In Order to Reach
Eul's consciousness was in a haze as she flew through the royal capital at night, staggering unsteadily.
"Guh...! Ha, ha...!"
Something inside her that is not her.
That stomped on Eul's thoughts, and a sharp pain resounded in her head.
――[Dragon transformation]!!
About an hour ago.
The voice resonated in her head from afar, and she woke up again.
Something is yelling at her to go in a certain direction.
Regardless of Eul's will, Eul's body was being made to follow its instructions.
In her hazy consciousness, Eul remembered that she had felt this feeling a few days ago.
That was before he was captured by that man―― Tigarokent Noros.
---
It's been a few days since she came to the Shirsodi Kingdom to study abroad.
She also sent a letter to the famous Lapeia Ila Asur, and compiled materials regarding the mysterious disease that her sister suffered from―― [Magic Crystal Disease].
All that remains is for Eul to meet with Lapeia, give her the materials, and have her find a way to cure her sister's illness, or make an appointment with her for her to see her sister in person.
Wanting to cure her sister's illness as soon as possible, Eul was looking forward to the day she could meet Lapeia.
While spending such days.
It was after they had dinner at one of the Fonedao family mansions that Eul suddenly started to feel hazy.
When Eul's consciousness awoke just a little, she realized that she had collapsed somewhere in pitch darkness.
"Eul-sama"
The echoing sound of a man's voice hit Eul's eardrums.
It seems to be a closed space, so dark that she can only see a little beyond her own body.
There, Eul finally noticed something strange about herself.
Something was pounding deep beneath her navel.
There was a disgusting heat in the depths of her stomach, and from there, something entered Eul and corroded her thoughts.
Due to Eul's hazy consciousness, she saw a human hand from beyond the darkness.
In his hand, he held an oval object with many curved lines drawn on its surface.
Just before the oval-shaped object touched her, Eul's stomach felt so hot that it hurt.
――Not here.
She felt like something, who wasn't her, said that in Eul.
Eul's body suddenly began to move, as if the sensations in her body were not her own, as if she were being forced to move.
"P-please wait, Eul-sama!!"
Shaking off the stillness of the young man he heard from nearby, Eul began to run wild.
She felt like her body had changed, but that wasn't the case with Eul, who was forced to obey that something inside her.
She flicked away the hand that was holding the oval object, and before she knew it, she dug into the ceiling with her thick arms.
The claws that extended from her thick arms easily scooped out the soil, and eventually, Eul tumbled to the ground.
The field of vision was brighter than the pitch-black space from before, so much so that she could barely see it.
The quiet cityscape of the royal capital was the complete opposite of Eul's consciousness.
"Haa, haa, haa."
Now, the waves of heat in her body have subsided, and her body has returned to its normal state.
However, the something that Eul is unconsciously suppressing is still alive and well, and if she lets her guard down, the heat swirling deep within her belly will threaten to burst out again.
She can't stop hearing that something's screams ringing in her head.
Eul grimaced at the something that had possessed her.
Regardless of her will, her body begins to move forcibly again.
And with that, Eul ran toward the capital at night, feeling an unpleasant heat deep in her stomach, in a dream-like daze.
---
Eul, tired of flapping her wings, landed on the ground, remembering what happened just before she was captured by Tigarokent Noros.
The streets of the royal capital on a quiet night.
There was no one on the completely darkened road, and it was the same scene as then.
There was the sound of a commotion somewhere in the distance, but it was nothing compared to the screams inside Eul's head.
As Eul falls to her knees on the ground due to exhaustion, her wings gradually return to her back.
"Haa, haa, haa."
Even that something, which had just been awakened, didn't seem to be in its best condition yet, and as Eul regulated her breathing, she was able to regain some normal thinking.
And when Eul finally began to realize her current situation, her thoughts were filled with confusion.
That something makes a fuss within herself, completely unrelated to Eul's intentions.
What in the world was her actions as she was forced to follow it?
Such questions arise in her dazed thoughts.
Then, Eul suddenly looked at her palm.
"!?"
Thick arms with lion-like hair and sharp claws.
Eul's eyes widened in surprise as she saw a palm that clearly didn't belong to a person, and her vision became blurry.
When Eul tries to squeeze her hand, the monster's hand moves just as Eul feels.
The palm that moved according to her senses was definitely Eul's own hand.
Her back hurts, it feels like her wings are growing again, and she feels like she has something like a tail growing on her butt.
Eul could see that thick hair was growing all over her body, and that it was waving slightly in the cold breeze of the royal capital.
She wonders if it was because of Tigarokent Noros that she became like this.
Just as Eul was thinking about this, dismayed by the changes in her body, a shadow appeared in front of her.
"I've finally caught up...!!"
Tigaro stood in front of Eul, breathing heavily.
Tigaro ran out of the Noros family compound, and was relieved that no one had seen Eul, who had turned part of her body into a monster, on the way to this point.
However, at the same time, he found it inexplicable that the members of the Knights' Order wandering around the capital during this state of emergency were nowhere to be seen.
If you look into the distance, you can see the Holy Wind Knights flying through the sky, reflected in the faint light, and the Holy Water Knights' barriers set up everywhere.
Since the sounds of battle can be heard slightly, perhaps the knights are affected by something that happened there.
Anticipating this, Tigaro took a step towards Eul, hoping to stop her while she remained calm and prevent her from turning into a monster and rampaging through the city again.
At that moment, the two noticed a small vibration coming from beneath their feet.
"――I finally found you..."
Along with the rumbling that gradually gets louder, a small voice can be heard from somewhere.
It wasn't Eul's voice or Tigaro's voice.
It was the voice of a timid-looking young man that sounded somehow familiar.
Then, suddenly, a crack appeared in the brick floor, centering on Eul.
The crack gradually grew larger and covered the path where Eul was sitting.
Tigaro was caught up in the situation and tried to distance himself, but the ground collapsed from where he stepped.
There was a loud noise and the ground cracked.
What peeked out from there was a large number of ant monsters.
"――!?"
Even while Eul and Tigaro are surprised, the ant monsters eat away at the brick ground wall and cause the floor to collapse.
A large, dark hole opened by the ant monsters.
The two fell into it.
Even though he was caught up in the sudden collapse of the floor, Tigaro's body moved instantly.
He used one of the [Spirit Tails] that came out from behind his waist and wrapped it around Eul's stomach, and thrust the other one into the earthen wall, trying to slow down his own body and Eul's body.
"Kuh…!?"
The tentacle that was holding Eul in the air let go of her, but Tigaro managed to slow her down.
Tigaro, who was thrown into a long and narrow passage, rolled around passively, then immediately got up and checked his surroundings.
From the moisture remaining at his feet, Tigaro immediately realized that this was one of the underground waterways where the flow of water had been dammed.
On the ceiling, the ant monsters that invited Tigaro and Eul into this space can be seen blocking the hole with brick fragments.
At the back of the dark passageway, there is the figure of Eul, who has collapsed with parts of her body transformed into a monster, and a man standing in front of her.
Tigaro's eyes widened when he saw the man's face.
When Tigaro took a step to move Eul away from him, ant monsters appeared between his eyes and blocked his path.
"――――"
The ant monsters sounded threatening with their jaws, as if they were telling Tigaro not to get in his way.
However, Tigaro must stop the man's actions.
He cannot just sit idly by and do what he wants.
"[Spirit Tail]"
Tigaro, who had once withdrawn his magic tentacles, chanted again.
[Spirit tails] came out from the elbows of both arms, and his arms were swallowed up by the tentacles.
Tigaro linked the movement of his tentacles with the movement of his arm muscles, and mercilessly swung his fist, which had increased in power, at the ant monsters wriggling in front of him.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Meanwhile, Eul, who was feeling the heat rising in her body again, looked up when she felt someone's presence.
What appeared in her blurred vision was the somewhat timid-looking face of her companion who had traveled with her on this journey to the Kingdom of Shirsodi.
"Machen...!?"
Standing in front of Eul, Machen was staring at Eul's hand, which had transformed into a lion.
Although Eul was confused by her current appearance, she noticed Machen's gaze and opened her mouth to somehow explain herself to him.
"T-this is――"
"I-I thought it was terrible for you to run away. I-I thought we could finally be together."
Hearing Machen's words, Eul stopped moving for a moment.
However, even after thinking for a moment, Eul couldn't understand what Machen was saying.
"Machen... what on earth...?"
Eul, with a look of confusion on her face, tried to ask Machen a question.
"Uu, guhh…!?"
Just as Eul turned to face Machen, that disgusting heat welled up in the depths of her stomach.
Writhing in agony as the heat consumed her thoughts, Eul managed to look at Machen's face.
As usual, Machen exuded a slightly timid atmosphere, but the expression on his face as he looked at Eul seemed to be somehow happy.
Then, Eul realized that Machen wasn't surprised when he saw Eul's arm, and finally wondered about it.
"E-Eul-sama, do you remember? T-Ten years ago, the [General's Civil War]."
When Machen opened his mouth, it turned out to be about one of the most brutal civil wars in the history of the Asurora Empire.
There is no way Eul has forgotten that, as her own father was heavily involved.
After all, the [General's Civil War] was one of the biggest events in the history of the empire, in which the emperor and two of the [Six Generals] lost their lives, and the balance of power within the empire was greatly disrupted.
All the people living in the empire knew this, and Eul was about to ask why he was asking about this now.
"There, everything was burnt down, including my family... by Eul-sama's father―― the Flame General."
As Machen said that, his timid eyes became extremely cloudy.
Hearing these words, Eul, who was unable to comprehend the situation, became extremely upset.
"If I were to tame you now that you've become a monster, I wonder what kind of face that flame general would make..."
Machen laughed as he stared into the void, and his gaze was no longer focused on Eul.
One of the ant monsters surrounding Eul and Machen handed Machen a spherical object in its jaws.
Before she knew it, a large number of ant monsters were crawling around her and Machen.
Countless insects follow a human.
Eul, who was familiar with that scene, realized that Machen was now controlling the insect monsters, and couldn't help but look at his face.
"...Machen... I can't believe you are...!!"
Machen's shoulders trembled as if he was frightened by her gaze, but perhaps because he was happy that Eul had noticed Machen's true identity, he lifted his cheeks slightly and opened his mouth.
"Yes, yes. I am the son of the late Insect General Luren Hertal―― Machen Hertal."
Machen called himself that in front of the daughter of the Flame General, who was once an enemy of the Insect General.
It was then that Eul finally understood that he had fallen for Machen's plan.
Considering the way Machen was looking at Eul's severely transformed body, she could immediately tell that it was just as he had planned.
――You turned into a monster a few days ago, do you remember what happened then?
Thinking about it now, Tigaro's previous question makes sense.
At that time, Eul thought that there was no way people could turn into monsters and that he was just lying, but if it was only Tigaro who saw Eul's body changing into a monster. It wasn't hard to imagine him asking that question.
Then, perhaps her true enemy is not Tigaro, who has been tormenting Eul for several days, but the man standing in front of her.
Eul's face gradually turned pale as she came to that thought.
Machen watched as Eul's complexion changed, and his usual timid demeanor completely changed to a joyful expression.
"I want to violate you, who has become a monster, in front of that Flame General as soon as possible... If he sees me and you together, will that Flame General feel the same way as me? Hey...!"
Eul felt indescribable fear at Machen's expression, which was steeped in madness and muddy emotions were swirling in his eyes.
Eul didn't know if Machen's longing for her was a grudge, anger, or something else.
While Eul was staring at him, a figure appeared from behind Machen, who was thinking of someone other than Eul, and his mouth twisted in happiness.
"Ah, I'm glad. I'm glad you're safe, Eul-sama."
The person who said this to Eul, not to Machen, was a short dwarf man with a thick beard.
Seeing that face, Eul called out his name as if asking for help.
"Brelin!!"
The dwarf was a man who came to the Kingdom of Shirsodi with the responsibility of being Eul's caretaker.
She was sure he could stop Machen.
Eul couldn't help but hope so.
Just as Eul was about to ask for help, Machen gave Brelin a nod.
"Oh, I've been waiting for you. Priest Brelin."
Eul was about to ask for help, but she stopped moving when she heard Machen's words.
"...No way."
Raising his hand towards Machen, Brelin receives a nod.
Seeing the exchange between the two, Eul's eyes flickered in agitation.
"I'm so glad that Eul-sama was found. Otherwise, Fonir-sama's factor that I dedicated to your life's light would have been wasted."
Brelin looked happily at Eul's transformed body.
It was similar to the gaze that Machen gave Eul.
Eul felt betrayed, and her emotions were severely shaken, causing her to breathe heavily.
"Haa, haa, haa...!!"
That something inside her starts to make noise again, and the unpleasant heat flares up again.
While Eul held her stomach and endured it, Brelin looked at her happily and opened her mouth.
"You have the talent to reach the Five God Dragons. Please show me more of that light as well. ――Fierce, passionate, raging raw light...!"
Those words made Eul understand his position.
"You too...?"
Eul looked forward, her face distorted as she felt feverish.
It was clear that Machen and Brelin were standing side by side in front of Eul's line of sight, and that they were in a cooperative relationship.
Eul, still unable to accept this, appealed to the two in a raised voice.
"Why, why did you do something like this...!? We were supposed to be companions from the Empire..."
Hearing the words of Eul who cried out in pain, Machen looked timid and frightened, but nodded clearly.
"Y-yes. We are together. Finally, we can be together. Eul-sama, Priest Brelin, and―― Tigarokent-san. We are all together."
Then, in front of Machen's line of sight, there was the figure of Tigaro, who was looking at Machen and Brelin with wary eyes.
At Tigaro's feet lie the corpses of the ant monsters that were blocking Tigaro's path.
However, it seems that he has not yet defeated all the ant monsters that stand in front of him, so Tigaro speaks to Machen and the others from the other side of the wriggling monsters.
"...I was completely defeated, Machen-dono. And Brelin-dono. I never thought you would sneak through the eyes of the Kingdom Knights like this."
Although the knights of the Kingdom of Shirsodi are excellent at monitoring the ground, they have little awareness of monitoring underground, perhaps because the kingdom has no users of earth-attribute magic.
Most of the barriers surrounding the premises of each house are hemispherical in shape, and they shouldn't extend deep underground.
A hole like this one leading underground must have been dug somewhere in the Fonedao family mansion where Machen, Brelin, and Eul lived.
If they hadn't done that, they wouldn't have been able to escape the mansion's surveillance and take Eul outside.
"The reason you released the ant monsters into the commercial district of the capital before was to find Eul-dono who had run away, right?"
"Well, as expected of you, Tigarokent-san...! I can't believe you came to the same idea as me..."
"――Machen. Let's not talk about that, and let's do our part too."
Brelin, who was behind him, scolded Machen, who was still treating Tigaro with a sense of closeness.
"Everything is to reach the Five Dragon Gods."
Brelin raises his hands as if praying somewhere.
As if to follow suit, Machen also took the same gesture.
"Yes, yes. Everything is to reach the Five Dragon Gods."
Upon hearing the words of Brelin and Machen, who were making a simple gesture of praying, Eul had a surprised expression on her face.
"Five Dragon Gods, Sect...?"
International wanted organization―― Five Dragon Gods Sect.
The organization, which worships five mythical monsters as gods, was famous for being a cruel organization that operated behind the scenes throughout the continent.
There, Eul finally understood clearly where Machen and Brelin belonged.
Then, she looked at Machen, who seemed to be somewhat happy, approaching her, with a hint of fear in her eyes.
"Stop...!! Don't come near me...!!"
Even when she tried to move her limbs, Eul's body, which had partially transformed into that of a monster, was slow to react.
Machen looked at Eul and opened his mouth with a look of anticipation on his face.
"Now, let's join together, Eul-sama."
Machen, who has put mana into an egg-like magic tool, brings it closer to Eul.
While fighting the ant monsters that were blocking his path, Tigaro turned his attention toward him and realized that it was the same magic tool that Kuma had.
"――[Dragon Transformation]"
Along with Machen's chant, the disgusting heat that was swirling inside Eul suddenly swelled.
Something begins to rage inside Eul's head, and an indescribable pain stomps through Eul's thoughts.
Eul's face became distorted with grief and pain as she realized that her body had changed from the inside, as if the depths of her stomach had been disturbed.
"Why did this happen――"
Eul's sad, extremely lonely expression, which was changing as he watched, was burned into Tigaro's mind.
And, in the next moment, Eul's delicate body swelled up.
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