'If Hazen is just a vessel, then the real identity of the one occupying that vessel right now...'
I found myself speechless at his casual confession. Even Axel, who had been on high alert around Hazen, was frozen in shock.
‘So, what this guy is saying is...’
Is he trying to claim that he isn't just a follower of the Mad Dragon but the Mad Dragon itself? The thought that this might not be such a ridiculous claim began to cloud my mind. As I stood there, blinking silently, Hazen, who was insisting that he was the Mad Dragon, looked down at me with a sly expression, lifting one corner of his mouth. He seemed fully aware of the weight of his words.
“...Whether you're really that crazy dragon or not.”
I tried my best to stay calm as I flicked my finger, striking Hazen's nose.
“Who are you calling 'young lady' with that kind of attitude?”
Whether it was out of surprise or pain, Hazen grabbed his nose and stepped back. I chuckled and approached him again, speaking sternly as I had once done when I was his mentor, long ago.
“If you called me out because you have something to say, show some respect. Who do you think is in the more desperate position?”
I was aware of all the ways to stop the Mad Dragon, who had yet to fully recover his power. Objectively speaking, I had the upper hand in this situation, whether or not I chose to use 'that method.' Hazen must have recognized this as well, as he didn’t argue back and simply shrugged.
“No matter how desperate I may be, it's hard to show respect to the ones who cut my life short, isn't it?”
Axel frowned at Hazen's casual tone. The man who once smiled with the face of a country saint was nowhere to be found.
“If you really are that crazy dragon, tell me about the last moment.”
“Reliving the moment my life was cut short... how cruel.”
Hazen sighed deeply and shook his head at Axel’s attempt to uncover the truth. Though he lamented aloud about the cruelty, his expression remained relaxed.
“The one who dealt me the final blow was that black mage over there. For some reason, people seem to think it was the Swordmaster who became emperor, though.”
Axel and I exchanged quick glances.
It was true that Greslin had delivered the final blow to the Mad Dragon. While fighting together, it just so happened that I dealt the finishing strike, but it wasn’t a particularly important detail. However, to give Kirke a stronger claim to the throne, we all agreed to say that he was the one who defeated the Mad Dragon. Only the expedition members and the Mad Dragon knew the truth.
Sure, the Mad Dragon could have told one of his followers about the final moment, but given his pride, it was hard to imagine that he would have spread stories about his defeat.
‘Is it really the Mad Dragon inside this guy?’
I narrowed my eyes and scanned Hazen, who seemed to be wearing the Mad Dragon’s skin. He didn’t avoid my gaze. In fact, he even spread his arms as if to invite me to take a closer look.
“Strange, isn’t it? Not just anyone can do something like this...”
Without hesitation, I swung my fist at Hazen. It wasn’t just a physical attack; I imbued it with magic power.
“Ick!”
“Hey!”
Both Hazen, who barely dodged my attack, and Axel, who had been standing by my side, let out surprised voices at the same time. Hazen must have been shocked by the sudden attack, while Axel seemed astonished that I had used magic.
“There are people lined up beyond the clinic...!”
“As long as I handle it quietly, there won't be a problem.”
I waved off Axel’s concern dismissively and lunged at Hazen again. If I were still in Greslin’s body, handling magic would have been more natural. Ever since I became Reshia, I hadn’t used magic for a long time, and it felt a bit rusty. Hazen, fully aware of this, effortlessly dodged my attacks with a smug expression.
“Why are you suddenly attacking? We could solve this peacefully, you know.”
“Peacefully, my foot.”
I scoffed at his ridiculous suggestion and attacked him once more.
“If you really are that crazy dragon, I’ll just end your life here and now. Without a new vessel, once this one breaks, it’ll be the end for you too, won’t it?”
I didn’t fully understand how the Mad Dragon managed to hop from one human vessel to another and sustain its life. However, it was clear to me that if the 'vessel' were to break, the soul within would be destroyed as well.
“Quite an accurate deduction.”
Hazen clapped slowly, wearing an inappropriately relaxed smile for the situation.
“Axel!”
Seizing the moment, I called out to Axel while using magic to bind the Mad Dragon's feet. Axel, well-practiced from countless battles together, knew exactly what to do. He fired an attack spell directly at Hazen’s head, hitting the mark perfectly—or so I thought.
Just as I felt confident we had landed the blow, Hazen's clear form crumbled away like sand.
“Huh?”
I rushed to where Hazen had been standing, only to find a pile of sand. Frustrated, I stomped on the sand in disbelief. Behind me, I sensed a presence. Whipping around, I saw Hazen standing there once again, smiling slyly in his human form.
“I knew it was dangerous, so of course I didn’t come here in my real body.”
“You cowardly trickster. You’ve always fought dirty like this.”
He had led us into traps with all sorts of cunning tricks, putting us in mortal danger multiple times.
“Well, wasn’t it also somewhat unfair for several of you to gang up on one?”
Hazen tilted his head as if to say he was the wronged party, then glanced between Axel and me.
“Anyway, now we can finally have a proper conversation. Let’s not be too hostile. I came today to propose a deal that would benefit all of us.”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t lump us together with you.”
I responded coldly, and Hazen burst into laughter, only to quickly erase the smile from his face.
“I’ll get straight to the point. Give me the vessel.”
“You said you’d propose a deal that would benefit all of us. How is this a win-win? It only benefits you.”
Frowning at his absurd demand, I watched as Hazen shrugged.
“It will be a win-win, trust me. All I want to do once I get a proper body is something very modest.”
“Modest, you say?”
"That's right. There was a time when I wanted to trample everything underfoot, but after losing my life once, I realized how meaningless it all was," Hazen said with a faint smile.
"If you hand over the vessel willingly, I won’t invade the lands south of the mountain range. After all, the northern side of the range is barren, and humans hardly live there, right? It’s just a den of beasts. If you don’t trust me, I can even swear an oath."
He wasn’t wrong. The land beyond the northern mountains was a vast, rugged terrain unsuitable for human habitation.
But that only made me more confused.
“So, after gaining a new life, all you want is to rule over a land teeming with beasts?”
“Well, to my eyes, humans and those beasts aren’t that different. Just small, weak animals. You humans seem to think you're special and superior, though,” Hazen said, still smiling as he rested a hand on my shoulder.
“We both know we’re troublesome opponents for each other. Just hand over the one thing, the vessel, and we can all live in peace. So…”
“Wait a moment.”
Axel raised a hand, interrupting Hazen. Both Hazen and I turned to look at him as he spoke, his face slightly grimaced.
“You’ve been going on and on about this ‘vessel,’ but what exactly do you mean? Isn’t that only possible if we have the vessel in our possession in the first place?”
At Axel’s words, Hazen’s expression changed. He glanced between the two of us, and soon, his eyes gleamed with realization.
“Aha. This is getting interesting.”
It was the look of a snake that had found its prey, ready to dig into a newly discovered weakness.