* * *

A single breath from the Scarlet Dragon shattered the thick barrier of ice. Lydon flew high, dodging the flying claws.

Immediately flying in front of the Scarlet Dragon, Lydon raised his mana and the Scarlet Dragon’s eyes narrowed.

“Fighting dragons is pretty fun too!”

It wasn’t the best thing to say in the middle of a bloodbath, but Lydon genuinely thought the battle was fun. Not because their skills were equal, or because it was a close fight.

The Scarlet Dragon was far outgunned. It was more accurate to say that he was overpowered. He knew that even if he could stop the Scarlet Dragon’s movements, it would only be for a moment, and that was what made it fun.

The feeling of increasing elevation even erased the pain caused by the depletion of mana. He muttered something with a gleam in his eye, and then the blizzard that covered everything stopped moving in unison.

The snowflakes, cutting through the atmosphere like shards of glass, floated up and began to gather behind Lydon. Accompanied by an intense chill, they glowed white as they gathered. The spreading snowballs soon formed into one giant magic circle that settled behind Lydon.

Sensing that the magic circle was complete, Lydon smiled and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a shaking hand.

“Let’s test which dragon is stronger.”

[Ice Dragon].

A sharp resonance rang out from Lydon’s magic circle. With an eerie echo, like the scream of a beast, a massive forepaw carved from ice began to appear. The hooked claws and dense scales were not unlike those of the Scarlet Dragon.

For a moment, the Scarlet Dragon’s eyes flashed with recognition. At first, it seemed to be responding to Lydon’s magic, a provocation that summoned the dragon before it, but the voice that followed said something else entirely.

[A strangely familiar power, I thought. Are you Hesonia’s successor?]

“……Who is who’s successor? It’s so annoying.”

[You have gained the power of Hesonia, but you do not seem to know the price.]

The Scarlet Dragon let out a low rumble, as if mocking, and flapped its wings lazily.

[Fall, fairy. I have nothing more to do with you.]

How the Scarlet Dragon knew Hesonia, and the price of his power. Nothing was explained, but Lydon could vaguely recognize them.

For he fell against his will at the same time the Scarlet Dragon spoke.

The Scarlet Dragon’s voice echoed to everyone in the mountains, no matter who they were, so Cadel constantly wondered what it would cost Lydon to gain Hesonia’s power, and what it meant to tell him to fall.

“Put me down, Van! Lydon’s in danger!”

It was clear that something had happened to Lydon. He had already sent Garuel, but that couldn’t reassure him completely. Not even Garuel could raise the dead.

Cadel pushed at Van’s shoulders as he ran, trying to get out of his embrace somehow, but Van was unyielding, ignoring Cadel’s demands as stubbornly as ever.

“You can’t go back.”

“Van!”

“No!”

Van, the first to raise his voice, stood upright. Then he spoke warningly into Cadel’s startled face.

“I can’t let Commander go. I’m sick of seeing you being in danger. I’m also angry that situations keep happening where I can’t protect you. ……. I absolutely cannot tolerate letting you go when I can protect you.”

Van’s breathing was ragged from carrying a man down the mountain. Cadel stared blankly into Van’s distorted face with a stunned expression.

Cadel was surprised that Van had spoken up for the first time, that he’d given him an unequivocal refusal of his orders, but most surprising of all was that Van had seen Cadel’s crisis as an excruciating pain. The fact that he blamed himself for the whole thing was deeply disturbing to Cadel.

Van looked away from the speechless Cadel and bit his lip impatiently.

“……I’m sorry, I’m not mad at you, Commander.”

“You—”

There was more than one point he wanted to reflect on. Cadel was so embarrassed that he momentarily forgot the urgency of the situation.

But just as he was about to explain to Van.

[There you are.]

The Scarlet Dragon’s voice echoed in his head once again, casting a huge shadow over the land. Looking up at the sky, Van continued to run, his face a mask of defeat, but it was no use. The Scarlet Dragon’s wings had created a gust of wind that enveloped the entire forest. All the humans could do was cling to a nearby tree for support in the face of the killing wind.

“Damn it……!”

Van wrapped one arm around Cadel and the other around the tree. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Dragon descended with grace and ease to stand before them.

Cadel struggled against the gusting winds and the horrifying images that rushed through his mind.

‘The Scarlet Dragon has come all the way this far, which means that…….’

In a flash, the faces of Lumen, Lydon, and Garuel flashed before his eyes. I wanted to think that the Scarlet Dragon had eluded them, or that they had retreated at Garuel’s behest, but that didn’t work out that way.

Cadel tightened his grip on Van’s arm around his waist. Once the Scarlet Dragon had fully landed, the gusts of wind that had threatened to cut through the forest quickly subsided.

The Scarlet Dragon’s gaze was focused solely on Cadel. It didn’t force Cadel away or threaten him, but it was putting a lot of pressure on Cadel just by staring at him.

“Run away, Commander. I’ll take care of this.”

Van stepped forward, pushing Cadel back. The look in his eyes, as he drew his greatsword, showed a strong determination to cut down whatever was in front of him. Cadel did not take his eyes off the Scarlet Dragon even though he was being pushed out by Van.

“Please run away. Right now.”

When Cadel didn’t move, Van let out a half-impatient voice. His steady golden eyes trembled slightly.

“Commander.”

Cadel did not answer the desperate call. Instead, he stepped to the side, and now that he was away from Van’s back, Cadel looked at Van cautiously. Van’s expression cracked at the obvious implications.

“No. Go back, please.”

“I’m going to be fine, Van.”

“Commander!”

“Find the rest of the members. I will definitely go back.”

No matter how loudly Van tried to stop him, it was no use. Staring into Van’s eyes, Cadel backed away little by little, then threw himself not at Van but at the Scarlet Dragon. The Scarlet Dragon immediately spread its wings and took off as soon as Cadel landed on its back.

Van rushed out and reached for it, but there was nothing to grab. There was nothing he could do as the Scarlet Dragon soared in front of him, creating winds so strong he could barely keep his eyes open.

“Damn it, Cadel! Get back here!”

Van threw down his greatsword, unable to hold back the frenzied rush of emptiness and rage. A shrill voice pierced the forest, calling Cadel’s name, but there was no answer.