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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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“Foolish mortals, you dare trespass on my land.”
The queen’s voice was majestic and menacing. With a flick of her wrist, flames erupted.
“I can block this attack!”
Adria raised her sword, but the queen’s attack was ferocious, as if mocking her defiance. The flames twisted in the air like a giant serpent, raining down on Adria.
“Ugh!”
She blocked the attack with her flame-wreathed sword, but the searing heat pierced through her defenses.
“Professor!”
“Allow me to assist you!”
Elisha and Melina tried to support Adria with magic and arrows, but the queen’s flames, like a living entity, shifted and consumed their attacks.
“The flames are nullifying our magic!”
Elisha cried out in alarm.
Adria, catching her breath, tightened her grip on her sword. Sweat trickled down her forehead, sizzling as it dripped onto the blade. The oppressive heat from the Lamia’s flames made it difficult to breathe.
“We have to attack together! At once!”
At Adria’s desperate call, Eilly, Elisha, Melina, and Varis moved into position.
Eilly, with swift footwork, circled around, looking for an opening to strike, while Elisha tried to weaken the flames with ice magic.
Melina nocked an arrow, imbuing it with the power of the wind, aiming for the Lamia Queen’s weak spot.
“Foolish mortals. Do you think you can defeat me, even with your combined strength?”
But the queen remained calm, a low chuckle echoing through the battlefield.
She raised a hand, and a massive fireball began to form above them, growing larger with each pulse, its heat scorching the earth, creating cracks in the ground.
“We have to stop it!”
Varis raised his greatsword and charged, swinging with all his might. But the Lamia Queen’s tail whipped out, deflecting his attack and sending him flying.
He crashed into a tree, the metal of his armor clanging against the wood.
“Varis!”
Melina cried out, but her arrow dissipated into smoke as it struck the Lamia Queen’s fiery barrier.
Elisha continued to try and dispel the queen’s magic, but the flames consumed her ice magic, threatening to engulf her.
“An opening—!”
“How dare you!”
Eilly seized the opportunity and lunged, aiming for the queen’s flank. But with inhuman reflexes and agility, the queen parried Eilly’s attack with her tail, disrupting her balance and striking her down.
“Ah!”
“We have to work together!”
Adria cried out, raising her sword. The blade glowed red, vibrating as if alive.
“Elisha, try to contain the flames with your ice! Melina, your wind is only fueling the fire!”
Elisha chanted a spell with trembling hands. Ice formed at her fingertips, colliding with the flames, but the queen’s magic easily overpowered her ice magic, melting it away.
“If I do this…!”
Melina tried to amplify Elisha’s ice magic with wind, creating a chilling vortex, but the Lamia Queen simply laughed and unleashed another wave of flames.
“Futile.”
With a wave of her hand, the flames surged forward, transforming into a massive wave of fire, threatening to engulf them all.
“Kuh, Goddess… hear my prayer. Protect us with your light amidst this tribulation!”
Adria closed her eyes and plunged her sword into the ground. A shimmering barrier of light formed around her, partially blocking the flames. But it didn’t last.
The intense heat was rapidly draining her energy, and the queen’s power was overwhelming.
“How can she be this strong…”
Elisha asked, gasping for breath, her face pale with exhaustion.
“It’s not over yet!”
Varis shouted, getting back on his feet, gripping his greatsword tightly. But the Lamia Queen remained calm, lowering her hand.
“I’ll end this.”
The flames surrounding her twisted and writhed, taking the form of a giant, serpentine creature, like a wingless dragon, awaiting her command.
“How can we possibly…”
Eilly gasped, but Adria gritted her teeth and raised her sword again.
“We can’t retreat!”
Her voice trembled, but her resolve was firm.
“If we don’t end this here and now, it’s all over…!”
Adria’s eyes burned with determination. But despite her resolve, the situation was dire.
They were all drenched in sweat, exhausted from the relentless heat and the increasingly thin air, each breath a searing pain.
“Huhuhu, I admire your courage.”
Perhaps this was the queen’s strategy. Lamias required far less oxygen than humans. That’s why she could maintain her composure and smile confidently in this environment.
“I wonder if you can withstand this?!”
The Lamia Queen extended her hand, and the fiery serpent lunged at them with a sharp cry.
“Everyone, gather around me…!!”
Just then, Elisha seemed to have an idea and called out to the others, gathering them around her as she began to chant a spell.
“Oh Great Spirit of Ice, grant us your protection! Lend us a fraction of your pure, icy power!”
Thick walls of ice formed around them, a protective barrier against the inferno.
They gasped, relieved by the sudden coolness amidst the oppressive heat, but the roaring flames outside the ice kept them on edge.
Crackle –
Crack, crack –
The ominous sounds fueled their anxiety. Adria, in particular, couldn’t hide her unease.
“Ugh…!!”
Elisha’s hands, pressed against the ground to maintain the ice barrier, glowed with a bright blue light, her pained groans and desperate expression showing the strain she was under.
“Haa, haa…”
As the flames finally subsided, Elisha’s hands went limp. The queen, impressed that they had managed to block her attack, looked down at them with a condescending smile.
“Elisha? Are you okay?!”
“What happened?!”
But Elisha, her magic depleted, stumbled and collapsed. Melina caught her just in time, and Adria rushed to her side.
“I’m sorry… I-I can’t… anymore……”
Elisha’s skin was pale and cold, despite the heat. Adria gritted her teeth, realizing what was happening.
“Mana exhaustion…”
A bitter feeling washed over her. She was disgusted with herself, not only for failing to protect her students, but for putting them in danger.
“Elisha, rest for a bit.”
Adria gripped her sword again. The situation was worsening, but her resolve remained unshaken.
“Hmm, still fighting, huh? You’re more persistent than I thought.”
The queen chuckled arrogantly, twirling her staff dismissively.
“Don’t you understand yet? You can’t defeat me. Perhaps you could have, five years ago.”
The Lamia Queen spoke of her past.
“Five years ago… I learned a valuable lesson from a monstrous human child.”
“I was arrogant back then, thinking I was invincible with my small band of followers and my meager skills.”
“But after being humbled by that human, I realized that the world was vast, filled with countless powerful beings, and I began to nurture my ambition. I expanded my territory and took control of this forest.”
“I didn’t neglect my training! And now, I can even cast magic without chanting!!”
She chuckled, a strange mix of bitterness and pride in her voice.
“And that’s how I became who I am today! I, who would have remained a small-time leader, became the powerful queen ruling this entire forest, commanding a vast army! In a way, meeting that monster changed my destiny!”
Flames flickered at the tip of her staff, burning brightly as if fueled by her confidence.
“Enough boasting. Let’s end this!”
She thrust her staff forward, unleashing a vortex of fire.
“Ugh!”
Eilly barely managed to dodge, but the force of the blast sent her tumbling to the ground. The scorching wind felt like it would burn her skin.
“Ah-?”
Eilly cried out. She tried to get back on her feet, but the Lamia Queen’s tail whipped out, pinning her to the ground.
“Disappointing. To think you would fall so easily.”
“One down.”
The Lamia Queen sneered.
Adria, mustering her remaining strength, charged at the queen, her sword flashing like lightning. But the queen simply raised a hand, summoning a ball of fire that stopped Adria in her tracks. The sword and the flames collided, a blinding flash erupting as Adria was thrown backward by the impact.
“Ugh…!”
Adria groaned in pain and tried to get up, but the Lamia Queen approached her, slowly aiming her staff.
“You tried to act like a leader. But you, and your followers, are too weak.”
“P-Professor…!”
Elisha desperately tried to cast a spell, her mind hazy, her body on the verge of collapse, but she somehow managed to gather her remaining magic power.
Whoosh –
She unleashed an ice spear with all her might, but it melted away as soon as it touched the flames.
“Hmph, what do you think you can do with such childish magic?”
“Ugh, aaaaaaaaaah!!”
The Lamia Queen, without even glancing at Elisha, lifted her into the air with a flick of her wrist. Elisha screamed as she was engulfed in flames.
“Did you really think you could defeat me with such meager power?”
The queen’s voice dripped with mockery. Elisha fell to the ground, barely breathing.
“Impossible…!!”
Melina gritted her teeth and raised her bow, drawing an arrow imbued with the full force of her wind magic. But the Lamia Queen simply flicked her tail, shattering the bow into pieces.
She smiled coldly at the stunned Melina.
“Weak elf, you pose no threat.”
Varis, summoning his last reserves of strength, raised his greatsword and charged at the Lamia Queen. But she easily parried his attack.
“Guh!”
“A staff isn’t just for casting magic!”
His greatsword was deflected by the queen’s heavy blow, and he was once again sent flying by her tail.
With the Lamia Queen determined to finish them off, the situation quickly turned dire. She effortlessly overpowered them one by one, as if they had been mere playthings for her amusement.
“…….”
Silence fell over the battlefield. Everyone was exhausted and defeated. The Lamia Queen looked down at them with satisfaction.
“Is this the end? To think you would challenge me with such meager strength. Humans are truly foolish.”
“No, it’s not over yet…”
But just then, Adria, her armor broken, blood trickling down her forehead, struggled to her feet.
She raised her sword with a trembling hand, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and resolve.
“These are my students, and I will take responsibility for them… I will!”
She charged at the queen, her sword raised. But there was no hope left.
“You still underestimate me!”
The queen, annoyed, lashed out with her tail, its speed blindingly fast, striking Adria and sending her flying, then coiling around her.
“Did you think I was weak in close combat just because I use magic? A Lamia’s body is far superior to a human’s.”
“Ugh —-?!!”
The queen constricted her tail, like a snake suffocating its prey. Adria squeezed her eyes shut, trying to endure the crushing pain.
“Guh?!”
But it was no use. The pressure on her chest was unbearable, crushing her lungs, stealing her breath. Her vision swam, her head lolling back limply as the blood drained from her face.
“H-Haa……”
It was hell. The five humans were dying, each experiencing their own unique agony.
“I’ll commend you if you can withstand this pain in these flames.”
The queen’s words were laced with mockery. She was toying with them, confident of her victory.
‘No…’
Adria’s heart was filled with despair. She had boldly declared she would defeat the leader, but it had ended in a crushing defeat.
What would happen to her now? What fate awaited her precious students?
And what about the people waiting for them back at the assembly point?
The students who hadn’t returned yet wouldn’t be safe either, would they?
The thought of the consequences filled her with dread as dizziness overwhelmed her, her consciousness fading.
“…….”
She finally decided to close her eyes, surrendering to the inferno, accepting her fate. Just as she was about to entrust everything to the heavens—
Clang —!!
A sharp, metallic sound, and a powerful gust of wind swept through the battlefield.
“Huh…?”
The flames, which Elisha had desperately tried and failed to extinguish, were snuffed out like a candle in the wind.
“This is…”
Adria opened her eyes. The searing heat was instantly replaced by a cool breeze, the trees swaying violently in the wind.
“Th-This is…”
Adria wasn’t the only one who sensed the change. Eilly, her expression unreadable, looked around slowly as the flames vanished.
“What?! The Queen’s flames suddenly…!!”
The Lamias surrounding them were also bewildered, the previously desperate situation taking an unexpected turn.
“Well, well.”
A voice spoke, a calm, almost nonchalant male voice cutting through the silence.
“Ugh?!”
Adria fell to the ground as the constricting force around her suddenly vanished.
What had just happened? She cautiously raised her head, looking up at the Lamia Queen, trying to understand the situation.
“Huh…?”
Adria’s eyes widened in surprise. The queen’s previously confident smile had crumbled, replaced by a mixture of anxiety and fear.
Who was she looking at that made her so afraid?
“Huh?”
But then, Adria gasped, along with everyone else present. They were all stunned by his sudden appearance.
“I had a feeling, but I didn’t think it would be you, Carla.”
“N-N-No… It can’t be… That time, that…!!”
The man’s arrival turned the tide of the battle instantly.
Deep within the forest, teeming with Lamias, the queen’s eyes were fixed on the figure of a man.
He stood there, as if a hero from legend, his presence commanding the battlefield, the very air seeming to hold its breath with each of his steps.
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m new to translating so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
