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A short while after Grodel and I convene with the fourth battalion, Azalea appears, covered in blood and carried on the back of a beastman brat shorter than himself, Nell. The clothes around his shoulder are torn, blood clinging to the scraps. The more I look at him, the more irate I grow.

“A-Azalea-sama wasm hurt by a monster. Umm, somebody, healing magic…”

Nell says as he lays Azalea on the ground. His inarticulate manner of speech further amplifies my irritation. I feel my head shaking in anger.

“Azalea! Explain yourself! Did you not boast that you would subjugate that dragon! To be wounded by a mere undead, what a pitiful state you are in! What happened to the two that were with you? Don’t tell me you let the undead slip away?!”

As I shout, I draw my sword on impulse and thrust it into the ground. A chime rings out, and fragments of broken rock scatter. Then with the blade of my sword exposed, I stride towards him. Nell reacts nervously to my approach, but, following an eye signal from Azalea, rests him on the ground.

“I cannot apologise enough. I have no excuses for my terrible blunder. Please allow me to make up for it through my actions…”

“And you’re asking me to leave the hunting of that dragon to you!? At this critical time, in this predicament, how could you… That arm of yours can’t swing a sword any longer, can it!? As you are now, what could you possibly do?! I was counting on you, and yet at the crucial moment, you allow yourself to be injured by a lesser monster! Do you understand?! This expedition, you see, is my route to becoming king! The honour of my Torvenits family is at stake here! I believed you when you said you would defeat the dragon, and yet… What have you done!?”

I abandon my body to my rage and swing my sword down. Nell, who was watching from a distance, braces himself to intervene. Azalea grabs a sword from a nearby soldier with his uninjured right hand and points it towards Nell to fend him off while, at the same time, catching my downward swing with his left hand.

There’s no way he could catch a sword blade with his bare hand without injury. Though my swing was impulsive and didn’t have too much force behind it, the blade still cuts halfway through the palm of his hand and severs his forefinger. Blood pours from his hand.

“You bastard… What are you thinking?”

If he hadn’t warded Nell off, even injured, Azalea could have easily dodged or defended against my strike. No, he should have been able to dodge my sword while still keeping Nell at bay. He’s left-handed. As a swordsman, it is common sense to be always wary of injuries to one’s dominant hand. The number of swordsmen who lose their life by protecting their hand at the cost of exposing their vitals is not negligible. I might have swung my sword towards him in a fit of rage, but I never intended for him to lose a finger.

“…I will not use a sword to slay the dragon. It is not an opponent that can be reached by someone of my strength. That is why… These wounds are of no consequence for the coming battle.”

“To show that, you intentionally…”

Azalea lets his sword fall to the ground, then kneels in place.

“I will do my utmost to make you king. For that purpose, I have no regrets in devoting my body or my life. I beg of you, order me to slay the dragon… So that the worst does not happen, please escape.”

I find myself at a loss for words. I never expected him to say he would go so far for me.

“…Hmm, then I will leave it to you. Do not fail me.”

“Hah! This Azalea will surely present to you both of that dragon’s heads, even if it costs my life.”

My anger finally subsides as I collect myself.

“…It seems I allowed myself to become overwrought. Hey, you lot! Hurry and treat his wounds!”

I shout to the fourth battalion, and several white mages hurriedly rush over to him.

“So tell me Azalea, how do you intend to slay that dragon?”

I ask him while he’s surrounded by the fourth battalion’s white mages. He raises his head and looks me in my eyes.

“…I will take the hostages to the depths of a cave and lead the dragon inside. If the dragon is insistent on protecting the Lithovars, then… It will come to try and rescue them.”

“Do you know of a cave nearby that’s enough for it?”

“No, I don’t. That is why… It will have to use it. In order to safely retrieve the children, it’ll use [Humanisation Technique]… As a high-ranking dragon, it should have learnt it by now. But that skill is also its weakness… If it’s attacked by a first-rate swordsman while its physical ability is lowered, it may be possible to deal it a decisive blow. No other method could drain that dragon of its magic power and damage it.”

“…At first glance, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but is it not overly dependent on its actions? In the first place, is it even likely that that dragon would put its life on the line for these barbarians…?”

“To overturn our circumstances, there is no other way. After all… Our opponent is the evil dragon of legend, the ouroboros.”

“O-ouroboros!?”

I shout. Caught up by my reaction, the onlookers are also react with astonishment.

The ouroboros is designated as danger rank A. It is said that monsters of that rank can only ever be subjugated through the cooperation of multiple countries and the fielding of thousands of knights.

It is not as though I have any specific knowledge of the ouroboros. But I remember hearing that, according to legend, its toughness is terrifying.

“Right. That is why, if I can kill it… Your ascendance to the throne would be certain. No matter what the other nobles bring, they could never beat you.”

“Th-there’s no way! How can you suggest that?! If it truly is that, do you really think you can kill it!? After all, it’s the incarnation of immortality…”

“The issue is that of its amount of magic power and vitality. But the legend is an exaggeration… Any living creature can eventually be exhausted. Eternal life is an impossibility. If I can get it to use [Humanisation Technique]… It should lose a lot of its advantage. Then, inside a cave where it can’t easily run away, I will defeat it while its physical ability is reduced.”

He’ll be walking a tightrope… But if he succeeds, there’s no doubt it’ll make me king. Moreover, the nearby countries will be highly grateful that I prevented a crisis. As a bonus, I’ll be able to produce various magic tools from its eyes, meat and bones. My name will be renowned throughout the world.

“B-but, you… With that arm, you can’t wield a sword!”

“I will disappear through magic… Then when the ouroboros is about to flee from the cave, before it has a chance to release the [Humanisation Technique], I will shoot successive [Flares] at maximum power. If its scaleless body is pierced by [Flare], even an ouroboros could not survive unscathed.”

C-certainly… Then even if it’s an ouroboros, killing it is a possibility.

“For this strategy, Nell… I’m relying on you. For every second possible, you must delay the orouboros’s humanised form as long as you can. Your arm should be fast enough while it’s humanised.”

Azalea turns to look at Nell and orders him. Nell gulps and looks down.

“Th-that’s…. We’re going to rely on their guardian deity putting its life on the line to save them, right…?”

The atmosphere chills. We may be about to slay a monster of legend, and yet what is this trifling nonsense he is blurting out? This is why I can’t stand this stupid brat. I’m using him because Azalea has a strangely high opinion of him, but I truly can’t stand him.

“You bastard, what are you saying!? Only because Azalea…”

Azalea reaches out a hand to stop me.

“My lord, Nell is a valuable person who can fight against the humanised ouroboros. Its physical abilities may be reduced while it’s humanised, but an ordinary person still wouldn’t last ten seconds. Even I would struggle to survive very long…”

“You have too high an opinion of him! What good is he if he hesitates at the most important time?!”

After a moment’s pause, Azalea opens his mouth.

“Nell… It’s not as though I don’t understand your feelings of wanting to back the Lithovars. They have customs, culture…children, and parents. Knowing how sensitive you are, I knew you would struggle and so took you out of my unit and placed you with the reserves.”

What is he saying all of a sudden? I unconsciously glare at him. But he continues to look at Nell, without glancing towards me.

“High-ranking dragons are intelligent. Among them, those classified as evil dragons are the most cunning and cruel of all. They may become attached to humans, but they will never hold feelings of affection for them. Absolutely never.”

“Eh? B-but, you said it would come save them…”

“It’s not unusual for high-ranking demons or dragons to collect the faithful and be worshipped by humans. You should have seen that just now. That undead child. The ouroboros has the ability to produce powerful undead. The Lithovars are said to capture nearby people and sacrifice them. The reason why… I can now understand.”

“……That’s…”

“Eventually, that ouroboros will grow in power, and it is likely that Ardesia as well as the surrounding countries will fall into ruin. Who knows how many will die. Of course, the felis humas that you are supporting with your salary from Tolman-kakka won’t be safe either. Or do you truly want to bet on the possibility that the ouroboros is unconditionally protecting those far weaker than itself?”

“……”

“Do you dislike the use of hostages? That selfishness of yours will only cause greater damage. Besides, liberating the Lithovars from the ouroboros would be a plus. If they stop hunting for sacrifices, the surrounding countries will also have no reason to interfere with them.”

Nell, who was so opposed a moment ago, lapses into silence. As expected of Azalea. My subordinate truly is excellent.

“…If you perform well here, you will be amply rewarded and can be freed from the 『Starved Hunters』. You’ll be able to go wherever you please.”

After saying that, Azalea looks me in the eyes as though to confirm. In the first place, the one who appraised Nell so highly was Azalea. Besides, if I can become king, such petty details matter little. I’ll give any amount of money he needs.

“I, understand… I will be the centre point and attract the ouroboros.”

“Well said. I expect much of you, Nell.”

Azalea says, messily patting Nell’s head. After pulling on Azalea’s hand, Nell looks up at him timidly.

“If you can’t hold out, leave the cave as quickly as…”

Azalea breaks off his speech. Nell looks at him anxiously.

“…No, don’t leave the cave. Even when you feel you’re reaching your limit, don’t stop.”

“O-okay…”

It is rare for Azalea to restate himself. Did he realise something? As I wonder, I hear a voice from short distance away.

“Tolman-samaa! We got enough information out of the brats! The carbuncle is as good as in our hands! I was thinking we should torture them to death to raise morale, but how about it?”

It’s Grodel. Azalea moves in front of him.

“…Unfortunately, I will need them as hostages. You should hurry up and retreat with Tolman-kakka to safety.”

“Ah?! But I just learned information about the carbuncle! Are you telling me to set that aside? What, are you that scared of the dragon…”

Azalea seizes Grodel by the base of his throat, digging his nails into his neck. Grodel falls to the ground and curls up.

“Y-you…”

“I don’t trust you, but… There is no one more suitable at the moment. But I’ll know if you try anything. Regardless of whether or not you succeed, I’ll kill you for sure. If you understand, then hurry up and get ready to leave.”

“This bastard, he’s making fun of me!”

With one eye open, Grodel stoops low and draws a knife that was concealed in his sleeve and approaches Azalea. Azalea chops his arm with his hand, then elbows him in the face.

“Buh!”

He follows up with a punch to the face. Grodel’s front tooth breaks, and he bends down. Azalea grips his head and raises him high.

“…I’ll say it again. I don’t trust you. Don’t do anything unnecessary. Do you understand?”

After Grodel feebly nods his acknowledgement, Azalea shouts for some white magic users to heal him. Grodel should be quite talented, but Azalea really is exceptional. I never would have thought there would be this much difference between them. But it’s unusual for Azalea to be this strict without my orders. He must really regard Grodel’s disposition as dangerous.

In the end, Grodel obediently follows Azalea’s instructions and prepares to leave the forest with myself and the majority of the fourth battalion.

“Azalea, be sure to slay the ouroboros!”

“I will do so… It’s a thin rope, but I will walk it.”

AN: 【Book Publication】

DoraTama volume four is now published!

【Correction (2/17)】

Even though I wrote that the total number of units was seventy, I mistakenly wrote up to seven battalions (the seventh battalion consists of units seventy-one through to eighty). To correct this, Tolman’s approximate number of soldiers is changing from six hundred to six hundred and fifty (eighty units). [TN: I’m not too sure about the author’s maths here, shouldn’t the seventh battalion be units 61 to 70?]

It was also a mistake for the undead Aro to be shot with [High Rest]. It has been changed to [Fake Life]. There was a comment that treant-san might know [Rest], but I think I will be able to explain this soon. Sorry for the confusion…