Chapter 82

"Master Allen..."

It seemed that the person who had come to the Magic Bureau was Allen, an imperial soldier.

"Good evening. Or should I say, good morning? In any case, thank you for your hard work in the dark."

It was a casual greeting, as if they had met by chance on the street. However, this was the Magic Bureau's grounds in the middle of the night, a place one would not naturally visit.

"It seems your plan has failed."

Leonhardt stood in front of Cordelia, facing Allen.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you intend to deny it?"

Allen insisted on his innocence, and Leonhardt's eyes narrowed. Allen shrugged his shoulders in a deliberately casual manner in response to Leonhardt's sharp gaze.

"Do you have any evidence? I was just out for a night walk."

"If that's the case, I'll take my time and conduct a thorough investigation."

"Heh, that's scary. But do you really have the time for that?"

"What are you saying—?!"

Leonhardt's eyes widened. In the instant that Cordelia tensed, thinking something was amiss, a black flame rose in the direction of the western part of the capital.

"That flame...!"

It was the same flame that Julian had created just a moment ago, likely produced by sorcery. Although it was quite a distance away, the fact that it could still be seen with the naked eye suggested that it was a large flame.

"Master Allen, is that also—?!"

Before she could finish, Allen had vanished like smoke. It seemed he had slipped away while Cordelia and the others were distracted by the flame.

"Your Highness, can you track Master Allen with your nose?!"

"It's possible, but while I'm chasing Allen, the damage from that flame will likely spread!"

Cordelia bit her lip at Leonhardt's response. The flame that was now rising was undoubtedly orchestrated by Allen. The fact that Allen had come to this place to observe their situation suggested that he was confident he could escape amidst the chaos.

"The decoy Allen prepared wasn't just one...!"

The suspicious movements in the northern part of the capital, which Cordelia and the others had assumed to be a decoy, were not the only ones. The Magic Bureau itself was the main decoy prepared by Allen.

It was a two-pronged decoy designed to trap Cordelia and the others, who had thought they had seen through the first one. Although they had been outsmarted, the priority now was to extinguish the sorcery flame.

"Your Highness's flame can surely extinguish that black flame, right?"

"Yes, it can..."

Suddenly, Leonhardt fell silent, his eyes wide as he opened and closed his palm.

"It's no good. I can't produce the flame. It seems I can't produce it at all."

"What?!"

Cordelia cried out in shock at the unexpected situation.

"Why can't you suddenly...?"

"Probably due to the influence of Emperor Lionel using his power in this body. It seems I won't be able to produce a satisfactory flame for a while."

"Such a bad time...!"

Cordelia was stunned. Sensing the urgency, Leonhardt's demeanor changed.

"Damn, it's an emergency. I need to take control of this body quickly."

"No, you can't!"

Cordelia grabbed Leonhardt's—Lionel's—shoulder. She remembered that Lionel had said he needed control of the body to use his full power.

She couldn't accept the risk of what might happen to Leonhardt if he lost control of the body. As she clung to Lionel's shoulder, she felt his presence waver again.

"Cordelia, let go. Unfortunately, there seems to be no other way."

It was Leonhardt speaking, placing his hand over hers on his shoulder, as if trying to persuade her.

"But if you do that, I don't know what will happen to Your Highness!"

"...The black flame is rising near a cluster of noble residences. If we do nothing, many nobles and commoners will die."

"..."

Cordelia bit her lip. She couldn't let people die, but she was hesitant to let Leonhardt go. She thought and thought, trying to find another way—until she remembered something.

"The Holy Sword!"

She had brought the Holy Sword, reduced to the size of a dagger, as a precaution, hidden in her dress.

"Can Your Highness transform into a lion now?!"

"I can probably do that... Cordelia, are you suggesting—?"

"I will try to produce a golden flame from the Holy Sword to extinguish the black flame."

"That's dangerous!"

Leonhardt immediately shouted. The intelligent Leonhardt had not thought of this method until Cordelia mentioned it, likely because he had unconsciously excluded it due to the danger to her.

"The black flame is much larger than Julian's! If you fail to extinguish it when you get close, who knows what might happen?!"

"But I can't just stand by and do nothing!"

"That's why I need to give my body to Emperor Lionel—"

"No, I don't want that!"

Cordelia rejected Leonhardt's suggestion, shouting her refusal.

What if Leonhardt gave his body to Lionel and they could never speak again?

If that future was possible, Cordelia wanted to risk her own safety to extinguish the black flame.

"Your Highness, please. I need you to carry me to the black flame in your lion form."

"..."

Leonhardt seemed to be struggling with a dilemma. Cordelia's request, her safety, and the imminent danger of people dying. After a moment, he seemed to have made a decision.

"Once. I'll carry you to the black flame in my lion form, and you'll use the Holy Sword once. If the black flame doesn't go out, you'll leave it to me, do you promise?"

Cordelia nodded quietly in response to Leonhardt's decision. There was no going back now. She took a deep breath, resolved, and climbed onto Leonhardt's back as he transformed into a lion.

"Your Highness, please!"

"Roar!"

Leonhardt let out a roar and started running on all fours. They quickly left the Magic Bureau grounds and raced through the capital's streets. His powerful strides carried them closer and closer to the black flame.

"We're here!"

Now, the black flame was burning fiercely before Cordelia. The residents seemed to have evacuated, but if the fire spread, they would eventually lose their escape routes.

(—Focus)

Cordelia dismounted from Leonhardt's back and faced the black flame. She raised the Holy Sword, which had grown to its full length.

"Roar!"

Leonhardt nodded, shaking his mane, seemingly helping to make the Holy Sword's power more effective. Cordelia, feeling grateful, focused her mind.

Imagination was key to wielding the Holy Sword. She visualized the golden flame being born and extinguishing the black flame. She repeatedly pictured this scene in her mind, gripping the Holy Sword's hilt tightly.

"———!"

With Leonhardt's roar as a signal, Cordelia—

(Strike...!)

raised the Holy Sword and successfully produced a golden flame. The golden flame spread across her field of vision, flying through the air and colliding with the black flame, extinguishing it. Golden sparks flew, and the black flame quickly diminished.

"We did it..."

Cordelia lowered the tip of the Holy Sword, confirming that all the black flames had been extinguished. She leaned against Leonhardt's back, exhausted from the intense tension.

"Saint...?"

The voices of the capital's residents reached her ears.

"What happened to the black flame?!"

"Did the Holy Maiden and the Saint help extinguish the black flame?"

"Holy Maiden!"

"It's the Holy Maiden and the Saint!"

"Thanks to the Holy Maiden of the Lion!"

Cordelia gently placed her hand on Leonhardt's back. To avoid being surrounded by the crowd, she quickly climbed back onto Leonhardt and left the scene.

Today marks the happy release of the book version of Volume 2!

It includes the wonderful illustrations by Renge Hyodo and two new short stories, so I would be delighted if you could pick it up!

For more details about Volume 2, please refer to my activity report. As a release celebration, I will update another chapter tonight, so I hope you will enjoy it.