Chapter 342

“I’m suspicious. What did you two come all the way out here for?”
Sechika muttered, his axe-eyes narrowed.
Sneaking away from the horde, she wandered through the sewers of Adren.
Eventually, suspicion got the better of them and they followed him.
The sewers seemed dark and creepy, just the right place for a sneaky little meeting.
The magic-sensing abilities he inherited from Asel showed Lance and Naro’s tracks as bluish footprints.
‘No, no. I don’t think so. We’ve known each other for how long–I mean, honestly, I have a better face, don’t I?’
Sechika desperately tried to convince herself.
As time went on, the hypothesis that Lance was cheating became more and more likely.
We weren’t officially dating, but that didn’t matter.
Lance’s taste in women was as firm as his heart, and the sparky transfer student fit the bill perfectly.
Rounding the corner, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Phew—.”
No one was there.
It was ironic.
She wondered about Lance and Naro’s whereabouts, and dreaded turning the corner to find them in the midst of a lovemaking session.
A kiss against the wall, or something.
If I were to witness such a thing—.
‘Please don’t do that. I like you all.
Sechika bit her nails.
I didn’t even want to think about it.
She had a good temper and was basically a sweetheart.
I only got to play with him for a day, let alone Lance, but I could tell he was a good kid.
She rounded the next corner, barely keeping her composure.
“Ouch!”
“Ugh.”
She bumped into something and fell on her ass.
Raising her head, Sechika gulped.
The Lance he’d been looking for stood before him.
“La, lance!?”
“Sechika—? Why are you in a place like this—.”
“That’s what I’m asking—what’s wrong with you, anyway?”
Cechika’s eyes flashed with embarrassment.
Lance’s face didn’t look good.
His face was white, and the way he held his sword as a staff made him look like he’d just passed out and woken up.
Lurching forward, Sechika grabbed his face with both hands.
“Who did you get hit by, and it wasn’t me, it was that burglar cat—!”
“It’s not like that—oops.”
Shaking his head, Lance gagged.
It was only a few minutes ago that he regained consciousness after being knocked out by Nabirozé.
My stomach and other organs felt like they were tap dancing in my stomach.
“Sechika–Go out and call the people. Naro is in danger.”
“What, what, Naro why?”
“There’s some bad guys trying to plant a bomb in the flamebowl–whoops, I went to take them down by myself and still haven’t heard from them, something’s wrong.”
“No way—! What are you going to do?”
“You need to go help–I’m sorry I left you behind, go get people.”
With those words, Lance walked away.
Sechika stared at the back of it, dumbfounded.
Bombing out of the blue?
Are you kidding me?
“That idiot—!”
Suddenly, it was hard to understand what was going on.
But judging by the serious look on Lance’s face, he wasn’t joking.
I was never one to play around with that stuff.
Being the quick thinker she is, she made a quick decision.
Ruffling her hair nervously, Sechika cast two spells at once.
I yelled at the asshole who was strutting off by himself.
“Hey, Lance!”
****
I never intended to absorb all of Navardoze’s power in the first place.
It was as reckless as trying to hold an incense burner in a bowl made of woven branches.
I was going to leave the Flamebowl after regaining only a fraction of my former strength.
Having suffered two catastrophic losses due to negligence, I’m proud to say that I’ve been careful and cautious.
【Crunch! Khaaaaak!】
But why did this happen?
The absorption was continuing, but the body was not regenerating.
Gargarence roared at the top of his lungs as he crashed to the ground under Nabirozé’s blow.
【This can’t be, this can’t be! I am of the Fire Dragon Clan!!!】
The snake that had wrapped itself around him was gone, but his body continued to crumble.
This was due to the destruction of three feeding stations at once: the Horn, the Heart, and the Yue Lin.
He was now more of a fire in the shape of a dragon than a dragon.
The image of Gargarence writhing in agony reminded me of a sandcastle crumbling under the waves.
“Go away–you’ve already lost.”
Nabiroze was silently evading the attack.
I was exhausted, and there was no point in fighting it.
It was already impossible to bring Gargarence back to life.
Ronan’s blood stained the blade, which had melted upon impact.
‘Now I just have to get back alive.’
But I wasn’t ready to let go just yet.
It’s great to push the envelope in extreme conditions, but it’s all for naught if you don’t make it home safely.
I’m sure that’s what’s left.
Her gaze froze as she looked around.
“Found.
A crack remained in one corner of the shield.
Nabiroze had destroyed it on his way in.
The problem was that it was slowly closing.
That’s still good enough.
With her back to Gargarence, she was just about to make her move.
[Khaaaaahhh! How dare you run away!
A roar came from the back.
At the same time, a huge wall of flames erupted in front of her eyes.
The dark red, boiling flames rose high enough to reach the ceiling of the flamebowl.
Turning his head, he saw Gargarence, his entire body turned to flames except for his head.
【Curse you, mortal! Even if I lose everything, I will blow away your years and this flame bow!!!】
“Futile.”
【Afterward, my subjects will cry out to the world! The worms that crawl the earth will once again fear the wrath of the dragon!
Gargarence roared.
Before Nabirozze could say anything, he was gone.
His body was transformed into a giant fireball, his head consumed by flames.
Kaaaaaaaah-!
The surrounding atmosphere began to swirl and gather toward the sphere.
“Oops.”
Nabirozze clicked his tongue.
It was like a star on the verge of birth.
Gargarence planned to sacrifice his own life to set off a massive explosion.
The amount of mana seemed to be enough to take down the Firebowl.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
She turned without the slightest hesitation.
Dragons aside, an explosion of this magnitude could have killed or injured students touring Adren.
Nabiroze’s heart, already pushed to the limit, pounded wildly.
“Hmph—!”
Your entire body’s mana has been centralized.
She blinked, and everything went dark.
Kaaaah!
A serpent burst through the floor and devoured the sphere.
-Shaaaaah!
【Is it the same technique again—!】
Gargarence growled.
For a moment, the absorption stopped and the flames died down.
But things didn’t get dramatically better.
A sneering voice emanated from the belly of a giant snake.
【No use! How many more years do you think you’ll last!
“Ugh—.”
[Run away with your tail between your legs, and watch with those eyes as something precious disappears!
Nabiroze gritted his teeth.
As much as I hate to admit it, that lizard was right.
She was a powerhouse, one of the top ten in the world, but the Red Dragon.
Even so, being directly hit by the fire of the Fire Dragon Clan was not a blow to be taken lightly.
As if to prove it, Nabirozé’s skin was burning.
I was dragging in the mana I was using to block the heat.
Now it was time to make a choice.
Stay and perish with Gargarence, or flee and save your life, even now.
Nabiroze laughed.
“Ha.”
It wasn’t even worth thinking about.
Her grip tightened on the hilt of her blade.
“Come with me. Lizard.”
【Foolish—!】
Gargarence frowned.
Nabirozé ignored the burning pain in his body and focused on keeping everything together.
“That’s it,” he thought, “I’ve grown old and immortalized, and I’m not even eight years old.
It was futile, but I have no regrets.
It was the teacher’s role to protect his students, and if he could protect the green shoots with his own life, he would rather do so.
The pressed palm is no longer off the hilt.
The days of my life were passing before my eyes in bits and pieces.
A spicy feast on the battlefield.
The cries of parents who have lost children and children who have lost parents.
The chilling sensation you feel as the blade cuts through your body.
A few coins in exchange for a human head, and the bitter taste of the beer it bought.
My blood-soaked youth, never to return again.
It was the students she had taught that had washed away the red.
“But it was fun.
Every single memory I have of my time at Phileon is a Nabirozé treasure.
It saved me from a life of emptiness.
Just as she taught her students how to use a knife, she taught them how to live happily ever after.
Ronan, Adeshan, and Schlieffen.
Other than that, a bunch of stupid disciples who have no skills and don’t listen to me.
The last thing that came to mind was a memory from the non-process.
Nabiroze’s mouth twitched as he remembered what Sechika had said.
“Friends.”
It was a nice ring to hear.
I realized that maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that I was back at this age.
When the Jumalang ended, time began to flow normally.
The brightening sphere of flame looked like it might explode at any moment.
‘I guess I couldn’t destroy it after all.
But Mansa will certainly soften the blow.
Nabirozze, determined, was giving the car his final push.
A gravelly voice echoed from behind him.
“Oh my God, me!”
“—What?”
It was a familiar voice.
Turning his head, Nabirozze’s eyes widened to the point of bulging.
Beyond the barrier, Lance and Sechika were running toward him.
Their bodies were suspended in midair by Sechika’s telekinesis.
“Gee, what the hell is going on, are you okay?!”
“That’s a bomb—! Get out of there!”
Cechika was stunned.
Lance gestured impatiently.
Nabiroze’s face contorted at the sight of the two of them.
She cried out in fury, her flesh melting away.
“What the hell do you guys think you’re doing here, get the hell out of here!”
“This is ridiculous. How am I going to leave you alone?”
“What a stupid—ugh!”
I wondered why on earth I was here.
Nabiroze tried to scream again, but coughed up blood.
A body pushed to its limits had collapsed.
My concentration broke, and everything vanished.
【Well done, but that’s it. Disappear!】
Gargarence burst out laughing.
The sphere of flame that had been revealed began to burn more fiercely.
His power was greatly diminished by being trapped in Mansa, but he still had more than enough to blow up the inside of the palace.
Just as despair was about to cross Nabirozé’s face.
“Haaaaah!”
Stomping across the ground, Lance swung his sword.
A white line drew across the shield, and the healing crack collapsed.
A hole appeared that only one person could get out of.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he threw himself into the flames and pulled Nabiroze into his arms.
“You—!”
Nabiroze’s eyes widened.
Lance’s clothes were on fire.
I could see my skin heating up, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“Wow—you’re amazing. How did you survive here?”
“You idiot, stop talking nonsense and get out of here!”
“I’ll do it even if you don’t tell me, Cechika!”
Lance, hugging Nabiroze, turned around and called out.
Sechika raised her arms as if in anticipation.
Archmage Asel’s first spell was cast with the spell.
“I know, Invisible Hand!”
Their bodies are pulled backward.
It was the moment they slipped out the crack they came in.
Kwahhh-!!
The fireball at its peak exploded with a flash of light.