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101. Reunion

TN: Hi, sorry for the long wait! I’m the new translator of ‘Skill Lender Get Back His Pride’. From now on, updates will resume on schedule until the end of the series. I assure you there won’t be any more hiatuses until the end. I hope you like my translation.

「To go so far as to crush your comrades’ eyes and ears without hesitation… How far have you fallen from the path of humanity…!」

「The Knight orders are supposed to represent justice, aren’t they? Then it’s fine if Geli is a villain. Villains protect what they care about in their own villainous ways.」

Angelina declared this firmly from beyond the wall. In response to her resolve, the porcelain-white shield grew even more resilient.

But—Kirmiji spat and roared.

「You are just a group of girls playing soldiers! As if you could rival divine power!」

He thrust his hands forward. The spell he had just unleashed began forming again.

「As long as I possess the [Infinite Mana Fountain], I suffer no mana drain! If you’ve got a shield, I’ll keep firing until it breaks! I’ll let you have your fill of [Cocytus] and [Eridanos]—take as many as you can handle!」

「Ugh… Just because you’re focused on speed, doesn’t mean you can stack them this sloppily…!」

Just as Angelina said, the magic was even rougher and more chaotic than before. A turbulent storm of mana crashed down on them once more, biting and scraping away at the protective shield. Perhaps it was the sweat on her hands from maintaining the shield, but Azula gently squeezed her hand in return, as if to calm her panic.

「Geli-sama… Marge-sama is… he’ll come, won’t he…?」

「He will! Even if he doesn’t! Marge-sama told Geli ‘I leave it to you’!」

So I won’t lose. I can’t afford to lose.

Angelina’s voice rang out louder than ever before—but was soon drowned out by the howling of arcane forces.

Behind the clash between Angelina and Kirmiji, the knights weren’t simply standing by as they were swallowed up by the rocky wall. They began adapting to its movements while maintaining formation. Now, the spell’s destructive force outpaced the wall’s progress in devouring the knight order.

Kirmiji, seeing it with his own eyes, grew triumphant.

「What’s wrong!? What’s wrong, what’s wrong, what’s wrong!?」

「Ngh…!」

Only thirty percent of the shield remained. Soon, it would no longer cover those behind them. There was no hope of a counterattack, and Angelina and Azula’s bodies were gradually being exposed.

In the heart of the mana storm, Kirmiji basked in his growing advantage.

「This is the end for you, alchemist! Do you see now? This is the difference between you who hide in towers pretending at wisdom, and I who walk the world and have gained true intellect!」

「You sure are saying whatever suits you, huh…?」

Angelina’s voice was ragged, squeezed out through clenched teeth. Kirmiji merely sneered in response.

「Say what you will—everything is a matter of effort! Clean, pure, gentlemanly, noble, intellectual, untainted—that is the true form of Man! And the one who strives toward it, I alone, am the rightful victor! Ahahaha!」

「Someone like you…! Geli can do it! Geli can do what was entrusted to her! If Geli can’t… Geli won’t be worthy of Sill Lender-san! And then I won’t ever get to see him ag—」

Azula’s grip tightened. The power of [Messenger of the Mine] flared stronger—but even that was being swept away by the ferocious current of mana.

Only twenty percent of the shield remained. From behind came the muffled groans of dwarves enduring the onslaught.

Down to ten percent. Half of Angelina’s robe had turned to ash, and her hair ornament crumbled away like weathered stone. Her braided red hair unraveled and began turning to ash in the wind.

Azula, blind and deaf, nonetheless seemed to sense something. She stopped channeling her magic into the earth and the ore, and whispered to Angelina:

「Geli-sama.」

「…Azula-chan, listen closely! Geli is going to create a spherical golem and place you inside! Only one person can fit, but there’ll be enough air for half a day! Use your earth magic to tunnel away! Geli will take care of the other dwarves—your top priority is to rendezvous with Skill Lender-san!」

「Geli-sama.」

「Geli knows—Geli can’t promise how many will survive. You can hate Geli for that. But Geli was entrusted with you, Azula-chan! So you have to survive, no matter what!」

Even if I have to suffer disgrace, I’ll make sure I stay alive. No matter what I have to give up.

Angelina bit her lip as the shield crumbled. Azula, the dwarf princess holding her hand, remained ever composed and gentle.

「Geli-sama.」

Even without sight or hearing, even without pain, she could not fail to sense the danger as magic so dense it seared the skin roared around her. Yet still, she calmly pointed behind them.

The place she was pointing was the mine’s wall behind them—a seemingly normal stone wall—yet only Azula, focused on the tunnel walls, had noticed the change.

「The entrance to the Golden Land of Crimson Luxury… has opened.」

「…Huh?」

「Something is coming.」

The shield shattered.

At that moment, Angelina turned—and saw a massive maw opening before her. A river of gold flowed forth, and the scorching winds of the dungeon howled through. From within surged a massive force, redder than molten gold.

「A dragon’s head… just the head!? And those are swords and chains—!?」

A dragon’s scales are harder than any metal. Even the serpentine dragon Vritra, whom Marge once faced, was said to be worthy of the title ‘Undying Dragon’.

That dragon’s head, now bound in countless chains, plummeted before Angelina. Then came a barrage of silver blades. The swords flew through the air, pinning the dragon’s head to the ground—and forming a massive barricade where the shield had failed.

「Hii—!?」

Kirmiji flinched at the sudden appearance of the dragon’s face and unleashed another spell, but even his full volley only managed to slightly scratch the dragon’s scales. He couldn’t even crack the skull. The spell faded, dissipating uselessly.

Angelina stared up at the dragon’s head, still struggling to comprehend what had just happened. After several heartbeats, the glint of gold caught her attention—and understanding dawned.

「Golden chains… No way, it can’t be—」

She touched one of the chains with her grime-covered fingers. Her mana flowed into it, and the chain—though eyeless—recognized her identity.

Then, without warning, a familiar, cheerful voice rang out.

「Hey there, hey there! This is incredible, isn’t it? When I heard about a sword skill that allows parallel processing, I wasn’t sure what to make of it—but it’s absurdly convenient! I’ve got five hundred and twelve autonomous thought threads going here. Thanks to the swords assisting with the spell calculations, I’ve managed to conjure this many chains even with my current reserves. All I had to do was play the part of a proper sword, lop off a dragon’s head, and fly over here. Ha! Researching a dragon skull properly would take me a whole lifetime, wouldn’t it? Hahaha!」

「Ah…」

The voice Angelina had longed to hear… was finally here.