Reacting to Galileo’s voice, Annamaria leaped sideways, narrowly escaping in the nick of time.
At that very moment, something enormous crashed down in the center of where Annamaria had just been standing, shaking the ground with a tremendous impact.
The resulting gust from the falling object sent the unguarded Annamaria flying, slamming her into a rock and making her consciousness waver.
“This is bad! Rosaria, run!”
At Galileo’s tense shout, Annamaria braced her hands on the ground and pushed herself up, raising her gaze.
‘…A Fire Dragon!?’
She was dumbfounded.
Stamping over the nearly shattered magic circle that had appeared was a gigantic magical beast, as huge as the surrounding rocks.
It was a Fire Dragon, its scales blazing crimson.
Its sharp scales could slice through a human arm with ease, and its massive talons were thick and keen enough to snatch a cow.
It was wreathed in a searing wind that roared, exhaling scarlet breath from its gaping maw.
Why had a Fire Dragon been summoned?
She was certain she had felt the same heat as the vial in her palm and had called for that, but…
As she stared in shock, realization dawned, ‘I’ve been had.’
Her clenched molars ground together in frustration.
Bruno had anticipated that rumors of his escape into the Padova Mountains would spread and had set a trap in case pursuers came after him.
The trap was simple.
He’d fed fragments imbued with his magic to the Fire Dragon, shifting his presence to the beast.
If anyone tried to draw Bruno out with one of his fragments, the Fire Dragon would appear.
The Fire Dragon would burn the pursuers to death.
Surely, in various places, there were dangerous magical beasts carrying Bruno’s presence.
The enemy was cunning.
‘I don’t have enough power right now. For now, I have to escape.’
Shaking her dizzy head, she tried to stand.
Because she’d used her full strength to summon, she could barely manage any more magic.
In this state, there was no way she could oppose the Fire Dragon.
But the Fire Dragon glared at the mage who had drawn it out, eyes burning with rage.
It opened its great jaws wide and lunged at her, exhaling searing breath.
She tried to put strength into her legs, but her knees buckled and she fell.
‘No good!’
She braced herself for the pain as her skin was about to be scorched by the oncoming heatwave, but just then, a shadow suddenly loomed over Annamaria.
“Your opponent is me!”
A massive boulder was floating before her.
No, that wasn’t it.
Rosaria was hefting the giant rock, standing protectively between Annamaria and the Fire Dragon.
“Rosaria!? What are you doing, run!”
“As if I could ever do that!” Rosaria’s reply was brusque over her shoulder, then she roared at the Fire Dragon.
“No matter what you transform into, I will never fear you! Prepare yourself, Bruno Stecchi!”
With a shout full of spirit, the lovely silver-haired young lady in her riding habit hurled the giant rock at the Fire Dragon.
“No, that’s not Bruno! You’re wrong!”
Galileo’s anguished cry rang out at the same time as the Fire Dragon’s roar.
The rock crashed into the Fire Dragon, slamming it into the cliff behind, but it quickly recovered, leaping atop the thrown boulder and blasting a wave of heat at Rosaria.
“Rosaria!”
Instead of Annamaria, who screamed her name, Galileo tackled Rosaria, sending her flying further than intended with surprising force.
The two of them just barely avoided the heatwave, tumbling across the ground.
The edges of Rosaria’s silver hair and Galileo’s silver fur were singed by the passing blast.
Thrown by the impact, Rosaria lay prone on the ground, groaning.
Even as she groaned, she spoke in a daze, “Run, Annamaria. Leave the rest… I was entrusted with this, so I…”
She dug her nails into the ground, but all strength fled from her fingers.
“Are you an idiot!? Run, Rosaria!” Annamaria shouted.
Galileo sprang up, glaring at the Fire Dragon, which hovered in the air, but even among magical beasts, the power difference between a Cat Dragon and a Fire Dragon was overwhelming.
“Run, Galileo! Take Rosaria and go!”
“I can’t… I can’t do it…” Galileo groaned.
Certainly, with his body and magic power, he couldn’t possibly carry Rosaria and escape the Fire Dragon.
Rosaria appeared to have completely lost consciousness, not moving at all.
Galileo, shielding her, of course showed no sign of fleeing either.
‘At this rate…! Just because I didn’t notice the trap, the two of them…’
Anxious and despairing, anger at herself welled up.
‘There’s no way I’ll let the two of them die here!!’
Her vision blazed.
‘I have no choice… I’ll have to use that—her.’
Quickly, she glanced over at the collapsed Rosaria.
‘She’s not moving. If Rosaria were conscious, she’d never stay still in this situation. She’s definitely lost consciousness.’
With an immediate decision, she forced her legs to move and began to chant.
“O one sealed in my blood. I am one who knows your name. I call your name, and command you.”
The incantation was in ancient language.
Even if anyone else was nearby, they wouldn’t understand what she was saying.
In a low, sharp voice, she commanded: “Awaken. Zoe Tritti!”
A heat as if her very blood was boiling surged through her whole body, then was instantly torn away, leaving her core icy cold, as though she’d frozen in a moment.
The chill crawled over her entire body, gathering at her back, turning into an eerily cold hand that grasped Annamaria’s shoulder.
She felt five fingers dig sharply into her shoulder.
And then—
‘Hateful, hateful daughter of Furlanetto blood. The blood that seals me away, hateful, hateful blood. Daughter of Furlanetto. Where are the delicious ones, the delicious ones, where? Where? Where?’
Behind Annamaria, a jet-black shadow rose.
The shadow wavered, forming the shape of a woman with long hair, but her features were indistinguishable.
Galileo, who had been glaring at the Fire Dragon, looked over in shock.
Suddenly, he arched his back like a mountain, his silver tail fluffed out thick as a raccoon’s.
“Annamaria! This presence, it can’t be—”
The Fire Dragon let out a low growl between its sharp fangs, glaring down at Annamaria.
It scraped its claws together in a threatening gesture, but its scales trembled minutely; it was clearly afraid of Annamaria’s aura.
Biting her lip, Annamaria endured.
‘It’s as unpleasant a sensation as ever…’