Chapter 98
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: The Power Contained in Words (4)
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Someone once asked me.
Why I decided to hunt dragons.
How I planned to take down monsters like that.
How a mere human like me, without magic or special abilities, could possibly kill beings from myth.
Every time, I answered the same way.
- Because I am human, I must do it.
We still fear other beings.
Spirits, other races, species with far superior physical traits and abilities.
This world is far too cruel for powerless humans to survive in.
We're doomed to live in constant terror, forever as prey.
We even humbled ourselves before them, worshiping them and offering sacrifices.
No. We can't do that.
We must not fear them.
We must become the ones they fear.
And so I did it.
Even if time claimed the dragon's neck first, in the end, I was the one who took its final breath.
'I did it. I killed a mythical being. And this won't be the last.'
It had to be a revelation from the heavens.
A command not to bow our heads to natural disasters or other intelligent beings any longer, but to conquer them and forge a world truly for humanity.
That's why I donned the dragon's corpse. I pulled out its teeth and claws to forge weapons.
By slaying the last dragon, master of the volcano, I would prove humanity's true greatness. That had to be my destiny.
And yet...
"Don't move, you ruthless terrorist!"
Why were they thrusting spears and swords at me instead of praise and awe?
The man standing behind the guards spoke up.
"Drop your weapon and surrender. This is your final warning."
That sight filled me with certainty.
'That Central Officer is undoubtedly a minion of the dragon.'
Beings of great power always attract parasites clinging to them.
"You think this paltry force can stop me?"
Kaban lightly swung the dragon-claw spear to the side.
- Kwaang!
Dozens of pieces of furniture in the spear's path flew and smashed into the wall.
"My desk!!!"
The Gustatory Officer screamed.
Undeterred by the girl's despairing cry, Kaban strode forward another step.
He crossed the line marked [Do Not Cross].
- Wooong.
As he drew closer to the Central Officer, the dragon armor reacted even more fiercely.
Dragon scales repel magic. Even if ripped from a corpse.
A spear that pierced anything, armor that blocked even spells.
'Even the ferocious monsters of the Urakaras Mountains fled from me clad in a dragon's corpse.'
To him, the border was just a line drawn on the ground.
There are no limits or restrictions for one destined to be a hero.
One more step forward.
Until the age of man dawned. Until the dragon hunter became the dragon tamer.
Until he was recorded as the human who ruled myth, making even other intelligent beings tremble in fear. One step.
So Kaban gave the guards his final warning.
"Stand aside. This is my last warning. I have questions for that man."
The ones blocking him now were less threatening than fleas.
"If he answers, no one has to get hurt."
But they were human.
He didn't want to harm those who would one day hail him as hero, so he offered one last mercy.
"You who serve what should not be served, answer my questions."
Unlike him standing tall before dozens of soldiers, the Central Officer, reeking of dragon aura, cowered behind them like a coward, narrowing his eyes.
"No negotiations with terrorists."
"Then I'll make you talk."
The fool had sealed his own fate.
Kaban slowly aimed the spear tip at the Central Officer.
Sacrifice is inevitable before destiny.
For the greater cause, a little blood must be spilled.
Finally, as he leveled the spear at me, I gritted my teeth.
'Here we go.'
This was different from the changeling incident.
'That was practically an ambush.'
Not this time.
We'd prepared countermeasures assuming he was alive and would come straight here looking for Mnatsil.
In truth, deploying Elaine and Erzena would end it immediately.
The dragon armor Kaban wore was legendary for repelling magic—the ultimate defense.
But telekinesis and holy power aren't magic.
Besides, I'd seen it with my own eyes.
The monstrous surge of energy that forcibly revived the dying Mnatsil.
'But that's our last resort.'
As Incanserus said, unleashing them would bring repercussions we couldn't handle.
Meaning we had to finish this here.
So I'd use everything at my disposal.
- Step.
The dragon hunter took another step forward.
At that moment, I shouted.
"Border Guard!!"
A response came immediately from outside the building.
- Thud, thud.
Three-meter-tall golems striding through the downpour.
"What the hell is that?"
Ignoring Kaban's mutter, the lead Border Guard Captain spoke.
Emergency bell activated. Requesting report on cause and current situation.
"That's the high-priority threat Incanserus warned about."
I pointed at the dragon hunter.
"An illegal immigrant with no entry record, targeting a top protected asset."
Illegal immigrant. Natural predator of protected assets.
A bluish glow flashed in the rain.
Threat classification complete.
Kaban paused in confusion, then scoffed in disbelief.
"Ha. You think you can stop me with mana-powered dolls?"
Mere dolls.
[...]
Suddenly, all 19 golems froze in place.
- Whiiiirrr!
Then strange noises started emanating from the golems' mana cores.
Mana core at maximum output. Activating highest-level threat elimination protocol per royal command.
"..."
Steam hissed from their joints with menacing hisses.
Our Guard Captain had some pent-up frustration lately.
Perfect. Pissed-off golems are as scary as spirits.
But this wasn't all.
- Swoosh.
Suddenly, black-clad figures emerged from the shadows near the entrance behind Kaban.
"...!!! And who the hell are you!?"
Kaban whirled, spear aimed at them in shock.
But they ignored the dragon hunter completely, nodding to me instead.
"Central Officer. The alarm called us, and it looks like you need backup."
"Agent R. Right on time. Thank you."
Agent R and the Intelligence Bureau's covert ops team had arrived.
Melani had sent them in league with Incanserus.
With the Evil God Cult and Black Hand fighting up north, she'd pulled all available agents here.
Guards and I in front. Border Guard to the side. Intelligence agents behind.
Only then did Kaban realize he was surrounded.
"Mr. Kaban Bladbeach. Allow me to repeat myself."
I straightened my clothes and spoke in a formal tone.
"You entered the country illegally without proper procedures and even boldly threatened an official. Do you acknowledge this?"
I had both false and true pretexts on my side.
The dragon hunter bellowed in rage.
"You...!!! You think this serves humanity's future!?"
I didn't care.
"Follow the rules. There are no exceptions at the border."
On this merciless line, all are equal under the law.
Even the last dragon obeyed this nation's laws—how dare a human flout them?
Not even the Pope could waltz in unchecked.
'If you'd just followed entry procedures, I couldn't have stopped you.'
My sole weapon as an immigration officer is the entry regulations.
Had he complied, this dragon hunter could have rampaged across the country unchecked, hunting Mnatsil.
'But you didn't. As if you were above the rules.'
It was always the same.
With the Pope, the changelings, the mercenaries smuggling goods.
Grand plans every time.
God's will, employer's orders, whatever.
'But none crossed this border line in the end.'
One simple rule.
Follow entry procedures.
They couldn't even manage that.
The more I thought, the angrier I got.
"Humanity's future? The age of man?"
How dare you spout such nonsense.
Who dragged the peacefully awaiting Mnatsil into this frenzy?
Who declared he'd steal her hatchlings from their mother?
Who created thousands of disaster victims, collapsed a volcano, and lured countless into the pit of greed called the gold rush?
And then "the age of man"?
Arrogance.
Staring at Kaban, the epitome of humanity's ugliest traits, I spat.
"You can't follow one human rule, yet you dream so grandly."
"You...!!!"
The dragon hunter ground his teeth, gripping his spear tighter—his reverse scale struck.
"A mere inspector like you couldn't possibly grasp the dawn of an era. You're just a fool blind to destiny, bound by petty rules!"
"One thing I do know. You're no hero material."
No one wants a hero like you.
"Hiding behind soldiers because you can't protect yourself, yet you talk big. If you want to speak your mind, step forward!"
"I see you can't deny it."
I have no power.
True. That's undeniable.
That's why nations exist.
'That's why organizations exist.'
To accomplish what individuals can't. To restrain the powerful who run wild.
To punish those who cross the line.
'And... to protect victims like Mnatsil from scum like you.'
So I can't back down.
Slowly, I raised one hand.
"Guards. Border Guard. Agents."
The guardians of order gripped their weapons in unison.
- Click, click.
- Grind.
- Shlick.
The margrave's soldiers didn't retreat a step despite the tension.
The Border Guard, faithfully protecting this place since the kingdom's founding.
The Intelligence agents, serving the nation from the shadows.
Intelligent beings, citizens of the kingdom—and all human.
'How ironic.'
The one proclaiming the age of man stood utterly alone.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
"You really want blood!? You're ready to send them all to their deaths!?"
A voice of shock.
As if he truly believed he could slaughter them all.
'Pathetic and arrogant to the end.'
That steeled my resolve.
I'd never let threats like you slip away.
I lowered my raised hand.
"Apprehend the suspect."
Through the pouring rain, they roared in unison.
"For Marquis Reyes!!!"
Initiating illegal immigrant apprehension protocol within borders.
"Operation start."
The dragon hunter hunt begins.