Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 6 Episode 3 (section)

===Part 10===

──At the same time.

In another bar in the urban area of Ruin’s Gear, the Drag-Knights of the New Kingdom’s army were drowning their worry in drink.

「……Sheesh, I got awful grades. That’s why I didn’t want to do something like an exam in an unfamiliar country.」

「Exactly. Besides, the young ladies of the Academy are really motivated. If it’s only them who get promoted, we are going to become the laughingstock.」

Several men were gathered at the corner of the cramped bar.

The male officers who belonged to the army accompanying the students to take the exam together this time──these men were a few names among them. They were sick of how hopeless their prospects were in the Class Promotion Exams and they grumbled to clear up their resentment.

Among them, there were also the aristocrat officers who once got beaten up by Celis and then came to the Academy picking a fight for clearing up their resentment.

「In the first place, we who got low aptitudes for Drag-Rides have limited time even for training. We’re handicapped no matter what. Aa, I’m beaten.」

One of the men emptied his glass in one gulp and sighed exaggeratedly.

Dilwy who had the commanding role this time was staring at that sight quietly while drinking his beer.

「…………」

Originally, if it was the him with a serious personality, this was a night playing that he ought to stop, but he instead accompanied the young men.

Inside his eyes that had the color of hollowness vaguely emerging, there was no disappointment that the Class Promotion Exam didn’t go well or disdain towards these depraved officers bunch.

Just, his right wrist that was holding the glass with some beer remaining in it.

His gaze was often attracted to the deep scar remaining there.

He made a name for himself as a trueborn warrior even amidst the Old Empire and for a time he almost climbed up until EX Class. But Dilwy’s arm was wounded by a certain incident and he became unable to move properly.

「Nothing goes my way……」

Dilwy wasn’t born with a knight’s pedigree, his talent with the sword was average.

Dilwy wasn’t blessed with physique or stamina, but he obtained the power of a Drag-Ride that was starting to appear at that time and he ran up the royal road as a knight.

Until he bore this wound in that land, the Blackend Kingdom──

Because sometimes he was distracted by the ache of that scar, he was relying on alcohol like this.

「……Captain, Captain Dilwy?」

「Nn, aah……. Is it the bill?」

The one who called out to him was a young officer who had just graduated from military school.

「No, just want to talk. This country──no, recently in various countries there is a rumor going around, does captain know about it? It’s about a secret medicine found in the Ruins, called Elixir.」

「──My bad but I’m not really knowledgeable about medicine. Also, I haven’t got near a Ruin for some time.」

「I’m also not that detailed about it but, it seems that it’s a medicine that increases the aptitude for a Drag-Ride.」

「……Is that so? That sounds interesting. I want to get a look at it by all means.」

He had heard about that type of suspicious secret medicine many times since the Ruins and Drag-Rides were discovered.

It was a topic that would make the male officers who blamed their lack of strength on their low aptitude for Drag-Rides, but Dilwy couldn’t get along with that story.

「Right? If it’s really true that a secret medicine was discovered from a Ruin, it’s something that I want to be shared with us by all means. I heard that there is a guy selling it, and his figure was seen at the back alley around here.」

「……Strange. It shouldn’t be something that the underlings could easily get though.」

「What’s wrong captain?」

The rookie soldier felt the presence of Dilwy that was suddenly making a forbidding look which caused him to slightly wake up from his drunkenness.

「No, nothing. I remembered that I have urgent business, so I’ll return early, the drink here is on me. You guys enjoy yourselves slowly tonight.」

Dilwy only said that and left the bar without waiting for a reply.

Like that he headed to the back alley. There a silhouette could be seen inside the darkness.

「And──do you have any business with us?」

Dilwy was making a calm smile while his hand touched the Sword Device on his waist.

It was most difficult to summon a Drag-Ride in a confined blind alley.

Therefore Dilwy was putting up his guard against the robed man before him while calling out in order to prevent the man from doing anything.

「I heard about the rumor even in the New Kingdom. Dragon Marauder──the warmonger Drag-Knights who recently became famous, they are secretly maneuvering in various places. Could it be, you are also someone of that kind?」

「…………」

The robed man didn’t stir at all hearing Dilwy’s words.

There was only a calm smile emerging on the robed man’s face.

「You have been following behind us since before we entered this bar haven’t you? I don’t know what is your objective, but if you cannot answer──I’ll have to arrest you.」

Dilwy pulled out his Sword Device with no question asked.

And then, he closed in with one breath and put strength into his toes in order to thrust his sword, in that instant──

「Stop it, are you planning to swing a sword with that injured right arm?」

When Dilwy stiffened from the surprise of those words, the man’s figure vanished from before his eyes.

「-……!?」

The alley in front of him was completely a dead end, there wasn’t even any cover for hiding.

「──Don’t move. And then, stop with the foolish drama. Though that must be an act to protect yourself huh.」

The voice that talked calmly to him could be heard from behind.

Dilwy kept readying his unsheathed sword while he was stiffened and unable to move.

「…………」

The robed man’s breathing could be heard from behind such Dilwy.

「──That’s a nice Sword Device. It’s maintained properly. I can see how much you are sending your heart into that Drag-Ride in these few years where you lost your right hand’s freedom. But right now you are filled with despair. You lost everything, you’re defeated. Even so you don’t throw away hope and struggle. Even if you have to sell over your pride──」

「…….What are, you saying?」

Dilwy somehow made only that reply while his back was still turned towards the man.

「Kukuku, don’t act brave. I’ll grant your wish earlier than those guys. What can save the current you isn’t something like a Divine Drag-Ride or anything. The power that you once possessed. I’ll grant you the only method to take that back.」

It was a sweet voice that permeated directly into the skull.

At that moment when the border between reality and dream melted and the world turned hollow, the robed man pulled out a knife.

「Wh, at──that’s?」

It was a bizarre knife.

Its shape was common, but the handle was lacquered jet black.

And then an unfathomable pattern emerged on the blade, emitting strange light of seven colors.

From a glance he thought that it was a kind of Sword Device, but something was different.

「Are you curious about this? You see──this was once a seed of war.」

「……What?」

「In the distant past. No, it’s a time that is equal to an instant from my point of view, but humans classified humans into several races.」

The robed man apathetically whispered while staring at empty air.

「There was a clan of influential people who obtained a power to rule the world. Among them a secret medicine that was able to transcend humanity was created. The act of implanting a part of it into a human was called Baptism. The people who received Baptism would obtain ability that was hidden inside themselves and stood at height, reigning over as rulers.」

「…………」

「But, before long the oppressed people wished for a world without unreasonable rule, and a war that span over a long time began. ──That was the beginning of everything. The beginning of this shackled world that is like hell, continuing infinitely.」

「What are you saying──? You are, just what……」

「Rest assured, your wish will be fulfilled…… that’s what I’m talking about.」

*Stab*

A sharp pain ran through Dilwy’s right wrist. Heat burst out.

The knife the robed man was holding emitted strange seven colors, sucking Dilwy’s blood.

「U──GUAAaAAH!?」

His brain burned.

The blood in his whole body felt like boiling at the same time with the intense pain. Dilwy groaned.

He couldn’t even breath. After a few seconds that felt like eternity passed, the pain in his wrist vanished.

「──Let’s meet again, oh the defeated wishing to become hero. After all, you still have that qualification.」

When Dilwy noticed, the robed man was vanishing.

The bluish white moonlight peeking from between the clouds was illuminating the alley silently.

Only the stone paving that was soaked with fresh blood and the knife emitting light of seven colors were remaining there.