We live in the foothills of Dragon Peak.
The Great Decisive Battle in the Forbidden Territory.
“That’s cowardly, you idiotic Dragon King!”
As I shouted that, Astel conjured a large shield in addition to the grotesque magic sword in his right hand.
“This is a dragon-slaying magic sword and a shield to defend against dragon arts. If you’re scared, just admit defeat.”
The magic sword radiated a presence that made one feel sick just by looking at it. The large shield was so big it could hide Astel’s entire body.
The demons, in their history, have created various magical artifacts in an effort to surpass the Dragon Race and Dragonfolk, races considered superior to themselves. This might be the best magic sword and large shield specifically for fighting the Dragonfolk that Astel knows of.
However, Mistral did not flinch at Astel’s warning and took a step forward without hesitation. Then, he drew a jet-black one-handed club.
“Wait, wait, Mist. You’re not an idiot, so you should understand. This magic sword is imbued with an attribute that will kill you all, you know?”
“It seems so? My instincts show a strong aversion to that magic sword.”
He must be sensing a danger that I, a human, cannot perceive, but that Mistral, a Dragonfolk, can.
But Mistral’s advance was unwavering.
Step by step, Mistral closed the distance with Astel.
Conversely, Astel, who possessed weapons designed for fighting Dragonfolk, began to retreat.
“Are you an idiot? No matter how strong you are, this large shield will block all dragon arts! You have no chance of winning, you know? So, hand over that foolish Dragon King already. Then I’ll let you go.”
“Uh, did you really need me? Astel and Elin are assassins hired by Lord Reed, right?”
“Fufu, fufufu. Once we have Elnea secured, we shall play with him like a doll, sir.”
“Play with whom!?”
Both Astel and the Puppet King, armed with the justification of being hired by Lord Reed, were enjoying interfering with us with vigor.
But, are they alright?
Their opponent is Mistral, you know?
Ignoring my worries, the confrontation between the Primogenitor Race and the Dragonfolk began.
Mistral swung his one-handed club with great force.
Astel thrust his magic sword at Mistral’s defenseless upper body!
A grating metallic sound echoed.
Then, the magic sword shattered midway.
Mistral’s one-handed club, brought down in a single blow, pulverized the dragon-slaying magic sword.
Astel, perhaps numb from the shock, let go of the magic sword’s hilt. Nevertheless, he attempted to resist Mistral by wielding the large shield in front of him.
At that moment, Mistral’s second blow, which had crushed the magic sword in the first attack, descended.
“Kugh!”
Astel instinctively took cover behind the large shield. The one-handed club struck mercilessly!
A dull, heavy impact sound.
The large shield was smashed into countless pieces.
This is absurd!
Astel’s eyes widened in astonishment, hidden behind the shattered shield.
“Why!? This large shield is supposed to block all dragon arts!”
Unbelieving, Astel stared at the fragments of the shattered shield.
Astel’s ability for material creation was genuine. It is the ultimate, best ability to create something from nothing, and Astel had been able to wield the power of material creation freely since birth. Therefore, he would not fail now.
If Astel had created them as “weapons for fighting Dragonfolk,” then both the magic sword and the large shield would undeniably possess performance that would be a threat to Mistral.
Yet, not only did the magic sword fail to harm Mistral and instead shattered easily, but the large shield was also crushed to nothing by the one-handed club.
Not only Astel, but even his partner, the Puppet King, showed a look of surprise.
However, I already knew.
No tricks would work on Mistral.
Mistral, having shattered the large shield, tapped the tip of his one-handed club with his palm.
“Yes. It’s true that a magic sword with a dragon-slaying attribute is a threat. But if the wielder is an amateur, it’s a waste of a treasure, isn’t it?”
That’s right. No matter how amazing the weapons Astel created were, without any combat skill, they would only become toys in Astel’s hands.
“But the large shield…!”
Still puzzled as to why the large shield, which could block dragon arts just by holding it, was destroyed, Astel voiced his question.
So, Mistral told him with a slight wry smile.
“Oh, I haven’t used any dragon arts yet? I broke your shield with just the strength of my arm.”
That’s right!
As a Dragonfolk, Mistral possesses physical abilities that surpass not only me, a human, but even demons. So, breaking the large shield with brute force was nothing more than exercise before breakfast.
“Elnea?”
“I don’t think Mistral is strong, you know? I just thought your Dragonfolk physical abilities were amazing.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
As a woman, she probably didn’t want to be praised for her strength, no matter how great it was.
“Never mind what I was thinking. Now, Astel, accept your fate and apologize?”
As I urged him, Astel, with a look of frustration, bowed his head to Mistral… or rather, he was about to.
But then, Astel moved unnaturally.
Without any prior movement, Astel suddenly leaped backward.
“Thm!?”
Astel himself widened his eyes in surprise at his own movement.
At the same time, the Puppet King let out his usual chuckle, “Fufu, fufufu.”
“We knew from the start that Astel’s physical abilities were no better than those of a low-ranking demon, sir.”
“Elin, you!?”
Although Astel and the Puppet King had become familiar enough to call each other by name, they apparently still lacked complete unity in their intentions at a crucial moment.
“So, Elin-chan, your plan was to control Astel, who has no combat skills, with magic threads to counter Mistral, right?”
I nodded as if understanding, Mistral gave a wry smile, and Astel’s face turned pale.
“Are you an idiot? Do you think this monstrously strong Dragon Princess can be stopped by mere magic threads?”
I agreed with Astel’s scream.
No matter how skillfully the Puppet King controlled Astel, I don’t think Mistral could be stopped.
In fact, Mistral was still calmly observing the situation between Astel and the Puppet King.
“I surrender. Even if the armor can block Mist’s dragon arts, it can’t block my brute strength.”
“Fufufu, please don’t worry. If it doesn’t hit, it doesn’t matter, does it?”
“Hey, you idiot! Stop it!”
Astel screamed.
However, Astel, being a novice in combat, lacked the ability to tear off the puppet threads that bound his entire body.
Despite his will, Astel assumed a defensive stance against Mistral.
“Kugh. Elin, you’ll pay for this later.”
“You mean our promise to toast our victory, right? Yes, I certainly remember it.”
It seems both of them had plans for after they defeated us.
But, will things go as smoothly as they planned?
Astel, perhaps having made up his mind, conjured two magic swords and held them in both hands.
He seemed to have judged that armor was useless against Mistral’s strength.
“Well then, is it about time?”
Mistral still maintained a calm demeanor, watching Astel and the Puppet King prepare themselves.
“Kukuku, this time I will defeat the Dragon Princess and gain freedom in the Forbidden Territory!”
Raising the magic swords in both hands, Astel leaped upward.
With a speed unimaginable from Astel’s original physical abilities, he closed the distance to Mistral in an instant.
Mistral showed a slight expression of surprise. However, his movements were not shaken.
He clearly read Astel’s movement as he stepped into range.
The next moment.
Mistral was standing in front of the Puppet King.
“Kya-”
The Puppet King let out a small scream.
And without even being able to react, Mistral subdued him in an instant!
“That’s only natural. If there’s no need to fight Astel properly, he should go after Elin-chan, right?”
Astel was stunned, Mistral having vanished from his sight in an instant.
However, Mistral didn’t teleport.
He simply moved at a speed that Astel and the Puppet King couldn’t react to.
“After all, like Astel, Elin herself has low physical abilities.”
Unfortunately.
Like Astel, the Puppet King’s puppetry and magic threads capable of manipulating others were breathtakingly effective, but she herself was a complete novice in combat.
“Kugh, how cowardly.”
Now that the Puppet King had been subdued by Mistral, Astel seemed to have regained his freedom. Perhaps judging that further interference would only backfire, he dropped the two magic swords and raised both hands in surrender.
Still, Astel wouldn’t be Astel if he didn’t blurt out insults.
“First of all, I wasn’t told that the Dragon Princess, not the Dragon King, would be participating.”
“Well, you see. It’s because Mistral was the only one who could resist Lord Reed’s kidnapping.”
“Why resist?”
“What do you want me to say?”
It can’t be helped, can it?
For both Astel and the Puppet King, Mistral not being kidnapped must have been the biggest miscalculation.
“Fufu, fufufu. If it were only Elnea, we would have had a chance of winning, though?”
“Elin-chan, you were planning to obstruct me with all sorts of schemes, weren’t you?”
The Puppet King confirmed this with a cute, girlish smile. However, being held by Mistral, she could only maintain her smile.
“Alright, Mistral. Let’s thoroughly punish Astel and Elin-chan, who obstructed us from rescuing my family from the great incident!”
“Gyaaaah! You truly are a wicked Dragon King!”
“Fufufu, do you feel the shadow of death?”
“Please forgive us!” Astel, abandoning all pride of his Duke Rank, prostrated himself.
It seems Astel truly couldn’t stand up to Mistral.
Elin-chan also looked at me with eyes pleading for her life.
“Don’t think you can fool me with those eyes! You were planning to trap me with all sorts of schemes, weren’t you?”
“Elnea, that is a misunderstanding, sir.”
“You’re lying, aren’t you?”
“Fufu, fufufu.”
“You’re not denying it!?”
Sigh. What a troublesome pair of Primogenitors they are.
Mistral let out a sigh.
“Well, if it were just a usual prank, I might forgive you with just seiza for reflection?”
“Really!?”
“Dragon Princess, please show us mercy.”
“But, you see?”
Mistral said, looking at me.
“If you call my beloved husband an idiot or a fool, I can’t just let it slide as a wife, can I?”
Ah! Astel’s expression crumbled with shock.
“Elin also indirectly broke her promise with Elnea and did something bad, didn’t she?”
Waaah! The Puppet King looked on the verge of tears.
Because she looks like an adorable little girl, she makes people feel unnecessary guilt, doesn’t she?
But Mistral wasn’t fooled!
“Now, what kind of punishment shall I give you?”
Mistral released the Puppet King. However, the Puppet King didn’t try to escape and instead bowed in seiza beside Astel on her own accord.
” “Mist, please forgive us!” ”
And then the two of them prostrated themselves deeply.
Their movements were perfectly in sync!
This made even Mistral laugh.
I also laughed at their sincerity, and Lord Reed, who had been watching, also smiled happily.
“I suppose I have no choice. In that case, I’ll reduce your punishment if you tell me the whereabouts of everyone Lord Reed has taken.”
” “Regarding Madrine, she is in the courtyard of the mansion.” ”
The information came back without a moment’s delay, making us laugh again.
“Elnea, go and rescue Madrine. In the meantime, I will properly punish these two.”
“Gyaaaah! You said you would reduce our punishment!”
“Were we tricked?”
“Tricked? I don’t recall agreeing to Elnea’s proposal.”
Astel and the Puppet King screamed.
“Hahaha! Mistral, be reasonable. Well then, I’ll go rescue Madrine first.”
“Wait! Great Dragon King!”
“Elnea, please help us!”
Accepting the pleas of Astel and the Puppet King on my back, I hardened my heart into that of an adamant Earth Dragon and left the scene.
Well, Mistral will probably go easy on them.
I hope so.
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