The Encounter Between the Forsaken Healing Magic’s Beloved Child and the Betrayed Black Dragon Princess of Calamity - 50

Chapter 50: The One Who Came to Greet Us Was the Ignorant Second Prince

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“…Interesting. Who would’ve thought they actually have the gall to stand against me.”

There was Mer-san in her human form. She was standing with a fearless smile and beside her was Elsa-san. Elsa-san was calm but ready to fight whenever needed and… In front of them the imperial army stood assembled, weapons drawn, ready to defend the palace from Mer-san.

However, it was clear to see their decision was nothing short of reckless. The wounds from three months ago, when Klaus and his group had rampaged in the city, remained far from healed. The imperial capital was still in tatters and even if they were in their best condition, they still stood no chance against Mer-san.

“It must be because Mer-san is in her human form. That’s why they’re underestimating her.”

“Seems like so. They cowered in fear when they saw my true form, yet all it takes is a mere change in appearance for this insolent behavior. How pathetic.”

“A-Ahaha…”

I could only let out a strained laugh at Conrad-san’s words. Even though Mer-san was in her human form, but she was still a dragon. Even if they said all these soldiers were prepared as a mere ‘messenger’ to talk with the dragon, one wrong step and the dragon would crush all humans in the vicinity.

But still…

“Are they really that clueless…?”

I muttered as I watched the standoff between Mer-san and the imperial army from a higher vantage point. While I couldn’t say I had high expectations from Madam Polke or the other servants in the imperial palace, I found it hard to believe that someone as cunning as Chancellor Hertling wouldn’t have considered the possibility that Mer-san was actually a dragon. 

“Conrad-san, I’m confident that Mer-san won’t lose against humans, but just to be safe… We should be ready to assist her at a moment’s notice.”

“Haha! You’re such a worrywart, Young Master Gil. This is Princess-sama we’re talking about. We don’t need to worry about anything. It is downright impossible for her to lose against these puny humans.”

“That’s true, but…”

Conrad-san laughed my concern off, but I couldn’t shake the bad premonition I had. What if just like Klaus, the empire had received the power to defeat dragons from some entity called the goddess or something. We couldn’t dismiss that possibility entirely. 

“Fuuh… Fine. When push comes to shove, we shall assist immediately.”

“Thank you, Conrad-san.”

“No need to thank me, Young Master Gil. What’s important is for you to not worry again. Agreeing to assist Princess-sama is nothing compared to that.”

I thanked Conrad-san for being understanding as I continued to watch the scene unfolding below. 

“Silence! To destroy the imperial capital of Pralg and demand submission from our proud empire… I, Gunther Furst Hylics, the Second Prince of Hylics Empire, will never let you be! A mere dragon like you… We shall crush you to pieces!”

From atop his horse at the forefront of the imperial army, Prince Gunther pointed his sword at Mer-san. He was one of my older brothers who were present when I first met the Emperor. I remembered the Emperor had ordered him to conquer the north. 

Ah, I see. Prince Gunther was away on that campaign, so he hadn’t witnessed with his own eyes the rampage from three months ago or Conrad-san’s true form a month ago. No wonder he didn’t know the true terror of a dragon. The empire must had regained their morale after regrouping their forces since Prince Gunther had returned with his army in tow. 

“Fufu~ Don’t make me laugh… I guess the men of this country really do love to puff themselves up when they think their opponent is just a young woman, huh?”

“Y-You insolent wretch! Silence!”

As the second prince, of course Prince Gunther had a lot of pride in his heart. His face twisted in anger as he bared his teeth at Mer-san, who was smiling mockingly at him. 

“Well, whatever. By the way… Elsa, I remember you told me about a king who wet himself out of fear when you and Conrad came here a month ago… Is the king here with us?”

“I’ve been searching for him, but it seems he isn’t here. Most likely, he was so terrified that he fled with his tail between his legs.”

“Ah, I see. Well, yeah. That sounds like him alright. What a pointless thing to do.”

Elsa-san calmly explained and Mer-san sighed in exasperation. 

“Humph! As if His Majesty the Emperor would stoop so low to deal with the likes of you! You should be grateful that I even bothered to come here!”

Prince Gunther scoffed, baring his pride to Mer-san, but Mer-san didn’t care about him in the slightest. In fact, she outright ignored him. Well, to Mer-san, Prince Gunther was on par with an insect. 

“…Your Majesty Mercedes, there’s no need to waste any more time on these human scum. Simply disposing of the trash before us will suffice to make them understand their place.”

“Hold it. By ‘human scum,’ you would be talking about Gil-kun too. Take that back.”

“No, Gilbert-sama is not a mere human. He is an extraordinary and special human. Hence why, to ensure proper understanding between us all, I strongly propose making this distinction clear here and now.”

“Fufu… You’re absolutely right. Gil-kun could never be lumped in with this rabble.”

Hearing the exchange between Mer-san and Elsa-san, I instinctively covered my face with both hands.

I appreciate all the praise, but… It’s so embarrassing!

“Very well. As Elsa strongly suggests, let’s start by cleaning up the trash.”

With that, Mer-san fixed her gaze on the imperial palace behind the imperial army. And then—

Mer-san opened her mouth wide and a magic circle appeared in front of her before a jet-black breath cloaked in violet lightning burst forward from her mouth. The black breath completely obliterated the upper half of the imperial palace.

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