149. The Battle Maiden is Raising a Black Dragon (39)
Towards Hadith who was descending from the sky, a familiar soldier called out.
āB, baker… you, can use magic?ā
Hadith nodded while staring at the waning magical circle.
āThatās right, although just a little. More importantly, the city seems to have been the target. Go help them.ā
āG, got it. Hey, how many people are there!?ā
āB, baker, what is that offensive magic circle? Did something happen outside?ā
āIt looks like the magic circle is attacking dragons outside the city with anti-air magic. The circle is getting thinner, and itāll vanish soon. However, itās likely a new magic circle will just appear in its place.ā
Screams were raised one after another.
āIf we get attacked by something like that, weāll be obliterated!ā
āBut, shouldnāt such a large-scaled spell consume a lot of magic? I donāt think the caster will be able to move properly for a few days.ā
Unless a person had an extraordinary amount of magic like Jill or Hadith, there was a limit to the capacity of said personās magical power.
āIf Iām not mistaken, a bit more than 20 people came from Kratos, right? Two are already downāthree, once this magic disappears. That means there are about twenty people left.ā
āT, twenty…?ā
āItās alright. We can deal with them by taking advantage of our numbers.ā
That was right. They could handle everyoneāexcept for one person. Hadith laughed bitterly.
The magical power that caused the explosion within the temple earlier was on a whole different level. However, there was no point informing the soldiers of such. They were already confused by the sudden onslaught of magic, more would only intimidate them further.
āLetās us regroup with General South. As the battle proceeds, the magicians will inadvertently exhaust their magical power. If we act properly with a strategy, our chancesāā
āWeāve captured, the temple!ā
A high-pitched voice interrupted Hadithās explanation.
āWhat is it this time!?ā
āItās a bird! A bird is talking!ā
āIs this also the magic of Kratos!?ā
āJust, surrender! Just, surrender! Weāre giving you twenty-four hours of grace!ā
The birds perched on the trees, the pigeons lined up on the walls, and chickens kept in the city kept repeating the same words.
āThrow away, your weapons, imperial army! Weāve captured, General South!ā
āIf you donāt surrender within 24 hours, weāll burn the town! Everyone will be killed!ā
A massive commotion erupted among the soldiers. The citizens started to riot.
āJust, surrender, you rebels! No one will come!ā
āYou canāt escape from this city, surrender, or you will be annihilated! Hihihihihiāā
At the end of the eerie laughter, the heads of the birds exploded. High-pitched screams arose and children began to cry. The tension and the confusion among the soldiers never stopped.
āG, General South was captured…?ā
āWe have to save him! Letās initiate a rescue operation!ā
āWhat are you talking about!? Shouldnāt we evacuate the people, first!?ā
āWe wonāt be able to leave the city. Look, thereās a new spell.ā
At Hadithās urging, the soldiers made bitter expressions. The magic circle in the sky had vanished. However, a distorted, transparent, wall could be seen surrounding the city. It was a wall made of magical power. Hadith threw some pebbles he picked up. There was a clicking sound and the pebbles turned into charcoal and crumbled.
What would happen if they tried to flee the city and touched said wall?
No one wanted to risk it.
What a familiar tactic. They sure know how to fuel confusion and fear.
If handled poorly, the citizens would point their weapons at the soldiers. Moreover, the temple where the sacred relic of the Dragon Princess was kept had also been occupied.
āIn addition, if we donāt surrender within 24 hours, the city will be attacked…!?ā
āWhat do we do!? Moreover, without General Southā”
āBe quiet!!ā
The surroundings calmed down at Hadithās shout. Sighing, Hadith turned around and looked over everyone.
āFirst, evacuate the citizens to the basement of the castle, or some houses. They can withstand aerial magic. After that, calculate the enemyās strength and gather all the soldiers in the castle.ā
āB, baker, you…ā
āDo you think you still have the luxury to laze around? We only have 24 hours of grace. We also donāt know if the enemy will truly give us that long.ā
āBut, General South isnāt here…ā
āThen, were all those claims about protecting the Dragon Princessā sacred relic from Kratos just lies?ā
At Hadithās cold remark, the soldiers were at a loss for words.
āIn the end, be it Georg, South, all of youāyouāre just talk.ā
In the next moment, anger reflexively appeared within the eyes of the soldiers. It seemed that they still had the energy to rebel.
They seem to be fine.
With a sigh, Hadith put his hand on his waist.
āWhat are you upset about? All you have to do is reclaim the Temple of the Dragon Princess and lower that flag before the imperial capital condemns you as rebels and enacts punishment.ā
āBaker…! How much do you know…!?ā
āNot to mention, weāve received reinforcements.ā
The reason why the magic circle sent its anti-air spell outward was because there was a group flying with dragons.
āOr, will you surrender for the sake of being spared? That way, General South wonāt be left killed. Well, heād ended up being branded as the mastermind behind the rebellion, though.ā
āWe canāt let that happen!ā
āIs that so? Then make good use of your time, minds, and lives. You donāt want to be jeered at and punished by your hated emperor, right?ā
The soldiersā expressions tightened at Hadithās mock filled laughter.
āIāll do it!ā A scream rose out of nowhere.
Even though they were confused, morale had to be maintained. Hadith had only recovered half of his magic, but he had to protect the city and the sacred relic.
Until Jill arrived, neither the city nor the sacred relic could be allowed to fall into the hands of Kratos.
āIf so, Iād like someone to act as a messenger. Iād like to cooperate with the reinforcements.ā
āB, baker… like I said earlier, are those truly reinforcements?ā
āIt could be either the Dragon Princess, or the second prince, Listeard.ā
A buzz spread quickly. A familiar soldier spoke in a hurry.
āWhat do you mean?ā
āFirst of all, this needs to be confirmed. However, even if I manage to synchronize my magic with that magical wall and create an opening for the messenger to leave through, thereās no saying heāll be safe. To put it simply, the messenger might die.ā
āWhat!?ā
āOf course, I will protect said messenger, but I canāt guarantee the survival. So, who is willing to die?ā
Towards Hadithās grin, the soldiers gulped. Seeing that, Hadith erased his expression and clicked his tongue.
āUseless. Well, you can all die here, then.ā
āI, Iāll do it!ā
āNo, let me do it!ā
Hadith shrugged.
…They shouldāve said that earlier.
Well then, how should I mobilize them?
The soldier with a familiar face gently called out to Hadith while he was contemplating.
āBaker… I am curious… the sword you wield earlier, where did it come from?ā
Speaking of which, he had manifested the heavenly blade…
…Hadith blurred out while gazing towards the sky.
āWho knows. I picked it up from somewhere.ā
āHadith, whaā!? This was the perfect time for you to reveal yourself as the Dragon Emperorā!!ā
āIām just a baker.”
The familiar-looking soldier awkwardly smiled while nodding.
***T/N: Rave, you don’t understand. Hadith wants to go down the history as that Emperor who cooked and looked good.
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Hadith is just going to capture the entire runaway army by their stomachs, isn’t he. I can’t wait until Vissel arrives and all the soldiers here are ready to defend their baker to the death.
Vissel: …Hadith. What are you doing with the rebels.
Hadith: Oh? Rebels? What rebels. These guys aren’t rebels. Are you rebels?
Runaway Imperial army: No way!
Hadith: See? Definitely not rebels.
Vissel: ….