Astral Online: Cursed by the Demon Lord to Become the Strongest Beautiful Girl, I Rapidly Grow and Dominate with Cheat Skills Despite Being the Weakest Profession - Chapter 102

Chapter 102: The Flying Slash of the Enchanter

 

Sora and Kuro finished their morning jog, shower, and breakfast before logging into the ?Astral Online?.

 

As they both woke up simultaneously in their assigned room with a large double bed, they immediately headed to Alice and Satanas’s room.

 

Their room was on the top floor, while Sora and Kuro’s guest room was on the second floor.

 

Once they stepped out of the room, Sora took the lead as they walked toward the top floor of the castle.

 

Along the way, Sora noticed that the atmosphere inside the castle was quite different from what it had been the day before.

 

The dragonkin soldiers and servants they passed seemed unusually cheerful.

 

Just yesterday, they had been tense due to a dragon attack, but now they appeared to be looking forward to something.

 

Sora and Kuro were still in the middle of the Dragon King quest, and they hadn’t resolved any issues yet. It was hard to believe that things could have improved overnight, so it made sense to think that some kind of event might be happening.

 

Sora caught a nearby dragonkin maid and asked her if something was going on.

 

The young dragonkin woman smiled happily and said, “The ?Dragon King Festival? is going to be held soon,” mentioning a term they had never heard before.

 

What could this ?Dragon King Festival? be?

 

Sora glanced at Kuro, who seemed to be equally puzzled and tilted her head.

 

Given that it was a festival, the answer was likely straightforward, but if they were wrong, it would be embarrassing.

 

Just as Sora was about to ask for more details, the maid said she had to get back to work and left the scene.

 

Exchanging glances with Kuro, Sora shrugged.

 

“Well, if we’re talking about a festival, there’s really only one thing it could be.”

 

“A festival… I wonder if they’ll have hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, and funnel cakes?”

 

“That’s a whole lineup of junk food… Wait, what’s that last name? It sounds like something out of a certain mecha anime.”

 

“Funnel cake? To put it simply, it’s pancake batter squeezed out of a plastic bag and fried in oil, then dusted with sugar. It’s a staple at festivals in America.”

 

“Wow, I didn’t know they had that kind of food in America.”

 

As they chatted, they arrived at Alice’s room.

 

Before entering, Sora called out, “Can we come in?” and received a reply from inside, “Sure!”

 

When Sora stepped inside, she was greeted by the sight of Alice and Satanas, both dressed in traditional Japanese miko outfits, performing some kind of dance.

 

With red hair, golden eyes, two horns, and a reptilian tail, the familiar white and red miko attire created a captivating image that reaffirmed how charming miko are.

 

Alice seemed to be an experienced dancer, moving gracefully and naturally. In contrast, Satanas appeared a bit unsure, likely due to her youth.

 

However, the determination of Satanas to keep up with Alice was impressive, radiating a kind of “passion” that made you want to cheer for her.

 

As Sora stood there, mesmerized by their dance, Alice and Satanas finished their final performance and walked over, taking a deep breath.

 

“Good morning, Sora-sama, Kuro-sama.”

 

“Good morning! But what were you two doing?”

 

When Sora greeted them and asked, the red-haired girl squinted and gave a slightly exasperated look.

 

“You can tell just by looking. During the Dragon King Festival, the princess has to perform a dance to represent the country and express gratitude to the world. I can’t show everyone a clumsy dance, so we’re practicing like this.”

 

“Satanas thinks it’s interesting, so she’s learning too.”

 

“Wow, I’ve never heard of that before. So when is this Dragon King Festival?”

 

“The festival will be held in two weeks. I’ve heard that adventurers are getting excited and setting up stalls, so I assumed you both knew about it.”

 

When she mentioned stalls, Sora thought of the commercial clans.

 

According to Shino, who collaborates with various clans, there are not just blacksmiths who create weapons and armor in this world, but also many commercial clans.

 

Some are focused on cooking, while others explore crafting items.

 

Some clans are focused on furniture making, and it seems there are even clans that build houses.

 

Skills for creating such things can be learned from the craftsman NPCs in the starting city, Yggdrasil, and I’ve heard that more people are starting this game with that goal in mind.

 

Honestly, though, that’s not really relevant to us who are fighting on the front lines.

 

However, if Kirie’s clan, ?Tenmoku Ichi-Ka?, is participating in the festival, that could be quite interesting. Apparently, the leader of the Alchemist clan has created a new potion, which could be featured as a highlight product.

 

Speaking of festivals, all I remember from last year is being dragged around by Shio with Shin and Rou. At one point, Shio’s zori sandal broke, and I ended up carrying it.

 

I clearly recall accidentally saying “heavy”, which led to my two friends giving me pitying looks after I got put in a joint lock.

 

Seriously, you shouldn’t say a girl is heavy, you might find yourself crossing the River Styx.

 

As I reminisced, Kuro, standing next to me, smiled and said, “Sora, let’s go together!”

 

“Huh? Oh, the Dragon King Festival, sure, let’s go together.”

 

“Yay!”

 

Seeing Kuro raise both hands in joy made me smile naturally.

 

There’s a lot to do, but I’m really looking forward to the Dragon King Festival.

 

…………………….

 

With that, Sora and the others decided to progress with their quest in order to enjoy the festival and set off toward the western town of Eupheme.

 

It was said that the journey by carriage would take a full day one way, so Sora resolved to sharpen her mind during the trip.

 

What came to her mind was the image of a girl she couldn’t protect.

 

Recalling her silhouette, Sora once again honed the dull blade of her heart.

 

—She had been overconfident.

 

Somewhere in her mind, she thought she could handle anything that came her way.

 

If Ilya hadn’t helped her back then, Kuro would likely have been overwhelmed by the enemy’s power, and Alice and Satanas behind her wouldn’t have fared well either.

 

It was a truly pathetic story.

 

What was she thinking, considering herself the strongest? she wanted to punch the feeble expression she wore until yesterday.

 

If she, as the leader, fell apart, it would immediately lead to the collapse of the party. It was something she understood better than anyone, yet she nearly let it slip away due to a moment of carelessness.

 

If Alice had been killed and Satanas taken away back then, she would never have been able to forgive herself.

 

With the support of the system ?Lucifel?, Sora discovered a significant enemy presence with her heightened sensing skill.

 

Looking up, she addressed Alice.

 

“…A Greater Dragon is coming. Sorry, but can you stop the carriage?”

 

“W-what, Sora…?”

 

“Sorry, but you two need to protect the carriage and Satanas. I’ll take down the dragon by myself.”

 

“It’s a Greater Dragon!?”

 

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

 

When the carriage came to a stop, Sora and the others got off.

 

She instructed Alice and Kuro to wait with Satanas in front of the carriage, then took a few steps forward to look up at the sky.

 

The massive dragon was indeed targeting Satanas, descending straight toward the carriage.

 

With her sword still sheathed, Sora infused herself with all of the ?Water Attribute Enchantment IV?.

 

She took a deep breath, opened her legs, and lowered her stance.

 

As she accurately reproduced the imagination she had constructed in her mind, she released any unnecessary tension from her body, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash.

 

The moment the enemy entered her range,

 

he stepped forward with her right foot and unleashed a swift strike with all her might.

 

—This was the attack skill ?Angriff Fliegen?, which she had obtained in the castle at the cost of all her money.

 

“Angriff” means “attack” and “Freigen” means “fly” in German.

 

By stacking 10 enchantment magic, the ?Angriff Fliegen? evolves into an even higher-tier attribute attack skill.

 

Its name was ?Absolute Fliegen?.

 

Sora’s attack motion, sharpened to its limit, further amplified the power of the technique, unleashing an absolute zero flying slash into the sky.

 

‘!!?’

 

A strike suddenly flew from the ground toward the dragon, which was approaching from hundreds of meters above.

 

Since the dragon was descending rapidly, it couldn’t instinctively evade the incoming attack.

 

The ?Greater Dragon?, struck by the blue blade, took a direct hit to its head, letting out a scream as it veered off course away from Sora and the others.

 

The dragon’s HP plummeted to below thirty percent due to the critical hit.

 

As Sora was forced into a skill recovery state, she focused on the descending dragon.

 

The stunned ?Greater Dragon? could not spread its wings to slow its fall. Unable to do anything, it slammed into the ground, taking massive damage from its own weight, resulting in its HP dropping to zero.

 

Kuro and Alice, witnessing the ?Greater Dragon?—which even a full party of six adventurers struggled against—turning into particles of light with a single strike, were left speechless.

 

Released from her stiffness, the silver swordsman sheathed her weapon.

 

What stood there was no longer a girl.

 

What overlapped was the form of a boy who had become the ?Lucifer?, the Light Bringer.

 

Having witnessed the astonishing power of her partner, Kuro murmured softly.

 

“…So this is the strongest ?Enchanter?.”

 

Recognizing once again that the boy beside her was an extraordinary adventurer, the girl couldn’t help but shiver.