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Pullums treatment could be left to Rafinha, thinking so, Inglis turned her attention to Leone and the fallen Ian.

How about you Leone?

Are you injured?

Leone affirmed Inglis and Liselottes questions.

Im fine, somehowI panicked when we were dragged into a Highlanders Mana Sealing Cage, though

! You did well to come out uninjured!

I recall that is the subspace that seals the power of Artifacts, right? Miss Inglis is right, you did great to escape there unharmed!

I dont really understand it myselfSomehow, my sword became weird, soits much sharper than usual, and its shape even changed

Leone pointed to the tip of her sword and, sure enough, the shape was intricate, like a dragons claw.

Mnis that?

Not to mention, when I swung it down as hard as I could, a Phantom Dragon came out of it

EEeeehh?! How could that happen?!

I see, Vufailbanes Dragon Roar must have dwelled in your sword, that must be also why the shape of your sword changed. Dragon Roar is a different kind of power from Mana that Artifacts use, that power couldnt be sealed since Mana Sealing Cage has no effect on it.

A dragons power, Dragon Roar? How did it get into my sword?

You cut a lot of dragon meat, didnt you? In a manner of speaking, that means you cut down a lot of dragons, which must be why its power dwells in your sword.

Leone used this sword as a meat cleaver and spent hours every day cutting Vufailbanes meat. It was simple and hard labor, but it was a necessary job to deliver the meat to the surrounding settlements.

A hard work that benefited the people. With how earnest Leone was, she would never cut corners on this work, and she continued to do it without as much as a complaint even though she was drenched in sweat every day.

Could this result be considered a reward for Leones hard work?

Is that how it is?

So it seems. Well, this is the first time Ive seen it too, though.

In Inglis case, the power of the Dragon Roar was placed within her body, and perhaps the same applied to Lahti, but in Leones case, it seemed like it was placed not in her body but her black greatsword Artifact.

If a god or a goddess put his or her power in a person, that person became a Divine Knight, and if a Divine Knight put that power in a sword, that sword became a Holy Sword. And then, it was said that a sword that slew a god became a Demon Sword or an Evil Sword.

Dragons might be similar in comparison. In the end, dragons were beings close to gods.

It saved our lives, so I wont complain. I should be grateful.

Yup yup. Getting stronger is good, right? Use it the next time we train together, okay? I want to experience it myself! Okay? Okay?

E-, eeh Fine by me, butHahaha, dont get too excited, you.

P-, putting that aside! Why would Mr. Ian do something like this?

Liselotte addressed the elephant in the room.

Thats right! Ian was probably manipulated! I dont know for sure, but he started suffering out of nowhere and said something about Lord Abels consciousness! Apparently, that is also why he kidnapped Pullum on our way to Lekrea! He said it was preparation for something that has been finalized! I dont know anything else about it, though

Lord Abels consciousness?! Preparation?

It-, it doesnt sound very peaceful, does it

It doesnt. Fufufu What trouble

Inglis expression slacked before she knew it. Abel. Ploy. Preparation The conclusion drawn from those collective words was that something no good was brewing.

But, that was a mere generalized conclusion. For Inglis personally, that meant that she could look forward to the possibility of a new sparring partner. That was why she was a little bit excited about it.

Th-, that face doesnt look very peaceful either

W-, well, thats just Inglis being Inglis More importantly, Ian was suffering and wanted me to finish him off quickly, but I couldnt, sohe attacked me again, and we fought, and this happened

Leone looked a bit dejected.

Th-, there is nothing to lamentThank you very much for stopping me, I didnt want to hurt my friendshurt Pullum any more than I already have

Ian!

Dont come closer! I dont know when his consciousness will make me self-destruct! I am no longer of any use to him, after all! All the preparations have been finalized, all that was left was to make a scene and garner all the attention on me even for the briefest of momentsit could have been anythingso, please dont take what I said to heart. There is no need for anyone else to get hurt!

What is this preparation for, Mr. Ian? What is Lord Abel planning?

When Inglis asked him, Ian turned to look at her. His gaze was cold and sharp, an aura that was not Ians. This ruthlessness and arrogance must surely belong to Abel.

Youll know soon enough! Inglis! Its something the likes of you will be overjoyed with! So stay out of my way and just watch!

I will do just that, then.

Only if Rafinha didnt say no to it, that is.

In order to hone her martial arts, Inglis would seek to fight powerful enemies, be it for justice or evil, but Rafinhas wishes alone were something she wouldnt ignore. If anything, she put it as her top priority.

Keeping an eye on the journey of her growth into a full-fledged adult was another major pillar of her life as one Inglis Eux.

Well, enough of this blabbermouth toy! Why dont I get rid of it properly! Its not my taste to keep too many toys, you see!

Ians body glowed intensely, swelling up so quickly.

Dont come any closer! Get as far as possible!

Inglis warned the people all around. What Ian had warned was about to happen, and anyone who got too close would get hurt.

Everything was set up from the very beginning! I should have shared my fate with Lekrea that dayEverything Ive done since then has been a mistakeAnd finally I am happy that Im finally back hereMiss Inglis, everyone. I leave the rest to all of youLahti, Pullum, please make good of this country!

Ian returned to his calm self, showing them his last smile.

Yeah!!

Ian!!

Mr. Ian!

IAN!! I dont know what the future has in store, but! I will make sure that Lekrea will be back to the town it used to be! Thats whythats why!

Following Pullum, Lahti couldnt bear to look away and raised his voice.

Of course, Lahti! Im looking forward to it!

The light burst open and caused an explosion, making loud noises and smoke. Everyone closed their eyes from the blinding dazzle, and when they opened them again, there was no more trace of Ian. The ground was smoldering and scorched. All that was left were pieces of machine parts scattered apart on the ground.