Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 5 Episode 2 (section)

===Part 2===

A few hours later.

They went around a lot more places than they expected and by this time the sun had already gone down completely.

Lux and the others, the four people were having dinner in a large eatery nearby the main street.

As expected from an eating place that had existed for many years in the capital, the meals were delicious without anything to complain about. The four were reminiscing about their day but──

「Oi oi, I beg you lad. Don’t sleep in this kind of place! Also you’re drinking too much.」

When they were thinking to leave soon, they could hear the troubled voice of the owner from the corner.

「Ain’t no one is slee─ping here……. Just shut up and bring more sake here─. Munya……」

A male was lifting up a wooden beer mug while speaking with a tone that was obviously dead drunk from anyone’s point of view.

His age was still young. The young man’s trait was his dull blonde forelock that was bristled up as though frayed, and his sanpaku eyes. (TN: Eyes with visible white between the iris and the lower eyelid)

He was wearing a durable looking black shirt and trouser.

Within that simple appearance, it was only the rustic silver sword belt on his waist that was standing out.

Looking only from his looks, he looked like a rude thug, but perhaps because of his child-face that had no ill-will in it, he didn’t give that bad of an impression.

「To begin with, are you at the age that can drink alcohol huh lad? You look really young.」

「It’s oka─y. My principle is 『reckless challenge』 yeah……. Being reckless without conservativeness is whats gonna open the new path──uppuh」

「You’re over your limit there!? By the way lad, you look like a traveler, but where are you from?」

「Who care─s, just pour more drink. After all I cannot drink back home see─……. I’m told today is a rare festival in the capital yea─? Don’t be so stingy─」

「The nation founding anniversary is still two more days. ……Rather than that, you look young but do you got money on you?」

When the young man grumbled with a bright red face, the owner sighed and asked.

Lisha beside Lux whispered in exasperation while watching that scene from a distance.

「I thought that only nobles came to the capital, but there are also quite a lot of country bumpkins huh.」

「Your voice is loud you know, princess.」

When Krulcifer chided curtly like that, an incident occurred.

「Look here, even like this I got money y’know─. I earned a lot from my work──」

The young man took out a wallet from his trouser’s pocket. The moment he put it on the table, a middle-aged man drinking alcohol behind him stood up and moved suddenly.

「────」

Drunkenness reflexively vanished from the young man’s expression and his hand reached at his sword’s handle.

But, when the middle-aged man reached out at the wallet, the man snatched it in the blink of an eye and vanished to outside the restaurant.

After a tense moment, a small commotion filled the restaurant.

「Aah-ah, he got you there lad. That kind of fellow ain’t someone you usually find in the capital, but robbers come here at this kind of time from various places y’know.」

With a complicated look, the restaurant owner told so to the young man whose wallet was stolen.

「…………」

Lux who had experience doing odd jobs many times at the capital had recollection of it.

Before and after the country founding anniversary or the tournaments including the All-Dragon Battle, the population of the capital that was already a lot even under normal circumstances would increase explosively.

Nobles and travelers would gather to watch the event from various places of the New Kingdom──or even from the foreign countries.

And then, the robbers would also gather in the capital, aiming for their wallets.

But, the capital was different from Cross Field. Although its size was vast but there was unexpectedly few hiding places there.

The streets were systematic due to the wisdom from the past in order to be able to corner hostile individuals and capture them.

「……I’ll go for a bit.」

Lux pulled back his chair with a clatter and stood up.

「Oi wait, where are you going Lux!? Don’t tell me──」

When Lisha called out in surprise, Lux was rushing out of the restaurant.

「I can predict where the thief will escape in general, so everyone go back first to the inn!」

Lux only said that and then ran out without giving the girls any time to stop him.

Chasing after the man’s footsteps and presence, Lux moved from the main street into a complicated back alley.

When he arrived at the end of a gloomy alley some distance away from the bar, he found an unexpected sight there.

「Chih! Someone caught up already, but──」

The man just now who Lux thought as a mere thief summoned a Wyvern Drag-Ride and wore it.

「-……!」

Because using Drag-Rides in the capital would stand out, this was something that took Lux by surprise.

However, if the thief could escape for the moment to the sky, it would be hard to catch him when he went away from the capital.

「──Come, the symbol of power the winged dragon of crest. Obey my sword and take flight, Wyvern」

This was the first time that Lux summoned a Drag-Ride since he used Over Limit.

His use of his Wyvern also doubled as light rehabilitation, but physically it was as though there was no problems at all.

(……I can do this!)

Lux ascertained the sensation of wearing a Drag-Ride while flying in pursuit of the thief’s flying Wyvern.

The thief held his breath for an instant in order to further accelerate his Drag-Ride.

Lux didn’t overlook that opening and he lifted up his Scale Blade, it was then,

「──Oi prince, I’ll be first okay?」

A voice with a tone that had a peculiar mannerism in it came. Along with it, the thief’s Wyvern in front of him was struck down.

「……!?」

There an unfamiliar Drag-Ride──a Drag-Ride with countless scale-like armor attached to it was taking stance with a Blade that was strangely curved.

(This is──!)

It was a male Divine Drag-Ride user that was rarely seen other than Lux himself.

Because a female’s aptitude with a Drag-Ride was far higher than a male’s, male Drag-Knights that could skillfully use a Divine Drag-Ride that was difficult to control and consumed energy intensely were few in number even throughout the world, but──this young man, even in his completely drunken state, he controlled his Drag-Ride with precision and knocked down the enemy in an instant.

「Gu, gahah……a!」

The knocked down thief writhed from the impact and he didn’t look like he could take anymore action.

The blonde young man who saw that was about to deal an additional attack below him.

「I’m not gonna kill you cause it’ll be troublesome, but I’ll at least take both your arms.」

The large Blade with a strange curve was going to sever the thief’s arms from the elbow down just as the young man proclaimed, but then──

「……!?」

*GIIN!*

The blade was deflected along with a high-pitched metallic sound.

Lux’s Scale Blade blocked the Blade that the young man swung down.

「──Stop. This person cannot move anymore. More than this is meaningless.」

The young man’s eyes opened wide for a moment in surprise, but he soon stared at Lux with an ironic wry smile.

「That’s really naïve, prince. That line is really unthinkable coming from the survivor of that Arcadia Empire’s imperial family that was extolled as inhuman yeah.」

Contrary to his words, the young man obediently dispelled his armor and sheathed back his Sword Device into his sword belt.

Because the thief had already fainted, Lux also dispelled his armor next after checking the surroundings vigilantly.

And then, once more Lux faced the young man confronting him still with a smile on his face.

「You know? About me──」

「You’re a bit of a celebrity in the neighboring country y’know? Even a slacking guy like me knows that much.」

「…………」

The young man’s sharp gaze caused Lux to tense up his expression too.

The Arcadia Empire reached out its hand not only within its vast territory, but also to the surrounding territorial waters and islands. At the time various skirmishes happened repeatedly with many countries in the surrounding.

There were still many foreign countries that held a grudge against the imperial family that was the main culprit of that.

When a strange silence and strained atmosphere were flowing between the two──

「Oooi! What are you doing, Greifer!」

A slightly high soprano voice resounded in the back alley the two were at.

The one who arrived was a young man that was his same age with an androgynous face.

「Aaa-aa. The troublesome guy came……. I’ll introduce him, he is my staff officer and also the one tasked with wiping my ass, the great Coral-sama.」

「What stupid thing you’re saying! Just how many times I told you already not to draw your Sword Device inside the capital!?」

The young man who was called Coral yelled angrily at Greifer before turning towards Lux.

「Are you all right Lux!? You are weak right now, that’s why forcing yourself is──」

Lisha and the others came running slightly behind, but they stiffened when seeing the duo facing Lux.

「What do we have here, the selection members of the New Kingdom also came eh. Hey there.」

「You two, who are you……」

When Lisha questioned with a slightly tensed voice, Greifer showed a sarcastic smile.

「Ain’t introducing yourself first the polite thing to do? But yeah, certainly, I ain’t this country’s person……gofuh!」

*Bam*, Greifer pitched forward due to the strong hit from Coral on his back.

As though to replace him, the young man called Coral moved to stand before Lux and the others.

「Please forgive my colleague’s rudeness. We are the selection members of the Vanheim Dukedom. Nice to meet all of you.」

The young man greeted with a refined voice and gesture. Lux and the others faltered for a moment.

「He is our leader, Greifer. My name is Coral. We had only arrived the other day but──forgive us for causing a ruckus.」

It seemed that different from Greifer who had a peculiar personality, this young man named Coral was really amicable.

「We don’t need to apologize here Coral. In the first place, I’m just trying to catch the thief that stole my wallet──」

「It’s forbidden to drink alcohol at our expedition destination isn’t it, Greifer? I’ll tell about this matter to the instructor later. I think that this time won’t end up with only training as your punishment, so you better prepare yourself.」

「Uwaa!? What are you gonna do if we lose the All-Dragon Battle because of this huh!? Oi Coral! Think about it again──」

Coral shut the fussing Greifer’s mouth with his hand while facing Lux and the others once more.

「I’m sorry to bother you, but can I ask everyone to take care of the thief sleeping there?」

Lux took a step forward toward the awkwardly smiling Coral and replied.

「Yes. We will hand him over to the guards. Perhaps that way would be less troublesome in various ways.」

「Thank you. Well then, we will have to trouble you with that.」

「Ah, the wallet……. It fell there.」

「Ah, I’m sorry. But, we’ve been a bother to everyone, so──please, I hope everyone can have a nice dinner with this.」

Coral said that while taking out several pieces of paper money from Greifer’s wallet.

「Oi! Don’t take out other’s money as you please! I didn’t say anything about giving──」

Coral ignored the protesting voice from behind him and offered the money to Lux with a smile, but,

「We didn’t do anything, so it’s fine. Rather than that, something like this happened out of nowhere, but if you could please not hate the New Kingdom because of it……it will make me glad.」

Coral’s eyes instantly opened wide after hearing Lux’s words that were said with a wry smile.

「……It’s surprising.」

Coral whispered that accompanied with a small admiration.

「Eh……?」

「You are completely different from the imperial family of the Old Empire that I’ve been hearing.」

Coral said that with a smile. He then held out his right hand toward Lux quietly.

For a moment Lux didn’t understand his gesture, but when he understood that it was for a handshake, Lux responded. Coral grasped his hand back smilingly.

His androgynous handsome look looked like a girl. Lux felt his heart throb slightly.

「……-!?」

Instantly, heat flickered and burned his brain, as though electricity was flowing behind his eyes.

His consciousness was getting farther away, as though he was suddenly entering inside a sandstorm.

「……Is something wrong?」

「Ah, no. It’s nothing──」

Lux immediately separated his hand from Coral’s right after he spoke to him, and the pain settled down.

Lux wondered just what in the world that was just now.

「Then, let’s meet again at the All-Dragon Battle.」

Coral brought the talk to a finish like that and he took away Greifer from the back alley.

Lux finally breathed out in relief. At that moment, Lisha who had handed over the fainted thief to the guards quietly arrived in front of him.

「Oi Lux. You were holding that guy’s hand for really long there……I’ll say this just in case, that guy just now was a man you know?」

Lisha said that to him with a twitching gaze that looked doubtful.

「I, I know that. That much is──」

「It’s unexpected that Lux-kun has interests in that direction. It’s no wonder that your reaction is weak against my advance.」

「Wai-!? Even Krulcifer-san, just what are you saying!?」

「You panicking like that makes it even more suspicious. Well, putting aside the joke──they are formidable enemies aren’t they?」

Airi concluded like that while taking a final shot at Lux while she was at it.

Lux was also in agreement regarding that.

「Especially that one who was called Greifer, if I remember correctly he is the candidate for 『Seven Dragon Paladin』 of the Vanheim Dukedom.」

「……Seven Dragon Paladin?」

「That kind of talk was suddenly announced while Lux-kun was forced to bed.」

When Lux tilted his head in puzzlement hearing those unfamiliar words, Krulcifer quietly taught him what it was about.

「The talk is about forming an organization where every country is cooperating to oppose the threat of the Abyss that is increasing every year. About the Seven Dragon Paladins, they are the Drag-Knights where each country will select one person as their representation in that organization.」

After hearing the further details from Airi, it seemed that there was still time until the Seven Dragon Paladins were selected, but there were already several countries that put out their candidate’s names.

「That guy’s personality is a bit like that but, he looks troublesome huh. ……Rather than that let’s go back, I’m sleepy.」

「You’re right.」

Lisha yawned ‘fua’ with a cute gesture. Lux smiled wryly to that and nodded in agreement.

After that they went straight back to the inn without stopping anywhere and retired to bed.