Plucking the Dragon's Whiskers

The man who plucked every whisker from the hunter's nose.

"Hah!"

The training grounds of the lord's mansion. Once a place where knights gathered to chat and lightly hone their bodies, it now stood empty. No one had used it since being driven out by Albert. An air of loneliness and neglect hung over the grounds, yet in the center of this abandoned space, a visitor had finally arrived.

"Huu……"

Elena swung her sword through the air several times, her brow furrowing in dissatisfaction. Her body refused to move as she wished. It felt as though heavy sandbags were strapped to her ankles, her movements sluggish and dull. Even if her swordsmanship was flawless, her body could not keep up with the techniques she tried to execute.

Her swordsmanship itself was perfect, without a single flaw. The problem lay with the one wielding it.

So without mana, it's impossible after all?

"Haa……"

A deep, heavy sigh echoed quietly through the training grounds. She had been cursed. When, where, by whom, or how—she had no idea. She had gone to sleep as usual, only to wake the next morning already afflicted. The curse had a single effect.

I can't use mana……

The mana within her body was sealed away. She had tried everything to break the curse, but no one could lift it. The temple claimed it was beyond their knowledge, while the mages' guild offered to dispel it in exchange for the right to study it.

They're insane……

She had no idea what the mages' guild might do to her, and at the time, she could not leave her territory unattended. So she had been forced to endure the curse until now.

It was frustrating. To perfectly execute the swordsmanship her father had taught her, mana was indispensable. Without it, her techniques were like a dragon without a dragon heart. Lacking mana to infuse them, her strikes lost their edge, and movements once swift as the wind became unbearably clumsy. The frustration had long since turned to irritation.

"Still, I don't want to give up."

Elena refused to surrender, gripping her sword once more. Being unable to use mana was no excuse to collapse in despair—that went against her very nature. If she had been so weak-willed, she would have abandoned everything and fled long ago, free of responsibility.

When others fell into despair and could go no further, she took one more step. Elena always took that step.

I'm the head of the Legrian family and its lord…… There are so many people I must protect. I have no time to sit around resting.

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

She scolded herself harshly and swung her sword again. She would not give up. No—she did not want to give up. That was her will.

"System, what do you think?"

"Can you analyze it?"

System paused. Normally it would respond instantly, but information from this world was far too scarce.

I'll definitely need more information. I should visit the library later and read some books.

Unlocking System's sealed permissions was difficult, but gathering information was easy.

Ah, I miss Kkemuwiki.

He did not need Kkemuwiki. Even internet access alone would have let System instantly search for and input the information it wanted. Since this world had none of that, he had no choice but to gather it himself.

"What is it?"

"Mana of Regret? What's that skill? What does it do?"

"A lock?"

"To undo it, you'd need a key, right? Since we don't have the key now…… is there any skill of mine that can break it?"

The reply came unusually quickly.

"None? I have tons of skills, don't I?"

"What if I use an item from my dimensional storage?"

"Then—"

"What kind of consequences……"

"……"

"Then we can't."

Albert closed his dimensional storage. As long as even the slightest chance of danger existed, he could not use such a risky method.

"What about a dragon, then? Even a hatchling is still a dragon."

"……"

Then what they needed was the key. Albert clenched his fist, rage burning like fire in his eyes. A thick, undeniable killing intent poured from his gaze.

"How dare someone curse my beloved little sister? If I ever find out who……"

At that moment, Hans came running from afar, sweating and gasping for breath.

"Haa…… haa."

His rough breathing made it clear he had pushed himself to the limit.

Meanwhile, System had been analyzing Hans. Occupational habit.

"What's going on?"

"Hek! Ah, Lord Albert!"

Hans still seemed somewhat intimidated by Albert, keeping his distance. The awkwardness was visible. Albert wondered if he was shy, but it seemed more like wariness. Understandable—Hans had joined the household years after Albert's disappearance. That distance would need to be closed gradually.

"What's the matter?"

"Well…… that is…… he has arrived."

After hesitating over whether to speak or not, Hans finally opened his mouth.

"He? Who's he?"

At Albert's question, Hans squeezed his eyes shut and answered.

"Lady Elena's fiancé."

"……"

What kind of bullshit is this?

"Oh? When did this territory change so much?"

A man dressed in luxurious fabric ill-suited to the Legrian Territory stepped down from his carriage. He widened his eyes in surprise as he watched the lively territory residents going about their work.

"The last time I came, it was so desolate you could have mistaken it for a land of the dead."

"Young Master Delrun, this way, please."

A knight in heavy armor dismounted. With his sturdy build and imposing presence, he resembled a mountain simply by standing there.

"This area may have poor security. Please stay close to us."

"Hahahaha, even you, Sir Robert, say the most amusing things. What could possibly go wrong with security here?"

Delrun laughed as he spoke.

"As you know, I am well aware of the inner workings of this territory."

"But that information is a month old. In a world that changes by the moment, blindly trusting outdated information is dangerous."

"Enough. How much could a ruined territory like this possibly change? Besides, Sir Hansen came with us today as well."

Behind Delrun, a man in robes quietly lowered his hood. He was an elderly man of advanced age. With the arrogant gaze typical of mages, he surveyed his surroundings.

"This is the first time I've seen a territory ruined to this extent. Tsk, I'd rather spend this time researching than touring such a place."

He clicked his tongue in displeasure.

Tsk tsk. If not for the family head's orders, I wouldn't have followed him to this remote countryside. Still, I can't ignore the family head's commands because of research funding.

The mage called Hansen adjusted his gaze and looked at Delrun. He did not like this, but to secure research funds, he needed to play along to some degree.

"Come now~ Let's head inside~"

Delrun strolled leisurely through the territory toward the mansion. At the appearance of these unfamiliar outsiders, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the residents stopped what they were doing and hurried to hide. They knew.

That scoundrel is here again.

Damn it, what kind of trouble is he going to cause this time?

Why does he torment the lord so much?

They knew Delrun was a scoundrel. Every time he visited, he caused trouble and harassed Elena. What they disliked most was his gaze—looking down on the territory's residents as if they were trash, unlike how he treated Elena.

Last time, he cut off a guy's arm just for making eye contact, didn't he?

And that's not all. He trampled my friend for not getting out of his way.

……Let's not meet his eyes. Look down.

The residents scrambled to hide from him. They had seen what happened a month ago when someone caught his attention. Was it because they feared dog shit? No—they avoided it because it was filthy. In his case, the problem was that he was ogre dung, far larger than dog shit.

"Come on, let's hide. We……"

"We what?"

"Hek, L-Lord Hort."

"You lot, what are you doing here? Get moving……"

Hort had come to catch the usual slackers, as always. Normally, people would have fled at the sight of him. But this time was different.

"W-What are you doing! T-This!!"

"Shhhhhhh!"

"L-Lord Hort, I'll explain everything later, so please…… just stay quiet this time…… please……"

"Just bear with it a little. There's a reason for this!!"

Their desperate, tearful eyes pleaded with him. They clung to Hort with such fierce determination that he found himself nodding without realizing it.

It seems to be because of that man…… A noble, I suppose? Well, I can roughly guess.

He glanced over. The arrogant gait and haughty eyes suggested the world existed beneath him. A textbook noble. That was normal for human nobles, after all.

It's just that the ones here are abnormal.

"Agh, move aside! Even if you don't grab me, I know what you're worried about."

"Please…… stay quiet."

"Please be quiet."

"Aah, I said I understand, so let go. Why? Because touching my muscles makes you not want to let go? Is that your preference?"

"T-That's not it!"

"You should let go. Though…… it is rather tempting."

"……"

Hort glared at the one who had said something strange, then turned his head again. He did not know why they had come, but it clearly was not with good intentions.

Just from their reactions, I can tell what kind of things they've done here.

"Aigoo…… What will our lord do……"

"You're not going to cry again, are you?"

"Haa……"

The people let out quiet sighs.

"What exactly did that bastard do here to make you act like this?"

At Hort's question, they told him everything—every misdeed Delrun had committed in the territory, every time he had tormented Elena, and the fact that he had returned after only a month.

"So you're saying that bastard was from a rival family and contributed to this family's downfall?"

"That's right."

"And because he likes the lord's appearance, he's arbitrarily calling himself her fiancé?"

"Exactly!"

"And every time he comes here, he picks fights and throws tantrums demanding she marry him? If the lord refuses, he uses his family to pressure her?"

"Yes. That's why merchants stopped coming here. Except for the Flower Merchant Group."

"I see."

"What do we do? The lord will be so depressed again this time……"

"I saw her crying after he left last time."

The people worried about Elena, creating a gloomy atmosphere.

Well, she's a beloved lord.

"Why are you all so worried?"

"But—"

"Whenever that guy comes, the lord always suffers, so we're worried!"

"So what?"

Hort cut them off lightly, his voice firm.

"I'm asking why you're worried."

"Still……"

"As territory residents……"

"No, that's not what I mean. What I'm saying is you no longer need to worry about the lord."

"What?"

"Don't you know?"

"Know what……?"

"You said he returned after a month. Hasn't something changed in that time?"

Delrun had come to the territory after only a month. For a fallen family, a month was an extremely short time for change. But—

"Isn't there something different now compared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to a month ago? That monster."

"Ah."

At the word "monster," a certain man came to mind. Seeing that they understood, Hort finally relaxed his expression and smiled.

"That guy—I haven't seen him in a while, but it's obvious he's a siscon. Do you really think he'll stay still if someone torments the lord?"

Albert was a monstrous man. A mad monster who had subdued a dragon and displayed incredible abilities. Moreover, he was clearly a siscon. Even if he denied it, anyone could see it. With that guy around, who would dare touch his sister?

It's no different from plucking the whiskers of a sleeping dragon.

And one hour later.

As Hort had predicted, someone had indeed plucked the sleeping dragon's whiskers. Not just plucked them, but—

"How dare a piece of trash like you harass my sister? Are you tired of living, you bastard?"

He had plucked them all.