[V12C28] A Wind For Blowing Away Despair

“…The Black Dragon of Minerva.”

Speaking that name left a bitter taste in Isaac’s mouth.

In contrast, the dragon’s face did not show even the slightest hint of surprise at the declaration of his identity. Rather, he seemed to be smiling.

“Wow. So you started this conversation knowing that I’m a black dragon? You’re a pretty cool guy.”

The dragon was innocently rejoicing at the fact that someone wanted to talk to him.

Meanwhile, Isaac measured the distance between himself and Theodore.

They were only three paces apart. He could easily close that distance, sweep Theodore’s legs, lock his arms, and take back Gluttonous Zoe.

The only problem was the black mist spread across the ground at Theodore’s feet. If that mist could turn into a weapon like the shadows, then it would be impossible to dodge.

“Three years ago…” Isaac continued. “A flock of wyverns went wild when the Black Dragon of Worgan appeared. Lesser dragons sometimes group up when an extremely powerful dragon is present, viewing it as a pack leader.”

Isaac paused his words, turning toward the water dragons gathered in the harbor before continuing.

“Did you summon those water dragons? As well as the lesser dragons during the attack on the capital?”

“Uh, I’m not really sure… I guess they responded to my ‘Help me!’ shout or something.”

Nero had mentioned something similar before, about the difficulty of communicating with lesser dragons.

During the Black Dragon of Worgan incident, a flock of wyverns had formed under Nero without his approval. This ultimately resulted in their death at the hands of the Silent Witch.

Isaac theorized that the presence of Theodore, aka the Black Dragon of Minerva, had stimulated the lesser dragons near the capital, as well as the water dragons close to Sazandol.

That said, this raised the question of why no dragons came to Theodore’s aid when he was thrown off the Evangeline eight years ago.

Maybe his power as a black dragon was not strong enough back then, or perhaps there were simply no dragons close enough to hear his call. However, Isaac had a different idea.

“You’re still pretty young for a dragon, right?” Isaac asked.

“Yeah. My body isn’t that big, and I don’t have much mana yet.”

“But the artifact in your hands, Gluttonous Zoe, can manipulate dark magic. Black dragons are also said to be associated with the power of darkness.”

Isaac pointed at the box nestled in front of Theodore’s stomach.

Theodore raised the artifact slightly and observed it. Just a little more.

“After the seal on Gluttonous Zoe was broken,” Isaac continued. “Perhaps the artifact’s vast stores of dark mana overlapped with your aura as a black dragon. This caused the lesser dragons to mistake you for a powerful black dragon… or at least, that’s my theory.”

“That makes sense! You’re really smart!”

The black mist continued spewing from Gluttonous Zoe throughout their conversation. It had only reached Theodore’s ankles at the beginning, but now it was up to his knees.

Isaac did not know what this black mist was for, but it was clearly not beneficial.

Above all, dragging this out any longer might allow Theodore to summon the Spirit King of Darkness.

Isaac focused his attention on Theodore’s hands, then began speaking again.

“…Black Dragon of Minerva. Your crimes are too numerous to count.”

Breaking into the treasure vault, stealing an ancient artifact, sinking the Evangeline, unsealing Gluttonous Zoe, and leaving crowds of people in a coma.

Theodore had inflicted more damage than any dragon in written history.

Isaac had already informed Melissa, Silas, and Ray about Theodore’s identity as a black dragon. Regardless of today’s outcome, the Black Dragon of Minerva will be branded as evil.

Humans do not hold trials for dragons, so no one will listen to his explanations or excuses.

There was no room for mercy. Evil dragons were to be slain.

“I pity you, and can sympathize with your circumstances. But still… you must die here.”

In response to Isaac’s declaration, the Black Dragon of Minerva put a lonely smile on Theodore’s face.

This was the smile of someone who had given up on something.

“I don’t need sympathy or pity anymore. I managed to meet Theodore… Just that one tiny miracle is enough.”

Isaac closed the distance before Theodore was finished speaking.

Gluttonous Zoe shot out black arrows one after another, but Isaac twisted his body to dodge them.

(I was the same.)

Isaac had done whatever it took to carve the name Felix Arc Ridill into history.

For that one precious thing, he had given up on everything, including other people and even himself.

“…But that won’t work,” Isaac muttered.

Those words felt very unpleasant, as condemning the Black Dragon of Minerva was equivalent to condemning his past self.

“…We should have taken a closer look around ourselves,” Isaac continued. “Then we would see how our actions were causing others to suffer… both you and I.”

Doctor Arthur was murdered to ensure his silence. The Gem Mage died entangled in the machinations of Isaac and Duke Crockford.

Several sacrifices were made under the shadow of the false prince chasing the stars twinkling in the night sky. Surely, many more died outside of Isaac’s knowledge. Monica’s father was merely one of them.

Leaving the girl who lost her father to be trapped in the world of numbers.

“What you’re saying is difficult to understand,” Theodore replied with a troubled look.

“It’s a shame I can’t give you the time to think about it.”

In the meantime, Gluttonous Zoe unleashed another volley of black arrows. Isaac jumped a few steps back to avoid them.

Then, Theodore lifted the artifact above his head to launch the next wave.

(Now!)

That instant, a black cat jumped out from behind one of the wooden crates in the harbor. It was Nero.

Theodore widened his golden eyes to the limit, staring at Nero.

As a young dragon, Theodore did not seem to have particularly sharp senses, but even he would notice at this distance.

This was the presence of a fellow who had lived ages longer than him.

“…You’re…!” Theodore muttered.

Meanwhile, Gluttonous Zoe shot out a clump of shadows that transformed into three spears on track to impale Nero.

However, Nero simply meowed and hopped on top of one of the spears.

These shadows could invade the body of any living creature with the slightest touch. Thus, there were only two methods of dealing with them: blocking them with magic or evading them like Isaac.

But, true to Nero’s declaration, they had no effect on him whatsoever.

Nero ran on top of the spear, setting his sights on Gluttonous Zoe. In addition, Isaac closed the distance again while Theodore was focused on Nero.

“Waaaaah!”

Theodore let out a scream as Gluttonous Zoe unleashed another clump of shadows. This clump flew into the air before showering to the ground in the form of several stakes, creating a fence that separated Theodore from Nero and Isaac.

Right now, Theodore and Gluttonous Zoe were entirely focused on Isaac and Nero.

That was why they didn’t notice.

From the blind spot behind them, Silas was rapidly approaching using flight magic.

The tip of his staff was enchanted with a blade of lightning, turning it into a deadly spear aimed directly at Theodore’s right shoulder.

Theodore was completely unaware, so his defeat was all but certain… However, at that moment, Isaac saw something horrifying at the edge of his vision.

The school of water dragons had crawled onto land.

(…No way!?)

Despite his shock, Isaac reacted by quickly scanning the surroundings.

It did not take long for him to discover the reason. The water dragons were swimming through the knee-deep mist covering the ground.

The black mist was made out of pure mana, and dragons loved mana.

In other words, they had been eagerly awaiting the moment when the mist was sufficient enough to bathe in. Then, they answered Theodore’s scream by crawling out of the water.

Silas was flying at Theodore from a low attitude, so one of the water dragons blindsided him with a tackle. He let out a muffled groan and got sent rolling across the ground.

Isaac could only watch as Silas disappeared into the black mist, as if he had fallen into the murky darkness of the night sea.

And then, the water dragons swarmed him.

“Silas-niisan!!”

Isaac had seen how easily dragons crushed people underfoot. How their claws tore through human flesh like paper, and how their fangs ground bones into dust.

Pleading for your life did nothing, as dragons were violent and merciless disasters.

And to Isaac, dragons were also his greatest fear since childhood. He only managed to tame this fear after watching the Silent Witch shoot down a flock of wyverns.

The miracle weaved by the great witch had saved Isaac from his nightmares.

——But he had never truly forgotten this fear.

“Silas-niisan! Please, answer me!”

Silas was only ten paces away, but the shadow fence created by Gluttonous Zoe blocked his path.

Either way, Isaac was no match for the water dragons, as he would have trouble even inflicting a scratch on their durable scales. Wildianu was not suited for offensive magic.

Silas was about to die right in front of him. Isaac would lose another precious friend due to his powerlessness.

The fear, despair, and helplessness of his childhood exploded in his chest, leaving him paralyzed.

The next instant, a gust of a wind blew past his face. A spear of concentrated air had fallen from the heavens, scattering the water dragons along with the black mist covering Silas.

Silas was on his knees, but he didn’t appear to have any noticeable injuries, as he was covered by a defensive barrier.

This made no sense. He didn’t have the time to cast a barrier.

(No way…)

Isaac averted his eyes from Theodore and Gluttonous Zoe and scanned the surroundings. He noticed a glint of light in the sky.

There was someone in a blue robe floating diagonally behind Isaac’s left. It was Glenn using flight magic.

And on his back, there was a girl equipped with the robe and staff of the Seven Sages. The peridot pendant on her neck twinkled like a star by reflecting the light of the morning sun.

Isaac let out a trembling breath of admiration.

It was the girl who always showed up to blow away Isaac’s despair, even in his darkest moments.

The Silent Witch, Monica Everett.

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