Chapter 214 — 용아병단(龍牙兵團)

Chapter 214

Dragon Fang Corps

Elric didn’t come to until a good half-day after he’d connected to the subconscious realm.

『So you finally managed to pull yourself together?』

Elric turned his gaze toward Mephisto’s voice.

And then he blinked in surprise.

[Mephi, your appearance…?]

『Pahahaha! Do you see it? The splendid resurrection of this body!』

Mephisto now had a body far clearer than before—almost incomparable.

The feet that had always looked hazy, like he was drifting in the air, were solid, planted on the ground.

No longer a mere floating specter; if he wanted, he could likely show himself to others now, his presence having coalesced.

But more than anything, what set him apart from before was the way magi now slowly swirled around him.

As Mephisto flung his arms wide and burst into laughter, magi roared up like flames.

The air trembled, and Elric’s skin prickled.

At last, it meant he could exert actual physical force.

Accordingly, the Mark of Original Sin engraved on Elric’s arm gave off a faint glow.

Elric’s take on that was—

[You look even easier to deal with now.]

—blunt.

『You insane brat!』

Mephisto’s face scrunched up.

[No, I mean, facts are facts. It’s not like you can do anything in that state. You still can’t even handle a single demon grunt.]

『….』

To be fair, Elric’s harsh appraisal wasn’t entirely off.

Right now, about all Mephisto could do was show himself and make sparks fly or douse things with magi.

Which was to say, absolutely no help in a fight.

Compared to the days when he’d been hailed as a Great Demon King—practically omnipotent—he still had a long, long way to go.

『S-Still…! The important thing is that I’ve recovered magi…!』

[Is that something to brag about right now?]

『….』

Elric cocked his head.

[No, but let me ask bluntly. Why is this so inefficient?]

『That’s—!』

[Honestly, if your recovery’s going to crawl along like a turtle, we’re a hundred times better off throwing it to Hyul.]

Finally, something sensible out of you.

[You saw it today too, didn’t you? That guy pulls his weight way more than Mephi.]

Being compared to that glutton is depressing for me, master.

Elric hadn’t expected Hyul’s will to return so obediently.

He’d let him go assuming he’d either bolt or never hand back the Mark of Renown he’d swallowed.

He’d even prepared to wrestle the thing out of him if it came to that.

But Hyul’s will went entirely against Elric’s expectations.

Once the fighting ended, he returned meekly to Elric and even spat out the Mark of Renown right away.

He did click his tongue like it was a shame, but he contented himself with eating the magi of Reda that Elric gave him.

Add in the demon corpses strewn across the field as well—but no matter how many of those you gather, they’d never be more effective than consuming the Mark of Renown.

I can’t make heads or tails of what he’s thinking.

Whereas—

Mephisto had taken the Mark of Rampage—after Reda died, the mark naturally flowed into Elric, and Mephisto gobbled it up as promised.

It was like taking half of what Reda had been.

Yet the change amounted to… being able to use magi now. Barely.

Just a little.

A chick’s tear, at best.

No wonder he was pissed.

Same with Yuda back then, and now too. He’s already taken two Demon King marks, hasn’t he?

『How dare you compare this king to that maw of a beast…!』

[No comparison, right. Because Hyul’s way better.]

『….』

[Drop the posturing and explain why.]

Mephisto’s pride was clearly wounded; his expression puckered, but he couldn’t muster a retort. In the end he heaved a sigh deep enough to sink the floor.

『You’re right.』

[…If you’re going to start spouting nonsense again—!]

『No, really! You’ve been cooperative, sure, but this is basically like filling a dried-up sea. You think that’s something you do in a day or two?』

Elric’s brow tightened.

[So how much longer do I have to go through this crap?]

He wasn’t asking for much.

He didn’t expect Mephisto to fully reclaim his power. He didn’t even want that. That’d be putting the cart before the horse and unleashing calamity on the world.

But if he’d eaten something that precious, he ought to at least pull his weight as one person.

『Still, the rivers flowing into the sea have been unblocked now, so the pace should gradually pick up—!』

[Your tongue’s too long. Short version.]

『About fifty more like the one we took today…?』

Elric’s face twisted hideously.

『N-No. Twenty? Fifteen? That much and I can manage…!』

[Are you out of your mind? There aren’t even ten Demon Kings left in the world right now!]

Did this guy think it was still the Great Demon War era?

How many Demon Kings got wiped out back then!

『Then… about ten?』

Mephisto mumbled, sneaking a look at Elric, but Elric’s glare showed no sign of easing.

[You really are a freeloader!]

* * *

『…So. How did it go with those guys of Winter?』

When Elric looked like he might break the pact to ally with him, Mephisto got flustered and tried every persuasion he could think of, barely keeping Elric from changing his mind.

Even so, Elric’s sour scowl wasn’t going anywhere, so Mephisto carefully tested the waters with a question.

He could more or less guess what had happened while Elric was in meditation.

Elric still wore the look of “What am I supposed to do with this leech?” but since he was getting a lot of info about Gregory thanks to him, he decided to let it slide for now.

[How do you think it went?]

『Sounds like you only reaped about half.』

[Don’t know why they’re so damn picky.]

Elric could still recall the conversation vividly.

-We didn’t haul you all the way here just to say hi.

-…?

-You got a dragon egg, right?

-I did.

-Mind if we study it too?

-….

-No?

The reason Winter’s Six had asked to see Elric wasn’t because they’d decided to officially acknowledge his change.

Sure, they had begun to place him on a somewhat equal footing—enough to “hold a conversation”—but he still had plenty of untrustworthy edges in their eyes.

Even so, they’d called him for one reason.

A dragon’s egg had fallen into Elric’s lap.

Three of them, at that.

-And you got that precious dragon corpse too. Kid pulled off what Otto Han couldn’t?

-See? I’m telling you, the stars’ favor is on this kid.

-That’s half superstition—

-Could you shut up?

-Okay, quiet, all of you! Back to the point.

-You’re not confident you can wake the dragon eggs, are you?

-We’ll help.

-We’ve got a pretty good mage here.

Then, from the throne veiled in shadow, a second figure revealed herself.

A woman barely a hundred and fifty centimeters tall. Her robe dragged on the floor, the exact opposite impression of the hulking Nahatram.

But just like with Otto Han and Nahatram, her presence pressed down with tremendous pressure.

-Me. Teach you.

“Iceflower,” Mia.

The one among Winter’s Six said to be most deeply versed in magic stepped forward to help.

Even the old legends within the House said storms always raged where she stood.

She had also been a master who taught countless retainers of the House.

If Otto Han had established the system of the House’s magic, Mia had filled in its details.

-Do you have any idea how blessed you are to learn from Mia?

-Back in the day, huh? People would, what, hike a whole mountain just to hear her voice once, huh?

-She’s deeply versed in ancient lore as well. From properly handling dragon’s blood, to dismantling a dragon corpse and crafting artifacts—she’ll be a huge help in many tasks.

At Nahatram’s added explanation, Elric nodded.

Mia certainly brimmed with vast knowledge. She would likely know about the Progenitor as well, and she would unquestionably be a huge help in all things dragon-related.

And—

Just as Nahatram was a great help in martial strength, Mia could give him a boost in magic.

『Ho. “Iceflower,” you say?』

[You know her?]

『Know her? She was an insufferable bitch.』

Grrrk!

『Just thinking about the hell I went through because of her still makes my blood boil…!』

There was probably no better gauge of Mia’s prowess than Mephisto reacting like this.

『Still, among Otto Han’s rowdy vassals, she was the most serious and the deepest in learning, so she’ll know dragons best.』

Mephisto folded his arms and grumbled.

『So? Then are you going to call the Iceflower here right away?』

[Nope.]

『Hm? We should process the dragon corpse here first—!』

[Not that. The Iceflower won’t be coming.]

『…?』

Mephisto tilted his head, not understanding.

And then—

Pfft!

Elric’s lips curled.

『…You caused trouble again, didn’t you.』

Seeing the smile that always spelled ill omen, Mephisto clicked his tongue.

-No. I don’t need it.

When Mia stepped up, Elric had answered like that, if memory served.

[I just turned her down.]

『What? Why?』

-W-W-What…?

-You’re trying to play hard to get, is that it? Do you even realize how wrong what you’re saying is right now…?

-I am playing hard to get. And yes, I’m acting expensive on purpose. Even if you’re my ancestors, I have no desire to accept charity tossed at me.

-I am the Head of House Mervinger. If you truly wish to help me, then show some proper courtesy next time. And don’t summon me like some underling, out of the blue.

[Because I didn’t like the look of it?]

『…Puhahaha! You lunatic!』

Mephisto stared at Elric in disbelief, then burst out laughing, unable to hold it in—that was just so like him.

『I can picture their faces perfectly. Especially that Iceflower—she must’ve been flustered.』

Elric only smiled in reply.

The way Mia’s ice-sculpture face had subtly twisted had indeed been amusing.

『You sure you won’t regret it?』

[Why would I? It’s not like there’s no one who knows how to handle dragons.]

Elric first thought of Tasha, who was probably busy excavating relics in the Gem Dragon’s nest by now, then met Mephisto’s eyes squarely.

[You know dragons well, don’t you?]

One corner of Mephisto’s mouth curled up, just like Elric’s.

Like a mirror.

『Who do you think fought them the most and studied them the most when those lizards were rampaging?』

In terms of practical application, Mephisto likely knew far more about dragons than Mia. He was the one who’d actually taken down a Gem Dragon, after all.

[Finally, you might actually earn your keep. You’re useless at everything else.]

『….』

Mephisto didn’t bother answering that.

The Talent-Swallowing Magician