Chapter 146: 132

We returned to the Garden.

The lady laid back down on the same sofa that she had been in when I first saw her. The wall of guards around her was thicker than it had previously been though.

That was probably due to the hostility I was exuding.

Toto's eyes met mine.

For the briefest of moments, she gave me an apologetic look. That only made me even angrier.

「Well, where should I start? It's quite the long and tedious story」

The lady lazily took a pastry from the table beside her and ate it.

「Hmm, I suppose I should start with Lord Blue-Scale. Do you know how Rossian came to its demise?」

「All I know is that Rossian was founded by that dragon」

Barfuru had said that no one knew the reason for its demise. I had naturally assumed that it was because the dragon died. But Lord Blue-Scale is sleeping right here.

「If I were to recount the glory of Rossian, many nights would be required. But if I were to speak of its demise, one sentence would suffice. Rossian was founded by a dragon and perished at the hands of that same dragon」

It's said that dragons are immortal creatures.

If there's a reason for why a country founded by a dragon would perish, it would be due to something internal rather than external. In the long history of the modern world, the strongest countries have always tended to collapse from within.

「It was caused by a single knight. A single terrifying man. In a sense, he single-handedly brought about the demise of Rossian」

「A knight?」

Come to think of it, someone had called Barfuru a knight before.

「The heroes' spearhead. That's what Elysium calls those expendable knights. They're people who toil in the shadows to bring glory unto others. Some do it to pay for their crimes, some to protect their family name, some to fulfill their duty, but whatever their reason, it's always a dark one. That means that none of them are decent knights in any sense of the word」

I feel a strange sense of sympathy towards them.

「That knight's name is Deimos Zamongrea. And he’s the beast-headed man lurking in the city right now」

Zamongrea, the heroes' spearhead.

Zamonglass, the Scarlet Knight.

Is the similarity a coincidence, or is it something else?

「Is that Barfuru's name?」

「I'm sure of it. His blood smells the same」

That bastard. So he’s actually a knight of Elysium, huh?

Then, that beast-like appearance makes perfect sense. It's a very simple connection to make. It's so simple that it didn't even occur to me to make it.

No………that's not it.

Some part of me had refused to consider the possibility that Barfuru, the beast-like man who’s far too close with Tyutyu, could be an enemy.

I should have known better than to trust someone so easily, but I had forgotten.

「Zamongrea was sent by Elysium to bring down Rossian. But you see, no knight, no matter how strong, can slay a dragon. More than anything else, he himself understood that.

So,

What do you think he did?

You see, that man, he's an out-and-out killer. On top of that, he's unscrupulous. He takes no pride in battle. He's as far from a true knight as you can possibly imagine. Even the evil that Elysium dresses up with their sophistry of pride, justice, and holiness looks adorable compared to that man.

He’s a knight deemed aberrant even among the most insidious of deceivers.

You see, that man, he only kills those he’s capable of killing. So, he killed everyone he could.

He killed everyone connected to Lord Blue-Scale. The entire royal line of Rossian, who had dragon blood in their veins.

When the family that it had built up was ripped away, Lord Blue-Scale went mad.

It thought that the people of Rossian, whom it loved, would all die in the same way. If that was the case, then it might as well………………end it all with its own hands」

「Something’s not right」

I interrupted, a doubt nagging at me.

「What a boorish man you are」

I ignored the lady's rebuke.

「You're still alive. You're also a person with the blood of Rossian in your veins, right? Or is the name you gave a false one?」

「I am without a doubt a member of the royal line of Rossian. However, ever since I married into Neomia at the age of twelve, I have always considered this country to be my homeland」

I have a theory.

One that explains why the lady survived when the rest of her blood kin died.

It would amount to an insult that would cost me my life if I was wrong, but I voiced it without hesitation.

「You helped Zamongrea in his murder of the royal line of Rossian, didn’t you?」

「Yes, I did」

She replied bluntly.

The lady's expression hadn't so much as twitched and had remained perfectly natural.

「Rossian and Neomia were allied. But the relationship between them was never a good one. It's only natural. The founding of Rossian was brought about by the barbaric actions of Neomia. In Rossian, it was widely taught that Neomia was evil.

I was born from the womb of my dead mother. To my father, I was the hateful child who killed my mother. To my family, I was a sinister blood kin of a dragon who was born bearing death. To top it off, I was born afflicted with a deadly disease.

I was given in marriage to Neomia in order to die there. On the surface, it was to cement the alliance, but in truth, it was to give Rossian a justification for invading Neomia.

The King of Neomia, Nerapthis-sama saw through their ploy.

He was a wise, brave, and gentle man.

He explored the depths of this land's dungeon, found the holy communion, and used it to cure my illness. Saying that he did it to protect his country makes it sound so unromantic, but that was the type of love he had.

In that brief window of happiness, Zamongrea appeared before me.

『Choose, lose your husband or abandon the family that abandoned you』

That was the choice presented to me.

I chose my husband. I sacrificed the family that had abandoned me. The dragon went mad, the country was destroyed, and………………that should have been the end of it. Laugh all you want at how simple-minded I was. I was but a child.

The enraged dragon came to me, the only one still alive. After burning half of Neomia's land in a frenzy of rage and destruction, the dragon issued me a warning.

『I shall now enter into a deep sleep. Last of my blood who bears the curse of immortality, guard my slumber. If this madness does not fade away while I dream, this continent will surely be reduced to ashes by my flames』

Winter came to Neomia as the dragon slept.

One year, two years and still, winter did not end. Snow and ice quietly killed the people. Spring of the fifth year came, but the snow still hadn’t stopped. Starving, and resented by his people, the wisdom of the king showed signs of decline.

Following the counsel of nobles who had fallen into gloom, he lifted the seal on the holy communion. That’s a cursed blessing. The call of the moon of misfortune. A god defeated and stripped of its name by the King of Beasts. The source of all vampires.

The people were freezing and starving.

In the name of salvation, the king ate one after another. Those that “remained” after being eaten, went on to eat the others too. In one night, all the living disappeared from the capital.

The ravenous king of vampires. The nobles of ice who were his kin. The capital of death, Neomia.

The country and the capital had perished.

But I, the king, and this castle had remained. That was all I needed. I wanted nothing more. Though he had fallen, he was still the man I loved. No matter the way he treated me, I didn't wish for anything else but to love him.

But then, that day came.

The eighth year of winter. The night of two full moons.

A huge army from Elysium arrived in this land. And at its head was the detestable Zamongrea.

There were no more soldiers left in Neomia. Only the dead wandered its streets. The justification that Elysium gave was that they had come to kill the dead. To kill the vampires.

But they had miscalculated.

In Neomia, there remained those who had made their homes in the mountains. Through an ancient covenant, they were warriors who had sworn to protect Neomia from foreign enemies, the Endguard.

The fierce battle went on for four days, and on the fourth night, I went to them to advise them to flee.

They laughed in my face.

Laughing at the queen of a country is enough to get someone beheaded. Even so, they laughed as they replied.

They said that it was an honor for them to fight and die in the very midst of battle.

Please don't sully our honor, they had said.

They were such a bunch of incorrigible fools.

There were only nine of the warriors left. Just what could they do against an army of 20,000?

The outcome was clear. The next morning, Neomia would be utterly destroyed. The capital would be razed to the ground and every last shred of its civilization would be snuffed out.

No, because that would awaken the dragon, the entire continent would go down in flames. Everything would be reduced to ashes.

In the end, people would perish through their own stupidity. I passed that final night laughing about that.

And so, dawn broke.

But then, the sun went down, the night deepened, and dawn broke again on yet another day. There was nothing but the unchanging, frozen calm.

Elysium's army had been wiped out.

All that had remained were the packs of white wolves roaming that field of snow. The end of the line of those who were once the Endguard.

You see, those men bore a curse. A curse of vampire hunting that had been etched into their blood in times long past. That the descendants of those who hunted vampires would turn into wolves to protect them, I can only think of it as ironic.

However, even though the army had been wiped out and buried under the snow, Zamongrea alone had survived.

He slipped past me, who was rejoicing at the peace and quiet, snuck into the castle, and confronted the king.

At the end of their deadly duel, the king was struck dead, and he too was………………at the very least, it looked to me like they had exchanged mortal blows.

But now, he has become a man-beast resembling those of Elysium, and has come to Neomia once more. Is his aim to take my head? Or is it to wake the sleeping dragon? Regardless of what it is, it can't be anything good」

The lady stopped talking and gulped down a glass of blood-red liquid.

After quenching her thirst, she turned to look directly at me.

「Adventurer, I'm issuing you a request. Accept it」

「What does the request entail?」

「I want you to slay the man you call Barfuru. For the peace of Neomia and the slumber of Lord Blue-Scale, upon which the safety of the right continent hinges upon」

「If this is a request, then I assume there will be a reward?」

「A reward? Let's see. I shall spare that dark-skinned child's life. And I'll close my eyes to your many insolent acts」

「That's kind of cheap」

「What?」

The lady raised her voice in response to my words.

「I can't accept a request with such a cheap reward」

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「What a heartless man you are. Aren't you afraid for that child's life?」

This is where it begins.

Negotiating under pressure.

「The moment Maria was taken hostage, I gave up on her life. If you want to kill her, feel free. But let me give you some words of warning. You guys' lives are hanging in the balance」

「Against the 200 vampires in the castle, what can you―――――」

I drew my katana unceremoniously.

「From the very beginning, I’ve never valued my own life. My lady, you are so very inexperienced. Is your mature body only for show? If you think that you can manipulate people easily by taking hostages, then you're sorely mistaken. I know it's cliched, but it's laughable how shallow your thinking is」

With the katana in my hand, I honed my killing intent.

I felt presences around me.

Before I knew it, I was surrounded.

However, having readied my stance, I'm faster. I can step in and cut off the lady's head before anyone can get in my way. After that, I couldn't care less if I got torn to pieces.

I made that image in my mind a reality that those around me could perceive.

「Think wisely before you speak. And if you still want to kill Maria after all, then do it」

「How simple-minded. Do you think that beheading me will be enough to kill me?」

The lady appeared utterly unfazed.

Seeing that, I chuckled.

「To think that you wouldn't notice immediately upon seeing this katana, dragon blood must run thin in your veins. The blade of this katana is made from the claw of a woman who ate a dragon. Oddly enough, it has the same qualities as the old ones. This weapon has even wounded Lord White-Scale's tail before, you know?」

Ever so slightly, the lady's face twitched.

I bared my teeth in a grin.

「Now, fighting evil with evil is the basic of the basics, but let's see if it works on you, shall we?」

I lowered my stance and built up the strength to launch my body forward.

Quickly and incisively, I will cut down any and all who get in my way.

Right now, I focused every fiber of my being on that alone.

「………………Haa, stop, let’s not do this. You're really such a foolish man」

The lady threw in the towel.

Inwardly, I was relieved, but I still couldn't relax. I had to make sure I didn’t mess up in the endgame.

「Adventurer, what reward do you desire?」

「I want you to guarantee Maria's safety. Whether I live or die, return her safely to Lemuria. After that………」

I looked around.

I randomly decided on something that seemed suitable.

「Give me that candlestick over there」

I picked a candlestick that was on the table as my reward. It was worth about two gold coins.

The object itself is meaningless, but the agreement to give it to me has significance. The god of business can only bind a contract that involves goods or money.

「That's a cheap candlestick, you know?」

「I'm a die-hard lover of candlesticks, and I collect them from all over the world. So that's perfect」

That was complete bullshit.

I could have just asked for gold, but I couldn't come up with an appropriate amount on the spot, so I just went with the candlestick.

「Correction, if I die, you must give it to Maria. Without fail」

「What a remarkably eccentric man you are. Very well. Your reward is the safety of the child and this candlestick. In the event of your death, the candlestick will be given to the child. Is that correct?」

「Yes」

We had come to an agreement. Quickly, I took out the feather that I had hidden in my pocket.

Speaking quickly, I summoned that god.

「The sage of the night, the raptor of knowledge, Gravius. Share your wisdom with me, your kin, and with your keen insight, determine what is fair in this shifting world of people」

On my shoulder, an owl alighted.

It was supposed to alight……

「………………Huh?」

……but it didn’t.

「Gravius-sama?」

I tried shaking and tapping the feather, but there was no response.

「Toto, what do you think he's doing? Do the adventurers outside enjoy collecting candlesticks and waving feathers about, I wonder?」

「If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say that he's attempting to summon one of the sister gods of Minerva to broker a contract」

「You foolish man. There's no way those dancing girls from the desert could come to a land locked away by winter」

To think that I was out of reception……

Please tell me important things like this beforehand, Gravius-sama. This is the worst.

「Adventurer, essentially, you seek proof of our agreement, am I right?」

「Well, yeah」

「Toto」

「Understood, my princess」

Toto handed the lady a knife and a container.

The container was made of glass and looked similar to the ones used for the regeneration point. The lady cut her finger with the knife and let her blood collect in the container. The cut was pretty deep, but the wound closed in an instant.

She corked up the container and offered it to me.

「Here, it's my blood. Take it as proof of our agreement」

I could take it, but……

「What are you suggesting I do with this?」

「It's simple. Should I break our agreement, drink that, become a vampire, and take your revenge on me」

「That's………」

……a very risky proposition. I mean, won't this thing take control of me the moment I drink it?

Giving me something like this as the proof of our agreement is troubling. It's troubling, but I don't think asking for something else is an option.

I really didn't expect to be unable to use Gravius-sama to bind the contract.

「So, what are you going to do?」

The lady cannot be trusted.

Now that Maria's safety is not assured, I can't leave Neomia to get help.

The situation is the worst, but even so, I have no choice but to fight.

I must defeat Barfuru, and depending on how things go, fight the vampires as well.

Can I win? Against that guy?

All by myself?

「I accept」

There's no point in hesitating.

It's meaningless to ponder over whether or not I can win. What is needed is the determination to defeat, no, to kill.

After sliding the back of the katana across my thumb, I inserted its tip into the scabbard. With a rough clang, I sheathed it.

「I shall vanquish the man-beast of Elysium successfully」

「I'm looking forward to it. If worst comes to worst, this continent will be engulfed in dragon fire. Be honored. If you accomplish this, you'll have done the work of a Brave」

The scale of what she’s talking about is too big for me to even begin to imagine.

Besides, I don't believe that the dragon slayers I know would be unable to stop Lord Blue-Scale. That could just be me being simple-minded though. However, if the fight against Lord White-Scale was merely a game to it, then a crazed dragon fighting for real should be………………it's no use. I can't picture it at all.

「Oh, now that you mentioned it……」

I showed the lady the palm of my left hand.

On it was a distorted V with a geometric pattern surrounding it. It was the crest of the Brave. Its summoning function had been disabled by Rana, who had burned it out after that time.

「I’m actually a Brave recognized by the Gastolfo Braves」

I had nearly forgotten about it though.

「You should have shown me that from the start, you fool. I would have treated you a little differently」

Just a little, huh?

In the end, is being a Brave something that grants me any sort of credibility, I wonder?

「To begin with, you――――――」

A loud crash rumbled in the distance, interrupting the lady.

It was sooner than I had expected. There was no time for me to prepare or make plans.

I had to play it by ear. Just as an adventurer should.

「Well then, my lady, I'm off. Make sure you honor your end of the agreement. Otherwise, the number of beasts attacking Neomia will increase by one」

「I shall keep that in mind. Go on then. Show me that you can fight as bravely as the Endguard. And then prove that you're better than them by surviving」

「As you command」

The vampires surrounding me opened up a path.

Silently, I went into battle alone.

Just FYI: Deimos was a god in Greek mythology, a personification of terror (his name means "dread"). He was the son of Ares and Aphrodite, and had a twin brother, Phobos(fear). He did not appear in any stories in Greek mythology, but he was a representation of the terror that’s brought upon humans by war. Interesting, isn’t it?

As for the term “the heroes’ spearhead”, the relevant meaning is “the person, thing, or group that’s the leading force(in an attack)/any person or thing that leads or initiates an attack“. I could have used “advance troops” or “vanguard”, but advance troops is kinda long and vanguard is a term that’s already used for something else and can be confusing, so spearhead it is.

Did you go back and compare the lady’s story with the one Barfuru told way back when? There are passages that are the same, but the key parts obviously differ. Still, isn’t it interesting how much of Barfuru’s story sorta followed the truth? And isn’t this an interesting spin on what seemed like the classic werewolf vs vampire trope at first? I mean, did you really expect that it would be werewolves protecting vampires from humans...

Such a bad-ass and well-planned moment ruined by being out of reception lmao. I laughed so hard when Gravius-sama didn’t show up. I just love how Souya always falls on his face in these kinds of “chess-master” moments and just does better when he wings stuff. Also, Gravius-sama was a dancing girl when she was alive, huh?

Well, what did you think about Barfuru’s true identity? And yeah, I’m sure you’ve guessed it, but we’re heading right into the climax of this volume! Stay tuned!

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