Chapter 77: Squid Shiokara and the Assassin Lurking in the Darkness 

Before anyone realized it, the Dragon King had somehow slipped into the middle of Luka and the others’ group as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Eight-niisan, do you know Ryu?”

“Ryu?”

“‘Ryuuou,’ right? Since that’s the name, I decided to call her Ryu-chan!! I was the one who came up with it!!”

Nor puffed out her chest with unmistakable pride, looking immensely pleased with herself.

Well, the Dragon King had admitted she didn’t even know her own name, so having something simple like “Ryu” to call her was honestly a huge help.

“H-How did you end up here?”

“…Mmm… Orvier… told me… to stay behind and watch the place…”

“S-Stay behind?”

“…More importantly… another serving…”

“Oh, r-right. Here you go.”

I took the plate Ryu silently held out toward me and piled another generous helping of seafood salt yakisoba onto it before handing it back.

“…Slurp… mmm… delicious…”

“I’m glad you like it, but… um… are you really allowed to leave your post?”

“…Mmm… I stayed behind… in this town…”

“That’s… a pretty broad interpretation of ‘staying behind.'”

As Ryu and I exchanged our oddly serious conversation, Eve, who had been listening nearby with growing amusement, suddenly leaned into the conversation.

The grin plastered across her face immediately told me she was up to no good.

“Hey, hey. If you’re bored, how about getting a little exercise after lunch? Come play with me… with your fists.”

“…Play?… Even though… I’m stronger…?”

“Hahaha!! You’ve got quite the confidence, don’t you?”

“W-Wait, Eve-san!!”

Panicking, I grabbed Eve by the arm and pulled her aside before whispering frantically into her ear.

“Ryu-san beat that village chief into a complete pulp, remember? This is dangerous!!”

“So what? That just makes it exciting.”

“Eight, Eve is an idiot who grossly overestimates her own strength, so trying to talk her out of it’s a complete waste of time.”

“Oh? Should I deal with the Saint first before taking on little Dragon King?”

“My Shoryuken and Tatsumaki Senpukyaku are positively itching for action.”

The moment I managed to stop Eve from charging at Ryu, sparks somehow began flying between her and Raphiel instead.

People always said that those who argued the most often got along the best…

But these two had been living under the same roof for months now, and there still hadn’t been a single day when they didn’t pick a fight.

Honestly, I wished they’d learn to coexist a little more peacefully.

“…Mmm… fighting both of you… at once… is fine…”

“Feeling pretty confident, aren’t you? I think the Saint and I together would be unbeatable.”

“It pains me to agree with Eve, but I believe so as well.”

“…Mmm… that’s fine.”

Without another word, Ryu quietly turned and began walking toward the beach, with Eve and Raphiel eagerly following after her.

…I had a very bad feeling about this.

“…Maybe I’ll use the leftover squid livers to make some shiokara. That’ll make a nice souvenir for the village chief.”

“Father… has such distant eyes…”

“Eight-niisan always starts cooking whenever he wants to escape reality.”

Don’t call it escaping reality.

◇　◆　◇

Roughly an hour by ship from the imperial capital of the Luresia Empire lay a tiny, forgotten island.

Its entire shoreline was surrounded by jagged black rocks, while two powerful ocean currents collided around it without cease, whipping the sea into a perpetual frenzy. Towering waves crashed endlessly against the cliffs, making a normal landing by boat utterly impossible.

Standing upon that isolated island was one of the Dragon King’s retainers—

Orvier.

“What kind of ridiculous place did they seal the Dragon King’s Eye in…?”

Completely drenched from head to toe, Orvier clicked her tongue in irritation and spat out the complaint.

She had stolen a small vessel from the harbor and attempted to approach the island by sea.

Unfortunately, the violent currents had swallowed the boat whole before she ever reached shore.

After that…

Nothing but sheer determination, stubborn grit, and an unreasonable refusal to die had carried her forward.

She had plunged into the freezing water and swum through the murderous waves with every ounce of strength she possessed until, somehow, she managed to crawl onto the island alive.

By the time she reached land, however, her body was already battered and exhausted to the point of collapse.

“…Where… exactly… am I…?”

The island’s interior was covered in dense, ancient forest.

Massive trees stretched endlessly toward the heavens, their thick canopies blotting out much of the sunlight overhead.

Every direction looked exactly the same.

No matter how far she walked, she saw nothing but endless walls of trees and tangled undergrowth.

Her sense of direction quickly began to fail.

Knowing full well that she had absolutely no talent for navigation, Orvier carefully carved marks into the trunks of trees as she advanced, painstakingly making her way toward the island’s center, where the Dragon King’s Eye was supposedly sealed.

“I finally found it!!”

By the time the afternoon sun had already begun sinking toward the horizon, she finally spotted it.

A small stone shrine.

The very instant she laid eyes on it—

Bang!!

A sharp, explosive sound echoed through the forest.

Something sliced past her cheek.

Pure instinct took over.

She immediately threw herself behind the nearest tree.

(A long-range attack…? Could it be that suspicious-looking man who chased me at the orphanage…?)

The image that surfaced in Orvier’s mind was Hijiri.

Even after she had turned her back to flee, he had attacked without the slightest hesitation.

But despite remembering him, the thought of eliminating Hijiri never crossed her mind.

She had no concept of firearms.

She couldn’t understand how he was attacking.

And charging recklessly at an enemy whose methods she couldn’t comprehend was simply asking to be killed.

That would be far too embarrassing an end.

With her mind made up, Orvier burst from behind the tree and sprinted straight toward the shrine.

Bang!!

(Just as I thought… they really don’t want me getting close to the shrine!)

She still couldn’t identify the weapon.

But she understood the objective.

Whoever was attacking was trying to prevent anyone from approaching the shrine that sealed the Dragon King’s Eye.

Once she understood that much, she could at least estimate where the shots would likely come from and dodge accordingly.

“Ghk!”

Without warning, another bullet tore through the forest.

It punched cleanly through Orvier’s leg.

Agonizing pain exploded through her body—

—but only for an instant.

She immediately invoked a Miracle of Healing.

Warm holy light enveloped the wound, knitting flesh and bone back together almost instantly.

She never slowed.

She kept running.

Even so, the sudden injury caused her footing to falter, throwing off her balance.

“Tch! Hiding where I can’t see you? What a coward!! At least show your face!!”

Her voice rang loudly through the dark forest.

An obvious taunt.

But the assassin offered no reply.

Silence.

Only the calm, mechanical rhythm of reloading.

Then—

Bang!!

“!?”

A single bullet pierced straight through Orvier’s forehead.

A perfect headshot.

The round blasted through her skull, leaving a gruesome hole as the light vanished from her eyes.

Her body crumpled lifelessly onto the forest floor.

Even then, the hidden assassin remained cautious.

Additional bullets slammed into her head one after another.

Again.

And again.

And again.

It was blatant overkill.

Yet the assassin refused to stop firing at the corpse.

Only after expending a total of fourteen rounds did he finally emerge to verify the kill.

“Yep… her pulse has completely stopped.”

Hijiri crouched beside the body, calmly confirming Orvier’s death.

Now all that remained was disposing of the corpse…

…and then finding a way to defeat the Dragon King herself.

That was when—

“So… just like I expected. You came out to make sure I was dead.”

“…That’s strange. I was certain you’d died.”

“I cast the Miracle of Resurrection on myself beforehand. Resurrection. The holy power it consumes is absurd, so I only get one chance.”

“I see… so I was the one lured into the trap.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Hijiri tossed aside the sniper rifle he’d been carrying.

His hands dropped to the holsters strapped to both thighs.

With practiced, fluid motions, he drew a pair of revolvers.

The second round had begun.