[V12C2] Senior and Junior

After dropping off Lana and Karina at the Flux Company, Nero ran back to Monica’s house at full speed.

As it turned out, all employees of the Flux Company were unharmed.

They definitely seemed to be in disarray, but they had a general understanding of the situation thanks to Clifford’s coordination with his family’s Anderson Company.

Apparently, someone had blockaded the east gate of Sazandol right after the black rain, causing widespread chaos. As a result, many people were flocking to the south gate and port in an attempt to escape the city.

This information was backed by what Nero saw in the streets: a lot of people grabbing their belongings and heading south.

Lana seemed to be hesitating on whether or not to evacuate, but she ultimately chose to stay at the company and assess the situation for the time being.

The black rain could be avoided by hiding under a roof. Meanwhile, if people were crowding around at the south gate and port, those crowds would become prime targets.

Above all, the Abyss Shaman and the Fourth Thorn Witch were here in Sazandol. The Silent Witch was present as well, though this was a fact known only to them.

(I should meet up with Monica for now. As for Sparkles… Well, guess I’ll pick him up if I find him.)

Nero stepped into the doorway of Monica’s house, turning the doorknob without bothering to knock. The door was not locked, and he could sense someone inside.

Nero turned towards the stairs to see someone descending with muffled footsteps.

It was a tall man with the right half of his face covered in an eyepatch. The scarier-looking form of Sparkles, or rather, Isaac.

Isaac seemed extremely fatigued. The eye not covered by his eyepatch had dark circles under it, and his lips were completely dry. He opened his mouth to say something, but eventually closed it without uttering a word.

His gloomy face caused a concern to stir in Nero’s chest.

“Oi, Sparkles. What happened to Monica?”

“…”

No response. This only fanned the flames on Nero’s anxiety, causing him to raise his voice.

“Oi! Tell me what happened to Monica!”

“Please, keep it down… Please…!”

Isaac’s tone was filled with agitation, confusion, and impatience. He gasped for breath, unable to steady his breathing. His throat was trembling, as if suppressing a sob.

This was a man who could maintain his composure no matter how dire the situation. There was only one possible explanation for his failure to do so: something had happened to Monica.

Suddenly, a slight noise came from the second floor.

“Out of my way!”

Nero pushed Isaac aside and rushed up the stairs.

“Wait, Nero… Nero!”

Nero ignored Isaac’s shouts. Why should he care? He was Monica’s partner, so it was only natural for him to be worried.

“Oi, Monica!”

Nero slammed open the door to Monica’s room.

Monica was on the bed, huddled under a blanket. She looked just like her usual self, with no visible injuries.

But the next moment, Monica looked at Nero’s face and started shaking. Tears welled up in her round eyes.

“Eek… ah… ah… ah…!”

Monica grabbed the edge of her blanket and began muttering a series of numbers under her breath. Her eyes were open but vacant, not registering the man in front of her.

This reminded Nero of the first time he had met Monica.

The girl did not flinch in the face of the legendary black dragon, nor its black flames capable of incinerating everything in existence. She was brave enough to enter the dragon’s maw, but started crying the moment he transformed into a human.

It was quite similar to that time… But on second thought, her current state seemed much worse.

Currently, Monica was completely shut off, escaping into the world of numbers and abandoning any attempt to face the people in front of her.

Perhaps it would be better if he transformed into a cat? Either way, questioning Isaac took precedence.

“Nero.”

Isaac called out to Nero without entering the room. He simply stood in the corridor with a pale face.

Nero stared back at Isaac with a glint in his golden eyes.

“Who did this?”

Nero let out a reptilian hiss from his throat.

“Who broke Monica?”

Meanwhile, Monica was still muttering numbers. Neither Nero nor Isaac were reflected in her eyes. All she saw was the world of numbers.

Isaac looked at Monica with a pained expression, then explained in a hoarse voice.

“It’s the same thing that happened to me. Gluttonous Zoe ate something precious to her… Most likely her memories.”

Immediately, Nero slipped past Isaac and rushed down the stairs.

The ancient artifact, Gluttonous Zoe. And its owner, Theodore Maxwell.

These were the enemies who stole Monica’s memories.

——Turn them to ashes. Leave nothing behind.

But as Nero placed his hand on the doorknob of the entrance, Isaac grabbed his other arm.

“Nero! Please, wait!” Isaac shouted, too desperate to fix his disheveled hair.

“Get in my way, and I’ll burn you too.”

“Listen to me! If you destroy Gluttonous Zoe with your black flames… that will probably burn everything that was stolen! Monica’s memories included!”

Burning away memories? Nero did not know if such a thing was possible.

However, black flames could burn magical phenomena such as magecraft. If Monica’s memories were being stored inside Gluttonous Zoe, then what Isaac said might be true.

Nero paused for a moment, allowing Isaac to continue his desperate plea.

“If that happens, her memories will be gone for good… Never to return!!”

Isaac held onto Nero’s arm with a face that seemed to be on the verge of tears.

“Please… Please reconsider, Nero… Nero-senpai.”

＊　＊　＊

Isaac understood how pathetic he looked right now. He no longer had the composure to hide it.

If Nero destroys Gluttonous Zoe with his black flames, there is a high chance that Monica’s memories will never return.

And once Nero reveals his identity as a black dragon, he will be considered a threat on the same level as Gluttonous Zoe. This was the worst possible scenario.

“Please… endure it for now,” Isaac begged.

Nero let go of the doorknob and shook Isaac off, causing him to stumble. Then, the black dragon crossed his arms and scoffed.

“The next time the black rain comes, I’ll return to my original form and fly to the source. Then, I’ll crunch my fangs on that Theodore guy and Gluttonous Zoe or whatever. This is the fastest solution.”

It sounded like a practical idea. In his dragon form, Nero could easily chase down Theodore, no matter the distance.

The problem was the Dragon Slayer Mage, who was currently present in Sazandol. Nero revealing his true form would lead to a deadly confrontation between him and Silas.

As Isaac frowned and went silent, Nero leaned back with his arms still crossed.

“If you don’t like my plan, then come up with a better one before the next rain.”

“…Does that mean you’re willing to help me?” Isaac asked.

Nero lifted the corners of his lips, revealing his sharp fangs.

“Might as well help my junior if he’s got a decent plan.”

Isaac unconsciously reached for his own bangs with his right hand. His intimidating face contorted into one that was on the verge of tears.

“…Thank you.”

“You better keep worshiping the great Nero-senpai.”

Isaac was about to challenge an ancient artifact boasting immense power, and he had only a few cards at his disposal.

However, one of them was the ultimate trump card, the Black Dragon of Worgan.

(Don’t stop thinking. Think, think…)

Even with the ultimate trump card, one slip up could lead both Nero and Monica to ruin. They needed to defeat Gluttonous Zoe while concealing Nero’s identity.

“Nero, do the black shadows affect you?” Isaac asked.

“Nah, they won’t work on me, even in human form. Just like how curses and poisons have no effect.”

That answer prompted a strange idea to pop up in Isaac’s mind.

Earlier, Isaac had started reading the documents on Theodore Maxwell that he found on Monica’s desk. However, those documents left him with several questions.

Perhaps this idea would lead to an answer for those questions.

Right as Isaac considered going through the documents again, there was a knock at the door.

“Nee-san! Ike! It’s me, Silas! Are you two okay?”

Nero glanced at Isaac with the silent question of “Who’s that?” on his face.

Isaac immediately retrieved a gem from his pocket and gave it to Nero. This was the magical tool for nullifying the dragon detector.

“Nero, hold onto this and hide in the kitchen.”

“Uh, okay? So who’s this Silas guy?”

“The Dragon Slayer Mage.”

Nero frowned.

“I see, so he’s the guy I want to avoid the most.”

Nero nodded and silently tiptoed into the kitchen with the gem in his hands.

After confirming that Nero was completely out of sight, Isaac opened the door.

“Ike! I’m glad to see you safe… Is Nee-san not with you?”

It was fortunate that Silas came to visit. Now Isaac could inform the other Sages about what happened to Monica.

The only problem was that… Monica, at the moment, had an incredibly powerful fear of large men.

(…Oh no.)

Isaac suddenly realized a bigger problem.

Isaac, Nero (in human form), and Silas were all pretty tall and looked rather intimidating.

In other words, Monica was in a house with three large and scary men. This must be absolutely terrifying to her.

(We need a woman. Ideally, one who can be informed about the situation…)

After a moment of contemplation, Isaac began explaining to Silas.

“Silas-niisan, I have a favor to ask. Please bring the Fourth Thorn Witch, Melissa Roseberg here.”

The sudden request caused Silas to furrow his brow in doubt.

“Thorn-neesan is really busy right now, so she’s probably not gonna come.”

“Monica… The Silent Witch had her memories eaten by Gluttonous Zoe. Right now, she’s terribly afraid of men,” Isaac explained.

Silas widened his eyes in utter astonishment.

But Isaac kept speaking without giving Silas a chance to respond. Now was the time to play one of his cards.

“Tell the Fourth Thorn Witch that Isaac Walker is asking for her. That should be enough to convince her.”

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