"Tch, it's been too long. I've forgotten so much. What a hassle." Altair grumbled, perched on a stone at the church's entrance. Having made his decision, he'd left the church to find the academy the protagonist attended, but he couldn't recall its name or location. Quite the predicament.

The Compass of the Heart had dissolved into magical energy after guiding him to Est. The Greater Grail's one-time navigation was generous enough; he couldn't expect it to work indefinitely.

Resigned, Altair sat at the church's entrance, waiting. From lingering inside to loitering outside, he felt a bit helpless. He needed the protagonist and his companion, a student at the academy, to show up, but her name escaped him.

Sorry, buddy, you've got too many love interests. I can't keep track of all these tsundere little girl archetypes, Altair thought, mentally apologizing to the fiery red-haired girl he'd seen earlier. Her name didn't stick because she wasn't his "wife" in this world, Est held that title.

After about ten minutes, voices approached, a man and a woman. The protagonist, Kamito Kazehaya, and his companion had arrived.

Claire Rouge, the red-haired girl's name.

She strutted ahead confidently, while Kamito trailed behind, looking exasperated. Engrossed in conversation, they didn't notice Altair until he called out.

"Hey!" Claire pointed at him, eyes wide. "It's you, the other pervert!"

"What are you doing here?" She demanded.

"Why can't I be here?" Altair replied, arms crossed, leaning against a stone pillar with a grin.

Being called a pervert stung, even if he had seen her unclothed. Soon, she'd lose the nerve to throw that label around.

"This is the church sealing the Demon-Slaying Sword, Terminus Est. What's your purpose here?" Claire pressed.

"I'm looking for an academy that trains Spirit Users, but I got lost. Saw this building and checked it out, only to find ruins. As for your Demon-Slaying Sword, sorry, didn't see it." Altair said, spinning a quick lie.

"No way! I heard about it from the Academy Director!" Claire scoffed, unconvinced, and bolted into the church.

"Wait!" Kamito, worried for her, followed. Inside, they found an empty hall, no sealed spirit, not even a spider's web.

"How? There's supposed to be a sealed spirit here!" Claire muttered.

"Maybe the Director was mistaken or didn't know." Kamito offered, trying to console her crestfallen expression.

Claire said nothing, turning to leave, with Kamito in tow.

"Told you, no sealed spirit here." Altair chimed in as they emerged, asserting his presence.

"You!" Claire, already in a foul mood, bristled at his words, clenching her fists, ready to lash out. "Did you hide the sealed spirit before we got here?"

Seriously? You're pinning this on me?

"Don't think you can fool me." Claire continued, undeterred. "There's a massive residue of divine might here. Someone used it recently. As a man, you can't wield divine might, so there's only one explanation: a spirit was here, and it unleashed divine might not long ago!"

Pointing at Altair, she spoke with conviction, nearly pushing up imaginary glasses to declare, The truth is clear!

"You're the only one here and were in a hurry to leave before we arrived. You must've stolen the sealed spirit!"

Altair clapped, impressed. He'd pegged her as a brainless tsundere, but she'd deduced he'd tampered with Est. Not bad.

"Looks like you're admitting it." Claire said, smirking confidently at his applause.

"Hand over the sealed spirit now!" She flicked her right hand, summoning her flame-wreathed whip.

"Or I won't hold back!"

"Oh? I'm curious, what'll you do if I don't comply?" Altair stood, arms still crossed, smiling as he awaited her response.

"If you won't hand it over, then die!" Claire swung her whip at him.

"Watch out!" Kamito, ever the gallant, shouted a warning. Altair didn't flinch, raising his left hand only as the whip neared, catching it effortlessly.

The whip's flames burned in his grip but caused no harm. To conceal the contract seal on his right hand, Altair wore a gauntlet there, but his left arm, its armor melted in the fight with Karna, was bare. Yet it held the fiery whip firmly.

"No way." Claire gasped, staring at his unscathed hand. It gripped her burning whip without a mark.

"Is this for real?" Kamito muttered, stunned. Even he, the strongest Blade Dancer, couldn't catch a flame whip barehanded. Could this man be…?

"Human, you overstep." Altair said coldly, yanking the whip from Claire's grasp and tossing it to the ground.

"Human?" Claire blinked, bewildered, as her whip was torn away. Kamito, meanwhile, fixated on Altair's words.

"You said 'human.' Are you…?" Kamito began.

Altair didn't answer. Under their gazes, he activated his dragon form, his body swelling into a black shadow, transforming into the colossal black dragon Nidhogg.

Golden slit-pupil eyes opened, peering down at the shocked pair. Spreading wings that blotted out the sky, he opened his maw.

"I am the black dragon Nidhogg! The highest dragon spirit!"

CA [226]: The Dragon's Deception

"Tch, it's been too long. I've forgotten so much. What a hassle." Altair grumbled, perched on a stone at the church's entrance. Having made his decision, he'd left the church to find the academy the protagonist attended, but he couldn't recall its name or location. Quite the predicament.

The Compass of the Heart had dissolved into magical energy after guiding him to Est. The Greater Grail's one-time navigation was generous enough; he couldn't expect it to work indefinitely.

Resigned, Altair sat at the church's entrance, waiting. From lingering inside to loitering outside, he felt a bit helpless. He needed the protagonist and his companion, a student at the academy, to show up, but her name escaped him.

Sorry, buddy, you've got too many love interests. I can't keep track of all these tsundere little girl archetypes, Altair thought, mentally apologizing to the fiery red-haired girl he'd seen earlier. Her name didn't stick because she wasn't his "wife" in this world, Est held that title.

After about ten minutes, voices approached, a man and a woman. The protagonist, Kamito Kazehaya, and his companion had arrived.

Claire Rouge, the red-haired girl's name.

She strutted ahead confidently, while Kamito trailed behind, looking exasperated. Engrossed in conversation, they didn't notice Altair until he called out.

"Hey!" Claire pointed at him, eyes wide. "It's you, the other pervert!"

"What are you doing here?" She demanded.

"Why can't I be here?" Altair replied, arms crossed, leaning against a stone pillar with a grin.

Being called a pervert stung, even if he had seen her unclothed. Soon, she'd lose the nerve to throw that label around.

"This is the church sealing the Demon-Slaying Sword, Terminus Est. What's your purpose here?" Claire pressed.

"I'm looking for an academy that trains Spirit Users, but I got lost. Saw this building and checked it out, only to find ruins. As for your Demon-Slaying Sword, sorry, didn't see it." Altair said, spinning a quick lie.

"No way! I heard about it from the Academy Director!" Claire scoffed, unconvinced, and bolted into the church.

"Wait!" Kamito, worried for her, followed. Inside, they found an empty hall, no sealed spirit, not even a spider's web.

"How? There's supposed to be a sealed spirit here!" Claire muttered.

"Maybe the Director was mistaken or didn't know." Kamito offered, trying to console her crestfallen expression.

Claire said nothing, turning to leave, with Kamito in tow.

"Told you, no sealed spirit here." Altair chimed in as they emerged, asserting his presence.

"You!" Claire, already in a foul mood, bristled at his words, clenching her fists, ready to lash out. "Did you hide the sealed spirit before we got here?"

Seriously? You're pinning this on me?

"Don't think you can fool me." Claire continued, undeterred. "There's a massive residue of divine might here. Someone used it recently. As a man, you can't wield divine might, so there's only one explanation: a spirit was here, and it unleashed divine might not long ago!"

Pointing at Altair, she spoke with conviction, nearly pushing up imaginary glasses to declare, The truth is clear!

"You're the only one here and were in a hurry to leave before we arrived. You must've stolen the sealed spirit!"

Altair clapped, impressed. He'd pegged her as a brainless tsundere, but she'd deduced he'd tampered with Est. Not bad.

"Looks like you're admitting it." Claire said, smirking confidently at his applause.

"Hand over the sealed spirit now!" She flicked her right hand, summoning her flame-wreathed whip.

"Or I won't hold back!"

"Oh? I'm curious, what'll you do if I don't comply?" Altair stood, arms still crossed, smiling as he awaited her response.

"If you won't hand it over, then die!" Claire swung her whip at him.

"Watch out!" Kamito, ever the gallant, shouted a warning. Altair didn't flinch, raising his left hand only as the whip neared, catching it effortlessly.

The whip's flames burned in his grip but caused no harm. To conceal the contract seal on his right hand, Altair wore a gauntlet there, but his left arm, its armor melted in the fight with Karna, was bare. Yet it held the fiery whip firmly.

"No way." Claire gasped, staring at his unscathed hand. It gripped her burning whip without a mark.

"Is this for real?" Kamito muttered, stunned. Even he, the strongest Blade Dancer, couldn't catch a flame whip barehanded. Could this man be…?

"Human, you overstep." Altair said coldly, yanking the whip from Claire's grasp and tossing it to the ground.

"Human?" Claire blinked, bewildered, as her whip was torn away. Kamito, meanwhile, fixated on Altair's words.

"You said 'human.' Are you…?" Kamito began.

Altair didn't answer. Under their gazes, he activated his dragon form, his body swelling into a black shadow, transforming into the colossal black dragon Nidhogg.

Golden slit-pupil eyes opened, peering down at the shocked pair. Spreading wings that blotted out the sky, he opened his maw.

"I am the black dragon Nidhogg! The highest dragon spirit!"

***

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