Dragon Maken War

Chapter 192 - Transition of Tactics (3)

6

“I didn’t realize you were the legendary hero in the past, and I was discourteous, marquis Azell Karzark.”

Arrieta was courteous as she gave her respects.

This was their first reunion after they parted ways within the Dukedom of Tarantos. It had been four months. The truths that had been revealed to her in that time frame hadn’t been light.

Azell burst out laughing.

“How did you find out?”

“Our enemies gave us the confirmation. The words you threw out as a joke was the truth.”

“You believed their words?”

“I believed them. There was always a voice in the corner of my heart that said it might be possible. It was easy to accept it when I received the confirmation. My brother wasn’t pleased with the information.”

At her words, Azell’s gaze turned towards Seigar. His expression revealed a lot of complex emotions.

He knew Azell was an incredible person. The stuff he had learned from Azell was worth the weight in gold.

However, he had been humiliated by Azell. He acknowledged that Azell was the legendary hero, but he felt trepidation in expressing his respects. It was the pride of a young man.

Azell smirked.

“You don’t have to start that now. Just treat me like before. I am a marquis of the Nadick empire. You are a princess. I’m not ranked as high as you.”

“Hmm. If that is your wish, I’ll do so.”

Arietta suddenly changed her attitude. The change was so fast that Azell had to laugh.

“You became quite imposing since the last time I saw you. You became stronger.”

“Normally, aren’t you supposed to say I became more beautiful?”

“I’m sure some dimwit count from some province will willingly sing your praise. I’ll speak to you as a warrior.”

“You skill with words remains the same. However, I’m not offended by it. It is none other than the legendary hero Azell Karzark giving me that compliment..”

“I already have the Duke blowing smoke up my ass. I think one is enough. Anyways, let’s stop talking about me now….. Shall we get to the main topic?”

“I heard the short version from my mother.”

Dragon Demon queen Lier was a member of the Guardian Shadows. She retired from the organization after she became queen, but she still maintained her relationship with the other members of the Guardian Shadows. She gave support when needed.

Of course, she hadn’t revealed this fact to her children.

It was because the duty of the royal family was already heavy as it is. Lier hadn’t wanted to draw her two children into the Guardian Shadow’s brutal fight.

However, the situation had changed. The truths, which had been frustratingly veiled to them, were being brought out into the open. The time for a showdown was approaching. It might be the critical conflict that would decide the fate of humanity.

Lier was able to understand this truth when Kairen explained the situation to her. Kairen was now in charge of the Guardian Shadows, and she decided to deploy her two children.

“An organization made by the Archmage Carlos was fighting the Dragon Demon king worshippers from behind the scenes…. It is quite surprising. However, it doesn’t surprise me that teacher is a member of this organization.”

Kairen hadn’t told Arrieta and Seigar about the Guardian Shadows. However, Arrieta had always felt Kairen had a secret that he wouldn’t share with her. It felt as if he was trying to protect her from something.

Azell spoke.

“I’ll start telling you the specifics. I’ll take questions before I do that.”

Since the two of them were being made into members of the Guardian Shadows, they had a lot to explain. A long conversation ensued.

7

“It feels like I’m dreaming.”

When one was away from a girl going through puberty, even a small amount of time resulted in a big change.

Azell felt this this truth anew. It had only been 4 months, but Enora had grown noticeably. Of course, she was still a cute girl that hadn’t lost all her baby fat yet.

Azell asked her a question.

“Why?”

“Mmm. Sir Azell…. Should I call you Marquis Karzark?”

“You can just call me by Sir Azell.”

“I’ll do so. I can’t believe I’m trimming the hair of the legendary hero Azell Karzark.”

It had been awhile since they met, so Enora was trimming Azell’s hair. When his hair bothered him, he had cut it off with a knife. It seemed his hair had gotten very rough compared to the last time she saw him.

“It isn’t as if this is your first time doing this. I thought you said you didn't think it was a big deal even if I turned out to be Azell Karkark.”

“Y...you should quickly forget that I said such words.”

Enora’s face became red. Azell hadn’t forgotten what she said last time.

“…still, I really was surprised.”

“You don’t look too surprised right now.”

“When I heard it for the first time, I almost fainted .”

In regards to Azell’s identity, Arrieta had received confirmation from the Dragon Demon king’s followers within the Balan forest. Afterwards, she told the truth she had learned to Enora.

At that moment, here eyes had turned round like a rabbit.

“So what did you feel?”

“Mmmm…….”

At Azell’s question, Enora mumbled to herself before she answered him. She had a slightly coy expression on her face.

“I was surprised, but at the same time, I accepted it. It sounded plausible.”

It was the same for Arrieta and Giles. When they realized he was the hero Azell Karzark from the history books, they became surprised. However, it seemed obvious when they heard the truth. They discovered that they were able to accept this fact without much trouble.

“The stories you told me before has more impact on me now.”

“You mean the stories from my era?”

“You really sound like someone from the past when you said that.”

“Mmm. Did I sound like an old man?”

“A little bit.”

Enora let out a playful laughter as she asked him a question.

“I don’t know much about this, but….. I know that you are fighting an important fight like you did in the past.”

Enora was told about Azell’s identity, but she hadn’t been told the specifics of their situation. It was something she shouldn’t know about.

However, she had pieced together information she had gleaned from her past experience. She realized that Azell was fighting a fight that was as important as the Dragon Demon war.

“Unfortunately, you are right.”

“It’s unfortunate?”

“If possible, I wanted to wake up in an era where I wouldn’t have to fight. I wanted a world where girls like Ms Enora wouldn’t have to be scared of the evil Dragon Demon king worshippers.…….”

“…….”

She stared at Azell as she asked him a question.

“Sir Azell, what do you want to do after the fight ends?”

“Mmm?”

“I’m curious. What does the legendary hero want to do after the fight ends?”

“Something I want to do…..”

Azell had a dumbfounded expression on his face as if he was taken aback.

He hadn’t thought about this problem before.

After he woke up, fighting was synonymous with his life. He always fought fiercely against the enemies in front of him, so a future with no fight was like an abstract concept to him.

He wanted to live a peaceful life.

He wanted to live a happy life.

He possessed such vague hopes, but he never sat down to plan out what he wanted to do. He had always been too busy.

After thinking over it for a moment, Azell queried her.

“What about Ms Enora?”

“I asked you first.”

“You are asking about my future. That information is a bit pricey…..”

“Hmmph. All right. I’ll let it slide since you are the legendary hero.”

Her voice made it obvious that she was sulking. Azell laughed. Enora spoke.

“I’ll serve the princess until she retires. When she retires, I’ll follow the princes, and I’ll become her personal head maid. I’ll be in a position to order around other maids with just the gesture of my chin. After while, I want to meet someone nice. It is my dream to live a happy life.”

“That sounds a bit… It doesn’t sound like a girl’s dream. It sounds too realistic.”

“Of course. What nonsense are you talking about? Do you realize how much on the job experience I possess? I’ve even thought about becoming the head maid of the royal family. However, the position comes with power, and I don’t like that. I decided to give up on that idea. The princess is the world’s laziest person, and she is good to have as a mistress. I want to be by her side, and I want to be happy as I live free from worldly cares.”

“Your plan in life is so clear. Amazing.”

“It is your turn now, sir Azell.”

“Hmmm. I’ll probably…. I believe I’ll have to fight again.”

Azell let out a bitter laughter as he spoke.

Enora’s eyes turned round.

“Why?”

“There are too many unfinished business that can only be solved through fights.”

When he was posed the question by Enora, he took the opportunity to organize what he had to do.

“When the fight ends…….”

Soon, he had to defeat the revived Dragon Demon king Atein and his subordinates. He would have to end the fight that had continued from the time before his sleep.

If he did that…..

“I want to return to my lands. I want to restore it, so people can live there again. The Bijes kingdom has dispute over my lands, so it won’t be easy. However, it is something that must be done.”

“Ah…….”

At his words, Enora looked as if she knew she had made a faux pas.

The tragedy at the County of Karzark was well known. It was a historical event to her, but she couldn’t imagine the huge wound that was being felt by him.

“Don’t make such an expression, Ms Enora. You didn’t make any mistake.”

“How can you say that when you can’t even see me…..”

Enora was standing behind Azell, since she was trimming his hair.

Azell asked in a playful manner.

“I can see you?”

“How?”

“Look to the side.”

Enora was frightened to death when she casually looked to her side. Another Azell was there. He was propping up his chin as he stared at her.

“Kyahhhhhhk!”

“Huhk, Ms Enora! That’s dangerous! Scissors! Watch it with the scissors!”

He had used his clone to surprise Enora. Azell hurriedly dodged the scissors being wielded by Enora.

8

Laura was sitting in a rocking chair as she held up a book as if it was a shield. It had the size and thickness of a slab of stone.

It truly had been a long time since she had a break. After the business at the mountain peak of Laus had ended, they had busily moved all over the continent. They had to sleep outside most of the time. This was why the current situation was like a sweet dream. She was resting in a luxurious room, and her needs were being taken care of by the servants.

She suddenly raised her head.

“Azell.”

She felt the presence of Azell within her room. Laura’s eyes turned round.

Laura tilted her head in confusion.

“What?”

“…nothing. You just look like an old lady.”

Laura was wearing a loose gown as she sat on her rocking chair. She was reading a book, while she had a blanket covering her knees.

‘She looks sexy, but why is she giving off a vibe that makes her seems like an old lady or a dame?’

The Dragon Demon Queen had accepted Azell’s party as important guests. This was why skilled maids had worked over Laura. They made her shine.

If she had put on some nice clothes, she would be drop-dead gorgeous…….

‘She is still alluring right now..’

He could see milky cleavage between her loose gown, and her bare feet were showing. The sight of Laura was enough to make his imagination go down odd paths. However, Laura’s attitude was that of an old lady, who was relaxing in her own house.

Laura sounded sullen when she spoke.

“It has been awhile since others took care of me. I just became a bit relaxed.”

She had been an important figure within the Plain of Darkness, so she didn’t feel awkward when being served by others. Azell smirked.

“It is ok to be like this for one day. We are well defended.”

“It is a bit funny that we have to waste my mental power in order to rest like this.”

On the surface, she looked very relaxed. However, Laura was using various magic spells right now.

In the first place, high rank magicians were paranoid about their safety. They couldn’t relax without taking all the precautions. If she wanted to truly relax, she had to lay down magic spells that would act as barriers. One needed an exhaustive personality if one wanted to deploy all the defensive magic.

Of course, she had also taken measures in regards to the Vitan’s Chalice.

It provided the real time location to their enemies, so it was dangerous to have this information known even if they were residing within the palace. The Dragon Demon King worshippers had an absolute rule of working in the shadows. However, Azell’s party didn’t want to make such a dangerous gamble in regards to how their enemies would behave.

From the perspective of their enemies, Azell was someone they wanted to kill at all costs. They might risk exposing their existence to the public. They might try to destroy the royal palace of a kingdom.

“Have any enemies approached this place?”