“That kid, how the hell did he know about this?”
“Oh my, I was just thinking something similar.”
The person who responded to Raviata’s muttering was Priscilla, the Queen of the elves.
After Priscilla finished organizing the bodies of the chimeras and gave a brief introduction, she and the expedition team looked at the black rock that lay ahead of them.
However, the rock wasn’t just a simple black stone. When Adam and his knights cautiously tried to approach it, Raviata stopped them.
“If you underestimate it, you’ll be eroded in an instant.”
“Eroded? Raviata, do you know what this is?”
“Yeah. It may look like that, but… it’s still a Dragon Heart.”
“……?!”
At those words, the entire order of knights stopped.
That thing before their eyes, was that the reason they had come all this way? A Dragon Heart?
“It looks like nothing more than an ordinary rock, though.”
“Well, if you need proof, watch.”
When Raviata sent a small flame from her fingertip towards the rock, dark energy flowed from the stone and quickly engulfed the flame.
“W-what is this…”
Seeing this, Adam and his knights hurriedly stepped back.
“Is this what you call a Dragon Heart?”
Adam was shocked to see such a different picture from what he imagined. Raviata laughed at his question.
“I don’t know what you were expecting, but to be precise, you should say it ‘was’.”
“Explain in more detail.”
“In short, it’s corrupted. By something.”
“Is that related to the current situation?”
“Yes. Judging from what I saw just now, there’s a high chance that those who made this did the same to those chimeras.”
“That’s not all. My brothers and sisters were also corrupted into dark elves by that corrupted Dragon Heart.”
Originally, the Dragon Heart resided at the core of the World Tree which the elves revered as sacred.
However, while the elves entered their slumber, and even Queen Priscilla’s powers weakened significantly, an organization stole the Dragon Heart and moved it to a place known only to them.
Priscilla had tried to locate the Dragon Heart by attuning to the forest’s energy, but the organization had somehow made it impossible to find.
It was only recently that a masked man named Shane sought her out and provided her with this location.
However, that man advised her that coming alone would be pointless and suggested bringing the expedition team. And when she arrived, she understood why.
“It is corrupted with a magical power that we elves cannot resist.”
“Mmm, I see.”
Shane had anticipated this situation and did not hesitate to warn Raviata.
That kid… what is he exactly?
Although Raviata was monitoring the organization, she could never obtain this much information about them.
Nevertheless, Shane acted as if he knew everything about the situation. This only helped deepen Raviata’s suspicions.
Adam’s question beside her snapped her out of her thoughts.
“What does that mean?”
“…The magic of another dragon is mixed in. This Dragon Heart returned all its magical power to nature when the dragon died, but someone tampered with it.”
“Then does that mean there is a dragon behind this?”
Adam’s suggestion was plausible, but Raviata shook her head.
“According to the records, dragons can no longer interfere in this world. It seems someone used an artifact left behind by an ancient dragon to do this.”
Despite Raviata’s firm tone, Adam’s expression did not relax.
“An artifact imbued with a dragon’s power…”
“Anyway, rookie. It’s your turn to step up.”
“Rookie, why do you call me that when my name is Dilaila?”
“Because I want to. Anyway, this is your problem to solve.”
“Ugh, it feels like everything is falling on me… Are you sure I can handle this? Especially with the expedition team divided like this.”
At Dilaila’s question, Raviata gave her usual easygoing smile.
“There’s no one else who can handle this besides you, and teleportation was part of the original plan anyway.”
“Huh?”
“That’s how it is. Anyway, just relax and try to understand the situation first. It looks like that Dragon Heart has completely taken over this area. We need to break its hold before we can do anything.”
“Okay…”
Feeling uneasy but with no reason to delay further, Dilaila started to resonate with the surrounding land step by step.
“Ah…”
The land around them was terrified of the magical power embedded in the Dragon Heart.
Its overwhelming dominance was so powerful that it could be described as not just ferocious but also arrogant, making the earth tremble in fear.
Because of this dominance, the information Dilaila could gather was limited.
But she did not give up.
In the past, she would have known what her talent was.
Follow me. Quickly!
As a member of the underground race, she had dominance over the earth attribute, but that alone was not enough to overcome the magical power before her.
Even though it was a magical power that did not even have an owner at the moment, its level of dominance far surpassed Dilaila’s.
But there was something else about Dilaila that magical power could not possess. It was elemental affinity
Dilaila eliminated the emotion of fear from the magical power and took control over the surrounding land.
Little by little, the land was drawn to Dilaila’s charismatic leadership which was familiar to them.
While she coaxed and soothed the land, she also firmly brought the land’s trust towards her. And she was gradually getting a response.
Good, it’s working. Slowly, just like this…
Raviata was once again impressed as she watched Dilaila who was fully focused on resonating with the surrounding land.
Was it because she was a member of the underground race?
She could practically see the land around her being purified little by little, so it goes without saying that her talent was incredible.
“Really fast. If it were us elves, who knows how long it would take.”
Priscilla felt the same. The Dragon Heart held significant meaning for the elves in various ways.
Hence, Priscilla could not hide her amazement.
What would take elves years or even decades to accomplish, was being resolved in this short amount of time.
Just as the work seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
“Ah, no.”
Raviata let out a sigh as she saw the black and red tentacles wriggling from the dragon’s heart.
“They took precautions after all.”
“Wh-What is that?”
As the translucent tentacles grew larger, Adam asked in alarm and Raviata let out a short groan.
“They’re the remnants of some ancient foolish followers.”
“Ancient? Remnants of followers?”
“Since ancient times, there have been people who were good at making other people’s things their own. These were created by those who followed them.”
Mad with the desire to steal from others, it was inevitable that they would be drawn to the Dragon Heart.
If left unchecked, even that young underground girl could be in danger.
To make matters worse.
“Oh, uninvited guests are coming.”
Through the trees of the great forest, Priscilla conveyed the worsening situation with news of the approaching Chimera legion.
“Damn. I’ll take care of these tentacles myself. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“…I’ll give it a try.”
Dilaila was still in the midst of purifying the Dragon Heart, so she was unable to offer assistance. Raviata had to focus entirely to avoid being overwhelmed by the tentacles.
“Shit. I didn’t want to use this. Who knows how long I’ll be out after this.”
Raviata ran her hand under her chin and muttered to herself.
However, if the girl down there disappeared, there was no telling when they would be able to purify the Dragon Heart again.
Fortunately, with the Elf Queen Priscilla present, dealing with the approaching Chimera legion wouldn’t be too difficult…
“Haah. Things have gotten tough. The trees here don’t move as I wish…”
She was also unable to exert her full power due to the corrupted magical power in the area.
With no choice but to do so, she released the magic on her own bracelet and changed its form into a longbow.
“It’s been so long since I held a bow, but let’s hope my skills haven’t rusted.”
“…I hope so too.”
The elf who was beautiful enough to turn heads at a glance tilted her head and smiled, but Adam couldn’t bring himself to feel any excitement from that smile.
The situation didn’t allow it.
Kieeeek—!
The distant cries of the Chimera sounded like a signal that this expedition was nearing its end. Adam was already exhausted from the long exploration but he dragged his weary body to the front lines.
“The end is near, comrades. Raise your swords and show the might of our royal family!”
“Anais, it’s time for you to move.”
“…Me?”
Anais quickly understood why Dominic had directed such words at her.
The hexagonal orb in Dominic’s hand emitted a consistent pulse that froze the magical power within its range.
However, the magic freeze affected the imperial side as well, meaning that from now on, they had to rely solely on their physical abilities in battle.
Although the Lampert Adventurer Party had suffered great losses in the fight against Alpha, the hexagonal orb wouldn’t last long.
Dominic needed the power of the Knights of the Judgment, and specifically Anais’ strength which drew her strength from Origin power rather than pure magical power.
Although it wouldn’t be as effective as when she could fully use her magic, it would still provide overwhelming superiority against ordinary opponents who couldn’t use magical power.
“Anais, this is all for the sake of unity. This is the will of the imperial family.”
“…What is that?”
“…A future where humanity is fully united, where there will no longer be people pointing swords at each other like now. It’s a world solely for humans, where people don’t hate or resent each other.”
That was justice for humanity.
Dominic persuaded Anais.
Justice.
It was such a difficult word for her.
Anais looked back.
She saw the Lampert Adventurer Party who were weary from the earlier battle, and Klein who still seemed to have some energy left.
In contrast, the imperial guard knights who had only faced a few threatening Chimeras appeared unscathed.
But this disparity in the situation didn’t matter much to Anais.
Either way.
In the current situation, she could gain an advantage no matter where she stood.
Dominic’s words echoed in her mind again.
For justice.
Of course, Anais now understood well.
Klein had no reason to die here.
While the Lampert Adventurer Party was entangled with the imperial interests due to their own desires, Klein had nothing to do with this.
He was merely a student who joined the expedition following his big brother.
If the future they spoke of were true, there was no reason for Klein to die unjustly here.
So, it was nothing but hypocrisy and pretense.
Even so, Anais couldn’t easily make a decision.
Even if Anais sided with Klein here, there was no guarantee that her choice wouldn’t reach the ears of the imperial family with so many people around.
Anais wanted to hide her presence until she understood the imperial family’s lies, which so loudly proclaimed justice, and until she had gathered her own strength.
But in the end, the moment of choice arrived before she could do so.
Anais reached a single conclusion.
I see, I’m the same.
Hypocrisy. Pretense.
The true nature hidden within the words of those who shouted for justice, including the Knights of Judgment.
If she stood with the imperial family once more here,
Then she would be no different from them.
Anais ignited the aura on her sword.
Her flawless pure white aura finally pointed its edge at the imperial knights.
“…In the end, you made such a choice. It’s a pity. If things had flowed just a bit differently, the imperial family could have embraced all the talents here. We can only blame the empire for being blind.…”
With that, Dominic and the imperial guard knights stepped back.
“.……?”
“We should be grateful we don’t have to dirty our hands any further.”
“……!”
“Hehe… Humans, humans are indeed amusing. Can I join in too?”
Before the voice that came from behind her could even finish, Anais’s sword swung backward.
Clang—!
“Hehehe! Alright, I’ll join in. Huh─?!”
In that brief moment, Alpha who had largely healed from the wounds inflicted by Klein and Anais was struck by Anais’ sword and went flying.
“Hurry up and deal with them, monster. The imperial favor won’t last forever.”
“A shame, hehe! Okay!”
It didn’t matter.
Though he wanted to play a bit more, killing such strong humans like snapping twigs was also fun.
Alpha turned his attention away from Anais and towards the barely holding Lampert Adventurer Party.
“Tsk… The imperial family is as filthy as ever.”
“I’ll accept all the insults you have. But the outcome won’t change.”
Eleksa glared at Dominic with killing intent, but the latter met her gaze calmly.
“Now, let’s play again!!”
At that moment, Alpha lunged toward the Lampert Adventurer Party.
But,
Thud—!
Something darted in from Alpha’s side, landing a blow so powerful that it left a deep dent in his side.
The previous wound inflicted by Anais tore open again, and Alpha screamed in agony as he was slammed into the wall.
“What?!”
A sudden golden aura had appeared.
Dominic’s face showed shock upon confirming who was the owner of that aura.
Though it was faint, Klein was clearly emitting that light, and he did not take his eyes off Alpha, who had been sent flying. His bright golden eyes were now the same color as his aura.
This was the moment.
Klein suddenly recalled.
[When that time comes, don’t worry and unleash all your magical power. Then you’ll understand what I mean.]
What Shane said a few days ago was with exactly this situation in mind.
He knew.
He had identified who the traitor in the expedition team was and had entrusted the current situation to Klein.
Klein didn’t know how his brother had predicted this situation, but he didn’t care about that right now.
For the first time in his life, Klein squeezed out the maximum amount of magical power he possessed. With this overwhelming amount, he could barely overcome the anti-magic wave, and he felt that the magic that had always overflowed like a spring was quickly running dry.
I must finish this quickly.
Though it was difficult to exert his usual strength now, Alpha had not fully recovered from his wounds as well.
Klein judged that he had to completely kill Alpha while Anais dealt with the Imperial Knights.
However, the surprise did not come from Klein alone.
-Crack.
The moment the hexagonal orb was unable to withstand Klein’s magic and got cracked,
“……?!”
Dominic realized that there was something under his feet but before he could even look down to see what it was, his shadow swallowed him whole.
“Commander!”
The Imperial Guard Knights grew alarmed and tried to rush to Dominic’s help, but Anais was not about to let that happen.
The shadow that had completely engulfed Dominic wriggled as if savoring something, and then it came out of Dominic’s body and took on the form of a human being.
[Delicious. The hypocrisy of a disgusting human is this sweet.]
The shadow.
The dark spirit easily subdued Dominic whose magic was frozen and then it vanished into the darkness with a satisfied smile.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
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