The Ice Demon City collapsed, and the demonic beasts of their dependents also melted one after another, gradually weathering into tiny ice particles in the breeze of the plains.

Raki was completely liberated from Dragonstone, and now she is a free individual, no longer bound by any constraints. Although she lost her power as a dragon, she finally got her wish and was able to live with her loved ones as a "human".

The battle seems to have come to an end.

However, the lone dragon still stands in the middle of the ruins of the Demon City, brazenly displaying its terrifying form.

No one would have doubted how dangerous it was, but her scream in the sky sounded like a cry of helplessness.

Now the Abyss Dragon is just a shell, she has lost her mind and soul, and all that is left is the resentment that has been entrenched in her body for thousands of years, and the magic power that is about to be exhausted.

So she was going crazy aimlessly, wielding her sharp dragon claws as if she wanted to grasp something, and spewing out dragon breath as if she wanted to pour out the grievances in her chest.

That's right...... This out-of-control beast is like a baby who has been robbed of a bottle and can't cry.

"Hmm...... Rutega. ”

Laki whispered the name of the man who hugged her, and her golden eyes revealed an inseparable sad expression. She never imagined that it would be so painful to objectively examine her own plight.

Originally, it was a burden that I had to bear. And the dragon in front of him is carrying the past that he wants to abandon, and he is bearing all the pain precipitated by history instead of himself.

"What's wrong, Raghi?"

"That's it, is it really good......?"

“...... Well, does Ratchee want to be human?"

Lutga understood what the girl was trying to say, but he didn't give a clear answer.

"Hmm...... Become a human and live with you, with Alice, with Alice's sisters. ”

"Well, decide for yourself, Ratche. ”

Like a teacher guiding a student, the young nobleman continued, "Do you completely abandon your past, or do you carry it on forever...... It's up to you to decide, because ...... That's what humans do. ”

“............”

This sentence made Ratzy fall silent, and she lowered her eyes slightly, "But...... Now I can't do anything about it. ”

From the bottom of her heart, she wanted to save the miserable beast in front of her and save the other half who was once abandoned by herself.

"There is a way~~"

As if the timing had been calculated, the little girl's cheerful laughter sounded from the side of the two, nay, the three to be exact.

The army of dependents had vanished, and Alize had lowered the defense line in the rear and moved to her father's side with space.

【Miss Eliza......】

"Hilda~~ Sure enough, it's still here...... Take your father with you. ”

[Yes, I finally figured out what Miss Ratch wanted to do at that time]

Originally, Hilda had wondered why Rathi had carved the three circles on the dragonstone. However, the ensuing battle with Lutega, which sucks herself in a closed barrier and expends a lot of mana, makes her understand Rachi's intentions.

"That's why I'm here~~?Sister Laqi is a rival for your father's love~~?It's okay to let her kill herself?"

Elize's question made Lutga's expression embarrassed, and he scratched his cheek with a wry smile, he really didn't expect that even his eight-year-old daughter would sense Hilda's intentions.

On the contrary, it was Hilda, the maid who was too shy to hide when she brought up this topic two months ago, but at this time she responded generously-

[Miss Eliza, please don't underestimate me, I won't choose to escape...... I don't want to see the man I love and relive the pain I experienced at that time.

The words that came from the steel armor made Rutega's heart chuckle, causing him to recall his past memories.

There is no doubt that the 'then' that Hilda is referring to is eight years ago. After losing Flora, but quelling the turmoil in the imperial capital, he has been by the side of Lutga, who has fallen into depression, and it is the girl who was only sixteen years old at the time, who was still clumsy as a maid, but worked tirelessly.

"Hmm...... Ariz, there's a way, is it true?"

Ratchet pulls the conversation back in the same direction.

"Well~~That's right~~ The method is actually not difficult, originally~~ Sister Laqi obtains the magic power transmitted from the demon dragon body through the dragon stone, so as to maintain the souls of the two. Later, because Uncle Chris ...... Brother's dimensional slash made this connection severe.

But now, the Dragonstone has been re-embedded in the dragon's body, and has been run through three large-scale spells, as well as physical contact that has been maintained for several days. Therefore, the mana passage between the dragonstone and the main body should have been reconstructed. So ~~ Sister Laqi...... As long as you can reclaim your dragonstone, you'll be able to regain control of the remaining mana in that body. ”

"Uh...... I see. ”

After a subtle pause, Lutga nodded thoughtfully. In fact, he basically didn't understand the first half of the words, but because of the majesty of being a father, he had to show that he understood. Fortunately, the last sentence was the part of "what to do", and he finally figured it out, "Then Alize, where are the dragonstones you said?"

"It's right there~~" Stretching out her delicate little hand, Aliezel pointed her index finger towards the demon dragon's chest.

The dragonstone mentioned now is not a huge crystal that floated above the imaginary space, imprisoned Raghi in it, and was finally shattered by a single shot by Lutga and Hilda. It's the blue crystal that was buried in the demon dragon's chest by Alice a few days ago.

However, the road ahead has not been smooth. A mad dragon that won't let anything easily approach the injured scales...... Although her magic and life are already a candle in the wind, the power contained in the end of the strong crossbow must not be underestimated. With the physical strength of everyone present now, forcing a breakthrough is undoubtedly self-defeating.

Rutga racked his brains to find a way to use the 'Holy Spirit Blessing' one more time-

"If you want to act, do it as soon as possible~~ According to my calculations, there is still one minute left in the time limit. After a minute, the magic power of the demon dragon will be exhausted, and it will be too late by then~~"

"Huh!?"

"Moreover, my father's elven power is probably useless against that dragon, because Sister Raghi also has the homogeneous power to make 'time and space stagnate'. Unless my father has a way to draw out the space-time interference power that surpasses the demon dragon......"

"Tsk......"

As if playing a prank, Ariezel gives a time limit as if in a joke and cuts off Rutega's last glimmer of hope. However, Lutega knew that his daughter was not lying. Although Alize is an eccentric daughter, as a father, he believes that Alizen will never make such a bad joke on important matters.

"Hmm...... It seems that it is too late. This is probably my fate. ”

At this point, Ratchee had to say the words of giving up.

She didn't want Lutga to risk her wayward desires, and at the same time, giving up wasn't a bad thing for her...... It should be said that this is the best choice. If you forget the memory of your struggle with humans, and forget the memory of being betrayed by humans, then you will probably become happier.

However, it also means that even she betrayed "herself" as a result. From birth to death, poor Qingyuan Long has implemented loneliness in the true sense.

"Rakhi!"

At this juncture, a sharp call from a familiar girl pierced Rachi's heart like an arrow. Alice, looking exhausted, supported her stumbling steps, came to her side.

"Alice ......"

"I don't know what you want to do, though...... I don't know how bad it is!But don't put on such a helpless face and just throw it away! If you give up here, the game is over——!"

It's probably Laki's current look that makes Alice ...... Or rather, the 'boy' recalls the past that was once difficult to let go. Therefore, as if she was reprimanding her 'former self', she categorically said a line that only exists in cartoons.

And this sentence...... Raki also has an impression that comes from a story told to her by the girl in front of her.

It is the bloody story of a group of fighters known as 'basketball players' who constantly challenge and struggle in the face of strong enemies. It is also one of the very few stories she tells that has nothing to do with love. But it's ...... One of Rachi's favorite stories. Because it was a group of warriors with faith and dignity...... Just like what I believed, the glory of the dragons.

Now Alice's lines come from the plain words of the warriors' teachers in the story...... But it contains the power that drives everyone to fight endlessly. That's right, 'game time' isn't over yet...... Until the last second, I believed that the victory would continue.

But...... What else can he do now? except to rely on gently embracing his own beloved human being, will him

[Miss Lachi, you once said that you are a dignified person...... Then the posture of that giant dragon should also be a part of your dignity for thousands of years. So, if you abandon your dignity and don't have any of the skills that a wife should have, what qualifications do you have to claim to be Miss Alice's mother?]

Finally, in the end, the encouragement from the 'fierce enemy' made Raghi make up her mind.

"Hmm...... Rutega, will ...... Take me back to me. No matter what the cost. ”

She made an unreasonable request to her lover that amounted to "send me to death".

"Okay, leave it to me......!"

The aristocratic young man he loved also returned with a confident smile, and he also realized that he would give everything to fulfill any wish of his lover.

And then, it's not just Rutga –

“...... last-mission, yes, got it. Miss Lachi, though I have not yet identified you as our mother. But the cold orders at the last moment, I don't hate it. ”

"Ahaha~~ There are still forty seconds~~ Then sister, little sister - let's make another big fuss for the new 'mother'~~!"

"Ahh......h Everything is ready!How can you miss the final boss fight!"