“Hmm, you came faster than I expected?”
Outside, I could feel a presence.
Slowly, I grabbed my sword, stretched a bit, and got into position.
The Dragonkin started to get tense, watching me prepare for combat. They covered their mouths in shock, not able to signal me, but twisted their bodies around to cheer enthusiastically for their comrades outside.
Seeing that was cute enough to make me chuckle when the door suddenly burst open, and I flew forward.
My plan was to take down the Dragonkin in front of me first, so I charged in, knocked him down, and was about to swing my sword down at his head.
“……!”
“Beastman?”
But instead of a Dragonkin, a sleek black-skinned Beastman was lying underneath me, looking at me with wide, terrified eyes.
“Daniel?”
And there it was, the familiar voice from the front.
“Eris?”
It was Eris, the elf, along with a small dwarf beside her. What in the world was this combination? But then the Beastman below me shouted.
“Get off me!”
“Hmm.”
It seemed he was embarrassed by being scared earlier, reacting even more intensely. The dwarf was smirking, clearly enjoying it.
“Look at you getting taken down by a mere kid. Guess your abilities are as expected.”
“Shut up!”
They didn’t seem to get along very well.
I wondered why this party was formed and why they were here, but Eris dashed towards me immediately.
Her aroma and warmth felt cozy.
Being a man, I couldn’t help but blush at her curves pressing against my chest, but unlike my shameless thoughts, Eris hugged me tighter with misty eyes.
“I’m so relieved, really relieved.”
“Eris?”
“I heard you went to the Land of Dragons, and I was really worried. What if something went wrong?”
Honestly, entering here was almost like giving up your life.
One could say it was a flashy way of committing suicide.
“Especially since there are tons of traps set around. I was worried you might step into one, but thank goodness you didn’t.”
“……Yeah, there are a lot of traps.”
To survive in the Forest of the Demon Realm, various techniques were needed, and traps were ranked high on that list.
When hunting the Ancient Beasts, most battles started with setting traps.
I thought mentioning the traps I had set might change the vibe, so I relaxed into Eris’s warmth even more.
Eris squeezed me tighter, and the moment felt eternal until it was interrupted by the dwarf and the pouting Beastman.
“Hey, if you’re gonna do that, go do it on the bed.”
“They say humans are always in heat, but is it the same for elves?”
“Wh-what are you talking about!”
Flushing red, Eris pulled away from me in shock and shouted at the two, but I was only wiggling my hands in disappointment.
Was it this comfortable in a woman’s embrace?
Having lived for ten years in the Forest of the Demon Realm, I experienced something truly precious that I didn’t know back then.
‘It was because of the pattern of Artemis in Eris’s eyes that I could avoid the traps.’
Honestly, I was surprised the Dragonkin had come so quickly. But if Eris was here, that changed everything.
‘The Dragonkin must still be struggling to get here.’
The closer they got, the more traps there were. Traps that even the sensitive magical beasts living in the Forest of the Demon Realm wouldn’t notice; they wouldn’t be able to dismantle them.
Wishing the best for the struggling Dragonkin, I led the three of them inside as if guiding them to a room.
“……”
“Oh? You’re not just some kid, huh?”
“Is that the Heretic Inquisitor?”
Seeing the Dragonkin tied up, the dwarf and Beastman looked at me with different eyes than before.
I wondered who was calling whom a kid when the dwarf was shorter, but whatever.
I didn’t have anything to give them, so with the disappointment in the eyes of the Dragonkin who had hoped for rescue, I introduced myself.
“Daniel McLean. A third-year student at Aios Academy.”
“A student? Hmm, a student caused this mess?”
“How irresponsible.”
The Beastman scowled, crossing his arms.
“What do you plan to do about the aftermath if you cause something like this? Once you cross the Dragon’s Boundary, the judicial authority belongs to the Dragonkin. This isn’t an issue you can just finish with an execution.”
“……”
“Seems you were still young and immature.”
“There’s no race with more pride than the Dragonkin, you know.”
I couldn’t help but respond casually to his casual tone.
On this continent, there were countless races.
Many were well-known, but there were also many hidden races.
Notably, the Forest of the Demon Realm.
The Ancient Beasts there were beings beyond what one might consider magical beasts.
But the proudest race among them was the Dragonkin, just because they worshipped dragons.
Like a kid acting tough behind a strong elder.
“Even if the Kingdom of Frisia demands an explanation, Dragonkin will ignore it. Do you really think a common student like me will convince you?”
“……”
“Responsibility? How will I take responsibility? I won’t.”
“What?”
The Beastman, dwarf, and Eris all waited for my next words. Honestly, this was a simpler problem than I thought.
“Just beat someone up enough that they can’t blab carelessly, right?”
Would an adult get away with saying they got wrecked by a neighborhood kid? Especially if that adult was someone like a captain of the knights?
There might be a chance for revenge behind the scenes, but they wouldn’t drag the kid in front of the courtroom.
Though they claim to protect their honor, let’s be honest.
“They’d be too embarrassed to ever show their face again.”
Humans, whom they look down on.
If an 18-year-old student inflicted a significant injury, it would become an issue beyond the judgments of the Guardians at the Dragon’s Boundary.
It would be a disgrace for the entire race.
The moment other races found out, the sound of thousands of Dragonkin’s blankets being torn apart would echo across the continent.
In fact, there was a high likelihood they’d offer us a backroom deal to keep quiet.
“Is that even possible?”
“Yeah, it is.”
But of course, that’s assuming they took enough damage to feel that way. The Dragonkin had a high fighting ability equal to their pride.
As the standoff between the Beastman and me continued, Eris finally stepped in to mediate.
“Alright, let’s stop this. This isn’t the time for us to fight among ourselves.”
“Ahem, I back this kid. He’s already proven his abilities.”
While stroking his beard, the dwarf pointed with his chin at the tied-up Dragonkin.
“This Heretic Inquisitor single-handedly took care of this place. That alone shows his skill.”
“……”
“Just because you’re all skinny doesn’t mean you can slack off. Is that how Beastmen usually are?”
“You should be careful not to mess with people’s moods.”
Seeing these two suddenly start fighting made me let out a small sigh of disbelief.
Sitting down as I became too lazy to deal with them, Eris cautiously approached.
“If you have any injuries, please show me. I can treat you.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“That can’t be true. The Inquisitors and agents are warrior guardians at the front line. They’re quite strong among proud Dragonkin.”
“But really, there’s nothing wrong.”
“Oh come on. You don’t have to pretend to be tough.”
Saying that, Eris suddenly began to unbutton my shirt.
Since I had just come in my school uniform, I wasn’t wearing my cardigan, so my shirt quickly came undone.
“W-wait a moment.”
I panicked and stepped back, knocking over a chair.
As I fell backward, my shirt was completely unbuttoned, exposing my chest.
“……”
“Oh, I’m so sorry! But really, you have no injuries.”
“See? I told you.”
Quickly fixing my clothes, I stood back up.
Eris was fanning herself with her hand, trying to cool her bright red face.
“I’ve heard elves have quite the strong libido.”
“Hm, when is an elf’s heat season?”
“Not the same as humans’ constant heat, I think? I heard they call it ‘Erof’ instead of elf……”
“Who! Who in the world calls it that!”
The two different races watching us, having paused their fight, started giving their opinions.
While I silently tried to calm my racing heart, Eris reacted strongly.
“Elves don’t have a heat season! And ‘Erof’? Where did you get such a filthy nickname……!”
“The fact that you say you don’t have a heat season sounds like you do have constant heat, doesn’t it?”
“Huh.”
“Let’s just stop this already!”
As I was spending my time fussing about, I slowly stood up from my seat and grabbed my sword.
“Let’s go.”
Finally, the heavy-bottomed folks I’d been waiting for arrived.
*
“Damn it!”
Kealmirec, the Heretic Inquisitor of the Dragon’s Eye Stronghold, couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
The closer he got to the Dragon’s Stronghold, the more complex and diverse the traps became. Yet, curiously, they didn’t take lives.
These traps were designed precisely to prod the Dragonkin’s innermost feelings, but that didn’t mean their march could quicken.
Eventually,
Kealmirec, the one commanding all inquisitors before him, reached the scene.
“Good work. Given the number of traps, it’s understandable that you couldn’t carry out a swift suppression.”
Hearing the High Inquisitor’s words, the other inquisitors insisted otherwise, clumsily hiding their smiles as they expressed that it was indeed their fault.
They acknowledged not their own incompetence but the enemy’s capabilities.
This alone lightened the burden the inquisitors had to bear, but Kealmirec felt more uncomfortable deep down.
‘The High Inquisitor shouldn’t be allowed to hold conversation with a human.’
Instead, he’d much rather charge at the moment he laid eyes on the kid.
Yes, immediately cut off all conversation.
If he could say he was blinded by a sense of justice, he’d take whatever blame without a care.
After all, this was a condemned criminal facing immediate execution.
So, they had reached right before the Dragon’s Stronghold, where a boy in a school uniform awaited them.
“Looks like you’re not too old.”
The High Executioner muttered, stroking his chin as if he could tell the boy’s age.
And according to the plan, Kealmirec charged forward.
“In the name of the dragon, I execute the heretic!”
With a huge halberd raised high, he charged. The other inquisitors were flustered, calling after him, but his halberd already reached down hard.
The view spun around.
Kealmirec couldn’t figure out what had happened.
However, one thing was certain.
He was face down in the dirt, his body pressed flat like a frog with a boy sitting on top of him.
Feeling pain all over his body, Kealmirec tried to rise, but the boy’s sword pierced his hand, pinning it down as if hammering a nail.
“Ghhhk!”
“Are we ready for negotiations?”
The cold voice of the boy rang through.
Kealmirec, among the inquisitors considered the most powerful along with Zeronia, was treated like a child and became a prisoner before all.
Other Dragonkin could only feel astonished, but an old High Inquisitor named Shalemas stepped forward.
“I’m High Inquisitor Shalemas. Boy, what’s your name?”
“What’s it to you? More importantly, what about my conditions? Did you bring any information?”
Seeing the boy sneer, Shalemas slowly gripped his spear tighter.
“Boy, I think you’re mistaken. Engaging with you right now serves merely my curiosity. I have no interest in the lives of the captured Dragonkin.”
At that moment, Kealmirec felt Shalemas’s chilling gaze and shrank back.
“If we just push hard here, what can you do? Boy, you had plenty of spirit, but you lack wisdom.”
“Seems you’re the confused ones.”
Thud.
“Ggghhh!”
Kealmirec screamed, clutching his injured hand.
The boy’s sword was drawn, and he stood up slowly from atop Kealmirec.
“My talking with you now is a form of mercy. Let me ask you once more: a human is turning into a Dragonkin. You must have a reason for that, right?”
The overwhelming killing intent of Daniel McLean spread rapidly. It felt urgent to reevaluate who had the upper hand.
“Or else, all of you will die here.”
Dragonkin had highly refined senses.
For just a moment, they all understood.
To stop that boy, everyone present had to risk their lives and engage in a brutal battle.
“……”
Shalemas swallowed hard, fidgeting with his spear. Information? There was no way that existed.
He had no intention of preparing anything.
Just killing one human would be the end of it, why would he bother prepping?
‘I can’t help this.’
Finally, he decided.
No matter what happened here, they’d have to fight. They couldn’t simply let the boy leave.
‘After all, he’s just a boy. Even if he gets harmed, I can cover it up well enough to avoid gossip.’
Just as he thought and prepared to charge,
A Beastman suddenly leaped out behind him.
“I am Jaegyua Baekplin, Captain of the Secret Claws under Lord Raizer. Let’s demand the same info as that boy.”
The black-furred Beastman held up a document with Lord Raizer’s signature, leaving Shalemas stunned.
The elite of Lord Raizer’s command?
This could escalate into a war with the Beastmen if mishandled.
But that wasn’t all. From behind, he heard a chuckling dwarf approach.
“Ha-ha, so you had the backing of the Beast King, huh? No wonder I found it irritating. I’m Hatsim Velok, a Maester among the Seven Hammers.”
Amongst dwarves, there were many blacksmiths. But among those, one of the highest ranks, the title of Maester, was rarely known outside their kind, yet the emblem he bore was undoubtedly genuine.
“What the hell……”
Shalemas couldn’t help but panic, unsure of why this was happening.
From the elite of the Beast King’s command to the Maester?
But it didn’t end there.
A beautiful elf gradually approached Daniel’s side.
Just her presence seemed to illuminate the dark surroundings.
Her delicate lips spoke in a soothing voice.
“I am Eris Anen Seriere, Guardian of Yggdrasil. Dragonkin, I demand an explanation regarding the current situation.”
The elf’s rulers were queens.
However, just below them.
The proud elves raised their heads alongside the Dragonkin, declaring their pride. Protecting Yggdrasil is a profound honor that proves immense power.
The Guardian of Yggdrasil.
Upon Eris’s appearance, Shalemas felt his dizzying senses struggle to hold onto reality as he gazed at the boy.
Then who is that boy?
Who was he emanating with such overwhelming killing intent, more than those three?
*
After Eris appeared, the atmosphere shifted dramatically.
I thought the tide had changed, but the attention was entirely fixed on me.
‘Oh no, don’t tell me……’
I really didn’t want this.
I really didn’t.
But with the Dragonkin, Beastman, and dwarf all looking my way, I reluctantly whispered.
“Daniel McLean. Aios Academy…… third year.”
Oh man, this is so humiliating!
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