―Kaaahhh!!
The wingless death dragon struggled awkwardly as it fell.
Its massive body kicked up a storm of sand and dust.
Thanks to the mask, there was no risk of getting my mouth filled with dirt.
Wow, who would have thought it could sever Wilhelm’s wing in one blow?
Acella’s teleportation range was smaller than the dragon’s body, so only part of it was moved, leading to that cutting effect.
Imagining myself getting hit by that gives me chills.
“Hah, whew.”
Acella was gasping for breath. It seemed the mana consumption was greater than anticipated.
Since she forced mana through a potion, it was only natural that she’d be strained.
What can I do? The other palace mages ran off to protect the Emperor, so Acella is the only mage here to fight.
‘But I can’t just leave the probability of other bad endings unchecked either.’
Her defeating the death dragon is the best course of action.
“Separation…”
Just as Acella aimed her wand, the death dragon raised its head and let out a howl.
The deafening noise made Acella grimace and lose her stance.
“Oof.”
I supported her by grabbing her shoulder.
The death dragon was getting feisty.
If I were suddenly summoned to the enemy’s territory, I’d be furious too.
Even so, the middle world is extraordinarily far away. I doubt it could have been recalled from there.
The hatchling that Acella summoned was one that had been previously captured and prepared in a tent.
‘Did it originally live in this area?’
There might have been a nest somewhere in the mountains.
Did today’s incident lead to it being spotted by the Demon King’s army and recruited?
‘If I can slay the death dragon right here.’
I look at the bad ending list.
[No. 019: Curse of the Death Dragon 44%]
The ending where I’d be defeated by Wilhelm would also be erased.
Killing two birds with one stone.
“Royal Princess, focus.”
“Yeah.”
Acella reconstructs the magic circle.
She confirmed that Recall could be used like offensive magic, so she planned to stab it next.
“I’ll finish it this time.”
Acella aimed her wand precisely at the death dragon’s head.
This time, she intended to move only its head to sever its breath.
“Recall.”
The moment the spell was completed.
―Kuurung!
The death dragon quickly started to move its feet.
Its enormous size leaped up in an instant, charging at us.
“Ugh!”
―Whaaa!
Acella’s magic hit its mark.
However, instead of hitting the head, it merely grazed its side.
The damage inflicted was only a small chunk taken out of its abdomen.
―Kaaahhh!!
Fueled by rage, the death dragon roared as it continued its charge.
Without wings, it had truly turned into a massive lizard. Its sharp claws tore the ground apart as its gigantic mouth gaped open.
“Oh no.”
At this rate, I’d be devoured. Its speed was nimble, making it quite difficult to face.
Reacting quickly, I pulled out a strength enhancement injection from my robe and injected it vertically into my chest.
Click, I pressed the button at the end and injected it.
Just as the death dragon was about to pounce on us, I hugged Acella and jumped to evade its teeth.
―Kwaaaang!!
The ground shattered as the dragon crashed down.
“Lars?!”
“Are you hurt?”
“Ugh, yeah…”
The death dragon immediately turned its head toward us without showing any signs of stopping.
A dark energy began to swirl in its mouth.
“It’s going to breathe fire. If we get hit, we’ll be engulfed in a curse.”
It wasn’t magic, but an attack that indiscriminately exploded malevolent mana.
It was fast and very accurate, making it hard to avoid.
I thought I could run one more time as I embraced Acella’s waist.
“Haaaaap!!”
―Ching!
A crude bastard sword was shoved into the death dragon’s mouth, tinged with black energy.
The dragon closed its mouth, trying to bite down on the sword.
The sword’s owner, a knight, flew through the air with flowing red hair.
It was Tanya.
“Teacher! Royal Princess! Get out of the way!”
Tanya burst out the sword energy and pushed the death dragon back in their struggle.
The dragon appeared stunned, seemingly never expecting to be pushed back by a human.
“Royal Princess, it’s an opportunity.”
“Yeah.”
We understood each other.
Neither of us was considering retreating.
I naturally couldn’t back down.
And Acella wouldn’t show her back to the enemy before taking revenge.
“Royal Princess?!”
Tanya looked alarmed as she saw Acella casting her third spell.
Acella was sweating profusely, yet she still issued a wicked smile like a wicked woman.
“Facing a dragon…”
Golden mana exploded from her magic circle.
“Isn’t this the greatest magic demonstration?”
―Paaang!!
Acella’s Recall spell was cast.
The magic circle spun, shining brighter than ever in radiant golden light.
The target was the death dragon’s head, secured by Tanya.
Sparkling particles fell from the dragon’s neck, and in the next moment.
―Kuwung!
A massive head of the death dragon plummeted to the ground, tongue lolling out.
Clank, Tanya’s blade also fell to the ground.
With its head gone, the giant body of the death dragon soon lost its balance and crashed to the ground with a loud kaang!
“Hah, hah.”
Acella gasped for breath, the strain from using difficult spells consecutively taking its toll.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“…We won.”
“Yes, you did it, Royal Princess.”
Acella’s gaze fell upon the severed head of the death dragon, and she smiled weakly.
The sticky blood spilling out wasn’t a particularly enjoyable sight. Quite grotesque.
Well, she’d be happy to confirm how great her magic was.
“Royal Princess has defeated the death dragon!”
“That was incredible magic…!”
“Is this the power of the Moonlight Palace?!”
The Imperial knights, who had been preparing to charge from afar with only spears, gaped in disbelief at the situation that had unfolded in an instant.
They gazed at Acella in awe.
Initially, most of them probably didn’t know the risks of Recall.
They must have only witnessed Acella demonstrating her genius magic and single-handedly fending off the enemy’s attack.
“Acella Royal Princess!”
“I’m moved!”
The knights cheered and applauded.
Though she might not have scored points with the Emperor, Acella left a strong impression on many of the Imperial family members at this martial arts competition.
Acella seemed to enjoy their reactions and slowly surveyed her surroundings.
“Royal Princess.”
“Yes?”
“Do you dislike the Imperial Family?”
To my question, Acella bizarrely responded with another question.
“Prince, do you plan to stay in the Inner Palace for long?”
Certainly not indefinitely.
I had intended to practice private medicine from the start, and the position of attending physician was merely a stepping stone.
“I guess until retirement.”
So I answered.
“…I see.”
Acella fell into thought, receiving the cheers directed at her with her entire being.
―――――――――――
· Bad ending has been deleted.
No. 019: Curse of the Death Dragon 44% → 0%
· Probabilities have changed.
No. 012: Fall of the Empire 92% → 30%
No. 005: Victory of the Demon King’s Army 73% → 58%
No. 101: Magic Explosion 71% → 4%
…
· ■■■ ■, ■■ ■■ at 2% → 11%
―――――――――――
By previously slaying the mid-ranking officer of the Demon King’s army, the probability of many bad endings has decreased significantly.
The ending where I’d be defeated by the dragon has been erased, and the probabilities for the normal and good endings have increased greatly.
Although the fall of the Empire hasn’t been deleted yet.
‘Finally, I can take a breather.’
I felt that things were moving in the right direction, which was satisfying.
The knights from the Moonlight Palace rushed toward us. Though they all hurried, it seemed Tanya had been too fast.
“Well then, shall we head back? Since it was an intense battle, you should rest first, and I’ll calmly assess your health, Royal Princess.”
“Okay, let’s do that.”
Acella seemed weaker than usual, complying obediently.
Not bad. Maybe I’ll trick her into using a lot of mana regularly.
“…Um, Prince.”
“Yes?”
Acella called me and I turned to her.
“Will you check me out while I’m resting? Then I wanted to talk about something during that time…”
Her words didn’t reach my ears.
What caught my attention first was the dark energy coiling around Acella.
It originated from the severed head of the death dragon.
‘A curse!’
Even in death, the dragon left behind a curse. I clicked my tongue and rushed toward Acella.
“Prince?”
“Royal Princess, get down!”
At my words, Acella reacted quickly. To counter the curse, she immediately tried to cast a defensive spell.
“Ugh.”
But with a slight moan, Acella’s spell lost its strength and dispersed into the air.
Her mana was depleted.
I wrapped my arms around Acella’s shoulders. Just as I was about to push her away.
―Whaaa!
The black energy exploded, engulfing us, and a violent nausea surged within me, reminiscent of passing through a teleport gate.
Everything went black before my eyes.
*
“Ugh.”
Acella slowly rose to her feet.
The deep earthy and grassy smells filled her nose.
A few small bugs crawled on her muddy arms, making her feel uneasy.
“Where is this?”
She looked around.
A complete wilderness. She was tossed into the depths of nature.
It seemed to be mountainous terrain. The tall trees’ thick leaves covered nearly all sunlight.
“What the….”
She stood up.
Her luxurious martial arts robe was now a muddy mess.
The only thing that remained relatively intact was the wand still gripped in her hands.
“Where am I?”
The curse of the death dragon had undoubtedly activated.
But what kind of curse was it?
It wasn’t an hallucination… No, it couldn’t be. Illusion-type curses would have been immediately lifted when the caster died.
“Reflection.”
Reversal.
The death dragon must have used a curse that reflected its magic at the last moment.
Recall was applied to Acella, sending her back to the spot where the dragon had been summoned.
It seemed they were near the dragon’s nest.
“Wait.”
She tried to remember.
She hadn’t come here alone.
At the moment of being cursed, he had been with her too.
“Lars.”
Acella immediately began frantically looking around, filled with sudden anxiety.
To worry her lord like this made her feel like a disqualified attending physician.
No, there was no need for concern.
She was only looking for him because having him would increase survival chances in this unforeseen scenario.
Although it contradicted her desire for him to remain safely in the arena, Acella excuse herself as she wandered around the rugged mountains.
At the end of her search.
“Lars!”
Acella discovered the white-haired boy lying awkwardly in a pile of leaves.
“Lars, Lars?”
She shook his shoulders vigorously, but there was no response.
Flipping him over, he looked peaceful, as if he were in a deep slumber.
With a pounding heart calming, Acella took a breath.
“He’s still alive.”
His rising chest indicated he was breathing.
Acella bit her lip.
“Whew.”
With her mana depleted, remaining idle in such a place could quietly cost her life.
Acella mustered all her strength to lift Lars and began to move.
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