Chapter 65
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Ember (5)
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The afternoon after spending the night at the campsite.
The delegation entered Flavia.
Flavia was an old city in the plains region, surrounded by rice paddies, fields, and farms.
Stone watchtowers dotted the landscape here and there, and buildings covered in dust lined the streets densely.
Unlike Beldaine, most of the people in this city were Denan. Other races were scarcely visible.
The residents buzzed with curiosity as they watched the long procession of the delegation entering the city.
Flavia's lord had provided the public hall as lodging for the large delegation.
Since the lodging was at the far opposite end of the city center, we had to slowly traverse Flavia's streets, feeling the prickling stares on our faces.
Eventually, a crudely built four-story building came into view.
The front yard was spacious, and the stables were empty.
It had plenty of rooms, plus a separate annex and warehouse, making it ideal for accommodating a large group. But it felt desolate and dusty, as if it hadn't been used in a long time.
Servants and maids from Flavia's administrative office were bustling around, hurriedly cleaning the building and preparing beds.
In the meantime, a serious meeting was underway in the middle of the yard.
Due to the Duchess's stubbornness throwing off the original schedule, it was difficult to prepare meals for the entire delegation at the public hall.
The Flavia administrators had hastily reserved several large nearby restaurants, asking the knights to eat there.
Only a few high-ranking members of the delegation, including the White Guard Knight, were invited to a dinner banquet with Flavia's lord and nobles—and Clemence was among them.
Most of the delegation took it in stride, but a few seemed to think the treatment was inadequate.
"I'm actually glad."
Shuren said this after downing half of his spicy soup packed with pork.
It was a soup loaded with Flavia's specialty hot peppers.
I couldn't touch it at all and was barely picking at the solids, but it didn't seem spicy to him at all.
"Reminds me of when I traveled with knights. We'd eat at places like this back then."
Shuren chuckled as he dipped grain bread into the spicy sauce.
"Yeah...?"
I replied half-heartedly, poking at the chicken and vegetable stew I'd ordered.
I'd picked it because it wasn't red, but when it arrived, the chicken inside was slathered in bright red pepper sauce.
Feeling like tears might well up for no reason, I barely scraped off the outer chicken meat.
I should've bolted when my nose stung at the restaurant entrance, which boasted only traditional Flavia dishes.
But Shuren insisted on trying local food at every new place, so I'd gotten roped in.
Both Shuren and Wedin seemed to love the food, polishing off their plates clean.
"Places like this are great for picking up all sorts of rumors. Like what the mood's like up ahead."
"Sure... I guess."
Sure enough, voices were flooding in from all directions.
The first and second floors of the restaurant were packed with people eating, drinking, laughing, and chatting noisily.
It seemed to be a pretty popular spot.
Not just the delegation's knights and workers—local residents, merchants, travelers, and mercenaries filled the seats too.
Bang!
I flinched, shoulders jerking at the sound of a burly man at the next table slamming down his beer mug.
The man was laughing boisterously with his companions over some hilarious story.
Food sprayed from his mouth with the loud guffaws, but no one cared.
"You really believe that crazy talk? He skinned a Kordan and sold it—must've gotten his brain poisoned or something."
This time, a gravelly voice cut in from the back. It was loud enough to hear whether you wanted to or not.
"Plenty of folks are saying it. With all sorts of magical beasts popping up these days, what's so weird about that?"
"A dragon, though? That's straight-up nuts."
A third man spoke, and others snickered.
"Dragon... Hmm."
Wedin, sitting beside me, narrowed his eyes, and Shuren, who'd been listening with interest, chimed in.
"I've heard it too. Rumors of a dragon showing up."
"It's just rumors."
I shrugged.
Rumors could be anything, especially in a place like this.
"But this one's pretty specific..."
Shuren, who loved this stuff, leaned in with sparkling eyes—just as someone from the back shouted loudly.
"There was this huge black thing perched on the palace's topmost tower! I saw it clear as day with my own two eyes!"
A fourth man had stood up, yelling.
The people around turned to stare at him in shock.
The man, who looked like a merchant, was brimming with indignation that no one believed him.
"Over ten people saw the dragon there! They all saw the same thing! Every time lightning flashed, there it was—black body, massive wings, plain as day!"
The room fell quiet, though a few burst into laughter.
Comments flew about his beet-red face looking ridiculous or how he'd had too much to drink.
"Hey, hey, enough. You're totally wasted."
His tablemates dragged him down.
"It's true! That's why there are so many Gatras lately. The dragon's spawning them."
He shook off their hands, ranting on.
"This is an ill omen! Lesion's done for. Finished. They say when the black dragon appears, everyone dies..."
"Here, eat this. Drink up. Get a grip."
As people shoved food and drink into his mouth, he finally quieted.
I glanced back; he was hiccuping, his tear-streaked red face chewing away.
"A dragon spawning Gatras?"
Wedin frowned.
"Yeah, we learned that in aberrant biology class. Holy magic too, right?"
I tilted my head, and Wedin looked up at the ceiling for no reason.
"Don't remember..."
"Is that the only thing you don't remember?"
Shuren chuckled.
"They say it happened during the Demon Emperor's reign. A black dragon spawned and controlled hundreds, thousands of Gatras. It spewed endless lightning, turning the battlefield to ash."
Shuren recited nearly verbatim from the aberrant biology textbook.
His near-memorization for the graduation exam was paying off.
Hearing that line, my appetite soured even more; I shredded the uneatable meat chunks in my soup.
"Something like that in the capital?"
Wedin asked, looking queasy, but Shuren waved it off.
"No way. That's from the Demon Emperor's time. Nearly eighty years ago..."
"No! I saw it!"
The man behind us yelled suddenly, startling me so badly my whole body jolted.
It was the dragon guy from earlier, butting in after overhearing Shuren and Wedin.
His face was even redder now.
"Over ten people saw it there! I saw it clear as day!"
Both Shuren and Wedin scowled. Booze stench wafted every time he opened his mouth.
"Mister, if a real dragon showed up, you think the royal knights would've just sat there? Think it'd just stand around gawking? It'd smash a building or two at least."
Shuren smirked. The drunk man's face flushed deeper, momentarily speechless.
When he spoke again, it was in a lower mutter.
"That mage was there."
"What?"
Shuren, unable to hear over the noise, asked back. The man bellowed.
"The evil mage who summons dragons! He's back! Controlling them to destroy our kingdom!"
Cough, cough.
I choked violently on something, hacking away.
As the drunk's nonsense peaked and silenced the room, only my loud coughs echoed.
"You okay?"
Wedin thumped my back.
I clamped my mouth shut, face burning, struggling to catch my breath.
"S-something spicy went down wrong."
"Drink some water."
I gulped down the water Wedin handed me.
Meanwhile, Shuren was futilely arguing back.
"Mister, you got your eras mixed up? The Demon Emperor's mage was ancient history. Like the dragon."
"He's back for revenge. Couldn't take Cornick Fortress last time, so he returned. This time, from Cornick to Elgrace—everything'll burn to ash... Everyone'll die!"
As the drunk spiraled back to his earlier rant, I felt suffocated and stood up.
"Gonna get some air."
I muttered an excuse to Wedin and Shuren, then hurried from the table to the second-floor balcony.
Behind me, the back table was in chaos trying to restrain the drunk.
I pushed open the balcony door and stepped out; cold wind rushed in.
The noisy voices faded, and the stinging spicy scent gradually dissipated.
I took a deep breath, calming my mind.
From the balcony's edge, I could see the village surroundings at a glance.
Most buildings were low, and there were no walls.
Beyond stretched neat paddies, fields, and orchards.
Far across the river, at the canyon's end, loomed a massive fortress carved from rock.
Cornick Fortress.
The huge stronghold you'd meet at the end of the Quint Mountains—Lesion's shield—after Troyan Empire forces emerged.
Memories I'd sealed away started leaking out.
Endless screams, the stench of burning flesh, the massive shadow overhead...
Liberic.
Ash's voice pulled me back to reality.
"Ah, Ash."
Ash, who had been on the building's flat roof, lightly descended to the balcony.
I took a deep breath, shoving the old memories away.
Then I stroked Ash's forehead as it approached.
You don't look well.
"The food was too stimulating. Upset my stomach."
Ash gazed at me steadily with red eyes.
Seemed like it was trying to see through my lie, so I quickly looked away, toward the distance.
A distant farmhouse was burning.
I blinked in shock, double-checking, but no mistake.
Beyond the city, in the middle of vast fields, vivid flames and smoke rose from a farmhouse.
Above it, three or four bird-shaped magical beasts circled, whipping up the fire and smoke.
"...Ash."
I see it too.
"We need to tell people."
I spun around and dashed back into the restaurant.