Chapter 205
Chapter 205
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Early Education for the Baby Dragon Genius
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The sails billow pure white in the fair wind.
At noon, sea breezes overflow the sails, fluttering clothes pleasantly.
“Starting now, we begin the early education program for our baby dragon genius.”
Rain raised one hand and declared.
If I left it alone like with Aki until it turned into a monster(?), my life would get seriously tough.
Honestly, having my head soaked in drool for months—once in a lifetime is enough, right?
Aki’s drool was at least warm, but Nen’s stings and hurts...
“Our education assistant, Instructor Pipi!”
“Instructor, instructor, instructor.”
Pipi unfurled its wings majestically the moment it was called! Very reliable.
“And TA Aki!”
“TA? What’s that!”
“Sit, pitiful, sit, pitiful.”
Aki saluted, mimicking Pipi despite not understanding the word! It’s deeply unsettling, but it’s cute, so that’s fine. I believe that alone could maintain world peace.
“Aruu!”
Nen reacted instantly to Aki’s charm!
Whether due to its innate trait as a wing dragon serving true dragons, it follows Aki perfectly.
That’s why we can expect great things from Aki today.
“First period: Basic command comprehension!”
“Aru?”
“Aki, sit!”
“Aki sit!”
Seeing Aki sit on command brought tears to my eyes. What kind of cuteness is this!
“Aki, stand.”
Aki didn’t just stand—it soared into the sky, punching and kicking vigorously. The sailors all marveled!
That’s it, Aki.
Shatter the hearts of everyone in this world with your fists and cuteness.
“You’re making a face like some abyssal black mage lurking in the depths, Rain Ludwig.”
“Fact, fact, fact.”
Valensidis and Pipi glared at Rain with bulging eyes.
“Shut up. Nen, can you do the same?”
“How the hell is anyone supposed to copy that exactly?”
Miria sighed in a scolding tone.
She was forcibly holding Aki, who had started burning energy wildly after Rain’s praise.
But clearly impressed by Aki’s moves, Nen reached out with both hands, demanding to be put down.
“Good. Nen, sit.”
“Aru.”
Nen sat.
“Good, Nen, lie down.”
“Aruu.”
Nen lay down.
“Good, Nen, stand.”
Nen wiggled its hands and feet awkwardly, managing to stand for a moment.
“Aruru.”
Eyelids shining more elegantly than any gold, and beneath them, adorable eyes pleading to be picked up!
“Huh...?”
My mind blanked for a second.
Something’s off.
Was training supposed to be this easy? Dragon intellect far surpasses humans, so is this natural?
- Did you mix in Fake?
- Is its intelligence high or low?
But when training Aki... Huh, why tears again?
“Abut?”
Yeah, as long as it’s healthy and cute, that’s what matters.
To keep Aki’s spirits up, I should teach its specialty.
“Second period: Combat. As a dragon, it must be stronger than any other creature, obviously.”
Splash—water erupted dramatically on the deck. At the center of the spray was... a sea turtle.
Rem, who had placed the turtle on deck, scratched under his nose contentedly.
“Heh, turtle fishing is nothing to this super-genius archer Rem.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“The method isn’t that hard—just infuse mana into the eyes to peer through and... blah blah blah.”
“You did great, yeah. Aki, let’s start. Show us playing with the turtle. But no hurting or killing it.”
Aki used to be scared of turtles before.
But now, after learning martial arts?
Seeing Aki toy with the turtle effortlessly would let Nen grasp dragon greatness and power, gaining confidence.
“Aki, s-scary!”
Yeah, seeing it cling to my leg like this... Hmm?
“Aruu...”
Maybe the concept that sea turtles can’t be beaten even by true dragons got imprinted, because Nen burrowed deeper into my arms in fear.
“No messing around while watching your sibling.”
“S-scary.”
“You brat! Where’s that dragon-slayer-punching spirit—now scared of a turtle!”
Miria pressed her temple with a sigh, watching the not-quite-commotion on deck.
“What the hell are they doing in broad daylight.”
“You say that, but you look like you wanna join in.”
As Miria bristled at Valensidis’s jab, a dark object appeared above the horizon.
It didn’t just appear—it grew from a small dot into a clear shape.
Valensidis narrowed one eye and lifted his chin slightly.
“Griffin?”
* * *
“Then, allow me to summarize what we’ve learned so far.”
Dragon Spirit Hall.
The status of those gathered in this top floor of the Papal Palace, the Light Dragon Church’s headquarters, was beyond words.
Doran Slayer, standing on one leg with a crutch, spoke.
“It was Jernix who revived the Slayers. The Demon Slayer revival failed, so he used some grotesque method.”
Surrounding Dragon Spirit Hall were absolute beings: the Pope’s cardinals, none other than golden true dragons.
This council, deciding all major matters in the sick Light Dragon’s stead, was called the Five Pillars Conference.
Two true dragons were away at Harbadonia and the Crimson Mountains, so only three were present now.
「We knew long ago that Ryuken Ludwig’s shame had been revived by abyssal authority, as the Light Dragon informed us centuries back.」
Cardinal Hagon let out a short groan.
「What we don’t know is their purpose. Have you uncovered the mastermind?」
Doran shook his head apologetically.
“With Cardinal Yosuhar’s aid, we interrogated Agency Chief Ocelot, but as we neared the core, the abyss rampaged...”
The moment Yosuhar’s authority shook his mind to confess his purpose, his body convulsed, and the abyss within turned him into a lump of fat.
- New order...
The only meaningful snippet from the interrogation.
- New order, new order, new order. A wave of self-cleansing for this diseased world, a new supreme being...
Was that the abyss’s dominion? But if so, they would have said it outright...
What chilled to the bone was the abyss rampaging even under Yosuhar’s light domination.
Meaning the foe wielded power equal to—or beyond—a true dragon’s abyss entity.
“The one who stole Rista Alter Shyrfang and the Peerless Star Sword Shyrfang during the sunspot incident was also Ocelot. We don’t know who he meant to offer them to or how they’d be used.”
Before, there was no specific worry, but knowing the Demon Slayer’s fate now changed that.
Ominous.
Deeply ominous.
What do they plan with a hero’s corpse? Why take the Peerless Star Sword too? Revival like Kassel Linkan seems impossible.
“......”
Yosuhar, who cherished Rista like a daughter, closed his eyes in thought.
‘If something happened to that child, in this chaotic era, the one who could save it would be...’
Only you, child of the spring breeze.
Meanwhile, Doran Slayer finished his final report and left Dragon Spirit Hall.
“Retiring like this?”
A heroine leaned against a colonnade, arms crossed. At her question, Doran shrugged.
“As you see, I can’t run the front lines anymore.”
Mikara Alter Pladimarte, the senior-most FakeWarrior, furrowed her brow.
“Don’t make me laugh. I won’t allow it. With the world like this, who’s gonna lead Special Ops if a capable mage like you retires? My lifespan’s down to 2-3 years too.”
“You mean I shouldn’t retire?”
“Yeah... What?”
“I was planning a stylish exit, but...”
Doran adjusted his fedora brim, flashing a poignant smile.
“After praise from a great senior, retiring now feels a bit regrettable.”
Great senior?
Did he meet Skalji or Madelia? He came straight from Tersh Archipelago to Papal Palace.
As Mikara tilted her head, puzzled, Doran walked off waving lightly.
“Can’t work the front lines, but I’ll struggle as far as I can. To be a junior not ashamed.”
* * *
“P-Platinum rank?!”
Rem’s jaw dropped.
He’d opened the letter from the griffon rider hired by the Adventurers’ Guild without much expectation...
Considering your contributions, we have approved your promotion.
Bart Yurioons: Platinum 11th.
Rem: Gold 13th -> 2nd.
Miria: Silver 112th -> Gold 78th.
Please visit your nearest Adventurers’ Guild branch soon to update your tag.
Platinum rank—the honor for only the top 11 adventurers excluding diamond rank.
“Even so, this explosive jump make sense? Why’s Bart platinum before me!”
Valensidis figured it wasn’t hard to accept.
Special Ops and Papal Palace must’ve scored huge for the Slayer subjugation.
And those exploits, originally Rain Ludwig’s, got distributed to those three.
‘Guess it spread as his top disciple dueling the Dragon Slayer one-on-one.’
The true protagonist of this saga seemed uninterested in credit, goofing off nearby.
“Man, with Bart platinum first, shouldn’t it be Bart & Rem’s Money-Copying Party instead of Rem & Bart’s?”
“Change, change, change.”
“Shut it! And it’s Thump-Thump Money-Copying Party? Don’t skip. Just bam.”
“What’s platinum?”
“Sit, pitiful, sit.”
“Aruu.”
In the noisy corner, Miria stared at the notice, lost in odd thoughts.
“Me, gold rank...”
Her long-time “uncle” stuck to goblin hunts, always silver. Now she’d leaped past in a flash.
What would uncle think? Would he be happy?
Why does it feel like a path from the prison of “Goblin Slayer” past to a new future?
‘Adventurers covet the ranks, so joy’s natural, but not all good.’
Valensidis, ever cautious and cool, judged differently.
‘Platinum 11th draws constant checks from gold top tiers...’
If contributions match, gold elites could challenge for promotion.
‘To escape that hassle, climb fast—but platinum elites have contribution scales on another level.’
Amid such talk, Bart—who should’ve been happiest—reacted oddly.
“......”
Sighing discontentedly, as if unsatisfied, he headed below deck.
“Huh?”
“Hey, Bart.”
As Rem and Rain exchanged puzzled looks, Aki suddenly leaped to the bow and pointed far to the horizon.
“Daddy, new island bird out there!”
As green silhouettes stood out between azure sky and deep blue sea, Rain’s heart thrilled sharply.
Memories of sailing with old comrades flooded quietly.
Gulls crying overhead, waves crashing on white sands. Damp forest scent mixed with salty sea air.
- Lin, see that?
Times change, people vanish, but nature endures... Just like 300 years ago.
“Aki, seeing that island means we’re almost at Adrion Continent.”
Rain said, stepping beside the bow. Aki looked back, chin up.
“Adrion!”
“Orbenheim’s a famous small city there.”
From the day Rista’s party landed at that port, humanity’s counterattack began.
Light followed wherever they went, drawing the despairing from shadows one by one.
Thus, at some point post-war, that city became known as Orbenheim—“City of Beginnings.”
“Wanna see what it’s like?”