Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume15 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 6===

Haruaki and company made another unreasonable demand forcibly, asking the superintendent to mobilize his cabin cruiser again. The operator was still Zenon while Ganon was apparently rolling around at home today due to her usual disease of laziness. By the way, although Haruaki's group had no right to say anything either, was it okay for her to be absent from work, being the school physician and all?

Sitting on the cruiser making its way over the sea, Fear tilted her head.

"They most likely found the spear which happened to drift along a sea current, but didn't Satsuko and Fourteen want it too? Wouldn't they give it to their own side?"

"It's possible that the spear is not powerful as a weapon."

"Truth be told, that is very logical."

Even though it was a sudden notification, Kirika also hurried over. She nodded and said:

"Yes, that possibility exists. Because Sleif never took it out to use as a weapon."

However, Kirika did not show any signs of relief on her face. While gazing at the gradually approaching fleet, with an expression akin to praying, she whispered: "...It'd be great if they are still unaware of that. I hope things could end peacefully..."

"By the way~ How much does this cruiser cost? ...Oh~? Wow&mdash;Oh my! You definitely must have had underhanded dealings? Otherwise, how could you possibly buy something like this so easily!?"

"Honatsu-san, please give me a break. I do take a lot of pride in the fact that I am a respectable businessman."

"On the other hand, I don't really think respectable businessmen wear that kind of mask."

"Yeah yeah! In order to show off how respectable you are, I believe we must hold a beer party over the sea in this cruiser next time! Then catch some fresh fish to cook on the spot~"

"Nice idea! Let's eat sea bream and flounder live, odorigui style!"

Honatsu, Kuroe and the superintendent were chatting back and forth in leisure. No sense of tension&mdash;Haruaki sighed with a wry smile. That being said, a party on a boat did sound like a very fun idea.

Amidst the noise and bustle, the cabin cruiser reached the Draconians' stronghold. Like last time, they boarded the Dueling Ship Leviathan.

However, unlike last time, there were no tables or chairs set up on the vast deck.

There was only Pendragaon with Riko clinging to his back and Granaury standing still with eyes closed.

"Oh, you guys came."

"We're here. I heard you found the spear?"

Pendragon scratched his cheek in response to Fear's question.

Then he simply said:

"Oh sorry, that was a lie."

"Wha&mdash;?"

Fear stared wide-eyed, making a strange cry.

In contrast, Pendragon's face was very calm.

"Becuase I've found something I must obtain at all costs. Sorry, become mine."

His face was serious with a solemn expression.

Considering the content of his words, with sincerity almost like a marriage proposal&mdash;He stared at her.

"...Huh? Me?"

Namely, ''Kuroe''.

"Max, hold on a sec. Isn't this too sudden of you? I hope you'll explain yourself."

"Explain? I think you can figure it out easily."

Hearing the superintendent, Pendragon exhaled.

"When that girl was fighting Sleif, she used an interesting move."

"Hmm~? You mean «Kingdom Kiyomori»?"

"Is that the name? The one injecting life force into your body using your hair, thereby amplifying your strength so much that it made you almost like a different person."

"...Indeed, she did use that move. Max, are you thinking of using that to increase your power?"

"No, that's not the principle here... But perhaps it's worth a thought if it's doable. The issue here is that she has powers of control which allow that to be possible. Qi, energy, life force, vitality, soul&mdash;Call it whatever you want, but anyway, she has the skills to manipulate these powers."

"What are you talking about!? And what does that have to do with you!?"

"Because I am who I am. You guys seem to have forgotten, but I am the Draconians' Number One. Seeking strength, hoping to become stronger than anyone. Right now, what occupies my mind is the only weakness in the man who used to be the strongest. And I cannot escape that weakness. If that weakness could be overcome, I should be able to truly become the strongest. To become a dragon. That's what I've always thought. Every day of my life was spent in search for this answer&mdash;"

Listening to this point, the superintendent shook his head with an alarmed realization.

"Used to be the strongest&mdash;You mean the previous Commander... Long?"

"That's right. Gabriel, I've said this before, haven't I? You know too why I could win, right?"

Haruaki had heard it mentioned as well.

Inside that villa, Pendragon had chatted about the past with the superintendent's group.

The reason why he was able to prevail against the extremely powerful former Commander who was almost impossible to defeat&mdash;

"&mdash;'Old age' huh?"

Haruaki could not help but whisper. Pendragon threw a glance at him.

"That's right. Hence, I have carved it upon my heart. This is a dragon's natural enemy. Dragons are not supposed to grow old."

"What!? In other words&mdash;?"

Hearing Fear's groan, Pendragon nodded and continued:

"As long as I have that girl's power, in other words, the power to manipulate life force, perhaps ''old age'' can be prevented."

"Wait... That's absolutely ridiculous. What about Fourteen? She also said her curse causes eternal youth!"

"That's only freezing the owner's outer appearance. It's kind of like the simulated anti-aging of cosmetic surgery. Squishy-ko's looks might remain unchanged for the next few decades but her internal health is probably a different matter. She'll probably age and die like a normal person."

Even after listening to the rebuttal from Kirika and her outstanding memory, Pendragon still remained unrelenting.

"What I seek is a body that knows no aging. The pinnacle of strength that remains unchanged as the pinnacle of strength forever. Now that would be true 'eternal youth'&mdash;For this purpose, I believe that I need you, Ningyouhara Kuroe. Aging is a flaw. I need to be able to overcome this flaw and that means I need you, who can replenish brand-new vitality any time."

Kuroe stared back at Pendragon's forceful gaze and exhaled.

"Basically, I'd like to ask just in case. What if I refused&mdash;?"

"I won't allow you to refuse. You are the only thing I lack, so I will do everything I can to make you mine."

"H-Hold on! Why, how, clearly you've shown no signs of wanting to fight us all along&mdash;"

"You must be mistaken. I am who I am. I'm missing the last piece of the puzzle and the only thing left to do is find the puzzle piece that fills the gap. Of course, things that don't fit are immediately obvious, it's possible to see at a glance that something is useless to me and I don't need to plunder greedily everywhere&mdash;But as soon as I see something whose shape seems to match perfectly, the situation becomes entirely different, right?"

"...Truly what a shame. When chatting here last time, I as thinking we could maintain this agreeable relationship."

Honatsu spoke in a lively tone of voice, but his gaze was very grim.

Pendragon grinned, showing his teeth.

"Sorry, what a short alliance it was, 'Yachi House.' But you guys probably know&mdash;"

Like a savage beast...

He bared his devouring fangs and said:

"I am the type of animal that kills everyone in anger when roused from slumber in its lair, the strongest beast in the world, the most used to having its own way in the world&mdash;the ''dragon''. And I'm its head to boot. How could I possibly not be capricious?"