Volume 7, 5 - Revival(1/3)
Part 1
Asya's childhood friend, Haruga Haruomi, once said, "The hiding place of treasure will reflect the owner's personality... Sometimes."
Avoiding a direct assertion, it was very much in line with his cynical style.
In any case, the young man whom Asya had known for many years was an expert in this area. She ought to respect the rule of thumb arising from his experience.
Furthermore, there was an example that served as corroboration.
The former dragon king, Hinokagutsuchi. The reason why she had hidden that there was shockingly arbitrary, stunning Asya when she first heard about it, but it was quite reasonable in hindsight and difficult for others to find.
Then there was Pavel Galad.
This hot-blooded and rigid man.
Given his personality, surely he would hide treasure in the depths of a building with excessive security, locked in an impregnable treasure vault, sealed with many layers of magic on the door.
"...But not cowardly to the extreme extent of 'hoarding without using,' which fits that hot-blooded hero's 'style,' I guess."
Locating what she expected to find, Asya nodded to herself.
"Because he would take out his treasure and make effective use of it when needed..."
Inside the desert barrier where Pavel Galad had trapped the witches, there was a set of mysterious ruins resembling an open-pit mine.
Its shape was like a bowl-shaped "hole" that had been excavated, with a radius of two kilometers and a depth of five hundred meters.
Riding on the miniaturized Rushalka's back, Asya arrived at the bottom of the pit.
In the center was a black stone in the form of a rectangular prism. It looked like an altar. If a two-meter-tall human lay down on it, his feet would probably not stick out.
An elite dragon could pretty much rest its palm on top.
There were two kinds of things placed on top of it.
One kind consisted of small stone fragments. Black in color, it was almost pulverized.
The other kind consisted of two sharp stones with virtually no smooth part on their surface. These stones were black too. Using minerals on Earth as a comparison, they resembled quartz.
Asya was seeing these things for the first time. However, she knew very well what they were.
"Flint..."
She heard that Haruomi's late father had hidden one inside his pocket watch.
She heard that one had been casually left in the garden of Hinokagutsuchi's palatial residence, the Dragon Palace Court.
She heard that it was the fire-starting stone for reviving the "conqueror's runes." Without this stone, a dragonslaying rune on its own was a wasted treasure.
This stone could be considered the beginning of everything that had roped Haruga Haruomi into this war.
"Two flints... And one flint's worth of fragments. So Pavel Galad kept three of these precious stones here."
Why was one of them shattered? Asya could guess the answer.
It had shattered just before the Raptors began their attack just now.
When the flint shattered, it shot out a spark that activated the Rune of the Sword in the air, turning into the prime mover that had forced Rushalka and the others into a tough predicament...
Asserting as a master-class witch, she was certain she had seen the same fire yesterday too.
On that "island" that had appeared in Tokyo Bay to serve as bait, Pavel Galad had strengthened the dragonslaying sword in order to resist the dragonslaying bow.
The flames enveloping the sword's blade looked similar to the flint spark she had seen just now.
"Flint... It looks like it can be used as a magical catalyst for all kinds of purposes. This is a secret treasure that dragons would devote lifetimes to find. How many did he stock up?"
Pavel Galad was probably carrying a few on his person right now.
This was to use them as a trump card to oppose Haruomi's dragonslaying bow. Perhaps the silver dragon had discovered a mineral vein of flint instead of single stones.
"Impressive as always, President M. Her oracle was right on the money."
Rather than blocking it... The enemy rekindled the flame instead.
Just as President M described, Minadzuki's mystic technique of "armistice" had definitely sealed away the Rune of the Sword. However, the silver dragon had used a flint's flame to revive the dragonslaying seal.
The president had said something else, Asya remembered it was—
'Counter a treasure with another treasure. You are advised to release the stored goods.'
Asya came to sudden realization. She had jumped conclusions, thinking this advice was aimed at Haruomi, but—Now she understood.
"So... that advice was for me!"
The instant she felt certain of this, her imagination began to roam freely.
Right now in the mortal realm, Pavel Galad was probably using flint as the catalyst for magic to strengthen himself, putting Haruomi in a difficult battle. And the secret treasure used by the enemy as a trump card was right in front of Asya. If only she could take it back—
"This idea... isn't very realistic. It's not like I found a way to get back."
Despite what Asya was saying, she actually realized it early on.
The Rune of the Twin Katana used by her friends to return was definitely hard to control. Chances of using it successfully on her own were extremely low. However—
Low chance or no chance—No way to tell until she tried.
Naturally, doing this would challenge a witch's limits. Unless she devoted her entire mind and soul to it together with Rushalka, drawing on their full power, it would be futile.
Asya recalled something else. There was more to President M's advice.
'When it is time to make a decision, think about the future—three months from now, three years from now.'
'It will be too late by the time you regret it.'
With trembling hands, Asya searched her jacket's secret pocket.
Taking out a small packet of chocolates, she clutched it while staring at the two flints in front of her, murmuring to herself, "Even if I could return, the rest might not necessarily go well..."
Asya felt the words of denial get stuck in her throat, impossible to shake off.
Naturally, this was an illusion. But thanks to that, she was unable to keep finding reasons to justify herself. Instead, she found it impossible not to think about Haruomi, who was most likely in the middle of a battle. In all the battles so far, he had prevailed over his enemies splendidly.
In a way, this was because he had encountered opponents that he was good at dealing with.
During Pavel Galad's counteroffensive, she reached a clear understanding.
If the enemy was an elite dragon or dragon king unconcerned with details, Hal would be able to use the little tricks that were his specialty and overcome the crisis no matter who he faced. However, if the enemy were to carefully study ways to defeat Haruga Haruomi, then appropriate support was essential.
Because Asya's childhood friend was neither a warrior nor a soldier...
"Hmmmmmm."
She was also very worried about the witches who had returned to Earth.
Pavel Galad was not the only enemy. After him, waiting for them was Princess Yukikaze, the formidable foe of outrageous proportions. Without Shootdown Ace Asya, how much resistance could they shore up against Princess Yukikaze?
"B-But if I return to my past self... The hypnosis will surely lose effect—"
Holding the bar of chocolate, her right hand kept trembling.
Conflicted. Distraught. Self-deception. Guilty conscience. Sincerity towards Haruomi and her witch companions. Maidenly feelings. A selfish desire to attain the happiness she was entitled to. Her pride as a witch. Hesitation. Hesitation. Hesitation. Hesitation. Hesitation...
Asya did not know how long she stood there in one spot.
But in spite of it all.
Arduously, her trembling fingers opened the packet of chocolates, took out a piece, then struggled to deliver it to her mouth—At that very instant...
It was the sound of a pebble kicked by a the tip of a leather shoe.
Asya looked back in surprise, speechless. This was inside a dragon's barrier. At the bottom of an open-pit mine that was like a world heritage site.
A man dressed in a black suit—A human male was walking towards her!
"Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am known as Sophocles to the lords of the dragon world as well as Tyrannoi of both human and dragon origin."
Recalling Haruomi's report, Asya glared at the man in black.
Sophocles. Juujouji Orihime had apparently met him once. This man was in charge of observing dragonkind's game that was called the Road to Kingship and would occasionally contact participants.
"Please forgive my sudden visit. My apologies."
"N-No need to apologize... How did you get here?"
"Didn't the Crimson Queen tell you? I can show up at any corner of the world, be it the surface of the Earth, the distant sea of stars, or passing through the dimensional portal to reach the secret realm of dreams."
He spoke of his elusive arrival in this kind of place as though it were no different from a gentleman's hobby.
Asya finally met the mysterious man named Sophocles. It looked like he was even more of an eccentric than rumored.
"In truth... Predicting that you are about to embark on an extremely dangerous yet meaningful adventure, I had to come meet you no matter what."
Sophocles was quite respectful in attitude, even earnest.
But Asya was certain that this man appearing in front of her was surely the devil's kin and must not be trusted easily.
"O witch. If you are prepared to make a desperate effort to move forward, I am willing to provide all the assistance you need for your adventure. That is how much value I see in the challenge you will be undertaking."
Part 2
"As much as I'm reluctant to admit it... The emergency situation is finally here."
Luna Francois sighed.
An hour or two ago, the trio of witches had finally made their way back to Tokyo Bay. After getting up to speed on the situation, they requested a high-speed helicopter to transport them over to Kiyosumi-Shirakawa in the center of New Town.
This was because they had received news that the Crimson Queen had crashed there.
However, they were taken by surprise when flying over a certain middle school. The Crimson Queen was curled up in the courtyard, sleeping peacefully.
In addition to Luna, Juujouji Orihime and Shirasaka Hazumi were present too.
They immediately ordered the helicopter to land in the school yard, then hurried to the red dragon's side—
"With Harry gone missing, I had a bad feeling about this."
The Crimson Queen was sleeping alone in this kind of place.
One could accept that. Although she was like a puppet, she was a creature after all and probably needed sleep.
However, Haruga Haruomi was not nearby. Did he go somewhere else to get something done, leaving this monster here for now? This was hard to imagine.
Apart from that, Luna was informed by instinct.
She could sense something similar to thoughts from the sleeping dragon. They could be considered feelings too.
So far, the Crimson Queen had been a puppet that acted according to Haruga Haruomi's thoughts. The impression it gave was a lack of emotion, without any intelligence or consciousness.
In addition, there was one more thing. The sleeping red dragon seemed to be giving off an aura of dragonslaying power...
Luna Francois said to her companions, "What do you think?"
"She feels different from before. More like an elite dragon..."
"This might be a weird way of putting it, but to me, she seems more like a human than an animal. B-But it's probably just my imagination!"
Orihime commented worriedly while Hazumi had doubt in her words.
The three witches were in agreement. The sleeping dragon in front of them could very well be the transformation their companion underwent in the worst-case scenario.
Grrrrrrrr... hhhhhh.
The red dragon suddenly made a muffled growl.
Orihime and Hazumi jumped at the same time, huddling together nervously. On the other hand, Luna Francois was very calm, observing the dragon on her own.
The dragon's eyes were still shut. No change in posture either.
Sleep talking? Although the truth was unclear, it seemed like the dragon was not in deep slumber.
"Looks like a knight needs to be summoned as a guard. Glinda, immediately—"
Luna was just about to tell Glinda to "immediately come forth."
historical
But before her partner could materialize, the red dragon shifted its body slightly.
It even exhaled deeply, blowing a gust of wind across the three witches, though it was impossible to tell if it was a snore or a breath.
"Kyah!?"
Hazumi screamed lightly. The wind had startled her.
The red dragon opened its eyes slowly.
Its directed its unfocused gaze at the witches before it.
Luna Francois could read some displeasure, curosity, and a tiny amount of killing intent from the dragon's eyes. As a serpent-summoning witch and a seasoned warrior, Luna could not possibly mistake the warning signs of danger.
"I think... this dragon resembles Senpai a bit..." Staring at the dragon's eyes intently, Hazumi murmured.
She did not assert directly, but her words were as solemn as a divine oracle conveyed by a priestess. The witch who had obtained goddess power apparently noticed something missed by Luna Francois, the specialist in dark domains.
"It's true that this dragon is completely different from the 'queen' in the past."
Luna sighed and waved her hand.
Miniaturized to around three meters in body length, her partner immediately materialized. The lion leviathan with a dragon head and a goat head on her shoulders appeared. Regarding matters of a magical beast, it would be best to ask a magical beast.
"Glinda, what relationship do you think this dragon has with Harry?"
Luna was dumbfounded in the next instant.
Grrrrrrrrrr——ghhhhhhhhhh!
The red dragon growled. Hearing this sound, the miniaturized Glinda shuddered in fright, before vanishing without a trace even though Luna had materialized her on purpose...
" " "!?" " "
The witches sensed it. Just now, the dragon had used its status as a Tyrannos and holder of dragonslaying power to command Glinda to leave immediately. As a vassal serving the bow and twin katana runes, Glinda obeyed her master's orders and dematerialized.
"Haruga-kun!?" "I knew it!" "It really is Harry!?"
Grrrrrrrrr... hhhhhhhhhh.
The red dragon, i.e. Haruga Haruomi, growled again in front of the stunned trio, sounding a bit impatient but lethargic. But that was not all.
Grrrrrrrhhhhhhhhgrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhgrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhh——
Impossible to understand. Not only Luna, but the other two had no clue either.
Grrh. The red dragon, i.e. Haruga Haruomi, grunted unhappily as though disappointed with the three utterly baffled witches.
"W-What is Haruga-kun saying?"
"There seems to be meaning in his sounds, but I can't understand it at all. Did he forget human language, or he hasn't gotten used to using his vocal cords yet? Assuming dragons use vibrating vocal cords to speak, that is."
"Senpai..."
While her two elders were whispering to each other, Hazumi took a step forward.
Perhaps she was worrying about the young man who had turned into a dragon. The worry in her heart compelled Hazumi to walk towards the giant red monster—Eliciting a roar as a result.
Ggrrrrrrhhhhhsh!
"Kyah!?"
The approaching Hazumi lost strength in her legs due to fright, falling backwards on her bottom.
It was actually not that loud in volume, but the red dragon's acute roar carried magical power, turning into a physical telekinetic force to reject Hazumi.
"I-It's me. I'm Shirasaka! Senpai, don't you recognize me!?"
Hazumi stood up with difficulty and spoke to the red dragon.
The red dragon was still curled up in a lazy sleeping posture, but he opened its jaws slightly, exposing teeth that were as big and sharp as sword, looking very ferocious. He seemed to be declaring to everyone—I will kill anyone who dares to approach.
Grrrrrrrrhhhhhh.
Another growl. The deep noise was enough to shake the witches to their innards.
Luna sighed and said, "Is he trying to say that he'll punish us if we mess with him...?"
The kindhearted Hazumi did not catch it—Or rather, she was unable to catch it.
But unfortunately, Luna Francois Gregory knew that there was slight intent to kill in the dragon's voice and gaze. If they were to do anything to aggravate him, the red dragon might bite them mercilessly. As birds of a feather, Luna naturally understood.
(I need to call Glinda out again...)
While observing every move of the red dragon that was Haruga Haruomi, she pondered.
To summon Glinda again, this time she must increase the magical power and mental strength of herself and her partner to the very limit so as to prevent interference. However, this would still be a most difficult task.
Because the red dragon swiveled his eyeball, staring at Luna intently.
He was observing her reaction. Under the red dragon's gaze, the master-class witch was frozen from head to foot.
Her throat was parched. The dragon's gaze immobilized her. Luna Francois had never experienced this before.
"S-Sheesh, Harry. You look like you're not in a good mood. Don't you remember me?"
She wanted to feign composure, but her voice went a little off-pitch.
(The situation is bad. I have a dragon's eyes on me...)
Luna gulped. She knew.
The magic of dragonkind was not limited to runes of Ruruk Soun. They used mystic techniques from many systems. In this short amount of time, Luna already witnessed magic that could be activated "simply by looking at the other party" or "simply by breathing"...
Just by looking at her, the dragon's eye was able to keep master-class witch Luna Francois intimidated.
Feeling one's life was threatened in the face of a magic beast, a dragon—The magical power in a dragon's eye amplified the terror originating from this, thus pressuring Luna. Of all people, he had to threaten Luna Francois Gregory, Shootdown Ace of the Pacific Ring area. How infuriating.
"I-I willl give you some good loving once you return to normal."
Just as Luna, driven by anger and pride, prepared to face off against the red dragon, i.e. Haruga Haruomi—
"Haruga-kun, I understand..."
Juujouji Orihime walked towards the red dragon with determination on her face.
"You always look lethargic, like you didn't get enough sleep. I-In any case, I'm sure you're trying to say 'let me sleep a bit more' or 'another thirty minutes, okay?' Something like that, right?"
Speaking to the dragon while she walked, her voice was trembling.
Hazumi did not notice the killing intent exuding from the dragon, i.e. Haruga Haruomi, but Luna apparently did. Regrettably, Juujouji Orihme also sensed it vaguely.
Samurai blood ran in the Juujouji family, after all, and every generation had always devoted themselves to the pursuit of martial ideals.
She could sense "that kind of vibe" from the opponent's eyes to some extent.
Even so, Orihime did not stop walking. She forced herself to ignore the fear in her heart. So-called bushido meant fearlessness in the face of death. Hence, she was fine. She should be fine.
Step by step, Orihime slowly approached the dragon—
"H-However, we all need you. The one we need none other than you... The one we cherish is you. The one we love is you. Do you understand?"
Speaking softly, she took another step.
She knew. If his transformation into a crimson dragon had turned him into a monster incapable of logic or reason, a carnivore that would show them neither compassion nor consideration, he would rip her apart in less than two seconds, devouring her...
However, even if that was the case...
Juujouji Orihime still did not stop walking.
On further thought, this had always been the case. Despite his vast knowledge and worldly experience, a boy who was great at his job, he had poor social skills and was clumsy and passive in his interactions with others. Without any one guiding him properly, he would immediately retreat into his shell. Quite a difficult character to deal with.
Getting along with such a boy required Orihime to dedicate a lot of thought to him.
Slowly increasing the amount of conversation.
Patiently bringing their hearts closer, bit by bit.
Starting with chatting, communicating about work, then gradually delving into each other's private affairs.
Starting from early spring when she first met him, Orihime had been carefully building up a smooth relationship with the young Mr. Haruga. In addition to caution, she would occasionally employ a bit of forcefulness to bring the two of them closer together.
By the time she knew it, she began to find him very endearing, wanting to be with him forever—
(At first I clearly thought of him as a difficult and exasperating guy.)
However, he had always been a responsible person from the time they first met, although it was also true that he was lacking in charm as a romantic prospect.
(Haruga-kun likes me too... Right? So please, I am begging you. Don't do anything scary—Alright!?)
Five more meters and Orihime would be able to touch the red dragon.
Using feelings of love to distract herself from the fear in her heart, she approached slowly. Approaching.
Four meters remaining. Three meters. It seemed fine. So Haruga-kun does recognize me...? Orihime told herself while advancing. However.
Hoooooooooooo!
The red dragon, i.e. Haruga Haruomi, suddenly exhaled brusquely.
This breath carried magical power. It was wind, a wave of "blades" to slice apart everything that rubbed him the wrong way.
"Nee-sama!?" "Orihime-san!"
Her companions cried out in worry.
The magical wind ripped through Orihime's blouse and skirt. There were countless tears all over her clothing, exposing glimpses of the pale skin underneath.
With perfect control and intricate skill, the red dragon only sliced her clothing with the air blades.
There was not even a scratch on her skin.
Was it a warning? Orihime was frozen stiff in fear.
It felt like a close shave with razor blades. Furthermore, within the blink of an eye, the air blades made cuts on Orihime's clothing, one after another... The slightest deviation and let alone her skin, even her blood vessels would have been severed, most likely.
The chest portion of her blouse was also sliced open.
This resulted in a clear view of her cleavage. However, Orihime simply stared blankly at the the dragon that used to be human, even forgetting to cover up her exposed skin.
"Aren't you afraid I'll die if you do something so dangerous...!?"
With great difficulty, she squeezed out a trembling voice.
Orihime was so frightened that she could not even lift a finger, barely managing to stand. It would be perfectly normal to collapse limply or go incontinent from fear.
As a result, she could only gaze at him.
...The red dragon looked back.
He stared at Orihime's face and entire body as though watching for her reaction. From his sharp gaze, one could sense curiosity and sapience.
His eyes were full of energy, making the sleepy look earlier seem like a lie.
At that moment, Orihime suddenly understood.
"Haruga-kun, don't tell me that you are..."
Whenever he showed this kind of gaze, there could be no mistake.
It might be the case this time too. This guess was unfounded, but Orihime had no alternatives. More importantly—
Supposing the expression earlier was an indication of the human nature lingering in his consciousness...
"Y-You always put on an extremely serious face whenever you don't want others to discover you were having dirty thoughts... I-Is that happening again right now...?"
Orihime raised her arms stiffly while asking.
She did that in order to unbutton her blouse. Her heart was beating rapidly from fear and her fingertips kept trembling, forcing her to proceed slowly. Even so, Orihime still unfastened the buttons in sequence from top to bottom.
Then she removed the blouse and the tank top underneath.
She also removed her tattered skirt as quickly as possible, leaving just a set of pure-looking blue underwear. Rather bold of her.
The red dragon's eyeballs turned, staring intently at Orihime's body.
"L-Listen, I have already stripped this far. With no weapons on me, you should know... I have no intention of fighting you, Haruga-kun... Understood? A-Also, I think," said Orihime timidly. "You probably enjoy seeing me like this, right—?"
Grrrrrrrrhhhhhh.
A low growl came from the dragon's mouth.
She could not tell if he was agreeing or disagreeing. Come to think of it, it was impossible to be certain whether the growl conveyed meaningful words either. However, she decided to take the gamble and go all the way.
"I-I know that erotic things are your favorite. Although as I've said before, it's a bit too soon for us."
One step, followed by another step. Orihime finally started advancing again.
She could feel the breath from the dragon's giant jaws—the flow of air. The memory of her clothing getting sliced reappeared in her mind. However, she did not stop walking.
"Nevertheless, if you wish to return to our side... I would probably feel very thankful and might even think that getting married during high school is fine. Although it is strange to hear myself say this, I am the type who makes decisions on momentary impulse... O-Of course, I won't force you if you're unwilling, also, we still need Grandfather's permission..."
Currently, the crimson magic beast's big and long snout was right before her eyes.
Making her way here had not been easy. The dragon's eyes were frighteningly serious, sharp and intense.
He was still lying on the ground, curled up.
However, the earlier impression of sleep deprivation was long gone.
He extended his neck, bringing his massive snout, teeth, and lower jaw towards Orihime. Any intent to kill... Unknown. Getting too close made it harder for her to keep abreast with the dragon's overall vibe.
Orihime could feel his breath. Maybe he might use air blades -->>