Chapter 264
Chapter 264
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Lord of the Stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What the hell? Why do they treat dragons like this in this game?
No way.
Forget just fearing dragons.
They straight-up loathe them like some kind of bugs.
It's not the same as a lizard.
Dragons look kinda badass, don't they?
You know this?
In this world's lore, anything snake-like is treated as demons or monsters.
Scaly skin, vertical pupils, forked tongue, hairless wings—these are straight-up aesthetic trash in this world.
Anything with those features gets treated like monsters or demons.
This makes no sense for real?
They treat them as evil just for being ugly?
Someone compared it perfectly.
From this world's people's perspective, dragons are like...
Fu~~~cking giant cockroaches.
[Photo of a massive cockroach flying through the sky]
That's how dragons look from that world's perspective.
Dragons.
Contact with that legendary being.
And the sudden possibility of claiming the name of a "star."
It was all quite abrupt for Rishir in many ways.
Perhaps because of that, the brief lull in conversation led Rishir to sink into deep thought.
"...Hm?"
Thus immersed in contemplation, Rishir suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.
-
The dragon stared at him impassively before taking a step back.
Was it his imagination?
Rishir sensed a hint of consideration for him in that movement.
He couldn't understand why he felt this way toward a dragon of all things.
Just as Rishir's expression was about to deepen further into thought—
"Whoa...!"
An exclamation midway between shock and awe burst from Rishir's lips.
The dragon.
It had spread its two wings to lift its massive body.
It was as if a typhoon had descended upon the earth.
Flap!
Flap!
His golden hair whipped wildly in the gale.
Rishir hunched forward desperately just to keep from being blown away, forcing his eyes open.
When witnessing such an unreal sight right before his eyes, how could he not?
This was no exertion of power accompanied by magical mana phenomena.
Merely motion.
Like a human moving their foot to step forward, the dragon was simply moving its wings to shift its body.
That alone sent all the air in the vicinity surging downward.
Like a river overflowing its banks.
It was a presence that shattered the harmony of everyday life.
Suddenly, an unexpected darkness fell over the clearing.
That colossal body rising into the sky blotted out the entire heavens.
Thanks to that, perhaps.
Rishir could clearly sense the sharp eyes of that enormous reptile gazing down at him.
"..."
Rishir felt his face stiffen rigidly against his will.
He felt his body tense up.
'What is this?'
Rishir deemed that unfamiliar sensation "fear."
A creature's instinctive terror toward a being of higher order.
Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded madly.
Was it excitement from encountering a fantastical being? Or fear?
Rishir couldn't easily discern.
The dragon, all too accustomed to the awe from such insignificant existences gazing up at it, considerately averted its gaze.
Freed from those iron-bar-like eyes, Rishir unwittingly felt relief.
Soon after, the air in the area surged once more.
The massive shadow that had blanketed the ground gradually converged to a single point and vanished.
The dragon had departed for even loftier skies.
Just as he thought he'd finally escaped the dragon's domain—
Rishir reflexively looked around.
The voice seemed to echo from all directions.
If something engulfed him whole and spoke, would it feel like this?
That presence, surreal even when encountered in the realm of thoughts, now manifested repeatedly in reality.
With those enigmatic words as its finale, the area was at last liberated from the dragon's presence.
Afterward.
Lunadien, the radiant red-haired elf and Star of the Flower Garden, approached Rishir right away.
Worry was plain on the elf's face as she regarded the young human.
She knew well the feeling of confronting that "horrific" existence for the first time.
"Sorry about that. Forcing such a sudden meeting on you like this. You okay? Can you calm down a bit?"
Lunadien cautiously placed a hand on Rishir's shoulder.
Then, stepping in front of him to carefully check his expression—
"...Huh?"
Lunadien tilted her head.
The young human's reaction was markedly different from what she'd expected.
"..."
A faint upward curl of the lips.
Suppressed chuckles leaking out repeatedly.
He looked almost exhilarated at a glance.
Lunadien stared blankly for a moment before shaking her head.
No way.
There was no chance he'd feel excitement after encountering that horrific being.
It had to be her imagination.
"Rishir."
"Yes? Ah! Yes! Lady Lunadien. Please speak."
"First off, my apologies. For forcing this sudden meeting on you. If I'd been upfront from the start, you might have felt repulsed and things could have gone awry, so I had no choice but to go this route."
The Star of the Flower Garden adopted an unusually apologetic posture.
She knew even Rishir's easygoing nature wouldn't let him brush this off lightly.
"Ah, yes. Well. Since you judged it so, Lady Lunadien, I trust it was the right call."
"...?"
Rishir brushed it off with a smile.
Lunadien now felt the incongruity herself and stared piercingly at his face.
"You..."
"Yes?"
"Doesn't it bother you at all?"
"Bother me...? What do you mean?"
"That thing earlier."
"That thing? Ah. You mean—the encounter with the dragon?"
"Yes. That."
"Hm?"
Now Lunadien wasn't the only one sensing something off in the other's demeanor.
Rishir detected a subtle oddity in Lunadien's behavior.
Ugh.
Lips twisting in utter disgust.
Brow furrowed tight with tension.
Above all, the strong shades of fear and contempt in those eyes.
Rishir was briefly startled.
Thinking that splendid elf was directing those emotions at him.
But upon closer look, they were aimed much farther away.
"First time seeing a dragon?"
"Ah. Yes."
"No joke, right?"
Lunadien deliberately raised both hands and shrugged dramatically.
Like a character in a play trying to build rapport.
"The first time I saw one, I thought I'd lose my mind... Rishir?"
Lunadien, acting exaggeratedly to lighten his mood, paused mid-sentence.
He was staring at her strangely.
Scratch.
She awkwardly scratched the back of her head and spoke.
"Dragons... aren't they cool?"
"...What? Cool...? The dragon...? Which part...?"
"Well... the overall vibe, you know...? Majestic... solemn... grand... Especially when it spreads its wings like that..."
"..."
Lunadien's mouth fell open.
She shook her head as she looked at Rishir.
Lunadien felt a distance from Rishir.
Perhaps more than when she'd heard he'd become the World Tree's foster mother.
"No way..."
Rishir was utterly baffled.
Was calling dragons cool such a shocking thing?
Afterward.
After a conversation with Dangaleon, Rishir finally understood Lunadien's reaction.
'Dragons... are objects of fear and loathing?'
It was beyond anything he'd imagined.
The dragon, a majestic fantastical being to him, was a source of horrific dread and disgust to others.
'They called cats monsters before... Oh, right—'
Rishir recalled.
That intense turmoil in his chest when the dragon spread its wings.
At the time, he'd thought it awe from being overwhelmed—
But reviewing it calmly now, he knew clearly.
The sensation of a multi-legged bug crawling over his skin.
It had been instinctive revulsion.
'Master... I felt this way the first time I met the Dark Elf too.'
A cognitive dissonance from past-life awareness.
A sensation he hadn't felt in ages.
'I see. That's why Lunadien was so shocked.'
Having pieced it all together, Rishir approached Lunadien, who had stepped away briefly.
"Um... about what the dragon said earlier, if I may ask..."
"Ah."
Lunadien closed her eyes and snapped her fingers repeatedly.
Get it together.
This isn't the time.
"Just as the dragon said. Lately, it seems the Star Council has its eyes on you. As a potential new lord of a star."
"Star names are assigned like that?"
Rishir was considerably surprised.
Until now, he'd thought "star" names were honorifics that naturally attached to those of continental renown.
To learn they were bestowed by a secret society the dragons belonged to...
"Not exactly. Usually, renown comes first, earning a star name, then drawing the council's interest."
"Ah."
Rishir nodded in understanding.
Then, he was once more caught up in the unreal feel of a star name.
"Am I really worthy of their recognition, to become a lord of a star...? Can I even bear that name?"
Lunadien smiled softly at such a Rishir.
"No need to feel burdened just because the Star Council is watching."
"Lady Lunadien...!?"
Lunadien had long been a star lord herself.
Rishir anticipated some monumental advice from his senior.
"Whatever you do, a star name will follow no matter which path you take."
"..."
Lunadien's voice brimmed with certainty.
The information on stars that Lunadien provided.
Rishir interpreted it as favorably for himself as possible.
"So that's it. Regardless of the Star Council's recognition, those worthy of being star lords naturally earn the name—"
"Exactly. The Star Council doesn't go around spreading their fame."
"And it's not some coercive organization either."
Good.
Rishir nodded decisively.
"Then no need to worry about it!"
"...Is that how it works?"
"Yes! I'm tempted by the social status a star name brings, but not interested in the responsibilities or duties! So! Star Council stuff, I'll think about it later when I have time! Thanks for worrying, Lady Lunadien!"
Wow.
Lunadien couldn't help but exclaim inwardly at Rishir's bold declaration.
World Tree. Demon Sword. Hero Party.
Holy magic. Nature magic. Demon swordsmanship.
What's for lunch today.
Rishir's head was already complicated with various matters.
And now dragons, star lords, Star Council—
Adding more?
'My head's gonna explode.'
Rishir neatly put the dragon encounter behind him and returned to routine.
After reporting recent events to Grand Master Lavella, he began formal lessons in nature magic.
He didn't neglect training in holy magic and demon swordsmanship either, using spare time to prepare for the "expedition."
Rishir savored his hard-won peaceful, ordinary daily life.
A week had passed since the dragon encounter.
"Rishir! Take this!!!"
"Oh? Latsil bringing a book...? What's this one?"
"It's not a book!"
"Not a book...? Then what, a grimoire or something?"
"It's a list of things I want to do with you on this trip—no, expedition!!!"
"H-Huh...!"
The expedition party was ready.
Time to head to Bndale.
Elves.
That enigmatic race pursues coexistence with nature for reasons other races can't fully grasp.
Rumors even joked that even if the entire great forest burned, the elves wouldn't emerge.
"The elves are launching a large-scale expedition!?"
Such elves had left the forest.
Their unprecedented movement sent massive ripples through the outside world.
"High elves are even part of the expedition force!?"
"High elves leaving the World Tree's side? Unprecedented!"
"What's going on!?"
"Everyone, calm down! Maybe they're off seeking new nature!"
Their expedition quickly gained momentum upon leaving the forest, and their destination was easily inferred.
The heart of the continent, dense with human cities.
The central region.
"My god, are they starting a war!?!?"
Their anxiety became reality.
"What the fuck, why's wheat prices like this!?"
"You haven't heard!?"
Nobles stockpiled goods; merchants hoarded.
"What nonsense!? Cancel the contract!?"
"Well, suddenly everyone's clamoring for ours. At high prices."
Mercenaries and adventurers sought bigger pay or safety in their own ways.
"War!?"
Tension spread.
"It's war!?"
Many interpreted it as omens of war.
"War!!!"
No city en route to the center escaped the tension.
"...Rishir?"
Except one city.
While most merchant groups stockpiled wheat, weapons, magic stones, and such for war, one bucked the trend by flooding their warehouses.
The Golden Barley Caravans.
Merchants spoke of its owner.
"Gus has holed up in his mansion lately and lost his touch."