"Then I'm re…...lieved!"

This female warrior of the Shulz tribe who shares the same face as the daughter of the Duke of Filsand releases a slash aimed at me without any hesitation whatsoever.

Without even looking at the gigantic Huge Blue Dragon of Purple Lightning at my back.

In comparison with the other warriors, all of whom have either fled in sheer panic or have sunk to the ground in despair, she cuts a very gallant figure indeed.

"DAYA—!"

"Hi-, Hime-sama."

"...... Hime!"

The kiai of their Martial Chief splitting through the air jolts the surrounding warriors back to their senses.

I really must commend her on her split-second decision making.

By sandwiching me between the dragon and herself, I effectively become her s.h.i.+eld against the dragon.

If this had been a different dragon, then her Divine Sword might possibly have reached me.

However.

"Blue Dragon! Stun Lightning!"

"GYUUOOOooooo!"

The dragon behind me opens its mouth so wide that in her eyes, it must look like the dragon is about to swallow both me and her together.

And it must have been the same with the lightning shower that began as sparks deep in the dragon's mouth before enveloping her within the blink of an eye.

"Gyan!?"

Having been struck with lightning the full length of her body, the female warrior lets out a brief shriek before falling over.

Stun Lightning. A variety of the Blue Dragon's unique ability, Lightning Breath, this attack basically paralyzes the target with an electrical shock. The reason why I chose the Blue Dragon is exactly because from the very start, I had intended on ending this duel without anyone getting hurt.

"Uuu."

Thanks to her perfect position, I ended up being caught up in the Stun Lightning attack as well.

But of course, even though I was showered in the same lightning, I have the resistance of a Level 36 Wizard. Though I felt a bit of a shock, all it did was help improve my blood circulation a bit. However, it is largely due to Stun Lightning's effect description "Stunned if the Resist roll fails, No Damage if the Resist roll succeeds" that I could let myself be hit with such a carefree heart.

"Hime-sama?!"

"What the h.e.l.l…… how can we even dream of winning against something like that……"

The few Shulz warriors who had managed to stand their ground instead of running away are now staring in shock.

I slowly walk forward until I am in front of the fallen female warrior, then powerfully strike the ground with my Wizardry Staff.

"As you have witnessed, the winner of this duel is myself, the Wizard Gio Margils! Per our agreement, she is now under my custody! Ah…… though the outcome is like this, she fought with honor, and thus I promise that no harm shall come to her! Oh warriors of the Shulz, begone from this place!"

"...... Uuu."

"Kuh…… How can we just abandon Hime-sama here……"

At my words, the warriors take one of two actions.

While some immediately drop their weapon in defeat, some gradually inch towards to me even while battling with the fear inside of themselves. If I had to say, the former is the majority.

When I turn around, I see the Blue Dragon still there, slowly undulating its head in intimidation. The fact that there are still some warriors proceeding forward in spite of that is a testament to how talented a leader Dianu is.

It seems like it would be an enormous waste of time trying to verbally convince them all, and it'd also be problematic if they have reinforcements coming.

"Blue Dragon, use Stun Lightning one more time. Knock them all out."

"KyuuOOoo."

♥♦♣♠

In the end, all of the Shulz warriors who remained were hit with lightning and knocked out.

Though that method of handling was a bit rough, they were the ones who first shot us with arrows without any questions or warning, so I'm afraid they'll just have to bear with it.

After all my companions exited the force field dome, we all left the place and returned to the road.

To be honest, I wanted to stay at the settlement a while to search for traces of Shadow Demons, but had to abandon that plan in case Shulz reinforcements show up.

Of course, we brought the princess of the Shulz, Dianu, along as our prisoner.

♥♦♣♠

Several hours after we've returned to the mountain road and resumed heading towards Filsand.

According to our guide, Fablu, flat ground is only a short distance ahead, after which we will reach Filsand with 4 to 5 more days of walking.

"But still, I was very much surprised. To think that you could even call dragons……" (Elizabel)

"I agree with you totally. Margils-dono's power is probably the equal of a whole army…… no, the equal of a large country's entire military force." (Fablu)

"You all have already seen me use giants and worms. It's just the same thing." (Gio)

After having come this far, it is clear that there are no signs of us being pursued. As such, Elizabel and Fablu are engaging me in conversation. Fablu aside, even Elizabel's face seems flushed with excitement.

Well, as part of the highest cla.s.s of monsters in D&B, it seems to have left quite the impact.

"Margils-sama is our Oluri. Something of that level is of no trouble at all." (Leiha)

"I did think it curious to find a Dark Elf serving a human, but now I am completely convinced." (Fablu)

Leiha talks to Fablu while looking like she's boasting. These two were wary of each other at the beginning, but it seems that they're getting along together quite well now.

But as we continue walking, the newcomer raises a voice of protest.

"Oi dammit, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! What is up with this treatment?!"

"It doesn't really hurt or pain you in any way, right? I think this is actually a pretty humane way of treating a prisoner though."

"What part of this disgrace is supposed to be humane huh you b.a.s.t.a.r.d?!"

Disgrace? How rude of her.

All I've done is tie up her hands and feet to prevent her from running away or flailing about, then have [Sprite Porter] carry her.

Well, the Porter is carrying her over its shoulder, so from the side it looks like the Shulz princess is bobbing up and down in midair with her body bent over and her b.u.t.t raised high.

Hmm, this might be a bit embarra.s.sing indeed.

"......"

Next to me, Elizabel looks over at Dianu with a complicated face.

Though Dianu has realized that there is someone in our party with the exact same face as her own, she is opting to completely ignore Elizabel.

I took her prisoner because I wanted to ask her for more details about that 'proclamation,' but at the moment I can't see her as anything other than the seed for trouble down the road……

♥♦♣♠

When we are almost clear of the mountainous area, we circle around a huge rock, after which our view opens up all of a sudden.

We can see an expansive plain, as well as the ocean to the south. Compared to the plains in the vicinity of Lake Liuus, the area here is not so green, and conveys a slightly starved impression.

While we are enjoying the view from our outlook, suddenly a s.h.i.+ning piece of paper appears above my head and flutters down.

"Nn? …… Ahh, this must be my [Arcane Postcard]."

The piece of paper that naturally settles on the palm of my hand is the postcard that I had addressed to Sedam and sent towards Jiiteias Castle a few days ago. This postcard is capable of making a single round trip, so Sedam must have used that function.

"Let's see, let's see…… 'Two fights to eliminate bandits. A small group of Shadow Demons appeared. Managed to crush it with the cooperation of the War Tribe and Carbanera Knight Order. Minimal damage. All else is smooth.' is what he wrote."

"...... It sounds to me like the Shadow Demon appearances have increased again."

"......"

At hearing Sedam's report, Claura sighs pensively.

Leid stares at me wordlessly, while Leiha keeps a sharp eye on him. Though I feel like Leid and I did come to know each other a bit in Senpu Village, I know that we will never reach a true rapport until I am cleared of this charge.

♥♦♣♠

"It has been a very long time since I last crossed these mountains."

That night.

After we had set up camp and already had dinner, when I was ma.s.saging my legs that had become stiff from walking, I hear Fablu murmuring to himself. It seems like a good time, so I throw him a question.

"You mentioned that that area is considered sacred ground for the dwarves, but do Shadow Demons still show up every now and then?"

"The Shadow Demons show up everywhere, after all. Of course, once a sighting is confirmed, the Balbatoron [Clan of Battle] will be deployed to wipe them out."

So it seems like this is not the first sign of Shadow Demon presence. In other words, it's not that they suddenly started showing up when I showed up. Just knowing that gives me slight relief.

"What do you think about those humans arbitrarily settling there?"

"Of course, I don't feel good about it at all. If we had found them, then we definitely would have chased them away. But we don't have so much time on our hands that we'd go around searching for hidden settlements all around the place."

"...... These past few years, the taxes have gone up quite a lot in Filsand. I've heard that some of the citizens have gone bankrupt, and thus either became slaves or have fled the city."

"The taxes are so severe that citizens have to flee? I was under the impression that Filsand is a bountiful city……"

Worry comes over Irudo's face in response to Elizabel's supplementary explanation.

"Due to the dragon people, s.h.i.+pping routes in the south have become very insecure. On top of which, the king of Feldi has demanded extraordinary tax several times already. This is why opening a trade route to Senpu Village and then even to Jiiteias Castle would be……"

"Hah! Just because you guys aren't earning enough, you come to plunder us! You greedy Feldians!"

From the slightly removed place where Dianu is having her dinner (I've a.s.signed Leiha to be both her monitor and caretaker) comes jeering in a loud voice.

"......"

Aside from Elizabel, none of us feel any particular closeness to Filsand. However, as they are the party we are aiming to invite to our alliance next, we cannot help but to frown slightly.

"...... We took her prisoner to ask her questions in the first place. Though I feel reluctant, I'm going to talk to her now."

To get started with Disqus head to the Settings panel.

Chapter 83: After the Duel

Volume 4

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