Thump.........

　A heavy sound echoed through the hiding place of the 'Numbered Children (Numbers)'.
　The ceiling creaked, and at the same time, dust fluttered down.

　The one who wrinkled his brow was 17.
　He had already returned to his hiding place, and in front of him was a girl in a huge glass bottle.
　The girl they call 'mama' - №0 - is the girl they call 'mama'.

"What was that tremor?

　17 snorted.
　Perhaps something happened on the ground.
　But even so, the impact is too strong.
　Even if some magic exploded, if you guessed it, it was a shock that would wipe out an entire city.

　No demon on earth right now has this level of destructive power.
　Not even the students of Chapter 5 would have it.
　If it was conceivable, it would be Lasell, but he couldn't be considered a reckless person who would destroy the city.
　If that's the case--''

''No way........''

Phew!

　It was my mom who laughed.

'Apparently, that boy has awakened,'

No way.

　17 tipped.
　I was about to leave when my mom pulled me aside.

'Good. Drop it.

But if we don't, it will mean that this Sow Trading State will be burnt to ashes.

'Sooner or later we will have to leave the Sow Trading Country. There's no point in worrying about the country you're leaving, 17

'That's true, but...'

"And I don't think they want to see a country destroyed.

What about the other side?

'Naturally, you're a wise man. Hmmm......... This is good. In terms of measuring his strength, 16 is a good match for him. After all, 16 is the strongest number among the 'number children' (ssssss) who are now burdened (ssss) with us (ssss) and have the strongest number (ssss).

　Mom smiled wryly.


　◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆


　It was just a moment.
　As soon as 24 huffed out a mouthful of fire, it burned itself out.
　In the blink of an eye, he was enveloped in red lilies, illuminating the surroundings in a shimmering light.

''A suicide bomb?!

　Lucian was surprised by 24's sudden odd behavior.
　Vael, who was also a Lord, also gasped.

''No, it's not!''

　The one who immediately denied it was Sarasa.
　Her eyes were shining brightly and she was activating her signature 【Future Vision】.
　Although it was Sarasa who clearly denied it, her face was also colored with astonishment.

'Sarasa, what on earth can you see?'

I don't know.

　Sarasa spits out the words as if shaking them out of the back of her throat.

'But I think something will happen that even my [future vision] can't confirm. And that's definitely not a good thing.

　There is a limit to the future vision.
　It is not possible to see the future beyond the information known to the user.

　We are in that very situation now.
　There was something horrible future that Sarasa didn't understand, something terrible waiting for her.

'Hmph.'

　It was Vael who breathed hard.

'If something sinister is going to happen, I have no right to wait for you.

　Vael activates his magic.

　[Frozen Prison]

　The blade of the [Frozen Dog Witch] attacked the flaming 24.
　But--.

　Swoosh!

　It evaporates in an instant.
　Vael's ice-attribute magic, which has frozen all kinds of things, is incomprehensible.
　However, there was no time to be surprised there.
　The flames flared up even more.
　It became a single pillar of flame and climbed up to the sky.
　It was as if a flaming spear had fallen from the heavens and was piercing the Saw Trading Country.

　A hot wind rolled up and slid down the cobblestone pavement of the Sou Trading Country.
　The heat is so dangerous that if you don't keep your mouth shut, you will be thirsty in an instant.
　It's as hot as after a strong drink.

'Both of you go back.'

　Vael shouted.
　Sarasa and Lucian obeyed what he said.
　Quickly, Vael created an ice attribute shield.
　He endured the hot wind.

d*mn!

　Vael repeatedly created a shield of ice to withstand the hot wind.
　Meanwhile, Sarasa didn't miss the change in the pillar of fire.

''What's that?''

　What emerged from the flames, which turned to mush like molten rock, were wings.
　Majestic wings that seemed to be thousands of times larger than those of a bat.
　What continued to appear were fangs, each one comparable to a giant great sword.
　The skin of a color similar to black iron was exposed, and fierce red eyes flashed.

　And--.

''Gyaaaaaaaaah!

　I spewed a howl.
　It made the air shake with chattering.
　It spread all at once across the narrow island nation of Sow Commerce, making people's earlobes and the pit of their stomachs tremble.

''That is......... A dragon...........''

It would seem so. Perhaps 24 is a dragonborn.

'The dragonborn?　That rare tribe...

　They are a race that has been here in Galveer for thousands of years.
　They have a long lifespan and strong bodies, but most notable is their ability to change into their dragon form.

　However, when they once waged a great war against the demon race, their numbers were reduced to one ten thousandth of their heyday.
　Now, only a small number of Dragon Men had settled in the mountain village where people couldn't enter.

''Why are the Dragon Men here.... Why are they burdened with demons in the first place?''

'Lucien.... You can pry into that later. Oh dear..... The 24th?　Don't lie to me. For the most part, it's 24 in human form; in dragon form, it's probably a higher number.

So, the dragon...

Strong. ...I wonder if you can beat them in Lacelle.

Oh no...

Salasa Vogarde. I have a favor to ask of you.

'Yes, yes. How can I help you?

Will you take my squire and run away?

'What?　Where is Principal Vael?

I'm staying.

　Sarasa was momentarily stunned.
　Naturally, Lucian, who had heard this, shouted like a fierce fire.

''What are you talking about, Vael-sama!　If Master Vael says he's going to stay, then I'm going to stay.

　The moment he was about to say it, he had lost consciousness.
　Quickly, Vael walked behind Lucien and let him eat his hand sword.
　He left his own squire, who was unconscious, in charge of Sarasa.

'Schoolmaster!　No!　I'm staying.

Goodness. I thought you were a good listener, unlike my squire.

　Vael scratched his silver hair.
　His face was unusually troubled.
　On the other hand, Sarasa was glaring at Vael as if she was about to challenge him.

''As the person in charge of the school, it's my responsibility to protect you guys and it's a natural progression. What......... I'm not going to let my life dissipate here. I'm sure Lacelle has seen this. We're just trying to buy a little time for him to arrive.

'Chairman Vael (sic)........'

'You're wrong, Sarasa. I'm the head of the school (I'm the head of the school).

　He pressed one finger to those lips as a light warning to Sarasa.
　Then she smiled thinly.
　Her fluttering white dress and icy silver hair fluttered.

'Absolutely!'

　At his back, Sarasa shouted.

'Absolutely!　Come back to us. Come play with us in Sawyer's Land of Enchantment. It'll be fine. I'm sure Lacelle-kun will get you back to normal in no time.

Yeah, I promise. By the way, it's Sarasa.

Yes?

'What will Lacelle look like if I slay this dragon?'

　Sarasa chuckled.
　It was a spectacular smile, as if she had been released from some kind of tension.

'I'm sure you'll be surprised.'

That's good. Because he never ceased to amaze me from the moment I met him at the entrance ceremony.

Good luck, Principal Vael.

"Take care of my squire.

Yes, sir. I'm on duty.

　The two separated.
　Sarasa retreated backwards, while Vael headed for the heaven and earth piercingly large dragon.

''Well........ Is it worthy of being the playmate of this Duke of Rivild's head of house, Vael Dee Rivild? Let's give it a try.''

　Vael grins.

　She activated her magic.
　At that moment, the air around her froze for a moment.
　The moisture in the air, which had begun to coagulate blue, began to gather above Vael's head.

　Then, it forms a single goddess.

　A summoning technique - it's also a divine class magic.

　Once, when Racel and Mucha were relative, Mucha summoned a spirit, while Racel countered by summoning a phantom beast.
　What Vael is doing now is the same thing as that Lasell.

　[Summoning a phantom beast]

　Vael succeeds in summoning the ice warrior maiden.

　Meanwhile, the dragon didn't just watch, either.
　It sensed a huge concentration of magical power and turned towards Vael.
　The moment he opened his mouth, a red lotus flame lit up in his mouth.

　Even before I exhaled, the temperature around me was rising rapidly.
　Once unleashed, the Sow Trading Country would be reduced to ashes.
　No matter how good Lacelle is, it's impossible to restore the city to that level.
　And even if the city is repaired, it's useless if the people who matter are not there.

I see. I see. My magic and your fire..... You can't compare which one is better. Good!

　Even though Vael was the head of the Duke of Rivild family, he was only 16 years old.
　To be able to [Summon a Phantom Beast] at that age is, needless to say, extraordinary.
　However, it was here that Vael was amazing.

　Vael raises his hand.
　He focused his magic power there.

　He was going to use magic while maintaining the 【Phantom Beast Summoning】.

　【Summoning phantom beasts】 requires extreme concentration.
　On top of that, he was going to activate even more magic in multiple ways.

''Eat it!　This is my all-out effort!


　[Divine Skill (Neil), Two Strikes of the Ice War Maiden (Vastin)]


　A spear is released from the Ice Goddess.
　Furthermore, Vael activated 【Frozen Prison】.
　The released spear poured down from the heavens, and the fangs of the frozen dog attacked from the ground.
　A large ice jaw gate attacked the giant dragon.

　Immediately, the ice eroded the dragon.
　A huge ice statue was formed.

　Looking at the figure, Vael sniffed.

''Hm. I'm sorry, Lacelle. I let you do it on my end.''


　.....


　There was a sharp sound with a snap.
　Instantly, a crack appeared in the thick ice that covered the dragon.
　What's more, leaking out from there is a red lotus flame.
　In an instant, Vael releases the ice magic that he put all his strength into.
　The [Frozen Dog Witch]'s fangs were easily devoured.

'd*mn it!　Then, one more shot.

　Vael holds up his hand.
　But the ice goddess he had summoned did not move.
　On the contrary, it has disappeared.

　Her magic power has run out.

''Poof!　It's good that I accumulated skill points until I was able to acquire the [Summoning Phantasmal Beasts]........ Didn't your basic abilities catch up with you?

　Red light reflected in Vael's icy eyes.
　Flames were burning in the dragon's jaw gate.
　Its sights are now turned towards Vael.

　There is no longer any choice left for Vael but to escape.
　However, my body is dizzy.
　【Summoning phantasmal beasts】, plus multiple activations with magic added.
　No matter how much I trained in the space of Lacelle, it was too risky a tactic in a state where my body wasn't yet made up.

　His vision became distorted.
　Finally, he couldn't stand, and Vael's body tilted.
　The moment I thought that I would fall--........

　Thump..........

　I was hit by something very hard.
　It was like steel, but I soon realized that it was a person's chest plate.
　He gently turned his faintly open eyes to the back.

　Blue eyes similar to his own overlapped.

''Oh dear.... You've come this far, Headmaster?'

　A familiar voice could be heard.
　The voice roused Vael more than ten thousand cheers.

'La, cel........or.......'

Yes..... I'm here to help.

''Hmm.... That's humiliating.

'Didn't you hear that?　I said I'm here to help.

Yeah, I know. I know. ....Totally - you always surprise me.

　It was then.
　The light of the red lotus enveloped Vael and Lacelle.
　Right now, flaming breath was about to be released from the dragon's mouth.

''Lacelle!

Don't worry...

　Lacelle holds up her hand.


　[Gravity Sphere (sit up)]


　

　A roaring sound rang out.
　The next thing I knew, the dragon had been slammed into the city of Sow Commerce.

　As expected of Vael, he peeled his eyes away and was surprised.

''Don't get all huffy, dragon man style.

　Lacelle, on the other hand, raised the corners of her mouth.