Fortunately, there were some items left behind by the orcs in the cave, like ropes. So Hans used those ropes and nets to carry the dragon’s corpse.
Just like in other novels or games, dragon corpses were incredibly valuable materials that were hard to come by. This world was no different.
Extreme materials could only be obtained by hunting dragons. Even then, there was a high probability that dragons from the opposing faction would come to collect them, so they weren’t items to be used haphazardly.
Thankfully, in the case of the Wyrm Zairkan, he was an outcast among dragons. If it were the corpse of a respected dragon, it would have been scooped up ghost-like in no time.
But Hans knew this trait of dragons, so he decided to use the corpse of the black dragon Zairkan for a trade. Before that, he had to put on a performance for the orcs first.
With the dragon’s corpse all secured in the net and ropes, Hans flew up into the sky, hanging from a wyvern. As he got closer, he began to see the orcs’ astonished expressions.
Eventually, he arrived in front of the orcs. They all looked at Hans with astonishment, clearly not expecting him to return with a dragon vanquished solo.
“I’ve arrived earlier than expected.”
“Yeah, and I brought a gift. What do you think? Do you like it?”
“Yes! I’ve never received such a delightful gift before!”
“But I’m not giving it to you right away. You’ll have to wait a bit.”
“What? Why?!”
Sharaka seemed genuinely flustered for the first time. She looked like a little child for her age. Of course, she cleared her throat and regained her composure quickly, but Hans couldn’t help but smirk as he spoke.
“I heard you were having conflicts with the Twelve Tribes over territory.”
“I was just going to try talking. Like it or not, we must coexist.”
“Impressive. But words alone can’t prove anything.”
“I-I know that! I just need to show it through actions!”
Sharaka yelled, her face turning red. Thanks to that, Hans was relieved. With this, he could finally mediate between the orcs and the Twelve Tribes. Of course, it was true that they considered each other enemies.
Currently, the situation was so dire that he had no choice but to grasp even that enemy’s hand. The black dragon Zairkan was even trying to team up with demons to devour this place. Damn lizard!
It was fortunate that he discovered it early. If not, he would have likely had to pay a hefty price. Dragons had overwhelming power. Right now, they were easily caught due to a short-term conflict.
Honestly, how do you catch a dragon that just rains fireballs down from the sky in the middle of the battlefield? Yuyoung would have to mark Zairkan for us. But that would leave a void in our full power.
‘Moreover, the demons won’t just stand by and watch.’
In this life, demons weren’t fools. They would certainly keep watch around dragons like Zairkan. The damage would grow even more.
Just imagining it sent chills down Hans’s spine. Although he assumed the worst-case scenario, if that were to become a reality, the damage would surely be unimaginably severe.
Thus, Hans resolved to mediate between the Twelve Tribes and the orcs as much as possible this time. Previously, he couldn’t properly mediate due to the Warrior’s Festival.
At the very least, he had to prevent the orcs and the Twelve Tribes from treating each other as prey. Having made that decision, Hans immediately soared high into the sky on a wyvern with Helia.
“Helia, are you feeling any better?”
“Teacher….”
“I know you got excited listening to Sharaka’s story. And I understand exactly why.”
Hans looked at Helia, his expression devoid of pity. He wasn’t the type to meddle in others’ lives casually, especially not with someone like Helia.
[Don’t you dare pity me!]
[Who do you think you are to pity me?]
[I can’t do this. I have to kill them all.]
In the original story, there are options to pity or understand Helia. Normally, in a dating sim, these would raise favorability, but unfortunately, they were landmine choices that would touch on Helia’s wounds.
Naturally, it would greatly decrease favorability, and a small mistake could lead to instant betrayal. Yet, there were options where comforting her would raise favorability.
Helia was initially perceived as a villain for a reason. Each option was a landmine, and even those weren’t consistent. However, Hans now understood her feelings.
“Everyone lives in their own way, child. If you force yourself to put yourself in someone else’s shoes… it will only make it harder for you.”
“Teacher, I can’t understand. Isn’t it natural to keep something precious by any means necessary?”
“That’s what most would think. However, we and they have lived differently. Who are we to judge?”
“But my only family was killed!”
“….”
“How can someone be so carefree in a situation like this? I really don’t understand…”
Helia’s red eyes blazed. Hans averted his gaze from her. Helia took that as a lesson. Think for yourself, judge for yourself. That’s what she understood.
Thunk.
Helia tilted her head. For just a moment, she felt a stabbing pain in her heart, as if being pierced by a sword. Could it be that she’s feeling guilt now? She shook her head.
No, I won’t regret it.
I won’t regret it.
Even if I became a monster.
I will never lose anything again.
Watching her teacher’s back, Helia made that vow again.
‘Wow, what’s with that murderous look?’
Meanwhile, Hans simply turned away, feeling terrified.
The leader of the Twelve Tribes, Yuyoung, hurriedly prepared a new meeting upon hearing the news of a successful mediation. She thought it was a good idea to entrust it to the Royal Knights as orcs approached the Twelve Tribes.
At Maple Mountain, the leaders of the orcs and the Twelve Tribes sat across from each other. In the center, Hans was seated. Under the mediation of Hans, the Commander of the Royal Knights, negotiations between the tribes began.
However, both sides couldn’t focus on the negotiations. The reason was the dragon’s corpse behind Hans. Not just any dragon’s corpse, but a real dragon’s corpse. How much value did that have?
“If you find the negotiations acceptable, I will distribute it fairly.”
With Hans’s declaration, both the Twelve Tribes and the orcs were left speechless. From the Twelve Tribes’ perspective, they didn’t think squabbling amongst themselves was a good idea, while the orcs knew that Hans had hunted the dragon.
And so, the negotiations commenced. Orc chieftain Sharaka was actually planning to use this opportunity to move her tribe from the mountain to the plains. This would also lead to the prosperity of the orcs.
The orcs had taken refuge in the mountain to hold advantageous high ground. Thanks to that, they acquired a perfect fortress but, in return, their development fell significantly behind other races.
So, they were intent on moving down to create a village in the plains and grow further. However, that would inevitably seem like a significant threat to the Twelve Tribes.
“How can we trust that you won’t attack us? I think it would be better to strike now while we have the chance.”
“Oh? You’re looking for a fight? Very well, I’ll accept that….”
“I heard dragon scales are the best armor that can block anything. Is that not true?”
“…….”
“…….”
As the negotiations escalated, Hans stepped in to mediate between the two sides. To be precise, it was more of a threat using the dragon’s corpse, but it couldn’t be helped.
Regardless of what anyone said, Hans was the one who hunted the dragon. Quite frankly, claiming it as rightfully his would give him no stance to speak. Yet he proclaimed he would share it, meaning the corpse carried that much value.
A treasure found only once in a thousand years. It was the kind of value that would easily turn bitter enemies into allies. Thus, the tribes’ agreement was successfully concluded.
“Alright, then let’s split the corpse in half and distribute it fairly.”
“But where is the dragon heart?”
“I cut that out. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have died.”
“I-I see. Understood.”
It was unfortunate that the crucial dragon heart was missing, yet with its bones, muscles, and scales alone, they had achieved satisfactory results. There was even talk that processing this could advance them a century.
“Wait, did you just say you cut out the dragon heart?”
“Yes. Any problem with that?”
“There’s a legend passed down among the orcs. The dragon heart never breaks. It simply disappears to find its master.”
“That’s just a legend.”
Hans dismissed Sharaka’s words with one sentence.
To put it bluntly, if that legend were true…
That would mean his heart has turned into a dragon heart.
Yet, at that moment, Hans felt nothing.
At least, not right now.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.