It was a foolish time for introductions, he thought.
Yet, Fiona already knew his name. How long had she known? Since when?
Wrestling with these questions, Ren swept his blade through the air, his eyes never leaving Asval as the dragon thrashed within the unleashed hellfire. Fiona, meanwhile, stared intently at his back.
"How long have you known who I am?"
The single trail of a tear that had wetted her cheek had changed. Her eyes were now overflowing, but as she looked at Ren’s back, she couldn’t help but smile.
"...Because, you see, I never told you the medicine was made from monster materials."
That day, that night.
It had happened while they were enjoying the tea Ren had brewed. It had been a slip of the tongue—a momentary lapse in his guard.
"That was when I began to wonder... and then I happened to pass a Knight and asked him for your name."
Still facing away from her, Ren wore a wry, secret smile. Looking back, it was exactly as she said. Since she hadn't shared the details of the medicine, Ren’s slip-up was something he couldn't have said unless he already knew the circumstances. A Knight of the Clausel family had been right there; it would have been a lie to say the thought wouldn't occur to her. It was only natural for Fiona to ask.
"But, because I found out on my own that you were concerned for me—that you intended to tell me after we descended the mountain—I—!"
The Knight could not have spoken a falsehood to Ren, and that was doubly true for Fiona. However, having heard the truth, Fiona chose to respect Ren’s consideration. She had decided to wait until they had descended the mountain and things had settled, just as he had planned. She had even asked the Knight to act as if she had never heard the name.
(I’m pathetic, aren’t I?)
Ren exhaled. He had thought he was the one being considerate, only to realize he was the one being looked after. There were countless things he wanted to say to her now, but Ren suppressed the urge and redirected his hostility toward Asval.
"Right... I’m sorry. I have a lot I want to talk about, but..."
The shriek of the undead Asval echoed through the cavern. The dragon looked upward and flapped its wings, scattering miasma. While the miasma was being purified by Ren’s special flames, the dragon’s rotting body continued to slough off as it unleashed a fan-shaped breath from high above.
"—First, I’ll deal with the Red Dragon."
With overwhelming confidence and the absolute conviction that he could succeed, Ren spoke without a hint of doubt. He didn't dodge the breath, nor did he block it with Fiona’s ice or his Shield Magic Sword. Instead, Ren swung the Flame Sword Asval horizontally with every ounce of his strength.
When the resulting hellfire collided with Asval’s breath, a crimson ripple erupted from the center, spreading throughout the Star Agate Underpass. The pressure was intense, accompanied by a gale-force wind. Fiona, shielded by Ren’s presence, remained unaffected, but she was overwhelmed by the sight before her.
Faced with a torrent of strength that seemed impossible for a boy younger than herself, she realized she had forgotten the terror that had gripped her entire body. She could not tear her eyes away from the hero who had saved her life twice over.
"...Amazing," she whispered in admiration. "How is Master Ren so..."
So strong? she started to mutter.
Ren saw the flames from his sword overpower Asval, sending the dragon spiraling in agony.
"It’s a promise," he said without turning around.
He was keeping the promise he had made while they spoke on the night they began their detour down the mountain.
"I promised I would get you out of the Baldur Mountains. That’s why I decided I would win, no matter what."
When he turned his head just enough to show her a smile, her eyes were fixed on him, unable to look away.
Suddenly, Asval cried out in mid-air and slammed its body into the ceiling of the cavern, tearing a great pit into the earth above. Crimson light poured from the center of its body in all directions, its eyes hollow and vacant.
For the first time in what felt like forever, blinding light illuminated them. A few moments later, snow began to drift quietly down into the Star Agate Underpass.
(What is it doing?)
Above them, Asval spread its wings and arched its long neck toward the sky. Toward the Crimson Light Orb forming at its maw, the falling snow and the residual volcanic heat were being violently sucked in. Soon, the Baldur Mountains themselves began to groan with a massive tremor, and an aura of impending natural disaster filled the air.
"...Master Ren."
"Yes. It looks like we're past the point of running away."
Their predictions coincided perfectly—though in this situation, almost anyone would have reached the same conclusion. The mindless, undead Asval was about to unleash the last of its power. Its legendary strength had been drastically diminished by its incomplete state, but a strike fueled by its entire existence was a divine feat nonetheless. It was an impact that would surely end Asval’s life, but it was just as certain that the Baldur Mountains—and Ren and Fiona—would not survive it.
There was only one path forward.
"I’m ending this."
Having finished its absorption, the dragon’s final essence was ready. The mass of Asval’s power—the Crimson Light Orb—had stripped away all sound. It detached from the dragon’s maw and began to descend quietly. Ren sensed it instinctively. He didn't need to be told what would happen if that thing detonated.
He would end the fight before it could.
He raised the Flame Sword Asval in a high stance, gripping the hilt with every bit of physical strength he had left. He prepared to deliver a strike with his entire soul.
"Ngh..."
Ren’s arm shook. The exhaustion weighing on his body was immense, and he nearly buckled under the weight of the sword. But then, a pair of white hands were placed over his.
"I’m sorry, Lady Ignat."
When he turned to look at her, she gave him a small, nodding smile.
"It’s Fiona. If you don’t mind, Master Ren, please call me that from now on."
To make that possible, he only had to win. He had to stop the Red Dragon and the Crimson Light Orb right here.
With a final roar, the Crimson Light Orb expanded, releasing a blinding flash. Sound returned in a sudden, violent crash as an intense boom reverberated through the earth. Neither Ren nor Fiona flinched. Ren focused solely on bringing the battle to a close.
"You said it yourself, didn't you? That your body couldn't be incinerated by anything less than a flame that surpassed your own."
As the Crimson Light Orb burst and the Red Dragon’s power flooded toward them, Ren brought the Flame Sword Asval down.
"Rest now. And may you never wake again."
The torrent of power from the orb was swallowed whole. A wave of fire that far surpassed it engulfed Asval, erasing every trace of the dragon from the world.