Chapter 94

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Translator: Ebonarch

Chapter: 94

Chapter Title: Something More Precious Than Gold (3)

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"Then, we can safely assume that Lady Draka here—no, the noblewoman—has decided to stay by the Central Officer's side."

With Incansus still staring blankly at the sky outside, Haillin Metaharasin summed up the situation.

"Indeed. This place is already a nest for me and the Central Officer."

Mnasil thumped her tail against the floor as if finally understanding.

Haillin gave a complicated smile at the sight.

"However, from now on, you must make every preparation."

"Every preparation? For what?"

She turned her head to look at me.

"You know full well. What causes a gold rush."

I knew all too well.

"There are always those pulling strings from behind for their own ends."

"Not this time."

"What?"

I asked in surprise.

A gold rush without backers?

"Th-then, are you saying this whole incident really started from mere rumors?"

"Unfortunately, that's how it appears for now. But for us officials, it's the most dangerous situation possible. Not finding backers means two possibilities."

She spoke with a serious expression.

"One. A faction with investigative prowess far beyond our Intelligence Bureau is hiding in the shadows."

"Two. It wasn't a faction, but an individual or small group spreading the rumors."

She held up two fingers, then pointed out the window.

"There are no coincidences in this world, Central Officer. Not even a single grain of sand blown by the wind escapes cause and effect."

The immigration officer's second iron rule.

I repeated it softly.

"...No coincidences."

No incident, accident, or terror happens by 'chance.'

They erupt only after mountains of evidence, signs, circumstances, and suspicions pile up.

"And if this was the work of a single individual or small group, their goal wouldn't be mere profit."

I immediately grasped what she meant.

Most people in the world are driven by profit and desire.

'But not all.'

Faith, conviction, and revenge.

Those gripped by them don't act rationally.

I'd seen plenty of prime examples.

The Holy Church led by the Pope. The Evil God Cult that cursed even its own to death. And the queen who took innocent revenge on her daughter.

There was no guarantee more such people didn't exist.

"...Who could it be?"

What were they after in sparking this gold rush?

The answer came from an unexpected source.

"We didn't know until now."

It was Incansus, who had finally regained her composure and returned inside.

"But your ancestor's words just now have clarified the outline."

"Who... is it?"

After a long silence, the agent spat out the name like it burned her tongue.

"Dragon Hunter."

Mnasil flinched and silently clutched her egg tighter.

Right, now I remembered—that was the reason she had been driven to the brink of death.

"But... isn't he dead?"

"Being buried in sand and ash doesn't make one forgotten, Central Officer. Besides, clad in Draka armor, fire wouldn't harm him. Assuming he's dead would be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the oddity."

The shocking revelation left me speechless for a moment.

The Dragon Hunter was alive.

This was truly, utterly unexpected.

If this suspicion proved true, Mnasil surviving unscathed until now was nothing short of a miracle.

The man who had embedded a mithril arrowhead in her heart, no less.

'A hunter who fails a hunt never just walks away.'

That's the natural law of the world.

Especially if the prey was an ancient race, a symbol of myth, nearly slain.

He'd scour the world clean. For a corpse, a fragment, anything.

"...We need countermeasures."

We had to prepare.

"Any ideas?"

I racked my brains slowly at Haillin's question.

"Bolstering the guard would draw attention. Strengthening existing forces and individual measures would be better."

This situation was like a carriage loaded with precious metals passing through a bandit den.

For now, miraculously, the unprecedented gold rush kept eyes elsewhere, but one glance our way, and we'd be targets.

'The missing volcano master lives, with her egg at the Crossroad Kingdom's southern border.'

That sentence was more dangerous and unpredictable than the gold rush itself.

Dragons had that overwhelming presence.

Only one thing to do in such times.

Stealth defense.

Minimal personnel, maximal vigilance, optimally placed at the right times and spots.

"Moreover, Lady Mnasil isn't alone anymore. With the egg, we must be extra cautious."

All eyes turned to the egg cradled in Mnasil's arms.

"We can't leave this place. Neither Lady Mnasil nor I."

She for the egg. Me, due to my role as immigration officer in the south.

And having refused the capital, Incansus's protection had limits.

I laid down the premise first.

"All defenses must be handled in the south."

Haillin nodded.

"Then borrowing the margrave's troops might work. The southern office is within his domain, after all."

A sound proposal.

Moving troops within one's own territory raised no issues.

Plus, the southern border faced the Mahalan Kingdom across a vast plain, not directly abutting, so no risk of it being seen as a show of force.

His organization and execution during the changeling capture had been impressive.

"We're not in a position to refuse help now. But we can't reveal Lady Mnasil's identity."

"Leave that to me. I'll say the gold rush influx is straining public order control."

Haillin whipped up a plausible excuse in seconds.

I picked up the thread.

"Fortunately, we have... Her Highness the princess and Erzena here."

Holy power and telekinesis had proven invaluable countless times.

They'd be reliable assets ahead, too—saving a dragon from death's door proved it.

But Incansus shook her head.

"One thing to note. Erzena is being hunted by the Church with fire in their eyes. Their side's unstable too. And the princess is under royal secrecy; revealing her would force the capital's hand."

The issue: exposing them would endanger them too.

'Damn, those constraints.'

Then Erzena and Ileine became last-resort cards.

'The margrave's guards alone aren't enough. We need stronger deterrents.'

Then, the perfect person popped into my head.

"We have one more friend who can help."

"Such a being exists?"

My most trusted ally, one who knew silence.

I slowly turned to the window.

"Time to awaken the Border Guard Captain again."

The statue frozen at our doorstep needed stirring.

- Wooong.

Finally, a strange blue light pulsed from the mana core of the golem, rigid like a street statue.

Incansus finished the ritual after a light mana infusion.

"Awaken."

- Grgggrk.

Slowly, lights flickered in its eyes, and after two days, the Border Guard Captain rose from its one-kneed pose.

It immediately recognized us and saluted.

As it moved, moss and dust shook from its shoulders.

I infused my apology into my words.

"Captain. Forgive us for leaving you idle these two days."

Typical golem—handover system flawless.

But something felt off.

Instead of its usual calm, emotionless demeanor, it scanned surroundings relentlessly, as if searching.

Illegal entry. Reptilian entity.

That term clicked instantly.

"Reptilian..."

Mnasil murmured sadly from behind me.

"Captain. That entity is no longer considered an illegal entrant. We have other matters."

It flatly rejected me and stepped forward.

"N-no, listen. It's resolved, no worries!"

Instead, it raised its greatsword high, peering down streets for the dragon.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Its stubbornness flustered me into a wry laugh.

'Must've really pissed it off back then.'

Who wouldn't be mad? A dragon smashing through barriers, leaving it conscious but immobilized for two days.

Then.

"I'm sorry. I meant to release you soon, but circumstances prevented it."

Mnasil stepped forward and addressed the golem.

"It was me. The 'illegal reptilian entrant' who cast the stasis spell on you."

Her honest confession.

But the captain tilted its head, then slowly sheathed its sword.

It coldly refuted her, turned away, dismissing her entirely. Mnasil stared up blankly.

"Yes... proven once more. I have no power left."

She murmured flatly after a while.

Incansus hurried over.

"Ancestor. There must be a way to recover your strength."

"Worry not. Clinging to what's gone is futile. Better to cherish what's newly gained."

"..."

Mnasil seemed fully accepting now.

The agent glanced at her, then turned to the golem.

"Border Guard Captain Golem ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠312-56. By the king's proxy authority, I command you."

"Add the woman here to your guard targets."

"...Equivalent to the princess."

That was it.

As if nothing happened, the golem impassively turned toward the wall where guards were stationed.

Its curt, duty-focused demeanor oddly reassuring.

Watching its back, I murmured.

"With this... minimal preparations are done."

But someone immediately countered.

"No. This alone won't suffice."

Mnasil.

"The Dragon Hunter wears my kin's corpse. His weapons are made from teeth and claws. All imbued with power to nullify magic."

She glanced at the egg.

"We need one more... trump card."

Then pointed at me.

"You must be that card."

"...Me?"

What was this now?

Me, a trump card?

"...Ancestor. Are you asking the Central Officer to fight?"

Even Incansus sounded baffled.

"He's too green to be a warrior proxy. Better use his organizational skills and planning..."

"No. He has one thing. Power over all languages."

But Mnasil shook her head.

"That ability should extend to languages that defy the world's laws."

"...!!! Ancestor, you don't mean!"

Incansus realized and cried out in shock.

Mnasil concluded.

"Nathan Kell, will you learn Dragon Tongue?"

Two weeks later, western volcano collapse zone.

The desert man, investigation leader, overlooked the nearly complete excavation site with a broad grin.

"Hahaha!!! Incredible. Who'd think it'd work!"

He clapped the shoulder of a man in scorched armor.

"Who could've guessed it'd go as you said! Already 70% of the volcanic zone cleared in just two weeks!"

As the man said, the volcanic area was mostly restored from ash and lava.

The excited leader continued.

"Brilliant plan. Spread rumors the Draka nest collapsed with the volcano, treasures unearthed. While fools dig wrong spots, we excavate only your pointed site."

"..."

"No need for bribes or orders. Like mind-control magic!"

The armored man, gazing at the site, finally spoke.

"Naturally. Desire is humanity's greatest drive."

"Heh, desire. Brilliant. Should've known from that armor. How you pinpointed the nest—now it clicks."

The leader gazed admiringly.

"Dragon Hunter."

Kaban Bladbeach.

He shrugged.

- Thud.

The leader dropped a huge bundle before Kaban.

Gems and treasures glittered through the gap.

"Your share. After life-risk pay, still plenty. Unlike those idiots digging bare dirt—these are ours."

But Kaban ignored the bundle his size, scanning the volcano again.

"No other news?"

"Better than this? Greedy."

"Not that. Other news, beyond trash like this."

"Tell us what you're after. Let us desert folk repay you."

Kaban finally turned to him.

"...Urk!"

The man paled, averting eyes from Kaban's face.

Left eye and half his skull melted grotesquely by lava.

"..."

One socket empty, right eye piercing the leader.

In the leader's face, the Dragon Hunter saw the same as the fools below.

Greed.

Loathing these gold-chasers sincerely, he spat curtly.

"Something greater than gold."

If treasures brought a century's bliss, what he sought brought a millennium's fame.

"Something to usher in true human era."

He turned away.

Day 16 already.

Thanks to exceeding idiot influx, disaster recovery neared end.

Kaban had scoured the zone six times over.

Yet no repulsive dragon—not even corpse or scale.

'To find the egg, find the volcano's master.'

Or Mnasil lived, fled with egg.

Then all time here wasted.

'Damn, where'd it go.'

Too many possibilities.

Winged ones ignored terrain like mountains—could fly anywhere.

Then.

"I swear I saw it! That dawn, a house-sized shadow blotted the moon!"

An agitated voice hit Kaban's ears.

With unignorable words.

Kaban dashed, seizing the ranting fat man.

"You there."

"Eek? Aaaah! Wh-who are you!?"

The fat man glimpsed Kaban's face, nearly fainting.

"Details. What'd you see?"

"Uh, dawn sky—huge shadow, then flash of light..."

Sky-covering shadow.

Midnight flash.

A massive flyer casting magic.

One implication.

Kaban bellowed, excitement bursting.

"When, where!"

"Tw-two weeks ago, Crossroad Kingdom."

Crossroad Kingdom.

A chilling smile crept over Kaban Bladbeach's face.

"...Found you."

Mnasil's location revealed at last.

Where the mother was, the egg would be.

- Snap!

Releasing the collar, Kaban strode east.

"H-hey, where to?"

"Business here done. Divide gold or kill each other—your call."

"That wound's not healed! Rest!"

The desert man had a point.

I sacrificed an eye in that fight too.

'But I lodged a mithril arrowhead in her heart.'

Time race now.

Against time for the dragon's death.

Volcano master.

Couldn't kill me unscathed—wounded you won't either.

Before time claims you, I'll end you, closing the mythic age.

That glory mine alone.

Imagining seizing the dead dragon's egg, Kaban laughed maniacally.

"Heaven aids me. The world guides me!"

The hunt wasn't over.

Act 2 merely beginning.

But he overlooked one thing.

Prey surviving one hunt prepares hardest for the second. More than anyone.