Published at 18th of July 2022 8:44 am

Volume 8, Chapter 6 - Attack of the Demonic Dragons, Part 3-5

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 3

The sirens wailed on endlessly, their sound oscillating through the cold night air. As soon as Ash, Eco, Silvia and Navi rushed out of the hospital, they immediately felt the perturbed atmosphere engulf them. Despite it being the middle of the night, the street was packed with people bearing witness to the commotion. There were also many residents who had opened their windows to look out with troubled expressions. Both dragon carriages and horse carriages moved along the roads. The security officials all rushed straight toward the Academy with pale expressions. Due to the showy nature of Silvia’s Ark, Ash’s group had no choice but to hide as they made their way forward. Even though they had left the hospital, they had yet to decide on a destination. They simply needed to bring Ash to a place where he would be safe.

“—Hey, the dragons are starting to move!”

At that moment, someone among the crowd shouted as they pointed to a corner of the night sky — the area above the Academy. The rest of the civilians also looked up.

“They’re finally taking action huh…”

Silvia made a bitter expression as she whispered. She held up the Sacred Dragonar Gun Arondight and recited a certain chant. Suddenly, a flat, imaginary projection appeared in mid-air upon which an enlarged scene was displayed. It seemed like magic intended to assist with aiming.

“—!”

Ash held his breath as he kept his eyes glued to the image. Both Eco and Navi also looked at it. Although the large dragon displayed in the image had jet-black fur, it was most certainly Cú Chulainn. Upon its head rode a tall and thin-looking young man as well as a girl who had a metal mask which covered the upper half of her face. The young man seemed familiar to Ash — he was the Count of the Vandenhaar border. The feeling of riding a dragon through the sky seemed quite comfortable for him, given how there seemed to be a light breeze pushing against them.

“It’s that girl! Look, she’s still singing!”

Upon seeing the girl in the image, Eco immediately cried out. It seemed that she was the possessor of Pluto. Although they were too far from her to hear her voice, her posture seemed to resemble that of an opera singer. Just as Eco said, it did seem that she used her voice to control dragons through a song. The ones that followed behind Cú Chulainn were Lancelot, Gawain and Arianrhod. All of them had also become jet-black dragons, and behind them were a horde of Stradas.

—Boom!

Accompanied by an astonishing shockwave, Cú Chulainn began to accelerate in flight.

“Uoooooooooooooooooooohhhh!”

Cú Chulainn let loose a majestic roar as it flew in a straight line over the city. If not for Silvia and Eco by his side to support him, Ash probably would have been blown away by the strong wind pressure. Many of the onlookers were thrown off balance by the sudden gale of wind and fell to the ground on the spot. Lancelot then followed behind and flew overhead Ash and the others. Silvia watched its departure from below with reluctance. Arianrhod and Gawain also flew off, and were finally followed by the horde of Stradas. It almost felt as though the dragons had formed an aerial platoon as a demonstration of their strength. After all of the Stradas disappeared into the depths of the night, the commotion in the city became even worse. As if a thought had suddenly struck her mind, Silvia began to ponder

“That’s right…I don’t think I saw Tristan just then?”

When she said that, Ash also realised that this was the case.

“You’re right. Hopefully it’s alright…”

Just as Ash replied…

—Dodododododododododododododododododododododododo!

A deafening rumble resounded in the distance.

“This sound couldn’t possibly be…!”

Ash was no stranger to the noise. It was a sound that was inevitably heard during Dragon Races, the footsteps from a horde of Asias all running together…!

“Look out!”

Silvia forcefully pulled Ash and Eco away from the road and onto the sidewalk. The next instant, a storm swept through the road. A jet-black horde of Asias charged through the area. As soon as Ash thought that Brigid could be mixed in with them, he couldn’t help but gnash his teeth together. Although Brigid was Raymond’s Pal, it also had a rather close relationship with Ash. Navi suddenly knelt down and placed her palms against the ground.

“What’s wrong, Navi?”

In response to Ash’s question, Navi answered with a serious look

“The Hydras are also moving through the underground waterways. In summary, all of the dragons affected by Pluto appear to be leaving Ansarivan.”

After listening to Navi’s explanation, Ash felt a bit relieved. Klaus’ motives were most definitely something to be concerned about, but for now, the crisis at the Academy City had diminished somewhat…

“Huh…?”

Ash’s knees suddenly weakened, forcing him to kneel on the ground. His body felt as heavy as a sandbag. An uncomfortable sensation radiated through his head as a splitting headache assaulted him. He also felt the wounds at his sides begin to grow hot. With all the tension fading away, it was almost as if his body had remembered all of its injuries.

““Ash?””

Although he seemed to hear the voices of Eco and Silvia calling his name, the stone cold ground quickly entered his view — Ash’s consciousness was plunged into darkness.

Part 4

“Ash! Ash…!”

Eco kneeled on the ground as she continued to call Ash’s name. However, Ash had already become unconscious.

“Wake up, Ash!”

Silvia’s face was also pale as she grabbed Ash’s shoulders and tried to shake him awake. At this time, Navi reached out and touched Ash’s forehead with a solemn look. It was almost as if she was a real nurse.

“It’s no good, he’s got a high fever. We need to find a place for him to rest…”

After Navi said that with a bitter expression, she alternated her gaze between Eco and Silvia’s faces. Although Navi usually maintained a calm demeanour and a mischievous smile, she was incredibly serious right now. This only caused Eco’s anxiety to intensify.

“It seems we have no choice but to return to the hospital…”

Just as Silvia reluctantly clenched her teeth…a dragon carriage that had rushed past them at high speed came to a sudden halt and then turned back to Eco and the others.

“—Hurry, get on!”

The one who called out for them to get on was not the coachman. It was a man who sat in the carriage and poked his head out. As he wore a hooded shawl over his head, it was not possible to see his face.

“What’s going on now…?”

Eco hesitated. Even though they seemed to have encountered someone generous enough to lend a helping hand, it was rather foolish to simply do as a stranger commanded just because they said ‘get on’. Instead, it was Silvia who made the bold and unexpected move. She immediately stood up and shouted at the carriage

“Thank you for the assistance!”

“Wait, Silvia!”

Eco looked up at Silvia in surprise.

“Don’t worry, Eco. That person is trustworthy!”

However, the confident expression that Silvia made gave some reassurance.

Part 5

After Ash was carried into the carriage, it began to move again. The layout of the carriage had seats which faced opposite each other, and Ash was placed on one of those seats while Eco used her thighs as a pillow for him. Although Silvia seemed a bit dissatisfied with that, she was still equipped with her Ark, so it was not possible for her to give Ash a lap pillow; she reluctantly took a seat on the floor. Navi knelt down next to Ash and made caring gestures like that of a real nurse, such as helping him to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

“—So, who are you two? It seems that you are acquainted with Silvia…”

After hopping onto the carriage, Eco still kept her guard up against the two people who sat opposite them. Of those two people, the man still wore a hood that covered his eyes. The dirty coat that he wore gave off the vibe that he was some kind of traveller. And judging by his ostensibly energetic voice, he seemed to be a youthful man. The person who sat beside that youth was a young woman. Her naturally curly hair was shoulder length, and she still wore a bold outfit which exposed her chest despite the cold weather. Her curvy thighs were covered by fishnet stockings which gave off a flirtatious charm. The two of them look like adventurers from straight out of a story, Eco thought.

“Haha. You don’t recognise me?”

After the man laughed, he finally removed his shawl.

“…Ah!”

Eco immediately exclaimed in surprise. Hidden beneath the hood — was silver hair streaked with red and a silver mask. The young man had a fair complexion, a strong nose line, and despite the mask obscuring his face, it was quite clear that he was handsome man.

“Milgauss — no, Prince Julius!”

Like a fish out of water, Eco couldn’t stop her mouth from jittering. Navi seemed to have known for a while, and thus she didn’t seem particularly surprised. Only now did Eco understand why Silvia had made up her mind so quickly. She had only needed to listen to his voice to realise that it was her own brother.

“Long time no see, dear older brother. I heard that you went to see the world outside…but I didn’t imagine that you would pass through Ansarivan.”

“As a graduate of Ansarivan, I couldn’t possibly miss an event as big as the Five Hundred Years Festival. To be honest, I’ve already been here for a month.”

“If that’s the case, why did you not come to greet me sooner…”

“That will not do. To the common public, Julius Lautreamont is a criminal who committed the taboo of killing a dragon. Right now, I am merely a traveller.”

“Brother…”

“Let us not speak of me — that Ark looks great on you. Congratulations on becoming an Ark Dragonar.”

“T-Thank you for your compliment, brother…”

Silvia blushed in embarrassment, but she looked sternly at the woman who gave off the air of an adventurer. She then made a dry cough to clear the air.

“Brother, speaking of which…may I know who the woman beside you is? As your younger sister, I am somewhat curious…”

“What are you talking about? The one beside me is Dr Angela Cornwell — your teacher.”

““Eeeeeh!?””

Both Eco and Silvia exclaimed at the same time.

Part 6

The destination of the dragon carriage was Angela’s residence.

“Hey…I only have a very bad impression of this house…”

As soon as she stepped off the carriage, Eco looked up at the house with disgust, treating it almost like a haunted house. Perhaps because it had been a long time since it was last maintained, the house looked more decrepit than it had in spring. The incident in which Eco was kidnapped by Angela not long after being born in early spring was still fresh in her mind.

“Don’t say that. Let bygones be bygones and hurry on in. I’ll also see to the care of Ash.”

“You’re a doctor who specialises in dragons!”

Eco immediately showed her discontent toward Angela.

“Regardless of whether the patient is a human or a dragon, there is little that differs in the treatment.”

When Angela let her hair down, took her glasses off, and removed her white coat, her image greatly differed from that of a teacher’s, though her personality was the one thing that didn’t change. In any case, Ash was carried into the bedroom where Angela and Navi took responsibility for his care. On the other hand, Eco and Silvia stayed in the living room to converse with Julius. The light which radiated from the fireplace illuminated the side of Julius’ face. The first person to speak was Silvia.

“Dear brother, what is your relationship with Angela-sensei…?”

“Hey, Silvia! Now isn’t the time for that!”

“As a younger sister, it’s difficult not to concern myself with it…”

Julius made a wry smile as he watched the two girls bicker.

“I met Angela at a certain point in the past. I’ll leave what developed from that up to your imagination.”

“Now that you mention it, Angela-sensei did indeed disappear for a while. I just didn’t imagine that she was travelling together with you, brother…”

“To be frank, we originally planned to leave Ansarivan at the end of the Five Hundred Years Festival…”

“Really…?”

“However, the existence of Pluto came to light during the Dragonar’s Gunnar Bout. After learning that it allowed dragons to take orders from their magic stone, Angela became very curious about it. As a result, she chose to extend her stay…and that’s why we bumped into you on the road earlier today.”

Just as Julius smiled, Eco’s famished belly made an exaggerated grumble. The great sound which resembled that of a normal dragon’s echoed throughout the living room, causing Eco to blush with embarrassment. Although the present situation was critical, she recalled that it had been quite a while since she last ate.

“It can’t be helped. After all, dragons must have five meals a day. There aren’t too many ingredients left in the house, but do let me make something to eat.”

Just as Julius got up with a wide grin and prepared to head over to the kitchen — the door was abruptly opened. Angela and Navi had returned.

“Is Ash okay?”

Casting her hunger aside, Eco ran up to the two of them to ask.

“Hmm, he’s fine. His condition has already stabilised. His breathing and pulse are also very stable, so as long as he’s able to rest, he’ll bounce back to good health very soon.”

Upon hearing Angela say that, Eco finally felt relieved. Perhaps due to her nerves suddenly relaxing, she grew close to being on the verge of tears.

“Eco, it’s too early for you to relax.”

However, Navi spoke up to make a correction. Even though she was still dressed up as a nurse, her expression was serious.

“Have a look at this—”

Navi infused her magic onto the wall, causing the entire surface of the wall to suddenly become a screen. Shown on the wall were images of the night sky, grassland and the Astraea River. A swarm of Stradas flew high across the night sky. A horde of Asias galloped across the grasslands. A legion of Hydras swam through the great river. The one flying in front as a leader was Lancelot. Like a general, it commanded three large squadrons. Flying behind its right wing was Arianrhod, while Gawain flew on the left side, and at the rear was Cú Chulainn. It totally seemed like a commander. Two figures could be seen atop Cú Chulainn’s head. One of them was a young man, whilst the other was a girl.

[Haha! Go forth! Advance! My < schwarz drachen panzer >!]

After seeing the young man shout ecstatically, Julius stood up in surprise.

“That man is — the Count of the Vandenhaar border, Klaus!”

Klaus and Julius had an amicable relationship. When Julius’ body was controlled by the Dark Dragon King Mordred, he acted under the identity of Milgauss, and Klaus was his boss. The girl wearing a mask which covered the upper half of her face sang beside Klaus.

“Hey, weren’t you an Imperial soldier before? You didn’t hear any information about that girl?”

With a sudden burst of inspiration, Eco tugged on Julius’ sleeve. After narrowing his eyes at the girl, Julius said

“That girl is likely to be Kriemhild. I’ve never seen her before, but I’ve heard about the rumours. I didn’t expect it to actually be complete…”

Complete — the unnatural sensation hidden within that word caused everyone in the room to shudder. Navi was the first to break the silence.

“Getting back to the topic at hand, the sky, land and waterways…although the march of the dragons has been divided into three different types, their end goal is the same. They’re all advancing towards the north.”

“Did you say north? Could it be…”

Silvia’s restlessness was painted clearly over the expression on her face. Navi nodded.

“Judging from their positions, the most likely place — should be the capital of the Knight Country, Fontaine City.”

“The Flames of War ~A.S.B.1365.11~” is closed.

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