"Eri!"
"Eri-san!"
Sumire and I both called out the name of Eri who had appeared.
"Big sis came to save you~!" (Eri)
The Demon Lord looked down at us from the sky in high spirits.
"King Uther… What in the world is this…?" (Claire)
First Knight Claire-san looked back and forth between the Principal and the Demon Lord with a mix of caution and confusion.
"So you released the 7th Forbidden Seal… You really went all out, Eugene." (Uther)
Principal Uther stroked his chin beard in admiration.
"Sumire's the one who released the seal. They did form a contract, so it's being treated as a 'temporary release.'" (Eugene)
"I see. Sumire-kun is an Ifrit, so she still retains a small amount of divinity. That makes a master-servant contract with Erinyes-dono of the angel race possible. As methods go, it's not a bad one." (Uther)
Principal Uther nodded, seemingly convinced.
"Whether Eri will obediently go back is still a gamble, though…" (Eugene)
Honestly, I am not confident that the clumsy contract and restrictions Sumire and I set up would actually work.
If it is Eri, the one who used to act as the instructor for the Destiny Goddess, she'd probably be able to find loopholes in any contract we made.
Contract magic falls under the jurisdiction of the Destiny Goddess herself after all.
That was when…
Thump!
Eri landed near us.
"…You know…" (Eri)
She crossed her arms and shot a cold glare at Principal Uther.
(Ah! Come to think of it, didn't the Demon Lord hold a grudge against Principal Uther?) (Eugene)
Was releasing her a bad idea after all!?
"King Uther!" (Claire)
The First Knight hurriedly stepped between them.
"How dare you take my feathers and hair while I was sealed, saying things like 'This will make excellent research material!' And you even tried to collect my blood while I was asleep! You pervert!" (Eri)
Eri pointed straight at Principal Uther.
"…Principal Uther?" (Eugene)
On this one, I kind of felt like Eri was in the right.
Doing that to a woman is definitely not okay.
"King Uther…" (Claire)
Even Claire-san was giving Principal Uther a reproachful look.
"Indeed! The miracle of Erinyes Cherubim-dono, captain of the First Valkyrie Unit, once even called a lover of the Tree Goddess Freya-sama, having fallen and been sealed! To not study such a phenomenon would be discourteous! She was priceless research material! Erinyes-dono, once again, thank you!!" (Uther)
Principal Uther showed absolutely no remorse.
"W-What is wrong with this man…?" (Eri)
Eri actually recoiled a little… Something rare for her.
Principal Uther might truly be a pervert when it comes to research…or rather, knowledge.
"Hey! Why are you chatting so casually!? The Red Dragon is getting angry!" (Anemoi)
The Dungeon Master shouted in a panicked voice.
…Grrrrrr.
One of the heads that Eri pierced had already regenerated.
"Eri, can you give us instructions?" (Eugene)
I asked while readying my God Sword.
"Hmm~ as things stand, we're a bit short on firepower." (Eri)
Eri said as she glanced around.
"No, but we don't have any more reinforcements—"
I was about to say when…
"Eugene, mm♡"
"!? "
Eri stole my lips.
Thud!
A surge of hot mana flowed into me.
The intensity was far stronger than usual.
So this is Mana Linking with a Demon Lord whose seal has been released…
""""......""""
Sumire, Sara, Airi, and the Dungeon Master all stared at us with damp, sticky eyes.
…This is awkward.
"Pwah! Alright! I've applied a reinforcement buff to your flight magic with the mana of a Fallen Angel. Come on, follow me. We're buying time." (Eri)
With that, Eri flapped her wings into the air.
"W-Wait!" (Eugene)
I manifested a single wing on my back and hurried after her with flight magic.
(Hm?) (Eugene)
Something felt off.
I use flight magic all the time, but right now the speed is on a completely different level.
"I poured my mana into your wings earlier. Makes it easier to fly, right?" (Eri)
"…You can do that?" (Eugene)
"Don't be surprised by something like this. Now then, let's play with the Red Dragon." (Eri)
Saying that, Eri leveled her spear and charged straight at the Red Dragon.
——GOOOOOOO!!
Crimson beams of light fired in every direction from the Red Dragon's seven necks.
"Claire-kun! Put up a barrier over the city!" (Uther)
"Yes, King Uther!" (Claire)
"The students' evacuation is complete!" (Sara)
"Thank you, Sara-kun." (Uther)
I could hear those voices from below.
"Eugy-kun! Look out!" (Sumire)
Sumire's scream and the beam fired from the Red Dragon's mouth toward me happened at the same time.
([Twin Heavenly Resonance Style: [Sky Walk]!!) (Eugene)
I kicked off the air itself and narrowly dodged the beam.
For a split second, I felt pain like my skin was being scorched.
"Hey now, Eugene. Don't space out, okay?" (Eri)
"Yeah… I'll be careful." (Eugene)
I got chastised by Eri, and cold sweat ran down my back.
If I hadn't received Eri's mana earlier, I wouldn't have been able to dodge that.
.........Grrrrrrrr.
The Red Dragon glared at us…no, at Eri.
"Isn't it unusually wary of you?" (Eugene)
"Mmm, well, we did meet once in Tartarus a long time ago. Maybe it remembers." (Eri)
Eri gracefully dodged the red beams, not seeming particularly bothered.
That was when…
Basa… basa… basa… basa…
Multiple loud wingbeats cut through the air.
Something was approaching.
"That is…" (Eugene)
"Looks like reinforcements have arrived." (Eri)
Eri said it as if she expected this.
What came flying in was…a swarm of dragons.
And I recognized them.
"Pikaaaa!!"
Among them, a golden dragon flew close to me.
"Pikaryuu?" (Eugene)
It was the dragon that should have been in the 6th Sealed Prison.
Which meant the one commanding these dragons was…
"…King Uther. Sorry I'm late."
Riding atop one of the dragons was Media, the head of the Animal Club.
"Media-kun, my apologies. I've pushed you too hard." (Uther)
It seemed Principal Uther had called her.
Given that President Media was a holder of one of the Zenith Tower's top ten records, her presence was reassuring.
But due to the curse of the Dragon God, she was usually bedridden.
Wasn't it too cruel to have her participate in a battle against the Red Dragon…? I felt worried.
"Oh? That girl is a Dragon Oracle, isn't she. What a rare one." (Eri)
Eri grinned with interest.
"A Dragon Oracle… Media-senpai?" (Eugene)
"That's right. She carries the remnants of power left behind in this world by the Dragon God's clan after they were defeated in a war against the Holy Gods. A messenger meant to convey the Dragon God's message when they return to this world one day. I thought they were long gone, but there's still one left." (Eri)
"Media-senpai said she's cursed by a God Dragon, though…" (Eugene)
"Mmm, well, it's curse-like enough. Forcing the power of the Dragon God, who was expelled from this world, into a human body would just be a burden. And it looks like she can't control that power very well." (Eri)
"Eri, do you know the proper way to use it? If so, you could teach Media-senpai—" (Eugene)
I stopped myself.
Now wasn't the time to talk calmly.
Still, the Red Dragon was acting strange.
It was clearly focusing its attention on Media-senpai.
Media-senpai was the academy's only Dragon Tamer, but surely a Divine Beast like the Red Dragon would be beyond her scope.
"Lucky us. A Dragon Oracle is the mouthpiece of the Dragon God, the supreme ruler of all dragons. Even if she is an immature one who can't control her power, killing her would be tantamount to defying the Dragon God. The Red Dragon's actions will be restricted." (Eri)
"S-So that's how it is…!" (Eugene)
Then just having Media-senpai here is already a huge help.
Now I understand why Principal Uther called her.
"Cough… cough…" (Media)
Media-senpai looked like she was in pain.
"I'm sorry… Truly." (Uther)
Principal Uther gently rubbed her back.
"No… if it's for you, King Uther… I'll do anything…" (Media)
Media-senpai blushed and gazed up at Principal Uther.
(Huh?) (Eugene)
I have never seen her like that before.
"Hey, are those two a thing?" (Eri)
I answered Eri's question with an 'I don't know'.
But at the very least, Media-senpai clearly seemed to harbor feelings for Principal Uther.
That's unexpected.
Whenever we gathered in the Animal Club, no one ever talked about romance.
Nearby, First Knight Claire-san, standing beside Principal Uther, looked displeased.
In any case, President Media is a powerful asset.
Just having her present is enough to restrict the Red Dragon's actions.
"Eri, now we can finally challenge the Red Dragon—" (Eugene)
Just as I was about to say that.
DOOOON!!!!!!!
Something like a gigantic red comet slammed straight into the Red Dragon from high above.
"Guh!?"
"Now that's a flashy entrance." (Eri)
I hurriedly raised my sword, while Eri watched with a relaxed expression.
——Kuaaaaaaah.
One of the Red Dragon's heads had been crushed.
It was already regenerating, though.
As clouds of dust billowed up, a red, humanoid light hovered in the air.
"What's this!? This looks like it's getting fun!"
A bright voice rang out.
The owner of the voice was an elf woman.
A young, beautiful elf woman.
Vivid red hair, and vivid red mana enveloping her body.
Her total amount of mana rivaled that of the Ifrit Sumire and the Demon Lord Eri.
The staff she held was probably a famous magic staff.
Even from this distance, I could tell…she is an absurdly skilled mage.
The elf woman stared straight at us…at the Demon Lord.
"Ahhh, so the Demon Lord who once ruled the South Continent, the Fallen Angel Erinyes, has been revived, huh! Alright! Then I'll get fired up and take you down~☆!"
"Huh?" (Eri)
Eri let out an annoyed sound.
"That's wrong, Mama! The enemy is the Divine Beast!"
A shouting voice reached us.
It was Rebecca-senpai, who should have already evacuated.
She apparently came back using Teleport.
(Um… Rebecca-senpai's mom? Then that means…) (Eugene)
Before I could fully recall that memory…
"Rosalie-kun. The Demon Lord Erinyes is on our side. Our enemy is the Divine Beast that will end the world, the Red Dragon." (Uther)
Principal Uther's voice made me remember.
——Rosalie J. Walker.
She was the 9th Record Holder of the Zenith Tower.
The one who likely called her here was…
"Wow, long time no see, Uther-sensei☆" (Rosalie)
Rebecca-senpai's mother, Rosalie-san, teleported over to Principal Uther's side.
"I'm glad you came, Rosalie-kun. You're always impossible to contact, so I was worried." (Uther)
"Oh come on, with the kind of relationship we have, Sensei☆ I'll come running anytime☆ By the way, you're going to keep me company tonight, right?♡" (Rosalie)
Rosalie-san wrapped her arm around Principal Uther's arm.
Huh?
Tonight… As in, that kind of relationship?
"......"
"......"
Claire-san and President Media both looked unhappy.
"......"
Rebecca-senpai wore an indescribably complicated expression.
Well, yeah, you wouldn't want to see your own mother coming on to a man.
That aside, wasn't Rosalie-san supposed to be married?
(Still, Rosalie-san looks insanely young. She looks like she could be Rebecca-senpai's older sister…) (Eugene)
Was that just because elves are a long-lived race?
Even so, she seemed too young.
"That elf ate a Fruit of Life to keep herself young." (Eri)
Eri muttered under her breath.
"S-So that's the case?" (Eugene)
You can tell just by looking?
"Well then, looks like we're all here." (Eri)
I looked around once more at Eri's words.
The strongest explorers of the Dungeon City, and the revived Demon Lord.
This is probably the greatest fighting force the South Continent could muster.
"Then, shall we try again?" (Uther)
We gave small nods at Principal Uther's words and faced the enormous Red Dragon towering above us.