This was my first warp in this life, but since I had done it a few times in my past life, I managed to land fairly stably.
The eccentric whistled at me, saying I was skilled, and pointed out the direction of the Dragon’s Boundary.
“Are we not turning back?”
“Bringing you to Elgrid is included in the assignment fee.”
Did Elise actually care that much?
Even though I had an unintended travel companion, just knowing how to use warp made it worth having her around.
A towering monument of the gods stood twice my height.
The monument, densely inscribed in an unknown language, was considered precious as it was the Language of the Gods.
After glancing at it, I turned my body towards the direction the eccentric pointed.
“I’m going to go a bit faster. Keep up.”
“Ha, even if I look like this, I’ve got some real muscle and do stamina training every day. Don’t just see me as a wizard obsessed with research.”
Ignoring the eccentric’s boastful words, I immediately shot ahead.
Five minutes later.
Huff huff! “Wait! Just a moment! Can you go a bit slower?”
How far had he run to be this out of breath? Frowning at his pathetic state, I thought it was troublesome. The eccentric eventually laid his hands on himself and manipulated his mana.
“Using Physical Enhancement Magic just for travel?”
“Does that mean I can run like just now?”
“No, I still think you should slow down a bit…”
Seeing the eccentric whining instead of being discreet, I got annoyed and just told him to keep up as I dashed off alone.
I could hear him shouting in disbelief from behind.
“Are you treating me like this? Are you planning to run off with my money?”
If you can, go ahead.
His credibility as a mercenary would plummet, and Elise would likely start a relentless pursuit.
Having already experienced how tenacious she was, I shuddered.
As I continued running, signs started appearing that warned not to approach the Dragon’s Boundary.
Threatening phrases that stated no responsibility would be taken if you crossed the boundary.
The more signs I saw, the more strength I put into my legs and pushed forward even faster.
Finally, I arrived at the Dragon’s Boundary.
Humans and Dragonkin were not on good terms, so they would merely spit and ignore each other if they crossed paths.
There were high fences set up with a mutual desire to avoid any contact.
But upon reaching the long fence, I found humans and Dragonkin engaged in a tense standoff.
There weren’t many of them.
Three humans and two Dragonkin.
The Dragonkin seemed like mere sentries, but the humans were different.
Among the guardians protecting the fence, an elderly man who seemed to hold considerable rank banged on the iron fence and shouted.
“What did you all do to make my soldiers like that?”
His face flushed red from anger, but the Dragonkin responded with scoffs.
“If you’ve become a Dragonkin, it’s actually beneficial, right? You filthy and primitive humans should be grateful.”
“Ugh, disgusting. A human becoming a Dragonkin.”
“More importantly, human, if you touch the fence one more time, my nails will be embedded in your eye socket. Remember that, I swear by the name of Shakallim.”
“You bastards!”
The man who looked like the Captain of the Guards yelled in fury, but he did not dare touch the fence.
Shakallim.
He is a legendary blue dragon among the dragons that the Dragonkin serve. To them, a dragon is akin to a god, so swearing by that name carries significant weight.
If the fence were touched again, the Dragonkin would indeed come over and gouge out the captain’s eyes.
Even if it meant losing their lives.
“If you keep acting like this, we’ll have no choice but to report this to the kingdom. I’m trying to resolve this amicably!”
This time, he tried to persuade them, but the Dragonkin laughed loudly again.
“Who do you bugs think you are to discuss a resolution?”
“Get on your knees and plead, and maybe it’ll be worth looking at.”
“Ugh…”
The Captain of the Guards and the other two guardians behind him looked as if they were feeling the wrath boiling in their skulls, but they couldn’t come off stronger.
“Right, it seems I wasn’t the only one with a sister.”
As I interrupted from behind, both the humans and Dragonkin momentarily turned their gazes towards me.
Among them, the Captain of the Guards looked at my face, making a strange expression, before clapping and exclaiming.
“Diana McLean?”
“I’m her younger brother.”
“Aah! So that’s it! You look just like her!”
But his cheer was short-lived as he seemed to realize why I had come.
“Don’t tell me, Diana…?”
“She’s becoming a Dragonkin. She’s currently hospitalized, and I thought it might be a problem for her to be here, but it seems I wasn’t the only one with a sister.”
“Hmm.”
Glancing cautiously towards the Dragonkin, the Captain slowly brought me back a bit.
“Indeed, two of our guardians are also becoming Dragonkin. For now, we haven’t reported it to the royal palace, but…”
“Why not?”
I frowned, asking why they didn’t immediately report to the Frisia Kingdom. The Captain looked around and sighed before responding.
“Because it could escalate into war.”
“…”
“If this gets out and they start saying we experimented on our soldiers by releasing biochemical weapons, the Frisia Kingdom won’t just sit back.”
If they remained passive after being attacked, the enemy would underestimate them even more.
Internally, who knew what they were thinking, but externally, they had to show a strong reaction.
“Are you scared of a war with the Dragonkin?”
“I’m scared of war, not the Dragonkin. I’ve directly participated in wars with the Bagrith Kingdom. War must never start for any reason.”
I could see the deepening wrinkles around his eyes. He must have had his own traumas and pains, wanting to end everything on his terms.
I knew the horrors of war.
I had witnessed, firsthand, a massacre that could not even be called a war, experienced it in my skin, and ultimately became the final victim.
I didn’t want such a scene again.
“Are you just going to sit back and watch?”
“…”
The Captain was at a loss for words. For him, the lives of my sister and the two soldiers were weighted against the potential war between the kingdom and the Dragonkin.
I understood.
I understood, but…
Right now, I couldn’t accept that.
Hah! Hah!
I spotted the eccentric barely catching up from a distance.
Seeing him catch his breath while riding a horse made me feel a bit guilty.
‘He’s going to suffer because of me.’
Loosening my body, I walked towards the fence.
“What? Is that a kid?”
“I can never tell how old a human is just by looking.”
They said.
“I heard that if you trespass, the jurisdiction over that person shifts to the Dragonkin, is that right?”
“Jurisdiction? I don’t know about that; as soon as you cross over, we could tear you apart, eat you, or torture you, and you humans can’t say a word.”
“Why? Are you planning to cross over?”
The Dragonkin laughed as they giggled.
The moment you cross the fence, the kingdom’s protection vanishes, and you become nothing more than a wild boar wandering in their territory.
The same went for the Dragonkin.
If a Dragonkin were to step into human land, the Captain had the authority to execute them on the spot.
Just crossing a fence could put the fate of lives in the hands of another race, becoming a beast with no guarantee of minimum human rights.
I steadied my breath while watching the chuckling Dragonkin, then kicked the fence with my foot.
With a creak, the fence leaned and fell.
“Wha? Huh?”
“Crazy!”
The guards cursed in shock, nearly being crushed by the toppling fence.
Not missing the opportunity, I stepped into the Dragonkin’s territory and slowly drew my sword.
I had been holding back until now.
In the hospital when I talked with Rin.
When I met the eccentric thanks to Elise’s help.
I only realized now, as the dam of my emotions broke, that I had been expressing considerable superhuman patience until now.
“I have just one demand.”
This was a kind of guilt I felt.
“My sister is becoming a Dragonkin, and this is about that.”
Even as I tried to appear calm, the chilling killing intent buried within me must’ve made the Dragonkin confused, as they raised their weapons in surprise.
I genuinely wished for this.
Whether it was the Tudogs involved or some scheme from the Dragonkin,
“You all need to know something.”
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to stop me.
*
In a small cabin at Yggdrasil.
Many capable elves were taking care of a small girl, but nothing was working.
With a high fever, tiny horns sprouting on her forehead, roughening skin, and the emerging wing bones.
A few days ago, the girl playing in the forest suddenly collapsed and was rescued by her friends.
Since then, elven healing arts, magic, and folk remedies—centuries worth of elven wisdom—had been tried, but to no avail.
Was it even right to call this discomfort?
The girl was “changing.”
“She’s a Dragonkin, isn’t she?”
At Eris’s muttering, the Elf Queen gently nodded while holding the girl’s hand.
“Yes, it seems so.”
Starting with the horns on her forehead, signs were emerging of wings that only special Dragonkin developed.
Even the long-lived Elf Queen had never seen an elf becoming a Dragonkin, so they didn’t know how to deal with it.
“…”
Finally, the Guardian of Yggdrasil slowly packed up her sword and staff.
Not only the Elf Queen but little Serdi, who worked as Eris’s maid, looked surprised as she stared at Eris.
However, there was already determination in her expression and eyes.
“E-Er, Eris?”
“Are you leaving?”
Both Serdi and the Elf Queen asked at the same time, and Eris firmly nodded.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
To save the little elven girl.
The Guardian of Yggdrasil started heading toward the Dragon’s land.
