Ch.924Why Did You Come to My House

——[ Several Days Ago ]——

More than a month had passed since Amitamir’s death, and the world began changing at a rapid pace.

The changes were not positive.

Humans who had been living scattered in villages could not withstand the intensified threats, so they sold their properties and lands at dirt-cheap prices and flocked to major cities.

Their reasoning was that by hiding behind city walls, they might avoid monsters, if not dragons.

In the north, Faelrun experienced unprecedented cold weather, causing an increase in deaths from freezing. In Panam, those opposing Evian’s rule took advantage of the royal army’s preoccupation with monster subjugation to ignite another civil war.

In the Dragonic Kingdom of Jin, both orthodox and heterodox factions opposed Cylude’s actions in destroying the Celestial Dragon Palace, creating a hostile atmosphere.

As for Alvheim, relations with the Empire soured dramatically after numerous half-elf spies they had dispatched were arrested en masse under Lord Wien’s direction.

I wondered how they caught them, and it turned out those fools had subtly approached Lord Wien, trying to bring him to their side.

Along with seduction attempts using half-elves, they tried to recruit him by suggesting that once Leopold was eliminated, Lord Wien would become the Empire’s most powerful figure…

What nonsense.

Unfortunately for the elves, Lord Wien had already half-abandoned his desire for power and reached something close to enlightenment.

The result of becoming the Empire’s chancellor and attaining the position of being second only to one and above all others was that he barely survived overwork through recovery potions and healing miracles, sacrificing all the hair above his eyebrows in the process.

“Make me the shadow emperor of the Empire? Are you trying to kill me?”

If he were to kill Leopold and take the regent position for the new emperor, rather than absolute power and a life of luxury, he would face endless mountains of work with new mountains added on top.

Lord Wien pretended to go along with them to put them at ease, then seized the opportunity to arrest them all and throw them into underground prisons.

At this point, shouldn’t we start calling him an immortal loyal subject? Seeing how much he changed after losing his hair, I wondered if we should pluck out all the hair of our administrative officials too.

Anyway, that incident severely deteriorated relations between the Empire and Alvheim.

Alvheim tried to deny any connection, claiming that half-elves were merely mongrels unrelated to them, but the Empire’s intelligence department interrogated the half-elves and revealed this to be a blatant lie.

Leopold declared this a major provocation and demanded that the elves take responsibility and apologize, but the elves have maintained their silence.

They probably think we don’t have the capacity to attack them right now.

Those damn pointy-ears.

They say people become ugly as they age, but these creatures who have lived not just decades but centuries behave in ways that are beyond petty—they’re downright pathetic.

Finally, in Himmel… apparently a newly emerged earth dragon destroyed an entire city, massacred its residents, and claimed an empty mountain as its territory?

The dwarves have declared vengeance and formed a dragon subjugation unit, planning to defeat and dismember the beast… well, we’ll have to wait and see the results.

Anyway, that was the third officially confirmed dragon appearance. It was the only living earth dragon confirmed to exist.

Almost simultaneously, another dragon broke through a peak in the Sky Mountains and flew around in circles for several days…

They say it disappeared without a trace one day.

Whether it was subjugated by someone or just missed living underground and burrowed back into the earth, I couldn’t know from my position stuck in Hestella.

In any case, including that one, there were only four dragons. Honestly, it was a bit… no, quite strange.

More than a month had passed, yet during that time only four dragons had been reborn. Where were the other dragons and what were they doing?

Was living underground more comfortable than expected?

It was completely baffling. I had expected at least twice as many to emerge, but there was no sign of that happening.

And then.

Several days later.

I finally learned why the dragons had remained silent for so long.

“Krrrrrrr…. Here it is. I’ve finally found it.”

“Surprisingly small… Kra. And crude. Even by vermin standards.”

“Grrrr…. But it’s certain. This energy, there can be no mistake.”

By witnessing three earth dragons gathered in one place like bears in a den.

—-

Three earth dragons flew into Hestella’s capital. Standing on the city walls, I glared at them while biting my lip.

‘How could dragons, not just one but three…’

To put it bluntly, this was the worst possible scenario.

Even one dragon was a calamity, but three of them traveling together? Where in hell does such a terrible thing happen?

These creatures normally have such strong territorial instincts that they fight among themselves over territory disputes, yet they united and came in a group of three just to destroy a human city?

This was truly the most unfair of unfair situations.

[This looks… rather dangerous.]

Hersella also expressed her worry mixed with lamentation.

Having three dragons flying in formation was already the worst situation, and now we had to face them in battle above the capital.

Whether we won or lost, a catastrophe was guaranteed.

We had urgently evacuated the capital’s citizens, but buildings don’t have legs to flee with.

Even if we achieved a miraculous victory, it seemed impossible to prevent the capital from being destroyed in the battle.

“Haaa…”

I exhaled smoke with the scent of mint like a sigh, crushed my cigarette underfoot, and stepped forward.

Even in the worst situation… what could I do now? I had to accept it and fight. As always.

“You lizard bastards, what are you three looking to eat here? Did your friend come crying to you? Telling you their enemy was here?”

I called out loudly to the dragons whose wingbeats cast shadows as if night had fallen.

I secretly prepared by filling each cell of my body with the power of Karma, ready to burst it out in an instant.

“Krrrr…? What are you?”

The golden, glittering yellow lizard looked down at me and asked.

The red dragon, apparently displeased by my words, growled while exhaling flames through its nostrils, while the blue dragon silently observed the situation with interested eyes.

“…You don’t know me? Then why are you even here? Wasn’t it to avenge Amitamir’s death by the warrior who killed him?”

I asked, slightly showing off my newly acquired winter armor.

The grayish-red scales, forged from Amitamir’s scales mixed with fragments of Akrindo and black iron, made a clattering noise.

“Amitamir…?”

“Grrrr. That’s the name of the white dragon who chewed on trees. Seems he’s dead.”

The blue dragon explained in detail to the golden dragon, who muttered with a face that seemed to ask what kind of nonsense this was.

“Ah. That one. I remember how happy he was when his theory was proven. And this is the result. A miserable end.”

“Dead? To a bug? That’s a shame. There wouldn’t have been a better spectacle in eight hundred years.”

…So they hadn’t come because of Amitamir.

Judging by their mocking attitude, none of the three were close enough to Amitamir to seek revenge for him.

They didn’t even know he had died.

Then why had three dragons descended all at once?

If it wasn’t to avenge a dragon’s death but simply to satisfy their destructive urges, they would have found it more enjoyable to rampage separately.

“I still haven’t received an answer. Why have you come here?”

I asked again, drawing Durandal from its sheath.

“That sword… that energy. It seems familiar.”

The golden dragon, recognizing Durandal, revealed its teeth with interest.

“Just answer the question already.”

“I see, you’re the descendant of that madman? The lunatic who charged in naked. One of Elpinel’s twelve beasts. Seems the bloodline has continued somehow.”

So Rotholandus, that man, fought dragons naked?

It sounded like he was truly insane, but thinking about it, I wasn’t much different, so it felt awkward to criticize.

“Hooh… if you’re his descendant, you qualify. I permit you to state your name. Tell me. What are you? Hairless female monkey.”

The way this red lizard bastard talks.

I swear in advance, if I can neutralize this bastard without killing it, I will pluck every single scale from its body until my dying breath.

“Queen of this country, Hestella. Haschal Astika Median Aishan-Gioro. And what’s your name? Do reptiles like you even have names?”

“Vermin always have such grandiose names. My name is Kudsedra. The red dragon of the Arvania Mountains, Kudsedra Arvania!”

The red dragon roared fiercely, revealing its name.

“Do you know the name Ismenios?”

The golden dragon introduced itself with a light rumble in its throat. Of course, it was a name I had never heard before.

“Brosna.”

In contrast to the other two dragons, the blue dragon muttered only its name briefly. Its attitude was unusually taciturn for an earth dragon.

“Kudsedra, Ismenios, Brosna. Good. Now, truly for the last time, I’ll ask again… why are you here?”

If they gave me another irrelevant answer, I was ready to abandon the conversation altogether.

This dialogue was just a delaying tactic anyway. Since Demian and the others had already approached nearby, there was no need to stall further.

“Krrrrr…. Do you truly not know and ask? You, of all people, one of the guardians?”

Ismenios chuckled and answered.

“Did you think we wouldn’t notice? That energy reaching deep underground. That power. The presence of that accursed sword?”

“What are you talking about? Do you have a grudge against Durandal?”

“You’ll hide it until the end? Very well. I understand. The sword’s owner has not yet acquired the qualifications worthy of the sword, so as a guardian, you’re trying to protect him. But it’s futile!”

…So they weren’t talking about Durandal.

Ah, damn it, then…

Then, the reason these three gathered at once was…

“How could we forget! The fragment of divinity that Elpinel forged with lamentation and anger. That accursed evil sword that has cut down countless demons and drunk the blood of countless dragons, that calamitous blade you dare call a holy sword!”

Ismenios spread its wings wide and roared loudly.

“It must be here! It has to be! Reveal yourself! And perish before becoming a calamity! We have gathered here solely for that purpose!”

“Burn and die by our curse! Elpinel’s Fury, owner of Gram!”

Gram.

Elpinel’s Fury.

The true name of Carlos the Great’s holy sword, Joyeuse.

Yes. I finally understood.

The reason they had come all this way.

It wasn’t to kill me…

It was to crush and burn Demian, the owner of the holy sword.

Before he could become as strong as Carlos the Great.