In the end, the survivors took the money and food given to them, carrying their grief and sorrow as they left the ruined town. Watching their retreating figures, no one spoke for a long time. Duanmu Huai withdrew his gaze, looked at Anne, and gave a cold snort.
"Alright, Your Highness the Princess, now tell me—when the people of Manaria, who lost their homes, friends, and loved ones in the dragon attack, stand before you begging you to slay the dragons and avenge them, how exactly will you convince them to live peacefully alongside dragons?"
"I…"
Faced with Duanmu Huai's question, Anne could not answer. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but as her eyes once again fell on the charred houses, the carbonized corpses, and the wreckage of what had once been a town, she did not know what words could possibly come out.
"B-but… those weren't dragons of Regnis…"
"And yet they didn't stop it."
Duanmu Huai coldly cut off Anne's timid attempt at an excuse.
"To the eyes of the victims, standing by is the same as being an accomplice. And besides… Regnis' dragons are still dragons. To the people, distinguishing between the two is meaningless, because no matter what, dragons will not help them. Am I wrong?"
"…"
This time, under Duanmu Huai's rebuke, neither of the two spoke. Duanmu Huai simply turned his back.
"Enough, let's keep moving. At least we have a destination now."
Saving those survivors had not been in vain. According to them, the dragons had come from the Frozen Mountains in the north. Since they had not encountered these dragons before, it was highly likely the beasts were still in the mountains. Searching the entire range would still be a huge undertaking, but it was far better than wandering aimlessly.
After that, Anne and Guleya said nothing along the way. Though they had read reports before, only by seeing it with their own eyes did they truly feel how terrifying pain, anger, and hatred could be. Even children were not spared; from the bottom of their hearts they wished for all dragons to die. And such hatred could never be dispelled with just a few words.
The Metal Secret Dragon moved swiftly. By dusk, the group had already arrived at the foot of the Frozen Mountains. Owen tried persuading the two princesses to eat something, but perhaps the earlier shock was too great—neither of them had any appetite.
"How long do you plan to sulk like this?"
Seeing the two princesses slumping in gloom on the Metal Secret Dragon's back, Duanmu Huai lost his temper. He smacked Anne hard on the back, then reached out and grabbed Guleya's tail.
"Ah!"
"Yah!!"
Suddenly attacked, the two princesses screamed in fright, but Duanmu Huai only glared at them fiercely.
"Well? Are you awake now? This isn't the time to wallow in sorrow. We're on an adventure—enemies could appear at any moment! Who are you two staring into space for? Do you think daydreaming will defeat the Evil Dragon? Don't forget why you came here! If you can't handle it, then hurry up and scurry back home! This isn't a children's game!"
"I—I won't go back!!"
At those words, Anne suddenly leapt up.
"I swear, I will destroy the Evil Dragon and avenge the people of Manaria! And I'll do it together with Guleya! When the time comes, we'll bring back the Evil Dragon's corpse to Manaria! I'll show everyone it was Guleya who helped us defeat it! Guleya is not a villain!!"
"M-me too…"
At that moment, Guleya nodded firmly, though for some reason her cheeks flushed red.
"I too will fight to destroy Fafnir. No matter what, this is my duty as a Dragonborn!"
"Good."
Satisfied with their answers, Duanmu Huai nodded.
"Now eat something and prepare for battle."
"Battle?"
"T-that's fine of course, but, Sir Knight…"
Guleya raised her head to look at Duanmu Huai, tears glistening in her eyes, her face still flushed.
"P-please let go of my tail… I don't have any strength left…"
"Oh, my mistake."
He had to admit, though, the tail felt rather pleasant to hold—plump and soft, quite nice to the touch.
"But… after seeing such a scene, Sir Knight can still eat?"
It was no wonder Anne felt that way. After all, they had just seen human corpses burned to cinders. Having no appetite was normal. So seeing Duanmu Huai and the others eating as usual felt strange to them.
"What else?"
Duanmu Huai gave a disdainful snort.
"Only with a full stomach can you fight. If you skip meals and end up too weak in the middle of a sudden battle, only to get killed, now that would be a joke. Manaria's greatest mage killed because she was hungry? I could laugh about that for a whole year!"
"Uh…"
After that, the two princesses finally pulled themselves together somewhat, ate a little food, drank some water, and regained some energy. Though they still looked weary, Duanmu Huai was satisfied—they were at least in fighting condition now.
But…
"Sir Knight, when you say battle, who are we supposed to be fighting?"
"Dragons, of course."
Duanmu Huai gave a helpless answer to Anne's foolish question.
"But… there are no enemies nearby?"
Owen raised his own doubt. When he had heard Duanmu Huai speak of a battle, he thought they were being ambushed and immediately scanned the area. But he found not even a shadow.
"The enemy isn't here. But we can lure them over."
Duanmu Huai chuckled, raising his head toward the Frozen Mountains.
"You've heard it before. The dragons that attacked the villages all came from these mountains. It's very likely they're still here. But this place is huge—who knows how long we'd spend searching? So we might as well drag them out directly."
"Drag them out?"
"How?"
"Watch me. Cover your ears."
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai stepped forward and summoned two Servo-skulls to fly up into the sky. Then he activated their directional amplification mode.
Facing the Frozen Mountains, he drew in a deep breath.
"You lowly, filthy, winged lizards—get your asses out here and die!!"
His thunderous roar echoed throughout the range.
"What's wrong? Chickened out? Cowards with guts smaller than pine nuts! Your bodies are big, but your courage is pathetic! Come out if you dare, and see how your grandpa peels your skin and cracks your bones!!"
"Fafnir is an idiot! And the lot of you under him are nothing but sneaky, worthless trash!!"
"…"
Even with their ears covered, the others could still hear Duanmu Huai's thunderous taunts. They all exchanged glances, speechless, unsure what to say.
And then…
"ROARRRR!!"
A furious dragon's roar erupted from within the mountains. Moments later, several dark shapes rose into the sky, flying straight toward them.
"As expected, a pack of brainless fools."
Duanmu Huai grinned coldly, gripping his warhammer.
"Alright, prepare for battle!"
Crude as his method was, it was effective. In the blink of an eye, dark shadows swooped down from above, surrounding them completely.
"You lowly thing, are you the one who dares insult the majesty of dragons?!"
The leading black dragon glared furiously at Duanmu Huai, baring its fangs in a menacing roar. Just standing before its massive body was enough to strike fear. But Duanmu Huai, holding his warhammer, was utterly unafraid.
"That's what I should be saying to you, winged lizard, I—"
"Please wait!!"
Just then, Guleya suddenly spoke, cutting him off. Throwing back her cloak, she raised her head to face the dragons.
"I want to ask… was it you… who destroyed the village ahead?"
"Village? You mean that nest of monkeys?"
Perhaps because she was of the same race, the black dragon gave an answer.
"Yes, that was our doing."
"Why? Did you have some grudge with them?"
"Grudge?"
The black dragon snorted coldly.
"Those monkeys had nothing to do with us. We did it simply for fun. Watching those stupid two-legged animals scream, run, and die beneath our flames—that is the greatest entertainment! We dragons are the rulers of all life. Everything else exists only as our playthings!"
"Boom!!"
Before it could finish, a thunderous burst of magic light shot into the sky. The others turned their heads to see Anne, fists clenched, eyes blazing with fury.
"Just… just for fun, you took their lives? Destroyed their homes? I will never forgive you! Spirits of the heroic dead!! Answer my call, strike down the enemy!!"
She raised her hand high. In the next moment, a towering knight spirit clad in full armor, wielding spear and shield, manifested in the air. It leveled its spear and charged at the black dragon!
"Attack!!"
At that same instant, Duanmu Huai leapt up, warhammer raised high, and brought it down hard upon the dragon!
(End of Chapter)