We abandoned the carriage, and the three of us mounted our horses and hurried to the Royal City.

　We were a few minutes behind Dr. Noor.

　By the time we were about to enter the city, debris was flying around the center of the royal city, and the towering royal castle had crumbled into fragments.

　The fumes rising all around the area - right now, the teacher is fighting against the [evil dragon of disaster] on the other side.

　You can't see him directly, but it's a tremendous sight.
　Every time the demon dragon makes a move, an earthquake occurs, the buildings in the eastern section of the royal capital are destroyed in the blink of an eye, the houses in front of us fall down, and the area is turned into a clearing one after another.
　Above all, from time to time, the dragon would release a tremendously powerful magic ray - that was the legendary "Breath" of the demon dragon - the "Light of Doom".
　A few of them fell on the distant plains and made holes in the ground.
　There is a battle going on over there that could change the surrounding terrain.

　It's hard to believe that this is a battle between man and dragon.
　But Professor Noor is indeed fighting that demon dragon.
　The dragon's relentless attacks are proof of that.

　He's like a real hero out of a heroic tale...

Something's coming...!

　At the sound of Inez's voice, I turned around, and for a moment my body froze.
　There they were... the three Goblin Emperors.
　The three giants were running towards us in a swarm.

"...?

　One of them scooped up debris from the ground with its huge hands and threw it at us one after another.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to do it.

You'll be able to't get rid of it.

　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.
　But there is no way to prevent it - the horse is struck by debris and its head is crushed.
　We lost our horses and were thrown to the ground.

"Stay close to me, please.

　Inez creates the Shield of Light in front of us again.
　The Goblin Emperors approached us in an instant and struck us all at once, but the Shield of Light blocked them.

"Thank you for your help, Inez.
But if you don't...

　Inez's voice is strained.
　I know.
　We're surrounded now.
　There's nowhere to run.
　There's no way out.
　The Goblin Emperor is a monster, but even Dr. Noll had a hard time with it.
　If we, the helpless ones, were to be surrounded...

　Surrounded by a monster of such stature that I could barely move, my legs cowered in fear.

　But I can't just run away here.
　There is no escape.

　What would you do in a situation like this?
　If you were here... what would you say?



"Don't be afraid, he's just a goblin...

　I'm going to try and say that.

　As soon as I said it, the trembling in my legs mysteriously subsided.

　That's right.
　What are you fighting now, doctor?
　He's fighting to the death against that legendary [evil dragon of disaster].

　If I'm going to become a disciple of someone like that... and I'm cowed by a mere goblin...
　I'm sure my teacher will be disgusted with me again.

Let's deal with them calmly... first, we'll stop them one by one.
Yes, sir.

I'm going to stitch them to the ground with ice... [Icicle Dance]

　I will create countless blocks of ice and throw them at the Goblin Emperors.
　But they are quick.
　No matter how many times I repeat it, I can't hit them.
　I don't care if it's Mr. Noll, there's no way I can keep up with that speed.
　A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead.

I'll stop it. ......

　The demon boy behind us, Rollo, stepped forward and opened his mouth.

"Don't move...

"Gegah.

　At that moment, one of the Goblin Emperors stopped moving.

　Now. Now.

"Icicle Dance.

　At the feet of one of the goblin emperors that stopped moving, I shot a block of ice at once.
　I hit it.
　The ice blocks I created froze the Goblin Emperor's legs, destroying them and sewing him to the ground.

It will heal quickly... Inez, finish it with the sword.
"Yes.

　Inez released the shield of light that had been covering us and created a long sword of light in its place.
　He held it silently and swung it out horizontally.

"[Divine Sword]".

　A ray of light flashed horizontally, and the goblin's head flew off.
　At the same time, all of the surrounding houses cracked horizontally... and collapsed with a resounding crash.

"First of all...

　Inez confirmed that the goblins had stopped moving and removed her sword from her hand.

　Inez, the divine sword.

　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time with your family.
　In addition to the absolute protection of the Shield of Light, Inez can also handle the Sword of Light.
　A sword of absolute severance that will surely cut through even the armor of an orichalcon if it strikes.



"Two more...

　We looked up at the sky.
　The remaining Goblin Emperors had avoided the Sword of Light and were leaping high into the air.
　That's a hell of a reaction time.
　As the goblin emperors attacked us from the air, Inez caught them with her Shield of Light... and just as they landed, Rollo stopped them again.

"Don't move...

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.
　I'm not sure what to make of this.
　It's hard to believe that this is the same child who was so frightened of us just a few minutes ago.
　I can understand why demons are feared all over the world as a race.

　But this child must be...
　I'm sure she came all this way to save Professor Noll.
　She was so afraid of him, yet she's standing here with all her courage.

"Cocytus.

　I activated the skill to freeze the ground and turn my opponent into an ice statue.
　I stitched him to the ground with ice, and Inez cut off his head... And just as we were finishing off all of the Goblin Emperors, the roar in the area suddenly stopped.


"Doctor...?


　It's over.
　The battle between the demon dragon and man is over.

　If the noise has stopped, it means one of them has won and one of them has lost.

Let's hurry. Maybe you need our help.
"────── Yes.

　We have to get rid of the demons.
　We hurried to the heart of the city, where the dust was still rising.