Wild Dragon of Rome 51 (Patreon)

“Damnation,” I cursed even as I threw myself from the tree, knowing that there was no chance for me to suppress the flare of mana as the Dragon Heart responded to my anger, the mana density of the valley insufficient to cover such an intense outburst.

I threw myself off the tree, just in time for a column of fire to collapse against the tree, far stronger than any mage should have been capable of.

A sorcerer.

Not that it was a surprise. The moment I saw the Spear of Scipio on his back, I knew that he was the one that I had felt back at the Scipio Estate. That raised some other questions, like how he managed to arrive here so quickly, and how he was able to carry the Spear despite lacking a bestowment ritual.

Those questions were interesting, but I was too busy running deeper into the valley, using my speed to the limit. The dragon heart was filling my heart with more mana with each thump, making it impossible for me to hide even if I could suppress my anger.

 I couldn’t suppress it. Not when I was looking at the real killer of my grandfather. I didn’t care if he just gave the order. He was the one responsible for not only his death, but also for his body to be treated as a rag doll.

And, right now, he was carrying the same weapon the old man had been so proud of as a trophy. I didn’t care about the spear itself, but the disrespect of him carrying it burned something fierce.

I would have gone forward to rip them into pieces if I didn’t know how much my grandfather would have hated me for dying so pathetically. Instead, I tightened my grip as I moved deeper into the valley, trying to find a way I could fight against a sorcerer.

Meeting with Lillian and Astrid, I ignored them immediately. They weren’t weak, but Lillian still lacked combat experience, and Astrid’s abilities required a lot of time to practice. Neither of them would be any help against a sorcerer. More importantly, I couldn’t protect them against a sorcerer.

Cutting a wild path toward the nearest exit was tempting. Living to fight another day was always a valid choice. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be able to match my speed, and eventually, I would be able to get away … but in doing so, I would have to sacrifice Lillian and Astrid.

In the valley, they would eventually be discovered. I doubted that they would have a pleasant fate after. I found that deeply unacceptable. I had always envisioned living as a loner, a drifter without any connection, but that somehow changed between that disaster on the island and right now. I couldn’t.

So fucking frustrating.

“Revenge, it is,” I muttered even as I cut a straight path toward the center of the valley. But, I wasn’t moving as fast as possible. My speed was significant, but nothing that couldn’t be matched by an apprentice mage with a reinforced body.

I was angry, but not angry enough to lose my senses. I didn’t know just how good the detection abilities of a sorcerer were, and I needed to keep my abilities as secret as possible.

The situation was clear. I couldn’t get away safely with Lillian and Astrid in tow, meaning I had to hurt them enough to make an unappealing idea. And, what better way to do than taking my revenge. All I needed was a successful ambush, and to do that, I needed them to underestimate me.

Behind me, I could hear the horns blaring at full volume. I wasn’t able to decipher the message. Every legion had its own code, which they rotated often to prevent the enemy from reading the orders easily. However, at least a part of it was obvious.

Behind me, I could feel the approach of the cavalry brave enough to ride in a thick forest. In front of me, the scouts were gathering to envelop me. At full speed, I could slip through the net without getting caught.

I slowed down instead, moving directly toward the nearest group.

A message about the dangers of following me was appropriate. However, as I ran forward, I could feel my arm transform back into its scaly form outside my control, the mana density forcing it to appear. I wasn’t complaining. It was an excellent weapon. One that I couldn’t use casually.

I couldn’t afford them to know about my transformation. Meaning, I had another reason to kill the sorcerer, who might be able to feel the transformation from a distance — not that I needed any more. Revenge for my grandfather was enough.

Since pulling back the transformation was not possible, I fed my mana to my arm desperately, feeling the scales grow and strengthen almost limitlessly as the vitae absorbed the mana like linen cloth. Normally, reinforcing vitae was a delicate process requiring meditation, but the beast vitae easily absorbed it.

While I was reluctant to further strengthen my arm before I could understand what was going on, it was safer than trying to radiate mana constantly. Without my bubbling mana, I might avoid their detection.

When my mana density dropped to a point that could keep me hidden, I sped up. I was targeting the same scout team that I had detected earlier. Twenty-four soldiers, with a mage. A dangerous enemy to confront directly, but I knew what they had been relying on. So, I moved faster to cut their path and climbed to a tree. Merely twenty seconds later, they were passing under me.

The mage didn’t even register my presence as I landed on his back and killed him with one blow. That earned shouts from the legionnaires, but before they could register, I had already drawn the sword of the mage with my left hand.

I wasn’t as comfortable using a sword right-handed, but with my right hand turned into a claw, I didn’t have any option. I used my right arm as a shield to deflect the attacks, while I cut them mercilessly. The five apprentices, I dealt with before they could even tap into their elements. However, even when ambushed and facing a superior enemy, the legionnaires were professional enough to react.

I found myself surrounded by eighteen men, each carrying a gladius and a tower shield. They tried to collapse on me, trying to cut my escape path, but they weren’t fast enough to trap me. Five more had fallen, which was enough to destroy their morale.

They tried to run away. They failed.

“What an ignoble fate,” I muttered even as I shifted the location of the bodies. Faced directly, an earth mage could have defended the group until the reinforcements arrived. Unfortunately, the battlefield was not a place for mistakes.

I changed the pattern of the bodies, and, I added multiple wounds, making it look like they were ambushed by multiple people. It wouldn’t be enough to convince if someone were to study the battle carefully, but I wasn’t the only one who was working under the time constraints.

Before I left, I also collected their spears, and took two swords, carrying them as a bundle. I wasn’t in a position to turn my back on even the slightest benefit.

I didn’t spend more than a minute setting the battlefield before I started to run again. I didn’t have any other choice with the sorcerer getting closer and closer. The moment he cast a spell, his presence turned impossible to miss.

The mana gathered around him, making his presence a bonfire to anyone with a magical sense.

It was the difference between a sorcerer and a lower-order mage. An apprentice mage or a mage had no choice but to mediate to absorb the mana from the environment, and process it through their elemental vitae before using.

Sorcerers didn’t need to mediate. The mana reacted to their very presence, and they could transform the mana into elemental energy directly around them. Unfortunately, I didn’t know their range or effectiveness. The only thing I knew was the closer to their bodies, the more efficient the transformation.

That alone was an incredible benefit during a magical duel. Mages were limited by the amount of mana they had absorbed beforehand, which was not limitless. Then, the flexibility it afforded was also incredible. By casting spells outside their bodies, they could defend easier, and

Even if they had the same raw power, a sorcerer could easily deal with multiple mages … which was another problem. They had more raw power as well.

There was a reason sorcerers were the ultimate deterrent.

And, I needed to kill someone showing those abilities, with nothing more than a monstrous arm and a bunch of spears. Pilums, to be more exact, spears made of soft iron as they were designed to ruin enemy shields rather than kill.

I just hoped that whatever in the valley would dislike him more than me.