Chapter 46: What? You're a Dragon Too?!
Orléans – Inside the Castle
In a cold palace, darkness covered most of the space, broken only by eerie, bloodcurdling screams echoing through the air.
The dim candlelight flickered.
And then—
Clang!
A chain in the corner of the prison cell melted and snapped.
Immediately after, a young girl with dragon horns stepped out from behind the iron bars.
"Seriously, getting summoned to this era without knowing what's going on at all…"
The horned girl wore a kimono, holding a folding fan engraved with a dragon motif in her hand.
She murmured, continuously complaining.
"In the end, what kind of tragic princess am I supposed to be?"
She glanced around the surroundings and let out a faint smile.
"Just in time, the master of this palace isn't here…"
"Might as well take this chance to escape!"
She cautiously moved forward along the dim hallway.
Click!
Suddenly, in the darkness, a long, staff-like object blocked her path, causing her to trip and fall to the ground.
"Uwaa!!!"
The kimono-clad girl tumbled forward, caught off guard. Her dragon-patterned folding fan slipped from her grasp.
"Oww, oww, oww…"
Just as she turned her head to see what had made her fall, a loud burst of laughter erupted from the room beside her.
"Hahaha, so you tripped over my tail, huh? Serves you right, you crazy stalker who locked me up without any reason!!"
The voice sounded like it belonged to a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old.
"As expected, a dazzling existence like me is bound to shine no matter where I go. It's not surprising that someone would want to possess me, given how magnificent I am! But! To have the audacity to imprison me in a place like this—this is a crime, a crime, I say!!"
The voice in the room grew more and more triumphant.
"Just keep crawling on the floor like an idiot—AHHH HOT HOT HOT!!"
Suddenly, a burst of fire erupted from within the darkness, blasting straight at the iron door of the prison.
"Are you trying to burn me alive?! You crazy stalker!!"
The girl inside shouted in frustration.
"You dare call me a stalker? Are you trying to provoke me?!"
The kimono-clad girl immediately breathed out a stream of fire, her face filled with rage.
Thanks to the flames, the girl imprisoned inside was finally able to see her clearly.
"Now that I look closely… it seems you're not the weirdo who locked me up here. That guy wore a strange cloak, didn't look like a good person at all."
"You tripped me for no reason and even called me a stalker? You've touched my reverse scale now!"
As she spoke, the kimono-wearing girl prepared to breathe fire again.
"W-Wait! You're not that weird guy's underling, are you? If not, then we're in the same boat—we both got captured by him."
The imprisoned girl hurriedly waved her hands, anxiously explaining.
"Oh? You got captured too?"
"That's right! I don't even know why I was summoned here, and I haven't even been assigned a manager yet! I was just about to put on a solo performance in the city, and then out of nowhere, this creepy guy used some weird magic to trap me and throw me in here."
The girl inside said indignantly.
"So, it's the same for me…"
After hearing the other's story, the kimono-clad girl reluctantly calmed her anger.
"Alright, in that case, I'll get you out. Step back a little."
With that, the dragon-patterned folding fan snapped open, and fierce flames surged forth.
"Okay… hot, hot, HOT! AHH, that's enough! Stop! STOP! You're still mad about me tripping you earlier, aren't you? I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay?!!"
In just a few moments, the iron prison door had melted into a large hole.
The girl who had been locked inside stumbled out into the hallway, leaning against the wall and panting heavily.
"Haa… haa… you really were trying to kill me just now, weren't you?"
"Ayaa, of course not."
The kimono-clad girl covered her mouth with her folding fan, hiding a sly smile.
"The prison door was just too tough, so I had to use a little extra force."
"You totally did that on purpose!!"
Under the faint candlelight, the girl who had just escaped from prison was finally revealed.
She wore a gorgeous Gothic Lolita dress, with red and black as the dominant colors, making her look just like an idol.
Her red hair had a pair of dragon horns that didn't seem like mere decorations, and a dragon tail flickered behind her.
"As thanks for rescuing me, I shall tell you my name."
She puffed out her chest proudly, as if introducing herself before an audience.
"Listen well—I am Elizabeth Báthory, the eternal 14-year-old idol lady!"
Finally having someone to introduce herself to, Elizabeth beamed brightly and looked forward—only to realize that the kimono-clad girl, who should have been standing there, was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey! Where did you go?!"
Noticing that the other girl had already walked far ahead, Elizabeth hurriedly ran after her.
"This is enemy headquarters. How long are you planning to just stand around?"
The kimono-wearing girl seemed to only want to escape this place as soon as possible.
"Then at least tell me your true name. You're a Servant too, aren't you?"
"Why should I randomly tell you my true name?"
"Eh! But I just told you mine!"
"That was your own decision."
The kimono-wearing girl thought for a moment.
Since they had to escape together anyway, having an ally wouldn't be so bad.
"Fine, I am Kiyohime."
Though reluctant, the kimono-clad girl revealed her true name.
"That name doesn't sound European at all, but since we're both escapees, let's help each other out a lot, Kiyohime!!!"
Elizabeth flashed a bright smile.
The two girls dashed down the hallway, quickly reaching the end.
In front of them was a tightly shut door, but for them, this was hardly an issue. Just beyond this door, their hope of escape seemed within reach.
"Ah, finally, I can get out of this damned place. This place is even worse than my Čachtice, which proves that stalker has absolutely no sense of taste."
At that moment, Kiyohime suddenly sensed something was wrong. She immediately grabbed Elizabeth's arm and pulled her back.
"Wait!"
Swoosh—!!!
Something dark, like a whip, lashed straight toward Elizabeth's unguarded back!!!
Boom!
A burst of blue flames erupted from the folding fan!
"Gyaa—!!!"
The whip-like object writhed in agony within the blue fire, letting out ear-piercing screams. Now, they could finally see it clearly—it was a tentacle covered in sharp spikes.
"Show yourself, you who lurk in the shadows."
Kiyohime turned around, shouting into the pitch-black hallway.
"Impressive. You managed to detect me. It seems I underestimated you two."
From the seemingly empty hallway, a man suddenly emerged, holding a strange book in his hands—Gilles de Rais.
"Ah, it's him! That stalker who kidnapped me!!!"
Elizabeth screamed in anger.
"How rude. I was simply following the Dragon Witch's orders, capturing those fortunate enough to slip through her grasp."
"So, I see. I think I finally understand why I was summoned."
Kiyohime's gaze sharpened as she stared at the Caster before her.
"It must be to stop your plans, right?"
"Exactly!"
Gilles de Rais laughed, but his grin was nothing short of terrifying.
"She told me I could handle you however I pleased. Now then, let's see—can you escape from here, little girls?"