Chapter 604: Dragon Raid (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 604: Dragon Raid (2)
Irina Borisovna Orlova.
A world-famous S-rank Hunter from Russia.
Alongside Greece's Aegis and Britain's Excalibur, she was the master of a weapon imbued with a will of its own—an Ego Weapon.
Her Hunter alias was 'Boris,' a shortened form of 'Borislav,' meaning 'Glory of War.'
It was a glorious title she earned after single-handedly appearing to save Russia when the nation was on the brink of collapse, besieged by a horde of thousands of monsters pouring from a rift.
Her daily routine was remarkably simple.
From her massive, castle-like mansion, built for the hero and guardian who saved her nation, she would gaze down upon the snow-covered lands of her motherland.
When a dungeon appeared, she would enter and conquer it. When a villain emerged, she would hunt them down and kill them.
On days when nothing happened, she would simply sink into tranquility, close her eyes, and await the next day.
An exceedingly monotonous and isolated life.
Some would ask her.
Don't you get bored living like that?
Don't you want to talk to someone, eat with them, or have some fun?
But they were mistaken.
She was always talking, always eating with someone, and even enjoying a bit of play.
All of it with the ego dwelling within her sword, Snow Bringer.
A chessboard sat on the table.
She prodded the sword placed on the opposite side.
"I didn't make a particularly difficult move. What's taking you so long?"
A full minute had passed.
Her opponent, who had never taken more than fifteen seconds even when cornered, remained motionless.
She rose from her seat and placed a hand on the sword.
As she felt its cold touch, her face crumpled.
"...This is?"
She couldn't feel it.
His ego, which should have been dwelling within the sword, was gone.
A memory surfaced.
The incident from several years ago, when he had vanished without a trace before reappearing.
He had said:
-"I went on a brief excursion. There was a fellow doing some rather interesting things."
It was a first.
The first time he had shown interest in anyone other than her.
The first time he had left her side.
With an inscrutable smile, he had added:
-"I'd like to introduce you to him someday. I think it would make for quite a picture."
His words had made her curious as well.
Just who was this person who had captured the attention of such a lofty being?
She had wanted to ask more, but she refrained.
‘He said he’d introduce us, so it won’t be too late to see then.’
Since he had said it, their meeting was a promise, whether it happened sooner or later.
She decided to set her curiosity aside for that day.
A considerable amount of time passed.
Just as the interest in this person was beginning to fade for both her and Snow Bringer…
The same thing happened again.
In the middle of being her chess opponent, he vanished without a word.
"...Is it the same person?"
It probably was.
It was unlikely for two similar incidents to occur with two different people.
Quietly setting the sword down, she returned to the opposite chair and waited.
Waited for him to return.
A short while later.
『My apologies for leaving in the middle of a chess game.』
His voice reached her.
It seemed he had just returned from his meeting.
"Was it that person again? The one who sparked your interest in the past."
『Yes, that's right. He was just a fledgling back then, but he's become quite the big shot in the time I haven't seen him.』
At his unexpectedly high praise, a strange light flickered in her eyes, which were as cold and frozen as ice sculptures.
"...A big shot?"
They had been together for a long time, but she still didn't know much about this being.
However, one thing she had learned was that he must have been an entity of incredible skill in the past.
And because of that, his assessment of others, including herself, was very, very harsh.
For the word 'big shot' to come from such a person…
A small spark rekindled her interest, which had been cooling like dying embers.
"You told me back then that you would let me meet him someday. I think that time has come."
More than asking, she wanted to see.
What kind of person he was.
How strong he was.
And what kind of wondrous abilities he wielded.
As she gently pressed, Snow Bringer replied.
『As it happens, he made you an offer.』
She tilted her head.
"...An offer? What is it?"
To her brimming curiosity, he answered.
『He said, ‘If you have any intention of participating in a dragon raid, come find me.’』
"...A dragon raid?"
Crack.
A fissure ran through her expression, which was colder than the harsh winter that blanketed Russia.
*
The selection was complete.
The opponent, no matter how young, was a dragon.
To face an enemy known as a calamity to humankind, I had to assemble the strongest party possible.
The people I gathered were, as far as I knew, the best experts in their fields.
First was Ju-yeon.
She was the first to arrive at the Vatican, and the moment she saw me, she ran over and hugged me, but only for a moment.
As soon as we were alone, she began to unleash a torrent of nagging.
"Brother-in-law, are you out of your mind?! A dragon raid? A dragon isn't some neighborhood goblin...!"
"Hey, shouldn't there not be goblins in the neighborhood in the first place...?"
"Be quiet!"
"Yes, ma'am."
Blood is thicker than water, they say. At times like this, she's exactly like her sister.
I listened to the barrage of nagging with a docile attitude.
And then we had sex.
Thoroughly.
Until her emotions were stained with nothing but pleasure.
In my experience, that was the only way to bridge the emotional gap that had formed between us.
After our bout of lovemaking, lying on the damp bed, she grumbled while nestled in my arms.
"Haa... really. If you're going to do this, prepare meticulously. If you die, Brother-in-law, I'm going to kill myself too."
"Alright, I get it."
That's one down.
Angela had already agreed to join, so she was all set.
The next person to arrive was the old man, Merlin.
He started spewing insults the moment he arrived.
"Are you perhaps suffering from depression?"
"No, I don't have anything like that."
"Then why are you attempting suicide? And not even alone, but dragging everyone around you down with you."
He really has a way with words.
"I gathered everyone because I think we can take it. Honestly, you came all this way, using up a chunk of your mana, because you also think it's worth a shot, don't you, old man?"
"Hmph..."
Merlin swallowed hard and clamped his mouth shut.
He had nothing to say, but his expression showed he didn't want to admit it.
Looks like I need to put him in his place before we begin.
"And I wasn't going to say this, old man."
"Say what."
"Your space magic. When exactly are you going to let me use it?"
"Th-that is."
Merlin was clearly flustered.
From his expression, it seemed things weren't going according to his plan.
I shot him a warning.
"You're running out of time, old man. If you don't give me some good news soon, I'll come find you myself. I mean it."
The old man's face paled slightly as he asked.
"...And what will you do when you get there?"
"What do you think?"
I continued, smiling as menacingly as I could.
"I'll leave that to your imagination, hehe."
"......"
His face hardened.
I had no idea what he was imagining, but the threat seemed to have landed perfectly.
"Ugh... I'll handle it on my end, so don't you dare come anywhere near Britain, you walking disaster."
"......"
Hmph.
That felt a little insulting.
What did I ever do to be called a disaster?
"Anyway... for now, I'll go along with what you say. But know this."
"Go on."
"If the forces and the plan aren't convincing enough, I will absolutely not participate."
"That goes without saying."
"Hmph. I need to rest."
The old man walked away with a swagger.
He might talk like a condescending geezer, but his abilities were the real deal.
His space magic would be helpful in many ways when fighting the dragon.
For instance, he could pin its wings, preventing it from fighting in the air.
He could redirect a breath attack aimed straight for us into a completely different space.
And it could also be used as a means of escape in case of an emergency.
The possibilities were endless.
There was a reason space magic was considered Britain's pride and joy.
"Alright, then we're almost all here."
Most of the people who were supposed to come had arrived.
Only one person remained.
In a way, the most important person.
"I wonder if she'll come."
I had sent the message, but I couldn't easily predict if that woman would come all the way here.
She was famous for rarely leaving her home country in the first place.
Furthermore, she was known for never paying attention to anything that didn't interest her.
If a dragon raid wasn't her cup of tea... the chances of her not coming were high.
"Well... I guess we'll find out if we wait."
If she comes, she comes.
If she doesn't... then I have no choice but to activate Plan B.
I let time pass calmly, with expectation but not obsession.
Sometimes experimenting with Angela.
Sometimes sharing my body with Ju-yeon.
And sometimes... gathering information about the dragon with the old man, Merlin.
About a week passed like that.
"...Should I start giving up?"
The deadline I had set in my mind had passed, and I was leaning toward my second plan.
It was then that a familiar, yet immense presence set foot on the soil of the tiny city-state.
And at the same time, I felt an unfamiliar, cold aura.
The moment I felt it, I knew.
"She's here."
The one I had been waiting for had finally answered my call and arrived.