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*“――Tear that girl away White One. I shall handle the two dragons myself.”*
“…That’s not just bluster, is it? You’ll die.”

Before the clash with Theo began, a secret conversation had taken place between the foolish king and me, cloaked by wind magecraft.

That said, calling it a “conversation” was being generous. The contents were far too crude. Taking on two dragons alone as a mere human was little more than a roundabout way of suggesting suicide.

*“Worry not—I have a chance. My friend, Valka, still lives.”*
“You have any proof of that?”
*“This desert is my domain. I will not let a friend die alone. Which means he still lives.”*
“…That’s just wishful thinking. Ridiculous.”

Even so, when I broadened my magic detection range and fine-tuned its precision, I did sense a presence that matched the signature of the Scorchflame Dragon, just as the foolish king had said.

Most likely inside the burning pit that it used as its lair. However, the magic was so faint it seemed like it could vanish at any moment.

It must have already been slain by Theo and the two dragons. Even so, the fact it was still breathing could only be attributed to the extraordinary vitality dragons possessed.

“Sorry, but I’m in no condition to help. I doubt Momo has any leeway either. No matter how bad things get, don’t expect us to bail you out.”
*“Fear not. As long as I have a kingdom to protect, I shall not fall.”*
“And as for that friend of yours—his remaining magic is converging into a single point. He’s likely preparing a final strike. Don’t waste it.”
*“…Understood. You have my thanks.”*

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“――Aah… aaAAAH…! Why!? Why!? I know I crushed the dragon gem!!”

Theo screamed in near-hysterics, staring up at the beam of heat, paying no more attention to Momo.

It had been an old dragon to begin with—its lifespan nearly at an end. Crushing its dragon gem, the organ akin to a dragon’s heart, she must have believed she’d finished it off.

But she hadn’t made any mistakes. I probably would’ve made the same call.

In the moment of a dragon’s death, there should be no reason for it to save a human. That very assumption was what led to the defeat between Theo and me.

“Ah, what a magnificent breath. From that glow alone, you can tell the air’s been ionized by the heat. That’s an attack brushing against the divine.”
“…Bakvilyde… Orgueil…”
“Don’t bother. That was a direct hit. Whether they’re dead or not, there’s no way they can keep fighting.”
“Shut up, you undead b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲!! What the hell would you know!?”

“If you know even a little magecraft, you should be able to tell. Those two were blazing just moments ago, but now their magic power is barely a whisper.”
“Well I can’t tell at all…”
“Silence. Even an infant has more magic power than you do, Momo.”
“How could you say that to your first disciple!”

I ignored the pink idiot—who still couldn’t muster more than a matchstick’s worth of output—and prepared magecraft behind Theo’s back as she stood there, stunned, staring at the aftermath of the heat ray.

Were those two dragons really that important to her? She was completely defenseless. Still, if I acted here, Momo would definitely throw a fit.

Seriously—after nearly getting killed, what’s so wrong with returning the favor? She’s got to be peace-addled beyond saving.

“Theo, please stop. Master’s aiming at your back!”
“Hey! Don’t tell her that, you idiot! You just blew one of our few chances!”
“…Stop? Stop what?”

Heat shimmered off Theo’s back.

From her trembling lips, I could see sparks flickering—tiny tongues of flame slipping out.

“As if I’d stop. We’ll do it again and again, as many times as it takes. So long as you humans keep foolishly repeating the same mistakes…!”
“Then just fix the mistake! There’s no reason to go through the same cycle over and over again!”
“Momo, it’s pointless. We’ll never understand each other.”
“That’s not true! If we can exchange words like this, then we can—”
“――Disgusting. Even those ‘words’ don’t belong to you humans!!”

Theo turned around, and her eyes had changed—slitted vertically like a cat’s… no, like a dragon’s.

Her open mouth, now revealing jagged, uneven fangs, brimmed with red flame. The searing heat inside looked like it could burst out at any moment.

If her internal organs were like her wings and tail—modeled after a dragon—then…

“Get back, Momo! It’s too dangerous at this range!”
“DIE!!”
“No, thank you!!!!”

As Theo unleashed a blast of fire breath, Momo shouted—and from her own mouth, a mirrored wave of scorching flames surged out to meet it.

The two breaths collided mid-air, the shockwave superheating the surrounding sands. Yet none of us—not even those at the center—had so much as a burn to show for it.

“Wh—!? You’re not even a dragon! How can you use breath!?”
“Please don’t ask! It’s… a long story! Just a little something!”
“It’s not ‘a little something’ at all… Still, impressive counter. Maybe you’re better suited to being a dragon than a wizard?”

Theo, shaken by Momo’s reckless display, took two, three steps backward in stunned disbelief.

But I didn’t give her a chance to flee. I extended magic-infused sand to entangle her legs.

“Ow! Hot—! What is this!?”
“Lucky for me the heat melted the sand. Liquid form is far easier to control than just dry grains.”

The molten sand created by the breath wasn’t the kind of heat one could just shrug off with an “ow,” but at this point that sort of detail felt almost trivial.

The sand, cooled and solidified while still gripping her legs, was reinforced with magic power—far too tough for her to break easily.

“Don’t make any sudden moves. Even if Momo tries to stop me, next time I’ll make sure you don’t get back up. If you want to live, I’ll guarantee you the rights of a prisoner.”
“Gh…! Why…? Why you, of all people…!”

Bound and unable to move, Theo glared at me, her eyes filled with a mix of fury and sorrow.

…No. More precisely, she wasn’t looking at me, but at the original owner of this body.

“Ah, *Babel…* Why did it have to be you among all of us…!”
“…Babel? Wait, that name—”
“M-Master! Look—look up!”

Just as Theo collapsed in place, Momo’s panicked cry rang out as she pointed toward the sky.

“What is it, Momo? I was in the middle of something imp—…what…”

I lost my words.

The sky was supposed to be clear—bright and cloudless, just like yesterday.

But now, it was flickering with static, like a sandstorm had swept across it.