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2026-04-06T17:11:04Z

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Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 2

2014-06-30T14:49:16Z

Anlanther: /* Part 1 */

==Chapter 2 - Ash's and Silvia's study group==
===Part 1===
Under Silvia’s command, Ash was given an empty room.

It seemed that Cosette had cleaned the room some time before since it was clean and tidy.

Looking around the room, there was a small desk for studying and even a sofa and a single bed. A classy Dragon Crystal lamp was hanging on the ceiling.

When Ash sat on the sofa after he moved all his luggage into the room, he could smell the sent of lavender. It was from the incense burner on the shelf. He felt that the room had everything he needed. ''I might as well stay here for the rest of my school days…'' Ash even has such thoughts.

By the way, although Ash was alright with staying with Eco in the same room, Silvia who was a little stubborn could never allow it.

She thought that it was outrageous for Eco, who looked like a girl, to stay in the same room with him even though she was actually a dragon.

In the end, it was decided that Eco would be sleeping with Silvia.

“…Must we stay here for the coming two weeks?”

Ash suddenly thought that this was a weird summer.

The Fourth Princess, Silvia Lautreamont was just staying at a wall’s distant away.

It was easier to believe this if this is a dream.

Just when Ash let his thoughts wonder, there was a knock on his door.

He was greeted by Silvia when he opened the door. Somehow, she looked kind of sweet.

“What’s the matter, Princess-sama?”

“I-It is about time for dinner.”

“Aah… So it is about that time. I didn’t even notice.”

Ash just realised that it was already evening. Days like this particular busy day seemed to always pass so quickly.

“Erm… What are you going to do for dinner, Ash?”

“Since it is the summer holidays, the student’s restaurant La Tene would only provide lunch. How does Princess-sama deal with her usual meals?”

“I always ate Cosette’s handmade meals. There is a restaurant like kitchen in this royal room.”

“Wow. But, I don’t like the idea of bothering you for my meal… So, I think I will head out to the streets together with Eco.”

“No, wait… Cosette had some personal matters that she had to attend to. She probably won’t be able to return in such short notice.”

“Eh? Come join us then?”

Silvia did not reply. Somehow, she was gripping the sides of her skirts with her head down and started trembling. Just like when someone was having a heat stroke, her face was bright red.

“Princess-sama? Are you alright?”

Silvia shouted after being asked by Ash.

“D-Do you want to give my handmade meal a try!? How about it!?”

At the same time, a piece of paper flew out from her pocket.

It dropped right beside Ash’s foot. It seemed that Silvia had not noticed that her paper had fallen on to the ground.

“…?”

Ash picked up that paper.

''- ‘Shelley family’s secret. A recipe to make men dream’.''

“What is this?”

“Uwaaa! Give that back! Give that back to me right now!”

Silvia leaped towards Ash in a panic. She was only thinking about getting back the piece of paper.

“Hey! Calm down, Princess-sama! I will give it back to you! Waaaaaa!”

Silvia slipped and fall against Ash. Ash grabbed her immediately but instead he end up being able to feel her softness of her body and her body heat. But the next moment, Ash too felt on the ground together with her.

“Ooouch!”

Ash almost chocked from falling on his back. He slowly opened his eyes while moaning.

The first thing that came into his sight was her golden hair.

''-This is bad! I… am hugging Princess-sama!''

Ash was panicking but luckily Silvia finally sat up her body.

“S-Sorry Ash… Are you alright?”

Silvia’s face was bright red when she was looking at Ash. Her golden hair fell on her shoulders and touched Ash’s face. It smelled like honey.

“I am alright but… T-this position… Is a little bad for my heart.”

Ash was speaking as if he was out of breathe.

“Eh…?”

Silvia finally noticed that she was riding on Ash. And because her legs were spread open, her skirt had been rolled up and the white cloth came into his sight.

“Doooooooon’t stare!”

With tears in her eyes, Silvia started punching Ash.

“Ouch! Ouch! Please stop immediately and move aside!”

Silvia who felt too much embarrassment couldn't stop punching Ash, it seems that she did not heard him.

“Hey, I think it is about time for dinner- Hey! What are you doing!?”

Eco who should be still lying on Silvia’s bed suddenly appeared in the corridor.

“Eco…! This is a misunderstanding! It is an accident!”

“So… Want to be crushed by me!?”

Too bad for him, Eco was not in the mood to listen to his explanation. She was approaching with an angry look on her face.

===Part 2===
“Next… A small spoonful of salt and a piece of bay leaf… Also, a small amount of black pepper. But isn’t the word ‘small amount’ a little unclear…?”

Silvia was staring at the recipe for some time after she tied her hair into a bun and put on her apron.

Just moments before, she thought about boiling the soup first, however it seems that she was troubled by the amount of black pepper that she was going to use. As expected, Silvia who had not done any cooking since the day of her birth faced trouble from the word ‘small amount’.

“Err… I would also like to help you. May I?”

Silvia was surprised to see Eco walking into the kitchen.

“But, do you have any experience in cooking?”

“Impossible! But… Just before Cosette leave, she gave me this. I just want to try challenging this.”

Eco showed her a piece of paper.

Silvia had a bad feeling.

“Could it be that it is also ‘Shelley family’s secret recipe’?”

Eco turned red the moment she was told.

It seems that Cosette had handed both Silvia and Eco the recipe.

“Damn that Cosette… Even when she knew clearly what I was thinking, how dare she still support Eco from behind…! Even after she had been
working for me for ages…!”

Without noticing, Silvia clenched her fist.

“Err… What’s wrong with you?”

Silvia cooled down her temper the moment she was asked by Eco.

“No, nothing. Nothing at all.”

After she took a deep breath and calm herself down, she turned her head towards Eco.

Silvia who had calmed down suddenly noticed something new.

Although it was common that the dragon was always mistaken as a ferocious beast by foreign countries, but whenever a person saw the majestic Ark, they would have noticed that the dragons are a race that had their own unique beauty and also a race with strong creativity.

''- Could Eco be…. Even though she had no experience in cooking, who knows if she too has talent! Cooking can be even considered as an art creation…!''

Silvia was somehow feeling excited. If Eco shows her true skills, who knows if she might be able to create a delicious meal.

On the other hand, Silvia had no confidence in herself. Since the day she was born, it is a natural thing to her that meals were laid out properly to her. She never had the thought of cooking at all. She even though that riding on Lancelot for a thousand miles is far easier than this.

''-That’s it. Even though it will be a hindrance… If I can get Eco’s help… I will feel less embarrassed in front of Ash.''

Although it was not an honorable thing to do, but a little sacrifice was required. Right now, Eco is an important asset to her.

Silvia once again pulled herself together and placed her hand on Eco’s shoulder.

“Why don’t we try cooking together? There is even an extra apron and barrette over there.”

“Alright.”

Eco quietly put on the apron and handed Silvia the barrette as if she want Silvia to help her put it on.

Her actions were somehow cute and it made Silvia’s heart skipped a beat. Silvia somehow had a feeling that Eco is like a little sister to her.

It was kind of a new feeling to Silvia who was the youngest in her family.

“Alright then.”

Silvia smiled and stood behind Eco.

Since Eco had quite a lot of hair, Silvia tied two buns on the left and right side of her head.

“We are done. Hmm… Aren’t you looking cute?”

“R-Real…”

Eco seemed to be a little shy. She was probably not used to being praised.

“Alright, let’s begin!”

Silvia clenched her fist tightly and her action was followed by Eco.

“As you wish!”

===Part 3===
''-Is this even food!?''

After waiting for two whole hours, Ash felt shivers by seeing the food that was laid out in front of him. Whatever it may be, it gave the same feeling as the first time Ash met the Necromancia.

He couldn’t even believe that it was food after seeing and smelling it.

It somehow looked a little unbalanced that the tableware was of high quality while the food itself looked comical.

To begin with, why was the soup colour purple like poison?

Is that piece of coal actually bread or a piece of meat?

Ash couldn’t even be bothered to think about the thing that was all mashed up as if it was an animal being ran over by a horse carriage.

Even so, they were the hard works of both Eco and Silvia.

A few band aids could be seen on Silvia’s fingers and the sauce and ketchup mess on Eco’s apron looked like some drawings.

“Hmm, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you eating?”

Eco was speaking confidently, which in a way or another caused Ash to be confused.

“Ahem… You don’t have to eat it if it is not to your liking.”

As expected from Silvia, she seemed to notice that something was off. But the problem is much worst than whether he like it or not.

At that moment, Silvia started grumbling beside Eco’s ear.

“Eco… Are you really a dragon!? This is not even up to my expectation!”

“W-What! I had placed all my efforts in this!”

“But… Who would know that you are clumsier than me…”

Ash took the spoon while ignoring what the two of them were saying.

“Then, let’s eat.”

He felt that judging the food on its appearance and smell that was specially made for him was somehow disrespectful and rude.

Who knows if it was actually a delicious meal.

Ash took a spoonful of the weird coloured soup. A smell so bad that was like a gas attack flowed into Ash’s nostrils. He kept on enduring it while he sent it into his mouth.

Due to the extreme fear, he closed his eyes. The gooey liquid first came into contact with his tongue.

At that instant, electricity flowed through his spine and he experienced a fierce sensation.

“~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~!!!”

Ash tried screaming but his voice was stuck at his throat. Then he fell from his chair.

===Part 4===
The Dragon Fang Restaurant in Ansarivan town center was full of customers.

It was a public restaurant that Rebecca had told Ash. The shop offered a half price discount for the student council members. It was said that the relative of the shop owner was a breeder and was also a student council member during his schooling years. On a first glance, there were big burly men in the shop talking about politic with a bear mug in their hands.

Most of their talks were centering on the huge dragon that attacked Fontaine City. Who would even imagine that the huge dragon herself had walked into the shop? It seemed that no one had noticed the arrival of the trio. It also seemed that the student with the golden hair was Princess Silvia.

“Huu… I've just gone through hell.”

Just after the trio was led to a table for four, Ash started complaining. It seems that his tongue was still numb.

Silvia who was sitting facing Ash immediately turned mad.

“Tsk… You shouldn’t faint, no matter how bad the food is! What do you take a girl’s cooking as!”

“No, I think fainting is a blessing for me. It is embarrassing if a Dragner dies from food poisoning.”

“Do you have to go that far!”

Silvia was almost in tears.

“Hmph… You are lucky. He never even touch mine!”

Eco was grumbling beside Ash.

“I even thought of stuffing them into your mouth while you were unconscious.”

“Are you trying to kill me!?”

Ash felt a chill when he realized that he was inches away from death.

“Sorry for the wait. What would you like to order?”

At that moment their conversation was interrupted by a waitress with a smiling face.

===Part 5===
The Dragon Fang Restaurant’s special such as beef fillet steak and spare rib was placed on the table.

Somehow Eco, who was always the first to grab the food, was acting rather quiet today.

“Are you feeling all right?”

“Eh? No, nothing…”

Eco hurriedly sent the salad on the fork into her mouth.

Ash was worried since Eco took no notice of the meat on the middle of the table.

“Are you really all right? That is your favourite beef fillet? Are you not going to eat the spare rib?”

“You… can have it.”

Eco was looking on her knees when she sighed. This is the first time she did not react to the meat in front of her.

“Ash. Eco is a girl coming of age. It is normal that she sometimes doesn’t have any appetite. Today should be that day.”

“I-Is it…?”

Eco is a young dragon who was not even a year old. That may be the case but she definitely look like a girl coming of age. ''Could the source of her trouble originate from this afternoon’s incident?'' But this is not the right time to ask.

''Maybe I should listen to Silvia and let her be''… Ash thought.

===Part 6===
When the dessert arrived, Ash asked Silvia.

“Now that I think about it, aren't you going home?”

Followed by that, Silvia showed him a sour look and placed her glass on the table. Judging from the way she place her glass, she was definitely pissed.

“I can’t believe it… Have you forgotten about the supplementary test!?”

“Aah!”

Supplementary test. The weight of these two words seemed to hit his head hard.

That’s right. Ash and Silvia couldn't take the final exam last month. However, since they had sufficient reasons, after requesting from the management department, they were given the chance to take a supplementary exam during summer. They will be given the same credit if they can pass.

However, due to him constantly worrying about Eco, he completely forgot about the exam.

If it is the practical test, Ash had confidence that he would ace since he was no other than ‘The boy who can ride any dragon”.

The problem was the written test.

Apart from the normal subjects like math, literature, science and history, there were also subjects like dragon history, ecology, breeding
studies… and many more special subjects that need to be learned in the dragon riding academy.

“Err… When will the exam be held?”

Silvia sighed upon hearing.

“The written test will be held a week from now. You won’t be allowed to take the practical test if you fail the written test.”

“What….!?”

Ash turned numb.

If he couldn't squeeze out a pass in the written exam, he won’t be able to bring up his result with his practical test which he was good
in.

“Let me put this bluntly. You are now a member of the student council. How can you face Rebecca, who scouted you, if your results are bad.”

Silvia’s words stabbed right at his heart.

“What should I do…? I don't even have the slightest confidence in my written exam. It is impossible! There is only a week left! I would need to retain a year if I fail…!”

Ash was crying in agony which made Silvia sympathize with him.

“-All right?”

“Eh? What did you just say?”

Silvia blushed when she was asked. She then announced loudly:

“I said I can help you with your test!”

“Really?”

Since the time she entered the academy, her results had always been the top of her year. If Silvia was to teach him, he can at least avoid
retaining a year.

“Thank you, Princess-sama!”

===Part 7===
On the next morning, both Ash and Silvia were up early in order to prepare for the exam.

Notes and text books were all over the dining table in the royal room. The table which was initially like a painting of hell since yesterday was tidied up by Ash.

“Let’s start.”

Silvia sat beside Ash. She was neatly dressed in a blouse and a tight skirt. By putting on her fashionable eyeglasses, she looked like a teacher. She was probably the type who needs a suitable atmosphere to be able to concentrate.
[[Image:SnRK v05 114.jpg|thumb]]

“Eco would probably cause a ruckus after she wake up… So is it okay with you that we start with the most important subject first?”

“Aah… All right.”

Although it hurts Ash that she need to put Eco aside, but right now, his priority is studying for the exam.

“Then, let’s start from the Mother Dragon. This is the most important part for the first term. Please listen carefully.”

Silvia was totally like a teacher.

“Hmm… The Mother Dragon… Usually, she sometimes becomes the topic of our talk, but I am not actually sure what kind of a dragon is she.”

“She is basically different from the rest of the dragons. Though I tried investigating on my own, there are still too many question remain unanswered. Since what is not mentioned in the text book won’t be in the exam, we should start from memorizing the textbook. Can you please read page fifty eight?”

“Okay.”

Ash started reading the ecology textbook.

''-The mother dragon will only appear in front of humans during the Orphan Ceremony. Only when she found a child qualified to become Breeder she will appear and bestow an Orphan to the child.''

“By the way, Ash, is Lancelot a male or female?”

Ash was shocked by Silvia’s sudden question.

“About that, is Lancelot a male? I mean its name sound manly.”

“Are you an idiot! How can you call yourself a student of Ansarivan?”

“Eeh? So it is a female?”

“That’s also wrong! The correct answer is none of the above!”

“That my first time hearing it.”

“Do you even listen during classes!? In the ancient time, dragons do have difference in genders, but… I mean…. F-For them to mate to reproduce.”

Silvia was blushing and trying to avert her eyes.

Talking about that, Ash started noticing Silvia’s curves. The Silvia right now was very alluring.

“But, during the long history, the dragons who almost faced extinction invoked the wise dragon magic, Albion. That had totally changed their ecosystem and since then, the Mother Dragon was responsible for reproducing and the dragons had lost their genders.”

“Now I see… But no matter how I look at it, Eco is a girl isn’t she?”

Silvia turned speechless upon hearing Ash’s words.

“It seems so. Why did I not notice it?... Even so, Eco is a special dragon.”

''Could it be that apart from being the Avalon’s holy dragons' emperor family's descendent, there are still many more mysteries surrounding Eco that was yet to be found?'' Ash thought secretly.

The dragons should have lost their genders since a long time ago.

However, Eco was obviously born in the body of a girl.

''What is the actual reason behind it…?''

“Even so, since Mother Dragon is also a dragon, she should need astral in order to survive, however, it is a surprise that she never had any contract with anyone. Unfortunately, these facts were not written in any books…. Hey, Ash, are you even listening?”

“Eh? Aah… Sorry.”

Ash immediately straightened his body when he was glared by Silvia.

“Tsk…I bet you acted the same way during class. Anyway, please read the textbook starting from this part until this part for one more time and drill them into your head.”

Silvia leaned forward and underlined the important area.

“…!”

Ash held his breath when he saw Silvia’s breast through the gaps of her collars.

“Huh? Is everything all right, Ash?”

“No, nothing! Nothing!”

“What a weird person…”

===Part 8===
“Hmm, it is time for us to take a short break.”

After she briefed through the examination scope, Silvia place her pen on the table.

Silvia looked a little tired and Ash on the other hand was exhausted from being forced to memorized all the important subjects.

“Are you all right, Ash? Your dream to pass will remain a dream if you are trouble by just these.”

Actually, Silvia tried encouraging him but she only speak of strict words since the beginning.

“I will work harder…”

Ash had his head laid on the table when he answered weakly.

“Tsk. Cosette, make us some tea…”

Silvia remembered that Cosette was no longer with her the moment she turned around.

Unfortunately, Silvia herself had never made tea before. She doesn’t have the confidence to make a cup of tea that can match with Cosette’s standard.

At the same time, she doesn’t want Ash to take her as an idiot who doesn’t even know how to make tea.

Just as Silvia was troubled by this, Ash stood up and gave her a wry smile.

“I will make the tea in return for teaching me.”

“S-Sorry.”

“I may not look like it but I am actually good at doing housework. Since I don’t have a father at home, I was always doing some housework like cooking, taking care of my sister and many more when my mother was at work.”

After that, Ash left for the kitchen and he suddenly looked like a reliable person. Even though Silvia had been teaching him from the start, but their roles had changed with just a cup of tea.

After she heard noise coming from the kitchen, Silvia started mumbling to herself:

“If, Ash… If he is that boy… What should I do? No, but… The boy had given Lancelot to me. Thinking back carefully, it is impossible for him to become a Breeder in the first place.”

“-Why do you need to mention Ash?”

Silvia had a shock of her life when she heard another voice.

Eco’s face had suddenly appeared in front of Silvia.

Since her hair was still in a mess, it looked like she had just woken up. But her beauty still remains and it made it seems like her body was glittering.

Although Silvia had always hated to be seen by anyone except Cosette the moment she wake up, but Eco doesn’t seem to mind it.

Suddenly, Silvia felt guilty when she saw Eco. It was probably due to her spending time studying with Ash for the entire morning when Eco was sleeping.

Without knowing what Silvia was thinking, Eco asked innocently:

“Where is he?”

“Aah, he is making tea.”

Eco threw Silvia a sharp glance upon hearing.

“Are the two of you playing when I was sleeping?”

“I-Impossible! He may face retaining a year if I choose not to teach him. That’s the truth! It will really happen if I ‘choose not to teach’! At the same time, isn’t it bad for you as well as his Pal if he was to retain a year?”

Silvia was in a pinch by trying to explain to Eco.

“Hey, Eco. You are finally awake?”

At that moment, Ash appeared from the kitchen holding a tray with the tea set.

“…It is already noon. You better change your clothing.”

Eco immediately turned red as if she doesn’t want anyone to see her in her pyjamas. She hurriedly ran out from the room.

Silvia was anxious about Eco’s behaviour. The past Eco was always arrogant and never get embarrassed from things that a human would. ''Despite that, compared to her past self, Eco looks more feminine. Am I thinking too much?''

“Ash, about Eco… Don’t you think that she is starting to change?”

“Does she? I didn’t notice anything…”

Ash was lying and his face was red from embarrassment. It is impossible for him to not notice when he had been living with Eco under the same roof.

Of course the reason Eco became more feminine was Ash.

''After all the things that had happened, surely Eco was….'' Just when she thought about that, Silvia felt a pain in her chest.

===Part 9===
After eating lunch that was made from whatever there is in the larder, Ash was again studying.

This time, Eco was together with them. Since she was just quietly reading her picture books, she didn’t really cause any problem. However, whenever Silvia leaned forward and her distance with Ash become closer…

“Ahem!”

She would always purposely give a cough as a warning. She then continued with her book and did nothing apart from that.

Eco’s actions were completely different compared to her past self.

Just as what Silvia said, Eco was maturing. What she had just shown was jealousy.

Just yesterday, Ash and Eco were kissing in the room with the broken wall.

Although the location was bad, they both had the urge for each other and in the end, they kissed. It was totally like a dream. Ash’s heart started beating rapidly upon remembering the feeling when their lips touched.

On the other hand, Ash noticed that he was attracted to Silvia.

The Lautreamont Royal Knight Family’s fourth Princess, Silvia. Months before, she was just Ash’s classmate. During that time, she was like an unapproachable being to him. If the him a year ago knew about his situation right now, he would definitely have gotten a great shock.

However, the Aries Dragon Riding Festival had become the turning point where their relationship became closer…

“Ash! Hey, Ash! Are you listening…?”

“Uwaa! S-Sorry, Princess-sama…”

After being scolded, Ash came back to his sense.

“Are you all right? It doesn’t feel like your thought is here.”

Silvia was really worried about him. Turning his head around, Eco too was worried about Ash and took a peek at him.

“About that… Many things happen recently, no?”

“Speaking about that, you were involved in the battle during the Selective Training Camp and in Fontaine City.”

Silvia agreed with him. But her thoughts were in the wrong page compared to Ash’s. However, Ash was thankful that she misunderstood him.

He would never admit that he lost concentration because he was stuck in choosing between Silvia and Eco.

===Part 10===
After three o’clock, it was time for their second tea-time. Since it was boring to drink only red tea, they also took out the biscuits that
they found in the kitchen’s cupboard.

“Erm… Princess-sama, I would like to ask you about the stuffed toy.”

''“*splurt*”''

Suddenly, Silvia spluttered out her red tea.

“Sorry, Princess-sama.”

Ash immediately tried to wipe the table with a tea cloth.

“W-What about the stuffed toy?”

Silvia glared at Ash when she tried to wipe her mouth.

“I mean if it initially belongs to you, how in the world did it came into my possession?”

“How am I to know about that?”

“Then… Do you still remember how do you give it away?”

“That…!”

Suddenly without warning, Silvia was blushing.

“So you did remember. Do you mind me asking?”

“Of course I mind!”

“I see. Then I won’t question you any further.”

Ash understood the situation well and stopped asking but Silvia suddenly stood up.

“Stop! I will tell!”

“Now, which is it?”

“As I said, I will tell you!”

Thus, Silvia started telling the story of the seven year old her attending the Orphan Ceremony in Albion Forest.

===Part 11===
“I was lost in Albion Forest not long after the Orphan Ceremony started. At the same time, my leg was twisted and help was nowhere to be found… Then, I cried.”

“Princess-sama cried?”

Ash was surprised but it made Silvia blushed.

“It was not like I wanted to! I was seven during that time!”

“Haha… Sorry. So, what happened after that?”

“Erm… At that point, a boy who was attending the same ceremony appeared. He gave me a piggyback ride when we continued looking for the
Mother Dragon.”

“Eh…? This is interesting.”

“However, my memories beyond that were fuzzy. Even though I remembered that the Mother Dragon appeared in front of us, I still can’t
recall the specifics. But, I still somehow remembered that the boy rejected Lancelot and gave it to me. If I never met him, I will never be able to become a Dragner. Later, I gave him my toy as a token of thanks to him.”

“Did you not ask his name?”

“During that time, we were busy looking for Mother Dragon… And had forgotten to ask for his name. I bet he never noticed that I am actually a princess.”

Silvia sighed.

“Back to the topic…. Who would expect that a seven year old brat was such a kind person. Could he be Princess-sama’s first love?”

Ash asked casually.

“I-If you have time to ask any idiotic question, you might as well spend your time memorizing a few more words!”

Silvia shouted as if she is going to overturn the dining table. Ash turned quiet in afraid of her menacing look. On the other hand,
another person was giving both of them a sidelong glance-

“….Haa.”

Eco sighed as if she doesn’t have the spirit to care about the two.

"Silvia’s memory~A.S.B.1365.8~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

User:Anlanther

2014-06-28T06:14:44Z

Anlanther:

Hello, I am Anlanther.

I have joint Baka-Tsuki for the reason of wanting to help edit the mistakes I see in the many different light novels I read here. I am very proficient in the English language, making me very fussy over sentence structure and grammar. Though my spelling may still needs a bit of improvement, autocorrect makes up for it. I am familiar with various Japanese phrases and I can read very basic sentences in 普通話. I love to read, write and watch, so if a chapter needs heavy editing, and the series has an anime, I am most likely to have watched it and will take my time editing as much as possible, also using the anime as a reference.

Thank you.

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 1

2014-06-28T06:02:31Z

Anlanther: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 1 - Tragedy of Apollo house and Mirabel's decision==
===Part 1===
''-Don! Don…! Don!''

The sun had just risen but Ash who spent a sleepless night was woken up by a loud knocking sound.

“What in the world…?”

He took that silver watch by his pillow side and noticed that it was just half past six.

After he angrily took a look at the window, he became wide awake.

“Uwaa…!”

There was a huge eye looking through the gaps of the curtain.

It was actually a dragon who was banging its nose against the window.

''-Don! Don… Dododododo!”''

He was worried that it may break the glass.

“Why is a dragon coming to my room!? Could it be another Necromancia attack!?”

So the Empire had finally shown their true colours and started attacking? Ash tried to leave the bed but he was stopped.

“Zzz…”

Eco rolled over and hugged Ash.

Her hair was all over his shoulders and her arms were around his back.

And also her soft face that was on his chest…

''-Mmm…''

Ash was shocked by her sudden nibble.

“Hey, Eco… Please don’t bite that spot.”

Recently, her habit of nibbling had gotten less but she still had not gotten rid of her habit of a young dragon. Moreover, she was nibbling on Ash’s sensitive spot which troubled him.

At that moment, there was a crack on the window.

“This is bad… It is not the right moment to let her continue nibbling.”

Ash carried Eco and they left the bed together. The next thing he knew, the glass was smashed into pieces.

He managed to avoid the glass fragments at the last moment.

At the same time, there were two dragons that were trying to squeeze their heads through the window. Their hard scales protect them from the sharp glass.

By taking a closer look, Ash noticed that one of them was a Maestro while the other was a Hydra. After knowing that he was not attacked by a Necromancia, Ash breathe a sigh of relieve.

“Morning, Ash!”

“Good morning, Ash-sama!”

Finally, he could see the faces of the two riders.

They were the student council secretary Lucca and Jessica of the general affairs. Right beside them were Maestro Gawain and Rhiannon the Hydra.

Ash started to protest after he placed Eco who was still sleeping on the bed.

“Lucca! Jessica! What in the world are both of you doing!?”

Since the time Ash saved Gawain who was in danger of dying, Lucca had become emotionally attached to Ash. In the dragon riding academy, most of the girls are the more aggressive type, it was kind of rare to see someone as quite as Lucca. The beauty that only an Eckbald possessed was out of this world.

Ash was a little surprised to see Lucca acting rashly. Perhaps she was influenced by Jessica.

“Ash… I hoped that you would come with me to the Eckbald village. I want to introduce you to the village chief, my otou-sama.” <ref>In the raw version, Lucca called her father otou-sama, but the kanji written was foster father.</ref>

Her usual emotionless face had always given Ash a heck lot of trouble.

“Hold on! W-Why must you mention about the chief!?”

“P-Please don’t ask anymore than this.”

Lucca was suddenly blushing.

This time, it was Jessica who pushed Lucca to aside.

Jessica who was usually eyeing at Ash’s sperm, though her actions had always been eccentric, she was still undoubtably one of the few beauties of the academy.

“Ash-sama, I have a request!”

“Hey, wait a minute! This is the third floor! How did a hydra get here…?”

“Well. Climbing wall is not a problem for my Rhiannon.”

“Can’t you sympathize your Pal a little!”

Ash pitied her Pal. Although a Hydra may still be able to move on land, but only when they are in the water they are able to show their true skills. It shouldn’t be its own intention to walk on land. Let alone climbing the walls of the student’s dormitory, which doesn’t seem to fit the actions of a proud dragon.

“Putting that aside, Ash-sama! I am about to leave Ansarivan. What about you? Do you have any plans of returning?”

“Now I remember… today is the start of the holiday.”

-The first day of the month of Leo.

It was the first day of the holidays for Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy. Since it was a boarding school, most of the student will return to their hometown.

Of course, not all of the students were going back home. There were also a small amount of students that were forced to stay in for the holidays for certain reasons.

Ash was one of them.

“Nope, I am not going home.”

After hearing, Jessica’s facial expression changes.

“What! If that’s the case, I too will stay back here!”

“Uuh… If I don’t return soon… I will be scolded by my otou-sama.”

Compare to Jessica who was in high spirit, Lucca looks sad. Lucca who carry the hopes of all Eckbald with her probably doesn’t have as much freedom as Jessica has.

“Sorry to disappoint you Jessica, but you must return with me.”
[[Image:SnRK v05 044.jpg|thumb]]

Suddenly, there was another voice.

“Rebecca-san!”

Ash shouted.

There was a sweet smell from her red hair being blown by the winds. She looks like a war maiden in the legends when she was riding on Cú Chulainn.

“Sorry for the trouble that this stupid girl from my house had given you. The Randall family will cover the fees for mending the window. The servants fault is also the master’s fault.”

“Now that you mention it… I remember that Jessica was a servant in the Randall family.”

“Just that since she became a Breeder, she had forgotten about her place.”

Rebecca sighed.

“Hmph! Could you stop calling me that? I don’t have the intention of serving the Randall family for my whole life!”

“I never thought of that. You are my important childhood friend. Also, your parents had asked me to take good care of you. That is why I have my duty to bring you back to meet your parents.”

Although her lips were smiling, there was not even a hint of smile in Rebecca’s eyes. After Jessica saw Rebecca’s determination, her elbows dropped in disappointment.

“Haa… I understand. However… I want Ash-sama to see me off!”

Ash gave a wry smile.

“I think that should be alright.”

The moment he answered, Jessica was once again with a big smile. But, she was then blushing and started to mumble.

“T-Then… According to my hometown’s custom…. There should be a parting k-kiss….”

“Hey! Jessica! When does our hometown have such a custom?”

Rebecca exposed Jessica’s lie with a wry smile.

“Hmph! Rebecca! Don’t you know how to look at the atmosphere?”

“I-I too would like you to see me off…”

While Jessica was in rage, Lucca shyly told Ash her wish.

“Of course.”

“T-Then… According to the Eckbald custom…. I want you to give me a princess carry.”

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he first saw Lucca’s blushing face.

“A-A princess carry!”

Ash was in a fix but Jessica shouted at Lucca:

“Hey! What are you trying to do in this mess! That must be a lie!?”

“Uuh…”

While Lucca turned speechless, the noise that Jessica made had spread throughout the school.

“Hey, can you believe it! The president and Jessica were making a night visit! And the other person… Could she be Lucca Sarlinen the genius girl from the basic class!?”

Suddenly, a huge number of students were gathering outside of the Apollo House. It was something for three girls to be standing on their dragons beside a window of a boy’s dormitory.

To say nothing of Rebecca Randall who was the most popular person in the entire academy, Jessica was also one of the centers of attentions and let alone Lucca with her Yōsei like looks and her skills as a Dragner.

“I-I am just here to have Ash-sama see me off! Nothing else!”

Jessica tried to settle the misunderstanding by shouting towards the direction of the school.

“Hmm! By saying Ash-kun you mean… The Ash-kun who was knighted yesterday!?”

“The knighting ceremony was awesome!”

“I also want him to see me off!”

Right now all the girls were speaking with s shrill voice.

Rebecca gave him a bitter smile while she was enjoying all of this.

“Seems like your popularity had sky rocketed after you became a Dragner.”

“The situation outside… Somehow, it looks frightening.”

“Yeah. I just saw around thirty dragons flying towards this window.”

Rebecca told him the unthinkable news with a calm face.

“Huh!?”

“Sorry, Ash. Though I have many reasons to help you… But if I show my true skills, the girls would suffer some grave injuries.”

“Hol-! Don’t leave me!”

“You should try to solve your own problem if you are a Dragner. Also… If it is alright, I would also want you to see me off.”

“…Eh?”

Unfortunately, Ash was not able to catch everything Rebecca said. Her voice disappeared behind the loud noise from Cú Chulainn flapping its wings.

“Good luck, Ash.”

Lucca too had reluctantly flew off with Gawain.

Right after that, the Apollo House faced a terrible attack.

“Ash-kun! Please see me off!”

“Ash-kun, you might as well come to my home town with me…!”

“Hey! Don’t cut the queue!”

Most of the girls returning were riders of stradas. They were like bats gathering together for food at the window.

But of course it was impossible for thirty riders of stradas to squeeze into the window at the same time.

Soon, they started pushing around.

“P-Please be patient! Calm down! Please calm down!”

Ash was panicking.

Every single roar from the Strada was enough to shake up this entire old building.

“Hey!...How dare you! Ash-sama is my important- Nooooooo!”

Unlike Rebecca or Lucca, Jessica who stayed until the end was finally pushed off the wall together with Rhiannon.

“W-What should I do?”

Ash retreated until his back was facing the wall while he was watching the girls fighting for a spot.

At that moment, Eco who had rolled herself into a ball while she was sleeping had woken up and was rubbing her eyes.

“Hmmm…. What’s all the noise about?”

“You ! How can you still think of sleeping!”

Eco was looking around in confusion. It seems that she wasn’t fully awake yet and wasn’t able to think properly.

Ash shouted with all his might towards the window.

“I beg you! Could you please not make a mess in front of someone else’s window! I promise to see off every single one of you!”

Too bad for him, his voice was not received by them.

Suddenly, Ash had a bad feeling.

“I couldn’t be…”

His entire body was shivering in fear. Since some time ago, the wall facing the outside was creaking. It appears that the Stradas were putting pressure on it.

“It is dangerous to stay here! Lets run Eco!”

“Huh…! Could you care to explain!”

“Later!”

Ash was running with Eco on his hands.

He ran out through the door and out to the corridor.

Just when he was sliding along the floor…

''-Creak…! Eeeeekkkk……. !Do--------------n!''

The next moment, there was a loud explosion.

Ash cautiously took a peek through the cracks on the door while trembling. All he sees was dust flying around and even the corridor was affected.

''“*Cough *!*Cough *!”''

While covering up Eco who was coughing, Ash waited until the dust had settled down.

Just moments later-

After the dust had cleared up, what Ash saw was a clear sky.

The morning rays were shining at the disastrous room.

The wreckage of the wall was all over his room. It was a painful sight.

Right now, with the wall that was facing the academy and the window destroyed, his room looked like a doll house that can be seen from the outside.

“Err… Eco, am I dreaming?”

“I think so?”

Ash and Eco were looking at the room with their mouths wide open.

===Part 2===
Ash was brought to the director’s office on the first day of the holiday.

As for those girls who were the culprit, it seems that they had ran back home as soon as possible. That is why Ash who was the victim was summoned.

“I see… Now I understand what had happened.”

Mirabel who was acting as the director replied coldly and drank from her cup of tea.

The room was full of the smells of bergamot and the tea.

Just like a robot, Mirabel’s face was emotionless the entire time. ''Does this princess even have the thing known as feelings…?'' Ash thought.

“The academy will take responsibility for mending the wall. Just some time before, I had asked the builders of this city and they estimated that they will be able to complete it in around two weeks time.”

“Really…! Thank you very much!”

Ash was grateful that she was able to deal with this situation without delay.

“The problem is… During the renovation, where am I to place you and Eco.”

“I see…”

“Can you borrow a room from any of your friends?”

“I don’t think that would be possible…”

Unfortunately, Max and Raymond had gone home. For Ash who doesn’t have many friends, these were the’ only two friends that he could rely on. Although there was an option of using it without asking for their permissions, but Ash couldn’t bring himself to do it.

''-Bang!''

The door behind him was opened with a slam.

The next time he knew, Silvia and Eco was right beside him.

“How much longer are the two of you going to keep on talking!? Can’t you just give us a new room!”

Eco was pointing at Mirabel in anger.

“Anee-ue! Why do you call for Ash! That incident was caused by a few girls! It had nothing to do with Ash! Aren’t you treating him like the culprit!?”

Silvia on the other hand was trying to speak up for Ash.

“Where are your manners? Don’t you know that it is rude to walk into a room without knocking? You won’t be given special treatment even if you are the descendant of the Avalon Holy Dragons Emperor’s family or my sister. “

Mirabel glared at both of them coldly.

“I am sorry… Anee-ue.”

Silvia stood still on her ground as if she had turned into a stone.

On the other hand, Eco was trying to intimidate Mirabel by showing her sharp teeth.

“Hey you!... How dare you act like that even when you know that I am Avalon’s holy dragons' emperor family's Imperial Princess! Why don’t I try crushing the castle the next time? If I show you my true self, one or two Fontaine Place won’t…”

“Idiot! Stop spurting nonsense!”

Ash’s face was pale white when he was scolding Eco.

Since that incident, the Knight’s government took Eco as a threat. As long as there is the possibility that Mirabel was here to keep an eye on Eco, they have to be careful with their own words.

But to his surprise, Eco calm down with just a single shout.

She turned her head around with her face blushing.

“I-I will listen to you… Just this time.”

Ash was taken aback from seeing Eco making such an expression for the first time. Just as he had expected, it was that transformation that had made a change of her heart. Although the gentle Eco looked a lot cuter, at the same time, it was also a little confusing.

“Ahem!”

Mirabel tried clearing her throat, returning everyone’s attention back to her.

“Silvia, you came at the right moment. Right now you are staying in the royal room in the Epona House right?”

“…What about it?”

Silvia was surprised.

“Until the renovation in the boy’s dormitory had been completed, Ash Blake and young dragon Eco will stay in your room for the time being.”

“What!”

“I won’t repeat for a second time. This is an order from your sister. You are not allowed to have any objections.”

Naturally, Silva was enraged.

“What do you mean by this! This is against our family motto where ‘A knight shouldn’t carelessly touch another of the opposite sex’!”

“Hmm… Funny but I remember that I said to let Ash Blake and young dragon Eco stay in your room. When did I ever mention about touching Ash?”

“T-That…!”

Right at this moment, even Silvia’s earlobes were red.

“Right now, if I were to mention the family motto that you love so much, ‘A knight should help those who are in need’. Am I wrong?”

After she replied coldly, Mirabel looked like she had lost interest in the case regarding Ash. She kept on looking at the tea cup on her hand.

“I am done with you- What a pain, now a good cup of tea had turned cold.”

===Part 3===
Rebecca and Jessica had returned to the land ruled by the Randalls.

Lucca on the other hand had returned to her village.

After seeing them off, Ash and Eco once again returned to his room on the third floor of the Apollo House.

They once again looked at the disastrous room.

A bed full of glass fragments.

A floor full with the remains of the wall.

And the disorganized furniture.

With the wall gone, the room became bright and windy. Looking down from above was a few curious onlookers. When their eyes came into contact with Ash’s, everyone scattered.

“Haa… First of all, I think we should try cleaning up a little. It is better to make it look a little more cheerful before the renovation starts.”

Turning around, Ash noticed that Eco was sulking.

“What’s wrong, Eco?”

“Hey. Do you really want to stay in Silvia’s room?”

“It is not like I have a choice. It was an order from Princess Mirabel. It seems that even Princess-sama did not dare to go against her.”

“I… I hate it.”

“What’s the matter? You don’t look like your usual self. Well, if we stay at Princess-sama’s room, we may be able to eat Cosette’s delicious homemade cooking.”

“That’s not the point! And also, I am not someone who thinks about food for an entire day!”

Eco's face was red with anger and embarrassment.

“Is it… Sorry then.”

“It is fine if you understand. Anyway, just if you try to do something weird to Silvia… I will be sure to crush you!”

Eco was glaring at Ash.

“What do you mean by something weird!?”

With her ears fully red, Eco told Ash embarrassedly:

“T-To make it simple…. It is those perverted stuffs.”

“W-What are you even thinking!”

Ash stood still on his ground. He never expected Eco to speak of such a word. It kind of surprised him.

“Even I knew about those stuffs… Don’t look down on me just because I am a young dragon.”

“Could the source of information be…. The Dragweiss?”

“…Some of them were from there, but most of them were from the picture books that Cosette lent me.”

“Hold on! Are they really… Just picture books!?”

In order to teach her the importance of aesthetic sensibility, Cosette had lent her picture books and books for children. For that, Ash was grateful for Cosette.

However, there was a possibility that she mixed some books with adult content in them into the pile of picture books she had given to Eco.

“Anyhow, she is still this country’s princess. What you are worrying about will never happen, rest assured.”

''In the worst possible case, I will be beheaded…'' Ash thought secretly.

“A-Alright… I understand.”

Once again, Eco was smiling and she looked at the room around her.

“Then… What can I do to help you?”

“You are trying to help?”

“What? Is it weird for me to help?”

“Definitely not weird, but rare. Ain’t it always me who complete the house work?”

“A-About that… It doesn’t seem like I have a choice. I am a dragon. I don’t really understand how a human acts. But… I just feel like helping for today… Can’t I!?”

Eco puffed up her rosy coloured cheeks and stared at Ash.

“Why not? I even want to thank you.”

Ash gave a wry smile and tried to pat her head.

But, Eco immediately dodge to a side.

“No! You mustn’t touch!”

“Sorry… I didn't know that you dislike it this much.”

“N-No! It is okay it you are just patting, but you mustn’t touch my horns. If they were just slightly touched, I… will turn weird. I felt like floating in the air when they were touched...”

Ash could calm down after seeing Eco’s face when she tried to explain her feelings.

“I understand. I promise I won’t touch your horns.”

Ash carefully patted Eco’s head.

Her pink hair was fluffy and it gave his palm a nice feeling.

“Nn…”

Even when she was a dragon, Eco was smiling and shrugging her neck like what a cat would do.

Her innocent smile had grabbed Ash’s attention.

To be precise, it was her flower bud like lips.

His heart was beating rapidly.

This was actually the second time he had such a feeling.

The first time was when Eco said that she won’t be satisfied with just being a Pal in the guest room in Fontaine Palace.

“…”

Eco probably felt the change in the atmosphere too and her body suddenly tense up. Perhaps she too was also thinking about the scenario in the Fontaine Palace.

In a short while, just like that time, Eco closes her eyes.

She also tried to purse her lips.

Ash also noticed that her long eyelashes were also trembling.

''-Eco…!''
[[Image:SnRK v05 060.jpg|thumb]]

He suddenly remembered the word ‘beloved Pal’ in the knighting ceremony.

During that time, Ash was only saying the standard pledge.

But this was totally different.

His feeling of love to Eco was born from deep in his heart. A feeling that could be explained using something as simple as the relation of a Breeder and its Pal had grown.

Right now, they don’t need any words.

Ash placed both his hands on Eco’s shoulders and he closes their distance slowly.

A sweet smell was surrounding them which made him dizzy.

Right now, he felt as if his heart was going to explode.

They were now at a distance where their nose could easily touch each other.

Eco felt like being pierced through by the sunlight while she was waiting for Ash.

Ash made up his mind and closed his eyes.

And then- he kissed Eco on her lips.

===Part 4===
“~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~!”

Since their kiss, Eco had been working silently with her back facing Ash the entire time.

It seemed that she was too embarrassed to even look at Ash in the face.

And of course, it was the same for Ash.

Ash felt as if his face was a ball of fire.

Although the two of them at a first glance seemed to be dusting the room, there was actually zero progress. What they were doing was only messing up the already messed up room.

''-What should I do? What should I say at times like this?''

Just when Ash was anxious in trying to find the right words…

“Uwaaa…! Cute!”

Eco turned around and showed Ash a round object.

“Isn’t this cute? Where did you find this stuff toy?”

At that moment, Ash felt something was pricking at the back of his neck. It made him wonder what it was.

The stuffed toy that Eco was holding seems to be a dragon. Strictly speaking, its face was clumsily done.

Furthermore, it's round body made it looks nothing like a majestic dragon.

However, Eco seemed to take it as cute, and it made her forget about what had just happened previously.

“Err… Actually I don’t remember much about that when it came into my possession. No matter how I look at it, looked just like a girl’s toy. It is probably not me who bought it.”

It was thanks to the toy that Ash was once again able to speak to Eco normally.

“Hmm… Strange.”

Eco was carrying the stuffed toy while she whipped off the dust on it.

“Hmm… When I move to Ansarivan, I just took it with me without any reason. Perhaps there is a great meaning behind it was what I thought. Actually… There is a blank in my childhood memory.”

“… A blank in your memories?”

Eco was surprised.

“Aah. It was right about when I had my seventh birthday when I visited Albion Forest for the Orphan Ceremony. I just can’t recall my memories during that time.”

“Isn’t that… The time when Mother Dragon bestowed me to you?”

“It seems so.”

“How come you can’t remember such an important event?”

Ash shrunk when he saw Eco start to get mad. Just like how they were finally able to speak normally, Eco’s temper had also returned.

“To be frank, I know nothing of it myself. It was just that I had a hunch that this toy had something to do with my lost memories and that’s the reason why I was reluctant to throw it away. However, because of the recent events, I totally forgot about it.”

“Then, can I keep it?”

Ash was taken by surprised.

“What do you mean by keeping it?”

“It is just like what I had said. Don’t you think it is sad for such a cute being to be left forgotten? I will take the trouble to take care of this kid.”

“How can you take care of it when it isn’t even a living being? Argh, whatever suits you then.”

“Really!?”

Eco was full of excitement.

“Well, I don’t really mind.”

“That's great!”

Eco was so happy that she felt that she could even fly. She then rubbed the stuffed toy with her cheeks.

Followed by that, she cuddled it like what a mother would do to her baby.

Suddenly, she spoke of something that surprised Ash.

“This somehow looked like our baby…”

Eco suddenly stopped speaking before she could even finish her sentence. She the glared at Ash with eyes looking as if they were on fire.

“You heard anything?”

“No, nothing at all.”

Ash spoke with a serious look on his face.

“T-That’s right! N-Nothing happened! Nothing happened at all!”

As if her head was exploding in flames, Eco carried the toy and dashed out from the room.

“Actually, I heard every single word…”

Just as Ash was murmuring with his body also feeling as it was engulfed by fire…

“Sorry to interrupt, Ash-sama.”

Suddenly, there was a woman’s voice coming from behind.

“Uwaa!”

He noticed that it was Cosette after he turned around. She seemed to be wearing the same palace design maid attire today. She then gave a polite bow.

“Cosette-san! How did you get in?”

“To enter such an airy room is like a child’s play to me.”

Cosette smiled before she turned around to look at the blue sky.

“That couldn’t be… This is the third floor! Putting that aside, why are you here?”

“I am here to meet you and Eco-chan. Had you forgotten about Princess Mirabel, Her Highness’s decision?”

Of course, it was impossible for him to forget about it to begin with. However, he still felt a little reluctant.

“Actually, can’t we reconsider about this? Putting Eco aside, don’t you think that it is wrong for a guy like me to enter Epona House where guys are not allowed?”

“For your own sake, I would advise you to follow her decision. Do you know what Princes Mirabel was also known as?”

“No… Nothing comes to mind at all.”

“Her nick name is actually Argento Magus. If we can describe Princess Veronica as a fighter, then Princess Mirabel is a thinker. Compare to Veronica, there were certain things that would made Mirabel a tougher opponent. Please be sure to be prepared mentally, Ash-sama.”

Ash sighed after he heard everything.

“…I understand. Please let me take some belongings like my pillow and clothes with me…”

“Alright then, meanwhile, I will try searching for Eco.”

Eco had not yet return since the moment she ran out from the room.

“Thank you. I think she should be somewhere around the dorm.”

“Huhu. That will be a simple task.”

Cosette ran towards the door nimbly while avoiding the disorganized furniture, but then she suddenly stopped and turned around to face Ash.

“By the way, Ash-sama.”

“What’s the matter?”

When Ash lifted his face, he saw Cosette’s face full of red. Ash was staring at her since it was rare to see her who was always calm to be blushing.

Although she always stayed hidden behind Silvia’s shadow, she actually looked quite beautiful.

With her right hand on her cheeks, she sighed.

Then she said something outrageous.

“Ash-sama and Eco-chan’s kiss looked very innocent indeed.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

This time, it was Ash’s turn to be blushing.

“D-Don’t, Don’t tell me that you saw everything!?”

“It totally felt like an opera show. You looked so cute when you kiss without even needing any words to understand each other. My god, isn’t that wonderful? Didn't Eco-chan also look cute when she was waiting to receive your kiss?”

“I beg you, please stop saying anymore than this! It is embarrassing!”

Right now, Ash felt like he was sitting on a mountain of needles.

Cosette, too, had also seemed to realize that she over did it, and replied with a playful smile.

“Rest assured, I won’t tell Princess-sama any of this.”

“How is Princeass-sama related to this!?”

“Hmm… I wonder… Huhu…”

Cosette left the room with her sentence ending with her laughter.

===Part 5===
The moment Ash finished gathering all his basic daily needs, Cosette was back with Eco. Together, the three of them marched towards Epona House.

Although it was around evening, the sun was still high up in the sky.

After passing through a grove of mixed trees, they were welcomed by a stern looking gate.

Even the cicada had stopped making noise.

Although they were just walking, they were all full of sweat.

By taking a peak beside, Eco looked as if she was suffering from the heat of the high summer temperature. She looked like a Hydra who was looking for water on dry land.

Compared to Ash, Eco was only carrying her stuffed toy.

On the other hand, Cosette didn’t even break a sweat.

“We had arrived.”

She turned around and smiled at both Ash and Eco.

Through the gate, they could see a garden that was separated into two halves by the walkway. It must have been well tended by a good gardener. Even Ash who doesn’t have any interest in gardening was amazed by it.

At the back of the garden stood an elegant looking building.

That was Epona House, the dormitory for advance class girls.

“We had finally arrived…”

Ash placed his baggage which was full of daily needs and clothing on the ground.

''How long does it actually take to walk here from Apollo House…'' Ash couldn’t be bothered to even think about it.

This dragon riding academy where human and dragons coexist had a very large land area.

In it, there were numerous classes, a church, a lecture hall, a library, a canteen, seven dragon houses, four dormitories, a sports ground… It even included an arena that was used during events.

Although there was the shopping district and the housing are beyond the school walls, compared to the size of the academy, they just looked like extras. That's the reason why Ansarivan was called an academic city.

Putting that aside, the distance between the boys dormitory and the girls dormitory must had been arranged on purpose by the academy.

“Please enter.”

Cosette pushed open the heavy looking gate and welcomed both of them in.

===Part 6===
On the top most floor of Epona House was the room of royal use.

It looked like a high class hotel suit and it even had a large space.

Apart from a heater in the living room, there was also a dining room, a study room, bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, etc. In a room that has everything, it looked as if it was another world compared to the normal student’s room.

Silvia was walking up and down around her room alone, worrying endlessly.

“Argh! What’s wrong with me! Why couldn’t I calm down! Even my family motto stated that ‘Always stay calm, especially in a pinch’!”

Even though she wasn’t even in a pinch, Silvia couldn’t stop worrying. It was about time for Cosette to arrive with Ash and Eco.

“That’s it!”

Silvia stopped in her tracks for a moment and then she dashed into the makeup room and stood in front of a mirror.

She applied a thin layer of makeup on her face.

She tried combing her hair many times.

Her clothings and accessories were chosen by Cosette.

She put on her camisole, a skirt with two layers of frills, her panty socks and a necklace made from bright dragon crystals that acted as jewels.

In front of the mirror, she was just like her usual…. No, she was at least twice as more beautiful than she usually was.

Silvia turned red when she realized how beautiful she was.

“Why would I dress myself up! It is alright by just sticking to what I usually do!”

Ash was about to arrive.

Until the boy’s dormitory was done with its renovation, Ash was going to stay here for two weeks.

Her hearts started to beat rapidly from thinking about it.

“This feeling… It is that same feeling as ''that time…''”

Silvia recalled her memories.

Around the time of her seventh birthday, she met a boy in Albion Forest.

''“Why? Why would I have this feeling of returning to the time when I was seven years old whenever I think about Ash…?”''

Silvia suddenly regained her sense.

“Stop! Stop! Stop! Doesn’t this mean that I am looking forward for him to arrive!? Right… I should change back into my normal clothing…”
[[Image:SnRK v05 006.jpg|thumb|'' ''…!'' Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments. '']]

Silvia left the makeup room and entered the living room. She swiftly removed all her clothings except for her undergarments. She then walked along the corridor towards the changing room.

Suddenly, the door opened right in front of her eyes.

“Princess-sama, we had returned.”

Cosette walked in with a smile.

“Princess-sama!?”

Ash was standing right behind Cosette with his eyes wide opened. ''Why is his face red? Is it because of the heat?''

“…!”

Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Silvia ran and hid behind the door while screaming at the top of her voice.

===Part 7===
“Hey you! Just until when are you going to keep on staring!”

“Ouch!”

Ash came back to his sense after he was stomped on the leg by Eco.

Just when he had stepped in through the grand entrance, he was greeted by Silvia in only her undergarments. The white coloured lace will forever be imprinted in his mind.

''By the way, why was Silvia wearing only those?'' No matter how hot the weather can be, it doesn’t suit her image.

“I am going to check on Princess-sama. Could the both of you wait here for a moment, please?”

With a happy smile on her face, Cosette disappeared into the corridor. In just a moment-

“No. This definitely doesn’t look natural.”

“No no. It definitely fits you well.”

“But… Won’t this make me look like I am looking forward to their arrival?”

“Huh? Aren’t you?”

Their entire conversation was heard by Ash.

“Come on! This is a disgrace! How dare they make a dragon wait by the entrance!”

Eco who was standing right beside Ash was in rage. The toy that she had with her which had a carelessly made face was further squashed by Eco’s abnormal strength.

Ash pitied the toy. If this continued to keep on, Ash would probably be the next victim.

“Sorry for the wait.”

Just when Ash was about to be surrounded by his fear, Cosette had returned to the entrance with Silvia who was hiding right behind her.

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Silvia’s clothing. It gave a completely different feel compare to the school uniform that she usually wears. A lot of her skin was exposed from wearing the camisole. It had totally grabbed his attention.

“Please come in.”

Ash regained his sense after he heard Cosette’s voice.

“S-Sorry for the intrusion.”

In opposite to Ash, Eco was looking around the room with a hint of worry.

“Even so… You are just a Princess of the Royal Knight’s Family and you get to have such a great room?”

Perhaps she was mad from being asked to wait at the entrance, Eco was saying anything that would sooth her anger.

In truth, even Ash was amazed by the room itself. Just the entrance itself is wider than Ash’s room. There were even expensive looking pictures along the wall and carvings of dragons.

“Please don’t be mad. This room was specially made for the royals, it would be natural if Princess-sama is staying here.”

Ash tried to calm her down.

“But, I am also a Princess of the dragons! Why would there be such a large difference in our treatment!?”

“It is not like I want to stay in this room either!”

Silvia tried to speak up for herself even when she was being threatened by Eco.

“I even tried telling the academy to let me have the same treatment as the rest of the students, but they never listen…”

Suddenly, Silvia stood still on her ground. There was not even a slightest movement.

“Princess-sama… What’s wrong? You don’t look good.”

Ash was worried about her but she didn’t reply.

She kept on staring at the stuffed toy that Eco was carrying with her with her ice blue eyes.

Silvia then suddenly leaped towards Eco and grabbed her shoulders.

“Eco! Can you tell me how did that toy fall into your possession?”

Eco became confused.

“I-It has nothing to do with you.”

“Please tell me! This is very important!”

Silvia shouted loudly.

“… I picked it up.”

Eco mumbled when she turned her head to aside. It seemed that she did not want to tell Silvia that it was a gift from Ash. Ash was wondering on why she would be insisting on it.

“You picked it up? When? Where?”

Silvia was being persistent.

“Come on! Why do I need to tell you?”

Eco lost her patience and roared.

“…Why can’t you tell me?”

“T-That’s because… I don’t have the obligation to tell you.”

“Now I see, you are playing dumb… It seems I must resolve to this.”

Suddenly, Silvia leaped towards Eco with both of her hands stretched out.

“Hey!... Don’t joke with me!”

Eco dodge with the toy in her arms.

With the royal room as the stage, the two of them started running around like a bunch of kids. In just a blink of an eye, both of them
disappeared behind a door.

“Err… What is this all about?”

Ash who was left behind turned around and questioned Cosette.

“Cosette-san?”

To his surprised, Cosette too was transfixed on her own spot. It was rare to see her making a face like that.

Cosette then regained her sense after being called out to by Ash and started explaining.

“I just remember about it… I fear that that stuffed toy…. Is an important treasure to Princess-sama during her childhood.”

Ash was surprised by her answer.

“Wait a moment! That shouldn’t be possible! There should be many more stuffed toys with the same design, no?”

Cosette answered calmly.

“No. There ain’t. That toy is the one and only in this world. It was a limited edition item. It was actually made from a famous artist from Chevron Kingdom called Leonard De Mirabeau and was given to the five year old Princess-sama.”

“Really? That clumsily made toy is…”

“That’s not it… Its weird look was actually Mirabeau-sama’s style. Didn’t people usually say that there was only a silver line that separates a genius and a madman? If that stuffed toy was bought to an antique auction… It should be priced at five million Eccles at minimum.”

Cosette told him the shocking truth with s straight face.

“Five million…!”

Ash turned speechless.

His face had turned pale.

''-Five million Eccles!''

Ash couldn’t even imagine that amount of money. He just knew that he won’t be able to finish it by living the rest of his days enjoying life. He never knew that such a treasure was hidden in his closet.

“W-We should try stopping them first!”

Ash started searching for them in the huge room.

===Part 8===
“Finally! You won’t be able to escape!”

Eco who ran into Silvia’s room was now like a rat in the bag. There was only one exit and the windows were too high to jump from since this was the top most floor.

“Tsk… You are being persistent!”

Eco backed off to the wall and like a mother protecting her child, she tried to intimidate Silvia.

For one moment, Silvia was awed by her beauty, but the next instant, she roared:

“You haven’t told me anything yet! I just want to know how this toy came into your possession!”

“Why would you even want to know!?”

“T-That… I had my own reasons! Please, Eco!”

“Hmph… I had mine too. I will never tell you, only you!”

Both of them were glaring at each other without any intention of backing off.

Silvia realized that whatever she said was useless.

“Now you have done it. Although it is not to my liking… I must resolve this by force.”

“What! Who do you think I am! See that if you can do it!”

“Fine with me!”

Silvia leaped forward without mercy.

Although she must avoid Eco’s abnormal strength, Eco’s actions had always been straight forward and were always easy to read.

On the other hand, apart from the Drag Arts, Silvia had mastered many more fighting styles. It is a normal thing to do for someone who was born in the Lautreamont Royal Knight’s Family.

After struggling on the ground like brats, Silvia came out as the winner.

“Now you have been captured!”

Silvia was pressing Eco’s tiny body on the floor and without giving her a chance to fight back, she rode on Eco.

“Tsk… Let me go!”

“Is there any idiot in this world that would move off once they are being asked to?”

The winner had been decided. Even when Eco had her abnormal strength, she could never be able to beat Silvia.

But, there was a reason why Silvia could beat her easily.

Eco had never let go of the stuffed toy even after she was pressed down against the floor. If Eco would just let go of that toy, the fight could still drag on. No, it could even be Silvia who was pressed down against the floor.

“Please, Eco! This is not an order. Although it was not a long time since the day I met you, I always think you as a friend. That is why… Could you please tell me?”

Just when Silvia was begging Eco with a trembling voice…

“Eco! Princess-sama!”

The door opened with a bang and Ash came running in.

Silvia turned around to look at Ash while she was pressing Eco down against the floor.

“Hold on, Ash! I never have the intention to harm Eco! I just want to ask Eco about it… no matter what!”

“But, Princess-sama doesn’t act like the usual you. Even so, Eco is my Pal, I won’t forgive anyone who try to harm her, even if it is Princess-sama.”

After Ash murmured sadly, he showed her his left arm.

Silvia knew that he had his abnormally large Seikoku covered in a bandage.

“Your Seikoku…?”

Silvia was in lost of words.

The Seikoku under the bandage was obviously blinking with glowing lights. That was a signal given when the Pal was in danger.

For example, even though Silvia did not have any intentions of harming Eco, but Eco felt that she was in danger and sent the signal to her owner Ash for help…

“Sorry, Eco… I am really sorry. I am in the wrong for scaring you…. But, I have my own reasons. Please, Eco! Please tell me for the sake of our friendship!”

Silvia was forcing out an answer from Eco.

“…Eco?”

Eco did not reply. Just as Silvia became confused, Eco was surrounded by a glowing light.

“Hey, Eco! What’s wrong?”

Eco still did not reply. Right now, Eco was like a doll, showing no expression.

Even her eyes seemed to be reflecting nothing.

“Urgh…!”

The next instant, Silvia was being blasted of by a strong wind.

“Princess-sama!”

Followed by Ash’s shout, Silvia’s back bang against the wall. She almost couldn’t breathe because of it.

===Part 9===
“Princess-sama!”

Just when Ash was trying to help Silvia out, Cosette arrived.

“I will take care of Princess-sama. Ash-sama, go help Eco-chan! This is no laughing matter!”

Cosette’s voice seemed to be more serious and nervous than usual.

“Understood!”

Ash ran straight towards Eco.

His Seikoku started to hurt.

He remembered that feeling.

He had the similar feeling when Eco was awaken in the capital, Fontaine.

Although the pain was not as strong as that time, Ash knew that this was the sign before her transformation into a dragon.

Eco stood up slowly with the cute stuffed toy dropping on the floor.

Strictly speaking, she was not standing.

There was a gap in between her feet and the floor.

She was actually floating…!

Her limbs were now surrounded by the mysterious light that was so bright that they could not look at it directly.

However, Ash continued to move forward.

“Stop, Eco! If you are to be awaken here…”

In the worst possible case, this Epona House will be destroyed. No, it could even be related to the city’s survivability…

Eco had long been labeled as an element of danger by many countries’s government. The reason why Mirabel was sent to become the academy’s director was to keep an eye on Eco.

''If she is to transform into a dragon right now…!''

Ash moved forward without giving any thought and hugged Eco.

A huge amount of magic was flowing out from her tiny body. If he had been careless, he would even be swallowed by the magic and lost consciousnesss.

Ash shouted with all his might into Eco’s ears.

“Get a grip of yourself! I…I like the way you are now! It is okay if you just stay as you are! You don’t have to force yourself to change into your true self!”

It seems that Ash’s words had gotten through and the magic that was surrounding Eco had disappeared. Even the lights were no longer there. Ash’s Seikoku too had stopped responding.

“We are saved…”

Ash breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Huh?”

Eco blinked her eyes in surprise and murmured.

“What had I done…? Why are you…?”

Realizing that she was in Ash’s arms, Eco leaped off from Ash’s arms with her face red in embarrassment.

===Part 10===
“I am sorry for what had happened just now. I-I never thought that you were so much against it…. No I shouldn’t make any excuses. A knight must admit his own faults. I deeply apologize!”

After the group had sat on a dining table in the living room, Silvia apologized to Eco sincerely.

“Hmph… I guess this should be sufficient.”

Silvia’s eagerness to apologize by bowing her head had started to confuse Eco. Even though she still continued to puff up her checks in protest, but at least she had accepted Silvia’s apology. Ash who noticed it breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Since everything had been settled, please allow me to ask. How did that stuffed toy came into your possession?”

Silvia’s words had cause Eco to be enraged again.

“Ha!? You….. Just apologize and yet you still want to ask!?”

“I apologize for resolving this matter by force. I promise that this time, I won’t try questioning you by force. But in return, I will keep on asking until you answer me. Remember, I will keep on asking.”

Silvia was quite stubborn. She even smiled towards Eco with her face full of confidence.

“I can’t believe it…”

Eco sighed.

“Sorry, Eco-chan.”

At that moment, Cosette returned from the kitchen with a silver tray full of snacks and tea.

“That toy that Eco-chan was holding right now… It probably belongs to Princess-sama a long time ago.”

“How can it be…?”

Whilst she was surprised, Eco took a bite on the vanilla flavoured crepe that Cosette handed to her. If it was the usual Eco, she would definitely shout out ‘Delicious!’ on the first bite, but right now, she was with a serious looks. As expected, even Eco couldn’t enjoy her favorite food properly.

“What Cosette said is true. That toy is definitely an important thing to me during my childhood.”

Silvia spoke calmly as if she was trying to teach a child who knew nothing.

“Ha!? That’s impossible! I understand none of these!”

Eco placed her half eaten crepe back on her plate. Ash was surprised that she prioritized the argument before her crepe.

“I knew it the moment I saw it. There is only one of this stuffed toy in the whole world. It is a very important toy.”

“How can you have such confidence!?”

“You don’t even know the worth of that toy. Anyone who knows its worth would recognize it on their first sight.”

“Arrrrrggh! That explanation is totally unacceptable!”

''Eco was once again in rage, but at least Silvia knew her limit. Thanks to that, the atmosphere did not turn out to be any worst than this…'' Ash secretly thought.

“Come on you two…”

Cosette was obviously not at all troubled. She seems to be enjoying this.

“Haa… It seems like I don’t have a choice.”

Ash sighed.

“Please listen carefully, Princess-sama. That stuffed toy was in my closet. I gave it to Eco since she seems to like it.”

“Hey! Why did you tell that to her!?”

Eco was scolding Ash with her face red.

“What else can I do? If I leave it to both of you, the same thing will continue onwards again and again.”

“I… want this to be a secret between the both of us.”

Eco’s mumbling caught Ash’s attention.

“What did you say?”

“N-Nothing! I don’t even know you!”

Eco averted her face in anger. ''Why must she get angry...?'' Ash wondered.

On the other hand, Silvia was staring at Ash.

“Ash… you said that this toy was in your closet?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Ash shrugged his shoulders.

“Actually, I am not really clear about it. Believe me or not, there was a blank in my memories… I don’t even know how it came into my possession. I don’t even know about its worth if not because of Cosette.”

Silvia was staring at Ash so intently almost as if she was going to pierce a hole in his forehead. She then asked a weird question.

“When is your birthday?”

“Huh? The third on the month of Aries… What about that?”

After Ash answered honestly, Cosette spoke in surprise:

“Oh, what a coincidence. It seems that Princess-sama was also born in the month of Aries. By the way, hers is in the seventh.”

“Hmm… That’s the first time I had heard of it.”

“Huhu… So Ash-sama is the bigger brother by four days.”

“T-That… isn’t it…”

“Ash!”

Silvia suddenly leaned against him. Ash could see her breast that was covered by the thin cloth of the summer clothes.

“Princess-sama?”

“Even though this may seems abrupt, but do you still remember the date you went for the Orphan Ceremony?”

“Err… I don’t really remember about the details, but it shouldn’t be far away from my seventh birthday. Since my hometown was at a far away village, I started my journey when I was still six. I remembered that I had my seventh birthday in a horse carriage.”

Once they reach the age of seven, every citizen of the Knight Country must visit Albion Forest.

For Ash, if he had departed after his seventh birthday, he would never be able to arrive at Albion Forest in a month time.

“By the way, does the date I went for the Orphan Ceremony matters?”

“…No, Nothing. I have something that I want to discuss with Cosette. Please stay here for the moment.”

Silvia suddenly stood up and dragged Cosette by the hand with her.

“What a weird Princess.”

Ash took a drink from the cup of red tea.

===Part 11===
After Silvia entered the makeup room, with an ‘Ahem’, she cleared her throat.

“What do you want to talk about, Princess-sama?”

“About that…”

“It doesn’t seem like something easy.”

Since she had been with Silvia for quite some time, Cosette immediately knew what she was thinking.

“Aah… That’s right.”

“I will do everything you tell me to if it is in my ability to do so. If the situation required, I could even be Princess-sama’s limbs or even your shield… That’s my duty.”

Silvia made up her mind and told her wish.

“Actually, I want you to return to the palace and investigate the name list of the children who went to the orphan ceremony at the same day as me. This should be an easy one for you, no?”

However, Cosette told Silvia something out of her imagination.

“The records of the Orphan Ceremony is the country’s top secret. Even if you are a Princess, you will be breaching the law by trying to investigate it.”

“Then, your duty would be to avoid it. Please, I could only put my hopes on you. With your ability, reading top secret documents should not be a problem, right?”

“That doesn’t sound nice, Princess-sama. The ability that I only knew of was an ancient technique that was passed down in the Shelly’s family and some spying technique. All of them were used to protect the Lautreamont family.”

“I understand that, but…!”

Silvia grabbed her shoulders and looked at Cosette with her puppy eyes.

“Of course I will do it if this is your order. But, what will you do if Ash-sama is really that boy?”

Silvia’s face almost burst out in flames.

“I-I just want to know about it! That’s right, I only want to know about the truth!”

Cosette gave a wry smile.

“Hmm… Putting that aside, during the time when I am not in, when the night comes and Eco had slept, aren’t '''the two of you''' alone together?”

“When the night comes…. The two of us…!?”

This time, steam emerged from her ears. Her heart was beating none stop.

“W-W-What are you talking about! Don’t you have any shame! How shameless! I…I believe that Ash was not someone insolence! That is why there is no point behind your question!”

Silvia snapped and Cosette nodded.

“I too had the same feeling.”

“Then why bother asking!”

Cosette smiled and took out something. It was a stack of paper held together by a paper clip.

“What’s that?”

“Huhu… A copy of ‘Shelley family’s secret. A recipe to make men dream’. Although I want to use it during this summer to teach Princess-sama some cooking… But this is a good chance to try it. Although Princess-sama don’t have any actual experience, but isn't this a good chance to show your cooking skills to Ash-sama?”

Silvia felt as if her body was on fire.

“Hold on! W-W-Why must I show Ash my cooking skills?”

“If I am not mistaken, The Lautreamont Family Motto did mention that ‘to shoot a general you must first shoot his horse’, am I right?”

“What does it had to do with this?”

“In the Shelley’s Family Motto, there is something like this: ‘To get the man you like, you must first fill his stomach’.”

“What kind of family motto is that!?”

“Huhu… When Ash-sama’s stomach is empty, and Princess-sama gave him your homemade cooking, he would surely fall for you.”

“…Fall for me!?”

Cosette was like a devil whispering into Silvia’s ears.

“When a Princess who doesn’t look like she knew any cooking made a meal, which man wouldn’t be moved by it?”

“Cut the crap! I never want Ash to take notice of me! Never! I-It's just that I had some interest in cooking since a long time ago. I will accept your offer because of this.”

Cosette handed her the recipe while smiling.
[[Image:SnRK v05 096.jpg|thumb]]

“Now, I had received my orders from Princess-sama and I will depart from Ansarivan immediately.”

“Huh? Immediately?”

“It is better if we act quickly, Princess-sama.”

Cosette lifted the both sides of her skirt slightly and bowed gracefully.

Suddenly, like a mist, Cosette disappeared from Silvia’s sight like a magician.

“H-Hey! Cosette? … Do you really want to depart at this moment?”

Silvia became worried when she heard no reply.

“Please hold on, Cosette! You should allow me to have some mental preparation before…!”

Silvia looked around the room with tears in her eyes. It looks like Cosette had really departed.

“Tsk… She never takes me seriously!”

After Silvia mumbled in regrets, she took a long hard look at the recipe given to her.

"The Stuffed Toy Dragon~A.S.B.1365.8~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 1

2014-06-28T05:43:44Z

Anlanther: /* Part 4 */

==Chapter 1 - Tragedy of Apollo house and Mirabel's decision==
===Part 1===
''-Don! Don…! Don!''

The sun had just risen but Ash who spent a sleepless night was woken up by a loud knocking sound.

“What in the world…?”

He took that silver watch by his pillow side and noticed that it was just half past six.

After he angrily took a look at the window, he became wide awake.

“Uwaa…!”

There was a huge eye looking through the gaps of the curtain.

It was actually a dragon who was banging its nose against the window.

''-Don! Don… Dododododo!”''

He was worried that it may break the glass.

“Why is a dragon coming to my room!? Could it be another Necromancia attack!?”

So the Empire had finally shown their true colours and started attacking? Ash tried to leave the bed but he was stopped.

“Zzz…”

Eco rolled over and hugged Ash.

Her hair was all over his shoulders and her arms were around his back.

And also her soft face that was on his chest…

''-Mmm…''

Ash was shocked by her sudden nibble.

“Hey, Eco… Please don’t bite that spot.”

Recently, her habit of nibbling had gotten less but she still had not gotten rid of her habit of a young dragon. Moreover, she was nibbling on Ash’s sensitive spot which troubled him.

At that moment, there was a crack on the window.

“This is bad… It is not the right moment to let her continue nibbling.”

Ash carried Eco and they left the bed together. The next thing he knew, the glass was smashed into pieces.

He managed to avoid the glass fragments at the last moment.

At the same time, there were two dragons that were trying to squeeze their heads through the window. Their hard scales protect them from the sharp glass.

By taking a closer look, Ash noticed that one of them was a Maestro while the other was a Hydra. After knowing that he was not attacked by a Necromancia, Ash breathe a sigh of relieve.

“Morning, Ash!”

“Good morning, Ash-sama!”

Finally, he could see the faces of the two riders.

They were the student council secretary Lucca and Jessica of the general affairs. Right beside them were Maestro Gawain and Rhiannon the Hydra.

Ash started to protest after he placed Eco who was still sleeping on the bed.

“Lucca! Jessica! What in the world are both of you doing!?”

Since the time Ash saved Gawain who was in danger of dying, Lucca had become emotionally attached to Ash. In the dragon riding academy, most of the girls are the more aggressive type, it was kind of rare to see someone as quite as Lucca. The beauty that only an Eckbald possessed was out of this world.

Ash was a little surprised to see Lucca acting rashly. Perhaps she was influenced by Jessica.

“Ash… I hoped that you would come with me to the Eckbald village. I want to introduce you to the village chief, my otou-sama.” <ref>In the raw version, Lucca called her father otou-sama, but the kanji written was foster father.</ref>

Her usual emotionless face had always given Ash a heck lot of trouble.

“Hold on! W-Why must you mention about the chief!?”

“P-Please don’t ask anymore than this.”

Lucca was suddenly blushing.

This time, it was Jessica who pushed Lucca to aside.

Jessica who was usually eyeing at Ash’s sperm, though her actions had always been eccentric, she was still undoubtably one of the few beauties of the academy.

“Ash-sama, I have a request!”

“Hey, wait a minute! This is the third floor! How did a hydra get here…?”

“Well. Climbing wall is not a problem for my Rhiannon.”

“Can’t you sympathize your Pal a little!”

Ash pitied her Pal. Although a Hydra may still be able to move on land, but only when they are in the water they are able to show their true skills. It shouldn’t be its own intention to walk on land. Let alone climbing the walls of the student’s dormitory, which doesn’t seem to fit the actions of a proud dragon.

“Putting that aside, Ash-sama! I am about to leave Ansarivan. What about you? Do you have any plans of returning?”

“Now I remember… today is the start of the holiday.”

-The first day of the month of Leo.

It was the first day of the holidays for Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy. Since it was a boarding school, most of the student will return to their hometown.

Of course, not all of the students were going back home. There were also a small amount of students that were forced to stay in for the holidays for certain reasons.

Ash was one of them.

“Nope, I am not going home.”

After hearing, Jessica’s facial expression changes.

“What! If that’s the case, I too will stay back here!”

“Uuh… If I don’t return soon… I will be scolded by my otou-sama.”

Compare to Jessica who was in high spirit, Lucca looks sad. Lucca who carry the hopes of all Eckbald with her probably doesn’t have as much freedom as Jessica has.

“Sorry to disappoint you Jessica, but you must return with me.”
[[Image:SnRK v05 044.jpg|thumb]]

Suddenly, there was another voice.

“Rebecca-san!”

Ash shouted.

There was a sweet smell from her red hair being blown by the winds. She looks like a war maiden in the legends when she was riding on Cú Chulainn.

“Sorry for the trouble that this stupid girl from my house had given you. The Randall family will cover the fees for mending the window. The servants fault is also the master’s fault.”

“Now that you mention it… I remember that Jessica was a servant in the Randall family.”

“Just that since she became a Breeder, she had forgotten about her place.”

Rebecca sighed.

“Hmph! Could you stop calling me that? I don’t have the intention of serving the Randall family for my whole life!”

“I never thought of that. You are my important childhood friend. Also, your parents had asked me to take good care of you. That is why I have my duty to bring you back to meet your parents.”

Although her lips were smiling, there was not even a hint of smile in Rebecca’s eyes. After Jessica saw Rebecca’s determination, her elbows dropped in disappointment.

“Haa… I understand. However… I want Ash-sama to see me off!”

Ash gave a wry smile.

“I think that should be alright.”

The moment he answered, Jessica was once again with a big smile. But, she was then blushing and started to mumble.

“T-Then… According to my hometown’s custom…. There should be a parting k-kiss….”

“Hey! Jessica! When does our hometown have such a custom?”

Rebecca exposed Jessica’s lie with a wry smile.

“Hmph! Rebecca! Don’t you know how to look at the atmosphere?”

“I-I too would like you to see me off…”

While Jessica was in rage, Lucca shyly told Ash her wish.

“Of course.”

“T-Then… According to the Eckbald custom…. I want you to give me a princess carry.”

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he first saw Lucca’s blushing face.

“A-A princess carry!”

Ash was in a fix but Jessica shouted at Lucca:

“Hey! What are you trying to do in this mess! That must be a lie!?”

“Uuh…”

While Lucca turned speechless, the noise that Jessica made had spread throughout the school.

“Hey, can you believe it! The president and Jessica were making a night visit! And the other person… Could she be Lucca Sarlinen the genius girl from the basic class!?”

Suddenly, a huge number of students were gathering outside of the Apollo House. It was something for three girls to be standing on their dragons beside a window of a boy’s dormitory.

To say nothing of Rebecca Randall who was the most popular person in the entire academy, Jessica was also one of the centers of attentions and let alone Lucca with her Yōsei like looks and her skills as a Dragner.

“I-I am just here to have Ash-sama see me off! Nothing else!”

Jessica tried to settle the misunderstanding by shouting towards the direction of the school.

“Hmm! By saying Ash-kun you mean… The Ash-kun who was knighted yesterday!?”

“The knighting ceremony was awesome!”

“I also want him to see me off!”

Right now all the girls were speaking with s shrill voice.

Rebecca gave him a bitter smile while she was enjoying all of this.

“Seems like your popularity had sky rocketed after you became a Dragner.”

“The situation outside… Somehow, it looks frightening.”

“Yeah. I just saw around thirty dragons flying towards this window.”

Rebecca told him the unthinkable news with a calm face.

“Huh!?”

“Sorry, Ash. Though I have many reasons to help you… But if I show my true skills, the girls would suffer some grave injuries.”

“Hol-! Don’t leave me!”

“You should try to solve your own problem if you are a Dragner. Also… If it is alright, I would also want you to see me off.”

“…Eh?”

Unfortunately, Ash was not able to catch everything Rebecca said. Her voice disappeared behind the loud noise from Cú Chulainn flapping its wings.

“Good luck, Ash.”

Lucca too had reluctantly flew off with Gawain.

Right after that, the Apollo House faced a terrible attack.

“Ash-kun! Please see me off!”

“Ash-kun, you might as well come to my home town with me…!”

“Hey! Don’t cut the queue!”

Most of the girls returning were riders of stradas. They were like bats gathering together for food at the window.

But of course it was impossible for thirty riders of stradas to squeeze into the window at the same time.

Soon, they started pushing around.

“P-Please be patient! Calm down! Please calm down!”

Ash was panicking.

Every single roar from the Strada was enough to shake up this entire old building.

“Hey!...How dare you! Ash-sama is my important- Nooooooo!”

Unlike Rebecca or Lucca, Jessica who stayed until the end was finally pushed off the wall together with Rhiannon.

“W-What should I do?”

Ash retreated until his back was facing the wall while he was watching the girls fighting for a spot.

At that moment, Eco who had rolled herself into a ball while she was sleeping had woken up and was rubbing her eyes.

“Hmmm…. What’s all the noise about?”

“You ! How can you still think of sleeping!”

Eco was looking around in confusion. It seems that she wasn’t fully awake yet and wasn’t able to think properly.

Ash shouted with all his might towards the window.

“I beg you! Could you please not make a mess in front of someone else’s window! I promise to see off every single one of you!”

Too bad for him, his voice was not received by them.

Suddenly, Ash had a bad feeling.

“I couldn’t be…”

His entire body was shivering in fear. Since some time ago, the wall facing the outside was creaking. It appears that the Stradas were putting pressure on it.

“It is dangerous to stay here! Lets run Eco!”

“Huh…! Could you care to explain!”

“Later!”

Ash was running with Eco on his hands.

He ran out through the door and out to the corridor.

Just when he was sliding along the floor…

''-Creak…! Eeeeekkkk……. !Do--------------n!''

The next moment, there was a loud explosion.

Ash cautiously took a peek through the cracks on the door while trembling. All he sees was dust flying around and even the corridor was affected.

''“*Cough *!*Cough *!”''

While covering up Eco who was coughing, Ash waited until the dust had settled down.

Just moments later-

After the dust had cleared up, what Ash saw was a clear sky.

The morning rays were shining at the disastrous room.

The wreckage of the wall was all over his room. It was a painful sight.

Right now, with the wall that was facing the academy and the window destroyed, his room looked like a doll house that can be seen from the outside.

“Err… Eco, am I dreaming?”

“I think so?”

Ash and Eco were looking at the room with their mouths wide open.

===Part 2===
Ash was brought to the director’s office on the first day of the holiday.

As for those girls who were the culprit, it seems that they had ran back home as soon as possible. That is why Ash who was the victim was summoned.

“I see… Now I understand what had happened.”

Mirabel who was acting as the director replied coldly and drank from her cup of tea.

The room was full of the smells of bergamot and the tea.

Just like a robot, Mirabel’s face was emotionless the entire time. ''Does this princess even have the thing known as feelings…?'' Ash thought.

“The academy will take responsibility for mending the wall. Just some time before, I had asked the builders of this city and they estimated that they will be able to complete it in around two weeks time.”

“Really…! Thank you very much!”

Ash was grateful that she was able to deal with this situation without delay.

“The problem is… During the renovation, where am I to place you and Eco.”

“I see…”

“Can you borrow a room from any of your friends?”

“I don’t think that would be possible…”

Unfortunately, Max and Raymond had gone home. For Ash who doesn’t have many friends, these were the’ only two friends that he could rely on. Although there was an option of using it without asking for their permissions, but Ash couldn’t bring himself to do it.

''-Bang!''

The door behind him was opened with a slam.

The next time he knew, Silvia and Eco was right beside him.

“How much longer are the two of you going to keep on talking!? Can’t you just give us a new room!”

Eco was pointing at Mirabel in anger.

“Anee-ue! Why do you call for Ash! That incident was caused by a few girls! It had nothing to do with Ash! Aren’t you treating him like the culprit!?”

Silvia on the other hand was trying to speak up for Ash.

“Where are your manners? Don’t you know that it is rude to walk into a room without knocking? You won’t be given special treatment even if you are the descendant of the Avalon Holy Dragons Emperor’s family or my sister. “

Mirabel glared at both of them coldly.

“I am sorry… Anee-ue.”

Silvia stood still on her ground as if she had turned into a stone.

On the other hand, Eco was trying to intimidate Mirabel by showing her sharp teeth.

“Hey you!... How dare you act like that even when you know that I am Avalon’s holy dragons' emperor family's Imperial Princess! Why don’t I try crushing the castle the next time? If I show you my true self, one or two Fontaine Place won’t…”

“Idiot! Stop spurting nonsense!”

Ash’s face was pale white when he was scolding Eco.

Since that incident, the Knight’s government took Eco as a threat. As long as there is the possibility that Mirabel was here to keep an eye on Eco, they have to be careful with their own words.

But to his surprise, Eco calm down with just a single shout.

She turned her head around with her face blushing.

“I-I will listen to you… Just this time.”

Ash was taken aback from seeing Eco making such an expression for the first time. Just as he had expected, it was that transformation that had made a change of her heart. Although the gentle Eco looked a lot cuter, at the same time, it was also a little confusing.

“Ahem!”

Mirabel tried clearing her throat, returning everyone’s attention back to her.

“Silvia, you came at the right moment. Right now you are staying in the royal room in the Epona House right?”

“…What about it?”

Silvia was surprised.

“Until the renovation in the boy’s dormitory had been completed, Ash Blake and young dragon Eco will stay in your room for the time being.”

“What!”

“I won’t repeat for a second time. This is an order from your sister. You are not allowed to have any objections.”

Naturally, Silva was enraged.

“What do you mean by this! This is against our family motto where ‘A knight shouldn’t carelessly touch another of the opposite sex’!”

“Hmm… Funny but I remember that I said to let Ash Blake and young dragon Eco stay in your room. When did I ever mention about touching Ash?”

“T-That…!”

Right at this moment, even Silvia’s earlobes were red.

“Right now, if I were to mention the family motto that you love so much, ‘A knight should help those who are in need’. Am I wrong?”

After she replied coldly, Mirabel looked like she had lost interest in the case regarding Ash. She kept on looking at the tea cup on her hand.

“I am done with you- What a pain, now a good cup of tea had turned cold.”

===Part 3===
Rebecca and Jessica had returned to the land ruled by the Randalls.

Lucca on the other hand had returned to her village.

After seeing them off, Ash and Eco once again returned to his room on the third floor of the Apollo House.

They once again looked at the disastrous room.

A bed full of glass fragments.

A floor full with the remains of the wall.

And the disorganized furniture.

With the wall gone, the room became bright and windy. Looking down from above was a few curious onlookers. When their eyes came into contact with Ash’s, everyone scattered.

“Haa… First of all, I think we should try cleaning up a little. It is better to make it look a little more cheerful before the renovation starts.”

Turning around, Ash noticed that Eco was sulking.

“What’s wrong, Eco?”

“Hey. Do you really want to stay in Silvia’s room?”

“It is not like I have a choice. It was an order from Princess Mirabel. It seems that even Princess-sama did not dare to go against her.”

“I… I hate it.”

“What’s the matter? You don’t look like your usual self. Well, if we stay at Princess-sama’s room, we may be able to eat Cosette’s delicious homemade cooking.”

“That’s not the point! And also, I am not someone who thinks about food for an entire day!”

Eco's face was red with anger and embarrassment.

“Is it… Sorry then.”

“It is fine if you understand. Anyway, just if you try to do something weird to Silvia… I will be sure to crush you!”

Eco was glaring at Ash.

“What do you mean by something weird!?”

With her ears fully red, Eco told Ash embarrassedly:

“T-To make it simple…. It is those perverted stuffs.”

“W-What are you even thinking!”

Ash stood still on his ground. He never expected Eco to speak of such a word. It kind of surprised him.

“Even I knew about those stuffs… Don’t look down on me just because I am a young dragon.”

“Could the source of information be…. The Dragweiss?”

“…Some of them were from there, but most of them were from the picture books that Cosette lent me.”

“Hold on! Are they really… Just picture books!?”

In order to teach her the importance of aesthetic sensibility, Cosette had lent her picture books and books for children. For that, Ash was grateful for Cosette.

However, there was a possibility that she mixed some books with adult content in them into the pile of picture books she had given to Eco.

“Anyhow, she is still this country’s princess. What you are worrying about will never happen, rest assured.”

''In the worst possible case, I will be beheaded…'' Ash thought secretly.

“A-Alright… I understand.”

Once again, Eco was smiling and she looked at the room around her.

“Then… What can I do to help you?”

“You are trying to help?”

“What? Is it weird for me to help?”

“Definitely not weird, but rare. Ain’t it always me who complete the house work?”

“A-About that… It doesn’t seem like I have a choice. I am a dragon. I don’t really understand how a human acts. But… I just feel like helping for today… Can’t I!?”

Eco puffed up her rosy coloured cheeks and stared at Ash.

“Why not? I even want to thank you.”

Ash gave a wry smile and tried to pat her head.

But, Eco immediately dodge to a side.

“No! You mustn’t touch!”

“Sorry… I didn't know that you dislike it this much.”

“N-No! It is okay it you are just patting, but you mustn’t touch my horns. If they were just slightly touched, I… will turn weird. I felt like floating in the air when they were touched...”

Ash could calm down after seeing Eco’s face when she tried to explain her feelings.

“I understand. I promise I won’t touch your horns.”

Ash carefully patted Eco’s head.

Her pink hair was fluffy and it gave his palm a nice feeling.

“Nn…”

Even when she was a dragon, Eco was smiling and shrugging her neck like what a cat would do.

Her innocent smile had grabbed Ash’s attention.

To be precise, it was her flower bud like lips.

His heart was beating rapidly.

This was actually the second time he had such a feeling.

The first time was when Eco said that she won’t be satisfied with just being a Pal in the guest room in Fontaine Palace.

“…”

Eco probably felt the change in the atmosphere too and her body suddenly tense up. Perhaps she too was also thinking about the scenario in the Fontaine Palace.

In a short while, just like that time, Eco closes her eyes.

She also tried to purse her lips.

Ash also noticed that her long eyelashes were also trembling.

''-Eco…!''
[[Image:SnRK v05 060.jpg|thumb]]

He suddenly remembered the word ‘beloved Pal’ in the knighting ceremony.

During that time, Ash was only saying the standard pledge.

But this was totally different.

His feeling of love to Eco was born from deep in his heart. A feeling that could be explained using something as simple as the relation of a Breeder and its Pal had grown.

Right now, they don’t need any words.

Ash placed both his hands on Eco’s shoulders and he closes their distance slowly.

A sweet smell was surrounding them which made him dizzy.

Right now, he felt as if his heart was going to explode.

They were now at a distance where their nose could easily touch each other.

Eco felt like being pierced through by the sunlight while she was waiting for Ash.

Ash made up his mind and closed his eyes.

And then- he kissed Eco on her lips.

===Part 4===
“~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~!”

Since their kiss, Eco had been working silently with her back facing Ash the entire time.

It seemed that she was too embarrassed to even look at Ash in the face.

And of course, it was the same for Ash.

Ash felt as if his face was a ball of fire.

Although the two of them at a first glance seemed to be dusting the room, there was actually zero progress. What they were doing was only messing up the already messed up room.

''-What should I do? What should I say at times like this?''

Just when Ash was anxious in trying to find the right words…

“Uwaaa…! Cute!”

Eco turned around and showed Ash a round object.

“Isn’t this cute? Where did you find this stuff toy?”

At that moment, Ash felt something was pricking at the back of his neck. It made him wonder what it was.

The stuffed toy that Eco was holding seems to be a dragon. Strictly speaking, its face was clumsily done.

Furthermore, it's round body made it looks nothing like a majestic dragon.

However, Eco seemed to take it as cute, and it made her forget about what had just happened previously.

“Err… Actually I don’t remember much about that when it came into my possession. No matter how I look at it, looked just like a girl’s toy. It is probably not me who bought it.”

It was thanks to the toy that Ash was once again able to speak to Eco normally.

“Hmm… Strange.”

Eco was carrying the stuffed toy while she whipped off the dust on it.

“Hmm… When I move to Ansarivan, I just took it with me without any reason. Perhaps there is a great meaning behind it was what I thought. Actually… There is a blank in my childhood memory.”

“… A blank in your memories?”

Eco was surprised.

“Aah. It was right about when I had my seventh birthday when I visited Albion Forest for the Orphan Ceremony. I just can’t recall my memories during that time.”

“Isn’t that… The time when Mother Dragon bestowed me to you?”

“It seems so.”

“How come you can’t remember such an important event?”

Ash shrunk when he saw Eco started to get mad. Just when they were finally able to speak normally, it seems that Eco’s temper had also returned.

“To be frank, I know nothing of it myself. It was just that I had a hunch that this toy had something to do with my lost memories and that’s the reason why I was reluctant to throw it away. However, because of the recent events, I totally forgot about it.”

“Then, can I keep it?”

Ash was taken by surprised.

“What do you mean by keeping it?”

“It is just like what I had said. Don’t you think it is sad for such a cute being to be left forgotten? I will take the trouble to take care of this kid.”

“How can you take care of it when it isn’t even a living being? Well, whatever suits you then.”

“Really!?”

Eco was full of excitement.

“Well, I don’t really mind.”

“That's great!”

Eco was so happy that she felt that she could even fly. She then rubbed the stuffed toy with her cheeks.

Followed by that, she cuddled it like what a mother would do to her baby.

Suddenly, she spoke of something that surprised Ash.

“This somehow looked like our baby…”

Eco suddenly stopped speaking before she could even finish her sentence. She the glared at Ash with her eyes as if they were on fire.

“You heard anything?”

“No, nothing at all.”

Ash spoke with a serious look on his face.

“T-That’s right! N-Nothing happened! Nothing happened at all!”

As if her head was exploding in flames, Eco carried the toy and dashed out from the room.

“Actually, I heard every single word…”

Just when Ash was murmuring as he felt as if his body was on fire…

“Sorry to interrupt, Ash-sama.”

Suddenly, there was a woman’s voice coming from behind.

“Uwaa!”

He noticed that it was Cosette after he turned around. She seems to be wearing that same palace design maid attire today. She then gave a polite bow.

“Cosette-san! How did you get in?”

“To enter such an airy room is like a child’s play to me.”

Cosette smiled when she turned around to look at the blue sky.

“That couldn’t be… This is the third floor! Putting that aside, why are you here?”

“I am here to meet you and Eco-chan. Had you forgotten about Princess Mirabel, Her Highness’s decision?”

Of course, it was impossible for him to forget about it to begin with. However, he still felt a little reluctant.

“Actually, can’t we reconsider about this? Putting Eco aside, don’t you think that it is wrong for a guy like me to enter Epona House where guys are not allowed?”

“For your own sake, I would advise you to follow her decision. Do you know what Princes Mirabel was also known as?”

“No… Actually none at all.”

“Her nick name is actually Argento Magus. If we can describe Princess Veronica as a fighter, then Princess Mirabel is a thinker. Compare to Veronica, there were certain things that would made Mirabel a tougher opponent. Please be sure to be prepared mentally, Ash-sama.”

Ash sighed after he heard everything.

“…I understand. Please let me take some belongings with me like my pillow and cloths…”

“Alright then, meanwhile, I will try searching for Eco.”

Eco had not yet return since the moment she ran out from the room.

“Thank you. I think she should be somewhere around the dorm.”

“Huhu. That will be a simple task.”

Cosette ran towards the door nimbly while she was avoiding the disorganized furniture, but then, she suddenly stopped and turned around to face Ash.

“By the way, Ash-sama.”

“What’s the matter?”

When Ash lifted his face, he saw Cosette’s face full of red. Ash was staring at her since it was rare to see her who was always calm to be blushing.

Although she always stayed hidden behind Silvia’s shadow, she actually looked quite beautiful.

With her right hand on her cheeks, she sighed.

Then she said something outrageous.

“Ash-sama and Eco-chan’s kiss looks very innocent indeed.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

This time, it was Ash’s turn to be blushing.

“D-Don’t, Don’t tell me that you saw everything!?”

“It totally felt like an opera show. You looked so cute when you kiss without even needing any words to understand each other. My god, isn’t that wonderful? Don’t Eco-chan looked cute too when she was waiting to receive your kiss?”

“I beg you, please stop saying anymore than this! It is embarrassing!”

Right now, Ash felt like he was sitting on a mountain of needles.

Cosette too had seemed to realized that she over did it replied with a playful smile.

“Rest assured, I won’t tell Princess-sama any of this.”

“How is Princeass-sama related to this!?”

“Hmm… I wonder… Huhu…”

Cosette left the room with her sentence ending with her laughter.

===Part 5===
The moment Ash finished gathering all his basic daily needs, Cosette was back with Eco. Together, the three of them marched towards Epona House.

Although it was around evening, the sun was still high up in the sky.

After passing through a grove of mixed trees, they were welcomed by a stern looking gate.

Even the cicada had stopped making noise.

Although they were just walking, they were all full of sweat.

By taking a peak beside, Eco looked as if she was suffering from the heat of the high summer temperature. She looked like a Hydra who was looking for water on dry land.

Compared to Ash, Eco was only carrying her stuffed toy.

On the other hand, Cosette didn’t even break a sweat.

“We had arrived.”

She turned around and smiled at both Ash and Eco.

Through the gate, they could see a garden that was separated into two halves by the walkway. It must have been well tended by a good gardener. Even Ash who doesn’t have any interest in gardening was amazed by it.

At the back of the garden stood an elegant looking building.

That was Epona House, the dormitory for advance class girls.

“We had finally arrived…”

Ash placed his baggage which was full of daily needs and clothing on the ground.

''How long does it actually take to walk here from Apollo House…'' Ash couldn’t be bothered to even think about it.

This dragon riding academy where human and dragons coexist had a very large land area.

In it, there were numerous classes, a church, a lecture hall, a library, a canteen, seven dragon houses, four dormitories, a sports ground… It even included an arena that was used during events.

Although there was the shopping district and the housing are beyond the school walls, compared to the size of the academy, they just looked like extras. That's the reason why Ansarivan was called an academic city.

Putting that aside, the distance between the boys dormitory and the girls dormitory must had been arranged on purpose by the academy.

“Please enter.”

Cosette pushed open the heavy looking gate and welcomed both of them in.

===Part 6===
On the top most floor of Epona House was the room of royal use.

It looked like a high class hotel suit and it even had a large space.

Apart from a heater in the living room, there was also a dining room, a study room, bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, etc. In a room that has everything, it looked as if it was another world compared to the normal student’s room.

Silvia was walking up and down around her room alone, worrying endlessly.

“Argh! What’s wrong with me! Why couldn’t I calm down! Even my family motto stated that ‘Always stay calm, especially in a pinch’!”

Even though she wasn’t even in a pinch, Silvia couldn’t stop worrying. It was about time for Cosette to arrive with Ash and Eco.

“That’s it!”

Silvia stopped in her tracks for a moment and then she dashed into the makeup room and stood in front of a mirror.

She applied a thin layer of makeup on her face.

She tried combing her hair many times.

Her clothings and accessories were chosen by Cosette.

She put on her camisole, a skirt with two layers of frills, her panty socks and a necklace made from bright dragon crystals that acted as jewels.

In front of the mirror, she was just like her usual…. No, she was at least twice as more beautiful than she usually was.

Silvia turned red when she realized how beautiful she was.

“Why would I dress myself up! It is alright by just sticking to what I usually do!”

Ash was about to arrive.

Until the boy’s dormitory was done with its renovation, Ash was going to stay here for two weeks.

Her hearts started to beat rapidly from thinking about it.

“This feeling… It is that same feeling as ''that time…''”

Silvia recalled her memories.

Around the time of her seventh birthday, she met a boy in Albion Forest.

''“Why? Why would I have this feeling of returning to the time when I was seven years old whenever I think about Ash…?”''

Silvia suddenly regained her sense.

“Stop! Stop! Stop! Doesn’t this mean that I am looking forward for him to arrive!? Right… I should change back into my normal clothing…”
[[Image:SnRK v05 006.jpg|thumb|'' ''…!'' Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments. '']]

Silvia left the makeup room and entered the living room. She swiftly removed all her clothings except for her undergarments. She then walked along the corridor towards the changing room.

Suddenly, the door opened right in front of her eyes.

“Princess-sama, we had returned.”

Cosette walked in with a smile.

“Princess-sama!?”

Ash was standing right behind Cosette with his eyes wide opened. ''Why is his face red? Is it because of the heat?''

“…!”

Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Silvia ran and hid behind the door while screaming at the top of her voice.

===Part 7===
“Hey you! Just until when are you going to keep on staring!”

“Ouch!”

Ash came back to his sense after he was stomped on the leg by Eco.

Just when he had stepped in through the grand entrance, he was greeted by Silvia in only her undergarments. The white coloured lace will forever be imprinted in his mind.

''By the way, why was Silvia wearing only those?'' No matter how hot the weather can be, it doesn’t suit her image.

“I am going to check on Princess-sama. Could the both of you wait here for a moment, please?”

With a happy smile on her face, Cosette disappeared into the corridor. In just a moment-

“No. This definitely doesn’t look natural.”

“No no. It definitely fits you well.”

“But… Won’t this make me look like I am looking forward to their arrival?”

“Huh? Aren’t you?”

Their entire conversation was heard by Ash.

“Come on! This is a disgrace! How dare they make a dragon wait by the entrance!”

Eco who was standing right beside Ash was in rage. The toy that she had with her which had a carelessly made face was further squashed by Eco’s abnormal strength.

Ash pitied the toy. If this continued to keep on, Ash would probably be the next victim.

“Sorry for the wait.”

Just when Ash was about to be surrounded by his fear, Cosette had returned to the entrance with Silvia who was hiding right behind her.

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Silvia’s clothing. It gave a completely different feel compare to the school uniform that she usually wears. A lot of her skin was exposed from wearing the camisole. It had totally grabbed his attention.

“Please come in.”

Ash regained his sense after he heard Cosette’s voice.

“S-Sorry for the intrusion.”

In opposite to Ash, Eco was looking around the room with a hint of worry.

“Even so… You are just a Princess of the Royal Knight’s Family and you get to have such a great room?”

Perhaps she was mad from being asked to wait at the entrance, Eco was saying anything that would sooth her anger.

In truth, even Ash was amazed by the room itself. Just the entrance itself is wider than Ash’s room. There were even expensive looking pictures along the wall and carvings of dragons.

“Please don’t be mad. This room was specially made for the royals, it would be natural if Princess-sama is staying here.”

Ash tried to calm her down.

“But, I am also a Princess of the dragons! Why would there be such a large difference in our treatment!?”

“It is not like I want to stay in this room either!”

Silvia tried to speak up for herself even when she was being threatened by Eco.

“I even tried telling the academy to let me have the same treatment as the rest of the students, but they never listen…”

Suddenly, Silvia stood still on her ground. There was not even a slightest movement.

“Princess-sama… What’s wrong? You don’t look good.”

Ash was worried about her but she didn’t reply.

She kept on staring at the stuffed toy that Eco was carrying with her with her ice blue eyes.

Silvia then suddenly leaped towards Eco and grabbed her shoulders.

“Eco! Can you tell me how did that toy fall into your possession?”

Eco became confused.

“I-It has nothing to do with you.”

“Please tell me! This is very important!”

Silvia shouted loudly.

“… I picked it up.”

Eco mumbled when she turned her head to aside. It seemed that she did not want to tell Silvia that it was a gift from Ash. Ash was wondering on why she would be insisting on it.

“You picked it up? When? Where?”

Silvia was being persistent.

“Come on! Why do I need to tell you?”

Eco lost her patience and roared.

“…Why can’t you tell me?”

“T-That’s because… I don’t have the obligation to tell you.”

“Now I see, you are playing dumb… It seems I must resolve to this.”

Suddenly, Silvia leaped towards Eco with both of her hands stretched out.

“Hey!... Don’t joke with me!”

Eco dodge with the toy in her arms.

With the royal room as the stage, the two of them started running around like a bunch of kids. In just a blink of an eye, both of them
disappeared behind a door.

“Err… What is this all about?”

Ash who was left behind turned around and questioned Cosette.

“Cosette-san?”

To his surprised, Cosette too was transfixed on her own spot. It was rare to see her making a face like that.

Cosette then regained her sense after being called out to by Ash and started explaining.

“I just remember about it… I fear that that stuffed toy…. Is an important treasure to Princess-sama during her childhood.”

Ash was surprised by her answer.

“Wait a moment! That shouldn’t be possible! There should be many more stuffed toys with the same design, no?”

Cosette answered calmly.

“No. There ain’t. That toy is the one and only in this world. It was a limited edition item. It was actually made from a famous artist from Chevron Kingdom called Leonard De Mirabeau and was given to the five year old Princess-sama.”

“Really? That clumsily made toy is…”

“That’s not it… Its weird look was actually Mirabeau-sama’s style. Didn’t people usually say that there was only a silver line that separates a genius and a madman? If that stuffed toy was bought to an antique auction… It should be priced at five million Eccles at minimum.”

Cosette told him the shocking truth with s straight face.

“Five million…!”

Ash turned speechless.

His face had turned pale.

''-Five million Eccles!''

Ash couldn’t even imagine that amount of money. He just knew that he won’t be able to finish it by living the rest of his days enjoying life. He never knew that such a treasure was hidden in his closet.

“W-We should try stopping them first!”

Ash started searching for them in the huge room.

===Part 8===
“Finally! You won’t be able to escape!”

Eco who ran into Silvia’s room was now like a rat in the bag. There was only one exit and the windows were too high to jump from since this was the top most floor.

“Tsk… You are being persistent!”

Eco backed off to the wall and like a mother protecting her child, she tried to intimidate Silvia.

For one moment, Silvia was awed by her beauty, but the next instant, she roared:

“You haven’t told me anything yet! I just want to know how this toy came into your possession!”

“Why would you even want to know!?”

“T-That… I had my own reasons! Please, Eco!”

“Hmph… I had mine too. I will never tell you, only you!”

Both of them were glaring at each other without any intention of backing off.

Silvia realized that whatever she said was useless.

“Now you have done it. Although it is not to my liking… I must resolve this by force.”

“What! Who do you think I am! See that if you can do it!”

“Fine with me!”

Silvia leaped forward without mercy.

Although she must avoid Eco’s abnormal strength, Eco’s actions had always been straight forward and were always easy to read.

On the other hand, apart from the Drag Arts, Silvia had mastered many more fighting styles. It is a normal thing to do for someone who was born in the Lautreamont Royal Knight’s Family.

After struggling on the ground like brats, Silvia came out as the winner.

“Now you have been captured!”

Silvia was pressing Eco’s tiny body on the floor and without giving her a chance to fight back, she rode on Eco.

“Tsk… Let me go!”

“Is there any idiot in this world that would move off once they are being asked to?”

The winner had been decided. Even when Eco had her abnormal strength, she could never be able to beat Silvia.

But, there was a reason why Silvia could beat her easily.

Eco had never let go of the stuffed toy even after she was pressed down against the floor. If Eco would just let go of that toy, the fight could still drag on. No, it could even be Silvia who was pressed down against the floor.

“Please, Eco! This is not an order. Although it was not a long time since the day I met you, I always think you as a friend. That is why… Could you please tell me?”

Just when Silvia was begging Eco with a trembling voice…

“Eco! Princess-sama!”

The door opened with a bang and Ash came running in.

Silvia turned around to look at Ash while she was pressing Eco down against the floor.

“Hold on, Ash! I never have the intention to harm Eco! I just want to ask Eco about it… no matter what!”

“But, Princess-sama doesn’t act like the usual you. Even so, Eco is my Pal, I won’t forgive anyone who try to harm her, even if it is Princess-sama.”

After Ash murmured sadly, he showed her his left arm.

Silvia knew that he had his abnormally large Seikoku covered in a bandage.

“Your Seikoku…?”

Silvia was in lost of words.

The Seikoku under the bandage was obviously blinking with glowing lights. That was a signal given when the Pal was in danger.

For example, even though Silvia did not have any intentions of harming Eco, but Eco felt that she was in danger and sent the signal to her owner Ash for help…

“Sorry, Eco… I am really sorry. I am in the wrong for scaring you…. But, I have my own reasons. Please, Eco! Please tell me for the sake of our friendship!”

Silvia was forcing out an answer from Eco.

“…Eco?”

Eco did not reply. Just as Silvia became confused, Eco was surrounded by a glowing light.

“Hey, Eco! What’s wrong?”

Eco still did not reply. Right now, Eco was like a doll, showing no expression.

Even her eyes seemed to be reflecting nothing.

“Urgh…!”

The next instant, Silvia was being blasted of by a strong wind.

“Princess-sama!”

Followed by Ash’s shout, Silvia’s back bang against the wall. She almost couldn’t breathe because of it.

===Part 9===
“Princess-sama!”

Just when Ash was trying to help Silvia out, Cosette arrived.

“I will take care of Princess-sama. Ash-sama, go help Eco-chan! This is no laughing matter!”

Cosette’s voice seemed to be more serious and nervous than usual.

“Understood!”

Ash ran straight towards Eco.

His Seikoku started to hurt.

He remembered that feeling.

He had the similar feeling when Eco was awaken in the capital, Fontaine.

Although the pain was not as strong as that time, Ash knew that this was the sign before her transformation into a dragon.

Eco stood up slowly with the cute stuffed toy dropping on the floor.

Strictly speaking, she was not standing.

There was a gap in between her feet and the floor.

She was actually floating…!

Her limbs were now surrounded by the mysterious light that was so bright that they could not look at it directly.

However, Ash continued to move forward.

“Stop, Eco! If you are to be awaken here…”

In the worst possible case, this Epona House will be destroyed. No, it could even be related to the city’s survivability…

Eco had long been labeled as an element of danger by many countries’s government. The reason why Mirabel was sent to become the academy’s director was to keep an eye on Eco.

''If she is to transform into a dragon right now…!''

Ash moved forward without giving any thought and hugged Eco.

A huge amount of magic was flowing out from her tiny body. If he had been careless, he would even be swallowed by the magic and lost consciousnesss.

Ash shouted with all his might into Eco’s ears.

“Get a grip of yourself! I…I like the way you are now! It is okay if you just stay as you are! You don’t have to force yourself to change into your true self!”

It seems that Ash’s words had gotten through and the magic that was surrounding Eco had disappeared. Even the lights were no longer there. Ash’s Seikoku too had stopped responding.

“We are saved…”

Ash breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Huh?”

Eco blinked her eyes in surprise and murmured.

“What had I done…? Why are you…?”

Realizing that she was in Ash’s arms, Eco leaped off from Ash’s arms with her face red in embarrassment.

===Part 10===
“I am sorry for what had happened just now. I-I never thought that you were so much against it…. No I shouldn’t make any excuses. A knight must admit his own faults. I deeply apologize!”

After the group had sat on a dining table in the living room, Silvia apologized to Eco sincerely.

“Hmph… I guess this should be sufficient.”

Silvia’s eagerness to apologize by bowing her head had started to confuse Eco. Even though she still continued to puff up her checks in protest, but at least she had accepted Silvia’s apology. Ash who noticed it breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Since everything had been settled, please allow me to ask. How did that stuffed toy came into your possession?”

Silvia’s words had cause Eco to be enraged again.

“Ha!? You….. Just apologize and yet you still want to ask!?”

“I apologize for resolving this matter by force. I promise that this time, I won’t try questioning you by force. But in return, I will keep on asking until you answer me. Remember, I will keep on asking.”

Silvia was quite stubborn. She even smiled towards Eco with her face full of confidence.

“I can’t believe it…”

Eco sighed.

“Sorry, Eco-chan.”

At that moment, Cosette returned from the kitchen with a silver tray full of snacks and tea.

“That toy that Eco-chan was holding right now… It probably belongs to Princess-sama a long time ago.”

“How can it be…?”

Whilst she was surprised, Eco took a bite on the vanilla flavoured crepe that Cosette handed to her. If it was the usual Eco, she would definitely shout out ‘Delicious!’ on the first bite, but right now, she was with a serious looks. As expected, even Eco couldn’t enjoy her favorite food properly.

“What Cosette said is true. That toy is definitely an important thing to me during my childhood.”

Silvia spoke calmly as if she was trying to teach a child who knew nothing.

“Ha!? That’s impossible! I understand none of these!”

Eco placed her half eaten crepe back on her plate. Ash was surprised that she prioritized the argument before her crepe.

“I knew it the moment I saw it. There is only one of this stuffed toy in the whole world. It is a very important toy.”

“How can you have such confidence!?”

“You don’t even know the worth of that toy. Anyone who knows its worth would recognize it on their first sight.”

“Arrrrrggh! That explanation is totally unacceptable!”

''Eco was once again in rage, but at least Silvia knew her limit. Thanks to that, the atmosphere did not turn out to be any worst than this…'' Ash secretly thought.

“Come on you two…”

Cosette was obviously not at all troubled. She seems to be enjoying this.

“Haa… It seems like I don’t have a choice.”

Ash sighed.

“Please listen carefully, Princess-sama. That stuffed toy was in my closet. I gave it to Eco since she seems to like it.”

“Hey! Why did you tell that to her!?”

Eco was scolding Ash with her face red.

“What else can I do? If I leave it to both of you, the same thing will continue onwards again and again.”

“I… want this to be a secret between the both of us.”

Eco’s mumbling caught Ash’s attention.

“What did you say?”

“N-Nothing! I don’t even know you!”

Eco averted her face in anger. ''Why must she get angry...?'' Ash wondered.

On the other hand, Silvia was staring at Ash.

“Ash… you said that this toy was in your closet?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Ash shrugged his shoulders.

“Actually, I am not really clear about it. Believe me or not, there was a blank in my memories… I don’t even know how it came into my possession. I don’t even know about its worth if not because of Cosette.”

Silvia was staring at Ash so intently almost as if she was going to pierce a hole in his forehead. She then asked a weird question.

“When is your birthday?”

“Huh? The third on the month of Aries… What about that?”

After Ash answered honestly, Cosette spoke in surprise:

“Oh, what a coincidence. It seems that Princess-sama was also born in the month of Aries. By the way, hers is in the seventh.”

“Hmm… That’s the first time I had heard of it.”

“Huhu… So Ash-sama is the bigger brother by four days.”

“T-That… isn’t it…”

“Ash!”

Silvia suddenly leaned against him. Ash could see her breast that was covered by the thin cloth of the summer clothes.

“Princess-sama?”

“Even though this may seems abrupt, but do you still remember the date you went for the Orphan Ceremony?”

“Err… I don’t really remember about the details, but it shouldn’t be far away from my seventh birthday. Since my hometown was at a far away village, I started my journey when I was still six. I remembered that I had my seventh birthday in a horse carriage.”

Once they reach the age of seven, every citizen of the Knight Country must visit Albion Forest.

For Ash, if he had departed after his seventh birthday, he would never be able to arrive at Albion Forest in a month time.

“By the way, does the date I went for the Orphan Ceremony matters?”

“…No, Nothing. I have something that I want to discuss with Cosette. Please stay here for the moment.”

Silvia suddenly stood up and dragged Cosette by the hand with her.

“What a weird Princess.”

Ash took a drink from the cup of red tea.

===Part 11===
After Silvia entered the makeup room, with an ‘Ahem’, she cleared her throat.

“What do you want to talk about, Princess-sama?”

“About that…”

“It doesn’t seem like something easy.”

Since she had been with Silvia for quite some time, Cosette immediately knew what she was thinking.

“Aah… That’s right.”

“I will do everything you tell me to if it is in my ability to do so. If the situation required, I could even be Princess-sama’s limbs or even your shield… That’s my duty.”

Silvia made up her mind and told her wish.

“Actually, I want you to return to the palace and investigate the name list of the children who went to the orphan ceremony at the same day as me. This should be an easy one for you, no?”

However, Cosette told Silvia something out of her imagination.

“The records of the Orphan Ceremony is the country’s top secret. Even if you are a Princess, you will be breaching the law by trying to investigate it.”

“Then, your duty would be to avoid it. Please, I could only put my hopes on you. With your ability, reading top secret documents should not be a problem, right?”

“That doesn’t sound nice, Princess-sama. The ability that I only knew of was an ancient technique that was passed down in the Shelly’s family and some spying technique. All of them were used to protect the Lautreamont family.”

“I understand that, but…!”

Silvia grabbed her shoulders and looked at Cosette with her puppy eyes.

“Of course I will do it if this is your order. But, what will you do if Ash-sama is really that boy?”

Silvia’s face almost burst out in flames.

“I-I just want to know about it! That’s right, I only want to know about the truth!”

Cosette gave a wry smile.

“Hmm… Putting that aside, during the time when I am not in, when the night comes and Eco had slept, aren’t '''the two of you''' alone together?”

“When the night comes…. The two of us…!?”

This time, steam emerged from her ears. Her heart was beating none stop.

“W-W-What are you talking about! Don’t you have any shame! How shameless! I…I believe that Ash was not someone insolence! That is why there is no point behind your question!”

Silvia snapped and Cosette nodded.

“I too had the same feeling.”

“Then why bother asking!”

Cosette smiled and took out something. It was a stack of paper held together by a paper clip.

“What’s that?”

“Huhu… A copy of ‘Shelley family’s secret. A recipe to make men dream’. Although I want to use it during this summer to teach Princess-sama some cooking… But this is a good chance to try it. Although Princess-sama don’t have any actual experience, but isn't this a good chance to show your cooking skills to Ash-sama?”

Silvia felt as if her body was on fire.

“Hold on! W-W-Why must I show Ash my cooking skills?”

“If I am not mistaken, The Lautreamont Family Motto did mention that ‘to shoot a general you must first shoot his horse’, am I right?”

“What does it had to do with this?”

“In the Shelley’s Family Motto, there is something like this: ‘To get the man you like, you must first fill his stomach’.”

“What kind of family motto is that!?”

“Huhu… When Ash-sama’s stomach is empty, and Princess-sama gave him your homemade cooking, he would surely fall for you.”

“…Fall for me!?”

Cosette was like a devil whispering into Silvia’s ears.

“When a Princess who doesn’t look like she knew any cooking made a meal, which man wouldn’t be moved by it?”

“Cut the crap! I never want Ash to take notice of me! Never! I-It's just that I had some interest in cooking since a long time ago. I will accept your offer because of this.”

Cosette handed her the recipe while smiling.
[[Image:SnRK v05 096.jpg|thumb]]

“Now, I had received my orders from Princess-sama and I will depart from Ansarivan immediately.”

“Huh? Immediately?”

“It is better if we act quickly, Princess-sama.”

Cosette lifted the both sides of her skirt slightly and bowed gracefully.

Suddenly, like a mist, Cosette disappeared from Silvia’s sight like a magician.

“H-Hey! Cosette? … Do you really want to depart at this moment?”

Silvia became worried when she heard no reply.

“Please hold on, Cosette! You should allow me to have some mental preparation before…!”

Silvia looked around the room with tears in her eyes. It looks like Cosette had really departed.

“Tsk… She never takes me seriously!”

After Silvia mumbled in regrets, she took a long hard look at the recipe given to her.

"The Stuffed Toy Dragon~A.S.B.1365.8~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Chapter 4

2014-06-28T03:08:56Z

Anlanther: /* Chapter 4 - Avdocha the Convicted */

==Chapter 4 - Avdocha the Convicted==
===Part 1===
Early in the morning, Ash put on his uniform and rushed out of the magicship Silvanus straight to school.

Since he has obtained Veronica’s permission last night the guards in charge did not stop Ash.

On the way there Ash didn't encounter Captain Glenn. Of course, Ash also simply did not want to meet him.

By quickly running up the stairs he finally arrived at the Student’s Council’s office.

"I’m entering."

He opens the door without hesitation but just as he does so… An object, like a cannon, flew into his arms.

"Oh! ......Eco?"

Eco’s body is soft.

Yesterday she probably went to stay in Rebecca's room for the night. He smells a sweet scent. One that that will not make you tired of it and yet will also make you feel refreshed.

"Something wrong?"

Eco’s attitude made Ash feel troubled. The feeling is like that between a pet and its owner that have been separated for a long time, and it leaped at its owner when they were reunited.

The thing that he doesn't understand is… Does Eco have those kind of feelings? They didn’t see each other for only one night... And yet. Her personality has become so docile?

"It's annoying that you are so slow…..."

Eco buries her face in Ash’s chest and is reluctant to let go. Not only did she not let go there are also signs that she is hugging him a lot more tightly. The heat from her is transferring to Ash's body.

If it's only just that… Then he can let it be. Right after that thought, Eco grabbed Ash’s tie and pulled him right into the front of her face.

"S-Slow down. Wait... My neck is going to break ...!"

Ash quickly put his hand into the gap between tie and neck, which barely enables him to breathe once again. At least he was now free from the danger of suffocating.

What was wrong with Eco so early in the morning?

Her cheeks are bright pink and her eyes were watery.

Ash is struggling but Eco continues to attack.

"Huff......"

After making that cute sound… Eco’s feet begin wrapping around his leg.

Her legs in knee socks, one of them sliding in between Ash thighs. The moment her soft thigh came into contact with his crotch his whole body shivers.

"No...... My body is so hot... I can’t stand it any longer." Eco gasped.

As she kept tugging Ash’s tie while lifting her body up.

Her half opened lips moving towards Ash’s cheek––

"Uwaa!"

Extending her tongue she gently licked Ash’s cheek. Like a dragon who wants to be spoiled by its master.

"...... Ah?"

At this moment… Ash spotted something–– from Eco's mouth there comes a rose like smell.

"You...... Show me the inside!"
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p004-005.jpg|thumb|'' Is this...... alright! '']]

"Is this......alright?" Eco says after she jumps down.

The usual Eco would ignore Ash’s order. However this morning, it is now like she is a different person. Her cheeks are getting redder and she stares at Ash’s face.

Being flirted with by her eyes… Ash saw Eco actually gently lift her miniskirt.

"... Huh?" Obviously Eco was confused about what 'inside' meant.

For the moment. Ash just couldn't understand what was happening right in front of him.

"You...!"

Ash almost fell backwards.

The thing clinging to Eco’s pure white skin almost caused his awareness to be swept away. That underwear, embellished with lots of lace, was designed for adults!

Suddenly he came back to his senses… Ash obstinately holds Eco’s hands.

"What are you doing you fool! I'm not talking about the skirt. It's what's inside your mouth!"

"Umm... I know..."

Eco with a flushed face opens her mouth halfway.

Behind her pearl white teeth, a pink tongue can be seen.

"So this stuff is the culprit!"

On Eco’s tongue was a piece of round candy.

A strong Ansal smell went into his nostrils.

Even though Ansals are harmless to humans, it brings a strong intoxicating effect to the dragons. Like drinking alcohol is for humans… Ansal’s smell brings pleasure to dragons.

The problem is that Eco is only a young dragon. Even with only a small amount of Ansal the result it brings is hard to predict.

"Come on. Quickly spit it out!"

"Nn....”

Eco exhaled a mouthful of heat, and firmly grasped Ash’s tie.

Don’t take Eco as just a petite girl as her strength is still like a dragon.

Ash, unable to do anything, can only let her pull him–– Eco, with Ash immobilised, mouth half-opened with her lips...

At the same time, Eco’s tongue breaks past the barrier.

"...!"

The two sticky and slippery tongues entangled.

The unimaginable shock made Ash’s mind go blank and transfixed in place.

"Tee hee..."

During that time of contact, the candy was rolled into Ash’s mouth.

Through his mouth, Ash could still feel Eco’s body radiating from the mouth-fed candy, which was melted into half of its original volume.

Ash was utterly entranced.

"You… Just now..."

His face was so hot that it felt as if flame was going to burst out from it.

Before, Ash was wholly concentrated on the mouth-fed candy. That was why it was only until now that Ash found their lips were sticking tightly together. Eco then slowly averted her face, revealing a devilish smile.

Thinking hard of what had just happened… Wasn't that his and Eco’s first kiss?

"Nn....”

Suddenly, like a puppet whose strings were cut, Eco fell limp.

She buried her face in Ash’s arms and fell into a deep sleep. Seems like the drunken Eco has finally fallen asleep.

"Really... She only knows how to give people headaches."

Just as Ash breathed a sigh of relief–– A new voice is heard...

"..... From the position of between a human and a dragon, your behaviour just does not sound healthy."

"Uwaaa!"

Hearing a surprisingly calm voice, Ash was shocked.

''- Glup!''

The candy in his mouth is accidentally swallowed.

"....Rebecca! Since when have you been here?"

Rebecca leisurely crosses her arms in front of her chest, as she stood in the doorway. Her face is wearing a snappish smile.
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p169.jpg|thumb|Rebecca leisurely crosses her arms in front of her chest, as she stood in the doorway. Her face is wearing a snappish smile.]]

"Do you even need to ask? Of course… When Eco ran out of the room."

"Isn’t it that you were here from the beginning to end? Why did you stand on the side-lines and not come to my aid!"

"Well that scene was very exciting! Oh, Ash, by the way, that underwear Eco is wearing belongs to me."

"Yikes...!"

After hearing that, Ash cannot help but think about Eco’s exposed underwear...

Those laces flooded his whole mind, the material should be silk, right? He remembers the top has a unique gloss. It turns out that Rebecca usually wears those kind of underwear–– After getting lost in his imagination Ash returns to his senses.

"Hey! That's not the point! I would like to know why Eco’s mouth was stuffed with that candy."

"Ahh. You mean that? That is my self-prepared, personal snack. When she saw me licking it on my palm, Eco came and begged for one. When I saw her eager face… How could I heartlessly refuse? "

"Rebecca, even when you knew the Ansal herb will have a negative effect on Eco, why did you continue to let her eat it?"

"Huu? ... I do not understand what you mean by that."

Rebecca exposed a playful smile and hid inside her room.

===Part 2===
Rebecca looked at the faces of all those who were present.

"Then let the meeting begin. Silvia will not be present for today’s meeting... So there are only three people left?"

She was correct. Right now. The ones who are sitting around the table are Rebecca, Max and Ash, the trio. By the way… Eco is lying on the couch.

The Vice President and the Secretary don't seem like they intend to attend this morning either.

"Right... Doesn’t it feel a little lonely?”

After Ash stated this Rebecca looked at him ridiculously.

"Any problem with it Ash? Are you so lonely when Silvia is not here? Is Rebecca onee-san not enough to satisfy you?"

"How could I dare to think so?!!"

Ash was too nervous to know what to do next. Max, right beside him, was also shocked but he interrupts:

"President. We don't have the time. Please don't tease Ash anymore and quickly begin the meeting."

"Hmm. You’re right. Every time I see Ash… I just want to make fun of him."

Rebecca, with a bitter smile, returns back to the topic.

"As you have heard, Princess Veronica's condolence trip is going to be held this afternoon. Actually... We must represent the academy’s students by accompanying the Princess."

Ash senses something bad.

"The people who are going to accompany the Princess must be Max, Ash, Eco and I. This is Princess Veronica’s orders. We do not have the right to refuse."

Just like what he sensed… His bad feeling was correct.

"Princess Veronica has many enemies. If someone wants to assassinate the Princess they certainly will not miss this great opportunity. Even though there are the seven escorts, who are in charge of the security, we still should not neglect precautionary measures. We, as mere Dragner's, must also be mentally prepared to be able to protect the Princess when there is danger."

"Please. May I ask ..."

Ash timidly raised his hand.

"Is there a problem Ash?"

“Rebecca-san. You're not a 'mere' but a dignified Ark-Dragner. Max, also, is an outstanding Dragner but I'm just a humble breeder.”

"What nonsense are you talking about? Didn’t you also have the famous title 'Silver Knight'?"

"... That's not the kind of title I want. Even if you give it to me for free."

"But I think that it's suitable for you. Back to the topic... The next thing is the main point."

After changing the topic… Rebecca showed a serious expression and passed the information in her hands to Ash and Max.

That is commonly known as a 'Wanted Poster'.

The entire sheet of paper is full of the details of the criminal’s characteristics and looks.

The reward offered actually reaches up to one million Eccles<ref>The currency in this story. From a town in UK.</ref>. Compared to a normal reward this amount is excessively large.

"We received some information from a certain party that 'Avdocha the Convicted' has infiltrated Ansarivan. Everyone please be very careful."

===Part 3===
The Ansarivan revival operations are well underway. The noise, hustle and bustle of construction and repairs sounded off in St Durham’s Square one after another;

The sound of the roaring man supervisor.

The sturdy frame operator’s loud cry.

The knocking sounds of the hammers.

The Necromancia’s attack had happened a full two weeks ago.

The Square had been razed to ruins, and yet today the revival operation was going on smoothly.

Magicship Silvanus landed slowly from above the square.

Right after she safely alighted from the magicship… Veronica immediately, with a loud voice, announced to the public:

"Dear countrymen! Thank you for your hard work!"

On recognizing the heroic Veronica… The scene is suddenly full of cheers.

"Wow. It's the Princess Veronica Her Royal Highness!"

"To even think that Her Royal Highness will actually come to a place like this..."

"That armour really looks valiant!"

Every worker stops doing their work as they are all moved and full of tears. However, Veronica just stared at them fiercely and...

"Who allowed you to rest?! Why are you bothering with my existence. Immediately continue with your work!"

At Veronica's loud voice, even the earth would shake! Furthermore, the Asias that were brought to the construction site were also shivering.

"Yes. Princess!"

Even though all the workers are burly, self-confident and brawny, they were all now feeling particularly vulnerable and hurried to resume their own work.

The sense was more like a strict supervisor who came rather than a condolence visit. Ash, standing beside Veronica, cannot help but laugh bitterly.

Rebecca, Max, Ash and Eco, the four of them followed along with the arrangements made in the meeting this early morning. They are accompanying Veronica as the student representatives.

"Hmm... There is something strange."

Eco from the start is looking around aimlessly.

Did she find out something unusual using her dragon’s intuition? If it is so, the situation they are in will be a serious one, it is most likely an enemy of Veronica.

"Eco? Is there anything suspicious?"

Ash, with a nervous voice, asks Eco but she then revealed an extremely unhappy expression.

"The crepe stall is gone."

"... Hu?"

"I said, I can’t find the stall selling crepes!"

Ash is dumbstruck. What Eco likes to eat most is none-other than the crepes sold in the stall selling crepes in St Durham Square.

"You tell me... What Crepe seller will do business in this construction site?"

"Wuhu<ref>Whining sound.</ref>...... My crepes..."

Eco is so disappointed that she showed a dejected expression and there are tears whirling in her eyes.

"Really.. I can’t stand you any longer. The owner must have moved his stall to some other part of the streets. Later we will look for it together… Alright?"

"Really?"

Once she had heard this, Eco immediately smiled dazzlingly.

"...!"

Her smile is like a full blooming rose of which Ash cannot help but stare at deeply.

"Something wrong?" Eco asked when noticing Ash's stare.

Right after Eco confusedly asked… Only then did Ash come back to his senses and, with an pumped up attitude, he cleared his throat.

"Ahem. No. Nothing......"

In short. His bribery has been successful and Eco will, temporarily, quiet down. After all, he is now playing the role of Veronica’s guard with a heavy responsibility. Just in case this job was messed up by Eco, it would be hard for him to make sure that his head stays on his neck. Using crepes in exchange for the safety of his head… This price is nothing.

"Hmm. Using the strength of an Asia? A breeder who chooses to be a civil engineer is really rare."

"Y- Yes. I’m just lucky!"

At the same time as Ash is trying to keep Eco calmed down, Veronica’s condolence trip is smoothly being carried out.

Apart from the square, the surrounding buildings have also been damaged by the Necromancia. Which is why there are many carpenters are working there right now.

The carpenter Veronica is talking to seems to be a breeder and at the side an Asia can be seen pulling a trolley.

The fierce looking carpenter, due to excessive fear when facing Veronica, looked very nervous. Somehow, this scene is really amusing.

Looking at that the kind of laid-back scene Ash suddenly remembered the name that Rebecca brought up at the morning meeting.

--‘Avdocha the Convicted'

According to the report; She has the blood of a Tantalos. From a young age she has been doing guerrilla activities in the mountains. Later on she spread out from the mountains and was involved in terrorist attacks across the continent. She is very famous for her anti-establishment activity.

But five years ago, in the capital City of Fontaine, after Veronica’s assassination ended in failure… She was never seen again.

Some reports stated that such an activist is likely to stage a comeback for Veronica. Of course. The credibility of those reports are yet to be verified but still they must be prepared for the worst.

Ash gathered his nerve and whispered in Eco’s ears.

"Hey, Eco."

"... What’s the problem?"

"In case that I ran into a dangerous situation… Could you make me the Ark?"

"Well. Do you even want that kind of patch up work? I don’t mind, but there will be conditions-"

"Alright, alright, no matter how many crepes you want to eat... I’ll buy them for you."

''Except for the ansal flavor crepes...'' Ash, in his heart, silently added just as the nearby church bell rang.

That's the bell to indicate one o’clock in the afternoon.

"It is already this late...?"

Listening to the solemn bell, Silvia's face suddenly emerges in Ash's mind.

The building around St Durham Square has more than one church.

At this time Silvia should be complying with Veronica's command by offering her prayers in the St Valeria’s church for repentance.

Just when Ash takes Silvia’s feelings into account, and his mood was subsequently depressed, something happened.

Suddenly. ''-Boom!''

The sound of an explosion can be heard.

"W-What happened?"

Ash, surprised, looked toward the other end of the town square.

A thick black smoke is seen rising into the sky.

"It can’t be ...!"

The worst thought emerges in Ash mind.

The location where the black smoke emerges is St Valeria’s clock tower.

At the same time the explosion occurred, the public presently gathered in the square started screaming and the crowded site degraded into a mess.

After all, only a few days ago they were subjected to the Necromancia’s attack. Because of that, the present reaction of the town citizens are particularly extreme.

“-Princess please return to Silvanus.”

At this time, Glenn’s voice is heard.

"You’re right." Said Veronica, as she just calmly nodded without blinking an eye.

Ash who could not help but angrily interrupt said:

"Didn’t you see that church? Princess may be right inside there -"

However, Veronica coldly interrupts Ash:

"Don’t worry. From now on, I declare from this moment, Silvanus will become the strategic headquarters of this Operation. All of you, please return together."

Even when her biological sister may be caught up in the bombings, Veronica’s calm attitude really pissed people off.

===Part 4===
Silvia arrived at the St Valeria’s Church.

Under Veronica’s order she did not even bring her maid Cosette with her.

St Valeria’s statue was positioned on the altar.

St Valeria is one of the Twelve Apostles who served St Rosa Maria.

In the denomination of Rosa Maria's bible; St Valeria is not only portrayed as a woman full of compassion, but the protector of law.

In addition to Silvia, there are also many people who patronise the church. Most of them look like tourists though. So, those who are like Silvia––who have their own troubles––are of the minority.

“St Valeria. Please forgive my imprudent actions."

Silvia knelt in front of the altar and began to pray.

"St Valeria’s..."

At this time, someone else right beside Silvia is non-stop praying.

That voice feels very familiar.

"Please bless me so that I will get pregnant with 'Silver Knight'-sama’s child......"

"What are you praying for?!!"

"Kyaa!"

''THUND''. That person is so shocked by the other roaring voice that she screamed and fell backwards.

Silvia carefully looked at her face.

"...I knew that it was you, Jessica Valentine!"

Jessica stood up straight and stared back at Silvia.

"Oops. Look at you… You're not with the Princess? I thought you were to accompany Princess Veronica for her condolence trip today."

"Err... Sorry to tell you that I did not accompany her!"

"Y-You. What are you getting angry about?"

"Give me a break! That is not the point… How come you're here?"

Jessica obviously does not understand the reason Silvia is so angry.

"Well. I just wanted to beg St Valeria to bless me for an easy childbirth..."

"St Valeria is a protector of law! You have looked for the wrong Saint! "

"Hmm. I’m not like the rest, I won’t even bother such a small detail."

"What type of small detail is this?”

"Hm... If you keep on clinging to petty things like this… You will never be on equal footing with the Princess!"

Silvia, who feels her weakness is exposed, suddenly became furious.

“What did you say? Outsiders like you will never understand!"

“It's obvious at a glance–– There's too much difference in both of your open-mindedness."

"Ugh! How shameless are you... to talk about someone else pain!"

"Oops. It is your pain? Oh… As a royal you are far behind Veronica-sama. In your open-mindedness and as a Dragner your strength is far less than 'Silver Knight'-sama; I advise you to learn how to be a woman, you can take this noble’s daughter as an example."

"What did you say......?"

Silvia couldn’t bear with it any longer and her rational thinking snapped. She felt that what Jessica implied was as if she is trying to persuade her to hurriedly marry Glenn. Although logically it is impossible for Jessica to know of her arranged marriage with Glenn, but Silvia can’t care about the details so much.

"Ha! A mere Randall family’s servant even has the nerve to ask me to take her as an example? Even my toes are laughing!"

Jessica's face turns from red to white and back to red.

"Can it be Rebecca had told you...?"

"Don’t worry, under the president’s order, I will not spread this to the public. But, I would like to advise you to have a little restraint and stop falsifying your status."

Jessica lips tremble, she fiercely glared at Silvia.

"Then I’ll ask you... Can you can guarantee that your actions are never related to falsehood?"

"I-I..."

Silvia is also afraid that someone will see through her timid side, which is why she is always pretending to be strong. As one of the Lautreamont Knight Country’s Princess' she is trying her hardest to play the ideal image of ‘This is what a princess should do’.

Isn't such behaviour also taken as falsehood?

"Oops. Could it be that I hit the bull’s eye?"

"N-No. That's not it...”

Just while Silvia intends to voice a rebuttal-

''-Boom!''

The sound of explosion came from above.

The floor shook due of the impact, while dust, sand and stones fell from the ceiling.

Judging from this evidence… There seems to have been an explosion upstairs.

"Kyaa!"

Silvia is so frightened she inadvertently clung to Jessica.

Maybe Jessica is equally caught up in the panic and she wraps her arms around Silvia and hugged her hard.

Silvia and Jessica’s screams are like a trigger which make the other visitors cry.

It was only one explosion but compared to the original sacred atmosphere of the Church, it instantly turned into a living hell.

At this time… A condescending shadow was cast over the apalling scene.

"Who’s that person?"

Silvia's eyes widened.

Black hair, with gimmering eyes full of evil.

Wearing a native folk costume, with a high degree of exposure, an almost tanned coloured skin can be seen.

Like in a drama, the woman began to speak:

"‘Blame the sin, rather than the sinner!’ What a joke! The fragile mind of a human is the root of all evil, and all who are sinners will never escape death!"

''WHACK!'' The woman snapped a toss of the whip in her hand––

"I shall be called "Avdocha the Convicted’"!" <ref>In this sentence she speak in an high and mighty form. It is very hard to translate so the simple form will be I am 'Avdocha the Convicted’.</ref> The woman said in a high and mighty manner.

Silvia became dumbstruck.

She remembers that name.

"How come... this person is 'Avdocha the Convicted’?"

Silvia knew about the existence of this anti-establishment activist. Long ago… She had also seen her 'wanted order' several times.

Her reward amount is up to one million Eccles.

However, the woman in front of her has the face of a child, a petite body, and a childlike appearance, which caused others to disbelieve she is a battle-hardened terrorist. She is totally different from the picture in the wanted poster.

But the woman with a calm expression looks at the visitor.

Even while her body looks petite, she is still able to look down from up high.

That is because she was standing on the back of a basilisk!

Under the sight of the big rolling eyes that only a basilisk has––

''"Eek...!"''

Both Silvia and Jessica trembled.

The extreme fear causes them to not release each other’s hands.

––––Basilisk!

Even though they bear a striking resemblance to lizards, their size is nowhere near that of a normal lizard. Although they are well known as close relatives of an Asia, judging from the body's apperance, there is not even a slightest hint that they have a Dragon's intellect.

After capturing it... To tame such monster and ride it like a horse, no matter what, it could never be done by an ordinary person.

So the only explanation is… The woman in front is none-other than 'Avdocha the Convicted’––

"From now on, you are all hostages! Just don’t act rashly and I will not take your life! On the other hand... If someone dares to fight back… Don’t blame me if we use you to feed him!"

Following Avdocha’s order, the basilisk made an earth-shattering roar.

===Part 5===
The atmosphere of the airship Silvanus’s navigation room was very tense.

The crew, led by the helmsman, are at their posts; They were ready to take off at any time.

"Huhu... It's hard even for me to tolerate this, Glenn."

Veronica who is smiling while sitting on the captain seat said.

"Yes. Veronica-sama."

Glenn seriously nodded in agreement.

Apart from the escort’s captain Glenn who is by Veronica’s side, the other six escorts are on their dragons responsible for the protection of Silvanus.

Under Veronica’s order Rebecca, Max, Ash and Eco ––members of the student’s council–– also gathered in the navigation room.

"Hey.... How can you be so calm? The church that Princess is in was attacked!"

Ash, unable to restrain his emotions, questioned.

Veronica, on the captain’s seat, comfortably cross her legs and teased:

"You're too inexperienced Ash. During the Necromancia’s attack, were your emotions this unstable? If it is so, then you were just lucky the last time–– You'd better give some deep thought about it or else you cannot guarantee even your own life."

"What did you say?"

"Veronica-sama!"

At this moment the communication sergeant, while looking back at Veronica, interrupts Ash.

"There is a signal from St Valeria’s Church!"

Beside the communication sergeant’s hand, the Bright-Dragon-Crystal next to the magic communicator is shining.

"Connect to it."

"Understood!"

The magic communicator continued to flash for a while then a projection appeared in mid-air.

"––!"

Ash gasped. Even though he knew that this is a type of oracle, he had never seen such method. The technology must have been imported from the Empire.

Although there is a lot of static noise, the scene shown on the screen looks like the interior of the St Valeria’s church–– St Valeria’s statue set on the altar statue proves this fact.

The only thing is, the screen didn’t show the hostages. Of course, that does not rule out that Silvia could have been abducted.... which made Ash anxiously clench his fists.

At this moment… The projection screen suddenly shows a woman's face.

『 "I shall be called 'Avdocha the Convicted’. Wait, since we are already familiar with each other, I don’t need to announce my name… Right Veronica?"<ref>This is also spoken in an high and mighty form.</ref>』 She again spoke with a haughty and powerful voice.

"You're right. So could you quickly tell me what your demand is?"

Veronica shows the calm demeanor of a royal family.

"She is...'Avdocha the Convicted’?"

Ash's eyes widen and he turns speechless.

Seeing her childlike face Rebecca, Max and Eco seem to feel the same way as Ash. All of their faces looked stunned and skeptical.

Because comparing between her looks and the arrest warrant they received earlier… They are apparently two completely different characters.

The portrait in the arrest warrant looks like a 24-year-old she-leopard with a sharp look, which gave the feeling of a veteran guerrilla soldier......

『 "I’ll let you have a look at this first!"』

The screen suddenly focuses at another person’s body.

The altar of the Rosa Maria’s religion is magnificently decorated with its symbolic totem wing like crucifix. However, there is a person tied to the winged cross.

Ash and the others turn speechless and not just because of Avdocha’s fetishes.

"Jessica...?"

Rebecca, who knew her since childhood, muttered blankly.

She is not wrong, the one tied on the winged cross is––the president of the SKFC––Jessica Valentine, of all people. Evidently she seems to have inadvertently become a hostage.

"That’s t-too much!"

Ash's lips are trembling.

Jessica is actually only wearing her underwear.
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p190.jpg|thumb|The humiliated Jessica was desperately struggling to hold back her tears.]]

Apart from her underwear and knee socks the rest of her clothing was mercilessly stripped away.

The humiliated Jessica was desperately struggling to hold back her tears.

Not only that, there are also squiggles on top her bare belly that reads:

''- The Head of Valkyrie!''

"That. Is that blood text...?"

"No. that does not look like blood. It should be something like lipstick.”

Rebecca swept away Ash’s worry.

"Hmm... To even use hostages as a meat shield to make me offer my head. She is really an insatiable woman." Veronica calmly remarks.

Even after witnessing Jessica’s inhumane treatment, Veronica is still so easy going.

At this time, the screen slowly moves downwards, and the altar is shown.

"...What is that?"

Ash frowns.

Around the altar, there are black objects that give the impression of a ''"machine"''. Although it is an extremely strange and rarely seen thing, they are filled with a dangerous atmosphere that can never be found coming from equipment within the church.

From the screen Avdocha’s voice is heard again:

『 "As you can see we have a bomb set up in the church. This is an Empire made mechanical bomb. Once detonated, the church will immediately be blown to pieces. Also, I am a person who has no patience. Every time the bell rings... I’ll kill a hostage."』

"What did you say...?!"

Ash excitedly clenches his fists.

She is threatening that every hour there will be someone who will lose their life.

Until the next time the bell rings… there is only around fifty minutes.

『 "Hehe... I can’t wait to see your head when it is off your neck Veronica."』

Once finished with these words the communication was terminated.

It seems that Avdocha stopped it herself.

"Your Highness. What should we do now?"

Rebecca asked, but a sneer is shown on Veronica’s mouth.

The coldness of her sneer, caused Ash’s hair to stand up straight.

"I’ll never compromise with terrorists. If we face an emergency situation we’ll use the main canon of Silvanus to blow up the whole church."

"What ..."

After hearing this emotionless declaration, Ash felt as if he is punched at the back of his head.

Even when she knew that Silvia may also be inside the church. But...

"You are really...!"

Ash finally understands the reason Veronica is given the title 'Ironblood Valkyrie'.

===Part 6===
---Moving backwards slightly in time---

Nearly a hundred worshipers were taken hostage along with Silvia. Of course, due to unexpected events, they are trembling endlessly while still trying to grasp the situation that they are in.

The terrorist’s mastermind is 'Avdocha the Convicted’.

There are nine soldiers surrounding them.

The nine soldiers give off the feeling that they are from the mountains and are large, muscular men. They are dressed in their folk costumes; With an eagle looking mask on their face they are equipped with the mountain people's usual whip and shamshir<ref>Half-moon shaped dagger.</ref> dagger and others. The nine men seem to be loyal to Avdocha. In contrast to their savage like looks, they accept orders just like any regular army soldiers.

Avdocha’s objective is to defeat Veronica. She probably wants to take advantage of the 100 hostages to achieve this goal.

''"is there nothing that we can do?"''

''As the Knight’s Royal Princess… What can I do?'' Just as Silvia was thinking this, her first thought is the intention to expose her identity as the princess.

"As long as I identify myself, we could ask them to release the hostages......"

It is not an exaggeration to have this idea, because she could use her own value as the princess.

''If she can use a person's freedom in exchange for the safety of the public… Isn't this a very good bargain?''

"I will never allow you to do this!"

Surprisingly, Jessica actually tries to stop Silvia. When she heard Silvia talking to herself, with a low voice, she advised her to give up on the idea.

"Once they know that you are Princess Veronica’s sister there’s no one who can guarantee your safety."

"The problem is... If I am the only person who will be sacrificed and these people can be saved––"

"Do not look down on others! I never had the intention to sell you out for my freedom! For I'm Jessica Valentine!"

At this time, Avdocha, who was originally busy giving orders to the men, suddenly turned around and look back at Silvia and Jessica.

"Well, well, well.... There is someone who has the leisure to whisper around even when they are in danger. You really have guts to be doing that."

She took the reins of the basilisk and moved closer to the two. The basilisk with its heavy steps gives off a pressuring feeling; Silvia is almost scared out of her wits.

However. Jessica is the opposite.

She stood up from the spot.

"I am Jessica Valentine!"

"So?"

"Don’t look at me like that. I'm a well-known noble! Out of respect for me… Can you promise that you would never harm the other hostages?"

The heroic act gave Silvia a hard hit.

In such a situation… She actually had the courage to claim herself as a ''noble''...!

Avdocha sitting on the basilisk’s back, her eyes narrowed into a crack.

“Noble? I've never heard of the Valentine house... Anyway. We appreciate your foolhardiness; I’ll now give you an important task! Arrest her!"

Two of Avdocha’s men came forward without a word and held Jessica from both sides. Without any explanation they dragged her to Avdocha.

Like a comforting thought Silvia imagines that there is nothing that needs to be worried about.

However what unfolded in front of all hostages was a tragic scene.

First, Jessica's clothes were torn and stripped off. Then, Avdocha personally took a lipstick and wrote on her belly '''The Head of Valkyrie!’'' 

Jessica from the start to the finish didn't moan once and not even a drop of tears flowed out from her eyes. She just gritted her teeth and bears all this, but it is not difficult to tell what she is experiencing.

Finally, Jessica was taken to the altar and tied to the cross.

"Jessica... I've misunderstood you. In fact. You are a lot nobler than a true noble."

''-Compared to me. I-I’m...... Actually weak and incompetent.''

She could use her identity as a Dragner and fight back...... It is not that Silvia doesn't have this idea; the problem is, as long there are hostages, there is no way to summon Lancelot while in the church.

This space in the church is too small for Lancelot to use its skills.

''"Damn... Why am I... this useless?!"''

Apart from sitting down together timidly with the other hostages, in addition to unable to do anything, Silvia deeply hated herself.

===Part 7===
''"'Avdocha the Convict'? How can this be possible ...!"'' Anya murmured.

Anya, who is disguised as a flower girl, is mixed amidst about a hundred hostages inside the church.

In order to prevent her men, who deeply hated Veronica, from taking any actions Anya also infiltrated Ansrivan. She only went to the St Valeria’s Church to gather information but was unfortunately drawn into Avdocha’s terrorist act.

'Avdocha the Convict' is a legend in the mountains. Since she was lost in a military operation and there were no more rumors about her anymore. So many thought that she had died...

Anya since her childhood had already heard her name and looked up to her. Avdocha had left her village with numerous heroic legends.

Of course, this is the first time Anya saw her.

She had only seen her portrait in the wanted poster in the past at best.

The beauty on the wanted poster is a perfect match with the title 'Avdocha the Convicted'.

The record breaking reward amount, one million Eccles, is also a stunner.

Anycase, the person herself is not the same.

''-I actually didn’t expect that she had such a petite body... Logically speaking… Her actual age should be around the twenties.'' Anya thought to herself.

That aggressive basilisk who was tamed and obeyed her, is the best evidence that she is likely Avdocha. Because in Avdocha’s heroic legend, the basilisk didn’t just play a small role.

However, from Anya’s point of view, there are too many things that don’t fit.

''- Such a terrorist act... is nothing but foolhardy.''

In this world… There are plenty of rebels who recklessly sacrifice their own lives. The Tantalos tribe, since a long time ago, seems to be popular with suicide attackers.

However, judging from the rumors spread on many parts of the mountains, at the very least Avdocha is not that kind of reckless person.

She not only led successful fights one after another, in the end she always survived–– Because of this, Avdocha had become a legend.

Even after the ''‘killed in action’'' message was well known, people still think that ''"maybe she is still alive somewhere in the world"''. That is the part that makes Avdocha so scary and also adds some style to her legend.

Against such legendary exploits, it is impossible for her to do such a foolhardy act as this......

Anya feels that instead of thinking about these problems she should worry about her own safety.

''––Yes... In fact, what's she going to do next?''

Since Avdocha had already set the time limit, they will die if they just sit still.

Don’t forget each time the bell rings… One of the hostages will be killed...

How about if she revealed that she is also from the Tantalos tribe–– Even she did think that… Anya quickly waved off this idea.

She is a veteran.

Such people will not take Anya in as her companion just because of the same skin colour. To act rashly will probably end up with a harsh lesson like that of Jessica Valentine.

Although under Milgauss' help, the mountainous people's dispute was finally able to calm down, but there were a lot of Tantalos family who gave up their home and choose to come out from the mountains. That trend resulted in many people, who were not mountain emigrents, that had the same tanned skin colour as Anya's increasing.

Moreover. There are rumors:

Princess Veronica established a force consisting of foreigners. She also intends to use a different army system for them than from the Knight's army. They are also for other uses.

Also, there seems to be many mountain people who are included in the group.

''––I shouldn’t act rashly or else I’ll be suspected as a soldier from the foreign force......''

Even though Anya is disguised as a flower girl… But that woman is still Avdocha. Perhaps she may recognize that Anya had once undertaken military training at a glance.

''––If that's so… Then the smart move is to temporarily blend in with the hostages and see what’s going to happen next.''

After concluding all that, Anya is hugging her knees with her hands and her head is buried in between them. This way she will not need to face Avdocha directly.

If she can just avoid doing any unsightly behaviour, no matter how many times the bell sounded, Anya will never be so unlucky and be killed? After all, the number of hostages are as many as 100 people......

But god is never gonna let her get off so easily.<ref>This is a proverb.</ref> Beside Anya there was a mother shaking while holding her baby. Maybe the baby sensed her mother’s anxiety, the look on it's face was as if it's going into burst into tears anytime.

''- Please be good...!''

Anya immediately pulls her cheeks and began to coax the baby.

"Chaa...♪"

It is probably that her act is funny but fortunately the baby gave a happy grin.

She silently felt relieved even within her heart, but at the same time she starts to hate herself.

''- What am I actually doing...?''

===Part 8===
Rebecca suddenly speaks to Veronica.

"Are you going to send someone to negotiate?"

Veronica seems like she is interested in this proposal, and looks to Rebecca.

Even when the person she is speaking to is Veronica, Rebecca is still without fear, and gracefully stated her views:

"We must not use the main cannon of the Silvanus until the very end. I think we should make this our trump card and only use it when we are left with no other choice."

"Alright, we’ll follow to according what you had said."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"The question is who will become the negotiator?"

Rebecca with a confident smile responded to Veronica.

"Public order of Ansarivan, since ancient times, is maintained by the Student Council, so I think we should send someone from the council. If it's just a regular student I think they'll let their guard down."

Hearing Rebecca's rhetoric, Ash feels anxious.

Since Silvia was taken as hostage, and the vice president and secretary are nowhere in sight as usual, the candidates left behind are the trio of Rebecca, Max, and Ash.

Of course, everyone knows that Rebecca is the most suitable person for this task, but -

"I recommend Ash Blake as negotiator."

Rebecca has made a very surprising recommendation.

"Huh?"

Ash suspects he'd heard it wrongly.

"That... Rebecca-san, you're serious about it?"

Just when Ash is at loss, Eco interrupted Rebecca.

"Are you kidding? Do you want to let this guy go alone into such dangerous place?"

Facing Eco's fury, Rebecca replies her with a playful smile.

"Could it be that you are worried about Ash?"

Eco suddenly blushed.

"T-Th-That… How is that possible? What I’m protesting about is that you don’t have the rights to order my meat slave!"

Once those words were blurted out… The atmosphere in the navigation room immediately froze.

Even those officers who are in charge of the steering and the communication secretly peeped at Ash as if he is a suspicious person.

"Wait! Don’t talk any nonsense that’ll make people misunderstand!"

The ‘meat slave’ that Eco means is someone who will present their own flesh to their owners when they are hungry. But, by no means, were those officers imagining that kind of meaning.

But the situation right now did not allow Ash to explain himself just because everyone threw him a suspicious glance.

Finally, Veronica broke the silence.

"Well... I didn’t think that you are actually Eco’s ‘meat slave‘. I admire you have some backbone."

"That’s why I say it is a misunderstanding!"

Veronica looked at Ash who is desperately denying.

"Is there anything to be shy about? Isn't it that ‘meat slaves‘ are those who give their own flesh for their lord when they are aware that their lord is at the risk of starvation?"

"That’s why I say it is a misunderstanding... Huh?!"

Ash is stunned.

"You are really strange. If there are any other meanings… Why don’t you speak it out loud?"

Veronica is with a serious expression. As if she only knew this meaning.

Eco and Veronica's thinking seems to have something in common.

"Yes, you're right! That’s what Eco’s ‘meat slave‘ means!"

After Ash grasps the opportunity to explain… The atmosphere of the navigation room finally calms down. Finally, Ash escaped from those sharp glares and he let out a sigh of relief, but the most fundamental problem is not yet solved.

"In short, without my permission, you'll never be going to send him there!"

Eco, who is stubborn, refused to back down.

Similarly, like her, Rebecca looks like she isn't in a hurry either.

"Logically speaking, it's supposed to be my duty as president to go there––“

"Then you just only need to go to solve this problem!"

"The problem is that I cannot go because the terrorists should know that Rebecca Randall is an Ark-Dragner. If I was chosen as a negotiator it's likely that I’ll be ignored."

What Rebecca said is not unreasonable. If Ash was with the terrorists he’d also not greet Rebecca with open arms.

"So Ash, do you think that you can do it? There is a time limit, but you still have an equal strength as an Ark-Dragner. Nevertheless. You are also the ‘Silver Knight’."

"Don’t joke around! This burden is really too heavy for me!! No matter what… I’m just an ordinary student!"

"That’s right. It can be presumed that the other party also sees you as an ordinary student. So this is the advantage."

"The problem is..."

"Don’t be afraid. Even if it is dangerous, Eco will defend you. Am I right, Eco?"

"Don’t you just simply speak in place of others!"

"Oh! So you mean to say that you cannot protect Ash? Is the Ark you made so fragile?"

"I, I didn’t say that! Don’t you dare look down on my Ark!"

"Then, can you protect Ash?"

"Of course!"

Eco confidently lifted her chest.

Ash can only smile.

Rebecca’s technique is really amazing. He doesn't know whether it is fortunate or unfortunate, but Eco did not even notice that she had fallen into Rebecca’s trap.

“Don’t worry, Ash. Even when is Eco protecting you, I will not be bold enough to send you into the enemies’ den alone."

Rebecca, suddenly with a gentle smile, stretched out her hands and gently rests them on Ash’s shoulders.

"Huh?"

The distance between the two is so close that they can sense each other's breath. Even when it is an emergency situation, Ash still could not help but blush. A fragrant aroma could be smelled.

"I will wait for an opportunity to attack the church. It is just that I’ll not be doing the same thing as you. With the Ark, it's child’s play to break into the church through the foundation."

"Foundation?"

Ash at that time doesn’t understand what she means.

"So. This is it!"

However. He then realised Rebecca's intentions.

The first thing was to stall for time by sending Ash into the church acting as a negotiator.

Rebecca, on the other hand, is using the tunnels below to gain access to the church.

Next they’ll use the oracle to blast through the foundation and surprise Avdocha.

"President! Please let me participate in your plan!"

Max shouted.

When the Necromancia attacked the city Max was good for nothing and became a burden. He probably would like to take this opportunity to clear his name.

Rebecca immediately rejected.

"Sorry Max. This time you won’t come in handy."

"... What?!"

Max, burnt out like a candle in the wind, stood motionless.

Ash understands Rebecca’s intentions; he knew she did not mean to ill treat him.

Max, who still remains in the stage of a Dragner, can only show his true colours when he is riding his dragon he. However this battle must be done in small scale and the large body of the dragon will only be in the way.

The Ark-Dragner who can use the oracle specially for the Ark is very suitable for this kind of combat.

Rebecca was right, despite the time constraints, Ash has that ability.

Thanks to Eco’s power Ash can give it a try.

Since he has this ability, what should he do to fulfill his responsibility -

Ash made up his mind.

"I’ll go. After all… Princess is waiting for us to save her."

"Well then. That's more like it." Rebecca said with a smile of appreciation.

She then turned back to face Veronica.

"Do you think this strategy is practical, Your Highness?"

Veronica on the captain’s seat shaking her other leg, gave a satisfied smile.

"Very well, Rebecca. We will make use of your combat strategy, but I do not want to let talented people like you to go on an adventure alone, I’ll let Glenn go with you."

"Captain Glenn’s combat power is what I sought for." Rebecca agreed immediately.

But Glenn opposed it.

"Veronica-sama, I’m the escort’s captain, is it really appropriate for me not to be beside you -"

"What are you talking about? Glenn?"

Veronica whispers in Glenn’s ear.

''She is most probably asking him to personally rescue Silvia who is bound to be married to him-'' Ash thought.

Like a confirmation, to Ash’s prediction, Glenn for a moment exposed an unpleasant expression.

Glenn, ever since he came to Ansrivan, has always maintained expression #1. So such changes must be really rare.

Anyway, Glenn after all is a loyal servant to the king.

"...Yes. Princess."

After he respectfully bowed… His normal poker face returned.

Ash of course does not agree with that absurd marriage but now is not the time to protest.

"Hey, Eco, can we make a deal?"

"Why?"

Ash stood next to Eco and quietly whispered.

Since the other party possessed Empire made bombs then countermeasures must be prepared in advance.

"...Can you do it Eco?"

Just as Ash expected, after listening to his combat strategy, Eco is puzzled.

"Huh? How do I know whether I can do it or not?"

"No. You can do it."

Ash with confidence smile at Eco.

"...?"

Eco simply did not expect that Ash would smile at this time and she fell into a confused silence.

"Remember the last time we fought the Necromancia? At least this opponent is a human. No matter what, it won’t be as difficult as last time."

"Well... perhaps it is like that this time."

"I’ll be looking forward to your performance. Eco."

Then, Ash placed his hand lightly on Eco’s shoulder.

"I-I know. But I’ve a condition––

“Crepes right? After everything is dealt with… I’ll bring you back to look for the stall."

Eco slightly lift her neck and looked up at Ash.

"...You still remember?"

"Of course I remember. Because you're my Pal."

''"W- Why does Ash even have this type of aura around him...!"''

Even when Eco angrily turned her face to the side… Her ears were still all red.

===Part 9===
After alighting from Silvanus Ash passed through the evacuated St Durham Square and moved towards St Valeria’s Church.

On the way there, Ash suddenly remembers the tie clip.

This was given to him by the communication officer before departing.

Inside The tie clip, even though it looks ordinary, is a small piece of Bright-Dragon-Crystal and it will send any sound it received back to the Silvanus' navigation room.

To put it bluntly. It's an ultra-micro magic communication tool.

Only then Ash realised that this type of machinery existed in this world.

Who would think that he would actually take on such a chore? Ash cannot help but secretly cry.

But Rebecca’s analysis is very reasonable; He cannot deny that he is most suitable person to play this role. After all Ash as a student, is unknown to the public but at the same time he has the same combat ability as an Ark-Dragner.

''"Forget it. Anyway. Boats eventually straighten when they reach the docks."''<ref>It means just to 'follow the flow'.</ref>

After he finished thinking, he thrust his hands into the pockets of his pants.

He maintained his speed and continued to walked forward.

Rebecca and Glenn should now have departed towards the church through the underground tunnels.

Just when Ash is 20 meters from the main entrance of the church––

''-Shoo!''

Beside his ears, a whizzing sharp sound is heard and the stone on the ground is followed by a "''pop''!" strange sound.

"...?"

Only after a full few seconds does Ash realised that someone was shooting at him!

''"Are they the ones who fired the shot...!"''

At the second floor church window the are two snipers. They were both armed with weapons that he suspected to be Empire-made sniper rifles.

''Is Avdocha working with the Empire’s army? Or, are they using what they recover from their fights with the Empire...?''

Let's put the origin of the weapons aside; the shooting just now is clearly a warning. If the sniper had the intention to kill, that shot probably would have killed Ash.

After realizing he is one step away from death, Ash gave a cold sweat. But at this time he cannot retreat.

Because Silvia is a hostage being held inside the church––

''"Do not be afraid...Eco is protecting me."''

After Ash pumped himself up, he shouted toward the sniper:

"I’m Ash Blake and I’m here on behalf of the Student Council! Please let me in to negotiate with you!"

Even Ash does not think he sounds convincing but the ‘Student Council’ in this academy town holds a great position.

Since Avdocha is one of the leading activists she should know about this background knowledge.

"......"

They didn’t respond. However. One of the snipers disappeared from the window. From a positive perspective Ash hopes that they are afraid of the student council.

''"Well... How are they going to make their move?"''

Ash, hands in his pocket, patiently waited for the outcome.

After a few minutes a heavy sound is heard–– "''Crack''..." The door slowly opened.

===Part 10===
Once he passed through the door, Ash was soon surrounded by three masked soldiers.

After checking his items he is led to the altar.

Fortunately. The soldiers didn't notice the tie clip and Ash is secretly relieved.

"Oh... So, kid, you're the negotiator?"

In front of the altar Avdocha, riding on the back of the basilisk, looked down at Ash.

Although Avdocha called him a kid… Doesn’t she think that her appearance looks a lot more childish? But, at this time, Ash shouldn’t correct her.

"I am the student council representative for General Affairs. Ash Blake."

While declaring his name, at the same time, Ash quietly observed the entire scene.

A half-naked Jessica was still tied to the altar’s wing cross.

Because she is not moving Ash thinks that she is dead. However. With a closer look there is still a sign of breathing in her chest. It seems that she just lost consciousness.

The red text written on her belly is more shocking than what is seen through the screen.

On the other hand… The hostages lined along the side walls were quiet.

Ash found Silvia in a corner, thanks to the eye-catching academy uniform, Ash is able to find her.

"...!"

With a stunned look Silvia stares at the Ash.

Ash nodded slightly for Silvia to be at ease and moves his sight back to Avdocha.

"General affairs? It seems that I’m looked down upon."

"Even if our president personally came to negotiate… would you even let her in? You should already know that our president is an Ark-Dragner?"

Avdocha laughed.

“Hehe... You talk too much. Say… What you want to negotiate about? Our request is only a simple one; It's Veronica’s head. As long as you obediently hand over her head I’ll immediately release all the hostages. If not we will blow up the church. Things are just that simple. Are they not?"

"You really think we will accept such a request? She is the 'Ironblood Valkyrie'. If desperate enough that person would not hesitate to use the main cannon of Silvanus to blow this church, together with all the hostages, into ashes."

Once Ash blurted that out the hostages immediately began to become restless.

"What did you say?"

"Does Veronica-sama intend to do nothing about us...!"

"Disregard for human life!"

Avdocha cold sight shot through the panicked hostages.

"Silence!" With a loud sound enough to shake the earth.

Everyone kept quiet instantly.

"Is the purpose of this trip is to make the hostages panic? I’ve never seen such a foolish negotiator."

"I was just declaring the truth. If you continue to delay… you will all lose your lives in vain!"

"Do you think this threat will be effective?"

"I don't think so. I've heard a lot about what you have done... That’s why I do not understand why would you do such things?"

Avdocha did not directly answer the questions. She just change the subject.

"So be it... I’ll tell you about my past."

"What did you say?"

The unexpectedly development cause Ash to be caught unprepared.

"In fact. We have been looking for my sister that has disappeared for quite a long time."

"Sister?"

"Yeah, but, I still do not know whether she is alive or not. It's because of the mountain disputes that caused our separation."

Is she trying to arouse the sympathy of the people? Or that she has some other purposes?

"... What happened after that?"

Ash tried to maintain a sound-calm-look while silently urging her to continue.

"What I want to say is this. Talking about this... I heard that Veronica has three sisters. I would like to let her feel the pain of being separated from her sisters."

Ash feels that he has goosebumps.

''Damn. This situation is very bad.''

Ash finally understands why Avdocha deliberately brought up the sister topic.

Because she wanted Veronica to also taste the same bitter feeling.

Avdocha is not likely to let Silvia off litely once she is exposed.

Unfortunately, there are no signs that Rebecca and Glenn are about to break into the church.

''- Are you alright Eco...?''

With a desperate feeling Ash focus his attention on his left arm’s ‘Seikoku’.

Through this 'Seikoku' Eco and Ash are able to communicate.

''- Eco... Can you hear me?''

Eco does not respond.

===Part 11===
--- Dragon Workshop ---

This is but a space used by dragons to create their works. Even though Eco only has some knowledge about this space there is no doubt that this place is different from the real world.

If the real world is defined as the physical world, then this can be compared to the spiritual world. Since they are not bound to the body anymore they can imagine freely. With some effort, flying to the sky is not a problem-

Once Ash entered the church, Eco sent her spirit to the Dragon Workshop. Her true body is protected in Silvanus's navigation room so she does not need to worry about the safety of her body.

The floor is paved with checkerboard like white and black square tiles.

On the wall, there are many works left behind by her ancestors and were hanging there without any order. Just like a museum of black and white.

"Welcome to the Dragon Workshop."

As usual. The woman called Navi comes forward to meet Eco.

"You again..."

Eco with a bored look stared at Navi.

Frankly. Eco is not good at dealing with her.

Today Navi is wearing a dark red dress and sitting on an antique chair.

When I grow up. Will I become like her? Eco hated to look at her. Even her horns are different from Eco's as both of them are sharp and pointed.

"Isn't this only the second time we've met? How could that slow pace, of the two of us meeting, make you feel tired?"

"Hmph! I don't even want to come to this place!"

Eco impatiently talks back to Navi’s teasing.

''Sure enough. I have this headache whenever I meet this woman.'' Eco fretted.

"Do you not have even a little desire to create? As I have told you; Dragons are born craftsman. Do you really not want to help him––Ash Blake––create an original Ark? "

Eco’s cheeks suddenly felt hot.

"D-Don’t joke around, why would I want to help that guy...!"

"Well… I think he is a very great guy! Since 'every dragon would surrender to him' he is also very mysterious. You too… Quickly grow into your 'true form' and let him ride on you...Then you may be addicted to that feeling."

''“'True Form'?”''

Eco suddenly feel uneasy.

"What do you mean? In other words… My current form... Is just a deception? In the end… Why was I born in the human form?"

A flirtatious smile emerged on Navi’s face.

"Because the human form is also the real you."

"...?"

"But you are eventually a dragon and also Ash Blake’s Pal. I hope that you can soon be'' 'awakened' ''."

"Weird. Somehow every time you talk… I feel a fire emerging in my belly!"

"Hehe... Sorry. I seem to like to tease you. Back to the topic. You are here in order to complete your mission… Are you not?"

"Hmm... Yeah. That guy asked me to prepare a suitable Ark against the Empire-made bomb."

"He intends to use the power of magic against machinery? Well… Here we go."

Although she is very unhappy with Navi’s long-winded behaviour… Conditions do not allow her to continue to waste her time in useless dialogue. So Eco closed her eyes and summoned the large number of designs left behind by her ancestors.

The total number of these designs is well over a thousand.

What Eco can do now, is to extract the parts which are suitable for Ash and re-build it into a new Ark suitable to go against the Empire-made bomb.

Although it is only an 'extract and re-build' it will still consume a huge amount of magic.

It will cause a huge burden on the young dragon Eco.

Even so. For Ash, who is in the enemy’s den, and also for her favorite crepes, Eco can only try… -

===Part 12===
Anya, who was mixed into the crowd, noticed something uniqe and her eyes widened while her thoughts went rambling on.

''- That guy-!''

''The ‘Silver Knight’ who successfully controlled the Necromancia-''

''The one who has potential to become Milgauss' enemy in the future-''

''This guy not only came into the church as a negotiator but he also revealed his own name.''

''"The student’s Council’s representative for General Affairs-Ash Blake is it...? I’ll remember your name."''

Even when out of nowhere she was caught in Avdocha’s terrorist act, which caused her to fall into despair, but it was also a blessing in disguise because now she knew Ash’s name without putting in any effort.

The only thing is, she has to leave this church alive, otherwise there is no meaning behind this. Not only each time the bell rings, they will kill a hostage… Veronica is also outside aiming the Silvanus' main cannon here.

So the first task is to get out of this dangerous place alive.

Once any event that is not expected by Avdocha happens it's simple for her to escape.

In order to grasp this opportunity she must make herself ready......

"Chaa... ♪"

The thing is… Anya is now carrying a baby.

––She's the ‘Ironblood Valkyrie’. If desperate enough she wouldn't hesitate to use the Silvanus' main cannon and turn this whole church together with the hostages into ashes.

After hearing Ash’s announcement the mother, now laying beside her, was so scared that she lost consciousness.

Fortunately Anya had good reflexes and she managed to grab the baby, and narrowly avoided the disaster of the baby bursting into tears. The problem now is that the situation is still at a critical point.

''"What can I do......"''

After Anya muttered with a sigh, her chest suddenly felt numb and almost straightened her body.

It turned out that the baby stretched its arms to reach out and touch Anya's breast.

''––M-My breast. Even Milgauss-sama had never touched them before!''

The baby is probably hungry and wants to drink milk. Anya naturally cannot produce any milk, and the baby's mother is still unconscious.

''- What is your mom doing! How could this be possible just because she lived in the peaceful days for too long!''

At the same time Anya is cursing in the bottom of her heart, the baby starts to fondle her breast.

All of a sudden it squeezes it with its hands, and the next moment it rubs them with its face.

Compare to its mother’s breasts Anya’s are a lot smaller. Maybe the baby is troubled with the difference between the two?

Finally, through the clothing, the baby actually bites Anya’s nipples.

"...... Ah!"

Under the strange sensation… Anya came out with a weird noise.

This voice causes her to blush with shame.

"Don’t you dare ask for too much!"

Anya quietly scolded it and forces the baby away from her chest.

Unexpectedly, the baby turns sour...

"Woo Woo ... ''hick…'' ... Waaaaaa!"

It suddenly burst into tears.

Anya looks ashen, even when she tries to please the baby, but it is a complete failure. She can’t be blamed for this because she has never taken care of a child

''- Damn...... if Avdocha......''

However, in only five seconds, Anya’s worries have become reality.

"So noisy...... Can’t a mother of the Knight country discipline her child properly?"

Anya, still hidden in the crowd, feels her whole body stiffening instantly.

"Since it's too noisy… why don’t you release the women and children?"

The boy named Ash steps forward to help, but Avdocha just laughed him off.

"How can I? Moreover. The first bell is going to ring soon. I have been always punctual; so let’s just choose the baby as a sacrifice."

"Are you kidding? Are you even human? It is just an innocent baby!"

"Do you think there is time to care about the age of every opponent on the battlefield? If you are careless, it isn't surprising, there will be a day that you will be killed by a five year old kid!"

"Even if it is like that––”

As if to prevent Ash from saying anything the basilisk gave a ferocious deep rumbling growl.

"Grrrr......"

Once Avdocha heard the growl she laughs, and as if answering back…

"Hmm. Is it so…."

"What's so funny?"

"Hehe... It says that baby is just enough to wet the teeth. Well then… Bring me the mother and her child!"

After Avdocha gave the order two masks soldiers immediately take action.

''––I-It can’t be!'' Anya is horrified.

Avdocha actually wanted to feed the wing lizard with her and the baby......

One step, two steps. The soldiers move through the crowd and are coming nearer.

Since their expressions cannot be seen under the mask, many people shudder.

“Uuu..."<ref>Voice of being scared.</ref> The crowd moans.

Anya is scared and begins to shed tears.

Even though Anya has cheated death a few times, and is a veteran, she still can't withstand Avdocha’s heavy pressure. Her mind instantly turns blank.

The soldiers are closer now.

''"I can’t be saved anymore...!"''

Just when Anya gives up hope––

"Hold on!"

A loud voice echoed in the church, someone came forward to stand in front of Anya.

The first thing that emerged in Anya’s eyes is a dazzling golden hair.

The person in the dragon riding academy’s uniform protected Anya and the baby and declared to Avdocha:

"I am Lautreamont Royal Knight’s family fourth Princes-Silvia. I request, as a member of the royal family, for you to immediately release the mother and its child!"

===Part 13===
The voice in the church, through the magic communicator in Max’s hand, can be heard in the airship Silvanus' navigation room

『 "I am Lautreamont Royal Knight’s family fourth Princes-Silvia. I request as a member of the royal family for you to immediately release the mother and its child!"』

The moment Silvia exposed her own identity… Max became dumbstruck.

"What the hell is Her Royal Highness doing...?!"

Isn't she inverting the root and branch<ref>Proverb.</ref>? As a result, it is essentially giving Avdocha the trump card.

"Hmph. That idiot..."

Veronica muttered, but she didn’t show an unhappy expression.

On the other hand, it looks like she is smiling.

===Part 14===
''"That's our country’s Princess for you!"'' Silvia, who took the initiative to expose her own name, of course surprised Ash. Though in his heart he had other thoughts.

Because in this case, in order to save the mother and her child, unless Silvia came forward, there would be no other way.

"Hmm... Why bother? If you had kept quiet… Then you might not have been noticed."

Avdocha controlled the basilisk’s reins and approached Silvia.

"I-I am a Princess! How can I sit quietly and watch my people be killed!"

"Hehe...... How appealing, but how come your body is shaking like that?"

"This is because my fighting spirit is trembling!"

Even when she verbally didn't admit defeat, Ash could see that Silvia is obviously trying to be brave.

"Is that so. Let me see how brave you are?"

Avdocha's face gave a dark smile while her hand stretched out signaling her underlings to act. The underling pulled out a shamshir and respectfully handed it to Avdocha.

"Stop!"

Ash wanted to rush out to protect Sylvia, but was stopped by Avdocha’s underlings and is held from behind.

"You idiots! Let me go!"

No matter how hard Ash struggles the soldiers didn’t give the slightest stir. Even the 'School’s number one problem child' is no match for a veteran soldier.

"Hehe...... You have good luck because your location is just right at the VIP’s seat.”

Avdocha said that with a grin, and rode her basilisk as it slowly moved forward.

The distance to Silvia is gradually shortened.

Finally, in front of Silvia, the basilisk used its tongue to lick at Silva’s face.

"...Eww!" Even Silvia could barely hold back her screams.

Though apparently she has long been scared out of her wits.

“Look this way Silvia!” Avodcha gave a thunderous shout.

Perhaps she is already prepared as Silvia opened her arms to both sides.

Then. She makes a declaration:

"To die like a knight...... is what I wish for!"

"I admire your guts!"

Avdocha lifted the shamshir.

"Stop––!"

Ash’s scream cannot stop the merciless blade.

''-Shaa!'' As the blade passed through the air.

Killed.

Silvia was killed.

Ash lost hope.

===Part 15===
"...?"

Silvia is still standing.

There is no blood on her body.

The incredible thing is… Silvia did not even feel the pain.

The next moment–– Silvia found out that the tight uniform is no longer binding her.

Pieces of cloths like snowflakes are dancing in the air.

Silvia felt seriously humiliated.

''"...Why is it always like this!"''

Avdocha didn’t slash at Silva’s flesh nor bones–– but... .

Only her clothes, like an apple skin, are peeled off, and her almost naked body lay exposed.

Coincidentally. The same thing was recently done by Veronica.

Her body, which is only covered with some clothes and underwear fragments, displays an almost naked type of half-nakedness.

Silvia covers her chest with both hands, squatted in place and huddled into a ball. She knew Avdocha’s sight is focused right on her bare skin.

"Princess! Didn’t you desire to die like a knight? Where is your previous pride? You have just been exposed naked to the public, yet you change back to what ordinary women and children do? I almost threw up! You don’t have the right to become a knight! And. It is not worthy for me to kill you! "

"I... I...!"

Being looked down by Avdocha from the very start, Silvia’s emotions were gradually coming to a boil.

At the same time, she is trembling more than ever.

But it is not because of fear that she is trembling. She is trembling because she is full of fighting spirit.

''"-... This woman was right. What do I have to feel ashamed about? This is no different from any ordinary woman or child? And I even dare to call myself a Knight...... It will just make people laugh! Although I do feel regret… I just need to admit it. I don’t have sufficient awareness. No wonder anee-ue scolds me......!"''

''"––Be aware of yourself… Silvia Lautreamont! What’s my aim? An excellent knight? That is indeed one of my goals in the past. But I was asking too little from myself. Have to think quickly. I'm Silvia Lautreamont! What is the only realm that I can reach? To show her the future that only I can have!"''

At that moment… Silvia's mind received God's enlightenment and she suddenly found her answer.

"Phew... Avdocha. I'll have to thank you."

Ash was shocked when Silvia's face suddenly reached a happy expression.

Even Avdocha, who had already turned her back on Silvia, was surprised.

"Are you mad?"

Avdocha ridiculed and gave a laugh.

Silvia covered her chest with her hand and gracefully stood up from the ground.

"Princess ......?"

Ash wants to avert his eyes from Silvia's naked body but they refused to move.

It is not because he has any indecent thoughts.

It is because of a bright shining glow that made him reluctant to avert his sight.

Avdocha and her subordinates, as well as the rest of the hostages, are like Ash. Everyone's eyes are watching Silvia.

"Avdocha. You are the one who made me aware of how weak I am and what lack of awareness I have."

“So? I’m only speaking based on the truth."

“However. I never before noticed such obvious things. It is a real shame to say so... However. '''I have been reborn!''' The past me is already killed by your sword! The new Silvia is now reborn! "

"Oh... I'd like to ask to ask. What can a reborn Silvia do?"

Avdocha look at her fiercely.

The basilisk gave a frightening breath.

Even so. Silvia did not budge.

"I am the woman who is going to become the Paladin!"<ref>King of the Knight country.</ref>
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p233.jpg|thumb|I am the woman who is going to become the Paladin!]]

Silvia’s declaration echoed in the church loudly.

"Hee… hee… haha! Even I didn’t expect this answer... You want to become the Paladin? What nonsense! So, in order to achieve your goals, you have to try to break through this dilemma. Well. What are you gonna do?"

Unexpectedly, Silvia laughed.

"Nothing. I had said that I’m gonna become the Paladin! There are people supporting me from behind and I also have anee-ue as my family. I just need to believe in them and wait for the 'upcoming moment'!"

"Haha. Don’t you think that before before something like that happens, I can take your life away so easily?"

"If I die at your hands… It only means that I’m just so-so."

Just when Silvia heroically makes the declaration––

There is a terrible shake and just then, in a surge of raging magic, a hole is neatly cut through the floor of the church.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Ash!"

Equipped in their Arks Rebecca and Glenn jump out from the large, newly created hole in the floor.

“––Enemy ambush!” Avdocha’s men shouted.

In the blink of an eye the soldiers move into formation and attack Rebecca and Glenn. The one who is holding Ash is no exception.

"Appear! The certain hit magic spear! Gáe Bolg!"

Right after Rebecca summoned her magic spear Glenn follows by summoning his own Ark-Dragner’s personal Ark-weapon.

"Appear! The lightning speed magic sword! Caladbolg!"

Ash’s eyes widened.

''"That's Glenn’s personal Ark-weapon......!"''

The magic sword Caladbolg is a giant sword with its length comparable to Glenn’s height. Glenn, without much effort, swings the sword just like an image of lightning speed. No wonder he is Veronica’s escort’s captain.

"Hmph...... An unsightly person!"

Even as she curses them Avdocha is still able to smile. Ash cannot understand how she manages to stay calm.

At this time… Avdocha suddenly jumped off the back of the basilisk and rushes toward the back of the altar.

"Is she...!"

Ash, who realised what she's going to do, clenches his teeth. Even when he wants to continue chasing, the basilisk blocks his way.

The basilisk's eyeballs, as it manuvers in the way, rotate and continue to stare at Ash.

"Hehehe. Don’t forget I still have the bombs. It is your loss."

Avdocha at the back of the altar proudly laughs.

The reinforcements, Rebecca and Glenn, are still fighting the enemy soldiers. As worthy of the people of the mountains they successfully pin down the Ark-Dragners.

Of course,if Rebecca and Glenn show their true ability, in the blink of an eye they would be the winners. However, if they don’t hold themselves back, they will not only kill their opponents but all the hosteges too. Even the whole church will be destroyed!

''-What am I going to do?'' Ash was in a dillema.

If the stalemate continues… Then Avdocha is going to press the button. No, before that, he has to deal with the basilisk or else he can’t get himself close to the altar.

The problem is that, for an unarmed human to win against a basilisk, it is indeed a fantasy.

''"Shoo......"''

In that instant. The basilisk issued terrible breath and started stomping around.

It moves its limbs with high-speed and, like gliding on the ground, it rushes towards Ash.

"Ha…?’’

Its speed surprised Ash. Although he is conscious about it his two legs refused to move. Ash is jinxed to become a statue as his whole body involuntarily stiffened.

"Uwaaaa!"

Ash helplessly screams.

The basilisk is right in front of him opening it's mouth.

In his mind there is a clear image of him getting bitten into pieces and broken into two main portions.

''"My God ...!"''

Silvia quickly covered her eyes. She did not have the courage to face the scene of Ash being shredded by the beast.

''"I... How could I be so weak? Where did I get the idea of becoming a Paladin......!"''

Silvia slumped to her knees.

''"Sniff"''...... Her tears fell off from her eyes onto the stone floor which was gradually becoming wet.

At this time. "Oh... A divine light...!" A hostage with a praising tone mutters.

And the others around him are also affected.

"...?"

Silvia wipes off her tears and raises her head.

A pale white light fills her entire field of vision.

After a short moment the light can no longer be seen, and there is a hot surge emerging from Silvia’s chest.

“Ash......!”

Equipped in the Ark Ash, with one hand, held up the basilisk’s upper jaw.

===Part 16===
Ouch. The ‘Seikoku’ on his left hand is so hot.

His consciousness is almost swept away by the powerful magic.

''『 "- Sorry for the long wait."』''

Eco's voice finally can be heard in his mind.

''"It's so scary... Do you know that I was nearly eaten by this thing."''

Ash, who now can feel the Ark’s magic, smiled brashly.

He looked down to re-examine his own body and he sees a set of blue colour Ark armour which made him remember Silvia's eyes.

''"Thank you. Eco."''

''『"D-Don’t need to thank me... I'm not doing it in order to help you. It's for the crepes okay!"』''

Eco's cheeks are bright red.

"How is this possible? You are also an Ark-Dragner? How did we miss this information-?"

While witnessing the dazzling Ark, with a look of surprise, Avdocha’s almond eyes widen.

"My Pal is different from the others!" Ash shouts!

At the same time Ash lightly pushes the basilisk’s chin. The basilisk is stunned by Ash as its previous imposing attitude has vanished.

"You are very obedient. Well. The beast seems to be very sensitive to stronger opponents."

While Ash steps forward, the basilisk obediently steps back.

"I’m stronger than you! If you are from the Asia’s and if you have some intelligence, Quickly be on your knees!"

Frighten by Ash’s voice, at first it is anxious to know what to do, then letting out a scream it knelt down.

"That's right."

Ash gently sat on its back.

"Ah! What are you going to do with Kuu-chan!"

Avdocha screams.

“Kuu-chan? Even when you look so scary, I didn’t think that you had such a cute name."

Ash gave a wry laugh. Kuu seems embarrassed and lightly twists its body.

"It seems that the situation has reversed. Avdocha. Let’s go Kuu!"

Being kicked by Ash Kuu gave out a roar and starts running towards the altar.

"Hey, Hey, Kuu-chan! I’m your master!"

Avdocha, who is panicked, simply looks like a child.

While sitting on Kuu’s back, Ash is searching for the information regarding his Ark-weapon.

Soon… A strange weapon design is spread out in his mind.

After checking the properties and the additional effect of the weapon Ash gave a satisfied smile.

Eco managed to do what Ash proposed.

Kuu, like an Asia, kept on running forward.

The distance to the altar quickly narrows.

Avdocha’s face also turns pale.

"Appear!...... The absolute Zero Holy gun––"

Under Ash’s summons, an extremely long gun emerges out of thin air.

Its shape is similar to the Empire made sniper rifle and yet also is like a spear.

The aim is locked on the altar.

While pulling the bolt. '' 'Kacha' '' At the same time as the metal sounded off, the magic ammunition was loaded into the chamber.

"Brionac!" Ash yelled while pressing the trigger.

A magic bullet shot out from the muzzle followed by a loud sound. The heavy bullet shell casing is ejected with a ''‘Clang’''. It then hits the ground and rolls.

"Uuu ...!"

The shot created a powerful recoil which almost caused Ash to fall from Kuu’s back, but fortunately he is in his blue Ark and stays firm in the saddle.

At the same time the magic bullet is shooting towards the altar, a pale blue flash can be seen.

“Kuu. Retreat!”

Kuu, listening to Ash's order and quickly turns around, runs in the direction opposite of the altar.

"What!"

Avdocha cried out in dismay.

After the freezing magic was launched… Shining ice crystals can be seen coaleasing.

The ice crystals gradually increase in size and quickly engulfed the entire altar together with the bombs.

"A-Avdocha-sama!"

Not only that… Avdocha’s men, while being caught up in the effect, are also mercilessly frozen..

"Finally......!"

Ash smiled.

To fight, against Empire made bombs, experts are required. However, even though Knight Country and the Kingdom had many exiled scientists from the Empire, the problem is not enough time to recruit, train and deploy them.

If that being the case… It is better to risk trying to use the oracle’s power for freezing the bombs to the point they are disabled. This is Ash's basic strategy.

Ash asked Eco to produce an Ark with ice properties.

Needless to say… This idea is obtained when he was in the Silvanus' lounge reading the novel ‘The Sky Dragon Knight Chronicles'. The protagonist in the series ‘Silver Knight’ uses the freezing magic to interrupt the operation of the machine.

Of course Ash can’t guarantee the actual effect in real life. He can only gamble––at least at this stage the bombs that have become ice have ceased functioning.

"W-Wait a minute! I-......"

Avdocha was barely able to move from the relatively wide range of the ice gun's frozen effect. In the end… She does not escape the inglorious fate of becoming an ice statue.

What he needed to be worried about was that before she became completely frozen, Avdocha seemed to have something to say. But, in short, the St Valeria’s church incident has ended.

===Part 17===
Up to a hundred hostages were released.

Avdocha and her men, who had become ice statues, were carried out with the help of the civil engineers. Those veteran soldiers, in the end, had become ice and were dragged off by the Asias on a cart. Only the word pitiful can be used to describe them.

Since Kuu was Avdocha’s pet it was also taken away by the escorts. Ash silently prays in hope that Veronica will treat it well.

More importantly, he now needs to complete the task that is at hand.

Even though he knows his actions are wrong, Ash still climbs up the icy altar and starts to rescue Jessica who is tied to the winged cross.

Fortunately the freezing magic did not spread to Jessica. Just that, in order to avoid looking at her naked skin while trying to save her, his job is quite difficult.

When Ash finally cut the rope and with both hands carried Jessica -

"Nn ..."

Jessica in Ash’s arms slowly opened her eyes.

Right after she found out that Ash is carrying her. Her eyes widen.

"Y-You...... You are Ash Blake? Why...... Are you in an Ark...?"

"Huh? Err… No, this is..."

Ash regretted his mistake.

He simply did not think that Jessica would regain her consciousness so soon.

Ash does not know how to remove the Ark. So before Eco’s magic runs out, he can only continue wearing it.

Clearly there is no way to continue to hide the truth anymore, Ash can only give an excuse to explain it.

"... Yeah. The 'Silver Knight' is me. It is just that today my Ark is not silver in colour."

After Ash honestly confesses, Jessica’s cheeks turn red.

"To use ice attacks against those mechanical bombs is simply ‘Silver Knight’ himself! Waa-wah. Ash-sama!"

"Sama?"

Ash is stunned. Jessica eyes are now watery.

Moreover. Jessica is only wearing her underwear. The cleavage made by her breasts can be clearly seen. Even under such occasions, Ash cannot help but being seduced. In front of the beauty that is Jessica, even the blue Ark's strength cannot come in handy.

"I have been determined for a long time, that my first time will be at the church altar."

"What lies! It's obvious that you had just thought about it!"

"I beg you, Ash-sama, please give me your sperm now...!"

Somehow, dispite being carried, Jessica really began to take off her underwear on the spot. The first thing she actually takes off is her panties instead of her bra.

"Your order of taking off your underwear is too strange, or it should be said, who even asked you to take them off!"

Ash quickly held Jessica's hands to stop her.

"Do not worry."

Jessica sexy lower abdomen is slowly exposed. Eventually, even the following parts are––

"Stop! This is too casual!"

"I'm ready, Ash-sama... Her goddess St Valeria is also staring at us."

"Her goddess Valeria is a protector of law! We will be arrested!"

"Hee hee... I didn’t think that you were so introverted."

Jessica's sweet smell is disturbing Ash.

"Uuh!"

Ash inexplicably feels dizzy; and almost falls down from the altar together with Jessica.

At this time, Rebecca speaks to Ash from behind.

"Hey, Ash! Hand her to me, you go and take care of Silvia."

Rebecca had long removed her Ark and is helping the escorts to do their tasks. She should have been very busy. However she probably saw that Ash is in trouble and could not bear just being a bystander.

“Sorry to trouble you Rebecca-san."

Ash hands Jessica to Rebecca.

"Ah, ahh, Ash-sama, please stay!"

"S-Sorry... See you next time!"

Ash put Jessica’s regretful sounds aside and ran to look for Silvia.

Along the way the Ark breaks into sparkling fragments.

===Part 18===
Silvia is standing against the wall.

Her body is wrapped in blankets given to her by the escorts. Her naked body, that has been exposed not long ago, is now wrapped up tightly. The thing is, her curves can still be seen. Ash, after putting in some effort to not focus on those curves, spoke to Silvia.

"Yo Princess. Err... Are you okay?"

Ash, suddenly becoming lost, can only squeeze out these few words. It's a little embarrassing.

"Ahh. I’m not injured...... You saved me again."

"My performance is nothing much, but rather... Princess you are so cool."

"Y-You... What are you talking about!”

Silvia, who is now blushing, probably has lost all her strength, and she unsurprisingly suddenly stumbles.

"... Careful!"

Ash immediately reached out, and caught Silvia's body.

But only after the blanket, wrapped around Silvia’s body, sliped off and fell to the ground.

"A-Are you alright?"

Ash looked at the place above her neck and timidly asked.

He instantly thought that he would not escape her iron fist, but for some reason Silvia didn't show her usual angry expression. Ash then sets her down on her feet.

"S-Sorry. That…. My waist ... I just suddenly..."

Silvia's eyes filled with tears as she quickly picks up the blanket and wraps herself.

If Ash did not catch her in time she would probably have fallen.

"Otherwise... I’ll give you a piggyback."

"Huh? But..."

"You don’t have to feel shy."

Ash smiled back, turned around, and gently lifted Silvia.

Silvia felt embarrassed at the start, but shortly after that she just held onto Ash’s neck.

At that moment… Ash felt that Silvia breasts, pressing on his back, change their shape.

"...huh!"

"What’s wrong. Ash?"

"N-Nothing ..."

Ash blushes while being unexpectedly stimulated, and at the same time continues his pace.

===Part 19===
On her way to the magicship Silvanus while being piggybacked by Ash.

"...?"

Silvia is suddenly struck with an incredible feeling.

''- Why is this? Being piggybacked by Ash… Somehow I miss this feeling... Am I familiar with this back...?''

This nostalgic atmosphere is so strong until Silvia can barely hold back her tears.

''The only thing is, the gentleness of Ash’s back is just too comfortable -''

Silvia, without realising, dozed off.

"Paladin ~ A. B. S. 1365.5 ~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Chapter 4

2014-06-28T03:00:08Z

Anlanther: /* Chapter 4 - Avdocha the Convicted */

==Chapter 4 - Avdocha the Convicted==
===Part 1===
Early in the morning, Ash put on his uniform and rushed out of the magicship Silvanus straight to school.

Since he has obtained Veronica’s permission last night the guards in charge did not stop Ash.

On the way there Ash didn't encounter Captain Glenn. Of course, Ash also simply did not want to meet him.

By quickly running up the stairs he finally arrived at the Student’s Council’s office.

"I’m entering."

He opens the door without hesitation but just as he does so… An object, like a cannon, flew into his arms.

"Oh! ......Eco?"

Eco’s body is soft.

Yesterday she probably went to stay in Rebecca's room for the night. He smells a sweet scent. One that that will not make you tired of it and yet will also make you feel refreshed.

"Something wrong?"

Eco’s attitude made Ash feel troubled. The feeling is like that between a pet and its owner that have been separated for a long time, and it leaped at its owner when they were reunited.

The thing that he doesn't understand is… Does Eco have those kind of feelings? They didn’t see each other for only one night... And yet. Her personality has become so docile?

"It's annoying that you are so slow…..."

Eco buries her face in Ash’s chest and is reluctant to let go. Not only did she not let go there are also signs that she is hugging him a lot more tightly. The heat from her is transferring to Ash's body.

If it's only just that… Then he can let it be. Right after that thought, Eco grabbed Ash’s tie and pulled him right into the front of her face.

"S-Slow down. Wait... My neck is going to break ...!"

Ash quickly put his hand into the gap between tie and neck, which barely enables him to breathe once again. At least he was now free from the danger of suffocating.

What was wrong with Eco so early in the morning?

Her cheeks are bright pink and her eyes were watery.

Ash is struggling but Eco continues to attack.

"Huff......"

After making that cute sound… Eco’s feet begin wrapping around his leg.

Her legs in knee socks, one of them sliding in between Ash thighs. The moment her soft thigh came into contact with his crotch his whole body shivers.

"No...... My body is so hot... I can’t stand it any longer." Eco gasped.

As she kept tugging Ash’s tie while lifting her body up.

Her half opened lips moving towards Ash’s cheek––

"Uwaa!"

Extending her tongue she gently licked Ash’s cheek. Like a dragon who wants to be spoiled by its master.

"...... Ah?"

At this moment… Ash spotted something–– from Eco's mouth there comes a rose like smell.

"You...... Show me the inside!"
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p004-005.jpg|thumb|'' Is this...... alright! '']]

"Is this......alright?" Eco says after she jumps down.

The usual Eco would ignore Ash’s order. However this morning, it is now like she is a different person. Her cheeks are getting redder and she stares at Ash’s face.

Being flirted with by her eyes… Ash saw Eco actually gently lift her miniskirt.

"... Huh?" Obviously Eco was confused about what 'inside' meant.

For the moment. Ash just couldn't understand what was happening right in front of him.

"You...!"

Ash almost fell backwards.

The thing clinging to Eco’s pure white skin almost caused his awareness to be swept away. That underwear, embellished with lots of lace, was designed for adults!

Suddenly he came back to his senses… Ash obstinately holds Eco’s hands.

"What are you doing you fool! I'm not talking about the skirt. It's what's inside your mouth!"

"Umm... I know..."

Eco with a flushed face opens her mouth halfway.

Behind her pearl white teeth, a pink tongue can be seen.

"So this stuff is the culprit!"

On Eco’s tongue was a piece of round candy.

A strong Ansal smell went into his nostrils.

Even though Ansals are harmless to humans, it brings a strong intoxicating effect to the dragons. Like drinking alcohol is for humans… Ansal’s smell brings pleasure to dragons.

The problem is that Eco is only a young dragon. Even with only a small amount of Ansal the result it brings is hard to predict.

"Come on. Quickly spit it out!"

"Nn....”

Eco exhaled a mouthful of heat, and firmly grasped Ash’s tie.

Don’t take Eco as just a petite girl as her strength is still like a dragon.

Ash, unable to do anything, can only let her pull him–– Eco, with Ash immobilised, mouth half-opened with her lips...

At the same time, Eco’s tongue breaks past the barrier.

"...!"

The two sticky and slippery tongues tangled.

The unimaginable shock makes Ash’s mind go blank and is transfixed in place.

"Tee hee..."

During that time of contact, the candy has rolled into Ash’s mouth.

The mouth-fed candy has melted into half of its original volume, Eco’s body temperature still remains on the candy.

Ash was entirely entranced.

"You… Just now..."

His face is hot as if flame is going to burst out from it.

At the start Ash was concentrating too much on the mouth-fed candy. That is why only until now, Ash found their lips were sticking tightly together. Eco then slowly averted her face, revealing a devil like smile.

According to that… Wasn't that his and Eco’s first kiss?

"Nn....”

Suddenly, like a puppet whose string was broken, Eco fell limp.

She buried her face in Ash’s arms and fell into a deep sleep. Seems like the drunken Eco has finally fallen asleep.

"Really... She only knows how to give people headaches."

Just as Ash breathed a sigh of relief–– A new voice is heard...

"..... From the position of between a human and a dragon, your behaviour just does not sound healthy."

"Uwaaa!"

Hearing a surprisingly calm voice, Ash was shocked.

''- Glup!''

The candy in his mouth is accidentally swallowed.

"....Rebecca! Since when have you been here?"

Rebecca leisurely crosses her arms in front of her chest, as she stood in the doorway. Her face is wearing a snappish smile.
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p169.jpg|thumb|Rebecca leisurely crosses her arms in front of her chest, as she stood in the doorway. Her face is wearing a snappish smile.]]

"Do you even need to ask? Of course… When Eco ran out of the room."

"Isn’t it that you were here from the beginning to end? Why did you stand on the side-lines and not come to my aid!"

"Well that scene was very exciting! Oh, Ash, by the way, that underwear Eco is wearing belongs to me."

"Yikes...!"

After hearing that, Ash cannot help but think about Eco’s exposed underwear...

Those laces flooded his whole mind, the material should be silk, right? He remembers the top has a unique gloss. It turns out that Rebecca usually wears those kind of underwear–– After getting lost in his imagination Ash returns to his senses.

"Hey! That's not the point! I would like to know why Eco’s mouth was stuffed with that candy."

"Ahh. You mean that? That is my self-prepared, personal snack. When she saw me licking it on my palm, Eco came and begged for one. When I saw her eager face… How could I heartlessly refuse? "

"Rebecca, even when you knew the Ansal herb will have a negative effect on Eco, why did you continue to let her eat it?"

"Huu? ... I do not understand what you mean by that."

Rebecca exposed a playful smile and hid inside her room.

===Part 2===
Rebecca looked at the faces of all those who were present.

"Then let the meeting begin. Silvia will not be present for today’s meeting... So there are only three people left?"

She was correct. Right now. The ones who are sitting around the table are Rebecca, Max and Ash, the trio. By the way… Eco is lying on the couch.

The Vice President and the Secretary don't seem like they intend to attend this morning either.

"Right... Doesn’t it feel a little lonely?”

After Ash stated this Rebecca looked at him ridiculously.

"Any problem with it Ash? Are you so lonely when Silvia is not here? Is Rebecca onee-san not enough to satisfy you?"

"How could I dare to think so?!!"

Ash was too nervous to know what to do next. Max, right beside him, was also shocked but he interrupts:

"President. We don't have the time. Please don't tease Ash anymore and quickly begin the meeting."

"Hmm. You’re right. Every time I see Ash… I just want to make fun of him."

Rebecca, with a bitter smile, returns back to the topic.

"As you have heard, Princess Veronica's condolence trip is going to be held this afternoon. Actually... We must represent the academy’s students by accompanying the Princess."

Ash senses something bad.

"The people who are going to accompany the Princess must be Max, Ash, Eco and I. This is Princess Veronica’s orders. We do not have the right to refuse."

Just like what he sensed… His bad feeling was correct.

"Princess Veronica has many enemies. If someone wants to assassinate the Princess they certainly will not miss this great opportunity. Even though there are the seven escorts, who are in charge of the security, we still should not neglect precautionary measures. We, as mere Dragner's, must also be mentally prepared to be able to protect the Princess when there is danger."

"Please. May I ask ..."

Ash timidly raised his hand.

"Is there a problem Ash?"

“Rebecca-san. You're not a 'mere' but a dignified Ark-Dragner. Max, also, is an outstanding Dragner but I'm just a humble breeder.”

"What nonsense are you talking about? Didn’t you also have the famous title 'Silver Knight'?"

"... That's not the kind of title I want. Even if you give it to me for free."

"But I think that it's suitable for you. Back to the topic... The next thing is the main point."

After changing the topic… Rebecca showed a serious expression and passed the information in her hands to Ash and Max.

That is commonly known as a 'Wanted Poster'.

The entire sheet of paper is full of the details of the criminal’s characteristics and looks.

The reward offered actually reaches up to one million Eccles<ref>The currency in this story. From a town in UK.</ref>. Compared to a normal reward this amount is excessively large.

"We received some information from a certain party that 'Avdocha the Convicted' has infiltrated Ansarivan. Everyone please be very careful."

===Part 3===
The Ansarivan revival operations are well underway. The noise, hustle and bustle of construction and repairs sounded off in St Durham’s Square one after another;

The sound of the roaring man supervisor.

The sturdy frame operator’s loud cry.

The knocking sounds of the hammers.

The Necromancia’s attack had happened a full two weeks ago.

The Square had been razed to ruins, and yet today the revival operation was going on smoothly.

Magicship Silvanus landed slowly from above the square.

Right after she safely alighted from the magicship… Veronica immediately, with a loud voice, announced to the public:

"Dear countrymen! Thank you for your hard work!"

On recognizing the heroic Veronica… The scene is suddenly full of cheers.

"Wow. It's the Princess Veronica Her Royal Highness!"

"To even think that Her Royal Highness will actually come to a place like this..."

"That armour really looks valiant!"

Every worker stops doing their work as they are all moved and full of tears. However, Veronica just stared at them fiercely and...

"Who allowed you to rest?! Why are you bothering with my existence. Immediately continue with your work!"

At Veronica's loud voice, even the earth would shake! Furthermore, the Asias that were brought to the construction site were also shivering.

"Yes. Princess!"

Even though all the workers are burly, self-confident and brawny, they were all now feeling particularly vulnerable and hurried to resume their own work.

The sense was more like a strict supervisor who came rather than a condolence visit. Ash, standing beside Veronica, cannot help but laugh bitterly.

Rebecca, Max, Ash and Eco, the four of them followed along with the arrangements made in the meeting this early morning. They are accompanying Veronica as the student representatives.

"Hmm... There is something strange."

Eco from the start is looking around aimlessly.

Did she find out something unusual using her dragon’s intuition? If it is so, the situation they are in will be a serious one, it is most likely an enemy of Veronica.

"Eco? Is there anything suspicious?"

Ash, with a nervous voice, asks Eco but she then revealed an extremely unhappy expression.

"The crepe stall is gone."

"... Hu?"

"I said, I can’t find the stall selling crepes!"

Ash is dumbstruck. What Eco likes to eat most is none-other than the crepes sold in the stall selling crepes in St Durham Square.

"You tell me... What Crepe seller will do business in this construction site?"

"Wuhu<ref>Whining sound.</ref>...... My crepes..."

Eco is so disappointed that she showed a dejected expression and there are tears whirling in her eyes.

"Really.. I can’t stand you any longer. The owner must have moved his stall to some other part of the streets. Later we will look for it together… Alright?"

"Really?"

Once she had heard this, Eco immediately smiled dazzlingly.

"...!"

Her smile is like a full blooming rose of which Ash cannot help but stare at deeply.

"Something wrong?" Eco asked when noticing Ash's stare.

Right after Eco confusedly asked… Only then did Ash come back to his senses and, with an pumped up attitude, he cleared his throat.

"Ahem. No. Nothing......"

In short. His bribery has been successful and Eco will, temporarily, quiet down. After all, he is now playing the role of Veronica’s guard with a heavy responsibility. Just in case this job was messed up by Eco, it would be hard for him to make sure that his head stays on his neck. Using crepes in exchange for the safety of his head… This price is nothing.

"Hmm. Using the strength of an Asia? A breeder who chooses to be a civil engineer is really rare."

"Y- Yes. I’m just lucky!"

At the same time as Ash is trying to keep Eco calmed down, Veronica’s condolence trip is smoothly being carried out.

Apart from the square, the surrounding buildings have also been damaged by the Necromancia. Which is why there are many carpenters are working there right now.

The carpenter Veronica is talking to seems to be a breeder and at the side an Asia can be seen pulling a trolley.

The fierce looking carpenter, due to excessive fear when facing Veronica, looked very nervous. Somehow, this scene is really amusing.

Looking at that the kind of laid-back scene Ash suddenly remembered the name that Rebecca brought up at the morning meeting.

--‘Avdocha the Convicted'

According to the report; She has the blood of a Tantalos. From a young age she has been doing guerrilla activities in the mountains. Later on she spread out from the mountains and was involved in terrorist attacks across the continent. She is very famous for her anti-establishment activity.

But five years ago, in the capital City of Fontaine, after Veronica’s assassination ended in failure… She was never seen again.

Some reports stated that such an activist is likely to stage a comeback for Veronica. Of course. The credibility of those reports are yet to be verified but still they must be prepared for the worst.

Ash gathered his nerve and whispered in Eco’s ears.

"Hey, Eco."

"... What’s the problem?"

"In case that I ran into a dangerous situation… Could you make me the Ark?"

"Well. Do you even want that kind of patch up work? I don’t mind, but there will be conditions-"

"Alright, alright, no matter how many crepes you want to eat... I’ll buy them for you."

''Except for the ansal flavor crepes...'' Ash, in his heart, silently added just as the nearby church bell rang.

That's the bell to indicate one o’clock in the afternoon.

"It is already this late...?"

Listening to the solemn bell, Silvia's face suddenly emerges in Ash's mind.

The building around St Durham Square has more than one church.

At this time Silvia should be complying with Veronica's command by offering her prayers in the St Valeria’s church for repentance.

Just when Ash takes Silvia’s feelings into account, and his mood was subsequently depressed, something happened.

Suddenly. ''-Boom!''

The sound of an explosion can be heard.

"W-What happened?"

Ash, surprised, looked toward the other end of the town square.

A thick black smoke is seen rising into the sky.

"It can’t be ...!"

The worst thought emerges in Ash mind.

The location where the black smoke emerges is St Valeria’s clock tower.

At the same time the explosion occurred, the public presently gathered in the square started screaming and the crowded site degraded into a mess.

After all, only a few days ago they were subjected to the Necromancia’s attack. Because of that, the present reaction of the town citizens are particularly extreme.

“-Princess please return to Silvanus.”

At this time, Glenn’s voice is heard.

"You’re right." Said Veronica, as she just calmly nodded without blinking an eye.

Ash who could not help but angrily interrupt said:

"Didn’t you see that church? Princess may be right inside there -"

However, Veronica coldly interrupts Ash:

"Don’t worry. From now on, I declare from this moment, Silvanus will become the strategic headquarters of this Operation. All of you, please return together."

Even when her biological sister may be caught up in the bombings, Veronica’s calm attitude really pissed people off.

===Part 4===
Silvia arrived at the St Valeria’s Church.

Under Veronica’s order she did not even bring her maid Cosette with her.

St Valeria’s statue was positioned on the altar.

St Valeria is one of the Twelve Apostles who served St Rosa Maria.

In the denomination of Rosa Maria's bible; St Valeria is not only portrayed as a woman full of compassion, but the protector of law.

In addition to Silvia, there are also many people who patronise the church. Most of them look like tourists though. So, those who are like Silvia––who have their own troubles––are of the minority.

“St Valeria. Please forgive my imprudent actions."

Silvia knelt in front of the altar and began to pray.

"St Valeria’s..."

At this time, someone else right beside Silvia is non-stop praying.

That voice feels very familiar.

"Please bless me so that I will get pregnant with 'Silver Knight'-sama’s child......"

"What are you praying for?!!"

"Kyaa!"

''THUND''. That person is so shocked by the other roaring voice that she screamed and fell backwards.

Silvia carefully looked at her face.

"...I knew that it was you, Jessica Valentine!"

Jessica stood up straight and stared back at Silvia.

"Oops. Look at you… You're not with the Princess? I thought you were to accompany Princess Veronica for her condolence trip today."

"Err... Sorry to tell you that I did not accompany her!"

"Y-You. What are you getting angry about?"

"Give me a break! That is not the point… How come you're here?"

Jessica obviously does not understand the reason Silvia is so angry.

"Well. I just wanted to beg St Valeria to bless me for an easy childbirth..."

"St Valeria is a protector of law! You have looked for the wrong Saint! "

"Hmm. I’m not like the rest, I won’t even bother such a small detail."

"What type of small detail is this?”

"Hm... If you keep on clinging to petty things like this… You will never be on equal footing with the Princess!"

Silvia, who feels her weakness is exposed, suddenly became furious.

“What did you say? Outsiders like you will never understand!"

“It's obvious at a glance–– There's too much difference in both of your open-mindedness."

"Ugh! How shameless are you... to talk about someone else pain!"

"Oops. It is your pain? Oh… As a royal you are far behind Veronica-sama. In your open-mindedness and as a Dragner your strength is far less than 'Silver Knight'-sama; I advise you to learn how to be a woman, you can take this noble’s daughter as an example."

"What did you say......?"

Silvia couldn’t bear with it any longer and her rational thinking snapped. She felt that what Jessica implied was as if she is trying to persuade her to hurriedly marry Glenn. Although logically it is impossible for Jessica to know of her arranged marriage with Glenn, but Silvia can’t care about the details so much.

"Ha! A mere Randall family’s servant even has the nerve to ask me to take her as an example? Even my toes are laughing!"

Jessica's face turns from red to white and back to red.

"Can it be Rebecca had told you...?"

"Don’t worry, under the president’s order, I will not spread this to the public. But, I would like to advise you to have a little restraint and stop falsifying your status."

Jessica lips tremble, she fiercely glared at Silvia.

"Then I’ll ask you... Can you can guarantee that your actions are never related to falsehood?"

"I-I..."

Silvia is also afraid that someone will see through her timid side, which is why she is always pretending to be strong. As one of the Lautreamont Knight Country’s Princess' she is trying her hardest to play the ideal image of ‘This is what a princess should do’.

Isn't such behaviour also taken as falsehood?

"Oops. Could it be that I hit the bull’s eye?"

"N-No. That's not it...”

Just while Silvia intends to voice a rebuttal-

''-Boom!''

The sound of explosion came from above.

The floor shook due of the impact, while dust, sand and stones fell from the ceiling.

Judging from this evidence… There seems to have been an explosion upstairs.

"Kyaa!"

Silvia is so frightened she inadvertently clung to Jessica.

Maybe Jessica is equally caught up in the panic and she wraps her arms around Silvia and hugged her hard.

Silvia and Jessica’s screams are like a trigger which make the other visitors cry.

It was only one explosion but compared to the original sacred atmosphere of the Church, it instantly turned into a living hell.

At this time… A condescending shadow was cast over the apalling scene.

"Who’s that person?"

Silvia's eyes widened.

Black hair, with gimmering eyes full of evil.

Wearing a native folk costume, with a high degree of exposure, an almost tanned coloured skin can be seen.

Like in a drama, the woman began to speak:

"‘Blame the sin, rather than the sinner!’ What a joke! The fragile mind of a human is the root of all evil, and all who are sinners will never escape death!"

''WHACK!'' The woman snapped a toss of the whip in her hand––

"I shall be called "Avdocha the Convicted’"!" <ref>In this sentence she speak in an high and mighty form. It is very hard to translate so the simple form will be I am 'Avdocha the Convicted’.</ref> The woman said in a high and mighty manner.

Silvia became dumbstruck.

She remembers that name.

"How come... this person is 'Avdocha the Convicted’?"

Silvia knew about the existence of this anti-establishment activist. Long ago… She had also seen her 'wanted order' several times.

Her reward amount is up to one million Eccles.

However, the woman in front of her has the face of a child, a petite body, and a childlike appearance, which caused others to disbelieve she is a battle-hardened terrorist. She is totally different from the picture in the wanted poster.

But the woman with a calm expression looks at the visitor.

Even while her body looks petite, she is still able to look down from up high.

That is because she was standing on the back of a basilisk!

Under the sight of the big rolling eyes that only a basilisk has––

''"Eek...!"''

Both Silvia and Jessica trembled.

The extreme fear causes them to not release each other’s hands.

––––Basilisk!

Even though they bear a striking resemblance to lizards, their size is nowhere near that of a normal lizard. Although they are well known as close relatives of an Asia, judging from the body's apperance, there is not even a slightest hint that they have a Dragon's intellect.

After capturing it... To tame such monster and ride it like a horse, no matter what, it could never be done by an ordinary person.

So the only explanation is… The woman in front is none-other than 'Avdocha the Convicted’––

"From now on, you are all hostages! Just don’t act rashly and I will not take your life! On the other hand... If someone dares to fight back… Don’t blame me if we use you to feed him!"

Following Avdocha’s order, the basilisk made an earth-shattering roar.

===Part 5===
The atmosphere of the airship Silvanus’s navigation room was very tense.

The crew, led by the helmsman, are at their posts; They were ready to take off at any time.

"Huhu... It's hard even for me to tolerate this, Glenn."

Veronica who is smiling while sitting on the captain seat said.

"Yes. Veronica-sama."

Glenn seriously nodded in agreement.

Apart from the escort’s captain Glenn who is by Veronica’s side, the other six escorts are on their dragons responsible for the protection of Silvanus.

Under Veronica’s order Rebecca, Max, Ash and Eco ––members of the student’s council–– also gathered in the navigation room.

"Hey.... How can you be so calm? The church that Princess is in was attacked!"

Ash, unable to restrain his emotions, questioned.

Veronica, on the captain’s seat, comfortably cross her legs and teased:

"You're too inexperienced Ash. During the Necromancia’s attack, were your emotions this unstable? If it is so, then you were just lucky the last time–– You'd better give some deep thought about it or else you cannot guarantee even your own life."

"What did you say?"

"Veronica-sama!"

At this moment the communication sergeant, while looking back at Veronica, interrupts Ash.

"There is a signal from St Valeria’s Church!"

Beside the communication sergeant’s hand, the Bright-Dragon-Crystal next to the magic communicator is shining.

"Connect to it."

"Understood!"

The magic communicator continued to flash for a while then a projection appeared in mid-air.

"––!"

Ash gasped. Even though he knew that this is a type of oracle, he had never seen such method. The technology must have been imported from the Empire.

Although there is a lot of static noise, the scene shown on the screen looks like the interior of the St Valeria’s church–– St Valeria’s statue set on the altar statue proves this fact.

The only thing is, the screen didn’t show the hostages. Of course, that does not rule out that Silvia could have been abducted.... which made Ash anxiously clench his fists.

At this moment… The projection screen suddenly shows a woman's face.

『 "I shall be called 'Avdocha the Convicted’. Wait, since we are already familiar with each other, I don’t need to announce my name… Right Veronica?"<ref>This is also spoken in an high and mighty form.</ref>』 She again spoke with a haughty and powerful voice.

"You're right. So could you quickly tell me what your demand is?"

Veronica shows the calm demeanor of a royal family.

"She is...'Avdocha the Convicted’?"

Ash's eyes widen and he turns speechless.

Seeing her childlike face Rebecca, Max and Eco seem to feel the same way as Ash. All of their faces looked stunned and skeptical.

Because comparing between her looks and the arrest warrant they received earlier… They are apparently two completely different characters.

The portrait in the arrest warrant looks like a 24-year-old she-leopard with a sharp look, which gave the feeling of a veteran guerrilla soldier......

『 "I’ll let you have a look at this first!"』

The screen suddenly focuses at another person’s body.

The altar of the Rosa Maria’s religion is magnificently decorated with its symbolic totem wing like crucifix. However, there is a person tied to the winged cross.

Ash and the others turn speechless and not just because of Avdocha’s fetishes.

"Jessica...?"

Rebecca, who knew her since childhood, muttered blankly.

She is not wrong, the one tied on the winged cross is––the president of the SKFC––Jessica Valentine, of all people. Evidently she seems to have inadvertently become a hostage.

"That’s t-too much!"

Ash's lips are trembling.

Jessica is actually only wearing her underwear.
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p190.jpg|thumb|The humiliated Jessica was desperately struggling to hold back her tears.]]

Apart from her underwear and knee socks the rest of her clothing was mercilessly stripped away.

The humiliated Jessica was desperately struggling to hold back her tears.

Not only that, there are also squiggles on top her bare belly that reads:

''- The Head of Valkyrie!''

"That. Is that blood text...?"

"No. that does not look like blood. It should be something like lipstick.”

Rebecca swept away Ash’s worry.

"Hmm... To even use hostages as a meat shield to make me offer my head. She is really an insatiable woman." Veronica calmly remarks.

Even after witnessing Jessica’s inhumane treatment, Veronica is still so easy going.

At this time, the screen slowly moves downwards, and the altar is shown.

"...What is that?"

Ash frowns.

Around the altar, there are black objects that give the impression of a ''"machine"''. Although it is an extremely strange and rarely seen thing, they are filled with a dangerous atmosphere that can never be found coming from equipment within the church.

From the screen Avdocha’s voice is heard again:

『 "As you can see we have a bomb set up in the church. This is an Empire made mechanical bomb. Once detonated, the church will immediately be blown to pieces. Also, I am a person who has no patience. Every time the bell rings... I’ll kill a hostage."』

"What did you say...?!"

Ash excitedly clenches his fists.

She is threatening that every hour there will be someone who will lose their life.

Until the next time the bell rings… there is only around fifty minutes.

『 "Hehe... I can’t wait to see your head when it is off your neck Veronica."』

Once finished with these words the communication was terminated.

It seems that Avdocha stopped it herself.

"Your Highness. What should we do now?"

Rebecca asked, but a sneer is shown on Veronica’s mouth.

The coldness of her sneer, caused Ash’s hair to stand up straight.

"I’ll never compromise with terrorists. If we face an emergency situation we’ll use the main canon of Silvanus to blow up the whole church."

"What ..."

After hearing this emotionless declaration, Ash felt as if he is punched at the back of his head.

Even when she knew that Silvia may also be inside the church. But...

"You are really...!"

Ash finally understands the reason Veronica is given the title 'Ironblood Valkyrie'.

===Part 6===
---Moving backwards slightly in time---

Nearly a hundred worshipers were taken hostage along with Silvia. Of course, due to unexpected events, they are trembling endlessly while still trying to grasp the situation that they are in.

The terrorist’s mastermind is 'Avdocha the Convicted’.

There are nine soldiers surrounding them.

The nine soldiers give off the feeling that they are from the mountains and are large, muscular men. They are dressed in their folk costumes; With an eagle looking mask on their face they are equipped with the mountain people's usual whip and shamshir<ref>Half-moon shaped dagger.</ref> dagger and others. The nine men seem to be loyal to Avdocha. In contrast to their savage like looks, they accept orders just like any regular army soldiers.

Avdocha’s objective is to defeat Veronica. She probably wants to take advantage of the 100 hostages to achieve this goal.

''"is there nothing that we can do?"''

''As the Knight’s Royal Princess… What can I do?'' Just as Silvia was thinking this, her first thought is the intention to expose her identity as the princess.

"As long as I identify myself, we could ask them to release the hostages......"

It is not an exaggeration to have this idea, because she could use her own value as the princess.

''If she can use a person's freedom in exchange for the safety of the public… Isn't this a very good bargain?''

"I will never allow you to do this!"

Surprisingly, Jessica actually tries to stop Silvia. When she heard Silvia talking to herself, with a low voice, she advised her to give up on the idea.

"Once they know that you are Princess Veronica’s sister there’s no one who can guarantee your safety."

"The problem is... If I am the only person who will be sacrificed and these people can be saved––"

"Do not look down on others! I never had the intention to sell you out for my freedom! For I'm Jessica Valentine!"

At this time, Avdocha, who was originally busy giving orders to the men, suddenly turned around and look back at Silvia and Jessica.

"Well, well, well.... There is someone who has the leisure to whisper around even when they are in danger. You really have guts to be doing that."

She took the reins of the basilisk and moved closer to the two. The basilisk with its heavy steps gives off a pressuring feeling; Silvia is almost scared out of her wits.

However. Jessica is the opposite.

She stood up from the spot.

"I am Jessica Valentine!"

"So?"

"Don’t look at me like that. I'm a well-known noble! Out of respect for me… Can you promise that you would never harm the other hostages?"

The heroic act gave Silvia a hard hit.

In such a situation… She actually had the courage to claim herself as a ''noble''...!

Avdocha sitting on the basilisk’s back, her eyes narrowed into a crack.

“Noble? I've never heard of the Valentine house... Anyway. We appreciate your foolhardiness; I’ll now give you an important task! Arrest her!"

Two of Avdocha’s men came forward without a word and held Jessica from both sides. Without any explanation they dragged her to Avdocha.

Like a comforting thought Silvia imagines that there is nothing that needs to be worried about.

However what unfolded in front of all hostages was a tragic scene.

First, Jessica's clothes were torn and stripped off. Then, Avdocha personally took a lipstick and wrote on her belly '''The Head of Valkyrie!’'' 

Jessica from the start to the finish didn't moan once and not even a drop of tears flowed out from her eyes. She just gritted her teeth and bears all this, but it is not difficult to tell what she is experiencing.

Finally, Jessica was taken to the altar and tied to the cross.

"Jessica... I've misunderstood you. In fact. You are a lot nobler than a true noble."

''-Compared to me. I-I’m...... Actually weak and incompetent.''

She could use her identity as a Dragner and fight back...... It is not that Silvia doesn't have this idea; the problem is, as long there are hostages, there is no way to summon Lancelot while in the church.

This space in the church is too small for Lancelot to use its skills.

''"Damn... Why am I... this useless?!"''

Apart from sitting down together timidly with the other hostages, in addition to unable to do anything, Silvia deeply hated herself.

===Part 7===
''"'Avdocha the Convict'? How can this be possible ...!"'' Anya murmured.

Anya, who is disguised as a flower girl, is mixed amidst about a hundred hostages inside the church.

In order to prevent her men, who deeply hated Veronica, from taking any actions Anya also infiltrated Ansrivan. She only went to the St Valeria’s Church to gather information but was unfortunately drawn into Avdocha’s terrorist act.

'Avdocha the Convict' is a legend in the mountains. Since she was lost in a military operation and there were no more rumors about her anymore. So many thought that she had died...

Anya since her childhood had already heard her name and looked up to her. Avdocha had left her village with numerous heroic legends.

Of course, this is the first time Anya saw her.

She had only seen her portrait in the wanted poster in the past at best.

The beauty on the wanted poster is a perfect match with the title 'Avdocha the Convicted'.

The record breaking reward amount, one million Eccles, is also a stunner.

Anycase, the person herself is not the same.

''-I actually didn’t expect that she had such a petite body... Logically speaking… Her actual age should be around the twenties.'' Anya thought to herself.

That aggressive basilisk who was tamed and obeyed her, is the best evidence that she is likely Avdocha. Because in Avdocha’s heroic legend, the basilisk didn’t just play a small role.

However, from Anya’s point of view, there are too many things that don’t fit.

''- Such a terrorist act... is nothing but foolhardy.''

In this world… There are plenty of rebels who recklessly sacrifice their own lives. The Tantalos tribe, since a long time ago, seems to be popular with suicide attackers.

However, judging from the rumors spread on many parts of the mountains, at the very least Avdocha is not that kind of reckless person.

She not only led successful fights one after another, in the end she always survived–– Because of this, Avdocha had become a legend.

Even after the ''‘killed in action’'' message was well known, people still think that ''"maybe she is still alive somewhere in the world"''. That is the part that makes Avdocha so scary and also adds some style to her legend.

Against such legendary exploits, it is impossible for her to do such a foolhardy act as this......

Anya feels that instead of thinking about these problems she should worry about her own safety.

''––Yes... In fact, what's she going to do next?''

Since Avdocha had already set the time limit, they will die if they just sit still.

Don’t forget each time the bell rings… One of the hostages will be killed...

How about if she revealed that she is also from the Tantalos tribe–– Even she did think that… Anya quickly waved off this idea.

She is a veteran.

Such people will not take Anya in as her companion just because of the same skin colour. To act rashly will probably end up with a harsh lesson like that of Jessica Valentine.

Although under Milgauss' help, the mountainous people's dispute was finally able to calm down, but there were a lot of Tantalos family who gave up their home and choose to come out from the mountains. That trend resulted in many people, who were not mountain emigrents, that had the same tanned skin colour as Anya's increasing.

Moreover. There are rumors:

Princess Veronica established a force consisting of foreigners. She also intends to use a different army system for them than from the Knight's army. They are also for other uses.

Also, there seems to be many mountain people who are included in the group.

''––I shouldn’t act rashly or else I’ll be suspected as a soldier from the foreign force......''

Even though Anya is disguised as a flower girl… But that woman is still Avdocha. Perhaps she may recognize that Anya had once undertaken military training at a glance.

''––If that's so… Then the smart move is to temporarily blend in with the hostages and see what’s going to happen next.''

After concluding all that, Anya is hugging her knees with her hands and her head is buried in between them. This way she will not need to face Avdocha directly.

If she can just avoid doing any unsightly behaviour, no matter how many times the bell sounded, Anya will never be so unlucky and be killed? After all, the number of hostages are as many as 100 people......

But god is never gonna let her get off so easily.<ref>This is a proverb.</ref> Beside Anya there was a mother shaking while holding her baby. Maybe the baby sensed her mother’s anxiety, the look on it's face was as if it's going into burst into tears anytime.

''- Please be good...!''

Anya immediately pulls her cheeks and began to coax the baby.

"Chaa...♪"

It is probably that her act is funny but fortunately the baby gave a happy grin.

She silently felt relieved even within her heart, but at the same time she starts to hate herself.

''- What am I actually doing...?''

===Part 8===
Rebecca suddenly speaks to Veronica.

"Are you going to send someone to negotiate?"

Veronica seems like she is interested in this proposal, and looks to Rebecca.

Even when the person she is speaking to is Veronica, Rebecca is still without fear, and gracefully stated her views:

"We must not use the main cannon of the Silvanus until the very end. I think we should make this our trump card and only use it when we are left with no other choice."

"Alright, we’ll follow to according what you had said."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"The question is who will become the negotiator?"

Rebecca with a confident smile responded to Veronica.

"Public order of Ansarivan, since ancient times, is maintained by the Student Council, so I think we should send someone from the council. If it's just a regular student I think they'll let their guard down."

Hearing Rebecca's rhetoric, Ash feels anxious.

Since Silvia was taken as hostage, and the vice president and secretary are nowhere in sight as usual, the candidates left behind are the trio of Rebecca, Max, and Ash.

Of course, everyone knows that Rebecca is the most suitable person for this task, but -

"I recommend Ash Blake as negotiator."

Rebecca has made a very surprising recommendation.

"Huh?"

Ash suspects he'd heard it wrongly.

"That... Rebecca-san, you're serious about it?"

Just when Ash is at loss, Eco interrupted Rebecca.

"Are you kidding? Do you want to let this guy go alone into such dangerous place?"

Facing Eco's fury, Rebecca replies her with a playful smile.

"Could it be that you are worried about Ash?"

Eco suddenly blushed.

"T-Th-That… How is that possible? What I’m protesting about is that you don’t have the rights to order my meat slave!"

Once those words were blurted out… The atmosphere in the navigation room immediately froze.

Even those officers who are in charge of the steering and the communication secretly peeped at Ash as if he is a suspicious person.

"Wait! Don’t talk any nonsense that’ll make people misunderstand!"

The ‘meat slave’ that Eco means is someone who will present their own flesh to their owners when they are hungry. But, by no means, were those officers imagining that kind of meaning.

But the situation right now did not allow Ash to explain himself just because everyone threw him a suspicious glance.

Finally, Veronica broke the silence.

"Well... I didn’t think that you are actually Eco’s ‘meat slave‘. I admire you have some backbone."

"That’s why I say it is a misunderstanding!"

Veronica looked at Ash who is desperately denying.

"Is there anything to be shy about? Isn't it that ‘meat slaves‘ are those who give their own flesh for their lord when they are aware that their lord is at the risk of starvation?"

"That’s why I say it is a misunderstanding... Huh?!"

Ash is stunned.

"You are really strange. If there are any other meanings… Why don’t you speak it out loud?"

Veronica is with a serious expression. As if she only knew this meaning.

Eco and Veronica's thinking seems to have something in common.

"Yes, you're right! That’s what Eco’s ‘meat slave‘ means!"

After Ash grasps the opportunity to explain… The atmosphere of the navigation room finally calms down. Finally, Ash escaped from those sharp glares and he let out a sigh of relief, but the most fundamental problem is not yet solved.

"In short, without my permission, you'll never be going to send him there!"

Eco, who is stubborn, refused to back down.

Similarly, like her, Rebecca looks like she isn't in a hurry either.

"Logically speaking, it's supposed to be my duty as president to go there––“

"Then you just only need to go to solve this problem!"

"The problem is that I cannot go because the terrorists should know that Rebecca Randall is an Ark-Dragner. If I was chosen as a negotiator it's likely that I’ll be ignored."

What Rebecca said is not unreasonable. If Ash was with the terrorists he’d also not greet Rebecca with open arms.

"So Ash, do you think that you can do it? There is a time limit, but you still have an equal strength as an Ark-Dragner. Nevertheless. You are also the ‘Silver Knight’."

"Don’t joke around! This burden is really too heavy for me!! No matter what… I’m just an ordinary student!"

"That’s right. It can be presumed that the other party also sees you as an ordinary student. So this is the advantage."

"The problem is..."

"Don’t be afraid. Even if it is dangerous, Eco will defend you. Am I right, Eco?"

"Don’t you just simply speak in place of others!"

"Oh! So you mean to say that you cannot protect Ash? Is the Ark you made so fragile?"

"I, I didn’t say that! Don’t you dare look down on my Ark!"

"Then, can you protect Ash?"

"Of course!"

Eco confidently lifted her chest.

Ash can only smile.

Rebecca’s technique is really amazing. He doesn't know whether it is fortunate or unfortunate, but Eco did not even notice that she had fallen into Rebecca’s trap.

“Don’t worry, Ash. Even when is Eco protecting you, I will not be bold enough to send you into the enemies’ den alone."

Rebecca, suddenly with a gentle smile, stretched out her hands and gently rests them on Ash’s shoulders.

"Huh?"

The distance between the two is so close that they can sense each other's breath. Even when it is an emergency situation, Ash still could not help but blush. A fragrant aroma could be smelled.

"I will wait for an opportunity to attack the church. It is just that I’ll not be doing the same thing as you. With the Ark, it's child’s play to break into the church through the foundation."

"Foundation?"

Ash at that time doesn’t understand what she means.

"So. This is it!"

However. He then realised Rebecca's intentions.

The first thing was to stall for time by sending Ash into the church acting as a negotiator.

Rebecca, on the other hand, is using the tunnels below to gain access to the church.

Next they’ll use the oracle to blast through the foundation and surprise Avdocha.

"President! Please let me participate in your plan!"

Max shouted.

When the Necromancia attacked the city Max was good for nothing and became a burden. He probably would like to take this opportunity to clear his name.

Rebecca immediately rejected.

"Sorry Max. This time you won’t come in handy."

"... What?!"

Max, burnt out like a candle in the wind, stood motionless.

Ash understands Rebecca’s intentions; he knew she did not mean to ill treat him.

Max, who still remains in the stage of a Dragner, can only show his true colours when he is riding his dragon he. However this battle must be done in small scale and the large body of the dragon will only be in the way.

The Ark-Dragner who can use the oracle specially for the Ark is very suitable for this kind of combat.

Rebecca was right, despite the time constraints, Ash has that ability.

Thanks to Eco’s power Ash can give it a try.

Since he has this ability, what should he do to fulfill his responsibility -

Ash made up his mind.

"I’ll go. After all… Princess is waiting for us to save her."

"Well then. That's more like it." Rebecca said with a smile of appreciation.

She then turned back to face Veronica.

"Do you think this strategy is practical, Your Highness?"

Veronica on the captain’s seat shaking her other leg, gave a satisfied smile.

"Very well, Rebecca. We will make use of your combat strategy, but I do not want to let talented people like you to go on an adventure alone, I’ll let Glenn go with you."

"Captain Glenn’s combat power is what I sought for." Rebecca agreed immediately.

But Glenn opposed it.

"Veronica-sama, I’m the escort’s captain, is it really appropriate for me not to be beside you -"

"What are you talking about? Glenn?"

Veronica whispers in Glenn’s ear.

''She is most probably asking him to personally rescue Silvia who is bound to be married to him-'' Ash thought.

Like a confirmation, to Ash’s prediction, Glenn for a moment exposed an unpleasant expression.

Glenn, ever since he came to Ansrivan, has always maintained expression #1. So such changes must be really rare.

Anyway, Glenn after all is a loyal servant to the king.

"...Yes. Princess."

After he respectfully bowed… His normal poker face returned.

Ash of course does not agree with that absurd marriage but now is not the time to protest.

"Hey, Eco, can we make a deal?"

"Why?"

Ash stood next to Eco and quietly whispered.

Since the other party possessed Empire made bombs then countermeasures must be prepared in advance.

"...Can you do it Eco?"

Just as Ash expected, after listening to his combat strategy, Eco is puzzled.

"Huh? How do I know whether I can do it or not?"

"No. You can do it."

Ash with confidence smile at Eco.

"...?"

Eco simply did not expect that Ash would smile at this time and she fell into a confused silence.

"Remember the last time we fought the Necromancia? At least this opponent is a human. No matter what, it won’t be as difficult as last time."

"Well... perhaps it is like that this time."

"I’ll be looking forward to your performance. Eco."

Then, Ash placed his hand lightly on Eco’s shoulder.

"I-I know. But I’ve a condition––

“Crepes right? After everything is dealt with… I’ll bring you back to look for the stall."

Eco slightly lift her neck and looked up at Ash.

"...You still remember?"

"Of course I remember. Because you're my Pal."

''"W- Why does Ash even have this type of aura around him...!"''

Even when Eco angrily turned her face to the side… Her ears were still all red.

===Part 9===
After alighting from Silvanus Ash passed through the evacuated St Durham Square and moved towards St Valeria’s Church.

On the way there, Ash suddenly remembers the tie clip.

This was given to him by the communication officer before departing.

Inside The tie clip, even though it looks ordinary, is a small piece of Bright-Dragon-Crystal and it will send any sound it received back to the Silvanus' navigation room.

To put it bluntly. It's an ultra-micro magic communication tool.

Only then Ash realised that this type of machinery existed in this world.

Who would think that he would actually take on such a chore? Ash cannot help but secretly cry.

But Rebecca’s analysis is very reasonable; He cannot deny that he is most suitable person to play this role. After all Ash as a student, is unknown to the public but at the same time he has the same combat ability as an Ark-Dragner.

''"Forget it. Anyway. Boats eventually straighten when they reach the docks."''<ref>It means just to 'follow the flow'.</ref>

After he finished thinking, he thrust his hands into the pockets of his pants.

He maintained his speed and continued to walked forward.

Rebecca and Glenn should now have departed towards the church through the underground tunnels.

Just when Ash is 20 meters from the main entrance of the church––

''-Shoo!''

Beside his ears, a whizzing sharp sound is heard and the stone on the ground is followed by a "''pop''!" strange sound.

"...?"

Only after a full few seconds does Ash realised that someone was shooting at him!

''"Are they the ones who fired the shot...!"''

At the second floor church window the are two snipers. They were both armed with weapons that he suspected to be Empire-made sniper rifles.

''Is Avdocha working with the Empire’s army? Or, are they using what they recover from their fights with the Empire...?''

Let's put the origin of the weapons aside; the shooting just now is clearly a warning. If the sniper had the intention to kill, that shot probably would have killed Ash.

After realizing he is one step away from death, Ash gave a cold sweat. But at this time he cannot retreat.

Because Silvia is a hostage being held inside the church––

''"Do not be afraid...Eco is protecting me."''

After Ash pumped himself up, he shouted toward the sniper:

"I’m Ash Blake and I’m here on behalf of the Student Council! Please let me in to negotiate with you!"

Even Ash does not think he sounds convincing but the ‘Student Council’ in this academy town holds a great position.

Since Avdocha is one of the leading activists she should know about this background knowledge.

"......"

They didn’t respond. However. One of the snipers disappeared from the window. From a positive perspective Ash hopes that they are afraid of the student council.

''"Well... How are they going to make their move?"''

Ash, hands in his pocket, patiently waited for the outcome.

After a few minutes a heavy sound is heard–– "''Crack''..." The door slowly opened.

===Part 10===
Once he passed through the door, Ash was soon surrounded by three masked soldiers.

After checking his items he is led to the altar.

Fortunately. The soldiers didn't notice the tie clip and Ash is secretly relieved.

"Oh... So, kid, you're the negotiator?"

In front of the altar Avdocha, riding on the back of the basilisk, looked down at Ash.

Although Avdocha called him a kid… Doesn’t she think that her appearance looks a lot more childish? But, at this time, Ash shouldn’t correct her.

"I am the student council representative for General Affairs. Ash Blake."

While declaring his name, at the same time, Ash quietly observed the entire scene.

A half-naked Jessica was still tied to the altar’s wing cross.

Because she is not moving Ash thinks that she is dead. However. With a closer look there is still a sign of breathing in her chest. It seems that she just lost consciousness.

The red text written on her belly is more shocking than what is seen through the screen.

On the other hand… The hostages lined along the side walls were quiet.

Ash found Silvia in a corner, thanks to the eye-catching academy uniform, Ash is able to find her.

"...!"

With a stunned look Silvia stares at the Ash.

Ash nodded slightly for Silvia to be at ease and moves his sight back to Avdocha.

"General affairs? It seems that I’m looked down upon."

"Even if our president personally came to negotiate… would you even let her in? You should already know that our president is an Ark-Dragner?"

Avdocha laughed.

“Hehe... You talk too much. Say… What you want to negotiate about? Our request is only a simple one; It's Veronica’s head. As long as you obediently hand over her head I’ll immediately release all the hostages. If not we will blow up the church. Things are just that simple. Are they not?"

"You really think we will accept such a request? She is the 'Ironblood Valkyrie'. If desperate enough that person would not hesitate to use the main cannon of Silvanus to blow this church, together with all the hostages, into ashes."

Once Ash blurted that out the hostages immediately began to become restless.

"What did you say?"

"Does Veronica-sama intend to do nothing about us...!"

"Disregard for human life!"

Avdocha cold sight shot through the panicked hostages.

"Silence!" With a loud sound enough to shake the earth.

Everyone kept quiet instantly.

"Is the purpose of this trip is to make the hostages panic? I’ve never seen such a foolish negotiator."

"I was just declaring the truth. If you continue to delay… you will all lose your lives in vain!"

"Do you think this threat will be effective?"

"I don't think so. I've heard a lot about what you have done... That’s why I do not understand why would you do such things?"

Avdocha did not directly answer the questions. She just change the subject.

"So be it... I’ll tell you about my past."

"What did you say?"

The unexpectedly development cause Ash to be caught unprepared.

"In fact. We have been looking for my sister that has disappeared for quite a long time."

"Sister?"

"Yeah, but, I still do not know whether she is alive or not. It's because of the mountain disputes that caused our separation."

Is she trying to arouse the sympathy of the people? Or that she has some other purposes?

"... What happened after that?"

Ash tried to maintain a sound-calm-look while silently urging her to continue.

"What I want to say is this. Talking about this... I heard that Veronica has three sisters. I would like to let her feel the pain of being separated from her sisters."

Ash feels that he has goosebumps.

''Damn. This situation is very bad.''

Ash finally understands why Avdocha deliberately brought up the sister topic.

Because she wanted Veronica to also taste the same bitter feeling.

Avdocha is not likely to let Silvia off litely once she is exposed.

Unfortunately, there are no signs that Rebecca and Glenn are about to break into the church.

''- Are you alright Eco...?''

With a desperate feeling Ash focus his attention on his left arm’s ‘Seikoku’.

Through this 'Seikoku' Eco and Ash are able to communicate.

''- Eco... Can you hear me?''

Eco does not respond.

===Part 11===
--- Dragon Workshop ---

This is but a space used by dragons to create their works. Even though Eco only has some knowledge about this space there is no doubt that this place is different from the real world.

If the real world is defined as the physical world, then this can be compared to the spiritual world. Since they are not bound to the body anymore they can imagine freely. With some effort, flying to the sky is not a problem-

Once Ash entered the church, Eco sent her spirit to the Dragon Workshop. Her true body is protected in Silvanus's navigation room so she does not need to worry about the safety of her body.

The floor is paved with checkerboard like white and black square tiles.

On the wall, there are many works left behind by her ancestors and were hanging there without any order. Just like a museum of black and white.

"Welcome to the Dragon Workshop."

As usual. The woman called Navi comes forward to meet Eco.

"You again..."

Eco with a bored look stared at Navi.

Frankly. Eco is not good at dealing with her.

Today Navi is wearing a dark red dress and sitting on an antique chair.

When I grow up. Will I become like her? Eco hated to look at her. Even her horns are different from Eco's as both of them are sharp and pointed.

"Isn't this only the second time we've met? How could that slow pace, of the two of us meeting, make you feel tired?"

"Hmph! I don't even want to come to this place!"

Eco impatiently talks back to Navi’s teasing.

''Sure enough. I have this headache whenever I meet this woman.'' Eco fretted.

"Do you not have even a little desire to create? As I have told you; Dragons are born craftsman. Do you really not want to help him––Ash Blake––create an original Ark? "

Eco’s cheeks suddenly felt hot.

"D-Don’t joke around, why would I want to help that guy...!"

"Well… I think he is a very great guy! Since 'every dragon would surrender to him' he is also very mysterious. You too… Quickly grow into your 'true form' and let him ride on you...Then you may be addicted to that feeling."

''“'True Form'?”''

Eco suddenly feel uneasy.

"What do you mean? In other words… My current form... Is just a deception? In the end… Why was I born in the human form?"

A flirtatious smile emerged on Navi’s face.

"Because the human form is also the real you."

"...?"

"But you are eventually a dragon and also Ash Blake’s Pal. I hope that you can soon be'' 'awakened' ''."

"Weird. Somehow every time you talk… I feel a fire emerging in my belly!"

"Hehe... Sorry. I seem to like to tease you. Back to the topic. You are here in order to complete your mission… Are you not?"

"Hmm... Yeah. That guy asked me to prepare a suitable Ark against the Empire-made bomb."

"He intends to use the power of magic against machinery? Well… Here we go."

Although she is very unhappy with Navi’s long-winded behaviour… Conditions do not allow her to continue to waste her time in useless dialogue. So Eco closed her eyes and summoned the large number of designs left behind by her ancestors.

The total number of these designs is well over a thousand.

What Eco can do now, is to extract the parts which are suitable for Ash and re-build it into a new Ark suitable to go against the Empire-made bomb.

Although it is only an 'extract and re-build' it will still consume a huge amount of magic.

It will cause a huge burden on the young dragon Eco.

Even so. For Ash, who is in the enemy’s den, and also for her favorite crepes, Eco can only try… -

===Part 12===
Anya, who was mixed into the crowd, noticed something uniqe and her eyes widened while her thoughts went rambling on.

''- That guy-!''

''The ‘Silver Knight’ who successfully controlled the Necromancia-''

''The one who has potential to become Milgauss' enemy in the future-''

''This guy not only came into the church as a negotiator but he also revealed his own name.''

''"The student’s Council’s representative for General Affairs-Ash Blake is it...? I’ll remember your name."''

Even when out of nowhere she was caught in Avdocha’s terrorist act, which caused her to fall into despair, but it was also a blessing in disguise because now she knew Ash’s name without putting in any effort.

The only thing is, she has to leave this church alive, otherwise there is no meaning behind this. Not only each time the bell rings, they will kill a hostage… Veronica is also outside aiming the Silvanus' main cannon here.

So the first task is to get out of this dangerous place alive.

Once any event that is not expected by Avdocha happens it's simple for her to escape.

In order to grasp this opportunity she must make herself ready......

"Chaa... ♪"

The thing is… Anya is now carrying a baby.

––She's the ‘Ironblood Valkyrie’. If desperate enough she wouldn't hesitate to use the Silvanus' main cannon and turn this whole church together with the hostages into ashes.

After hearing Ash’s announcement the mother, now laying beside her, was so scared that she lost consciousness.

Fortunately Anya had good reflexes and she managed to grab the baby, and narrowly avoided the disaster of the baby bursting into tears. The problem now is that the situation is still at a critical point.

''"What can I do......"''

After Anya muttered with a sigh, her chest suddenly felt numb and almost straightened her body.

It turned out that the baby stretched its arms to reach out and touch Anya's breast.

''––M-My breast. Even Milgauss-sama had never touched them before!''

The baby is probably hungry and wants to drink milk. Anya naturally cannot produce any milk, and the baby's mother is still unconscious.

''- What is your mom doing! How could this be possible just because she lived in the peaceful days for too long!''

At the same time Anya is cursing in the bottom of her heart, the baby starts to fondle her breast.

All of a sudden it squeezes it with its hands, and the next moment it rubs them with its face.

Compare to its mother’s breasts Anya’s are a lot smaller. Maybe the baby is troubled with the difference between the two?

Finally, through the clothing, the baby actually bites Anya’s nipples.

"...... Ah!"

Under the strange sensation… Anya came out with a weird noise.

This voice causes her to blush with shame.

"Don’t you dare ask for too much!"

Anya quietly scolded it and forces the baby away from her chest.

Unexpectedly, the baby turns sour...

"Woo Woo ... ''hick…'' ... Waaaaaa!"

It suddenly burst into tears.

Anya looks ashen, even when she tries to please the baby, but it is a complete failure. She can’t be blamed for this because she has never taken care of a child

''- Damn...... if Avdocha......''

However, in only five seconds, Anya’s worries have become reality.

"So noisy...... Can’t a mother of the Knight country discipline her child properly?"

Anya, still hidden in the crowd, feels her whole body stiffening instantly.

"Since it's too noisy… why don’t you release the women and children?"

The boy named Ash steps forward to help, but Avdocha just laughed him off.

"How can I? Moreover. The first bell is going to ring soon. I have been always punctual; so let’s just choose the baby as a sacrifice."

"Are you kidding? Are you even human? It is just an innocent baby!"

"Do you think there is time to care about the age of every opponent on the battlefield? If you are careless, it isn't surprising, there will be a day that you will be killed by a five year old kid!"

"Even if it is like that––”

As if to prevent Ash from saying anything the basilisk gave a ferocious deep rumbling growl.

"Grrrr......"

Once Avdocha heard the growl she laughs, and as if answering back…

"Hmm. Is it so…."

"What's so funny?"

"Hehe... It says that baby is just enough to wet the teeth. Well then… Bring me the mother and her child!"

After Avdocha gave the order two masks soldiers immediately take action.

''––I-It can’t be!'' Anya is horrified.

Avdocha actually wanted to feed the wing lizard with her and the baby......

One step, two steps. The soldiers move through the crowd and are coming nearer.

Since their expressions cannot be seen under the mask, many people shudder.

“Uuu..."<ref>Voice of being scared.</ref> The crowd moans.

Anya is scared and begins to shed tears.

Even though Anya has cheated death a few times, and is a veteran, she still can't withstand Avdocha’s heavy pressure. Her mind instantly turns blank.

The soldiers are closer now.

''"I can’t be saved anymore...!"''

Just when Anya gives up hope––

"Hold on!"

A loud voice echoed in the church, someone came forward to stand in front of Anya.

The first thing that emerged in Anya’s eyes is a dazzling golden hair.

The person in the dragon riding academy’s uniform protected Anya and the baby and declared to Avdocha:

"I am Lautreamont Royal Knight’s family fourth Princes-Silvia. I request, as a member of the royal family, for you to immediately release the mother and its child!"

===Part 13===
The voice in the church, through the magic communicator in Max’s hand, can be heard in the airship Silvanus' navigation room

『 "I am Lautreamont Royal Knight’s family fourth Princes-Silvia. I request as a member of the royal family for you to immediately release the mother and its child!"』

The moment Silvia exposed her own identity… Max became dumbstruck.

"What the hell is Her Royal Highness doing...?!"

Isn't she inverting the root and branch<ref>Proverb.</ref>? As a result, it is essentially giving Avdocha the trump card.

"Hmph. That idiot..."

Veronica muttered, but she didn’t show an unhappy expression.

On the other hand, it looks like she is smiling.

===Part 14===
''"That's our country’s Princess for you!"'' Silvia, who took the initiative to expose her own name, of course surprised Ash. Though in his heart he had other thoughts.

Because in this case, in order to save the mother and her child, unless Silvia came forward, there would be no other way.

"Hmm... Why bother? If you had kept quiet… Then you might not have been noticed."

Avdocha controlled the basilisk’s reins and approached Silvia.

"I-I am a Princess! How can I sit quietly and watch my people be killed!"

"Hehe...... How appealing, but how come your body is shaking like that?"

"This is because my fighting spirit is trembling!"

Even when she verbally didn't admit defeat, Ash could see that Silvia is obviously trying to be brave.

"Is that so. Let me see how brave you are?"

Avdocha's face gave a dark smile while her hand stretched out signaling her underlings to act. The underling pulled out a shamshir and respectfully handed it to Avdocha.

"Stop!"

Ash wanted to rush out to protect Sylvia, but was stopped by Avdocha’s underlings and is held from behind.

"You idiots! Let me go!"

No matter how hard Ash struggles the soldiers didn’t give the slightest stir. Even the 'School’s number one problem child' is no match for a veteran soldier.

"Hehe...... You have good luck because your location is just right at the VIP’s seat.”

Avdocha said that with a grin, and rode her basilisk as it slowly moved forward.

The distance to Silvia is gradually shortened.

Finally, in front of Silvia, the basilisk used its tongue to lick at Silva’s face.

"...Eww!" Even Silvia could barely hold back her screams.

Though apparently she has long been scared out of her wits.

“Look this way Silvia!” Avodcha gave a thunderous shout.

Perhaps she is already prepared as Silvia opened her arms to both sides.

Then. She makes a declaration:

"To die like a knight...... is what I wish for!"

"I admire your guts!"

Avdocha lifted the shamshir.

"Stop––!"

Ash’s scream cannot stop the merciless blade.

''-Shaa!'' As the blade passed through the air.

Killed.

Silvia was killed.

Ash lost hope.

===Part 15===
"...?"

Silvia is still standing.

There is no blood on her body.

The incredible thing is… Silvia did not even feel the pain.

The next moment–– Silvia found out that the tight uniform is no longer binding her.

Pieces of cloths like snowflakes are dancing in the air.

Silvia felt seriously humiliated.

''"...Why is it always like this!"''

Avdocha didn’t slash at Silva’s flesh nor bones–– but... .

Only her clothes, like an apple skin, are peeled off, and her almost naked body lay exposed.

Coincidentally. The same thing was recently done by Veronica.

Her body, which is only covered with some clothes and underwear fragments, displays an almost naked type of half-nakedness.

Silvia covers her chest with both hands, squatted in place and huddled into a ball. She knew Avdocha’s sight is focused right on her bare skin.

"Princess! Didn’t you desire to die like a knight? Where is your previous pride? You have just been exposed naked to the public, yet you change back to what ordinary women and children do? I almost threw up! You don’t have the right to become a knight! And. It is not worthy for me to kill you! "

"I... I...!"

Being looked down by Avdocha from the very start, Silvia’s emotions were gradually coming to a boil.

At the same time, she is trembling more than ever.

But it is not because of fear that she is trembling. She is trembling because she is full of fighting spirit.

''"-... This woman was right. What do I have to feel ashamed about? This is no different from any ordinary woman or child? And I even dare to call myself a Knight...... It will just make people laugh! Although I do feel regret… I just need to admit it. I don’t have sufficient awareness. No wonder anee-ue scolds me......!"''

''"––Be aware of yourself… Silvia Lautreamont! What’s my aim? An excellent knight? That is indeed one of my goals in the past. But I was asking too little from myself. Have to think quickly. I'm Silvia Lautreamont! What is the only realm that I can reach? To show her the future that only I can have!"''

At that moment… Silvia's mind received God's enlightenment and she suddenly found her answer.

"Phew... Avdocha. I'll have to thank you."

Ash was shocked when Silvia's face suddenly reached a happy expression.

Even Avdocha, who had already turned her back on Silvia, was surprised.

"Are you mad?"

Avdocha ridiculed and gave a laugh.

Silvia covered her chest with her hand and gracefully stood up from the ground.

"Princess ......?"

Ash wants to avert his eyes from Silvia's naked body but they refused to move.

It is not because he has any indecent thoughts.

It is because of a bright shining glow that made him reluctant to avert his sight.

Avdocha and her subordinates, as well as the rest of the hostages, are like Ash. Everyone's eyes are watching Silvia.

"Avdocha. You are the one who made me aware of how weak I am and what lack of awareness I have."

“So? I’m only speaking based on the truth."

“However. I never before noticed such obvious things. It is a real shame to say so... However. '''I have been reborn!''' The past me is already killed by your sword! The new Silvia is now reborn! "

"Oh... I'd like to ask to ask. What can a reborn Silvia do?"

Avdocha look at her fiercely.

The basilisk gave a frightening breath.

Even so. Silvia did not budge.

"I am the woman who is going to become the Paladin!"<ref>King of the Knight country.</ref>
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p233.jpg|thumb|I am the woman who is going to become the Paladin!]]

Silvia’s declaration echoed in the church loudly.

"Hee… hee… haha! Even I didn’t expect this answer... You want to become the Paladin? What nonsense! So, in order to achieve your goals, you have to try to break through this dilemma. Well. What are you gonna do?"

Unexpectedly, Silvia laughed.

"Nothing. I had said that I’m gonna become the Paladin! There are people supporting me from behind and I also have anee-ue as my family. I just need to believe in them and wait for the 'upcoming moment'!"

"Haha. Don’t you think that before before something like that happens, I can take your life away so easily?"

"If I die at your hands… It only means that I’m just so-so."

Just when Silvia heroically makes the declaration––

There is a terrible shake and just then, in a surge of raging magic, a hole is neatly cut through the floor of the church.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Ash!"

Equipped in their Arks Rebecca and Glenn jump out from the large, newly created hole in the floor.

“––Enemy ambush!” Avdocha’s men shouted.

In the blink of an eye the soldiers move into formation and attack Rebecca and Glenn. The one who is holding Ash is no exception.

"Appear! The certain hit magic spear! Gáe Bolg!"

Right after Rebecca summoned her magic spear Glenn follows by summoning his own Ark-Dragner’s personal Ark-weapon.

"Appear! The lightning speed magic sword! Caladbolg!"

Ash’s eyes widened.

''"That's Glenn’s personal Ark-weapon......!"''

The magic sword Caladbolg is a giant sword with its length comparable to Glenn’s height. Glenn, without much effort, swings the sword just like an image of lightning speed. No wonder he is Veronica’s escort’s captain.

"Hmph...... An unsightly person!"

Even as she curses them Avdocha is still able to smile. Ash cannot understand how she manages to stay calm.

At this time… Avdocha suddenly jumped off the back of the basilisk and rushes toward the back of the altar.

"Is she...!"

Ash, who realised what she's going to do, clenches his teeth. Even when he wants to continue chasing, the basilisk blocks his way.

The basilisk's eyeballs, as it manuvers in the way, rotate and continue to stare at Ash.

"Hehehe. Don’t forget I still have the bombs. It is your loss."

Avdocha at the back of the altar proudly laughs.

The reinforcements, Rebecca and Glenn, are still fighting the enemy soldiers. As worthy of the people of the mountains they successfully pin down the Ark-Dragners.

Of course,if Rebecca and Glenn show their true ability, in the blink of an eye they would be the winners. However, if they don’t hold themselves back, they will not only kill their opponents but all the hosteges too. Even the whole church will be destroyed!

''-What am I going to do?'' Ash was in a dillema.

If the stalemate continues… Then Avdocha is going to press the button. No, before that, he has to deal with the basilisk or else he can’t get himself close to the altar.

The problem is that, for an unarmed human to win against a basilisk, it is indeed a fantasy.

''"Shoo......"''

In that instant. The basilisk issued terrible breath and started stomping around.

It moves its limbs with high-speed and, like gliding on the ground, it rushes towards Ash.

"Ha…?’’

Its speed surprised Ash. Although he is conscious about it his two legs refused to move. Ash is jinxed to become a statue as his whole body involuntarily stiffened.

"Uwaaaa!"

Ash helplessly screams.

The basilisk is right in front of him opening it's mouth.

In his mind there is a clear image of him getting bitten into pieces and broken into two main portions.

''"My God ...!"''

Silvia quickly covered her eyes. She did not have the courage to face the scene of Ash being shredded by the beast.

''"I... How could I be so weak? Where did I get the idea of becoming a Paladin......!"''

Silvia slumped to her knees.

''"Sniff"''...... Her tears fell off from her eyes onto the stone floor which was gradually becoming wet.

At this time. "Oh... A divine light...!" A hostage with a praising tone mutters.

And the others around him are also affected.

"...?"

Silvia wipes off her tears and raises her head.

A pale white light fills her entire field of vision.

After a short moment the light can no longer be seen, and there is a hot surge emerging from Silvia’s chest.

“Ash......!”

Equipped in the Ark Ash, with one hand, held up the basilisk’s upper jaw.

===Part 16===
Ouch. The ‘Seikoku’ on his left hand is so hot.

His consciousness is almost swept away by the powerful magic.

''『 "- Sorry for the long wait."』''

Eco's voice finally can be heard in his mind.

''"It's so scary... Do you know that I was nearly eaten by this thing."''

Ash, who now can feel the Ark’s magic, smiled brashly.

He looked down to re-examine his own body and he sees a set of blue colour Ark armour which made him remember Silvia's eyes.

''"Thank you. Eco."''

''『"D-Don’t need to thank me... I'm not doing it in order to help you. It's for the crepes okay!"』''

Eco's cheeks are bright red.

"How is this possible? You are also an Ark-Dragner? How did we miss this information-?"

While witnessing the dazzling Ark, with a look of surprise, Avdocha’s almond eyes widen.

"My Pal is different from the others!" Ash shouts!

At the same time Ash lightly pushes the basilisk’s chin. The basilisk is stunned by Ash as its previous imposing attitude has vanished.

"You are very obedient. Well. The beast seems to be very sensitive to stronger opponents."

While Ash steps forward, the basilisk obediently steps back.

"I’m stronger than you! If you are from the Asia’s and if you have some intelligence, Quickly be on your knees!"

Frighten by Ash’s voice, at first it is anxious to know what to do, then letting out a scream it knelt down.

"That's right."

Ash gently sat on its back.

"Ah! What are you going to do with Kuu-chan!"

Avdocha screams.

“Kuu-chan? Even when you look so scary, I didn’t think that you had such a cute name."

Ash gave a wry laugh. Kuu seems embarrassed and lightly twists its body.

"It seems that the situation has reversed. Avdocha. Let’s go Kuu!"

Being kicked by Ash Kuu gave out a roar and starts running towards the altar.

"Hey, Hey, Kuu-chan! I’m your master!"

Avdocha, who is panicked, simply looks like a child.

While sitting on Kuu’s back, Ash is searching for the information regarding his Ark-weapon.

Soon… A strange weapon design is spread out in his mind.

After checking the properties and the additional effect of the weapon Ash gave a satisfied smile.

Eco managed to do what Ash proposed.

Kuu, like an Asia, kept on running forward.

The distance to the altar quickly narrows.

Avdocha’s face also turns pale.

"Appear!...... The absolute Zero Holy gun––"

Under Ash’s summons, an extremely long gun emerges out of thin air.

Its shape is similar to the Empire made sniper rifle and yet also is like a spear.

The aim is locked on the altar.

While pulling the bolt. '' 'Kacha' '' At the same time as the metal sounded off, the magic ammunition was loaded into the chamber.

"Brionac!" Ash yelled while pressing the trigger.

A magic bullet shot out from the muzzle followed by a loud sound. The heavy bullet shell casing is ejected with a ''‘Clang’''. It then hits the ground and rolls.

"Uuu ...!"

The shot created a powerful recoil which almost caused Ash to fall from Kuu’s back, but fortunately he is in his blue Ark and stays firm in the saddle.

At the same time the magic bullet is shooting towards the altar, a pale blue flash can be seen.

“Kuu. Retreat!”

Kuu, listening to Ash's order and quickly turns around, runs in the direction opposite of the altar.

"What!"

Avdocha cried out in dismay.

After the freezing magic was launched… Shining ice crystals can be seen coaleasing.

The ice crystals gradually increase in size and quickly engulfed the entire altar together with the bombs.

"A-Avdocha-sama!"

Not only that… Avdocha’s men, while being caught up in the effect, are also mercilessly frozen..

"Finally......!"

Ash smiled.

To fight, against Empire made bombs, experts are required. However, even though Knight Country and the Kingdom had many exiled scientists from the Empire, the problem is not enough time to recruit, train and deploy them.

If that being the case… It is better to risk trying to use the oracle’s power for freezing the bombs to the point they are disabled. This is Ash's basic strategy.

Ash asked Eco to produce an Ark with ice properties.

Needless to say… This idea is obtained when he was in the Silvanus' lounge reading the novel ‘The Sky Dragon Knight Chronicles'. The protagonist in the series ‘Silver Knight’ uses the freezing magic to interrupt the operation of the machine.

Of course Ash can’t guarantee the actual effect in real life. He can only gamble––at least at this stage the bombs that have become ice have ceased functioning.

"W-Wait a minute! I-......"

Avdocha was barely able to move from the relatively wide range of the ice gun's frozen effect. In the end… She does not escape the inglorious fate of becoming an ice statue.

What he needed to be worried about was that before she became completely frozen, Avdocha seemed to have something to say. But, in short, the St Valeria’s church incident has ended.

===Part 17===
Up to a hundred hostages were released.

Avdocha and her men, who had become ice statues, were carried out with the help of the civil engineers. Those veteran soldiers, in the end, had become ice and were dragged off by the Asias on a cart. Only the word pitiful can be used to describe them.

Since Kuu was Avdocha’s pet it was also taken away by the escorts. Ash silently prays in hope that Veronica will treat it well.

More importantly, he now needs to complete the task that is at hand.

Even though he knows his actions are wrong, Ash still climbs up the icy altar and starts to rescue Jessica who is tied to the winged cross.

Fortunately the freezing magic did not spread to Jessica. Just that, in order to avoid looking at her naked skin while trying to save her, his job is quite difficult.

When Ash finally cut the rope and with both hands carried Jessica -

"Nn ..."

Jessica in Ash’s arms slowly opened her eyes.

Right after she found out that Ash is carrying her. Her eyes widen.

"Y-You...... You are Ash Blake? Why...... Are you in an Ark...?"

"Huh? Err… No, this is..."

Ash regretted his mistake.

He simply did not think that Jessica would regain her consciousness so soon.

Ash does not know how to remove the Ark. So before Eco’s magic runs out, he can only continue wearing it.

Clearly there is no way to continue to hide the truth anymore, Ash can only give an excuse to explain it.

"... Yeah. The 'Silver Knight' is me. It is just that today my Ark is not silver in colour."

After Ash honestly confesses, Jessica’s cheeks turn red.

"To use ice attacks against those mechanical bombs is simply ‘Silver Knight’ himself! Waa-wah. Ash-sama!"

"Sama?"

Ash is stunned. Jessica eyes are now watery.

Moreover. Jessica is only wearing her underwear. The cleavage made by her breasts can be clearly seen. Even under such occasions, Ash cannot help but being seduced. In front of the beauty that is Jessica, even the blue Ark's strength cannot come in handy.

"I have been determined for a long time, that my first time will be at the church altar."

"What lies! It's obvious that you had just thought about it!"

"I beg you, Ash-sama, please give me your sperm now...!"

Somehow, dispite being carried, Jessica really began to take off her underwear on the spot. The first thing she actually takes off is her panties instead of her bra.

"Your order of taking off your underwear is too strange, or it should be said, who even asked you to take them off!"

Ash quickly held Jessica's hands to stop her.

"Do not worry."

Jessica sexy lower abdomen is slowly exposed. Eventually, even the following parts are––

"Stop! This is too casual!"

"I'm ready, Ash-sama... Her goddess St Valeria is also staring at us."

"Her goddess Valeria is a protector of law! We will be arrested!"

"Hee hee... I didn’t think that you were so introverted."

Jessica's sweet smell is disturbing Ash.

"Uuh!"

Ash inexplicably feels dizzy; and almost falls down from the altar together with Jessica.

At this time, Rebecca speaks to Ash from behind.

"Hey, Ash! Hand her to me, you go and take care of Silvia."

Rebecca had long removed her Ark and is helping the escorts to do their tasks. She should have been very busy. However she probably saw that Ash is in trouble and could not bear just being a bystander.

“Sorry to trouble you Rebecca-san."

Ash hands Jessica to Rebecca.

"Ah, ahh, Ash-sama, please stay!"

"S-Sorry... See you next time!"

Ash put Jessica’s regretful sounds aside and ran to look for Silvia.

Along the way the Ark breaks into sparkling fragments.

===Part 18===
Silvia is standing against the wall.

Her body is wrapped in blankets given to her by the escorts. Her naked body, that has been exposed not long ago, is now wrapped up tightly. The thing is, her curves can still be seen. Ash, after putting in some effort to not focus on those curves, spoke to Silvia.

"Yo Princess. Err... Are you okay?"

Ash, suddenly becoming lost, can only squeeze out these few words. It's a little embarrassing.

"Ahh. I’m not injured...... You saved me again."

"My performance is nothing much, but rather... Princess you are so cool."

"Y-You... What are you talking about!”

Silvia, who is now blushing, probably has lost all her strength, and she unsurprisingly suddenly stumbles.

"... Careful!"

Ash immediately reached out, and caught Silvia's body.

But only after the blanket, wrapped around Silvia’s body, sliped off and fell to the ground.

"A-Are you alright?"

Ash looked at the place above her neck and timidly asked.

He instantly thought that he would not escape her iron fist, but for some reason Silvia didn't show her usual angry expression. Ash then sets her down on her feet.

"S-Sorry. That…. My waist ... I just suddenly..."

Silvia's eyes filled with tears as she quickly picks up the blanket and wraps herself.

If Ash did not catch her in time she would probably have fallen.

"Otherwise... I’ll give you a piggyback."

"Huh? But..."

"You don’t have to feel shy."

Ash smiled back, turned around, and gently lifted Silvia.

Silvia felt embarrassed at the start, but shortly after that she just held onto Ash’s neck.

At that moment… Ash felt that Silvia breasts, pressing on his back, change their shape.

"...huh!"

"What’s wrong. Ash?"

"N-Nothing ..."

Ash blushes while being unexpectedly stimulated, and at the same time continues his pace.

===Part 19===
On her way to the magicship Silvanus while being piggybacked by Ash.

"...?"

Silvia is suddenly struck with an incredible feeling.

''- Why is this? Being piggybacked by Ash… Somehow I miss this feeling... Am I familiar with this back...?''

This nostalgic atmosphere is so strong until Silvia can barely hold back her tears.

''The only thing is, the gentleness of Ash’s back is just too comfortable -''

Silvia, without realising, dozed off.

"Paladin ~ A. B. S. 1365.5 ~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Chapter 4

2014-06-28T02:59:03Z

Anlanther: /* Chapter 4 - Avdocha the Convicted */

==Chapter 4 - Avdocha the Convicted==
===Part 1===
Early in the morning, Ash put on his uniform and rushed out of the magicship Silvanus straight to school.

Since he has obtained Veronica’s permission last night the guards in charge did not stop Ash.

On the way there Ash didn't encounter Captain Glenn. Of course, Ash also simply did not want to meet him.

By quickly running up the stairs he finally arrived at the Student’s Council’s office.

"I’m entering."

He opens the door without hesitation but just as he does so… An object, like a cannon, flew into his arms.

"Oh! ......Eco?"

Eco’s body is soft.

Yesterday she probably went to stay in Rebecca's room for the night. He smells a sweet scent. One that that will not make you tired of it and yet will also make you feel refreshed.

"Something wrong?"

Eco’s attitude made Ash feel troubled. The feeling is like that between a pet and its owner that have been separated for a long time, and it leaped at its owner when they were reunited.

The thing that he doesn't understand is… Does Eco have those kind of feelings? They didn’t see each other for only one night... And yet. Her personality has become so docile?

"It's annoying that you are so slow…..."

Eco buries her face in Ash’s chest and is reluctant to let go. Not only did she not let go there are also signs that she is hugging him a lot more tightly. The heat from her is transferring to Ash's body.

If it's only just that… Then he can let it be. Right after that thought, Eco grabbed Ash’s tie and pulled him right into the front of her face.

"S-Slow down. Wait... My neck is going to break ...!"

Ash quickly put his hand into the gap between tie and neck, which barely enables him to breathe once again. At least he was now free from the danger of suffocating.

What was wrong with Eco so early in the morning?

Her cheeks are bright pink and her eyes were watery.

Ash is struggling but Eco continues to attack.

"Huff......"

After making that cute sound… Eco’s feet begin wrapping around his leg.

Her legs in knee socks, one of them sliding in between Ash thighs. The moment her soft thigh came into contact with his crotch his whole body shivers.

"No...... My body is so hot... I can’t stand it any longer." Eco gasped.

As she kept tugging Ash’s tie while lifting her body up.

Her half opened lips moving towards Ash’s cheek––

"Uwaa!"

Extending her tongue she gently licked Ash’s cheek. Like a dragon who wants to be spoiled by its master.

"...... Ah?"

At this moment… Ash spotted something–– from Eco's mouth there comes a rose like smell.

"You...... Show me the inside!"
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p004-005.jpg|thumb|'' Is this...... alright! '']]

"Is this......alright?" Eco says after she jumps down.

The usual Eco would ignore Ash’s order. However this morning, it is now like she is a different person. Her cheeks are getting redder and she stares at Ash’s face.

Being flirted with by her eyes… Ash saw Eco actually gently lift her miniskirt.

"... Huh?" Obviously Eco was confused about what 'inside' meant.

For the moment. Ash just couldn't understand what was happening right in front of him.

"You...!"

Ash almost falls backwards.

The thing clinging to Eco’s pure white skin almost caused his awareness to be swept away. That underwear, embellished with lots of lace, was designed for adults!

Suddenly he came back to his senses… Ash obstinately holds Eco’s hands.

"What are you doing you fool! I'm not talking about the skirt. It's what's inside your mouth!"

"Umm... I know..."

Eco with a flushed face opens her mouth halfway.

Behind her pearl white teeth, a pink tongue can be seen.

"So this stuff is the culprit!"

On Eco’s tongue was a piece of round candy.

A strong Ansal smell went into his nostrils.

Even though Ansals are harmless to humans, it brings a strong intoxicating effect to the dragons. Like drinking alcohol is for humans… Ansal’s smell brings pleasure to dragons.

The problem is that Eco is only a young dragon. Even with only a small amount of Ansal the result it brings is hard to predict.

"Come on. Quickly spit it out!"

"Nn....”

Eco exhaled a mouthful of heat, and firmly grasped Ash’s tie.

Don’t take Eco as just a petite girl as her strength is still like a dragon.

Ash, unable to do anything, can only let her pull him–– Eco, with Ash immobilised, mouth half-opened with her lips...

At the same time, Eco’s tongue breaks past the barrier.

"...!"

The two sticky and slippery tongues tangled.

The unimaginable shock makes Ash’s mind go blank and is transfixed in place.

"Tee hee..."

During that time of contact, the candy has rolled into Ash’s mouth.

The mouth-fed candy has melted into half of its original volume, Eco’s body temperature still remains on the candy.

Ash was entirely entranced.

"You… Just now..."

His face is hot as if flame is going to burst out from it.

At the start Ash was concentrating too much on the mouth-fed candy. That is why only until now, Ash found their lips were sticking tightly together. Eco then slowly averted her face, revealing a devil like smile.

According to that… Wasn't that his and Eco’s first kiss?

"Nn....”

Suddenly, like a puppet whose string was broken, Eco fell limp.

She buried her face in Ash’s arms and fell into a deep sleep. Seems like the drunken Eco has finally fallen asleep.

"Really... She only knows how to give people headaches."

Just as Ash breathed a sigh of relief–– A new voice is heard...

"..... From the position of between a human and a dragon, your behaviour just does not sound healthy."

"Uwaaa!"

Hearing a surprisingly calm voice, Ash was shocked.

''- Glup!''

The candy in his mouth is accidentally swallowed.

"....Rebecca! Since when have you been here?"

Rebecca leisurely crosses her arms in front of her chest, as she stood in the doorway. Her face is wearing a snappish smile.
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p169.jpg|thumb|Rebecca leisurely crosses her arms in front of her chest, as she stood in the doorway. Her face is wearing a snappish smile.]]

"Do you even need to ask? Of course… When Eco ran out of the room."

"Isn’t it that you were here from the beginning to end? Why did you stand on the side-lines and not come to my aid!"

"Well that scene was very exciting! Oh, Ash, by the way, that underwear Eco is wearing belongs to me."

"Yikes...!"

After hearing that, Ash cannot help but think about Eco’s exposed underwear...

Those laces flooded his whole mind, the material should be silk, right? He remembers the top has a unique gloss. It turns out that Rebecca usually wears those kind of underwear–– After getting lost in his imagination Ash returns to his senses.

"Hey! That's not the point! I would like to know why Eco’s mouth was stuffed with that candy."

"Ahh. You mean that? That is my self-prepared, personal snack. When she saw me licking it on my palm, Eco came and begged for one. When I saw her eager face… How could I heartlessly refuse? "

"Rebecca, even when you knew the Ansal herb will have a negative effect on Eco, why did you continue to let her eat it?"

"Huu? ... I do not understand what you mean by that."

Rebecca exposed a playful smile and hid inside her room.

===Part 2===
Rebecca looked at the faces of all those who were present.

"Then let the meeting begin. Silvia will not be present for today’s meeting... So there are only three people left?"

She was correct. Right now. The ones who are sitting around the table are Rebecca, Max and Ash, the trio. By the way… Eco is lying on the couch.

The Vice President and the Secretary don't seem like they intend to attend this morning either.

"Right... Doesn’t it feel a little lonely?”

After Ash stated this Rebecca looked at him ridiculously.

"Any problem with it Ash? Are you so lonely when Silvia is not here? Is Rebecca onee-san not enough to satisfy you?"

"How could I dare to think so?!!"

Ash was too nervous to know what to do next. Max, right beside him, was also shocked but he interrupts:

"President. We don't have the time. Please don't tease Ash anymore and quickly begin the meeting."

"Hmm. You’re right. Every time I see Ash… I just want to make fun of him."

Rebecca, with a bitter smile, returns back to the topic.

"As you have heard, Princess Veronica's condolence trip is going to be held this afternoon. Actually... We must represent the academy’s students by accompanying the Princess."

Ash senses something bad.

"The people who are going to accompany the Princess must be Max, Ash, Eco and I. This is Princess Veronica’s orders. We do not have the right to refuse."

Just like what he sensed… His bad feeling was correct.

"Princess Veronica has many enemies. If someone wants to assassinate the Princess they certainly will not miss this great opportunity. Even though there are the seven escorts, who are in charge of the security, we still should not neglect precautionary measures. We, as mere Dragner's, must also be mentally prepared to be able to protect the Princess when there is danger."

"Please. May I ask ..."

Ash timidly raised his hand.

"Is there a problem Ash?"

“Rebecca-san. You're not a 'mere' but a dignified Ark-Dragner. Max, also, is an outstanding Dragner but I'm just a humble breeder.”

"What nonsense are you talking about? Didn’t you also have the famous title 'Silver Knight'?"

"... That's not the kind of title I want. Even if you give it to me for free."

"But I think that it's suitable for you. Back to the topic... The next thing is the main point."

After changing the topic… Rebecca showed a serious expression and passed the information in her hands to Ash and Max.

That is commonly known as a 'Wanted Poster'.

The entire sheet of paper is full of the details of the criminal’s characteristics and looks.

The reward offered actually reaches up to one million Eccles<ref>The currency in this story. From a town in UK.</ref>. Compared to a normal reward this amount is excessively large.

"We received some information from a certain party that 'Avdocha the Convicted' has infiltrated Ansarivan. Everyone please be very careful."

===Part 3===
The Ansarivan revival operations are well underway. The noise, hustle and bustle of construction and repairs sounded off in St Durham’s Square one after another;

The sound of the roaring man supervisor.

The sturdy frame operator’s loud cry.

The knocking sounds of the hammers.

The Necromancia’s attack had happened a full two weeks ago.

The Square had been razed to ruins, and yet today the revival operation was going on smoothly.

Magicship Silvanus landed slowly from above the square.

Right after she safely alighted from the magicship… Veronica immediately, with a loud voice, announced to the public:

"Dear countrymen! Thank you for your hard work!"

On recognizing the heroic Veronica… The scene is suddenly full of cheers.

"Wow. It's the Princess Veronica Her Royal Highness!"

"To even think that Her Royal Highness will actually come to a place like this..."

"That armour really looks valiant!"

Every worker stops doing their work as they are all moved and full of tears. However, Veronica just stared at them fiercely and...

"Who allowed you to rest?! Why are you bothering with my existence. Immediately continue with your work!"

At Veronica's loud voice, even the earth would shake! Furthermore, the Asias that were brought to the construction site were also shivering.

"Yes. Princess!"

Even though all the workers are burly, self-confident and brawny, they were all now feeling particularly vulnerable and hurried to resume their own work.

The sense was more like a strict supervisor who came rather than a condolence visit. Ash, standing beside Veronica, cannot help but laugh bitterly.

Rebecca, Max, Ash and Eco, the four of them followed along with the arrangements made in the meeting this early morning. They are accompanying Veronica as the student representatives.

"Hmm... There is something strange."

Eco from the start is looking around aimlessly.

Did she find out something unusual using her dragon’s intuition? If it is so, the situation they are in will be a serious one, it is most likely an enemy of Veronica.

"Eco? Is there anything suspicious?"

Ash, with a nervous voice, asks Eco but she then revealed an extremely unhappy expression.

"The crepe stall is gone."

"... Hu?"

"I said, I can’t find the stall selling crepes!"

Ash is dumbstruck. What Eco likes to eat most is none-other than the crepes sold in the stall selling crepes in St Durham Square.

"You tell me... What Crepe seller will do business in this construction site?"

"Wuhu<ref>Whining sound.</ref>...... My crepes..."

Eco is so disappointed that she showed a dejected expression and there are tears whirling in her eyes.

"Really.. I can’t stand you any longer. The owner must have moved his stall to some other part of the streets. Later we will look for it together… Alright?"

"Really?"

Once she had heard this, Eco immediately smiled dazzlingly.

"...!"

Her smile is like a full blooming rose of which Ash cannot help but stare at deeply.

"Something wrong?" Eco asked when noticing Ash's stare.

Right after Eco confusedly asked… Only then did Ash come back to his senses and, with an pumped up attitude, he cleared his throat.

"Ahem. No. Nothing......"

In short. His bribery has been successful and Eco will, temporarily, quiet down. After all, he is now playing the role of Veronica’s guard with a heavy responsibility. Just in case this job was messed up by Eco, it would be hard for him to make sure that his head stays on his neck. Using crepes in exchange for the safety of his head… This price is nothing.

"Hmm. Using the strength of an Asia? A breeder who chooses to be a civil engineer is really rare."

"Y- Yes. I’m just lucky!"

At the same time as Ash is trying to keep Eco calmed down, Veronica’s condolence trip is smoothly being carried out.

Apart from the square, the surrounding buildings have also been damaged by the Necromancia. Which is why there are many carpenters are working there right now.

The carpenter Veronica is talking to seems to be a breeder and at the side an Asia can be seen pulling a trolley.

The fierce looking carpenter, due to excessive fear when facing Veronica, looked very nervous. Somehow, this scene is really amusing.

Looking at that the kind of laid-back scene Ash suddenly remembered the name that Rebecca brought up at the morning meeting.

--‘Avdocha the Convicted'

According to the report; She has the blood of a Tantalos. From a young age she has been doing guerrilla activities in the mountains. Later on she spread out from the mountains and was involved in terrorist attacks across the continent. She is very famous for her anti-establishment activity.

But five years ago, in the capital City of Fontaine, after Veronica’s assassination ended in failure… She was never seen again.

Some reports stated that such an activist is likely to stage a comeback for Veronica. Of course. The credibility of those reports are yet to be verified but still they must be prepared for the worst.

Ash gathered his nerve and whispered in Eco’s ears.

"Hey, Eco."

"... What’s the problem?"

"In case that I ran into a dangerous situation… Could you make me the Ark?"

"Well. Do you even want that kind of patch up work? I don’t mind, but there will be conditions-"

"Alright, alright, no matter how many crepes you want to eat... I’ll buy them for you."

''Except for the ansal flavor crepes...'' Ash, in his heart, silently added just as the nearby church bell rang.

That's the bell to indicate one o’clock in the afternoon.

"It is already this late...?"

Listening to the solemn bell, Silvia's face suddenly emerges in Ash's mind.

The building around St Durham Square has more than one church.

At this time Silvia should be complying with Veronica's command by offering her prayers in the St Valeria’s church for repentance.

Just when Ash takes Silvia’s feelings into account, and his mood was subsequently depressed, something happened.

Suddenly. ''-Boom!''

The sound of an explosion can be heard.

"W-What happened?"

Ash, surprised, looked toward the other end of the town square.

A thick black smoke is seen rising into the sky.

"It can’t be ...!"

The worst thought emerges in Ash mind.

The location where the black smoke emerges is St Valeria’s clock tower.

At the same time the explosion occurred, the public presently gathered in the square started screaming and the crowded site degraded into a mess.

After all, only a few days ago they were subjected to the Necromancia’s attack. Because of that, the present reaction of the town citizens are particularly extreme.

“-Princess please return to Silvanus.”

At this time, Glenn’s voice is heard.

"You’re right." Said Veronica, as she just calmly nodded without blinking an eye.

Ash who could not help but angrily interrupt said:

"Didn’t you see that church? Princess may be right inside there -"

However, Veronica coldly interrupts Ash:

"Don’t worry. From now on, I declare from this moment, Silvanus will become the strategic headquarters of this Operation. All of you, please return together."

Even when her biological sister may be caught up in the bombings, Veronica’s calm attitude really pissed people off.

===Part 4===
Silvia arrived at the St Valeria’s Church.

Under Veronica’s order she did not even bring her maid Cosette with her.

St Valeria’s statue was positioned on the altar.

St Valeria is one of the Twelve Apostles who served St Rosa Maria.

In the denomination of Rosa Maria's bible; St Valeria is not only portrayed as a woman full of compassion, but the protector of law.

In addition to Silvia, there are also many people who patronise the church. Most of them look like tourists though. So, those who are like Silvia––who have their own troubles––are of the minority.

“St Valeria. Please forgive my imprudent actions."

Silvia knelt in front of the altar and began to pray.

"St Valeria’s..."

At this time, someone else right beside Silvia is non-stop praying.

That voice feels very familiar.

"Please bless me so that I will get pregnant with 'Silver Knight'-sama’s child......"

"What are you praying for?!!"

"Kyaa!"

''THUND''. That person is so shocked by the other roaring voice that she screamed and fell backwards.

Silvia carefully looked at her face.

"...I knew that it was you, Jessica Valentine!"

Jessica stood up straight and stared back at Silvia.

"Oops. Look at you… You're not with the Princess? I thought you were to accompany Princess Veronica for her condolence trip today."

"Err... Sorry to tell you that I did not accompany her!"

"Y-You. What are you getting angry about?"

"Give me a break! That is not the point… How come you're here?"

Jessica obviously does not understand the reason Silvia is so angry.

"Well. I just wanted to beg St Valeria to bless me for an easy childbirth..."

"St Valeria is a protector of law! You have looked for the wrong Saint! "

"Hmm. I’m not like the rest, I won’t even bother such a small detail."

"What type of small detail is this?”

"Hm... If you keep on clinging to petty things like this… You will never be on equal footing with the Princess!"

Silvia, who feels her weakness is exposed, suddenly became furious.

“What did you say? Outsiders like you will never understand!"

“It's obvious at a glance–– There's too much difference in both of your open-mindedness."

"Ugh! How shameless are you... to talk about someone else pain!"

"Oops. It is your pain? Oh… As a royal you are far behind Veronica-sama. In your open-mindedness and as a Dragner your strength is far less than 'Silver Knight'-sama; I advise you to learn how to be a woman, you can take this noble’s daughter as an example."

"What did you say......?"

Silvia couldn’t bear with it any longer and her rational thinking snapped. She felt that what Jessica implied was as if she is trying to persuade her to hurriedly marry Glenn. Although logically it is impossible for Jessica to know of her arranged marriage with Glenn, but Silvia can’t care about the details so much.

"Ha! A mere Randall family’s servant even has the nerve to ask me to take her as an example? Even my toes are laughing!"

Jessica's face turns from red to white and back to red.

"Can it be Rebecca had told you...?"

"Don’t worry, under the president’s order, I will not spread this to the public. But, I would like to advise you to have a little restraint and stop falsifying your status."

Jessica lips tremble, she fiercely glared at Silvia.

"Then I’ll ask you... Can you can guarantee that your actions are never related to falsehood?"

"I-I..."

Silvia is also afraid that someone will see through her timid side, which is why she is always pretending to be strong. As one of the Lautreamont Knight Country’s Princess' she is trying her hardest to play the ideal image of ‘This is what a princess should do’.

Isn't such behaviour also taken as falsehood?

"Oops. Could it be that I hit the bull’s eye?"

"N-No. That's not it...”

Just while Silvia intends to voice a rebuttal-

''-Boom!''

The sound of explosion came from above.

The floor shook due of the impact, while dust, sand and stones fell from the ceiling.

Judging from this evidence… There seems to have been an explosion upstairs.

"Kyaa!"

Silvia is so frightened she inadvertently clung to Jessica.

Maybe Jessica is equally caught up in the panic and she wraps her arms around Silvia and hugged her hard.

Silvia and Jessica’s screams are like a trigger which make the other visitors cry.

It was only one explosion but compared to the original sacred atmosphere of the Church, it instantly turned into a living hell.

At this time… A condescending shadow was cast over the apalling scene.

"Who’s that person?"

Silvia's eyes widened.

Black hair, with gimmering eyes full of evil.

Wearing a native folk costume, with a high degree of exposure, an almost tanned coloured skin can be seen.

Like in a drama, the woman began to speak:

"‘Blame the sin, rather than the sinner!’ What a joke! The fragile mind of a human is the root of all evil, and all who are sinners will never escape death!"

''WHACK!'' The woman snapped a toss of the whip in her hand––

"I shall be called "Avdocha the Convicted’"!" <ref>In this sentence she speak in an high and mighty form. It is very hard to translate so the simple form will be I am 'Avdocha the Convicted’.</ref> The woman said in a high and mighty manner.

Silvia became dumbstruck.

She remembers that name.

"How come... this person is 'Avdocha the Convicted’?"

Silvia knew about the existence of this anti-establishment activist. Long ago… She had also seen her 'wanted order' several times.

Her reward amount is up to one million Eccles.

However, the woman in front of her has the face of a child, a petite body, and a childlike appearance, which caused others to disbelieve she is a battle-hardened terrorist. She is totally different from the picture in the wanted poster.

But the woman with a calm expression looks at the visitor.

Even while her body looks petite, she is still able to look down from up high.

That is because she was standing on the back of a basilisk!

Under the sight of the big rolling eyes that only a basilisk has––

''"Eek...!"''

Both Silvia and Jessica trembled.

The extreme fear causes them to not release each other’s hands.

––––Basilisk!

Even though they bear a striking resemblance to lizards, their size is nowhere near that of a normal lizard. Although they are well known as close relatives of an Asia, judging from the body's apperance, there is not even a slightest hint that they have a Dragon's intellect.

After capturing it... To tame such monster and ride it like a horse, no matter what, it could never be done by an ordinary person.

So the only explanation is… The woman in front is none-other than 'Avdocha the Convicted’––

"From now on, you are all hostages! Just don’t act rashly and I will not take your life! On the other hand... If someone dares to fight back… Don’t blame me if we use you to feed him!"

Following Avdocha’s order, the basilisk made an earth-shattering roar.

===Part 5===
The atmosphere of the airship Silvanus’s navigation room was very tense.

The crew, led by the helmsman, are at their posts; They were ready to take off at any time.

"Huhu... It's hard even for me to tolerate this, Glenn."

Veronica who is smiling while sitting on the captain seat said.

"Yes. Veronica-sama."

Glenn seriously nodded in agreement.

Apart from the escort’s captain Glenn who is by Veronica’s side, the other six escorts are on their dragons responsible for the protection of Silvanus.

Under Veronica’s order Rebecca, Max, Ash and Eco ––members of the student’s council–– also gathered in the navigation room.

"Hey.... How can you be so calm? The church that Princess is in was attacked!"

Ash, unable to restrain his emotions, questioned.

Veronica, on the captain’s seat, comfortably cross her legs and teased:

"You're too inexperienced Ash. During the Necromancia’s attack, were your emotions this unstable? If it is so, then you were just lucky the last time–– You'd better give some deep thought about it or else you cannot guarantee even your own life."

"What did you say?"

"Veronica-sama!"

At this moment the communication sergeant, while looking back at Veronica, interrupts Ash.

"There is a signal from St Valeria’s Church!"

Beside the communication sergeant’s hand, the Bright-Dragon-Crystal next to the magic communicator is shining.

"Connect to it."

"Understood!"

The magic communicator continued to flash for a while then a projection appeared in mid-air.

"––!"

Ash gasped. Even though he knew that this is a type of oracle, he had never seen such method. The technology must have been imported from the Empire.

Although there is a lot of static noise, the scene shown on the screen looks like the interior of the St Valeria’s church–– St Valeria’s statue set on the altar statue proves this fact.

The only thing is, the screen didn’t show the hostages. Of course, that does not rule out that Silvia could have been abducted.... which made Ash anxiously clench his fists.

At this moment… The projection screen suddenly shows a woman's face.

『 "I shall be called 'Avdocha the Convicted’. Wait, since we are already familiar with each other, I don’t need to announce my name… Right Veronica?"<ref>This is also spoken in an high and mighty form.</ref>』 She again spoke with a haughty and powerful voice.

"You're right. So could you quickly tell me what your demand is?"

Veronica shows the calm demeanor of a royal family.

"She is...'Avdocha the Convicted’?"

Ash's eyes widen and he turns speechless.

Seeing her childlike face Rebecca, Max and Eco seem to feel the same way as Ash. All of their faces looked stunned and skeptical.

Because comparing between her looks and the arrest warrant they received earlier… They are apparently two completely different characters.

The portrait in the arrest warrant looks like a 24-year-old she-leopard with a sharp look, which gave the feeling of a veteran guerrilla soldier......

『 "I’ll let you have a look at this first!"』

The screen suddenly focuses at another person’s body.

The altar of the Rosa Maria’s religion is magnificently decorated with its symbolic totem wing like crucifix. However, there is a person tied to the winged cross.

Ash and the others turn speechless and not just because of Avdocha’s fetishes.

"Jessica...?"

Rebecca, who knew her since childhood, muttered blankly.

She is not wrong, the one tied on the winged cross is––the president of the SKFC––Jessica Valentine, of all people. Evidently she seems to have inadvertently become a hostage.

"That’s t-too much!"

Ash's lips are trembling.

Jessica is actually only wearing her underwear.
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p190.jpg|thumb|The humiliated Jessica was desperately struggling to hold back her tears.]]

Apart from her underwear and knee socks the rest of her clothing was mercilessly stripped away.

The humiliated Jessica was desperately struggling to hold back her tears.

Not only that, there are also squiggles on top her bare belly that reads:

''- The Head of Valkyrie!''

"That. Is that blood text...?"

"No. that does not look like blood. It should be something like lipstick.”

Rebecca swept away Ash’s worry.

"Hmm... To even use hostages as a meat shield to make me offer my head. She is really an insatiable woman." Veronica calmly remarks.

Even after witnessing Jessica’s inhumane treatment, Veronica is still so easy going.

At this time, the screen slowly moves downwards, and the altar is shown.

"...What is that?"

Ash frowns.

Around the altar, there are black objects that give the impression of a ''"machine"''. Although it is an extremely strange and rarely seen thing, they are filled with a dangerous atmosphere that can never be found coming from equipment within the church.

From the screen Avdocha’s voice is heard again:

『 "As you can see we have a bomb set up in the church. This is an Empire made mechanical bomb. Once detonated, the church will immediately be blown to pieces. Also, I am a person who has no patience. Every time the bell rings... I’ll kill a hostage."』

"What did you say...?!"

Ash excitedly clenches his fists.

She is threatening that every hour there will be someone who will lose their life.

Until the next time the bell rings… there is only around fifty minutes.

『 "Hehe... I can’t wait to see your head when it is off your neck Veronica."』

Once finished with these words the communication was terminated.

It seems that Avdocha stopped it herself.

"Your Highness. What should we do now?"

Rebecca asked, but a sneer is shown on Veronica’s mouth.

The coldness of her sneer, caused Ash’s hair to stand up straight.

"I’ll never compromise with terrorists. If we face an emergency situation we’ll use the main canon of Silvanus to blow up the whole church."

"What ..."

After hearing this emotionless declaration, Ash felt as if he is punched at the back of his head.

Even when she knew that Silvia may also be inside the church. But...

"You are really...!"

Ash finally understands the reason Veronica is given the title 'Ironblood Valkyrie'.

===Part 6===
---Moving backwards slightly in time---

Nearly a hundred worshipers were taken hostage along with Silvia. Of course, due to unexpected events, they are trembling endlessly while still trying to grasp the situation that they are in.

The terrorist’s mastermind is 'Avdocha the Convicted’.

There are nine soldiers surrounding them.

The nine soldiers give off the feeling that they are from the mountains and are large, muscular men. They are dressed in their folk costumes; With an eagle looking mask on their face they are equipped with the mountain people's usual whip and shamshir<ref>Half-moon shaped dagger.</ref> dagger and others. The nine men seem to be loyal to Avdocha. In contrast to their savage like looks, they accept orders just like any regular army soldiers.

Avdocha’s objective is to defeat Veronica. She probably wants to take advantage of the 100 hostages to achieve this goal.

''"is there nothing that we can do?"''

''As the Knight’s Royal Princess… What can I do?'' Just as Silvia was thinking this, her first thought is the intention to expose her identity as the princess.

"As long as I identify myself, we could ask them to release the hostages......"

It is not an exaggeration to have this idea, because she could use her own value as the princess.

''If she can use a person's freedom in exchange for the safety of the public… Isn't this a very good bargain?''

"I will never allow you to do this!"

Surprisingly, Jessica actually tries to stop Silvia. When she heard Silvia talking to herself, with a low voice, she advised her to give up on the idea.

"Once they know that you are Princess Veronica’s sister there’s no one who can guarantee your safety."

"The problem is... If I am the only person who will be sacrificed and these people can be saved––"

"Do not look down on others! I never had the intention to sell you out for my freedom! For I'm Jessica Valentine!"

At this time, Avdocha, who was originally busy giving orders to the men, suddenly turned around and look back at Silvia and Jessica.

"Well, well, well.... There is someone who has the leisure to whisper around even when they are in danger. You really have guts to be doing that."

She took the reins of the basilisk and moved closer to the two. The basilisk with its heavy steps gives off a pressuring feeling; Silvia is almost scared out of her wits.

However. Jessica is the opposite.

She stood up from the spot.

"I am Jessica Valentine!"

"So?"

"Don’t look at me like that. I'm a well-known noble! Out of respect for me… Can you promise that you would never harm the other hostages?"

The heroic act gave Silvia a hard hit.

In such a situation… She actually had the courage to claim herself as a ''noble''...!

Avdocha sitting on the basilisk’s back, her eyes narrowed into a crack.

“Noble? I've never heard of the Valentine house... Anyway. We appreciate your foolhardiness; I’ll now give you an important task! Arrest her!"

Two of Avdocha’s men came forward without a word and held Jessica from both sides. Without any explanation they dragged her to Avdocha.

Like a comforting thought Silvia imagines that there is nothing that needs to be worried about.

However what unfolded in front of all hostages was a tragic scene.

First, Jessica's clothes were torn and stripped off. Then, Avdocha personally took a lipstick and wrote on her belly '''The Head of Valkyrie!’'' 

Jessica from the start to the finish didn't moan once and not even a drop of tears flowed out from her eyes. She just gritted her teeth and bears all this, but it is not difficult to tell what she is experiencing.

Finally, Jessica was taken to the altar and tied to the cross.

"Jessica... I've misunderstood you. In fact. You are a lot nobler than a true noble."

''-Compared to me. I-I’m...... Actually weak and incompetent.''

She could use her identity as a Dragner and fight back...... It is not that Silvia doesn't have this idea; the problem is, as long there are hostages, there is no way to summon Lancelot while in the church.

This space in the church is too small for Lancelot to use its skills.

''"Damn... Why am I... this useless?!"''

Apart from sitting down together timidly with the other hostages, in addition to unable to do anything, Silvia deeply hated herself.

===Part 7===
''"'Avdocha the Convict'? How can this be possible ...!"'' Anya murmured.

Anya, who is disguised as a flower girl, is mixed amidst about a hundred hostages inside the church.

In order to prevent her men, who deeply hated Veronica, from taking any actions Anya also infiltrated Ansrivan. She only went to the St Valeria’s Church to gather information but was unfortunately drawn into Avdocha’s terrorist act.

'Avdocha the Convict' is a legend in the mountains. Since she was lost in a military operation and there were no more rumors about her anymore. So many thought that she had died...

Anya since her childhood had already heard her name and looked up to her. Avdocha had left her village with numerous heroic legends.

Of course, this is the first time Anya saw her.

She had only seen her portrait in the wanted poster in the past at best.

The beauty on the wanted poster is a perfect match with the title 'Avdocha the Convicted'.

The record breaking reward amount, one million Eccles, is also a stunner.

Anycase, the person herself is not the same.

''-I actually didn’t expect that she had such a petite body... Logically speaking… Her actual age should be around the twenties.'' Anya thought to herself.

That aggressive basilisk who was tamed and obeyed her, is the best evidence that she is likely Avdocha. Because in Avdocha’s heroic legend, the basilisk didn’t just play a small role.

However, from Anya’s point of view, there are too many things that don’t fit.

''- Such a terrorist act... is nothing but foolhardy.''

In this world… There are plenty of rebels who recklessly sacrifice their own lives. The Tantalos tribe, since a long time ago, seems to be popular with suicide attackers.

However, judging from the rumors spread on many parts of the mountains, at the very least Avdocha is not that kind of reckless person.

She not only led successful fights one after another, in the end she always survived–– Because of this, Avdocha had become a legend.

Even after the ''‘killed in action’'' message was well known, people still think that ''"maybe she is still alive somewhere in the world"''. That is the part that makes Avdocha so scary and also adds some style to her legend.

Against such legendary exploits, it is impossible for her to do such a foolhardy act as this......

Anya feels that instead of thinking about these problems she should worry about her own safety.

''––Yes... In fact, what's she going to do next?''

Since Avdocha had already set the time limit, they will die if they just sit still.

Don’t forget each time the bell rings… One of the hostages will be killed...

How about if she revealed that she is also from the Tantalos tribe–– Even she did think that… Anya quickly waved off this idea.

She is a veteran.

Such people will not take Anya in as her companion just because of the same skin colour. To act rashly will probably end up with a harsh lesson like that of Jessica Valentine.

Although under Milgauss' help, the mountainous people's dispute was finally able to calm down, but there were a lot of Tantalos family who gave up their home and choose to come out from the mountains. That trend resulted in many people, who were not mountain emigrents, that had the same tanned skin colour as Anya's increasing.

Moreover. There are rumors:

Princess Veronica established a force consisting of foreigners. She also intends to use a different army system for them than from the Knight's army. They are also for other uses.

Also, there seems to be many mountain people who are included in the group.

''––I shouldn’t act rashly or else I’ll be suspected as a soldier from the foreign force......''

Even though Anya is disguised as a flower girl… But that woman is still Avdocha. Perhaps she may recognize that Anya had once undertaken military training at a glance.

''––If that's so… Then the smart move is to temporarily blend in with the hostages and see what’s going to happen next.''

After concluding all that, Anya is hugging her knees with her hands and her head is buried in between them. This way she will not need to face Avdocha directly.

If she can just avoid doing any unsightly behaviour, no matter how many times the bell sounded, Anya will never be so unlucky and be killed? After all, the number of hostages are as many as 100 people......

But god is never gonna let her get off so easily.<ref>This is a proverb.</ref> Beside Anya there was a mother shaking while holding her baby. Maybe the baby sensed her mother’s anxiety, the look on it's face was as if it's going into burst into tears anytime.

''- Please be good...!''

Anya immediately pulls her cheeks and began to coax the baby.

"Chaa...♪"

It is probably that her act is funny but fortunately the baby gave a happy grin.

She silently felt relieved even within her heart, but at the same time she starts to hate herself.

''- What am I actually doing...?''

===Part 8===
Rebecca suddenly speaks to Veronica.

"Are you going to send someone to negotiate?"

Veronica seems like she is interested in this proposal, and looks to Rebecca.

Even when the person she is speaking to is Veronica, Rebecca is still without fear, and gracefully stated her views:

"We must not use the main cannon of the Silvanus until the very end. I think we should make this our trump card and only use it when we are left with no other choice."

"Alright, we’ll follow to according what you had said."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"The question is who will become the negotiator?"

Rebecca with a confident smile responded to Veronica.

"Public order of Ansarivan, since ancient times, is maintained by the Student Council, so I think we should send someone from the council. If it's just a regular student I think they'll let their guard down."

Hearing Rebecca's rhetoric, Ash feels anxious.

Since Silvia was taken as hostage, and the vice president and secretary are nowhere in sight as usual, the candidates left behind are the trio of Rebecca, Max, and Ash.

Of course, everyone knows that Rebecca is the most suitable person for this task, but -

"I recommend Ash Blake as negotiator."

Rebecca has made a very surprising recommendation.

"Huh?"

Ash suspects he'd heard it wrongly.

"That... Rebecca-san, you're serious about it?"

Just when Ash is at loss, Eco interrupted Rebecca.

"Are you kidding? Do you want to let this guy go alone into such dangerous place?"

Facing Eco's fury, Rebecca replies her with a playful smile.

"Could it be that you are worried about Ash?"

Eco suddenly blushed.

"T-Th-That… How is that possible? What I’m protesting about is that you don’t have the rights to order my meat slave!"

Once those words were blurted out… The atmosphere in the navigation room immediately froze.

Even those officers who are in charge of the steering and the communication secretly peeped at Ash as if he is a suspicious person.

"Wait! Don’t talk any nonsense that’ll make people misunderstand!"

The ‘meat slave’ that Eco means is someone who will present their own flesh to their owners when they are hungry. But, by no means, were those officers imagining that kind of meaning.

But the situation right now did not allow Ash to explain himself just because everyone threw him a suspicious glance.

Finally, Veronica broke the silence.

"Well... I didn’t think that you are actually Eco’s ‘meat slave‘. I admire you have some backbone."

"That’s why I say it is a misunderstanding!"

Veronica looked at Ash who is desperately denying.

"Is there anything to be shy about? Isn't it that ‘meat slaves‘ are those who give their own flesh for their lord when they are aware that their lord is at the risk of starvation?"

"That’s why I say it is a misunderstanding... Huh?!"

Ash is stunned.

"You are really strange. If there are any other meanings… Why don’t you speak it out loud?"

Veronica is with a serious expression. As if she only knew this meaning.

Eco and Veronica's thinking seems to have something in common.

"Yes, you're right! That’s what Eco’s ‘meat slave‘ means!"

After Ash grasps the opportunity to explain… The atmosphere of the navigation room finally calms down. Finally, Ash escaped from those sharp glares and he let out a sigh of relief, but the most fundamental problem is not yet solved.

"In short, without my permission, you'll never be going to send him there!"

Eco, who is stubborn, refused to back down.

Similarly, like her, Rebecca looks like she isn't in a hurry either.

"Logically speaking, it's supposed to be my duty as president to go there––“

"Then you just only need to go to solve this problem!"

"The problem is that I cannot go because the terrorists should know that Rebecca Randall is an Ark-Dragner. If I was chosen as a negotiator it's likely that I’ll be ignored."

What Rebecca said is not unreasonable. If Ash was with the terrorists he’d also not greet Rebecca with open arms.

"So Ash, do you think that you can do it? There is a time limit, but you still have an equal strength as an Ark-Dragner. Nevertheless. You are also the ‘Silver Knight’."

"Don’t joke around! This burden is really too heavy for me!! No matter what… I’m just an ordinary student!"

"That’s right. It can be presumed that the other party also sees you as an ordinary student. So this is the advantage."

"The problem is..."

"Don’t be afraid. Even if it is dangerous, Eco will defend you. Am I right, Eco?"

"Don’t you just simply speak in place of others!"

"Oh! So you mean to say that you cannot protect Ash? Is the Ark you made so fragile?"

"I, I didn’t say that! Don’t you dare look down on my Ark!"

"Then, can you protect Ash?"

"Of course!"

Eco confidently lifted her chest.

Ash can only smile.

Rebecca’s technique is really amazing. He doesn't know whether it is fortunate or unfortunate, but Eco did not even notice that she had fallen into Rebecca’s trap.

“Don’t worry, Ash. Even when is Eco protecting you, I will not be bold enough to send you into the enemies’ den alone."

Rebecca, suddenly with a gentle smile, stretched out her hands and gently rests them on Ash’s shoulders.

"Huh?"

The distance between the two is so close that they can sense each other's breath. Even when it is an emergency situation, Ash still could not help but blush. A fragrant aroma could be smelled.

"I will wait for an opportunity to attack the church. It is just that I’ll not be doing the same thing as you. With the Ark, it's child’s play to break into the church through the foundation."

"Foundation?"

Ash at that time doesn’t understand what she means.

"So. This is it!"

However. He then realised Rebecca's intentions.

The first thing was to stall for time by sending Ash into the church acting as a negotiator.

Rebecca, on the other hand, is using the tunnels below to gain access to the church.

Next they’ll use the oracle to blast through the foundation and surprise Avdocha.

"President! Please let me participate in your plan!"

Max shouted.

When the Necromancia attacked the city Max was good for nothing and became a burden. He probably would like to take this opportunity to clear his name.

Rebecca immediately rejected.

"Sorry Max. This time you won’t come in handy."

"... What?!"

Max, burnt out like a candle in the wind, stood motionless.

Ash understands Rebecca’s intentions; he knew she did not mean to ill treat him.

Max, who still remains in the stage of a Dragner, can only show his true colours when he is riding his dragon he. However this battle must be done in small scale and the large body of the dragon will only be in the way.

The Ark-Dragner who can use the oracle specially for the Ark is very suitable for this kind of combat.

Rebecca was right, despite the time constraints, Ash has that ability.

Thanks to Eco’s power Ash can give it a try.

Since he has this ability, what should he do to fulfill his responsibility -

Ash made up his mind.

"I’ll go. After all… Princess is waiting for us to save her."

"Well then. That's more like it." Rebecca said with a smile of appreciation.

She then turned back to face Veronica.

"Do you think this strategy is practical, Your Highness?"

Veronica on the captain’s seat shaking her other leg, gave a satisfied smile.

"Very well, Rebecca. We will make use of your combat strategy, but I do not want to let talented people like you to go on an adventure alone, I’ll let Glenn go with you."

"Captain Glenn’s combat power is what I sought for." Rebecca agreed immediately.

But Glenn opposed it.

"Veronica-sama, I’m the escort’s captain, is it really appropriate for me not to be beside you -"

"What are you talking about? Glenn?"

Veronica whispers in Glenn’s ear.

''She is most probably asking him to personally rescue Silvia who is bound to be married to him-'' Ash thought.

Like a confirmation, to Ash’s prediction, Glenn for a moment exposed an unpleasant expression.

Glenn, ever since he came to Ansrivan, has always maintained expression #1. So such changes must be really rare.

Anyway, Glenn after all is a loyal servant to the king.

"...Yes. Princess."

After he respectfully bowed… His normal poker face returned.

Ash of course does not agree with that absurd marriage but now is not the time to protest.

"Hey, Eco, can we make a deal?"

"Why?"

Ash stood next to Eco and quietly whispered.

Since the other party possessed Empire made bombs then countermeasures must be prepared in advance.

"...Can you do it Eco?"

Just as Ash expected, after listening to his combat strategy, Eco is puzzled.

"Huh? How do I know whether I can do it or not?"

"No. You can do it."

Ash with confidence smile at Eco.

"...?"

Eco simply did not expect that Ash would smile at this time and she fell into a confused silence.

"Remember the last time we fought the Necromancia? At least this opponent is a human. No matter what, it won’t be as difficult as last time."

"Well... perhaps it is like that this time."

"I’ll be looking forward to your performance. Eco."

Then, Ash placed his hand lightly on Eco’s shoulder.

"I-I know. But I’ve a condition––

“Crepes right? After everything is dealt with… I’ll bring you back to look for the stall."

Eco slightly lift her neck and looked up at Ash.

"...You still remember?"

"Of course I remember. Because you're my Pal."

''"W- Why does Ash even have this type of aura around him...!"''

Even when Eco angrily turned her face to the side… Her ears were still all red.

===Part 9===
After alighting from Silvanus Ash passed through the evacuated St Durham Square and moved towards St Valeria’s Church.

On the way there, Ash suddenly remembers the tie clip.

This was given to him by the communication officer before departing.

Inside The tie clip, even though it looks ordinary, is a small piece of Bright-Dragon-Crystal and it will send any sound it received back to the Silvanus' navigation room.

To put it bluntly. It's an ultra-micro magic communication tool.

Only then Ash realised that this type of machinery existed in this world.

Who would think that he would actually take on such a chore? Ash cannot help but secretly cry.

But Rebecca’s analysis is very reasonable; He cannot deny that he is most suitable person to play this role. After all Ash as a student, is unknown to the public but at the same time he has the same combat ability as an Ark-Dragner.

''"Forget it. Anyway. Boats eventually straighten when they reach the docks."''<ref>It means just to 'follow the flow'.</ref>

After he finished thinking, he thrust his hands into the pockets of his pants.

He maintained his speed and continued to walked forward.

Rebecca and Glenn should now have departed towards the church through the underground tunnels.

Just when Ash is 20 meters from the main entrance of the church––

''-Shoo!''

Beside his ears, a whizzing sharp sound is heard and the stone on the ground is followed by a "''pop''!" strange sound.

"...?"

Only after a full few seconds does Ash realised that someone was shooting at him!

''"Are they the ones who fired the shot...!"''

At the second floor church window the are two snipers. They were both armed with weapons that he suspected to be Empire-made sniper rifles.

''Is Avdocha working with the Empire’s army? Or, are they using what they recover from their fights with the Empire...?''

Let's put the origin of the weapons aside; the shooting just now is clearly a warning. If the sniper had the intention to kill, that shot probably would have killed Ash.

After realizing he is one step away from death, Ash gave a cold sweat. But at this time he cannot retreat.

Because Silvia is a hostage being held inside the church––

''"Do not be afraid...Eco is protecting me."''

After Ash pumped himself up, he shouted toward the sniper:

"I’m Ash Blake and I’m here on behalf of the Student Council! Please let me in to negotiate with you!"

Even Ash does not think he sounds convincing but the ‘Student Council’ in this academy town holds a great position.

Since Avdocha is one of the leading activists she should know about this background knowledge.

"......"

They didn’t respond. However. One of the snipers disappeared from the window. From a positive perspective Ash hopes that they are afraid of the student council.

''"Well... How are they going to make their move?"''

Ash, hands in his pocket, patiently waited for the outcome.

After a few minutes a heavy sound is heard–– "''Crack''..." The door slowly opened.

===Part 10===
Once he passed through the door, Ash was soon surrounded by three masked soldiers.

After checking his items he is led to the altar.

Fortunately. The soldiers didn't notice the tie clip and Ash is secretly relieved.

"Oh... So, kid, you're the negotiator?"

In front of the altar Avdocha, riding on the back of the basilisk, looked down at Ash.

Although Avdocha called him a kid… Doesn’t she think that her appearance looks a lot more childish? But, at this time, Ash shouldn’t correct her.

"I am the student council representative for General Affairs. Ash Blake."

While declaring his name, at the same time, Ash quietly observed the entire scene.

A half-naked Jessica was still tied to the altar’s wing cross.

Because she is not moving Ash thinks that she is dead. However. With a closer look there is still a sign of breathing in her chest. It seems that she just lost consciousness.

The red text written on her belly is more shocking than what is seen through the screen.

On the other hand… The hostages lined along the side walls were quiet.

Ash found Silvia in a corner, thanks to the eye-catching academy uniform, Ash is able to find her.

"...!"

With a stunned look Silvia stares at the Ash.

Ash nodded slightly for Silvia to be at ease and moves his sight back to Avdocha.

"General affairs? It seems that I’m looked down upon."

"Even if our president personally came to negotiate… would you even let her in? You should already know that our president is an Ark-Dragner?"

Avdocha laughed.

“Hehe... You talk too much. Say… What you want to negotiate about? Our request is only a simple one; It's Veronica’s head. As long as you obediently hand over her head I’ll immediately release all the hostages. If not we will blow up the church. Things are just that simple. Are they not?"

"You really think we will accept such a request? She is the 'Ironblood Valkyrie'. If desperate enough that person would not hesitate to use the main cannon of Silvanus to blow this church, together with all the hostages, into ashes."

Once Ash blurted that out the hostages immediately began to become restless.

"What did you say?"

"Does Veronica-sama intend to do nothing about us...!"

"Disregard for human life!"

Avdocha cold sight shot through the panicked hostages.

"Silence!" With a loud sound enough to shake the earth.

Everyone kept quiet instantly.

"Is the purpose of this trip is to make the hostages panic? I’ve never seen such a foolish negotiator."

"I was just declaring the truth. If you continue to delay… you will all lose your lives in vain!"

"Do you think this threat will be effective?"

"I don't think so. I've heard a lot about what you have done... That’s why I do not understand why would you do such things?"

Avdocha did not directly answer the questions. She just change the subject.

"So be it... I’ll tell you about my past."

"What did you say?"

The unexpectedly development cause Ash to be caught unprepared.

"In fact. We have been looking for my sister that has disappeared for quite a long time."

"Sister?"

"Yeah, but, I still do not know whether she is alive or not. It's because of the mountain disputes that caused our separation."

Is she trying to arouse the sympathy of the people? Or that she has some other purposes?

"... What happened after that?"

Ash tried to maintain a sound-calm-look while silently urging her to continue.

"What I want to say is this. Talking about this... I heard that Veronica has three sisters. I would like to let her feel the pain of being separated from her sisters."

Ash feels that he has goosebumps.

''Damn. This situation is very bad.''

Ash finally understands why Avdocha deliberately brought up the sister topic.

Because she wanted Veronica to also taste the same bitter feeling.

Avdocha is not likely to let Silvia off litely once she is exposed.

Unfortunately, there are no signs that Rebecca and Glenn are about to break into the church.

''- Are you alright Eco...?''

With a desperate feeling Ash focus his attention on his left arm’s ‘Seikoku’.

Through this 'Seikoku' Eco and Ash are able to communicate.

''- Eco... Can you hear me?''

Eco does not respond.

===Part 11===
--- Dragon Workshop ---

This is but a space used by dragons to create their works. Even though Eco only has some knowledge about this space there is no doubt that this place is different from the real world.

If the real world is defined as the physical world, then this can be compared to the spiritual world. Since they are not bound to the body anymore they can imagine freely. With some effort, flying to the sky is not a problem-

Once Ash entered the church, Eco sent her spirit to the Dragon Workshop. Her true body is protected in Silvanus's navigation room so she does not need to worry about the safety of her body.

The floor is paved with checkerboard like white and black square tiles.

On the wall, there are many works left behind by her ancestors and were hanging there without any order. Just like a museum of black and white.

"Welcome to the Dragon Workshop."

As usual. The woman called Navi comes forward to meet Eco.

"You again..."

Eco with a bored look stared at Navi.

Frankly. Eco is not good at dealing with her.

Today Navi is wearing a dark red dress and sitting on an antique chair.

When I grow up. Will I become like her? Eco hated to look at her. Even her horns are different from Eco's as both of them are sharp and pointed.

"Isn't this only the second time we've met? How could that slow pace, of the two of us meeting, make you feel tired?"

"Hmph! I don't even want to come to this place!"

Eco impatiently talks back to Navi’s teasing.

''Sure enough. I have this headache whenever I meet this woman.'' Eco fretted.

"Do you not have even a little desire to create? As I have told you; Dragons are born craftsman. Do you really not want to help him––Ash Blake––create an original Ark? "

Eco’s cheeks suddenly felt hot.

"D-Don’t joke around, why would I want to help that guy...!"

"Well… I think he is a very great guy! Since 'every dragon would surrender to him' he is also very mysterious. You too… Quickly grow into your 'true form' and let him ride on you...Then you may be addicted to that feeling."

''“'True Form'?”''

Eco suddenly feel uneasy.

"What do you mean? In other words… My current form... Is just a deception? In the end… Why was I born in the human form?"

A flirtatious smile emerged on Navi’s face.

"Because the human form is also the real you."

"...?"

"But you are eventually a dragon and also Ash Blake’s Pal. I hope that you can soon be'' 'awakened' ''."

"Weird. Somehow every time you talk… I feel a fire emerging in my belly!"

"Hehe... Sorry. I seem to like to tease you. Back to the topic. You are here in order to complete your mission… Are you not?"

"Hmm... Yeah. That guy asked me to prepare a suitable Ark against the Empire-made bomb."

"He intends to use the power of magic against machinery? Well… Here we go."

Although she is very unhappy with Navi’s long-winded behaviour… Conditions do not allow her to continue to waste her time in useless dialogue. So Eco closed her eyes and summoned the large number of designs left behind by her ancestors.

The total number of these designs is well over a thousand.

What Eco can do now, is to extract the parts which are suitable for Ash and re-build it into a new Ark suitable to go against the Empire-made bomb.

Although it is only an 'extract and re-build' it will still consume a huge amount of magic.

It will cause a huge burden on the young dragon Eco.

Even so. For Ash, who is in the enemy’s den, and also for her favorite crepes, Eco can only try… -

===Part 12===
Anya, who was mixed into the crowd, noticed something uniqe and her eyes widened while her thoughts went rambling on.

''- That guy-!''

''The ‘Silver Knight’ who successfully controlled the Necromancia-''

''The one who has potential to become Milgauss' enemy in the future-''

''This guy not only came into the church as a negotiator but he also revealed his own name.''

''"The student’s Council’s representative for General Affairs-Ash Blake is it...? I’ll remember your name."''

Even when out of nowhere she was caught in Avdocha’s terrorist act, which caused her to fall into despair, but it was also a blessing in disguise because now she knew Ash’s name without putting in any effort.

The only thing is, she has to leave this church alive, otherwise there is no meaning behind this. Not only each time the bell rings, they will kill a hostage… Veronica is also outside aiming the Silvanus' main cannon here.

So the first task is to get out of this dangerous place alive.

Once any event that is not expected by Avdocha happens it's simple for her to escape.

In order to grasp this opportunity she must make herself ready......

"Chaa... ♪"

The thing is… Anya is now carrying a baby.

––She's the ‘Ironblood Valkyrie’. If desperate enough she wouldn't hesitate to use the Silvanus' main cannon and turn this whole church together with the hostages into ashes.

After hearing Ash’s announcement the mother, now laying beside her, was so scared that she lost consciousness.

Fortunately Anya had good reflexes and she managed to grab the baby, and narrowly avoided the disaster of the baby bursting into tears. The problem now is that the situation is still at a critical point.

''"What can I do......"''

After Anya muttered with a sigh, her chest suddenly felt numb and almost straightened her body.

It turned out that the baby stretched its arms to reach out and touch Anya's breast.

''––M-My breast. Even Milgauss-sama had never touched them before!''

The baby is probably hungry and wants to drink milk. Anya naturally cannot produce any milk, and the baby's mother is still unconscious.

''- What is your mom doing! How could this be possible just because she lived in the peaceful days for too long!''

At the same time Anya is cursing in the bottom of her heart, the baby starts to fondle her breast.

All of a sudden it squeezes it with its hands, and the next moment it rubs them with its face.

Compare to its mother’s breasts Anya’s are a lot smaller. Maybe the baby is troubled with the difference between the two?

Finally, through the clothing, the baby actually bites Anya’s nipples.

"...... Ah!"

Under the strange sensation… Anya came out with a weird noise.

This voice causes her to blush with shame.

"Don’t you dare ask for too much!"

Anya quietly scolded it and forces the baby away from her chest.

Unexpectedly, the baby turns sour...

"Woo Woo ... ''hick…'' ... Waaaaaa!"

It suddenly burst into tears.

Anya looks ashen, even when she tries to please the baby, but it is a complete failure. She can’t be blamed for this because she has never taken care of a child

''- Damn...... if Avdocha......''

However, in only five seconds, Anya’s worries have become reality.

"So noisy...... Can’t a mother of the Knight country discipline her child properly?"

Anya, still hidden in the crowd, feels her whole body stiffening instantly.

"Since it's too noisy… why don’t you release the women and children?"

The boy named Ash steps forward to help, but Avdocha just laughed him off.

"How can I? Moreover. The first bell is going to ring soon. I have been always punctual; so let’s just choose the baby as a sacrifice."

"Are you kidding? Are you even human? It is just an innocent baby!"

"Do you think there is time to care about the age of every opponent on the battlefield? If you are careless, it isn't surprising, there will be a day that you will be killed by a five year old kid!"

"Even if it is like that––”

As if to prevent Ash from saying anything the basilisk gave a ferocious deep rumbling growl.

"Grrrr......"

Once Avdocha heard the growl she laughs, and as if answering back…

"Hmm. Is it so…."

"What's so funny?"

"Hehe... It says that baby is just enough to wet the teeth. Well then… Bring me the mother and her child!"

After Avdocha gave the order two masks soldiers immediately take action.

''––I-It can’t be!'' Anya is horrified.

Avdocha actually wanted to feed the wing lizard with her and the baby......

One step, two steps. The soldiers move through the crowd and are coming nearer.

Since their expressions cannot be seen under the mask, many people shudder.

“Uuu..."<ref>Voice of being scared.</ref> The crowd moans.

Anya is scared and begins to shed tears.

Even though Anya has cheated death a few times, and is a veteran, she still can't withstand Avdocha’s heavy pressure. Her mind instantly turns blank.

The soldiers are closer now.

''"I can’t be saved anymore...!"''

Just when Anya gives up hope––

"Hold on!"

A loud voice echoed in the church, someone came forward to stand in front of Anya.

The first thing that emerged in Anya’s eyes is a dazzling golden hair.

The person in the dragon riding academy’s uniform protected Anya and the baby and declared to Avdocha:

"I am Lautreamont Royal Knight’s family fourth Princes-Silvia. I request, as a member of the royal family, for you to immediately release the mother and its child!"

===Part 13===
The voice in the church, through the magic communicator in Max’s hand, can be heard in the airship Silvanus' navigation room

『 "I am Lautreamont Royal Knight’s family fourth Princes-Silvia. I request as a member of the royal family for you to immediately release the mother and its child!"』

The moment Silvia exposed her own identity… Max became dumbstruck.

"What the hell is Her Royal Highness doing...?!"

Isn't she inverting the root and branch<ref>Proverb.</ref>? As a result, it is essentially giving Avdocha the trump card.

"Hmph. That idiot..."

Veronica muttered, but she didn’t show an unhappy expression.

On the other hand, it looks like she is smiling.

===Part 14===
''"That's our country’s Princess for you!"'' Silvia, who took the initiative to expose her own name, of course surprised Ash. Though in his heart he had other thoughts.

Because in this case, in order to save the mother and her child, unless Silvia came forward, there would be no other way.

"Hmm... Why bother? If you had kept quiet… Then you might not have been noticed."

Avdocha controlled the basilisk’s reins and approached Silvia.

"I-I am a Princess! How can I sit quietly and watch my people be killed!"

"Hehe...... How appealing, but how come your body is shaking like that?"

"This is because my fighting spirit is trembling!"

Even when she verbally didn't admit defeat, Ash could see that Silvia is obviously trying to be brave.

"Is that so. Let me see how brave you are?"

Avdocha's face gave a dark smile while her hand stretched out signaling her underlings to act. The underling pulled out a shamshir and respectfully handed it to Avdocha.

"Stop!"

Ash wanted to rush out to protect Sylvia, but was stopped by Avdocha’s underlings and is held from behind.

"You idiots! Let me go!"

No matter how hard Ash struggles the soldiers didn’t give the slightest stir. Even the 'School’s number one problem child' is no match for a veteran soldier.

"Hehe...... You have good luck because your location is just right at the VIP’s seat.”

Avdocha said that with a grin, and rode her basilisk as it slowly moved forward.

The distance to Silvia is gradually shortened.

Finally, in front of Silvia, the basilisk used its tongue to lick at Silva’s face.

"...Eww!" Even Silvia could barely hold back her screams.

Though apparently she has long been scared out of her wits.

“Look this way Silvia!” Avodcha gave a thunderous shout.

Perhaps she is already prepared as Silvia opened her arms to both sides.

Then. She makes a declaration:

"To die like a knight...... is what I wish for!"

"I admire your guts!"

Avdocha lifted the shamshir.

"Stop––!"

Ash’s scream cannot stop the merciless blade.

''-Shaa!'' As the blade passed through the air.

Killed.

Silvia was killed.

Ash lost hope.

===Part 15===
"...?"

Silvia is still standing.

There is no blood on her body.

The incredible thing is… Silvia did not even feel the pain.

The next moment–– Silvia found out that the tight uniform is no longer binding her.

Pieces of cloths like snowflakes are dancing in the air.

Silvia felt seriously humiliated.

''"...Why is it always like this!"''

Avdocha didn’t slash at Silva’s flesh nor bones–– but... .

Only her clothes, like an apple skin, are peeled off, and her almost naked body lay exposed.

Coincidentally. The same thing was recently done by Veronica.

Her body, which is only covered with some clothes and underwear fragments, displays an almost naked type of half-nakedness.

Silvia covers her chest with both hands, squatted in place and huddled into a ball. She knew Avdocha’s sight is focused right on her bare skin.

"Princess! Didn’t you desire to die like a knight? Where is your previous pride? You have just been exposed naked to the public, yet you change back to what ordinary women and children do? I almost threw up! You don’t have the right to become a knight! And. It is not worthy for me to kill you! "

"I... I...!"

Being looked down by Avdocha from the very start, Silvia’s emotions were gradually coming to a boil.

At the same time, she is trembling more than ever.

But it is not because of fear that she is trembling. She is trembling because she is full of fighting spirit.

''"-... This woman was right. What do I have to feel ashamed about? This is no different from any ordinary woman or child? And I even dare to call myself a Knight...... It will just make people laugh! Although I do feel regret… I just need to admit it. I don’t have sufficient awareness. No wonder anee-ue scolds me......!"''

''"––Be aware of yourself… Silvia Lautreamont! What’s my aim? An excellent knight? That is indeed one of my goals in the past. But I was asking too little from myself. Have to think quickly. I'm Silvia Lautreamont! What is the only realm that I can reach? To show her the future that only I can have!"''

At that moment… Silvia's mind received God's enlightenment and she suddenly found her answer.

"Phew... Avdocha. I'll have to thank you."

Ash was shocked when Silvia's face suddenly reached a happy expression.

Even Avdocha, who had already turned her back on Silvia, was surprised.

"Are you mad?"

Avdocha ridiculed and gave a laugh.

Silvia covered her chest with her hand and gracefully stood up from the ground.

"Princess ......?"

Ash wants to avert his eyes from Silvia's naked body but they refused to move.

It is not because he has any indecent thoughts.

It is because of a bright shining glow that made him reluctant to avert his sight.

Avdocha and her subordinates, as well as the rest of the hostages, are like Ash. Everyone's eyes are watching Silvia.

"Avdocha. You are the one who made me aware of how weak I am and what lack of awareness I have."

“So? I’m only speaking based on the truth."

“However. I never before noticed such obvious things. It is a real shame to say so... However. '''I have been reborn!''' The past me is already killed by your sword! The new Silvia is now reborn! "

"Oh... I'd like to ask to ask. What can a reborn Silvia do?"

Avdocha look at her fiercely.

The basilisk gave a frightening breath.

Even so. Silvia did not budge.

"I am the woman who is going to become the Paladin!"<ref>King of the Knight country.</ref>
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p233.jpg|thumb|I am the woman who is going to become the Paladin!]]

Silvia’s declaration echoed in the church loudly.

"Hee… hee… haha! Even I didn’t expect this answer... You want to become the Paladin? What nonsense! So, in order to achieve your goals, you have to try to break through this dilemma. Well. What are you gonna do?"

Unexpectedly, Silvia laughed.

"Nothing. I had said that I’m gonna become the Paladin! There are people supporting me from behind and I also have anee-ue as my family. I just need to believe in them and wait for the 'upcoming moment'!"

"Haha. Don’t you think that before before something like that happens, I can take your life away so easily?"

"If I die at your hands… It only means that I’m just so-so."

Just when Silvia heroically makes the declaration––

There is a terrible shake and just then, in a surge of raging magic, a hole is neatly cut through the floor of the church.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Ash!"

Equipped in their Arks Rebecca and Glenn jump out from the large, newly created hole in the floor.

“––Enemy ambush!” Avdocha’s men shouted.

In the blink of an eye the soldiers move into formation and attack Rebecca and Glenn. The one who is holding Ash is no exception.

"Appear! The certain hit magic spear! Gáe Bolg!"

Right after Rebecca summoned her magic spear Glenn follows by summoning his own Ark-Dragner’s personal Ark-weapon.

"Appear! The lightning speed magic sword! Caladbolg!"

Ash’s eyes widened.

''"That's Glenn’s personal Ark-weapon......!"''

The magic sword Caladbolg is a giant sword with its length comparable to Glenn’s height. Glenn, without much effort, swings the sword just like an image of lightning speed. No wonder he is Veronica’s escort’s captain.

"Hmph...... An unsightly person!"

Even as she curses them Avdocha is still able to smile. Ash cannot understand how she manages to stay calm.

At this time… Avdocha suddenly jumped off the back of the basilisk and rushes toward the back of the altar.

"Is she...!"

Ash, who realised what she's going to do, clenches his teeth. Even when he wants to continue chasing, the basilisk blocks his way.

The basilisk's eyeballs, as it manuvers in the way, rotate and continue to stare at Ash.

"Hehehe. Don’t forget I still have the bombs. It is your loss."

Avdocha at the back of the altar proudly laughs.

The reinforcements, Rebecca and Glenn, are still fighting the enemy soldiers. As worthy of the people of the mountains they successfully pin down the Ark-Dragners.

Of course,if Rebecca and Glenn show their true ability, in the blink of an eye they would be the winners. However, if they don’t hold themselves back, they will not only kill their opponents but all the hosteges too. Even the whole church will be destroyed!

''-What am I going to do?'' Ash was in a dillema.

If the stalemate continues… Then Avdocha is going to press the button. No, before that, he has to deal with the basilisk or else he can’t get himself close to the altar.

The problem is that, for an unarmed human to win against a basilisk, it is indeed a fantasy.

''"Shoo......"''

In that instant. The basilisk issued terrible breath and started stomping around.

It moves its limbs with high-speed and, like gliding on the ground, it rushes towards Ash.

"Ha…?’’

Its speed surprised Ash. Although he is conscious about it his two legs refused to move. Ash is jinxed to become a statue as his whole body involuntarily stiffened.

"Uwaaaa!"

Ash helplessly screams.

The basilisk is right in front of him opening it's mouth.

In his mind there is a clear image of him getting bitten into pieces and broken into two main portions.

''"My God ...!"''

Silvia quickly covered her eyes. She did not have the courage to face the scene of Ash being shredded by the beast.

''"I... How could I be so weak? Where did I get the idea of becoming a Paladin......!"''

Silvia slumped to her knees.

''"Sniff"''...... Her tears fell off from her eyes onto the stone floor which was gradually becoming wet.

At this time. "Oh... A divine light...!" A hostage with a praising tone mutters.

And the others around him are also affected.

"...?"

Silvia wipes off her tears and raises her head.

A pale white light fills her entire field of vision.

After a short moment the light can no longer be seen, and there is a hot surge emerging from Silvia’s chest.

“Ash......!”

Equipped in the Ark Ash, with one hand, held up the basilisk’s upper jaw.

===Part 16===
Ouch. The ‘Seikoku’ on his left hand is so hot.

His consciousness is almost swept away by the powerful magic.

''『 "- Sorry for the long wait."』''

Eco's voice finally can be heard in his mind.

''"It's so scary... Do you know that I was nearly eaten by this thing."''

Ash, who now can feel the Ark’s magic, smiled brashly.

He looked down to re-examine his own body and he sees a set of blue colour Ark armour which made him remember Silvia's eyes.

''"Thank you. Eco."''

''『"D-Don’t need to thank me... I'm not doing it in order to help you. It's for the crepes okay!"』''

Eco's cheeks are bright red.

"How is this possible? You are also an Ark-Dragner? How did we miss this information-?"

While witnessing the dazzling Ark, with a look of surprise, Avdocha’s almond eyes widen.

"My Pal is different from the others!" Ash shouts!

At the same time Ash lightly pushes the basilisk’s chin. The basilisk is stunned by Ash as its previous imposing attitude has vanished.

"You are very obedient. Well. The beast seems to be very sensitive to stronger opponents."

While Ash steps forward, the basilisk obediently steps back.

"I’m stronger than you! If you are from the Asia’s and if you have some intelligence, Quickly be on your knees!"

Frighten by Ash’s voice, at first it is anxious to know what to do, then letting out a scream it knelt down.

"That's right."

Ash gently sat on its back.

"Ah! What are you going to do with Kuu-chan!"

Avdocha screams.

“Kuu-chan? Even when you look so scary, I didn’t think that you had such a cute name."

Ash gave a wry laugh. Kuu seems embarrassed and lightly twists its body.

"It seems that the situation has reversed. Avdocha. Let’s go Kuu!"

Being kicked by Ash Kuu gave out a roar and starts running towards the altar.

"Hey, Hey, Kuu-chan! I’m your master!"

Avdocha, who is panicked, simply looks like a child.

While sitting on Kuu’s back, Ash is searching for the information regarding his Ark-weapon.

Soon… A strange weapon design is spread out in his mind.

After checking the properties and the additional effect of the weapon Ash gave a satisfied smile.

Eco managed to do what Ash proposed.

Kuu, like an Asia, kept on running forward.

The distance to the altar quickly narrows.

Avdocha’s face also turns pale.

"Appear!...... The absolute Zero Holy gun––"

Under Ash’s summons, an extremely long gun emerges out of thin air.

Its shape is similar to the Empire made sniper rifle and yet also is like a spear.

The aim is locked on the altar.

While pulling the bolt. '' 'Kacha' '' At the same time as the metal sounded off, the magic ammunition was loaded into the chamber.

"Brionac!" Ash yelled while pressing the trigger.

A magic bullet shot out from the muzzle followed by a loud sound. The heavy bullet shell casing is ejected with a ''‘Clang’''. It then hits the ground and rolls.

"Uuu ...!"

The shot created a powerful recoil which almost caused Ash to fall from Kuu’s back, but fortunately he is in his blue Ark and stays firm in the saddle.

At the same time the magic bullet is shooting towards the altar, a pale blue flash can be seen.

“Kuu. Retreat!”

Kuu, listening to Ash's order and quickly turns around, runs in the direction opposite of the altar.

"What!"

Avdocha cried out in dismay.

After the freezing magic was launched… Shining ice crystals can be seen coaleasing.

The ice crystals gradually increase in size and quickly engulfed the entire altar together with the bombs.

"A-Avdocha-sama!"

Not only that… Avdocha’s men, while being caught up in the effect, are also mercilessly frozen..

"Finally......!"

Ash smiled.

To fight, against Empire made bombs, experts are required. However, even though Knight Country and the Kingdom had many exiled scientists from the Empire, the problem is not enough time to recruit, train and deploy them.

If that being the case… It is better to risk trying to use the oracle’s power for freezing the bombs to the point they are disabled. This is Ash's basic strategy.

Ash asked Eco to produce an Ark with ice properties.

Needless to say… This idea is obtained when he was in the Silvanus' lounge reading the novel ‘The Sky Dragon Knight Chronicles'. The protagonist in the series ‘Silver Knight’ uses the freezing magic to interrupt the operation of the machine.

Of course Ash can’t guarantee the actual effect in real life. He can only gamble––at least at this stage the bombs that have become ice have ceased functioning.

"W-Wait a minute! I-......"

Avdocha was barely able to move from the relatively wide range of the ice gun's frozen effect. In the end… She does not escape the inglorious fate of becoming an ice statue.

What he needed to be worried about was that before she became completely frozen, Avdocha seemed to have something to say. But, in short, the St Valeria’s church incident has ended.

===Part 17===
Up to a hundred hostages were released.

Avdocha and her men, who had become ice statues, were carried out with the help of the civil engineers. Those veteran soldiers, in the end, had become ice and were dragged off by the Asias on a cart. Only the word pitiful can be used to describe them.

Since Kuu was Avdocha’s pet it was also taken away by the escorts. Ash silently prays in hope that Veronica will treat it well.

More importantly, he now needs to complete the task that is at hand.

Even though he knows his actions are wrong, Ash still climbs up the icy altar and starts to rescue Jessica who is tied to the winged cross.

Fortunately the freezing magic did not spread to Jessica. Just that, in order to avoid looking at her naked skin while trying to save her, his job is quite difficult.

When Ash finally cut the rope and with both hands carried Jessica -

"Nn ..."

Jessica in Ash’s arms slowly opened her eyes.

Right after she found out that Ash is carrying her. Her eyes widen.

"Y-You...... You are Ash Blake? Why...... Are you in an Ark...?"

"Huh? Err… No, this is..."

Ash regretted his mistake.

He simply did not think that Jessica would regain her consciousness so soon.

Ash does not know how to remove the Ark. So before Eco’s magic runs out, he can only continue wearing it.

Clearly there is no way to continue to hide the truth anymore, Ash can only give an excuse to explain it.

"... Yeah. The 'Silver Knight' is me. It is just that today my Ark is not silver in colour."

After Ash honestly confesses, Jessica’s cheeks turn red.

"To use ice attacks against those mechanical bombs is simply ‘Silver Knight’ himself! Waa-wah. Ash-sama!"

"Sama?"

Ash is stunned. Jessica eyes are now watery.

Moreover. Jessica is only wearing her underwear. The cleavage made by her breasts can be clearly seen. Even under such occasions, Ash cannot help but being seduced. In front of the beauty that is Jessica, even the blue Ark's strength cannot come in handy.

"I have been determined for a long time, that my first time will be at the church altar."

"What lies! It's obvious that you had just thought about it!"

"I beg you, Ash-sama, please give me your sperm now...!"

Somehow, dispite being carried, Jessica really began to take off her underwear on the spot. The first thing she actually takes off is her panties instead of her bra.

"Your order of taking off your underwear is too strange, or it should be said, who even asked you to take them off!"

Ash quickly held Jessica's hands to stop her.

"Do not worry."

Jessica sexy lower abdomen is slowly exposed. Eventually, even the following parts are––

"Stop! This is too casual!"

"I'm ready, Ash-sama... Her goddess St Valeria is also staring at us."

"Her goddess Valeria is a protector of law! We will be arrested!"

"Hee hee... I didn’t think that you were so introverted."

Jessica's sweet smell is disturbing Ash.

"Uuh!"

Ash inexplicably feels dizzy; and almost falls down from the altar together with Jessica.

At this time, Rebecca speaks to Ash from behind.

"Hey, Ash! Hand her to me, you go and take care of Silvia."

Rebecca had long removed her Ark and is helping the escorts to do their tasks. She should have been very busy. However she probably saw that Ash is in trouble and could not bear just being a bystander.

“Sorry to trouble you Rebecca-san."

Ash hands Jessica to Rebecca.

"Ah, ahh, Ash-sama, please stay!"

"S-Sorry... See you next time!"

Ash put Jessica’s regretful sounds aside and ran to look for Silvia.

Along the way the Ark breaks into sparkling fragments.

===Part 18===
Silvia is standing against the wall.

Her body is wrapped in blankets given to her by the escorts. Her naked body, that has been exposed not long ago, is now wrapped up tightly. The thing is, her curves can still be seen. Ash, after putting in some effort to not focus on those curves, spoke to Silvia.

"Yo Princess. Err... Are you okay?"

Ash, suddenly becoming lost, can only squeeze out these few words. It's a little embarrassing.

"Ahh. I’m not injured...... You saved me again."

"My performance is nothing much, but rather... Princess you are so cool."

"Y-You... What are you talking about!”

Silvia, who is now blushing, probably has lost all her strength, and she unsurprisingly suddenly stumbles.

"... Careful!"

Ash immediately reached out, and caught Silvia's body.

But only after the blanket, wrapped around Silvia’s body, sliped off and fell to the ground.

"A-Are you alright?"

Ash looked at the place above her neck and timidly asked.

He instantly thought that he would not escape her iron fist, but for some reason Silvia didn't show her usual angry expression. Ash then sets her down on her feet.

"S-Sorry. That…. My waist ... I just suddenly..."

Silvia's eyes filled with tears as she quickly picks up the blanket and wraps herself.

If Ash did not catch her in time she would probably have fallen.

"Otherwise... I’ll give you a piggyback."

"Huh? But..."

"You don’t have to feel shy."

Ash smiled back, turned around, and gently lifted Silvia.

Silvia felt embarrassed at the start, but shortly after that she just held onto Ash’s neck.

At that moment… Ash felt that Silvia breasts, pressing on his back, change their shape.

"...huh!"

"What’s wrong. Ash?"

"N-Nothing ..."

Ash blushes while being unexpectedly stimulated, and at the same time continues his pace.

===Part 19===
On her way to the magicship Silvanus while being piggybacked by Ash.

"...?"

Silvia is suddenly struck with an incredible feeling.

''- Why is this? Being piggybacked by Ash… Somehow I miss this feeling... Am I familiar with this back...?''

This nostalgic atmosphere is so strong until Silvia can barely hold back her tears.

''The only thing is, the gentleness of Ash’s back is just too comfortable -''

Silvia, without realising, dozed off.

"Paladin ~ A. B. S. 1365.5 ~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
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</noinclude>

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Chapter 4

2014-06-28T02:57:35Z

Anlanther: /* Chapter 4 - Avdocha the Convicted */

==Chapter 4 - Avdocha the Convicted==
===Part 1===
Early in the morning, Ash put on his uniform and rushed out of the magicship Silvanus straight to school.

Since he has obtained Veronica’s permission last night the guards in charge did not stop Ash.

On the way there Ash didn't encounter Captain Glenn. Of course, Ash also simply did not want to meet him.

By quickly running up the stairs he finally arrived at the Student’s Council’s office.

"I’m entering."

He opens the door without hesitation but just as he does so… An object, like a cannon, flew into his arms.

"Oh! ......Eco?"

Eco’s body is soft.

Yesterday she probably went to stay in Rebecca's room for the night. He smells a sweet scent. One that that will not make you tired of it and yet will also make you feel refreshed.

"Something wrong?"

Eco’s attitude made Ash feel troubled. The feeling is like that between a pet and its owner that have been separated for a long time, and it leaped at its owner when they were reunited.

The thing that he doesn't understand is… Does Eco have those kind of feelings? They didn’t see each other for only one night... And yet. Her personality has become so docile?

"It's annoying that you are so slow…..."

Eco buries her face in Ash’s chest and is reluctant to let go. Not only did she not let go there are also signs that she is hugging him a lot more tightly. The heat from her is transferring to Ash's body.

If it's only just that… Then he can let it be. Right after that thought, Eco grabbed Ash’s tie and pulled him right into the front of her face.

"S-Slow down. Wait... My neck is going to break ...!"

Ash quickly put his finger into the gap between tie and neck which barely enables him to breathe. At least he is now free from the danger of suffocating.

What is wrong with Eco so early in the morning?

Her cheeks are bright pink and her eyes are watery.

Ash is struggling but Eco continues to attack.

"Huff......"

After making that cute sound… Eco’s feet begin wrapping around his leg.

Her legs in knee socks, one of them sliding in between Ash thighs. The moment her soft thigh came into contact with his crotch his whole body shivers.

"No...... My body is so hot... I can’t stand it any longer." Eco gasped.

As she kept tugging Ash’s tie while lifting her body up.

Her half opened lips moving towards Ash’s cheek––

"Uwaa!"

Extending her tongue she gently licked Ash’s cheek. Like a dragon who wants to be spoiled by its master.

"...... Ah?"

At this moment… Ash spotted something–– from Eco's mouth there comes a rose like smell.

"You...... Show me the inside!"
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p004-005.jpg|thumb|'' Is this...... alright! '']]

"Is this......alright?" Eco says after she jumps down.

The usual Eco would ignore Ash’s order. However this morning, it is now like she is a different person. Her cheeks are getting redder and she stares at Ash’s face.

Being flirted with by her eyes… Ash saw Eco actually gently lift her miniskirt.

"... Huh?" Obviously Eco was confused about what 'inside' meant.

For the moment. Ash just couldn't understand what was happening right in front of him.

"You...!"

Ash almost falls backwards.

The thing clinging to Eco’s pure white skin almost caused his awareness to be swept away. That underwear, embellished with lots of lace, was designed for adults!

Suddenly he came back to his senses… Ash obstinately holds Eco’s hands.

"What are you doing you fool! I'm not talking about the skirt. It's what's inside your mouth!"

"Umm... I know..."

Eco with a flushed face opens her mouth halfway.

Behind her pearl white teeth, a pink tongue can be seen.

"So this stuff is the culprit!"

On Eco’s tongue was a piece of round candy.

A strong Ansal smell went into his nostrils.

Even though Ansals are harmless to humans, it brings a strong intoxicating effect to the dragons. Like drinking alcohol is for humans… Ansal’s smell brings pleasure to dragons.

The problem is that Eco is only a young dragon. Even with only a small amount of Ansal the result it brings is hard to predict.

"Come on. Quickly spit it out!"

"Nn....”

Eco exhaled a mouthful of heat, and firmly grasped Ash’s tie.

Don’t take Eco as just a petite girl as her strength is still like a dragon.

Ash, unable to do anything, can only let her pull him–– Eco, with Ash immobilised, mouth half-opened with her lips...

At the same time, Eco’s tongue breaks past the barrier.

"...!"

The two sticky and slippery tongues tangled.

The unimaginable shock makes Ash’s mind go blank and is transfixed in place.

"Tee hee..."

During that time of contact, the candy has rolled into Ash’s mouth.

The mouth-fed candy has melted into half of its original volume, Eco’s body temperature still remains on the candy.

Ash was entirely entranced.

"You… Just now..."

His face is hot as if flame is going to burst out from it.

At the start Ash was concentrating too much on the mouth-fed candy. That is why only until now, Ash found their lips were sticking tightly together. Eco then slowly averted her face, revealing a devil like smile.

According to that… Wasn't that his and Eco’s first kiss?

"Nn....”

Suddenly, like a puppet whose string was broken, Eco fell limp.

She buried her face in Ash’s arms and fell into a deep sleep. Seems like the drunken Eco has finally fallen asleep.

"Really... She only knows how to give people headaches."

Just as Ash breathed a sigh of relief–– A new voice is heard...

"..... From the position of between a human and a dragon, your behaviour just does not sound healthy."

"Uwaaa!"

Hearing a surprisingly calm voice, Ash was shocked.

''- Glup!''

The candy in his mouth is accidentally swallowed.

"....Rebecca! Since when have you been here?"

Rebecca leisurely crosses her arms in front of her chest, as she stood in the doorway. Her face is wearing a snappish smile.
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p169.jpg|thumb|Rebecca leisurely crosses her arms in front of her chest, as she stood in the doorway. Her face is wearing a snappish smile.]]

"Do you even need to ask? Of course… When Eco ran out of the room."

"Isn’t it that you were here from the beginning to end? Why did you stand on the side-lines and not come to my aid!"

"Well that scene was very exciting! Oh, Ash, by the way, that underwear Eco is wearing belongs to me."

"Yikes...!"

After hearing that, Ash cannot help but think about Eco’s exposed underwear...

Those laces flooded his whole mind, the material should be silk, right? He remembers the top has a unique gloss. It turns out that Rebecca usually wears those kind of underwear–– After getting lost in his imagination Ash returns to his senses.

"Hey! That's not the point! I would like to know why Eco’s mouth was stuffed with that candy."

"Ahh. You mean that? That is my self-prepared, personal snack. When she saw me licking it on my palm, Eco came and begged for one. When I saw her eager face… How could I heartlessly refuse? "

"Rebecca, even when you knew the Ansal herb will have a negative effect on Eco, why did you continue to let her eat it?"

"Huu? ... I do not understand what you mean by that."

Rebecca exposed a playful smile and hid inside her room.

===Part 2===
Rebecca looked at the faces of all those who were present.

"Then let the meeting begin. Silvia will not be present for today’s meeting... So there are only three people left?"

She was correct. Right now. The ones who are sitting around the table are Rebecca, Max and Ash, the trio. By the way… Eco is lying on the couch.

The Vice President and the Secretary don't seem like they intend to attend this morning either.

"Right... Doesn’t it feel a little lonely?”

After Ash stated this Rebecca looked at him ridiculously.

"Any problem with it Ash? Are you so lonely when Silvia is not here? Is Rebecca onee-san not enough to satisfy you?"

"How could I dare to think so?!!"

Ash was too nervous to know what to do next. Max, right beside him, was also shocked but he interrupts:

"President. We don't have the time. Please don't tease Ash anymore and quickly begin the meeting."

"Hmm. You’re right. Every time I see Ash… I just want to make fun of him."

Rebecca, with a bitter smile, returns back to the topic.

"As you have heard, Princess Veronica's condolence trip is going to be held this afternoon. Actually... We must represent the academy’s students by accompanying the Princess."

Ash senses something bad.

"The people who are going to accompany the Princess must be Max, Ash, Eco and I. This is Princess Veronica’s orders. We do not have the right to refuse."

Just like what he sensed… His bad feeling was correct.

"Princess Veronica has many enemies. If someone wants to assassinate the Princess they certainly will not miss this great opportunity. Even though there are the seven escorts, who are in charge of the security, we still should not neglect precautionary measures. We, as mere Dragner's, must also be mentally prepared to be able to protect the Princess when there is danger."

"Please. May I ask ..."

Ash timidly raised his hand.

"Is there a problem Ash?"

“Rebecca-san. You're not a 'mere' but a dignified Ark-Dragner. Max, also, is an outstanding Dragner but I'm just a humble breeder.”

"What nonsense are you talking about? Didn’t you also have the famous title 'Silver Knight'?"

"... That's not the kind of title I want. Even if you give it to me for free."

"But I think that it's suitable for you. Back to the topic... The next thing is the main point."

After changing the topic… Rebecca showed a serious expression and passed the information in her hands to Ash and Max.

That is commonly known as a 'Wanted Poster'.

The entire sheet of paper is full of the details of the criminal’s characteristics and looks.

The reward offered actually reaches up to one million Eccles<ref>The currency in this story. From a town in UK.</ref>. Compared to a normal reward this amount is excessively large.

"We received some information from a certain party that 'Avdocha the Convicted' has infiltrated Ansarivan. Everyone please be very careful."

===Part 3===
The Ansarivan revival operations are well underway. The noise, hustle and bustle of construction and repairs sounded off in St Durham’s Square one after another;

The sound of the roaring man supervisor.

The sturdy frame operator’s loud cry.

The knocking sounds of the hammers.

The Necromancia’s attack had happened a full two weeks ago.

The Square had been razed to ruins, and yet today the revival operation was going on smoothly.

Magicship Silvanus landed slowly from above the square.

Right after she safely alighted from the magicship… Veronica immediately, with a loud voice, announced to the public:

"Dear countrymen! Thank you for your hard work!"

On recognizing the heroic Veronica… The scene is suddenly full of cheers.

"Wow. It's the Princess Veronica Her Royal Highness!"

"To even think that Her Royal Highness will actually come to a place like this..."

"That armour really looks valiant!"

Every worker stops doing their work as they are all moved and full of tears. However, Veronica just stared at them fiercely and...

"Who allowed you to rest?! Why are you bothering with my existence. Immediately continue with your work!"

At Veronica's loud voice, even the earth would shake! Furthermore, the Asias that were brought to the construction site were also shivering.

"Yes. Princess!"

Even though all the workers are burly, self-confident and brawny, they were all now feeling particularly vulnerable and hurried to resume their own work.

The sense was more like a strict supervisor who came rather than a condolence visit. Ash, standing beside Veronica, cannot help but laugh bitterly.

Rebecca, Max, Ash and Eco, the four of them followed along with the arrangements made in the meeting this early morning. They are accompanying Veronica as the student representatives.

"Hmm... There is something strange."

Eco from the start is looking around aimlessly.

Did she find out something unusual using her dragon’s intuition? If it is so, the situation they are in will be a serious one, it is most likely an enemy of Veronica.

"Eco? Is there anything suspicious?"

Ash, with a nervous voice, asks Eco but she then revealed an extremely unhappy expression.

"The crepe stall is gone."

"... Hu?"

"I said, I can’t find the stall selling crepes!"

Ash is dumbstruck. What Eco likes to eat most is none-other than the crepes sold in the stall selling crepes in St Durham Square.

"You tell me... What Crepe seller will do business in this construction site?"

"Wuhu<ref>Whining sound.</ref>...... My crepes..."

Eco is so disappointed that she showed a dejected expression and there are tears whirling in her eyes.

"Really.. I can’t stand you any longer. The owner must have moved his stall to some other part of the streets. Later we will look for it together… Alright?"

"Really?"

Once she had heard this, Eco immediately smiled dazzlingly.

"...!"

Her smile is like a full blooming rose of which Ash cannot help but stare at deeply.

"Something wrong?" Eco asked when noticing Ash's stare.

Right after Eco confusedly asked… Only then did Ash come back to his senses and, with an pumped up attitude, he cleared his throat.

"Ahem. No. Nothing......"

In short. His bribery has been successful and Eco will, temporarily, quiet down. After all, he is now playing the role of Veronica’s guard with a heavy responsibility. Just in case this job was messed up by Eco, it would be hard for him to make sure that his head stays on his neck. Using crepes in exchange for the safety of his head… This price is nothing.

"Hmm. Using the strength of an Asia? A breeder who chooses to be a civil engineer is really rare."

"Y- Yes. I’m just lucky!"

At the same time as Ash is trying to keep Eco calmed down, Veronica’s condolence trip is smoothly being carried out.

Apart from the square, the surrounding buildings have also been damaged by the Necromancia. Which is why there are many carpenters are working there right now.

The carpenter Veronica is talking to seems to be a breeder and at the side an Asia can be seen pulling a trolley.

The fierce looking carpenter, due to excessive fear when facing Veronica, looked very nervous. Somehow, this scene is really amusing.

Looking at that the kind of laid-back scene Ash suddenly remembered the name that Rebecca brought up at the morning meeting.

--‘Avdocha the Convicted'

According to the report; She has the blood of a Tantalos. From a young age she has been doing guerrilla activities in the mountains. Later on she spread out from the mountains and was involved in terrorist attacks across the continent. She is very famous for her anti-establishment activity.

But five years ago, in the capital City of Fontaine, after Veronica’s assassination ended in failure… She was never seen again.

Some reports stated that such an activist is likely to stage a comeback for Veronica. Of course. The credibility of those reports are yet to be verified but still they must be prepared for the worst.

Ash gathered his nerve and whispered in Eco’s ears.

"Hey, Eco."

"... What’s the problem?"

"In case that I ran into a dangerous situation… Could you make me the Ark?"

"Well. Do you even want that kind of patch up work? I don’t mind, but there will be conditions-"

"Alright, alright, no matter how many crepes you want to eat... I’ll buy them for you."

''Except for the ansal flavor crepes...'' Ash, in his heart, silently added just as the nearby church bell rang.

That's the bell to indicate one o’clock in the afternoon.

"It is already this late...?"

Listening to the solemn bell, Silvia's face suddenly emerges in Ash's mind.

The building around St Durham Square has more than one church.

At this time Silvia should be complying with Veronica's command by offering her prayers in the St Valeria’s church for repentance.

Just when Ash takes Silvia’s feelings into account, and his mood was subsequently depressed, something happened.

Suddenly. ''-Boom!''

The sound of an explosion can be heard.

"W-What happened?"

Ash, surprised, looked toward the other end of the town square.

A thick black smoke is seen rising into the sky.

"It can’t be ...!"

The worst thought emerges in Ash mind.

The location where the black smoke emerges is St Valeria’s clock tower.

At the same time the explosion occurred, the public presently gathered in the square started screaming and the crowded site degraded into a mess.

After all, only a few days ago they were subjected to the Necromancia’s attack. Because of that, the present reaction of the town citizens are particularly extreme.

“-Princess please return to Silvanus.”

At this time, Glenn’s voice is heard.

"You’re right." Said Veronica, as she just calmly nodded without blinking an eye.

Ash who could not help but angrily interrupt said:

"Didn’t you see that church? Princess may be right inside there -"

However, Veronica coldly interrupts Ash:

"Don’t worry. From now on, I declare from this moment, Silvanus will become the strategic headquarters of this Operation. All of you, please return together."

Even when her biological sister may be caught up in the bombings, Veronica’s calm attitude really pissed people off.

===Part 4===
Silvia arrived at the St Valeria’s Church.

Under Veronica’s order she did not even bring her maid Cosette with her.

St Valeria’s statue was positioned on the altar.

St Valeria is one of the Twelve Apostles who served St Rosa Maria.

In the denomination of Rosa Maria's bible; St Valeria is not only portrayed as a woman full of compassion, but the protector of law.

In addition to Silvia, there are also many people who patronise the church. Most of them look like tourists though. So, those who are like Silvia––who have their own troubles––are of the minority.

“St Valeria. Please forgive my imprudent actions."

Silvia knelt in front of the altar and began to pray.

"St Valeria’s..."

At this time, someone else right beside Silvia is non-stop praying.

That voice feels very familiar.

"Please bless me so that I will get pregnant with 'Silver Knight'-sama’s child......"

"What are you praying for?!!"

"Kyaa!"

''THUND''. That person is so shocked by the other roaring voice that she screamed and fell backwards.

Silvia carefully looked at her face.

"...I knew that it was you, Jessica Valentine!"

Jessica stood up straight and stared back at Silvia.

"Oops. Look at you… You're not with the Princess? I thought you were to accompany Princess Veronica for her condolence trip today."

"Err... Sorry to tell you that I did not accompany her!"

"Y-You. What are you getting angry about?"

"Give me a break! That is not the point… How come you're here?"

Jessica obviously does not understand the reason Silvia is so angry.

"Well. I just wanted to beg St Valeria to bless me for an easy childbirth..."

"St Valeria is a protector of law! You have looked for the wrong Saint! "

"Hmm. I’m not like the rest, I won’t even bother such a small detail."

"What type of small detail is this?”

"Hm... If you keep on clinging to petty things like this… You will never be on equal footing with the Princess!"

Silvia, who feels her weakness is exposed, suddenly became furious.

“What did you say? Outsiders like you will never understand!"

“It's obvious at a glance–– There's too much difference in both of your open-mindedness."

"Ugh! How shameless are you... to talk about someone else pain!"

"Oops. It is your pain? Oh… As a royal you are far behind Veronica-sama. In your open-mindedness and as a Dragner your strength is far less than 'Silver Knight'-sama; I advise you to learn how to be a woman, you can take this noble’s daughter as an example."

"What did you say......?"

Silvia couldn’t bear with it any longer and her rational thinking snapped. She felt that what Jessica implied was as if she is trying to persuade her to hurriedly marry Glenn. Although logically it is impossible for Jessica to know of her arranged marriage with Glenn, but Silvia can’t care about the details so much.

"Ha! A mere Randall family’s servant even has the nerve to ask me to take her as an example? Even my toes are laughing!"

Jessica's face turns from red to white and back to red.

"Can it be Rebecca had told you...?"

"Don’t worry, under the president’s order, I will not spread this to the public. But, I would like to advise you to have a little restraint and stop falsifying your status."

Jessica lips tremble, she fiercely glared at Silvia.

"Then I’ll ask you... Can you can guarantee that your actions are never related to falsehood?"

"I-I..."

Silvia is also afraid that someone will see through her timid side, which is why she is always pretending to be strong. As one of the Lautreamont Knight Country’s Princess' she is trying her hardest to play the ideal image of ‘This is what a princess should do’.

Isn't such behaviour also taken as falsehood?

"Oops. Could it be that I hit the bull’s eye?"

"N-No. That's not it...”

Just while Silvia intends to voice a rebuttal-

''-Boom!''

The sound of explosion came from above.

The floor shook due of the impact, while dust, sand and stones fell from the ceiling.

Judging from this evidence… There seems to have been an explosion upstairs.

"Kyaa!"

Silvia is so frightened she inadvertently clung to Jessica.

Maybe Jessica is equally caught up in the panic and she wraps her arms around Silvia and hugged her hard.

Silvia and Jessica’s screams are like a trigger which make the other visitors cry.

It was only one explosion but compared to the original sacred atmosphere of the Church, it instantly turned into a living hell.

At this time… A condescending shadow was cast over the apalling scene.

"Who’s that person?"

Silvia's eyes widened.

Black hair, with gimmering eyes full of evil.

Wearing a native folk costume, with a high degree of exposure, an almost tanned coloured skin can be seen.

Like in a drama, the woman began to speak:

"‘Blame the sin, rather than the sinner!’ What a joke! The fragile mind of a human is the root of all evil, and all who are sinners will never escape death!"

''WHACK!'' The woman snapped a toss of the whip in her hand––

"I shall be called "Avdocha the Convicted’"!" <ref>In this sentence she speak in an high and mighty form. It is very hard to translate so the simple form will be I am 'Avdocha the Convicted’.</ref> The woman said in a high and mighty manner.

Silvia became dumbstruck.

She remembers that name.

"How come... this person is 'Avdocha the Convicted’?"

Silvia knew about the existence of this anti-establishment activist. Long ago… She had also seen her 'wanted order' several times.

Her reward amount is up to one million Eccles.

However, the woman in front of her has the face of a child, a petite body, and a childlike appearance, which caused others to disbelieve she is a battle-hardened terrorist. She is totally different from the picture in the wanted poster.

But the woman with a calm expression looks at the visitor.

Even while her body looks petite, she is still able to look down from up high.

That is because she was standing on the back of a basilisk!

Under the sight of the big rolling eyes that only a basilisk has––

''"Eek...!"''

Both Silvia and Jessica trembled.

The extreme fear causes them to not release each other’s hands.

––––Basilisk!

Even though they bear a striking resemblance to lizards, their size is nowhere near that of a normal lizard. Although they are well known as close relatives of an Asia, judging from the body's apperance, there is not even a slightest hint that they have a Dragon's intellect.

After capturing it... To tame such monster and ride it like a horse, no matter what, it could never be done by an ordinary person.

So the only explanation is… The woman in front is none-other than 'Avdocha the Convicted’––

"From now on, you are all hostages! Just don’t act rashly and I will not take your life! On the other hand... If someone dares to fight back… Don’t blame me if we use you to feed him!"

Following Avdocha’s order, the basilisk made an earth-shattering roar.

===Part 5===
The atmosphere of the airship Silvanus’s navigation room was very tense.

The crew, led by the helmsman, are at their posts; They were ready to take off at any time.

"Huhu... It's hard even for me to tolerate this, Glenn."

Veronica who is smiling while sitting on the captain seat said.

"Yes. Veronica-sama."

Glenn seriously nodded in agreement.

Apart from the escort’s captain Glenn who is by Veronica’s side, the other six escorts are on their dragons responsible for the protection of Silvanus.

Under Veronica’s order Rebecca, Max, Ash and Eco ––members of the student’s council–– also gathered in the navigation room.

"Hey.... How can you be so calm? The church that Princess is in was attacked!"

Ash, unable to restrain his emotions, questioned.

Veronica, on the captain’s seat, comfortably cross her legs and teased:

"You're too inexperienced Ash. During the Necromancia’s attack, were your emotions this unstable? If it is so, then you were just lucky the last time–– You'd better give some deep thought about it or else you cannot guarantee even your own life."

"What did you say?"

"Veronica-sama!"

At this moment the communication sergeant, while looking back at Veronica, interrupts Ash.

"There is a signal from St Valeria’s Church!"

Beside the communication sergeant’s hand, the Bright-Dragon-Crystal next to the magic communicator is shining.

"Connect to it."

"Understood!"

The magic communicator continued to flash for a while then a projection appeared in mid-air.

"––!"

Ash gasped. Even though he knew that this is a type of oracle, he had never seen such method. The technology must have been imported from the Empire.

Although there is a lot of static noise, the scene shown on the screen looks like the interior of the St Valeria’s church–– St Valeria’s statue set on the altar statue proves this fact.

The only thing is, the screen didn’t show the hostages. Of course, that does not rule out that Silvia could have been abducted.... which made Ash anxiously clench his fists.

At this moment… The projection screen suddenly shows a woman's face.

『 "I shall be called 'Avdocha the Convicted’. Wait, since we are already familiar with each other, I don’t need to announce my name… Right Veronica?"<ref>This is also spoken in an high and mighty form.</ref>』 She again spoke with a haughty and powerful voice.

"You're right. So could you quickly tell me what your demand is?"

Veronica shows the calm demeanor of a royal family.

"She is...'Avdocha the Convicted’?"

Ash's eyes widen and he turns speechless.

Seeing her childlike face Rebecca, Max and Eco seem to feel the same way as Ash. All of their faces looked stunned and skeptical.

Because comparing between her looks and the arrest warrant they received earlier… They are apparently two completely different characters.

The portrait in the arrest warrant looks like a 24-year-old she-leopard with a sharp look, which gave the feeling of a veteran guerrilla soldier......

『 "I’ll let you have a look at this first!"』

The screen suddenly focuses at another person’s body.

The altar of the Rosa Maria’s religion is magnificently decorated with its symbolic totem wing like crucifix. However, there is a person tied to the winged cross.

Ash and the others turn speechless and not just because of Avdocha’s fetishes.

"Jessica...?"

Rebecca, who knew her since childhood, muttered blankly.

She is not wrong, the one tied on the winged cross is––the president of the SKFC––Jessica Valentine, of all people. Evidently she seems to have inadvertently become a hostage.

"That’s t-too much!"

Ash's lips are trembling.

Jessica is actually only wearing her underwear.
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p190.jpg|thumb|The humiliated Jessica was desperately struggling to hold back her tears.]]

Apart from her underwear and knee socks the rest of her clothing was mercilessly stripped away.

The humiliated Jessica was desperately struggling to hold back her tears.

Not only that, there are also squiggles on top her bare belly that reads:

''- The Head of Valkyrie!''

"That. Is that blood text...?"

"No. that does not look like blood. It should be something like lipstick.”

Rebecca swept away Ash’s worry.

"Hmm... To even use hostages as a meat shield to make me offer my head. She is really an insatiable woman." Veronica calmly remarks.

Even after witnessing Jessica’s inhumane treatment, Veronica is still so easy going.

At this time, the screen slowly moves downwards, and the altar is shown.

"...What is that?"

Ash frowns.

Around the altar, there are black objects that give the impression of a ''"machine"''. Although it is an extremely strange and rarely seen thing, they are filled with a dangerous atmosphere that can never be found coming from equipment within the church.

From the screen Avdocha’s voice is heard again:

『 "As you can see we have a bomb set up in the church. This is an Empire made mechanical bomb. Once detonated, the church will immediately be blown to pieces. Also, I am a person who has no patience. Every time the bell rings... I’ll kill a hostage."』

"What did you say...?!"

Ash excitedly clenches his fists.

She is threatening that every hour there will be someone who will lose their life.

Until the next time the bell rings… there is only around fifty minutes.

『 "Hehe... I can’t wait to see your head when it is off your neck Veronica."』

Once finished with these words the communication was terminated.

It seems that Avdocha stopped it herself.

"Your Highness. What should we do now?"

Rebecca asked, but a sneer is shown on Veronica’s mouth.

The coldness of her sneer, caused Ash’s hair to stand up straight.

"I’ll never compromise with terrorists. If we face an emergency situation we’ll use the main canon of Silvanus to blow up the whole church."

"What ..."

After hearing this emotionless declaration, Ash felt as if he is punched at the back of his head.

Even when she knew that Silvia may also be inside the church. But...

"You are really...!"

Ash finally understands the reason Veronica is given the title 'Ironblood Valkyrie'.

===Part 6===
---Moving backwards slightly in time---

Nearly a hundred worshipers were taken hostage along with Silvia. Of course, due to unexpected events, they are trembling endlessly while still trying to grasp the situation that they are in.

The terrorist’s mastermind is 'Avdocha the Convicted’.

There are nine soldiers surrounding them.

The nine soldiers give off the feeling that they are from the mountains and are large, muscular men. They are dressed in their folk costumes; With an eagle looking mask on their face they are equipped with the mountain people's usual whip and shamshir<ref>Half-moon shaped dagger.</ref> dagger and others. The nine men seem to be loyal to Avdocha. In contrast to their savage like looks, they accept orders just like any regular army soldiers.

Avdocha’s objective is to defeat Veronica. She probably wants to take advantage of the 100 hostages to achieve this goal.

''"is there nothing that we can do?"''

''As the Knight’s Royal Princess… What can I do?'' Just as Silvia was thinking this, her first thought is the intention to expose her identity as the princess.

"As long as I identify myself, we could ask them to release the hostages......"

It is not an exaggeration to have this idea, because she could use her own value as the princess.

''If she can use a person's freedom in exchange for the safety of the public… Isn't this a very good bargain?''

"I will never allow you to do this!"

Surprisingly, Jessica actually tries to stop Silvia. When she heard Silvia talking to herself, with a low voice, she advised her to give up on the idea.

"Once they know that you are Princess Veronica’s sister there’s no one who can guarantee your safety."

"The problem is... If I am the only person who will be sacrificed and these people can be saved––"

"Do not look down on others! I never had the intention to sell you out for my freedom! For I'm Jessica Valentine!"

At this time, Avdocha, who was originally busy giving orders to the men, suddenly turned around and look back at Silvia and Jessica.

"Well, well, well.... There is someone who has the leisure to whisper around even when they are in danger. You really have guts to be doing that."

She took the reins of the basilisk and moved closer to the two. The basilisk with its heavy steps gives off a pressuring feeling; Silvia is almost scared out of her wits.

However. Jessica is the opposite.

She stood up from the spot.

"I am Jessica Valentine!"

"So?"

"Don’t look at me like that. I'm a well-known noble! Out of respect for me… Can you promise that you would never harm the other hostages?"

The heroic act gave Silvia a hard hit.

In such a situation… She actually had the courage to claim herself as a ''noble''...!

Avdocha sitting on the basilisk’s back, her eyes narrowed into a crack.

“Noble? I've never heard of the Valentine house... Anyway. We appreciate your foolhardiness; I’ll now give you an important task! Arrest her!"

Two of Avdocha’s men came forward without a word and held Jessica from both sides. Without any explanation they dragged her to Avdocha.

Like a comforting thought Silvia imagines that there is nothing that needs to be worried about.

However what unfolded in front of all hostages was a tragic scene.

First, Jessica's clothes were torn and stripped off. Then, Avdocha personally took a lipstick and wrote on her belly '''The Head of Valkyrie!’'' 

Jessica from the start to the finish didn't moan once and not even a drop of tears flowed out from her eyes. She just gritted her teeth and bears all this, but it is not difficult to tell what she is experiencing.

Finally, Jessica was taken to the altar and tied to the cross.

"Jessica... I've misunderstood you. In fact. You are a lot nobler than a true noble."

''-Compared to me. I-I’m...... Actually weak and incompetent.''

She could use her identity as a Dragner and fight back...... It is not that Silvia doesn't have this idea; the problem is, as long there are hostages, there is no way to summon Lancelot while in the church.

This space in the church is too small for Lancelot to use its skills.

''"Damn... Why am I... this useless?!"''

Apart from sitting down together timidly with the other hostages, in addition to unable to do anything, Silvia deeply hated herself.

===Part 7===
''"'Avdocha the Convict'? How can this be possible ...!"'' Anya murmured.

Anya, who is disguised as a flower girl, is mixed amidst about a hundred hostages inside the church.

In order to prevent her men, who deeply hated Veronica, from taking any actions Anya also infiltrated Ansrivan. She only went to the St Valeria’s Church to gather information but was unfortunately drawn into Avdocha’s terrorist act.

'Avdocha the Convict' is a legend in the mountains. Since she was lost in a military operation and there were no more rumors about her anymore. So many thought that she had died...

Anya since her childhood had already heard her name and looked up to her. Avdocha had left her village with numerous heroic legends.

Of course, this is the first time Anya saw her.

She had only seen her portrait in the wanted poster in the past at best.

The beauty on the wanted poster is a perfect match with the title 'Avdocha the Convicted'.

The record breaking reward amount, one million Eccles, is also a stunner.

Anycase, the person herself is not the same.

''-I actually didn’t expect that she had such a petite body... Logically speaking… Her actual age should be around the twenties.'' Anya thought to herself.

That aggressive basilisk who was tamed and obeyed her, is the best evidence that she is likely Avdocha. Because in Avdocha’s heroic legend, the basilisk didn’t just play a small role.

However, from Anya’s point of view, there are too many things that don’t fit.

''- Such a terrorist act... is nothing but foolhardy.''

In this world… There are plenty of rebels who recklessly sacrifice their own lives. The Tantalos tribe, since a long time ago, seems to be popular with suicide attackers.

However, judging from the rumors spread on many parts of the mountains, at the very least Avdocha is not that kind of reckless person.

She not only led successful fights one after another, in the end she always survived–– Because of this, Avdocha had become a legend.

Even after the ''‘killed in action’'' message was well known, people still think that ''"maybe she is still alive somewhere in the world"''. That is the part that makes Avdocha so scary and also adds some style to her legend.

Against such legendary exploits, it is impossible for her to do such a foolhardy act as this......

Anya feels that instead of thinking about these problems she should worry about her own safety.

''––Yes... In fact, what's she going to do next?''

Since Avdocha had already set the time limit, they will die if they just sit still.

Don’t forget each time the bell rings… One of the hostages will be killed...

How about if she revealed that she is also from the Tantalos tribe–– Even she did think that… Anya quickly waved off this idea.

She is a veteran.

Such people will not take Anya in as her companion just because of the same skin colour. To act rashly will probably end up with a harsh lesson like that of Jessica Valentine.

Although under Milgauss' help, the mountainous people's dispute was finally able to calm down, but there were a lot of Tantalos family who gave up their home and choose to come out from the mountains. That trend resulted in many people, who were not mountain emigrents, that had the same tanned skin colour as Anya's increasing.

Moreover. There are rumors:

Princess Veronica established a force consisting of foreigners. She also intends to use a different army system for them than from the Knight's army. They are also for other uses.

Also, there seems to be many mountain people who are included in the group.

''––I shouldn’t act rashly or else I’ll be suspected as a soldier from the foreign force......''

Even though Anya is disguised as a flower girl… But that woman is still Avdocha. Perhaps she may recognize that Anya had once undertaken military training at a glance.

''––If that's so… Then the smart move is to temporarily blend in with the hostages and see what’s going to happen next.''

After concluding all that, Anya is hugging her knees with her hands and her head is buried in between them. This way she will not need to face Avdocha directly.

If she can just avoid doing any unsightly behaviour, no matter how many times the bell sounded, Anya will never be so unlucky and be killed? After all, the number of hostages are as many as 100 people......

But god is never gonna let her get off so easily.<ref>This is a proverb.</ref> Beside Anya there was a mother shaking while holding her baby. Maybe the baby sensed her mother’s anxiety, the look on it's face was as if it's going into burst into tears anytime.

''- Please be good...!''

Anya immediately pulls her cheeks and began to coax the baby.

"Chaa...♪"

It is probably that her act is funny but fortunately the baby gave a happy grin.

She silently felt relieved even within her heart, but at the same time she starts to hate herself.

''- What am I actually doing...?''

===Part 8===
Rebecca suddenly speaks to Veronica.

"Are you going to send someone to negotiate?"

Veronica seems like she is interested in this proposal, and looks to Rebecca.

Even when the person she is speaking to is Veronica, Rebecca is still without fear, and gracefully stated her views:

"We must not use the main cannon of the Silvanus until the very end. I think we should make this our trump card and only use it when we are left with no other choice."

"Alright, we’ll follow to according what you had said."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"The question is who will become the negotiator?"

Rebecca with a confident smile responded to Veronica.

"Public order of Ansarivan, since ancient times, is maintained by the Student Council, so I think we should send someone from the council. If it's just a regular student I think they'll let their guard down."

Hearing Rebecca's rhetoric, Ash feels anxious.

Since Silvia was taken as hostage, and the vice president and secretary are nowhere in sight as usual, the candidates left behind are the trio of Rebecca, Max, and Ash.

Of course, everyone knows that Rebecca is the most suitable person for this task, but -

"I recommend Ash Blake as negotiator."

Rebecca has made a very surprising recommendation.

"Huh?"

Ash suspects he'd heard it wrongly.

"That... Rebecca-san, you're serious about it?"

Just when Ash is at loss, Eco interrupted Rebecca.

"Are you kidding? Do you want to let this guy go alone into such dangerous place?"

Facing Eco's fury, Rebecca replies her with a playful smile.

"Could it be that you are worried about Ash?"

Eco suddenly blushed.

"T-Th-That… How is that possible? What I’m protesting about is that you don’t have the rights to order my meat slave!"

Once those words were blurted out… The atmosphere in the navigation room immediately froze.

Even those officers who are in charge of the steering and the communication secretly peeped at Ash as if he is a suspicious person.

"Wait! Don’t talk any nonsense that’ll make people misunderstand!"

The ‘meat slave’ that Eco means is someone who will present their own flesh to their owners when they are hungry. But, by no means, were those officers imagining that kind of meaning.

But the situation right now did not allow Ash to explain himself just because everyone threw him a suspicious glance.

Finally, Veronica broke the silence.

"Well... I didn’t think that you are actually Eco’s ‘meat slave‘. I admire you have some backbone."

"That’s why I say it is a misunderstanding!"

Veronica looked at Ash who is desperately denying.

"Is there anything to be shy about? Isn't it that ‘meat slaves‘ are those who give their own flesh for their lord when they are aware that their lord is at the risk of starvation?"

"That’s why I say it is a misunderstanding... Huh?!"

Ash is stunned.

"You are really strange. If there are any other meanings… Why don’t you speak it out loud?"

Veronica is with a serious expression. As if she only knew this meaning.

Eco and Veronica's thinking seems to have something in common.

"Yes, you're right! That’s what Eco’s ‘meat slave‘ means!"

After Ash grasps the opportunity to explain… The atmosphere of the navigation room finally calms down. Finally, Ash escaped from those sharp glares and he let out a sigh of relief, but the most fundamental problem is not yet solved.

"In short, without my permission, you'll never be going to send him there!"

Eco, who is stubborn, refused to back down.

Similarly, like her, Rebecca looks like she isn't in a hurry either.

"Logically speaking, it's supposed to be my duty as president to go there––“

"Then you just only need to go to solve this problem!"

"The problem is that I cannot go because the terrorists should know that Rebecca Randall is an Ark-Dragner. If I was chosen as a negotiator it's likely that I’ll be ignored."

What Rebecca said is not unreasonable. If Ash was with the terrorists he’d also not greet Rebecca with open arms.

"So Ash, do you think that you can do it? There is a time limit, but you still have an equal strength as an Ark-Dragner. Nevertheless. You are also the ‘Silver Knight’."

"Don’t joke around! This burden is really too heavy for me!! No matter what… I’m just an ordinary student!"

"That’s right. It can be presumed that the other party also sees you as an ordinary student. So this is the advantage."

"The problem is..."

"Don’t be afraid. Even if it is dangerous, Eco will defend you. Am I right, Eco?"

"Don’t you just simply speak in place of others!"

"Oh! So you mean to say that you cannot protect Ash? Is the Ark you made so fragile?"

"I, I didn’t say that! Don’t you dare look down on my Ark!"

"Then, can you protect Ash?"

"Of course!"

Eco confidently lifted her chest.

Ash can only smile.

Rebecca’s technique is really amazing. He doesn't know whether it is fortunate or unfortunate, but Eco did not even notice that she had fallen into Rebecca’s trap.

“Don’t worry, Ash. Even when is Eco protecting you, I will not be bold enough to send you into the enemies’ den alone."

Rebecca, suddenly with a gentle smile, stretched out her hands and gently rests them on Ash’s shoulders.

"Huh?"

The distance between the two is so close that they can sense each other's breath. Even when it is an emergency situation, Ash still could not help but blush. A fragrant aroma could be smelled.

"I will wait for an opportunity to attack the church. It is just that I’ll not be doing the same thing as you. With the Ark, it's child’s play to break into the church through the foundation."

"Foundation?"

Ash at that time doesn’t understand what she means.

"So. This is it!"

However. He then realised Rebecca's intentions.

The first thing was to stall for time by sending Ash into the church acting as a negotiator.

Rebecca, on the other hand, is using the tunnels below to gain access to the church.

Next they’ll use the oracle to blast through the foundation and surprise Avdocha.

"President! Please let me participate in your plan!"

Max shouted.

When the Necromancia attacked the city Max was good for nothing and became a burden. He probably would like to take this opportunity to clear his name.

Rebecca immediately rejected.

"Sorry Max. This time you won’t come in handy."

"... What?!"

Max, burnt out like a candle in the wind, stood motionless.

Ash understands Rebecca’s intentions; he knew she did not mean to ill treat him.

Max, who still remains in the stage of a Dragner, can only show his true colours when he is riding his dragon he. However this battle must be done in small scale and the large body of the dragon will only be in the way.

The Ark-Dragner who can use the oracle specially for the Ark is very suitable for this kind of combat.

Rebecca was right, despite the time constraints, Ash has that ability.

Thanks to Eco’s power Ash can give it a try.

Since he has this ability, what should he do to fulfill his responsibility -

Ash made up his mind.

"I’ll go. After all… Princess is waiting for us to save her."

"Well then. That's more like it." Rebecca said with a smile of appreciation.

She then turned back to face Veronica.

"Do you think this strategy is practical, Your Highness?"

Veronica on the captain’s seat shaking her other leg, gave a satisfied smile.

"Very well, Rebecca. We will make use of your combat strategy, but I do not want to let talented people like you to go on an adventure alone, I’ll let Glenn go with you."

"Captain Glenn’s combat power is what I sought for." Rebecca agreed immediately.

But Glenn opposed it.

"Veronica-sama, I’m the escort’s captain, is it really appropriate for me not to be beside you -"

"What are you talking about? Glenn?"

Veronica whispers in Glenn’s ear.

''She is most probably asking him to personally rescue Silvia who is bound to be married to him-'' Ash thought.

Like a confirmation, to Ash’s prediction, Glenn for a moment exposed an unpleasant expression.

Glenn, ever since he came to Ansrivan, has always maintained expression #1. So such changes must be really rare.

Anyway, Glenn after all is a loyal servant to the king.

"...Yes. Princess."

After he respectfully bowed… His normal poker face returned.

Ash of course does not agree with that absurd marriage but now is not the time to protest.

"Hey, Eco, can we make a deal?"

"Why?"

Ash stood next to Eco and quietly whispered.

Since the other party possessed Empire made bombs then countermeasures must be prepared in advance.

"...Can you do it Eco?"

Just as Ash expected, after listening to his combat strategy, Eco is puzzled.

"Huh? How do I know whether I can do it or not?"

"No. You can do it."

Ash with confidence smile at Eco.

"...?"

Eco simply did not expect that Ash would smile at this time and she fell into a confused silence.

"Remember the last time we fought the Necromancia? At least this opponent is a human. No matter what, it won’t be as difficult as last time."

"Well... perhaps it is like that this time."

"I’ll be looking forward to your performance. Eco."

Then, Ash placed his hand lightly on Eco’s shoulder.

"I-I know. But I’ve a condition––

“Crepes right? After everything is dealt with… I’ll bring you back to look for the stall."

Eco slightly lift her neck and looked up at Ash.

"...You still remember?"

"Of course I remember. Because you're my Pal."

''"W- Why does Ash even have this type of aura around him...!"''

Even when Eco angrily turned her face to the side… Her ears were still all red.

===Part 9===
After alighting from Silvanus Ash passed through the evacuated St Durham Square and moved towards St Valeria’s Church.

On the way there, Ash suddenly remembers the tie clip.

This was given to him by the communication officer before departing.

Inside The tie clip, even though it looks ordinary, is a small piece of Bright-Dragon-Crystal and it will send any sound it received back to the Silvanus' navigation room.

To put it bluntly. It's an ultra-micro magic communication tool.

Only then Ash realised that this type of machinery existed in this world.

Who would think that he would actually take on such a chore? Ash cannot help but secretly cry.

But Rebecca’s analysis is very reasonable; He cannot deny that he is most suitable person to play this role. After all Ash as a student, is unknown to the public but at the same time he has the same combat ability as an Ark-Dragner.

''"Forget it. Anyway. Boats eventually straighten when they reach the docks."''<ref>It means just to 'follow the flow'.</ref>

After he finished thinking, he thrust his hands into the pockets of his pants.

He maintained his speed and continued to walked forward.

Rebecca and Glenn should now have departed towards the church through the underground tunnels.

Just when Ash is 20 meters from the main entrance of the church––

''-Shoo!''

Beside his ears, a whizzing sharp sound is heard and the stone on the ground is followed by a "''pop''!" strange sound.

"...?"

Only after a full few seconds does Ash realised that someone was shooting at him!

''"Are they the ones who fired the shot...!"''

At the second floor church window the are two snipers. They were both armed with weapons that he suspected to be Empire-made sniper rifles.

''Is Avdocha working with the Empire’s army? Or, are they using what they recover from their fights with the Empire...?''

Let's put the origin of the weapons aside; the shooting just now is clearly a warning. If the sniper had the intention to kill, that shot probably would have killed Ash.

After realizing he is one step away from death, Ash gave a cold sweat. But at this time he cannot retreat.

Because Silvia is a hostage being held inside the church––

''"Do not be afraid...Eco is protecting me."''

After Ash pumped himself up, he shouted toward the sniper:

"I’m Ash Blake and I’m here on behalf of the Student Council! Please let me in to negotiate with you!"

Even Ash does not think he sounds convincing but the ‘Student Council’ in this academy town holds a great position.

Since Avdocha is one of the leading activists she should know about this background knowledge.

"......"

They didn’t respond. However. One of the snipers disappeared from the window. From a positive perspective Ash hopes that they are afraid of the student council.

''"Well... How are they going to make their move?"''

Ash, hands in his pocket, patiently waited for the outcome.

After a few minutes a heavy sound is heard–– "''Crack''..." The door slowly opened.

===Part 10===
Once he passed through the door, Ash was soon surrounded by three masked soldiers.

After checking his items he is led to the altar.

Fortunately. The soldiers didn't notice the tie clip and Ash is secretly relieved.

"Oh... So, kid, you're the negotiator?"

In front of the altar Avdocha, riding on the back of the basilisk, looked down at Ash.

Although Avdocha called him a kid… Doesn’t she think that her appearance looks a lot more childish? But, at this time, Ash shouldn’t correct her.

"I am the student council representative for General Affairs. Ash Blake."

While declaring his name, at the same time, Ash quietly observed the entire scene.

A half-naked Jessica was still tied to the altar’s wing cross.

Because she is not moving Ash thinks that she is dead. However. With a closer look there is still a sign of breathing in her chest. It seems that she just lost consciousness.

The red text written on her belly is more shocking than what is seen through the screen.

On the other hand… The hostages lined along the side walls were quiet.

Ash found Silvia in a corner, thanks to the eye-catching academy uniform, Ash is able to find her.

"...!"

With a stunned look Silvia stares at the Ash.

Ash nodded slightly for Silvia to be at ease and moves his sight back to Avdocha.

"General affairs? It seems that I’m looked down upon."

"Even if our president personally came to negotiate… would you even let her in? You should already know that our president is an Ark-Dragner?"

Avdocha laughed.

“Hehe... You talk too much. Say… What you want to negotiate about? Our request is only a simple one; It's Veronica’s head. As long as you obediently hand over her head I’ll immediately release all the hostages. If not we will blow up the church. Things are just that simple. Are they not?"

"You really think we will accept such a request? She is the 'Ironblood Valkyrie'. If desperate enough that person would not hesitate to use the main cannon of Silvanus to blow this church, together with all the hostages, into ashes."

Once Ash blurted that out the hostages immediately began to become restless.

"What did you say?"

"Does Veronica-sama intend to do nothing about us...!"

"Disregard for human life!"

Avdocha cold sight shot through the panicked hostages.

"Silence!" With a loud sound enough to shake the earth.

Everyone kept quiet instantly.

"Is the purpose of this trip is to make the hostages panic? I’ve never seen such a foolish negotiator."

"I was just declaring the truth. If you continue to delay… you will all lose your lives in vain!"

"Do you think this threat will be effective?"

"I don't think so. I've heard a lot about what you have done... That’s why I do not understand why would you do such things?"

Avdocha did not directly answer the questions. She just change the subject.

"So be it... I’ll tell you about my past."

"What did you say?"

The unexpectedly development cause Ash to be caught unprepared.

"In fact. We have been looking for my sister that has disappeared for quite a long time."

"Sister?"

"Yeah, but, I still do not know whether she is alive or not. It's because of the mountain disputes that caused our separation."

Is she trying to arouse the sympathy of the people? Or that she has some other purposes?

"... What happened after that?"

Ash tried to maintain a sound-calm-look while silently urging her to continue.

"What I want to say is this. Talking about this... I heard that Veronica has three sisters. I would like to let her feel the pain of being separated from her sisters."

Ash feels that he has goosebumps.

''Damn. This situation is very bad.''

Ash finally understands why Avdocha deliberately brought up the sister topic.

Because she wanted Veronica to also taste the same bitter feeling.

Avdocha is not likely to let Silvia off litely once she is exposed.

Unfortunately, there are no signs that Rebecca and Glenn are about to break into the church.

''- Are you alright Eco...?''

With a desperate feeling Ash focus his attention on his left arm’s ‘Seikoku’.

Through this 'Seikoku' Eco and Ash are able to communicate.

''- Eco... Can you hear me?''

Eco does not respond.

===Part 11===
--- Dragon Workshop ---

This is but a space used by dragons to create their works. Even though Eco only has some knowledge about this space there is no doubt that this place is different from the real world.

If the real world is defined as the physical world, then this can be compared to the spiritual world. Since they are not bound to the body anymore they can imagine freely. With some effort, flying to the sky is not a problem-

Once Ash entered the church, Eco sent her spirit to the Dragon Workshop. Her true body is protected in Silvanus's navigation room so she does not need to worry about the safety of her body.

The floor is paved with checkerboard like white and black square tiles.

On the wall, there are many works left behind by her ancestors and were hanging there without any order. Just like a museum of black and white.

"Welcome to the Dragon Workshop."

As usual. The woman called Navi comes forward to meet Eco.

"You again..."

Eco with a bored look stared at Navi.

Frankly. Eco is not good at dealing with her.

Today Navi is wearing a dark red dress and sitting on an antique chair.

When I grow up. Will I become like her? Eco hated to look at her. Even her horns are different from Eco's as both of them are sharp and pointed.

"Isn't this only the second time we've met? How could that slow pace, of the two of us meeting, make you feel tired?"

"Hmph! I don't even want to come to this place!"

Eco impatiently talks back to Navi’s teasing.

''Sure enough. I have this headache whenever I meet this woman.'' Eco fretted.

"Do you not have even a little desire to create? As I have told you; Dragons are born craftsman. Do you really not want to help him––Ash Blake––create an original Ark? "

Eco’s cheeks suddenly felt hot.

"D-Don’t joke around, why would I want to help that guy...!"

"Well… I think he is a very great guy! Since 'every dragon would surrender to him' he is also very mysterious. You too… Quickly grow into your 'true form' and let him ride on you...Then you may be addicted to that feeling."

''“'True Form'?”''

Eco suddenly feel uneasy.

"What do you mean? In other words… My current form... Is just a deception? In the end… Why was I born in the human form?"

A flirtatious smile emerged on Navi’s face.

"Because the human form is also the real you."

"...?"

"But you are eventually a dragon and also Ash Blake’s Pal. I hope that you can soon be'' 'awakened' ''."

"Weird. Somehow every time you talk… I feel a fire emerging in my belly!"

"Hehe... Sorry. I seem to like to tease you. Back to the topic. You are here in order to complete your mission… Are you not?"

"Hmm... Yeah. That guy asked me to prepare a suitable Ark against the Empire-made bomb."

"He intends to use the power of magic against machinery? Well… Here we go."

Although she is very unhappy with Navi’s long-winded behaviour… Conditions do not allow her to continue to waste her time in useless dialogue. So Eco closed her eyes and summoned the large number of designs left behind by her ancestors.

The total number of these designs is well over a thousand.

What Eco can do now, is to extract the parts which are suitable for Ash and re-build it into a new Ark suitable to go against the Empire-made bomb.

Although it is only an 'extract and re-build' it will still consume a huge amount of magic.

It will cause a huge burden on the young dragon Eco.

Even so. For Ash, who is in the enemy’s den, and also for her favorite crepes, Eco can only try… -

===Part 12===
Anya, who was mixed into the crowd, noticed something uniqe and her eyes widened while her thoughts went rambling on.

''- That guy-!''

''The ‘Silver Knight’ who successfully controlled the Necromancia-''

''The one who has potential to become Milgauss' enemy in the future-''

''This guy not only came into the church as a negotiator but he also revealed his own name.''

''"The student’s Council’s representative for General Affairs-Ash Blake is it...? I’ll remember your name."''

Even when out of nowhere she was caught in Avdocha’s terrorist act, which caused her to fall into despair, but it was also a blessing in disguise because now she knew Ash’s name without putting in any effort.

The only thing is, she has to leave this church alive, otherwise there is no meaning behind this. Not only each time the bell rings, they will kill a hostage… Veronica is also outside aiming the Silvanus' main cannon here.

So the first task is to get out of this dangerous place alive.

Once any event that is not expected by Avdocha happens it's simple for her to escape.

In order to grasp this opportunity she must make herself ready......

"Chaa... ♪"

The thing is… Anya is now carrying a baby.

––She's the ‘Ironblood Valkyrie’. If desperate enough she wouldn't hesitate to use the Silvanus' main cannon and turn this whole church together with the hostages into ashes.

After hearing Ash’s announcement the mother, now laying beside her, was so scared that she lost consciousness.

Fortunately Anya had good reflexes and she managed to grab the baby, and narrowly avoided the disaster of the baby bursting into tears. The problem now is that the situation is still at a critical point.

''"What can I do......"''

After Anya muttered with a sigh, her chest suddenly felt numb and almost straightened her body.

It turned out that the baby stretched its arms to reach out and touch Anya's breast.

''––M-My breast. Even Milgauss-sama had never touched them before!''

The baby is probably hungry and wants to drink milk. Anya naturally cannot produce any milk, and the baby's mother is still unconscious.

''- What is your mom doing! How could this be possible just because she lived in the peaceful days for too long!''

At the same time Anya is cursing in the bottom of her heart, the baby starts to fondle her breast.

All of a sudden it squeezes it with its hands, and the next moment it rubs them with its face.

Compare to its mother’s breasts Anya’s are a lot smaller. Maybe the baby is troubled with the difference between the two?

Finally, through the clothing, the baby actually bites Anya’s nipples.

"...... Ah!"

Under the strange sensation… Anya came out with a weird noise.

This voice causes her to blush with shame.

"Don’t you dare ask for too much!"

Anya quietly scolded it and forces the baby away from her chest.

Unexpectedly, the baby turns sour...

"Woo Woo ... ''hick…'' ... Waaaaaa!"

It suddenly burst into tears.

Anya looks ashen, even when she tries to please the baby, but it is a complete failure. She can’t be blamed for this because she has never taken care of a child

''- Damn...... if Avdocha......''

However, in only five seconds, Anya’s worries have become reality.

"So noisy...... Can’t a mother of the Knight country discipline her child properly?"

Anya, still hidden in the crowd, feels her whole body stiffening instantly.

"Since it's too noisy… why don’t you release the women and children?"

The boy named Ash steps forward to help, but Avdocha just laughed him off.

"How can I? Moreover. The first bell is going to ring soon. I have been always punctual; so let’s just choose the baby as a sacrifice."

"Are you kidding? Are you even human? It is just an innocent baby!"

"Do you think there is time to care about the age of every opponent on the battlefield? If you are careless, it isn't surprising, there will be a day that you will be killed by a five year old kid!"

"Even if it is like that––”

As if to prevent Ash from saying anything the basilisk gave a ferocious deep rumbling growl.

"Grrrr......"

Once Avdocha heard the growl she laughs, and as if answering back…

"Hmm. Is it so…."

"What's so funny?"

"Hehe... It says that baby is just enough to wet the teeth. Well then… Bring me the mother and her child!"

After Avdocha gave the order two masks soldiers immediately take action.

''––I-It can’t be!'' Anya is horrified.

Avdocha actually wanted to feed the wing lizard with her and the baby......

One step, two steps. The soldiers move through the crowd and are coming nearer.

Since their expressions cannot be seen under the mask, many people shudder.

“Uuu..."<ref>Voice of being scared.</ref> The crowd moans.

Anya is scared and begins to shed tears.

Even though Anya has cheated death a few times, and is a veteran, she still can't withstand Avdocha’s heavy pressure. Her mind instantly turns blank.

The soldiers are closer now.

''"I can’t be saved anymore...!"''

Just when Anya gives up hope––

"Hold on!"

A loud voice echoed in the church, someone came forward to stand in front of Anya.

The first thing that emerged in Anya’s eyes is a dazzling golden hair.

The person in the dragon riding academy’s uniform protected Anya and the baby and declared to Avdocha:

"I am Lautreamont Royal Knight’s family fourth Princes-Silvia. I request, as a member of the royal family, for you to immediately release the mother and its child!"

===Part 13===
The voice in the church, through the magic communicator in Max’s hand, can be heard in the airship Silvanus' navigation room

『 "I am Lautreamont Royal Knight’s family fourth Princes-Silvia. I request as a member of the royal family for you to immediately release the mother and its child!"』

The moment Silvia exposed her own identity… Max became dumbstruck.

"What the hell is Her Royal Highness doing...?!"

Isn't she inverting the root and branch<ref>Proverb.</ref>? As a result, it is essentially giving Avdocha the trump card.

"Hmph. That idiot..."

Veronica muttered, but she didn’t show an unhappy expression.

On the other hand, it looks like she is smiling.

===Part 14===
''"That's our country’s Princess for you!"'' Silvia, who took the initiative to expose her own name, of course surprised Ash. Though in his heart he had other thoughts.

Because in this case, in order to save the mother and her child, unless Silvia came forward, there would be no other way.

"Hmm... Why bother? If you had kept quiet… Then you might not have been noticed."

Avdocha controlled the basilisk’s reins and approached Silvia.

"I-I am a Princess! How can I sit quietly and watch my people be killed!"

"Hehe...... How appealing, but how come your body is shaking like that?"

"This is because my fighting spirit is trembling!"

Even when she verbally didn't admit defeat, Ash could see that Silvia is obviously trying to be brave.

"Is that so. Let me see how brave you are?"

Avdocha's face gave a dark smile while her hand stretched out signaling her underlings to act. The underling pulled out a shamshir and respectfully handed it to Avdocha.

"Stop!"

Ash wanted to rush out to protect Sylvia, but was stopped by Avdocha’s underlings and is held from behind.

"You idiots! Let me go!"

No matter how hard Ash struggles the soldiers didn’t give the slightest stir. Even the 'School’s number one problem child' is no match for a veteran soldier.

"Hehe...... You have good luck because your location is just right at the VIP’s seat.”

Avdocha said that with a grin, and rode her basilisk as it slowly moved forward.

The distance to Silvia is gradually shortened.

Finally, in front of Silvia, the basilisk used its tongue to lick at Silva’s face.

"...Eww!" Even Silvia could barely hold back her screams.

Though apparently she has long been scared out of her wits.

“Look this way Silvia!” Avodcha gave a thunderous shout.

Perhaps she is already prepared as Silvia opened her arms to both sides.

Then. She makes a declaration:

"To die like a knight...... is what I wish for!"

"I admire your guts!"

Avdocha lifted the shamshir.

"Stop––!"

Ash’s scream cannot stop the merciless blade.

''-Shaa!'' As the blade passed through the air.

Killed.

Silvia was killed.

Ash lost hope.

===Part 15===
"...?"

Silvia is still standing.

There is no blood on her body.

The incredible thing is… Silvia did not even feel the pain.

The next moment–– Silvia found out that the tight uniform is no longer binding her.

Pieces of cloths like snowflakes are dancing in the air.

Silvia felt seriously humiliated.

''"...Why is it always like this!"''

Avdocha didn’t slash at Silva’s flesh nor bones–– but... .

Only her clothes, like an apple skin, are peeled off, and her almost naked body lay exposed.

Coincidentally. The same thing was recently done by Veronica.

Her body, which is only covered with some clothes and underwear fragments, displays an almost naked type of half-nakedness.

Silvia covers her chest with both hands, squatted in place and huddled into a ball. She knew Avdocha’s sight is focused right on her bare skin.

"Princess! Didn’t you desire to die like a knight? Where is your previous pride? You have just been exposed naked to the public, yet you change back to what ordinary women and children do? I almost threw up! You don’t have the right to become a knight! And. It is not worthy for me to kill you! "

"I... I...!"

Being looked down by Avdocha from the very start, Silvia’s emotions were gradually coming to a boil.

At the same time, she is trembling more than ever.

But it is not because of fear that she is trembling. She is trembling because she is full of fighting spirit.

''"-... This woman was right. What do I have to feel ashamed about? This is no different from any ordinary woman or child? And I even dare to call myself a Knight...... It will just make people laugh! Although I do feel regret… I just need to admit it. I don’t have sufficient awareness. No wonder anee-ue scolds me......!"''

''"––Be aware of yourself… Silvia Lautreamont! What’s my aim? An excellent knight? That is indeed one of my goals in the past. But I was asking too little from myself. Have to think quickly. I'm Silvia Lautreamont! What is the only realm that I can reach? To show her the future that only I can have!"''

At that moment… Silvia's mind received God's enlightenment and she suddenly found her answer.

"Phew... Avdocha. I'll have to thank you."

Ash was shocked when Silvia's face suddenly reached a happy expression.

Even Avdocha, who had already turned her back on Silvia, was surprised.

"Are you mad?"

Avdocha ridiculed and gave a laugh.

Silvia covered her chest with her hand and gracefully stood up from the ground.

"Princess ......?"

Ash wants to avert his eyes from Silvia's naked body but they refused to move.

It is not because he has any indecent thoughts.

It is because of a bright shining glow that made him reluctant to avert his sight.

Avdocha and her subordinates, as well as the rest of the hostages, are like Ash. Everyone's eyes are watching Silvia.

"Avdocha. You are the one who made me aware of how weak I am and what lack of awareness I have."

“So? I’m only speaking based on the truth."

“However. I never before noticed such obvious things. It is a real shame to say so... However. '''I have been reborn!''' The past me is already killed by your sword! The new Silvia is now reborn! "

"Oh... I'd like to ask to ask. What can a reborn Silvia do?"

Avdocha look at her fiercely.

The basilisk gave a frightening breath.

Even so. Silvia did not budge.

"I am the woman who is going to become the Paladin!"<ref>King of the Knight country.</ref>
[[Image:Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi v2 p233.jpg|thumb|I am the woman who is going to become the Paladin!]]

Silvia’s declaration echoed in the church loudly.

"Hee… hee… haha! Even I didn’t expect this answer... You want to become the Paladin? What nonsense! So, in order to achieve your goals, you have to try to break through this dilemma. Well. What are you gonna do?"

Unexpectedly, Silvia laughed.

"Nothing. I had said that I’m gonna become the Paladin! There are people supporting me from behind and I also have anee-ue as my family. I just need to believe in them and wait for the 'upcoming moment'!"

"Haha. Don’t you think that before before something like that happens, I can take your life away so easily?"

"If I die at your hands… It only means that I’m just so-so."

Just when Silvia heroically makes the declaration––

There is a terrible shake and just then, in a surge of raging magic, a hole is neatly cut through the floor of the church.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Ash!"

Equipped in their Arks Rebecca and Glenn jump out from the large, newly created hole in the floor.

“––Enemy ambush!” Avdocha’s men shouted.

In the blink of an eye the soldiers move into formation and attack Rebecca and Glenn. The one who is holding Ash is no exception.

"Appear! The certain hit magic spear! Gáe Bolg!"

Right after Rebecca summoned her magic spear Glenn follows by summoning his own Ark-Dragner’s personal Ark-weapon.

"Appear! The lightning speed magic sword! Caladbolg!"

Ash’s eyes widened.

''"That's Glenn’s personal Ark-weapon......!"''

The magic sword Caladbolg is a giant sword with its length comparable to Glenn’s height. Glenn, without much effort, swings the sword just like an image of lightning speed. No wonder he is Veronica’s escort’s captain.

"Hmph...... An unsightly person!"

Even as she curses them Avdocha is still able to smile. Ash cannot understand how she manages to stay calm.

At this time… Avdocha suddenly jumped off the back of the basilisk and rushes toward the back of the altar.

"Is she...!"

Ash, who realised what she's going to do, clenches his teeth. Even when he wants to continue chasing, the basilisk blocks his way.

The basilisk's eyeballs, as it manuvers in the way, rotate and continue to stare at Ash.

"Hehehe. Don’t forget I still have the bombs. It is your loss."

Avdocha at the back of the altar proudly laughs.

The reinforcements, Rebecca and Glenn, are still fighting the enemy soldiers. As worthy of the people of the mountains they successfully pin down the Ark-Dragners.

Of course,if Rebecca and Glenn show their true ability, in the blink of an eye they would be the winners. However, if they don’t hold themselves back, they will not only kill their opponents but all the hosteges too. Even the whole church will be destroyed!

''-What am I going to do?'' Ash was in a dillema.

If the stalemate continues… Then Avdocha is going to press the button. No, before that, he has to deal with the basilisk or else he can’t get himself close to the altar.

The problem is that, for an unarmed human to win against a basilisk, it is indeed a fantasy.

''"Shoo......"''

In that instant. The basilisk issued terrible breath and started stomping around.

It moves its limbs with high-speed and, like gliding on the ground, it rushes towards Ash.

"Ha…?’’

Its speed surprised Ash. Although he is conscious about it his two legs refused to move. Ash is jinxed to become a statue as his whole body involuntarily stiffened.

"Uwaaaa!"

Ash helplessly screams.

The basilisk is right in front of him opening it's mouth.

In his mind there is a clear image of him getting bitten into pieces and broken into two main portions.

''"My God ...!"''

Silvia quickly covered her eyes. She did not have the courage to face the scene of Ash being shredded by the beast.

''"I... How could I be so weak? Where did I get the idea of becoming a Paladin......!"''

Silvia slumped to her knees.

''"Sniff"''...... Her tears fell off from her eyes onto the stone floor which was gradually becoming wet.

At this time. "Oh... A divine light...!" A hostage with a praising tone mutters.

And the others around him are also affected.

"...?"

Silvia wipes off her tears and raises her head.

A pale white light fills her entire field of vision.

After a short moment the light can no longer be seen, and there is a hot surge emerging from Silvia’s chest.

“Ash......!”

Equipped in the Ark Ash, with one hand, held up the basilisk’s upper jaw.

===Part 16===
Ouch. The ‘Seikoku’ on his left hand is so hot.

His consciousness is almost swept away by the powerful magic.

''『 "- Sorry for the long wait."』''

Eco's voice finally can be heard in his mind.

''"It's so scary... Do you know that I was nearly eaten by this thing."''

Ash, who now can feel the Ark’s magic, smiled brashly.

He looked down to re-examine his own body and he sees a set of blue colour Ark armour which made him remember Silvia's eyes.

''"Thank you. Eco."''

''『"D-Don’t need to thank me... I'm not doing it in order to help you. It's for the crepes okay!"』''

Eco's cheeks are bright red.

"How is this possible? You are also an Ark-Dragner? How did we miss this information-?"

While witnessing the dazzling Ark, with a look of surprise, Avdocha’s almond eyes widen.

"My Pal is different from the others!" Ash shouts!

At the same time Ash lightly pushes the basilisk’s chin. The basilisk is stunned by Ash as its previous imposing attitude has vanished.

"You are very obedient. Well. The beast seems to be very sensitive to stronger opponents."

While Ash steps forward, the basilisk obediently steps back.

"I’m stronger than you! If you are from the Asia’s and if you have some intelligence, Quickly be on your knees!"

Frighten by Ash’s voice, at first it is anxious to know what to do, then letting out a scream it knelt down.

"That's right."

Ash gently sat on its back.

"Ah! What are you going to do with Kuu-chan!"

Avdocha screams.

“Kuu-chan? Even when you look so scary, I didn’t think that you had such a cute name."

Ash gave a wry laugh. Kuu seems embarrassed and lightly twists its body.

"It seems that the situation has reversed. Avdocha. Let’s go Kuu!"

Being kicked by Ash Kuu gave out a roar and starts running towards the altar.

"Hey, Hey, Kuu-chan! I’m your master!"

Avdocha, who is panicked, simply looks like a child.

While sitting on Kuu’s back, Ash is searching for the information regarding his Ark-weapon.

Soon… A strange weapon design is spread out in his mind.

After checking the properties and the additional effect of the weapon Ash gave a satisfied smile.

Eco managed to do what Ash proposed.

Kuu, like an Asia, kept on running forward.

The distance to the altar quickly narrows.

Avdocha’s face also turns pale.

"Appear!...... The absolute Zero Holy gun––"

Under Ash’s summons, an extremely long gun emerges out of thin air.

Its shape is similar to the Empire made sniper rifle and yet also is like a spear.

The aim is locked on the altar.

While pulling the bolt. '' 'Kacha' '' At the same time as the metal sounded off, the magic ammunition was loaded into the chamber.

"Brionac!" Ash yelled while pressing the trigger.

A magic bullet shot out from the muzzle followed by a loud sound. The heavy bullet shell casing is ejected with a ''‘Clang’''. It then hits the ground and rolls.

"Uuu ...!"

The shot created a powerful recoil which almost caused Ash to fall from Kuu’s back, but fortunately he is in his blue Ark and stays firm in the saddle.

At the same time the magic bullet is shooting towards the altar, a pale blue flash can be seen.

“Kuu. Retreat!”

Kuu, listening to Ash's order and quickly turns around, runs in the direction opposite of the altar.

"What!"

Avdocha cried out in dismay.

After the freezing magic was launched… Shining ice crystals can be seen coaleasing.

The ice crystals gradually increase in size and quickly engulfed the entire altar together with the bombs.

"A-Avdocha-sama!"

Not only that… Avdocha’s men, while being caught up in the effect, are also mercilessly frozen..

"Finally......!"

Ash smiled.

To fight, against Empire made bombs, experts are required. However, even though Knight Country and the Kingdom had many exiled scientists from the Empire, the problem is not enough time to recruit, train and deploy them.

If that being the case… It is better to risk trying to use the oracle’s power for freezing the bombs to the point they are disabled. This is Ash's basic strategy.

Ash asked Eco to produce an Ark with ice properties.

Needless to say… This idea is obtained when he was in the Silvanus' lounge reading the novel ‘The Sky Dragon Knight Chronicles'. The protagonist in the series ‘Silver Knight’ uses the freezing magic to interrupt the operation of the machine.

Of course Ash can’t guarantee the actual effect in real life. He can only gamble––at least at this stage the bombs that have become ice have ceased functioning.

"W-Wait a minute! I-......"

Avdocha was barely able to move from the relatively wide range of the ice gun's frozen effect. In the end… She does not escape the inglorious fate of becoming an ice statue.

What he needed to be worried about was that before she became completely frozen, Avdocha seemed to have something to say. But, in short, the St Valeria’s church incident has ended.

===Part 17===
Up to a hundred hostages were released.

Avdocha and her men, who had become ice statues, were carried out with the help of the civil engineers. Those veteran soldiers, in the end, had become ice and were dragged off by the Asias on a cart. Only the word pitiful can be used to describe them.

Since Kuu was Avdocha’s pet it was also taken away by the escorts. Ash silently prays in hope that Veronica will treat it well.

More importantly, he now needs to complete the task that is at hand.

Even though he knows his actions are wrong, Ash still climbs up the icy altar and starts to rescue Jessica who is tied to the winged cross.

Fortunately the freezing magic did not spread to Jessica. Just that, in order to avoid looking at her naked skin while trying to save her, his job is quite difficult.

When Ash finally cut the rope and with both hands carried Jessica -

"Nn ..."

Jessica in Ash’s arms slowly opened her eyes.

Right after she found out that Ash is carrying her. Her eyes widen.

"Y-You...... You are Ash Blake? Why...... Are you in an Ark...?"

"Huh? Err… No, this is..."

Ash regretted his mistake.

He simply did not think that Jessica would regain her consciousness so soon.

Ash does not know how to remove the Ark. So before Eco’s magic runs out, he can only continue wearing it.

Clearly there is no way to continue to hide the truth anymore, Ash can only give an excuse to explain it.

"... Yeah. The 'Silver Knight' is me. It is just that today my Ark is not silver in colour."

After Ash honestly confesses, Jessica’s cheeks turn red.

"To use ice attacks against those mechanical bombs is simply ‘Silver Knight’ himself! Waa-wah. Ash-sama!"

"Sama?"

Ash is stunned. Jessica eyes are now watery.

Moreover. Jessica is only wearing her underwear. The cleavage made by her breasts can be clearly seen. Even under such occasions, Ash cannot help but being seduced. In front of the beauty that is Jessica, even the blue Ark's strength cannot come in handy.

"I have been determined for a long time, that my first time will be at the church altar."

"What lies! It's obvious that you had just thought about it!"

"I beg you, Ash-sama, please give me your sperm now...!"

Somehow, dispite being carried, Jessica really began to take off her underwear on the spot. The first thing she actually takes off is her panties instead of her bra.

"Your order of taking off your underwear is too strange, or it should be said, who even asked you to take them off!"

Ash quickly held Jessica's hands to stop her.

"Do not worry."

Jessica sexy lower abdomen is slowly exposed. Eventually, even the following parts are––

"Stop! This is too casual!"

"I'm ready, Ash-sama... Her goddess St Valeria is also staring at us."

"Her goddess Valeria is a protector of law! We will be arrested!"

"Hee hee... I didn’t think that you were so introverted."

Jessica's sweet smell is disturbing Ash.

"Uuh!"

Ash inexplicably feels dizzy; and almost falls down from the altar together with Jessica.

At this time, Rebecca speaks to Ash from behind.

"Hey, Ash! Hand her to me, you go and take care of Silvia."

Rebecca had long removed her Ark and is helping the escorts to do their tasks. She should have been very busy. However she probably saw that Ash is in trouble and could not bear just being a bystander.

“Sorry to trouble you Rebecca-san."

Ash hands Jessica to Rebecca.

"Ah, ahh, Ash-sama, please stay!"

"S-Sorry... See you next time!"

Ash put Jessica’s regretful sounds aside and ran to look for Silvia.

Along the way the Ark breaks into sparkling fragments.

===Part 18===
Silvia is standing against the wall.

Her body is wrapped in blankets given to her by the escorts. Her naked body, that has been exposed not long ago, is now wrapped up tightly. The thing is, her curves can still be seen. Ash, after putting in some effort to not focus on those curves, spoke to Silvia.

"Yo Princess. Err... Are you okay?"

Ash, suddenly becoming lost, can only squeeze out these few words. It's a little embarrassing.

"Ahh. I’m not injured...... You saved me again."

"My performance is nothing much, but rather... Princess you are so cool."

"Y-You... What are you talking about!”

Silvia, who is now blushing, probably has lost all her strength, and she unsurprisingly suddenly stumbles.

"... Careful!"

Ash immediately reached out, and caught Silvia's body.

But only after the blanket, wrapped around Silvia’s body, sliped off and fell to the ground.

"A-Are you alright?"

Ash looked at the place above her neck and timidly asked.

He instantly thought that he would not escape her iron fist, but for some reason Silvia didn't show her usual angry expression. Ash then sets her down on her feet.

"S-Sorry. That…. My waist ... I just suddenly..."

Silvia's eyes filled with tears as she quickly picks up the blanket and wraps herself.

If Ash did not catch her in time she would probably have fallen.

"Otherwise... I’ll give you a piggyback."

"Huh? But..."

"You don’t have to feel shy."

Ash smiled back, turned around, and gently lifted Silvia.

Silvia felt embarrassed at the start, but shortly after that she just held onto Ash’s neck.

At that moment… Ash felt that Silvia breasts, pressing on his back, change their shape.

"...huh!"

"What’s wrong. Ash?"

"N-Nothing ..."

Ash blushes while being unexpectedly stimulated, and at the same time continues his pace.

===Part 19===
On her way to the magicship Silvanus while being piggybacked by Ash.

"...?"

Silvia is suddenly struck with an incredible feeling.

''- Why is this? Being piggybacked by Ash… Somehow I miss this feeling... Am I familiar with this back...?''

This nostalgic atmosphere is so strong until Silvia can barely hold back her tears.

''The only thing is, the gentleness of Ash’s back is just too comfortable -''

Silvia, without realising, dozed off.

"Paladin ~ A. B. S. 1365.5 ~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 2 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 1

2014-06-28T02:38:39Z

Anlanther: /* Part 3 */

==Chapter 1 - Tragedy of Apollo house and Mirabel's decision==
===Part 1===
''-Don! Don…! Don!''

The sun had just risen but Ash who spent a sleepless night was woken up by a loud knocking sound.

“What in the world…?”

He took that silver watch by his pillow side and noticed that it was just half past six.

After he angrily took a look at the window, he became wide awake.

“Uwaa…!”

There was a huge eye looking through the gaps of the curtain.

It was actually a dragon who was banging its nose against the window.

''-Don! Don… Dododododo!”''

He was worried that it may break the glass.

“Why is a dragon coming to my room!? Could it be another Necromancia attack!?”

So the Empire had finally shown their true colours and started attacking? Ash tried to leave the bed but he was stopped.

“Zzz…”

Eco rolled over and hugged Ash.

Her hair was all over his shoulders and her arms were around his back.

And also her soft face that was on his chest…

''-Mmm…''

Ash was shocked by her sudden nibble.

“Hey, Eco… Please don’t bite that spot.”

Recently, her habit of nibbling had gotten less but she still had not gotten rid of her habit of a young dragon. Moreover, she was nibbling on Ash’s sensitive spot which troubled him.

At that moment, there was a crack on the window.

“This is bad… It is not the right moment to let her continue nibbling.”

Ash carried Eco and they left the bed together. The next thing he knew, the glass was smashed into pieces.

He managed to avoid the glass fragments at the last moment.

At the same time, there were two dragons that were trying to squeeze their heads through the window. Their hard scales protect them from the sharp glass.

By taking a closer look, Ash noticed that one of them was a Maestro while the other was a Hydra. After knowing that he was not attacked by a Necromancia, Ash breathe a sigh of relieve.

“Morning, Ash!”

“Good morning, Ash-sama!”

Finally, he could see the faces of the two riders.

They were the student council secretary Lucca and Jessica of the general affairs. Right beside them were Maestro Gawain and Rhiannon the Hydra.

Ash started to protest after he placed Eco who was still sleeping on the bed.

“Lucca! Jessica! What in the world are both of you doing!?”

Since the time Ash saved Gawain who was in danger of dying, Lucca had become emotionally attached to Ash. In the dragon riding academy, most of the girls are the more aggressive type, it was kind of rare to see someone as quite as Lucca. The beauty that only an Eckbald possessed was out of this world.

Ash was a little surprised to see Lucca acting rashly. Perhaps she was influenced by Jessica.

“Ash… I hoped that you would come with me to the Eckbald village. I want to introduce you to the village chief, my otou-sama.” <ref>In the raw version, Lucca called her father otou-sama, but the kanji written was foster father.</ref>

Her usual emotionless face had always given Ash a heck lot of trouble.

“Hold on! W-Why must you mention about the chief!?”

“P-Please don’t ask anymore than this.”

Lucca was suddenly blushing.

This time, it was Jessica who pushed Lucca to aside.

Jessica who was usually eyeing at Ash’s sperm, though her actions had always been eccentric, she was still undoubtably one of the few beauties of the academy.

“Ash-sama, I have a request!”

“Hey, wait a minute! This is the third floor! How did a hydra get here…?”

“Well. Climbing wall is not a problem for my Rhiannon.”

“Can’t you sympathize your Pal a little!”

Ash pitied her Pal. Although a Hydra may still be able to move on land, but only when they are in the water they are able to show their true skills. It shouldn’t be its own intention to walk on land. Let alone climbing the walls of the student’s dormitory, which doesn’t seem to fit the actions of a proud dragon.

“Putting that aside, Ash-sama! I am about to leave Ansarivan. What about you? Do you have any plans of returning?”

“Now I remember… today is the start of the holiday.”

-The first day of the month of Leo.

It was the first day of the holidays for Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy. Since it was a boarding school, most of the student will return to their hometown.

Of course, not all of the students were going back home. There were also a small amount of students that were forced to stay in for the holidays for certain reasons.

Ash was one of them.

“Nope, I am not going home.”

After hearing, Jessica’s facial expression changes.

“What! If that’s the case, I too will stay back here!”

“Uuh… If I don’t return soon… I will be scolded by my otou-sama.”

Compare to Jessica who was in high spirit, Lucca looks sad. Lucca who carry the hopes of all Eckbald with her probably doesn’t have as much freedom as Jessica has.

“Sorry to disappoint you Jessica, but you must return with me.”
[[Image:SnRK v05 044.jpg|thumb]]

Suddenly, there was another voice.

“Rebecca-san!”

Ash shouted.

There was a sweet smell from her red hair being blown by the winds. She looks like a war maiden in the legends when she was riding on Cú Chulainn.

“Sorry for the trouble that this stupid girl from my house had given you. The Randall family will cover the fees for mending the window. The servants fault is also the master’s fault.”

“Now that you mention it… I remember that Jessica was a servant in the Randall family.”

“Just that since she became a Breeder, she had forgotten about her place.”

Rebecca sighed.

“Hmph! Could you stop calling me that? I don’t have the intention of serving the Randall family for my whole life!”

“I never thought of that. You are my important childhood friend. Also, your parents had asked me to take good care of you. That is why I have my duty to bring you back to meet your parents.”

Although her lips were smiling, there was not even a hint of smile in Rebecca’s eyes. After Jessica saw Rebecca’s determination, her elbows dropped in disappointment.

“Haa… I understand. However… I want Ash-sama to see me off!”

Ash gave a wry smile.

“I think that should be alright.”

The moment he answered, Jessica was once again with a big smile. But, she was then blushing and started to mumble.

“T-Then… According to my hometown’s custom…. There should be a parting k-kiss….”

“Hey! Jessica! When does our hometown have such a custom?”

Rebecca exposed Jessica’s lie with a wry smile.

“Hmph! Rebecca! Don’t you know how to look at the atmosphere?”

“I-I too would like you to see me off…”

While Jessica was in rage, Lucca shyly told Ash her wish.

“Of course.”

“T-Then… According to the Eckbald custom…. I want you to give me a princess carry.”

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he first saw Lucca’s blushing face.

“A-A princess carry!”

Ash was in a fix but Jessica shouted at Lucca:

“Hey! What are you trying to do in this mess! That must be a lie!?”

“Uuh…”

While Lucca turned speechless, the noise that Jessica made had spread throughout the school.

“Hey, can you believe it! The president and Jessica were making a night visit! And the other person… Could she be Lucca Sarlinen the genius girl from the basic class!?”

Suddenly, a huge number of students were gathering outside of the Apollo House. It was something for three girls to be standing on their dragons beside a window of a boy’s dormitory.

To say nothing of Rebecca Randall who was the most popular person in the entire academy, Jessica was also one of the centers of attentions and let alone Lucca with her Yōsei like looks and her skills as a Dragner.

“I-I am just here to have Ash-sama see me off! Nothing else!”

Jessica tried to settle the misunderstanding by shouting towards the direction of the school.

“Hmm! By saying Ash-kun you mean… The Ash-kun who was knighted yesterday!?”

“The knighting ceremony was awesome!”

“I also want him to see me off!”

Right now all the girls were speaking with s shrill voice.

Rebecca gave him a bitter smile while she was enjoying all of this.

“Seems like your popularity had sky rocketed after you became a Dragner.”

“The situation outside… Somehow, it looks frightening.”

“Yeah. I just saw around thirty dragons flying towards this window.”

Rebecca told him the unthinkable news with a calm face.

“Huh!?”

“Sorry, Ash. Though I have many reasons to help you… But if I show my true skills, the girls would suffer some grave injuries.”

“Hol-! Don’t leave me!”

“You should try to solve your own problem if you are a Dragner. Also… If it is alright, I would also want you to see me off.”

“…Eh?”

Unfortunately, Ash was not able to catch everything Rebecca said. Her voice disappeared behind the loud noise from Cú Chulainn flapping its wings.

“Good luck, Ash.”

Lucca too had reluctantly flew off with Gawain.

Right after that, the Apollo House faced a terrible attack.

“Ash-kun! Please see me off!”

“Ash-kun, you might as well come to my home town with me…!”

“Hey! Don’t cut the queue!”

Most of the girls returning were riders of stradas. They were like bats gathering together for food at the window.

But of course it was impossible for thirty riders of stradas to squeeze into the window at the same time.

Soon, they started pushing around.

“P-Please be patient! Calm down! Please calm down!”

Ash was panicking.

Every single roar from the Strada was enough to shake up this entire old building.

“Hey!...How dare you! Ash-sama is my important- Nooooooo!”

Unlike Rebecca or Lucca, Jessica who stayed until the end was finally pushed off the wall together with Rhiannon.

“W-What should I do?”

Ash retreated until his back was facing the wall while he was watching the girls fighting for a spot.

At that moment, Eco who had rolled herself into a ball while she was sleeping had woken up and was rubbing her eyes.

“Hmmm…. What’s all the noise about?”

“You ! How can you still think of sleeping!”

Eco was looking around in confusion. It seems that she wasn’t fully awake yet and wasn’t able to think properly.

Ash shouted with all his might towards the window.

“I beg you! Could you please not make a mess in front of someone else’s window! I promise to see off every single one of you!”

Too bad for him, his voice was not received by them.

Suddenly, Ash had a bad feeling.

“I couldn’t be…”

His entire body was shivering in fear. Since some time ago, the wall facing the outside was creaking. It appears that the Stradas were putting pressure on it.

“It is dangerous to stay here! Lets run Eco!”

“Huh…! Could you care to explain!”

“Later!”

Ash was running with Eco on his hands.

He ran out through the door and out to the corridor.

Just when he was sliding along the floor…

''-Creak…! Eeeeekkkk……. !Do--------------n!''

The next moment, there was a loud explosion.

Ash cautiously took a peek through the cracks on the door while trembling. All he sees was dust flying around and even the corridor was affected.

''“*Cough *!*Cough *!”''

While covering up Eco who was coughing, Ash waited until the dust had settled down.

Just moments later-

After the dust had cleared up, what Ash saw was a clear sky.

The morning rays were shining at the disastrous room.

The wreckage of the wall was all over his room. It was a painful sight.

Right now, with the wall that was facing the academy and the window destroyed, his room looked like a doll house that can be seen from the outside.

“Err… Eco, am I dreaming?”

“I think so?”

Ash and Eco were looking at the room with their mouths wide open.

===Part 2===
Ash was brought to the director’s office on the first day of the holiday.

As for those girls who were the culprit, it seems that they had ran back home as soon as possible. That is why Ash who was the victim was summoned.

“I see… Now I understand what had happened.”

Mirabel who was acting as the director replied coldly and drank from her cup of tea.

The room was full of the smells of bergamot and the tea.

Just like a robot, Mirabel’s face was emotionless the entire time. ''Does this princess even have the thing known as feelings…?'' Ash thought.

“The academy will take responsibility for mending the wall. Just some time before, I had asked the builders of this city and they estimated that they will be able to complete it in around two weeks time.”

“Really…! Thank you very much!”

Ash was grateful that she was able to deal with this situation without delay.

“The problem is… During the renovation, where am I to place you and Eco.”

“I see…”

“Can you borrow a room from any of your friends?”

“I don’t think that would be possible…”

Unfortunately, Max and Raymond had gone home. For Ash who doesn’t have many friends, these were the’ only two friends that he could rely on. Although there was an option of using it without asking for their permissions, but Ash couldn’t bring himself to do it.

''-Bang!''

The door behind him was opened with a slam.

The next time he knew, Silvia and Eco was right beside him.

“How much longer are the two of you going to keep on talking!? Can’t you just give us a new room!”

Eco was pointing at Mirabel in anger.

“Anee-ue! Why do you call for Ash! That incident was caused by a few girls! It had nothing to do with Ash! Aren’t you treating him like the culprit!?”

Silvia on the other hand was trying to speak up for Ash.

“Where are your manners? Don’t you know that it is rude to walk into a room without knocking? You won’t be given special treatment even if you are the descendant of the Avalon Holy Dragons Emperor’s family or my sister. “

Mirabel glared at both of them coldly.

“I am sorry… Anee-ue.”

Silvia stood still on her ground as if she had turned into a stone.

On the other hand, Eco was trying to intimidate Mirabel by showing her sharp teeth.

“Hey you!... How dare you act like that even when you know that I am Avalon’s holy dragons' emperor family's Imperial Princess! Why don’t I try crushing the castle the next time? If I show you my true self, one or two Fontaine Place won’t…”

“Idiot! Stop spurting nonsense!”

Ash’s face was pale white when he was scolding Eco.

Since that incident, the Knight’s government took Eco as a threat. As long as there is the possibility that Mirabel was here to keep an eye on Eco, they have to be careful with their own words.

But to his surprise, Eco calm down with just a single shout.

She turned her head around with her face blushing.

“I-I will listen to you… Just this time.”

Ash was taken aback from seeing Eco making such an expression for the first time. Just as he had expected, it was that transformation that had made a change of her heart. Although the gentle Eco looked a lot cuter, at the same time, it was also a little confusing.

“Ahem!”

Mirabel tried clearing her throat, returning everyone’s attention back to her.

“Silvia, you came at the right moment. Right now you are staying in the royal room in the Epona House right?”

“…What about it?”

Silvia was surprised.

“Until the renovation in the boy’s dormitory had been completed, Ash Blake and young dragon Eco will stay in your room for the time being.”

“What!”

“I won’t repeat for a second time. This is an order from your sister. You are not allowed to have any objections.”

Naturally, Silva was enraged.

“What do you mean by this! This is against our family motto where ‘A knight shouldn’t carelessly touch another of the opposite sex’!”

“Hmm… Funny but I remember that I said to let Ash Blake and young dragon Eco stay in your room. When did I ever mention about touching Ash?”

“T-That…!”

Right at this moment, even Silvia’s earlobes were red.

“Right now, if I were to mention the family motto that you love so much, ‘A knight should help those who are in need’. Am I wrong?”

After she replied coldly, Mirabel looked like she had lost interest in the case regarding Ash. She kept on looking at the tea cup on her hand.

“I am done with you- What a pain, now a good cup of tea had turned cold.”

===Part 3===
Rebecca and Jessica had returned to the land ruled by the Randalls.

Lucca on the other hand had returned to her village.

After seeing them off, Ash and Eco once again returned to his room on the third floor of the Apollo House.

They once again looked at the disastrous room.

A bed full of glass fragments.

A floor full with the remains of the wall.

And the disorganized furniture.

With the wall gone, the room became bright and windy. Looking down from above was a few curious onlookers. When their eyes came into contact with Ash’s, everyone scattered.

“Haa… First of all, I think we should try cleaning up a little. It is better to make it look a little more cheerful before the renovation starts.”

Turning around, Ash noticed that Eco was sulking.

“What’s wrong, Eco?”

“Hey. Do you really want to stay in Silvia’s room?”

“It is not like I have a choice. It was an order from Princess Mirabel. It seems that even Princess-sama did not dare to go against her.”

“I… I hate it.”

“What’s the matter? You don’t look like your usual self. Well, if we stay at Princess-sama’s room, we may be able to eat Cosette’s delicious homemade cooking.”

“That’s not the point! And also, I am not someone who thinks about food for an entire day!”

Eco's face was red with anger and embarrassment.

“Is it… Sorry then.”

“It is fine if you understand. Anyway, just if you try to do something weird to Silvia… I will be sure to crush you!”

Eco was glaring at Ash.

“What do you mean by something weird!?”

With her ears fully red, Eco told Ash embarrassedly:

“T-To make it simple…. It is those perverted stuffs.”

“W-What are you even thinking!”

Ash stood still on his ground. He never expected Eco to speak of such a word. It kind of surprised him.

“Even I knew about those stuffs… Don’t look down on me just because I am a young dragon.”

“Could the source of information be…. The Dragweiss?”

“…Some of them were from there, but most of them were from the picture books that Cosette lent me.”

“Hold on! Are they really… Just picture books!?”

In order to teach her the importance of aesthetic sensibility, Cosette had lent her picture books and books for children. For that, Ash was grateful for Cosette.

However, there was a possibility that she mixed some books with adult content in them into the pile of picture books she had given to Eco.

“Anyhow, she is still this country’s princess. What you are worrying about will never happen, rest assured.”

''In the worst possible case, I will be beheaded…'' Ash thought secretly.

“A-Alright… I understand.”

Once again, Eco was smiling and she looked at the room around her.

“Then… What can I do to help you?”

“You are trying to help?”

“What? Is it weird for me to help?”

“Definitely not weird, but rare. Ain’t it always me who complete the house work?”

“A-About that… It doesn’t seem like I have a choice. I am a dragon. I don’t really understand how a human acts. But… I just feel like helping for today… Can’t I!?”

Eco puffed up her rosy coloured cheeks and stared at Ash.

“Why not? I even want to thank you.”

Ash gave a wry smile and tried to pat her head.

But, Eco immediately dodge to a side.

“No! You mustn’t touch!”

“Sorry… I didn't know that you dislike it this much.”

“N-No! It is okay it you are just patting, but you mustn’t touch my horns. If they were just slightly touched, I… will turn weird. I felt like floating in the air when they were touched...”

Ash could calm down after seeing Eco’s face when she tried to explain her feelings.

“I understand. I promise I won’t touch your horns.”

Ash carefully patted Eco’s head.

Her pink hair was fluffy and it gave his palm a nice feeling.

“Nn…”

Even when she was a dragon, Eco was smiling and shrugging her neck like what a cat would do.

Her innocent smile had grabbed Ash’s attention.

To be precise, it was her flower bud like lips.

His heart was beating rapidly.

This was actually the second time he had such a feeling.

The first time was when Eco said that she won’t be satisfied with just being a Pal in the guest room in Fontaine Palace.

“…”

Eco probably felt the change in the atmosphere too and her body suddenly tense up. Perhaps she too was also thinking about the scenario in the Fontaine Palace.

In a short while, just like that time, Eco closes her eyes.

She also tried to purse her lips.

Ash also noticed that her long eyelashes were also trembling.

''-Eco…!''
[[Image:SnRK v05 060.jpg|thumb]]

He suddenly remembered the word ‘beloved Pal’ in the knighting ceremony.

During that time, Ash was only saying the standard pledge.

But this was totally different.

His feeling of love to Eco was born from deep in his heart. A feeling that could be explained using something as simple as the relation of a Breeder and its Pal had grown.

Right now, they don’t need any words.

Ash placed both his hands on Eco’s shoulders and he closes their distance slowly.

A sweet smell was surrounding them which made him dizzy.

Right now, he felt as if his heart was going to explode.

They were now at a distance where their nose could easily touch each other.

Eco felt like being pierced through by the sunlight while she was waiting for Ash.

Ash made up his mind and closed his eyes.

And then- he kissed Eco on her lips.

===Part 4===
“~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~!”

Since their kiss, Eco had been working silently with her back facing Ash the entire time.

It seemed that she was too embarrassed to even look at Ash in the face.

And of course, it was the same for Ash.

Ash felt as if his face was a ball of fire.

Although the two of them at a first glance seems to be dusting the room, actually there was zero progress. What they were doing were only messing up the already messed up room.

''-What should I do? What should I say at times like this?''

Just when Ash was anxious in trying to find the right words…

“Uwaaa…! Cute!”

Eco turned around and showed Ash a round object.

“Isn’t this cute? Where did you find this stuff toy?”

At that moment, Ash felt something was pricking at the back of his neck. It made him wonder what it was.

The stuffed toy that Eco was holding seems to be a dragon. Strictly speaking, its face was clumsily done.

Furthermore, it's round body made it looks nothing like a majestic dragon.

However, Eco seems to take it as cute and it made her forget about what had just happened previously.

“Err… Actually I don’t remember much about that when it came into my possession. No matter how I look at it, looked just like a girl’s toy. It is probably not me who bought it.”

It was thanks to the toy that Ash was once again able to speak to Eco normally.

“Hmm… Strange.”

Eco was carrying the stuffed toy while she whipped off the dust on it.

“Hmm… When I move to Ansarivan, I just took it with me without any reason. Perhaps there is a great meaning behind it was what I thought. Actually… There is a blank in my childhood memory.”

“… A blank in your memories?”

Eco was surprised.

“Aah. It was right about when I had my seventh birthday when I visited Albion Forest for the Orphan Ceremony. I just can’t recall my memories during that time.”

“Isn’t that… The time when Mother Dragon bestowed me to you?”

“It seems so.”

“How come you can’t remember such an important event?”

Ash shrunk when he saw Eco started to get mad. Just when they were finally able to speak normally, it seems that Eco’s temper had also returned.

“To be frank, I know nothing of it myself. It was just that I had a hunch that this toy had something to do with my lost memories and that’s the reason why I was reluctant to throw it away. However, because of the recent events, I totally forgot about it.”

“Then, can I keep it?”

Ash was taken by surprised.

“What do you mean by keeping it?”

“It is just like what I had said. Don’t you think it is sad for such a cute being to be left forgotten? I will take the trouble to take care of this kid.”

“How can you take care of it when it isn’t even a living being? Well, whatever suits you then.”

“Really!?”

Eco was full of excitement.

“Well, I don’t really mind.”

“That's great!”

Eco was so happy that she felt that she could even fly. She then rubbed the stuffed toy with her cheeks.

Followed by that, she cuddled it like what a mother would do to her baby.

Suddenly, she spoke of something that surprised Ash.

“This somehow looked like our baby…”

Eco suddenly stopped speaking before she could even finish her sentence. She the glared at Ash with her eyes as if they were on fire.

“You heard anything?”

“No, nothing at all.”

Ash spoke with a serious look on his face.

“T-That’s right! N-Nothing happened! Nothing happened at all!”

As if her head was exploding in flames, Eco carried the toy and dashed out from the room.

“Actually, I heard every single word…”

Just when Ash was murmuring as he felt as if his body was on fire…

“Sorry to interrupt, Ash-sama.”

Suddenly, there was a woman’s voice coming from behind.

“Uwaa!”

He noticed that it was Cosette after he turned around. She seems to be wearing that same palace design maid attire today. She then gave a polite bow.

“Cosette-san! How did you get in?”

“To enter such an airy room is like a child’s play to me.”

Cosette smiled when she turned around to look at the blue sky.

“That couldn’t be… This is the third floor! Putting that aside, why are you here?”

“I am here to meet you and Eco-chan. Had you forgotten about Princess Mirabel, Her Highness’s decision?”

Of course, it was impossible for him to forget about it to begin with. However, he still felt a little reluctant.

“Actually, can’t we reconsider about this? Putting Eco aside, don’t you think that it is wrong for a guy like me to enter Epona House where guys are not allowed?”

“For your own sake, I would advise you to follow her decision. Do you know what Princes Mirabel was also known as?”

“No… Actually none at all.”

“Her nick name is actually Argento Magus. If we can describe Princess Veronica as a fighter, then Princess Mirabel is a thinker. Compare to Veronica, there were certain things that would made Mirabel a tougher opponent. Please be sure to be prepared mentally, Ash-sama.”

Ash sighed after he heard everything.

“…I understand. Please let me take some belongings with me like my pillow and cloths…”

“Alright then, meanwhile, I will try searching for Eco.”

Eco had not yet return since the moment she ran out from the room.

“Thank you. I think she should be somewhere around the dorm.”

“Huhu. That will be a simple task.”

Cosette ran towards the door nimbly while she was avoiding the disorganized furniture, but then, she suddenly stopped and turned around to face Ash.

“By the way, Ash-sama.”

“What’s the matter?”

When Ash lifted his face, he saw Cosette’s face full of red. Ash was staring at her since it was rare to see her who was always calm to be blushing.

Although she always stayed hidden behind Silvia’s shadow, she actually looked quite beautiful.

With her right hand on her cheeks, she sighed.

Then she said something outrageous.

“Ash-sama and Eco-chan’s kiss looks very innocent indeed.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

This time, it was Ash’s turn to be blushing.

“D-Don’t, Don’t tell me that you saw everything!?”

“It totally felt like an opera show. You looked so cute when you kiss without even needing any words to understand each other. My god, isn’t that wonderful? Don’t Eco-chan looked cute too when she was waiting to receive your kiss?”

“I beg you, please stop saying anymore than this! It is embarrassing!”

Right now, Ash felt like he was sitting on a mountain of needles.

Cosette too had seemed to realized that she over did it replied with a playful smile.

“Rest assured, I won’t tell Princess-sama any of this.”

“How is Princeass-sama related to this!?”

“Hmm… I wonder… Huhu…”

Cosette left the room with her sentence ending with her laughter.

===Part 5===
The moment Ash finished gathering all his basic daily needs, Cosette was back with Eco. Together, the three of them marched towards Epona House.

Although it was around evening, the sun was still high up in the sky.

After passing through a grove of mixed trees, they were welcomed by a stern looking gate.

Even the cicada had stopped making noise.

Although they were just walking, they were all full of sweat.

By taking a peak beside, Eco looked as if she was suffering from the heat of the high summer temperature. She looked like a Hydra who was looking for water on dry land.

Compared to Ash, Eco was only carrying her stuffed toy.

On the other hand, Cosette didn’t even break a sweat.

“We had arrived.”

She turned around and smiled at both Ash and Eco.

Through the gate, they could see a garden that was separated into two halves by the walkway. It must have been well tended by a good gardener. Even Ash who doesn’t have any interest in gardening was amazed by it.

At the back of the garden stood an elegant looking building.

That was Epona House, the dormitory for advance class girls.

“We had finally arrived…”

Ash placed his baggage which was full of daily needs and clothing on the ground.

''How long does it actually take to walk here from Apollo House…'' Ash couldn’t be bothered to even think about it.

This dragon riding academy where human and dragons coexist had a very large land area.

In it, there were numerous classes, a church, a lecture hall, a library, a canteen, seven dragon houses, four dormitories, a sports ground… It even included an arena that was used during events.

Although there was the shopping district and the housing are beyond the school walls, compared to the size of the academy, they just looked like extras. That's the reason why Ansarivan was called an academic city.

Putting that aside, the distance between the boys dormitory and the girls dormitory must had been arranged on purpose by the academy.

“Please enter.”

Cosette pushed open the heavy looking gate and welcomed both of them in.

===Part 6===
On the top most floor of Epona House was the room of royal use.

It looked like a high class hotel suit and it even had a large space.

Apart from a heater in the living room, there was also a dining room, a study room, bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, etc. In a room that has everything, it looked as if it was another world compared to the normal student’s room.

Silvia was walking up and down around her room alone, worrying endlessly.

“Argh! What’s wrong with me! Why couldn’t I calm down! Even my family motto stated that ‘Always stay calm, especially in a pinch’!”

Even though she wasn’t even in a pinch, Silvia couldn’t stop worrying. It was about time for Cosette to arrive with Ash and Eco.

“That’s it!”

Silvia stopped in her tracks for a moment and then she dashed into the makeup room and stood in front of a mirror.

She applied a thin layer of makeup on her face.

She tried combing her hair many times.

Her clothings and accessories were chosen by Cosette.

She put on her camisole, a skirt with two layers of frills, her panty socks and a necklace made from bright dragon crystals that acted as jewels.

In front of the mirror, she was just like her usual…. No, she was at least twice as more beautiful than she usually was.

Silvia turned red when she realized how beautiful she was.

“Why would I dress myself up! It is alright by just sticking to what I usually do!”

Ash was about to arrive.

Until the boy’s dormitory was done with its renovation, Ash was going to stay here for two weeks.

Her hearts started to beat rapidly from thinking about it.

“This feeling… It is that same feeling as ''that time…''”

Silvia recalled her memories.

Around the time of her seventh birthday, she met a boy in Albion Forest.

''“Why? Why would I have this feeling of returning to the time when I was seven years old whenever I think about Ash…?”''

Silvia suddenly regained her sense.

“Stop! Stop! Stop! Doesn’t this mean that I am looking forward for him to arrive!? Right… I should change back into my normal clothing…”
[[Image:SnRK v05 006.jpg|thumb|'' ''…!'' Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments. '']]

Silvia left the makeup room and entered the living room. She swiftly removed all her clothings except for her undergarments. She then walked along the corridor towards the changing room.

Suddenly, the door opened right in front of her eyes.

“Princess-sama, we had returned.”

Cosette walked in with a smile.

“Princess-sama!?”

Ash was standing right behind Cosette with his eyes wide opened. ''Why is his face red? Is it because of the heat?''

“…!”

Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Silvia ran and hid behind the door while screaming at the top of her voice.

===Part 7===
“Hey you! Just until when are you going to keep on staring!”

“Ouch!”

Ash came back to his sense after he was stomped on the leg by Eco.

Just when he had stepped in through the grand entrance, he was greeted by Silvia in only her undergarments. The white coloured lace will forever be imprinted in his mind.

''By the way, why was Silvia wearing only those?'' No matter how hot the weather can be, it doesn’t suit her image.

“I am going to check on Princess-sama. Could the both of you wait here for a moment, please?”

With a happy smile on her face, Cosette disappeared into the corridor. In just a moment-

“No. This definitely doesn’t look natural.”

“No no. It definitely fits you well.”

“But… Won’t this make me look like I am looking forward to their arrival?”

“Huh? Aren’t you?”

Their entire conversation was heard by Ash.

“Come on! This is a disgrace! How dare they make a dragon wait by the entrance!”

Eco who was standing right beside Ash was in rage. The toy that she had with her which had a carelessly made face was further squashed by Eco’s abnormal strength.

Ash pitied the toy. If this continued to keep on, Ash would probably be the next victim.

“Sorry for the wait.”

Just when Ash was about to be surrounded by his fear, Cosette had returned to the entrance with Silvia who was hiding right behind her.

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Silvia’s clothing. It gave a completely different feel compare to the school uniform that she usually wears. A lot of her skin was exposed from wearing the camisole. It had totally grabbed his attention.

“Please come in.”

Ash regained his sense after he heard Cosette’s voice.

“S-Sorry for the intrusion.”

In opposite to Ash, Eco was looking around the room with a hint of worry.

“Even so… You are just a Princess of the Royal Knight’s Family and you get to have such a great room?”

Perhaps she was mad from being asked to wait at the entrance, Eco was saying anything that would sooth her anger.

In truth, even Ash was amazed by the room itself. Just the entrance itself is wider than Ash’s room. There were even expensive looking pictures along the wall and carvings of dragons.

“Please don’t be mad. This room was specially made for the royals, it would be natural if Princess-sama is staying here.”

Ash tried to calm her down.

“But, I am also a Princess of the dragons! Why would there be such a large difference in our treatment!?”

“It is not like I want to stay in this room either!”

Silvia tried to speak up for herself even when she was being threatened by Eco.

“I even tried telling the academy to let me have the same treatment as the rest of the students, but they never listen…”

Suddenly, Silvia stood still on her ground. There was not even a slightest movement.

“Princess-sama… What’s wrong? You don’t look good.”

Ash was worried about her but she didn’t reply.

She kept on staring at the stuffed toy that Eco was carrying with her with her ice blue eyes.

Silvia then suddenly leaped towards Eco and grabbed her shoulders.

“Eco! Can you tell me how did that toy fall into your possession?”

Eco became confused.

“I-It has nothing to do with you.”

“Please tell me! This is very important!”

Silvia shouted loudly.

“… I picked it up.”

Eco mumbled when she turned her head to aside. It seemed that she did not want to tell Silvia that it was a gift from Ash. Ash was wondering on why she would be insisting on it.

“You picked it up? When? Where?”

Silvia was being persistent.

“Come on! Why do I need to tell you?”

Eco lost her patience and roared.

“…Why can’t you tell me?”

“T-That’s because… I don’t have the obligation to tell you.”

“Now I see, you are playing dumb… It seems I must resolve to this.”

Suddenly, Silvia leaped towards Eco with both of her hands stretched out.

“Hey!... Don’t joke with me!”

Eco dodge with the toy in her arms.

With the royal room as the stage, the two of them started running around like a bunch of kids. In just a blink of an eye, both of them
disappeared behind a door.

“Err… What is this all about?”

Ash who was left behind turned around and questioned Cosette.

“Cosette-san?”

To his surprised, Cosette too was transfixed on her own spot. It was rare to see her making a face like that.

Cosette then regained her sense after being called out to by Ash and started explaining.

“I just remember about it… I fear that that stuffed toy…. Is an important treasure to Princess-sama during her childhood.”

Ash was surprised by her answer.

“Wait a moment! That shouldn’t be possible! There should be many more stuffed toys with the same design, no?”

Cosette answered calmly.

“No. There ain’t. That toy is the one and only in this world. It was a limited edition item. It was actually made from a famous artist from Chevron Kingdom called Leonard De Mirabeau and was given to the five year old Princess-sama.”

“Really? That clumsily made toy is…”

“That’s not it… Its weird look was actually Mirabeau-sama’s style. Didn’t people usually say that there was only a silver line that separates a genius and a madman? If that stuffed toy was bought to an antique auction… It should be priced at five million Eccles at minimum.”

Cosette told him the shocking truth with s straight face.

“Five million…!”

Ash turned speechless.

His face had turned pale.

''-Five million Eccles!''

Ash couldn’t even imagine that amount of money. He just knew that he won’t be able to finish it by living the rest of his days enjoying life. He never knew that such a treasure was hidden in his closet.

“W-We should try stopping them first!”

Ash started searching for them in the huge room.

===Part 8===
“Finally! You won’t be able to escape!”

Eco who ran into Silvia’s room was now like a rat in the bag. There was only one exit and the windows were too high to jump from since this was the top most floor.

“Tsk… You are being persistent!”

Eco backed off to the wall and like a mother protecting her child, she tried to intimidate Silvia.

For one moment, Silvia was awed by her beauty, but the next instant, she roared:

“You haven’t told me anything yet! I just want to know how this toy came into your possession!”

“Why would you even want to know!?”

“T-That… I had my own reasons! Please, Eco!”

“Hmph… I had mine too. I will never tell you, only you!”

Both of them were glaring at each other without any intention of backing off.

Silvia realized that whatever she said was useless.

“Now you have done it. Although it is not to my liking… I must resolve this by force.”

“What! Who do you think I am! See that if you can do it!”

“Fine with me!”

Silvia leaped forward without mercy.

Although she must avoid Eco’s abnormal strength, Eco’s actions had always been straight forward and were always easy to read.

On the other hand, apart from the Drag Arts, Silvia had mastered many more fighting styles. It is a normal thing to do for someone who was born in the Lautreamont Royal Knight’s Family.

After struggling on the ground like brats, Silvia came out as the winner.

“Now you have been captured!”

Silvia was pressing Eco’s tiny body on the floor and without giving her a chance to fight back, she rode on Eco.

“Tsk… Let me go!”

“Is there any idiot in this world that would move off once they are being asked to?”

The winner had been decided. Even when Eco had her abnormal strength, she could never be able to beat Silvia.

But, there was a reason why Silvia could beat her easily.

Eco had never let go of the stuffed toy even after she was pressed down against the floor. If Eco would just let go of that toy, the fight could still drag on. No, it could even be Silvia who was pressed down against the floor.

“Please, Eco! This is not an order. Although it was not a long time since the day I met you, I always think you as a friend. That is why… Could you please tell me?”

Just when Silvia was begging Eco with a trembling voice…

“Eco! Princess-sama!”

The door opened with a bang and Ash came running in.

Silvia turned around to look at Ash while she was pressing Eco down against the floor.

“Hold on, Ash! I never have the intention to harm Eco! I just want to ask Eco about it… no matter what!”

“But, Princess-sama doesn’t act like the usual you. Even so, Eco is my Pal, I won’t forgive anyone who try to harm her, even if it is Princess-sama.”

After Ash murmured sadly, he showed her his left arm.

Silvia knew that he had his abnormally large Seikoku covered in a bandage.

“Your Seikoku…?”

Silvia was in lost of words.

The Seikoku under the bandage was obviously blinking with glowing lights. That was a signal given when the Pal was in danger.

For example, even though Silvia did not have any intentions of harming Eco, but Eco felt that she was in danger and sent the signal to her owner Ash for help…

“Sorry, Eco… I am really sorry. I am in the wrong for scaring you…. But, I have my own reasons. Please, Eco! Please tell me for the sake of our friendship!”

Silvia was forcing out an answer from Eco.

“…Eco?”

Eco did not reply. Just as Silvia became confused, Eco was surrounded by a glowing light.

“Hey, Eco! What’s wrong?”

Eco still did not reply. Right now, Eco was like a doll, showing no expression.

Even her eyes seemed to be reflecting nothing.

“Urgh…!”

The next instant, Silvia was being blasted of by a strong wind.

“Princess-sama!”

Followed by Ash’s shout, Silvia’s back bang against the wall. She almost couldn’t breathe because of it.

===Part 9===
“Princess-sama!”

Just when Ash was trying to help Silvia out, Cosette arrived.

“I will take care of Princess-sama. Ash-sama, go help Eco-chan! This is no laughing matter!”

Cosette’s voice seemed to be more serious and nervous than usual.

“Understood!”

Ash ran straight towards Eco.

His Seikoku started to hurt.

He remembered that feeling.

He had the similar feeling when Eco was awaken in the capital, Fontaine.

Although the pain was not as strong as that time, Ash knew that this was the sign before her transformation into a dragon.

Eco stood up slowly with the cute stuffed toy dropping on the floor.

Strictly speaking, she was not standing.

There was a gap in between her feet and the floor.

She was actually floating…!

Her limbs were now surrounded by the mysterious light that was so bright that they could not look at it directly.

However, Ash continued to move forward.

“Stop, Eco! If you are to be awaken here…”

In the worst possible case, this Epona House will be destroyed. No, it could even be related to the city’s survivability…

Eco had long been labeled as an element of danger by many countries’s government. The reason why Mirabel was sent to become the academy’s director was to keep an eye on Eco.

''If she is to transform into a dragon right now…!''

Ash moved forward without giving any thought and hugged Eco.

A huge amount of magic was flowing out from her tiny body. If he had been careless, he would even be swallowed by the magic and lost consciousnesss.

Ash shouted with all his might into Eco’s ears.

“Get a grip of yourself! I…I like the way you are now! It is okay if you just stay as you are! You don’t have to force yourself to change into your true self!”

It seems that Ash’s words had gotten through and the magic that was surrounding Eco had disappeared. Even the lights were no longer there. Ash’s Seikoku too had stopped responding.

“We are saved…”

Ash breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Huh?”

Eco blinked her eyes in surprise and murmured.

“What had I done…? Why are you…?”

Realizing that she was in Ash’s arms, Eco leaped off from Ash’s arms with her face red in embarrassment.

===Part 10===
“I am sorry for what had happened just now. I-I never thought that you were so much against it…. No I shouldn’t make any excuses. A knight must admit his own faults. I deeply apologize!”

After the group had sat on a dining table in the living room, Silvia apologized to Eco sincerely.

“Hmph… I guess this should be sufficient.”

Silvia’s eagerness to apologize by bowing her head had started to confuse Eco. Even though she still continued to puff up her checks in protest, but at least she had accepted Silvia’s apology. Ash who noticed it breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Since everything had been settled, please allow me to ask. How did that stuffed toy came into your possession?”

Silvia’s words had cause Eco to be enraged again.

“Ha!? You….. Just apologize and yet you still want to ask!?”

“I apologize for resolving this matter by force. I promise that this time, I won’t try questioning you by force. But in return, I will keep on asking until you answer me. Remember, I will keep on asking.”

Silvia was quite stubborn. She even smiled towards Eco with her face full of confidence.

“I can’t believe it…”

Eco sighed.

“Sorry, Eco-chan.”

At that moment, Cosette returned from the kitchen with a silver tray full of snacks and tea.

“That toy that Eco-chan was holding right now… It probably belongs to Princess-sama a long time ago.”

“How can it be…?”

Whilst she was surprised, Eco took a bite on the vanilla flavoured crepe that Cosette handed to her. If it was the usual Eco, she would definitely shout out ‘Delicious!’ on the first bite, but right now, she was with a serious looks. As expected, even Eco couldn’t enjoy her favorite food properly.

“What Cosette said is true. That toy is definitely an important thing to me during my childhood.”

Silvia spoke calmly as if she was trying to teach a child who knew nothing.

“Ha!? That’s impossible! I understand none of these!”

Eco placed her half eaten crepe back on her plate. Ash was surprised that she prioritized the argument before her crepe.

“I knew it the moment I saw it. There is only one of this stuffed toy in the whole world. It is a very important toy.”

“How can you have such confidence!?”

“You don’t even know the worth of that toy. Anyone who knows its worth would recognize it on their first sight.”

“Arrrrrggh! That explanation is totally unacceptable!”

''Eco was once again in rage, but at least Silvia knew her limit. Thanks to that, the atmosphere did not turn out to be any worst than this…'' Ash secretly thought.

“Come on you two…”

Cosette was obviously not at all troubled. She seems to be enjoying this.

“Haa… It seems like I don’t have a choice.”

Ash sighed.

“Please listen carefully, Princess-sama. That stuffed toy was in my closet. I gave it to Eco since she seems to like it.”

“Hey! Why did you tell that to her!?”

Eco was scolding Ash with her face red.

“What else can I do? If I leave it to both of you, the same thing will continue onwards again and again.”

“I… want this to be a secret between the both of us.”

Eco’s mumbling caught Ash’s attention.

“What did you say?”

“N-Nothing! I don’t even know you!”

Eco averted her face in anger. ''Why must she get angry...?'' Ash wondered.

On the other hand, Silvia was staring at Ash.

“Ash… you said that this toy was in your closet?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Ash shrugged his shoulders.

“Actually, I am not really clear about it. Believe me or not, there was a blank in my memories… I don’t even know how it came into my possession. I don’t even know about its worth if not because of Cosette.”

Silvia was staring at Ash so intently almost as if she was going to pierce a hole in his forehead. She then asked a weird question.

“When is your birthday?”

“Huh? The third on the month of Aries… What about that?”

After Ash answered honestly, Cosette spoke in surprise:

“Oh, what a coincidence. It seems that Princess-sama was also born in the month of Aries. By the way, hers is in the seventh.”

“Hmm… That’s the first time I had heard of it.”

“Huhu… So Ash-sama is the bigger brother by four days.”

“T-That… isn’t it…”

“Ash!”

Silvia suddenly leaned against him. Ash could see her breast that was covered by the thin cloth of the summer clothes.

“Princess-sama?”

“Even though this may seems abrupt, but do you still remember the date you went for the Orphan Ceremony?”

“Err… I don’t really remember about the details, but it shouldn’t be far away from my seventh birthday. Since my hometown was at a far away village, I started my journey when I was still six. I remembered that I had my seventh birthday in a horse carriage.”

Once they reach the age of seven, every citizen of the Knight Country must visit Albion Forest.

For Ash, if he had departed after his seventh birthday, he would never be able to arrive at Albion Forest in a month time.

“By the way, does the date I went for the Orphan Ceremony matters?”

“…No, Nothing. I have something that I want to discuss with Cosette. Please stay here for the moment.”

Silvia suddenly stood up and dragged Cosette by the hand with her.

“What a weird Princess.”

Ash took a drink from the cup of red tea.

===Part 11===
After Silvia entered the makeup room, with an ‘Ahem’, she cleared her throat.

“What do you want to talk about, Princess-sama?”

“About that…”

“It doesn’t seem like something easy.”

Since she had been with Silvia for quite some time, Cosette immediately knew what she was thinking.

“Aah… That’s right.”

“I will do everything you tell me to if it is in my ability to do so. If the situation required, I could even be Princess-sama’s limbs or even your shield… That’s my duty.”

Silvia made up her mind and told her wish.

“Actually, I want you to return to the palace and investigate the name list of the children who went to the orphan ceremony at the same day as me. This should be an easy one for you, no?”

However, Cosette told Silvia something out of her imagination.

“The records of the Orphan Ceremony is the country’s top secret. Even if you are a Princess, you will be breaching the law by trying to investigate it.”

“Then, your duty would be to avoid it. Please, I could only put my hopes on you. With your ability, reading top secret documents should not be a problem, right?”

“That doesn’t sound nice, Princess-sama. The ability that I only knew of was an ancient technique that was passed down in the Shelly’s family and some spying technique. All of them were used to protect the Lautreamont family.”

“I understand that, but…!”

Silvia grabbed her shoulders and looked at Cosette with her puppy eyes.

“Of course I will do it if this is your order. But, what will you do if Ash-sama is really that boy?”

Silvia’s face almost burst out in flames.

“I-I just want to know about it! That’s right, I only want to know about the truth!”

Cosette gave a wry smile.

“Hmm… Putting that aside, during the time when I am not in, when the night comes and Eco had slept, aren’t '''the two of you''' alone together?”

“When the night comes…. The two of us…!?”

This time, steam emerged from her ears. Her heart was beating none stop.

“W-W-What are you talking about! Don’t you have any shame! How shameless! I…I believe that Ash was not someone insolence! That is why there is no point behind your question!”

Silvia snapped and Cosette nodded.

“I too had the same feeling.”

“Then why bother asking!”

Cosette smiled and took out something. It was a stack of paper held together by a paper clip.

“What’s that?”

“Huhu… A copy of ‘Shelley family’s secret. A recipe to make men dream’. Although I want to use it during this summer to teach Princess-sama some cooking… But this is a good chance to try it. Although Princess-sama don’t have any actual experience, but isn't this a good chance to show your cooking skills to Ash-sama?”

Silvia felt as if her body was on fire.

“Hold on! W-W-Why must I show Ash my cooking skills?”

“If I am not mistaken, The Lautreamont Family Motto did mention that ‘to shoot a general you must first shoot his horse’, am I right?”

“What does it had to do with this?”

“In the Shelley’s Family Motto, there is something like this: ‘To get the man you like, you must first fill his stomach’.”

“What kind of family motto is that!?”

“Huhu… When Ash-sama’s stomach is empty, and Princess-sama gave him your homemade cooking, he would surely fall for you.”

“…Fall for me!?”

Cosette was like a devil whispering into Silvia’s ears.

“When a Princess who doesn’t look like she knew any cooking made a meal, which man wouldn’t be moved by it?”

“Cut the crap! I never want Ash to take notice of me! Never! I-It's just that I had some interest in cooking since a long time ago. I will accept your offer because of this.”

Cosette handed her the recipe while smiling.
[[Image:SnRK v05 096.jpg|thumb]]

“Now, I had received my orders from Princess-sama and I will depart from Ansarivan immediately.”

“Huh? Immediately?”

“It is better if we act quickly, Princess-sama.”

Cosette lifted the both sides of her skirt slightly and bowed gracefully.

Suddenly, like a mist, Cosette disappeared from Silvia’s sight like a magician.

“H-Hey! Cosette? … Do you really want to depart at this moment?”

Silvia became worried when she heard no reply.

“Please hold on, Cosette! You should allow me to have some mental preparation before…!”

Silvia looked around the room with tears in her eyes. It looks like Cosette had really departed.

“Tsk… She never takes me seriously!”

After Silvia mumbled in regrets, she took a long hard look at the recipe given to her.

"The Stuffed Toy Dragon~A.S.B.1365.8~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 1

2014-06-28T02:32:54Z

Anlanther: /* Chapter 1 - Tragedy of Apollo house and Mirabel's decision */

==Chapter 1 - Tragedy of Apollo house and Mirabel's decision==
===Part 1===
''-Don! Don…! Don!''

The sun had just risen but Ash who spent a sleepless night was woken up by a loud knocking sound.

“What in the world…?”

He took that silver watch by his pillow side and noticed that it was just half past six.

After he angrily took a look at the window, he became wide awake.

“Uwaa…!”

There was a huge eye looking through the gaps of the curtain.

It was actually a dragon who was banging its nose against the window.

''-Don! Don… Dododododo!”''

He was worried that it may break the glass.

“Why is a dragon coming to my room!? Could it be another Necromancia attack!?”

So the Empire had finally shown their true colours and started attacking? Ash tried to leave the bed but he was stopped.

“Zzz…”

Eco rolled over and hugged Ash.

Her hair was all over his shoulders and her arms were around his back.

And also her soft face that was on his chest…

''-Mmm…''

Ash was shocked by her sudden nibble.

“Hey, Eco… Please don’t bite that spot.”

Recently, her habit of nibbling had gotten less but she still had not gotten rid of her habit of a young dragon. Moreover, she was nibbling on Ash’s sensitive spot which troubled him.

At that moment, there was a crack on the window.

“This is bad… It is not the right moment to let her continue nibbling.”

Ash carried Eco and they left the bed together. The next thing he knew, the glass was smashed into pieces.

He managed to avoid the glass fragments at the last moment.

At the same time, there were two dragons that were trying to squeeze their heads through the window. Their hard scales protect them from the sharp glass.

By taking a closer look, Ash noticed that one of them was a Maestro while the other was a Hydra. After knowing that he was not attacked by a Necromancia, Ash breathe a sigh of relieve.

“Morning, Ash!”

“Good morning, Ash-sama!”

Finally, he could see the faces of the two riders.

They were the student council secretary Lucca and Jessica of the general affairs. Right beside them were Maestro Gawain and Rhiannon the Hydra.

Ash started to protest after he placed Eco who was still sleeping on the bed.

“Lucca! Jessica! What in the world are both of you doing!?”

Since the time Ash saved Gawain who was in danger of dying, Lucca had become emotionally attached to Ash. In the dragon riding academy, most of the girls are the more aggressive type, it was kind of rare to see someone as quite as Lucca. The beauty that only an Eckbald possessed was out of this world.

Ash was a little surprised to see Lucca acting rashly. Perhaps she was influenced by Jessica.

“Ash… I hoped that you would come with me to the Eckbald village. I want to introduce you to the village chief, my otou-sama.” <ref>In the raw version, Lucca called her father otou-sama, but the kanji written was foster father.</ref>

Her usual emotionless face had always given Ash a heck lot of trouble.

“Hold on! W-Why must you mention about the chief!?”

“P-Please don’t ask anymore than this.”

Lucca was suddenly blushing.

This time, it was Jessica who pushed Lucca to aside.

Jessica who was usually eyeing at Ash’s sperm, though her actions had always been eccentric, she was still undoubtably one of the few beauties of the academy.

“Ash-sama, I have a request!”

“Hey, wait a minute! This is the third floor! How did a hydra get here…?”

“Well. Climbing wall is not a problem for my Rhiannon.”

“Can’t you sympathize your Pal a little!”

Ash pitied her Pal. Although a Hydra may still be able to move on land, but only when they are in the water they are able to show their true skills. It shouldn’t be its own intention to walk on land. Let alone climbing the walls of the student’s dormitory, which doesn’t seem to fit the actions of a proud dragon.

“Putting that aside, Ash-sama! I am about to leave Ansarivan. What about you? Do you have any plans of returning?”

“Now I remember… today is the start of the holiday.”

-The first day of the month of Leo.

It was the first day of the holidays for Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy. Since it was a boarding school, most of the student will return to their hometown.

Of course, not all of the students were going back home. There were also a small amount of students that were forced to stay in for the holidays for certain reasons.

Ash was one of them.

“Nope, I am not going home.”

After hearing, Jessica’s facial expression changes.

“What! If that’s the case, I too will stay back here!”

“Uuh… If I don’t return soon… I will be scolded by my otou-sama.”

Compare to Jessica who was in high spirit, Lucca looks sad. Lucca who carry the hopes of all Eckbald with her probably doesn’t have as much freedom as Jessica has.

“Sorry to disappoint you Jessica, but you must return with me.”
[[Image:SnRK v05 044.jpg|thumb]]

Suddenly, there was another voice.

“Rebecca-san!”

Ash shouted.

There was a sweet smell from her red hair being blown by the winds. She looks like a war maiden in the legends when she was riding on Cú Chulainn.

“Sorry for the trouble that this stupid girl from my house had given you. The Randall family will cover the fees for mending the window. The servants fault is also the master’s fault.”

“Now that you mention it… I remember that Jessica was a servant in the Randall family.”

“Just that since she became a Breeder, she had forgotten about her place.”

Rebecca sighed.

“Hmph! Could you stop calling me that? I don’t have the intention of serving the Randall family for my whole life!”

“I never thought of that. You are my important childhood friend. Also, your parents had asked me to take good care of you. That is why I have my duty to bring you back to meet your parents.”

Although her lips were smiling, there was not even a hint of smile in Rebecca’s eyes. After Jessica saw Rebecca’s determination, her elbows dropped in disappointment.

“Haa… I understand. However… I want Ash-sama to see me off!”

Ash gave a wry smile.

“I think that should be alright.”

The moment he answered, Jessica was once again with a big smile. But, she was then blushing and started to mumble.

“T-Then… According to my hometown’s custom…. There should be a parting k-kiss….”

“Hey! Jessica! When does our hometown have such a custom?”

Rebecca exposed Jessica’s lie with a wry smile.

“Hmph! Rebecca! Don’t you know how to look at the atmosphere?”

“I-I too would like you to see me off…”

While Jessica was in rage, Lucca shyly told Ash her wish.

“Of course.”

“T-Then… According to the Eckbald custom…. I want you to give me a princess carry.”

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he first saw Lucca’s blushing face.

“A-A princess carry!”

Ash was in a fix but Jessica shouted at Lucca:

“Hey! What are you trying to do in this mess! That must be a lie!?”

“Uuh…”

While Lucca turned speechless, the noise that Jessica made had spread throughout the school.

“Hey, can you believe it! The president and Jessica were making a night visit! And the other person… Could she be Lucca Sarlinen the genius girl from the basic class!?”

Suddenly, a huge number of students were gathering outside of the Apollo House. It was something for three girls to be standing on their dragons beside a window of a boy’s dormitory.

To say nothing of Rebecca Randall who was the most popular person in the entire academy, Jessica was also one of the centers of attentions and let alone Lucca with her Yōsei like looks and her skills as a Dragner.

“I-I am just here to have Ash-sama see me off! Nothing else!”

Jessica tried to settle the misunderstanding by shouting towards the direction of the school.

“Hmm! By saying Ash-kun you mean… The Ash-kun who was knighted yesterday!?”

“The knighting ceremony was awesome!”

“I also want him to see me off!”

Right now all the girls were speaking with s shrill voice.

Rebecca gave him a bitter smile while she was enjoying all of this.

“Seems like your popularity had sky rocketed after you became a Dragner.”

“The situation outside… Somehow, it looks frightening.”

“Yeah. I just saw around thirty dragons flying towards this window.”

Rebecca told him the unthinkable news with a calm face.

“Huh!?”

“Sorry, Ash. Though I have many reasons to help you… But if I show my true skills, the girls would suffer some grave injuries.”

“Hol-! Don’t leave me!”

“You should try to solve your own problem if you are a Dragner. Also… If it is alright, I would also want you to see me off.”

“…Eh?”

Unfortunately, Ash was not able to catch everything Rebecca said. Her voice disappeared behind the loud noise from Cú Chulainn flapping its wings.

“Good luck, Ash.”

Lucca too had reluctantly flew off with Gawain.

Right after that, the Apollo House faced a terrible attack.

“Ash-kun! Please see me off!”

“Ash-kun, you might as well come to my home town with me…!”

“Hey! Don’t cut the queue!”

Most of the girls returning were riders of stradas. They were like bats gathering together for food at the window.

But of course it was impossible for thirty riders of stradas to squeeze into the window at the same time.

Soon, they started pushing around.

“P-Please be patient! Calm down! Please calm down!”

Ash was panicking.

Every single roar from the Strada was enough to shake up this entire old building.

“Hey!...How dare you! Ash-sama is my important- Nooooooo!”

Unlike Rebecca or Lucca, Jessica who stayed until the end was finally pushed off the wall together with Rhiannon.

“W-What should I do?”

Ash retreated until his back was facing the wall while he was watching the girls fighting for a spot.

At that moment, Eco who had rolled herself into a ball while she was sleeping had woken up and was rubbing her eyes.

“Hmmm…. What’s all the noise about?”

“You ! How can you still think of sleeping!”

Eco was looking around in confusion. It seems that she wasn’t fully awake yet and wasn’t able to think properly.

Ash shouted with all his might towards the window.

“I beg you! Could you please not make a mess in front of someone else’s window! I promise to see off every single one of you!”

Too bad for him, his voice was not received by them.

Suddenly, Ash had a bad feeling.

“I couldn’t be…”

His entire body was shivering in fear. Since some time ago, the wall facing the outside was creaking. It appears that the Stradas were putting pressure on it.

“It is dangerous to stay here! Lets run Eco!”

“Huh…! Could you care to explain!”

“Later!”

Ash was running with Eco on his hands.

He ran out through the door and out to the corridor.

Just when he was sliding along the floor…

''-Creak…! Eeeeekkkk……. !Do--------------n!''

The next moment, there was a loud explosion.

Ash cautiously took a peek through the cracks on the door while trembling. All he sees was dust flying around and even the corridor was affected.

''“*Cough *!*Cough *!”''

While covering up Eco who was coughing, Ash waited until the dust had settled down.

Just moments later-

After the dust had cleared up, what Ash saw was a clear sky.

The morning rays were shining at the disastrous room.

The wreckage of the wall was all over his room. It was a painful sight.

Right now, with the wall that was facing the academy and the window destroyed, his room looked like a doll house that can be seen from the outside.

“Err… Eco, am I dreaming?”

“I think so?”

Ash and Eco were looking at the room with their mouths wide open.

===Part 2===
Ash was brought to the director’s office on the first day of the holiday.

As for those girls who were the culprit, it seems that they had ran back home as soon as possible. That is why Ash who was the victim was summoned.

“I see… Now I understand what had happened.”

Mirabel who was acting as the director replied coldly and drank from her cup of tea.

The room was full of the smells of bergamot and the tea.

Just like a robot, Mirabel’s face was emotionless the entire time. ''Does this princess even have the thing known as feelings…?'' Ash thought.

“The academy will take responsibility for mending the wall. Just some time before, I had asked the builders of this city and they estimated that they will be able to complete it in around two weeks time.”

“Really…! Thank you very much!”

Ash was grateful that she was able to deal with this situation without delay.

“The problem is… During the renovation, where am I to place you and Eco.”

“I see…”

“Can you borrow a room from any of your friends?”

“I don’t think that would be possible…”

Unfortunately, Max and Raymond had gone home. For Ash who doesn’t have many friends, these were the’ only two friends that he could rely on. Although there was an option of using it without asking for their permissions, but Ash couldn’t bring himself to do it.

''-Bang!''

The door behind him was opened with a slam.

The next time he knew, Silvia and Eco was right beside him.

“How much longer are the two of you going to keep on talking!? Can’t you just give us a new room!”

Eco was pointing at Mirabel in anger.

“Anee-ue! Why do you call for Ash! That incident was caused by a few girls! It had nothing to do with Ash! Aren’t you treating him like the culprit!?”

Silvia on the other hand was trying to speak up for Ash.

“Where are your manners? Don’t you know that it is rude to walk into a room without knocking? You won’t be given special treatment even if you are the descendant of the Avalon Holy Dragons Emperor’s family or my sister. “

Mirabel glared at both of them coldly.

“I am sorry… Anee-ue.”

Silvia stood still on her ground as if she had turned into a stone.

On the other hand, Eco was trying to intimidate Mirabel by showing her sharp teeth.

“Hey you!... How dare you act like that even when you know that I am Avalon’s holy dragons' emperor family's Imperial Princess! Why don’t I try crushing the castle the next time? If I show you my true self, one or two Fontaine Place won’t…”

“Idiot! Stop spurting nonsense!”

Ash’s face was pale white when he was scolding Eco.

Since that incident, the Knight’s government took Eco as a threat. As long as there is the possibility that Mirabel was here to keep an eye on Eco, they have to be careful with their own words.

But to his surprise, Eco calm down with just a single shout.

She turned her head around with her face blushing.

“I-I will listen to you… Just this time.”

Ash was taken aback from seeing Eco making such an expression for the first time. Just as he had expected, it was that transformation that had made a change of her heart. Although the gentle Eco looked a lot cuter, at the same time, it was also a little confusing.

“Ahem!”

Mirabel tried clearing her throat, returning everyone’s attention back to her.

“Silvia, you came at the right moment. Right now you are staying in the royal room in the Epona House right?”

“…What about it?”

Silvia was surprised.

“Until the renovation in the boy’s dormitory had been completed, Ash Blake and young dragon Eco will stay in your room for the time being.”

“What!”

“I won’t repeat for a second time. This is an order from your sister. You are not allowed to have any objections.”

Naturally, Silva was enraged.

“What do you mean by this! This is against our family motto where ‘A knight shouldn’t carelessly touch another of the opposite sex’!”

“Hmm… Funny but I remember that I said to let Ash Blake and young dragon Eco stay in your room. When did I ever mention about touching Ash?”

“T-That…!”

Right at this moment, even Silvia’s earlobes were red.

“Right now, if I were to mention the family motto that you love so much, ‘A knight should help those who are in need’. Am I wrong?”

After she replied coldly, Mirabel looked like she had lost interest in the case regarding Ash. She kept on looking at the tea cup on her hand.

“I am done with you- What a pain, now a good cup of tea had turned cold.”

===Part 3===
Rebecca and Jessica had returned to the land ruled by the Randalls.

Lucca on the other hand had returned to her village.

After seeing them off, Ash and Eco once again returned to his room on the third floor of the Apollo House.

They once again looked at the disastrous room.

A bed full of glass fragments.

A floor full with the remains of the wall.

And the disorganized furniture.

With the wall gone, the room became bright and windy. Looking down from above was a few curious onlookers. When their eyes came into contact with Ash’s, everyone scattered.

“Haa… First of all, I think we should try cleaning up a little. It is better to make it look a little more cheerful before the renovation starts.”

Turning around, Ash noticed that Eco was sulking.

“What’s wrong, Eco?”

“Hey. Do you really want to stay in Silvia’s room?”

“It is not like I have a choice. It was an order from Princess Mirabel. It seems that even Princess-sama did not dare to go against her.”

“I… I hate it.”

“What’s the matter? You don’t look like your usual self. Well, if we stay at Princess-sama’s room, we may be able to eat Cosette’s delicious homemade cooking.”

“That’s not the point! And also, I am not someone who thinks about food for an entire day!”

Eco's face was red with anger and embarrassment.

“Is it… Sorry then.”

“It is fine if you understand. Anyway, just if you try to do something weird to Silvia… I will be sure to crush you!”

Eco was glaring at Ash.

“What do you mean by something weird!?”

With her ears fully red, Eco told Ash embarrassedly:

“T-To make it simple…. It is those perverted stuffs.”

“W-What are you even thinking!”

Ash stood still on his ground. He never expected Eco to speak of such a word. It kind of surprised him.

“Even I knew about those stuffs… Don’t look down on me just because I am a young dragon.”

“Could the source of information be…. The Dragweiss?”

“…Some of them were from there, but most of them were from the picture books that Cosette lend to me.”

“Hold on! Are they really… Just picture books!?”

In order to teach her the importance of aesthetic sensibility, Cosette had lent her picture books and books for children. For that, Ash was grateful for Cosette.

However, there was a possibility that she mixed some books with adult content in them into the pile of picture books she had given to Eco.

“Anyhow, she is still this country’s princess. What you are worrying about will never happen, rest assured.”

''In the worst possible case, I will be beheaded…'' Ash thought secretly.

“A-Alright… I understand.”

Once again, Eco was smiling and she looked at the room around her.

“Then… What can I do to help you?”

“You are trying to help?”

“What? Is it weird for me to help?”

“Definitely not weird, but rare. Ain’t it always me who complete the house work?”

“A-About that… It doesn’t seem like I have a choice. I am a dragon. I don’t really understand how a human acts. But… I just feel like helping for today… Can’t I!?”

Eco puffed up her rosy coloured cheeks and stared at Ash.

“Why not? I even want to thank you.”

Ash gave a wry smile and tried to pat her head.

But, Eco immediately dodge to a side.

“No! You mustn’t touch!”

“Sorry… I didn't know that you dislike it this much.”

“N-No! It is okay it you are just patting, but you mustn’t touch my horns. If they were just slightly touched, I… will turn weird. I felt like floating in the air when they were touched...”

Ash could calm down after seeing Eco’s face when she tried to explain her feelings.

“I understand. I promise I won’t touch your horns.”

Ash carefully patted Eco’s head.

Her pink hair was fluffy and it gave his palm a nice feeling.

“Nn…”

Even when she was a dragon, Eco was smiling and shrugging her neck like what a cat would do.

Her innocent smile had grabbed Ash’s attention.

To be precise, it was her flower bud like lips.

His heart was beating rapidly.

This was actually the second time he had such a feeling.

The first time was when Eco said that she won’t be satisfied with just being a Pal in the guest room in Fontaine Palace.

“…”

Eco probably felt the change in the atmosphere too and her body suddenly tense up. Perhaps she too was also thinking about the scenario in the Fontaine Palace.

In a short while, just like that time, Eco closes her eyes.

She also tried to purse her lips.

Ash also noticed that her long eyelashes were also trembling.

''-Eco…!''
[[Image:SnRK v05 060.jpg|thumb]]

He suddenly remembered the word ‘beloved Pal’ in the knighting ceremony.

During that time, Ash was only saying the standard pledge.

But this was totally different.

His feeling of love to Eco was born from deep in his heart. A feeling that could be explained using something as simple as the relation of a Breeder and its Pal had grown.

Right now, they don’t need any words.

Ash placed both his hands on Eco’s shoulders and he closes their distance slowly.

A sweet smell was surrounding them which made him dizzy.

Right now, he felt as if his heart was going to explode.

They were now at a distance where their nose could easily touch each other.

Eco felt like being pierced through by the sunlight while she was waiting for Ash.

Ash made up his mind and closed his eyes.

And then- he kissed Eco on her lips.

===Part 4===
“~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~!”

Since their kiss, Eco had been working silently with her back facing Ash the entire time.

It seemed that she was too embarrassed to even look at Ash in the face.

And of course, it was the same for Ash.

Ash felt as if his face was a ball of fire.

Although the two of them at a first glance seems to be dusting the room, actually there was zero progress. What they were doing were only messing up the already messed up room.

''-What should I do? What should I say at times like this?''

Just when Ash was anxious in trying to find the right words…

“Uwaaa…! Cute!”

Eco turned around and showed Ash a round object.

“Isn’t this cute? Where did you find this stuff toy?”

At that moment, Ash felt something was pricking at the back of his neck. It made him wonder what it was.

The stuffed toy that Eco was holding seems to be a dragon. Strictly speaking, its face was clumsily done.

Furthermore, it's round body made it looks nothing like a majestic dragon.

However, Eco seems to take it as cute and it made her forget about what had just happened previously.

“Err… Actually I don’t remember much about that when it came into my possession. No matter how I look at it, looked just like a girl’s toy. It is probably not me who bought it.”

It was thanks to the toy that Ash was once again able to speak to Eco normally.

“Hmm… Strange.”

Eco was carrying the stuffed toy while she whipped off the dust on it.

“Hmm… When I move to Ansarivan, I just took it with me without any reason. Perhaps there is a great meaning behind it was what I thought. Actually… There is a blank in my childhood memory.”

“… A blank in your memories?”

Eco was surprised.

“Aah. It was right about when I had my seventh birthday when I visited Albion Forest for the Orphan Ceremony. I just can’t recall my memories during that time.”

“Isn’t that… The time when Mother Dragon bestowed me to you?”

“It seems so.”

“How come you can’t remember such an important event?”

Ash shrunk when he saw Eco started to get mad. Just when they were finally able to speak normally, it seems that Eco’s temper had also returned.

“To be frank, I know nothing of it myself. It was just that I had a hunch that this toy had something to do with my lost memories and that’s the reason why I was reluctant to throw it away. However, because of the recent events, I totally forgot about it.”

“Then, can I keep it?”

Ash was taken by surprised.

“What do you mean by keeping it?”

“It is just like what I had said. Don’t you think it is sad for such a cute being to be left forgotten? I will take the trouble to take care of this kid.”

“How can you take care of it when it isn’t even a living being? Well, whatever suits you then.”

“Really!?”

Eco was full of excitement.

“Well, I don’t really mind.”

“That's great!”

Eco was so happy that she felt that she could even fly. She then rubbed the stuffed toy with her cheeks.

Followed by that, she cuddled it like what a mother would do to her baby.

Suddenly, she spoke of something that surprised Ash.

“This somehow looked like our baby…”

Eco suddenly stopped speaking before she could even finish her sentence. She the glared at Ash with her eyes as if they were on fire.

“You heard anything?”

“No, nothing at all.”

Ash spoke with a serious look on his face.

“T-That’s right! N-Nothing happened! Nothing happened at all!”

As if her head was exploding in flames, Eco carried the toy and dashed out from the room.

“Actually, I heard every single word…”

Just when Ash was murmuring as he felt as if his body was on fire…

“Sorry to interrupt, Ash-sama.”

Suddenly, there was a woman’s voice coming from behind.

“Uwaa!”

He noticed that it was Cosette after he turned around. She seems to be wearing that same palace design maid attire today. She then gave a polite bow.

“Cosette-san! How did you get in?”

“To enter such an airy room is like a child’s play to me.”

Cosette smiled when she turned around to look at the blue sky.

“That couldn’t be… This is the third floor! Putting that aside, why are you here?”

“I am here to meet you and Eco-chan. Had you forgotten about Princess Mirabel, Her Highness’s decision?”

Of course, it was impossible for him to forget about it to begin with. However, he still felt a little reluctant.

“Actually, can’t we reconsider about this? Putting Eco aside, don’t you think that it is wrong for a guy like me to enter Epona House where guys are not allowed?”

“For your own sake, I would advise you to follow her decision. Do you know what Princes Mirabel was also known as?”

“No… Actually none at all.”

“Her nick name is actually Argento Magus. If we can describe Princess Veronica as a fighter, then Princess Mirabel is a thinker. Compare to Veronica, there were certain things that would made Mirabel a tougher opponent. Please be sure to be prepared mentally, Ash-sama.”

Ash sighed after he heard everything.

“…I understand. Please let me take some belongings with me like my pillow and cloths…”

“Alright then, meanwhile, I will try searching for Eco.”

Eco had not yet return since the moment she ran out from the room.

“Thank you. I think she should be somewhere around the dorm.”

“Huhu. That will be a simple task.”

Cosette ran towards the door nimbly while she was avoiding the disorganized furniture, but then, she suddenly stopped and turned around to face Ash.

“By the way, Ash-sama.”

“What’s the matter?”

When Ash lifted his face, he saw Cosette’s face full of red. Ash was staring at her since it was rare to see her who was always calm to be blushing.

Although she always stayed hidden behind Silvia’s shadow, she actually looked quite beautiful.

With her right hand on her cheeks, she sighed.

Then she said something outrageous.

“Ash-sama and Eco-chan’s kiss looks very innocent indeed.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

This time, it was Ash’s turn to be blushing.

“D-Don’t, Don’t tell me that you saw everything!?”

“It totally felt like an opera show. You looked so cute when you kiss without even needing any words to understand each other. My god, isn’t that wonderful? Don’t Eco-chan looked cute too when she was waiting to receive your kiss?”

“I beg you, please stop saying anymore than this! It is embarrassing!”

Right now, Ash felt like he was sitting on a mountain of needles.

Cosette too had seemed to realized that she over did it replied with a playful smile.

“Rest assured, I won’t tell Princess-sama any of this.”

“How is Princeass-sama related to this!?”

“Hmm… I wonder… Huhu…”

Cosette left the room with her sentence ending with her laughter.

===Part 5===
The moment Ash finished gathering all his basic daily needs, Cosette was back with Eco. Together, the three of them marched towards Epona House.

Although it was around evening, the sun was still high up in the sky.

After passing through a grove of mixed trees, they were welcomed by a stern looking gate.

Even the cicada had stopped making noise.

Although they were just walking, they were all full of sweat.

By taking a peak beside, Eco looked as if she was suffering from the heat of the high summer temperature. She looked like a Hydra who was looking for water on dry land.

Compared to Ash, Eco was only carrying her stuffed toy.

On the other hand, Cosette didn’t even break a sweat.

“We had arrived.”

She turned around and smiled at both Ash and Eco.

Through the gate, they could see a garden that was separated into two halves by the walkway. It must have been well tended by a good gardener. Even Ash who doesn’t have any interest in gardening was amazed by it.

At the back of the garden stood an elegant looking building.

That was Epona House, the dormitory for advance class girls.

“We had finally arrived…”

Ash placed his baggage which was full of daily needs and clothing on the ground.

''How long does it actually take to walk here from Apollo House…'' Ash couldn’t be bothered to even think about it.

This dragon riding academy where human and dragons coexist had a very large land area.

In it, there were numerous classes, a church, a lecture hall, a library, a canteen, seven dragon houses, four dormitories, a sports ground… It even included an arena that was used during events.

Although there was the shopping district and the housing are beyond the school walls, compared to the size of the academy, they just looked like extras. That's the reason why Ansarivan was called an academic city.

Putting that aside, the distance between the boys dormitory and the girls dormitory must had been arranged on purpose by the academy.

“Please enter.”

Cosette pushed open the heavy looking gate and welcomed both of them in.

===Part 6===
On the top most floor of Epona House was the room of royal use.

It looked like a high class hotel suit and it even had a large space.

Apart from a heater in the living room, there was also a dining room, a study room, bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, etc. In a room that has everything, it looked as if it was another world compared to the normal student’s room.

Silvia was walking up and down around her room alone, worrying endlessly.

“Argh! What’s wrong with me! Why couldn’t I calm down! Even my family motto stated that ‘Always stay calm, especially in a pinch’!”

Even though she wasn’t even in a pinch, Silvia couldn’t stop worrying. It was about time for Cosette to arrive with Ash and Eco.

“That’s it!”

Silvia stopped in her tracks for a moment and then she dashed into the makeup room and stood in front of a mirror.

She applied a thin layer of makeup on her face.

She tried combing her hair many times.

Her clothings and accessories were chosen by Cosette.

She put on her camisole, a skirt with two layers of frills, her panty socks and a necklace made from bright dragon crystals that acted as jewels.

In front of the mirror, she was just like her usual…. No, she was at least twice as more beautiful than she usually was.

Silvia turned red when she realized how beautiful she was.

“Why would I dress myself up! It is alright by just sticking to what I usually do!”

Ash was about to arrive.

Until the boy’s dormitory was done with its renovation, Ash was going to stay here for two weeks.

Her hearts started to beat rapidly from thinking about it.

“This feeling… It is that same feeling as ''that time…''”

Silvia recalled her memories.

Around the time of her seventh birthday, she met a boy in Albion Forest.

''“Why? Why would I have this feeling of returning to the time when I was seven years old whenever I think about Ash…?”''

Silvia suddenly regained her sense.

“Stop! Stop! Stop! Doesn’t this mean that I am looking forward for him to arrive!? Right… I should change back into my normal clothing…”
[[Image:SnRK v05 006.jpg|thumb|'' ''…!'' Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments. '']]

Silvia left the makeup room and entered the living room. She swiftly removed all her clothings except for her undergarments. She then walked along the corridor towards the changing room.

Suddenly, the door opened right in front of her eyes.

“Princess-sama, we had returned.”

Cosette walked in with a smile.

“Princess-sama!?”

Ash was standing right behind Cosette with his eyes wide opened. ''Why is his face red? Is it because of the heat?''

“…!”

Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Silvia ran and hid behind the door while screaming at the top of her voice.

===Part 7===
“Hey you! Just until when are you going to keep on staring!”

“Ouch!”

Ash came back to his sense after he was stomped on the leg by Eco.

Just when he had stepped in through the grand entrance, he was greeted by Silvia in only her undergarments. The white coloured lace will forever be imprinted in his mind.

''By the way, why was Silvia wearing only those?'' No matter how hot the weather can be, it doesn’t suit her image.

“I am going to check on Princess-sama. Could the both of you wait here for a moment, please?”

With a happy smile on her face, Cosette disappeared into the corridor. In just a moment-

“No. This definitely doesn’t look natural.”

“No no. It definitely fits you well.”

“But… Won’t this make me look like I am looking forward to their arrival?”

“Huh? Aren’t you?”

Their entire conversation was heard by Ash.

“Come on! This is a disgrace! How dare they make a dragon wait by the entrance!”

Eco who was standing right beside Ash was in rage. The toy that she had with her which had a carelessly made face was further squashed by Eco’s abnormal strength.

Ash pitied the toy. If this continued to keep on, Ash would probably be the next victim.

“Sorry for the wait.”

Just when Ash was about to be surrounded by his fear, Cosette had returned to the entrance with Silvia who was hiding right behind her.

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Silvia’s clothing. It gave a completely different feel compare to the school uniform that she usually wears. A lot of her skin was exposed from wearing the camisole. It had totally grabbed his attention.

“Please come in.”

Ash regained his sense after he heard Cosette’s voice.

“S-Sorry for the intrusion.”

In opposite to Ash, Eco was looking around the room with a hint of worry.

“Even so… You are just a Princess of the Royal Knight’s Family and you get to have such a great room?”

Perhaps she was mad from being asked to wait at the entrance, Eco was saying anything that would sooth her anger.

In truth, even Ash was amazed by the room itself. Just the entrance itself is wider than Ash’s room. There were even expensive looking pictures along the wall and carvings of dragons.

“Please don’t be mad. This room was specially made for the royals, it would be natural if Princess-sama is staying here.”

Ash tried to calm her down.

“But, I am also a Princess of the dragons! Why would there be such a large difference in our treatment!?”

“It is not like I want to stay in this room either!”

Silvia tried to speak up for herself even when she was being threatened by Eco.

“I even tried telling the academy to let me have the same treatment as the rest of the students, but they never listen…”

Suddenly, Silvia stood still on her ground. There was not even a slightest movement.

“Princess-sama… What’s wrong? You don’t look good.”

Ash was worried about her but she didn’t reply.

She kept on staring at the stuffed toy that Eco was carrying with her with her ice blue eyes.

Silvia then suddenly leaped towards Eco and grabbed her shoulders.

“Eco! Can you tell me how did that toy fall into your possession?”

Eco became confused.

“I-It has nothing to do with you.”

“Please tell me! This is very important!”

Silvia shouted loudly.

“… I picked it up.”

Eco mumbled when she turned her head to aside. It seemed that she did not want to tell Silvia that it was a gift from Ash. Ash was wondering on why she would be insisting on it.

“You picked it up? When? Where?”

Silvia was being persistent.

“Come on! Why do I need to tell you?”

Eco lost her patience and roared.

“…Why can’t you tell me?”

“T-That’s because… I don’t have the obligation to tell you.”

“Now I see, you are playing dumb… It seems I must resolve to this.”

Suddenly, Silvia leaped towards Eco with both of her hands stretched out.

“Hey!... Don’t joke with me!”

Eco dodge with the toy in her arms.

With the royal room as the stage, the two of them started running around like a bunch of kids. In just a blink of an eye, both of them
disappeared behind a door.

“Err… What is this all about?”

Ash who was left behind turned around and questioned Cosette.

“Cosette-san?”

To his surprised, Cosette too was transfixed on her own spot. It was rare to see her making a face like that.

Cosette then regained her sense after being called out to by Ash and started explaining.

“I just remember about it… I fear that that stuffed toy…. Is an important treasure to Princess-sama during her childhood.”

Ash was surprised by her answer.

“Wait a moment! That shouldn’t be possible! There should be many more stuffed toys with the same design, no?”

Cosette answered calmly.

“No. There ain’t. That toy is the one and only in this world. It was a limited edition item. It was actually made from a famous artist from Chevron Kingdom called Leonard De Mirabeau and was given to the five year old Princess-sama.”

“Really? That clumsily made toy is…”

“That’s not it… Its weird look was actually Mirabeau-sama’s style. Didn’t people usually say that there was only a silver line that separates a genius and a madman? If that stuffed toy was bought to an antique auction… It should be priced at five million Eccles at minimum.”

Cosette told him the shocking truth with s straight face.

“Five million…!”

Ash turned speechless.

His face had turned pale.

''-Five million Eccles!''

Ash couldn’t even imagine that amount of money. He just knew that he won’t be able to finish it by living the rest of his days enjoying life. He never knew that such a treasure was hidden in his closet.

“W-We should try stopping them first!”

Ash started searching for them in the huge room.

===Part 8===
“Finally! You won’t be able to escape!”

Eco who ran into Silvia’s room was now like a rat in the bag. There was only one exit and the windows were too high to jump from since this was the top most floor.

“Tsk… You are being persistent!”

Eco backed off to the wall and like a mother protecting her child, she tried to intimidate Silvia.

For one moment, Silvia was awed by her beauty, but the next instant, she roared:

“You haven’t told me anything yet! I just want to know how this toy came into your possession!”

“Why would you even want to know!?”

“T-That… I had my own reasons! Please, Eco!”

“Hmph… I had mine too. I will never tell you, only you!”

Both of them were glaring at each other without any intention of backing off.

Silvia realized that whatever she said was useless.

“Now you have done it. Although it is not to my liking… I must resolve this by force.”

“What! Who do you think I am! See that if you can do it!”

“Fine with me!”

Silvia leaped forward without mercy.

Although she must avoid Eco’s abnormal strength, Eco’s actions had always been straight forward and were always easy to read.

On the other hand, apart from the Drag Arts, Silvia had mastered many more fighting styles. It is a normal thing to do for someone who was born in the Lautreamont Royal Knight’s Family.

After struggling on the ground like brats, Silvia came out as the winner.

“Now you have been captured!”

Silvia was pressing Eco’s tiny body on the floor and without giving her a chance to fight back, she rode on Eco.

“Tsk… Let me go!”

“Is there any idiot in this world that would move off once they are being asked to?”

The winner had been decided. Even when Eco had her abnormal strength, she could never be able to beat Silvia.

But, there was a reason why Silvia could beat her easily.

Eco had never let go of the stuffed toy even after she was pressed down against the floor. If Eco would just let go of that toy, the fight could still drag on. No, it could even be Silvia who was pressed down against the floor.

“Please, Eco! This is not an order. Although it was not a long time since the day I met you, I always think you as a friend. That is why… Could you please tell me?”

Just when Silvia was begging Eco with a trembling voice…

“Eco! Princess-sama!”

The door opened with a bang and Ash came running in.

Silvia turned around to look at Ash while she was pressing Eco down against the floor.

“Hold on, Ash! I never have the intention to harm Eco! I just want to ask Eco about it… no matter what!”

“But, Princess-sama doesn’t act like the usual you. Even so, Eco is my Pal, I won’t forgive anyone who try to harm her, even if it is Princess-sama.”

After Ash murmured sadly, he showed her his left arm.

Silvia knew that he had his abnormally large Seikoku covered in a bandage.

“Your Seikoku…?”

Silvia was in lost of words.

The Seikoku under the bandage was obviously blinking with glowing lights. That was a signal given when the Pal was in danger.

For example, even though Silvia did not have any intentions of harming Eco, but Eco felt that she was in danger and sent the signal to her owner Ash for help…

“Sorry, Eco… I am really sorry. I am in the wrong for scaring you…. But, I have my own reasons. Please, Eco! Please tell me for the sake of our friendship!”

Silvia was forcing out an answer from Eco.

“…Eco?”

Eco did not reply. Just as Silvia became confused, Eco was surrounded by a glowing light.

“Hey, Eco! What’s wrong?”

Eco still did not reply. Right now, Eco was like a doll, showing no expression.

Even her eyes seemed to be reflecting nothing.

“Urgh…!”

The next instant, Silvia was being blasted of by a strong wind.

“Princess-sama!”

Followed by Ash’s shout, Silvia’s back bang against the wall. She almost couldn’t breathe because of it.

===Part 9===
“Princess-sama!”

Just when Ash was trying to help Silvia out, Cosette arrived.

“I will take care of Princess-sama. Ash-sama, go help Eco-chan! This is no laughing matter!”

Cosette’s voice seemed to be more serious and nervous than usual.

“Understood!”

Ash ran straight towards Eco.

His Seikoku started to hurt.

He remembered that feeling.

He had the similar feeling when Eco was awaken in the capital, Fontaine.

Although the pain was not as strong as that time, Ash knew that this was the sign before her transformation into a dragon.

Eco stood up slowly with the cute stuffed toy dropping on the floor.

Strictly speaking, she was not standing.

There was a gap in between her feet and the floor.

She was actually floating…!

Her limbs were now surrounded by the mysterious light that was so bright that they could not look at it directly.

However, Ash continued to move forward.

“Stop, Eco! If you are to be awaken here…”

In the worst possible case, this Epona House will be destroyed. No, it could even be related to the city’s survivability…

Eco had long been labeled as an element of danger by many countries’s government. The reason why Mirabel was sent to become the academy’s director was to keep an eye on Eco.

''If she is to transform into a dragon right now…!''

Ash moved forward without giving any thought and hugged Eco.

A huge amount of magic was flowing out from her tiny body. If he had been careless, he would even be swallowed by the magic and lost consciousnesss.

Ash shouted with all his might into Eco’s ears.

“Get a grip of yourself! I…I like the way you are now! It is okay if you just stay as you are! You don’t have to force yourself to change into your true self!”

It seems that Ash’s words had gotten through and the magic that was surrounding Eco had disappeared. Even the lights were no longer there. Ash’s Seikoku too had stopped responding.

“We are saved…”

Ash breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Huh?”

Eco blinked her eyes in surprise and murmured.

“What had I done…? Why are you…?”

Realizing that she was in Ash’s arms, Eco leaped off from Ash’s arms with her face red in embarrassment.

===Part 10===
“I am sorry for what had happened just now. I-I never thought that you were so much against it…. No I shouldn’t make any excuses. A knight must admit his own faults. I deeply apologize!”

After the group had sat on a dining table in the living room, Silvia apologized to Eco sincerely.

“Hmph… I guess this should be sufficient.”

Silvia’s eagerness to apologize by bowing her head had started to confuse Eco. Even though she still continued to puff up her checks in protest, but at least she had accepted Silvia’s apology. Ash who noticed it breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Since everything had been settled, please allow me to ask. How did that stuffed toy came into your possession?”

Silvia’s words had cause Eco to be enraged again.

“Ha!? You….. Just apologize and yet you still want to ask!?”

“I apologize for resolving this matter by force. I promise that this time, I won’t try questioning you by force. But in return, I will keep on asking until you answer me. Remember, I will keep on asking.”

Silvia was quite stubborn. She even smiled towards Eco with her face full of confidence.

“I can’t believe it…”

Eco sighed.

“Sorry, Eco-chan.”

At that moment, Cosette returned from the kitchen with a silver tray full of snacks and tea.

“That toy that Eco-chan was holding right now… It probably belongs to Princess-sama a long time ago.”

“How can it be…?”

Whilst she was surprised, Eco took a bite on the vanilla flavoured crepe that Cosette handed to her. If it was the usual Eco, she would definitely shout out ‘Delicious!’ on the first bite, but right now, she was with a serious looks. As expected, even Eco couldn’t enjoy her favorite food properly.

“What Cosette said is true. That toy is definitely an important thing to me during my childhood.”

Silvia spoke calmly as if she was trying to teach a child who knew nothing.

“Ha!? That’s impossible! I understand none of these!”

Eco placed her half eaten crepe back on her plate. Ash was surprised that she prioritized the argument before her crepe.

“I knew it the moment I saw it. There is only one of this stuffed toy in the whole world. It is a very important toy.”

“How can you have such confidence!?”

“You don’t even know the worth of that toy. Anyone who knows its worth would recognize it on their first sight.”

“Arrrrrggh! That explanation is totally unacceptable!”

''Eco was once again in rage, but at least Silvia knew her limit. Thanks to that, the atmosphere did not turn out to be any worst than this…'' Ash secretly thought.

“Come on you two…”

Cosette was obviously not at all troubled. She seems to be enjoying this.

“Haa… It seems like I don’t have a choice.”

Ash sighed.

“Please listen carefully, Princess-sama. That stuffed toy was in my closet. I gave it to Eco since she seems to like it.”

“Hey! Why did you tell that to her!?”

Eco was scolding Ash with her face red.

“What else can I do? If I leave it to both of you, the same thing will continue onwards again and again.”

“I… want this to be a secret between the both of us.”

Eco’s mumbling caught Ash’s attention.

“What did you say?”

“N-Nothing! I don’t even know you!”

Eco averted her face in anger. ''Why must she get angry...?'' Ash wondered.

On the other hand, Silvia was staring at Ash.

“Ash… you said that this toy was in your closet?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Ash shrugged his shoulders.

“Actually, I am not really clear about it. Believe me or not, there was a blank in my memories… I don’t even know how it came into my possession. I don’t even know about its worth if not because of Cosette.”

Silvia was staring at Ash so intently almost as if she was going to pierce a hole in his forehead. She then asked a weird question.

“When is your birthday?”

“Huh? The third on the month of Aries… What about that?”

After Ash answered honestly, Cosette spoke in surprise:

“Oh, what a coincidence. It seems that Princess-sama was also born in the month of Aries. By the way, hers is in the seventh.”

“Hmm… That’s the first time I had heard of it.”

“Huhu… So Ash-sama is the bigger brother by four days.”

“T-That… isn’t it…”

“Ash!”

Silvia suddenly leaned against him. Ash could see her breast that was covered by the thin cloth of the summer clothes.

“Princess-sama?”

“Even though this may seems abrupt, but do you still remember the date you went for the Orphan Ceremony?”

“Err… I don’t really remember about the details, but it shouldn’t be far away from my seventh birthday. Since my hometown was at a far away village, I started my journey when I was still six. I remembered that I had my seventh birthday in a horse carriage.”

Once they reach the age of seven, every citizen of the Knight Country must visit Albion Forest.

For Ash, if he had departed after his seventh birthday, he would never be able to arrive at Albion Forest in a month time.

“By the way, does the date I went for the Orphan Ceremony matters?”

“…No, Nothing. I have something that I want to discuss with Cosette. Please stay here for the moment.”

Silvia suddenly stood up and dragged Cosette by the hand with her.

“What a weird Princess.”

Ash took a drink from the cup of red tea.

===Part 11===
After Silvia entered the makeup room, with an ‘Ahem’, she cleared her throat.

“What do you want to talk about, Princess-sama?”

“About that…”

“It doesn’t seem like something easy.”

Since she had been with Silvia for quite some time, Cosette immediately knew what she was thinking.

“Aah… That’s right.”

“I will do everything you tell me to if it is in my ability to do so. If the situation required, I could even be Princess-sama’s limbs or even your shield… That’s my duty.”

Silvia made up her mind and told her wish.

“Actually, I want you to return to the palace and investigate the name list of the children who went to the orphan ceremony at the same day as me. This should be an easy one for you, no?”

However, Cosette told Silvia something out of her imagination.

“The records of the Orphan Ceremony is the country’s top secret. Even if you are a Princess, you will be breaching the law by trying to investigate it.”

“Then, your duty would be to avoid it. Please, I could only put my hopes on you. With your ability, reading top secret documents should not be a problem, right?”

“That doesn’t sound nice, Princess-sama. The ability that I only knew of was an ancient technique that was passed down in the Shelly’s family and some spying technique. All of them were used to protect the Lautreamont family.”

“I understand that, but…!”

Silvia grabbed her shoulders and looked at Cosette with her puppy eyes.

“Of course I will do it if this is your order. But, what will you do if Ash-sama is really that boy?”

Silvia’s face almost burst out in flames.

“I-I just want to know about it! That’s right, I only want to know about the truth!”

Cosette gave a wry smile.

“Hmm… Putting that aside, during the time when I am not in, when the night comes and Eco had slept, aren’t '''the two of you''' alone together?”

“When the night comes…. The two of us…!?”

This time, steam emerged from her ears. Her heart was beating none stop.

“W-W-What are you talking about! Don’t you have any shame! How shameless! I…I believe that Ash was not someone insolence! That is why there is no point behind your question!”

Silvia snapped and Cosette nodded.

“I too had the same feeling.”

“Then why bother asking!”

Cosette smiled and took out something. It was a stack of paper held together by a paper clip.

“What’s that?”

“Huhu… A copy of ‘Shelley family’s secret. A recipe to make men dream’. Although I want to use it during this summer to teach Princess-sama some cooking… But this is a good chance to try it. Although Princess-sama don’t have any actual experience, but isn't this a good chance to show your cooking skills to Ash-sama?”

Silvia felt as if her body was on fire.

“Hold on! W-W-Why must I show Ash my cooking skills?”

“If I am not mistaken, The Lautreamont Family Motto did mention that ‘to shoot a general you must first shoot his horse’, am I right?”

“What does it had to do with this?”

“In the Shelley’s Family Motto, there is something like this: ‘To get the man you like, you must first fill his stomach’.”

“What kind of family motto is that!?”

“Huhu… When Ash-sama’s stomach is empty, and Princess-sama gave him your homemade cooking, he would surely fall for you.”

“…Fall for me!?”

Cosette was like a devil whispering into Silvia’s ears.

“When a Princess who doesn’t look like she knew any cooking made a meal, which man wouldn’t be moved by it?”

“Cut the crap! I never want Ash to take notice of me! Never! I-It's just that I had some interest in cooking since a long time ago. I will accept your offer because of this.”

Cosette handed her the recipe while smiling.
[[Image:SnRK v05 096.jpg|thumb]]

“Now, I had received my orders from Princess-sama and I will depart from Ansarivan immediately.”

“Huh? Immediately?”

“It is better if we act quickly, Princess-sama.”

Cosette lifted the both sides of her skirt slightly and bowed gracefully.

Suddenly, like a mist, Cosette disappeared from Silvia’s sight like a magician.

“H-Hey! Cosette? … Do you really want to depart at this moment?”

Silvia became worried when she heard no reply.

“Please hold on, Cosette! You should allow me to have some mental preparation before…!”

Silvia looked around the room with tears in her eyes. It looks like Cosette had really departed.

“Tsk… She never takes me seriously!”

After Silvia mumbled in regrets, she took a long hard look at the recipe given to her.

"The Stuffed Toy Dragon~A.S.B.1365.8~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 1

2014-06-28T02:16:19Z

Anlanther: /* Chapter 1 - Tragedy of Apollo house and Mirabel's decision */

==Chapter 1 - Tragedy of Apollo house and Mirabel's decision==
===Part 1===
''-Don! Don…! Don!''

The sun had just risen but Ash who spent a sleepless night was woken up by a loud knocking sound.

“What in the world…?”

He took that silver watch by his pillow side and noticed that it was just half past six.

After he angrily took a look at the window, he became wide awake.

“Uwaa…!”

There was a huge eye looking through the gaps of the curtain.

It was actually a dragon who was banging its nose against the window.

''-Don! Don… Dododododo!”''

He was worried that it may break the glass.

“Why is a dragon coming to my room!? Could it be another Necromancia attack!?”

So the Empire had finally shown their true colours and started attacking? Ash tried to leave the bed but he was stopped.

“Zzz…”

Eco rolled over and hugged Ash.

Her hair was all over his shoulders and her arms were around his back.

And also her soft face that was on his chest…

''-Mmm…''

Ash was shocked by her sudden nibble.

“Hey, Eco… Please don’t bite that spot.”

Recently, her habit of nibbling had gotten less but she still had not gotten rid of her habit of a young dragon. Moreover, she was nibbling on Ash’s sensitive spot which troubled him.

At that moment, there was a crack on the window.

“This is bad… It is not the right moment to let her continue nibbling.”

Ash carried Eco and they left the bed together. The next thing he knew, the glass was smashed into pieces.

He managed to avoid the glass fragments at the last moment.

At the same time, there were two dragons that were trying to squeeze their heads through the window. Their hard scales protect them from the sharp glass.

By taking a closer look, Ash noticed that one of them was a Maestro while the other was a Hydra. After knowing that he was not attacked by a Necromancia, Ash breathe a sigh of relieve.

“Morning, Ash!”

“Good morning, Ash-sama!”

Finally, he could see the faces of the two riders.

They were the student council secretary Lucca and Jessica of the general affairs. Right beside them were Maestro Gawain and Rhiannon the Hydra.

Ash started to protest after he placed Eco who was still sleeping on the bed.

“Lucca! Jessica! What in the world are both of you doing!?”

Since the time Ash saved Gawain who was in danger of dying, Lucca had become emotionally attached to Ash. In the dragon riding academy, most of the girls are the more aggressive type, it was kind of rare to see someone as quite as Lucca. The beauty that only an Eckbald possessed was out of this world.

Ash was a little surprised to see Lucca acting rashly. Perhaps she was influenced by Jessica.

“Ash… I hoped that you would come with me to the Eckbald village. I want to introduce you to the village chief, my otou-sama.” <ref>In the raw version, Lucca called her father otou-sama, but the kanji written was foster father.</ref>

Her usual emotionless face had always given Ash a heck lot of trouble.

“Hold on! W-Why must you mention about the chief!?”

“P-Please don’t ask anymore than this.”

Lucca was suddenly blushing.

This time, it was Jessica who pushed Lucca to aside.

Jessica who was usually eyeing at Ash’s sperm, though her actions had always been eccentric, she was still undoubtably one of the few beauties of the academy.

“Ash-sama, I have a request!”

“Hey, wait a minute! This is the third floor! How did a hydra get here…?”

“Well. Climbing wall is not a problem for my Rhiannon.”

“Can’t you sympathize your Pal a little!”

Ash pitied her Pal. Although a Hydra may still be able to move on land, but only when they are in the water they are able to show their true skills. It shouldn’t be its own intention to walk on land. Let alone climbing the walls of the student’s dormitory, which doesn’t seem to fit the actions of a proud dragon.

“Putting that aside, Ash-sama! I am about to leave Ansarivan. What about you? Do you have any plans of returning?”

“Now I remember… today is the start of the holiday.”

-The first day of the month of Leo.

It was the first day of the holidays for Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy. Since it was a boarding school, most of the student will return to their hometown.

Of course, not all of the students were going back home. There were also a small amount of students that were forced to stay in for the holidays for certain reasons.

Ash was one of them.

“Nope, I am not going home.”

After hearing, Jessica’s facial expression changes.

“What! If that’s the case, I too will stay back here!”

“Uuh… If I don’t return soon… I will be scolded by my otou-sama.”

Compare to Jessica who was in high spirit, Lucca looks sad. Lucca who carry the hopes of all Eckbald with her probably doesn’t have as much freedom as Jessica has.

“Sorry to disappoint you Jessica, but you must return with me.”
[[Image:SnRK v05 044.jpg|thumb]]

Suddenly, there was another voice.

“Rebecca-san!”

Ash shouted.

There was a sweet smell from her red hair being blown by the winds. She looks like a war maiden in the legends when she was riding on Cú Chulainn.

“Sorry for the trouble that this stupid girl from my house had given you. The Randall family will cover the fees for mending the window. The servants fault is also the master’s fault.”

“Now that you mention it… I remember that Jessica was a servant in the Randall family.”

“Just that since she became a Breeder, she had forgotten about her place.”

Rebecca sighed.

“Hmph! Could you stop calling me that? I don’t have the intention of serving the Randall family for my whole life!”

“I never thought of that. You are my important childhood friend. Also, your parents had asked me to take good care of you. That is why I have my duty to bring you back to meet your parents.”

Although her lips were smiling, there was not even a hint of smile in Rebecca’s eyes. After Jessica saw Rebecca’s determination, her elbows dropped in disappointment.

“Haa… I understand. However… I want Ash-sama to see me off!”

Ash gave a wry smile.

“I think that should be alright.”

The moment he answered, Jessica was once again with a big smile. But, she was then blushing and started to mumble.

“T-Then… According to my hometown’s custom…. There should be a parting k-kiss….”

“Hey! Jessica! When does our hometown have such a custom?”

Rebecca exposed Jessica’s lie with a wry smile.

“Hmph! Rebecca! Don’t you know how to look at the atmosphere?”

“I-I too would like you to see me off…”

While Jessica was in rage, Lucca shyly told Ash her wish.

“Of course.”

“T-Then… According to the Eckbald custom…. I want you to give me a princess carry.”

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he first saw Lucca’s blushing face.

“A-A princess carry!”

Ash was in a fix but Jessica shouted at Lucca:

“Hey! What are you trying to do in this mess! That must be a lie!?”

“Uuh…”

While Lucca turned speechless, the noise that Jessica made had spread throughout the school.

“Hey, can you believe it! The president and Jessica were making a night visit! And the other person… Could she be Lucca Sarlinen the genius girl from the basic class!?”

Suddenly, a huge number of students were gathering outside of the Apollo House. It was something for three girls to be standing on their dragons beside a window of a boy’s dormitory.

To say nothing of Rebecca Randall who was the most popular person in the entire academy, Jessica was also one of the centers of attentions and let alone Lucca with her Yōsei like looks and her skills as a Dragner.

“I-I am just here to have Ash-sama see me off! Nothing else!”

Jessica tried to settle the misunderstanding by shouting towards the direction of the school.

“Hmm! By saying Ash-kun you mean… The Ash-kun who was knighted yesterday!?”

“The knighting ceremony was awesome!”

“I also want him to see me off!”

Right now all the girls were speaking with s shrill voice.

Rebecca gave him a bitter smile while she was enjoying all of this.

“Seems like your popularity had sky rocketed after you became a Dragner.”

“The situation outside… Somehow, it looks frightening.”

“Yeah. I just saw around thirty dragons flying towards this window.”

Rebecca told him the unthinkable news with a calm face.

“Huh!?”

“Sorry, Ash. Though I have many reasons to help you… But if I show my true skills, the girls would suffer some grave injuries.”

“Hol-! Don’t leave me!”

“You should try to solve your own problem if you are a Dragner. Also… If it is alright, I would also want you to see me off.”

“…Eh?”

Unfortunately, Ash was not able to catch everything Rebecca said. Her voice disappeared behind the loud noise from Cú Chulainn flapping its wings.

“Good luck, Ash.”

Lucca too had reluctantly flew off with Gawain.

Right after that, the Apollo House faced a terrible attack.

“Ash-kun! Please see me off!”

“Ash-kun, you might as well come to my home town with me…!”

“Hey! Don’t cut the queue!”

Most of the girls returning were riders of stradas. They were like bats gathering together for food at the window.

But of course it was impossible for thirty riders of stradas to squeeze into the window at the same time.

Soon, they started pushing around.

“P-Please be patient! Calm down! Please calm down!”

Ash was panicking.

Every single roar from the Strada was enough to shake up this entire old building.

“Hey!...How dare you! Ash-sama is my important- Nooooooo!”

Unlike Rebecca or Lucca, Jessica who stayed until the end was finally pushed off the wall together with Rhiannon.

“W-What should I do?”

Ash retreated until his back was facing the wall while he was watching the girls fighting for a spot.

At that moment, Eco who had rolled herself into a ball while she was sleeping had woken up and was rubbing her eyes.

“Hmmm…. What’s all the noise about?”

“You ! How can you still think of sleeping!”

Eco was looking around in confusion. It seems that she wasn’t fully awake yet and wasn’t able to think properly.

Ash shouted with all his might towards the window.

“I beg you! Could you please not make a mess in front of someone else’s window! I promise to see off every single one of you!”

Too bad for him, his voice was not received by them.

Suddenly, Ash had a bad feeling.

“I couldn’t be…”

His entire body was shivering in fear. Since some time ago, the wall facing the outside was creaking. It appears that the Stradas were putting pressure on it.

“It is dangerous to stay here! Lets run Eco!”

“Huh…! Could you care to explain!”

“Later!”

Ash was running with Eco on his hands.

He ran out through the door and out to the corridor.

Just when he was sliding along the floor…

''-Creak…! Eeeeekkkk……. !Do--------------n!''

The next moment, there was a loud explosion.

Ash cautiously took a peek through the cracks on the door while trembling. All he sees was dust flying around and even the corridor was affected.

''“*Cough *!*Cough *!”''

While covering up Eco who was coughing, Ash waited until the dust had settled down.

Just moments later-

After the dust had cleared up, what Ash saw was a clear sky.

The morning rays were shining at the disastrous room.

The wreckage of the wall was all over his room. It was a painful sight.

Right now, with the wall that was facing the academy and the window destroyed, his room looked like a doll house that can be seen from the outside.

“Err… Eco, am I dreaming?”

“I think so?”

Ash and Eco were looking at the room with their mouths wide open.

===Part 2===
Ash was brought to the director’s office on the first day of the holiday.

As for those girls who were the culprit, it seems that they had ran back home as soon as possible. That is why Ash who was the victim was summoned.

“I see… Now I understand what had happened.”

Mirabel who was acting as the director replied coldly and drank from her cup of tea.

The room was full of the smells of bergamot and the tea.

Just like a robot, Mirabel’s face was emotionless the entire time. ''Does this princess even have the thing known as feelings…?'' Ash thought.

“The academy will take responsibility for mending the wall. Just some time before, I had asked the builders of this city and they estimated that they will be able to complete it in around two weeks time.”

“Really…! Thank you very much!”

Ash was grateful that she was able to deal with this situation without delay.

“The problem is… During the renovation, where am I to place you and Eco.”

“I see…”

“Can you borrow a room from any of your friends?”

“I don’t think that would be possible…”

Unfortunately, Max and Raymond had gone home. For Ash who doesn’t have many friends, these were the’ only two friends that he could rely on. Although there was an option of using it without asking for their permissions, but Ash couldn’t bring himself to do it.

''-Bang!''

The door behind him was opened with a slam.

The next time he knew, Silvia and Eco was right beside him.

“How much longer are the two of you going to keep on talking!? Can’t you just give us a new room!”

Eco was pointing at Mirabel in anger.

“Anee-ue! Why do you call for Ash! That incident was caused by a few girls! It had nothing to do with Ash! Aren’t you treating him like the culprit!?”

Silvia on the other hand was trying to speak up for Ash.

“Where are your manners? Don’t you know that it is rude to walk into a room without knocking? You won’t be given special treatment even if you are the descendant of the Avalon Holy Dragons Emperor’s family or my sister. “

Mirabel glared at both of them coldly.

“I am sorry… Anee-ue.”

Silvia stood still on her ground as if she had turned into a stone.

On the other hand, Eco was trying to intimidate Mirabel by showing her sharp teeth.

“Hey you!... How dare you act like that even when you know that I am Avalon’s holy dragons' emperor family's Imperial Princess! Why don’t I try crushing the castle the next time? If I show you my true self, one or two Fontaine Place won’t…”

“Idiot! Stop spurting nonsense!”

Ash’s face was pale white when he was scolding Eco.

Since that incident, the Knight’s government took Eco as a threat. As long as there is the possibility that Mirabel was here to keep an eye on Eco, they have to be careful with their own words.

But to his surprise, Eco calm down with just a single shout.

She turned her head around with her face blushing.

“I-I will listen to you… Just this time.”

Ash was taken aback from seeing Eco making such an expression for the first time. Just as he had expected, it was that transformation that had made a change of her heart. Although the gentle Eco looked a lot cuter, at the same time, it was also a little confusing.

“Ahem!”

Mirabel tried clearing her throat, returning everyone’s attention back to her.

“Silvia, you came at the right moment. Right now you are staying in the royal room in the Epona House right?”

“…What about it?”

Silvia was surprised.

“Until the renovation in the boy’s dormitory had been completed, Ash Blake and young dragon Eco will stay in your room for the time being.”

“What!”

“I won’t repeat for a second time. This is an order from your sister. You are not allowed to have any objections.”

Naturally, Silva was enraged.

“What do you mean by this! This is against our family motto where ‘A knight shouldn’t carelessly touch another of the opposite sex’!”

“Hmm… Funny but I remember that I said to let Ash Blake and young dragon Eco stay in your room. When did I ever mention about touching Ash?”

“T-That…!”

Right at this moment, even Silvia’s earlobes were red.

“Right now, if I were to mention the family motto that you love so much, ‘A knight should help those who are in need’. Am I wrong?”

After she replied coldly, Mirabel looked like she had lost interest in the case regarding Ash. She kept on looking at the tea cup on her hand.

“I am done with you- What a pain, now a good cup of tea had turned cold.”

===Part 3===
Rebecca and Jessica had returned to the land ruled by the Randalls.

Lucca on the other hand had returned to her village.

After seeing them off, Ash and Eco once again returned to his room on the third floor of the Apollo House.

They once again looked at the disastrous room.

A bed full of glass fragments.

A floor full with the remains of the wall.

And the disorganized furniture.

With the wall gone, the room became bright and windy. Looking down from above was a few curious onlookers. When their eyes came into contact with Ash’s, everyone scattered.

“Haa… First of all, I think we should try cleaning up a little. It is better to make it look a little more cheerful before the renovation starts.”

Turning around, Ash noticed that Eco was sulking.

“What’s wrong, Eco?”

“Hey. Do you really want to stay in Silvia’s room?”

“It is not like I have a choice. It was an order from Princess Mirabel. It seems that even Princess-sama did not dare to go against her.”

“I… I hate it.”

“What’s the matter? You don’t look like your usual self. Well, if we stay at Princess-sama’s room, we may be able to eat Cosette’s delicious homemade cooking.”

“That’s not the point! And also, I am not someone who thinks about food for an entire day!”

Eco's face was red with anger and embarrassment.

“Is it… Sorry then.”

“It is fine if you understand. Anyway, just if you try to do something weird to Silvia… I will be sure to crush you!”

Eco was glaring at Ash.

“What do you mean by something weird!?”

With her ears fully red, Eco told Ash embarrassedly:

“T-To make it simple…. It is those perverted stuffs.”

“W-What are you even thinking!”

Ash stood still on his ground. He never expects Eco to speak of such a word. It kind of surprise him.

“Even I knew about those stuffs… Don’t look down on me just because I am a young dragon.”

“Could the source of information be…. The Dragweiss?”

“…Some of them were from there, but most of them were from the picture books that Cosette lend to me.”

“Hold on! Are they really… Just picture books!?”

In order to teach her the importance of aesthetic sensibility, Cosette had lent her picture books and books for children. For that, Ash was grateful for Cosette.

However, there is a possibility that she mixed some picture books for adult in them.

“Anyhow, she is still this country’s princess. What you are worrying about will never happen, rest assured.”

''In the worst possible case, I will be beheaded…'' Ash thought secretly.

“A-Alright… I understand.”

Once again, Eco was smiling and she looked at the room around her.

“Then… What can I do to help you?”

“You are trying to help?”

“What? Is it weird for me to help?”

“Definitely not weird, but rare. Ain’t it always me who complete the house work?”

“A-About that… It doesn’t seem like I have a choice. I am a dragon. I don’t really understand how a human acts. But… I just feel like helping for today… Can’t I!?”

Eco puffed up her rosy coloured checks and stared at Ash.

“Why not? I even want to thank you.”

Ash gave a wry smile and tried to pat her head.

But, Eco immediately dodge to a side.

“No! You mustn’t touch!”

“Sorry… I didn't know that you dislike it this much.”

“N-No! It is okay it you are just patting, but you mustn’t touch my horns. If they were just slightly touched, I… will turn weird. I felt like floating in the air when they were touched...”

Ash could calm down after seeing Eco’s face when she tried to explain her feelings.

“I understand. I promise I won’t touch your horns.”

Ash carefully patted Eco’s head.

Her pink hair was fluffy and it gave his palm a nice feeling.

“Nn…”

Even when she was a dragon, Eco was smiling and shrugging her neck like what a cat would do.

Her innocent smile had grabbed Ash’s attention.

To be precise, it was her flower bud like lips.

His heart was beating rapidly.

This was actually the second time he had such a feeling.

The first time was when Eco said that she won’t be satisfied with just being a Pal in the guest room in Fontaine Palace.

“…”

Eco probably felt the change in the atmosphere too and her body suddenly tense up. Perhaps she too was also thinking about the scenario in the Fontaine Palace.

In a short while, just like that time, Eco closes her eyes.

She also tried to purse her lips.

Ash also noticed that her long eyelashes were also trembling.

''-Eco…!''
[[Image:SnRK v05 060.jpg|thumb]]

He suddenly remembered the word ‘beloved Pal’ in the knighting ceremony.

During that time, Ash was only saying the standard pledge.

But this was totally different.

His feeling of love to Eco was born from deep in his heart. A feeling that could be explained using something as simple as the relation of a Breeder and its Pal had grown.

Right now, they don’t need any words.

Ash placed both his hands on Eco’s shoulders and he closes their distance slowly.

A sweet smell was surrounding them which made him dizzy.

Right now, he felt as if his heart was going to explode.

They were now at a distance where their nose could easily touch each other.

Eco felt like being pierced through by the sunlight while she was waiting for Ash.

Ash made up his mind and closed his eyes.

And then- he kissed Eco on her lips.

===Part 4===
“~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~!”

Since their kiss, Eco had been working silently with her back facing Ash the entire time.

It seemed that she was too embarrassed to even look at Ash in the face.

And of course, it was the same for Ash.

Ash felt as if his face was a ball of fire.

Although the two of them at a first glance seems to be dusting the room, actually there was zero progress. What they were doing were only messing up the already messed up room.

''-What should I do? What should I say at times like this?''

Just when Ash was anxious in trying to find the right words…

“Uwaaa…! Cute!”

Eco turned around and showed Ash a round object.

“Isn’t this cute? Where did you find this stuff toy?”

At that moment, Ash felt something was pricking at the back of his neck. It made him wonder what it was.

The stuffed toy that Eco was holding seems to be a dragon. Strictly speaking, its face was clumsily done.

Furthermore, it's round body made it looks nothing like a majestic dragon.

However, Eco seems to take it as cute and it made her forget about what had just happened previously.

“Err… Actually I don’t remember much about that when it came into my possession. No matter how I look at it, looked just like a girl’s toy. It is probably not me who bought it.”

It was thanks to the toy that Ash was once again able to speak to Eco normally.

“Hmm… Strange.”

Eco was carrying the stuffed toy while she whipped off the dust on it.

“Hmm… When I move to Ansarivan, I just took it with me without any reason. Perhaps there is a great meaning behind it was what I thought. Actually… There is a blank in my childhood memory.”

“… A blank in your memories?”

Eco was surprised.

“Aah. It was right about when I had my seventh birthday when I visited Albion Forest for the Orphan Ceremony. I just can’t recall my memories during that time.”

“Isn’t that… The time when Mother Dragon bestowed me to you?”

“It seems so.”

“How come you can’t remember such an important event?”

Ash shrunk when he saw Eco started to get mad. Just when they were finally able to speak normally, it seems that Eco’s temper had also returned.

“To be frank, I know nothing of it myself. It was just that I had a hunch that this toy had something to do with my lost memories and that’s the reason why I was reluctant to throw it away. However, because of the recent events, I totally forgot about it.”

“Then, can I keep it?”

Ash was taken by surprised.

“What do you mean by keeping it?”

“It is just like what I had said. Don’t you think it is sad for such a cute being to be left forgotten? I will take the trouble to take care of this kid.”

“How can you take care of it when it isn’t even a living being? Well, whatever suits you then.”

“Really!?”

Eco was full of excitement.

“Well, I don’t really mind.”

“That's great!”

Eco was so happy that she felt that she could even fly. She then rubbed the stuffed toy with her cheeks.

Followed by that, she cuddled it like what a mother would do to her baby.

Suddenly, she spoke of something that surprised Ash.

“This somehow looked like our baby…”

Eco suddenly stopped speaking before she could even finish her sentence. She the glared at Ash with her eyes as if they were on fire.

“You heard anything?”

“No, nothing at all.”

Ash spoke with a serious look on his face.

“T-That’s right! N-Nothing happened! Nothing happened at all!”

As if her head was exploding in flames, Eco carried the toy and dashed out from the room.

“Actually, I heard every single word…”

Just when Ash was murmuring as he felt as if his body was on fire…

“Sorry to interrupt, Ash-sama.”

Suddenly, there was a woman’s voice coming from behind.

“Uwaa!”

He noticed that it was Cosette after he turned around. She seems to be wearing that same palace design maid attire today. She then gave a polite bow.

“Cosette-san! How did you get in?”

“To enter such an airy room is like a child’s play to me.”

Cosette smiled when she turned around to look at the blue sky.

“That couldn’t be… This is the third floor! Putting that aside, why are you here?”

“I am here to meet you and Eco-chan. Had you forgotten about Princess Mirabel, Her Highness’s decision?”

Of course, it was impossible for him to forget about it to begin with. However, he still felt a little reluctant.

“Actually, can’t we reconsider about this? Putting Eco aside, don’t you think that it is wrong for a guy like me to enter Epona House where guys are not allowed?”

“For your own sake, I would advise you to follow her decision. Do you know what Princes Mirabel was also known as?”

“No… Actually none at all.”

“Her nick name is actually Argento Magus. If we can describe Princess Veronica as a fighter, then Princess Mirabel is a thinker. Compare to Veronica, there were certain things that would made Mirabel a tougher opponent. Please be sure to be prepared mentally, Ash-sama.”

Ash sighed after he heard everything.

“…I understand. Please let me take some belongings with me like my pillow and cloths…”

“Alright then, meanwhile, I will try searching for Eco.”

Eco had not yet return since the moment she ran out from the room.

“Thank you. I think she should be somewhere around the dorm.”

“Huhu. That will be a simple task.”

Cosette ran towards the door nimbly while she was avoiding the disorganized furniture, but then, she suddenly stopped and turned around to face Ash.

“By the way, Ash-sama.”

“What’s the matter?”

When Ash lifted his face, he saw Cosette’s face full of red. Ash was staring at her since it was rare to see her who was always calm to be blushing.

Although she always stayed hidden behind Silvia’s shadow, she actually looked quite beautiful.

With her right hand on her cheeks, she sighed.

Then she said something outrageous.

“Ash-sama and Eco-chan’s kiss looks very innocent indeed.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

This time, it was Ash’s turn to be blushing.

“D-Don’t, Don’t tell me that you saw everything!?”

“It totally felt like an opera show. You looked so cute when you kiss without even needing any words to understand each other. My god, isn’t that wonderful? Don’t Eco-chan looked cute too when she was waiting to receive your kiss?”

“I beg you, please stop saying anymore than this! It is embarrassing!”

Right now, Ash felt like he was sitting on a mountain of needles.

Cosette too had seemed to realized that she over did it replied with a playful smile.

“Rest assured, I won’t tell Princess-sama any of this.”

“How is Princeass-sama related to this!?”

“Hmm… I wonder… Huhu…”

Cosette left the room with her sentence ending with her laughter.

===Part 5===
The moment Ash finished gathering all his basic daily needs, Cosette was back with Eco. Together, the three of them marched towards Epona House.

Although it was around evening, the sun was still high up in the sky.

After passing through a grove of mixed trees, they were welcomed by a stern looking gate.

Even the cicada had stopped making noise.

Although they were just walking, they were all full of sweat.

By taking a peak beside, Eco looked as if she was suffering from the heat of the high summer temperature. She looked like a Hydra who was looking for water on dry land.

Compared to Ash, Eco was only carrying her stuffed toy.

On the other hand, Cosette didn’t even break a sweat.

“We had arrived.”

She turned around and smiled at both Ash and Eco.

Through the gate, they could see a garden that was separated into two halves by the walkway. It must have been well tended by a good gardener. Even Ash who doesn’t have any interest in gardening was amazed by it.

At the back of the garden stood an elegant looking building.

That was Epona House, the dormitory for advance class girls.

“We had finally arrived…”

Ash placed his baggage which was full of daily needs and clothing on the ground.

''How long does it actually take to walk here from Apollo House…'' Ash couldn’t be bothered to even think about it.

This dragon riding academy where human and dragons coexist had a very large land area.

In it, there were numerous classes, a church, a lecture hall, a library, a canteen, seven dragon houses, four dormitories, a sports ground… It even included an arena that was used during events.

Although there was the shopping district and the housing are beyond the school walls, compared to the size of the academy, they just looked like extras. That's the reason why Ansarivan was called an academic city.

Putting that aside, the distance between the boys dormitory and the girls dormitory must had been arranged on purpose by the academy.

“Please enter.”

Cosette pushed open the heavy looking gate and welcomed both of them in.

===Part 6===
On the top most floor of Epona House was the room of royal use.

It looked like a high class hotel suit and it even had a large space.

Apart from a heater in the living room, there was also a dining room, a study room, bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, etc. In a room that has everything, it looked as if it was another world compared to the normal student’s room.

Silvia was walking up and down around her room alone, worrying endlessly.

“Argh! What’s wrong with me! Why couldn’t I calm down! Even my family motto stated that ‘Always stay calm, especially in a pinch’!”

Even though she wasn’t even in a pinch, Silvia couldn’t stop worrying. It was about time for Cosette to arrive with Ash and Eco.

“That’s it!”

Silvia stopped in her tracks for a moment and then she dashed into the makeup room and stood in front of a mirror.

She applied a thin layer of makeup on her face.

She tried combing her hair many times.

Her clothings and accessories were chosen by Cosette.

She put on her camisole, a skirt with two layers of frills, her panty socks and a necklace made from bright dragon crystals that acted as jewels.

In front of the mirror, she was just like her usual…. No, she was at least twice as more beautiful than she usually was.

Silvia turned red when she realized how beautiful she was.

“Why would I dress myself up! It is alright by just sticking to what I usually do!”

Ash was about to arrive.

Until the boy’s dormitory was done with its renovation, Ash was going to stay here for two weeks.

Her hearts started to beat rapidly from thinking about it.

“This feeling… It is that same feeling as ''that time…''”

Silvia recalled her memories.

Around the time of her seventh birthday, she met a boy in Albion Forest.

''“Why? Why would I have this feeling of returning to the time when I was seven years old whenever I think about Ash…?”''

Silvia suddenly regained her sense.

“Stop! Stop! Stop! Doesn’t this mean that I am looking forward for him to arrive!? Right… I should change back into my normal clothing…”
[[Image:SnRK v05 006.jpg|thumb|'' ''…!'' Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments. '']]

Silvia left the makeup room and entered the living room. She swiftly removed all her clothings except for her undergarments. She then walked along the corridor towards the changing room.

Suddenly, the door opened right in front of her eyes.

“Princess-sama, we had returned.”

Cosette walked in with a smile.

“Princess-sama!?”

Ash was standing right behind Cosette with his eyes wide opened. ''Why is his face red? Is it because of the heat?''

“…!”

Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Silvia ran and hid behind the door while screaming at the top of her voice.

===Part 7===
“Hey you! Just until when are you going to keep on staring!”

“Ouch!”

Ash came back to his sense after he was stomped on the leg by Eco.

Just when he had stepped in through the grand entrance, he was greeted by Silvia in only her undergarments. The white coloured lace will forever be imprinted in his mind.

''By the way, why was Silvia wearing only those?'' No matter how hot the weather can be, it doesn’t suit her image.

“I am going to check on Princess-sama. Could the both of you wait here for a moment, please?”

With a happy smile on her face, Cosette disappeared into the corridor. In just a moment-

“No. This definitely doesn’t look natural.”

“No no. It definitely fits you well.”

“But… Won’t this make me look like I am looking forward to their arrival?”

“Huh? Aren’t you?”

Their entire conversation was heard by Ash.

“Come on! This is a disgrace! How dare they make a dragon wait by the entrance!”

Eco who was standing right beside Ash was in rage. The toy that she had with her which had a carelessly made face was further squashed by Eco’s abnormal strength.

Ash pitied the toy. If this continued to keep on, Ash would probably be the next victim.

“Sorry for the wait.”

Just when Ash was about to be surrounded by his fear, Cosette had returned to the entrance with Silvia who was hiding right behind her.

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Silvia’s clothing. It gave a completely different feel compare to the school uniform that she usually wears. A lot of her skin was exposed from wearing the camisole. It had totally grabbed his attention.

“Please come in.”

Ash regained his sense after he heard Cosette’s voice.

“S-Sorry for the intrusion.”

In opposite to Ash, Eco was looking around the room with a hint of worry.

“Even so… You are just a Princess of the Royal Knight’s Family and you get to have such a great room?”

Perhaps she was mad from being asked to wait at the entrance, Eco was saying anything that would sooth her anger.

In truth, even Ash was amazed by the room itself. Just the entrance itself is wider than Ash’s room. There were even expensive looking pictures along the wall and carvings of dragons.

“Please don’t be mad. This room was specially made for the royals, it would be natural if Princess-sama is staying here.”

Ash tried to calm her down.

“But, I am also a Princess of the dragons! Why would there be such a large difference in our treatment!?”

“It is not like I want to stay in this room either!”

Silvia tried to speak up for herself even when she was being threatened by Eco.

“I even tried telling the academy to let me have the same treatment as the rest of the students, but they never listen…”

Suddenly, Silvia stood still on her ground. There was not even a slightest movement.

“Princess-sama… What’s wrong? You don’t look good.”

Ash was worried about her but she didn’t reply.

She kept on staring at the stuffed toy that Eco was carrying with her with her ice blue eyes.

Silvia then suddenly leaped towards Eco and grabbed her shoulders.

“Eco! Can you tell me how did that toy fall into your possession?”

Eco became confused.

“I-It has nothing to do with you.”

“Please tell me! This is very important!”

Silvia shouted loudly.

“… I picked it up.”

Eco mumbled when she turned her head to aside. It seemed that she did not want to tell Silvia that it was a gift from Ash. Ash was wondering on why she would be insisting on it.

“You picked it up? When? Where?”

Silvia was being persistent.

“Come on! Why do I need to tell you?”

Eco lost her patience and roared.

“…Why can’t you tell me?”

“T-That’s because… I don’t have the obligation to tell you.”

“Now I see, you are playing dumb… It seems I must resolve to this.”

Suddenly, Silvia leaped towards Eco with both of her hands stretched out.

“Hey!... Don’t joke with me!”

Eco dodge with the toy in her arms.

With the royal room as the stage, the two of them started running around like a bunch of kids. In just a blink of an eye, both of them
disappeared behind a door.

“Err… What is this all about?”

Ash who was left behind turned around and questioned Cosette.

“Cosette-san?”

To his surprised, Cosette too was transfixed on her own spot. It was rare to see her making a face like that.

Cosette then regained her sense after being called out to by Ash and started explaining.

“I just remember about it… I fear that that stuffed toy…. Is an important treasure to Princess-sama during her childhood.”

Ash was surprised by her answer.

“Wait a moment! That shouldn’t be possible! There should be many more stuffed toys with the same design, no?”

Cosette answered calmly.

“No. There ain’t. That toy is the one and only in this world. It was a limited edition item. It was actually made from a famous artist from Chevron Kingdom called Leonard De Mirabeau and was given to the five year old Princess-sama.”

“Really? That clumsily made toy is…”

“That’s not it… Its weird look was actually Mirabeau-sama’s style. Didn’t people usually say that there was only a silver line that separates a genius and a madman? If that stuffed toy was bought to an antique auction… It should be priced at five million Eccles at minimum.”

Cosette told him the shocking truth with s straight face.

“Five million…!”

Ash turned speechless.

His face had turned pale.

''-Five million Eccles!''

Ash couldn’t even imagine that amount of money. He just knew that he won’t be able to finish it by living the rest of his days enjoying life. He never knew that such a treasure was hidden in his closet.

“W-We should try stopping them first!”

Ash started searching for them in the huge room.

===Part 8===
“Finally! You won’t be able to escape!”

Eco who ran into Silvia’s room was now like a rat in the bag. There was only one exit and the windows were too high to jump from since this was the top most floor.

“Tsk… You are being persistent!”

Eco backed off to the wall and like a mother protecting her child, she tried to intimidate Silvia.

For one moment, Silvia was awed by her beauty, but the next instant, she roared:

“You haven’t told me anything yet! I just want to know how this toy came into your possession!”

“Why would you even want to know!?”

“T-That… I had my own reasons! Please, Eco!”

“Hmph… I had mine too. I will never tell you, only you!”

Both of them were glaring at each other without any intention of backing off.

Silvia realized that whatever she said was useless.

“Now you have done it. Although it is not to my liking… I must resolve this by force.”

“What! Who do you think I am! See that if you can do it!”

“Fine with me!”

Silvia leaped forward without mercy.

Although she must avoid Eco’s abnormal strength, Eco’s actions had always been straight forward and were always easy to read.

On the other hand, apart from the Drag Arts, Silvia had mastered many more fighting styles. It is a normal thing to do for someone who was born in the Lautreamont Royal Knight’s Family.

After struggling on the ground like brats, Silvia came out as the winner.

“Now you have been captured!”

Silvia was pressing Eco’s tiny body on the floor and without giving her a chance to fight back, she rode on Eco.

“Tsk… Let me go!”

“Is there any idiot in this world that would move off once they are being asked to?”

The winner had been decided. Even when Eco had her abnormal strength, she could never be able to beat Silvia.

But, there was a reason why Silvia could beat her easily.

Eco had never let go of the stuffed toy even after she was pressed down against the floor. If Eco would just let go of that toy, the fight could still drag on. No, it could even be Silvia who was pressed down against the floor.

“Please, Eco! This is not an order. Although it was not a long time since the day I met you, I always think you as a friend. That is why… Could you please tell me?”

Just when Silvia was begging Eco with a trembling voice…

“Eco! Princess-sama!”

The door opened with a bang and Ash came running in.

Silvia turned around to look at Ash while she was pressing Eco down against the floor.

“Hold on, Ash! I never have the intention to harm Eco! I just want to ask Eco about it… no matter what!”

“But, Princess-sama doesn’t act like the usual you. Even so, Eco is my Pal, I won’t forgive anyone who try to harm her, even if it is Princess-sama.”

After Ash murmured sadly, he showed her his left arm.

Silvia knew that he had his abnormally large Seikoku covered in a bandage.

“Your Seikoku…?”

Silvia was in lost of words.

The Seikoku under the bandage was obviously blinking with glowing lights. That was a signal given when the Pal was in danger.

For example, even though Silvia did not have any intentions of harming Eco, but Eco felt that she was in danger and sent the signal to her owner Ash for help…

“Sorry, Eco… I am really sorry. I am in the wrong for scaring you…. But, I have my own reasons. Please, Eco! Please tell me for the sake of our friendship!”

Silvia was forcing out an answer from Eco.

“…Eco?”

Eco did not reply. Just as Silvia became confused, Eco was surrounded by a glowing light.

“Hey, Eco! What’s wrong?”

Eco still did not reply. Right now, Eco was like a doll, showing no expression.

Even her eyes seemed to be reflecting nothing.

“Urgh…!”

The next instant, Silvia was being blasted of by a strong wind.

“Princess-sama!”

Followed by Ash’s shout, Silvia’s back bang against the wall. She almost couldn’t breathe because of it.

===Part 9===
“Princess-sama!”

Just when Ash was trying to help Silvia out, Cosette arrived.

“I will take care of Princess-sama. Ash-sama, go help Eco-chan! This is no laughing matter!”

Cosette’s voice seemed to be more serious and nervous than usual.

“Understood!”

Ash ran straight towards Eco.

His Seikoku started to hurt.

He remembered that feeling.

He had the similar feeling when Eco was awaken in the capital, Fontaine.

Although the pain was not as strong as that time, Ash knew that this was the sign before her transformation into a dragon.

Eco stood up slowly with the cute stuffed toy dropping on the floor.

Strictly speaking, she was not standing.

There was a gap in between her feet and the floor.

She was actually floating…!

Her limbs were now surrounded by the mysterious light that was so bright that they could not look at it directly.

However, Ash continued to move forward.

“Stop, Eco! If you are to be awaken here…”

In the worst possible case, this Epona House will be destroyed. No, it could even be related to the city’s survivability…

Eco had long been labeled as an element of danger by many countries’s government. The reason why Mirabel was sent to become the academy’s director was to keep an eye on Eco.

''If she is to transform into a dragon right now…!''

Ash moved forward without giving any thought and hugged Eco.

A huge amount of magic was flowing out from her tiny body. If he had been careless, he would even be swallowed by the magic and lost consciousnesss.

Ash shouted with all his might into Eco’s ears.

“Get a grip of yourself! I…I like the way you are now! It is okay if you just stay as you are! You don’t have to force yourself to change into your true self!”

It seems that Ash’s words had gotten through and the magic that was surrounding Eco had disappeared. Even the lights were no longer there. Ash’s Seikoku too had stopped responding.

“We are saved…”

Ash breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Huh?”

Eco blinked her eyes in surprise and murmured.

“What had I done…? Why are you…?”

Realizing that she was in Ash’s arms, Eco leaped off from Ash’s arms with her face red in embarrassment.

===Part 10===
“I am sorry for what had happened just now. I-I never thought that you were so much against it…. No I shouldn’t make any excuses. A knight must admit his own faults. I deeply apologize!”

After the group had sat on a dining table in the living room, Silvia apologized to Eco sincerely.

“Hmph… I guess this should be sufficient.”

Silvia’s eagerness to apologize by bowing her head had started to confuse Eco. Even though she still continued to puff up her checks in protest, but at least she had accepted Silvia’s apology. Ash who noticed it breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Since everything had been settled, please allow me to ask. How did that stuffed toy came into your possession?”

Silvia’s words had cause Eco to be enraged again.

“Ha!? You….. Just apologize and yet you still want to ask!?”

“I apologize for resolving this matter by force. I promise that this time, I won’t try questioning you by force. But in return, I will keep on asking until you answer me. Remember, I will keep on asking.”

Silvia was quite stubborn. She even smiled towards Eco with her face full of confidence.

“I can’t believe it…”

Eco sighed.

“Sorry, Eco-chan.”

At that moment, Cosette returned from the kitchen with a silver tray full of snacks and tea.

“That toy that Eco-chan was holding right now… It probably belongs to Princess-sama a long time ago.”

“How can it be…?”

Whilst she was surprised, Eco took a bite on the vanilla flavoured crepe that Cosette handed to her. If it was the usual Eco, she would definitely shout out ‘Delicious!’ on the first bite, but right now, she was with a serious looks. As expected, even Eco couldn’t enjoy her favorite food properly.

“What Cosette said is true. That toy is definitely an important thing to me during my childhood.”

Silvia spoke calmly as if she was trying to teach a child who knew nothing.

“Ha!? That’s impossible! I understand none of these!”

Eco placed her half eaten crepe back on her plate. Ash was surprised that she prioritized the argument before her crepe.

“I knew it the moment I saw it. There is only one of this stuffed toy in the whole world. It is a very important toy.”

“How can you have such confidence!?”

“You don’t even know the worth of that toy. Anyone who knows its worth would recognize it on their first sight.”

“Arrrrrggh! That explanation is totally unacceptable!”

''Eco was once again in rage, but at least Silvia knew her limit. Thanks to that, the atmosphere did not turn out to be any worst than this…'' Ash secretly thought.

“Come on you two…”

Cosette was obviously not at all troubled. She seems to be enjoying this.

“Haa… It seems like I don’t have a choice.”

Ash sighed.

“Please listen carefully, Princess-sama. That stuffed toy was in my closet. I gave it to Eco since she seems to like it.”

“Hey! Why did you tell that to her!?”

Eco was scolding Ash with her face red.

“What else can I do? If I leave it to both of you, the same thing will continue onwards again and again.”

“I… want this to be a secret between the both of us.”

Eco’s mumbling caught Ash’s attention.

“What did you say?”

“N-Nothing! I don’t even know you!”

Eco averted her face in anger. ''Why must she get angry...?'' Ash wondered.

On the other hand, Silvia was staring at Ash.

“Ash… you said that this toy was in your closet?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Ash shrugged his shoulders.

“Actually, I am not really clear about it. Believe me or not, there was a blank in my memories… I don’t even know how it came into my possession. I don’t even know about its worth if not because of Cosette.”

Silvia was staring at Ash so intently almost as if she was going to pierce a hole in his forehead. She then asked a weird question.

“When is your birthday?”

“Huh? The third on the month of Aries… What about that?”

After Ash answered honestly, Cosette spoke in surprise:

“Oh, what a coincidence. It seems that Princess-sama was also born in the month of Aries. By the way, hers is in the seventh.”

“Hmm… That’s the first time I had heard of it.”

“Huhu… So Ash-sama is the bigger brother by four days.”

“T-That… isn’t it…”

“Ash!”

Silvia suddenly leaned against him. Ash could see her breast that was covered by the thin cloth of the summer clothes.

“Princess-sama?”

“Even though this may seems abrupt, but do you still remember the date you went for the Orphan Ceremony?”

“Err… I don’t really remember about the details, but it shouldn’t be far away from my seventh birthday. Since my hometown was at a far away village, I started my journey when I was still six. I remembered that I had my seventh birthday in a horse carriage.”

Once they reach the age of seven, every citizen of the Knight Country must visit Albion Forest.

For Ash, if he had departed after his seventh birthday, he would never be able to arrive at Albion Forest in a month time.

“By the way, does the date I went for the Orphan Ceremony matters?”

“…No, Nothing. I have something that I want to discuss with Cosette. Please stay here for the moment.”

Silvia suddenly stood up and dragged Cosette by the hand with her.

“What a weird Princess.”

Ash took a drink from the cup of red tea.

===Part 11===
After Silvia entered the makeup room, with an ‘Ahem’, she cleared her throat.

“What do you want to talk about, Princess-sama?”

“About that…”

“It doesn’t seem like something easy.”

Since she had been with Silvia for quite some time, Cosette immediately knew what she was thinking.

“Aah… That’s right.”

“I will do everything you tell me to if it is in my ability to do so. If the situation required, I could even be Princess-sama’s limbs or even your shield… That’s my duty.”

Silvia made up her mind and told her wish.

“Actually, I want you to return to the palace and investigate the name list of the children who went to the orphan ceremony at the same day as me. This should be an easy one for you, no?”

However, Cosette told Silvia something out of her imagination.

“The records of the Orphan Ceremony is the country’s top secret. Even if you are a Princess, you will be breaching the law by trying to investigate it.”

“Then, your duty would be to avoid it. Please, I could only put my hopes on you. With your ability, reading top secret documents should not be a problem, right?”

“That doesn’t sound nice, Princess-sama. The ability that I only knew of was an ancient technique that was passed down in the Shelly’s family and some spying technique. All of them were used to protect the Lautreamont family.”

“I understand that, but…!”

Silvia grabbed her shoulders and looked at Cosette with her puppy eyes.

“Of course I will do it if this is your order. But, what will you do if Ash-sama is really that boy?”

Silvia’s face almost burst out in flames.

“I-I just want to know about it! That’s right, I only want to know about the truth!”

Cosette gave a wry smile.

“Hmm… Putting that aside, during the time when I am not in, when the night comes and Eco had slept, aren’t '''the two of you''' alone together?”

“When the night comes…. The two of us…!?”

This time, steam emerged from her ears. Her heart was beating none stop.

“W-W-What are you talking about! Don’t you have any shame! How shameless! I…I believe that Ash was not someone insolence! That is why there is no point behind your question!”

Silvia snapped and Cosette nodded.

“I too had the same feeling.”

“Then why bother asking!”

Cosette smiled and took out something. It was a stack of paper held together by a paper clip.

“What’s that?”

“Huhu… A copy of ‘Shelley family’s secret. A recipe to make men dream’. Although I want to use it during this summer to teach Princess-sama some cooking… But this is a good chance to try it. Although Princess-sama don’t have any actual experience, but isn't this a good chance to show your cooking skills to Ash-sama?”

Silvia felt as if her body was on fire.

“Hold on! W-W-Why must I show Ash my cooking skills?”

“If I am not mistaken, The Lautreamont Family Motto did mention that ‘to shoot a general you must first shoot his horse’, am I right?”

“What does it had to do with this?”

“In the Shelley’s Family Motto, there is something like this: ‘To get the man you like, you must first fill his stomach’.”

“What kind of family motto is that!?”

“Huhu… When Ash-sama’s stomach is empty, and Princess-sama gave him your homemade cooking, he would surely fall for you.”

“…Fall for me!?”

Cosette was like a devil whispering into Silvia’s ears.

“When a Princess who doesn’t look like she knew any cooking made a meal, which man wouldn’t be moved by it?”

“Cut the crap! I never want Ash to take notice of me! Never! I-It's just that I had some interest in cooking since a long time ago. I will accept your offer because of this.”

Cosette handed her the recipe while smiling.
[[Image:SnRK v05 096.jpg|thumb]]

“Now, I had received my orders from Princess-sama and I will depart from Ansarivan immediately.”

“Huh? Immediately?”

“It is better if we act quickly, Princess-sama.”

Cosette lifted the both sides of her skirt slightly and bowed gracefully.

Suddenly, like a mist, Cosette disappeared from Silvia’s sight like a magician.

“H-Hey! Cosette? … Do you really want to depart at this moment?”

Silvia became worried when she heard no reply.

“Please hold on, Cosette! You should allow me to have some mental preparation before…!”

Silvia looked around the room with tears in her eyes. It looks like Cosette had really departed.

“Tsk… She never takes me seriously!”

After Silvia mumbled in regrets, she took a long hard look at the recipe given to her.

"The Stuffed Toy Dragon~A.S.B.1365.8~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 1

2014-06-28T02:08:54Z

Anlanther: /* Chapter 1 - Tragedy of Apollo house and Mirabel's decision */

==Chapter 1 - Tragedy of Apollo house and Mirabel's decision==
===Part 1===
''-Don! Don…! Don!''

The sun had just risen but Ash who spent a sleepless night was woken up by a loud knocking sound.

“What in the world…?”

He took that silver watch by his pillow side and noticed that it was just half past six.

After he angrily took a look at the window, he became wide awake.

“Uwaa…!”

There was a huge eye looking through the gaps of the curtain.

It was actually a dragon who was banging its nose against the window.

''-Don! Don… Dododododo!”''

He was worried that it may break the glass.

“Why is a dragon coming to my room!? Could it be another Necromancia attack!?”

So the Empire had finally shown their true colours and started attacking? Ash tried to leave the bed but he was stopped.

“Zzz…”

Eco rolled over and hugged Ash.

Her hair was all over his shoulders and her arms were around his back.

And also her soft face that was on his chest…

''-Mmm…''

Ash was shocked by her sudden nibble.

“Hey, Eco… Please don’t bite that spot.”

Recently, her habit of nibbling had gotten less but she still had not gotten rid of her habit of a young dragon. Moreover, she was nibbling on Ash’s sensitive spot which troubled him.

At that moment, there was a crack on the window.

“This is bad… It is not the right moment to let her continue nibbling.”

Ash carried Eco and they left the bed together. The next thing he knew, the glass was smashed into pieces.

He managed to avoid the glass fragments at the last moment.

At the same time, there were two dragons that were trying to squeeze their heads through the window. Their hard scales protect them from the sharp glass.

By taking a closer look, Ash noticed that one of them was a Maestro while the other was a Hydra. After knowing that he was not attacked by a Necromancia, Ash breathe a sigh of relieve.

“Morning, Ash!”

“Good morning, Ash-sama!”

Finally, he could see the faces of the two riders.

They were the student council secretary Lucca and Jessica of the general affairs. Right beside them were Maestro Gawain and Rhiannon the Hydra.

Ash started to protest after he placed Eco who was still sleeping on the bed.

“Lucca! Jessica! What in the world are both of you doing!?”

Since the time Ash saved Gawain who was in danger of dying, Lucca had become emotionally attached to Ash. In the dragon riding academy, most of the girls are the more aggressive type, it was kind of rare to see someone as quite as Lucca. The beauty that only an Eckbald possessed was out of this world.

Ash was a little surprised to see Lucca acting rashly. Perhaps she was influenced by Jessica.

“Ash… I hoped that you would come with me to the Eckbald village. I want to introduce you to the village chief, my otou-sama.” <ref>In the raw version, Lucca called her father otou-sama, but the kanji written was foster father.</ref>

Her usual emotionless face had always given Ash a heck lot of trouble.

“Hold on! W-Why must you mention about the chief!?”

“P-Please don’t ask anymore than this.”

Lucca was suddenly blushing.

This time, it was Jessica who pushed Lucca to aside.

Jessica who was usually eyeing at Ash’s sperm, though her actions had always been eccentric, she was still undoubtably one of the few beauties of the academy.

“Ash-sama, I have a request!”

“Hey, wait a minute! This is the third floor! How did a hydra get here…?”

“Well. Climbing wall is not a problem for my Rhiannon.”

“Can’t you sympathize your Pal a little!”

Ash pitied her Pal. Although a Hydra may still be able to move on land, but only when they are in the water they are able to show their true skills. It shouldn’t be its own intention to walk on land. Let alone climbing the walls of the student’s dormitory, which doesn’t seem to fit the actions of a proud dragon.

“Putting that aside, Ash-sama! I am about to leave Ansarivan. What about you? Do you have any plans of returning?”

“Now I remember… today is the start of the holiday.”

-The first day of the month of Leo.

It was the first day of the holidays for Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy. Since it was a boarding school, most of the student will return to their hometown.

Of course, not all of the students were going back home. There were also a small amount of students that were forced to stay in for the holidays for certain reasons.

Ash was one of them.

“Nope, I am not going home.”

After hearing, Jessica’s facial expression changes.

“What! If that’s the case, I too will stay back here!”

“Uuh… If I don’t return soon… I will be scolded by my otou-sama.”

Compare to Jessica who was in high spirit, Lucca looks sad. Lucca who carry the hopes of all Eckbald with her probably doesn’t have as much freedom as Jessica has.

“Sorry to disappoint you Jessica, but you must return with me.”
[[Image:SnRK v05 044.jpg|thumb]]

Suddenly, there was another voice.

“Rebecca-san!”

Ash shouted.

There was a sweet smell from her red hair being blown by the winds. She looks like a war maiden in the legends when she was riding on Cú Chulainn.

“Sorry for the trouble that this stupid girl from my house had given you. The Randall family will cover the fees for mending the window. The servants fault is also the master’s fault.”

“Now that you mention it… I remember that Jessica was a servant in the Randall family.”

“Just that since she became a Breeder, she had forgotten about her place.”

Rebecca sighed.

“Hmph! Could you stop calling me that? I don’t have the intention of serving the Randall family for my whole life!”

“I never thought of that. You are my important childhood friend. Also, your parents had asked me to take good care of you. That is why I have my duty to bring you back to meet your parents.”

Although her lips were smiling, there was not even a hint of smile in Rebecca’s eyes. After Jessica saw Rebecca’s determination, her elbows dropped in disappointment.

“Haa… I understand. However… I want Ash-sama to see me off!”

Ash gave a wry smile.

“I think that should be alright.”

The moment he answered, Jessica was once again with a big smile. But, she was then blushing and started to mumble.

“T-Then… According to my hometown’s custom…. There should be a parting k-kiss….”

“Hey! Jessica! When does our hometown have such a custom?”

Rebecca exposed Jessica’s lie with a wry smile.

“Hmph! Rebecca! Don’t you know how to look at the atmosphere?”

“I-I too would like you to see me off…”

While Jessica was in rage, Lucca shyly told Ash her wish.

“Of course.”

“T-Then… According to the Eckbald custom…. I want you to give me a princess carry.”

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he first saw Lucca’s blushing face.

“A-A princess carry!”

Ash was in a fix but Jessica shouted at Lucca:

“Hey! What are you trying to do in this mess! That must be a lie!?”

“Uuh…”

While Lucca turned speechless, the noise that Jessica made had spread throughout the school.

“Hey, can you believe it! The president and Jessica were making a night visit! And the other person… Could she be Lucca Sarlinen the genius girl from the basic class!?”

Suddenly, a huge number of students were gathering outside of the Apollo House. It was something for three girls to be standing on their dragons beside a window of a boy’s dormitory.

To say nothing of Rebecca Randall who was the most popular person in the entire academy, Jessica was also one of the centers of attentions and let alone Lucca with her Yōsei like looks and her skills as a Dragner.

“I-I am just here to have Ash-sama see me off! Nothing else!”

Jessica tried to settle the misunderstanding by shouting towards the direction of the school.

“Hmm! By saying Ash-kun you mean… The Ash-kun who was knighted yesterday!?”

“The knighting ceremony was awesome!”

“I also want him to see me off!”

Right now all the girls were speaking with s shrill voice.

Rebecca gave him a bitter smile while she was enjoying all of this.

“Seems like your popularity had sky rocketed after you became a Dragner.”

“The situation outside… Somehow, it looks frightening.”

“Yeah. I just saw around thirty dragons flying towards this window.”

Rebecca told him the unthinkable news with a calm face.

“Huh!?”

“Sorry, Ash. Though I have many reasons to help you… But if I show my true skills, the girls would suffer some grave injuries.”

“Hol-! Don’t leave me!”

“You should try to solve your own problem if you are a Dragner. Also… If it is alright, I would also want you to see me off.”

“…Eh?”

Unfortunately, Ash was not able to catch everything Rebecca said. Her voice disappeared behind the loud noise from Cú Chulainn flapping its wings.

“Good luck, Ash.”

Lucca too had reluctantly flew off with Gawain.

Right after that, the Apollo House faced a terrible attack.

“Ash-kun! Please see me off!”

“Ash-kun, you might as well come to my home town with me…!”

“Hey! Don’t cut the queue!”

Most of the girls returning were riders of stradas. They were like bats gathering together for food at the window.

But of course it was impossible for thirty riders of stradas to squeeze into the window at the same time.

Soon, they started pushing around.

“P-Please be patient! Calm down! Please calm down!”

Ash was panicking.

Every single roar from the Strada was enough to shake up this entire old building.

“Hey!...How dare you! Ash-sama is my important- Nooooooo!”

Unlike Rebecca or Lucca, Jessica who stayed until the end was finally pushed off the wall together with Rhiannon.

“W-What should I do?”

Ash retreated until his back was facing the wall while he was watching the girls fighting for a spot.

At that moment, Eco who had rolled herself into a ball while she was sleeping had woken up and was rubbing her eyes.

“Hmmm…. What’s all the noise about?”

“You ! How can you still think of sleeping!”

Eco was looking around in confusion. It seems that she wasn’t fully awake yet and wasn’t able to think properly.

Ash shouted with all his might towards the window.

“I beg you! Could you please not make a mess in front of someone else’s window! I promise to see off every single one of you!”

Too bad for him, his voice was not received by them.

Suddenly, Ash had a bad feeling.

“I couldn’t be…”

His entire body was shivering in fear. Since some time ago, the wall facing the outside was creaking. It appears that the Stradas were putting pressure on it.

“It is dangerous to stay here! Lets run Eco!”

“Huh…! Could you care to explain!”

“Later!”

Ash was running with Eco on his hands.

He ran out through the door and out to the corridor.

Just when he was sliding along the floor…

''-Creak…! Eeeeekkkk……. !Do--------------n!''

The next moment, there was a loud explosion.

Ash cautiously took a peek through the cracks on the door while trembling. All he sees was dust flying around and even the corridor was affected.

''“*Cough *!*Cough *!”''

While covering up Eco who was coughing, Ash waited until the dust had settled down.

Just moments later-

After the dust had cleared up, what Ash saw was a clear sky.

The morning rays were shining at the disastrous room.

The wreckage of the wall was all over his room. It was a painful sight.

Right now, with the wall that was facing the academy and the window destroyed, his room looked like a doll house that can be seen from the outside.

“Err… Eco, am I dreaming?”

“I think so?”

Ash and Eco were looking at the room with their mouths wide open.

===Part 2===
Ash was brought to the director’s office on the first day of the holiday.

As for those girls who were the culprit, it seems that they had ran back home as soon as possible. That is why Ash who was the victim was summoned.

“I see… Now I understand what had happened.”

Mirabel who was acting as the director replied coldly and drank from her cup of tea.

The room was full of the smells of bergamot and the tea.

Just like a robot, Mirabel’s face was emotionless the entire time. ''Does this princess even have the thing known as feelings…?'' Ash thought.

“The academy will take responsibility for mending the wall. Just some time before, I had asked the builders of this city and they estimated that they will be able to complete it in around two weeks time.”

“Really…! Thank you very much!”

Ash was grateful that she was able to deal with this situation without delay.

“The problem is… During the renovation, where am I to place you and Eco.”

“I see…”

“Can you borrow a room from any of your friends?”

“I don’t think that would be possible…”

Unfortunately, Max and Raymond had gone home. For Ash who doesn’t have many friends, these were the’ only two friends that he could rely on. Although there was an option of using it without asking for their permissions, but Ash couldn’t bring himself to do it.

''-Bang!''

The door behind him was opened with a slam.

The next time he knew, Silvia and Eco was right beside him.

“How much longer are the two of you going to keep on talking!? Can’t you just give us a new room!”

Eco was pointing at Mirabel in anger.

“Anee-ue! Why do you call for Ash! That incident was caused by a few girls! It had nothing to do with Ash! Aren’t you treating him like the culprit!?”

Silvia on the other hand was trying to speak up for Ash.

“Where are your manners? Don’t you know that it is rude to walk into a room without knocking? You won’t be given special treatment even if you are the descendant of the Avalon Holy Dragons Emperor’s family or my sister. “

Mirabel glared at both of them coldly.

“I am sorry… Anee-ue.”

Silvia stood still on her ground as if she had turned into a stone.

On the other hand, Eco was trying to intimidate Mirabel by showing her sharp teeth.

“Hey you!... How dare you act like that even when you know that I am Avalon’s holy dragons' emperor family's Imperial Princess! Why don’t I try crushing the castle the next time? If I show you my true self, one or two Fontaine Place won’t…”

“Idiot! Stop spurting nonsense!”

Ash’s face was pale white when he was scolding Eco.

Since that incident, the Knight’s government took Eco as a threat. As long as there is the possibility that Mirabel was here to keep an eye on Eco, they have to be careful with their own words.

But to his surprise, Eco calm down with just a single shout.

She turned her head around with her face blushing.

“I-I will listen to you… Just this time.”

Ash was taken aback from seeing Eco making such an expression for the first time. Just as he had expected, it was that transformation that had made a change of her heart. Although the gentle Eco looked a lot cuter, at the same time, it was also a little confusing.

“Ahem!”

Mirabel tried clearing her throat and everyone’s attention was back on her.

“Silvia, you came at the right moment. Right now you are staying in the royal room in the Epona House right?”

“…What about it?”

Silvia was surprised.

“Until the renovation in the boy’s dormitory had been completed, Ash Blake and young dragon Eco will stay in your room for the time being.”

“What!”

“I won’t repeat for a second time. This is an order from your sister. You are not allowed to have any objections.”

Naturally, Silva was enraged.

“What do you mean by this! This is against our family motto where ‘A knight shouldn’t carelessly touch another of the opposite sex’!”

“Hmm… Funny but I remember that I said to let Ash Blake and young dragon Eco stay in your room. When did I ever mention about touching Ash?”

“T-That…!”

Right at this moment, even Silvia’s earlobes were red.

“Right now, if I were to mention the family motto that you love so much, ‘A knight should help those who are in need’. Am I wrong?”

After she replied coldly, Mirabel looked like she had lost interest in the case regarding Ash. She kept on looking at the tea cup on her hand.

“I am done with you- What a pain, now a good cup of tea had turned cold.”

===Part 3===
Rebecca and Jessica had returned to the land ruled by the Randalls.

Lucca on the other hand had returned to her village.

After seeing them off, Ash and Eco once again returned to his room on the third floor of the Apollo House.

They once again looked at the disastrous room.

A bed full of glass fragments.

A floor full with the remains of the wall.

And the disorganized furniture.

With the wall gone, the room became bright and windy. Looking down from above was a few curious onlookers. When their eyes came into contact with Ash’s, everyone scattered.

“Haa… First of all, I think we should try cleaning up a little. It is better to make it look a little more cheerful before the renovation starts.”

Turning around, Ash noticed that Eco was sulking.

“What’s wrong, Eco?”

“Hey. Do you really want to stay in Silvia’s room?”

“It is not like I have a choice. It was an order from Princess Mirabel. It seems that even Princess-sama did not dare to go against her.”

“I… I hate it.”

“What’s the matter? You don’t look like your usual self. Well, if we stay at Princess-sama’s room, we may be able to eat Cosette’s delicious homemade cooking.”

“That’s not the point! And also, I am not someone who thinks about food for an entire day!”

Eco's face was red with anger and embarrassment.

“Is it… Sorry then.”

“It is fine if you understand. Anyway, just if you try to do something weird to Silvia… I will be sure to crush you!”

Eco was glaring at Ash.

“What do you mean by something weird!?”

With her ears fully red, Eco told Ash embarrassedly:

“T-To make it simple…. It is those perverted stuffs.”

“W-What are you even thinking!”

Ash stood still on his ground. He never expects Eco to speak of such a word. It kind of surprise him.

“Even I knew about those stuffs… Don’t look down on me just because I am a young dragon.”

“Could the source of information be…. The Dragweiss?”

“…Some of them were from there, but most of them were from the picture books that Cosette lend to me.”

“Hold on! Are they really… Just picture books!?”

In order to teach her the importance of aesthetic sensibility, Cosette had lent her picture books and books for children. For that, Ash was grateful for Cosette.

However, there is a possibility that she mixed some picture books for adult in them.

“Anyhow, she is still this country’s princess. What you are worrying about will never happen, rest assured.”

''In the worst possible case, I will be beheaded…'' Ash thought secretly.

“A-Alright… I understand.”

Once again, Eco was smiling and she looked at the room around her.

“Then… What can I do to help you?”

“You are trying to help?”

“What? Is it weird for me to help?”

“Definitely not weird, but rare. Ain’t it always me who complete the house work?”

“A-About that… It doesn’t seem like I have a choice. I am a dragon. I don’t really understand how a human acts. But… I just feel like helping for today… Can’t I!?”

Eco puffed up her rosy coloured checks and stared at Ash.

“Why not? I even want to thank you.”

Ash gave a wry smile and tried to pat her head.

But, Eco immediately dodge to a side.

“No! You mustn’t touch!”

“Sorry… I didn't know that you dislike it this much.”

“N-No! It is okay it you are just patting, but you mustn’t touch my horns. If they were just slightly touched, I… will turn weird. I felt like floating in the air when they were touched...”

Ash could calm down after seeing Eco’s face when she tried to explain her feelings.

“I understand. I promise I won’t touch your horns.”

Ash carefully patted Eco’s head.

Her pink hair was fluffy and it gave his palm a nice feeling.

“Nn…”

Even when she was a dragon, Eco was smiling and shrugging her neck like what a cat would do.

Her innocent smile had grabbed Ash’s attention.

To be precise, it was her flower bud like lips.

His heart was beating rapidly.

This was actually the second time he had such a feeling.

The first time was when Eco said that she won’t be satisfied with just being a Pal in the guest room in Fontaine Palace.

“…”

Eco probably felt the change in the atmosphere too and her body suddenly tense up. Perhaps she too was also thinking about the scenario in the Fontaine Palace.

In a short while, just like that time, Eco closes her eyes.

She also tried to purse her lips.

Ash also noticed that her long eyelashes were also trembling.

''-Eco…!''
[[Image:SnRK v05 060.jpg|thumb]]

He suddenly remembered the word ‘beloved Pal’ in the knighting ceremony.

During that time, Ash was only saying the standard pledge.

But this was totally different.

His feeling of love to Eco was born from deep in his heart. A feeling that could be explained using something as simple as the relation of a Breeder and its Pal had grown.

Right now, they don’t need any words.

Ash placed both his hands on Eco’s shoulders and he closes their distance slowly.

A sweet smell was surrounding them which made him dizzy.

Right now, he felt as if his heart was going to explode.

They were now at a distance where their nose could easily touch each other.

Eco felt like being pierced through by the sunlight while she was waiting for Ash.

Ash made up his mind and closed his eyes.

And then- he kissed Eco on her lips.

===Part 4===
“~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~!”

Since their kiss, Eco had been working silently with her back facing Ash the entire time.

It seemed that she was too embarrassed to even look at Ash in the face.

And of course, it was the same for Ash.

Ash felt as if his face was a ball of fire.

Although the two of them at a first glance seems to be dusting the room, actually there was zero progress. What they were doing were only messing up the already messed up room.

''-What should I do? What should I say at times like this?''

Just when Ash was anxious in trying to find the right words…

“Uwaaa…! Cute!”

Eco turned around and showed Ash a round object.

“Isn’t this cute? Where did you find this stuff toy?”

At that moment, Ash felt something was pricking at the back of his neck. It made him wonder what it was.

The stuffed toy that Eco was holding seems to be a dragon. Strictly speaking, its face was clumsily done.

Furthermore, it's round body made it looks nothing like a majestic dragon.

However, Eco seems to take it as cute and it made her forget about what had just happened previously.

“Err… Actually I don’t remember much about that when it came into my possession. No matter how I look at it, looked just like a girl’s toy. It is probably not me who bought it.”

It was thanks to the toy that Ash was once again able to speak to Eco normally.

“Hmm… Strange.”

Eco was carrying the stuffed toy while she whipped off the dust on it.

“Hmm… When I move to Ansarivan, I just took it with me without any reason. Perhaps there is a great meaning behind it was what I thought. Actually… There is a blank in my childhood memory.”

“… A blank in your memories?”

Eco was surprised.

“Aah. It was right about when I had my seventh birthday when I visited Albion Forest for the Orphan Ceremony. I just can’t recall my memories during that time.”

“Isn’t that… The time when Mother Dragon bestowed me to you?”

“It seems so.”

“How come you can’t remember such an important event?”

Ash shrunk when he saw Eco started to get mad. Just when they were finally able to speak normally, it seems that Eco’s temper had also returned.

“To be frank, I know nothing of it myself. It was just that I had a hunch that this toy had something to do with my lost memories and that’s the reason why I was reluctant to throw it away. However, because of the recent events, I totally forgot about it.”

“Then, can I keep it?”

Ash was taken by surprised.

“What do you mean by keeping it?”

“It is just like what I had said. Don’t you think it is sad for such a cute being to be left forgotten? I will take the trouble to take care of this kid.”

“How can you take care of it when it isn’t even a living being? Well, whatever suits you then.”

“Really!?”

Eco was full of excitement.

“Well, I don’t really mind.”

“That's great!”

Eco was so happy that she felt that she could even fly. She then rubbed the stuffed toy with her cheeks.

Followed by that, she cuddled it like what a mother would do to her baby.

Suddenly, she spoke of something that surprised Ash.

“This somehow looked like our baby…”

Eco suddenly stopped speaking before she could even finish her sentence. She the glared at Ash with her eyes as if they were on fire.

“You heard anything?”

“No, nothing at all.”

Ash spoke with a serious look on his face.

“T-That’s right! N-Nothing happened! Nothing happened at all!”

As if her head was exploding in flames, Eco carried the toy and dashed out from the room.

“Actually, I heard every single word…”

Just when Ash was murmuring as he felt as if his body was on fire…

“Sorry to interrupt, Ash-sama.”

Suddenly, there was a woman’s voice coming from behind.

“Uwaa!”

He noticed that it was Cosette after he turned around. She seems to be wearing that same palace design maid attire today. She then gave a polite bow.

“Cosette-san! How did you get in?”

“To enter such an airy room is like a child’s play to me.”

Cosette smiled when she turned around to look at the blue sky.

“That couldn’t be… This is the third floor! Putting that aside, why are you here?”

“I am here to meet you and Eco-chan. Had you forgotten about Princess Mirabel, Her Highness’s decision?”

Of course, it was impossible for him to forget about it to begin with. However, he still felt a little reluctant.

“Actually, can’t we reconsider about this? Putting Eco aside, don’t you think that it is wrong for a guy like me to enter Epona House where guys are not allowed?”

“For your own sake, I would advise you to follow her decision. Do you know what Princes Mirabel was also known as?”

“No… Actually none at all.”

“Her nick name is actually Argento Magus. If we can describe Princess Veronica as a fighter, then Princess Mirabel is a thinker. Compare to Veronica, there were certain things that would made Mirabel a tougher opponent. Please be sure to be prepared mentally, Ash-sama.”

Ash sighed after he heard everything.

“…I understand. Please let me take some belongings with me like my pillow and cloths…”

“Alright then, meanwhile, I will try searching for Eco.”

Eco had not yet return since the moment she ran out from the room.

“Thank you. I think she should be somewhere around the dorm.”

“Huhu. That will be a simple task.”

Cosette ran towards the door nimbly while she was avoiding the disorganized furniture, but then, she suddenly stopped and turned around to face Ash.

“By the way, Ash-sama.”

“What’s the matter?”

When Ash lifted his face, he saw Cosette’s face full of red. Ash was staring at her since it was rare to see her who was always calm to be blushing.

Although she always stayed hidden behind Silvia’s shadow, she actually looked quite beautiful.

With her right hand on her cheeks, she sighed.

Then she said something outrageous.

“Ash-sama and Eco-chan’s kiss looks very innocent indeed.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

This time, it was Ash’s turn to be blushing.

“D-Don’t, Don’t tell me that you saw everything!?”

“It totally felt like an opera show. You looked so cute when you kiss without even needing any words to understand each other. My god, isn’t that wonderful? Don’t Eco-chan looked cute too when she was waiting to receive your kiss?”

“I beg you, please stop saying anymore than this! It is embarrassing!”

Right now, Ash felt like he was sitting on a mountain of needles.

Cosette too had seemed to realized that she over did it replied with a playful smile.

“Rest assured, I won’t tell Princess-sama any of this.”

“How is Princeass-sama related to this!?”

“Hmm… I wonder… Huhu…”

Cosette left the room with her sentence ending with her laughter.

===Part 5===
The moment Ash finished gathering all his basic daily needs, Cosette was back with Eco. Together, the three of them marched towards Epona House.

Although it was around evening, the sun was still high up in the sky.

After passing through a grove of mixed trees, they were welcomed by a stern looking gate.

Even the cicada had stopped making noise.

Although they were just walking, they were all full of sweat.

By taking a peak beside, Eco looked as if she was suffering from the heat of the high summer temperature. She looked like a Hydra who was looking for water on dry land.

Compared to Ash, Eco was only carrying her stuffed toy.

On the other hand, Cosette didn’t even break a sweat.

“We had arrived.”

She turned around and smiled at both Ash and Eco.

Through the gate, they could see a garden that was separated into two halves by the walkway. It must have been well tended by a good gardener. Even Ash who doesn’t have any interest in gardening was amazed by it.

At the back of the garden stood an elegant looking building.

That was Epona House, the dormitory for advance class girls.

“We had finally arrived…”

Ash placed his baggage which was full of daily needs and clothing on the ground.

''How long does it actually take to walk here from Apollo House…'' Ash couldn’t be bothered to even think about it.

This dragon riding academy where human and dragons coexist had a very large land area.

In it, there were numerous classes, a church, a lecture hall, a library, a canteen, seven dragon houses, four dormitories, a sports ground… It even included an arena that was used during events.

Although there was the shopping district and the housing are beyond the school walls, compared to the size of the academy, they just looked like extras. That's the reason why Ansarivan was called an academic city.

Putting that aside, the distance between the boys dormitory and the girls dormitory must had been arranged on purpose by the academy.

“Please enter.”

Cosette pushed open the heavy looking gate and welcomed both of them in.

===Part 6===
On the top most floor of Epona House was the room of royal use.

It looked like a high class hotel suit and it even had a large space.

Apart from a heater in the living room, there was also a dining room, a study room, bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, etc. In a room that has everything, it looked as if it was another world compared to the normal student’s room.

Silvia was walking up and down around her room alone, worrying endlessly.

“Argh! What’s wrong with me! Why couldn’t I calm down! Even my family motto stated that ‘Always stay calm, especially in a pinch’!”

Even though she wasn’t even in a pinch, Silvia couldn’t stop worrying. It was about time for Cosette to arrive with Ash and Eco.

“That’s it!”

Silvia stopped in her tracks for a moment and then she dashed into the makeup room and stood in front of a mirror.

She applied a thin layer of makeup on her face.

She tried combing her hair many times.

Her clothings and accessories were chosen by Cosette.

She put on her camisole, a skirt with two layers of frills, her panty socks and a necklace made from bright dragon crystals that acted as jewels.

In front of the mirror, she was just like her usual…. No, she was at least twice as more beautiful than she usually was.

Silvia turned red when she realized how beautiful she was.

“Why would I dress myself up! It is alright by just sticking to what I usually do!”

Ash was about to arrive.

Until the boy’s dormitory was done with its renovation, Ash was going to stay here for two weeks.

Her hearts started to beat rapidly from thinking about it.

“This feeling… It is that same feeling as ''that time…''”

Silvia recalled her memories.

Around the time of her seventh birthday, she met a boy in Albion Forest.

''“Why? Why would I have this feeling of returning to the time when I was seven years old whenever I think about Ash…?”''

Silvia suddenly regained her sense.

“Stop! Stop! Stop! Doesn’t this mean that I am looking forward for him to arrive!? Right… I should change back into my normal clothing…”
[[Image:SnRK v05 006.jpg|thumb|'' ''…!'' Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments. '']]

Silvia left the makeup room and entered the living room. She swiftly removed all her clothings except for her undergarments. She then walked along the corridor towards the changing room.

Suddenly, the door opened right in front of her eyes.

“Princess-sama, we had returned.”

Cosette walked in with a smile.

“Princess-sama!?”

Ash was standing right behind Cosette with his eyes wide opened. ''Why is his face red? Is it because of the heat?''

“…!”

Silvia immediately snapped out from the confusion. She just remembered that right now, she was only wearing her undergarments.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Silvia ran and hid behind the door while screaming at the top of her voice.

===Part 7===
“Hey you! Just until when are you going to keep on staring!”

“Ouch!”

Ash came back to his sense after he was stomped on the leg by Eco.

Just when he had stepped in through the grand entrance, he was greeted by Silvia in only her undergarments. The white coloured lace will forever be imprinted in his mind.

''By the way, why was Silvia wearing only those?'' No matter how hot the weather can be, it doesn’t suit her image.

“I am going to check on Princess-sama. Could the both of you wait here for a moment, please?”

With a happy smile on her face, Cosette disappeared into the corridor. In just a moment-

“No. This definitely doesn’t look natural.”

“No no. It definitely fits you well.”

“But… Won’t this make me look like I am looking forward to their arrival?”

“Huh? Aren’t you?”

Their entire conversation was heard by Ash.

“Come on! This is a disgrace! How dare they make a dragon wait by the entrance!”

Eco who was standing right beside Ash was in rage. The toy that she had with her which had a carelessly made face was further squashed by Eco’s abnormal strength.

Ash pitied the toy. If this continued to keep on, Ash would probably be the next victim.

“Sorry for the wait.”

Just when Ash was about to be surrounded by his fear, Cosette had returned to the entrance with Silvia who was hiding right behind her.

Ash’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Silvia’s clothing. It gave a completely different feel compare to the school uniform that she usually wears. A lot of her skin was exposed from wearing the camisole. It had totally grabbed his attention.

“Please come in.”

Ash regained his sense after he heard Cosette’s voice.

“S-Sorry for the intrusion.”

In opposite to Ash, Eco was looking around the room with a hint of worry.

“Even so… You are just a Princess of the Royal Knight’s Family and you get to have such a great room?”

Perhaps she was mad from being asked to wait at the entrance, Eco was saying anything that would sooth her anger.

In truth, even Ash was amazed by the room itself. Just the entrance itself is wider than Ash’s room. There were even expensive looking pictures along the wall and carvings of dragons.

“Please don’t be mad. This room was specially made for the royals, it would be natural if Princess-sama is staying here.”

Ash tried to calm her down.

“But, I am also a Princess of the dragons! Why would there be such a large difference in our treatment!?”

“It is not like I want to stay in this room either!”

Silvia tried to speak up for herself even when she was being threatened by Eco.

“I even tried telling the academy to let me have the same treatment as the rest of the students, but they never listen…”

Suddenly, Silvia stood still on her ground. There was not even a slightest movement.

“Princess-sama… What’s wrong? You don’t look good.”

Ash was worried about her but she didn’t reply.

She kept on staring at the stuffed toy that Eco was carrying with her with her ice blue eyes.

Silvia then suddenly leaped towards Eco and grabbed her shoulders.

“Eco! Can you tell me how did that toy fall into your possession?”

Eco became confused.

“I-It has nothing to do with you.”

“Please tell me! This is very important!”

Silvia shouted loudly.

“… I picked it up.”

Eco mumbled when she turned her head to aside. It seemed that she did not want to tell Silvia that it was a gift from Ash. Ash was wondering on why she would be insisting on it.

“You picked it up? When? Where?”

Silvia was being persistent.

“Come on! Why do I need to tell you?”

Eco lost her patience and roared.

“…Why can’t you tell me?”

“T-That’s because… I don’t have the obligation to tell you.”

“Now I see, you are playing dumb… It seems I must resolve to this.”

Suddenly, Silvia leaped towards Eco with both of her hands stretched out.

“Hey!... Don’t joke with me!”

Eco dodge with the toy in her arms.

With the royal room as the stage, the two of them started running around like a bunch of kids. In just a blink of an eye, both of them
disappeared behind a door.

“Err… What is this all about?”

Ash who was left behind turned around and questioned Cosette.

“Cosette-san?”

To his surprised, Cosette too was transfixed on her own spot. It was rare to see her making a face like that.

Cosette then regained her sense after being called out to by Ash and started explaining.

“I just remember about it… I fear that that stuffed toy…. Is an important treasure to Princess-sama during her childhood.”

Ash was surprised by her answer.

“Wait a moment! That shouldn’t be possible! There should be many more stuffed toys with the same design, no?”

Cosette answered calmly.

“No. There ain’t. That toy is the one and only in this world. It was a limited edition item. It was actually made from a famous artist from Chevron Kingdom called Leonard De Mirabeau and was given to the five year old Princess-sama.”

“Really? That clumsily made toy is…”

“That’s not it… Its weird look was actually Mirabeau-sama’s style. Didn’t people usually say that there was only a silver line that separates a genius and a madman? If that stuffed toy was bought to an antique auction… It should be priced at five million Eccles at minimum.”

Cosette told him the shocking truth with s straight face.

“Five million…!”

Ash turned speechless.

His face had turned pale.

''-Five million Eccles!''

Ash couldn’t even imagine that amount of money. He just knew that he won’t be able to finish it by living the rest of his days enjoying life. He never knew that such a treasure was hidden in his closet.

“W-We should try stopping them first!”

Ash started searching for them in the huge room.

===Part 8===
“Finally! You won’t be able to escape!”

Eco who ran into Silvia’s room was now like a rat in the bag. There was only one exit and the windows were too high to jump from since this was the top most floor.

“Tsk… You are being persistent!”

Eco backed off to the wall and like a mother protecting her child, she tried to intimidate Silvia.

For one moment, Silvia was awed by her beauty, but the next instant, she roared:

“You haven’t told me anything yet! I just want to know how this toy came into your possession!”

“Why would you even want to know!?”

“T-That… I had my own reasons! Please, Eco!”

“Hmph… I had mine too. I will never tell you, only you!”

Both of them were glaring at each other without any intention of backing off.

Silvia realized that whatever she said was useless.

“Now you have done it. Although it is not to my liking… I must resolve this by force.”

“What! Who do you think I am! See that if you can do it!”

“Fine with me!”

Silvia leaped forward without mercy.

Although she must avoid Eco’s abnormal strength, Eco’s actions had always been straight forward and were always easy to read.

On the other hand, apart from the Drag Arts, Silvia had mastered many more fighting styles. It is a normal thing to do for someone who was born in the Lautreamont Royal Knight’s Family.

After struggling on the ground like brats, Silvia came out as the winner.

“Now you have been captured!”

Silvia was pressing Eco’s tiny body on the floor and without giving her a chance to fight back, she rode on Eco.

“Tsk… Let me go!”

“Is there any idiot in this world that would move off once they are being asked to?”

The winner had been decided. Even when Eco had her abnormal strength, she could never be able to beat Silvia.

But, there was a reason why Silvia could beat her easily.

Eco had never let go of the stuffed toy even after she was pressed down against the floor. If Eco would just let go of that toy, the fight could still drag on. No, it could even be Silvia who was pressed down against the floor.

“Please, Eco! This is not an order. Although it was not a long time since the day I met you, I always think you as a friend. That is why… Could you please tell me?”

Just when Silvia was begging Eco with a trembling voice…

“Eco! Princess-sama!”

The door opened with a bang and Ash came running in.

Silvia turned around to look at Ash while she was pressing Eco down against the floor.

“Hold on, Ash! I never have the intention to harm Eco! I just want to ask Eco about it… no matter what!”

“But, Princess-sama doesn’t act like the usual you. Even so, Eco is my Pal, I won’t forgive anyone who try to harm her, even if it is Princess-sama.”

After Ash murmured sadly, he showed her his left arm.

Silvia knew that he had his abnormally large Seikoku covered in a bandage.

“Your Seikoku…?”

Silvia was in lost of words.

The Seikoku under the bandage was obviously blinking with glowing lights. That was a signal given when the Pal was in danger.

For example, even though Silvia did not have any intentions of harming Eco, but Eco felt that she was in danger and sent the signal to her owner Ash for help…

“Sorry, Eco… I am really sorry. I am in the wrong for scaring you…. But, I have my own reasons. Please, Eco! Please tell me for the sake of our friendship!”

Silvia was forcing out an answer from Eco.

“…Eco?”

Eco did not reply. Just as Silvia became confused, Eco was surrounded by a glowing light.

“Hey, Eco! What’s wrong?”

Eco still did not reply. Right now, Eco was like a doll, showing no expression.

Even her eyes seemed to be reflecting nothing.

“Urgh…!”

The next instant, Silvia was being blasted of by a strong wind.

“Princess-sama!”

Followed by Ash’s shout, Silvia’s back bang against the wall. She almost couldn’t breathe because of it.

===Part 9===
“Princess-sama!”

Just when Ash was trying to help Silvia out, Cosette arrived.

“I will take care of Princess-sama. Ash-sama, go help Eco-chan! This is no laughing matter!”

Cosette’s voice seemed to be more serious and nervous than usual.

“Understood!”

Ash ran straight towards Eco.

His Seikoku started to hurt.

He remembered that feeling.

He had the similar feeling when Eco was awaken in the capital, Fontaine.

Although the pain was not as strong as that time, Ash knew that this was the sign before her transformation into a dragon.

Eco stood up slowly with the cute stuffed toy dropping on the floor.

Strictly speaking, she was not standing.

There was a gap in between her feet and the floor.

She was actually floating…!

Her limbs were now surrounded by the mysterious light that was so bright that they could not look at it directly.

However, Ash continued to move forward.

“Stop, Eco! If you are to be awaken here…”

In the worst possible case, this Epona House will be destroyed. No, it could even be related to the city’s survivability…

Eco had long been labeled as an element of danger by many countries’s government. The reason why Mirabel was sent to become the academy’s director was to keep an eye on Eco.

''If she is to transform into a dragon right now…!''

Ash moved forward without giving any thought and hugged Eco.

A huge amount of magic was flowing out from her tiny body. If he had been careless, he would even be swallowed by the magic and lost consciousnesss.

Ash shouted with all his might into Eco’s ears.

“Get a grip of yourself! I…I like the way you are now! It is okay if you just stay as you are! You don’t have to force yourself to change into your true self!”

It seems that Ash’s words had gotten through and the magic that was surrounding Eco had disappeared. Even the lights were no longer there. Ash’s Seikoku too had stopped responding.

“We are saved…”

Ash breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Huh?”

Eco blinked her eyes in surprise and murmured.

“What had I done…? Why are you…?”

Realizing that she was in Ash’s arms, Eco leaped off from Ash’s arms with her face red in embarrassment.

===Part 10===
“I am sorry for what had happened just now. I-I never thought that you were so much against it…. No I shouldn’t make any excuses. A knight must admit his own faults. I deeply apologize!”

After the group had sat on a dining table in the living room, Silvia apologized to Eco sincerely.

“Hmph… I guess this should be sufficient.”

Silvia’s eagerness to apologize by bowing her head had started to confuse Eco. Even though she still continued to puff up her checks in protest, but at least she had accepted Silvia’s apology. Ash who noticed it breathe a sigh of relieves.

“…Since everything had been settled, please allow me to ask. How did that stuffed toy came into your possession?”

Silvia’s words had cause Eco to be enraged again.

“Ha!? You….. Just apologize and yet you still want to ask!?”

“I apologize for resolving this matter by force. I promise that this time, I won’t try questioning you by force. But in return, I will keep on asking until you answer me. Remember, I will keep on asking.”

Silvia was quite stubborn. She even smiled towards Eco with her face full of confidence.

“I can’t believe it…”

Eco sighed.

“Sorry, Eco-chan.”

At that moment, Cosette returned from the kitchen with a silver tray full of snacks and tea.

“That toy that Eco-chan was holding right now… It probably belongs to Princess-sama a long time ago.”

“How can it be…?”

Whilst she was surprised, Eco took a bite on the vanilla flavoured crepe that Cosette handed to her. If it was the usual Eco, she would definitely shout out ‘Delicious!’ on the first bite, but right now, she was with a serious looks. As expected, even Eco couldn’t enjoy her favorite food properly.

“What Cosette said is true. That toy is definitely an important thing to me during my childhood.”

Silvia spoke calmly as if she was trying to teach a child who knew nothing.

“Ha!? That’s impossible! I understand none of these!”

Eco placed her half eaten crepe back on her plate. Ash was surprised that she prioritized the argument before her crepe.

“I knew it the moment I saw it. There is only one of this stuffed toy in the whole world. It is a very important toy.”

“How can you have such confidence!?”

“You don’t even know the worth of that toy. Anyone who knows its worth would recognize it on their first sight.”

“Arrrrrggh! That explanation is totally unacceptable!”

''Eco was once again in rage, but at least Silvia knew her limit. Thanks to that, the atmosphere did not turn out to be any worst than this…'' Ash secretly thought.

“Come on you two…”

Cosette was obviously not at all troubled. She seems to be enjoying this.

“Haa… It seems like I don’t have a choice.”

Ash sighed.

“Please listen carefully, Princess-sama. That stuffed toy was in my closet. I gave it to Eco since she seems to like it.”

“Hey! Why did you tell that to her!?”

Eco was scolding Ash with her face red.

“What else can I do? If I leave it to both of you, the same thing will continue onwards again and again.”

“I… want this to be a secret between the both of us.”

Eco’s mumbling caught Ash’s attention.

“What did you say?”

“N-Nothing! I don’t even know you!”

Eco averted her face in anger. ''Why must she get angry...?'' Ash wondered.

On the other hand, Silvia was staring at Ash.

“Ash… you said that this toy was in your closet?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Ash shrugged his shoulders.

“Actually, I am not really clear about it. Believe me or not, there was a blank in my memories… I don’t even know how it came into my possession. I don’t even know about its worth if not because of Cosette.”

Silvia was staring at Ash so intently almost as if she was going to pierce a hole in his forehead. She then asked a weird question.

“When is your birthday?”

“Huh? The third on the month of Aries… What about that?”

After Ash answered honestly, Cosette spoke in surprise:

“Oh, what a coincidence. It seems that Princess-sama was also born in the month of Aries. By the way, hers is in the seventh.”

“Hmm… That’s the first time I had heard of it.”

“Huhu… So Ash-sama is the bigger brother by four days.”

“T-That… isn’t it…”

“Ash!”

Silvia suddenly leaned against him. Ash could see her breast that was covered by the thin cloth of the summer clothes.

“Princess-sama?”

“Even though this may seems abrupt, but do you still remember the date you went for the Orphan Ceremony?”

“Err… I don’t really remember about the details, but it shouldn’t be far away from my seventh birthday. Since my hometown was at a far away village, I started my journey when I was still six. I remembered that I had my seventh birthday in a horse carriage.”

Once they reach the age of seven, every citizen of the Knight Country must visit Albion Forest.

For Ash, if he had departed after his seventh birthday, he would never be able to arrive at Albion Forest in a month time.

“By the way, does the date I went for the Orphan Ceremony matters?”

“…No, Nothing. I have something that I want to discuss with Cosette. Please stay here for the moment.”

Silvia suddenly stood up and dragged Cosette by the hand with her.

“What a weird Princess.”

Ash took a drink from the cup of red tea.

===Part 11===
After Silvia entered the makeup room, with an ‘Ahem’, she cleared her throat.

“What do you want to talk about, Princess-sama?”

“About that…”

“It doesn’t seem like something easy.”

Since she had been with Silvia for quite some time, Cosette immediately knew what she was thinking.

“Aah… That’s right.”

“I will do everything you tell me to if it is in my ability to do so. If the situation required, I could even be Princess-sama’s limbs or even your shield… That’s my duty.”

Silvia made up her mind and told her wish.

“Actually, I want you to return to the palace and investigate the name list of the children who went to the orphan ceremony at the same day as me. This should be an easy one for you, no?”

However, Cosette told Silvia something out of her imagination.

“The records of the Orphan Ceremony is the country’s top secret. Even if you are a Princess, you will be breaching the law by trying to investigate it.”

“Then, your duty would be to avoid it. Please, I could only put my hopes on you. With your ability, reading top secret documents should not be a problem, right?”

“That doesn’t sound nice, Princess-sama. The ability that I only knew of was an ancient technique that was passed down in the Shelly’s family and some spying technique. All of them were used to protect the Lautreamont family.”

“I understand that, but…!”

Silvia grabbed her shoulders and looked at Cosette with her puppy eyes.

“Of course I will do it if this is your order. But, what will you do if Ash-sama is really that boy?”

Silvia’s face almost burst out in flames.

“I-I just want to know about it! That’s right, I only want to know about the truth!”

Cosette gave a wry smile.

“Hmm… Putting that aside, during the time when I am not in, when the night comes and Eco had slept, aren’t '''the two of you''' alone together?”

“When the night comes…. The two of us…!?”

This time, steam emerged from her ears. Her heart was beating none stop.

“W-W-What are you talking about! Don’t you have any shame! How shameless! I…I believe that Ash was not someone insolence! That is why there is no point behind your question!”

Silvia snapped and Cosette nodded.

“I too had the same feeling.”

“Then why bother asking!”

Cosette smiled and took out something. It was a stack of paper held together by a paper clip.

“What’s that?”

“Huhu… A copy of ‘Shelley family’s secret. A recipe to make men dream’. Although I want to use it during this summer to teach Princess-sama some cooking… But this is a good chance to try it. Although Princess-sama don’t have any actual experience, but isn't this a good chance to show your cooking skills to Ash-sama?”

Silvia felt as if her body was on fire.

“Hold on! W-W-Why must I show Ash my cooking skills?”

“If I am not mistaken, The Lautreamont Family Motto did mention that ‘to shoot a general you must first shoot his horse’, am I right?”

“What does it had to do with this?”

“In the Shelley’s Family Motto, there is something like this: ‘To get the man you like, you must first fill his stomach’.”

“What kind of family motto is that!?”

“Huhu… When Ash-sama’s stomach is empty, and Princess-sama gave him your homemade cooking, he would surely fall for you.”

“…Fall for me!?”

Cosette was like a devil whispering into Silvia’s ears.

“When a Princess who doesn’t look like she knew any cooking made a meal, which man wouldn’t be moved by it?”

“Cut the crap! I never want Ash to take notice of me! Never! I-It's just that I had some interest in cooking since a long time ago. I will accept your offer because of this.”

Cosette handed her the recipe while smiling.
[[Image:SnRK v05 096.jpg|thumb]]

“Now, I had received my orders from Princess-sama and I will depart from Ansarivan immediately.”

“Huh? Immediately?”

“It is better if we act quickly, Princess-sama.”

Cosette lifted the both sides of her skirt slightly and bowed gracefully.

Suddenly, like a mist, Cosette disappeared from Silvia’s sight like a magician.

“H-Hey! Cosette? … Do you really want to depart at this moment?”

Silvia became worried when she heard no reply.

“Please hold on, Cosette! You should allow me to have some mental preparation before…!”

Silvia looked around the room with tears in her eyes. It looks like Cosette had really departed.

“Tsk… She never takes me seriously!”

After Silvia mumbled in regrets, she took a long hard look at the recipe given to her.

"The Stuffed Toy Dragon~A.S.B.1365.8~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 2|Chapter 2]]
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</noinclude>

Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Prologue

2014-06-25T14:10:10Z

Anlanther: /* Prologue */

==Prologue==
Lautreamont Knight Country, people called it the country of Dragon Breeders.

To its north was the Zepharos Empire, while to its south was the Chevron Kingdom.

Sandwiched between the two major powers, a small country with a population of no more than five million, had a special academy.

Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy.

Educating and guiding teenage boys and girls who formed contracts with dragons -- an academy for Dragon Breeders.

===Part 1===
The last day of the month of Cancer.

Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy had scheduled to held the closing ceremony in the morning.

Every student had gathered in the hall and was getting restless since it will be a holiday starting tomorrow. Every one of them was hoping for the bothersome ceremony to end.

To make it worst, the ceremony did not begin according to schedule. It seemed that the director was late. Before he even noticed, the students were chatting around among their groups. With the long long summer holidays right before their eyes, the students won’t stop talking once they had started.

“Huwaa….”

In the midst of everything, Ash who was lining up together with the first year advance class gave a loud yawn. He was about to fall asleep.

“Are you alright? You look like you didn't have enough sleep.”

Raymond was looking at Ash.

“That was your third time for today. You must have been slacking.”

On the other hand, Max firmly point out to Ash. He could never tolerate with Ash’s lazy attitude.

“It is not like I have a choice… I just returned from Fountain City yesterday.”

“By the way, doesn’t Eco also look sleepy?”

Raymond gave Eco who was standing right beside Ash a glance and gave a bitter smile. But the next moment, his eyes widened.

“Could it be that…! Last night…. The two of you had advanced to become adults…!”

“Idiot! You speak too loud! That’s impossible!”

Ash was red in the cheeks. If it was the Ash from months ago, he won’t even be bothered if Raymond made fun of him and Eco.

But for today, he was obviously shaken.

Ash took a peek at Eco. Although she was still sleepy, the morning rays that shone into the hall had further emphasized Eco’s beauty, even though they were in the midst of people. It gave her a feeling of a noble.

Her hair was pink and was reflecting silvery rays of lights. Her skin was white and the chip on her left horn that Ash had smashed off had recovered.

Recently, Ash was confused about his feelings.

With just a glance at Eco, he could clearly feel his chest tightening.

Seeing that Ash suddenly turned silent, Raymond asked in a demanding tone:

“Hold on! Isn’t your reply a little weird! Could it be you really…!”

“Raymond! Shut up…!”

Max pushed Raymond aside and had his mouth covered.

“Is it true that many things happened in Fontaine City? Even the Continental Congress- Elysium was postponed. It probably had something to do with Eco and you right?”

Ash was surprised at how sharp Max was.

“Actually, for the both of you to stay at the capital for nearly two weeks don’t sound natural to me. After the incident, the government should be busy dealing with the aftereffect. If I am the Paladin, the first thing that I would do was to send you back home. Unless…”

Max adjusted his glasses with his fingers, and threw a glance at Ash.

“Both of you were not staying there but were held in custody.”

Ash was shocked by Max’s deduction ability. In just a moment, he was no longer sleepy.

===Part 2===
It was two weeks ago-

A mysterious dragon had attacked the capital and the Continental Congress- Elysium was put on hold. It had always been the topic of everybody’s talk since that day.

As for the true identity behind the huge dragon, it is Eco who had awakened as the descendant of the Avalon Holy Dragons Emperor’s family.

At the end of the battle, Ash managed to change Eco back to her human form and all ended peacefully. Until what awaited them were the days of the interrogation.

Just like what Max had pointed out, it was not that Ash and Eco were staying at Fontaine City, it was just that they were forbidden from leaving it.

They were only released by yesterday’s afternoon. It had already been midnight when Silvia gave them a ride back on Lancelot. It seems that Silvia was worried about both of them and thus chose to stay back at Fontaine City. If they were to return to Ansarivan on land, he would have never been able to attend this closing ceremony.

This was the reason why Ash and Eco were sleepy.

On the other hand, Silvia who should be sleepy was at the front of the queue for the first year advance class with her back straightened up. It was as expected from the Knight’s princess, everyone could feel her regal dignity.

“What do you think of it, Ash?”

While Max threw him a sharp glance, Raymond was eagerly waiting for him to answer.

“That…”

To Ash, Raymond and Max were his important friends. Just when he thought of telling them the truth, something weird happened.

''-Bang!''

The door of the hall was suddenly opened with a loud bang.

All the students turned around in shocked.

“Huh? What happened?”

Eco who had dozed off while standing took a great shock. She immediately looked at the situation around her.

Ash also took a look at the door.

At that instant, the attention had been robbed from him.

In the middle of the doorway stood a modest girl who radiated an elegant feeling. Her neatly worn clothing was a white blouse and a bluish purple coloured skirt that matched with her black boots. The feeling she gave was obviously a daughter of someone with high social status.

Apart from that, there was a maid following her from behind. She was pushing a trolley with tea sets on it.

Under the eyes of every student, the girl walked straight to the stage as if it was a natural thing to do.

“Greetings to everyone from Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy.”

When she was greeting, the purple reflections from her silver coloured hair made it seemed like she was wearing a halo.

Ash gulped down his saliva when he saw her beauty. She was totally like a saint…

But unlike all the other statues of the Saints that he had seen before, she didn't possess the kind and caring smile on her face. Her appearance made her look like the ice carving made from the Glacier of Doruaama in the far north.

After a short glance at the entire student body, she spoke:

“I am Mirabel Lautreamont, the third princess. Under the orders of my elder sister Veronica, I was asked to work as the Director in this academy. Please take good care of me."

The entire hall turned silent.

Ash was also staring at Mirabel. He expected her to be from some high class family but for her to be a princess…

Suddenly Silvia who was at the front row shouted:

“Anee-ue! What is the meaning of this? I heard that you went to Espada St. Law University to further your studies…”

After hearing that, Ash realized that Mirabel was Silvia’s sister.

Everyone’s attention was on Mirabel. Even the teaching instructors who were standing along the walls were also trying to find out.

Right at that moment, as if to break apart the deep silence, the eleven o'clock bell rang.

The moment she heard the sound of the bell, Mirabel gave the maid a sharp glare.

“Eunice. It’s time for my tea.”

“Absolutely, Princess.”

The maid who was following Mirabel like a shadow was making tea at a fast speed.

“Please.”

“Thank you.”

Mirabel took the boiling cup of tea and sat on a folding chair that Eunice took out. She then relaxed herself and drank the tea.

“…”

Everyone was watching her movements in surprise. Even Silvia was waiting for Mirabel to finish her tea before she tried speaking.

After a short moment, she passed the tea cup back to Eunice and once again, looked back at Silvia.

“So Silvia? What were you asking?”

“I am saying that how come you became the Director? Please explain! By the way, where is the ex-Director who had been working here until yesterday?”

“Aa…You are talking about the old man who had a foot in a coffin? He should be having his vacation in a popular tourist spot in Chevron Kingdom. Given that he had a raise in his pension, he shouldn't have any complains.”

“Wha-!”

Silvia turned speechless.

===Part 3===
“Hey… What is happening? What is going to happen to the closing ceremony?”

Eco who was standing beside Ash asked. With so many things happening around, she was no longer sleepy.

“Err… I don’t know?”

Right at the moment, a thought flash-passed.

For the third princess to be ordered to become the director of Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy in such a weird time, it should have some connections with the incident in the capital.

The true identity behind the huge dragon was Eco and there were very few people who knew about this.

First Princess Veronica was one of them.

In the beginning, the Knight’s government took her as an element of danger and wanted her to be under strict surveillance. But Veronica was the first person to disagree with this idea and afraid that Eco would transform into a dragon if she was pushed to her limit.

How good will that be if that was true. However, Veronica mustn't be looked down upon. She would never have released them easily. Ash knew her way of thinking from his past experience.

That being said, Mirabel did mention that ''‘Under the orders of my elder sister Veronica’''. So, in another words, Mirabel becoming the academy’s Director was all in Veronica’s plan.

''-Does it mean that Mirabel is here to keep an eye on us…?''

Just moments before, Ash was under the impression that he had just been released and the holidays were starting. But now, he felt like being thrown a bucket full of cold water.

Suddenly, Mirabel looked as if she remembered something and stopped talking to Silvia. She then looked around the hall.

“How careless of me to forget something important. Is Ash Blake and young dragon Eco present?”

Everyone’s attention was on them.

They felt as if they were being pierced by their sight.

“Hol-!... What is…!?”

Eco was starting to feel uncomfortable and couldn’t calm down. She immediately hid behind Ash.

Anyway, it was disrespect to not to answer Mirabel’s call.

“We are here.”

Ash took a deep breath and dragged Eco onto the stage together with him. Eco was now like a different person. She was looking graceful and held on to his hand tightly. Ash's heart was beating non-stop from being able to feel her body heat.

While he was walking towards the stage, the rest of the students made way for him. However, Ash wasn’t able to enjoy it right now.

In a short moment, Ash arrived at the stage.

“I am Ash Blake and she is my Pal Eco.”

After a glance, she gave a short answer:

“Come.”

It seemed that she wanted them to step up on the stage.

Ash walked onto the stage with many pairs of eyes looking at him.

He felt embarrassed with Eco holding his hand the entire time, but Eco kept on holding his hand firmly without any intention of letting go.

After they were on the stage, Mirabel kept on looking at them. Her eyes seem to be transparent with difference from Silvia’s and Veronica’s blue eyes.

Suddenly Mirabel stretched her hand towards Eunice.

“Hand me the sword.”

“Absolutely.”

Ash was in a shock.

Eunice took out a rapier from the trolley. ''T-There is actually something like this in the trolley…''

Once Mirabel took her rapier, she removed it from its sheath. The clear white sword reflected the sunrays.

Mirabel then approached Ash with her right hand holding the rapier and her left hand holding the sheath.

As for the students who were starting to become restless from being confused, Mirabel told them in a cold voice:

“Silence!”

Her voice was obviously not loud but it was also definitely without a hint of anger.

But it was enough to do its job.

The students felt pressure from her voice alone.

After all the students were silent, Mirabel turned her sight back to Ash.

“I have a message for you from my father Oswald.”

“From the Paladin…?”

Ash was confused.

“Didn’t my father bestow you a silver watch which is the proof of a Dragner?”

“He certainly did…”

“Except that the knighting ceremony was never done, right?”

“That seems to be the case. It seems that the castle wasn’t a suitable place during that time.”

“With that reason alone, I, Mirabel Lautreamont in place of my father will take over your Knighting ceremony. Please kneel down.”

“W-With pleasure!”

Ash kneeled down immediately and told Eco who was standing to do the same in a low voice.

However, Eco usually saw people as ‘dumb, stupid and dense’. ''Will she kneel down quietly without a fight if the person she was facing is a royal?''

Ash was sweating tremendously.

“Alright…”

To his surprise, she did what she was told. She kneeled down right beside Ash.

“What I did is for you.”

Her murmurs and her rosy cheeks were unexpected.

While Ash’s heart skipped a beat, Mirabel started to recite:

“Ash Blake from Ansarivan Dragon Riding Academy advance class first year. At the age of seven, thou took part in the Orphan Ceremony in Albion Forest. Thou had been consecrated by the great mother dragon and received an Orphan. By that, thou had officially become a Breeder.
And now, thy Pal, Eco surpass thee expatiation and had a remarkable growth. Now, representing Paladin Oswald, in my name Mirabel Lautreamont shall I place my rapier on thy shoulders.” <ref>This was spoken in a poetic from. </ref>
[[Image:SnRK v05 029.jpg|thumb]]

Mirabel placed her rapier on Ash’s shoulders smoothly.

It was a part of the Knighting ceremony. Though the rapier itself looked fine, it actually felt heavy on his shoulders.

“Do you as a proud knight swear your loyalty to the Lautreamont royal family?”

"I swear in the name of my Seikoku and my beloved Pal.”

Ash deliberately stated the standard pledge. Eco’s shoulder trembled a little as Ash said the words ‘beloved Pal’. However, Ash did not have the luxury to take a peek at her.

After that Mirabel remained still. Her actions confused Ash, but then he remembered something important.

He held the silver watch bestowed to him by Oswald and placed it next to his heart. This was also a part of the knighting ceremony.

After Mirabel sheathed her sword, the ceremony ended. Suddenly, the entire hall was full of cheers. It was because the knighting ceremony was usually held in the St Rosa. Maria Cathedral in the capital, but now they had the chance to experience it here.

The entire hall was full of the claps and sounds of students cheering as if everyone had forgotten about the closing ceremony.

===Part 4===
"Tsk, what a day…”

Ash was leaving the public bath in the Apollo house with a towel on his shoulder. Since the lights-out hour was approaching, the corridor was empty. Ash tried recalling all the events that happened in the morning while he was running up the stairs.

After returning to his classroom after the ceremony, he was flooded with questions. As expected, most of the questions asked were about Eco.

The difference between a Dragner and a Breeder could only be judged from their Pals.

Although dragons were born in the form of either a Strada, Hydra or Asia, after being taken care of, they had a possibility to evolve into the mysterious Maestro. They had white fur and a huge amount of magic. To the Knights, they were the country’s treasure.

Basically, when a Pal evolved into a Maestro, a Breeder was qualified to become a Dragner. However, Eco was in the form of a girl. To state it clearly, she was an exception that could not suit any class. In spite of that, Paladin Oswald had bestowed Ash the title Dragner.

That was the reason why the rest of the students were full of questions.

Except that if they knew that Eco was the huge dragon that had attacked the capital, they would have to acknowledge him. Her overwhelming presence and the destructive power she possessed that can crush an airship, plus being the surviving bloodline of the Avalon Holy Dragons Emperor. Even the proud Maestros prostrated themselves in front of her.

Of course Ash didn’t publicize this. Well, he was forbidden from doing so.

Right after Eco was awakened, she crushed the huge Zepharos Empire’s Airship Beowolf. It was clear that the Empire deserved it. However, the Empire did not admit their wrong doing and furthermore pushed the blame on the Knights.

On the other hand, the Chevron Kingdom which suffered no losses were unhappy that the Knights did not reveal any information regarding Eco to them. Ash had just only known this from the recent news.

In short, Eco herself was an international threat.

“What am I going to do from here on…?”

Ash suddenly thought of Princess Mirabel. Although she didn’t seems to be someone like Veronica, however she also didn’t look like an easy nut to crack.

With all such troubles in his head Ash returned to his room.

Eco was rolling on her bed waiting for time to pass but she immediately jumped up the moment she saw Ash.

“…Huh?”

Ash felt that something was off and he immediately realized what it was.

That’s right, Eco who always slept stark naked was wearing a cute negligee that day.

The pure white cloth should be made out of silk. Under the lights of the Bright Dragon Crystal, her outline could be clearly seen. Even her breasts and the tips could almost be seen.

It was obvious that Eco was not wearing any undergarments. Ash had a hard time looking as she looked more alluring than when she was naked.

“W-Where did you get that from?”

Eco suddenly became uneasy when she was asked.

“…It was one of Silvia’s old clothing that Cosette gave me.”

“But didn’t you say you hate wearing anything when you sleep? You even said that you can't sleep without being naked.”

Eco crossed her arms and glared at Ash.

“…Aren’t you acting suspicious when I am naked?”

“Well, I am a guy. I couldn’t possibly calm down when there is a naked girl in front of me.”

“I don’t quite actually know what kind of feeling that was…. Anyway, I just have to put on some clothes.”

Suddenly Eco was looking embarrassed and she slowly took a peek at Ash.

“T-That’s why…. You… can come… here….”

“Huh?”

“Argh…. You idiot! I am saying that we can sleep together! Why do you have to make me tell you everything!”

Ash doubted what he had just heard.

Eco who ordered Ash to sleep on the floor and monopolized the entire bed was right now asking Ash to sleep together.

''What is happening to her?''

“Never mind. I am used to sleeping on the floor and that bed is yours.”

In short, Eco was getting mad at him for being too worrisome.

“I said I am allowing it! You always pretend that it is nothing…. But your body must be hurting. The injuries are not yet healed right?”

Ash was speechless.

In truth, the injuries he suffered from during his battle with Gawain and Mordred had not recovered yet. Sometimes, he could still feel pain from his body. But he never expected Eco to see through him.

“Even the injury that could had been healed can never be healed if you sleep on the floor.”

Eco turned around with her back facing Ash and covered herself with the blanket. She even remembered to leave some space for Ash.

While keeping that position, she took a peek at Ash.

Their sights connected.

“…!”

Eco was suddenly blushing and she turned her head back. It seems that she was not going to take back her words. Ash made up his mind and tuned the lamp to its dimmest. With the help from his hands, he walked towards the bed.

“S-Sorry for the intrusion.”

Ash was all tense. Not only that he was speaking politely, he even nearly bit his tongue.

“You are acting weird.”

It was probably caused by Ash’s actions that Eco was smiling. But thanks to that, the tension lessened.

Ash lied down beside Eco. Thinking back, Eco had squeezed into Ash’s bed for many times in her sleep. And she was naked during those times. This situation should be nothing to him.

However, Ash regretted what he had just thought of just moments later. There was a sweet smell coming from Eco’s body and hair.

That was obviously the smell of a girl.

“…!”

His heart was beating at a very fast pace. Eco squeezing into his bed and them sleeping together from the start were two totally different things.

When he took a look at Eco, it seemed that she was still wide awake from being nervous. There was a mysterious feeling of nervousness coming from her petite body. That being said, if it was the usual Eco, she would have definitely fallen asleep that moment she laid on the bed.

Suddenly, Ash remembered his conversation he had with Eco.

In the guest room in Fontaine City, she did mention something like this:

''I am happy that… I am your Pal… And. You are my knight…B-But… I hate this. I cannot be satisfied with just this! Even though I am not sure why, I know that I just can’t accept this!''

That was the first time Eco had freely expressed her own feelings. During that time, Ash too felt like kissing Eco.

Also, during that time, Eco didn’t seem to resist. To his disappointment, before they could kiss, they were interrupted. After that, there never seemed to be a right atmosphere to try it again…

===Part 5===
…In the end, Eco was finally asleep after turning off the lights for an hour. Ash breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her snoring. But then he was faced with another challenge.

Sometimes, when Eco turned around, their shoulders came into contact. Since their pyjamas were made of thin material, Ash had a wrong impression that their skins were touching each other. Or else, it was Eco’s face that was getting too near that caused his heart to skip a beat.

At the same time he was aware of Eco’s charm, Ash was staring at her lips. He once again remembered their unfinished kiss.

''What if I give her a kiss right now…'' Ash struggled to keep away his wild thought.

“Oh god. Now I will never be able to sleep…”

"Mirabel Lautreamont ~A.S.B.1365.7~" is closed.

<noinclude>

==References and Translation Notes==
<references />

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|-
| Back to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Novel Illustrations|Illustrations]]
| Return to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Seikoku no Ryuu Kishi: Volume 5 Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Kono Naka:Volume 1 Prologue

2014-05-04T05:35:26Z

Anlanther: /* Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imōto ga Iru!: Volume 1 - Prologue */

==Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imōto ga Iru!: Volume 1 - Prologue==
===Part 1===
"Onii-sama"

A soft whisper came from a young girl.

Sitting on a chair, Shohgo Mikadono, who was about to enter the world of dreadms, suddenly opened his sleepy eyelids and glanced at the four corners of the room.

"Is there anyone here?"

However, there was no one in the room aside himself—what's going on? Did I misheard?

Today is the day when the funerals of the internationally-known Mikadono group's representative, Kumagorou Mikadono, are held.

It's February, where the cold weather hasn't left yet. Shohgo still didn't have the time to feel saddened by his father's death, and since the early morning he has been running around, busy taking care of multiple matters with her mother.

As things finally came to an end, Shohgo could take a break in the visitors' room. He was so busy that he didn't have time to change into his funerals' clothes, and became sleepy with his school uniform on him—at that moment, he has been waken up by a mysterious voice.

"Onii-sama, I'm here."

The voice came to him again, this time with the noise of the windows being knocked on. It seems that it came from the outside.

Shohgo turned his body and lifted his head. Above the bookshelves, there was a small window. Outside the window, snowflakes were rustling and falling. There was someone below the window who was knocking on it, and the clenched fist was barely visible.

This window was made to gather sunlight, and was even higher than Shohgo's height, and there seems to be someone raising her hand outside the window----

"Who is it?"

"It's wonderful, I have always wanted to see you, but I couldn't meet you with that many people. Finally, I can finally talk with my brother, do you know how I was longing for this day, wuuu..."

"That's why I'm asking, who are you?"

"I'm Onii-sama's little sister."

"Little sister? What do you mean, I'm an only child."

"Really, Onii-sama won't be alone. From now on, I'll always be together with you."

"Together? What the heck do you mean?"

"I'm here in order to marry Onii-sama."

===Part 2===
-- Why would I get married to you? If you are my younger sister, how could we possibly marry!

Baffled, Shougo ran to the side of the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the voice's owner.

But the window was too high to see outside without standing on something. Shougo moved a chair over and stepped on it.

"Shougo-sama."

At this time, there was a knock at the door and a woman entered -- her name was Seri, the secretary of his mother.

"If I may ask, did something happen?"

Seeing Shougo with one one on the chair, Seri showed an expression of intrigue.

Her tall figure in a suit, it was the splitting image of a capable career woman. Somehow exuding an air of icy cool beauty, it was well-matched to her funeral attire.

"I just heard a voice from outside that sounded like it was calling me, but who could it be?"

Shougo replied as he stepped on the chair once more, opening the window, and sticking his head outside.

The first thing that entered his view was the inner garden of the funeral home. Ahead was a wall of accumulated snow extending into the distance.

"Eh, no is there. Strange, but there definitely was someone here?"

"Somone suspicious appeared?"

Secretary Seri asked warily. Could it be Seri's appearance that drove her to escape?

"No, just that I heard someone's voice. Perhaps it was my mistake, hahaha."

Forcing a laugh to tide things over, Shougo got off the chair.

He had no idea what had happened, perhaps it was just his imagination.

The existence of a sister, I don't have anything like that.

"Shougo-sama, Kanoko-sama would like to see you."

Shougo followed Seri out of the room.

Shougo's father -- Mikadono Kumagorou had been hospitalized in bed since half a year ago. Having inherited the business from Shougo's grandfather, he had become the Mikadono Corporation's CEO, and in very short time cultivated the business into the world famous commercial enterprise "Mikadono Group."

Spending virtually every day on the move around the world, building trusting relations with people from all places, expanding the business of "Mikadono Group" without pause, the
"Legendary CEO" was what people called him out of respect.

However, this lacked longterm consideration and took its toll on his body, ended up massively cutting into his lifespan. On day he collapsed unconscious in a conference room and was rushed into the hospital. The doctor's diagnosis was: Kumagorou had only half a year left to live.

Six months later, on the day he reached the age of fifty, he passed away.

When his father passed away, Shougo found himself unexpectedly calm. It wasn't because he didn't feel sorrow, just that he didn't feel excessively depressed.

"Father lived his life to the full, putting effort into every day."

Working several times harder than anyone else, his life was full of accomplishment, there were definitely no regrets.

As if proving Shougo's assertion, the face of the father resting in the coffin bore a satisfied expression.

Led by secretary Seri, Shougo entered the room of his mother.

The funeral home's third floor had a waiting room. Looking down outside from the massive window, there were many visitors dressed for the funeral, standing beneath the swirling snowing sky, carrying umbrellas.

It needed no mention that the employees of Mikadono Group, all the CEOs of famous Japanese enterprises, and minister-level government officials were all gathered here. Seeing all these participants, Kumagorou's greatness was clear to all.

Standing before the window, Shougo's mother -- Mikadono Kanoko, turned around to face her son.

"You came, Shougo."

"Mother, is there anything I can help with next?"

"Pay attention to your words, for all the guests are watching."

Mother spoke with great seriousness. Mother and Father had been supporting the Mikadono Group together all this time, and was now the acting CEO.

Even though today was her husband's funeral, her resolute attitude was no different.

"Yes, sorry, should be acknowledged."

It felt a bit embarrassing and unnatural to use respectful speech with Mother.

"After the funeral, it is hoped that you can attend the farewell banquet with all the guests gathered for tonight."

"Of course, I will also help out with Seri-san."

Shougo deliberately answered cheerfully, hoping to raise the spirits of his mother who was likely emotionally exhausted.

However, Mother's next words were completely unexpected.

"After the banquet, all the members of the core committee will be gathered for the announcement of Kumagorou's will. However, before that, I need to confirm your will."

"My will?" "Last night when the family gathered, the will was read witnessed by the lawyer. In his will, Kumagorou hopes that Shougo will inherit Mikadono Group." "Inherit Mikadono Group? That means I will become the next CEO?"

"Of course, this is no easy task, and the will did say, if Shougo decides to accept the inheritance, you must undergo special training for it."

Shougo began to wonder, inheriting the business, do I really have that ability? Do I have to ability to lead a company of this scale?

Thinking that, his legs felt a little unstable at that moment.

However, he then thought, aren't I just escaping?

"I, will inherit -- no -- I want to inherit the company, and Father's will."

"Understood. Then I shall inform the Group's core management of Kumagorou's will for approval. Shougu, from today onwards you will begin special training to improve your aptitude for becoming the CEO. In this one year you have to produce a result that is acceptable to the Group."

"Of course, I don't want to sit in the CEO position just like this."

I wonder how intense and strict the upcoming special training will be, but to be able to compete on the global stage, it must surely be a harsher challenge.

"At the same time, Kumagorou has an additional condition for your inheriting his will."

"An additional condition, what is it?"

"Shougo must find the girl he loves before high school graduation, and become lifelong partners."

"To become lifelong partners with the girl I love! Isn't that telling me to get married?"

"Precisely. Get engaged during school, and immediately marry after graduation. Once you marry and have a family, you will show composure and solemnity despite your age, and will have the ability to lead the Group."

"But getting married is not one person's decision. If there's no other side..."

Shougo did not have a girlfriend. Let alone marriage, he didn't even have a first crush.

"There is no cause for worry on this issue. To facilitate the special training, Shougo will be transferred into Miryuuin Private Academy.

"...Miryuuin Private Academy, isn't that the famous school where all those ojou-sama are studying?"

"Precisely, the place where Kumagorou once studied, a school with an excellent tradition. Going to school there, you will surely find a girl that suits you."

Yes, it was true, in the merciless commercial world, marriage was a way to build esteem and respect.

"I understand, I will accept this condition, and surely find someone I like during high school, and propose at graduation for a favorable answer."

"I look forward to your good news, Shougo."

Timing just at the end of the conversation, secretary Seri walked in from outside.

"Kanoko-sama, it is almost time to head to the crematorium."

Mother nodded, took her briefcase, and as she walked to the door, Shougo suddenly remembered something and asked her a question:

"By the way, Mother, I have a question I wanted to ask you..."

"What is it?"

"It sounds a little unbelievable, but do I have a little sister?"

"Little sister?"

Mother frowned as she turned back to look at Shougo.

"That kind of thing cannot possibly exist."

Making her declaration, seemingly angered, Mother left the room.

"Right... Eh. Doesn't Mother look a bit angry?"

After some thought, secretary Seri walked over, and whispered:

"The matter of a little sister, where did you hear that from?"

"Ah, no one really. Anyway, has anyone else mentioned such a thing before?"

"Actually, within the Group, there has been rumors of Kumagorou having an illegitmate daughter."

"An illegitimate daughter, really?

"Only a rumor. I will do everything I can to eliminate baseless rumors, so please do not let this worry you."

In other words, the voice just now was just my misunderstanding.

"The unknown little sister doesn't exist. As long as I know that I can be assured."

For a long while after that, Shougo did not entertain the notion of having a little sister again.

Of course, this only persisted for year or so later, until that particular spring when he met those girls.

User:Anlanther

2013-08-02T04:53:36Z

Anlanther:

Hello, I am Anlanther.

I have just joint Baka-Tsuki for the reason of wanting to help edit the mistakes I see in the many different light novels I read here. English is my first language and so my grammar, spelling and puncuation should be fairly good. I also know some Japanese that is written using English words and some Chinese (普通話) but I am more concentrated on the English parts of the light novels I look at.

Thank you.

User:Anlanther

2013-08-02T04:46:40Z

Anlanther: Created page with "Hello, I am Anlanther. I have just joint Baka-Tsuki for the reason of wanting to help edit the mistakes I see in the different light novels I read here. English is my first l..."

Hello, I am Anlanther.

I have just joint Baka-Tsuki for the reason of wanting to help edit the mistakes I see in the different light novels I read here. English is my first language and so my grammar, spelling and puncuation should be fairly good. I also know some Japanese that is written using English words and some Chinese (普通話) but I am more concentrated on the English parts of the light novels I look at.

Thank you.

Kämpfer:Volume 1 Chapter 1

2013-07-30T09:16:38Z

Anlanther: /* Chapter 1 */

==Chapter 1==

When I woke up, there was a strange woman in the mirror.
That morning I had the impression that everything was the same, or so I thought. I went to the faucet to wash my face before breakfast. While washing my face I saw a woman looking back at me.



A sixteen or seventeen year old, with black hair and tight lips with unusual white skin. 16 or 17 years old would be a good approximation.

Never mind the fact that this woman is so pretty that she could be put on a boy’s magazine just by looking at her face.

But even only looking at the face was somewhat embarrassing.

At this turn of events, I was naturally puzzled. I was left surprised, after all, that this woman was staring at me. Since this early morning and during the week, I was just a lowly high school student. Now I have to go to school. Nevertheless, right now I am facing a close encounter with a girl in the mirror. This is something like a miracle.

As I don’t want bramble like hair , so I have the habit of sleeping on my curly hair. This morning, however, I had the most ridiculous looking hair.






My parents are the type of people that would point at me and laugh loudly to themselves without hesitation, and they are not the kind of people who would argue either. I'd been sleeping well lately, compared to when my parents had to transfer away, and I was left home alone. My original hair is gone; sometime between the last time I had checked in the mirror and now it had become something laughable. Right now in the washroom, I was trying to reaffirm that my hair was officially gone. 

(…What had happened…)

I can’t think very well in the morning. 

(Is the world reflected by the mirror real, or…) 

I absentmindedly thought about it. For sure, this was something questionable, but it is still real. The woman here presently must absolutely not be here. Anyone next to my pillow would think this is a dream, “Suppose early in the morning, next to you there was a cute girl” situation.)A possibility. Some time ago, my friends were joking with each other and within their jokes they said, "One day a beautiful girl will come from the desk.” I really did not expect to have a real encounter though.

The soul of Japan is as one would expect. The soul of a country. <ref> This looks like a play on words so its **** with me ことだまさすがはニッポン。言霊の国。The first part and the second part are almost the same.</ref> 

But she is pretty, and to actually meet her with my own eyes comes as a surprise. I prefer girls who look pretty, but then again, she appeared without any warning. This could be considered trespassing. The girl wasn’t saying anything. Since she was an intruder she probably wouldn’t be able to speak Japanese. She seemed reserved or rather surprised. My eyes remained quite wide from some time ago.



It was no wonder that she was silent. To encounter a man in the morning would be surprising, though I can’t really sympathize. As I finally managed to calm down and reached to splash my face with water, the same actions were being repeated in the mirror.

"ha..."

What was up with this chick? I wash my face and she washed her face at the same time. What a coincidence, or is this harassment? 

Looking in the mirror, I was surprised the girl was also mouthing the word “Ha….” Then a sinking feeling began to spread to my heart.

Sometimes I have a keen intuition. This feeling, I had experienced it before. It was like standing on the brink of death. This was a similar feeling to failing four different subjects in school. The latter example of course is just pathetic. What do you know.

I froze, and hesitantly reached for my cheek.

Now the girl is also reaching for the right cheek. My heart, which is now likely to give out on me, is racing, and this time I take my right hand and pinch my cheek.

The girl pinches her cheek as well. I feel like there is a black cloud over my head and my heart is torn. Maybe, just maybe, this reflection is me? Is this me!?

While trying to calm my mind, I held a poker face in place with a vise like grip, and took one deep breath.



I took a second deep breath. Then, there was an intense stabbing sensation in my heart, and I began to stagger around like a drunk.

Accepting what had happened, I screamed, and stopped breathing. Then, with all my strength, I took my right thumb and my right index finger and pinched my right cheek which made me experience an excruciating amount of pain. 

“Owowowowowowow!” 

As I was rolling around on the ground screaming, so was the girl in the mirror.

This is not a mistake, as I looked at my chest in the mirror. There are probably some rich men who find charm in having this large pair of mounds.

“Uwa.”

I probably at that point gave the largest scream of my life.

“…Why did I become a woman?”

The person in the mirror was also reflecting the same lamentations. 

I couldn’t calm down. Why did this have to happen? I know I am supposed to be Senou Natsuru, a seventeen year old sophomore in high school. <ref>The Japanese school years will be referred to as Freshmen, Sophomore, Senior</ref>

I am of medium height, and slender. As for my grades, at one point my grades were really good, and then there was another time when my grades were really bad. This is a quick summation of my grades without going into too much detail. So overall, I am an average student. I have fairly decent reflexes. Well, even though I am saying this all about myself, I am just another average guy that you can find anywhere.
[[File:Kampfer Vol1 Pg15.jpg|thumbnail|right]]


Also my eyes have a vision of better than 1.2. 

On the other hand, my female self is quite attractive. That’s quite sad, since I've never had a girlfriend yet either. Throughout elementary and junior high school the farthest any girl has ever gone with me is “friends”, and all girls would pass me by without notice.

I can’t say this with any pride, but, “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Well, typically, it should be normal to have a relationship with a girl my age, if only that would happen it would be great. 

I am pleased to say that because I said, “I want a girlfriend,” I can also say “As a man I have never been dumped.”

“Uwaaaaa!”

I scream one more time, even though the situation does not change.

Calm down, calm down, I tell myself earnestly.

I stifled my cries for the second time before trying once again to calm myself down.

At this point, I had a sore throat. How long had I been in shock? It felt like I'd been in this state forever. In actuality, it'd probably only been like this for ten minutes. All this slowly made me come to an understanding. I had become a woman.

I have no idea how this happened. I’ve never been to Morocco for hormone injections. Recently, when I looked up on the internet, it seemed there are doctors who can quite easily make a man a woman through plastic surgery. So far I have never seen anyone benefit from such technology to this extent.

So what is this, a revival of candid camera?



Peering into the mirror, I noticed that the beautiful looking girl who was me had a gloomy face.

“…Wearing such a gloomy expression is a waste for someone who’s so pretty.“

Immediately I fell into a profound state. Moron. What are you saying to yourself? 

"What’s pretty is pretty", and I had profoundly thought about that. The "type" of girl guys like is vague, and their minds are reflected by their hearts, or probably something along those lines. Actually, “it is” rather than “something along those lines” is probably more accurate. But, putting that aside...

Even just meeting someone in town, you can still fall in love with someone just by talking to them and being yourself. "What has my body become?" I thought as I looked down at myself. As I was looking down, I saw my overly large chest--and then something else caught my eyes.

“...a sailor uniform?”

This is something girls wear. However, wearing these uniforms causes delusions that are no good to any decent man in the world.
As soon as I wake up, I have a habit of changing my clothes, because then there won’t be the hassle of changing after eating breakfast. Also, if you sleep in late, you'll still be able to get to school on time. I don’t remember, however, having any clothes made specifically for women. If I were over the age of 30, then it’d be understandable if I happened to own some sailor uniforms, but...

“This is my school’s uniform…” 

This uniform was the same as the ones at my high school.



Still it seems I’ve become some sort of strange woman, and I don’t understand how? Also, I don’t know how my clothes got changed either.

Who or what kind of ninja would come to my house and change my clothes? If the person were to come again, I would return his uniform, because my school's uniforms are not cheap.

“…skirt…”

I felt some sort of strange anticipation as if something bad was going to happen, and I started to feel light headed as well. As I looked around the room to make sure no one was there, I decided to make sure that I had become a girl. So as I put my hands to the hem of my skirt. I flipped it up.

“It’s a woman’s…”

What is this? The result was just as I feared… During the Itouyoukadou sale, I bought three pairs of 1000 yen briefs, but now I seem to be wearing women’s underwear. I’m wearing the kind of underwear that older men might have a fetish for. I realized while looking at my thighs that there were light blue stripes. Apparently my new underwear had light blue stripes. Why are they striped?

I began to think, hey, why not look at my breasts? And then I told myself to stop right there. No doubt right now I have a bra on. So the results of my finding led to my despair, and I began ever so slowly to return to my room. The clothes that I was wearing have become women’s clothes all by themselves.



In the end, I was still a woman.

Falling on my butt as I entered the room, there was a thump from my butt hitting the floor.

A pretty girl was sitting down with her legs spread in the shape of the letter ハ.

Considering from another point of view it, was a quite the interesting view; however, because me being myself, I can’t see from that point of view.

I was slowly watching the clock on the desk move. The digital numbers were telling me “If you don’t go to school soon, won’t you be late?”

I know that I replied to the clock. To go to school looking like this, to go to school as the girl Senou, when the world thought of Senou Natsuru as a man. Today’s attendance would make my homeroom teacher have a heart attack.  This would be extremely pleasing to do, but after about three seconds, it would make me a murderer.

That’s not all. My classmates would be horrified. No, anybody’s heart would be shocked in the small chance that they saw their classmate become a girl. I’ll probably be replaced, and sold somewhere far away, to where I would be shipped by plane. I’d probably be sold to a cabaret club or bubble country or something like that. Then again since I am a minor there is the issue of human rights, but I’m not quite sure whether human rights apply to people who changed genders. Holding my head, I thought this wasn’t something I wanted to think about. What can I do from here on, while feeling uncomfortable.

“…?”

I saw a bracelet attached to my right arm. Thin blue light was being emitted from it, but i had no memory of possessing such a thing.



It is cool to the touch.

It’s a metal, But I had no idea what type of metal.

[What is this……]

"It is a proof."

[WHAT!]

Hearing a voice coming from somewhere, I jumped up.

He shook His head as he looked around the room.

I live alone, but is there someone here?

[It is a trick, a trick]

The voice was coming from the direction of that stuffed animal.

It is tasteless to have stuffed animals in a man's room.

However this one is peculiar.

There are wounds on the Yakuza-Asako face, and one eye is even covered with an eye patch.

It had a mouth like a saber-tooth tiger, which grew strangely stiff fangs.

Protruding from the abdomen were realistic intestines.

This is the “Entrails Animal” character merchandise.

These poor animals are manufactured and commercialized with the concept of a mutilated or thrown-out look.

After they were announced the manufacturer's stock prices dived, and there is still no sign of recovery.


They took a cue from the stockholders apparently, and ceased creation of their "entrails animals".

I honestly don't need it, but... I borrowed it, so it is important enough not to throw out.

The entrails animal "Harakiri Tora" from the fifth series has had its mouth open for quite a while.

Paka... paka...

[I finally noticed]

A woman’s voice.

Somewhat Shizuka-chan-ish.

A new version of it is in front of me.

The paka paka was from the intense discomfort of wearing animal entrails.

"There is a Bracelet of Oath<ref>Bracelet in english</ref> on your arm."

[……Bracelet?]

"By putting this on your arm, your power is guaranteed. Use it to exert maximum force in battle."

“Wait a minute, wait wait!”

I hurriedly waved my hands.

What is with you and all of this cryptic dialogue, Harakiri Tora?

"I do not know why I am pledging with a bracelet, Why I am talking to a stuffed tiger, and why I am a woman in the first place."

The biggest shock to her was knowing she would have to compromise with an articulate plush doll.


Listening to the mouth of Dahlonega toys? I think I'm good.

The Eye-patched Harakiri Tora wrote Creation.


"I don't know it."

“I know it.”

“From the world’s creation?”

“I don’t find the bible very interesting, what’s the story?”

“umm, it is...”

Harakiri Tora, speaking with Shizuka-chan’s voice.

“you are now a Kämpfer [Infantry unit].”

“Haaa?”

That is my response, plush doll.

“Kämpfer are elite combat units; mighty power is guaranteed by the pledge bracelet; break through any opponent it senses.”

“…Well, I don’t know.”

I felt like I was reading a game manual and it slipped out of my hand.

“The Kämpfer is a person who fights?”

“Yes.”

“I became a Kämpfer?”

"Correct."

“And I fight with an enemy?”


"Sure."

"In a blind way?"

"Oh Yeah."

Yelling, I grabbed Harakiri Tora and threw her into the trash can.

“Now, how could you do something like that?”

“Yes we can, for example we could do something like 'this' half-asleep.”

All of the sudden it felt like a hundred years had suddenly passed: I was commanded to "Save the world as a Kämpfer."

After becoming a woman and speaking to stuffed animals, I'm supposed to let it go? What a nightmare, a nightmare twisting itself to be heard as "Kämpfer".

"I see... I cannot be helped at all."

A voice was coming from the garbage can.

“I, however, was the one elected!”

“Do you believe me？”

Deep; and I have a reply.

“Do you believe me? Now that I’m a girl?”

I said this while displaying the uniformed body of a woman.

“Here you go. I am convinced.”


“…Not yet.”

I set my arms on the front of the trash can.

“This woman’s body serves to convince me.”

“It is the form of a Kämpfer, but I am unfamiliar with the form of a woman’s body.”

“I am a man.”

“So I became a girl, over my choice to be a boy over a girl.”

“What choices are really ever choices?”

“Well I didn’t choose at all."

Inside the trash Harakiri Tora is talking to the ground.

I reached into the trash and pulled out the plush doll; I cannot throw it away anyways, I’ll just have to place it on the desk.

“Hello again, what a cramped trash can that is.”

But you really are a well matched size for it.

“In fact, this bracelet is a testament that you’ve become a Kämpfer, and when it flashes you’ll become a Kämpfer.”

Observing the bracelet again, I saw it had no seams; just how it got onto my wrist, I don’t know.

“Oh, you can’t take it off”


Can Harakiri Tora read my mind?

“It cannot be taken off except under special circumstances, so you will stay a Kämpfer.”

“How do I get it off?”

“You can die...”

“Hey!”

I’m reluctant to say it, but it’s no use.

“Please think of it as an accessory, dark as well as heavy.”

Indeed, the burden to my wrist hasn’t gotten lighter.

“Why is mine blue?”

“Are you not pleased with it? Red is good too, you might become three times faster.”

“Meaning it exists, but you won’t give it to me.”

“Be proud and laugh.”

“Returning to the point, why and who do Kämpfer fight?”

“Because it exists to fight, no that’s the truth.”

I guess I should toss Harakiri Tora into the trash again; she was tossed in hurry.

“Kämpfer only exist to fight; I cannot specialize in combat, so I selected the best suited person, you were it.”

“What should I say about myself ‘I’m an average guy, anyone could see that; 'I try my best’?”

“Please listen; you’re the man I chose.” 

“You chose me?”

“You were chosen by a Moderator.”

Moderator, who is that?

“It is the responsibility of that person to pick up talent, and you were a perfect fit.”

“Who are you then?”

“I am messenger of the Moderators, mouthpiece of mythical angels.”

“They allow Entrails to flaunt something angelic?”

What awful taste; this will anger many pious Christians.

After this story I can’t really argue, I was chosen by the Moderators to fight as a Kämpfer... in a girl’s body.

“It seems you understand.”

The plush doll’s tone had the quality of a teacher’s; I was staring at it with hate.

“And I’ve been asking for awhile; what a difficult battle!”

“……”

“I came here as a plush doll imitation,”


I was fishing inside the desk; there must be a one hundred yen lighter somewhere. Tobacco sucks, but there is something useful about it, burning synthetic fibers.

“There is no fire, vinyl smells bad when it burns but I--”

“I didn’t say anything!”

I fished out the lighter and some gas.

“What is it, NO please drop it; give me another chance!!”

“I have been begging in the voice of Shizuka-chan too!”

I would also like to be reassured by that fond voice.

“I actually don’t know why you have to fight either!”

“Is this tale true?”

“The Moderators did not tell me what the catch was or how this serves their interest! It can’t be helped, man; unless you want entrails protruding from your stomach too.”

“From the plush doll!?”

I returned the lighter to my skirt pocket. That's not very good for the care of the skirt; you can hear gas escaping with a “su~” sound.

“However, I still have to fight an opponent?”

“That is most likely.”

“Who am I?”


“Secret.”

“This Motherfucker…”

I do not know if a true man would have cursed like this.

“Even now I understand; from now on I am a Kämpfer.”

While I don’t understand the reason, this all seems to be possible.

Once again my head was being challenged, what is this!? Suddenly I am a Kämpfer and I'm to to fight and so forth against something or another. Hey, who do I have to convince to become the new white hat?<ref> White hat is hero character, from a final fantasy reference</ref>

“Hahhahha, sounds like an impossible reality.”

What’s normal? I would want anything to be carefree and funny, but starting the day with a talking plush doll, I can't believe this.

“But this is all true, you can be called a Kämpfer; it's the whole truth without any pretenses.”

“…………”

“I cannot accept this.”

And well.

“What could one say to satisfy you; there is no doubt you are a Kämpfer.”

I looked into Harakiri Tora’s eyes. There doesn’t seem to be anything fishy about her, and there’s nothing outrageous behind her eyes.

After the day had begun, the term "guy" no longer applied to me; my preset had been selected, evidenced by the fact that I have the body of a woman, and I have to fight in this form.


I have a bad feeling this pressure will lead to a fight. I do not know why I have to fight, I wonder what the White Hat would say.

“It is not that you will fight.”

And Harakiri Tora?

“The Kämpfer were chosen to fight, not me.”

“Why, I don’t want to fight.”

“I know.”

Only like this is the plush dolls self-confident, mirroring Shizuka-chan.

Anymore questions feel pointless, I’ll just stop talking. Also, if I’m pursued as the plush doll said... I can just burn it later.

Looking at the clock, it's telling me I’m "almost late."

“OH, that was the entire point!”

“Sloppy. Any questions, please?”

“Each comment stings… Anyways, will I remain a woman?!”

I have to go to school already. Now I’ll have to run without eating breakfast or I won’t make it. And remaining a girl in a sailor uniform is quite the penalty game.

"Do you still want to remain a woman?"

"..."


“I’m being misunderstood."

"I can return to being a man?!”

Immediately her eyes brightened. Sakura-original, I will be a normal boy again!

“According to how I put it...”

“If you do this you must fight.”

“If what?”

“It’s simple really. If you continue to win fights, you will have no more enemies, hence no reason to turn into a woman. So you can always remain a man.”

“I see... Well, I asked about my target earlier.”

“Any hope I had, is gone I guess.”

“Motherfucker! It’s important now. I have to go to school!”

“Well...”

Harakiri Tora had been in deep contemplation for a while.

“There is no way. I can tell you a way to return to your original form though.”

“That’s it, tell me! No, please tell me!”

Grabbing the plush doll, to the me now, the Shizuka-voiced Harakiri Tora was enough to bow before.

“You are very impatient.”


“What is it? Teach me quickly. Quickly!”

“Please close your eyes tightly.”

“Alright.”

As she said, I closed my eyes; all I could hear was Harakiri Tora’s voice.

“So we will.”

Will? What is will?

In the next instant, just when I was starting to question it, I felt a strong blow to my abdomen.

Pain came unbidden from my abdomen. The plush doll SOB wanted to beat me; next I’ll burn her. Then my conscious went pitch black.

“Haaaa!”

I can sense my eyes.

I jumped up on reflex, falling off the bed as a bonus.

Bed? Looking around I see the familiar landscape of my room.

Gingerly looking at himself, large breasts?

I hurried off the bed and peered into the powerless television screen. Since my room has no mirror this makes a decent substitute.

No doubt about it, this is a man's face.



A great surge of jubilation came straight from the heart.

“Ah… I did it!”

I howled with joy: I am not a woman, My manhood has been restored, there is no such thing as a Kämpfer!

I jumped in front of my desk.

"You, don't lie to yourself, I returned you to normal."

Harakiri Tora said, however there was no reply.

“Hey!”

He brought his face closer, twitched but did not move, shaked but did not wave. He grabbed the tusks that had grown from its mouth. Precisely sewn into place, and there was no form of movement. How did I meet this ordinary looking plush doll?

Ideas swirled around while the plush doll, Harakiri Tora, slept. Perhaps the events that happened a while ago were just a dream.

“I see… So it was a dream.”

Joy gradually surged through me.

“Great! A dream, it was all a dream!”

Never mind that this has become a monologue. Happiness leaped inside me, inside each non-existent Kämpfer forced to become a woman and fight for no reason.


“Hurray, hurray! Now I’m an ordinary person, unrelated to combat, among other things!”

I ran around the room in joy, expressing the joy from a year’s worth of holidays; suddenly after jumping for joy, love, and school, I saw my arm.

I didn't believe my eyes there I see a light-blue bracelet; what’s this…?

“Well, I wasn’t dreaming.”

Harakiri Tora shook her head with a sigh.

Cruelly, school looming over my head created an overcast mood, and while I looked up outside I saw cloudy weather. This good feeling was the worst.

"This isn't a dream or anything. This is all reality," Harakari Tiger told me without reserve. I want to act as if I didn't hear him, but it seems as if I have to take it in. I had gotten really pissed, so "Why the poke did you stay silent," I attacked, but "You seemed really happy", it poking answered, seemingly awkwardly.

“Don’t do it! You were returned to your immasculine figure!”

Harakiri Tora, admonishing words aren’t meant to raise my blood pressure.

"Good, being hit in such a way is a sure way to return. I wonder if there is a better way?"\


“You actually return automatically, I just wanted to do it in a playful way.”

“I’ll kill you.”

The sides of my abdomen were still throbbing.

“Oh yeah, It is probably a good idea to buy clothes.”

“Hey I’m not interested in fashion.”

Anyways I can’t really understand the idea of spending money on overpriced clothes. I continued to browse fashion magazines, all with similar looking clothes since fashion has looks that change often.<ref>He means he browsed fashion mags before but hes not willing to spend money on the clothes, not that he is currently browsing fashion mags</ref>

“Men aren’t; its women’s clothes we will need after the transformation.”

Come again? Why would we need to buy women’s clothes?

To my questioning, Harakiri Tora nodded naturally.

“The transformation works on your men’s uniform for school, it does not change all the clothes of the earth into a feminine version.”

“It’s mutually exclusive for your uniform.”

“I probably fit that size best.”

Not really, that was not made for my huge chest, among other things.

But do we have to get such things like women’s clothes? Once a man is in the shop, he’ll get treated like a pervert, and… that’s not even considering underwear.


“How do I turn back into a woman?”


“As I thought you would.”

“Do not just say so happily, I just asked…”

“I was returned a while ago, automatically, how do I return at the moment?”

“Since in addition, now it will be revealed.”

Shit! I remember, this stuffed animal is an agent of the devil.

Times up. I’m going to end up at school without any breakfast. Harakiri Tora was saying “just pick up some rice to eat on the way while walking, do not mind me please.” Naturally as if anyone cares.

I was late and it was last minute, I visited a convenience store on the way. Running in to buy onigiri, I thought of eating it on the run, but I decided to stop. For the first time I can rest.

To catch up I ran intently, angling around turns.

“Uwa！”

“Kyaah!”

I almost bumped into somebody, and stumbled; The other person also fell.


“S-sorry,　huh?”

Apologizing on reflex for the mistake, I see their face. What, Wow! I know this person.


“I’m so sorry, I was looking in a different direction… huh, Natsuru-san?”

The other person I had almost ran into, was a girl.

"I’m so glad... ah; I can't say that, can I? But because it's someone I know, I feel kinda relieved."

Sakura Kaede laughed to hide her embarrassment.

She is slightly lower in stature, with long refreshingly shiny hair, and an elegant-curvy body. She is the idol of the school; simply put, a beautiful girl numbering in the top five, of which she was certainly at the top. I stuttered and thought to myself “good line” I’ve become a woman.

She is the heartthrob of many high school boys, and I also admire her; moreover many of my classmates from middle school are hardcore followers.

Sakura-san I will just say “Never mind” and wave my hand.

“Calm down, you didn’t cause me to fall.”

“Is that so? Natsuru-san’s kind as always.”

Endure! The benefits were the same as in middle school; she called me by my first name then too. My heart was stricken, beating faster while I maintained a calm façade.

“Want to go to school together?”

“Sure, since I’m already late.”

Sakura-san is with me, I grinned to myself.


Like this I can easily forget the crazy events from this morning. Going to school with Sakura-san makes my story almost lucky; many boys would pay to get this close to her. Unexpectedly alone, it’s like a lifetime of good luck, winning the lottery will be even less possible now.

Two people walking to school; almost feels like a date.

“Sounds fun Natsuru-san; did something good happen?”

“Yep, I’m with Sakura-san.”

I wish I hadn’t said that line, it sounds lame. Sakura-san surely won’t fall for that.

“Aha, I think I’m glad to have met Natsuru-san on the occasion I overslept for once too.”

That smile only helps to her benefit; but Sakura-san, that can make a man misunderstand.

Unfortunately I did not misunderstand; she has all-too-many boys who would like to go out with her, but there are no rumors about her going out with any of them. However, many good boys voices would swing for, “We cannot surpass the Tokaidatte’s fallen maple[Kaede]” it has become a school legend. However, I think there is a gap between me and Sakura-san; in other words it would be suicidal for me. Therefore I should enjoy the present situation.

“This is turning into a good morning , worthy of pleasing Sakura-san.”


“Is that so?”

I am listening anxiously.

"Just a second. Whatever, it's fine...or rather, I've given up." '''(!)''' 

I recall a profoundly heavy feeling; I cannot forget the unforgettable, and I decide to push the matter into the farthest corner of my mind.

“That’s right. How is the plush doll I gave you?”

“I-it’s there, decorating the top of my desk.”

“Good, I love that series, I’ve already accumulated the complete collection; I’ve even been fostering any that have been discarded.”

Sakura-san was innocently delighted at this.

Yes, the Entrails Animal Series stuffed animal was given to me by Sakura-san; so he cannot trash or abandon it.

He had a different sense of taste, it was “cute” but it also fit other criterion such as “cute and grotesque,” in all sincerity I also thought it was cute. So, the glo-series one I have, I had loved it without hesitation. No, of course, my comic taste is also out of admiration for her.

According to rumors, Sakura-san’s room is even like stepping into a world of Entrails Animal Goods.


“Do you think Harakiri Tora is cute?”

What a difficult question to answer.

“Ye-yeah, distinctly.”

“I’m happy to hear you say so.”

“I bet it would have a voice like Shizuka-chan.”

That pained me; Sakura-san had a mystified look on her face.

The school road has no one else on it; we have plenty of time, the only other people here are jobless and tardy students. Sakura-san and I are obviously of the latter group.

We were talking silly while we continued along. Or rather, the topic was about Entrails Animals with Sakura-san, while I was trying to desperately continue the deflected conversation. She must have remembered the frustration and cleverly doctored conversation skills, following every morning to bring more to light.

While Sakura-san was talking, my sight kept flickering to my right arm.

“…What is that bracelet?”

An example is the bracelet, while I touch it,

“No, well I often wear this bracelet.”

“What brand is it?”

“Come now, how should I say this, Kämpfer?”


“…A German brand?”

It is not a brand at all. To begin with it’s not even a fashion accessory.

Obviously, since I can remember, I cannot leave this bracelet and its pledge. There is no seam, so I cannot resist or take it off. Not that I care anymore, but when asked to explain like now, it is troublesome.

What do I say, considering the moment?

“Ooh, its shining.”

Quickly checking, as Sakura-san said the bracelet is, in fact, shining.

A thin blue light was shining, flickering at regular intervals. This is the first time for this reaction; a sign of transformation maybe or…?

“do… do you need to do something?”'''(!)'''

The worst thing that can happen is becoming a woman here, outside next to Sakura-san. Once she’s seen me transform, she may call out; even better still, I could become a test specimen in someplace-somewhere.

“Uuh hey, Sakura-san. I’m sorry but I have to go on ahead.”

“Ah, how unfair Natsuru-san. Didn’t you say we could go together?”

Her cheeks are adoringly inflated. The Infatuation meter has risen; I cannot afford this absentmindedness. While striving to be calm,

“For I remembered. Well, For what we have. And anyways I have to leave here soon.” '''(!)'''


“I will also run if you do.”

Sorry, sorry. Please let me go alone somehow.

The bracelet’s blinking is speeding up. This horrible childish feeling is rapidly becoming reality. An earnestly dangerous situation.

Abruptly I saw a protruding gun’s muzzle.

“…A gun?”

I was speechless.

I watched keenly. Humans are not funny, and jokes about how nothing unexpected happens, strangely seemingly settled down my mind. At gunpoint that was now the case.

“What’s this? A woman and my enemy chattering, do you have eyes now?”

The primary gun, that the talking woman has, is enormous, but looks like a dummy.

She was slightly lower than my height; her tone of voice was terrible. Her skin was white and stylish, but no matter how “Beautiful” you classified the appearance, just as beautiful were sharp eyes profusely saying, “Caution Vicious Dog” as a poster would, and I would not be surprised with the poster having her picture on it.

“This sleepy man is the enemy blocking the story of innovation. He is a man and failed to hear me, what you are fancifully last?”


She wore a bored expression, and then pulled the trigger.

“Just a, please wait!”

Since we were about to be killed, we hurriedly raised out hands.

“What’s this all of the sudden! A mugging?!”

“Idiot, what are you fucking saying? A mugger as beautiful as this exists?”

She also referred to herself as a rare beauty.

“Apparently not!”

“What’s you name then? Mine is Mishima Akane [Beautiful Island of Crimson Noise]”

“I am Senou[Torrent of skill] Natsuru… Isn’t that a gun!”

“What, this?”

She was dangling the muzzle a bit.

“This guy is mai~ weapon. The trigger can blow bullets out of you; one can even open some breathing holes, if it hits your skull, literary don’t you think?”

Where is the literature, what!?

The girl was, as usual, staring with eyes like a dog on the verge of pouncing. Come one! Come all! Less hostile, murderous satisfaction.

“So what’s the hold up here!?”

“Shut up man! Stop talking!”<ref>Akane has a Kansai accent apparently and I dont really know how to translate Kansai without looking up a hundred different resources so be aware it may not be 100% accurate after im done translating i will probably look up more on this to make it as correct as possible </ref>



It is not such a hard question and my life is on the line here!

“When suddenly everybody is about to be killed?!”

Wishing to ignore my appeal, her line of sight shifted. There, failing to understand the situation, is the figure of Sakura-san.

“Huh? You guy is that your girl?”<ref>Akane speaks in a very masculine derogatory slang filled speech here</ref>

I would be very glad if that was the case, but unfortunately it is not. There is no red; okay there are no others.

She stared at Sakura-san and watched her.

“What Sakura-san isn’t it? Aren't we Classmates?”

Now that you mention it, this girl is wearing our school uniform. But it has been customized with a shorter short sleeve hem. At any rate this is Sakura-san’s classmate, so that means, I am in the same high school as her?

“Hey, we go to the same fucking school”

“Really?”

Akane put returned the muzzle.

“Hey I can’t do without battling as I am expected to. Such as what I troubled to have said. To go against, come on! Instead of scratching my crotch at home, so I should do something a little constructive.”

What’s Constructive huh? It is being destructive me. Furthermore, prospects of reconstruction are zero.


“What good is that! Since you are my enemy, I will beat you to death.”

Enemy? “Enemy trouble,” perhaps?

Suddenly, my bracelet is flickering at the speed of lightning. My body started to move involuntarily.

“Dowaa!?”

“Oh, this motherfucker!”

Like I was being pulled into something like that. I’m running, not much however, the distance past one corner.

The vicious dog woman, I understand, is chasing me while holding a gun, but I wasn’t that much better.

Flashing emissions from the bracelet continued. A pale light envelops my entire body. A little glow was spreading; my whole body feels like it was washed away.

The light suddenly disappeared.

“Ahh…”

Looking down at my body. Sailor uniform with large breasts, and a short-skirt; the woman I had changed into this morning.

No light relieved him, but at the same time he wanted to hang his neck. Son of a Bitch, this morning was also reality? As a bonus I met with Sakura-san if it continued, but there was the hold up by the foul-mouthed woman. However it is complicated with the transformation into a woman. Is it blessing in disguise to be hidden away from Sakura-san, but what am I now?


“Haa… Ahahahahaa…!”

I heard wild laughter; unnoticed for some time, the woman with the gun in one hand was laughing.

“Great I say! As I had thought you were also a Kämpfer!”

I was frightened.

She was proudly pointing at him. If you look closely there was also a bracelet fitted on her right arm.

“It is as such because there wasn’t many motherfuckers [to fight] there.”

I see the gunpoint coming at me.

“Haa!? Why are you expected to fight me?”

“Why come on you don’t know? Kämpfer fight for the sake of existing. I will blow your head off to Jupiter!”

“I heard. Even so you…”

“Kämpfer are enemies to Kämpfer assuredly.”

This is the first time hearing this. Harakiri Tora had mentioned a fight against [Secret], did she mean this?

However, how am I expected to fight? This woman has a weapon in her hand pointed in my direction. My opponent won’t go easy on me just because I don’t have a weapon. Rather she opened fire, while abhorrently laughing.


“Do it soon! If you don’t run away I’m going to shoot you.”

“If I escape you won’t shoot!?”

“Well, shooting.”

She squeezed the trigger.

A bullet flew out from the muzzle on the brink of me, and my body moved.

Akane after looking right… She carried the gun outside towards me, naturally when that happened I jumped from where I was, literally without any regards to my intent.

Although a bullet just passed through where I had just been standing.

Akane, now provoked, narrowly glance around murmuring “this motherfucker” overlooked me, when she was suddenly embraced.

The vicious dog-woman drew the trigger in quick succession.

And how, her fingers cramped up suddenly from bring her index finger back and forth continuously, like drunkards on New Year’s Eve spitting out lead bullets.

Already off of the route to school and onto a noisy construction site; certainly her firearm had to be loaded again and again, but it should be limited, whereas Akane had been shooting indefinitely.

For this reason I have no margin of error.


I dodged all the bullets flying at me. I also was, and without regard to the difficulty, moving my whole body, automatically, to escape past fences and telephone poles.

Timidly take a quick look while unseen, Akane’s facial expression had become incessantly stern.

“Very well done, isn’t it.”<ref>Akane says done as in doing your sexual partner, then proceeds to say isn't it in a masculine way, haha</ref>

Thank you for the praise. I’m just going to run away now.

“However, Hey! Know this, my Gewehr[gun] can, infact, blow a wall to the stars. How many bullets, however, can your ass receive like shots from National Health Insurance.

It’s no joke. Yes! Pierce this wall with your tool, try to do something to my beautiful ass. What, there is nothing like it over there. I expect this is unfair.<ref>Natsuru's monologue is in a feminine form here</ref>

“Nothing is expected is it not.”

Hear me hated one<ref>A bit of speech in japanese directing towards an enemy, kindof hard to put in english so i put this</ref>, putting my thought into words is a bad habit that’s not going to change.

However, whether or not there will be time to change that, this vicious dog woman is earnestly trying to kill me.

Its time.

Instead Sakura-san unexpectedly made an appearance.

“Natsuru… san?”

After hearing that I became stiff. I abruptly ran because, maybe, I can visit these circumstances.

“Ehh… Natsuru-san… haa…?”



Fierce dog woman quickly turned the gun towards her.

“As yet hated<ref>Sakura</ref>, obediently continue on to school like a good-Samaritan.

Those eyes have a look like an actual hound detecting its prey. Or, possibly like the look my father gives to the spectator rapid-fire sneezing in a movie theater.

Shit girl, no intruding!”

The trigger finger connected.<ref>connected as in not to disconnect</ref>That’s dangerous Sakura-san!! I spoke out at once.
[[File:Kampfer Vol1 pg51.jpg|thumbnail|right]]
“Hey!”

Simultaneously, the palm of my hand became hotter.

Surprisingly, considering the moment, a crimson flame came twisting from my fingers.

The large flaming fireball next plunged forward to Akane. Without change it stole the fence on the opposite side with a direct hit.

The explosion smashed into the brick wall, shattering it into pieces.

“…!?”

Words of astonishment came from Sakura-san.

The Handgun carrying girl however, did not receive any shock.

“Bastard…Zauber[Sorcery]?"

“Hee? Zauber…?”

“Don’t play innocent. And I thought it was funny you were empty handed. Hey! Invoking items from your hand requires considerable refinement.”



More importantly I had a sensation of being hit by a steel frame being place on my head.

This morning I have met various things like a woman entwined in a plush doll that had talked, but the final blow had been the fireball exiting my hand. “Perhaps the whole of what Harakiri Tora was saying had been a lie, that I would be only a high school student,” clinging, but I had no grounds for hope, and it is tragically extinct. Kämpfer’s title had now become Katakana[ケンプファー ] .<ref>he says that he recognizes Kämpfer as a concept now since he had thought of it as a spelling in Katakana</ref>Mother, father; life sure is an irrational thing, that can be assured.

“What! The fact is I am hanging at the point of death.”

“…Preetenssee”

“Well good! After all this time you can feel free, the killing will finally be done!”<ref>again done as having sex</ref>

“Wait! To that extent, wait up!"

“I’m exhausted from your omissions!”

The gun is being prepared to come piercing through me. Filling the distance in order to certainly intending to kill. In good order the face and its fierce dog like emotions, was rapidly closing in.

When seeing that face, about to be dead like an ant lion being blown away. The person is assuredly serious. I have to be on guard, but from the fire ball from a while ago already, it seems, had not brought this to an end. A jet engine in my brain, flying around like a revolving lantern.<ref>The seriousness in the situation is related to thoughts swirling around in his(her) head like a revolving jet engine</ref>

Unpredictably, the fierce dog woman’s movement stopped.


The muzzle pointed in this direction as it was bore, I noticed what I was looking at.

Her gaze is being filled by the bracelet on my right arm.

“…tchi”

Clicking her tongue while swinging her right hand. To the extent the handgun had went in order to kill and erase me.

“Dear it is not it.”

Akane said and spit out, turned herself around, the handgun quickly followed suit.

Afterwards the woman left leaving me and Sakura-san.

“…Umm…”

Sakura-san coming to speak. It is troubling as to how I should reply to her, gently smile and run away silently.

Just as that woman here had, I will follow her plan however.

==Notes==
<references/>

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