Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: A Foregone Conclusion: Dragons vs. Heroes (8)
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The battle between dragons and heroes? It's a foregone conclusion anyway.
"Is that punk Neo dead?"
A young man with neatly combed, shining golden hair.
Wearing a massive white cloth that looked like it was made of the finest silk, flowing loosely like a white curtain draped over him.
He sat indifferently on a huge chair of pure gold, staring into the mirror before him.
His golden eyes, the same color as his hair, were coldly sunken, devoid of any emotion.
His identity was the leader of the dragons, the absolute ruler of the middle realm.
The Dragon Lord, the Gold Dragon Akratoris.
The mirror he was gazing into wasn't reflecting his own image.
Instead, it showed black dragons dying surrounded by white and red ice flowers, and Zatasneo helplessly burning before a massive flash of holy power.
It was a supreme spell usable only by those of grand archmage caliber.
The Mana Mirror, which could reflect any location one desired.
"...Shall I kill them?"
As he watched silently, a woman with long straight golden hair—slightly less radiant than his but still brilliantly shining—asked indifferently from behind.
Unlike Akratoris, who wore that flowing, unusual garb, she was dressed in stiff golden ceremonial robes that looked uncomfortable just to behold. They suited her mechanical, angular demeanor and emotionless expression and tone perfectly.
Her name was Tyrasis.
As the second-in-command of the gold dragonflight, she served as the leader of the gold dragons in place of Akratoris, the Dragon Lord who guided all dragons.
She gazed indifferently at the blue-haired woman and the red-haired girl with her locks tied in twin tails in the mirror's image, asking as if she could kill them at any moment on command, without a hint of concern.
But Akratoris shook his head.
"No need for that. We've already driven the nail in that they're no longer our concern. If we step in now, it would tarnish our dignity."
He had said the same to the leader of Bastia.
That Zatasneo's actions had nothing to do with them.
So whether those fools destroyed Bastia or got wiped out in a counterattack.
It had no connection to them, and naturally, there would be no retaliation.
Akratoris was a gold dragon, one who judged the world with relative fairness and objectivity even among the willful dragons.
That was why he took responsibility for his words.
And because of that, no more dragons would intervene in the Bastia affair.
"...Still, it's intriguing. The daughter of House Harkur."
His previously impassive golden eyes gleamed with interest as they fixed on the twin-tailed redhead.
In the Mana Mirror, she glared toward Akratoris beyond the glass with a displeased expression, as if she knew she was being watched.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Waaah!"
"Human heroes are the best!"
Herdo of Bastia was in full festival mode after repelling the black dragon horde.
Jenny had felled their leader Zatasneo, and Lin's grand magic had wiped out the rest in one go.
At first, the beastmen were utterly dumbfounded.
They had thought Bastia's doom was imminent, only for absurdly powerful saviors to appear out of nowhere.
And those saviors were humans, a race they hadn't fully trusted.
When Emmy and Hickle had said they were going to the upper continent to seek human aid, everyone thought it was a fool's errand.
No self-interested humans, who weren't even particularly friendly with Bastia, would defy the dragons' wrath to help them.
But Emmy and Hickle never gave up, bringing back human heroes.
And those heroes had utterly annihilated the black dragons, securing total victory.
That alone was shocking enough.
But there was something even more astonishing.
"What?! Adventurers?!"
The Five Elders, welcoming Emmy, Hickle, and their human companions back to Herdo after the victory, were stunned upon hearing this.
Human adventurers.
To the beastmen and other demihumans of this forest continent, they were as reviled as dragons.
Most beastmen who ventured to the upper continent had been hunted by human adventurers, sold into slavery, killed, or turned into trophies.
They were the direct reason beastmen despised humans and the least welcome presence on the forest continent.
"...Wait, Elders. Hear me out. Free Heroes. Only them!"
Sensing the mood sour instantly, Emmy hurriedly defended them.
"...Is it still like that?"
"Hmm..."
Jenny and the Hasler adventurers shrugged helplessly.
In truth, before departing, Kane had warned them: 'Beastmen hate human adventurers as much as dragons. If they show any dislike, just take your pay and leave. Don't take it personally.'
They had doubted anyone would treat their saviors that way amid a national crisis.
But seeing the uneasy expressions now, they realized they'd been wrong.
The rift between demihumans and humans ran deep.
Especially toward adventurers.
"Miss Emmy, we'll just take our pay and..."
As Jenny stepped forward to collect their fee from Emmy Brave and make a quick exit,
"...We know. Good humans exist. Bad humans exist."
"Adventurers too. Bad adventurers. Good adventurers."
"You are good adventurers."
The Five Elders stepped forward, extending their hands.
Offering handshakes.
Beastmen might speak a bit haltingly with their half-beastly appearances,
but that didn't mean they were dumber than humans.
Their instincts were stronger, but they were often smarter than humans.
So they knew.
Not all humans were bad.
They shouldn't judge all humans by the misdeeds of a few.
Jenny's group had come all this way, defying the dragons' fury, to save Bastia.
Whatever their motives, they were benefactors who had risked their lives to pull Bastia from the brink of destruction.
The beastmen and Bastia weren’t cruel or ungrateful enough to turn away those who had helped them just because they were adventurers.
"...But many beastmen still think poorly of human adventurers. We're sorry we can't welcome you more warmly."
A middle-aged man with gray fur, wolf ears, and a bushy tail like Hickle's—one of the Five Elders, likely the ronin tribe's chieftain—apologized fluently.
True to his words, some beastmen looked uneasy.
Even among the soldiers who'd fought alongside them, there were those types.
And among the civilians, some might openly demand they be chased away.
"Still, that doesn't change that you're honored guests of Bastia. If you keep speaking well to our people, they'll come around eventually."
Prejudices against human adventurers were inevitable.
Built over ages, they wouldn't vanish just because these heroes had saved a nation on the verge of ruin.
And even if attitudes shifted, it would only be toward Jenny's group—not a wholesale change in views on humans or adventurers.
The Five Elders, including the ronin chieftain, all seemed to think so.
But there was no need to worry.
"It's fine. Adventurer guilds will change from now on anyway."
Jenny smiled brightly in response.
Even without them, someday adventurers would freely come and go on the forest continent, mingling without issue.
She was certain of it.
"Is that so? Even I, who's traveled outside often, still holds prejudices against adventurers."
As the ronin chieftain replied, Lin—leaning on Jenny for support as her mana depleted—piped up.
"Future adventurers will be different. There's someone who can make that happen."
Grinning, she pictured in her mind the man she admired most.
And secretly yearned for.
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"......"
Oh crap.
How did things end up like this?
Here I was, sitting face-to-face with Marquis Sain Harkur, sipping tea.
How? Why?
About thirty minutes earlier...
"S-Sain Young M... No, Marquis...?"
"...Kane, is it."
The moment we locked eyes, Marquis Sain's expression hardened coldly.
Of course he'd be pissed.
Facing the lowly commoner he despised most.
Especially one his house had supported to live comfortably!
I figured that was it—death in the heart of the capital.
Sorry, Marquis Harkur... But I've raised Young Lady Jenny into a fine woman.
As I mentally drafted my last will while bracing for death,
"...Have some tea first."
Unexpectedly, Marquis Sain didn't kill me on the spot. Instead, he suggested tea and led me to an upscale café.
What the hell?
A last luxury before death?
Or a cruel ploy to build false hope before striking me down later?!
I entered the café in maximum tension.
"......"
"I-Isn't that...?"
"Shh! Quiet."
Onlookers stared tensely.
Some nearby patrons even grabbed their things and bolted.
...Makes sense.
With that chilling, rigid aura pouring off him.
Anyone with normal senses would flee in fear.
And here I was, right in front of it.
Damn, I'd run too if I could...
Honestly, I couldn't tell if the tea was going in my mouth or my nose.
All I could think was why he was having tea with me.
And how the hell I'd survive this.
Then, Marquis Sain spoke first.
"How are Jenny and Scarlett?"
"P-Pardon? Ah..."
So he was concerned as their big brother after all?
If I answered well, maybe he'd let me live today.
"Y-Yes. Jenny became an adventurer, but... she seems much better off than when she was a hero."
"I see."
...Oops! His face darkened.
Is he mad she quit being a hero?!
The one meant to elevate House Harkur's prestige suddenly quits to become a mere adventurer? No wonder he's displeased!
I can't mess up here or my head's gone!
"Th-This time, she even went to take down dragons in Bastia. Even as an adventurer, that's why she's free to help people worldwide and spread the Harkur name...!"
As I scrambled to recover, a sharp question pierced through.
"And what have you been doing all this time?"
"...M-Me...?"
In that instant, I knew.
That question's intent.
'While my little sisters had to go to some distant land and fight dragons, what were you doing?'
...I'm screwed.
No matter what I say... he's just looking for an excuse to kill me...
As despair set in,
"You're still moving forward, as ever."
Marquis Sain suddenly nodded and said that.
...Huh? What?
"Pardon?"
"...?"
Marquis Sain and I stared at each other, both sensing our wavelengths weren't aligning.