Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Chapter 7 Rise in Status (5)
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Azel set aside his doubts and spoke.
"Alright, let's call that enough for warm-ups."
"Sir Azel, you are a considerate man."
"I'd prefer it if you called me fair."
Azel smiled at how Zail had seen through his intentions. With that one exchange, Zail shed any lingering underestimation of Azel. He acknowledged that Azel was far superior to him, at least in terms of skill.
Zail reinforced his mental barrier. It noticeably reduced the mana force he could use for attacks, but there was no helping it. Even the sturdy wall he normally maintained had been pierced by Azel with ridiculous ease, hadn't it?
Then Zail launched a ferocious assault.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
The exchange was terrifyingly fast. Sparks flew into the air with every clash of swords, while silver trails blazed in dazzling arcs.
In the midst of his relentless barrage, Zail suddenly sensed something off about Azel's movements. The man who had matched his rhythm with such ferocity now flowed to the side in a strangely slow and fluid manner.
'Whoa!'
Then, as if toying with Zail's sword momentum, a blade slipped through the gap and rose at a slant.
Zail recoiled in alarm. Just then, as if it had been waiting, a snaking sword tip pursued him like a dancing serpent.
Clang!
Zail barely blocked it and created some distance.
Sweat beading on his brow, Zail asked,
"What swordsmanship is that?"
It dawned on him a beat late. Azel was employing multiple styles of swordplay.
He had thought he was familiar with Azel's swordsmanship after several spars. To think he had mastered such drastically different techniques.
Azel replied.
"I don't remember what it's called. But I seem to have learned a mishmash of quite a few sword styles."
It was the truth. Over his lifetime, Azel had mastered dozens of sword techniques and fused them into his own unique style. After the Dragon Demon War ended, that swordsmanship had even been adopted as the standard form for the Nadic Empire's Imperial Knights by imperial decree.
'I wonder if it's still around?'
After 220 years, was the sword art he created still being passed down? If so, it would be the highest honor.
As Azel pondered this, Zail sighed before him.
"I admit my defeat."
"Hm? Already?"
"Regrettably, at my current level, I can't match you. Even with that onslaught, I couldn't force you back a single step."
Just as he said, despite Zail's flashy attacks, Azel hadn't budged an inch. Rooted in place, he controlled Zail's positioning to keep him from escaping his front, even manipulating his senses to create openings at will.
Zail was stronger, faster, and had more mana force than Azel. But Azel's technique was so overwhelming that it overturned all those physical advantages.
Zail said,
"It was a valuable lesson. Mind if we spar again in the future?"
"Of course."
Azel nodded, and Zail bowed to Arieta.
"My apologies for showing such a poor display."
"No, it was quite the spectacle. Sir Azel, you truly are a mischievous man."
"Is that so?"
"If you had ever taught someone, their disciple would probably have had no shortage of complaints about their master."
"That sounds like it's coming from experience. Or am I mistaken?"
"No, regrettably, you're right. My master bears some resemblance to you."
"Oh? You were trained by such a fine person, then."
"You have a remarkable talent for gilding your own face. If Duke Tarantos, my master, heard that... well. He'd probably laugh."
"The Dragon Sword Duke taught the princess swordsmanship?"
Zail interjected in astonishment. When Arieta's gaze turned to him, he bowed in surprise.
"My apologies."
"No, it's fine. This isn't a formal occasion, so no need to be so rigid with etiquette. Honestly, it's a hassle."
Arieta grumbled before continuing.
"The Dragon Sword Duke, yes, that's him."
"Incredible. The man who almost never appears in public..."
"Well, he has deep ties to the royal family, so when they ask, he grumbles visibly but still complies."
Azel tilted his head at her words.
'The Dragon Sword Duke? Quite the grandiose nickname.'
Well, his own nicknames were no less impressive. As the one who shone brightest in the Dragon Demon War and felled the Dragon Demon King Atein, it was only natural.
Azel asked,
"What sort of person is this Dragon Sword Duke?"
"You don't know the Dragon Sword Duke?"
Zail stared at Azel with an expression of utter disbelief.
Azel recalled receiving the exact same look from someone before.
'Ah, right. When I asked who the Dragon Princess was, Rick the military doctor gave me that exact face.'
Apparently, the Dragon Sword Duke was as famous as the Dragon Princess in this country—ignorance of him was enough to brand one a spy.
Arieta laughed.
"Sir Azel has lost his memories, so it's understandable."
"Truth be told, I didn't know about you either, Princess. I asked if the Dragon Princess was the princess of a kingdom founded by Dragon Demons, and Rick gave me the same look Sir Zail just did."
"What a novel experience."
"Really?"
"I've never met anyone who didn't know me since the day I was born. I can accept not knowing me personally, but the 'Dragon Princess' as a concept?"
"I see."
Azel nodded. From what he'd learned of this era in the past few days, her existence was common knowledge.
Azel asked,
"Is the Dragon Sword Duke a hereditary title like the Dragon Princess?"
"No, it's not. Compared to the Dragon Princess, the Dragon Sword Duke is... hmm. Yes. The difference between common knowledge and legend would be apt."
"So the Dragon Princess is common knowledge, but the Dragon Sword Duke is a legend?"
"Exactly. The Dragon Sword Duke—that is, Duke Tarantos—is a Dragon Demon. He's lived for over a century already."
"Ah...."
Azel had heard that Dragon Demons had integrated into human society. But hearing such a concrete example felt refreshingly novel. A Dragon Demon who was a grand lord in a human kingdom and even the princess's master.
'Interesting.'
He thought it might be worth meeting the man sometime.
6
Dragon Demon worshippers were everywhere.
They believed the world ruled by humans was corrupt and that the ideals the Dragon Demon King sought to realize were just. Such people had infiltrated every stratum of society. Even those who weren't Dragon Demon Hybrids raised amid severe discrimination in human society hid their identities and collaborated with them.
It was already a religion. Unable to stand openly in the light, they waited in the shadows for the day their savior, the Dragon Demon King, would return....
"I see. Things just got complicated."
Regina of the secret society 'Dragon Shadow' muttered in a raspy voice upon receiving her subordinates' report.
Dragon Shadow was an organization of those possessing immense power. Among the countless Dragon Demon King worshipper groups, it commanded numerous subgroups—membership alone marked one as a considerable figure.
They could draw support from subgroup networks spanning the world in a cellular structure. Their intelligence network was especially formidable.
As she was about to dismiss the bowing subordinate, a woman's voice came from within.
"What is it that's complicating things?"
And then time froze.
Not literally, of course. But at least to Regina, it felt that way.
The subordinates before her halted mid-motion. It wasn't mere pause—they had forgotten even to blink, even to breathe, frozen utterly still.
Regina turned to the one who had caused this eerie phenomenon.
"Lady Niberis, humans will die if left like this."
"No need to worry. I know that much."
The one called Niberis was a woman in her mid-twenties with long black hair and brown eyes. She appeared a beauty with a cynical air, but she was no human. She held a far higher rank than even Regina—a top executive.
With a glance from Niberis, the frozen subordinates changed. Still immobile, they now had their eyes closed and breathed slowly.
This was the result of Niberis using mental magic to suspend their consciousness. She avoided exposing herself to anyone, even fellow worshippers, minimizing information leaks.
Nibetis spoke.
"Answer the question from before."
"The Dragon Princess's group numbers only five in total."
"Five?"
"Yes."
"The retinue of someone like the Dragon Princess is that small?"
"Yes."
"What are they thinking? A decoy to draw us into a diversion?"
"We've confirmed that's not the case."
"Hmm. Then hasn't it made things easier? Why call it complicated?"
Nibetis tilted her head. She couldn't grasp why Arieta had made that choice or why Regina saw it as a complication.
Regina thought to herself as she regarded her.
'As expected of someone raised sheltered.'
Nibetis hailed from the bloodline of the organization's top brass. Though she wielded tremendous power, she rarely ventured into the world. Clever as a high mage might be, understanding worldly affairs wasn't just a matter of intellect.
Regina explained.
"Even if the Dragon Princess brought as many escorts as possible, there would have been limits. At most seventy or eighty. Even for the Western Border Guard, mobilizing more would be impossible."
"Still, wouldn't that have been far more troublesome than five?"
"From our perspective, a middling large group is preferable. Most would be ordinary soldiers, even then. And the larger the group, the slower they move, the easier they are to track."
"Hm. So, though few, they're elites, making escape easy if we attack? Is that it?"
"Yes."
Regina fully understood Arieta's intent—and how thoroughly it complicated matters for them.
"We have almost no established footholds in this region. Mobilizing large numbers is impossible."
"If they're few, do we need numbers on our side?"
"We do."
"Do you think even I would be insufficient?"
Irritation flickered in Niberis's eyes. Regina flinched but replied,
"Of course, with you, Lady Niberis, the Dragon Princess and whoever accompanies her would be utterly overwhelmed."
It was flattery to soothe her, but sincere too. Sheltered upbringing had dulled her sense of reality, but Niberis possessed power incomparable to Regina's.
"But our goal isn't to fight and defeat them—it's to capture them. If someone like the Dragon Princess starts fleeing, catching her won't be easy. Plus, we're constrained from acting in crowded areas."
"I see."
Nibetis understood Regina's point.
But she wasn't convinced.
"Still, Regina, you're thinking too much on your level."
"Pardon?"
"Once I step in, such worries are moot. Using me to catch the likes of the Dragon Princess is like drawing a king's gifted sword to slaughter a chicken to begin with."
Nibetis smiled coldly. Though her self-praise grated, Regina hid it and waited.
Nibetis said,
"Think of it as my one chance to act."
"I understand."
Regina replied. In the current world, Dragon Demon King worshippers weren't tolerated to exist. It was the same wherever humans ruled.
Revealing a powerhouse like Niberis inevitably drew pursuit. Even 222 years after Dragon Demon King Atein's death, that fear lingered deep in humans. Thus, beyond overt forces, secret societies hunted worshipper activities.
Nibetis said,
"In any case, leave the preparations to me. Since you're so concerned, I'll set the stage with utmost care."
"Yes."
Regina bowed her head.