I pondered the reason for bringing the Dragoness and thought it might simply be that she didn’t want to lose.
If the Cardinal came alone, then a Regua or a Hatzim might’ve sufficed, but compared to Eris, the Guardian of Yggdrasil, it felt lacking.
I figured it was a childish reason, wanting to take the lead in the conversation. From my experiences, I’ve found that surprisingly, the higher the position, the more childish they tend to be.
“These folks always try to win even in trivial battles of will.”
Considering the human Saint seemed more focused on external image, it didn’t look like our Dragoness had much on her plate, despite having two votes.
“I’ve heard the entire story. First, I apologize.”
However, the first words out of Dragoness Zane’s mouth were a bit unexpected. I didn’t think she’d start with an apology.
Honestly, if we were to be cool and break it down, the Dragonkin were victims too. From what I observed on the way here, they didn’t seem fully aware of the situation either.
From their perspective, it was just a human barging in and causing a ruckus, with a well-supported Beastman, Dwarf, and Elf showing up, leaving them unable to act.
“Apology? No, that’s not necessary. We should be the ones apologizing for suddenly dropping by.”
Eris stood up, slightly bowing her head in response.
It felt as if we were pretending the earlier growling between the Dragonkin and us had never happened.
“I’ve heard about it, that there are those afflicted by the disease that turns them into Dragonkin?”
The Dragoness Zane calmly asked while sitting down, catching the attention of the hasty Dwarf Hatzim, followed by Regua, and then Eris.
Finally, it was my turn, and I started talking about my sister and presenting my theory.
“Actually, I’ve clashed a few times with an organization called Tudogs. They…”
The Forest of the Demon Realm was notorious not just among humans but across the continent, making it easy to explain.
Upon hearing my explanation about Tudogs, their faces darkened, and they wore serious expressions.
“Such a group exists?”
“A technique that implants the power of Magical Beasts into bodies? Just a single group, not even a kingdom?”
Hatzim and Regua were speechless, and Zane seemed lost in thought, her lips sealed tight.
“It seems there’s a possibility they’re involved.”
“Right? If they can implant the physical abilities of Magical Beasts into humans, they could easily do the same with Dragonkin.”
Eris supported my statement.
But then the problem arose: how did they acquire the power of the Dragonkin? Zane finally spoke up.
“Recently, we’ve seen an increase in Dragonkin crossing boundaries.”
“Dragoness!”
Cardinal Theosender, who had been silently standing next to Zane, panicked and raised his voice.
Hatzim and Regua shot him confused looks, but Theosender ignored them, trying to prevent Zane from saying anything further.
“Why? I came here for this. It could be related to the current incident. Listening to everyone, my suspicions are turning into certainty.”
“B-but the existence of those who cross the boundary…”
The implication was that many Dragonkin harbored discontent, and it was taboo to speak of such matters in front of another race.
Zane, however, firmly ignored it and continued speaking.
“At first, I thought there were many disgruntled Dragonkin. As you all know, the Dragons have been in a deep slumber.”
If their deity was just sleeping and neglecting them, it’s no wonder frustrations would bubble up.
If anything went wrong, they’d blame the slumbering Dragons.
“Therefore, when I met the families of the Dragonkin who crossed the boundary, they claimed they weren’t the type to abandon their families, nor was there a reason to.”
“……”
“This happened repeatedly. Many times. Now I’ve come to judge that it wasn’t simply dissatisfaction with life and Dragons that drove them away.”
Even in her position, she had met with all the families of those Dragonkin who had crossed the boundary, acting more like the lowest of the low than a saintly figure.
The image of her was that of an ideal Saint, indeed.
“This is a case of serial kidnapping. Yet, there’s no evidence, and due to my position, investigating this becomes difficult.”
Cough.
Theosender, standing beside her, coughed.
It was clear that even if she strongly insisted on conducting the investigation, Zane would advise just to smile at the Dragonkin.
“In the meantime, you all have arrived. It seems, as Sir Daniel mentioned, that the organization Tudogs is abducting Dragonkin for experiments.”
Shivering with rage, Zane’s little fist trembled.
It seemed I could hear the screams of the Dragonkin who had bled tears from their pain echoing in her ears.
“It’s likely that those capable of such actions are the Inquisitors stationed at the front lines. Theosender, let’s begin the investigation on the Inquisitors right away.”
“Dragoness! That would be an insult to them!”
Theosender was appalled, but Zane shot upright, confronting him.
“Are you joking? Our Dragonkin may have been kidnapped and subjected to human experiments. Since they were taken from our lands, it’s only natural the culprits may very well be Dragonkin. An investigation is absolutely necessary.”
“They are the shielding guardians of the Dragon’s Boundary! Suspecting them is in itself an act of dishonor!”
“And so you suggest we do nothing? For their honor? Theosender, please, get a grip! If we remain idle, the stigma of suspicion will cling to the Inquisitors! A thorough investigation is the way to protect their honor!”
“But…”
‘This is going to take a long time.’
Seeing the principled Cardinal made me let out a sigh.
Eris, who caught my eye, seemed to share my sentiments and slightly nodded. Though Theosender claimed he was there for protection, his true role was that of a watcher.
Nothing more, nothing less.
As I indirectly experienced how hard the Dragoness’s life must be, a High Inquisitor rushed through the entrance.
He scanned our faces in confusion before quickly approaching Theosender and Zane, whispering into their ears.
The startled Theosender immediately began eyeing us warily, but the oblivious Dragoness shouted,
“Did they tip-off and run away knowing we’d investigate them? We need to set up a pursuit squad, quickly!”
“W-wait! Dragoness, it’s in front of outsiders!”
“Being silent at the sight of your own kind selling them out is far more disgraceful! Theosender and the High Inquisitors, don’t test my patience any further!”
With her commanding call to quickly organize a pursuit team, the two Dragonkin had no choice but to bow their heads and exit.
It seemed like one of the Inquisitors was affiliated with Tudogs and feared being caught, prompting a hasty escape.
After all, if they stayed, capture was inevitable.
That guy was rolling the dice for a 1 or a 6.
“I need to go.”
I slowly rose from my seat, readying my sword at my waist.
“E-eh? You’re leaving? Our pursuit team is about to set out.”
Zane exclaimed in surprise, but this did not seem like the right moment to dawdle.
“How can a hastily assembled pursuit team chase down someone who knows the vastness of the Dragon’s Boundary? He knows it well enough to secure an escape route.”
Given that he lounged around only at the boundary, he couldn’t not have made such arrangements.
“Eris, lend me a hand. I need eyes to track him.”
“Don’t worry.”
In the eyes of Eris, who had been preparing alongside me, the emblem of the hunting goddess Artemis had already manifested.
*
Kealmirec, a Tudogs-affiliated Dragonkin and Heretic Inquisitor, was sprinting with all his might wrapped in a green camouflage cloak.
The gaping wound on his hand from being pierced by a human still throbbed, but he tried to ignore it and continued running.
“Damn it!”
Because of that Tudogs bastard, how did he end up like this?
The Heretic Inquisitor found himself on the run while being falsely accused of numerous crimes.
“It’s fine. Once I cross the Dragon’s Boundary, I’ll meet up with the Tudogs crew and change my appearance.”
Those guys can turn humans into Dragonkin too.
Surely, they could do the opposite as well.
Of course, becoming human was incredibly repulsive and nauseating, but for now, surviving was the priority.
If he got caught now, it’d be a sure execution.
“Huff! Huff!”
Still, Kealmirec held onto a sliver of confidence that he could escape.
He had mapped out an escape route beyond the long stretch of the Dragon’s Boundary, and he was camouflaged amidst the thick foliage.
It was nearly impossible to spot him.
“Even if they quickly gather a pursuit team, it just got underway. Other watchtowers would struggle to get moving because of the commotion. By the time they reach the boundary’s edge, I’ll already be on human territory.”
As Kealmirec continued dodging through the trees, he finally saw the iron fence ahead.
For someone with his combat training, jumping over wouldn’t be too hard, but just as he was about to leap, a searing pain jolted through his thick tail.
“Gaaah!”
Kealmirec spun around in shock to check his tail, but it wasn’t there.
“Looking for this?”
A human holding his severed tail, Daniel McLean, was smirking.
“H-how?”
This makes no sense.
How in the world did he end up here?
It would take considerable time to travel from Havelock Forward Base to this spot. He was rushing due to the presence of the Elf, Eris, but still…
‘Was he faster than an Elf through the forest?’
It didn’t make sense, but here it was, reality laid out before him.
“Ah, so it was you? No wonder you rushed in here alone.”
“……”
Had things been normal, he would’ve just killed him and leapt over the fence.
However, after already failing to take down Daniel once, Kealmirec, in a silly manner, chose the option to flee.
If he got caught here, execution was certain.
With this thought, he tried to leap over the fence.
For some reason, Daniel McLean just stood there, watching him.
In that moment, a revelation struck hard in Kealmirec’s mind.
“Ah…”
Kealmirec hurriedly turned back to the land of the Dragonkin.
That was a close call.
If he had crossed the boundary in front of that guy…
“Realized it, huh?”
Just then, Daniel’s fist shot forward, landing a clean hit on Kealmirec’s abdomen.
Even with just a faint bit of mana, its impact intermingled with his physical prowess delivered devastating power, sending Kealmirec’s massive form flying over the shattered iron fence to the other side.
“Ah, ah…”
Despair flooded Kealmirec’s face.
In the shadow of the broken fence, Daniel McLean strolled casually toward him, delivering the judge’s verdict.
“When a human steps into Dragonkin territory, all judicial rights transfer to the Dragonkin.”
Therefore, humans could do whatever to them; torture them in inhumane ways or devour them, without any interference.
“The same goes for the Dragonkin.”
Conversely.
The moment a Dragonkin crosses into human territory, all their rights are stripped away, reducing them to mere beasts.
Kealmirec lamented that he should’ve been captured by the Dragonkin instead, tears of despair streaming down his face.
