"The Talented Dragon Hides Its Claws" ~ The Eldest Son of the Baron Family, Called Useless, is Actually One of the World's Strongest ~ - Episode 52

“……Sir, Ryu-sama. Please wake up~”

“Mm… Ah, Stingray, huh? Good morning.”

Good morning.

Ryu roughly ruffles his messy hair with his hands.

Seeing that figure, the stingray chuckled softly.

“Somehow, it looks like a puppy and is so cute~”

“Shut up!”

I feel like my sleep was shallower than I imagined. I thought it would be the opposite before going to bed.

“Oh, you still look sleepy, Ryuu-sama. That’s unusual.”

“Today my body feels unusually heavy. Is it because of yesterday?”

“Yesterday, Lord Ryu was incredibly active, wasn’t he? He employed tactics that were surprisingly uncharacteristic of a chief strategist, in a good way.”

“The stingrays too. But we can’t afford to be so carefree. After all…”

Ryu stepped out of the tent and surveyed the battlefield.

“Because the war is still ongoing. Let’s do our best today too.”

“Yes!”

Just between us, back when I was still fighting the Dragon King in the Abyss World, I was technically in a dream, so despite appearances, Ryu’s sleep was quite deep. However, now that the Dragon King is gone and the Abyss World is closed, my sleep has become somewhat lighter, but the burden on my mind and soul has been reduced, so it’s practically a wash.

Today, just like any other day, the battle began with the launch of a fire spell.

“Reduce the number of enemies just like yesterday!”

The deputy commander of the Border Count’s Knights is flying around the battlefield. The soldiers, now on the second day, are fighting while maintaining a neat formation. There is no one, unlike a certain baron, who is pushing too far forward.

“It seems that until the hero appears, there isn’t really any specific instruction needed.”

“Yeah, but if the count’s knight commander, who got impatient in front of the hero, shows up, that’s a different story.”

“At that time, shall we also bring out our strongest axe?”

“Yeah. It seems like they’re really itching to go too.”

“Well, since I didn’t have any work yesterday, you know.”

Ryu and the Baron shifted their gaze to the Knight Commander Charlotte, who was waiting at the foot of the hill.

“…Hah! I can feel my master’s gaze! Could it be that my time has finally come?!”

“No, that’s not it. I was just talking about you a little. Sorry.”

“Such a thing…”

The surroundings were buzzing with whispers at the sight of the knight captain’s unusual behavior.

Hey, Lady Charlotte looks really down.

What a lovely sight. Burn it into your memory.

I want to marry her… She’s seriously precious… She’s seriously a goddess..

“By the way, I heard that there was a commotion in the city yesterday when Ryu-kun wasn’t around. Did Ryu-kun have anything to do with it?”

“Well… but…”

“?”

“Isn’t it likely that the Undead Hero won’t be appearing on the battlefield anymore? Just a hunch, though.”

“Hmm.”

“This is just a musing, but I’m really happy that you seem to be starting to trust me.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Yesterday, the Dragon King seized the body of the Necromancer Hero, which lifted the necromancy spells on the undead, releasing a considerable number of them into the city. The enemy soldiers, who had been busy dealing with the situation last night, seem to have accumulated quite a bit of fatigue, and today they lack the momentum they had yesterday. Additionally, the defeat of the Plant Hero and the disappearance of the Necromancer Hero are likely factors contributing to their lowered morale.

However, this is war.

You can never let your guard down in any situation.

“The Hero of Enslavement might have some hidden tricks up his sleeve, so let’s be very careful.”

“If they can fly through the sky like a dragon, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Lord Grace. Do you know about kotodama?”

“Sorry, sorry.”

One hour later.

Finally, the enemy’s main base has made a move.

“If this attrition war continues, eventually our principality will reach its limit. Don’t expect any heroes. We will carve our own path. Our only target is the enemy general’s head. Let’s go.”

“Ha!”

The commander of the Order of the Knights led the direct subordinate unit and advanced.

“Charlotte”

“Yes, leave it to me. I’ll scatter everything with this spear.”

Charlotte also led many knights to the front lines.

The enemy seems to be planning to make a big hole in our defenses with their conical formation.

“Form a wedge formation. It’s a clash of strength against strength.”

“Ha!”

This formation looks triangular from above, and the two knight commanders are leading the charge. In other words, if we collide like this…

“If I defeat you, the tide will turn. Die with honor!”

“That’s our line!”

Clang!!

First, these two will face off.

The cavalrymen who were running behind also collided one after another, and the knights on horseback were thrown to the ground.

The bl00d splatter reaches its peak, and the battlefield’s intensity reaches its zenith.

The front lines, which had been neatly arranged until now, have already lost their shape and turned into a chaotic melee.

In the center of that sea of death, a gaping hole had opened, and two knights were competing in combat.

“Not bad at all!”

“You are weaker than I imagined. What a pity.”

“You cheeky brat! I’ll cut you in half along with that helmet!”

He is the commander of the Kingdom Knights and the commander of the Border Count’s Knights.

This is not because the surrounding soldiers are being considerate and opening a path; it’s simply that if anyone steps into the combat zone of either side, they would be turned into mincemeat in an instant, making it impossible to approach easily.

Charlotte skillfully wields her spear, delivering sharp thrusts repeatedly.

The enemy can only defend against that attack with a great sword.

No, actually, just being able to defend is quite impressive, but the battle still becomes one-sided.

Damn it! I can’t get close at all! That long spear doesn’t even show signs of chipping. What’s more, for some reason, the durability of my great sword is being worn down at an incredible rate…

That is the beloved spear that the weapon enthusiast Charlotte brought to the battlefield. There shouldn’t be any need for further explanation.

By chance, an errant arrow grazed Charlotte’s armor, momentarily loosening her barrage of attacks.

The chance is now or never!

The enemy swung their large spear and kicked off the ground.

“Hahaha! Using a spear was your downfall! There’s no way you’ll be able to defend yourself in time!?”

I tried to approach him as he was, but…

“We’re taking at least that much precaution.”

Charlotte drew a dagger from her waist and threw it at the enemy.

The dagger was beautifully plunged deep into the enemy’s chest.

“Gh…”

“I’m good at throwing. That was close, Lord Knight Commander.”

As Charlotte readied her spear once more to deliver the final blow to the kneeling enemy…

The ground has turned black.

A huge something is approaching her.

“……Huh?”

“That was close! To the commander of the border count’s knights!”

What Charlotte looked up to see was the figure of a huge, huge red dragon.

A, a fire dragon!? Why here…!

Suddenly, without any warning, an S-rank monster appeared.

That presence was overwhelming, and the feet of all the soldiers on the front line came to a halt.

The fire dragon opened its mouth and inhaled.

This is a signal that a massive amount of flames will be emitted from now on.

“Even if I withdraw now, it won’t be in time… then!!!”

Charlotte threw the spear with all her might.

However…

Clang.

I was repelled by the tough scales.

“Too bad! You’re already destined to die!”

If he were to unleash it in this state, not only Charlotte but all the surrounding soldiers, including the knight commander of the duchy, would be turned to ashes, but the hero seems unconcerned about that.

The sea-wizard was observing the scene from within the forest.

As expected, that won’t be defeated by anyone other than me. No, if it’s been enhanced with enslavement magic, even I might be in danger… especially at this distance…

When Zekkai took a step forward,

“Hmm?”

Wh-what is this?! This destructive magical power… The magic that transcends the framework of this creature, felt from the direction of the tent… Even from this distance, my body won’t stop trembling…

The more sensitive something is to magic, the more significant its presence feels.

Zekkai naturally shifted his gaze towards the tent.

“That’s bad. That’s the only thing that’s not allowed.”

Even against an A-rank flying dragon, we have no way to fight back, and now there’s an S-rank fire dragon that surpasses that…? Are you kidding me, Hero?!

“If this continues, Charlotte will… what should I do, what on earth should I do…”

The border count involuntarily knelt down, his face stained with despair.

Next to him, a monster named Ryu appeared.

“……”

“Are you… Ryu-kun…?”

I don’t know why, but I feel completely different from usual. It’s as if my soul is trying to communicate with my body.

The stingray was also affected by the fire dragon’s aura, but sensing Ryu’s presence, it somehow managed to drag its heavy feet over here.

And now, I understood what he was trying to do. No, I realized it.

Cold sweat ran down her forehead.

“Ryu, Ryu-sama… No, you absolutely mustn’t touch that, okay?”

“……”

“S-rank is not something a mere human can compete with. See, you can tell just by looking, right? Come here right now… I will protect you, Master Ryu…”

“Stingray. Thanks for worrying about me. But there’s no need. Didn’t I tell you before coming here?”

“……?”

Ryu smiled gently at her.

“I am… ‘stronger than anyone in this world.'”

In an instant, Ryu vanished from the spot.

Ryu-sama disappeared in an instant!?

Where on earth could he be…?

Above the front line, where the fire dragon is flying.

There he was, Ryu.

Entrust yourself to gravity and fall naturally.

Ryu only wraps his right fist in black lightning.

Looking down, the fire dragon has its mouth wide open, about to incinerate Charlotte and the others.

And just before the fire dragon unleashes its flames.

Narukami Narukami

The fire dragon, which was supposed to be a superior being, was slammed to the ground with a tremendous roar.