A C-Rank Magic Student Who Deludes Himself into Thinking He Is SSS-Rank - Chapter 32: Due to That Rare Taste

“Long time no see, huh? Who are you?” Shion was met with a glare from Schwaldius, the Black Dragon of Demise, who spoke in a tone that suggested familiarity, though he claimed not to know Shion.

“Well, with this appearance, I guess you wouldn’t recognize me,” Shion casually brushed off the evident hostility from the most formidable dragon, who could easily snatch away lives as if it were as simple as breathing.

“But deep down, you know who I am, don’t you, Blackie?” Shion took a gamble.

He shared the same sparkle in his eyes, the same way of addressing Schwaldius, and used the same language as “a certain person.”

By providing these clues, Shion planted a seed of doubt in his opponent, introducing a small “maybe” into Schwaldius’s mind.

“…I’ve said it before. A man like you… I have no recollection of,” Schwaldius retorted, his tone lacking the conviction it had earlier.

“So, you don’t remember,” Shion noted, sensing a slight response but aware that the information he provided wasn’t enough to fully deceive Schwaldius.

“If you don’t remember, that’s fine,” Shion maintained his composure despite the unfavorable situation.

“Soon enough, you’ll remember, whether you like it or not,” he said confidently, which puzzled Schwaldius, who looked at him suspiciously.

As Schwaldius watched, Shion crouched and touched the ground with his right hand, summoning a magic circle from which he drew a sword, its golden glow unmistakable.

This spell of weapon creation was similar to the one Shion had used before when saving a girl from three villains. However, this time, he created not a katana but a longsword with a blue hilt, pure white blade, and notably, a golden guard engraved with a symbol of a “three-horned dragon” – a symbol among dragonkind signifying a warrior, with the right horn representing “strength,” the left “courage,” and the center “hope.”

“That sword is…?” Schwaldius visibly shook upon recognizing the sword in Shion’s hand.

“The Dragon Slayer Sword, Balmung!” Schwaldius exclaimed, identifying the sword as the legendary weapon once wielded by Siegfried, forged from the highest quality adamantine by the finest dwarf craftsmen of the time.

It was a replica, created with the weapon creation magic Shion wielded, perfectly mimicking the famed hero’s sword, Balmung. Shion had often recreated famous swords for fun using his magic, including “The Dragon Slayer Sword,” not as a childhood endeavor but a hobby from just a year prior, somewhat embarrassing but beneficial under the circumstances. His skill in recreating these weapons, especially under the heightened focus of his “Transzone” state, was unparalleled.

Yet, despite its perfect appearance, this replica lacked the material strength of the original adamantite-made Balmung. The sword Shion held would easily break if struck against a rock.

However, this demonstration had a profound impact.

“What are you… Who exactly are you?!”

Deceiving Schwaldius, the Black Dragon of Demise, was sufficient with just the appearance alone.

Before the perfectly replicated sword, Schwaldius did not seem to doubt that it could be a fake.

For Schwaldius, the sword held by Shion in his right hand was unmistakably the same one that had defeated him numerous times before, an inescapable memory of a fated weapon.

The sudden appearance of this nemesis weapon made Schwaldius raise his voice involuntarily.

Yet, faced with such an intense inquiry, Shion responded calmly.

“Don’t try to deceive me, Blackie. You already know who I am,” Shion pressed, holding the same gaze, speaking manner, and language, and wielding an identical sword to “a certain person.”

With all these elements aligned, the answer seemed almost inevitable.

“…Answer me! Who exactly are you?” Despite Shion’s provocation, Schwaldius kept asking, not yet convinced.

Currently, there is still a lack of a decisive piece of evidence. Even with the same eye color, way of speaking, language, and even the beloved sword of Siegfried, it was still conceivable that Shion might just be a relative of Siegfried.

It would have been easy for Shion to claim he was Siegfried. Yet, avoiding direct confirmation risked provoking Schwaldius into a deadly reaction. Nonetheless, Shion chose not to reveal his identity.

Forcing Schwaldius to conclude independently would ensure the dragon harbored no lingering doubts. Therefore, Shion provided a final piece of information without directly naming himself.

“Have you become so senile in the four hundred years we haven’t met, Blackie?”

Hearing this, Schwaldius momentarily showed a stark change in expression.

“Four hundred years…? You are, indeed…!”

The mention of “four hundred years,” the exact span since Siegfried sealed Schwaldius, turned his suspicion into conviction. However…

“No, that can’t be… It’s been four hundred years! He should have died of old age by now! He can’t be here!”

Schwaldius strongly denied the possibility he had arrived at, as the reality was too hard to accept.

If the man before him were truly Siegfried, it would mean surpassing the average lifespan of half-dragons and humans by far, an unprecedented occurrence since no half-dragon, including the great hero himself, had lived beyond the typical lifespan and certainly not for four hundred years.

“And you, your appearance and scent are completely different from his! You can’t be him!”

Schwaldius vehemently denied the reality before him, pinpointing the critical obstacle in Shion’s deception.

To maintain the pretense of being Siegfried, Shion convincingly explained why he stood before Schwaldius after more than four hundred years, looking and smelling differently.

This moment was crucial.

Shion could fabricate a lie based on his extensive knowledge from documents about Siegfried, claiming Siegfried could use immortality or transformation magic. Still, any forced explanation might leave doubts in Schwaldius’s mind, undermining Shion’s credibility.

Facing an excited Schwaldius without showing any sign of perturbation, Shion took a moment before softly speaking.

“Supposed to be impossible for me to be here, huh?”

Then, locking eyes with Schwaldius, Shion posed a question.

“Then, why am I here?”

“Huh?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Schwaldius let out a perplexed voice.

“…Hey, Blackie. Do you think all of this is just a coincidence?”

“What are you talking about…?”

Schwaldius was utterly confused by the man’s words, yet an inexplicable sense of unease began to rise within him. An eerie anxiety and impatience enveloped him completely.

“The fact that your seal was broken after four hundred years.”

“That you appeared at this academy.”

“And…”

“That I am standing before you right now.”

“…Do you think all of this is just a coincidence?”

A wave of fear struck Schwaldius at that moment.

“What…? What are you trying to say…?”

Despite being enveloped in a mysterious fear, Schwaldius couldn’t grasp the man’s intentions and questioned him. But soon, he realized the implication of those words.

“Could it be… You…?!”

“Yes,” Shion responded with a slight smile, appearing quite pleased with himself.

“I knew everything. That your seal would be broken after four hundred years. That you, with your keen sense of smell, would be drawn to this era to find a descendant of mine. I knew it all from the start.”

Shion continued to speak to a visibly shaken Schwaldius.

“That’s why I was waiting for you like this.”

“Like this, you say…? Don’t tell me you’ve done something as absurd as reincarnating…?!”

Schwaldius asked in a panic.

“Exactly that, Blackie. At the moment of Siegfried’s physical death, I transferred his soul into a new body four hundred years in the future.”

Shion stated this confidently, despite the shock it caused Schwaldius. It was all a bluff; Shion hadn’t known about Schwaldius’s arrival or even that the Black Dragon had been sealed until very recently.

Yet, he made such claims with unwavering confidence, a bold bluff.

“That’s absurd! Such a tale is ludicrous! I’ve never heard of such magic. It’s impossible! Surely, it cannot be… How preposterous…!”

Schwaldius was visibly disturbed by Shion’s audacious lie, which lacked believability.

Reincarnation magic was unheard of even to a dragon who had lived for thousands of years. The idea was far more fantastical than even immortality or transformation magic.

Yet, Schwaldius vehemently denied it based on his vast knowledge and experience.

“Impossible? Nonsense? Heh heh heh…”

Shion simply repeated Schwaldius’s words and chuckled lightly without offering any logical explanation.

“Ahahaha, HAHAHAHAHA!”

Then, he burst into loud laughter, covering his eyes with his left hand as if he couldn’t contain himself.

“What’s so funny?!”

Schwaldius shouted in anger, unable to comprehend the man’s behavior, but Shion continued to laugh heartily.

After a good laugh, Shion finally calmed down and turned back to Schwaldius with a serious expression.

“Hey, Blackie…”

His face now devoid of any smile, he asked Schwaldius in a flat, serene voice.

“Do you think I can’t do it?”

Shion forcefully pushed through with an overwhelmingly assertive stance in this crucial moment, discarding any need for logical explanations or proofs.

His unshakable self-confidence, stemming from being the only SSS-class hero in history, allowed him to assert the impossible.

And finally, after a brief silence, Schwaldius seemed to concede.

“No… Yes, you might be capable of such a feat…”

As Shion’s eyes gleamed golden, staring down Schwaldius, the dragon met his gaze and acknowledged him.

“…Siegfried.”

For the first time that day, Schwaldius uttered that name, accepting that the man before him was the reincarnation of Siegfried.

Shion’s bluff, combined with his timing, persuasion, and strategic use of information, had completely deceived the world’s strongest dragon.

Believing Shion to be Siegfried could turn the tables in his favor, as it meant confronting the only person capable of defeating the black dragon.

Shion was convinced that continuing this verbal maneuvering until reinforcements arrived could save Alphonse.

However, his plan would soon take a dramatic turn.

“It’s been a while, yes. Indeed, it has been a long time…”

Schwaldius’s demeanor became calm and nostalgic.

“I’ve missed you, Siegfried… I never dreamed I would see you again…”

Suddenly, Schwaldius appeared right before Shion, his movement causing a gust that whipped Shion’s hair and uniform around. The dragon’s large shadow covered Shion completely.

“Because for four hundred years, all I have thought about is taking my revenge on you…!”

Schwaldius revealed a twisted smile, genuinely pleased at the prospect of enacting his long-awaited vengeance.