"The Talented Dragon Hides Its Claws" ~ The Eldest Son of the Baron Family, Called Useless, is Actually One of the World's Strongest ~ - Episode 59

Currently, Ryu and his group are passing through the Great Forest within the Grace territory.

“Honestly, it’s abnormal that we aren’t attacked by monsters even in the forest. Normally, since there are no roads laid out here, we get attacked at least two or three times.”

“Well, that kind of thing happens.”

“Could it be that the Baron is an incredibly lucky person?”

“I’m more on the unlucky side, you know.”

Hearing that remark, the knights nodded in agreement.

No wonder.

At just fourteen, he succeeded the head of the family, and within six months, war was declared on them by the neighboring territory.

After the war, he personally went to the capital for his mother, and just when he thought he had finally cured her, he was immediately called back to war and appointed to the high-ranking position of chief of staff. It’s hardly something to call good luck.

Normally, just the achievement of rebuilding the Arden territory would be considered a great feat, but as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he is advancing the port town construction plan with the border lord, even amidst the war. Is there any other noble like him? And strangely enough, for some reason, Ryu’s name has not yet spread beyond the continent, let alone within the empire.

The knights guarding the rear of the carriage were murmuring.

“Will there ever come a time when Lord Ryu will see the light of day…?”

“It’s up to Lord Ryu’s mood. If someone other than Mother, Sister, or Lord Sebas were to appear and greatly move His Excellency’s heart, he would surely get off his heavy backside.”

“We have to do our best so we can follow our master too.”

“For now, I’ll protect Lady Lena with my life for these three years.”

“Yeah”

They were two people who had secretly reaffirmed their resolve.

After about two hours of progressing through the poorly visible forest road, I finally passed by the sign indicating the halfway point of the forest.

“This is the halfway point, huh?”

“Shall we take a break for a while?”

“No, you should stop. There are a lot of monster nests around here, so even the local adventurers hardly ever come near this place. We should keep running even if it means pushing the horse a bit.”

“Understood. Driver, can you still run?”

“Yes” “It’s okay”

“Alright. Then let’s keep running like this.”

Lena opens the curtain and peeks outside.

“This forest is kind of dark and creepy, isn’t it?”

“Yes. But we can’t get to the capital without passing through here, so let’s endure it together for now.”

An unsettling atmosphere began to permeate even inside the carriage.

“That said, we still can’t shake off our worries, can we?”

“I’m not particularly worried, so it’s all good!”

“Uh, could you tell me the reason, just in case?”

“Because your brother is outside.”

“Is it Baron Arden again…?”

Flora couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

As expected, it’s not normal. Whether I hear this or that, it’s always “Onii-sama.” No matter what I hear, it always leads back to “Onii-sama.” At first, I thought it was the so-called brother complex, but not feeling any sense of danger in a place where lives are at stake is a clear sign that something is completely lacking. What kind of brainwashing did you perform on your own sister? Ryu Arden

“Um… are you okay?”

Lena placed her hand on Flora’s knee and worried about her frowning expression.

“……I will say it again and again, but I, Flora Grace, will definitely protect you. Despite my appearance, I am the top student in practical magic. If the time comes, I will personally get off the carriage and fight, so Lena-chan, please wait here with peace of mind.”

“No, that’s not necessary…”

“It’s fine. I’ll help you break free from your brainwashing.”

I hugged tightly once again.

“Y-yes…”

Brainwashing? What on earth is Flora-san talking about…?

Thirty minutes later, the problem finally occurred.

Ryu raised one hand.

“Stop the carriage.”

The coachman pulled the reins and stopped the horse.

The female adventurers tilt their heads at the sudden order.

“Baron Arden, what’s wrong?”

“About a hundred meters ahead, an armed group is lying in wait.”

“Eh, really? That?”

“Really. Look, there’s a big tree over there, right? They’re hiding around it.”

“I can’t tell from here…”

“Let’s move forward little by little for now. It’ll come out eventually.”

“Well, if it’s us, we could probably twist a thief’s arm with one hand, so let’s get closer and check it out.”

Since Ryu had no intention of turning back here, he led the carriage with the female adventurers at the front.

Then.

“Wow, they really came out in droves…”

About twenty bandits appeared.

“Hey, stop right there, carriage. Leave all your money and belongings here.”

“Depending on your attitude, I’ll spare your lives.”

“Hey, wait a minute, look at that emblem.”

“Isn’t that the carriage of the Grace Marquis family? We’re in luck! I don’t know the crest on the back carriage, but it means we can squeeze a hefty ransom from two noble families, right?”

“So, plans have changed. Kill everyone except the hostages.”

“Looking at their equipment, they seem like failed adventurers. Apparently, we’re going to be killed, but what should we do?”

“Why are you so calm…? We can handle something like that ourselves. We can’t let the Baron get hurt, so please just watch from over there for a bit.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s go, everyone!”

“Yeah!”

“The adventurers are coming forward! Let’s take them down!”

“I don’t know the rank, but we’ve got twenty people here! If we make it five against one, it’ll be a piece of cake!”

The battle between four adventurers and twenty thieves has begun.

The rank of our allied adventurers is B. Equivalent to Arden’s “White Wolf.” No, considering they have the strength to be retained by the Grace Marquis family, they might even be stronger than the White Wolf.

“Ughhh!”

“Help me…”

“Hey, wait! I’m giving up!”

“I won’t wait!”

Thud.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Ryu was impressed watching the battle.

They’re quite strong. As expected of Grace’s B-rank adventurers.

Flora opened the carriage curtain and briefly checked outside.

“If that’s the case, there’s no need for me to step in.”

“If the worst comes to worst, you can leave it to my brother, so even in case of an emergency, it would be better if you don’t get out of the carriage too much, Flora-san…”

“That’s not acceptable. As a member of the Grace family, I must protect my allies with my own hands. Please watch my back, Lena-chan.”

“But…”

“Hey, Lena-chan. You can leave everything to me. Because when I’m in a pinch… I’m ‘stronger than anyone’.”

In less than three minutes, the number of enemies was halved.

“Why are these guys so strong?!”

“Are you going to retreat?!”

“You idiot! If you run away, you’ll end up getting killed by the boss instead!”

Ryu did not miss that remark.

The boss? …Ah, so the six people behind the big tree were the boss. I was wondering why they hadn’t shown up yet despite our allies being in danger, but now I understand with that remark.

And then, the number of thieves was reduced to one.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

“Fucking annoying!”

The last person, attempting to flee, turned around and was clumsily beheaded.

“Phew~ This is the end.”

“Good job. That was a great fight. But…”

This can’t be the end.

“Ah, everyone’s getting taken out. Useless bunch of idiots.”

“Gathering members from scratch again is such a drag.”

“But well, we’ll be safe for a while with the ransom.”

From behind the large tree, the main performer made his entrance.

The female adventurers froze and widened their eyes as soon as they saw them.

Ryu asks.

“Who are those guys?”

“…It’s a former A-rank adventurer party. It’s bad. Seriously, those guys are a no-go.”

“A-rank? Why is such a big shot playing at being a thief?”

The man who seemed to be the leader of the other side reacted.

“You really know how to annoy me with your little thief games, don’t you, young master?”

“Oh, you figured out that I’m a noble quite well.”

“You can tell just by looking at us. So, why are we doing this whole bandit thing?”

“Will you tell me?”

“I’ll tell you as a parting gift. We broke the taboo of killing fellow adventurers inside the dungeon. It got out, and now we’ve been put on the wanted list by the Adventurers’ Guild. Those women probably saw our wanted posters at the guild or something.”

“Is that so?”

“Y-yes, that’s correct.”

The enemy took up their weapons and ascended the forest road.

“So, everyone except the hostages, just die quietly.”

“Baron, we’ll be the wall, so please take the ladies and escape right now. I think if we take the horses off the carriage, we’ll have enough legs.”

“Well, even if you say that…”

“What are you talking about? This isn’t the time to be joking around…”

A knight arrived there.

“Lord Ryu, what should we do?”

“At worst, I’ll handle it, so stay back and don’t interfere with the fight.”

“Understood.”

Actually, these two were knights who participated on the forest side during the Man Tester battle.
In short, since I directly witnessed Ryu effortlessly taking down the A-rank party back then, I’m not particularly worried.

“Worst comes to worst, I’ll handle it—how much do you underestimate A-rank… You’re seriously in the way, so please just run away.”

However, no matter what was said, Ryu and the others did not try to escape.

Of course, the enemy won’t wait.

“It’s been a while since our last hunt. Let’s do this.”

“I don’t care anymore! We’re going too!”

The fierce battle between four B-rank members and six former A-rank members has begun.

“If we coordinate well, we should be able to win!”

The female adventurers fight while protecting each other’s backs as a group of four.

“Haha! Not bad, not bad at all!”

The reason Ryu hasn’t made a move yet is simple.

Although they are A-rank, they are former adventurers with years of inactivity. In contrast, we are active B-rank adventurers who have even caught the attention of Lord Grace. Despite the difference in numbers, could it be possible? It’s a bit of a déjà vu situation, but it’s still worth watching.

However, the wall between A and B was endlessly high.

“Hey!!!”

“Ugh…!”

One of the female adventurers got blown away, so everyone will fall back for a moment and regroup.

Seeing that, Ryu took a step forward instead.

This seems like it’s about as far as I can go. Maybe it’s time for me to step in.

And at that moment, the sound of a carriage door opening was heard from behind.

“……Hmm?”

Flora is sprinting towards the adventurer with all her might, and Lena is following closely behind her.

“Brother! Stop Flora!”

“Hey, wait!”

“I’ll hold them off and buy us some time! You take Lena and escape!”

She shook off Ryu’s restraint and stood alongside the adventurers.

“Y-young lady?! What are you doing?!”

“I will also fight alongside you as a member of the Grace family! Keep your head up!”

If a kitten gets caught up in a fight between lions, it becomes an easy target.

The enemy leader kicks the ground and approaches Flora while raising his great sword high.

“Hah, you idiot! I’ll half-kill you just enough so you don’t die! You’re an important hostage, you know!”

“Ah”

There’s no way she could react to A-rank speed.

The adventurer also reaches out, but it’s too late.

She felt as if the world had come to a standstill.

In front of me, a terrifying man is grinning wickedly with a weapon in one hand.

Father… Lena-chan… I’m sorry

The moment she gave up on life.

Someone on the battlefield chanted.

“Aoryu”

Suddenly, on this battlefield, a dragon created from azure lightning manifested. According to ancient texts from the island nation, it took the form of an Eastern dragon.

The enemy leader, who had been raising his sword, was in a daze.

“……What?”

The Azure Dragon swallowed six enemies along with the ground, stopping just before touching Flora.

A gust of wind makes her long hair dance beautifully.

“……!”

The Azure Dragon ascended to the heavens and vanished.

Flora’s body goes limp, and she collapses backward.

“Ah”

But someone gently supported my back.

“Damn it. This is why the Grace bloodline…”