Chapter 332
"Found our target . Inside the guild . "
I went back to the girls and informed them .
"It's really . . . In there then . "
"It didn't engage you?"
"Yea . Our opponent didn't seem to notice me . . . It made no move . "
Zadokilgias could have attacked me at any point .
We were only 10 meters apart, which is practically nothing to magic combatants with crests other than Disqualified Crest .
And even though that's beyond Disqualified Crest's range, it's actually within range for all intents and purposes with how instantaneous you can close that distance .
"Is that . . . Because the demon's going to launch a surprise attack when we let our guard down . . . ?"
"Nah, Zadokilgias likely doesn't think there's any point in that . It's got its schemes instead though . "
Zadokilgias isn't the only one disguising mana .
I purposely loosened up my mana control to make me look like an amateur mage when I approached the guild .
From Zadokilgias's perspective, it was probably, "Better than other adventurers here, but I could easily kill him anytime I want . "
" . . . So like, is the demon buying time by ignoring anyone who's not immediately dangerous?"
"In short, yeah . It got nothing to do with buying time though . "
I checked Dragon Veins running nearby .
Fortunately, quite a lot of the veins are running around these lands .
Connecting to Dragon Veins won't be a problem with the 『Man-eating Blade』 in our possession .
"I've told you girls our strategy on our way here . First off, we need to evacuate this town . "
Our strategy is pretty large scale this time around .
Running rampage with 『Man-eating Blade』 means huge collateral damage .
Surely the damage is within tolerance, especially with the 『Nomination of Plenipotentiary Commander in States of Emergency』 I've got . . . . But of course that doesn't extend to lives .
First, we need to get the populace away from the town .
" . . . Okay then, Iris, you need to transform back into your dragon form outside town . . . Can you manage?"
"I should be fine now! . . . I might end up stepping on a house or two if I get into town though, is that alright?"
"I'll notify you once the town has been cleared off the populace, stay put until then . You can break things all you want afterward . "
Our strategy this time will likely cause a great deal of destruction in the town .
We can't make use of Iris's power otherwise since Zadokilgias is lurking in the middle of the town .
"There's no need to feel guilty . . . If we don't beat Zadokilgias here, forget losing their houses, people would have to part with their lives . The kingdom will compensate for their houses, but that can't be done for lives lost . "
"I got it! Okay then . . . Don't mind if I do!"
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Iris ran off out of town afterward .
We've already decided on the spot she's going to turn back into her dragon form .
The populace will most likely run straight to the opposite of Iris once they see her .
Humans instinctively run away to the opposite direction of frightening things even if it leads to a dead end .
And dragons should be the very symbol of fear to ordinary people .
As such, Iris would show off her dragon self at the opposite side of the town's entrance .
Thus, the populace will effectively scramble out of town once they see her .
We simply don't have the leeway to lead this fight to an uninhabited location .
There's no choice but to let people take shelter on their own .
"Err . . . Can't you ask the town guard for help with that 『States of Emergency Thingy』 you got from the king? Would be far safer than creating a stir with Iris . . . "
"That would be nice . . . But do you really think this town's guards will be any use . . . ?"
"Ah . . . Good point . Asking a random passerby for help would be more productive for sure . . . "
True, we could safely and reliably evacuate the town if only the town guards could be depended on to take charge .
However . . . That's only if we can depend those guards .
We had taken a look at the guard stations while we were scouting the area earlier, and state of affairs was just pitiful .
Forget working, those thug-like bunches were drinking in the middle of the day inside their stations .
The town lord probably fired all the upright guards and hired those ruffians to work as his underlings .
I don't believe for a second we could rely on them to help with evacuation . It would end up giving clues to Zadokilgias instead .
Meaning, we'd better off showing off Iris's dragon form to accomplish the evacuation .
Zadokilgias would likely slip among the crowd and pretend to flee, but I could just attack and stop him then .
I watch over Iris's position with detection magic .
Then she arrived at the planned spot a few minutes later .
"Well then, time to do this . "
After confirming Iris's mana reaction had stopped moving, I shot up a kind of explosion magic at the sky .
An explosive sound reverberated in the vicinity .
A few seconds later–the Darkness Dragon emerged where Iris was .