217 New Power

“And Weiss,” the Earth Dragon spoke.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Your movements are beyond human. How did you acquire such power?”

“Heh. Who knows?”

“...Willpower, perhaps?”

“Maybe.”

After that, the Earth Dragon leaned in close. She whispered directly into my ear.

“Call my name when you wish for me to lend you my strength. I shall appear only when you are truly in need.”

“...Heh. Got it.”

I’d just secured the ultimate [Card]. I see, so in the game, this was originally intended to be some kind of New Game Plus perk.

Well, I might as well stir the pot a bit while I’m at it.

“Is the god you people worship by any chance named Noblesse?”

“...How do you know that name!?”

“Forget I said anything.”

The Earth Dragon’s ample chest jiggled as she fidgeted with embarrassment. Yeah, that’s about the right amount of pressure to put on her.

When everything was finished and we were about to head back, the Fire Dragon approached Olynn.

“Olynn, wasn't it?”

“Eh? Oh, me? Yeah, that’s right.”

“I’ve taken a liking to you. Was that Subjugation? That was the first time anyone has ever peered into my heart like that. ——I’ll lend you my power. ...Sorry about your arm.”

“Huh?! Oh, thank you! But it was healed just now, so I’m fine!”

Olynn had been draining power from the Fire Dragon. If he was lending that strength to her, then... Hah, isn’t she going to end up about seven stages stronger? This is definitely going to turn into another headache.

“Then, we shall depart. Weiss, Olynn, Tura, Lilith, Biado—we apologize for the trouble we caused.”

With those words, the Earth Dragon emitted a divine light once more and reverted to her true form. The Four Dragons ascended into the sky and vanished; honestly, that might have been the highest difficulty spike I’ve faced yet.

Biado turned around and finally let out a long, relieved sigh.

“Phew... thank you. Thanks to you all, the village was saved. If even one of you had been missing, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. I still can’t believe it, but you truly saved us.”

Even though he wasn't a major character in the Original Story, Biado had really stepped up. In fact, he was arguably the MVP of this whole mess.

“Weiss-sama, you really are incredible. You were so composed, so cool, and you were stronger than anyone else.”

“Heh, thanks, Lilith. But—”

“But?”

“...Make sure you explain the whole ‘dragons turning into women’ thing to Cynthia very carefully. If you word it wrong, it’s going to be a disaster.”

“Fufufu, I understand! Leave it to me!”

With this, the massive sub-episode came to a close. It was perfect timing for the end of Summer Vacation (Estarm), too.

My classmates should have been getting stronger as well. Especially that idiot Allen, ‘Sasami’ Duke, and ‘Peachiku-Paachiku’ Shari.

For now, I’m going home to take a long soak in the bath.

◇

Far to the north, Allen was fighting against a staggering tide of monsters. After slaughtering them all, he slumped forward, gasping for air.

From behind him, the white-haired Eva Avery approached with a delighted smile.

“Oh my, you’ve finally become able to [Use It], haven’t you?”

“...Huff... huff... Thank... you... very much...”

“Fufufu, I’m looking forward to the next [Partner Exam]. Since we’re at it, I really want you to win against that boy.”

She wore a smile that was utterly, terrifyingly bold.

Chapter Seven, Four Dragons Arc — End.

Starting from the Nobless Trip, Weiss obtained the Magic Eye through the Partner Exam. Duke’s final blow feels like it happened a lifetime ago.

The word count is around 660,000 characters, and the ending might have wrapped up quite nicely.

Please wait just a little longer—just a little longer—for the information ban to be lifted on the printed book. Or rather, if it comes out, I really want you to buy it; I’m literally prostrating myself here m(__)m.

As for future plans, after an intermission, Chapter Eight will begin with "Evil."

Everyone might have forgotten, but the Weiss Fancent from the Original Story, Noblesse Oblige, is a sub-character villain. In other words, there exists an ‘Evil’ that should originally stand in Allen’s way.

According to rumors, that person is very tall, blond, cunning, and apparently a total piece of trash. Also, he loves slaves and is apparently just garbage through and through.

Now, what will happen to Allen when faced with this evil? What will Weiss feel? And how will those who obtained new abilities fare in the exam?

The saga of the lazy Degenerate Noble continues! The Demon King and the Demon Race aren’t done yet—not by a long shot!

Please look forward to it!

If you like the story, I’d be happy if you could leave a review; it really helps my motivation! Comments are great too. Even just "This was fun!" makes me happy lol.

Thank you as always! (^^)/