The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 89

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Strongest in the Neighborhood (89)
‘What kind of daylight robbery is this? A general of a nation doesn’t consider the consequences?’
Even knowing that he’d mentioned the dragon and had close ties to the Magic Tower, this coercion and show of force was intolerable.
The atmosphere turning against him felt as though they might kill him on the spot and seize the Dragon Bone Knight at any moment.
“Then please write a promissory note promising ten thousand Gold. In exchange, I’ll hand over the Dragon Bone Knight.”
“A promissory note? You seem to be confused. If you sold all the Dragon Bone Knights and Chimeras you possess to enemy nations, they’d become weapons that slaughter our soldiers. As Supreme Commander of the Bermuda Maritime Alliance, I cannot allow such a thing. Hand over all the Chimeras and the Dragon Bone Knight.”
Aleingde Mir realized that even mobilizing every magical weapon he possessed, he could not escape this place surrounded by Mages and Knights, and he clenched his teeth.
“I made it clear that the Dragon Bone Knight’s owner is the dragon. If you kill me here, there will be the dragon’s retaliation later. And the master of Mareign, who is in the Magic Tower, is my closest companion. The Magic Tower and the magical world will not overlook this.”
“We’re disciplining a Mage trying to provide Chimeras and magical weapons to enemy nations—why would the Magic Tower involve themselves? What authority do they have? And what dragon? Are you saying the dragon asked you to sell its own teeth and scales to a Mage? You expect me to believe such a lie?”
“It’s the truth. If you don’t believe me and kill me, you’ll surely regret it greatly.”
“No matter how I think about it, killing you is far more profitable than keeping you alive. And now that I think about it, once I kill you, I can even recover the money I gave you as a treatment fee.”
Kairoex’s face was already radiating murderous intent, as though he’d made his decision to kill.
Aleingde Mir felt that killing intent and clenched his teeth.
“This—this is banditry! How can the Supreme Commander of the Bermuda Alliance do such a thing!”
“What? What am I doing? You’re one, and you have a disciple too, so that’s two. The profit from killing both of you is enormous. Besides, this is a battlefield. A place where no one knows if someone dies, and even if they did, I could easily fabricate a plausible reason.”
“You—do you think I’ll go down so easily!”
As Aleingde Mir raised his Magic Staff, light erupted and geometric patterns formed in the air.
“Hah! Let me see how strong a 6th-rank Mage really is.”
Whoosh.
As Kairoex’s Aura surged and he drew his sword, a Knight burst urgently into the Grand Hall.
“Supreme Commander! Grave news!”
“Grave news? What is it? Has Cram’s warship perhaps broken through Quardo’s sea fog?”
“A dragon has appeared. The dragon has transformed the Sea Route we spent years constructing into a reef zone and is coming here, leading the prisoners who were working on building the passage.”
In that instant, Kairoex’s eyes widened as though they might split.
“What? What! The Sea Route turned into a reef zone? How was that route made…? Damn it. If the dragon is coming here, I’ll have to fight. I’ll handle it personally—inform all forces to prepare for battle against the dragon.”
“Yes, I receive your command.”
Kairoex issued his orders hastily, then looked at Aleingde Mir and his disciple.
“While we fight the dragon, you’ll likely try to escape, so I’ll have to subdue you first.”
“Hmph! That won’t be easy.”
“Easy? A 6th-rank Mage is remarkable among other Mages, but to a Sword Master like me, you’re nothing but prey I can snatch up whenever I wish.”
Kairoex’s Aura thickened, and in an instant he closed the distance and swung his blade.
“Chain Lightning!”
Electricity erupted from Aleingde Mir’s staff and engulfed Kairoex, but he pressed on regardless, continuing his assault.
Crackle-crackle-crackle.
The electricity covering Kairoex’s body dispersed like drops of water hitting a stone, scattering in all directions, and his blade cut through both the lightning and the shield, then severed Aleingde Mir’s staff as he stumbled backward in shock.
Aleingde Mir seized the broken staff and leaped into the air, attempting to cast an electrical spell once more.
“Dispel Chain Lightning!”
Then the Mages around him chanted the dispel together, and Aleingde Mir’s airborne body plummeted as the electrical magic scattered.
Slash.
And Kairoex’s blade severed Aleingde Mir’s right arm.
“Aaaaaahhhhh!”
Aleingde Mir shrieked and clutched the severed stump with his left hand.
Kairoex pressed his blade to Aleingde Mir’s throat and spoke with a cold expression.
“I was thinking of cutting your throat, but I realized the Mages would need time to open your Pocket Dimension, so I settled for your arm.”
“You—you vile fiend! Just kill me!”
“If you surrender everything you’ve stored in your Pocket Dimension, I’ll spare you and your disciple. But if you refuse, I’ll kill both of you and take everything anyway, even if it takes time. Surely you don’t want your disciple to die because of you?”
Aleingde Mir looked at Laila, who was already being restrained by the other Mages and trembling violently, and clenched his teeth.
“All right, I’ll surrender everything in my Pocket Dimension. But in return, swear by your Aura and my Mana that you’ll spare us both.”
“Fine, I’m happy to make that oath. I, Kairoex Dremen, swear by my Aura and Aleingde Mir’s Mana that I will spare him and his disciple in exchange for obtaining everything in his Pocket Dimension.”
“If you break your oath, you’ll fall under the curse of Mana and Aura.”
“I’ve sworn it. Now empty your Pocket Dimension.”
“Understood.”
Though seething with rage and bitter resentment, Aleingde Mir emptied his Pocket Dimension to save his disciple’s life and his own.
Six Chimeras, money, jewels, Chimera materials, Dragon Scales, and teeth.
As everything emerged, Kairoex’s expression turned satisfied.
“Mareign.”
“Yes, Supreme Commander.”
“Fit this one with a Magic Seal Artifact and gag him so he cannot chant spells.”
“Understood.”
As Mareign moved to gag Aleingde Mir, he glared at him with furious eyes.
“Mareign, you’re Lucicana’s disciple—how could you do this to me!”
“I apologize. But please, try to understand my position.”
“If Lucicana learns what happened today, she won’t let this slide.”
“If you wish to punish me, I will accept it gladly.”
“You damnable fool! You brought me here—you introduced me to this place—and the best you can do is that? You have to at least guarantee my safety!”
“I apologize.”
“You worthless dog! Is that all—just an apology? Did Lucicana teach you nothing else?”
“Ah, you’re awfully loud.”
Thwack.
In that instant, Kairoex suddenly raised his foot and kicked Aleingde Mir across the jaw.
Aleingde Mir lost consciousness from the blow.
Kairoex repeated his orders to the Mage Mareign once more, then left the Grand Hall.
Whiiiiiiing……
But outside the Grand Hall, thick fog had rolled in from somewhere, and it was so dense he couldn’t see more than ten meters ahead.
“What? When did this fog come rolling in?”
Kairoex’s brow furrowed.
With fog this thick, commanding troops became difficult, and strangely, sound didn’t carry far either.
“What, have you all turned into wooden statues?”
Kairoex turned toward the soldiers guarding the front of the Grand Hall.
Normally when he stepped outside, the guards would salute him, and the knights from the Parade Ground would come running to bow their heads.
But the soldiers were silent, and he heard no sound of knights rushing over.
He turned his head to look to the side—the soldiers standing before the door were collapsed.
“What—what’s this? You there, why are you lying down?”
“What? Could it be—an ambush?”
The knights who had followed him out now spotted the fallen soldiers and started in shock.
“I felt no disturbance, no sign of anything…… Could it be—”
While the knights examined the fallen soldiers, Kairoex bounded down some twenty steps in a single leap and surveyed the Parade Ground.
Through the fog, he could see countless knights and soldiers sprawled on the ground.
“What—what’s happened here? What in the world occurred?”
He strode quickly across the Parade Ground, but there wasn’t a single soldier standing.
“Could it be—are they all d-dead? No, that can’t be right? They’re a-alive, aren’t they?”
Kairoex hurriedly grabbed one of the fallen soldiers and checked his condition.
Fortunately the man was still breathing, but no matter how much Kairoex shook him, he wouldn’t wake.
The soldier beside him was the same, as was the next one, and the knight beyond him—all were breathing. They simply wouldn’t wake, no matter how hard he shook them or slapped their cheeks.
“What—what in the world has happened? With so many soldiers in this state, why hasn’t anyone come to report it to me?”
Thud, thud, thud……
Then came the sound of people collapsing.
He rushed toward the noise and found the very knights who had followed him from the Grand Hall beginning to fall.
“What—what is this! Why are you collapsing?”
He hurried to catch one of the falling knights, who yawned repeatedly and barely managed to speak.
“G-General, I’m so dreadfully sleepy—I think, I think someone has dispersed a massive amount of sedative. There’s no poisoning, but I’m desperately s-sleepy…… *yawn*.”
Thump.
The knight collapsed mid-sentence and fell asleep.
“A sedative? Is there truly a sedative in the world that could put so many knights and soldiers to sleep?”
Kairoex drew out the Magic Artifact embedded in his armor and held it to the nose of the knight he’d been supporting.
The Magic Artifact had purification and detoxification functions built into it.
“*yawn*, ah—the sleep is fading! Thank you, General!”
“Keep this to your mouth for now. Mareign! Mage Mareign!”
“Yes, General.”
“Take out every Detoxification Artifact the Mages have and wake the knights first. It seems a massive amount of sedative has been mixed into the fog.”
“Understood.”
As Mareign and the other Mages drew out their Detoxification Artifacts and began waking the collapsed knights, Kairoex looked around.
A sudden fog and a sedative.
There had to be a Mage somewhere capable of dispersing such widespread magic and sedative into the air.
‘This doesn’t seem like magic a human could cast…… Could it be a dragon?’
He suddenly recalled what the Mage Aleingde Mir had said earlier—that he was connected to a dragon.
“Wait! Old Mage. Your name was Aleingde, wasn’t it? Why are you all crippled up?”
At that moment, an unfamiliar voice came from inside the Grand Hall.
“G-Great one! Please, spare my life!”
“Are those your arms lying over there?”
“Yes.”
“Let me start by reattaching your arm.”
Kairoex swallowed hard at the words drifting from the Grand Hall, his throat suddenly dry.
‘So the old Mage really does have a connection with the dragon!’
If he was speaking so casually and could reattach a severed limb, then perhaps when Kairoex had acted against the Mage, he might have put thousands of soldiers and knights to sleep without anyone noticing.
I’m done for.
Kairoex rushed headlong into the Grand Hall.
For some reason, the mist could not penetrate inside the hall.
“Heal!”
Three unfamiliar figures stood within the Grand Hall, and among them, a man in green robes with green hair was using a Heal spell to reattach Aleingde Mir’s severed arm.
“Exalted one, I bow before your greatness.”
Kairoex quickly lowered his head before both the man in green robes and the man in blue robes.
“Noxcassarsis, this man severed my arm and stole the Dragon Bone Knight you entrusted to me, along with everything in my Subspace.”
At Aleingde Mir’s words the moment he saw Kairoex, the color drained from his face.
‘Damn it! I should have killed that old Mage when I had the chance.’

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