Sion, who had been looking down with him, went pale with terror and began sliding straight down. Theodore caught him just in time.
“Theodore! Sion!”
Julian, who had been above them, descended. Theodore hurriedly shouted.
“Your Highness, do not come down!”
If the snake caught up to them, Julian at least had to escape to the top of the pit.
“You should be able to fly back up on your own, Your Highness!”
“What? Do you think that damned snake will leave me alone if I fly around by myself like a gnat?”
For a moment, Theodore was rendered speechless.
“A gnat? Your Highness is the God of Light’s…….”
“Enough. Climb up!”
Theodore gritted his teeth and climbed the Holy Chain. Sion, who came to his senses midway, desperately followed him.
RUMBLE—
GRRROOOAN—
The vibrations grew increasingly violent.
The giant snake snapped its jaws open and shut. Its long body, stretching endlessly from the depths of the pit, pursued them. Although sweat poured down their bodies like rain, they felt a biting chill.
“Hah, hah.”
Julian and Sion had exhausted the last of their stamina. They staggered to their feet atop a cocoon. Theodore moved to shield them, but Julian stopped him.
“Hah, wait. Stay there.”
“Your Highness, what are you planning?”
“Hah, when you fight an opponent far outside your weight class, hah, I have learned that two things matter. Grit, and……”
Julian signaled to Sion with his eyes. The two of them extended their hands in the same direction.
“A trap.”
“Pardon?”
The moment Theodore questioned him, Julian murmured almost in a whisper.
“The determination to make the bastard pay.”
“!”
The two of them immediately shouted their activation phrases at the same time.
“O sacred flame!”
“O flame that burns all!”
Flames surged upward.
White fire blazing with Divine Power and vivid crimson magical fire shot forth simultaneously.
WHOOSH—
The two flames merged into a sacred blaze that raced along the Holy Chain in an instant.
WHOOSH! BOOM! BOOM!
Whenever the shadow embers Sion had planted in the cocoons came into contact with the sacred flames, they erupted like explosions, feeding the growing blaze.
“House Etain’s magic possesses a unique Mana Cultivation Method that explosively increases its firepower. We compress Magic Power and circulate it through our blood vessels.”
Sion spoke as the crimson flames reflected in his eyes.
“We inject embers and Magic Power into the cocoons, just as we detonate the spheres of Magic Power flowing through our veins within the flames.”
HISSS!
The long, enormous snake twisted its body.
In its haste to pursue them, it had forced its way upward while ignoring the obstructive cocoons and the Holy Chains connecting them.
The Holy Chains wound around its massive body constricted it, while the tangled cocoons clung to it like a net.
ROAR!
Sacred flames spread across the net. The snake writhed in agony and opened its mouth.
HISSS!
“Your Highness!”
Just as the snake was about to bite Julian, Theodore stepped in front of him. Julian lifted himself into the air with Holy Flying.
At that moment—
Only the outline of Sion’s body began to glow, as though he were standing against a bright light.
“!”
Julian knew what it meant. It was a sign of Reverse Summoning.
“Grab on!”
He shouted as he reached out toward the other two.
FLASH!
“Your Highness!”
“Deputy Commander!”
After successfully returning to the Headmaster’s Office through Reverse Summoning, Julian remained sprawled on the floor, panting heavily.
“Haa…… Ha, haha.”
Laughter gradually mixed with his labored breathing.
‘Whoa…… Is this for real?’
They had truly brought Sion back from Demon Lord Lucifer’s hell!
Unable to believe it, Julian spread his Divine Power throughout the surrounding area. He could not sense any trace of a demon in the Headmaster’s Office or anywhere in the Main Building.
Demon Lord Lucifer and Demon King Paimon were truly gone.
“Hahaha…….”
While Julian laughed from where he lay, Theodore leaned against the Holy Sword and caught his breath.
“Whew. Your Highness, does your abdomen not hurt?”
“It does, but none of this feels real yet. Can you believe it?”
“It does appear that we returned to the Human Realm alive.”
Theodore shook his head, scattering beads of sweat. During the final moment, he had leaped toward Julian with all his strength, only to feel something seize his leg from behind. The memory still made every hair on his body stand on end.
“Your Highness, Deputy Commander, are you both all right?”
“Please have some water.”
Julian and Theodore each drained an entire bucket of water brought by the Holy Knights. Theodore released a sigh from the depths of his lungs.
“Whew. Following Your Highness around seems more exhausting than subjugating monsters for three days and nights.”
“Even I think what we did was somewhat insane.”
“……What happened to the two of you?”
The Holy Knights asked with concern.
“…….”
The two remained silent for a moment. Theodore finally summarized it.
“……All manner of things happened.”
It was a brief statement, yet it carried every conceivable emotion. For some reason, the Holy Knights grew solemn.
“You have both endured a great deal. Um, however……”
“What is it?”
“Something happened here as well.”
“Something happened?”
The two reflexively turned their heads. In the direction the Holy Knights were looking stood Sion and…… something unfamiliar.
A tiny creature was standing there, clutching Sion’s leg.
It had short limbs and a round, plump belly. A gleaming piece of Dragon Egg shell sat upon its head like a helmet, while Mana poured from its small body.
Julian’s mouth fell open.
“……A dragon hatchling?”
***
The dragon hatchling had been the one to Reverse Summon Sion.
“I am Arpad XIII, lord of this valley, rawr.”
It had a plump body resembling a cross between a human child and a dinosaur.
Surging Magic Power.
An overwhelming presence that made anyone knowledgeable about magic recognize it as a dragon at a glance.
“Rrrawr.”
Nevertheless, with the eggshell still perched on its head like a helmet, the creature remained pressed against Sion’s side and repeated only one thing.
“Humans cannot be trusted, rawr!”
“Hmm.”
Julian looked at the other humans in the Headmaster’s Office. Sion wore a troubled expression, Theodore looked displeased, and Slave glanced around nervously, trying to read the atmosphere.
“Slave, did the Liberation Army or the Holy Knights torment him while I was gone?”
“No, sir. What human would have the nerve to torment a dragon, sir?”
Julian turned his gaze toward Theodore. Theodore also shook his head, indicating that the Holy Knights had not reported anything unusual.
‘Then why is he acting like this?’
Julian scratched his head.
A hatchling was a young dragon that had not yet undergone the transformation into its adult form.
A book on magic Julian had once read described dragons as follows.
[Dragons are the masters and creators of magic. Merely by seeing, hearing, and feeling, they can discern the arrangement of Magic Power, imitate it, and unravel it. Attempting to defeat them with magic is an act of foolishness.]
[They possess an intense attachment to anything they consider their own.]
[Because they are powerful and live for an exceedingly long time, they usually regard ordinary humans as mayflies that merely pass them by. They recognize only those who have reached a certain level, such as Archmages and Swordmasters, as intelligent beings.]
[Furthermore, because they live for so long, possess exceptional memories, and hold lasting grudges, they rarely forget either favors or enmity.]
Dragons had such long lifespans that they could spend several hundred years as hatchlings or even inside their eggs. For that reason, the book advised anyone who discovered a dragon during its comparatively vulnerable youth to do it a favor and earn its trust.
‘No matter what you imagine, you will gain an ally even more dependable than that…… That is what the book said.’
That was why Julian had formed certain expectations.
Dragons liked powerful creatures. Julian might not wield Magic Power, but he was the strongest person in the world when it came to Divine Power. Would the dragon not recognize him as an intelligent being?
He had saved it from the demons, so surely it would treat him as a human to whom it owed a debt of gratitude.
Furthermore, the hatchling before him was the master of the Magic Power protecting the valley. It was a dragon who carried the bloodline of an Ancient Dragon.
If dragons treasured anything they considered their own, then this one would surely hold the valley and the Academy dear.
‘That is why I expected a warm welcome.’
After all, had they not rescued it from Demon Lord Lucifer and Demon King Paimon?
‘I do not know what happened, but I cannot leave him like this.’
Julian opened his mouth.
“Hatchling, I do not know what happened…… but hear me out first. This concerns the safety of the Academy.”
“Rrrawr?”
The eggshell nodded.
‘Good. He seems to understand the situation.’
The hatchling was also listening obediently, so it appeared to care about the Academy’s safety.
At the very least, it did not seem ready to declare, ‘Why should I care about some Academy, rawr? Humans cannot be trusted, rawr! An Academy attended by humans? I will smash it all to pieces and build my lair palace here, rawr!’ before immediately raining offensive magic upon Arpad Academy.
Julian cautiously continued.
“You know that Arpad Academy has become a den of demons, correct? During a crisis like this, I do not believe the position of Headmaster—the person responsible for protecting and leading the Academy—can remain vacant.”
“Rrrm…….”
It sounded as though the hatchling was considering his words. Julian did not miss the opportunity to make his appeal.
“Authenticate me as the Headmaster of Arpad Academy. Then I will use the Headmaster’s authority to restore the Magical Defense Barrier and stabilize the Academy.”
“Rawr?!”
The hatchling, which had been listening attentively, immediately answered.
“Humans cannot be trusted, rawr!”
Julian stared at it in disbelief.
“……And demons can be trusted? If you do not grant me the Headmaster’s authority, the demons in the other buildings will come after the Main Building.”
“Are you threatening me, rawr? Humans truly cannot be trusted, rawr!”
“How could a human threaten a dragon? We are in a position where we must fight the demons together. I am asking you to cooperate.”
“Rrrawr. Humans cannot be trusted, rawr…… Humans are quick to betray others, rawr! A smooth-talking human like you is even less trustworthy, raaawr!”
“…….”
‘This little lizard bastard is criticizing me for being persuasive after I asked him to cooperate?’
Although irritation surged within him, Julian tried speaking to it again. Whatever the circumstances, he needed to cooperate with the dragon.
“Hatchling, what is your name?”
“Rrrawr. Why do you ask, rawr?”
Even his attempt to befriend it was rejected immediately.
“I am Julian Barnabas Istvan.”
“Rrrawr?”
“I am the Third Imperial Prince, the sole commander of the Arpad Academy Liberation Army recognized by the Empire, and the acting Headmaster of Arpad Academy appointed by the Imperial Family. No one is more qualified to serve as Headmaster than I am.”
“I am a dragon, rawr! My family has used this place as its nest for generations, rawr!”
Julian’s attempt to compete with the hatchling through lineage and status was crushed in a single stroke.
“Whew…… Hatchling.”
Julian’s patience was also beginning to run out. He summoned the full force of his eloquence.
“Sion was not the only one who fought the demons to save you. I fought alongside him.”
“…….”
“More than that, I threw myself into Lucifer’s Bottomless Pit to rescue Sion after he fell there while saving you. If you cannot trust someone like me, whom do you intend to trust?”
After a brief silence, the hatchling answered.
“I will trust kind human Sion, rawr!”
“……Are you discriminating between humans?”
“R-Rrrawr. Sion does not boast about saving me, rawr!”
Julian felt his blood pressure rise.
‘This tiny damned lizard!’
The creature did not even reach his knees, yet it kept growling and repeating, “Humans cannot be trusted, rawr!” Listening to it made Julian feel as though he might explode.
‘No, why is he putting up such an impenetrable wall?’