Chapter 76
[Alright. If that is the will of the Commander, I shall comply. Then.]
After finishing his words and stepping out of the meeting room,
I felt a wave of mental fatigue and let out a sigh that wouldn’t normally escape me.
Aten and the Dragons had requested that I step aside in the ensuing battle.
Knowing their intentions, I couldn’t view their attitudes favourably from my position.
‘Political manoeuvring in a time like this… They must still think life is bearable.’
It was as if I had brought food to someone starving, only for them to throw a tantrum over not liking the side dishes.
Nevertheless, regardless of my irritation with their attitude, I decided to quietly follow their opinion for now.
If they mess up again, there will be more I can extract from them.
Furthermore, as long as they aren’t complete fools, there’s likely something they have in place as insurance.
Since I’ve decided to lay roots here, I need to figure out what it is.
With that thought of granting myself some leeway to gauge my opponent’s hand,
I began heading toward the back garden where Isiris awaited.
***
# Cough… cough… hmm… Aten, are you really okay?
The Dragon, lying down due to his injury not being fully healed, was attending the meeting from bed.
Poseidra cautiously asked Aten.
Aten, Zaus’s eldest daughter and the current leader of the remaining Dragons with the strongest combat prowess,
had made a decision this time that left Poseidra, the oldest among them, questioning whether it was indeed the right choice.
# Cough!… Hmm… I hate to admit it, but this war cannot end with our strength alone. We need Seraphim’s formidable power, whether we like it or not. Don’t you understand what it means to exclude him in a situation like this?
# Of course. We may need to bear significant sacrifices. We might even fail. However… even so, we must proceed.
Aten spoke with a determined resolve.
To this, Poseidra, in a colder tone, asked again.
# Why? With Seraphim’s power, we could minimize our losses. Why insist on sacrificing so many of our kin and Elves?
# Because, without it, we have no future. As you know, many now follow Seraphim after this recent battle. If this continues, by the time the war ends, this country will belong to Seraphim. We cannot let the land we Dragons have ruled for thousands of years be taken in such a manner.
# So, you mean to sacrifice countless lives just for that? To protect our power by treating our kin that way? Hng! Cough! Cough!
# How could you call it “just”? How could you say that, Poseidra? Aren’t you also an Elder Dragon who rules this land? Have you lost your Dragon pride along with your injuries?
Despite his weakened state, Poseidra spoke with difficulty.
Aten, however, strongly opposed him,
but Poseidra, with blood trickling from his lips, gave her a worried look.
# Ugh… Ugh, cough… cough… Aten… listen carefully to what I say. Dragon pride is indeed important. But it exists to protect something, not to forcefully be revered at the expense of others. Can’t you see that your actions now are completely contrary to this truth?
# It’s you who doesn’t understand, Poseidra. The Elven Kingdom exists because Dragons exist, and this land holds meaning for us because we have ruled it. If they start worshiping Angels instead of Dragons, this place will no longer be the Elven Kingdom.
# Aten! Do you still not understand? The Elven Kingdom has already…
# Enough!
Aten sharply cut off Poseidra’s words.
Then, with a cold fury in her eyes, she looked at him and spoke.
# It may be true that we are going through a difficult time right now, but regardless of the hardships, do you intend to deny the foundations of this nation that have lasted thousands of years? Wasn’t our ancestor, Kaya, the one who established this land after overcoming even greater crises? If you, her descendant, desecrate it, I won’t stand by!
# …
Aten spoke in a tone that conveyed a murderous intent.
Seeing this overwhelming presence, Poseidra, weakened from his injuries, could only keep silent.
# If you voice such denial of our kingdom again, even if you are my uncle, I will not forgive it. In these trying times, please refrain from discouraging words.
# … Understood.
After silencing Poseidra,
Aten turned to the other Dragons, who still looked worried, and spoke.
# Do not worry too much. It’s not as though I am doing this without thought. Though we may have suffered significant losses, we still have one more means… a way to eradicate those Demons.
# What is it?
The Dragons expressed their curiosity.
With a deep smile on her face, Aten placed something before them.
T… This is…?
# B… But Lady Aten. Using this against demons at this stage is…
# What are you so afraid of? This is also a legacy left by our ancestors. If not now, then when will we use it?
# But the purpose of this is…
The Dragons showed hesitant reactions.
But Aten’s resolve was unwavering.
# Remember, we are in a state of war, and we’re rather cornered. It is only natural to use all available means to secure victory. Am I wrong?
# Th… that… is… true… but…
# Hmm…
It was indeed a somewhat undesirable method.
Moreover, many of the Dragons present were already considering that it might be better to simply borrow Seraphim’s strength.
However, despite their misgivings, they had no choice but to follow Aten’s words.
After all, her reasoning wasn’t entirely without merit for the future of the nation, and with Poseidra himself having withdrawn, there was no one here who dared to challenge Aten’s authority…
***
The deepest part of Olympus.
In a pitch-dark place where not a single ray of light entered,
Mephistos sat, intensely focused.
The complex spell formula hanging before him.
To break through the solid seal that had persisted for thousands of years,
he was pouring all his energy into releasing his magic.
And finally…
-Srrk…
= Hoo…
A single green barrier had disappeared.
However, as he looked at the more than twenty layers of barriers still standing behind it,
Mephistos couldn’t help but feel a slight fatigue.
= Truly relentless. To think it would be sealed so securely… After all, Dragons are…
// Apologies. At present, I too have no means to breach this other than breaking the spell forcibly, one by one.
= There’s no helping it. After all, this place was originally blocked to ensure that no one, except the Dragon King of the time, could open it…
With even Hadas having confirmed that he couldn’t break through, this was the best option for now.
After catching his breath briefly, Mephistos refocused his energy on releasing the spell once more.
The power sleeping beyond.
To obtain what he had been aiming for ever since he came to this world…
= Then, I’ll leave this task to you. Go ahead and deal with the command given. It would be troublesome if they arrived too early.
// Understood.
With those words, the female demon, Yubi, flew away.
Feeling a slight regret that he wouldn’t be able to see the amusing spectacle she would create,
Mephistos began to radiate his magic once again.
***
# March! Liberate the city in the name of Lord Zaus!
Following Aten’s orders, the Dragons and a handful of Elf soldiers launched an assault.
Although they had been thoroughly defeated by demons and dark forces not long ago, the situation was now very different.
After the battle at Spartan, the dark forces and demons had drastically weakened.
It was uncertain if it was due to the deaths of the high-ranking dark forces who led their army,
or if they had some other schemes,
but the demons and dark forces occupying the city were swept away far more easily than anticipated.
# Track down the ones fleeing! Leave no one alive!
Aten and the Dragons moved swiftly to mop up the remnants.
Watching from afar,
I, who was in the position of simply observing in this battle, spoke in a calm voice.
[As expected… A Dragon is still a Dragon. Their forces may be weakened, but they still possess considerable combat power.]
# Indeed. Especially Sister Aten, who is among the strongest of the Elder Dragons. Dispatching foes like that without difficulty is to be expected.
Ar spoke in a tone that conveyed her discontent.
She no longer seemed intent on hiding her animosity toward her sister, Aten.
I couldn’t help but feel a bit of bitterness in response to her attitude.
Personally disliking Aten aside, these two were, after all, blood sisters.
Watching family members fight was never a pleasant sight.
But then…
[…! This is…]
Suddenly, I sensed a disturbing presence.
Immediately, Isiris, who was beside me, spoke in a quiet voice.
{… Lord Seraphim. I shall excuse myself briefly.}
—
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