Chapter 267: Chapter 267: 15-year-old Inglis, the Dragon God and the Elder King (40)

「Fufufufu… How wonderful! It looks cool and powerful beyond words, and I can feel its power surging for sure! I can’t ask for more! Now, I will be happy to be your opponent!」

This Mecha Dragon God was the perfect opponent to test the Dragon Scale Sword that she had worked so hard to forge with her own hands. Abel didn’t lie, it had the power that surpassed Vufailbane. And if it surpassed Vufailbane, that meant that it was likely to be the most powerful opponent Inglis had ever laid her eyes on both in this life and previous.

This battle would surely bring about further growth for Inglis. She couldn’t help but shudder. Oh, how glad she is to have come to Alucard.

「HYAAaaah!!」

As she activated her Ether Armor, she jumped off the Star Princess unit and stood in front of the Mecha Dragon God. Inglis’ Ether permeated the Dragon Scale Sword in her grip, but so far no damage was seen on the instrument. How strong would it be? How powerful would it be? She just couldn’t bear to wait.

「Come and attack me from wherever you want!」

Inglis lightly lifted the Dragon Scale Sword as tall as her shoulder, ready to strike at any moment.

「Ku ku ku! A puny insect like you want to fight the Mecha Dragon God?!」

「Yes! I assure you, this will be beneficial!」

「Know your place!!」

Light bullets were launched simultaneously from the muzzles all around the Mecha Dragon God’s entire body except the main cannons on its shoulders.

An overwhelming number of bullets landed around Inglis, sending up snow and dirt to cover her vision. However, as expected, none of them landed on Inglis. It was clear that Abel was only showing off. Just a mere weapon check resulted in such destructive power. Inglis couldn’t control her own emotions anymore.

As her vision cleared, Inglis looked ahead, and the Mecha Dragon God was about to disappear far, far away into the high skies.

「Eh?! H-, HELLO?!! What’s wrong?! Where are you going?!」

「I’m going back to the Highland! Didn’t I just say it?! The Mecha Dragon God is the shield that protects the Lord Founder from the Duke’s Party! It’s a valuable asset! As if I’ll use it to fight a mere footsoldier like you! There’s nothing in it for me! I told you, know your place!」

When Abel said ‘know your place’ before, he didn’t mean it to boast that he was much stronger now that he had become a Mecha Dragon God. He meant that Inglis wasn’t worth fighting and he had no intention to fight her. Inglis had assumed the former because of Abel’s character, but… boy, she’d been completely outwitted.

「Th-, that’s not fair! You prevented me to meddle before, but now you won’t even fight me?!!」

「Hell if I care! I made no such promises! It feels good to see you so frustrated! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!」

Abel’s high-pitched laugh lingered in the air as the figure disappeared high into the clouds.

「UUuu……Oh no…what about the sword I painstakingly made?」

Inglis slumped to her knees. Rafinha got off the Star Princess unit and quickly approached Inglis’ side.

「Aah. It went exactly as he said…」

「Eh?」

「The ‘I will make your face one of fear and despair’ thing. Glis, you look pretty much in despair, you know? Well, cheer up. There there.」

Today, quite a rarity, it was Rafinha who stroked Inglis’ head and comforted the other.

「……Rani, perhaps I need to change my way of life……」

「No, I’ve known that already. You just noticed that now?」

「I guess, sometimes, I need to have something to my name before I can be taken seriously! If I wanted to fight that Mecha Dragon God, maybe I should create my own country and declare war with the Highland! Or at least, I can be a Knight Commander?」

「Hey hey hey! That means you still have your fundamental mistake. Stop that.」

「Uuuu……Then, Rani, will you become someone great and fight the Mecha Dragon God?」

「Nope nope nope! If you really want a title, why don't you marry big brother Rafa and become a marchioness? Big brother will have the higher title then, right?」

「No! I don’t want to get married!」

Leone and Liselotte arrived late.

「W-, well, either way… He doesn’t seem like he will come back down, so this isn’t that bad an outcome, is it? We’ve already got a good supply of food, and we’ll be okay for a while.」

「Indeed. If Miss Inglis is right, the cause of the harsh climate of this land is that dragon, and we have to eventually leave this country behind…」

「She’s right. Glis, you were about to say you want to take him home and keep him with us… I feel sorry for Mr. Dragon, but this is for the best. When Lekrea recovers and the land warms up, there will be more crops to be harvested, and Ian will rest in peace knowing that.」

「I’m sure he will…」n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

「That must be what he wishes the most……」

With a somber mood, Rafinha, Leone, and Liselotte were looking at the sky where the Mecha Dragon God went. Looking at them, Inglis couldn’t say anything more. She only sighed deeply and loudly.

「Haah……I wanted to fight the Mecha Dragon God……」

「Now, now. It’s gone away, so just give it up. Come on, let’s go back, I’m worried about Pullum. We can eat a lot of meat to get rid of the bad mood! Forget bad things with a nice meal!」

「……You’re right! That’s right! I’ll eat and eat and eat and eat without holding myself back!」

「Yup, yup! And I’ll be with you!」

Watching the scene, Leone and Liselotte whispered to each other.

「Has she ever been holding herself back?」

「I-, I wonder……Who can tell what lies in the depth of their bellies, after all……」

In the end, Inglis and the others decided to return to the encampment.