CH 199

Chapter 199

Those Who Take Each Other's Hands : Three Dragon Knights, Part 6 — Combat Treatment

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

「Lanna!」

「Yes!」

Lanna had been called up earlier, but she was dazed, not knowing what to do.

「If you can handle dreams, can you also put this girl to sleep?」

「I can put her to sleep, but if we’re going to rip her guts out, we can’t alleviate the pain.」

「Then we need Miranda as well.」

Miranda is soon called in as well, as requested by Alfiris.

「What the hell is going on?」

「I don’t have time to explain. I’m about to rip open the belly of this flying dragon, but what kind of painkiller works on a flying dragon?」

「Nhn～ I have a paralyzing drug, if it’s good enough. But I’ve never tried it on a flying dragon, have you?」

「Whatever’s fine. Do it.」

「Got it.」

Miranda dissolves a paralyzing drug in water and shoots a thick needle-like object into Dolce’s stomach and pours it in. Dolce was not even in pain, if that’s what they’re after, but her expression eventually softened a bit.

「How is it, Dolce?」

「Gurururu…」

「Sounds like you’re feeling much better about the pain. Lanna, let her sleep.」

「Okay.」

Lanna puts Dolce to sleep with hypnotic magic. This will keep her from lashing out when her stomach is ripped open.

「I see… So this way, you can rip her belly open…」

「Euthy, don’t be impressed and tell me where to rip!」

「Roger!」

Euthy instructed Alfilisse where to tear. Alfiris then took out the blade in her small hand and carefully ripped it as instructed by Euthy. The knights, who had not noticed the blade, were momentarily startled, but there was nothing more to be said now.

Eventually the blood began to flow slowly, but since Euthy had instructed her to avoid large blood vessels, there wasn’t much blood, even though her internal organs were visible to the eye.

Sweat dripped from Alfiris’ forehead.

「Damn, the belly of the flying dragon is indeed thick! It’s so hard to see!」

「You’re almost there!」

「Hey, you guys, don’t just stand there staring, help us out!」

Alfiris yells at the dragon knights. She then had them hold Dolce’s belly with their hands and spread it from side to side so that their vision would be clear. The dragon’s belly is so thick that it takes three adults to hold one side of it in place. The female dragon knight gazes at the scene with concern, turning slightly blue.

「Okay, now I can see. Lights.」

「I’ll do it.」

Miranda turned on the light with her magic. Then, there were several places in Dolce’s intestines that were moving in an unnatural way.

「Euthy, is that it?」

「It has to be. Watch out, there are three of them.」

「I’d like to minimize the damage as much as possible… or get them to come out of their heads.」

Alfiris takes aim at where to cut the intestine. Then, while watching the parasite’s movements, she gently rips open the intestine and binds the intestine in the direction the parasite is heading so that it cannot escape. Eventually, when the head of the parasite reached the wound, she grabbed a handful of the tail side of the parasite, and the startled parasite popped out of the intestine with its contents.

「Kih, kikiki!」

「D–Disgusting!」

「Uhii, what the hell is this!?」

No wonder Alfiris and Miranda screamed at the same time. A leech-like creature jumped out and tried to bite Alfiris as soon as it came out. It was nothing short of vibrant. Both the dragon knights holding Dolce’s belly and the female dragon knight were stunned.

「I’m going to pull it out!」

Alfiris, who almost grabs the parasite, tries to drag it out.

「H–Huh? Huuh?」

But its body was much longer than expected, and Alfiris fell backwards with too much momentum.

「Uwah…」

Miranda involuntarily turned her eyes in disgust to the parasite, which was indeed about four meters long. The parasite was then pulled outside and wrapped around Alfiris’ body, and this time it lunged for her mouth, as if trying to enter her body.

「W–What are you doing! Guh!?」

The force of the raise is like that of a serpent, and Alfiris’ body is constricted with a gurgling sound. Also, the force with which it rushes forward isn’t normal. It managed to hold back because Alfiris is large, but if this were Lisa, it would have no time to resist.

「O–Oh no!」

「Haargh!」

While Alfiris was in danger, the female dragon knight’s sword was cutting through the parasite’s body. But——

「It’s not stopping?」

「What the hell is this creature?」

The head that rushes at Alfiris is clattering its teeth as if it doesn’t care that it has been slashed. And, wouldn’t a mouth be formed in the wound of the one who cut it?

「I’ll burn it then!」

Alfiris used her flame magic to set fire to the parasite that was wrapped around his body. Naturally, Alfiris was also engulfed in fire, but she extinguished the fire while rolling around on the ground. Finally, the parasite died.

「This is what inside Dolce…」

「Euthy, is this what a dragon parasite looks like?」

「I’ve never seen anything like it. More importantly, there are two more of them out there, okay?」

「Ahh, ugh! That’s a lot of work!!」

So Alfiris, dismayed, set about eliminating the other parasites.

＊＊＊

「Phew～ That was tough.」

「Yeah, I never thought I’d see that one coming.」

「You came back looking very well dressed.」

「What’s going on here?」

「About that…」

Alfiris was now in the inn’s bathhouse. The inn’s specialty is a bathhouse that can accommodate a large number of people, and it is carefully divided into men’s and women’s baths. This would be an event unique to Brügal, where water sources are plentiful.

The treatment for Dolce, as she mentioned earlier, was no longer a treatment for Dolce, but more like a battle against the parasites, and after defeating the parasites once and for all, Alfiris was covered in the contents of Dolce’s intestines. It was the same for Miranda, the dragon knights who were grabbing her belly, and the female dragon knight who was watching nearby. As expected, the female dragon knight rented out the baths at this inn to clean off the dirt.

The dimensions of the later were that Euthy and Rana offered to close up the wounds, so Alfiris and Miranda were one step ahead of them in the bath. Of course, Nia, Aerial, Lisa and Kaede, who were released from their restraints in exchange, are also relaxing in the bath together.

「I see what you mean.」

「So we’re in the clear?」

「I hope so, but it’s possible that they’ll flip out when they’re done with us.」

「I wouldn’t do that.」

Alfiris and the others were mumbling to themselves when the female dragon knight entered the room. Alfiris and the others looked surprised, but the female dragon knight seemed more perplexed by their reaction.

「What? Is there something strange?」

「Because you were trying to get us earlier…」

「I got dirty a lot, too. The fairy told me,『You stink, go away,』so I came here. She’ll take care of the rest, she said, getting out of the way. She was a terribly worded fairy, even though she was dirty herself.」

「That’s Euthy for you.」

Alfiris gushed as she could easily picture the scene. The female dragon knight stared at them as they all laughed.

「I haven’t solved my suspicions yet, but you’re all a strange bunch. You don’t seem like bad people to me.」

「That’s right. We are a clean and innocent group of good friends.」

「You’re the only one who doesn’t look like one.」

「What?」

Miranda tries to take a bite out of the female dragon knight who is looking at Miranda suspiciously. Seeing this exchange, everyone is laughing once again.

「By the way, I haven’t heard your name. I’m Alfiris.」

「Annecroze. Family and others call me Anne.」

「Then can I call you Anne, as well? You can call me Alfie, too.」

「You’re a very familiar girl, aren’t you? I told you, I didn’t mean to arouse your suspicions.」

「Eh–, it’s fine. For now, we’re not going to fight.」

「Good grief…」

In fact, as for Annecroze, although they promised not to pursue them, they had planned to contact other units or Vindal’s people to pursue them after this, but they were completely poisoned by Alfiris’s tension-free attitude.

Annecroze begins to bathe with one sigh.

「Hey, hey, how old are you Anne?」

「I’m 22.」

「So you’re older than me?」

「Alfie… how old are you?」

Annecroze is not so accustomed to calling people by their nicknames, or perhaps she has a little difficulty saying it, but she calls Alfiris. She must be a serious person.

「I’m 18. Perhaps 19 when the next spring season comes.」

「I see, you’re a mercenary?」

「Yes, that’s right.」

「It’s not easy being a mercenary in a woman’s body.」

「Anne is the one. You’re a woman at that age, and you’re already a great person, right? They said you were a captain or something.」

Annecroze balks a bit at that statement.

「It’s not like I’ve got a track record.」

「Well, then why are you the captain…」

「Just as I guessed.」

Miranda sniffs in a huff, just as if she were convinced.

「Brunette hair, dragon knight, Annecroze. Aren’t you the Second Princess of Romansland, Your Highness Annecroze?」

「「「Ehhh!?」」」

All were surprised to see Miranda and Annekroze compare glances, but Annekroze again looked reluctant, but answered by taking the hot water over her head and shaking the water off.

「If you know, then I have no choice. Indeed, I am the Second Princess of Romansland, Annecroze Medigan Skylord.」

And Annecroze said her name with water dripping from her golden hair.