Chapter 6 : Brave
by fnovelpia
“Oh my, my dear granddaughter.”
“Ugh, I feel dizzy…”
Since earlier, Grandma Lavender has been shaking me up and down, showering me with praises.
Crazy… I feel like the mana I just ate is going to come back up…
“Crazy old hag, are you trying to kill the kid?”
“Could you speak a little nicer, please…”
“Yes, Baal, well said.”
“You’re going to kill the child, Lavender.”
“Shouldn’t someone without a name stay out of this, Brightster?”
“…What?!”
They started glaring at each other like they were ready to kill.
W-what is going on?
“Your Highness, please wait a moment.”
“Eh?”
Grandma Lavender set me down.
What followed was a rather shocking scene.
The very same Grandma Lavender, who told someone earlier to speak more elegantly, started to provoke the nameless grandpa relentlessly.
“Meat shield.”
“Flash.”
“Trash can.”
With every word she spat out, Grandpa Flash’s expression grew darker.
Meanwhile, Grandma Lavender’s expression only grew brighter.
Holy crap, you are terrifying.
I glanced at Grandpa Surtr the Red, hoping for some help.
‘Fight. Fight! One of you, please just drop dead!’
But he was muttering that to himself with a terrifying expression, so I quickly turned my gaze away.
Are all dragons psychos?
My last hope.
I looked at Grandma Baal.
“I’m sorry… Grandma and Grandpa have always had a rocky relationship. Come here,” she whispered
softly and gave me a warm smile.
Then, she hugged me and gently patted me.
It was oddly comforting.
“Now, you two~? Please stop. Her Highness the Princess is getting tired of waiting,” said Grandma Baal with a sigh.
Grandpa Flash and Grandma Lavender suddenly looked startled and turned to me.
Not that I was particularly tired or anything.
“Oh, you’ve been waiting, haven’t you? How adorable, Your Highness.”
“…Let’s go.”
“Ah, I mean… Your Highness, let’s proceed.”
For some reason, I didn’t feel bad about it.
It feels like I’m being adored.
No! Get a grip, Han Minho!
I can’t let myself become a spoiled brat from this sweetness.
Stay focused!
“I-I’m fine. I’m not tired.”
“Are you saying that because you’re worried about Grandma and Grandpa?”
“Oh my, how sweet~”
No, that’s not it.
“T-that’s not it! I’m really okay!”
“Alright, alright! Before Her Highness the Princess loses interest, let’s get going!”
“Yes, let’s do that. Baal, could you lead the way?”
“Of course, sister!”
When Grandma Baal said that, Grandma Lavender covered her mouth shyly and smiled with her eyes.
“She’s using the title we had back when we were 300 years old.”
What.
“Back when we were 300 years old?”
“Still, doesn’t it bring back good memories?”
“Back then, our Baal was cute too. Now she keeps her distance, speaking so formally.”
“T-That’s because Lady Lavender kept nagging me to maintain decorum!”
“That’s true~”
H-how old are they now?
“How, um, how old are you now?”
When I asked that, both Grandma Baal and Grandma Lavender turned to look at me simultaneously.
W-what is this? Was that a bit rude?
Should I have used a more polite term, like ‘your age’?
Ah, the world is spinning. Am I about to get scolded by grandmas?
As I tensed up and shrank back, they both began to respond.
“How old am I this year again?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I lost track after celebrating when I turned 3,000…”
The two grandmas began to look more flustered than me.
“I-I’m sorry~ I can’t quite remember…”
“Your Highness, asking a lady about her age is impolite, you know?”
Grandma Baal, struggling to remember, held her head in her hands and asked me to wait.
Meanwhile, Grandma Lavender said it was rude to ask a lady’s age but pulled out her diary from a pocket dimension to check what page she was on.
I didn’t need to know that badly…
“Your Highness, as far as this old man knows, the blue one is 5,672 years old, and the green one is 4,789 years old.”
Grandpa Surtr spoke up from behind, laughing so hard he almost lost his breath.
Good heavens, they’re that old?
Amazing.
In my past life, I died young, so I’ve always had a strong desire to live longer.
Does this mean I could live that long too?
“Wow…”
The thought of living so long made me accidentally voice my awe.
“Your eyes are sparkling…”
“Are you amazed?”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“…Adorable.”
In an instant, I was surrounded by the grandparents.
“I-I’m sorry!! P-pardon my rudeness!”
Damn it, no matter how hard I try to pronounce things properly, my young body makes me stumble over words when I speak quickly.
“So cute~~!!”
“Hehehe, Your Highness~”
“…Indeed, this is nice. This must be what being a grandparent feels like.”
“…It brings back memories.”
They all started patting my head one by one.
M-my hair is getting messy!
“My hair…”
“Oh dear, just a moment~”
[Oh, wind.]
With a gentle whoosh, Grandma Baal’s voice, sounding like it had autotune, summoned wind that tidied my hair.
What the heck? That’s so cool.
“Wow…”
“Fascinating, isn’t it?”
Of course, it is. It’s incredible.
“Yes!”
As I nodded vigorously, the elders looked at me with proud smiles.
“When you grow up, Your Highness, you’ll be able to do it too! I’ll teach you when the time comes~”
R-really?
“Really? I can really do it?”
“Of course~”
Grandma Baal said as she stroked my head.
But then…
“…Sis, what are you going to do if the princess gets disappointed later?”
“Shh! Surt, what if the princess hears you? You’re always saying unnecessary things.”
“Sorry. But the princess can’t use dragon magic, right?”
“Surtr!”
I could hear Grandma Lavender and Grandpa Surtr whispering behind me.
Having good hearing can be a curse sometimes.
Grandpa Flash and Grandma Baal seemed to have heard nothing, though.
What’s their relationship?
They argue in front of others, but behind the scenes, it’s… complicated?
I once heard about office romances from my sister.
Speaking of her, I wonder what she’s up to now.
“Your Highness? What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Just before I fell into the depths of my thoughts, Grandma Baal brought me back to reality.
I must have had a serious look on my face.
“Oh, nothing. I was just zoning out.”
“Is that so?”
‘Thank goodness. Looks like she didn’t hear us.’
‘Stop whispering! She might overhear!’
‘You’re all fools. It’s been 200 years, and you still haven’t caught on.’
What the heck?
Grandpa Flash is now subtly stepping back, fidgeting with his hair.
‘Hey, the princess is looking over here!’
I accidentally locked eyes with Grandpa Surtr.
I kind of want to mess with him.
Sometimes, hiding behind the mask of a child isn’t a bad strategy.
“What are you doing back th—”
Before I could finish my sentence…
“Elders! Humans have entered the Glacier Plains!”
A woman in a white cloak, her face concealed by a masquerade mask, came running and shouted.
Hearing this, Grandma Lavender’s expression shifted drastically.
“Do you see any warriors among them?”
“We haven’t confirmed yet, but it doesn’t seem like they’ve summoned another warrior aside from the one you dealt with last time.”
The cloaked woman hesitated before continuing.
“B-but…”
“But what?”
“The humans’ overall stats have increased.”
“And their demands?”
“They’re asking us to open the gateway to the demon realm.”
Grandpa Surtr scowled deeply upon hearing this.
“Ha, are those humans crazy about war or something? Even the Demon Kings are lying low, and yet they’re acting like this without even having a hero?”
Hearing this, Grandma Baal spoke up.
“Calm down, Surtr. Thinking humans are still the same as they were 5,000 years ago is a big mistake.”
“She’s right. Calm down. The magic left behind by the heroes is still lingering, and the dragons are weaker because of it.”
Surtr Grandpa sighed and looked at the cloaked woman, frowning deeply.
“Who’s dealing with the humans right now?”
The cloaked woman flinched at his gaze and stammered.
“A-Anuket is currently confronting the humans.”
“…Then there’s nothing to worry about.”
It seemed like Surtr Grandpa’s anger had subsided a bit.
But just how strong have humans become to warrant this reaction?
“Are these humans really that powerful?”
“They are. If human soldiers, armed with their technology, invade this kingdom…”
Grandma Baal trailed off with a grave expression.
“If they do?”
“To exaggerate a little… they could conquer it.”
“What?”
Excuse me?
“Of course, I’m talking about if the Elders aren’t here.”
[Explode.]
A woman, looking down at the ground from above with a detached expression, uttered that single word.
- Kyaaaaaaak!
- “A dragon! Kill the dragon!”
- “It’s… it’s a primordial dragon!!! Fall back!!!”
The tiny ants of humans scattered below burst apart like insignificant insects.
“The Empire’s hero has come to speak with you!!! Come down at once and talk to us!!!”
Whatever they’re yelling right now isn’t important.
Not compared to the pitiful cries of the dragons falling behind her.
At least, not to Anuket.
“Summoned another hero, huh…”
Anuket absentmindedly checked the hero’s status window.
[Entity Name: Unknown]
[Species: Human (Hero)]
[Level: 107]
[Strength: 701]
[Magic Power: 532]
[Stamina: 341]
[Title: Successor, Chosen One]
“…Stronger again?”
She muttered quietly.
Since the death of the hero 5,000 years ago during the war between humans and demons, the title Successor has been given to the next hero.
And since then, humans have grown absurdly strong.
“…Cockroach bastards.”
They just keep climbing back up.
That thought dominated Anuket’s mind.
“I’ll kill you. Though capturing and studying you could be interesting too.”
But before she could entertain that idea further, there were other matters to handle.
Kraaah!
“Ah, Anuket! Another magic cannon is—”
She had to destroy the soldiers’ magic cannons.
These powerful weapons that began appearing on battlefields about a century ago needed to be dismantled as much as possible.
These so-called ‘negotiators’ dared to bring such hideous things as gifts.
Anuket’s mismatched eyes began to glow—one blue, one green.
[Goodbye.]
At her murmured words imbued with power…
- Kyaaaaak!
- “W-what is this?!”
The massive glaciers transformed into a giant swamp, swallowing up the hero, their weapons, and the soldiers with eerie precision.
“It’s done.”
As the light in her eyes faded, the swamp disappeared without a trace.
Thus, the 10,854th human hero perished, and the effort to open the gate to the Demon Kings continued.
“Where am I?”
“Hero, please save us!”
“Excuse me?!”
And so, the 10,855th hero was summoned.
[Entity Name: Han Yuri]
[Species: Human (Hero)]
[Level: 1]
[Strength: 54]
[Magic Power: 82]
[Stamina: 71]
[Title: Successor, Chosen One, and 1 more.]
Lavender Icicle.
Baal Breeze.
Surtr Iggrid.
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