“What should we do?” Rotsgard asked me.

“I don’t know. This is quite the predicament, the hero is coming from the city gates and then that dragon…”

‘I can’t leave the hero to others, because the hero is designed to be strong enough to beat me, but not like I can leave the dragon to them also.’

After thinking thoroughly for a couple of seconds I came to a decision.

“Rotsgard, you stay here and try to negotiate with the dragon whilst the others run away as far away as possible. Granny, Yasse, I trust that you can take care of Levicia before I come back?”

“You can trust us. But talk about the hero’s power so lightly? Do not make light of it.”

“I know, then I’ll be off to meet the hero.”

“Rotsgard.” I got his attention.

“What?”

“Try taking as long as you can whilst talking to that dragon, I hope I can come back within then.”

“I will try my best, so just come back.”

“Ok, I’m off.”

 

*POV-Rotsgard*

 

When Liliana left the street, I instructed to Yasse and grandmother.

“You heard what the master strategist said. Get out of here as fast as possible. I will talk with the dragon.”

“Sure, try to stay alive.” Grandma said goodbye.

“Good luck, Your Majesty.” Yasse told her goodbye also.

“Good luck, stupid uncle!” Levicia said her goodbye too.

“Yes. Good luck to me.” I said a little bit cranky.

‘Just how long is this girl going to make fun of me?’

After waiting for a couple of minutes, the dragon finally landed in the castle yard. When I arrived there, it just stood there unmoving, I decided to make use of this opportunity.

“Are you the Great Fire dragon?”

“Yes, yes I am indeed.” The creature talked dignified.

This much pressure was something I had never felt. It felt as if every word it spoke carried tons of pressure.

“Although I’m interested how you know of me. I won’t bother and just finish the task I’m assigned to do.”

I stopped it right after those words left its mouth.

“Please wait! I want to talk with you longer!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I want to negotiate!”

“Hmm?”

“That means I want to strike a deal with you! How’s that sound!?”

“A deal? That sounds interesting, what would a small fry like you could offer me?”

“But the one who has to strike the deal with you isn’t me.”

“Then who is it?”

“It’s the Great Demon Queen Liliana Daemonium.”

“But the current Demon lord is Luance the third? How can she be the Queen of demons, if there is already a Demon lord?”

“I believe she said that she is going to reclaim the throne, if I’m not wrong.”

“Okay, then let us wait here.” The dignified creature spoke and suddenly a really bright light started shining. After a moment, there stood a man with golden horns on his head, the same could be said about his draconic wings. He looked to be around forty, giving off this very calm aura like a butler. Incidentally he wore such a uniform, perhaps that’s why gave this feeling.

“May I know your name?” He asked me.

“I-It’s Rotsgard, Just Rotsgard, no last name. I have no such luxury.”

“Rotsgard… I see… You’ve done a great job of standing through the dragon’s pressure. I would like to know what made you go through such extremes.”

“Thank you for your kind praise. As for why stood through it. I guess, it’s because there are still people here hiding, even though the streets are empty there are still other beastkin living here.”

“I see, you really deserve the title of King, because you love your people so much and want to protect them.”

“Also, may I get the pleasure of learning your name?”

“Oh, I’m sorry to introduce myself so late. My name is Eldur, one of the great five elemental dragons, as you already know I’m the fire dragon.”

 

*POV-MC*

 

After leaving the street, I started running towards the city gates. I turned another corner and finally arrived at the gates, only to see my fake sister. She looked to lack a lot of sleep, because I could see dark circles under her eyes, even darker than Olgraum’s when I received my sheath. I could see when she looked up to me and looked me in the eyes, I could feel that she went through something similar when she got back to the church. She had a sword in her sheath that was on her waist, when she drew it, it glimmered with a really bright golden color. If I had to say, her sword was like a holy version of mine.

I summoned my sword inside the sheath that was on my waist, and drew it also.

“What happened to you? You look like you haven’t gotten enough sleep.”

“Yes, father Amentis made me go through a pretty rough training regime. Anyways, now die.”

“Hah, first, you need to be able to beat me in order to kill me.”

When those words left her mouth, she used light magic to blind me and ran into an alley.

‘Oh, finally some strategy.’

I decided against using my dark mana scanning, as it would drain my mana like crazy, instead I stored a lot of water mana for later use. As for how much, I would say a third.

Instead, I enhanced my legs with null mana, the one who has the least uses in a city, and jumped on top of the roof of one of the many buildings. When I landed three light slashes appeared from the left alley. I tried parrying every single one of them, but one of them got past through my sword, but didn’t hurt me. Instead, there was a hit from the right instead, it wasn’t dangerous, the most it did was just rip the sleeve of the coat.

‘What was it?’

‘An illusion! I remember Lythia saying there was some sort of use for illusions with light mana. So, it’s a contest of strength and wits.’

Since the last time I fought her was near Lebruta, I can hardly remember anything, just that all them were weak.

When I was just standing there and thinking, another three slashes appeared.

‘Gotcha!’

I used teleportation, an ability that can be used only by dark mana, to teleport near her. When I appeared nearby, she used the blinding light again.

“Not this time!”

I used dark mana to ensnare her hand and destroyed the light orb that she held. Instead of that, her sword started shining and she threw another three slashes at me, horizontal, diagonal and horizontal again.

I parried them with ease and blocked the ones coming from my back.

“If this is all you got, then you should retreat. You are going to die.” I warned her.

“I have something else.” Were the only simple words that left her mouth.

After a moment, white, angel-like wings appeared on her back and she flew into the sky, albeit a bit weirdly as you could clearly see that she still wasn’t accustomed to this new feel.

I unfurled my wings also and with one good flap I flew into the sky along with her. When I was in the sky, I noticed that my wings got wider than previously, if I measured them roughly, the span would be almost six meters.

 

*POV-Rotsgard*

Whilst I was talking with Eldur about something that was closely related to our deal, basically drinking together. We saw some girl with white wings fly unto the sky, you could tell that she wasn’t used to the feeling of wings. At the same moment another one flew unto the sky also. I could tell that it was Liliana, because I had seen her wings once. But it would seem that her wings doubled in length?

“Hmm? Who are those two?”

“Ah, those two are fighting, the blonde one with the white wings is most likely the hero and the white haired one with the black wings is the Demon Queen with who you will be making the deal.” I explained in the simplest way possible.

“Who do you think is winning?” I asked him.

“Hmm… The hero seems to have the advantage there, and the Queen knows it. Guess I’ll take a look at their fight.”

“How does the hero have the advantage? I can see that she is still uncomfortable with flying, whereas Liliana is a vampire, she can fly without problem. So challenging Liliana to a fight mid-air would seem to be illogical?”

“A vampire? Anyway, the hero has deployed a lot of illusions in the air. That’s all I’m going to say, let’s watch.”

“Sure.” We poured in some more drinks and started watching.

She started laughing.

 

*POV-MC*

I started laughing.

“Haha, I really played into your trap.” When I finally stopped laughing like some crazy killer, which I kind of am, spoke.

In short, I was using my mana eyes to see the mana around me, as I found it the easiest way to deal with her illusions. I found at least ten more illusions around us in the air, they were likely some sort of trap that she can make go off.

“θανάτωση!” Was all I could hear, after a moment the illusions disappeared, revealing copies of the same sword that she held in her hands and formed a circle around me, and started going at me.

I sent out null mana into the air and formed a pretty weak wall of wind, despite it being weak, it helped me gain at least three seconds. That was enough time for me to get within sword distance near Lily. I swung straight at her neck without wasting any time. She parried the swing and counterattacked, swinging at me from the left side, but since I was using my mana eyes this whole time, I saw through it and the true swing was coming from the right side. Since she was aiming at my torso, I let her have her fun. After the sword sunk into my side, I healed the outside of it using water mana without even flinching and like this, I trapped her sword inside myself.

“Wha-” She was shocked by my own craziness.

Without wasting time, I swung my sword at her and I managed to cut off her right hand.

“Aaaah, my hand!” She shouted in pain, but calmed down pretty quickly, as it looked like this was the last straw for her. She flew back and she started shining in a faint white color, it could be null mana, but it isn’t. After the single moment, which didn’t even take a second, her arm grew back, since it was without the sleeve I could see a white flower mark, I couldn’t make out what flower it was, but it was most likely the mark of a hero or something. She pointed her arm at me, and after a second the sword inside me disappeared and reappeared in her hand, with my blood still on it.

‘Must be a heroic sword, or something like that.’

I healed up and had to think up a plan on how to defeat her, otherwise I’ll be the one to lose.

‘Plus, there’s that dragon that’s been looking at me the whole time, it’s overbearing magic signature is distracting me.’

Whilst I was thinking and staring at her, she threw a spell at me.

“Εκρηξη!”

Literally a second later, something exploded in front of me and throwing me back from the force far away. During when I was being thrown away, something called out to me.

‘Liliana… The Bloody Demon Queen Liliana!’

When I finally heard it, I was in a fully white room with a woman that had a dark veil over her face.

“Who the fu-” I started to speak, but she cut me off.

“Liliana, we don’t have much time. Just shut up and listen.” I was taken aback by her words.

“I will give you enough power to drive away the hero, but in turn you will have to give up on your future.”

“How will I have to give up on my future?” I asked.

“You will have a curse laid upon you which will make you unable to have any heirs.”

“Oh, then I don’t care about that, just give it.”

“Ok, get ready. This may hurt.”

After that I was back at the battle. I felt stronger than ever.