Dragon Across the Multiverse (Si-WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 42: The Growth of Haru

Stepping over the corpse of the crazed scientist, careful not to let any of his disgusting blood stain my clothes, I raised a familiar sword that Alexia immediately recognized as the one I used during our spars and swiftly cut through her restraints.

“Sorry about that. I was too busy being questioned by your fiancé about your disappearance. Apparently, I was the main suspect in this dastardly plot,” I said calmly with a small shrug.

Alexia rubbed her wrists where the cuffs had been, processing my words before an annoyed look crossed her face.

“Tsk. Figures that bastard would jump to that conclusion.”

“He has far dirtier secrets than you think, but we’ll save that discussion for later. There’s something I want to show you, and you’ll have to see it to believe it,” I said, my gaze shifting toward the monster in the adjacent cell.

Or rather… the girl I knew to be Millia, the daughter of the late Viscount Grease, the same man who had kidnapped Claire in the past.

“What do you mean?” Alexia asked, blinking in confusion as she stood up and followed me, curiosity written all over her face.

Keeping my eyes on the girl watching me warily, I raised my sword.

She flinched—

Only to freeze as I instead destroyed the cell door and stepped inside.

“What are you doing, Akari-kun!?” Alexia asked, quickly rushing after me and grabbing my sleeve as she stayed close behind. “It could be dangerous.”

“She,” I corrected simply, causing Alexia to raise a confused eyebrow.

“It’s a she. You’ll understand in a moment.”

Raising my hand, I snapped my fingers, and my magic surged forward, completely enveloping her.

Under Alexia’s incredulous gaze, the grotesque, monstrous form began to shift, rapidly reverting back into that of a normal human.

A beautiful girl around Alexia’s age, with gray hair and silver eyes.

“…W-What? You mean… you can actually cure the possessed!?” Alexia gasped, shock written all over her face as she stepped closer beside me.

On the ground, the now fully restored, and completely naked, girl stared at her own hands in disbelief.

“H-How is this possible?” Millia whispered, frantically checking her body as if expecting to find something wrong, yet finding nothing.

“Come on. Let’s get you out of here,” I said softly, pulling a black coat from my inventory and draping it over her to cover her nudity.

She flinched slightly at my touch, instinctively clutching the coat tighter around herself. Then she looked up at me, her eyes filled with a storm of emotions—fear, confusion… before settling into awe and gratitude.

“W-Who are you?” Millia asked softly as I helped her to her feet, keeping a steady grip on her shoulders as she stumbled slightly.

Smiling back at her, I finally released her once I was sure she wouldn’t fall.

“My name is Akari Tempest. Nice to meet you… Miss?” I asked, raising an eyebrow slightly as I prompted her for her name.

“Akari…” she repeated softly, as if committing it to memory. Then she blinked, flushing slightly as she hurried to introduce herself.

“M-Millia. My name is Millia. Thank you s-so much for saving m-me,” she said, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks as she spoke.

Keeping my gentle smile, I patted her head reassuringly and nodded.

“Nice to meet you, Millia. And don’t worry, that nightmare is over.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Millia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my waist, breaking down completely as she cried into my shirt.

I blinked for a moment before smiling softly and patting her back in a comforting rhythm.

As she clung to me, I turned my attention to Alexia, who had been watching everything in silence, a small frown on her face. When she looked at me again, her expression had shifted, more serious, more apprehensive.

It seemed she had realized something.

Which didn’t surprise me. Alexia was pretty sharp despite first appearances.

“…Akari-kun. Does this mean… that everyone has been sending the Possessed away to either die or be experimented on?”

I remained silent for a moment, which likely gave her the answer already, but I responded anyway.

“Yes. Like I briefly explained to you and your sister before, there are forces operating behind the scenes that you’re not aware of.”

Alexia closed her eyes at my confirmation, her body trembling slightly as the implications sank in, countless people, all condemned because of possession.

It was a large number.

“Let’s get out of here,” I muttered, placing a gentle hand on each of their backs and guiding them forward.

As we made our way toward the exit, ignoring the trembling ground caused by the chaos unfolding above us, Alexia turned to me, a question forming on her lips.

But before she could speak—

“I can’t have you running off just yet, you know?”

We turned toward the voice.

Zenon Griffey stood ahead of us, walking forward with an arrogant smirk.

“You!? What are you doing here!?” Alexia demanded, shock evident in her voice as she instinctively moved behind me. Millia did the same, though she trembled in clear fear, likely recognizing him.

“Don’t you get it, Alexia?” I said calmly, stepping forward to shield them both, cutting off whatever long monologue he had been preparing. “He’s the one behind all of this, along with being part of the forces I mentioned earlier.”

Seeing that he didn’t deny it, Alexia clicked her tongue in anger.

“Tsk. I knew there was something wrong with you! Nobody can be that perfect!”

“That’s right, Alexia. Your blood is needed. I would have preferred your sister, but you will do… being the lesser and weaker of the two,” he said coldly.

That only made her angrier.

“Aren’t you forgetting someone, Mr. Cult of Diablos member?” I cut in, drawing his attention back to me.

Beside me, Alexia gasped softly at my words.

Raising an impressed eyebrow, though still looking completely relaxed, as if he wasn’t worried about us in the slightest, Alexia’s soon-to-be former fiancé came to a stop in front of us, blocking our path.

“Hoh, you seem to know quite a lot about things meant to remain secret. Do we have a mole, perhaps? Because I doubt you’re affiliated with those dogs that have been nipping at our heels recently,” Griffey muttered thoughtfully, his tone calm.

“The only thing you need to know… is that I’m taking these girls with me, and killing you,” I replied with a small smile as I stepped forward.

That earned me a mocking laugh.

“Hahaha! You’re quite full of yourself for a complete nobody,” Griffey said, genuinely amused as he drew his sword and pointed it at me. “Though it doesn’t matter in the end. I already planned to kill you from the start. You only managed to delay your fate because of your connection to Princess Iris.”

“Right back at you… side boss,” I replied casually.

I watched with amusement as his expression twisted slightly, it seemed despite the modern term, he understood my intent an struck where it hurt. Right in the pride.

“Tsk. You’re speaking to a future member of the Knights of Rounds! Zenon Griffey! Not some insignificant nobody like yourself!” Griffey snapped, his composure cracking.

Then, his gaze shifted past me—

—and froze.

“…What!? How is she back to normal!? That’s impossible!” he exclaimed, staring at Millia with wide eyes, which caused her trembling to worsen.

A moment later, his shock melted into greedy delight.

“This is perfect! If I bring back both Princess Alexia and a girl who was cured from possession… I’ll be rewarded handsomely!”

His magic then surged violently.

The pressure in the room spiked as his aura expanded wildly, surpassing most knights in the kingdom.

“What powerful magic… It’s almost as strong as Nee-sama’s,” Alexia muttered, shielding her face slightly from the violent winds.

Yet despite that—

There was no fear in her eyes.

Instead, she stepped forward, placing herself in front of the trembling Millia, protecting her.

‘Yeah… this is exactly why I like Alexia more than Iris,’ I thought, watching her with quiet appreciation. ‘That kind of will… it’s attractive on a woman. Come to think of it, all of my girls have a really strong will. Huh, it seems I just discovered something about my taste in girls.’

“I think it’s time I ended this,” I said calmly, stepping forward without the slightest hesitation, completely unaffected by his magic. “I’ve grown tired of listening to your voice.”

In my experience, only the weak needed to show off like this.

And more often than not, they tended to disappointed.

“Die!”

Taking offense, Griffey lunged at me, blade aimed to cleave me in two—

—and then—

He stopped.

Mid-motion.

As if time itself had frozen.

The violent surge of magic vanished instantly.

From Alexia and Millia’s perspective, it looked like the madman had simply… stopped moving.

Confusion flickered across their faces—

—until they heard the sharp ting of a blade being flicked clean.

They turned—

And saw me standing behind him.

Calm and unbothered.

My sword already lowered as I flicked the blood from its edge.

Turning around, I walked back toward them at an easy pace, dismissing my weapon as if nothing had happened.

Then—

As I passed him—

A violent spray of blood erupted.

Griffey’s body split cleanly in two, collapsing into the shallow sewer water with a sickening splash.

Silence followed.

“Well… shall we go?” I asked calmly, extending my hand toward them.

Behind us, a small squeal echoed faintly through the tunnels before the sound of rapid scribbling was heard.

I ignored it.

I already knew Beta had been watching from the beginning.

=====

As I led the girls toward the surface, Alexia and I quickly dealt with any remaining knights—clearly Griffey’s lackeys and members of the Cult—without mercy, leaving a trail of blood and bodies behind us.

Millia stayed close to me, almost glued to my side. She didn’t seem bothered by the blood at all. In fact, I even caught her casting hateful looks at the fallen Cult members.

I didn’t comment on it.

After everything she had gone through… she had every right.

As we made our way forward, Alexia asked me a few more questions about the Cult of Diablos. I answered as best as I could, while Millia occasionally chimed in with her own experiences, further confirming everything.

Eventually, the exit came into view.

I came to a stop.

Alexia and Millia both turned toward me with curious expressions as I gave Alexia an apologetic look.

“What’s wrong, Akari-kun? Why did you stop? Is there something you want to do before we leave? I bet nee-sama has been searching everywhere for us after all that noise,” Alexia said, raising an eyebrow.

“Sorry, Alexia, but this is where I leave you,” I said, shaking my head. “I have no interest in being dragged into an office and interrogated for hours by a ‘Knight Order’ we now know is corrupt.”

Alexia frowned slightly, thinking it over.

“…Hah. I guess you’re right,” she admitted after a small sigh. “So what are you going to do?”

Smiling, I placed a hand on Millia’s shoulder. She blinked in surprise but didn’t pull away.

“In case you forgot—which would be understandable, given everything that’s happened—Millia here was possessed,” I said calmly. “If word gets out that someone can cure possession… especially to the Cult, it will draw far too much attention.”

Both of them widened their eyes as they processed that.

“…You’re right,” Alexia muttered, biting her thumb in thought. “And with the Knight Order infiltrated, we’d just be playing into their hands.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take Millia somewhere safe,” I assured her, gently patting Millia’s head, earning a small blush from the girl, and a faint pout from Alexia.

“I just need you to keep Millia out of any reports. You can mention that I helped you, I don’t mind that part. But keep everything about the Cult… strictly between you and Iris.”

“Haah… fine,” Alexia agreed with a nod before giving me a deadpan look. “Though I have a feeling you’re only doing this because you don’t want to deal with paperwork.”

I immediately looked away and started whistling innocently.

“No comment.”

Watching our exchange, Millia let out a soft giggle, drawing both our attention.

“S-Sorry… it just feels surreal,” she said shyly, clutching her cloak tighter around herself. “Seeing you two act so normal after everything we just went through…”

Hearing her response, a small smile formed on Alexia’s lips as she shook her head in amusement.

“Trust me, you get used to it after spending any amount of time with this troublemaker.”

“Hoh? A troublemaker, am I?” I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms. “Who was it that just got kidnapped again and had to be heroically rescued from a literal evil organization intent on ruling the world?” I asked playfully.

“Tsk, details, details~” Alexia huffed.

The three of us shared a small laugh before Alexia let out a soft sigh and stepped closer.

“Fine. I’ll do it your way. But expect to be interrogated by me and Nee-sama at the earliest opportunity, mister. You’re not getting away from this,” she said, poking my stomach.

“Hah… and here I was hoping I’d distracted you enough to avoid that,” I sighed dramatically, nodding in mock defeat.

“Hmph, you’re such a child,” Alexia said with a fond sigh.

Then, suddenly, she started acting strange.

Her cheeks flushed red as she began fidgeting slightly, and I raised an eyebrow, already recognizing the signs.

Taking a deep breath as if gathering courage, Alexia looked up at me, her face as red as her eyes. Then, rising onto her tiptoes—

She leaned in and gave me a quick, soft kiss on the lips.

Before I could react, she immediately pulled away, turning around to hide her face.

“A-Anyway! Thanks for saving me, Akari-kun. I should really go before Nee-sama tears the city apart looking for me. It was nice meeting you, Millia-san, I hope we meet again!” she rushed out before practically sprinting toward the exit, disappearing moments later.

“…Umm… is she your girlfriend, Akari-kun?” Millia asked shyly, turning her head away, too embarrassed to meet my gaze.

“Yeah… or at least we’re supposed to be pretending to be a couple until her fiancé, whom I just killed, gives up on her,” I replied casually.

“O-Oh… I see,” she muttered, still flustered.

Shaking my head slightly, I licked my lips, faintly tasting cherries, before turning my full attention back to her.

“Millia,” I said softly.

She looked up at me, still blushing.

“How would you feel about joining my organization? One that fights the Cult of Diablos… and rescues girls like you who were possessed and discarded,” I offered with a calm smile.

Millia’s eyes widened in surprise, her embarrassment fading as she processed my words.

I waited patiently.

Then, hearing soft footsteps approaching, she instinctively moved closer to me, glancing toward the source.

“Don’t worry,” I said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “That’s Beta, one of my first members, and a former Possessed, just like you.”

She gasped, staring more closely as Beta stepped into view and bowed.

“My Lord, I have completed your orders. The artifact has been retrieved, and all records of it have been destroyed,” Beta reported, her gaze lowered, completely ignoring Millia.

“Good work, Beta,” I said with a pleased nod.

She subtly straightened, clearly pleased by the praise.

Turning back to Millia, I smiled.

“So… what do you say? Interested?”

Millia looked between the two of us for a few moments before her expression hardened with determination. She turned back to me and nodded.

“I want to join. It’s the least I can do after you saved my life,” she said softly but firmly.

“Perfect. Glad to have you with us,” I replied with a smile. “Now let’s get out of this sewer, there are more people for you to meet.”

She nodded again as Beta moved to stand beside me.

“How are we getting there? I thought you were avoiding the Knight Order?” Millia asked curiously.

I grinned.

“Like this~”

With a snap of my fingers, a magic circle formed beneath our feet. Millia gasped in surprise—

—and the next instant, we were gone.

‘Hmm… now that I think about it, I haven’t met Nu yet. The only other human girl in Haru who was possessed. I think it’s time I had Gamma introduce us,’ I thought, recalling the beautiful brown-haired girl.