…And there, he witnessed a shocking sight.
The tables and chairs on the second floor of the cafeteria were scattered, with dishes and food that students had been using until moments ago strewn about.
The students who had been eating here must have sensed the abnormal situation and fled, hearing the ominous rumbling, the dragon’s roar from the floor below, and the screams of other students.
It seemed that the students who had been on the second floor had evacuated through the connecting corridor on this level, as no one remained—or so it appeared.
However, at the end of Alphonse’s wide-eyed gaze was something unexpected.
A male student was calmly continuing his meal as if nothing had happened.
Alphonse couldn’t comprehend the scene before him.
The student who continued eating alone on the second floor had black hair and eyes, with a gray-lined uniform.
Alphonse addressed the student with pure bewilderment.
“W-wait, huh? …Huh? W-what are you doing here…?”
“…What do you mean? It’s obvious, isn’t it? I’m eating lunch.”
“…Huh?”
It was abnormal.
This scene was perhaps as abnormal as the appearance of Schwarzwaldius, the Black Dragon of Annihilation.
Judging by the scattered tables, chairs, dishes, and food on the second floor, there was no doubt that the impact of the extraordinary destruction had reached this floor as well.
And all the other students had already evacuated from this floor.
—Yet, why?
—Why was the male student before him eating as if it were perfectly normal?
Alphonse was at a loss for words, finding it even more difficult to understand after hearing the student’s response. But he quickly remembered the current situation and addressed the male student again.
“Lunch…? This is no time for that! Schwarzwaldius, the Black Dragon of Annihilation, has appeared…!!”
“…Schwarzwaldius, the Black Dragon of Annihilation? Wasn’t it completely annihilated four hundred years ago?”
The male student, who had been silently continuing his meal even after Alphonse’s appearance, stopped eating and inquired upon hearing Alphonse’s words.
“…That’s what the historical records say, but the truth is different. The Black Dragon possesses absolute immortality, and even Siegfried couldn’t completely destroy it. So, they used a sword imbued with sealing power to seal it deep underground, keeping it confined for four hundred years.”
“…And that seal has been broken?”
“Honestly, it’s hard to believe, but I think that’s what happened… I’ve seen its sealed form once, and there’s no doubt that the one that appeared in this school is Schwarzwaldius, the Black Dragon of Annihilation.”
“…I see.”
“You understand now, right? We’re in a really bad situation. So, you should escape quickly.”
“…Aren’t you going to escape?”
“Ah, there are still injured people downstairs who couldn’t escape in time…”
Saying this, Alphonse, in a wobbly state, walked a bit and picked up a sword that had fallen to the floor. It was probably a decorative item that had been displayed high up on the second floor of the cafeteria and had fallen due to the recent impact.
“That’s a replica, you know.”
“Seems like it… I’ll use hardening and attribute enchantment magic. It’s better than nothing.”
“I see.”
“Hah… hah… Well… I’m going now. You should escape as soon as possible too.”
With those words, Alphonse jumped down to the first floor through the hole that had opened up earlier when he was blown away.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Dessel Evans was now in a desperate crisis.
When the cafeteria entrance was completely blocked by the fireball explosion, Dessel was one of the students who ran towards the hole that appeared when the dragon emerged.
However, midway, he was directly hit by debris from the ground that exploded due to the dragon’s fireball, injuring his left leg and left side.
Dessel tried to escape even by crawling on the ground, but during that attempt, the ground just to his right exploded, and he was blown away by the hot blast without being able to brace himself.
“Ugh…!!”
Although Dessel groaned in intense pain, inwardly he felt relief, thinking, “(Ah, that was close… If that had hit me directly…)”
…But then, a sense of unease grew within Dessel.
“(With all these fireballs flying around, no one’s getting hit directly…)”
Dessel looked around and his unease intensified.
“(…!! No way!!)”
–There had been a sense of unease from the beginning.
–The fact that the dragon, instead of aiming at the group of students running towards the exit, deliberately destroyed the wall above the exit.
–Despite having the power to instantly kill someone like Alphonse Fried, it was deliberately launching multiple small fireballs.
–And now, seeing the numerous fireballs still flying about, and the students groaning as they rolled on the ground blown away by the blast, the suspicion in Dessel’s mind turned into certainty.
“(That thing…!! It’s enjoying this!! It’s toying with us like insects, enjoying watching us struggle desperately!!)”
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“(To do this to me…, to me, the eldest son of the Evans family, a prestigious magical lineage…!!)”
Something beyond fear of Schwarzwaldius, the Black Dragon of Annihilation, burst forth within Dessel.
“Don’t mess with me, you bastard…!!”
Roaring with anger, Dessel directed his highest-level magic towards the Black Dragon.
“Spinning Thunder Gale – Revolt!!”
A powerful spiral of lightning was released from the magic circle Dessel deployed.
Dessel’s magic struck the Black Dragon directly, resounding with a great thunderclap.
“Hah, hah… How’s that…!?”
However, as expected, not a single scratch appeared on the Black Dragon.
“Damn it…”
Having consumed almost all of his magical power, Dessel collapsed powerlessly to the ground. All he could do now was glare at the dragon with his remaining willpower.
“‘…I wanted to play a bit longer, but… I see… You want to die, don’t you?'”
The dragon muttered indifferently as it turned its gaze towards Dessel.
“‘Then, I shall kill you.'”
Saying this, the dragon opened its mouth towards Dessel and began to generate a fireball.
“(Damn it…!)”
Dessel, who didn’t understand the dragon language, couldn’t comprehend what the Black Dragon had said. However, he could easily understand that he was about to die.
Just as the dragon entered the preparatory motion to release the fireball, at that very moment.
“Infernal Chain – Volcano!!”
“…!!”
Suddenly, Schwarzwaldius, the Black Dragon of Annihilation, was enveloped in flames in an instant, and the fireball that was about to be launched at Dessel was interrupted.
“Hah, hah… Thank goodness. You’re safe…”
Dessel’s eyes widened at the man who said this while rushing to his side in a battered state.
“Why… are you…!”
“The [Infernal Chain – Volcano] is probably just a warm breeze to that dragon, but it should at least serve as a momentary distraction… I’ll heal your injuries now…”
Saying this in a staggering state and out of breath, the man began to cast healing magic on Dessel.
“Why…! Why are you helping me…!!”
Overwhelmed by various emotions welling up inside him, Dessel called out the man’s name.
“–Alphonse…!!”
“…Hah… hah… Healing…”
“…!”
Without answering Dessel’s question, Alphonse began to administer healing magic while covered in wounds and barely able to breathe. Seeing him in such a state, Dessel was left speechless.
The dragon behind them remained covered in Alphonse’s spiral of hellfire, showing no signs of major movement.
As Alphonse’s healing magic gradually healed the multiple bruises and bone injuries all over Dessel’s body, Dessel could feel the pain subsiding from the affected areas.
However, at the same time, Alphonse’s exhaustion increased. His breathing became more labored, he sweated profusely, and the quality of his healing magic gradually deteriorated.
“…! That’s enough…!!”
Unable to bear watching this scene any longer, Dessel raised his voice again.
“Forget about me and just go by yourself!!”
In response to these words, Alphonse weakly shook his head.
“No… Hah, I won’t abandon you… I’ll definitely save you…”
“…!! …Why?! You have no obligation to go this far for me!! I don’t deserve to be saved by you…!!”
As Dessel spoke through gritted teeth with a pained expression, Alphonse replied.
“You have dreams, don’t you…?”
“Huh…?”
Dessel looked at Alphonse with confusion, caught off guard by this unexpected response.
“You must have… a future you want to live for, dreams you want to fulfill… That’s why I’m helping you…”
“That’s…! It’s none of your–“
“–My dream is”
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