94 – 94. Remember it as glory.
If it was near Tokyo, an escape attempt might have been possible, but this was truly an island.
It was a foreign land that required a long 2-hour flight from mainland Japan.
Once kidnapped, escaping was not easy.
The fool Kenichi, who belatedly realized his situation, burst into tears, but nothing changed.
“Well then, shall we introduce ourselves before starting the training?”
Living under one roof as a family did not mean everyone was close.
Sento and Kenichi were half-friends, and since they often trained together, they had become somewhat friendly. However, the remaining one did not feel the same.
As a wise teacher and the leader of the group, it was imperative to prevent one member from being excluded.
With a pleased expression, I presented Yongyong, a former teacher and the current handler of a transcendent beauty.
Yongyong, with his red hair tied in two braids, stepped forward with an innocent smile like other girls of his age, introducing himself while holding his chest like a cliff.
“Nice to meet you, human fellows living in the same mansion. Consider it an honor to meet me like this today.”
“….”
“hehehe, you must have been curious all this time! As expected, I am the Red-Eyed Dragon☆ emitting immortal flames!”
“….”
“Yesterday while watching TV anime, I decided that as a human, my name would be Kiss Shot Acerola Orion Heart Under Blade. Nice to meet you!”
With that, Kenichi, who was in a state of despair in many ways as he watched Yongyong shrug, made an indescribable expression.
“…Hey, there’s something weird about that guy.”
“Well, I can’t deny that.”
“An ordinary human claiming to be a Red-Eyed Dragon, isn’t that completely insane?”
“I also just found out today that he might be a Western lizard. I always thought he was just a dragon.”
“Yeah, he’s completely out of his mind… Huh?”
Kenichi, who had been denying Yongyong’s identity, widened his eyes as if he had realized something.
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Sawamura Sento, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, also had a slightly stiff expression.
With a bright smile, I introduced today’s curriculum that Yongyong would undertake.
“Now, the role of the freshly recruited Red-Eyed Dragon☆ (laughs) from the corner of the Shihei Mansion is the cannon. Sento and Shiki, your roles will be shields.”
“….Shields?”
“hehehe, the best defense is offense, but still, to attack the opponent, you need to break through their defense first, right?”
“….”
“So today, we’re going to try that training. In terms of destructive attacks, the other side is better than me.”
Far away, Yongyong waved his hand with a bright smile.
Similarly, while shaking hands with a smile, I gave Kenichi, who was still dazed, some final advice before today’s training.
“Kenichi? If you don’t summon your sword quickly, you’ll die, you know?”
“….Oh, uh!”
As the foolish Kenichi, shocked, summoned his sword, Yongyong’s childish smile was replaced by a devastating flame unsuitable for a beauty.
The transcendent beauty emitted flames of destruction with an innocent smile.
Dragon’s Roar, Millennium Flame of Destruction.
The cannon ignited its trajectory silently.
The breath from her mouth obliterated the sandy beach in a straight line.
Kenichi, who was on that line, thankfully survived, trembling as he held the sword in his hands.
Sento, as if sensing fate, looked at me with a stern expression.
“Well, shall we see if Sawamura will try to block next?”
“….”
It was the beginning of summer training.
***
Having practiced only in the training grounds of the mansion as usual, training by the seaside brought a sense of liberation.
Though it wasn’t an ideal place for secretive activities due to its openness, I simply expanded the barrier in all directions because it was the territory of the Shei Mansion.
As a result, even the people wandering around the villa and the beach disappeared.
“…S-save me.”
Yes, no one came to rescue.
“P-please save me. If someone sees, they might think you’re trying to kill me, Kenichi.”
“…You, you’re trying to kill me!”
“Huh? Me?”
Such an unfair accusation.
I was doing everything I could to somehow save Kenichi, who seemed destined to die no matter how many times he did.
I looked down at Kenichi, who had collapsed on the sandy beach with an unpleasant expression on my face.
“You said facing a sword is better than facing a breath.”
“…You hit with your fist too.”
“Uh.”
“…Let’s take a day off, Kenichi.”
Come to think of it, how long had I been tormenting him?
During the semester, we only trained in the evenings, but here, running all day was exhausting.
Well, muscles need time to recover for proper growth.
“Shall we take a break today?”
“…Okay!”
Kenichi sprang up as if he had just collapsed, and I turned my head.
It was annoying to deceive a teacher like the sky, but since I had made an effort, I decided to cut him some slack.
Leaving the foolish Kenichi playing the tambourine and mumbling to himself, I headed towards Sento, who was frowning alongside Yongyong.
Sento, who was wearing a sleeveless shirt for some reason in the hot weather, looked at me with a stern face.
“What’s going on?”
“What’s going on is that I came to see what you two were up to.”
“…Hmph, is Kenichi done with training?”
“Yes, I let him go because I was afraid he might turn into a runaway ninja if I tortured him more.”
“…A runaway ninja?”
By the way, Sento, who specialized in spells, let him go quickly after the Breath defense training.
Since the common spells had been taught for a long time, all that was left was enlightenment about the soul.
Thinking that associating with the transcendent being called ‘Dragon’ might help raise the understanding of the soul, I struck up a conversation with the seemingly bored Yongyong.
“hehehe, Sento. Do you not know about runaway ninjas? They’re extremely strong, almost as strong as me, the Red-Eyed Dragon.”
“As strong as a dragon?!”
Yongyong wasn’t a dragon, and it was questionable whether a runaway ninja was that strong, but since he seemed to be enjoying it, I decided not to spoil the fun.
“So, what were you talking about?”
“We were discussing Ariane and summoning spells. Seems like there’s talent for summoning monsters here too.”
“Hmm, this lord is a dragon. The king of all monsters, you see. It’s only natural to have talent in controlling monsters, even in summoning spells.”
“Ah, I see.”
It was good news that the anticipated synergy had emerged, but somehow the dragon’s ego seemed to have strengthened.
Moreover, was the long name ‘Kiss Shot Acerola Orion Heart Under Blade’ abbreviated to ‘Orion’?
Since I couldn’t call him Yongyong forever, I had to come up with something, but I never expected it to turn into a Western-style name.
“Has he truly become a real dragon?”
Where had the guardian of the dragon veins, the dignified Gyoryong, disappeared to?
The red-haired Yongyong – Orion – smirked, raising one corner of his mouth.
“hehehe, Shiki. It seems Lady Bonny has blossomed Senato’s talent as you expected. Already a few days in, there was progress in enlightenment, right?”
“hehehe, could you tell me what kind of enlightenment it is?”
“Well, Senato. Look. Show our enlightenment! Let the synergy be visible to this man!”
Was it because of all the extra comments that it felt burdensome?
With a furrowed brow, Sawamura Senato hesitated and mumbled.
“…I haven’t tried it yet, but I think it will work. There’s no guarantee of success.”
“hehehehe, no need to feel burdened, just give it a try. It’s better to do it while I’m around for safety.”
“Alright, Senato. Is this ordinary man with the red-eyed dragon really stronger than me, a Red Eyes Dragon?! It’s better to do it now for various reasons!”
“…Okay, got it. I’ll give it a try.”
Senato, determined, infused magic into what he was holding tightly.
Upon closer inspection, it was the brooch adorned with a red jewel that I had given him before.
It was a tool containing a fragment of Suzaku, a Shikigami, and a safety device to protect her life.
‘…Could it be.’
As Sawamura Senato’s dark magic was absorbed into the brooch, the vibrations gradually aligned.
Resonance of magical vibrations.
The brooch that had protected her as a divine artifact gradually came under Senato’s command.
In the end, it was completely dyed in the same color.
Even though the soul within the gem was a noble being, it was now dominated by Sawamura Senato’s oppressive magic.
Realizing that all preparations were complete, Senato took a deep breath and then chanted.
“───Soul summoning, Suzaku.”
Immediately after, a massive phoenix was summoned in the skies above Okinawa Beach.
It wasn’t on the level of a White Whale or a Black Dragon, but as a being summoned by a mere sorcerer, it was a monstrous creature of overwhelming size.
Senato watched the Suzaku, with its burning wings, floating in the sky, and raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
“…Done.”
Wings were now attached to the wandering sorcerer’s back.