đźź Chapter 72:
🟧 Takeru's POV
We continued pushing our way toward the palace, though the gang members kept blocking our path at every turn. If this kept up, we were going to be late.
Mirai stopped running, clearly annoyed by the constant obstacles.
"Ugh… this is getting ridiculous. Maybe I should just summon a mount for us."
But before she could do that, a voice called out from above:
"Takeru… Takeru!"
It was a familiar voice—actually, it was unmistakable.
Ryo.
But his appearance had changed completely. He now stood in a half-human, half-dragon form.
His size was still enormous, and for a moment I couldn't believe it was really him… until I saw Prince Elnar on his back.
Both were injured, though the prince seemed to be in critical condition.
Ryo landed and gently lowered Elnar to the ground. As soon as the prince noticed me, he asked:
"Takeru, is that you? Where is Elithius?!"
…He just had to ask the one question I didn't want to hear.
But he was Elithius' brother, so I had to answer.
"Number Four managed to take him from us and escaped toward the palace."
Elnar slammed his fist against the ground, furious, then looked up and asked about Haizen:
"Where's Haizen? Weren't you two together?"
"When we were at the academy, Number Three attacked us. We left Haizen to handle him."
"Do you think he can win on his own?"
"I'm not sure… but let's hope so."
Ryo then added:
"Now that you mention it… I left Number Five wandering around the academy."
He lifted the prince again and told me to climb up too so we could head to the palace.
"Get on, Takeru. We're going to the palace."
"But the prince… he's bleeding badly."
"We might find Doctor Azitram there. He can treat him."
But Mirai suddenly stepped in.
"No need to look for a doctor. I can heal him."
Ryo, who hadn't noticed her until now, looked at her in surprise, then turned to me, confused:
"Who is this girl, Takeru? Is she with you?"
"Well… for now, yes. And don't worry—she's not lying. She really can heal the prince."
Ryo didn't hesitate. Trusting her entirely, he lowered the prince in front of her.
"I'm counting on you… citizen."
"My name is Mirai."
"…Alright then, Mirai."
Once she saw his wound up close, she immediately noticed the bleeding near the prince's heart.
"Did he get stabbed in the heart? Your endurance is insane…"
But Ryo shook his head.
"His heart is fine. The prince was born with it on the other side."
The other side…!
A condition called dextrocardia. They say only one in ten thousand people is born with it.
Lucky for him, given what happened.
Mirai continued healing, and within moments she was done.
The prince stood up, completely restored. He thanked her:
"Thank you for your help. I appreciate it."
"It's nothing. And you, dragon—want me to heal you too?"
Ryo was injured on his arm, his eye, and even his tail.
But he declined.
"Thank you, but it's too late. I'm a dragon—my natural regeneration is far higher than a human's. You can't regrow my arm now."
"I see… then there's nothing I can do."
I'd heard the same thing before. His arm and eye had long healed over—meaning their state couldn't be reversed anymore.
"Alright, everyone. Let's keep moving."
Elnar hopped onto Ryo's back again, and Mirai and I climbed up after him as Ryo took off toward the palace.
There was one question that had been nagging me since Ryo appeared:
How did his form become… actually cool now, after looking more like a lizard before?
He'd told me he had special abilities once—was this it?
Curiosity took over.
"Ryo, about your form… how did you become like this? Is this the thing you mentioned before?"
His voice held a mixture of strength and sadness.
"Yes. This is what I told you about. I can transform into this form… but only once."
"So those dragons—did you summon them?"
"Well… I'm the reason they came. It's good they did. I'm weak on my own, so I needed them."
I didn't expect him to call himself weak.
A one-time transformation… he really chose the perfect moment for it.
Prince Elnar scolded him:
"What are you talking about, Ryo?! Stop calling yourself weak. Weaklings are those who can't change anything—you are not one of them."
Ryo smiled, grateful.
"Thank you, my prince."
We were nearing the palace when we noticed something surrounding it—
a transparent dome.
"What is that thing? What kind of ability is this?"
Mirai knew immediately.
"It's a Mana-Sensing Barrier. It detects anyone who passes through it by reading their mana."
So they were prepared for an attack.
Things were going to get complicated right from the start.
Once we crossed the barrier, no one appeared.
That was the opposite of what I expected.
Ryo headed straight for the main hall.
As we approached it, the first threat appeared—
Number Four stepped out in front of us.
Of course they knew we were coming.
"Well, well… the little rat came all the way here—and brought new friends too."
She smirked mockingly.
Behind her were the king, his court, guards, doctors, and palace workers—
all restrained and unconscious.
Elnar and Ryo noticed the hostages.
"The king… and everyone else. But where is Elithius?!"
Elithius wasn't with them.
Number Four replied coldly:
"You're too late to look for that prince. He's with the boss now."
Not surprising—of course their boss would have him.
Elnar turned to me:
"Takeru, is this the member you told us took Elithius earlier?"
"Yes, it's her. If we fight her together, we can defeat her."
But Mirai disagreed sharply:
"No need for all of us to fight her. That's a waste of time—
and also giving her too much credit.
I alone am enough."
Number Four bristled with anger.
"What did you just say?! Who do you think you are to challenge me alone?!"
Mirai pushed her buttons even more.
"Who do I think I am? Just a girl stronger than you."
She then turned to us.
"Leave her to me. You can continue searching for the little prince.
I'll free the court too."
This girl… she kept surprising me with abilities I didn't expect.
She was definitely not ordinary.
Elnar and Ryo turned to me for confirmation.
"Takeru, what do you think? Can she handle her?"
"We fought Number Four before—even though she took the prince from us, Mirai is still challenging her. She's not stupid enough to fight someone unless she's sure she can win.
If she's confident… then I trust her."
"Very well. If you say so… Ms Mirai, we're counting on you."
Without saying a word, she raised her thumb at us.
We continued deeper inside to search for Prince Elithius—
and end this chaos once and for all.