"Chris ......"

Mira stopped her steps about to pass through the [Space Tunnel] and replied indifferently, "At this distance, you can directly reach the 'Fa Rilabis' mountain range with the use of space magic. ”

The so-called space magic, on this continent, only a very small number of magicians can master, although Mira is a knight, she is one of the few who can operate space magic. After all, there are very few people who are born with the magical attribute of 'space'.

"I know. I'm asking, why do you go alone?"

"It's nothing, it's just scouting. You see, don't adventurers often send out mobile squads to scout and clear their path?"

far-fetched rhetoric, you must know that the ancient magic dragon is not the same as the demon beast on the road, and it is difficult for anyone to retreat if they go alone.

"That's ......"

But Chris didn't refute, just replied softly without thinking, "In that case, let me go with you." ”

"......," Mira stared at the young knight's face and was silent for a moment, "It's not impossible, but don't you ask me why?"

"If Mira doesn't want to say it, I can't ask any amount of questions. On the other hand, if there is information that can be revealed, you should have told me on your own initiative, right?"

The beautiful knight didn't answer, she just raised the corners of her mouth, showed a charming smile, and at the same time stepped along, stepping into the crack of the dimension.

Not answering is tantamount to acquiescence, Chris knows his colleagues very well day and night, and followed her closely through the [Space Tunnel] together.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them had crossed a distance of hundreds of kilometers to their destination, the Far-Rilabis Mountains, at the foot of the place where the dragon slept.

When you look up, you can see that the originally continuous mountains have been hollowed out by some overwhelming force. And in the hollow, the blue beast that sleeps deeply.

The Abyss Dragon, Kukratio Gulakias, sleeps between the mountains without moving. She showed no signs of waking up, nor did she spread the chill around her that would freeze the world.

"How much do you know about the legend of the 'Abyss Dragon'. ”

"It's not a lot, but compared to other legends of the Demon Dragon, the legend of the Qingyuan Dragon is very rich, and the content of the legend is completely different in different regions. It is said that there are even some small countries that worship the Ayebuchi Dragon as a god. ”

"Yes, thousands of years ago, there was indeed a country that revered this ice dragon as a god. And at that time, the country that believed in the demon dragon did quite stupid things. ”

"Stupid thing?"

"Just imagine, if an empire gets the power of the magic dragon, what will those nobles want to do with her?"

"If you can really tame the demon dragon, it will be an unprecedented and powerful combat power......

"Yes, for the weak humans, the power of the Abyss Dragon is too charming, and those small countries that are protected use the Abyss Dragon as a 'weapon'.

He even used this as a bargaining chip to carry out despicable blackmail against neighboring countries and put forward many unequal demands. If anyone does not obey, they will wantonly use the power of the Abyss Dragon to strike. ”

"But in this way, the neighboring countries that are threatened will not remain silent forever. ”

"That's right, the surrounding nations immediately formed an alliance and laid siege to the tyrannical country that believed in the Demon Dragon...... In the fierce offensive of the expeditionary force, the Abyschi Dragon, who was attacked by the Empire, thought that he had been betrayed and went berserk regardless of the enemy. She froze all the towns that came into her sight into ice fields. In the end, it didn't take long for the country to be destroyed by the double attack of the enemy country and the rebellion of the demon dragon. You see, stupid human beings, don't they think they have powers that they can't control, and indulge in pathetic illusions to kill themselves. ”

Mira, who looks to be only in her twenties, uses an objective tone as if she has seen it with her own eyes, and at the same time as if she is not a human being, and lightly describes the story that happened thousands of years ago.

"I see, but even if Qingyuan Dragon didn't go crazy, the result probably wouldn't help. After all, no matter how powerful the Qingyuan Dragon is, it is only a magical beast at best, how can it be taken care of by a single horse that can take care of the vast national border...... When I think about it, I seem to understand her situation. ”

And Chris, who was on the side, did not doubt the truth of Mira's words at all, and nodded yes. At the same time, he thought of the position of the 'Legendary Blade' in the empire today, and couldn't help but let out a melancholy sigh.

"Ah...... That's right. Thinking of this, Chris's eyes lit up and he understood Mira's intentions, "That's why Mira, you came alone to 'investigate', that is to say...... You're trying to talk to this dragon, right?"

"Not bad...... The ancient demon dragon was by no means a violent beast that only relied on instinct to cause chaos everywhere. Dragons tend to have a high degree of intelligence and rationality, although there are some unreasonable and hot-tempered guys among them, but at least this is not the case with the Qingyuan Dragons...... You must know that thousands of years ago, she was one of the demon dragons who took the initiative to accept the seal. ”

"That kind of thing has wisdom and reason......"

Chris sighed as he looked at the awe-inspiring dragon figure, looking a little puzzled.

"Then again...... Mira, the news of the resurrection of the Abyss Dragon was brought back to the Imperial Capital by you, Wigu, and Asbel. But you were on a mission at the time, and you should have traveled to the western border, right? I remember it was...... Sweep away the raiding forces sent by the Desert Kingdom to infest the outskirts of the towns?"

"Yes. ”

"But as a result, why did you come here?"

"After the mission, a new order was received...... That's all. ”

"What's the new order?"

“............”

At this point, Mira didn't answer Chris's question, but fell into deep thought.

"If it's a confidential order, you don't have to tell me. ”

Due to the special nature of the organization, the knights of the 'Legendary Blade' often take on some special tasks that are not visible. Although Chris is nominally known as the Chief Knight of the Legendary Blade, he is not actually the head of the Knights. Therefore, the team members have no obligation to report the confidential task content one by one.

"No, it's not a secret. Although it was not a classified mission, in retrospect, it was full of doubts......"

Mila changed her tone and didn't answer Chris's question directly, but instead asked, "Chris, how much do you know about 'Edward the Sage'?"

"I'm afraid Mr. Edward is known to everyone in the imperial capital...... Why did you suddenly ask about him?"

"Because the content of the new order is to let the three of us come here, that is, [the city of Celia] to welcome 'Mr. Edward' back, and the herald emphasizes that no matter what he becomes and no matter what means he uses, he must be brought back to the imperial capital. ”

"What do you mean...... what do you mean by 'whatever he becomes'?"

"Chris, have you ever heard of Edward's original magic [Séance Reincarnation]?"

The unfamiliar noun made Chris shake his head honestly. Although he was the chief of the Knights, he knew nothing about magic.

In fact, there is no one in the Order who is more proficient in magic than Mira. It should be said that Mira's attainments in magic are so high that they may be able to compete with the 'sages'.

"Although the name of [Reincarnation] is 'reincarnation', in fact, it is an evil necromancy. Let your soul forcibly occupy the body of others, so as to prolong your own life. ”

"What do you mean......"

"That's right, Edward has been exhausted in recent years, and he still has traveled thousands of miles to this kind of border town, definitely to encroach on the 'new body'.

As far as I know, there should be a limit on the age of the magic that can be cast by [Séance Reincarnation]. Taking into account the attachment of the soul. Then, the container needed for rebirth should be a child of seven or eight years old.

And because the classification of magic is large-scale necromancy, sacrifices must be indispensable when casting spells, and considering the total amount of magic power of Mr. Edward, and the soul defects caused by multiple rebirths, if you roughly calculate it...... If he wants to succeed in his reincarnation, he will have to sacrifice at least hundreds of lives. ”

“......”

Although Mira's tone was calm, Chris's face became more and more ugly as he listened.

Obviously, he didn't expect that the old man, who had always held his respect, would use such crooked magic in order to make a living.

"So, did you find Mr. Edward......?"

"I found it, but I ......"

Mila looked sad halfway through her words, as if she were trying to weave her own words, and finally said, "But that is no longer Mr. Edward. ”

"What does that mean?"

The vague statement made Chris frown.

"Indeed, I, along with Wegu and Asbel, found a figure that looked like Edward under the Fal Rylabis Mountains. A little girl of a human being about seven or eight years old. You can feel the amazing magic contained in her body. ”

"That girl was invaded by Mr. Edward, and what she looked like after she was reincarnated?"

Based on the previous description of [Séance Reincarnation], Chris guessed.

"No...... Judging from her reaction, it made me feel as if Edward's soul had been devoured by the little girl. I guess Edward's reincarnation may have failed. ”

"It's ...... Is it normal?"

Chris didn't feel much about Edward's failure, and even felt that it was self-inflicted.

But there are some things he can't figure out. Although Chris doesn't understand magic, listening to Mira, Edward has used this reincarnation magic more than once to extend his lifespan, and he has never failed. So, why did he fail this time?

"No...... Normally, this could never happen. You must know that the strength of a person's soul depends on one's knowledge and experience. It's hard to imagine that an ordinary little girl would have a powerful soul that even a sage can hardly compete with. Moreover, when we found the girl, she was digging up the core from the pile of corpses of tens of thousands of monsters. And those B+ level or above magical beasts are likely to be killed by that girl by herself. ”

"How is that possible!"

"yes...... That was not something that ordinary little girls could do, even Edward had never been able to do so. What's more, that girl's identity is very special. ”

"Special status?"

Eliezer El Cruznier...... Not only her, but even her sisters showed up together. I guess it's called Alice and Sophia. ”

“！？”

Mira's answer made it impossible for Chris to hide his shock and waver.

"A girl of seven or eight years old...... Celerian City ...... Cruznier...... Could it be, the daughter of Lutga and Flora?"

"On that day, our actions were resisted by the little girls, and we were finally defeated. ”

"You three lost to three eight-year-old girls?"

It was an unbelievable result, and Chris's tone became strange.

"Plus a maid, to be exact, hehe...... In short, this is the result of the little girl's rebellion against us. ”

Mira didn't elaborate on the battle, but smiled awkwardly and looked at the hollowed-out mountains and the dragon sitting in front of her.

"The last magic that girl used even broke the seal of the dimension, and even the demon dragon was released......"

“............”

It's such a bizarre story that Chris is finally speechless.

"You know, the fire paint that gave us the order has the family crest of the Celtic Duke's Palace. But upon returning to the imperial capital, the duke said that he had never given such an order at all. If the Duke did not lie, then it proves that there is someone behind the scenes, in the name of the Duke, for some purpose, secretly manipulating our actions and indirectly bringing the demon dragon back into the world. Look, isn't there a lot of suspicion?"

“...... Really. ”

"Okay, let's wait until we return to the imperial capital to investigate it carefully, let's get down to business first. ”

Just as the two were talking, they had already come to the tail of the Demon Dragon. Aobuchi still didn't realize that someone was approaching him, and continued to fall into a deep sleep.

"What's next?"

"Let me open a large barrier first, in case she wakes up and goes berserk. ”

"What about the sealing method?"

"Originally, I was going to summon the 'Holy Spirit of the Space', but now that I have you, it's much more convenient. Your 'Holy Sword' can slash through space and dimension, returning the dragon to its original illusory realm. Provided, of course, that I can convince her not to resist......"

With that, Mira opened her arms, raised her head slightly, and began to chant incantations in her mouth. The content of the spell is what she is good at, a light-attribute enchantment magic that can invalidate the attack magic of all attributes - [Mirror Realm Light Prison].

The crystals composed of white light quickly piled up into a huge wall like bricks, and wrapped the demon dragon's body in it bit by bit. However, suddenly, somewhere in the sky, the barrier seemed to be blocked by something, and it could not continue to take shape.

"What's wrong?"

"There is a magical power that is transmitting from the dragon's body to the outside. The total amount of mana transmitted is so large that the enchantment cannot be completed. ”

"Is there any way to do it?"

"Hmm...... Yes, Chris, go there, in the direction of my finger, and do a [Dimensional Slash]. As long as I can cut off the torrent of magic for even a moment, I can take advantage of the opportunity to make the enchantment take shape. ”

"Got it!"

Without saying a word, Chris pulled the long sword from his waist from its scabbard and drew a sharp slash in the air.

I saw that in the direction pointed by the sword slash, the scenery was violently distorted, and the distorted scene converged into the shape of a crescent moon and rushed into the sky.

At the same time, Mira's [Mirror Realm Light Prison] also unstoppably broke through the bottleneck, closing the original 'skylight' tightly.

However, it was in this moment. The Abyss Dragon awoke from its slumber.

"————————!!Uh-huh, whoa

The sudden deafening roar of the dragon made the air, the earth, and the mountains tremble violently.

"M, Mira...... Is she a friendly greeting to get up? Well, I'm sorry, I really don't understand the emotions of the dragons. Now, will you be able to negotiate smoothly?"

"No......" Mira replied without thinking, "she's gone mad." ”