Chapter 398: Merge
Chapter 398: Merge
“Hehe... ruling through fear isn't so bad, Junior.”
“What’s with that villainous remark?”
After turning the forces of Reckless Roar and Confused Unity upside down...
We returned to the mansion, greeted by the dwarves' "hospitality"—which mostly consisted of them shivering in primal terror.
We’d been fighting from dawn until sunrise, so I had planned to get at least a little rest...
But as soon as the door closed, Fay let out a dark chuckle and said that.
“But think about it, Junior. People who used to ignore me or glare silently can't even meet my eyes now. They're literally shaking! So... this is how it feels? I think I understand why you're always causing trouble!”
“...Hey, when did I ever go around ‘causing trouble’?”
“Didn't you beat up your classmates like dogs back at the Academy?”
“That was during sparring class.”
“And you'd challenge anyone to a duel, senior or not, if they annoyed you.”
“If you mean that Pelop guy, he was trying to mess with you, Senior Fay. He deserved what he got.”
“And later, you even poked me.”
“Hmm... now that I think about it, I guess I did cause some trouble.”
Isn't ‘causing trouble’ on the bed a compliment?
I nodded reflexively, and Fay giggled as she flopped onto the bed.
The dwarves really knew how to make high-end furniture; the bed swayed gently, absorbing the impact.
Boing.
Fay's chest bounced along with it, looking even better at shock absorption.
I debated whether I should lie on the bed or on Fay's chest, but someone beat me to it.
Iris, exhausted from mana depletion, lay down with Iona's help. Then she rolled right into Fay's arms.
“Tsk.”
Did she instinctively find the softest pillow?
I clicked my tongue lightly and lay down on the other side to rest. The other women began to relax in their own ways.
I closed my eyes and quietly reviewed the day's events.
Overall, I fought well. The improvement in Punishment's power and recoil was a good sign. However, the flight aspect left much to be desired.
It was my first time flying with wings, so some clumsiness was inevitable, but I had relied too much on instinct.
The mana organ that lifts the body and controls the surrounding wind just by channeling mana... I only used it for movement, which felt like wasting half its potential.
The wind control function is likely meant to assist breathing and reduce air resistance when flying high or fast.
A real dragon would be much larger and fly higher, so it would be an essential feature.
But I'm not that big, so air resistance isn't a huge concern, and I don't fly high enough for breathing to be an issue.
It's useful for high-speed flight, but the wings clearly have more to offer.
I could apply this further.
Not just flying fast, but sudden braking, acceleration, or sharp turns. More fluid movement.
Just as the flames around Punishment burned away minor attacks, maybe I could wrap the wind around me like armor to deflect or weaken projectiles?
Since I have them, I might as well use them properly.
As I ran simulations in my head, Helena, who was sitting by my head providing a lap pillow, spoke up as if something had just occurred to her.
“By the way, Brother.”
“Yes?”
“Lady Astrid took her son, Young Lord Svid, and returned leading the army of the Evil God, correct?”
“Based on the circumstances, yes. From what I've heard, the Steel Mountains are normally so rugged that no one can cross them easily. People are saying Astrid must have shown them the way.”
“I believe that is quite possible. However, there is something else I do not understand.”
“Something else...?”
“Why betray us now? I don't understand the motive.”
“Why? To get rid of Fay and... wait.”
That is strange.
Fay was already a hated illegitimate child who had practically run away. Whether Fay existed or not, Astrid's status and Svid's position as heir were secure.
“Then were they targeting me? ...No, that doesn't feel right either.”
Of course, the Evil God might be after me. The moment two prideful, martial-focused gods joined forces, they were essentially declaring their intent to kill me.
In fact, they had focused obsessively on me rather than attacking the fortress.
But that wasn't a reason for Astrid to step forward.
While cultists are fanatics who would throw their lives away for their god, they aren't mindless.
If the goal was to deal with me properly, it would have been more efficient for Astrid to use schemes within the mansion rather than going out to fetch monsters.
Of course, that's the style of Boiling Silence, not Reckless Roar or Confused Unity.
Those two are the types to just charge in with monsters...
Then that means Astrid is a faithful believer who obeys the Evil God's word absolutely... but that raises another question.
How did Astrid go undetected all this time?
When I caught a glimpse of her during the fight, she clearly possessed the divine power of Confused Unity on the level of an Archbishop.
At that level, the divine power should have influenced her way of thinking and corrupted her mind long ago.
Yet, they said there were no signs until yesterday. That's why everyone refused to believe it until they saw it with their own eyes.
A follower of Boiling Silence might pull that off, but a follower of Confused Unity shouldn't have that kind of ability. It's impossible.
“It certainly is strange.”
“Yes. There must be a hidden story we are unaware of.”
“But does it matter what their circumstances or schemes are? We can just crush them all.”
“...Pardon?”
I rubbed my cheek against Helena's flustered thigh and reached out my arm.
“Hic!”
Squish.
I grabbed Fay's overwhelming alchemy pouches—which were too large for a single hand—and squeezed them mercilessly.
“Heh... with this overwhelming power, I can crush any scheme head-on.”
“Junior! Don't say weird things while groping my chest!”
Fay shrieked but obediently let me have my way.
Seeing this, Iris, who was rubbing her face against the other breast, turned her head.
“Iona. Is this kind of symptom common among students?”
“Yep, yep! It's a symptom that usually appears in the second year! It's that phase where they get cocky because they've learned a bit of magic or swordsmanship! If it gets bad, they start saying nonsense like ‘a great demon is sealed in my right hand’ or ‘this is a killing strike I can't use in a duel because I'd have to kill you.’ Compared to that, Student Yandel is actually quite cute!”
“Exactly! Master is cutest when he's acting all smug like that!”
“Carla. I think your definition of ‘cute’ and Professor Iona's are completely different.”
The women whispered among themselves, excluding me.
Uh, well... everyone seems happy, so I guess it's fine?
We continued to lounge and rest for a while. Perhaps because we'd been woken up in the middle of the night, everyone started nodding off.
The dwarven fortress was famous for its sturdiness, so holding off a half-destroyed army for a few hours shouldn't be a problem.
Moreover, Helena had blessed the walls and surrounded the area with a decent barrier, making it even stronger.
So, a little nap should be fine.
Having made my calculations, I closed my eyes in peace. One must rest when the opportunity arises.
...And once again, without fail, I was forced awake at the perfect moment.
“The—the monsters are merging!! Lady Astrid is using Young Lord Svid as a sacrifice to create a Rag Giant!!”
“We must bring down that abomination before it's complete! Don't spare the shells!”
“I-it's okay! We have the Dragon with us! He will protect us!”
“You fool! Have you forgotten the old tales? He might take your treasures and your head as payment! And do you really think he'd protect us, unless it's for Lady Fay?!”
Just as my consciousness was fading and I felt that floating sensation of falling asleep, my eyes snapped open at the commotion outside.
Setting aside the fact that they viewed me as some kind of Outer God, I heard something I couldn't ignore.
Unlike last time, Fay was the first to snap out of it, asking in a dazed voice.
“Junior? They said ‘merging’? What's that?”
“I have no idea...?”
Merging? What now? This wasn't an event I remembered.
Perhaps some synergy occurred because Reckless Roar and Confused Unity joined forces?
I never expected to see a “we're allies for this one” plot twist from the Evil Gods. Does that make me the final boss?
Feeling absurd, I woke the rest of the party and stood up. We had slept in our gear, so we could head out immediately.
I had already memorized the layout, so I didn't wait for a guide and headed straight for the top of the fortress walls.
There, I saw exactly what they meant by “merging.”
“My god... they really are merging.”
The corpses I had killed, along with the surviving cultists and monsters, were clumping together into a viscous dough, molding themselves into the shape of a giant.
However, there was one thing within that grotesque mass of flesh that retained its original form.
It was the face of the young dwarf positioned at the center.
Seeing the slight resemblance to Lokan, that had to be Svid.
“This is driving me crazy.”
They're backed into a corner, so they merge to fight back?
This really makes me feel like I've become the villain.