The Crown I Will Take From You - Chapter 257

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Part 2, Chapter 104

“Diangel, do you see that? The golden glinting spot on its left wing joint.”

“Golden light? Where are you referring to?”

Apparently, that location was only visible to Medeia’s eyes.

“Follow me!”

She needed to change her approach. Medeia mounted Silva and moved to the highest terrain possible.

“Diangel, when I give the signal, throw me toward that thing’s left wing.”

“What?”

Throw what, who, where?

Even in the urgent situation, Diangel wore an expression of disbelief.

“No time to explain! You need to launch me as high as possible.”

Medeia gripped her sword tightly.

“Now!”

The moment the diving Evil Dragon tried to seize Medeia with its sharp claws—

She shot up into the sky.

Her silver hair seemed to scatter starlight as it rippled through the air.

Crack—!

Medeia thrust her sword toward the clearly glinting golden fissure.

If not for the light, this tiny gap would have been invisible, hidden by the black scales.

Yet this wound, which hadn’t healed even a bit after hundreds of years, was the only tender flesh exposed on the dragon’s thick hide.

“Kaaaak—!”

The moment Medeia’s sword made contact, the Evil Dragon’s piercing cry tore through the sky.

Unlike the roar that had shaken the world moments before, this was filled with nothing but pure agony.

The Evil Dragon writhed in excruciating pain.

It spun its massive body round and round, trying to shake Medeia off.

Violent air currents whipped through the gorge.

“Just a little, just a little more!”

Medeia’s vision shook wildly as the air twisted around her.

But she never let go, gripping the sword hilt that was buried deep.

‘If only I had just a little more strength—!’

She could cut this wing clean off!

However, Medeia’s current strength wasn’t enough.

Just not losing her grip on the sword while the Evil Dragon thrashed about was overwhelming.

“Damn it, Medeia—.”

At that moment, a rough arm reached from behind, pressing firmly over her precarious grip. Hot, solid warmth transmitted through her skin.

“You, reckless, fool—.”

Rough breathing scattered above her head.

Chezare, who had embraced Medeia from behind as if wrapping her up, swallowed his words before finishing.

He had leaped up so urgently that his heart seemed ready to burst, its pounding transmitted through her back.

“…Chezare.”

Suddenly, she could no longer feel the sharp noise of tearing air or the fierce wind.

Unrealistically, it felt as if she wore an unbreakable shield around her body.

“Don’t let go, of my hands.”

Chezare placed both his hands over Medeia’s so she couldn’t let go even if she wanted to.

Over their overlapped fingers, a vivid black aura wrapped around Medeia’s sword in layers.

His black aura had a light more dense and intricate than darkness itself. Like a black star that clearly revealed its existence even in the night sky.

“I’ll count to three. One, two…”

Neither realized they were close enough for lips to touch earlobes.

Chezare pushed the sword deeper into the Evil Dragon’s wound with crushing force.

Medeia also barely held onto her fading consciousness, concentrating all her strength.

“Now—!”

The moment both their powers poured into the sword’s tip.

With a dull tearing sound of flesh and bone splitting,

The Evil Dragon’s wing split in two. Blood and black scales poured down from the sky like rain.

“Kaaaaaaak—!”

The Evil Dragon’s desperate scream cut through the air as it collapsed downward like a crumbling structure.

* * *

Just before the Evil Dragon crashed into the gorge floor, Chezare jumped off the descending dragon while holding Medeia.

“Kiaaaaaaak—!”

“Your Highness!”

Neryl and Diangel rushed to their side.

Eyes filled with worry, fear, relief, and countless other emotions examined Medeia.

Crash!!

The duplicates, having lost their power with the death of the main body, also plummeted to the ground with torn wings.

Through the dusty whirlwind that arose in the gorge, miserable screams echoed like reverberations for a long time.

“Is it… really dead… right?”

Garo and Tom approached the Evil Dragon hesitantly, as if they couldn’t believe it.

Then they cautiously poked at its mouth with the tips of their scabbards.

Despite their earlier bravery, their touch was extremely careful.

“Eek—!”

As if even the dragon itself hadn’t expected such an end, its eyes remained wide open.

From its gaping maw, agonized screams still seemed to echo.

But there was no light of life.

“It’s dead! The Evil Dragon is dead! Our Princess defeated the Evil Dragon! Our Princess is a Dragon Slayer!”

“Now we can go back! We’re going home!”

Tom and Garo, covered in blood, embraced each other and cheered three times.

“…”

Medeia stood there in a daze.

They had survived. No one had died.

And they had really killed the Evil Dragon.

Even standing before the Evil Dragon, it didn’t feel real at all.

Medeia stared intently beyond the clouded yellow eyeball that had lost its light.

Drinking the Evil Dragon’s blood, seeing strange afterimages,

Even the memory of hanging from those massive wings just moments ago, spinning through the air in deadly combat—

Everything felt as hazy as a dream.

Then, her body was roughly turned around.

“When courage goes too far, it becomes recklessness. You thought to drink dragon’s blood?”

The fierce voice, stripped of composure, sounded so angry it was almost chilling.

Firm hands checked what traces remained on Medeia’s hands, arms, and skin.

“Chezare, wait—.”

“First Prince, what are you doing to our Princess?! Stand back!”

Chezare was blocked by Neryl’s sword as he tried to remove even the armor Medeia was wearing.

Even so, his fierce golden eyes, seemingly unaware of what he was doing, were focused only on Medeia.

“Do you know the Evil Dragon was born from Primordial Darkness? You tried to contain that, that curse in your body?”

Only then could Medeia understand his reaction.

Wasn’t Chezare the very person who had directly contained the curse left by Primordial Darkness in his body, and had been driven to the brink of death because of it?

“It’s fine. It seems like nothing will happen.”

Medeia recalled the moment she witnessed the afterimage with bright light, when all the pain left by the dragon’s blood had completely disappeared.

Somehow, she felt confident that everything would be alright.

Of course, Chezare didn’t think so at all.

“Terrence! Come here and check quickly.”

As if he couldn’t see the bloodstains at the corner of his injured friend’s mouth, he urged Terrence on.

“…Her Highness the Princess is right. I don’t sense any trace of darkness from Her Highness’s body.”

Terrence also wore a strange expression.

“I’m certain I read in a book that dragon’s blood contains a curse of darkness… I’ll ask my master about it when we return. But for now, it doesn’t seem like it will be a major problem.”

“Again.”

At Chezare’s obsessive persistence, Terrence exploded, abandoning even the joy of victory.

Having overexerted his magical power, his already dark under-eyes were now completely blackened as if they might go out at any moment.

“Damn it, I’ve checked countless times now. At least until we reach Valdina, nothing will happen for certain!”

Medeia reached out her hand.

Unbelievably, she gently curled and grasped his trembling fingertips in a way unlike her usual self.

When those golden eyes that wouldn’t easily calm down turned to gaze at her, Medeia didn’t avoid them and met his gaze.

“Chezare.”

“…”

“…You know it was a situation where I had no choice. If I hadn’t diverted his attention like that, the one lying over there now would be us, not him.”

Chezare bit the inside of his mouth.

Having dropped a perfectly fine person’s heart straight to hell, yet she looked at him so lovingly.

How could she know that the rage that had surged up was helplessly cooling down at this frail hand that reached out first for the first time.

Meanwhile, Neryl’s eyes widened at Medeia’s words.

This wasn’t the first time her master had achieved her goal by sacrificing herself.

However, Medeia had never once explained such actions to anyone. She didn’t even expect understanding.

But now, she was trying for the first time to make the 1st Prince of Kazen understand her choice.

And she was doing so while still holding his fingertips that she had unconsciously grasped.

“…”

“Chezare.”

Medeia unconsciously urged Chezare on.

“Everyone survived. That’s what matters.”

She thought he would understand, being someone who would willingly take risks for the sake of efficiency.

She had such expectations of him.

‘Since when?’

Just as she hesitated at that thought.

Screech-! Screech!

The falcon that had been circling the sky descended above the expedition.

“Sorry to interrupt, but we don’t have time to delay.”

Garo pulled down the parchment tied to the falcon’s leg.

“Monster waves are occurring across the entire continent. The Holy Kingdom has convened a continental meeting.”

“Damn it, they won’t even give us time to breathe. What is it this time?”

Clank. Diangel, with angry eyes, readjusted his grip on his greatsword.

The blood from the wounds inflicted by the dragon hadn’t even dried yet.

Garo swallowed with a hardened expression, as if all the joy from moments before had been swept away.

“To put the Emperor of Valdina… on trial.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————