The Encounter Between the Forsaken Healing Magic’s Beloved Child and the Betrayed Black Dragon Princess of Calamity - 11

Chapter 11: Facing Two Pursuers

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“Hoo… I had my suspicions so I came back and sure enough… I was right after all.”

“-?!”

The two men from earlier stepped out from behind the shadows of the trees. I thought my act had fooled them, but of course things wouldn’t go that easily. 

“…Are you sure? Like I said earlier. if anything happens to me, this forest will go up in flames.”

I stood in front of Mercedes-san to shield her and glared at the men, putting up a brave act. Even though I knew they wouldn’t back down now that they had found her, but I at least managed to trick these two men to leave before. That meant, my threat had some effect, even if it wasn’t much. 

“If that’s the price we have to pay to eliminate Mercedes-dono… No, the heinous criminal who has deceived us, dragonkin, for ages, Mercedes Drake Fafnir. Then that’s a small price to pay. As long as we eliminate her, His Majesty Klaus will surely praise us, even if the forest will disappear in flames.”

“Exactly. Killing this woman is more important than this forest.”

Saying that, the two men took a step closer, one at a time. From their confident expressions, it was clear they believed they could defeat Mercedes-san. 

“…Mercedes-san, run.”

I said under my breath without turning around. I was well aware that I had no chance fighting against them. But even so… No matter what happened, I was fully determined to cling to them with everything I had and buy Mercedes-san some time to escape. 

“Me-Mercedes-san?!”

Much to my surprise, Mercedes-san stepped in front of me and faced the two pursuers. 

“Fufu~ Don’t worry. No matter how many small fry like them gather, they couldn’t even lay a scratch on me.”

Turning back to speak to me, Mercedes-san pressed her index finger to her lips and flashed me a mischievous smile. Considering how battered she had been when we first met, she was obviously putting on a fake bravado and it seemed the two men shared the same thought as me. 

“How funny, coming from someone who faked their actual strength and ended up getting thoroughly beaten by us.”

“Maybe people from the Fafnir family take pleasure from getting beaten?”

While shrugging their shoulders, the two men laughed mockingly. 

“How delusional… Very well. Go ahead. Give me your best.”

“”-?!””

Mercedes-san smiled bitterly and shook her head before baring her fangs, snarling at them. It was very different from the gentle smile she had shown me just a moment ago. This expression made her look like a very powerful person, like she was standing at the very pinnacle of this world. The sheer amount of dominance from her stance was unmistakable. 

The two men recoiled, looking visibly overwhelmed by the sheer bloodlust radiating from her.Instinctively, they raised their arms in a defensive stance.

“Gilbert-kun.”

“Y-Yes!”

“I will show you that there’s no need for you to worry. I’ll utterly crush these two. I will leave no trace of their defiance around. I will make them pay for everything, including all the pain they inflicted to you. So, umm…”

Mercedes-san started her speech with absolute confidence, but nearing the end, she trailed her words. She looked at me bashfully, her eyes looked like she was begging me for something. 

U-Umm… Just what is…?

“I-I-If I come out victorious, there’s something I’d like to ask of you, Gilbert-kun…”

“Something you’d like to ask… Of me?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t know what exactly she was planning to ask, but I didn’t have any real reason to refuse. More importantly… Mercedes-san was the only person who had acknowledged me, someone who had always been deemed as useless. She was the first woman to show me kindness and warmth. So…

“…You don’t even have to win. Please, just stay safe and don’t get hurt. If you can promise me that, I will do anything you ask of me. No matter what it is, I will do everything in my power to make it come true.”

“-!! Of course! There’s now way these weaklings could harm me! They couldn’t even lay a scratch on me!”

When I said that, Mercedes-san’s eyes sparkled. She started nodding repeatedly in excitement. Her dignified expression, the kind and gentle face she had shown me when she hugged me, the expression she had when she was furious for my sake, the face she had made when she unleashed her bloodlust at those men… All of those expressions couldn’t come close to the expression she had right now. This expression was something unique, something I hadn’t seen before. Her smile was so pure, almost childlike even. It was brimming with innocence. 

Seeing all the different sides of her, I thought she was truly a charming woman. But at the same time…

It’s a bit frustrating… 

I had no strength to fight those men. I didn’t have the necessary strength to protect Mercedes-san. To think I could only watch as she fought them off…

“Thank you…. Your feelings, your kindness… I can clearly feel all of them.”

“Ah…”

Mercedes-san said as she looked at me with gentle eyes. The corner of her lips curled up into a small smile. It seemed she could see right through everything in my mind. 

“That’s why… Gilbert-kun, please stay where you are. Don’t move. Just watch. Watch my true strength… The strongest family of the dragonkin… The Fafnir family.”

After uttering those words, Mercedes-san shifted to her true form, the massive black dragon.

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