable train of thought for a drakon. There was that much difference in power between drakons and humans, after all.
At least, thatâs what it thought until the raging fire came rushing out of the peculiar metal pipe. The Gray Noble Drakon flinched. A spell of this level wouldnât work on its scales that were impervious to Spirit magic. Yet, it flinched, and in that instant, let loose its spell. It felt ashamed for faltering even a moment.
The rocks it fired pierced the ground and destroyed buildings. As the deafening sound subsided, the clouds of dust settled. Red lumps of rock left buildings crumbling. A few bore through the earth in the distance.
I must kill that human now, it thought. It was desperate. But the human was gone along with the Young White Drakon.
Humans sure are foolish creatures.
The Gray Noble Drakon scoffed. The spell just now was a diversion. He must have thought that with his small size, he could hide easily.
The creature searched for signs of life nearby. It had a unique ability to expand its mana and detect its target like a sonar.
HowâŚ
But it couldnât find the human anywhere. It could sense humans coming out from the distant buildings, but the one he was looking for was not among them. Whatâs more, the Young White Drakon was also gone. It couldnât mistake the presence of a fellow drakon.
The drakonâs red eyes glowed as it scanned its surroundings carefully.