Published at 18th of July 2022 8:40 am

Volume 8, Chapter 5 - Kriemhild’s Song, Part 1-3

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Despite a minor delay in their plans, the < Fenrir > led by Klaus were just a step away from reaching the surface of the ground. Perhaps due to the prohibition on access to the underground, a large rock blocked the exit above them, but it was easily crushed to pieces by the weapons that the magic soldiers carried. As Klaus, Kriemhild and < Fenrir > became exposed to the cold air of the night, what appeared before them was a large and dense coniferous forest. Klaus dismounted from his horse first, and then extended his hand towards Kriemhild.

“The next road we take will have to be on foot. The horse will stay here.”

“Understood, master.”

Kriemhild leaned on Klaus’ hand as she dismounted from the horse.

“Young master. In my opinion, it is very likely that the Academy blocked this entrance and intentionally planted a large number of trees here to detract attention.”

The captain Gerhard muttered in admiration. It was likely that the former Academy staff had taken such painstaking measures in order to prevent curious Academy students from taking the risk of entering the underground labyrinth.

“Gerhard, figure out the shortest route to our destination.’

“Understood, young master.”

Following the instructions of his liege, Gerhard pulled a map of the Academy out from his pocket. He then gazed at the surface of the map with the illumination of a pen-like flashlight. Although it was a school, the campus grounds were extremely vast. There were various different school buildings, and also several fields of various sizes. The boys’ dormitories consisted of Apollo House and Mercurius House. The girls’ dormitories consisted of Epona House and Maeve House. There was the students’ restaurant < La Tene >, as well as a special building for the student council, Julius Hall. In addition to those, there were a variety of other facilities that had been constructed within the campus grounds. The most characteristic feature of Dragonar Academy was its seven Dragon Houses.

“Although it is still a substantial distance, the route to the Dragon Houses is simple. We’ll advance while avoiding the patrol of the guards.”

Klaus nodded in response to Gerhard’s suggestion. After all, a terrible commotion had occurred last month. It would not be strange if the Academy had reinforced their patrols. From Klaus’ point of view, he hoped to arrive at the Dragon Houses whilst avoiding any unnecessary battles. Indeed, only when Kriemhild arrived at the Dragon Houses would their plan truly begin—. As they made their way towards the coniferous forest’s exit, Klaus began to think about various things.

“Ash Blake and young dragon Eco…you’ll pay with your lives for the crime of daring to destroy my Beowulf…”

He had already investigated the residences of Ash and Eco. Ash was currently recuperating in the city’s general hospital, while Eco resided in the Academy’s girls’ dormitory, Epona House. The cautious Klaus had already sent troops ahead to both of those locations—.

Part 2

“…Mmm~”

Although Silvia was originally asleep, she suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of pressure on her chest as she woke up.

“Hey, Eco. If you want to sleep with me, then please fix that awful sleeping posture of yours…!”

Silvia exhaled a helpless sigh. Eco rested her face on Silvia’s chest as she slept sweetly. After being together with each for this long, Silvia was well aware that Eco would not easily be awoken once she fell asleep. Under such circumstances, she had no choice but to push Eco’s shoulder away.

“Snuu…”

Eco turned over, and lay next to Silvia. The plush toy that originally sat on the edge of the bed was pushed off as Eco turned over, and it fell onto the floor.

“Huh…that was originally mine. If you don’t cherish it, I’ll have to take it back okay?”

After Silvia murmured that in a somewhat dispirited tone, she reached underneath the bed. The plush toy that she picked up from the floor was a cute-looking dragon. Silvia stared at it as she naturally recalled a precious memory. —Ash and Silvia shared a short-lived fate when they were young. This plush toy was a treasure to commemorate their encounter. Unfortunately, it had become something akin to Eco’s personal possession now…. Moonlight shone in from the small slit in the curtains, illuminating Eco’s innocent face as she slept. Under the pale illumination of moonlight, Eco’s face and hair exuded a dreamy mood. Despite the fact that Silvia spent every single day living with Eco, she couldn’t help but feel dazed as she stared at her.

“…Was Ash enjoying such an adorable sleeping face every day? He also has a strong bond with Eco. Under these circumstances, is there really no room for me to intervene…?”

As she thought about such things, Silvia began to feel troubled and upset. Lately, Silvia had begun to treat Eco like one of her own friends. They had undergone various trials together. It would not be wrong to call them comrades. And precisely because of that, whenever she thought about the relationship between Ash and Eco — Silvia felt depressed.

“What am I supposed to do—”

Just as Silvia sighed with a downcast mood, an unbelievable scene caught her eyes. All of the windows on the wall were smashed. At the same time, four shadowy figures invaded the room with a parabolic trajectory. After letting go of the rope that had been strung from the roof, the four people landed on the room’s floor.

“Wh…!”

Silvia was lost for words.

“Mmm? What happened!?”

Perhaps because her sixth sense warned her of the situation, Eco instantly awoke. The four figures who stood underneath the moonlight were all heavily armed soldiers. They were clad in black and wore military-use gas masks over their faces. All four of them carried short assault rifles. It seemed likely that they had planned on an indoor fight from the very beginning. The problem was that all of their guns were mechanical. Vast as the world was, only the Zepharos Imperial Army was equipped with mechanical guns as standard.

—Has the Empire finally taken action…?

Unfortunately, the circumstances didn’t allow Silvia the time to think or analyse. All four of the cold muzzles were locked onto Eco and Silvia.

“What is this…am I dreaming?”

Eco rubbed her drowsy eyes as she slowly climbed out of bed.

“It’d be great if this really is a dream…”

Silvia grit her teeth as she whispered that in a low voice, and at the same time, she also pulled Eco’s body into her embrace. One of the soldiers suddenly stepped forward and asked

“Are you Her Highness Silvia Lautreamont, the Fourth Princess? We only want one thing, the young dragon Eco. Hand her over to us obediently.”

Due to the masks that they wore, the soldier’s voice was somewhat unclear, but Silvia was able to make out what their purpose was. Silvia’s recent troubles had all been related to the Kingdom, and she had almost forgotten about the Empire’s existence. In fact, ever since the end of the Continental Congress < Elysium >, there had been absolutely no suspicious movements from the Empire.

“You guys…do you seriously think that we’ll obey you like this?”

Silvia did her best to squeeze out a courageous-sounding voice.

“Resistance is futile. Our master only wants the young dragon Eco. We have no intention of causing harm to Your Highness Silvia. But, it’s another matter entirely if you refuse to cooperate.”

There was something missing from the soldier’s tone of voice, almost as if it was devoid of human emotion. If I act recklessly, these soldiers probably wouldn’t hesitate to unscrupulously pull their triggers — Silvia certainly seemed to get that kind of feeling from them. However, she didn’t plan on simply handing Eco over to them either. Eco was her comrade. Silvia’s chivalrous honour would not allow her to betray an important friend simply because she feared death.

“Unfortunately, I cannot give Eco to you guys.”

“Then don’t blame us for using force to take her.”

Just as the soldier coldly issued their ultimatum—

“—I will not allow your rudeness towards the Princess.”

A figure bathed in moonlight gracefully danced outside the shattered glass windows. The four soldiers noticed that something was amiss and so they quickly turned to face the windows, but that figure immediately stirred up chaos as they flew into the room. In the blink of an eye, Silvia’s bedroom was transformed into something like a scene from hell. And then, silence fell—.

“You’re too slow, Cosette! What were you doing!?”

Having silenced the armed group within the span of a few mere seconds, Cosette respectfully kneeled down in front of Silvia.

“My apologies for causing you to worry, Princess-sama. I noticed that there were some suspicious presences in the courtyard of the girls’ dormitory, so I went to dispose of them…that is when I discovered that there were around ten soldiers lurking in the courtyard.”

“Ten!?”

Silvia was rendered speechless, and even Eco was stunned.

“It’s my fault that it took so much time to deal with them.”

After saying that, Cosette’s gaze drifted out the window. Silvia carefully avoided the shards of glass as she made her way to the window. It was possible to capture a full view of the garden from the window of the room that had been reserved for royalty. There were roughly ten soldiers who had been knocked unconscious next to a flower bed. Since each of the bodies still twitched somewhat, they seemed to be alive. However, since these professional soldiers were unable to even defeat a single maid together, death might have been more desirable to them.

“They were probably just decoys who acted as bait to keep me away from you, Princess-sama.”

“…Cosette, what do you think of their attack?”

Cosette gave a careful and succinct reply to Silvia’s question

“Based on their equipment, they should be soldiers of the Imperial Army. Although, it isn’t too surprising now…”

“But, why would the Imperial Army choose to act just when our country’s relationship with the Kingdom has deteriorated—”

At that time, the sound of an earth-shattering explosion interrupted Silvia’s words.

Part 3

Just as an attack on Eco and Silvia was launched—.

The < Fenrir > led by Klaus arrived at the area where the seven Dragon Houses were located. There were currently no staff members in the Dragon Houses. There was also an old church in the vicinity. Kriemhild stood at the top of the church’s bell tower while Klaus and Gerhard waited behind the seemingly delicate back of the girl. On the other hand, the < Fenrir > troops hid themselves in the area surrounding the church. Kriemhild was blind, but had she been an ordinary person, it would’ve been possible to see all seven of the Dragon Houses from her position at the bell tower. The way that Kriemhild’s figure was bathed in the moonlight as her white dress floated in the night breeze resembled the appearance of a priestess who served at a temple. Klaus couldn’t help but stare at her back, entranced, but he soon returned to his senses.

“It’s time to begin, Kriemhild.”

Under Klaus’ orders, Kriemhild began to sing. The song that reverberated through the dark of night was still the aria of the < Queen of the Night >. When Kriemhild activated the power of Pluto, the sound of her voice acted as a medium — that was her ability. Unlike Celes who was only able to control Tristan, Kriemhild was capable of manipulating numerous dragons all at once. Although she was one of the < Pluto Children > developed by a research institute at Klaus’ orders, it could be said that her abilities already exceeded those of the original, Celes. As soon as any dragon heard her demonic song, they would fall under her spell — they would become beasts obedient only to Kriemhild. Her voice which was comparable even to that of a professional singer shook the cold night air. The Pluto in both of Kriemhild’s eyes glowed, further accentuating the hollow area of her patterned mask. Even as an ordinary man, Klaus was able to feel the powerful demonic air which gradually enveloped the Dragon Houses.

The dragons which had been asleep began to stir. They began to produce piercing roars which sounded like the screeches emitted by birds of prey. After a short while, the First to the Sixth Dragon Houses were destroyed from the inside, and the dragons that had fallen under Kriemhild’s spell burst forth. There were bird-like Stradas, Basilisk-like Asias, and snake-like Hydras. They were the Pals that belonged to the students and practical instructors of the Academy. They numbered — roughly eight hundred. The appearance of every dragon was dyed jet-black, and their eyes gleamed fiercely like those of a wild beast. As saliva drooled from the edges of their mouths and they let out low-pitched growls, they didn’t seem anything like the wise dragon species. Yet, this seemingly berserk horde of dragons appeared to be under someone’s control. Under the spell of Kriemhild’s demonic song, they neatly formed up into teams.

“After turning into this, I certainly do wonder where those noble-looking dragons have gone.”

As he stood beside Kriemhild, Klaus revealed a cruel smile. The densely packed dragons crowded the area of the Dragon Houses. Overlooking them from such a height, it was almost like the illusion of being their commander.

“Young master, the site has not yet been determined to be a hundred percent safe. Please retreat!”

Just as Gerhard shouted, the roof of the Seventh Dragon House suddenly broke apart from the inside.

“This is bad!”

Gerhard stood in front of Klaus and Kriemhild and activated his magically engineered weapon. As the dark blade glowed, it activated the defensive magic ‘Schwarzschild’[1]. The source of magic in magically engineered weapons was an in-built Bright Dragon Crystal. The magic that Gerhard had activated could be described as an Oracle that had been adapted to match the Empire’s style. The blast that had been fired off from the Seventh Dragon House landed a direct hit on Gerhard’s ‘Schwarzschild’. Although the explosion generated from it sounded as deafening as a thunderclap, his shield remained unbroken.

“Was that blast attack an attempt to kill me…?”

“Goooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhh!”

As if to drown out Klaus’ quiet murmur, a sharp roar resounded across the sky. The Seventh Dragon House completely collapsed, and a grey cloud of dust fluttered into the moonlit night. After a while, the view became clear again. Four Maestros appeared at the location of the destroyed Seventh Dragon House. Among those, three of them had been corrupted, and their fur turned black. Klaus recalled the information that he had read about beforehand. He remembered that the names of those three Maestros were Lancelot, Arianrhod, and Gawain. As for the dragon in the centre that had let loose a might roar, that was — Cú Chulainn. Its body was so enormous that the three other Maestros to its side seemed like mere young dragons in comparison. The one that had spewed a breath attack at Klaus earlier was probably Cú Chulainn.

“That is most undoubtedly the Pal of the Student Council President Rebecca. It has gone beyond expectations to have been able to resist Kriemhild’s song to this extent.”

“Rest assured, master. Cú Chulainn has no chance of winning.”

After Klaus expressed his sincere admiration, Kriemhild once again began to sing with a high-pitched voice. The Stradas, Asias and Hydras that had lined up into teams began to act. They marched toward Cú Chulainn from three separate directions. And yet, Cú Chulainn was unable to mount a counterattack against the ruthless army of approaching dragons. Even though its opponents had lost all sense of reason, they were still compatriots. Cú Chulainn could do nothing but endure the damage without any resistance.

“Kuuuuuhhh…”

Perhaps in acknowledgement of its own defeat, Cú Chulainn’s seemingly sorrowful wail left a long echo behind. At last, Cú Chulainn lost the strength to continue resisting, and the brilliant fur on its body was eroded by darkness.

“Phew. The plan is a success. Dominance over the dragons now belongs to us.”

After Klaus muttered so with a relieved expression, he looked down towards the ground from the top of the bell tower. It was an army of dragons led by four Maestros.

“From this moment forth, you shall be called the < Schwarz Drachen Panzer >[2]!”

After Klaus proudly announced that, his eyes drifted toward the girl beside him.

“Kriemhild. It’s time to give the Academy City Ansarivan a gretting. Send them off to begin wreaking havoc—”

“Please wait. I believe that we should follow His Highness Uriel’s strategic plan, should we not…?”

Klaus swiftly dismissed Gerhard’s well-meaning advice, and replied

“I do not mind, we can simply treat this as a training exercise for the < Schwarz Drachen Panzer >. Kriemhild has never controlled such a vast number of dragons before. In the off-chance that our formal actions from here on result in failure, would we not have betrayed Prince Uriel’s expectations?”

“So that’s how far ahead you were thinking…”

Gerhard abandoned the stance on his opinion.

“Do it, Kriemhild.”

“Understood, master.”

After Kriemhild faintly responded to Klaus command, she diffused her voice out into the entirety of the night sky. And so, the destruction caused by the < Schwarz Drachen Panzer > began.

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