TDAA Ch 39

It would be a necessary step to return to Eorzen’s side, but still, just a little, just a little longer….

Siol washed his dry face and let out a deep sigh. He hoped Eorzen didn’t hate him. He knew he had no choice but to be hated, and he had vowed countless times to overcome it by showing his usefulness, but still, he found himself wishing that Eorzen wouldn’t hate him, a wish that could not come true.

Siol knew how ridiculous this thought was. To hope not to be hated after committing such an act.

But, still, he couldn’t help but wish.

He didn’t want to see the contempt in Eorzen’s eyes.

So, he wanted to meet Eorzen after achieving even a little more in the land of humans.

He thought that if they met when contempt and the favor born of necessity were weighed against each other, and favor was heavier, then perhaps it would be alright.

But the situation did not flow as Siol wished. His heart, too, did not stop where he wished it to.

Siol slapped his own cheek and took a deep breath.

“Get a grip.”

It was then. Someone’s footsteps grew closer from down the hall. The person stood in front of the door, knocked, and waited for a response.

Siol glanced at Luber’s expression. He remembered hearing that knights sometimes exchanged codes with their footsteps, and as if he had been waiting for the glance, Luber quietly revealed the person’s identity. It’s the squad leader, he mouthed.

“Come in.”

Eriard, who opened the door and entered, first greeted him politely.

“Good evening, Master Siol.”

“Hello. I’m sorry for the sudden visit.”

“Not at all. I heard you came to rest for a moment.”

“No, that is, actually….”

“I thought you might be hungry, so I brought some food.”

Eriard interrupted Siol, who was hesitantly trying to confess the truth, by holding up the basket he was carrying. As if on cue, Luber lifted the desk that had been against the wall and placed it in front of Siol, and Eriard began to lay out the food from the basket onto it.

There were warm, freshly baked meat pies, sandwiches, meat stew, baked potatoes with butter, flatbread, and more. It was a large amount that didn’t seem like it was for two people, as if conscious of Luber’s appetite.

“Master Siol. You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to say. And if there is something you want to say, please don’t be shy.”

“…Yes.”

“Would you like me to listen to your story?”

“Um…. Yes. Actually, I came because I wanted to secretly see the people from the land of the beastmen. Is it okay for me to be here?”

“Of course.”

The choice to confess the truth remained unchanged, but just hearing that he didn’t have to speak put his mind at ease.

Siol smiled faintly and picked up a meat pie.

He was hungry today. It was because after lunch, he had climbed the back mountain, explored the cabin all day, and only came down late at night. He wasn’t usually like this, but a considerable amount of time had passed since he started eating three meals a day regularly, and it had become a habit, so his stomach would ache if he skipped a meal.

“Thank you for going out of your way to bring this, Eriard.”

“It’s nothing. Though I can’t say I don’t have ulterior motives.”

Ulterior motives? Eriard, who usually maintained a deadpan expression and only gave straightforward answers, declaring he had ulterior motives made his head spin. Fortunately, something quickly came to mind.

“Ah…. Ladie’s eyes. Don’t worry, I won’t forget.”

“Thank you.”

Only then did Eriard look relieved. It was clear that Eriard had been worried all along that Siol had started making other things with alchemy but had said nothing about Ladie’s eyes.

In the past, research on Ladie’s eyes felt utterly impossible, but now the situation had changed. Unlike then, when he didn’t have a single piece of mana stone in his hand, Siol now had chests of mana stones he could use for research, and not only that, he could also request support for pearls, rubies, and emeralds.

Perhaps now, when he had the time, was the perfect time to research Ladie’s eyes. Of course, he had already decided on something else to research now, but research on eyeballs wasn’t simple enough to be finished in a month or two anyway, so he could start little by little.

Thanks to Eriard reminding him at a good time, he was able to not forget the research. Siol felt quite pleased that the reason this gruff man had come to see him was for his master. So, even if his intentions were showing, it was impossible not to find him dependable and cute rather than sinister. Siol felt like he had seen a vision of Eriard’s furiously wagging tail, controlled by a knight’s iron will, and couldn’t help but smile.

“Did I make some kind of mistake?”

“No. As someone like family to Ladie, I’m happy that you cherish her.”

“…My lady is family to us as well, so it’s only natural.”

Luber, who had been listening quietly from the side, suddenly interjected.

“Since Master Siol is my lady’s family and we are my lady’s family, then Master Siol and we are relatives.”

“Uh…. D-Does it work like that?”

“…It does.”

When Siol, thinking that didn’t seem quite right, expressed his doubt tentatively, Eriard thought for a moment before nodding nonchalantly.

It was an unexpected answer, so Siol turned to look at him in surprise.

Ladie’s dogs were all military dogs. Perhaps because they were from a family of military dogs that had been born and trained in the royal family for generations, they all had a strict side when it came to their own pack. Even the dogs who had been dispatched from the royal castle to the Meric fief and had settled in this land considered their original pack to be with the royal family.

It seemed it was probably because of Ladie. Dogs were extremely loyal animals, and their master was Ladie. The dogs, who willingly followed Ladie’s wishes in everything, seemed to have no objection to her adding a person of her own choosing to their pack.

Eriard seemed to hesitate for a moment before taking out a bottle from inside the basket.

“Lastly, this is alcohol, but….”

His expression clearly showed he was debating whether it was right to take this out.

“First of all, since Master Siol is also an adult, I brought it, accepting the argument of those who said it would be painful to see a drinking party and not be able to drink… but my lady is concerned about Master Siol’s alcoholism, so please drink only a little. And since it can harm your stomach, you must drink it after finishing your meal.”

Hearing the doctor-like nagging, Siol let out a low groan.

Siol did enjoy a drink from time to time, but he didn’t drink to excess enough to warrant such nagging so often. Except for when he was in pain and struggling, he really only had one glass with his meals. The reason he often drank heavily at the king’s research institute was because his research wasn’t going well.

Siol was very dissatisfied that the story of his alcoholism, which he had only suffered from for a very short time, had reached Eriard, but the emotion in the eyes of the person nagging him was nothing but worry, so he just listened quietly.

But there was something he wanted to make clear.

“Eriard, the time I had alcoholism was really brief. After I got over it, I’ve rarely drunk to excess.”

“I cannot be at ease until it is gone completely.”

“…Yes.”

“You keep a close eye on him, Luber.”

Luber answered energetically.

“Yes!”

Neither of them seemed to believe Siol’s claim.

Siol pressed his lips together tightly to show his displeasure, but neither of them paid any attention. They were perfectly calm, as if their master Ladie’s instructions took precedence over Siol’s claims.

“Then I shall take my leave. Please enjoy yourselves and return comfortably.”

“Yes. You have a good time too, Eriard. I’m, uh, sorry for making you worry.”

“Worrying this much is nothing. So, it would be better if you cut back on the apologies from now on. That is more uncomfortable.”

“Uh…. Yes, yes.”

At the complaint revealed by the man, who had been nothing but polite until now, raising one eyebrow, Siol nodded in surprise. Eriard, satisfied, turned and left the room.

It seemed this was the side of Eriard he showed to someone of ‘relative’ status. Now that he was a relative, he complained, unlike when he was a guest. It felt strange for some reason.

“Don’t be fooled, Master Siol. He’s usually much meaner.”

“I see.”

“It’s true!”

Luber, thinking Siol didn’t believe him, stomped his foot in frustration, but Siol believed him completely.

He felt like he finally understood what kind of person Eriard was. He had thought Luber was just exaggerating every time he was dragged away by Eriard’s hand, whimpering and crying, but in reality, Eriard was truly that kind of person, but only to Luber.

Siol ate the meat pie while listening to Luber list off what Eriard had done to him, what kind of training he had put him through, and how he hadn’t even blinked an eye when he cried, as if he were reporting a crime. After eating one pie, he felt even hungrier. He devoured a sandwich in five bites and spooned up the spicy meat stew.

After eating about half the stew, he thought of alcohol.

“I’ve finished my meal, so I can drink now, right?”

“Hmm…. Alright. Just one glass.”

“Right, Ladie said to only drink one glass.”

“That’s right.”

Feeling a bit mischievous, he was slightly sarcastic, but Luber just nodded as if Siol had said something obvious.

Siol felt foolish for being sarcastic. Sighing, he poured himself a glass of alcohol and approached the window again. When he opened the curtain slightly and looked outside, the party was still in full swing.

On one side, people were juggling flaming logs, and on the other, a drinking contest was in full swing. Muriel had collapsed, almost as if he were being held in the arms of the white lion, and was pressing his forehead. It seemed the alcohol had given him a headache. Well, it looked like Muriel couldn’t hold his liquor anyway.

Siol chuckled and took a gulp of the drink. The sweet and refreshing taste of fruit juice enveloped his tongue, followed by a strong scent of alcohol. And then, a unique taste that he had experienced somewhere before brushed past his tongue.

“Hmm…?”

Siol held another sip of the drink in his mouth. This time, he didn’t swallow but savored the aroma, deep in thought, trying to remember what that taste was. As he focused on the drink for a moment and swallowed what he was holding, he suddenly felt a dizzy spell.

The moment his vision blurred and his stomach grew hot, Siol realized the identity of that taste.

It was the Last Breath.

A strange palpitation shook his entire body.

Perhaps because his body had been weakened by the curse, or perhaps because he had been poisoned once before, the Last Breath, of which he had only had a few sips, quickly took over his body. The blood in his entire body circulated violently, he became short of breath, and his body grew hot. His heart pounded so fiercely it was painful.

Siol gripped the windowsill tightly to support himself and threw open the window with all his might. As the window opened, the sound of scraping wood rang out loudly, but it was drowned out by the sound of the violin from the banquet hall, the drunken knights’ shouting-like singing, and the sound of fists flying as they decided to settle their scores, so no one heard it.

“Master Siol?”

Only Luber, who had been eating, ran over in surprise. Luber supported the staggering Siol and asked in astonishment.

“Why is your body so hot? Why, what’s wrong? Are you sick somewhere?”

“No, that’s… not it….”

His vision was spinning and everything was swaying. Siol waved his hands and squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them, making eye contact with a bird outside the window. A pure white bird that was staring at him without moving, with eyes like glass beads. The bird stood motionless, staring at Siol.

Siol felt as if he had met the eyes of the person watching him from beyond those pupils.

“Nanthiel, it’s you….”

As soon as he called the name, the bird fluttered and flew up. Behind it, a dozen or so other birds flew up and disappeared.

What was that startled reaction? Siol frowned, watching the birds’ backs, and then shook his head vigorously to come to his senses. But instead, his head spun, and he couldn’t think properly.

Just then, the stacked oak barrels came into Siol’s wavering vision. The sight of a dozen or so already empty oak barrels sobered him up.

“A doctor! Master Siol, let’s go to a doctor. We need to go to the doctor and….”

“Luber….”

“Yes!”

“This is bad…. This is really bad….”

“I know! I’ll take you to the doctor right away.”

Siol pushed away Luber, who was trying to carry him, and looked around the banquet hall. Next to the empty oak barrels, there was a mountain of oak barrels that had not yet been drunk.

“Luber, the wine… no one should drink any more of it….”

“That’s right, you should abstain from now on. To think you’d get like this after just one glass.”

“That’s not what I mean… Luber…!”

Siol shouted in frustration, but Luber didn’t seem to be listening at all. Siol’s resistance was also meaningless against the strength of the large dog-like man. No matter how much he tried to hold onto the windowsill, Luber effortlessly pulled him away and forcibly carried him on his back.

I can’t be carried back to the mansion like this.

Everyone seemed fine for now, but it was obvious that something terrible would happen if they drank all the stacked barrels.

If all the beastmen went berserk, a fight would break out with the drunken human knights first, but it would likely be a massacre rather than a proper fight. The drunken human knights would be helpless against the berserk beastmen. Then, the berserk beastmen knights would fight each other or attack the mansion and fight the knights guarding it, and they might end up losing their lives fighting their comrades. No, that’s what would happen.

Ephania’s rabbits were said to have died vomiting blood at the end.

All the beastmen here will end up like that….

Siol pushed Luber away roughly. He struggled so hard that he fell off Luber’s back and rolled on the floor, but it didn’t hurt at all.

“Master Siol?”

His head grew hot and rage enveloped him.

He couldn’t let those foolishly loyal and diligent knights lose their lives so meaninglessly. They were knights, and they lived a life where it wasn’t strange to lose their lives on the battlefield at any time. The promise to put the crown in Ladie’s hands without the sacrifice of a single person would be nothing but nonsense.

Losing one’s life on the battlefield was unavoidable. Dying while protecting a comrade or a group was also a possible sacrifice. It might even be a necessary sacrifice.

But to die in a place like this, harming comrades due to a witch’s potion, should not be allowed to happen.

Siol roughly shook off Luber who was grabbing his arm. A strength he didn’t even know he had in his body surged up for a moment, throwing Luber against the wall.

Before Luber could run over and grab him again, Siol leaned out the window. His body, which he had leaned over, fell and bounced off the tent set up for the banquet, then landed in the middle of the banquet hall, where the barrels were stacked.

The barrels shattered, and wooden fragments scattered in all directions. The wine flowing from the broken barrels pooled on the floor.

“Ugh…!”

And in the midst of it all, Siol, soaked in wine, groaned and gasped for breath.

The banquet hall, which until a moment ago had been so full of singing and rough shouts that it was difficult to even hear the person at the next table, suddenly fell silent. The sound of the violin, the singing, and the fighting all stopped, and a silence that felt almost bizarre continued.

Siol placed his trembling hands on the floor and pushed himself up.

All the knights and servants around him were frozen, staring at him. In the silence where everyone seemed to have forgotten to even breathe, unsure of what to do in this situation, Siol scanned his surroundings with his hazy vision.

The moment Siol’s eyes met Eriard’s, he understood the nature of this silence. Siol had previously pleaded with the beastmen knights that he did not want his identity to be revealed, so his identity had been designated as a top secret. Everyone in the fief had been hiding Siol’s identity with one mind, but now that he had revealed himself, everyone seemed to be at a loss as to what to do.

He felt sorry, but he didn’t have time to worry about such things now.

Siol frowned and continued to scan through the crowd, finding Muriel sitting next to the white lion.

“Muriel.”

At the low call, Muriel, who had been frozen like a stone, shot up and ran to Siol, bowing his body.

“Speak your command.”

At that polite response, Siol burst into an empty laugh.

Siol’s act of calling him was nothing more than unconsciously seeking out the person who would best understand this situation. But Muriel, without being offended or puzzled, came to him at once. As if he already knew who Siol was.

It was clear that this man had been pretending not to know from the beginning that he was in the Meric fief. Because Siol had wanted to avoid him, he had willingly acted according to his wishes, and when Siol called, he had come again according to his wishes.

Siol pushed aside his complicated feelings and said what he needed to say now.

“…In the wine… there is the Last Breath….”

As soon as he heard those words, Muriel immediately understood what had happened.

The witch’s potion that had driven Ephania’s rabbits to their deaths and had even stolen the dragon’s reason in Marsiga. If that dangerous potion was in the wine, it was understandable why Siol, who had been so careful not to be discovered until now, would reveal himself in this way.

“How much did you drink?”

“About… two sips. Everyone, don’t let them… drink any more.”

“Should I help you vomit?”

“I… I’m too late…. Already….”

His whole body was already boiling. It felt as if his entire body was on fire with heated blood. Siol thought that perhaps this potion only killed weak beastmen. The rabbits that were said to have died in Ephania had lost their lives vomiting blood, but the beastmen here didn’t even show a hint of going berserk yet. And yet, with just two sips, his brain felt like it was on fire and he was out of breath.

He could feel his reason gradually fading with the heat filling his mind.

He would probably lose his reason like this, go on a rampage, and eventually die. Siol couldn’t believe that his death would be like this. I’ve worked so hard until now, and I’m going to die so absurdly like this?

If I had known it would be like this, if I had known I would face such a ridiculous death, I would have ignored all my duties and responsibilities and just stayed in the arms of the blue dragon….

“To Lord Eorzen… tell him I’m sorry….”

“What? No, what are you…. You can’t!”

Seeing Siol’s focus blurring, Muriel, flustered, embraced Siol’s shoulder and tried to call for help from those around him. But before he could say anything, Siol’s breathing, which had been gasping as if he were trembling, suddenly stopped. In that bizarre silence, Muriel looked at the motionless, bowed head of Siol with a trembling gaze.

Siol slowly raised his head, his eyes stained red. Siol slowly peeled off Muriel’s hand that was wrapped around his shoulder as if tearing it away, and then mercilessly pushed him away. The white lion quickly caught Muriel, who had almost fallen.

Siol slowly stood up, straightening his back. His confident expression and upright posture made him look like a completely different person from usual.

“Lord Sizool….”

Muriel called out to Siol blankly.

Siol ignored the call and threw off his thick outer garment. Why had he been wearing so many layers of this uncomfortable clothing? He couldn’t remember well.

For some reason, he wanted to do something fun. For example, something like knocking down all the guys around here and becoming the leader. And after that, he would make all the people living in this area kneel at his feet.

Siol chuckled and assessed the strength of the beastmen around him. Strangely, most of them were groaning and collapsing. Perhaps he had jumped in while a territory fight was already taking place. Then, if he ambushed and killed the one who was winning now and showed his strength….

As he scanned the enemies around him, the white lion caught Siol’s eye.

He was the strongest man here. The white lion didn’t hide his superiority in both physical strength and the ability to handle mana, looking at Siol as if telling him to make him his target.

Siol let out a low groan, “Hmm.” Unfortunately, his own physical abilities were inferior to the white lion’s. But he couldn’t just give up without doing anything. Siol pondered for a moment and realized that someone who should rightfully be by his side was currently absent.

He couldn’t understand why he wasn’t here now, but he would probably come quickly if called.

Siol took a deep breath and, for a moment, released the guiding pheromones within his body. It spread out in all directions like a ripple.

Meanwhile, Eriard cautiously approached Muriel.

“What is the Last Breath?”

“…It’s a potion made by Nanthiel that causes beastmen to go berserk.”

“So, is he berserk right now?”

“I don’t know. I heard it’s supposed to make you lose your reason and become violent, but…”

Siol seemed like a different person than usual, but he didn’t appear to be berserk. In fact, compared to the usual Siol who was always panting under all sorts of burdens, he even looked more at peace.

As Eriard was about to ask something more, Muriel suddenly leaned toward the white lion, Reston, and grabbed his forearm firmly.

“Wait, I… I’m also, starting to…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a guttural, beastly sound came from Muriel’s throat.

He was maintaining a composed expression as if barely holding onto his reason, but his fingernails were starting to protrude from his fingertips, and his fangs were lengthening.

It wasn’t just Muriel. Growls started to emerge from among the dogs as well. The beastly sounds, which began with the obviously weaker ones, were spreading in all directions as if contagious.

Muriel staggered and flailed his hands a few times before finally grabbing the white lion Reston’s hand.

“Hey, Reston. You barely drank anything, right? You won’t go berserk, so Lord Sizool…”

“Understood.”

“Leave me… and go…”

“I can’t do that.”

Reston tucked Muriel’s waist under his arm. Muriel’s nails, as he was losing his reason, scratched at him, but Reston ignored it as if it didn’t even tickle and scanned the surroundings filled with beasts. His companions, the leopard and the wildcat, had already drunk themselves silly and had long since passed out on the road. Better for them to be asleep than rampaging. The white lion paid them no mind and approached Siol.

His intention was to take only Siol and escape this place, just as Muriel had ordered.

However, before he could take more than a few steps, Eriard blocked his path.

“What are you trying to do?”

“To protect Lord Sizool safely.”

“Master Siol is one of us.”

“You don’t even know what this drug is, do you?”

Reston said with a blatantly mocking expression.

“You just said it’s a drug that makes you lose your reason and become violent…”

“The rabbits took this drug, lost their reason, became violent, and then died vomiting blood.”

“…What?”

By now, most of the surrounding beastmen had collapsed to the ground, emitting growls and gasps. Some were struggling to breathe, unbuttoning their shirts and clutching their necks, groaning. Others were rubbing their bodies in the snow on the ground to endure the boiling blood. Watching the scene as they each lost the disciplined appearance they had been taught as knights, Eriard felt a chilling fear.

“Thanks to Lord Sizool’s warning, the banquet seems to have ended before it reached a lethal dose, so they probably won’t all die. Perhaps none of you knights will die. This drug seems to work more strongly on weaker bodies.”

“……”

“But it’s a different story for Lord Sizool, who seems to have already gone berserk, and Muriel. They are both physically weak.”

Muriel was now baring his teeth and had clamped down on Reston’s side. Reston, far from prying Muriel off, pulled him in tighter, ignoring the blood dripping from the bite wound.

“We have doctors on our side too.”

“You have a doctor who can detoxify a witch’s potion? What a competent doctor you must have.”

“Then on your side…”

“We have the Blue Dragon.”

The existence of the Blue Dragon was accepted almost like that of a god. Even without knowing what the Blue Dragon could actually do, bringing him up made people hope, ‘Maybe he can do something about it.’ He was, after all, the only dragon, a mythical species among the beastmen.

If one had to choose between a human doctor and the Blue Dragon, it would undoubtedly have to be the Blue Dragon.

However, protecting ‘Master Siol’ was a high-priority command given by Ladie to all her knights. All of Ladie’s dogs had heard how Siol had protected and raised her, even helping her escape. If it hadn’t been for Siol, they would have lost their master forever, so even without the order, he was already a precious benefactor.

Was it okay to let Siol go like this? Siol had even said he didn’t want them to know he was here.

Perhaps reading his sign of agony, Reston suddenly threw a punch. As Eriard dodged backward, the corner of Reston’s lip twisted into a smirk.

The next moment, Eriard ducked to avoid a dog charging from behind. By the time he stepped aside to dodge another fist, he was already in the middle of a brawl. The dogs, who had begun to go berserk from the drug, started attacking anyone around them.

Only then did Eriard realize that this situation was the result of Reston’s intention. Reston had pretended to attack Eriard to lure him into a brawl.

Eriard stomped on the head of a knight crawling to bite his ankle to stop him and looked back at Reston.

The groans of the beastmen knights who had been enduring the pain had now truly turned into threatening sounds warning their enemies.

“Even if that weren’t the case, do you really think you could safely protect Lord Sizool among the rampaging dogs?”

Eriard finally surrendered and took a step back. He had no choice but to admit that he was in no state to protect Siol himself, and not just because he had fallen for Reston’s ploy. An unintentional growl started to escape from Eriard’s throat as well. Like the other dogs who had started threatening and guarding against each other before finally fighting, Eriard too was being consumed by the heat.

But he couldn’t just let him go like this. He was about to warn him that threatening Siol would incur the wrath of Princess Ladie, who would become the future king of humans, when it happened.

“I’m going too!”

“…Luber?”

Luber, whose hair and clothes were a mess from forcing his way through the brawling knights, panted as he grabbed the white lion’s ankle and clung to it.

“There’s no way I’m letting Master Siol go alone. I’m going too. I’ll watch you to make sure you don’t treat Master Siol carelessly.”

“Where were you all this time…!”

“Master Siol suddenly jumped out the window! I tried to come right away, but everyone was acting strange…! I sent the workers to the mansion and moved the sleeping knights over there. I thought they would all get hurt if I just left them…!”

Come to think of it, the cooks and servants were nowhere to be seen. They were ordinary humans and the most at risk in this place, yet no one had paid them any mind. It seemed Luber had evacuated them all.

Eriard was pleased that the immature youngest member of his platoon had done such a great deed, but he shut his mouth, embarrassed by the sight of him clinging to the white lion’s ankle.

“I’m going with you! I can’t send Master Siol alone!”

Just as Luber shouted and hugged the white lion’s leg, a strong wind suddenly began to blow. The wind was so fierce it was hard to open their eyes, and everyone shielded their faces with their arms as they assessed the situation. This wind was definitely not natural. The thought that Nanthiel might have been nearby made Eriard’s face turn pale, and he bit his lip. Reston, who had been enduring the wind for a moment, intended to kick Luber off, break through, and flee with Siol tucked under his remaining arm.

However, Luber, despite letting out a pained groan from being hit, refused to let go.

Just then, a giant wolf landed roughly, trampling the bonfire.

CRASH! A sound like a boulder falling rang out, and at the same time, the wind stopped as if it had been a lie.

“Hey, all of you, calm down a bit.”

The wolf that appeared, kicking up a cloud of sand, clicked its tongue with a rather bored expression. It was a leisurely gesture that didn’t match its sudden and rough entrance. The fighting dogs glanced that way, but only for a moment, before they started focusing on their own fights again.

“Huh? Just calm down for a second…. Geez. They’re not listening.”

“…You should try talking to those who can be reasoned with, Vice-Commander.”

“Oh, looks like you were protecting my little brother well, Reston. Thanks for the hard work, I’ll handle it from here, so put the kid down.”

“I don’t want to. It’s not like you can handle this situation alone anyway, is it?”

Reston hoisted Muriel on his side, held him tighter, and sneered. How could one person possibly stop dozens of growling and fighting dogs? It might be different if it was a situation where he could kill them, but in a situation like this where he had to consider the opponent’s life, it was impossible.

At that reaction, Ryufen snorted and took out a fist-sized magic stone from his bag, crushing it under his foot. The magic stone shattered into pieces, and the mana dormant inside the stone exploded out, beginning to rage in all directions. It felt as if one could feel the physical weight of mana, something normally impossible to perceive.

Of course, Ryufen welcomed the pressure with pleasure. He was a natural-born mana user. A wolf who instinctively used the mana present in the atmosphere, and one who grew stronger the denser the atmospheric mana became.

Ryufen took in the mana into his body through his breath and stomped the ground with his hind leg. A massive gravity pressed everyone in the banquet hall down to the floor.

Of course, Reston was no exception. He tried to endure by gritting his teeth, but when Ryufen narrowed one eye and stared at him, the pressure crushing his body grew stronger, forcing him to bend his knees and sit down.

Ryufen grinned and approached Reston, giving his chest a light push with his paw. Reston, who had been barely holding on, fell backward with just a slight push.

“This humble servant has brought the antidote under the Commander’s orders. Now, now, Muriel, you go first.”

Ryufen pried Muriel, who had been dropped from Reston’s arms, into his mouth, forced it open with his paw, and then poured the antidote on top to make him drink it. Muriel, who drank the antidote while gagging and suffering, growled and bit Ryufen’s paw with all his might, but his teeth couldn’t even penetrate Ryufen’s fur.

“Hmm… It’s a pain to do this alone, so you guys do it. First, drink one each.”

Looking annoyed already after feeding the antidote to just one person, Muriel, Ryufen gestured with his chin for Reston, Luber, and Eriard to come over. As soon as the gravity that had been pressing his whole body to the floor disappeared, Luber sat up and shouted.

“You can’t do that to Master Siol! He’s really weak!”

“Hmm? Where’s Sizool here?”

Hearing that, Luber and Eriard turned their gazes to where Siol had been standing just moments before, but the spot was empty.