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Half-elves Fall in Love (Web Novel) - Chapter 472: Rika´s Rescue Operation 12
Chapter 472: Rika´s Rescue Operation 12
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
The possibility was solid. If the destruction seemed impossible for an ordinary human, it had to be the work of a dragon. But somewhere along the way, I had a preconceived notion that dragons would never give their blessing to a villain who would kidnap a human being. Or perhaps he was proud of the fact that flying around as a dragon rider was a privilege that only he had.
“Galatia. Perhaps……it was a storm the day Rabines got you?”
“Y, Yes”
“Right……otherwise, there’s no way you can see that from a distance”
It is roughly three times the length of Sahul’s dragon body. Maia is about twice as tall as Sahul, but there is still a difference in physique between an adult and a child and I don’t think it’s going to help much. The ogre’s fist can reach the dwarf from five or ten steps ahead and the dwarf can reach the ogre’s fist with a single step. This is a problem before arm strength.
“That’s not going to be a match……! But it’s hard to pull back……!”
“Why!?”
“Do you think that dragon will wait for us, who have scattered to pieces, to assemble and retreat in harmony?”
“Uh……”
“The ability to fly varies from person to person, but Maia and Sahul are not the fastest. Unless that yellow dragon is seriously injured, don’t expect it to let us go……”
“Wh, What if we just run away now……? How about we just let him take the bait and go……?”
“Galatia. ……The most deadly part of war is when you are chasing down the enemy who is retreating after the fight is decided. It’s just cleaning up after the battle is over, but it’s the most horrific part. The most dangerous thing is to run away without a procedure and on an impulse. Would you still turn your back on the enemy?”
“U……”
“Don’t be timid. ……Isn’t it difficult to say? Today is the first time you’ve come into contact with a dragon”
“D, Don’t make a fool of me……uh”
Galatia is dismayed to find a monster with no chance of winning, even if her pirate spirit is gone. ……Well, from her point of view, we are nothing more than a strange group of foreigners with no connections or ties, who all of a sudden feel humiliated when they meet today and even so, they ride together because they are going to take on an enemy they hold a grudge against. If we were to pray for a miracle, it would be tempting to expect them to make a run for it, wouldn’t it?
“Hilda, take care of Galatia. ……Just don’t let her panic”
“Oh, Andy-kun, you look so dependable☆”
Hilda didn’t seem to move at all. As expected of her age.
“You……what are you going to do?”
“No matter what I do……I’m going to do something about it without running away”
“You said you were an underling!”
“Ah, I’ll take that back. I’m sure I’m an underling”
Strangely enough, I was surprised at myself. At times like this, I am surprisingly optimistic. I’m not sure if it’s the memory of the many times I’ve gone through the rough spots with this attitude, but at the end of the day, I’m convinced that I’m going to win.
“I’m quite used to handling the reins at times like this”
With that, I leapt out of the carriage that slowly unloaded behind Sahul.
The yellow dragon, whose purpose seemed to be to keep Sahul in check, remained motionless, his huge frame exposed.
“Sahul!”
“……Oh, it’s you. As you can see, it’s the enemy”
“Where’s Rika-san!?”
“She was there, but……she was shaking because she was drugged with a strange medicine. Then they……came in and here we are”
“………….”
Sahul keeps his eyes on the yellow dragon even as he speaks, keeping his voice down. The yellow dragon looked around at us and the others in the triangular fort with only his eyes and then he opened his mouth.
“Keep it quiet. I don’t like killing my own people either. And don’t make any moves, companions of the boy. If you touch Lord Rabines, I will kill both dragons”
The man’s voice was low and calm. Sahul clenched his claws against the rock and shouted.
“Why are you taking his side!? You’re a dragon, aren’t you!? You deserve to be called an evil dragon for helping him!?”
“It can’t be helped either”
“……What the hell is wrong with you”
Sahul’s cry fades into the ocean beyond the yellow dragon’s half.
“Neia! Luna! You’re safe!”
I peek through the collapsed wall into the triangular fort to see Luna and Neia surrounded by a group of men with disfigured faces. The man in the back with the dirtiest expression……is probably a dwarf type? He was short, but I recognized him as the head man at a glance from where he stood.
“Bauz-san. I’m in trouble, I told you to kill that red one, didn’t I?”
He looked up at the yellow dragon and demanded a clean pronunciation without a dwarven accent.
“We dragons do not kill our own kind”
“I am not interested in your principles. Kill them. Alright”
“Tsk……”
“I’m not going to return a very rude guest for free. You don’t want to be called a bad dragon, or a weak dragon, or some other strange rumor that will bring your people together for nothing, do you? Dead men tell no tales”
“But……such a child!”
“Child or adult, it is wrong for you to step into my garden without being called. Well, you ladies are beautiful. They would fetch a good price, though”
……He’s a picture-perfect scoundrel.
“Bauz-san. Kill them. Dragons, let alone humans. No matter what medicine you use, they are not safe. It’s not safe to let them live”
“…………”
“Or would you rather watch your companion drool and shit and cry out for my medicine again? There is no substitute for my medicine anywhere”
“………..”
The yellow dragon named Bauz turned to Sahul with a hint of reluctance.
“I’m sorry, kid. ……I have a rider too. For her sake……you will die”
“Tsk”
Sahul takes a few steps backward on all fours. Maia advances next to him, so that they face Bauz side by side. Dragons, two against one. But they are so different in size. It was clear to everyone that Maia and Sahul had no chance.
“If only Laila was here……”
I muttered and shook my head. If it’s Laila, it’s certainly possible to win, but it can’t be helped if she’s not there. I have to do something with the materials I have.
“No, if Laila is there, we’ll just get hurt. It’s probably a good thing she’s not here”
“Eh?”
I was surprised to hear a voice suddenly appear in my ear and Dianne-san appeared right behind me.
“Dianne……what about the capture of the fort?”
“I’ve already done it. Almeida and others are the ones who are having the most trouble”
Dianne sat down on a step of the collapsed stone wall and compared Neia and the others with Rabines and Bauz inside the fort.
“Are you doing business by destroying the spirit of the girls you brought with you? Classic slavers”
“That dragon rider probably, too……”
“Dragons are also extremely drug-resistant, which is why they are not familiar with the treatment of other species. They probably couldn’t help themselves with their addictions”
Rabines gang inside the fortress blamed Dianne-san for speaking so comfortably.
“You there, woman! Come down here! If you disobey, the dragon will burn you to the ground!”
“Go ahead”
Dianne says, standing up quickly.
“Wh……at?”
“You see that there are dragons here too, don’t you? I understand that dragon fire is not that dexterous. If you blow on me, the whole fortress will be on fire”
“……A clever answer. Either way, you have no choice. Bauz-sam will take care of your dragons. No matter how skilled you are, you will never be able to defeat him. You will either be crushed by the dragon or you will do as I tell you”
“Hou”
Dianne smiled.
“I, I suppose it is. Neia, is that so?”
“Let me refrain from commenting”
Neia shook her head while raising her hands.
“……What is it about, you people? You’re obnoxious. You’re not really proud that you’re stronger than a dragon……based on a child dragon, are you?”
“I don’t care. Well, I don’t think a dragon that doesn’t fly and blow is much of a dragon”
Dianne looked up at Bauz. Bauz stopped approaching Sahul and looked at Dianne and me.
“Andy. As I said before……I’m not willing to take a step back against a dragon for your sake”
“Dianne”
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in a big fight, you called. I’m not going to back down from a dragon for your sake”
Dianne says so and disappears……. The next moment, Bauz’s head jumped up.
“Naa!?”
Rabines is astonished. I immediately shouted.
“Neia!”
“You’re reckless, aren’t you? ……But!”
Neia instantly pulls out her flash sword and slashes the men around her one after another.
“Hiii!?”
Rabines tried to escape, but Neia would not allow it. With a ruthless look I haven’t seen in a long time, she lightly slashes Rabines’ ankle, making him fall down.
“Thank God I don’t have to wonder about people like this. ……Even in the light of position and justice, I know they are unforgivable”
“Hi, S, Stop……!!”
“Stoop!!”
A man who seems to have changed from the yellow dragon jumps in and intercepts Rabines as he tries to run away with a limp.
“When he’s gone, my rider will……”
A middle-aged-looking human figure with a dull white roll of cloth wrapped around his body. That was the human form of Bauz. He was a rather beautiful middle-aged man with long golden hair tied under the nape of his neck, but one second after he appeared, he was kicked by Dianne, who flew at him like a meteor and blew him to the wall.
“Baa, Bauz-san! If you are a dragon, don’t let a dark elf and the like get the better of you! Burn this place down with flames, anyone but me can be replaced!”
“Gu……oooo!”
Bauz produces flames from both arms and aims them at Dianne. However, Bauz’ feet suddenly rise.
“Guoo……!?”
It is Neia’s earth drive. As he staggered back, Neia rushed in from low altitude and Dianne’s parabolic double kick exploded, slamming Bauz again into the wall.
“The giant dragon couldn’t keep up with my and Neia’s speed. But I don’t think I can lose to them, even more so with my fighting skills in human form. It was a mistake not to let him use the dragon breath”
“Hahahahaha, dark elf, who are you trying to triumph over……obuu!?”
Rabines, limping and attached to the iron door leading to the cave in the cliff, bounced off the door, which opened like a bullet from the inside and rolled to my feet.
“Something just hit me!?”
“Must be a dumb little fish anyway. ……I’m here to back you up!”
The three Red Arm s opened the door and came out. Rabines covered his cut leg and tried to escape further while struggling to get up. But I could not allow him to do so without telling him. I decided to hold a battered two-handed sword I found lying around in front of Rabines.
“You don’t have a choice”
“No, wh, what are you, where are you from……uh, are you betraying me!?”
“No, I’ve never been on your side from the beginning”
Maybe I’m being mistaken for a minor underling. Kind of sad.
“Stop it……stop! Without that man’s medicine, my……my Eufa……!”
Bauz tries to push Dianne and Neia away and come over here, but there is no way he is allowed to do that, Neia slashes at him, Dianne flips him over with an uppercut and finally Maia and Sahul jump in from outside the wall and twin his arms to keep him down on the ground. No need to lynch so much.
“Hihihi, th, that’s right! Not only Bauz-san’s companion, you all came to save women, didn’t you!? I am the only one who knows how to make a potion to stop the suffering of those women! You’d better not displease me, or you’ll be thinking about what human dignity is as you watch these women!”
Rabines was strong, even as he raised his hands to the sword I had thrust at him. But Hilda, who had just climbed over the wall, denied his words.
“You idiot. That’s nothing more than a joke for us☆”
“What……!? But my medicine is special……”
“There is a kind of water in the world that heals everything, whether it is medicine or poison”
……Ah. I see. So all the victims should be taken to Polka and all will be well.
“Who would believe such a crazy story……obuu!”
Galatia, who followed Hilda-san, swung her fist and punched Rabines who was still trying to say something. Rabines is blown away and rolls away.
“Thanks for the comrades who were sunk by you!! Doryaaaaa!!”
Another shot. One more. Galatia punches and kicks and slams and the poor dwarf outcast merchant has all his teeth knocked out and can’t even speak.
“Haa, haa……c, can I finish him off?”
“Ya, Yaehue……yae, hahuhue……”
Rabines begs for his life. Dianne thinks for a moment and shakes her head.
“Just leave his life in my hands”
“And leave it to the justice of the law? I think we should cut down this terrible outcast right here and now”
When Anzeros (who had apparently been investigating the cave under Dianne’s orders), who had joined us at the end, said this, Dianne shook her head again.
“Not so. They were probably just barely standing between countries and not being illegal and even if they were brought to justice, they would probably be let off the hook. If they were distributing the drugs as a safeguard against human trafficking, the number of addicts would be dozens of times larger than what we have now. If we poof and kill them here, we’ll be throwing those victims into hell”
“……That certainly wouldn’t save them”
“There will be many outliers who will want to keep those who contact them dependent on them, but there will also be those like the yellow dragon there who will be compelled to do so. We have to leave a path for them, even if it’s just to lead them to Polka”
“……What are you going to do with them if you let them live……? We can’t just let him swim again……”
“That’s where the Red Whale Pirates come in”
Galatia, who had been suddenly appointed to the position, was taken aback.
“Eh……?
“It was your island to begin with, wasn’t it? Can you lock up Rabines on this island and flush out his clientele for trade?”
“……E, Eeh……eeeh!?”
……No, Dianne, that’s easy for you to say, but I doubt that pirates would cooperate with such a thing.
“I’ll give you back the island and the charts as is. That’s not a bad offer”
“W, What are you going to do!?”
“If any of you are having problems with addiction, let them stay on the island. That’s it”
She turns back to Bauz, who is being assembled.
“I’ll have you carry it for me”
“……What?”
“Is it called Eufa? I’m going to introduce you to the miraculous spring of Polka for your Master´s sake. You can bring her here now. I’ll take you there with me, since Sahul’s partner here seems to have been drugged”
“Is there any guarantee that she will be cured there……?”
“Every disease and wound can be cured, if not by providence. So far I have not heard of any exceptions. As one would expect, missing organs and limbs are difficult to heal using only the miraculous spring, but the means to do so are beginning to be put in place”
“…………”
“Once you are satisfied with its effectiveness, I want you to be the sky bridge between here and Polka. I trust that you, who understand how your master suffered and who helped Rabines, even knowing that you would be called an evil dragon, will do at least that much”
“……Let me think about it”
Pirates, yellow dragon and Rabines. I’m worried that they can hit us all at once in one day and use us that well, but from what I’ve heard, it seems like it will work out.
“Dianne-chan, it’s over☆”
“Older sister. ……How was it?”
“Of course, there are differences in the degree of withdrawal symptoms, but it seems that only a little superhuman can endure the withdrawal symptoms. There are only a limited number of doctors who can do phantom medicine. It’s best to go to Polka”
“We can’t transport everyone on the island with our carriage……but it would take three months to get there by sea or land, even if we hurried. I’m sorry to hear about the symptoms Rabines mentioned”
Dianne glanced at Bauz as she received Hilda’s report. Bauz looked very uncomfortable. ……And, Maia pulled on my sleeve.
“Hmm?”
“……Andy-sama´s turn”
“Eh, what?”
“I think it’s at times like this that we need a word from a rider”
“……I, I see”
Dragon rider. The one who defines the justice of dragons. He is the one who can make the killing of one’s own kind, which is forbidden to dragons. What can I say to him now?
“……Hey”
“Mmm”
“I’m Maia over there, and……another one, not Sahul, but a female named Laila, Andy Smithson”
“……Rider, huh?”
“Yes. ……To be honest, I don’t know you well and I know you have some things to be sympathetic about, so I’m not going to call you a bad dragon or anything, but you know, you’re such a 『I’m a bad person』 kind of guy. But if you’re that aware that you’ve been a part of the wrong side of the wrong people”
“…………”
I was about to say something like……isn’t it okay if you cooperated with us. No. It’s not that kind of run-of-the-mill persuasion.
“It’s also that your misdeeds have tainted your rider’s righteousness. Then you need to snow it for when your rider comes to her senses someday, don’t you? Am I right?”
“That’s……”
“We have work to do. We helped Sahul get his partner back to protect Celestia’s national interests, but we have other things to do. That’s why we need you to do it. I want you to save what our justice leaves out, with the justice you are going to do”
I will prescribe justice for my own reasons. Even if it is selfish. And I admit that it can’t save everything and I entrust it to you. I think those are powerful words for other people’s dragons.
“……I understand”
Bauz nods slowly and stands up.
———————————
Sahul looked up at Bauz with a complicated look on his face. Bauz was a wall of despair that had once stood in the way of Sahul or the future that Sahul might have followed. Sometimes dragons are used to protect those they hold dear. Sometimes, despite their immense power, they do not lead to the future they desire. That is another possibility of how dragons and people can be.
“Sahul”
“……Andy, you are……”
I patted Sahul’s head lightly as if to say, did you know something? No, I’m older than him.
“I just happen to be rolling along nicely at the moment and I don’t know the right answer to the dragon thing. The answers you find later may be more correct than the logic I, Laila and Maia use. So, Sahul. You need to think. What should you do? How can you make everyone happy? Dragons and people are all wishing for the same thing. And one day……”
Like Laila and Maia.
“Be the kind of person who says, I’m glad you’re here”
“……Yeah”
The sky was tinged with sunset. The turbulent day that had taken us from Talc to Helicon, from Sitar to the Lapal Archipelago was finally over.
