“…Yoo Yul?”
“Uh… I’m sorry.”
It was a scene that made one’s eyes go wide.
Blackhart’s expression turned fierce, and Yoo Yul transformed into a mascot-like appearance.
If that’s the case, then who is this Blackhart over here?
An unsettling feeling washed over me, prompting me to quickly draw out my tentacles.
“Who are you?”
Just in case.
This is really the worst situation, but…
“That old geezer, you?”
While it’s hard to imagine this old man having such abilities, nothing would be surprising at this point.
Especially when dealing with an unknown opponent.
Caution will be necessary.
Iris and Stella follow my lead and stay on guard.
“Now, just a moment! The situation is strange, but there’s no need for a fight!”
“…Can you explain?”
“Yes, please give me a moment.”
Yoo Yul responded.
At that, Blackhart clicked their tongue in annoyance.
“What are you so worried about? Just say that while I was being thoroughly shaken up, this body got stylishly saved by yours truly.”
“Quiet! Ah! Don’t take such weird poses with my body!”
“Victory V!”
“…V, V?”
What should I say…
“…I’m dizzy.”
My mind can’t keep up with reality. Is that really the same kid who was radiating danger just a moment ago?
It seemed Yoo Yul had gone through something terrible.
As a result, they survived but ended up like this.
“…Huh…”
“I don’t understand what’s going on…”
Good point.
That was exactly what I wanted to say.
I pointed at Yoo Yul with my finger.
And sighed before asking:
“Quickly, explain what happened.”
“I was just about to. Hmm… if only it hadn’t been a life-or-death situation, I wouldn’t have made such a deal…”
With a heartfelt sigh, Yoo Yul began the story.
“So, this happened during the fight with that old man.”
+++++
Yoo Yul glared at the old man in front of her.
“Well, if you won’t come, then I’ll come to you.”
The old man swung his sword without batting an eye under her gaze. Wherever the sword swung, a trail appeared, and wherever the trail appeared, a small trickle of blood followed.
“…Damn it!”
Out of the three battles, the most worrying was undoubtedly between Blackhart and the Swordmaster.
A duel between a girl and an old man—a matchup that shouldn’t logically make sense due to the age gap—was somehow taking place right there.
The girl in her prime was being overwhelmed by the old man with white hair.
Though the sight was quite unusual, anyone who knew the old man’s identity would understand this scene.
The Swordmaster.
The legendary old man who once cut down a great dragon alone and died alongside it.
Magical girls aren’t weak. It’s just that this old man is far beyond normal standards of strength.
Of course, the magical girl wasn’t entirely filled with dreams and hopes either; she was swinging a deadly sword herself.
“One more time…!”
Amidst the storm of swords, Iris found an opening and charged in. The Swordmaster sidestepped her thrust and gently flipped her backward.
“Ugh!”
After regaining her stance, she attacked again with a face full of murderous intent.
But the Swordmaster deflected her attack once more and pushed her away.
Like flowing water, his movements were completely natural. In contrast, the girl’s motions were starting to show signs of fatigue.
“H-Hey! Don’t underestimate me!”
“That’s enough. Continuing this is meaningless. Retreat and hide in your little burrow.”
“…What!?”
“Hmph.”
The girl scoffed.
“If I retreat now, I’ll have no face to show my sisters!”
“Pride?”
“It’s a promise!”
Paat!
“A promise to defeat you and definitely return!”
She stood firm to keep that promise.
She vowed to secure the key and move forward, a promise and oath that must be fulfilled.
A crimson cape draped over the girl’s body as her magic power surged, altering her armor.
Since using explosive magic power rapidly drains her energy, she usually restrained herself, but the opponent before her wasn’t someone she could hold back against.
However, there was one problem: even giving it her all, there was no guarantee of victory.
“You have good momentum, but it won’t be enough to land a fatal blow.”
Although her aggressive charge managed to make him bleed, it only scratched the surface.
His footwork was flawless, making it impossible to deliver a fatal strike. His resilience against any attack left her feeling powerless.
Ultimately, it came down to winning or losing.
Now that it had reached this point, she had to keep pressing—
‘Charge straight ahead while summoning a snake from behind. The guy’s left arm is weak. Aim for the left side.’
…!
Squeak! A swift trajectory was drawn. Simultaneously using magic and targeting the left side based on the “weak left arm” tip, the attack succeeded.
“…Oof.”
For the first time, a proper wound appeared on his otherwise unscathed body.
“Have you grown so much in such a short time? To pinpoint weaknesses so quickly…”
The Swordmaster marveled, but that wasn’t important.
The voice echoing in her head was far more significant.
“Who are you?”
“Do you not remember? Pfft, people say I have a pretty decent voice despite everything.”
Decent voice or not, she definitely remembered hearing it somewhere.
Where was it…
Ah, that’s right.
‘On top of the great dragon’s skull!’
‘That’s right. That’s me.’
‘…Huh?’
‘That great dragon is me! Damn it, these days kids don’t get jokes.’
It was hard to understand.
‘W-Why are you talking to me?’
‘Why? You ate the essence, didn’t you.’
‘The essence…?’
‘Yeah. You were the first to eat it, so you were in the purest state. And among them, you seemed the best candidate, so I decided to talk to you.’
Putting aside the rare questions, she gripped her sword again.
And inevitably came the critique.
‘You fight too poorly. Your strength and magic power are top-notch, but your experience is lacking.’
‘Could you be quiet or help me instead? Like you did just now.’
‘Just now? That was a one-time thing. I fought him head-on and realized—you can’t beat him.’
Chatterbox. Then what am I supposed to do?
As if answering her question, a laughing voice came.
‘A contract.’
‘A contract?’
‘Surrender your body to me. In return, I’ll ensure your victory in this battle.’
In short.
‘This is the only way to win.’
It means sacrificing yourself.
‘…Can you win?’
‘Of course. Your magic power combined with my experience. And that guy, though weaker than he was in life, is still no match for us.’
‘…’
Yoo Yul pondered for a moment but ultimately had no choice but to agree.
There was no way for her to defeat the Swordmaster on her own.
Even the successful attack earlier was possible thanks to this dragon’s assistance.
‘…I’ll give it to you.’
‘Hahaha! Good choice! I promise you victory! After all, I have grudges to settle too.’
But Yoo Yul had a trick up her sleeve.
To prevent the atrocities this dragon might commit after taking over her body.
‘…Gah…’
Her consciousness grew hazy.
Her strength drained from her body.
“…Ha…hahahaha!!!”
“…This power…”
“It’s been a long time, old man!”
“…A dragon!”
“Yeah! I’ve returned from hell to kill you-”
“Promise me!”
“To kill you-”
“Promise me!”
One voice spoke different words.
Confused, the dragon muttered inside her.
‘What are you doing?! Hey, that guy! He’s preparing some foot technique! At this rate, we’ll both perish!’
‘Promise me. Once you take my body, you’ll become a hero.’
‘A hero!? Stop joking around! Why would I play such childish games of justice-‘
‘Die together then.’
‘Krk…!’
If this offer was rejected, death was certain. Even blinking an eye would be difficult in her current state.
Eventually, the dragon agreed.
“…Ah! Fine, fine! I promise! I’ll be a hero!”
“After eliminating that guy and securing the key, move forward! Kill that rabbit! Swear on your magic!”
“I don’t know who the rabbit is, but…alright! I promise! Just save me!”
The final words carried magical power.
They bound their souls tightly, becoming a solid shackle.
Then.
Clang-!!
“…So my body has been taken over…!”
“Wrong wrong.”
“Cough!”
“Give and take. Both getting what we want.”
“…I’ll kill you again, dragon.”
“Blast it, I never wanted to make any promises!”
+++++
“…”
“So, that’s how it happened.”
Thus.
“The creature standing here now is that dragon?”
“Yes, precisely.”
“Wow…”
I was at a loss for words.
Is something like this even possible?
In conclusion, absorbing the ancient dragon’s power may have led to losing control of her body, but it also ensured her survival.
Judging by the fact that she’s here, and the key in her hand, it seems she defeated the Swordmaster.
The dragon possessing Blackhart’s form excitedly ranted.
“Hahahaha!! That bastard went down in style. Shaking and dying like that!”
Looking at that, I turned my gaze to Yoo Yul. The mascot-like figure stomped on Blackhart’s head angrily.
“So, what do we do now?”
“…We’ll think about that later. The truth is, I am stronger in this state.”
“Exactly. This girl’s magic power combined with my extensive combat experience will surely be useful.”
“Do you intend to fight properly?”
“Well, the magic-bound promise is a shackle, after all.”
Then it should be fine.
First things first, we need to take care of the rabbit.
“…Uncle.”
“Hm?”
After staying silent for a long time, Iris finally spoke. She turned her face toward me and…
Suddenly conjured rabbit ears atop her head with magic…
“Victory V!”
She formed a V sign with both hands.
…Suddenly?
“…”
Feeling flustered, I sent her a bewildered look, causing her to lower her head sheepishly.
Her face flushed bright red as she mumbled excuses like a cherry.
“Uh…it was…to encourage you…I thought this gesture looked kind of cute, so I just tried it once…”
“…”
“Ah, I get it! Things like this aren’t cute anyway! Yoo Yul is naturally cute, so that works for her! But for someone like me, doing this would only have the opposite effect—”
“It’s fine. You were plenty cute.”
“Cute…! Uncle, how can you say that without changing your expression!?”
“Well, you were shivering, so I just told you…”
Embarrassed, she shivered for a while longer before taking a deep breath and slowly murmuring:
“…Stay strong.”
“…Haha.”
“…”
Seeing Noah like this.
It gives me strength.
I must try harder for the sake of this child cheering me on like this.
“Yahoo!”
“Are you ready to get up?”
“We have to go.”
We have to go.
“Now, this is the real boss fight.”
Let’s split that brat’s head open.
“Alright, everyone, hand over the keys.”
I received all three keys and inserted them into the lock one by one.
Click.
Clunk.
Click.
Finally, the massive iron door creaked and began to move.
