Chapter 539: Dragon Heat

What was bothering Filaret La Volgograd that day wasn’t her beloved, which was quite unusual, but the abnormal heat in her heart.

It was pulsating more strongly and faster than she had ever felt in her life.

This organ didn’t assert its presence so strongly even if it was normally present. She could hear her heartbeat quietly if she listened carefully.

But Filaret had continued to feel an intense dissonance playing in her chest ever since the day she became the dragon’s heart.

Her heart alone asserted its presence so strongly that it stood out from her body.

It wasn’t the only part of within her that felt strange.

Filaret even felt a sense of dread in her own body.

「Ah, damn…」

Sweat was dripping down her neck without her realizing it. The death snow was still falling, and a cold wind was blowing against her cheeks. Filaret was the only one who felt the heat emanating from her entire body.

The heat, which grew stronger with each passing day, continued unabated even after they returned to the Gharast Kingdom’s royal capital. It almost seemed as if her heart would burst into flames if she continued like this.

It was a shame for a sorcerer to be unable to control even the slightest abnormality in his or her body. It was this feeling, something that could be called pride or stubbornness, that motivated Filaret.

That’s why she mustn’t stay in bed.

…In fact, the true nature of this heat had been exposed.

Even if only temporarily, Filaret had become a circulatory system, carrying magical power into the shell of the Great Demon Vrilligant.

The Dragon’s magical power. It was pure magic, incomparable to that of humans or magical beasts and even demons. Filaret’s entire body was bathed in unadulterated magical energy.

She could still remember that feeling. Her heart was completely enveloped in dragon magical power. At the very least, that place was no longer human. She had a definite intuition.

The unusual heat that her body was emitting was surely an attempt to adapt to that heart.

To suit that heart, which had been endowed with the dragon’s demonic power, her entire body was emitting enormous magical power, attempting to become a suitable shell. The unaided magical power turned into heat, almost melting Filaret’s brain and body.

But Filaret wasn’t the only one undergoing an astonishing transformation. Lugis, whom she now struggled to search for, also changed a lot.

Ever since the day he took on the role of General. No, ever since he heard the name Helot Stanley, all he could see was gold.

In order to reach that gold, he had been immersed in preparations for the upcoming battles all day long. Filaret couldn’t bear it.

She too was aware of the existence of the gold known as Helot Stanley. It would be a lie to say that hearing his name hadn’t brought some thoughts to mind.

But Lugis’ behavior was abnormal. It was as if his entire body was overflowing with love and hate at the same time.

Filaret even felt jealous. This emotion was hotter than her heart.

She wished he would direct all of those feelings toward her. She would gladly accept it whether it was love, hatred, or something else. The more her heart heated up, the more her thoughts accelerated.

Her accelerated thoughts further carried her affection for Lugis to uncontrollable heights. Right now, Filaret might have even been happy if her hands had strangled him.

「…You’re still going out in such a bad condition, huh. Even recklessness has its limits. 」

Caria welcomed Filaret with wide eyes at the entrance to the spacious common room.

「It’s better than being alone, you know. 」

Filaret stroked her chest, thinking, So this is where he is supposed to be.

If Caria was here, then that meant that Lugis was here too. No, maybe the order was reversed. If Lugis was here, then Caria followed him.

That said, Filaret was treated similarly by those around him.

「…Would the Cathedral go that far? I think it would be better for them to just sit and watch from afar. 」

Sure enough, Lugis was here.

Unusually dressed in civilian clothes rather than military uniform, Lugis was rolling a stick of chewing tobacco in the center of the common room.

The common room had been given to Lugis by the Queen and had now become a salon of sorts.

The room was spacious enough for a dozen people, and since it was designed for relaxation, there were plenty of sofas and tables too.

It was a convenient place to gather and chat even if it wasn’t suitable for private conversations.

Lately, this salon had become a meeting place for Lugis and members of his faction to exchange thoughts.

Not to mention Caria and Eldith, the mercenary leader Vestaline Geluah was at Lugis’ side, claiming to be his attendant, and although they weren’t showing their faces at the moment, Bruder and Ann were often seen here too.

But right now, Lugis was looking directly at none of them, but his former master, Richard.

A vivid light still gleamed in Richard’s eyes even though he had lost an arm and no longer had the strength he once had.

「They’re coming. If you lead an army north to oppose Zebrililith, they’ll undoubtedly head south. Neither the former King nor the Pope were adept at war. Protector Brackenbury is immobilized by their amulets. But Valerie is there and eager to fight. 」

Richard gazed not at what was in front of him, but somewhere in the distance.

These were not the eyes of an old man reminiscing about the past, but the eyes of cunning, running thoughts.

「Well, it’s true she’s good at war. She wouldn’t lose easily even if she commanded her troops. But even if she loses the command of her troops, she still could win. She was like an army on her own. If an army were to have arms and legs, then it would become Valerie. You saw that at the Burial Prison, right? 」

「Yeah, it was frightening. I thought she wasn’t human. She didn’t hesitate at all when attacking. 」

「And the guys at the Cathedral aren’t complacent either. It’s because you kept killing magical devilish beings. You even killed a Great Demon. The Cathedral wants to be the savior of humanity, after all. So it will be looking for an opportunity to make amends. 」

「So that’s what it boils down to…」

Lugis grasped at his former master’s words.

「If we continue to sit here in the royal capital, the Great Demon Zebrililith will continue to advance without stopping, and even if we win, we’ll be left half-dead, after having our territory ravaged. But if we advance, the Cathedral, which we’re being eyeing, will bite into our flank. 」

「…You’re right, Your Excellency General. I look forward to your brilliant command. 」

It was Richard’s aide-de-camp, Neymar, who spoke to Lugis as if to rile him up. Judging by her relationship with Richard alone, one could say that Lugis and Neymar were like brother and sister, but she seemed extremely dissatisfied with Lugis’ words.

「…In the first place, shouldn’t we think about what to do with Zebrililith? 」

Filaret, staggering from the fever, called out to Lugis just as they were finishing one conversation.

She sat down next to him with no hesitation.

「Filaret. You have a fever, so you should…」

「Who’s at fault here, me or you who woke up and disappeared from my bedroom without telling me? 」

For a moment, Lugis’ expression twisted dramatically, but after a moment of silence, he accepted Filaret’s presence. Her dark eyes were too strong for him to deny her now.

From Filaret’s perspective, Lugis had barged into her bedroom under the pretense of visiting her because of her fever, yet without doing anything, he had left the room the moment she let her guard down for a moment and lost consciousness. That was too cruel.

She had felt foolish for worrying about the smell of her sweat.

「Well, Filaret is right. Zebrililith should be our first priority. We have to do something about it. We’ll die if we don’t do something. 」

「What do you mean, “do something?” I’d like to hear more about it. 」

Neymar spoke threateningly to Lugis, who had a stick of chewing tobacco in his mouth. She seemed annoyed that her master only had eyes for his former student.

「Zebrililith is a moving fortress. It’s so huge it pierces the heavens. No human or army can take on it. It’s a natural disaster. 」

The fortress beast continued its advance toward the Gharast Kingdom, devouring the earth, people, and even demons.

「…Use the dragon. Let’s turn disasters against disasters. The script is already written. Old man, do you still have the energy to be on the front lines? Or are you going to retire? 」

Lugis stood upright, supporting the wobbly Filaret.

His eyes lit up as if he had made up his mind, staring at the old general.

「You worry too much about me. Staying holed up in the rear is a luxury I’ll save for after I’m dead. 」

Richard said with a sneer. His eyes held a brilliance that surpassed even his student’s.

Neither his ambition nor his will had diminished in the slightest. For him, his prime was always now.

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