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Eight arms.

A face beautiful enough to be called peerless.

And a lower body made of snakes.

On the surface she seemed unremarkable, but the fact Eleora had been bested made it clear she was no weak demon.

With that in mind, Hamel could roughly guess the opponent’s identity.

The opponent snorted softly and muttered.

“You think it’s obvious that it’s bait? That’s a rather presumptuous thing to say.”

“Yes, a shallow trick fit for a lesser demon.”

“…What?”

A crack crossed the alabaster-smooth face of the beauty.

Still, Hamel did not stop and spoke.

“Only a fool would fall for such tricks.”

“…You. Was that meant for me to hear?”

Ono, who had been listening from behind, bristled, and Hamel snapped in a cold voice.

“Yes. So Ono, please take Eleora and withdraw to cool your heads.”

“…Ugh. Fine.”

Ono carefully lifted Eleora and left the area.

Yet the Lamia simply stared at Hamel without moving.

She had frowned in anger at Hamel’s provocation for a moment, but now wore a rather interested expression.

What had piqued her interest?

“What is it?”

When Hamel asked, she brightened and said.

“You… are quite handsome, aren’t you?”

“…?”

Hamel’s face showed bewilderment at the unexpected remark.

Objectively speaking, Hamel was indeed rather handsome.

A well-toned, trained body and pleasing proportions.

His silver hair, like moonlight, and blue eyes combined to create a mysterious aura.

Had he worn a coat and cloak instead of a hood, he might have passed for a nobleman.

The demon continued speaking with a look as if she might drool.

“You do look a bit older… hmm, still, such a handsome man is rare.”

“….”

Hamel’s expressionless face only grew colder.

“I don’t need to hear any more.”

Hamel reached out straight for the flask.

But….

─Plop

All his fingertips met was empty air.

At that moment.

The opponent burst into a wide smile and waved something in her hand.

“Were you looking for this?”

“….”

“That ambush earlier had this as its purpose. A priest of the Azure Flame… uh. What was the name. Haman? Hoover?”

“I am Hamel Gilmore.”

“Ah, right. I won’t forget now. I tend to remember handsome names well.”

“….”

She knew him.

Someone had informed her about him.

His traits and even his weaknesses.

“So this was a trap aimed at me?”

The opponent nodded at Hamel’s words.

“Exactly! So how about you surrender now? I don’t like scratches on my collection either…”

─Bang

Hamel’s new form vanished.

The next moment.

“…Huh?”

Beside her, where she had been speaking,

Hamel had already appeared and grabbed her by the hair.

Then.

─Crunch

He twisted and slammed her headfirst into the rocks as if throwing a shot put.

Rocks shattered and dust billowed up.

From the dust, a bright blue gleam tore upward.

Along his forearm, between glove and sleeve, blue scales erupted.

“A dragon… without the bloodline, how?”

The Lamia, bleeding among the half-shattered rocks, muttered as if she couldn’t believe it.

Hamel, looking down at her, spoke calmly.

“I have nothing to say to a demon.”

“…What?”

The Lamia stared blankly at that, then suddenly burst into a kick of laughter.

“Ah… this just got interesting.”

The Lamia slowly raised her upper body.

There were no longer any visible wounds on her.

Seeing that, Hamel frowned.

With a mad grin, the Lamia shouted.

“This toy doesn’t seem it’ll break easily!”

“You’ll be more than you expect, no matter what you think.”

Hamel roughly swept his silver hair back and murmured.

The gazes of the demon and the Exorcist priest crossed.

And the next moment.

─Boom!

Two forms charged toward a single point.

A fierce sandstorm swept along the coast.

---

─Boom!

With the sound of an explosion, Hamel was thrown back.

Even though he drove his sword roughly into the ground, his body slid and carved a long trench in the earth.

Blood gushed from his mouth.

It was blackened, dead blood.

The claws the Lamia wielded carried a poison capable of killing an elephant.

If not for the Azure Flame constantly burning within him, detoxification would have been unimaginable.

Hamel spat the blood from his mouth and straightened his back.

The surroundings had already become ruins where the terrain was unrecognizable.

Where rocks once piled up, only crushed gravel and sand remained.

“…Nasty.”

It was then, as Hamel muttered softly.

The Lamia slid through the sand and revealed herself.

“Already tired? I haven’t had my fun yet.”

Hamel merely scowled at her flushed face, giggling like a girl.

A dim sky caught in Hamel’s eyes.

The sun was not rising.

It was setting.

Hamel had been clashing swords with the opponent for well over half a day.

Hamel slowly looked down at his hand.

The hand gripping the sword trembled slightly.

He felt his limit approaching.

Though this was the first time he’d used the dragon’s power for so long, he instinctively knew.

That little time remained before he couldn’t maintain it any longer.

‘It certainly wasn’t unfavorable. In fact, perhaps…’

At first he had overwhelmed the Lamia.

He had cut down five of her eight arms.

Seizing the upper hand, Hamel launched dozens, perhaps hundreds, of blows that could have killed her outright.

He even struck and severed her neck at the end.

But.

‘Heh, as I’ve heard, you’re really strong.’

She merely laughed with delight, even with her severed head in hand.

In an instant, she slithered, snatched up the severed head, and when she placed it to her neck it fused back on.

‘An immortal Lamia… is it.’

Hamel repeated the opponent’s identity under his breath.

He couldn’t recall the details, but that epithet stuck in his memory.

No, to be precise, he couldn’t help but recall it.

Few monsters fit the term ‘immortal’ as well as the one before him.

The Azure Flame’s restorative power was also nearing its limit.

She seemed tireless, and Hamel was steadily weakening.

The Lamia’s arms, once reduced to only three, had already regenerated back to eight.

If nothing changed like this…

‘He’ll lose.’

It was something even a child could see.

Yet Hamel ground his teeth and continued fighting for a simple reason.

‘Time.’

He needed to buy time, even just a little.

Hamel looked up and asked her.

“Earlier you mentioned a collection — what is that?”

“Oh? What’s this? Are you suddenly interested?”

The Lamia replied with a brightly flushed face.

He’d got her.

Her strange hobby didn’t much matter, but if this would get her talking, he could keep her occupied.

“I classify humans into three types. The ugly ones are puppets. The ordinary ones are food. Young and handsome ones are the collection.”

“…Then what about the missing boys?”

“Ah, those kids? They’re not to my taste, but I just keep them. Oh! Now that I think about it, there was one I liked. Just before I met you, I picked up a handsome boy.”

Hamel subtly grimaced as he listened.

He felt disgusted listening, but it wasn’t yet time to act.

The Lamia continued to chatter excitedly.

“You’re more than fit for the collection. I can just eat the two in front and play with you. Hee hee.”

“….”

“Ah, before that I want to ask you something.”

“…What?”

“Who do you think is the most beautiful in the world?”

The Lamia still smiled, but her tone had hardened compared to before.

She expected a particular answer.

Given her blatant obsession with appearances, the correct answer was not hard to guess.

That Lamia was likely a mix of narcissism, superficial values, and jealousy.

So the answer would be…

“It is…”

Just as Hamel drew out his answer.

Hamel felt cold air blowing from behind.

The signal he’d been waiting for.

“Yes?”

Focused on Hamel’s answer, the Lamia didn’t notice the change.

She was simply eager for his response.

Hamel smiled broadly and opened his mouth.

“You’re certainly not the one.”

“…What?”

As the Lamia’s face contorted, Hamel casually asked.

“Did you think time was on your side?”

“What nonsense…”

Only then did the Lamia sense something amiss and frantically look around.

But it was already too late.

─Rumble

With a tremor that shook the ground, something enormous rose from the earth.

And in an instant, it rose high, carrying Hamel with it.

“…Huh? Oh!”

The Lamia desperately reached for Hamel, but he was already distant.

As time passed, Hamel only ascended higher.

He wasn’t the only one.

A colossal structure rose, encompassing the entire harbor.

It was a massive castle made of blue ice pillars.

Standing atop the castle, Hamel murmured coldly.

“Wrong.”

“….”

“Unlike you, I have comrades.”

─Creak

The Lamia dredged the castle’s name from memory.

One of the feats that gave Elenora Saint Winterborn the epithet ‘White Ice.’

“The Winter Palace…”

Furious, the Lamia lashed her tail and struck the castle’s wall.

A loud crack sounded as if it had hit rock, but the ice wall did not budge.

The slippery surface couldn’t be climbed, and her claws couldn’t even catch hold.

Watching her, Hamel lifted a corner of his mouth and said.

“Besides looking up at me from there, what can you do?”

Seeing Hamel’s expression, the Lamia let out a laugh.

Though she couldn’t hide the vein throbbing on her forehead.

“You’ve changed a bit in temperament since earlier, haven’t you?”

“What are you going on about.”

Hamel shrugged and looked at the Lamia.

Using the dragon’s power often changed his personality slightly like this.

He was aware of it.

The Lamia ground her teeth once more.

“No matter what, I’ll have you in my grasp. You can look forward to it.”

“Try your best. If you can.”

At Hamel’s sarcastic retort, the Lamia slipped back.

Then, seeming to cool her head, she regained composure and spoke.

“You’ve heard of the Winter Palace too, right? They say it can be maintained for about a day. That woman won’t be sane, so at most half a day.”

“….”

“Struggle all you like. The moment that pitiful wall disappears will be your end. And if you flee, this domain will vanish from the maps.”

When Hamel didn’t answer, she turned and disappeared toward the coastal cliffs.

She probably had a lair in a cavern of the cliff.

“…It seems we’ve passed one hurdle.”

The blue aura around Hamel faded away.

The Azure Flame that had wrapped his body did the same.

His fluttering hair settled back neatly.

For a moment.

─Wobble.

Hamel’s form wavered precariously.

Because the tension had been released.

“Phew.”

He had held on with will and momentum, but Hamel had been pushed to his limit.

Since awakening the Azure Flame, this was the most exhausted he’d been in battle.

Hamel slid down the wall and collapsed to the ground.

“You… are you all right?”

Ono appeared from within the ice castle.

Behind him came the pale-faced Eleora.

Hamel nodded weakly and opened his mouth with effort.

“I’m fine.”

“…You don’t look fine.”

“Yes, actually I’m not very fine.”

Hamel quickly conceded.

Eleora let out a small, brittle laugh.

The laugh on her bloodless, pale face seemed as if it might shatter at any moment.

“…Are you all right, Lady Eleora?”

Although Hamel had healed her with the Azure Flame, she was still near death.

Ono could use healing too, but not to the same extent as Hamel, so proper treatment was needed.

“I’m fine as well.”

Eleora mimicked Hamel as she spoke.

Hamel nodded and replied.

“So you’re not fine.”

“Correct. As expected of the lord. Different from some fool who falls for an obvious trick.”

“…Are you perhaps referring to me?”

Ono, who had been tricked by the Lamia earlier, asked with a guilty look.

Eleora chuckled and said.

“You’re quicker on the uptake now.”

“….”

“Just kidding. I meant myself. I was thoroughly fooled by Lamia’s shallow trick.”

Eleora sat down facing Hamel with effort.

Watching her, Hamel wore a knowing expression.

“You’ve only barely had your joints restored. It seems hairline cracks remain in the bones throughout your body.”

Surprised, Eleora asked back.

“You can tell just by looking?”

“Even cardinals suffering from arthritis wouldn’t be this pained, Lady Eleora.”

“…Oh dear. Being treated the same as the elders is a bit sad.”

Eleora let out another quiet laugh.

But soon she began to cough harshly in pain.

It was because fine cracks ran throughout her ribs.

Right now, even breathing must feel like a burning pain.

Hamel admired how she quietly endured the pain.

He had never seen anyone so hardened to pain aside from himself.

Hamel quietly reached out and began to pray.

“Lord?”

Eleora tilted her head in confusion at that moment.

Blue flames rose from Hamel’s hand.

A deep blue flame like an ocean.

The flame Hamel kindled condensed into a small point.

And it became a deep blue that held the light of the abyss.

The lapis-lazuli-like flame flowed into Eleora’s body.

─Crack

Twisted bones realigned and the cracked bones fused.

“Gah!”

Eleora gasped, but it was brief.

A comfortable breath flowed through her nose.

“It doesn’t… hurt?”

Eleora blinked in disbelief and murmured.