I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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The glory of a Dragon Slayer is not easily obtained. In fact, the only dragon slayer left in this generation is Walter Hellhound. Even he only took on the final decapitation role due to the necessity of the Holy Sword’s slicing power to behead the Red Dragon, making it more fitting to consider it a result of the combined strength of the entire hero party, including Jeongjae.

Etrias is not an exceptionally powerful dragon compared to average dragons, but it is a White Dragon whose durability and toughness do not fall short when compared to any other dragon.

From the perspective of the Dragon Lord, who must also consider the potential fallout with the Demon King, using Etrias in battle is a stable choice that carries a low chance of loss, and even if it does fall, the loss in firepower wouldn’t be significant, making it a consideration after much thought to fulfill the Demon King’s request for any dragon.

However, this does not mean that this White Dragon is not threatening. It is skilled at enveloping itself in magical defenses, and its physical strength allows it to soar through the skies for a long time, achieving absolute air superiority.

Holding such a powerful dragon, the Demon King’s Army can enjoy a terrifying effect similar to possessing a state-of-the-art airship in a medieval battlefield where swords and shields clash together.

The imperial army would likely soil their pants at the mere sight of its presence, but thankfully, the heavens do not completely abandon humanity, as there are several asymmetric powers on their side as well.

Currently, this Elven Lord being lifted into the sky in the arms of Jenis is also a prime example of asymmetric power.

“Throw me up high, and then quickly descend to assist with the fight against the gargoyle. If you don’t feel confident enough to face the Gargoyle Queen, you can either deal with the orcs or retreat back if that’s too much for you.”

Margaret remarked while looking up at the dragon’s tail that was approaching her.

“Understood. I will somehow be able to join in capturing that gargoyle with you, Hero. But Princess, you must be careful. That dragon’s attacks hurt a lot, even from just flailing around. It really hurt.”

“If I hadn’t warned you, the new Great Sage would have become a chunk of meat the moment he was appointed. For now, just be grateful to be alive.”

“After saving my life, I can’t thank you enough, right?”

“No, there’s no need for that. It’s surprisingly common in this field for us to save each other’s lives. One day, you too will find yourself in a life-and-death situation where you’ll save me. It could even happen today.”

Margaret said resolutely. Jeongjae made a face that seemed to indicate she felt the mood was dampened, but without saying a word, she elevated Margaret into the sky.

With Jenis’s wind magic assistance, Margaret soared up and leaped onto the back of Etrias. Ensuring that Margaret would not fall, Jeongjae kept her eyes on her, and after confirming Margaret landed safely on Etrias’s back, she increased her speed and landed on the ground.

Once on the dragon’s back, Margaret quickly drew her longsword, which had originally belonged to her, and proclaimed her presence with flair.

As the blade was pulled from its scabbard, a massive amount of red blood gushed from the dragon’s back, bathing Margaret in its essence. She frowned slightly at the fountain of blood that erupted.

“With such a large body, the blood flows like a fountain even from a small wound!”

Etrias, already quite drained from the numerous injuries on its body, seemed to realize that Margaret had landed on its back just then.

Although the White Dragon had not felt a serious threat when Jenis boarded, the moment it sensed Margaret’s presence, it trembled with an overwhelming sense of danger that passed through its entire body.

It had to shake her off somehow. It couldn’t let Margaret have her way on its back.

In fear, Etrias forgot about the war and let out a pathetic scream that could rival any ordinary lizard as it began to soar vertically into the sky with the sole goal of shaking off the Elven Lady.

Margaret, as if expecting this reaction from Etrias, calmly gripped the dragon’s scales with one hand while using the other to stab a dagger into the dragon’s flank to create a grip to hold on with.

As Margaret stabbed the dagger in, Etrias thrashed in pain from head to tail, but it had no impact on her, who was already lifting off into the sky with only the strength of her arms.

Carrying Margaret on its back, Etrias shot up towards the sky before suddenly diving its head down towards the ground in a swift descent.

It rolled 360 degrees like a roller coaster at that spot, continuously rising and falling, trying to rattle Margaret’s semicircular canals.

The massive airborne fortress wrecked havoc in the sky, causing even dead orcs to be swept away by the wind pressure, but Margaret showed no sign of struggle, patiently waiting for Etrias to throw her off.

She was an elf, and not just any ordinary elf. Even after crossing the maelstrom mountain range to attack the enemy stronghold and return, she had not been physically exhausted—she alone among the Hero party.

Even the boldest person would likely have a more intense reaction than what Margaret displayed now as she maintained a bored expression while Etrias spun in the air like a squirrel on a wheel. The moment the White Dragon slowed down in its movement from fatigue, Margaret flexed her arms and sprang toward the dragon’s wings.

Then came the sound of a slice. Oh no, in an instant, the dagger that had been clinging to Margaret’s foot hit the dragon’s wing, leaving a long tear and a hole behind.

Etrias was still in a precarious state from the hole Margaret had made with her hook arrow last time. This time, she inflicted a long tear more than several centimeters, making it difficult for Etrias to maintain its flying altitude.

Etrias could no longer afford to perform aerial acrobatics to shake off Margaret. With its body swaying, struggling to keep its balance, Etrias knew that Margaret’s goal was to bring him down to the ground—and annihilate him forever.

Despite the chaos of battle around them, Margaret and Etrias were enveloped in a strangely quiet atmosphere. The dragon lay still, appearing to be sleeping, with its mouth tightly shut.

The dragon’s heartbeat was silent, and there was no sense of a living being emanating from its body.

Margaret took a step closer to the dragon, cautiously approaching. She couldn’t let her guard down. Dragons were not only powerful but also cunning. Pretending to be dead was a trick that would not be beneath them.

Margaret slowly advanced to the dragon’s head and placed her hand on it. The scales felt cold, devoid of warmth. The Elven Princess glanced at the dragon’s eyes and uttered.

“Did I take you down?”

At that moment, Etrias seemed to perceive Margaret’s moment of carelessness and opened its mouth, preparing to breathe fire.

Unflustered, Margaret pulled her blade and expertly stabbed it into the dragon’s palate.

As her blade pierced through and emerged from the dragon’s mouth, the life force of the Dragon Lord was extinguished, and the breath that had been rising in its throat subsided. Watching the dragon’s pupils dilate and fade away, Margaret murmured quietly.

“I thought saying this would make you open your eyes, dragon.”

Margaret proclaimed triumphantly as she extracted her blade from the dragon’s mouth. But just at that moment, she suddenly dropped her sword to the ground and collapsed.

Blood flowed from a large hole in Margaret’s arm. It was, to anyone’s eye, a bite mark from a dragon. The instant she had plunged her sword into Etrias’s mouth, the dragon’s final act of defiance had pierced her arm with its teeth.

“Ugh… damn it…”

Margaret cursed instinctively, betraying her usual composure, clutching her injured arm. Her vision blurred in an instant, and she couldn’t move properly. As she struggled to gather the strength to move, Margaret began to convulse on the floor until Jenis Harker rushed to her side.

“Princess? Princess! What happened? What on earth happened?!”

“The dragon’s… dragon’s curse. At the last moment, it cast the most wicked curse with its incisors. This is so damn it. If it had been someone else, I could have helped, but to me…”

The Elven Princess could no longer continue speaking, gritting her teeth to suppress screams as she suffered severe pain. Her face was turning bright red from the sudden spike in temperature. Jenis, bearing an extremely panicked expression, first checked Margaret’s wound and then confirmed the curse afflicting it through her observation magic.

“It’s poison. It’s more poisonous than anything I’ve ever seen. Oh my god, damn it, crazy! If only my professor were here instead of me!”

While showing symptoms similar to poisoning, it was fundamentally a curse using mana. If Jeongjae, who had a talent from another dimension for reading mana, could break the curse easier than Jenis could.

Taking a deep breath, Margaret spoke to Jenis.

“First, I’m of no more use in this battle, so take me to Eramenia’s lines. This curse is dark mana. My blood flows with the strongest light mana in the world, so the pain is as strong as my resistance. I won’t die easily. Just a simple treatment from our race will be enough for me to…”

This time, Margaret could no longer hold back the scream that escaped her lips. Jenis, witnessing the frail-looking, broken Elven Princess for the first time in her life, fell into a panic, unsure of how to respond. She simply knelt by her side, raising her head to rest on her arms.

Considering the resistance of the High Elves, she could survive and find a possibility for overcoming it. But even in the best-case scenario, she would have to prepare herself to lose the use of her bitten arm. She was not Rose Caprice. She was no invincible, indomitable bastion that could disregard any poison or curse.

In a hurry, Jenis turned her gaze toward the hero who was engaged in a fierce battle with the Gargoyle Queen. Jenis reached out her hand towards Walter, shouting loudly.

“Hero! I’m so sorry!”

“Huh?”

Before Walter, who hadn’t even noticed that Margaret had collapsed from severe injuries, could fully comprehend Jenis’s words, she began to forcibly siphon the holy power contained in the Hero’s Holy Sword.

The hero, taken aback by the first-time occurrence of forcibly having his holy power extracted, quickly guessed that there must be a valid reason for it, and, along with Bernard, began to retreat.

Due to Jenis’s actions, the battle against the Gargoyle Queen had now fallen into a substantially defensive position.

Margaret smiled faintly with a look of realization as she understood what Jenis was doing.

“You… are a rare specimen. Quite… rare…”

“Save your gratitude for later. We have plenty of issues to resolve between us anyway.”

Holding the holy power in her hands, Jenis spoke firmly. Feeling amused by the aspiring attitude of this rookie trying to teach her, Margaret managed to force a smile.

“Indeed… so many… seemingly simple yet extremely complicated topics…”