novelDragons Shadow (2)
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Chapter 13 - Dragon's Shadow (2)
The woman spoke.
"That is surprising. You can sense our presence?"
"You guys hid your Dragon Magic and it's quite brilliant. The princess didn't know about you guys in the beginning, because of it."
"How did you find out?"
"I have no reasons to reveal my funds." (TLN: it's an analogy, you don't tell others how much you have in the bank)
Azell laughed fiercely.
It is a stupid act to tell your opponent any information about yourself when you are fighting. Even if you think it is useless information, you have to hide the information about yourself. You never know what will help you survive.
The woman spoke.
"What a hateful man. You are a Spirit Order Practitioner, but you speak like a magician."
She spoke while looking at the knife buried in the man's stomach. The woman nor the man who was stabbed in the stomach knew how it was done.
Of course, Azell knew it since he was the attacker. It was a very simple trick.
In a single moment, he exploded his power to cause the enemy to be cautious. While he accelerated his speed, he caused confusion by executing fancy moves. At the same time he ran forth, he had used a concealment spell to hide the knife and he threw it. The opponent didn't realize this, and it had pierced him. It didn't have anything to do with the dynamics of power. (TLN: it basically means the method he used didn't have anything to do with how much power he has)
He had confused the enemies' senses. He used the concealment method without them knowing then he mixed his throwing motion within his other movements. It was a frighteningly polished technique.
Azell evaluated the situation inside.
'There are five opponents with this much skill. I think it is impossible for us to face them all. '
In the past, if he encountered this situation then he would have gotten through it while laughing. However, he was too weak right now. He was able to catch the enemy off guard a moment ago, but in a proper fight, he didn't have a chance.
'It makes me want to sigh. This happened so suddenly. I thought peaceful days would be waiting for me after I woke up after 220 years. '
Azell lamented on his own fate. The Dragon Demon War shook the world 220 years ago, and he had to fight with his life on the line since his childhood. He fought for the future when he would be able to stop fighting and welcome the peaceful days. This ardent desire allowed him to wade through the piles of body and lakes of blood he made.
However, the end did not bring peace, but despair. He had gambled to escape a hopeless situation, and the cost required him to be thrown away by the world he remembered. He was exiled to the far future.
Even if it was just that, he would have felt sorry for himself and wept. However, this ordeal was shoved into him not too long after.
At that moment, the woman spoke.
"Let's retreat for now."
"We've almost captured them, but you want us to retreat?"
"How can you say that when you are in such a state?"
"Kuk.... . !"
The cold woman's words shut the man's mouth.
The woman spoke.
"When one hunts, one has to do it at one's leisure. The enemy's fighting power is unknown, so until we find it out, let's torment them."
As he was backing up, Azell asked her a question."
"Hey, young lady."
"... young lady(TLN: Miss)?"
The woman mumbled as if she had heard something quite bizarre.
Azell replied back with another question.
"Do you prefer madam?"(TLN: Mrs. the term author uses indicates an older woman usually married, depends on how you use it you can imply the woman is over the hill/unattractive)
"No, I prefer to be called young lady."
"Then I'll call you madam."
"......"
"I have no reason to satisfy your request since you are my enemy, right?"
"You are really a detestable man. It has been awhile since someone has tried my patience to this degree."
The woman's hoarse voice was still steady, but the magical vibration she was emitting became rougher. For a normal person, one would feel tormented by the stifling pressure, but Azell just smirked.
"If you don't want to be called madam then at the very least, you could tell me your name?"
"Is your name too famous to be revealed? Well, you are worried enough about your identity being revealed so much so that you are wearing a mask.... ."
"Regina."
The woman with the hoarse voice spoke.
"I'm the Dragon's Shadow Regina. It is a name that was forgotten by the world, so it will be useless for you to look for any clue."
"Dragon's Shadow must be the name of your organization."
"Yes. Now it's your turn."
"Mmmm?"
"Reveal your name."
"Unlike you guys, I'll gladly reveal my name. It is Azell Zestringer."
"Azell...."
Regina showed some interest.
"You have an ominous name."
"It's omnious?"
"Yes. Just for having that name, it is ominous enough for you to deserve death."
"You are speaking nonsense."
"I don't have a hobby of remembering the name of someone who became a corpse.... Against my will, I won't be able to forget your name now."
Then Regina hid her figure. The man was about to follow her and disappear, but he spoke in a rumbling voice, while glaring at Azell.
"I'm Dragon's Shadow Kirion. Remember it. It is the name of the man, who'll kill you in the most excruciating way possible."
"I don't want to remember it, so why don't you fight me now? Are you afraid of me even though I am unarmed?"
"......."
Kirion was in a rage, and he started emitting chaotic forces, but in the end, he went away without attacking Azell.
Azell clicked his tongue.
"He is more cool-headed than I thought. If he flew into rage and attacked me then I could have ended him...."
Azell threw his hands up after he spoke. Arrieta was surprised after seeing this.
"By the way..."
"Huh?"
"Where did the sword pop out from?"
Somehow, Azell was already holding onto a blade. Azell shrugged his shoulder.
"I had it from the beginning."
"What?"
"I was merely hiding it."
From the start of his intrusion, he had two swords. Anything can happen in the middle of battle, so he looted useful weapons from the enemies he defeated.
He had discarded one sword on the ground right before he jumped in, and he used the other sword to attack Kirion. After his sword broke, he picked up the other sword without regret over losing the other, and he casted a concealment spell. While conversing with Regina, he had grabbed the sword, but no one realized it. To pull off this trick, he used a technique that binded the item to Azell's skin.
Azell spoke.
"We should settle this situation now..."
However, something even he couldn't have predicted happened. From all around, flashes of light and torpedo shaped globes started falling in an arc onto the battlefield.
"Shit!"
Ggwa-gwa-gwang! Ggwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang! (TLN: explosion sound)
The lights blew up and it was bright enough to blind a person.
3
One hour had passed since the ruin excavation site and Princess Arietta was ambushed.
The members of the secret society called Dragon's Shadow was gathered at the ruin excavation site, which was in shambles.
The location was mercilessly demolished. While the monsters were causing havoc, the members of the Dragon's Shadow planted explosive magic in various locations. The explosion was triggered by attacking it with powerful magic from outside. During all this, the monsters were all getting massacred, but they didn't care about the sacrifice. Initially, the monsters were subdued to be used as a disposable item.
An appalling amount of dead bodies of humans and monsters were strewn around, but no one cared. The five people were dressed similarly in a suspicious manner, and Regina was the leader who commanded them.
Regina asked in her hoarse voice.
"Where is the Dragon Demon Princess located at?"
"She is 4km North-East from here. Jackal is chasing her, so there is no chance we'll lose her."
"We have to capture her before she reaches the fortress. You know this, right?"
The Western Border Fort's military power was strong. Each of the members of the Dragon's Shadow had considerable amount of strength, but the Western Border Fort had been fortified against mass attack by monsters, and even an ambush by a dragon. It was impossible to attack them with just their number.
This was why they were moving under the initial assumption that they would catch Arrieta before she reached the Western Border Fort.
"Currently, is anyone with the Dragon Demon Princess?"
"There are four people including the Dragon Demon Princess. Even a non-combatant is among them."
"Where is the man called Azell Zestringer?"
"He is on the move with the Dragon Demon Princess."
"I knew he wouldn't die just from that." (TLN: the explosion)
After speaking, Regina threw back her hood. The veil of darkness, which was covering her face, disappeared and her bare face was revealed. She had long black hair, and cold blue eyes. She was a woman that gave an impression of sharpness. Her age could be around mid-30s?
Since she was a Dragon Demon, her ears were slightly pointed, and above her left ear there was a black horn that looked like a feather decoration.
"Becareful when you face off against him. Dispose of him from distance if possible."
"Does he warrant that big of a warning? No matter how I see it he didn't seem that strong."
"While he was confronting the Dragon Demon Princess, he was able to assess our exact number."
"Mmmm?"
Everyone agreed with her.
They were confident that they had hidden their existence. They used a specialized item to hide their Dragon Magic, so if they hid their life signature, no one should be able to see through to their existence.
In reality, the several hundred soldiers and even the Dragon Demon Princess Arrieta was unable to notice them. So how was Azell able to see through to their existence?
Regina spoke.
"Do not think that you have seen the floor when you have only seen his exterior. If you don't acknowledge the fact that Master level Spirit Order Practitioners are beings who have surpassed humans then you may pay dearly later."
"Mmm."
"You should be very careful, while hunting them. I want you circle them with the forest orcs, and wear them out. I want you to keep scratching and biting them until they are completely tired out. Then we will capture the Dragon Demon Princess and leave. We cannot disappoint that person.... ."
After saying this, Regina walked towards the entrance of the ruin.
The entrance to the ruins was being excavated, but the attack from the Dragon's Shadow had reburied it. For a moment, Regina examined the location before speaking.
"I believe this really is Carlos' ruin."
"What? Are you sure?"
The members of the Dragon's Shadow murmured.
Carlos had left his name in history as an Archmage. He was the hateful enemy of the Dragon's Shadow. They were a secret organization that worshiped the Dragon Demon Race, who wanted to conquer the human of this world.
Regina nodded her head.
"I think so. However, I'm not an expert, so I'll have to thoroughly investigate this place. I'll request for additional troops to be deployed.... It'll be a race against the time for us. They(TLN: the humans) will comeback after they reorganize themselves."
"Understood."
"Then let us start the hunt again."
The members of the Dragon's Shadow rushed towards the fleeing Dragon Demon Princess.
4
Azell was used to being chased.
Humans were always numerically inferior in the fight against the Dragon Demon race. The number of Dragon Demon race were small, but they subjugated monsters and demonic animals to fight in their army. When they were unorganized, the monsters and demonic animals couldn't stand up against the might of the human armies. However, they were enslaved by the Dragon Demon race, and they were reborn as a terrifying power.
'I'm experiencing the same exact situation as before. '
The people, who revealed themselves to be the 'Dragon's Shadow', made Azell think about the Dragon Demon race from 220 years ago.
'If I'm alone, then I could escape easily.... '
Azell was looking around the area while on top of a tree. He threw his gaze downwards, and he saw three members of his party. It was the Dragon Demon Princess Arrieta, her young maid Enora, and Rick, who he had rescued during all the confusion.
'I don't know what happened to Sir Giles. '
He got separated from Giles. He had no way to know if he was dead or alive.
Azell looked at Arrieta.
'I've take on a really big burden. '
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