Round 1
Translated by GXYRU
Edited by GXYRU
The white carriage adorned with gold glides along the highway at a speed of 80 km/h. Surrounding it are knights donning silver armor, making it incredibly conspicuous.
“Hey, Erik. Does that mean there’s no possibility of an ambush until we reach the villa?” I inquire. If they were planning to attack us along the way, they would have chosen a slower method of transportation. At 80 km/h, only high-level individuals or magical monsters could catch up.
“It’s not that, but I don’t want to cause inconvenience to others by getting attacked on the highway. As for me, I’d prefer to wait until we arrive at the villa. But, of course, the enemy will do as they please. I can guide them, but I can’t control them,” Erik explains. It’s better to stay on guard, just in case.
Meanwhile, Sofia, Millia, and Sasha are playing cards and enjoying their tea. They are well aware of the possibility of an attack.
“You three have quite the courage,” I remark, amused by their carefree attitude.
Sofia playfully smiles, wondering what I’m talking about. “You mentioned it before, didn’t you? It’s Erik’s thing, and you’re here, so I plan to enjoy the trip with everyone.”
“That’s right. Erik and you will handle the fighting. We’ll focus on having 100% fun,” Millia chimes in.
As for Sasha, she looks apologetically at Zeke. “Your Highness, I…,” but he assures her to enjoy herself.
Zeke was told by Erik during the dungeon training that, as a member of the royal family, he should think and act for himself. It’s understandable that he can’t just play around.
Still, he glances at the card game from time to time. He probably wants to join in.
At that moment, my “Detection Search” detects something. “Erik, there’s an attack coming from the sky. Should we intercept? It seems like they’re genuinely coming to kill us.”
The detection range of my “Search” exceeds 5 km, so it picked up on them. If they’re attacking from the sky, we should be able to see them soon.
It’s a much higher level opponent than the “Cleaner Sweeper” during the dungeon training.
“We’re under attack! A dragon is coming!” The guards rush in, and those outside also become aware.
The knights form a formation in front of the carriage, but it’s meaningless if they attack from above.
“Attacking here is rather inconsiderate of the people around,” Erik comments calmly, not seeming flustered by the dragon attack. Sofia and Millia continue playing cards without a care.
Zeke and Sasha look bewildered, while Mars is visibly tense.
“Is it really a dragon attack? Is that true?” Barn, who was dozing off on the sofa, gets excited when woken up by the guards.
“Arius, are you going dragon hunting? If that’s the case, count me in!” He exclaims, but the guards quickly try to stop him.
“Your Highness, what are you thinking!”
“Exactly, Your Highness! Please don’t do this!”
The guards are frantic, but they must have struggled with him before.
“Well, I’m off then,” I say, and Sofia looks at me with a concerned gaze.
“I think you’ll be fine, but please be careful,” she says.
“Indeed, Arius. We don’t know what might happen, so don’t let your guard down,” Millia adds. Her wording may be a bit off, but I know they’re worried.
“Yeah, I’ll be careful. You two enjoy your trip,” I reply.
I use short-range teleportation to move above the carriage. I’ve already activated the flight magic “Fly.”
A red dragon rapidly approaches from the front right. Its approximate strength was detected by my “Search,” and it’s level 255 according to my appraisal.
Dragons are formidable foes, especially when they attack from the sky with their breath. It’s more troublesome than its level suggests.
However, this time, the dragon is just a bonus. The guy riding on its back is clearly stronger. I accelerate in mid-air and quickly close the distance, slashing the dragon vertically with my magically-empowered sword.
Of course, it’s only a level 200-something dragon. The Ancient Dragon from the high-difficulty high-class dungeon “Dragon’s Palace” has a level several times higher.
“But you sure like doing things your way, don’t you? Who the hell are you?” The bearded giant in the red full plate armor floats in mid-air. Of course, he’s using flight magic.
He easily surpasses 2 meters in height and is more than twice my width. The giant wields a rugged double-bladed battle axe with both hands.
I know who this guy is; the information gathered by the intelligence agency led by Darius has reached me, and I’ve done some investigation of my own. He is “Blast Garland, the Fallen Dragon Knight.” He was formerly an S-rank adventurer known as the “Cleaner Sweeper.” He’s been rumored to be extremely brutal, but appearances can be deceiving.
Although he looks like this, Blast’s true strength lies in his magic. I confirmed it through my appraisal.
“I am Arius Gilbert, a student at the Royal Magic Academy. Ah, just so you know, I have no connection with the adventurer named Arius.” I clarify, just in case. Whether he believes it or not is up to him.
“Hah! If you’re going to bluff, do a better job! There’s no way SSS-rank Arius would be here. I heard he’s soloing through the ‘Great Labyrinth of Guneay’,” Blast retorts.
Well, it was a good move to lay the groundwork. It paid off to visit the Adventurer’s Guild in Kernal City every day and create an alibi.
But I’ve never said I’m conquering the “Great Labyrinth of Guneay.” I guess he assumed that.
“Wait, Arius Gilbert… I see! You’re the son of former SS-rank Darius Gilbert, right? That explains why you’re somewhat strong. You dare to kill my dragon! Natural dragons are precious, you know. I’ll make you regret angering me!” Blast exclaims as he easily swings both battle axes.
He has power but lacks technique. Well, his axe attack is just a bluff. I know he’s calculating when to use his magic.
Using magic for a surprise attack is also a tactic, so I don’t find it unfair. But that doesn’t mean I have to humor him.
I accelerate further and close in on Blast before he can react, delivering a punch. He gets blown away and crashes into the ground, causing a small crater.
For now, he’s still alive. No problem.
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