A Swordsman and a Mage, Sworn Enemies, Accidentally Crossed a Line and Discovered Their Bodies Were Perfectly Compatible. - Chapter 15

I heard from Yurio that a dragon had appeared in the Royal Capital earlier.
However, it’s not uncommon for dragons to appear in human settlements.
They usually just pass through during their travels, rarely bothering with the insignificant humans.
This time, the dragon approached the Royal Capital but simply flew past and disappeared.
If that were all, it would have been dismissed as a rare incident.
But something about it bothered me.
Sitting in my classroom chair, my thoughts about the dragon kept circling.

“A dragon…”

When I thought of dragons, the recent incident came to mind.
For some reason, a dragon had been in the Academy’s forest and attacked Remietta.
In the end, nothing conclusive was discovered. The incident was attributed to an unfortunate accident: Remietta had simply crossed paths with a dragon that had landed in the forest to rest.
Yurio and the others insisted until the end that the mage had summoned the dragon or that it was all a staged performance involving a shapeshifting mage. But logically speaking, such explanations seemed highly improbable.
However, with such incidents occurring in rapid succession, it was hard not to suspect that something sinister was afoot.
Of course, dragons might occasionally visit human settlements by chance.
But to witness two such sightings in such quick succession inevitably led to speculation.
For instance, I’d heard that some forbidden magic arts could transform humans into dragons. Could this be part of a mage’s conspiracy?

“What a stupid fantasy. I’m tired.”

I muttered, shaking my head to dispel such thoughts.
Lately, sleep deprivation has been making me think strange things. I really needed to get some rest.

“Elvin, what are you planning to do today?”

As I was thinking about this, Yurio suddenly came up to me.

“I’m going back to my room to rest. I’m feeling exhausted.”

“Understood. You’ve been looking busy lately. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with!”

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Yurio offered his support, but what if I told him I was working to improve relations between Swordsmen and Mages?
He’d probably have a lot to say about that, and I doubt I could rely on him for help.
I stood up and left the classroom, heading back to the dormitory.
As I did so, I bumped into Remietta as she passed in front of the classroom.

“Whoa!”

“Ah! Sorry!”

Remietta quickly apologized for nearly colliding with me and then dashed off somewhere.

“…What was that about?”

Seeing Remietta so flustered was extremely rare.
Well, everyone has moments of panic in life, I suppose.
But that unprecedentedly pale face lingered in my mind.

◇

Maybe the signs had been there from the start.
Without giving it careful consideration, Remietta dismissed it as an unfortunate accident and didn’t dwell on it.
From the moment she encountered the dragon in the forest, she should have thoroughly investigated the reason behind it.
Instead of relying on the Academy, she should have requested assistance from her family and used the Magnolia Family’s influence to conduct a proper investigation.

“Haa… haa…”

Remietta ran through the Academy, consumed by deep regret.
In her hand, she clutched a crumpled piece of paper that had fallen from the sky moments earlier.
The paper had landed right in front of her, along with a stone. It contained a message addressed to Remietta.
Upon reading it, she discovered the worst possible news: Lalael had been captured, and she was ordered to come alone to a specified location.
She frantically looked up and spotted a black dot far in the distance.
Enhancing her vision with Magic, she confirmed it was a dragon-like creature soaring through the sky.

“Haa, haa… why? What’s going on?”

Remietta didn’t understand.
Why had Lalael been kidnapped? Why was a dragon involved?
But she knew there must be a reason, and she should have recognized the warning signs earlier.
Remietta ran.
The information was likely true. Lalael, who had left the Academy after lunch without scheduling any afternoon classes, hadn’t returned after four hours.
She hadn’t said where she was going, but this letter confirmed her abduction.
With a dragon circling overhead, Remietta couldn’t afford to make any reckless moves.
To save Lalael’s life, Remietta raced alone to the designated location.
Her mind raced with questions: Why was this happening?
There had to be a reason for summoning her. But she couldn’t fathom it. She couldn’t imagine being hated enough to warrant such a violent act.
If there was such a deep connection—

“Here?”

The kidnapper had specified a ruined building on the outskirts of the Royal Capital, in a district notorious for its poor security.
This crumbling structure had once been used by Mages, if Remietta remembered correctly.
It had been over a decade since then, so her memory was hazy, but specifying this location narrowed down the kidnapper’s identity.
Yet the suspect was someone who shouldn’t have been possible.

“…………”

Clambering over rubble, Remietta entered the building.
Though traces of its former splendor remained, the passage of time had reduced it to ruins.
She had visited this place as a child.
This was also where the first victim of the Tein Kassina incident had been found, after which it was sealed off and left to decay.
A sense of dread washed over her. Remietta exhaled softly, forcing herself to remain calm.
Preparing to cast Magic at any moment, she pushed open the crumbling door. Beyond it—

“Lalael!”

Lalael was there, bound to a chair, her eyes blindfolded and a gag in her mouth.
Remietta rushed forward, but immediately stopped, scanning her surroundings.

“Whoa, calm down. As expected of someone from the Magnolia bloodline.”

“…You are…”

A man emerged from the shadows.
He pulled back his hood, revealing a face scarred beyond recognition. The deathly pallor of his face was familiar to Remietta.
The kidnapper who should have been impossible was standing right there.

“Why are you here… Murderer Tein?”

“I escaped. To finish my revenge.”

The man—Murderer Tein—said with a grotesque grin.

“I haven’t heard anything about this.”

“Of course not. The Mages who imprisoned me would never admit they let me escape. They’d cover it up and try to recapture me. That’s why they declared a ‘Security Enhancement Month.'”

“I see…”

So, there had been a flow of events after all.
For some reason, the Mages had taken the lead in tightening security throughout the Royal Capital.
If it were just a public relations campaign, I could have been relieved. But in the end, this is what was behind it all.
If they had simply admitted that he escaped and issued a nationwide warrant, none of this would have happened. They probably hid it out of foolish pride, afraid of showing weakness that the Swordsmen might exploit.
And this is the result. Remietta clenched her fists in anger.

“Ten years ago, you were the last one. Well, technically Lalael is here too. I’ve returned from hell to continue where I left off. Lalael-chan, let’s start with you first.”

“Mmmph, mmm, mmm!”

“Stop it!”

Tein drew his sword and gently pressed the blade against Lalael’s neck.

“There was no hero to save you that day. This is where it ends.”

“…Don’t underestimate me. I’m not a child anymore, like I was back then!”

“Tch—”

While conversing, Remietta had been refining her Thunder Magic. She unleashed it on Tein with a sudden, surprise attack.
Tein’s eyes widened as he frantically rolled sideways to evade the strike.

“No holding back!”

“……!”

Remietta seized the opening without hesitation.
She had no intention of capturing him alive; her magic was designed to kill, and she unleashed it with lethal precision.
Realizing evasion was impossible in his current position, Tein made a split-second decision and roared:

“Cassina!!”

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

Simultaneously, a Jet-Black Dragon descended from the sky.
Roaring as it crashed through the ceiling, the dragon spread its wings protectively before Remietta, shielding Tein.

“I let my guard down. My mistake. But it’s no problem.”

“Grrr…”

Regretting his carelessness, Tein rose to his feet and drew his sword.
It was Remietta’s turn to widen her eyes in confusion.

“Wha… Why is a dragon following you?”

“Do you want to know? The sins of the Mages?”

“…………”

With just those words, Remietta understood the gist of it.

“No. That’s quite alright.”

Realizing further conversation with the murderer was pointless, she focused her magic and prepared to face Tein and the Dragon.
Tein alone had slaughtered twenty Mages, proving himself a formidable foe. With the addition of the Dragon, the world’s most powerful creature, defeat seemed inevitable.
But Remietta didn’t need to win.

“When the Dragon lands, everyone nearby will notice. The guards will swarm us in force.”

“You’ll be dead before that happens. That’s all that matters. That’s my only goal.”

“…………”

Tein remained completely unconcerned.
Perhaps it was foolish to expect rational thought from a madman capable of serial murder.
Tein showed no regard for his own life, radiating a fanatical willingness to sacrifice everything for his twisted purpose.
Remietta steeled her resolve.
She would stall Tein and the Dragon until the guards arrived, ensuring at least Lalael’s survival.
That was all she could do as a sister.

“Well, well. I’ve stumbled into quite the mess.”

Just as Remietta steeled herself, the voice of her beloved reached her ears.

“…So the hero shows up.”

He stepped forward to shield Remietta, drawing his sword with a ferocious grin. His back carried the same madness as Tein’s—the madness of a man willing to risk his life for a woman.

“Remietta, are you alright?”

“…You were following me?”

“Sharp as ever. With a face that pale, I couldn’t help but follow you.”

“You’re a terrible person… But thank you for saving me.”

Remietta said this, but the situation hadn’t actually improved. Against the might of a dragon, the addition of a single student made no difference.
Yet his presence was more reassuring than any army could have been. Remietta believed that the man she loved could overcome any adversity.