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

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The power of the mana Jenny infused into the wound was strong enough to crush the dragon’s curse and purge its toxins. Margaret felt immense pain as a rejection of the powerful mana flowing into her body, even stronger than the mana of light coursing through her. However, once the pain in her arm subsided, she sensed that the fever heating her entire body and the paralysis that hindered her movement also began to fade.

It was like pouring an entire bottle of oral medicine over a large wound, so it took a moment for Margaret to refocus her blurred vision. The first thing that came into her view was Jenny’s annoying face, smugly laughing with her face smeared in dark blood.

“You made a scene. But that was impressive. I must express my deep gratitude.”

Margaret spoke in a slightly embarrassed voice, as if acknowledging that her scream had indeed sounded shrill. Jenny tilted her head and replied.

“They say it’s common for each to save the other’s life in this game.”

“It’s fortunate you said that. If I had accepted your overflowing thanks as it was, I would’ve had to say I’d spend my life thanking you.”

“That’s not so bad, is it?”

“Our lifetimes are long. Unlike a human’s lifetime.”

The two exchanged wry smiles, forming a mutual understanding that they couldn’t simply rejoice over their long, or perhaps extended, lifespans.

Realizing then that she had fallen during the battle, Margaret frowned and pressed her palm to the ground.

“What happened in the fight? Is it okay for you to be sticking so close to me?”

“It should be fine. Don’t force yourself to get up; just look over there, I’ll help you.”

Following her words, Margaret managed to rise with Jenny’s assistance. What appeared before her in the direction Jenny pointed were two red flags. One bore a gray shield, and the other depicted the cavalry spear, symbols of the Caprice siblings.

“Then the situation in the east seems settled.”

“It appears the Succubus Queen is still alive. If she were dead, her head would have been brought back with the flag.”

“She may seem weak, but she’s a seasoned fighter. It’s easy to repel her, but killing her is another story.”

“Easy to repel? No, I wouldn’t say that’s…”

Jenny pouted and trembled. Having conceded a blow to the Succubus Queen in the duel in the sky, Jenny couldn’t bring herself to accept Margaret’s dismissal of the queen as merely a small hurdle.

Margaret let out a weak laugh.

“If I faced her for the first time, I might have been caught off guard. But I’ll adapt soon.”

With Rose and Alex leading the cavalry, the tide of battle had completely turned. Though they fought hard, the Orc forces hardly pushed back the Imperial infantry camp across the stream.

Meanwhile, the four Elf legions that had already charged in checked the threat of Etrias, attacking the Orcs with brutal ferocity, knowing there was nothing left to fear.

No matter how much the Gargoyle Queen was called a reckless attacker, she wasn’t foolish enough to insist on a head-on charge under impossible conditions. More than anything, she wasn’t utterly thoughtless enough not to feel fear upon seeing Rose Caprice approaching from a distance.

If they hesitated for fear of defeat, they risked being encircled and annihilated. Given that one flank had already been completely breached, this was no idle worry. The Gargoyle Queen continuously issued retreat orders to her entire force. If there was any consolation for her as a queen, it was that the Succubus Queen was also undoubtedly defeated by Rose, so at least she wouldn’t be solely responsible for this loss. Walter prohibited other soldiers from engaging in reckless pursuit, aside from the cavalry.

He personally showed no intention of chasing down the retreating Gargoyle Queen to eliminate her. Though he hadn’t witnessed it, Walter was convinced that Etrias had been slain by Margaret’s hand, and he believed this battle had enough merit as it was. There was no need to risk more lives by recklessly expanding their gains.

As the battle drew to a close with a victory for the Northern Expeditionary Force, Margaret was safely escorted by Jenny to the Eramenia army’s formation.

The Elf soldiers were a bit taken aback to see their lord return looking like a bloodied rag, but they quickly understood the situation as they witnessed Margaret struggling on Etrias’s back.

Jenny handed Margaret to the Elves as she spoke.

“Please take great care of her wounds. This lady is not just your lord and commander but also the world’s last surviving Elf Dragon Slayer.”

Margaret nodded in agreement with Jenny’s words, feeling a bit embarrassed to have them said on her behalf.

“You spoke well when it was hard for me to say it myself.”

“S-so, did Your Highness really kill Etrias?”

An Elf rushing to bring healing supplies appeared stunned, staring with wide eyes. Before Margaret could answer, Jenny, unable to contain her excitement, chimed in.

“It was truly amazing! Usually, a dragon slayer only refers to the one who delivers the final blow, meaning many renowned heroes share that credit for slaying an actual Dragon. But today, Princess Margaret can proudly claim that title all to herself.”

“That’s an overstatement. While I appreciate your admiration for my achievements, if you hadn’t broken the dragon’s magic circle and lifted me up just now, I couldn’t have killed Etrias.”

Margaret slumped down on the makeshift bed and spoke. Jenny shrugged.

“But you were the one who wounded Etrias on the ground first, and then wounded him again on his back. Finally, you pierced his neck, and you did it all without assistance. This is an outstanding accomplishment. You’ll surely be counted among the greatest dragon slayers in history.”

“It’s true that I achieved something significant today, but that only makes my heart restless.”

“Why’s that?”

At Jenny’s question, Margaret wore a somewhat gloomy expression.

“Even if there’s a bit of a political problem, dragons are fundamentally on the Demon King’s side rather than ours. And there are at least twenty such dragons on this continent. When a high-ranking member of the Demon King’s army deploys, we’ll have to send the very best heroes, three or more, into battle to gain the upper hand. Yet, a single dragon can secure overwhelming dominance on the battlefield.”

“I’ll find a solution. Someday.”

Jenny, understanding Margaret’s concerns, resolved firmly. A dragon looming in the sky was no easy prey to catch. It struck Jenny that the decisive solution to this problem must lie with her.

Meanwhile, the outcome of the fierce battle at the stream quickly reached the ears of the Demon King, who was currently running a covert operation in the south. The Succubus Queen had been ordered to report any significant incidents immediately through magic, and she directly conveyed the brief situation of the battle to the Demon King via communication magic.

The Demon King, who had sneaked into Park Jeong-jae’s office and rummaged through his desk, sighed and shook his head upon hearing the Succubus Queen’s report.

“The death of a dragon means we need to tell the Dragon Lord to do something about it. Ultimately, we have to retreat anyway, don’t we?”

From the outset, the Demon King did not wish for his beloved subordinates to eradicate Walter, so the mere fact that neither the Gargoyle Queen nor the Succubus Queen had fallen was a relief.

The Demon King’s strategic thinking was clear.

While the Demon King’s army has mobilizing capacity in the millions, they lack the ability to organize such a large force effectively.

Ultimately, the best strategy for the Demon King’s army was to split their forces into hundreds of thousands and engage them in waves. By overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers, they would slowly draw them deeper into Demon King territory, which was the best choice for the Demon King’s army.

The most sinister aspect of this strategy is that, even if the opponent was fully aware of their numbers, they would have no choice but to deal with it. In this regard, the Demon King’s army had suffered significant defeat against the Hero, even losing a dragon, yet the fundamental circumstances had not changed at all.

In any case, the Demon King’s army would once again lead hundreds of thousands of troops to block Walter’s path.

Walter would have no choice but to either crush that army or face a burial at that spot.

Regarding the death of the dragon, the Demon King could not help but have complicated feelings. For the Demon King, dragons are not only important strategic assets but also surplus weapons tied to political problems, unable to be fully utilized as desired.

Depending on the perspective, it could even be seen as a potential enemy. Instead of grieving or being shocked by the news of Etrias’s death, the Demon King found himself pondering how to hold the Dragon Lord accountable for this incident.

“My subordinates are such a pain in the ass. They lead the troops yet engage in persistent fighting, rummaging through others’ rooms to find hidden devices…”

The Demon King had already spent over an hour rummaging through Park Jeong-jae’s room but had found no clues aside from a few meticulously crafted mana traps that almost caught him.

The Moriarty Machine. The prototype of the world’s only ‘mana storage device’, created by the Demon King’s father. The moment the Demon King heard that it truly existed in this domain, he could not shake the thoughts of it from his mind.

While it was unclear what Dracula’s objective in targeting the Moriarty Machine was, it was certainly one of the toys that the Demon King himself wanted to obtain.

In this matter, the Demon King could not simply trust Dracula and sit back. Even though he wasn’t blatantly growling like the Dragon Lord, Dracula was still one of those high-ranking members whose thoughts were inscrutable, making blind trust difficult.

In the end, the only members of the Demon King’s army whom he fully trusted were the Succubus Queen, the Gargoyle Queen, and the veiled Necromancer.

As the Demon King was about to leave Park Jeong-jae’s office without gaining anything, the sensitive ears of the Demon King picked up the sound of the Grand Mage returning to the castle after his outing.

“Damn it.”

Having realized he’d wasted too much time in this room listening to battle reports, the Demon King couldn’t help but curse aloud.

According to the Demon King’s calculations, he had expected Jeong-jae to be out of the territory for about an hour to two. However, he had lost track of time, overhearing the battle reports and daydreaming, wasting over forty minutes.

Ultimately, the Demon King made an escape, having failed to clean up his mess properly, jumping out the window toward the castle grounds.

At the very moment the Demon King escaped through the window without closing it, Jeong-jae returned to his room, clad in a blue battle robe.

Papers regarding the territory’s financial matters were strewn across the desk, and the window was wide open, as if someone had just escaped. As soon as Jeong-jae saw the state of the room, he instantly realized that something had happened.

“Someone’s broken in. But who could it be…?”

But at that very moment, a small magic circle on the floor that Jeong-jae stepped on activated, piercing into his mind. The Grand Mage felt dizziness and unease, clasping his forehead.

“Damn it, what the hell…?”

Clutching his forehead, Park Jeong-jae staggered towards the desk. As he quietly gazed at the documents scattered over the desk, he muttered.

“It seems I forgot to tidy up before I left. Did I leave the window open? That must be why the papers are blown everywhere…”

At that moment, Jeong-jae shook his head with a look of realization.

“No, that can’t be. I checked to ensure everything was perfectly organized before leaving. Moreover, with the window open, it couldn’t have been due to the wind…”

Once again, a wave of dizziness swirled in Jeong-jae’s mind. He closed the window while nodding, appearing as if he didn’t even know what he was doing.

“No, no. I can’t even remember if the window was open or not. I definitely messed things up. There’s no way there was an intruder here. That can’t be…”

Exhausted, Jeong-jae leaned back in his chair. No matter how he thought about it, the office appeared unchanged compared to before he briefly left the territory, but there still lingered an unshakable unease.

“Could it really be…?”

Jeong-jae murmured. However, Baron Harriet decided to abandon any further suspicion and began to gather and organize the scattered documents.