Chapter 97: The Final Snow Festival (3)

The dragon’s breath didn’t reach Serena.

The fiery blaze crashed into a translucent barrier and dissipated instantly.

For a moment, Serena couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

But instinctively, she realized one thing: she had barely escaped death.

“Haa… Haa…”

Gasping for air, Serena pushed herself up from the theater’s rubble. The red dragon still loomed in the sky above.

She wouldn’t survive the next attack.

Her trembling legs carried her slowly out of the building.

There were people outside.

People who, like her, had barely survived.

But they were all staring blankly at the sky.

They should have been running for their lives.

“Is this another surprise event by the Empire?”

“Wow, they’ve really outdone themselves this time.”

They hadn’t even grasped the situation.

Serena shouted, “You have to run! Everyone! The breath—get out of its way!”

But the people only stared at her in confusion. No one moved.

The Empire had been at peace for too long.

So much so that, even with a dragon hovering over their heads, they thought it was part of a show.

“Oh, look, another dragon has appeared.”

In the sky, beside the red dragon preparing another fiery breath, a gray-scaled dragon appeared.

The two dragons glared at each other before releasing their breaths simultaneously.

The colliding breaths created a strange phenomenon—lightning flashed across the sky, and the clouds turned a kaleidoscope of colors.

“So romantic…”

A young noblewoman passing by sighed in admiration.

Serena was on the verge of losing her mind.

They should have been running while the dragons were fighting, but the crowd showed no intention of leaving.

‘I have to get out of here, even if I’m alone.’

If she revealed her identity as the princess and warned them of the real danger, chaos would ensue.

The streets were narrow, and such a large crowd trying to flee at once would lead to disaster.

She might even get trampled in the chaos.

‘You did your best, Serena.’

She couldn’t risk her life weighing equally with that of common citizens.

Serena quietly attempted to slip away.

But—

“Wait, isn’t that Seri? Wow, I can’t believe I’m seeing you here! I came to the theater every day just to watch you! You’re my idol!”

Serena bit her lip.

She considered ignoring them and walking away, but something held her back.

“Oh? What role did you like the most?”

“The Princess of the Night! She’s rude and cynical, so some people hate her, but I loved her.”

“Why?”

“Because she always tries her hardest. She gives it her all.”

At least someone was watching properly.

She was glad she had acted.

Serena pulled a small mask from her pocket.

Donning the mask, she adjusted her voice and began performing.

“So, the wicked dragon has finally invaded the Empire!”

Her voice was clear and commanding, impossible to ignore.

People began turning their attention to her.

“Wait, is that Seri Lavione? I thought she retired! Why is she here?”

“Could this be part of the act? The scale of this production is insane!”

Above them, the dragons continued their battle, but the gray-scaled dragon was gradually being pushed back.

Hiding her growing anxiety, Serena flashed a confident smile.

“But worry not, citizens! Night will soon fall. Surely you’re eager to see the Knights of the Night defeat the wicked dragon?”

“Of course!”

“Take me, Princess of the Night!”

Serena gestured to the crowd following her.

“Come, all of you! Let me guide you to the best seats in the house!”

The people began following her in an orderly fashion, finally leaving the dangerous area.

In the distance, the Empire’s flag came into view.

At least for now, they were safe.

‘I did well, didn’t I, darling?’

But there was no one here to praise her.

Serena wondered,

If she had stayed at the theater until the very end, would Ascal have come to save her?

“Achoo!”

She decided not to dwell on it.

That thought was the most terrifying of all.

​

​****

​“Fly faster, Fer!”

Ascal urged urgently.

The ancient dragon had awakened far sooner than expected.

The plan was to launch the dragon raid as soon as the Snow Festival ended, but the attack came at the worst possible moment.

Thankfully, Ascal had anticipated something like this might happen. He had poured their remaining modified mana stones into preparations and relentlessly badgered Bernstein to install the air defense magic circle.

Without those measures, the Empire would already be engulfed in flames.

“Please… stay safe…”

The moment Ascal saw the ancient dragon in the sky, he thought of Serena.

Her promise to wait for him at the place where they first met—a place now directly beneath the dragon.

Ignoring those who tried to stop him, Ascal mounted Fer. In a situation like this, he was the only one who could move fast enough.

—It’s been a while, Karnax! You’re as ill-tempered as ever!

—Boy, didn’t your parents teach you to respect your elders?

—If you’ve lived over ten thousand years, everyone’s a friend—who cares about seniority?

Nearby, the cloud dragon was desperately holding off the ancient dragon.

Even in perfect condition, it was a disadvantageous matchup, and the cloud dragon wasn’t even at full power. It was clearly struggling.

“This is it. Land here, Fer.”

Ascal arrived at the abandoned theater.

The ceiling was blown open, allowing Fer to descend directly inside. Ascal leapt down and sprinted into the building.

“Serena! Are you here?”

It was dark.

Ascal drew his Lightbane.

The room brightened instantly.

‘A burnt ember?’

Ascal noticed a faint trace of a fire. Evidence that someone had been here.

‘Purple hair strands… Serena was here.’

As a Swordmaster, Ascal’s vision was exceptionally sharp. Even a naturally fallen strand of hair didn’t escape his focus.

‘Footprints.’

The tracks led outside the building. Judging by their size, they belonged to a woman.

“Thank goodness. She got away safely.”

Now then—

「Are we jumping straight into battle mode, Master?」

“No, I’ll evacuate the civilians first.”

The festival was over.

They had narrowly prevented the first disaster, but the second had arrived—and it was much worse.

“If this continues, the cloud dragon won’t hold out. We need to land a decisive blow. Get ready, Lightbane.”

「Switching to battle mode.」

In an instant, Lightbane emitted a radiant glow.

「It’s good to see you again, user. Your physical abilities have improved remarkably. Your current physical ranking is…」

“No time for that. Can you hit the ancient dragon without harming the cloud dragon?”

「It’s possible. If you defeat the ancient dragon, your rank will increase by one level, making you number one. Shall we proceed?」

This Lightbane’s personality seemed oddly obsessed with rankings.

“Just fire already, Lightbane!”

Ascal swung the sword with all his might.

…Nothing happened.

“?”

「The previous activation was a temporary test. For the official version, you must create a proper activation phrase. The name you choose will affect the power, so please decide carefully.」

Now? Of all times?

Names flashed through Ascal’s mind at lightning speed.

Excalibur, Dragon Slayer, Final Spark.

‘No, I need something even stronger…’

Ascal tightened his grip on the sword and took a deep breath.

Then,

“Tsar Bomba!”

KABOOOOOOOM!

​The effect was spectacular.

A massive flash of light engulfed the dragon.

Sensing danger, the ancient dragon activated its protective magic, but it was already too late.

The explosion’s range was much larger than expected.

The cloud dragon roared indignantly:

—ASCAAAAAAL!

‘I’m sorry, cloud dragon. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.’

Ascal closed his eyes against the blinding heat of the light.

****

“This is the best fireworks display of my life.”

“How can something be so beautiful…”

“This year’s Snow Festival is truly the best.”

People gazed at the sky in awe.

“Wait, the dragons are falling.”

In the heavens, the red dragon and the gray dragon were plummeting to the ground.

Just then, a white dragon appeared out of nowhere, catching the gray dragon with its body and stopping the fall.

“Now there are three dragons!”

“This must be some incredible illusion magic.”

“Maybe they hired them for the festival?”

The crowd still hadn’t grasped the gravity of the situation.

“The festival is over! This is an emergency—follow the soldiers and evacuate immediately!”

Even as the soldiers nudged them forward, the people only stared blankly at the sky.

****

“Is it over?”

The plan to strike with a finishing blow from the start had worked well.

Ascal, though drained from using Lightbane, mounted Fer and flew to the site where the dragons had fallen.

His strength was fading, but he could still endure.

When he arrived—

—The cloud dragon is hurt, but it’s not a fatal injury. I protected it.

“Thank you, white dragon.”

—But the ancient dragon escaped. I couldn’t pursue while tending to the cloud dragon.

“Where did it go?”

—The Windwall Plains.

“Damn it, if it recovers, we’re in serious trouble.”

Ascal hurriedly mounted Fer.

He needed to chase the dragon before it could fully recover.

—You’re not in good shape. You can’t do this alone.

“If I wait for others, it’ll be too late.”

****

Just then—

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

The sound of countless hooves echoed.

“I never imagined an ancient dragon would appear… let alone attack the capital.”

It was Crown Prince Kain, arriving with his royal guards.

And behind him—

“This is the perfect opportunity to become a Swordmaster.”

The Empire’s special task force appeared, led by their captain, Arthur Debrue.

*****

Tap, tap, tap.

This time, the sound was of people running.

Despite being on foot, their speed rivaled that of the horses.

Puuuuuuuuu!

Some were even blowing war horns as they ran.

“MAZAAAAAR!”

It was overwhelming, almost unbearable—but in moments like these, they were reliable.

Ascal turned to see the Lion Tribe charging toward him. His gaze met Eileen’s.

Eileen’s face flushed, and she quickly looked away.

She was seated on an impromptu “human carriage” made of four Lion Tribe warriors carrying her.

“This is, um, an emergency, so I had no choice! I tried to stop them multiple times!”

Vadim, the tribe’s leader, grinned.

“Lead us, Mazar-nim.”

****

And the reinforcements weren’t done yet.

“We’re here, Uncle Carl!”

“Everyone except Sirius, go back.”

“No way, no way!”

It was Sirius and the elites from Haven Academy—though most of them had been sent back home, the best remained.

And then—

​“My friend, Ascal. I’m here to help!”

“You don’t look in great shape. Let me massage your shoulders.”

The ones speaking were:

Jerobe, the half-giant guard.

Laika, the feline massage therapist from the Cat tribe tribe.

“You two didn’t need to come.”

“We heard Kain and Devon were missing! How could we just stay put?”

“…I see.”

Behind them, familiar faces appeared.

“I can help too! I can use holy magic, or something like that!”

“You’re seriously going back, Shusia.”

“No way!”

Shusia resisted stubbornly. No matter how much they tried to send her back, she wouldn’t budge.

Ascal sighed in defeat. There wasn’t time to argue any further.

But someone was still missing.

Ascal paused, waiting.

‘She’ll come. If it’s her, she’ll definitely come.’

Poke.

Suddenly, he felt a finger jab his cheek and turned around.

“Yulia.”

“That’s right. Your lovely girlfriend is here.”

“…Girlfriend?”

All eyes turned to them.

Yulia smirked confidently.

“Let’s make it official. Ascal Erindale is my lover.”

Then she linked arms with him.

“Oh, and by the way, Lia Sinas was just another identity of mine. Sorry for keeping it a secret.”

“We already knew that.”

“So did I!”

“…How?”

It wasn’t exactly a secret.

The fact that Third Princess Yulia was actually Ascal’s secretary was an open secret within the Evaluation Department.

“Wait, what? Seriously?”

Only Eileen looked genuinely shocked.

The Crown Prince stepped forward.

“There’s a lot we’re all curious about, but our priority right now is pursuing the ancient dragon that’s invaded the Empire.”

Everyone agreed.

Time was of the essence.

“We need to get to the Windwall Plains quickly. But moving this many people will be difficult…”

“Don’t worry about that. Look to the sky.”

Come to think of it, there had been a loud noise in the background for a while now. Ascal looked up.

A massive airship hovered above them.

In the cockpit, Bernstein was at the controls, wearing an expression that looked as if he’d lost everything in the world.

As expected of Bernstein.

“I knew I could count on you.”

*****

Windwall Plains, the hidden dragon lair.

“This round is mine.”

“Ugh… Just give me one move.”

“The world of competition is harsh, my friend.”

Kane and Devon were passing the time stacking small stones.

It was an absurd situation.

After enduring relentless workloads day after day, who would have thought they’d end up having a peaceful moment like this?

Even if it was because they’d been kidnapped by a dragon.

“So, have you thought of another story to tell? The dragon said it’d eat us if we ran out of tales.”

“Run out? Never.”

Devon spoke with concern, while Kane scratched his head.

“I still have at least a hundred stories about our minister left.”

“True, that should be enough.”

“Now, let’s get back to the game. Your turn first this time.”

“Alright then.”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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