Chapter 80: The Melkvi Family’s Traditional Three-on-One

Three days later, the father and four daughters regrouped.
Noia explained the detailed information about those three to Leon,
“‘Three Ki Special Ops’ is just a nickname based on their names. Their real operational codename is ‘Blade.’ True to their name, these three are elite-level soldiers cultivated by the Empire fifteen years ago, in the fifth year after your disappearance. Each one possesses extremely strong individual combat abilities.”
After a pause, Noia added, “Some say… they even surpassed the Black Armor of the past.”
“Hmm… hmm?!”
General Leon was suddenly wide awake at this,
“Who said that? Who said that?”
Noia had anticipated this reaction, so she just shrugged casually, “That’s what the defeated dragons all say.”
“Though these guys are very strong, the power they use… doesn’t seem very stable.”
Aurora pushed her glasses and said, “A few years ago, I happened to see them fight. The coordination between the three was nearly perfect, but midway through, the captain Kini’s power seemed to suddenly lose control, which led to the battle ending abruptly. And, big sister, you’ve had this feeling too, right? The power they use—”
Noia finished her sister’s sentence, “Doesn’t belong to them.”
“Doesn’t belong to them? What does that mean?”
“It’s just a feeling. Their magic is strange, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s strange about it,” Aurora said. “Well, that’s not the main point. The point is that the Blade Special Ops team coming to the Imperial City must be for commendation and honors, right?”
As Leon had told Muen a few days ago, frontline soldiers, regardless of their rank, couldn’t freely enter and exit the Imperial City except for commendation ceremonies.
Whether you’re Three Ki or chicken or whatever else, none of that matters.
“Do you want to sneak in during the commendation ceremony?”
Leon said, “That might not be realistic. The commendation ceremony is held inside the Imperial City, and during that time, everyone entering the Imperial City must be unarmed. They’ll conduct body searches.”
Noia shook her head, “Entering the Imperial City is already impossible. That barrier is too complex – even Little Light can’t crack it. So we can only use our second strategy: capture and interrogate.”
“Capture those three?”
“No, the three members of the Blade Special Ops team probably don’t know where the Heart Dragon Scale is kept either.”
Noia said, “But their superior should know.”
“Superior?”
“A man called Nacho Salamander,” Noia said. “He’s currently in charge of communications between the Dragon Slayer Army and the Imperial City. Theoretically, the entire Dragon Slayer Army is under his command. Nacho— hm? What’s with that expression? Looks like you know this Nacho?”
Leon rubbed his chin, frowning slightly and nodding, “Yeah, twenty years ago, he was just a civilian staff member in the Dragon Slayer Army. Never thought he’d climb to the position of administrative head now.”
‘Head’ or ‘Number One’ was just an easy way to understand the position.
In reality, managing hundreds of thousands of people in the Dragon Slayer Army wasn’t something one person could do alone.
Leon’s specific position back then was ‘Battlefield Commander-in-Chief,’ which could be simply understood as “when the guns start firing, even if a division commander shows up, they still have to listen to me.”
As for matters outside the battlefield, there were many officials both high and low.
The position Noia just mentioned, “responsible for liaison between the Dragon Slayer Army and the royal family,” could also be understood as one type of ‘head position.’
So this Nacho… rising from a minor clerk to one of the bosses, he was really focused on climbing the career ladder.
“The higher his position, the more likely he is to know the location of the Heart Dragon Scale,” Aurora said.
“Hmm, if you want to capture Nacho for interrogation, do you have his movement patterns?” Leon asked.
“My informant brought new intelligence yesterday. After the commendation ceremony, Nacho will host them at ‘Hisna Manor’ outside the Imperial City. He does this every time they return for commendation.”
Leon let out an enlightened “Oh,” “This is indeed a Dragon Slayer Army tradition, we did the same back in our day. So our opportunity will be during Nacho’s welcome banquet for them?”
“Correct. However, even with a clear target, we still need to formulate a more thorough and detailed plan, because Nacho will book the entire manor, and guards will be stationed at every exit.”
“Hmm, leave that part to me. I can successfully approach Nacho without being detected,” Leon said.
“Good. Nacho will arrive at Hisna Manor ahead of time, that should be your best opportunity to approach him,” Noia said.
Leon paused, “Is this also information from your informant?”
“Yes, for all these years, Nacho always arrives at the manor early. Not out of politeness, but to maintain control over the banquet.”
Noia shrugged, “This guy seems to want to control everyone and everything wherever he goes.”
“To be able to investigate the Dragon Slayer Army’s administrative head so thoroughly, I’m becoming more and more curious about this informant of yours.”
Leon asked casually, “So, when can I meet this mysterious big shot?”
“No rush. After we capture Nacho and she finishes her follow-up work, we should be able to meet.”
Noia said, “Until then, you can keep your expectations high.”
Leon thought that if his eldest daughter had been born in peaceful times, she would have made an excellent serial novelist—
She was too good at being cryptic.
Afterward, Noia provided Nacho’s route and schedule to help Leon develop a more specific plan.
After determining everyone’s responsibilities in this operation, the father and daughters returned to discussing the Blade Special Ops team.
“Although they nominally belong to the Dragon Slayer Army, they’re not bound by its rules. They take orders directly from the royal family.”
Noia said, “Fifteen years ago, the Blade trio emerged suddenly, achieving consecutive victories on the human-dragon battlefield with power rivaling ancient dragon kings.”
Aurora added, “Aunt Isabella was also forced to relocate with her clan to dragon territory several years ago due to pressure from these three. It’s safer there, but this is just delaying the inevitable. At the current rate of advancement, the Empire will push deeper into dragon territory in less than ten years.”
“By then, there’ll be nowhere to hide.”
Leon began to think.
The Blade trio only became active on the battlefield five years after his disappearance.
And during Leon’s service, he had never heard these three names.
Were they perhaps supreme masters secretly trained by the Empire?
Not necessarily.
If they were the Empire’s secret weapons, why hadn’t they helped when General Leon was causing chaos in the Empire, cleaning out traitors, or fighting against Sta?
So these three most likely rose to power during the five years after his disappearance—or rather, obtained such powerful abilities through some means.
“You mentioned earlier that the Blade trio’s power doesn’t seem like it’s their own?” Leon asked.
“Yes. When we normally use magic, the process can be simply understood as ‘gathering power, then releasing it,'”
Noia said, “But with them, it feels more like they’re ‘borrowing power from somewhere, then releasing it.’ And they experience power loss of control, which is very abnormal.”
“Your informant couldn’t find out anything about their background either?”
Noia shook her head, “No. The Blade trio really did seem to appear out of nowhere, not giving anyone time to react.”
Aurora’s expression grew serious, “They’re strong, as the surviving dragons say, strong enough to rival ancient dragon kings.”
Muen sat to the side, curled up with her long legs, arms around her knees. Faced with this serious discussion atmosphere, she didn’t dare speak up randomly, only listening silently.
But she also knew very well about the Blade Special Ops team’s strength.
If they eventually had to fight these three, she wasn’t sure if they could win.
“Dad.” Aurora broke the slightly oppressive silence.
“Hm?”
“I just saw you spacing out. What were you thinking about?”
“Ah… just remembered something interesting from before,” Leon sat cross-legged on the ground, head lowered, letting out a chuckle as he spoke.
Noia blinked, “What’s making you laugh so happily?”
“You.”
“Me?”
Leon looked up at his eldest daughter, “The Blade Special Ops team, they’re three people, right? It reminds me of when Noia fought three-on-one at Saint His Academy when she was little.”
Hearing this, the pink-haired troublemaker immediately brightened up, dispelling the oppressive mood, “What three-on-one? When did big sis fight three-on-one? I’ve never heard about this! Tell me more!”
Leon vividly described his eldest daughter’s glorious achievement to his youngest daughter.
After hearing it, Aurora repeatedly patted her big sister’s shoulder, “As expected of you, the eldest of the Melkvi family!”
Noia blushed at the praise, turning her head away. That tsundere behavior was exactly like her mother’s. “Don’t say nonsense, it was just anti-bullying.”
“So you see, I don’t think there’s anything to fear about that Blade Special Ops team. If necessary, Dad will demonstrate what a traditional three-on-one really means.”
Noia paused, hmm, why did this old man suddenly become so arrogant?
Oh~~~
She understood.
This must be what Mom meant when she said if you let him build up his mana, he becomes unstoppable.
But his arrogance was built on his actual strength.
As this man’s daughter, Noia had never doubted his power.