“Villainess Noble Lady, Confronting the Dragon”
This is impossible.
That was the only thought that filled my mind at the sight before me.
It wasn’t denial or an attempt to escape reality. I was simply stunned that something which should not exist was standing right there.
“Lady Vina.”
Yua must have felt the same. Her voice betrayed her shock.
“What is this…? Why is there a dragon here? That thing… isn’t it—”
I understood her confusion.
The existence of dragons wasn’t what was strange. What was impossible was this particular dragon being here.
It should have been sealed inside a girl’s body.
A dragon is a singular existence. There is no other. And if it was here now, outside of its vessel, then there could only be one explanation.
“…Don’t tell me. The ‘vessel’?”
There was no other possibility.
But even that felt wrong.
As far as I knew, the noble girl serving as the dragon’s vessel—the one maintaining its seal—was currently attending the Clreatio Magic Academy. I had seen her a few times before.
(Ah… now that I think about it, she was one of the girls listed as involved in that bullying incident. Don’t tell me she’s dead? Was she killed deliberately… to release the dragon?)
That possibility was disturbingly plausible.
“Lady Vina, it seems we don’t have time to think. We’ll have to discuss it later.”
The dragon’s massive shadow descending from the sky was rapidly growing larger.
Yua was right. There was no point standing here thinking.
I released my magic, strengthening my physical abilities. Yua did the same.
Once we were both ready for battle, I turned to the still-dazed people around us.
“We’ll hold it off. Please evacuate the civilians.”
“Hold it off…? That’s insane! That’s a dragon! We need to run!”
At their panicked objection, I couldn’t help but sigh.
As if we had the luxury of refusing. If we did nothing, we would die.
“Insane or not, we don’t have a choice. Are you planning to become dragon food while standing here?”
“Gh—!”
I heard someone swallow hard.
I didn’t care.
“Personally, I don’t mind if you do.”
I stepped forward.
“If you’re going to die anyway, you might as well resist until the end.”
“Agreed. And once we confirm everyone has finished evacuating, we’ll withdraw immediately. So please hurry.”
Yua smiled gently, as if this were nothing more than routine work.
Voices began to rise—fearful, defeated.
“This is impossible…”
“It’s over…”
But then—
“Get a grip, you bastards!!”
A rough voice cut through the despair.
“It’s impossible, sure! But if we don’t do it, we die anyway, right?! Then we do it!!”
Kankuru.
A womanizer I neither wanted to be involved with, nor wanted near Yua—but right now, his shouting was useful.
Another man followed.
“Yeah… that’s right. We can’t beat that monster, but we can at least evacuate the civilians.”
And like a chain reaction, more voices rose.
“Y-yeah… at least that much…”
“We can do that much…”
“Right. We’ll handle what we can instead of standing around uselessly.”
“We can’t let the younger ones do all the work!”
Good.
Now all that was left was to delay the dragon until evacuation was complete.
“…Yua.”
“Yes, Lady Vina.”
We exchanged no further words.
We simply moved apart.
Casting flight magic on our bodies, we rushed toward the dragon.
And immediately unleashed our spells at full power.
From my hands burst black light, and from Yua’s, white light—both striking the dragon’s hardened body and scattering on impact.
Basic light beam magic.
But its power scales entirely with the user’s magic output, which is why nobles often rely on it.
As our battle began, the others finally sprang into action, each fulfilling their roles.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
The King of the Kingdom of Lafaris was troubled.
Ever since the annulment of the engagement between the Second Prince Arnight and Lady Vina Lilifar, the kingdom had been plagued by unrest.
Among the issues was a series of mysterious deaths at the Clreatio Magic Academy. And among the victims was a girl who should have been under national protection.
She belonged to the “Cocytus” lineage—holders of a designated sealed monster within their bodies, a dragon-class immortal entity that could only be contained through sealing.
“Hmm… still no sign of the dragon’s location?”
“We are continuing the search with full effort.”
“I see…”
The King sighed.
If the dragon were left unchecked, several cities would undoubtedly be destroyed. That had to be prevented at all costs.
“…Please. Before my beloved people suffer harm… be found.”
At those words, Arnight scoffed.
“What are you talking about? A few casualties would make things easier, wouldn’t it? We’d find it faster that way.”
That was not something one would expect from the most likely heir to the throne.
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
The King raised his voice.
But Arnight remained calm.
“You’re still as soft as ever. That’s why everyone looks down on you, Father. Worrying over a few casualties is foolish. You are not foolish… are you?”
“…Are you serious?”
“Of course I am. Why would I joke?”
The King was utterly disgusted by his son’s words. If he could, he would strip him of the succession right then and there. But he could not—that fact alone weighed heavily on him.
Then the girl beside Arnight stepped forward.
Mina Yukishiro, now Arnight’s fiancée in place of Vina.
“Your Majesty, why have so many knights been assigned to the dragon search? What about searching for Lady Vina?”
“Oh, right. Father, please allocate half of the dragon search force to finding that woman.”
The King swallowed the urge to shout at them.
“No.”
“Are you abandoning Yua?”
The Second Prince spoke as if invoking justice.
But the King shook his head.
“That is not the case. The dragon takes priority. Vina Lilifar’s matter comes afterward.”
Arnight’s face twisted in anger.
“You would let a criminal go free?!”
The King snorted.
“It is questionable whether she is even a criminal.”
He glanced at Mina coldly.
That look only fueled Arnight’s rage.
“What do you mean by that?! She abducted Yua and fled! There is no excuse left! Anyone who threatens the kingdom must be eliminated immediately!”
The King responded calmly.
“That is correct. Which is why we are focusing all efforts on the dragon.”
Arnight gritted his teeth, hatred burning in his eyes—far too intense for something directed at his own father.
“…I understand, Father. That is your answer. Mina, let’s go.”
“Y-yes…”
They turned away.
Before leaving, Arnight muttered under his breath:
“Worthless king.”
Pure contempt.
Then he left the room, leading Mina behind him.
“…Your Majesty, are you all right?”
“I am fine. Forgive me for showing such a disgraceful sight.”
The secretary tried to find words of comfort, but none came.
“Continue the dragon search.”
With a weary voice, the King issued his order.
And the secretary, unable to hide his discomfort, felt his hatred toward the Second Prince deepen even further.
