*** MC's POV ***

I continued to move toward where Bianca was.

The sky distorted, and a series of explosions were heard from where I was going.

At times, a fierce hurricane rises as if trying to swallow the sky.

Sometimes, spaces were cut, and everything was reduced to nil.

Other times, the ground split and trembled as if a huge earthquake had occurred.

It was a scene like seeing the end of the world.

'I was late.'

Originally, I was planning to inform Bianca of Nicht before they fight.

Because I know that the moment two dragons fight, there is nothing else that I can do.

But now that they had started fighting already, my intrusion would be nothing but a hindrance to Bianca.

'Because I could distract her, be killed, or worse, be used as a hostage.'

I can't let that happen, but it's not right to stay still either when I know that my teacher could be in danger.

'What should I do?'

I stopped moving for a bit to think.

'Is there a way I could help?'

I shook my head at that.

'Is there a way to avoid being a burden?'

There is my stealth skill, but…

Even as I was thinking, the sounds of sword clashes and explosions continued.

The thick trees get sliced like tofu, and two mana of black and white soared tall and wide as if trying to paint the entire world.

'What kind of fight is this?'

I don't see any magic being used, and from the clanging sounds of metal, this fight must be entirely done with swords.

But it was absurd to think that a swordfight could sound and look like this.

'Anyway, I should observe from a safe place.

They were fighting near Bianca's lair in the middle of the mountain, which meant I could see everything if I climbed to the top of the mountain.

'No, then it'd be hard for me to involve myself in case something urgent came up.'

Like finding Bianca losing and about to lose her life or such.

Or rather, is there even a guarantee that the mountain was safe? Just because it was tall and far from them now doesn't mean that their attacks wouldn't reach the mountain and destroy it.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

If anything, it could be dangerous since a mountain is a big and easy target to hit.

'Even a stray attack or two could kill me.'

I shuddered at the possibility.

'There has to be a better option.'

Come to think of it… they were fighting near Bianca's lair with that kind of strength, so why is her lair still standing when everything else gets destroyed?'

It was absurd, to say the least, so how?

[White Dragon Vision].

I found out the answer using my eyes instead of just thinking about it.

"… I see."

Not only was it protected by layers upon layers of protective spells, but the walls were also mixed with metals, including adamantium, the hardest metal in the world.

'So it was not a natural cave after all.'

Now that I think about it, it makes sense.

If the house you lived in can crumble so easily, why would you live there?

Even humans live in a house because it can protect them against the elements and outside dangers.

So, what kind of house does a dragon need to make so that it can protect them, who are already among the strongest beings in this world?

'If it's like this, then Bianca's lair was probably the safest place to hide.'

[Perfect Stealth].

[Extreme Mirage Footwork].

Having reached that conclusion, I activated my skills and rushed like a madman.

***

I managed to sneak into Bianca's lair somehow.

Despite trying my best to keep them from noticing me, I think Bianca met my eyes for a moment, and Nicht also spread his mana for a moment as if he had instinctively sensed an intruder.

'Fortunately, it doesn't seem like Nicht knew where exactly I am.'

But should I say as expected of a dragon?

His senses are no joke, to the point that I believed he could find me if I were to get closer.

And this is despite Nicht not having legendary-grade skills related to the senses, like Bianca's vision.

'Of course, he could rely on black magic for that…'

But the current situation where Nicht was being forced to forsake forbidden arts was unusual.

'Rather than that, isn't Bianca's situation better than I thought?'

They were exchanging sword strikes even now, but unlike Nicht, who kept getting cuts here and there, Bianca was unscathed.

Even better, her mana was still high, and her expression looked calm.

Nicht, on the other hand, was consumed with anger and had his mana depleted due to repeated use of power strikes.

Physique. Mental. Mana.

Bianca was superior to Nicht in every way.

Which is great, but it also left me scratching my head in confusion.

'How did Nicht even manage to kill Bianca in the game?'

He can't ever kill her in a fair fight, that's for sure.

'So if we consider unfair means…'

He must have made a trap that took months to make or something like that.

Which is very likely considering Nicht's personality.

'Or maybe…'

[White Dragon Vision].

I tried to find specific information about Nicht.

I learned how to see what I wanted to see with this skill by filtering only the relevant information before, so I should also be able to check Nicht's skills and whether his gift had awakened or not.

'I see… So his gift hasn't awakened after all.'

I thought he was planning to use it at the right time, but now I see this, it seems like that wasn't the case at all.

'No wonder he was pushed back.'

If he chooses to fight fairly instead of using traps and doesn't even have a gift to turn the situation around, then it's no wonder that he's being pushed back.

'If it keeps going like this, then…'

Another sword clash occurred, and another explosion was heard.

But even the seemingly impressive show of force from Nicht was nothing to Bianca, who countered his strikes.

Seeing the two keep going like that, even I can make a reasonable guess on the outcome of this fight.

'Bianca will win.'

I was very confident about that.

Until I see the black miasma coming from Nicht's body, at least.