Chapter 204

All the battles are over. It’s more like a ceasefire than an end to the war.

It was a fierce fight, but thankfully, no one died. Maybe because of the support of Divine Power, the Masters were still lively.

Roka, who had turned pale with worry and rushed over, glared at the lion and snapped at him. There was a bit of a growl mixed in her voice.

“What did I just say! That woman is clever, so she wouldn’t just charge into a one-versus-four fight! But what’s this? We almost had a real disaster.”

Sir Leon, looking pale, cautiously apologized in a small voice a moment later.

“I have nothing to say. Epirna’s strength was beyond expectations. This is entirely my fault. I’m sorry.”

Our kid has a good personality, even if they act like this sometimes. They’re not so harsh as to hurl insults at someone who’s apologizing.

Since I sent Lady Kisea away, reducing our side’s Masters from four to three, it wasn’t entirely his fault. It was one versus three, not one versus four.

Still, he apologized, and Roka, though huffing, calmed down.

“Are you hurt anywhere? I thought my heart was going to drop earlier.”

“I’m glad you’re safe too. I was on edge.”

“More than that, um… that kid…”

The child glared at the girl who had suddenly appeared in the dangerous moment to help us, looking displeased. With a pair of folded wings, the child stood alone, aloof and not mingling with anyone.

When she looked at me, she flinched and stepped back. It seemed she still found me intimidating. I bowed to thank her for helping, and she awkwardly nodded in acknowledgment.

This alone was a huge step forward. That child had probably been following us all along.

“Why was she following us…?”

“Wow, sis! That was really intense! Amazing! I’ve never seen Epirna make that kind of face before.”

Unlike Roka, who was wary of the child, Sir Leon seemed to like Yanid. Regardless of her actual age, he didn’t hesitate to call her “sis.”

Common sense says that it takes time for a person to grow stronger. With that level of strength, he might have thought she was really older.

If her appearance is that of a girl, it’s enough to think that her magical power suppressed aging. After all, Captain Xerox we saw in the empire looked like an undergrown boy.

“I don’t know why you helped us, but I’ll definitely remember this favor. When I secure a position in the empire later, I’ll buy you a drink. How about it?”

So he approached Yanid casually, as if she were his peer. Still young, Yanid scratched her head and replied with just one word.

“Yanid.”

“Huh? Oh, your name? Your name’s Yanid? Should I introduce myself too? I’m Leon, the greatest warrior of the lion tribe. Though that’s all in the past now since my tribe was wiped out.”

“…Whatever.”

“Sis, you’re the silent type. You don’t seem like a beastkin, so who are you?”

“Could you be from the legendary great race?”

Suddenly, the dog-like man looked as if he’d been struck by lightning.

“I’ve dealt with many materials, but just the subtle power I feel from your horns is enough to guess your identity. The scales covering your wings have the dignity of dragon scales. Your body is filled with dragon energy. Could you be from the dragon race, said to have left this land?”

“What, what? Sis is a dragon? No, but, the horns and wings do kinda resemble…”

The dog-like man continued with confidence.

“No doubt. What we just saw. That must have been Dragon Breath. Even Epirna couldn’t help but be wary. The great master of magic has descended upon this land.”

“Wow, so you’re not a sis but a grandma. Oh, my apologies, elder. I didn’t recognize you.”

The child’s grinding teeth probably weren’t a figment of my imagination.

[Blind fools fill the world, unable to recognize a gem even when it’s right in front of them.]

Meanwhile, the real dragon was being ignored, sighing in loneliness. The Princess was patting the blade of the Dragon’s Sword.

Yanid is intimidated by me, and that person is intimidated by Yanid. The trauma is still vivid, and every time he sees the girl, an unmistakable fear appears on his face.

It’s less than before, but he doesn’t seem to want to get close and talk, staying silent instead. Roka, displeased, looked at Yanid and then turned her head away. She didn’t seem to like her.

“Um, can I go now?”

Then, someone cautiously raised their hand. Even I had forgotten for a moment that this person was here.

The fox beastkin, Pedro, looked deflated and shrunken. He wasn’t weak by any means, but seeing the faces here, his head naturally bowed.

With three Masters and a girl who might be a dragon, it was understandable. And just moments ago, his queen had abandoned him.

Or maybe she hadn’t even noticed him. From start to finish, Epirna hadn’t paid any attention to Pedro. She might not have even seen him.

“Go where, man? Hey, let’s talk, bro.”

“But if I don’t go back… my family is in danger…”

“You’re going to go back to Epirna after hearing all this? You know we can’t allow that. Since it’s come to this, just switch sides.”

The lion pointed at Roka and continued.

“Anyway, the axis of power is about to change. That wolf will take the new Beast King’s throne.”

“I’m not taking it.”

“Right. So… huh?”

“No, I’m not doing the Beast King thing or whatever. I’m going to the Arctic!”

The problem is, Sir Urban had entered Roka into the Beast King tournament without consulting us. Our goal is to go to the Arctic, not to win some random Beast King tournament.

If Roka wanted the position, we’d support her, but the kid seems to have no desire for the throne. In fact, according to our original plan, we should be heading to the Arctic now.

Lady Kisea has probably rescued her parents and should have escaped by now. We’ve done all we need to here.

“Clashing with Epirna further isn’t a good idea.”

The Princess thought the same. As a non-warrior, I don’t know much, but Epirna seemed to possess strength beyond common sense, even to the Masters.

“Above all, her power and stamina were unnaturally strong. A typical Master’s battle doesn’t last that long. It ends quickly and fiercely. In fact, if it’s a battle between Masters, just maintaining a standoff is enough to exhaust a person.”

“But Masters can recover magical power indefinitely, right?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s truly infinite.”

Roka also nodded in agreement.

“Even Masters can only reach a level where they can draw magical power from nature. The rate of magical power inflow has its limits.”

“If they were holding back and clashing, I could understand. But as you saw, Epirna didn’t hide her power at all. She used strength close to her full power at every moment. Her magical power consumption had to exceed replenishment.”

Then the question arises. Roka, the Princess, and Sir Leon had my Divine Power supporting them, so even if they used more magical power than they could recover, the Divine Power could cover the deficit.

But what about Epirna? Did she really manage that on her own?

“Now that you mention it, it is strange. That woman’s magical power recovery was unnaturally fast. She didn’t seem tired at all until the end.”

“Could she have reached a level where she can control and absorb the surrounding magical power?”

“That’s absolutely not it. There must be some other factor.”

Hmm.

The lion pondered. From afar, Lady Anna of the cat tribe, who had been listening, offered a theory.

“Maybe she was wearing some kind of mysterious artifact? Something that restores magical power, like a magic item.”

“If there were such an item that could help a Master, I would’ve taken one from the Imperial Palace myself.”

The Princess shook her head. To me, it didn’t seem like she had relied on any item.

“Even at my level, such items are of little help. For someone like Epirna, whose magical power surpasses mine, to continuously replenish her power… she’d need something like the Dragon Heart.”

Yanid, who had been standing with a cold expression, flinched. Pedro, who had been silent like a fox who’d eaten honey, cautiously spoke up.

“Um, there’s something I remember.”

We all turned to look at him, and he immediately shrank back. But he still spoke up firmly.

“Do any of you know about the legend of the Kalkanmir Mountain Range?”