Chapter 605: Dragon Raid (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 605: Dragon Raid (3)
I left my quarters, feeling a little excited.
The distance between us slowly closed.
Before long, I saw a group approaching from the opposite direction.
Priests clad in white robes.
At their center, a woman walked toward me with a commanding presence.
Hair as white as snow, chilling eyes that seemed to radiate cold, a small, sharp nose, and firm, red lips.
An expressionless face that held the aura of an absolute ruler.
She looked like a princess.
But in reality, she was an empress.
The gaze of the hero who had saved Russia when it was once on the brink of collapse fell upon me.
I walked toward her.
She, too, walked toward me, and soon we stood face to face, only a meter apart.
She was the first to speak.
“So it was you.”
Boris spoke with a nuance that suggested she knew who I was.
It was unexpected.
I’d heard she had no interest in worldly affairs, so I assumed she wouldn't know me.
“You know of me?”
At my question, she let out a small smirk and nodded.
“As is widely known, I don't pay much attention to worldly affairs. However, I do make it a point to know what is essential.”
In other words, I was classified as essential information.
Quite an honor.
“But this is a surprise. I never imagined you would be the one to borrow my Snow Bringer.”
“You must have been quite surprised.”
“It would be a lie to say I wasn't. The one who had never left my side for its entire existence was gone, even if only for a moment.”
She took another step closer, looking up at my face as she asked.
“Can you tell me? How you managed to take it with you.”
Borrowing the power of an existing being by perfectly shaping its form with mana.
In a way, this was my trump card.
And a trump card is most effective when few people know about it.
But she was an exception.
If only to gain her assistance when I needed Snow Bringer.
“I crafted Snow Bringer's form with magic, and it took an interest and decided to inhabit it.”
“Hoh… To pique this friend's interest, the form must have been remarkably similar to the original.”
“Well, at first, all it did was call me a novice.”
“Haha… You needn't take such words to heart. This one is rather stingy with its praise.”
“Is that so.”
Her light smile was quite striking.
Was it because her expression rarely changed that it seemed all the more dramatic?
Her face had already returned to its usual impassiveness as she asked me.
“I hear you're planning a dragon raid. Is that true?”
“Yes, that's correct.”
“Hmm… You're quite bold.”
It was a reasonable thought.
After all, no one had ever planned to hunt a dragon before.
Not even Francis Meyer, the only Dragon Slayer.
If a Black Dragon hadn't emerged from a dungeon that went undetected due to the inaccuracy of rift detectors back then, even he would never have easily entertained the thought of hunting one.
“I may be bold, but I also think it's worth a try.”
“Worth a try…?”
“The dragon we've found this time is still young.”
“Meaning it hasn't fully matured.”
“Exactly.”
It's the same for any living creature.
Before reaching adulthood, in their immature state, all beings are inexperienced, weak, and fragile.
The same applies to dragons, beings said to be supreme.
Its hide, claws, teeth, and even its breath are all incomparably weak compared to an adult's.
Of course, it's still incredibly strong, but the party members gathered here are all formidable individuals.
With a party of this caliber—one that's a miracle to have assembled at all—isn't it worth a shot?
“Seeing as you called for me, the opponent must be a Red Dragon.”
“That's right. When it comes to facing a fire-attribute monster, there's no stronger dealer than you, Boris.”
“Hmm…”
Her displeased gaze turned to me.
“Refrain from using the title 'Boris.' It's my adoptive father's name, and it's rather uncomfortable to hear.”
“Ah.”
“Just call me Irina. As someone acknowledged by my friend, you are more than qualified to use my name.”
Right. This woman's real name was Irina.
To be precise, it was Irina Borisovna Orlova.
Roughly translated, it means "Irina, daughter of Boris of the Orlov family."
Boris, the head of the Orlov family—one of Russia's most prominent political dynasties—is her adoptive father.
I heard he adopted and raised her after finding her abandoned on his doorstep as a child.
The name 'Boris' itself is said to mean 'glory in battle.'
In a way, it was the highest praise he could bestow upon her for saving the country from monsters.
But she didn't seem to like the name very much.
Was it simply because it was her father's name? Or were they on bad terms?
I didn't know. And I didn't particularly care to find out.
“What is the party's composition?”
“I've gathered exceptional individuals from among the S-ranks, so you don't need to worry about that.”
“You managed to gather them quite well.”
“We're hunting a dragon, after all. It's the least I could do.”
“I suppose that's true.”
Irina nodded as if she understood.
Then, she fixed her gaze on me and said.
“To be honest, I have no interest in something like a dragon raid. It would be a different story if it appeared on the land I protect.”
“……?”
I was puzzled.
If she wasn't interested in the dragon raid, then why on earth did she come all this way?
My expression must have asked the question, because she answered.
“The reason I came was you. I was curious to see what kind of person Snow Bringer would take an interest in, other than myself.”
In short, she came all this way just for me?
I asked her.
“Does that mean you won't be participating in the raid?”
“We'll see.”
Irina shrugged, her face expressionless.
“At first, I considered just seeing your face and leaving… but I've had a change of heart.”
“A change of heart…”
Her pale, sky-blue eyes turned to me.
“I think it might be quite interesting to fight alongside you. I'll join.”
I let out a sigh of relief, calming my startled heart.
For a moment there, I was seriously worried about what I'd do if she left.
I had a Plan B prepared, but it's the same with all plans.
B is worse than A, and C is worse than B.
The same went for the dealer I had in mind as her replacement.
Against a fire-attribute monster, she was the absolute strongest dealer.
No matter who I brought in, no one could match her power.
Seeing my relieved expression, she asked.
“Were you surprised?”
Surprised? How could I not be?
I hid my irritation and forced a smile.
“Yes, a little.”
“My apologies for surprising you.”
With that, Irina took another step, closing the distance between us.
One of her white, cold fingers brushed past the tip of my chin.
“For some reason… you have a face that makes one want to tease you. It brought out my playful side.”
“……”
A face that makes people want to tease me?
That's the first time I've ever heard that.
“Now then, let's go see the faces of those we'll be raiding with.”
A strange smile playing on her lips, she walked past me.
* * *
Leaving her homeland for the first time in a long while was not easy.
When she said she was going away for a bit, she was met with resistance from all sides.
They asked who would fill the void she left behind.
But she paid them no mind.
They didn't know.
That she was only protecting this land to repay a debt, not out of any deep affection for the country.
If she still had a large debt to repay, she might have given in to their words.
But not now.
The end of her long repayment was near.
She could feel a freedom unlike any she had ever known approaching.
So she ignored them.
-“I absolutely cannot permit it.”
Even the words of her adoptive father, who tried to block her trip with an icy voice.
Instead of the family's private jet, she booked a ticket at the airport herself and boarded a flight to Rome.
It was her first time doing so, but it wasn't difficult.
The moment she appeared at the airport, all sorts of people flocked to her and took care of everything.
A belated message came from the Orlov family, stating they would not permit her departure, but after a moment's hesitation, the airport sided with her.
The hero who saved the nation versus the family the hero belonged to.
Wasn't it obvious which side had more influence, and who was the better connection to have?
And so, she left Russia and arrived in Rome.
With no one to watch over her, accompanied only by her friend, Snow Bringer.
And she came face to face.
With the one she had been so curious about.
“So it was you.”
Surprisingly, it was a familiar face.
A name that had naturally reached her ears, even though she paid little attention to the world.
‘Kim Do-jin…’
A sturdy body and a face that looked somewhat gentle.
She liked how he was polite to her, yet never subservient.
And on top of that, he had the audacity to hunt a dragon.
When he asked her to join the raid, a playful urge surfaced, and she decided to tease him.
It was the first time.
The first time she had shown such playfulness to anyone other than Snow Bringer.
When she returned to the quarters the priest had shown her, it spoke to her.
『You seem to have taken quite a liking to him.』
She asked.
“Why do you think so?”
『Look in the mirror. The answer will be on your face.』
Curious at its words, she stood before the full-length mirror set against one of the room's walls.
Her face looked no different than usual.
But one thing was different.
The corners of her mouth.
The corners of her lips, which always maintained a straight line, were slightly turned up.
『It seems bringing you two together was a good choice.』
At its satisfied words, she nodded in agreement.
“I agree.”
It was a first.
To meet someone who stirred such a desire to do something.
Perhaps I might make another friend, she thought, as she quietly waited for evening to arrive.