Chapter II: The Dragon Kingdom and an Old Legend
After the Liberators left the capital, one of the remaining Holy Templar Knights desperately tried to heal Lelei, the last remaining captain of the regiment.
“Lelei-sama! Please don’t leave us!”
Coughing up blood, Lelei looked up at the knight with unfocused eyes and asked, “What’s...the situation?”
“Rejoice, Lelei-sama! God didn’t abandon us after all. He summoned an endless army of apostles and forced the heretics to retreat!”
“What about...the commanders?”
Lelei was, of course, asking about Kaime and Selm, who’d been appointed to lead the Holy Templar Knights after Laus had defected.
“We believe they were kidnapped. Please, don’t speak. Just focus on your recovery for now.”
With how crippled the Holy Templar Knights were, they couldn’t afford to lose their last remaining leader. The knights wouldn’t know what to do if she died too.
Lelei realized just how badly they needed her as well, so she let herself be treated without kicking up a fuss. She closed her eyes and let the magic wash over her.
“Hm? Nnngh! Gaaah! Wh-What the—?! Who are you?! Stop!” she suddenly shouted, gripping her head and writhing around in pain.
“Lelei-sama?! What’s wrong?!”
The other surviving knights rushed over and cast their healing spells on her as well. But a few seconds later, Lelei’s fit ended as abruptly as it started.
“L-Lelei-sama?” one of the knights said timidly. Lelei remained still for a second, after which her eyes shot open.
“Sorry, it’s nothing. Continue your treatment,” she said in an emotionless voice, her gaze surprisingly cold. Confused, the knight resumed casting healing magic.
After five minutes, Lelei’s most serious injuries had healed and she waved the knight away as she rose to her feet. She then ordered her knights to round up the survivors while she walked over to the palace’s crumbled wall and looked down at the capital, where she could see five apostles chipping away at the giant tree in the plaza with disintegration magic.
Sensing a familiar presence behind her, she turned around and said, “I see you survived, Hearst-sama.”
“Us apostles are simultaneously one and infinity. As an immortal being, it would be impossible for me to die.”
It was indeed the same Hearst that Meiru had sealed away that came to stand next to Lelei. The injuries she’d suffered from Revival Reversal were completely gone.
“There’s no need to act humble. We all know that you’re the first of our lord’s apostles, as well as his favorite.”
Hearst didn’t reply. She almost seemed to be feeling regret over the fact that her master had needed to heal her not once, but twice now, so instead, she asked in a pointed voice, “Shouldn’t you be worrying more about yourself? You lost everything.”
“I can’t argue with that. I really did lose it all. As time passes, there are fewer and fewer people born with powerful special magic. It might not be possible for me to collect hosts of as high a quality as before.”
“I was asking after your soul, not your body.”
Lelei placed a hand to her chest, cocked her head, and replied, “I did lose a bit of it during my defeat, but I’ve managed to integrate with this host quite well. Either way, I won’t die until I retrieve the Holy Sword. She belongs to me, after all.”
Lelei’s last sentence was spoken with an inordinate amount of obsessive zeal.
Hearst simply said, “I see,” and turned on her heel.
“But for now, we are to leave the Liberators be. I shall make the preparations for this era’s final act, so in the meantime, I need you to control the situation.”
“As you wish.”
Hearst flapped her wings and flew away.
“U-Umm, Lelei-sama?” one of the knights asked. He’d come to ask for further instructions, but had been waiting for Lelei to finish her conversation with the apostle. He seemed understandably confused by the familiarity with which Lelei had been addressing Hearst.
“I’ve decided to abandon that name. From now on, you can call me Darrion Kaus,” the woman once known as Lelei said, causing the knight to feel even more confused.
Ten days had passed since the decisive battle at the theocracy’s capital.
Miledi was sitting on the porch of a beautiful two-story wooden mansion, her legs dangling over the edge. She was wearing a pale-green yukata instead of her usual dress. Her hair was down, and she was gazing idly at the garden below. Her eyes didn’t seem to be taking in any of the splendid views, however. It was hard to tell if she was lost in thought, or simply not thinking at all. Moreover, she looked at once both serene and composed, and impatient and worried. Whatever the case, she was clearly not her usual annoying self, that much was certain. It was hard for anyone to even approach her.
“Oscar-kun, go pin her down and kiss her,” Meiru said, tugging on Oscar’s inky-black yukata.
“You want me to kill myself?”
“It’s called shock therapy.”
The two of them were hiding behind a corner of the hallway, watching Miledi from a distance.
“I feel like she’s calmed down a lot from when we first came here,” Oscar said.
“I know, but...I still can’t bear to see her like this,” Meiru replied, folding her arms. Her boobs threatened to spill out of her sky-blue yukata at any moment. Since coming here, her manner of dress had gotten sloppier and more revealing, causing the residents of this mansion endless headaches.
“I think Miledi just needs some time to reflect. We all do, really,” Oscar added, leaning back against the wall and looking up.
“I guess we just have to wait for now, then,” Meiru replied gently.
Though Oscar’s glasses hid his expression, Meiru could tell he was in a similar state to Miledi. Both of them were desperately trying to find a way to narrow the gap in strength between them and Ehit, but they couldn’t think of anything. They were burning with impatience and anxiety, but as Meiru had said, all they could really do was wait.
The seven ancient magic users still hadn’t recovered from that strange sense of exhaustion that had washed over them after destroying Ehit’s pillar, and the two hundred-odd prisoners that they’d rescued needed time to rest and recover as well. Moreover, they needed to stay close to the Melusine—which had become the Liberators’ new temporary headquarters—to keep track of all of their comrades who were still on the run and help them if need be. More than anything, though, staying here was the fastest way to find a solution to their problem.
“The Dragon Kingdom has a long and storied history. I’m sure we’ll be able to find some clues on how to defeat Ehit here.”
In fact, the main reason the dragonmen had come to the Liberators’ aid, and why they were staying here in the Dragon Kingdom, was because they wanted all the information Miledi and the others had gleaned about Ehit from their decisive battle. Of course, they also wanted to protect Miledi and her comrades, since the ancient magic users had the best chance of defeating Ehit that the dragonmen had seen in their kingdom’s thousand-year history. The Dragon Kingdom had even been willing to sacrifice all of its warriors to help Miledi and the others escape if it came down to it. While Miledi and the others were glad for the assistance, the special treatment they had received didn’t sit well with them. Still, they’d managed to safely escape from the apostles, so at the very least, they wouldn’t have to worry about the Dragon Kingdom crumbling because of them.
At any rate, the kingdom’s scholars were now poring over their nation’s ancient texts to see if they could learn anything new with the knowledge Miledi had given them about Ehit. Meanwhile, Miledi and the others got to relax in the Dragon General’s mansion. Unfortunately, they weren’t managing to relax much, as they were simultaneously filled with a burning desire to act and the despondence that came with knowing they’d been thoroughly outmatched.
“If things were going to come to this regardless, we should have contacted the dragonmen before the decisive battle,” Meiru said.
“You’re right, but with the execution coming up, we simply didn’t have time,” Oscar replied.
The Dragon Kingdom was surrounded on all sides by the northern mountains and was hundreds of kilometers away from civilization. Moreover, it was well-hidden, and only Miledi—who’d visited once before—knew its exact location.
In the days leading up to the decisive battle, Miledi and the others had been busy setting up the Skynets, upgrading their equipment, preparing escape routes, and holding backroom meetings with the leaders of the various nations. There had been a mountain of tasks to accomplish, and not nearly enough time.
“I suppose that’s fair,” Meiru said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“I think I’ll go bring some refreshments to the scholars. I’m sure they’ll be happy to be served by a beautiful woman like me.”
“Please dress properly before you go. If you go in that outfit, you’ll just stress them out even more. I know these clothes were gifts, but that doesn’t mean you can alter them however you please. The yukata you’re wearing now is basically as revealing as underwear in this culture. Going out dressed like that in this city just makes you a pervert, Meiru.”
“How rude!” Meiru responded with a kick that flashed her panties, which only further proved Oscar’s point.
“What are you two doing?” Naiz asked, rounding the far corner and walking down the hallway toward them. He was wearing his ivory-white yukata perfectly, like a native.
Meiru jerked her chin over at Miledi, and Naiz nodded in understanding after taking one look at her.
“Oscar, why don’t you go say something to her? Cheering girls up is your specialty, isn’t it?”
“What do you guys think I am?”
“A fake gentleman and a womanizer,” Naiz and Meiru said in unison.
“Fuck you.”
Oscar adjusted his glasses and hastily tried to change the topic.
“How’re things looking?”
“We got a message from Sim today. The beastmen warriors managed to regroup.”
“Have they returned to the forest?”
“Valf, Craid, and about half of the soldiers have. Sui’s in Entris, while Sim and Nirke are hiding with the remaining warriors in our village at the border of Uldea and Odion.”
“Is Sui trying to scout out what the theocracy’s up to?”
“Hopefully. Sim said that she vanished before he knew it.”
“My, are we sure she didn’t just grow tired of working for the Liberators and run away?”
“I wouldn’t put it past her, especially with how resigned Sim looked when he told me that.”
It wouldn’t have been surprising if Sui had hidden herself away from her comrades so they wouldn’t push more work on her.
Oscar, Meiru, and Naiz sighed in unison. Oscar then started counting off with his fingers and said, “So now we know for sure that Badd, Marshal, Chris, and Diene-chan are all safe.”
“Margaretta as well. She and the other Schnee clansmen have made it to Sainttown. We’ve managed to get in touch with about sixty percent of the forces that participated in the decisive battle. Though honestly, I am worried about how the demon army is faring.”
“Yeah, they’d stand out in the northern continent. We’d know if they passed through the Reisen Gorge, but since that’s the main border between the northern and southern continent, the church is probably heavily patrolling the area. They’ll need to move carefully if they want to slip past the guards.”
Salus was coordinating the retreat efforts and checking up on everyone via the massive Skynet installed on the Melusine. Lyutillis was helping him as well. The Skynets had bad reception in this mountainous region, so they needed her evolution magic to boost their output enough to get a proper signal.
Oddly enough, it seemed Ehit and the church hadn’t sent out any pursuit parties against the fleeing Liberators yet.
“Why aren’t they making a move?” Naiz muttered, his expression grim. Meiru and Oscar knew he was referring to the church, so their expressions darkened as well.
“The church’s forces were decimated but...that doesn’t seem like a good enough reason to lie low.”
“Yeah, since now they’re reinforced by an army of apostles.”
“Still, even if Ehit proved his strength, faith in him is wavering. According to Badd, people in the other nations are starting to doubt the church...and some have even ousted the priests.”
“I guess if the apostles start a purge now, the people will stop believing in Ehit completely. They’ll be ruled by fear instead of faith. But wait, does Ehit really care that much about people worshiping him?”
“Maybe he just wants to see if our struggle will entertain him?”
“He did say the decisive battle was a letdown. I wouldn’t put it past him to... Sorry, there’s no point in idle speculation.”
They had no way of knowing Ehit’s true motives, so ruminating on them wouldn’t get them anywhere. All that mattered was that they’d been given some reprieve, and they needed to use that time to learn as much as they could from the Dragon Kingdom’s archives as possible.
The three of them smiled wanly at each other. They then decided that it would be best to leave Miledi alone and hope that the tranquil garden brought her some peace of mind. However, as they turned to leave, someone came barreling down from the other side of the hallway.
“Whoa, Van-chan?!”
“Miledi, sorry, but can you hide me for a sec?!”
Miledi stared at him in surprise as he half-slid his way over to her and dove right into the garden, his indigo-blue yukata completely disheveled. He then ducked under Miledi’s feet and hid in the space below the porch.
At a distance, it looked like he was burying his face into her crotch. Miledi squealed in surprise, and Oscar primed his glasses to blow Vandre to pieces. However, before he could fire off his murderous beam, Meiru smacked the back of his head and Naiz tripped him with a leg sweep. As a result, Oscar fired his beam straight into the ground, opening two holes in the wood.
A second later, another set of footsteps pattered down the hallway from the same direction Vandre had come.
“Well hello there, Miledi-san! What are you doing here?”
“Oh, Nieshika-san.”
A woman who looked to be in her midthirties with pale violet hair and eyes, as well as a lapis-blue kimono, walked over to Miledi. Her name was Nieshika Schnee...and she was the wife of Grice Schnee, the owner of this mansion.
“Umm, I was just admiring your garden,” Miledi said.
“Why, that’s wonderful. Be sure to tell the gardener how much you like it as well. It will make him very happy. Anyway, relaxing is important.”
Nieshika sat down next to Miledi and smiled warmly at her.
“Umm...”
“He he he...” Nieshika laughed and started patting Miledi on the head. Miledi was at a loss for how to respond to Nieshika’s head pats, which was a rarity for her.
“That yukata really suits you. Would you like me to do up your hair later? I found a hairpin that would be perfect for you. You’re a very refined lady, so I think a more mature haori would also work well.”
“I-It’s fine. I’m happy with the clothes you gave me already.”
“Oh, Miledi-san, there’s no need to be so formal with me. You’ll make this old woman sad.”
“You’re not that old...”
“After you live three hundred years, you can’t exactly call yourself young anymore.”
Miledi felt like a child whenever she was around Nieshika...and it wasn’t just her either, as Oscar and the others felt the same way. They were taking advantage of her hospitality, and she belonged to one of the most important noble families in the Dragon Kingdom, but it was her personality more than anything that made them feel like they just couldn’t say no to her.
Honestly though, it wasn’t just her either, as they felt this way around pretty much all of the dragonmen When they’d first arrived in the Dragon Kingdom, most of the Liberators and Andikan citizens had been a little scared of the dragonmen. They had grown up hearing stories about how evil they all were, after all. But after spending some time here, they’d come to realize how kind, tolerant, and open-minded the dragonmen were. There was also something about the dragonmen that simply made people respect them.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude on your alone time.”
“It’s fine, I was just spacing out because I had nothing to do.”
“Really? Still, I’m sorry for droning on. When you get to my age, it’s hard to stop yourself.”
With a smile, Nieshika suddenly raised her hand and... “Hngh!”
“Bwah!”
...drove her fist through the floor, grabbing Vandre and hauling him up.
“Eeeeeek!” Miledi shouted, surprised and more than a little scared.
“How could you be so cruel, Van? Why would you run from your grandmother?”
“I-I wasn’t running...” Vandre muttered weakly. Nieshika was holding him by the collar, and only half of his body was above the floorboards. He turned to Miledi, pleading for help with his eyes.
“Look at someone when they’re talking to you!”
“O-Okay. Sorry.”
Vandre, who was normally a haughty ball of arrogance, was as meek as a kitten before Nieshika. It was such a rare and precious sight that Miledi didn’t have any desire to help him. She did her best to avoid meeting Vandre’s gaze and simply shot covert glances at him instead. The trio in the hallway was also sneaking surreptitious glances at Vandre.
“Sheesh, all I did was offer to clean your ears out for you.”
“But I’m too old for...”
“There’s no need to be shy, Van. Let your grandmother pamper you.”
Nieshika hauled Vandre the rest of the way up and hugged him. And as she patted his head, he let out a strange noise. Being in Nieshika’s embrace was so comfortable that he almost let himself surrender, but then he saw Miledi grinning at him from the corner of his eye.
“Hngh!”
With an identical grunt to his grandmother’s, he tried to extricate himself from Nieshika’s grasp, but before he knew it, he was resting on her lap. Despite being a master of every martial art, he couldn’t even begin to fathom how she’d managed that. Embarrassed, frustrated, and a little happy all at once, Vandre once again tried to squirm away, but before he could, he heard an exasperated voice call out to them from above.
“Nieshika, what are you doing?”
“Hello, dear. Van’s being shy and rebellious. What should I do?”
“It sure seems like you already know what you want to do, so why even ask?”
“He he he he...”
Grice let out a long sigh. Their savior had ultramarine hair and eyes, and was wearing a yukata that was the same indigo color as Vandre’s. His brow was perpetually furrowed, and he carried himself with all the dignity and pride of a powerful general.
Vandre cast his gaze around, searching for anything that might help him. He wanted to stand, but Nieshika kept holding him down without him even realizing it.
“You have a bad habit of smothering people with affection, you know? Remember how much it annoyed Sariska?”
Nieshika certainly did have that old cat lady vibe.
“Sorry, Van,” Grice said.
“It’s okay...”
Both of them weren’t very talkative by nature, so whenever they met, it was kind of awkward. Kind of like a father who was always away on business trips finally getting some time off to see his son, but neither of them knowing what to say.
Grice wasn’t trying to be distant, but he also had no idea how to interact with his long-lost grandson, so their exchanges always ended up stilted.
“Oh, come now, dear. I know you’re bad with words, but you really do want to talk with Van more, don’t you? Why, just last night, I saw you wandering the halls with your prized bottle of aged sake, looking for—”
“Please spare me,” Grice said, blushing to the tips of his ears. It was obvious to anyone watching that Grice and Nieshika both treasured Vandre greatly. He was their daughter’s cherished son, so of course they loved him. And it clearly wasn’t just them either, since the other members of the Schnee family, and even the family’s servants, were overjoyed to see Vandre. No one cared that he was a half-breed or that he had the blood of the previous Demon Lord running through his veins. Though honestly, that was precisely why it was hard for Vandre to settle in.
The night they’d arrived at Grice’s mansion, Vandre had talked with him and Nieshika for hours. He’d told them about how he’d been born, everything that had happened to him, and even that Sasrika had died because he couldn’t control himself. He hadn’t hidden a single thing. And that was precisely why Vandre thought he didn’t deserve to be accepted by the rest of his family. However, Grice and Nieshika clearly didn’t agree.
“Umm, I...”
Before Vandre could get another word in, Grice patted his head and made his grandson look up to see the old dragonman casting a gentle gaze over him.
Feeling totally out of place, Miledi slowly scooted away. Seeing that, Grice remembered what he’d come here for and awkwardly cleared his throat.
“His Majesty has invited you to lunch. Will you join him?” he asked, looking first at Miledi, then at the trio hiding in the hallway.
Vandre followed his gaze and nearly fainted in shock when he realized Oscar, of all people, had seen him resting atop his grandmother’s lap.
“It’d be our pleasure,” Oscar and the others said, grinning.
Grice led Miledi and the others to the palace for their formal lunch. As they walked through the city’s gorgeous streets, the party took in the sights of the capital.
The Dragon Kingdom’s capital was situated in a large caldera, and while the surrounding region was nothing but bare rock, the caldera was teeming with vegetation. Numerous streams ran through the city, and all of the buildings were made of wood. Even the largest of them was no more than three stories tall, and the simple architectural style was something the group hadn’t seen anywhere else.
The palace, too, was quite unique. It wasn’t at all ostentatious, and following the rule of other large buildings in the city, only three stories tall. And yet, the vermilion gates were beautiful despite lacking ornamentation and the rock garden in the courtyard was marvelous. The inner palace also felt majestic, and Miledi and the others felt as though they’d wandered into another world.
As they stepped inside, they awkwardly removed their shoes, following the dragonmen’s custom of not wearing footwear indoors. They enjoyed the warmth of the wooden floors underneath their bare feet as they walked down the halls. Or, in Meiru’s case, glided like an ice skater. Naiz shook his head in exasperation as he watched her.
After taking a few turns, they reached the banquet hall. The party could hear boisterous voices from the other side of the sliding door.
“I’ve gotta say, I’m jealous of Grice. None of us have any kids as amazing as his grandson.”
Vandre stiffened up upon hearing that.
“Well, if you ask me, Miledi’s the best of them!”
Miledi blushed.
“Both of them are only skilled in their respective fields, though. Meanwhile, Oscar has mastered numerous different disciplines.”
Oscar let out a strangled noise.
“Come on, who cares about those three? Meiru’s the real star of the Liberators. She really does take after Reej. No wonder she’s become one of the most—”
Meiru scowled angrily and before anyone could stop her, she kicked the door open and stomped into the room. One of the guards turned in shock, but Meiru ignored him and turned to one of the men who’d been talking—Baharl. She then gave him a terrifying smile, and before he could try to make excuses for himself, she elbowed him in the face, hard.
“Owwwwww! What was that for?!”
“For pretending like you’re my dad! Got a problem with that?!”
“I take it back, you’re nothing like Reej. She didn’t constantly resort to violence like you do.”
“Okay, that settles it. Today’s the day you die. I’ll make you relive all the injuries you’ve suffered in your life.”
“Stop it, you moron!” Oscar shouted, wrapping his wires around Meiru and dragging her away before she killed Baharl.
Miledi hurriedly stepped forward and bowed in apology, saying, “I’m terribly sorry about Meru-nee, Your Majesty.”
She was addressing the man at the head of the table. He had dark golden hair and eyes, and looked to be as old as Grice. And though he was thinner than Grice, he carried himself with the bearing of a king. That being said, he wasn’t the kind of ruler that demanded subservience from those in his presence. People simply felt overawed upon seeing him, like hikers looking up at a tall mountain and marveling at the majesty of nature.
This man was, of course, the king of the Dragon Kingdom, Tragdi Augis Astlan. He smiled gently at Miledi and replied, “No worries, Lady Miledi.”
His voice was as gentle as his expression, and it naturally put people at ease.
“If anything, I’m a little jealous of Baharl. My daughter doesn’t even give me the time of day.”
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, I am not this man’s daugh—”
“Meru-nee, stay,” Miledi said, turning to Meiru with an even more terrifying smile than the one she’d given Baharl.
“Y-You’re scaring me, Miledi-chan,” Meiru replied meekly. While Meiru had technically addressed Tragdi by his title, she’d spoken to him like she would anyone else. The pirate queen really didn’t kneel to anyone.
Tragdi let out a booming laugh, and Miledi breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he was open-minded enough to not mind Meiru’s disrespect.
Everyone took their seats, and Oscar and Miledi gave Karg and Salus respectively somewhat embarrassed glares. Meiru sniffed dismissively and glared at Baharl with a lot more outright hostility. The three old men simply looked away, refusing to meet their children’s gazes...and all the while, Tragdi laughed even harder.
“By the way, where is Laus-dono?” he asked, casting his gaze over Miledi and the others. He didn’t ask after Lyutillis, since Salus had already told him she’d be a little late.
“He’s probably with his family,” Miledi replied.
“Hmm... I see.”
Laus’s family had been among the people that had been on the Melusine when the Liberators had made their escape. They’d been given a mansion on the outskirts of the city, and Laus was still in the middle of hashing things out with them. Or rather, still in the middle of trying to persuade them.
They still hated the Liberators and the dragonmen, and Laus’s words didn’t seem to be getting through to them. Kaime and Selm at least were willing to take walks with Laus and eat meals with him, but it was still hard to tell if their minds had actually changed at all.
Naturally, the dragonmen were keeping an eye on Laus’s family, and Tragdi knew all the details about Laus’s struggles, which was why he looked down sadly.
“We’re extremely thankful that you allowed them into the capital, Your Majesty,” Miledi said.
“What, you mean two kids and two women who can’t fight? I would have to be a heartless monster to refuse them entry,” Tragdi answered with a sad smile as the maids started serving lunch.
Kaime and Selm had both been forced to wear artifact bracelets enchanted with Core Seal, so their apostleified strength was sealed away as well. For the moment, they really were just two regular kids.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Tragdi lifted his goblet and said, “All right, let’s eat.”
For some time, everyone focused on their meal and all heavy topics were avoided. The food wasn’t the kind of lavish fare that was served at nobles’ parties on the mainland. But while it was simple, it tasted delicious and warmed everyone to the core. Both the food and the entire composition of the capital spoke volumes about the dragonmen’s character.
As they ate, Miledi occasionally snuck glances at Tragdi. She had come to the Dragon Kingdom once before, three years ago, though back then, it had been by pure coincidence. She’d been searching for somewhere to build a new village for the Liberators and had coincidentally passed over the region the dragonmen patrolled. They’d been quite surprised to discover a human girl who had mastered the skies better than them. Then, after a few twists and turns, Miledi and the dragonmen had become friends, and she’d been invited to the palace.
Back then, it felt like she’d walked into a fairy tale. Dragonmen had been a race from legends, and the church had of course painted them as pure evil. But of course, Miledi had quickly learned that they were nothing like what the church said, and so, she inevitably invited them to join the Liberators. However, they refused, stating that the Liberators weren’t yet strong enough to convince the Dragon Kingdom to make their move. Moreover, they’d said, “Besides, to the world, we’re the ‘evil’ dragonmen.”
While Miledi reminisced about the past, Salus and Tragdi chatted amicably with each other, ironically about the exact topic that Miledi was reminiscing about.
“Oh, yes. I heard from Miledi that at the time, you refused our invitation because we lacked strength.”
Dragonmen occupied a slightly different niche in the church’s religious canon than the similarly supposedly evil demons. They weren’t a concrete foe that needed to be defeated, nor did any of the human kingdoms have any real history with them. In a way, they were a symbol of more abstract evil. Had they joined forces with Miledi in the past, everyone would have likely denounced her ideals, saying, “See, she’s joined forces with those wicked dragonmen, the root of all evil!”
If they’d joined forces with her back in the day, Miledi would have lost her chance to convey her desires to everyone. But now that the world’s faith in Ehit was wavering, things were different.
“Were we not interested in rethinking that alliance, we would not have invited you here,” Tragdi admitted to Salus. “Your resolve is admirable, and your drive for revolution worthy of respect.”
Tragdi had said the exact same thing to Miledi three years ago, and while he’d meant it back then too, this time those words weren’t a dismissal.
“Your Majesty...thank you so much,” Miledi replied with a smile. Oscar and the others smiled as well, while Salus and the old men breathed sighs of relief.
“The Liberators are the world’s only hope of freeing the people from Ehit’s tyrannical rule.”
Smiling in return, Tragdi said, “Incidentally, you don’t need to worry about the fact that you said, ‘I’ll make you my pet!’ the first time we met anymore.”
Everyone at the table spit out their drinks. No one had known about that embarrassing moment in Miledi’s past.
“M-Miledi?! Did you really say that?!”
“H-H-H-Hang on, Van-chan! I’ve got a good explanation!”
“Miledi, I’m not sure we can be friends anymore...”
“O-kun?! Not you too!”
“Hey, Miledi-chan. Didn’t you just scold me for being rude to the king? And now this?”
“What kind of horrible person would say something like that?”
“Meru-nee, Nacchan, listen to meeeeee!” Miledi shouted, and the sadistic dragon king watched the resulting chaos with a grin.
Grice sighed and said, “Your Majesty, please don’t tease them too much.”
“I’m just having a little fun. Besides, Miledi’s been so subdued since she arrived. Wouldn’t you agree she’s much better like this? Besides, it’s not like I lied about anything.”
“She only said that because you met her in your transformed state to keep the existence of dragonmen a secret and acted like a mindless monster the whole time.”
“Ho ho, I see now. Thank goodness, I was worried our Miledi had a secret fetish she’d been hiding from everyone,” Salus said with a sigh of relief.
Just then, the door that Meiru had kicked open, which had only just been repaired, was once again roughly flung open. A woman with the same color hair and eyes as Tragdi walked through it. She had waist-length hair and a sharp gaze that she leveled at Miledi and the others.
“How long are you guys planning to stay here?” she asked in a cold voice.
Tragdi gave her a stern look and said, “Shival, there’s no need to be rude. Apologize.”
“I’m sorry, father, but you seemed to be having a grand old time in here, and I think if you have time to be fooling around, you should get out and start your revolution already. The longer you stay here, the more likely it is that our nation gets caught up in this war.”
Shival spoke to Tragdi without any respect, which wasn’t too surprising, since she was his daughter.
Tragdi shook his head and replied, “Everyone knows how much you care about our people...and honestly, I’m glad you’re putting them first as well. However, that exclusionary stance is not something I can approve of as a dragonman. How many times have I told you now?”
“Says the man ruling over a nation that’s hiding away from everyone else.”
“We’re only hiding here to avoid plunging the continent into chaos. Surely you must see that.”
“Well, right now, you’re harboring the group that just plunged the world into chaos.”
“Shival,” Tragdi muttered, narrowing his eyes dangerously as the air crackled with tension.
Before an argument could break out, Miledi hurriedly said, “I’m sorry we were so noisy. As soon as your scholars are done investigating the archives, we’ll leave, so—”
“I’ve been worried this might happen since you showed up three years ago,” Shival said as she glared angrily at Miledi.
“Huh?”
“If your visit here brings tragedy to our nation, I’ll make you pay dearly!”
“That’s enough! Get out!” Tragdi shouted.
“Father, why won’t you understand?! What do some lofty ideals matter now?! Aren’t the lives of our brethren more important?!”
It was obvious Shival and Tragdi had had this argument countless times already, enough times even that there was no need to rehash it in front of guests.
Tragdi let out a long sigh and said, “I’m sorry, Grice, but can you escort her out?”
“Of course. Come on, Princess.”
“I don’t need an escort!” Shival said, glaring at Tragdi through teary eyes. She then turned and stalked off. Grice bowed to the table, then walked out behind her.
“I’m sorry you had to see that. I know this is going to sound like an excuse, but...she wasn’t always like this. It was the death of her mother that changed her.”
Tragdi gave a simple explanation of what had happened. Apparently, humans had killed his wife, Shival’s mother. Humans that the dragonmen had rescued from certain death, no less. It had been the dragonmen’s lofty ideals that had invited this danger into their home, and young Shival’s curiosity that had been the trigger for the tragedy. Ever since, Shival had become an extremist who was willing to do anything to protect the lives of her brethren...and only her brethren.
The pain in Tragdi’s voice as he recounted the tale made it clear that he felt as though he’d failed as a husband and a father, not just as a king.
“Your Majesty...” Miledi said in a gentle voice, and Tragdi smiled wanly at her.
“Onee-samaaaaaa! Your beloved Lyu has finally arrived! Please, step on me!”
Just then, Lyutillis burst into the room, her perverted nature on full display. Everyone else froze, while Lyutillis stood there, her arms raised high.
“I-I simply wanted to be punished for arriving late...” Lyutillis said, trailing off.
“Can you believe she’s the ruler of a nation just like you, King Tragdi?” Oscar asked in a disbelieving voice.
Fortunately, Lyutillis’s timely arrival helped dispel the somber mood that had been building up in the room. Lyutillis then joined everyone at the dining table and Tragdi watched in disgust as she moaned in pleasure upon experiencing Meiru’s “punishments.”
“Your Majesty, I’m sorry for interrupting your meal, but this is urgent!” one of the scholars shouted, running into the room a half an hour or so after Lyutillis had arrived.
Miledi and the others exchanged glances, then rose to their feet.
Everyone made their way over to a room in the corner of the palace.
“The ability to turn your will into magic?” Miledi asked in a confused voice. Oscar and the others looked just as lost.
Tragdi, who’d also heard the full report from the scholar, nodded and said, “Do you remember that rainbow barrier that protected the pillar in the cathedral? Didn’t Lyutillis-dono say that she sensed a will from that barrier? And once you finally succeeded in destroying it, weren’t you all more exhausted than you should have been?”
After cross-referencing the information Miledi had given the dragonmen with all the archives in their library, the scholars had gleaned something from a fairy tale of all things. The fairy tale was a cliched one about a hero defeating the Demon Lord, but it was ancient enough to be from the age of the gods. The hero in that tale turned his unrelenting desire to protect one specific woman into power, then used that power to fight the Demon Lord.
“The description of the barrier the hero creates in that fairy tale is strikingly similar to the one you destroyed. And the story states that it was the hero’s unbending will that gave birth to that barrier.”
“But, Your Majesty, isn’t that just some made-up form of magic to make the story seem more exciting?” Laus, who’d come to join everyone else upon hearing that there was an urgent report, asked.
Stories often showed their protagonists gaining fantastical powers to fight against evil.
Tragdi nodded in agreement and answered, “It’s true that this particular story is a simple fairy tale, hence why we paid it no heed at first either.”
The fairy tale didn’t even mention Ehit anywhere, though it did mention a goddess and a sacred tree.
“A goddess? Not Ehit?” Oscar muttered, almost to himself.
However, Tragdi heard him and replied, “Correct, Ehit’s name is nowhere to be found. Granted, while we all refer to Ehit as a he, his gender has never been made clear, so perhaps the goddess is Ehit.”
Regardless, that wasn’t what Tragdi had found interesting about this particular tale.
“More importantly, read the hero’s words as he casts the barrier. ‘Nothing shall despoil this sanctuary.’”
“Those are the same words you felt from the barrier, right, Lyu?”
“Yes, it was a thought so strong it sent shivers down my spine.”
Lyutillis shivered again simply from recalling it, and Tragdi cast his gaze over the others.
“The exhaustion you felt after destroying that barrier was more than just the tiredness one feels after using up most of their mana, wasn’t it?”
“Well...” Miledi trailed off, carefully choosing her words. She then looked at Oscar and the others and continued, “At that moment, I had this thought. It wasn’t just my mana or Lyu’s evolution magic that was powering me. The knowledge that everyone was with me, that I wasn’t alone, that we were all here fighting for the same future, gave me strength. I felt like we were more united than ever before.”
Miledi blushed a little after saying that.
“I know exactly what you mean. I think this is what people mean when they say their hearts are one,” Meiru said.
“Yes, I felt it too,” Lyutillis said. “This overwhelming belief that us seven could accomplish anything if we put our minds to it.”
“Me too. Even though we didn’t understand that barrier, I knew for sure that we could break it,” Naiz added.
“Yes, exactly. Our respective desires for liberation overlapped in that moment,” Laus stated.
“Hang on, are you suggesting we used magic from a fairy tale?” Vandre asked in disbelief.
Oscar adjusted his glasses, let out a long sigh, and answered, “All of this is true, but to answer your question, Your Majesty, being drained of our mana wouldn’t be enough to explain the exhaustion we felt, no. When the barrier was finally destroyed, I felt like my willpower had been sapped away. You all felt it too, right?”
Miledi and the others lapsed into thought, chewing over Oscar’s words.
Salus and the others listened quietly, not wanting to disturb them.
“There’s no point in worrying about it.”
“Yeah, what matters is that we have a new lead, so all that’s left is to see where it leads us.”
“Your Majesty. What happens to the hero in the story after that?” Baharl asked.
Tragdi shook his head and replied, “I don’t know. This particular book ends with the hero going on a journey to chase after the Demon Lord.”
The prevailing interpretation was that after creating a haven for his girlfriend that the Demon Lord couldn’t break, the hero decides to finish the Demon Lord off once and for all.
“Should we return to the Pale Forest?” Lyutillis suggested. The forest had its own sacred tree and was considered a ‘sanctuary’ for the beastmen. Lyutillis was confident she knew all there was to know about the forest, but she also couldn’t think of anywhere else to investigate.
Before Miledi and the others could say anything though, Tragdi shook his head and said, “No, you should make your way to the southwestern edge of the continent, to the Azure Lands.”
Oscar and the others exchanged confused looks, but then Miledi looked up in realization and stated, “You want us to visit the vampire nation.”
“Correct. They are the only race with a history more ancient than ours.”
Dragonmen had been persecuted multiple times in the past, in the age before they closed off their borders and hid away from the world. Every time that had happened, they’d lost much of their literature and oral history. However, the vampires had kept themselves closed off from the world from the very start. Thus, none of their history had been lost to purges, or so Tragdi claimed.
“However, while I’m sure you know this...” Tragdi trailed off. The vampires had kept themselves so closed off that they didn’t allow any other race into their borders. It was likely that Miledi and the others would be turned away immediately.
“Hmm, I’m sure I’ll be able to persuade them to at least talk to us,” Meiru said, and for a moment, everyone stared at her in confusion.
“Have you all forgotten? I’m half-vampire.”
“Oh yeah!” Miledi, Oscar, Naiz, and Vandre said, blinking in surprise.
“Wait, really?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“Wait, so Reej’s first man was a vampire?!”
Lyutillis was excited about learning more about her beloved Onee-sama, while Baharl ground his teeth upon discovering who Reej’s first love had been.
Meiru ignored Lyutillis and pointed a finger at Baharl. With a shit-eating grin, she said, “Yeah, and mom really loved dad, so take that!”
“Y-You little brat!” Baharl shouted. Luckily, Karg gently patted his shoulder before he could blow a gasket.
“B-But, Meru-nee, wasn’t your dad a noble? And didn’t Reej-san have to hide away in Andika because it would’ve been bad if word got out that she had a child with him? Are you sure it’s a good idea to use your heritage to try to get us an audience?” Miledi asked in a worried voice.
“That’s exactly why it’s a good idea. It’s harder to ignore someone who’s a problem than someone who doesn’t matter at all. He he he...”
“You really are a lawless pirate,” Salus said, prompting Baharl to round on him. But before he could say anything, Meiru glared at him to shut up.
“Hmm, that is an unexpected but fortuitous connection. So, what will you do, leader of the Liberators?” Tragdi asked, turning to Miledi.
Miledi shot Meiru a worried look, but she simply patted her fearless leader’s head reassuringly. Oscar and the others looked like they were on board as well. And so, after seeing their resolve, Miledi made her decision.
“We’ll go. It’s time to pay a visit to Tortus’s oldest country, Dastia.”
That evening, Tragdi and the other dragonmen gathered at the capital’s central plaza to see Miledi off. Salus and a number of the other Liberators would be staying in the Dragon Kingdom and using it as a temporary base of operations, so they were also there to see Miledi and her comrades before they left.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving so soon, Van,” Nieshika said, her shoulders slumping.
“Yeah...I’m sorry.”
Vandre couldn’t think of what else to say, but as he waffled for the right words, he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“Be sure to return to us,” Grice said in a gentle voice. However, Vandre still couldn’t bring himself to accept his kindness.
“Umm...I already have a...”
Vandre didn’t feel like a real Schnee, since he’d never met the rest of his family and had only inherited the name from his mother. To him, his true home was with Margaretta and the others.
“Don’t be stupid,” Grice said, tightening his grip on Vandre’s shoulder until it hurt.
“Your family is our family. Next time, bring them all here with you.”
Grice’s expression was so warm, so reassuring, that Vandre felt himself being pulled in.
“Van, you don’t have to feel guilty about what happened to Sasrika,” Nieshika stated as she took Vandre’s hand in hers. “She left to see the world of her own accord. She wanted to be the one to chronicle the state of the world for our people. She chose to have you, raise you, and start a family outside of our nation...all of her own free will. Did you ever feel she’d lost her pride?”
Vandre quietly shook his head and replied, “Mom always held fast to her ideals. She never once lost sight of what it meant to be a dragonman.”
Grice and Nieshika closed their eyes, carving Vandre’s words into their hearts.
“Then hold your head high. Live the life you believe is right. That’s the best way to prove that Sasrika Schnee’s sacrifice was not in vain,” Grice said.
“We’re proud of you both. Sasrika managed to raise you into such a splendid boy despite the harsh circumstances she was in, so don’t be too hard on yourself.”
Vandre could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but he didn’t want to be a blubbering mess during his departure, so he held them in and met his grandparents’ gazes.
“I’ll be going, but I promise I’ll return to you...with the rest of my family. See you soon...grandfather, grandmother.”
That was the first time Vandre had called them that. Grice and Nieshika beamed at him upon hearing those words.
“Your Highness, I’m sorry I have to ask you this, but please look after my family in my absence,” Laus said, turning to Tragdi.
“Fear not, Laus-dono. I swear on my name as the dragon king that they shall come to no harm. And I believe the day will come where they will understand your actions.”
“You have my everlasting gratitude.”
Laus and Tragdi exchanged a firm handshake. Kaime and the others would be staying here, and Sharm and Reinheit would be arriving in a few days to keep an eye on them.
“All right, we’ll be heading off, then, Your Majesty. Thanks a lot for your assistance,” Miledi said.
“Miledi, I pray that you and your comrades’ futures are filled with light,” Tragdi replied, and the two of them nodded to each other.
Naiz then opened a portal and Miledi and the others took their next steps toward their goal, hoping to grasp a solution they weren’t sure existed.
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