322 – The End of the Sword Lord 3

The place I arrive at with [Roll] is in a horrific state.

Burning fallen trees are buffeted by rain blown by the wind at a sharp angle.
Among the figures of fleeing soldiers, I spot Tolman cowering in shock.

No… What interests me more is the large animal behind him.

Its hide shines with an emerald light, and a large gem is inserted in its forehead above its grim expression.
Its overall appearance is similar to that of a dog or a wolf.

It must be their objective, the glittering beast.
It appears they lured it out, but were unable to handle it and are fleeing in scattered directions.

The glittering beast glares at me, then returns its gaze to Tolman as though uninterested.

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Species: Rarag Wolf
Condition: Fused, Enraged (major)
Lv: 70/80
HP: 488/488
MP: 301/301
Attack: 272
Defence: 265
Magic: 363
Speed: 267
Rank: B

Characteristic Skills:

[Unable to Acquire Experience: Lv-] [Composite Organism: Lv-] [Status Condition Reduction: Lv7] [Automatic HP Recovery: Lv4] [Presence Perception: Lv5]

Resistance Skills:
[Physical Resistance: Lv4] [Magic Resistance: Lv4] [Poison Resistance: Lv8] [Paralysis Resistance: Lv8] [Confusion Resistance: Lv8] [Sleep Resistance: Lv8] [Curse Resistance: Lv8] [Petrification Resistance: Lv8] [Instant Death Resistance: Lv8] [Charm Resistance: Lv 8] [Dark-Attribute Resistance: Lv8] [Weakening Resistance: Lv8]

Normal Skills:
[Life Drain: Lv4] [Mana Drain: Lv4] [Telepathy: Lv2] [Bite: Lv5] [Roar: Lv2] [Autoregeneration: Lv6] [Ground Tremor: Lv5] [Rain Prayer: LvMAX] [Windstorm: LvMAX]

Title Skills:
[Feared God: Lv-] [Forest Guardian: Lv-]
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Rarag wolf? Fused? Could it be, er, r-rarans…?

【[Rarag Wolf]: B rank monster.】
【[Rarans] absorb the magic power of trees, although typically never enough to kill them.】
【But when crisis draws near, they absorb magic power to the point of causing the trees to wither, and use that magic power to fuse into different individual, becoming a [Rarag Wolf] which summons rain to extinguish fires, and if enemies from outside are present, put its life on the line to destroy them.】
【As it calls storms and shakes the earth, it is often viewed as a divine beast of calamities.】

Th-this is made of those rarans?

I suppose this means they used this form when they destroyed the Lithovar village in the past.
It might be the type to attack indiscriminately when angered.

I increase my cautiousness of the rarag wolf and glare at it with a little hostility.
But it doesn’t give any reaction.

Now that I think about it, the Lithovars told me the village was half-buried under a landslide.
The rarans might have summoned rain to put out the fire, and only caused the landslide incidentally.

“Azalea! Azalea! Where are you!? Help me! Azalea! Hurry up and come here! Where are you, Azaleaaah!”

I lower my gaze towards the sound.
Tolman is straining his voice to shout.

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[Tolman Dongonnof]
Species: Earth Huma
Condition: Normal
Lv: 25/45
HP: 41/95
MP: 56/56
Attack: 99+81
Defence: 70+55
Magic: 41
Speed: 76

Equipment:
Hand: [Grim Sabre: A-]
Body: [Mithril Breastplate: B]

Characteristic Skills:
[Grisha Language: Lv7] [Swordsman Talent: Lv5]

Resistance Skills:
[Cutting Resistance: Lv2]

Normal Skills:
[Rest: Lv1] [Sword Dance: Lv2]

Title Skills:
[Dongonnof Marquis: Lv-] [Lv Up Parasite: Lv4]
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Tolman Dongonnof… This guy’s a marquis? Either way, there’s no mistaking that he’s their boss.
He’s not very strong, but he’s acting all self-important, and above all, it looks like he has the court rank.

As I slowly raise my foreleg, his eyes open wide and his face turns ghastly pale.

“H-hii! Stop, Stop! I-I’m not a man who can afford to die in such a place! Azalea, kill it! Kill the ouroboros! Azaleaaah!”

I extend my leg just above him and hold it there.
His face a mess from the rain and his tears as he crawls along the mud away from me.

“Haaa! Haaa! Azalea, Azaleaah!”

『…Are you hesitating even to kill scum like this?』

My partner gives me a sidelong stare.

…That’s not it.
It’s just, there’s something I’ve always been worried about.
If peace will really return to the Lithovars if I drive these guys away.

『……』

Perhaps having thought of a way out upon seeing me stop, Tolman works his stiff facial muscles to squeeze out a shout.

“Th-that’s right! If you kill me, the kingdom of Ardesia won’t be silent! Know that all of Ardesia, no, the surrounding countries too, will hunt for your life! I can’t imagine there would be any who will not view the evil dragon that destroyed my private army as dangerous! A matter this important known all over! No matter where you run, it would be pointless! No matter how strong you are, eventually a hero or saint will destroy you! That is inevitable!”

…If by hero, he means that guy in Harenae, then I already killed him.
But I guess news of that hasn’t reached him yet.
I don’t know if they restricted the information, especially since after the hero showed what sort of a person he was, they might not have wanted that getting out.

“B-but, if you let me go now, I wouldn’t mind staying silent about everything that has happened and saying it was an accident! I don’t mind what you do to the other soldiers! They can be replaced as much as I want! But, I can’t die! I, I am the man who will be king of Ardesia…!”

Gesturing wildly, he calls out to me.
He might be unsure if I can understand his words, so is hoping that his gestures will get the meaning across.

He’s saying what I’ve worried about while as I’ve fought.
The more important he is, the greater the influence of his death.
News of his death will be important in its own right.
It won’t just be the case that a dragon killed dozens of people, but the details of the case will also spread far.

Whether or not I kill him should depend how I want this to be perceived.
From his words just now, I’m able to see the path I should take.
I take a single, big step back.

Tolman was balled up with his head in his hands, but he timidly looks up, his stiff facial muscles cracking into a smile.
He looks back at the rarag wolf, then runs towards me as though fleeing from it.

“Th-that’s right! O-ouroboros, kill that and make me…!”

I propel the wind with my wings, guiding the [Wind Slash] down the path of my foreleg.

“…Eh?”

Tolman’s body is torn by the blade of wind as everything above his neck flies off cleanly.
His face solidifies in an expression of shock.
Eventually, his head hits the ground.

I was worried about if the Lithovars would be thought of as dangerous and destroyed.
But from what he said just now, it’s almost as if the Lithovars are not at all a concern to him.
They might well be trivial compared to the evil dragon.
In truth, the reason the [Starved Hunters] attacked the Lithovars this time wasn’t because of a grudge or out of fear, but because of Tolman’s personal desires.
If it becomes widely known that I’ve left the area, it’s unlikely that they’d be targeted again as a result of this incident.

I thought about staying to protect them, but as long as I’m here, it’s clear I’ll constantly get fighters thrown at me.
This incident was too violent.
There are too many [Starved Hunters] survivors.
My existence will probably become widely known.

I would probably be able to stop the village from being completely wiped out, but preventing there from being any damage would be difficult.
I can’t let this place become a battlefield because of me.