Editing Leviathan:Volume 2 Chapter 1 (section)

===Part 4===

"No matter what, meals are the most important. There's a Japanese proverb that says you can't fight wars on empty stomachs, so let's have lunch. I'm famished." 

With extra emphasis added at the end, Asya's declaration brought an end to the discussion.

After waiting for Orihime and Hazumi to change into casual clothing, the group went to a nearby park. Taking over a table that happened to be empty in the resting area, they began to have lunch.

"Today I brought a specially prepared Chinese-style lunch. Chinese cooking is one of my specialties, so please enjoy, everyone!"

Probably quite confident in the food's flavor, Asya announced with pride.

Back when he heard Asya say "I made lunch for today!" earlier, Hal wondered if he should run to the pharmacy to pick up some indigestion medication first.

In contrast, a fresh face had eyes shining brightly in anticipation.

"Really? Wow, I'm so excited."

That was Hazumi. Her clear eyes were truly infused with extremely bright light.

"Asya-san is really talented in cooking. I am positive it will be very delicious," Orihime further incited Hazumi's expectations. Despite having eaten Asya's "home cooking" at the Haruga house once before, Orihime smiled cheerfully. She probably thought the menu and portions just happened to be very "substantial" at the time.

Then Asya finally unveiled the packed lunch she had brought.

"These sticky rice dumplings were left over from yesterday. You can choose between fillings of braised pork, sweet potato, mountain vegetables, or braised beef... Anyway, all kinds of flavors."

"That's amazing! What a feast!"

"There's also ''youlinji''&mdash;Chinese-style deep-fried chicken. The sweet and spicy sauce is a special recipe I came up with after research and experimenting. Make no mistake, you won't be able to taste this flavor anywhere else. Ehe."

"To think you went that far!?"

"Then there's ''huiguo rou''&mdash;twice-cooked pork, mapo eggplant, mapo doufu, shrimp and squid stir fry, and ''pidan''&mdash;thousand-year-old egg. In addition, there's very simple stuff like fried beansprouts, fried pea sprouts, fried water spinach. Spring rolls, ''qingjiao rousi''&mdash;stir fried pork and green peppers, steamed chicken with chop suey..."

Wham, wham, wham, Asya brought out food repeatedly.

The container was a seven-layered stackable box set that had made her so touched that she exclaimed "I can't believe there's a lunch box with so many layers!" and instantly purchased it upon seeing it at the food utensil section of a Japanese department store.

Every vegetable dish was shiny due to her use of the Chinese cooking technique of deep-frying food to partially cook it before subjecting it to further stages of cooking.

Perfect visual and olfactory presentation, intensely rich flavors, so many dishes that they almost overflowed the table, such was precisely Asya's Chinese cooking. Orihime widened her eyes.

Then seemingly with a pensive expression of total comprehension, she nodded.

"Speaking of which, Asya-san seems to say she's hungry quite frequently..."

"Amazing... A-Are we able to finish all of this...?"

On the other hand, although Hazumi had initially gazed at Asya with touched emotions and respect...

Confronted with Asya's portions and variety, even she could not hide her wavering. However, she suddenly looked up with a determined expression and said in strong tone of voice:

"U-Umm, it looks very delicious. I will try my best!"

"Fufufufu. Bon appetit. Don't be shy and start tasting without delay."

"Y-Yes!"

Hazumi, nodding firmly, and Asya, who had overestimated other people's appetites.

Although they were both petite girls, they stood in stark contrast to each other.

Still, Hazumi was truly brave. Unlike Hal who had quickly concluded it was impossible to finish, she encouraged herself to eat all the food no matter what.

Surely, she must think that it would be disrespectful to Asya if there were any leftovers.

What a good girl&mdash;Thinking that, Hal started lunch too. During times like these, Hal would limit himself to eating an amount that would not strain his digestive system, but today, he might possibly have to stuff his stomach to the limit.

"Oh right. I recently heard a rumor about Haruomi and Orihime-san having plans to go on a private trip during Golden Week."

"Me and Juujouji? When did this kind of rumor start spreading...?"

"C-Cough."

"Are you alright, Nee-sama!?"

Hazumi handed a bottle of green tea to Orihime who had suddenly choked.

Meanwhile, Asya sharpened her gaze while swallowing a mouthful of deep-fried chicken.

"This reaction... Is the rumor's source actually a grave you dug yourself, Orihime-san?"

"W-What grave? Nothing of that sort. Listen to me, Asya-san&mdash;"

"Oh, I see what caused it. There was one time when Juujouji came to me very suddenly to ask if I could find air tickets for 'a three-day-two-night trip to either Korea or Taiwan' for the holiday next week. Now that I think back in detail, there were classmates around at the time."

"I was thinking that I could definitely secure round-trip tickets at least if I relied on Haruga-kun's shady connections..."

"Well, if you don't mind a smuggler's ship, I could arrange one for you, but please be aware that they don't set sail on a date and route at your convenience."

"Y-You know those kinds of people?"

Hazumi stared wide-eyed, prompting Hal to answer "yeah" ambiguously.

If one were to use an analogy of black and white, Hal would be living comfortably in the gray area approaching black. He definitely did not dare display his true nature in front of a "good girl" like her.

On the other hand, Hazumi was impressed for some reason and quietly whispered:

"Smugglers... I read about them on news occasionally. So I see..."

"Oh no, that won't work, Hazumi. I can't let you cross borders using that kind of method. I was thinking of using this rare chance to take her traveling abroad."

"Eh!? Take me traveling!?"

"Yes. Think about it, Minadzuki is currently in convalescence. And you've never gone traveling ever since you became a witch, right? That's why I suddenly got the idea that I might as well make use of this holiday to take you traveling."

"Nee-sama..."

"Are you sure you want to take a girl like her on an overseas trip with a densely packed itinerary when she's not used to long journeys?"

"Well, I just wanted to try asking first. If you could book an itinerary that seems nice, I would then recommend it to Hazumi&mdash;Oh, a call from Yukari-san."

Orihime took out her suddenly ringing cellphone from her bag.

Then she placed her phone on the center of the table.

Displayed on the LCD screen was Hiiragi Yukari's photo. Wearing red-rimmed glasses, her appearance was that of an intellectual beauty. However, that inexplicably weary gaze of hers was very striking.

"What's the matter, Yukari-san? Asya-san and Hazumi happen to be here too."

After picking up the call using speakerphone, Orihime started the conversation.

Somehow, they had apparently developed a straightforward relationship eschewing the use of polite language.

Hal was told that prior to becoming a witch, Orihime had sought out Hiiragi-san to talk many times. Especially after Akuro-Ou's birth, the two of them probably met every three days.

'That's wonderful. It's quite sudden but I'm afraid it's bad news, okay?'

Hiiragi-san cut straight to the chase and dispensed with pleasantries.

'Nine Raptors seem to be moving west on the Pacific currently, having broken past the defensive line at Ogasawara Islands. Judging from their route of advance, they are expected to reach the Kantou region. Since the situation could escalate into an emergency, I would like to request Orihime-san to make preparations for interception.'


"Nee-sama and Asya-san left."

Hazumi remarked quietly in sadness, because her partner Minadzuki was still in "convalescence."

In contrast, Asya departed together with Orihime, leaving the half-eaten lunch behind.

Like Hazumi's, her partner was also in poor shape. Nevertheless, she was in charge of supporting Orihime who was still inexperienced.

"It feels so strange now when I still had to mobilize not so long ago..."

Left in the park together with Hal, Hazumi's countenance darkened in worry.

In the middle of tidying up the leftovers of the Chinese lunch, Hal stopped what he was doing and said:

"Akuro-Ou is a 'serpent' that's so strong that it doesn't resemble a newborn. Also, Asya went with them too. Even if they're fighting Raptors, I don't think there'll be much risk."

Actually, there was an attached condition of "accidents could happen any time."

Of course, Hal did not say it out loud. Hence, the younger witch suddenly smiled at him. Her smile was a bit stiff with a reduced sense of transparency compared to usual.

"I suppose... you are right. Very well. I've decided to believe in Nee-sama and Asya-san too. Just like you, Haruga-san."

Hazumi's smile seemed a bit forced.

Apparently noticing Hal's consideration for her, she tried to comfort him instead, telling him not to worry about her. Caught directly in Hazumi's candid gaze, Hal really could not get his mind to settle down.

It felt rather uncanny. Due to Hazumi's excessive obedience, Hal felt intimidated instead.

Hal found Hazumi to be someone very difficult to deal with, but in a completely different way compared to Orihime.

"However, what Hiiragi-san said just now was very concerning. I heard that there are dragons flying into other places apart from the Kantou region..."

Hazumi showed a slightly solemn expression again. This news was part of what Hiiragi-san had told them.

'Although we are currently still gathering information, the various islands are apparently under attack from flocks of Raptors. Simultaneously. All personnel involved in Japan's domestic defense are apparently bickering fiercely over the matter. If a solution is found to take care of the Raptors flying towards the Kantou region, Orihime-san might need to be dispatched to regions that are lacking manpower.'

"Dragon Strikes" launched by lesser dragons, Raptors.

Such attacks were supposed to happen sporadically. It was essentially impossible for flocks of dragons to coordinate with one another in advance to attack predetermined locations in an organized manner.

The only exception was when elite dragons were involved&mdash;

At this moment, a certain pompous girl suddenly spoke up:

"Hmm... The flavors are not bad, reaching a passing standard, but I would really like an alcoholic beverage to rinse away the grease in my mouth. The humans who offered tribute to me in the past were never negligent in this aspect."

Hal looked in the direction of the voice. Without him noticing, a girl in a kimono had sat down next to him.

The scarlet attire was reminiscent of crimson flames. Her black hair was tied with a red ribbon. Despite her appearance as a cute little girl, her true identity was an elite dragon's ghost&mdash;

Hinokagutsuchi nimbly delivered ''qingjiao rousi'' into her mouth using chopsticks.

"You... can still eat?"

"I seldom eat or drink because it is not essential. By the way, brat, I smell a powder keg on earth."

Meanwhile, meeting the scarlet-clad ghost for the first time, Hazumi stared wide-eyed.

Even so, she opened her mouth while suppressing her surprise, perhaps intending to greet Hinokagutsuchi. However, Hinokagutsuchi waved her hand with customary arrogance to stop Hazumi.

"Little shrine maiden, I already know your background and you must have heard about me too. In that case, fresh introductions are unnecessary. Too much of a hassle."

"Y-Yes. I have heard from Nee-sama and others about you already."

"Naturally, if you feel compelled to kneel and prostrate yourself in awe of my disposition as a noble queen, I shall not prevent you."

"!? You are&mdash;a queen!?"

"Fufufufu. It is a thing of the past."

Hal wondered if Hazumi's innocence had piqued her interest, but Hinokagutsuchi seemed a bit pleased.

Then her lips curled malevolently as she threw Hal a slight glance.

"Brat, an unwelcome guest might be showing up at your doorstep soon. When the time comes, your caliber shall be tested... It is fine for you to chase after mysteries, but do not lower your guard in any event."

Confronted with this sudden warning, Hal frowned.


While Hal and company were in Tokyo New Town, listening to news of the incoming Raptors...

Platinum-colored flames were burning on a small Pacific island.

The location was in the waters near the Ogasawara Islands, at an unpopulated island where seagulls were the only creatures one could call residents. Scorching and mysterious, platinum flames were burning on this rock-covered remote island.

These were supernatural flames produced by the magic of dragons.

And they were identical to the flames that Raak Al Soth had created in the past.

This time, the flames were burning Pavel Galad, an elite dragon with metallic silver scales.

Roughly two weeks prior, he had been defeated by the dragon king known as "Princess Yukikaze."

However, the massive hole in his chest had already healed while his almost destroyed heartmetal was gradually recovering normal functionality.

The reason for his revival was held in the center of Pavel Galad's palm. Engraved upon the dragon's right palm was a runic symbol consisting of three Vs.

This was precisely the power of dragonbane that Galad had inherited&mdash;The Rune of the Sword.

"My body's total recovery is imminent. Soon enough, I will complete preparations for battle... Before that comes to pass, my minions, fly over to that land on my behalf to blow the horns of war declaration. Let the citizens of the land, rightfully mine, Pavel Galad's, to conquer, bear witness to my burning spirit."

An elongated series of islands lay further west in the ocean. He was sending his minions there.

While issuing commands to them, Galad's body continued to burn with platinum-colored flames. This was a trial imposed upon him as the price for obtaining the Rune of the Sword.

"To conquer that land and claim it as my territory&mdash;That is precisely the trial bestowed upon me!'

The silver dragon, Pavel Galad, had acquired the power of dragonbane.

Unbeknownst to Hal and company, his invasion was going to change the future dramatically&mdash;

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