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102. Reunion – 2

「Ah…」

For Angelina, it was a voice far too familiar to mistake.

「Ah, whoops. That’s the bad habit of an alchemist showing. I always end up starting with the technical talk, don’t I?」

「Papa…?」

「That’s right, it’s your beloved Papa!」

「…Body transformation is irreversible. You can’t return to human form.」

「You’ve been studying well. That’s right. It was meant to be a last resort, but this is how it turned out. I pushed myself too far, and I don’t have much time left… so I took the plunge and went into debt.」

「So you borrowed a skill from Skill Lender-san…」

「Interest’s a solid ten percent per ten days. Outrageous, right? But thanks to that, we’re together again like this. …You’ve grown so much, Geli.」

Angelina gripped the chain with her left hand. A droplet slid down from the weighted end and soaked into the dirt of the mine floor.

「Geli worked so hard… Geli really did her best…!」

「I can tell. I can feel it from your hands—how much you’ve learned, how far you’ve come. You really did work hard.」

「We met again…!」

「Yeah, we did. I’m sorry I left you alone for so long, Geli.」

Even with the bizarre reality of the chain being her father, Angelina kept up. That was what it meant to come from a lineage of alchemists. And yet, there was something about this family that defied what one might expect of alchemists.

But calling it a heartwarming reunion might have been a stretch—it was far too noisy for that. Chief among the sources of chaos was the red-armored man shouting while pointing at the dragon’s head: Kirmiji, the commander of the Red Dragon Knight Order.

「What is going on here!? What in the world is this!? A dragon’s head alone came out of the dungeon—and why are you emerging from it too!?」

Before him, standing with the dragon’s head behind them, was a figure who had stepped out of the dungeon’s entrance.

「No explanation needed, Kirmiji. You don’t need to know anything more.」

「Don’t bark orders at me, Marge Siu!!」

The king of the werewolves. The bearer of [Skill Lender].

Marge Siu had returned.

◆◆◆

Lord Emesmes grasped things quickly. As soon as he received the borrowed skill [Divine Blade/Three Moon Sword], he understood its nature and figured out how to wield it in the way most suited to himself.

「[Divine Blade/Three Moon Sword]—activating. Beginning reconstruction of the ‘chain’.」

The skill formed blades out of mana. Mana was the force that circulated through the world, used for all kinds of skills and sorcery.

If one mastered the control of mana, it was said they could even merge it with their own body and reconstruct themselves into other substances. Emesmes’s chains were the first time I’d ever seen that happen in real life.

「Generating 1,024 mana blades. Converting half into chains. Fusing with self. Beginning parallel thought processes.」

The chains binding the crimson dragon grew longer and more numerous. Their brilliance was unlike anything from earlier—so radiant it made the surrounding gold look dim in comparison.

Watching the scene unfold, Koe-san muttered in concern.

「Master… but that’s…」

「Yeah. It’s like stitching together and expanding your own body and brain. No sane person could control that, and even if they could, it’d drive them mad.」

And yet, he was doing it.

The chains—no, Lord Emesmes himself—tightened around the dragon, binding its body ever more tightly just as it was about to escape.

His remaining life was short. He had given up on returning to human form—no, on even staying alive. He forced himself past every limit for this one single purpose. Soon, golden chains and white blades filled the chamber of the ‘General’.

「Synchronization complete. —Now sever it.」

At his command, 512 blades shot forth. They surged toward the dragon, ignoring its tough scales and spinal bones, and severed the head. Before it could fall, chains wrapped around it and carried it toward the entrance.

「What’re you gonna do with the dragon’s head?」

「A souvenir for my daughter.」

「…I see. I hope she likes it.」

「I was half joking, really. It sounds like things outside the dungeon are turning serious, so I’m bringing this just in case. Anyway, let’s head to the entrance.」

Following in Lord Emesmes’s wake, we made our way out of the dungeon. What we found was a battered group formed by Angelina, Azula, and the dwarves. The dragon’s severed head had been propped up like a shield, protecting them from a storm of magic.

「Kirmiji , huh…」

It was clear that Kirmiji was the one attacking them—and still firing spells even now. But did he really have that kind of power?

「No, Master. If he had that level of strength, he wouldn’t still be stuck as a mere knight commander.」

「Yeah… true.」

I stepped forward to face him—and felt it in my bones.

「Don’t bark orders at me, Marge Siu!!」

He was not the same man as before. The aura he exuded was entirely different. It could only mean that some immense power had fallen into his hands.

From behind me, Angelina shouted.

「Be careful! He’s using your abilities, Skill Lender-san!」

Her explanation was quick and to the point. That my skills had been stolen through hypnosis. That she had endured it with Azula’s help. That she had made Shizuku escape first. While I had been keeping in check Kirmiji with my glare, she had already filled me in. Now she stood, head bowed, holding Azula’s hand.

The small girl’s face had been torn so deeply, it was hard to look at.

「We’ll treat Azula later. If we try to heal her now, there’s no telling what Kirmiji might make her do.」

「…Geli was entrusted with Azula-chan’s protection. But this was the only way Geli, could manage it. Still, thanks to that, I was able to meet Papa again and… um…」

「Angelina.」

She faltered the moment the topic turned to herself.

I cut her off gently and called her name. She trembled and looked up.

「I heard from Koe-san why you approached me. I made her tell me.」

「…I knew it. You’re going to hate me, right?」

「No. It’s fine.」

I wasn’t someone people normally liked. I used to be dead weight. And now I’m the boss of the hated demihumans.

Angelina had gotten close to me for her own reasons—to see her parents again.

「It’s fine. You did nothing wrong.」

「But,  Geli was—」

「It’s fine. Leave the rest to me. Lord doesn’t have much time left.」

I understood the situation now.

This outcome came from my haste to save Azula. Now I bear the responsibility of making sure no one interrupts the reunion Angelina had longed for.