The next one is coming!
Wind Blast!
Parry!
The more time that I manage to buy,
the better chance Lynne and
the others have to escape!
I'm just gonna run around and
parry everything in front of me!
I finally stopped myself...
What?
Who's this old guy?
Sparkly gold armor and sword.
Even the horse has
sparkly gold riding gear.
Why is he standing around here
in such a noticeable outfit?
He just looks like
an old-timer to me...
Whatever.
Now's not the time
to think about these random things!
I won't stand a chance if these soldiers
gather their weapons
and attack all at once!
All their swords and shields...
I have to do my best
to keep parrying them!
Not sure what that is,
but I gotta get it too!
I really wonder what this old guy
is doing out here.
That bastard again!
Oh, right!
I can't stand here and give the soldiers
time to pick up their weapons!
I gotta remember to breathe
every once in a while or I'll pass out!
Hold on, haven't I seen you before?
H-he's gonna kill me!
This sparkly gold old man...
Does he know me?
Nah, I don't think we've met before.
But jeez, it's crazy he's out
on this battlefield.
I don't really see any need
to parry his sword.
No time to think.
I just need to keep doing my part!
Pretty sure that sparkly gold old man
is going to get hurt if he stays there.
Wh-who the hell are you?!
Why haven't you just killed me yet?!
Oh.
Does he think I came here
to take his life?
Well, I can't blame him.
Th-that weapon...
Don- don't be...
Don't be afraid, old man.
I need something to reassure him.
To let him know I'm not hostile.
Is this working...?
Well, shoot.
I'm not sure he got the message.
Am I at my limit?
Thinking about it,
I was a bit too reckless.
And Low Heal can't do anything
to relieve exhaustion this bad...
Lynne...
Ines...
Rolo...
please escape safely...
Shooting Star!
That skill...
Dragrave!
Did you come for me,
Gilbird... Alma...
Grillbeer.
It's Gilbert.
You did all this?
Nice of you to
finally join us, Master.
Apologies.
You're...
I don't know who you are,
but thank you.
We'll take care of the rest.
We at least have to handle the cleanup,
or it would stain the honor of the
Sixth Troop of the Royal Capital.
Thousand Blades!
I remember. That's...
That's the power of the swordsman
who I've always dreamed of being!
Oh dear.
And after I warned him
against any excessive killing...
Oh ho!
I'd say that's a tall order to make
when we're faced with such a vast army!
Well, corpses won't provide us any intel.
The living are far more cooperative.
Since it's easy to
bring back missing limbs
over and over
with healing magic and all.
That was a joke.
Doesn't quite sound like a joke
when you say it.
Oken.
They should be arriving soon.
Get ready.
You don't have to tell me.
We've been strung along
by the enemy long enough.
Now it's my time to shine!
Earth Bind!
What's this?!
I can't move! What the...?!
Oh ho!
Their eyes are red as fire!
You seem like you're enjoying this.
Heh!
A good battle is always riveting,
no matter how old I get!
Now, shall we add the final touches?
Stone Prison.
It's our turn now. Let's go.
Time to save all the survivors
and make them turn over a new leaf.
The instructors that taught me
at the training schools...
I can't believe I get to see them again!
That kid. That has to be...
That's Noor.
Thanks, Lynne.
I'm feeling much better now.
Are you sure you're okay?
Shouldn't you rest a bit longer?
Nah, I've rested enough.
I can move again.
I'm really hungry, though.
A commanding officer confessed
under Sain's interrogation.
They have no further troops.
They already threw
everything they had at us,
including the dragon and beasts
that attacked the capital.
But it seems the emperor
has escaped.
The emperor?
That decrepit old fogey
showed up on the battlefield?
Yes.
He must have been very confident
in his resources.
Oh ho!
Stupid move for a guy who demands
his people call him a wise ruler!
That geezer must be losing his marbles.
Geezer? You mean that old man?
Hold on.
You know who we're talking about?
Yeah. I met him a little while ago.
The horse he was riding had sparkly
gold gear and he was hard to miss.
Gold on his horse, huh?
Perhaps he was
using orichalcum saddlery.
That's very high-grade equipment that
can support an extensive array of skills.
In which case, it makes sense
how he escaped so quickly.
But jeez, he was all decked out in gold?
His fashion sense is as poor
as his attitude!
If he escapes to the border,
we can't go after him.
There's a fortress as well as a bridge
that spans the ravine over there.
There's no hope of catching up to him
by now with normal means.
If only there was a way
for us to all fly...
Actually...
I think that might be possible.
What do you mean?
Well, only assuming
that it's still alive...
What an incredible sight!
Being able to see a legendary
creature up close and personal!
This makes living
to my old age worth it!
Same here.
This is the first time I've been tasked
with healing such an enormous dragon.
In any case,
you've grown quite a lot, Noor.
I almost didn't recognize you.
What?
This man... is Noor, you say?
Yes. I could tell right away.
Yeah, it's been a long time
since I've seen you two.
Oh ho!
I had no idea it was you at all!
You're much larger than you used to be!
Instructor, you're still
alive and well, huh?
Oh ho?
That's a mean thing to say to my face!
I plan to live another
hundred years, easily!
And your jokes are still funny
after all these years!
Uh, I'm not joking though...
But, listen, Noor...
Are you sure about this?
Having us all ride on the back
of this dragon seems like a bad idea...
You don't have to worry.
We've got Rolo with us.
I see.
Rolo, my boy, are you confident
in this ability of yours?
N-no, I have no confidence at all.
Oh ho?!
It's okay, Instructor.
It may not look it, but Rolo is-
It seems the dragon is coming to.
Are we truly going to be okay?!
Yeah! Rolo, you've got this.
O-okay.
Ah, I see. It's angry.
You can understand it?!
Only enough to tell its mood
from how it sounds.
I've lived in the mountains
for a long time.
It seems to want revenge.
It wants you to order it to get some.
Wh-what?!
You have that much control
over this dragon?!
Extraordinary!
Absolutely extraordinary!
Yeah, Rolo is amazing.
No, that isn't true.
This dragon thinks Noor is-
It says it wants to go now.
All right.
Everyone catching a ride, get ready.
Okay.
Lynne and Ines, you're coming too?
Yeah.
No one can talk to the dragon
if Rolo doesn't go,
so Ines and I will guard him.
You'll be joining us too,
right, Instructor?
Me?
Well... I guess I could.
I'm afraid of heights, though.
But I'm the one who came up with the idea
and dragged Rolo into this,
so it'd be really awkward
if I don't tag along.
No, but still... I mean, uh...
Okay then.
I'm... going too.
Thank you so much!
You being with us is like having
the strength of a hundred people!
I'm coming as well.
I have a responsibility to look after
my patient until it's fully recovered.
Plus, we specialize in diplomacy.
Right, Carew?
Don't lump me in with you.
I don't try and intimidate people
with mischief.
You're...
the thief class instructor!
You're coming with us?
Yes, if you're going to fly
on this large of a beast,
then you will need
the Concealment skill.
I'll be in charge of that part.
Good point!
I'll come along to help, too!
Oken, you need to supervise
the stone cage, don't you?
Okay, fine.
Let me go as well.
You'll need a negotiator, I believe.
Brother! Father!
I'm so glad you're safe!
Guess you've been worried about us.
I'm glad to see you're safe as well.
You chose to come back
instead of going to Mithra, right?
Yes.
I will accept any punishment
for disobeying your order.
No.
It's my fault for giving
such an idiotic order.
I'm glad you made it back.
Rein, you're in charge of making
any judgment calls out there.
And also... Sir Noor.
I apologize for continuously
asking for your help,
but please take care of these two.
Sure!
Don't worry.
We'll come back safe and sound.
I'm counting on you.
Okay, fly.
Are you sure you're okay with this?
I mean, shouldn't you have
said something to Noor?
We finally found him after all this time.
The fact of the matter is, he never really
needed us to play a role in his life.
The idea that we could take him in
and raise him...
we were just high on our own hubris.
No kidding.
He was like a hero
straight out of the legends.
Makes me feel like a laughingstock.
Right now, I...
I am deeply ashamed
of my own laziness.
I shouldn't have been wasting time
thinking I was in any position
to teach others.
I'm going to retrain myself
from scratch.
Now that I've been made aware
of my own shortcomings,
I can't rest on my laurels
and let my sword rust.
For a guy who's "deeply ashamed,"
you seem pretty darn happy.
Obviously.
Just think of the
spectacle he showed us.
Yeah, you're right.
After being shown something like that...
who wouldn't be?
Have you found anything?
No.
Any luck over there, Lady Lynneburg?
Not a thing.
He's much faster than I imagined.
Worst case scenario, he may have
already arrived back at the empire.
It turns into empire-controlled territory
beyond that steel bridge.
We can't recklessly rush in there.
I know we've come this far,
but perhaps we should consider going back.
It's your call.
Let me think...
Over there!
Something's moving at
an extremely high speed!
That's definitely him. However...
He's nearing the
imperial capital's defenses.
We won't make it back in one piece
if we cross into their territory.
We are concealed right now,
but once they're aware of our existence,
the magic will lose its effectiveness.
True, but letting him escape
is not an option.
They have access to
powerful magical tools
and can use them to greatly
reinforce their military power.
We cannot give them the time
to do that.
He's right.
We're already at war.
But... who knows what awaits us?
Lord Rein, Lady Lynneburg.
If I may, I would like your permission
to annihilate this area.
Annihilate?
If this is going to be
our escape route later,
then it would be smart to annihilate their
defenses while we have the opportunity.
In normal situations, Ines would never
suggest exerting her own power.
But, she's angry just like the rest of us.
The royal capital she vowed to
risk her life to protect was trampled on.
Yes.
Do it, Ines. And don't hold back.
As you wish.
Divine Sword!
Wow.
I think that secures our escape route.
Right. Well done.
Lynne!
Our actions here will determine
the course of the war.
We'll keep pursuing the emperor
and go all the way to
the imperial capital, but...
Are you ready for this?
Yes.
Everyone here wields power
far outside the norm.
They're the strongest people imaginable.
There's no need
to worry about anything.
And above them all...
Instructor Noor.
I can't even begin to
comprehend his greatness.
I'm sure he's quietly listening
to all this, even now.
And he knows we mean business!
Let's teach them a hard lesson
about what happens
when you mess with
the wrong people!
#10 I Parry the Emperor's Authority