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「But well, that’s the gist of it. First we have to make an over-the-top show. I heard you have the perfect thing for that, are you up to the task Mira?」

A large airship would appear above Sentopolly, many famous faces gathered on it, and then a flashy summon would attract even more attention.

Even if Chimera Clauzen’s evil had infected the entire continent, seeing such a group of famous faces would make everyone believe they could stand up against Chimera Clauzen. The stronger that impression, the more Chimera Clauzen’s associates would despair, and the more obvious their reaction would be. That was the plan Alioth, the chief of the Bellerophon platoon, had come up with.

「Lady Uzume requested this specifically. She requested you summon the flashiest being you can. Would that be possible?」

Alioth appeared from somewhere, taking up the conversation after Arlon, his eyes full of expectation as he looked at Mira.

「Hmm… I guess I could summon-」
「Ah, Uzume left another message. ‘Isenfald is out of the question’, she said.」
「Wh-…what…」

If they had Isenfald’s majestic figure with them it would look incredibly cool. Mira was certain Isenfald met every requirement, so she was dumbfounded hearing she could not summon him.

「What do you mean… Isenfald would be the ideal choice!」

Mira glared at Alioth with eyes full of resentment. She was like a proud mother asking why her son could not show up for his big moment in a play.

「It-it’s not my fault, that’s just what Lady Uzume requested…」

She was completely overtaken by anger. Alioth had not heard the reasoning behind Uzume singling out that specific summon, so he was thoroughly confused. 「Umm… exactly what kind of summon is Isenfald?」 he asked, retreating from Mira.
Hearing that, she puffed her chest as much as she could before replying.

「Isenfald is my first child, an Emperor Dragon!」

Mira was convinced there was no one else better suited for the role. But Alioth and Arlon had a forced smile, something finally clicking in their minds as they just said, 「Ahhh…」

「Mira, Mira!」

Seeing an unfavorable reaction, Mira began frowning, thinking they were making fun of her son, so Sero quickly leant down and whispered the reason into her ear.

According to Sero, Emperor Dragons were seen as harbingers of calamity, so if Isenfald was seen together with them, it would be the same as showing off an armed nuclear warhead hanging from their airship.

Maybe such a stunt would have passed during the days of Danbulf, but there were few people who could stand the sight of an Emperor Dragon without trembling in fear. In the worst case, the city could plunge into chaos long before they could announce their victory over Chimera Clauzen.

「I can’t believe that…」

Hearing that, Mira felt sorry for the impression people had of her son, vowing in her heart to be more kind to him in the future.

After that Mira ate in a foul mood, then went into a tent used as a break room to lie down. She had barely gotten any sleep in before she was woken up for the mission, so the moment her emotions settled, she was overtaken by slumber.

Almost everyone else in that camp was the same, but there was nothing that could win over the joy of victory, so Mira was the only one using that tent.

「I swear, drinking is all they know to celebrate.」

Mira muttered with a sour look hearing the cheers outside, and the moment she closed her eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.

「Mira, we’re about to leave.」

A voice echoed in her dreams, and then Mira felt her body being jostled around. That repeated a few times, and then Mira finally opened her eyes.

「Hngh… is it morning already…」
「It’s noon, Mira. Are you still in dream land?」
「No… it’s all coming back to me now…」

Her eyes struggled to open, but when her vision finally cleared up, she saw Emera smiling kindly at her. And behind her, on a different portable bed, was Fricca, her hands and feet tied up, wriggling like a worm.

From the look of things, she had been caught red-handed while trying to take advantage of Mira’s sleeping body.

「I’ll go on ahead then. We’re waiting for you in the airship.」 Seeing that Mira had woken up, Emera picked up Fricca and headed out of the tent.

「Hmm… I slept around four hours.」

It was exactly noon. The noisy voices she heard before sleeping had stopped, and instead she heard a distant commanding voice. Mira stood up and left the tent, being hit by the bright midday sun.

「They really are well-trained soldiers.」

Looking around, she no longer saw the merry red-faced drunkards dancing and drinking shoulder to shoulder from four hours earlier, but well-organized lines retreating in military-fashion.

The tents were all swiftly dismantled, while the many tables and cookware were being put away one after another. Mira admired that change, and then headed towards the airship that had landed some distance away.

It had not been long since its arrival, and they were still loading the cargo. But Mira noticed something strange.

「Say, what did they bring in there?」

Mira spotted Arlon standing next to the airship, so she trotted up to him and asked that. Many carriages were rolling out of the hold, but they did not seem to be filled with anything.

「Hey, finally awake?」

Arlon turned around and greeted her, before answering that as she could see, they had brought carriages.

According to him, most of the people who had fought there were about to travel in the carriages to the surrounding countries to hunt down any remnants of Chimera Clauzen. They were all empty because they had found large food reserves in the pretend-village Chimera used as a base, so they would use that for supplies.

「So there’s still a lot left to do. Sounds exhausting.」

They had taken down a large organization like Chimera Clauzen. But the Fifty Bells’ mission was not over until they had caught the last few scattered remnants. No one knew how many years that would take. Someone overheard Mira’s mutter and decided to respond.

「Until now we never really saw the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’ll be much easier from now on. We’ll definitely gain a lot of information if your next mission succeeds after all.」

He was right, the hardest part was already over. All that remained were the orphaned children without their powerful parents. On top of that, Mira’s mission would lure out a great number of lost members. That would create an even bigger influx of information, laying bare every place where Chimera Clauzen hid.

Their strongest strategy had always been to run away and hide, and if they lost their ability to do so, getting rid of them was only a matter of time.

「A wounded beast can be unexpectedly fierce, so watch out.」
「Thanks, we’ll keep that in mind.」

They had a great advantage, but it was never a good idea to let their guard down. The man nodded, hearing Mira’s advice, then held onto one of the carriages and climbed in together with his comrades.

「Well, I don’t think we have much to worry about. Some spirits are also going to help with the hunt.」
「That’s quite reassuring to hear.」
「This was all possible thanks to you and the other two. The white weapons have entered mass-production, so now basically every member can have one. That’s also why spirits could join us now.」
「I see, I’m glad I could help with that.」

Weapons made with black mist stones, the Demon’s Curse, were the natural enemy of spirits, as they had no way to resist an attack. Now the Fifty Bells had the way to neutralize that threat, which allowed spirits to join the fight, which greatly increased the power of the Fifty Bells.

So what the man who went into the carriage said was true, things would be much easier moving forward. Mira smiled satisfied as she watched the carriages leave one after another.