“…Ugh… what a terrible experience.”
I slumped in my seat, utterly drained. And it was all because that lump of fat had forcibly held me in place.
『Women’s chests are basically lumps of fat, so the feel would be the same, right?』
(That’s completely different! If that were true, then an old man’s belly would feel the same, aaaaahhh!)
After finishing Fana and Anje’s promotion exams, we left the Adventurers’ Guild Headquarters and boarded the Seno Grande Kai. We are now heading toward Vegaltia. We had to report their successful promotions directly to Arc.
Also… since the exam had been right before, we had left Colette and Zeta behind without attending to them properly.
Just then, the alarm blared through the airship.
Woong~ woong~ woong~ woong~
【Something is approaching from the rear at an incredible speed. Highly likely to be a hostile entity. 】
The ship’s onboard system reported.
At the same time, an emergency announcement echoed through the vessel.
I turned around to see what was coming.
“Is that… could it be… the lump of fat!?”
『It’s the Association President.』
Maribel was barreling toward us. Even though the airship was moving at a significant speed, she was overtaking it with ease.
“No way… is she trying to… pick me up again!?”
『Doesn’t look like it from the aura she gave off.』
Just as Lindwurm had said, something about the situation felt off.
Suddenly, towering pillars of fire erupted around Maribel.
“Wha…? She’s attacking!?”
【 Offensive magic detected. Deploying defense shield.】
Seven blazing columns shot forth, each one rushing toward them like the heads of a seven-headed dragon. The shield generated by the Seno Grande Kai bore the full force of the assault.
Booom!!
The shield held on but the impact sent the ship lurching violently.
“What… what is happening!?”
Rushing into the control room, flustered and wide-eyed, was Dana, who had been lost in her research back in the ship’s magical workshop.
“We don’t know either… but it seems someone we know is attacking us. Dana, you should stay in the shelter room. It’s too dangerous out here.”
Even as that exchange was happening, Maribel was preparing to unleash the same spell again.
“Here it comes again!”
“The shield… can it still hold on?”
【Defense shield was damaged by sixty percent in the previous attack. Barrier won’t withstand another hit. Initiating counterattack. Mana charged. Targeting confirmed. —Ready to fire.】
Immediately, a cannon of pure magical energy shot forward. It collided head-on with Maribel’s seven pillars of fire, and with a deafening roar, the forces canceled each other out.
The Seno Grande Kai fired a second magical cannon, but this time, Maribel dodged it, closing the distance with frightening speed.
Judging that a single, focused blast wouldn’t be enough, the next volley split into multiple streams of laser-like projectiles. They rained down from all directions, striking Maribel in several places.
“A barrier…”
Maribel, having blocked the previous volley with her barrier, now conjured twelve towering pillars of fire.
【Warning! Shield cannot withstand attack. All personnel, brace for impact.】
“Brace for impact?! How exactly are we supposed to do that—Aaaaaaaaaaah!?”
The fiery columns surged toward the Seno Grande Kai.
Boooooooom!!
【Critical damage to propulsion system. Flight impossible. Ship will crash.】
The vessel lost all thrust and plummeted toward the ground with terrifying speed.
We leapt from the ship just in time. Luckily, we were over a large lake, and a nearby island provided a safe landing spot.
The Seno Grande Kai slammed into the water with a tremendous splash, sending a towering wave spraying in every direction. The sudden deluge fell around us like a torrential rain, soaking everything in its path.
“Ah… I almost forgot about Dana. Well, she should be safe inside the shelter room. And since we’re over water, the fire should die out pretty quickly anyway.”
Then, Maribel descended toward us.
“Hm… no staff?”
“She’s riding some kind of ring instead.”
“That actually looks more stable.”
The moment I saw it, I was struck dumb.
“No way… the Rainbow Dragon Staff… Ouroboros…?”
I couldn’t help but speak the name aloud. The staff now blazed a furious red, like fire itself. Its dragon-shaped head bit its own tail, forming a perfect circular ring.
『…No mistake about it. Moreover, it seems the staff has been unsealed and is now controlling the woman’s mind.』
Lindwurm nodded gravely.
The Rainbow Dragon Staff, Ouroboros, was, like Lindwurm and Bahamut, a magical staff I had created in my previous life. But its power was far too dangerous, so it had been sealed under multiple layers of enchantments and stored as one of the most forbidden artifacts in existence.
But by Deophrastus’ hand, it had vanished from the Tower of the Great Sage along with the other forbidden artifacts. I had assumed it was still somewhere in the magical city, yet for some reason, it could not be found.
I had even asked Meltera to investigate, but… to think that the seal had been broken—and that it would come on its own.
『Kuhahahahaha! So you’ve been reincarnated after all, Aristoteleus! And what a delightfully cute form you’ve taken!!』
The grating voice echoed painfully inside my mind.『Just because you’ve become a fragile infant doesn’t mean I’ll show you mercy! You—who dared to put us in such a form—I’ll tear you to pieces!!”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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