Chapter 60 In coming storm and Shocking secret of Embryo

Inside the hospital room, Julio, the young man with blonde hair, lay motionless on the bed, his once vibrant features now drained of color. His severed legs were a stark reminder of the events that had transpired, rendering him incapable of rising from the bed due to the severity of his blood loss. Julio couldn't shake off the disbelief that gripped him, his mind still reeling from the events of the previous night. Everything had seemed to be falling perfectly into place; he was on the brink of capturing Ange.

If it were merely a matter of claiming the throne, Julio would have already seized it. But his motivations ran deeper; it was about the people, the perception they held. His revelation that Ange, the supposed crown princess, was in fact Norma, had thrown the Misurugi royal family into turmoil. The king and queen's staunch defense of Norma had shocked and angered the citizens, making Julio's position increasingly untenable.

Intent on proving himself different from his predecessors, Julio had planned to publicly execute Ange, a spectacle meant to quell the unrest and assert his authority. Moreover, he relished the thought of witnessing his sister's tearful plea for mercy, a twisted satisfaction in her humiliation. Yet, his plans had unraveled in the most unexpected of ways.

Not only had he failed to capture Ange, but he had also suffered a grievous betrayal at the hands of his trusted secretary, Liz. The realization cut deeper than any physical wound, leaving Julio seething with rage and betrayal. Liz, whom he had considered his most loyal confidante, had forsaken him, siding with Norma and abandoning him in his moment of need.

"Fucking bitches! Fucking traitor!" Julio's voice echoed through the sterile confines of the hospital room, a bitter lamentation of his shattered trust and dashed ambitions.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two days had passed, and an aircraft was now en route to Arzenal. Lucia, Ange, Hilda, Momoka, and Riza were aboard, their destination looming closer with each passing moment. In the confines of the aircraft, a newfound camaraderie had blossomed between Hilda and Ange. Both had been betrayed by their own families, forging a bond born of shared pain and understanding.

As they journeyed, Lucia played the role of both comforter and entertainer, regaling her companions with light-hearted jokes and anecdotes. Yet, despite their recent betrayals, the group seemed remarkably resilient. Perhaps, as protagonists of their own story, they possessed an innate resilience that allowed them to weather storms with relative ease. Or perhaps, it was the sum of their past experiences, the countless dangers they had faced, that had steeled their resolve and fortified their spirits.

Lucia seized the opportunity to share her own truth, revealing that she too hailed from a world beyond their own. Her explanation shed light on the underlying conflict between dragons and Norma girls, a revelation that left both Ange and Hilda reeling in disbelief.

"I can't believe... I have been... killing humans..." Ange's voice trembled with disbelief as the weight of her actions settled upon her.

Hilda echoed her sentiment, her own shock palpable. "I also can't believe Commander Jill was trying to rebel as well..."

The revelation sparked a flurry of questions, leading Ange to inquire about Riza's true nature. The Riza they knew bore no resemblance to the fearsome dragons they had encountered. And yet, as Lucia confirmed, Riza was indeed one of them, albeit in a vastly different form.

'Even lesser Lizards... well... dragons with pink color have almost the same size as para-mail,' Ange thought.

"We can change back into dragons," Riza explained calmly, prompting Ange to bristle at what she perceived as shameless behavior. Before she could voice her thoughts, however, Riza began to disrobe, leaving Ange momentarily speechless and on the verge of cursing her out for what seemed like a brazen attempt at seduction.

But her anger dissolved into astonishment as Riza's transformation unfolded before her eyes. Wings sprouted from her back, and a tail unfurled behind her, leaving Ange, Hilda, and Momoka gaping in disbelief.

"How the hell are those things coming out?!" Hilda exclaimed, her voice tinged with equal parts shock and awe.

Riza proceeded to explain the intricacies of their unique physiology, revealing that they were born human but underwent a transformation into dragons upon reaching adulthood. While initially unable to control this transformation, they eventually gained mastery over it, enabling them to shift between human and dragon forms at will. However, remnants of their draconic nature remained even in human form, manifesting as small bat-like wings and a tail that could not be fully concealed.

To circumvent this limitation, they had developed a special medicine capable of masking their true nature, allowing them to infiltrate human society undetected. Riza herself had utilized this disguise to gather information on Aura from mana users within the capital.

As Riza elucidated these details, Momoka busied herself with preparing tea, her actions a comforting routine amidst the revelations unfolding around them. Meanwhile, the transport aircraft continued its journey on autopilot, steadily drawing closer to Arzenal with each passing moment.

With the dawn of a new day heralding their imminent arrival, Ange's gaze fell upon the beautiful island below, a poignant reminder of the tumultuous events that had led them back to this familiar place.

"I'm finally here again," Ange thought, her heart heavy with the weight of memories both bitter and sweet.

When the aircraft landed back at Arzenal, Lucia, Ange, Hilda, Momoka, and Riza stepped out. Ange and Hilda weren't too worried because they knew Lucia was working with Commander Jill, but they still expected trouble since they had run away from Arzenal.

"How was the trip? Fun?" Jill asked with a smirk as she walked up to them.

"It was terrible," Ange replied.

Jill nodded, not surprised by the answer. She knew most Mana users wouldn't be happy to see Norma back.

"Hey, who's this?" Jill asked, noticing Riza for the first time. 

(A/N: I forget to add Riza picture. Picture is under the comment section now. XD)

"Ah, right. She's Riza. She's one of the dragon-human beings from another world," Lucia explained, and Jill nodded in understanding. Jill wasn't surprised; she had known the truth about the dragons for a while. She figured if Lucia was with Ange or Hilda, they must already be aware of the truth.

Originally, Jill had planned to manipulate Ange, but now it seemed unnecessary. Lucia could handle her, and she also wanted to take down Embryo, which meant one less thing for Jill to worry about. Knowing Ange's superior control over Villkiss's combat ability, Jill believed that together, Ange and Lucia could win the war. As Jill and Lucia chatted, they suddenly heard quick footsteps approaching.

They turned to see Supervisor Emma hurrying towards them. "You! What are you all doing?! Arrest them!" she shouted in anger upon seeing Ange and Hilda.

"Calm down, Officer," Jill said calmly to Emma.

"What? How can you disobey me?" Emma asked Jill in disbelief.

"It seems there's been a misunderstanding, Officer," Lucia interjected before Emma could erupt in anger.

"Well, it was just a ploy orchestrated by Princess Misty," Lucia said, spinning a completely unbelievable tale.

Emma stared at Lucia, her expression saying, "Are you serious?"

"Wait, I'll explain. That wasn't a lie," Lucia said, pulling out a glass-like smartphone device and making a call.

Soon, a soft voice echoed from the device. "Hello? Lucia-san?" The girl's voice was audible to everyone.

"Ah, Misty. I'm explaining to Officer Emma that we didn't kidnap you; it was just a ploy. But she doesn't believe me. Could you help me explain?" Lucia asked.

There was a brief pause on Misty's end before she replied, "Ah, right! I wanted to experience something like that from a movie!"

"Wait a second, can you give Emma your contact? She might not believe it if she only hears from here," Lucia requested, and Misty agreed easily.

Misty provided her contact information to Emma, who then contacted Misty and realized it was indeed the real Princess Misty on the line. Emma didn't know whether to be angry or not; after all, she had been there when Misty was supposedly kidnapped. But Misty was claiming it was all just a play?

Emma wanted to voice her frustration, but with the supposed kidnapping victim claiming it was all a ruse, she found herself at a loss for words. Sighing heavily, she returned to her duties, wrestling with a mix of emotions. Even Ange and Jill couldn't help but feel sympathy for Emma, who knew deep down that the kidnapping hadn't been staged, despite the claims.

"Well... shall we discuss it further tomorrow?" Jill suggested, sensing that the matter could wait until then.

"Yeah, let's do that," Lucia agreed before heading off to their room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days had passed since Lucia and the others returned to Arzenal. They gathered in Jill's office to discuss their future plans for taking down Embryo. Despite Lucia's formidable power, eliminating Embryo was no easy feat, as he could easily escape using his space-time magic. While his abilities seemed overwhelming, Lucia was aware of their limitations from her experience watching anime.

In the discussion about the plan dubbed 'Libertus', Lucia and Jill took the lead while Ange and Hilda observed quietly. Hilda, in particular, found it hard to believe that the strict and formidable Commander Jill was someone who genuinely cared for the lives of Norma girls. Jill had made efforts in the past to free Norma girls from their fate, but she had faced failure and lost many friends and comrades in the process.

After the meeting, they headed to the cafeteria where they encountered Rosalie, Chris, Salia, Ersha, and Vivian. Despite their past animosity towards Ange and Hilda for attempting to escape, Lucia explained the situation to them. She clarified that Ange and Hilda only sought to reunite with their families.

Rosalie and Chris, moved by Lucia's explanation and Hilda's apology, forgave Hilda for her actions. They understood that Lucia wouldn't vouch for them if there wasn't a good reason.

Salia was angry that Lucia left her alone at the festival, but when she saw Lucia again, she couldn't say angry words and ended up crying while saying, "Why did Lucia leave me alone?" Lucia comforted Salia, and Ange observed Salia's behavior. Ersha also felt sad about the absence, but she didn't get angry after hearing Lucia's explanation. So, there wasn't any hate between them, unlike in the original plot line.

These days were truly peaceful in Arzenal, as there were no dragons appearing and no more Norma girls being killed by dragons. Jill knew that this kind of thing happened because of Lucia, but Emma, who didn't know about this, tried to connect with higher-ups as the situation was really strange.

During these days, Lucia and the Norma girls had peace, while the Empire became noisy as the mana supply might be cut off if there were no dragons coming to their world. Of course, they didn't know that Embryo could go there and catch dragons, but would Embryo do that? The answer would be no, as he doesn't really care about humans anymore. As someone who has infinite time, he thought he could just change and reset the world if he didn't like the way humans were behaving. Currently, that kind of thing was happening.

In a serene grassland beneath a vast blue sky, a majestic tree stood, adorned with a pristine white gazebo nearby. Just beyond, about 100 meters away, the sea shimmered, while from the gazebo, one could behold a breathtaking vista of peaceful mountain ranges, lush forests, and even floating islands in the sky. Inside the gazebo, a group of individuals sat and conversed—the rulers of each empire in this world.

"It's quite concerning that we haven't seen any dragons for a while now," remarked an old man with grey hair, dressed in Western royalty attire.

"Yes, indeed. Why have they stopped appearing?" added another elderly gentleman.

"Perhaps they've grown afraid," suggested a middle-aged man with black hair.

"More importantly, it seems the Norma have grown bolder. One of them even dared to kidnap a princess," noted another older man, eyeing Julio.

"She wasn't my sister, and she wounded me as well," Julio interjected angrily, recalling the incident. He remained unable to walk, seated in a floating chair alongside his sister Sylvia, who was also injured.

"Do you honestly expect us to believe that? Your family is nothing but a bunch of criminals," retorted a black-haired elder.

"Let's calm down for now. Julio, could you please explain what happened?" intervened a woman who appeared to be a queen from another empire.

As the youngest among the rulers, Julio had assumed the throne of the Misurugi Empire after his parents perished while protecting their Norma daughter. Sylvia, still a child, and Julio, aspiring to be a king, had taken on the mantle of leadership.

Julio proceeded to recount the events, detailing how a spy and an unknown weapon had been used against him by a Norma assailant. The revelation sent shockwaves through the assembly, as the notion of a Norma spy infiltrating the Misurugi royal family seemed preposterous.

"I suppose relying on Norma isn't a viable option. Ultimately, we humans must face the dragons ourselves to protect the world," remarked one man, earning nods of agreement from the others.

"Truly... it feels like a lost cause," murmured a blonde-haired man who had been sitting beneath the tree, engrossed in a book.

All the rulers turned their attention to the man who had spoken. As he approached, they addressed him with reverence, "Embryo-sama?"

Only Embryo knew the truth: that mana users stood no chance against dragons, as dragons could manipulate hypotheses against them, resulting in inevitable slaughter. However, with the demise of those who possessed this knowledge, the current generation remained unaware. Embryo expressed his disappointment, deeming the situation hopeless for mana users.

He presented two options: either exterminate all dragons or surrender to avoid facing the unknown danger. But he also proposed a third option: to destroy everything and reset the world. His audience was taken aback by this revelation.

"Is that even possible?" one of them queried.

"With all Ragana-mail and their riders, it is," Embryo confirmed, igniting excitement in Julio.

"Remarkable! Let's proceed immediately!" Julio exclaimed eagerly, his desire for revenge against the Norma and those who had caused him harm driving him.

Though hesitant, the other rulers acquiesced, unwilling to defy Embryo's words. Meanwhile, Julio harbored a desire to eliminate all Norma, viewing them as a personal affront, especially Ange and those who had cost him his legs. Thus, when Embryo proposed to rebuild the world, Julio readily assented.

Satisfied with Julio's enthusiastic response, Embryo entrusted him with a key—a key to a location where battleships equipped with weapons capable of easily destroying or capturing para-mails were stored.

With the meeting concluded, all the kings and queens, including Embryo, vanished like holograms, and the idyllic surroundings dissolved into Embryo's office. There, Julio sat in his chair, clutching the key with a sinister smile, his intentions clear: to eradicate all Norma, including Liz, who had betrayed him, and capture the para-mail riders.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lucia walked through the corridor, stepping out of a room just in time to hear a girl's terrified scream.

(Lucia POV)

"Kyaaa!!"

Hurrying towards the source of the distress, I found myself face to face with a pink dragon, its panicked cries echoing through the hallway.

"Oh... I forgot that Vivian could also transform into a dragon," I thought to myself, observing the frightened girl on the floor and the dragon beside her.

The girl, whom duty had nearly prevented from attending the festival, lay on the ground, while the dragon before me was the chatterbox Vivian.

It seemed today was Vivian's seventeenth birthday, the day she transformed into her dragon form. However, I couldn't help but notice that the female dragon forms didn't quite resemble dragons as much as the males did. Perhaps they preferred staying in their dragon form because it looked cooler than their human form.

"Calm down, Vivian. And you too..." I turned to the girl on the floor, realizing I didn't know her name yet.

"It's Olivier," she replied.

"Right, Olivier. This is Vivian, one of the para-mail riders, not an enemy," I explained, though I could see she was skeptical.

"That's impossible!" Olivier protested, understandably incredulous.

Though hesitant, Olivier gradually calmed down as the dragon made no move to attack her. Vivian, too, regained her composure, surprised that I recognized her even in her altered form. She seemed just as bewildered by her sudden transformation.

I contacted Jill, who arrived with her friend Maggie. After Vivian calmed down further, she began to revert slowly to her human form, albeit unclothed.

Both Maggie and Jill were already aware that dragons were simply humans like themselves. Maggie administered some medication to Vivian, causing her to drift off to sleep. If I remembered correctly, today was the day Julio planned to lead the battleships to exterminate all Norma girls.

"Then I'll be heading off. Ange and the others are waiting," I announced, and Jill nodded in acknowledgment.

"Any new information you've received?" I inquired before departing to join Ange and the others.

"Yes, I received word from Tusk. It appears they've decided to eliminate us all, along with some insane notion of resetting the world," Jill responded gravely.

"Ah, it seems Tusk has resumed his activities. Should I search for a girl for him? After all, I took Ange, who was originally meant to be his lover," I thought to myself.

After exchanging words with Jill, I left. 

(General POV)

Jill strode across the surface of Arzenal, passing by a few buildings and patches of grassland, eventually arriving at a place where many graves lay buried. As she made her way towards a building, traversing a small forest, a voice suddenly spoke out.

"It seems you've found yourself a new friend."

Jill's eyes widened in surprise. "Embryo!"

Before she could react further, she swiftly drew her handgun and fired several shots at the figure before her.

Bang

Bang

Bang

The bullets passed right through Embryo, who smirked at her futile attempt. "You look rather stunning when you're angry," he remarked.

Suddenly, Lucia emerged from the forest, catching Embryo off guard. "You appear quite arrogant for a eunuch," she quipped.

"What?!" Embryo was taken aback and turned to look at Lucia, who had just walked out from the forest. 

Earlier, after parting with Jill, Lucia remembered that Embryo would meet with Jill today and went back to Jill. Of course, that's only if the original plot didn't change, and as expected, Embryo appeared, and Jill shot him with her gun in anger.

Lucia used the inspect skill as she wanted to know what kind of information would appear, and she was surprised by the information she saw. 

[Name: Embryo

Race: Ragna-mail/human

Title: Creator of Mana world

Details: A former human ended up drafted into a certain space where time has stopped. His human body completely merged with the Ragna-mail as the space-time energy storm continuously impacted during the draft. As a result, his body and soul became one with the Ragna-mail he rides, and his lifespan became endless. However, he couldn't regain his male organ, no matter what kind of method he used, because of it.]

"No way... this truth is really shocking. LOL," Lucia thought to herself, amused by the unexpected revelation. It's completely different from anime, and Lucia found satisfaction in knowing that the Embryo had lost his manhood.

Turning back to look Jill and Embryo, Lucia couldn't help but feel a mischievous delight. "Let's make him angry. Looking at the villain guy lose his ability as a man is really fun to know! Hahahaha," Lucia thought and she chuckled inwardly.

As Jill and Embryo reacted with different expressions than before, Embryo on the verge of losing his composure and Jill on the brink of laughter, Lucia couldn't help but speculate. 

'From Jill's surprised expression, it seems she wasn't aware of this. Perhaps her mind was manipulated at the time, preventing her from realizing the truth,' Lucia thought.

"You... really have a foul mouth for someone who looks like that..." Embryo retorted, his face cracking as he clenched his fists in frustration.

But at that moment, a floating panel appeared from various places, and an announcer's voice resounded.

<This is the International Rescue Fleet of Norma Administration Board. Norma, Thank you for your hard work fighting dragons. We will hereby begin relief.>

Embryo began to disappear like a hologram, leaving only Lucia and Jill behind.

"So, it's starting," Jill remarked.

"Yes. Go and prepare right away," Lucia instructed, and Jill hurried back to the command room.

Lucia knew that Embryo was attempting to deceive the Norma girls who could pilot para-mails. His plan involved orchestrating attacks by Julio to kill Norma girls, then swooping in to rescue the para-mail pilots and coerce them into working for him. Afterwards, he intended to destroy the world using space-time cannons mounted on Ragna-mails.

Meanwhile, Norma girls across various locations were discussing the surprising turn of events. They never imagined they wouldn't have to fight dragons anymore, and officially retiring sounded like a welcome relief.

In the commanding room, three girls watched the news on the floating panel.

<Please abandon your weapons and prepare for evacuation.>

"Don't listen to it. It's nonsense," Jill interjected as she entered the command room, addressing the three girls.

These three were aware of the Libirtus revolt plan as well, as they were pilots tasked with operating the Aurora, the flying ship.

"Take anti-air defense positions," Jill commanded.

"Yes, ma'am!" the three girls replied in unison, saluting before swiftly relaying orders through the communication system from the command room.

Meanwhile, the commander of the ship reported to Julio, who stood beside him, that they observed the Norma beginning to arm themselves instead of complying with the evacuation order.

"Well, they are Norma after all. I expected as much," Julio remarked, before issuing orders for all units to attack Arzenal.

"Finally, God's punishment has fallen upon them. Hahahaha," Julio exclaimed, his laughter dripping with malevolence.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------