Chapter 70: Volume 4 - CH 14

“Who is this Ghrud? A dragon?”

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Shildonia asked a question, but Zeurus’ expression grew grim. He clearly didn’t want to be asked about that.

“It’s already too late for that. We’ve heard about it, so tell us the details.”

However, seeing that Shildonia didn’t let up, he sighed and continued.

“…Ghrud is the youngest dragon living in this area, and my…grandchild.”

“Grandchild?!” Shildonia raised a shocked voice. “Wait! Your only child should be Mearle. Are you saying that you kept one a secret?”

“No, my only child is Mearle…Ghrud is Mearle’s child.” Zeurus explained.

Standing at the summit of all living beings on earth, dragons have a relatively low birth rate. A male and female dragon enter a reproductive period only about once or twice their entire lives, and if they find a partner, they give birth to a child. Zeurus’ only child was a female dragon, and Shildonia remembered that she had already passed her reproductive period.

“However, that Mearle was supposed to have passed away during that incident way before the time my real body was even alive.”

“That’s correct…You most likely didn’t know either, but before she died, Mearle gave birth to an egg…as a memento of her existence, you could say.” Remembering the daughter that passed before himself, Zeurus’ eyes were filled with pain and sadness.

The existence of this egg was hidden from everybody who wasn’t a dragon, which explained why Shildonia didn’t know of this. Luckily, despite the weakened Mearle, the egg managed to survive, and it took thousands of years for it to hatch.

“I cannot make any more offspring. So to me, he is the final dragon inheriting my blood.”

If he was of direct descent from Zeurus himself, that would make his blood the noblest in the entire dragon race. Of course, this was a story of a thousand years in the future, but Ghrud would eventually rise to become the leader of all dragons living in the World Tree.

“…What you’re thinking is absolutely correct. Eventually, he will rise to govern the dragon race as a whole. That is why I’ve been training him ever since a young age.” Zeurus showed a nostalgic gaze as he spoke of the past. “He possesses the role of carrying our past and duty, the testament of Divine Dragon Valzed, and our responsibility to keep balance in the world…and as a result of that, he stopped coming back to the World Tree half a year ago.” Zeurus had a distant look in his eyes.

“…So basically, he ran away from home?” Shildonia said in disbelief.

“I won’t deny that.”

“Then the dragon that has been spotted frequently in human territory was Ghrud?”

“Most likely…I simply taught him what is right and wrong, only the best for him in mind, and yet this happened…he is barely 500 years old…”

“Of course, you moron. If you just push logic and justice into a young child’s head every single day, they won’t be able to endure much of that.” Shildonia argued. “He must have too much stress built up. 500 years…that would be a young adult in human terms. Too much pressure made him explode, surely.”

It may be a young adult in the eyes of a human, but to dragons, Ghrud’s age was even below that.

“So the whole reason for this ruckus is a dragon running away from home? You can’t make this up, really.” Seran said, not bothered at all.

“Unable to bear with the strict treatment at home, he ran away…Sounds typical.”

Lieze came to the conclusion that humans and dragons weren’t all that different.

“And if he went to bars or started smoking, he’d be an actual delinquent.” Urza sighed, as her image of the dragons changed quite a bit.

“And, you told this suspicious demon about Ghrud, is what I’m guessing here.” Shildonia put one finger on her brow, thinking.

“I-Indeed…I actually didn’t plan on doing so, but…”

“What kind of demon was it?”

Yuriga had stayed quiet until then, now breaking into the conversation with a stern expression.

“They called themselves Targ. Because they named themselves without much hesitation, it gave them a friendly impression…and they talked a lot.”

To a demon, a name was a big thing, so unless they were talking with a fellow demon, they would not drop their name this easily. Although it was in the presence of a dragon, that act alone was quite peculiar. While remembering his conversation with Targ, Zeurus’ expression grew grimmer the longer it went on.

“At first, we talked about trifling matters such as the weather or my health…and then they started to press further on certain topics…I don’t know why, but in the heat of the moment, I told them about Ghrud.”

He probably was lured around by the nose with some dirty techniques, grumbling about Ghrud in his half-absent mind.

“When I told Targ about Ghrud, they seemed oddly happy and left…Being this careless, my age has taken a toll on me.”

Basically, this was the result of Targ’s talking skill, and the misinterpretation of Zeurus, assuming Targ to be an envoy of the demon lord. Though imperfect, the Demon Lord had been in regular contact with the dragons, so the trust from this fact dulled Zeurus ability to judge.

“So, why do you just let Ghrud roam free? He’s your important successor, no?” Kyle asked, to which Zeurus shook his head.

“…I can’t bring a dragon who discarded their duty home. I cannot get involved with the way it is right now. That is our law,” Zeurus said with a resentful tone. “If only he returns out of his own free will…that is why the best I can do is wait.” Zeurus surely would be able to change the law if he wished, but that would mean he used his influence for his personal interest, and that is something someone with power should never do.

“Bound by law as always…So, should we bring Ghrud back ourselves?” Shildonia offered, to which Zeurus’ eyes opened wide.

“…What?”

“A dragon won’t be able to bring him back, right? Then we will either convince him or drag him back by force. There would be no problem then, right?”

“That is true…Hmmm…” Zeurus was hesitating, to which Shildonia followed up with more pressure.

“Not to mention that we can’t ignore Ghrud any more than this, he has already negatively influenced the humanfolk territory. Dragons are supposed to keep balance in the world, no?”

“…I got it.” Zeurus nodded, to which Shildonia smiled at Kyle.

To Kyle, this was a very beneficial condition. It allowed him to create a debt with Zeurus. However, bringing back a dragon safe and sound, he had no idea how difficult that would even turn out to be.

“…However, I have a condition. That demon will be acting together with you.”

““Wha…?!””

Not only Kyle and his group, but even Yuriga let out a dumbfounded voice.

“I don’t know what goal this Targ demon has. However, if it’s involved with Ghrud, then it would lead to a fierce battle. If you have that demon with you, you might be able to talk things out, right?”

“That is true, but…”

Kyle looked at Yuriga, who also seemed bewildered.

“Of course, this would be a request I have from you, so you can decline if you want to,” Zeurus asked Yuriga, who thought about it for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

“…My order from the Demon Lord-sama said to keep a friendly relationship with the dragons, so I cannot decline this request. At the same time…this is a failure on our side. I cannot ignore any demon that would work against the will of the Demon Lord-sama.”

Yuriga had no duty of listening to Zeurus’ request. However, her position forced her to help the dragons, and she couldn’t afford to let this unidentified demon called Targ do as he pleased without any orders from the demon lord.

“Not to mention…it appears I have some sort of connection with these people…so if they were willing to.”

Now Yuriga looked at Kyle’s group, seeking confirmation.

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“Well, the circumstances ask for it…” Seran seemed somewhat okay at least.

Lieze and Urza had no objections either, and Erina said she’d leave it to everyone, keeping up her same attitude. However, Kyle was the only one who didn’t agree with this. A feeling of anger and displeasure filled his chest.

“I understand how you feel. However, we need as much help as possible for this incident.” Shildonia guessed his feelings, calling out to him.

He knew that receiving help from a demon is a chance he could not discard. However, demons were the monsters who stole his hometown, his family, his friends, his comrades, his beloved ones, everything from him. His hatred for them had no bounds. If possible, he would have preferred to cut her down right now, and acting together was something he didn’t want to accept.

“Kyle, your face is scary. Zeurus-san is giving you a chance, so don’t be like that.”

“It’s as Lieze said, you need to adapt to the situation.”

The only reason Kyle could hold himself back at this very moment is that his loved ones were with him. Hearing Lieze’s and Urza’s voices, he felt his restless heart calming down, and his feelings coming back under his control.

“Yeah, in this case, we should probably work together…Got it, let’s pair up. However, I don’t plan on giving you any orders, so I won’t listen to yours either. We’re on equal terms, got it?” Kyle sighed, and convinced himself that this would be fine, agreeing to move together with the demon.

“That works best for me.” Yuriga nodded.

And once that was resolved, they immediately said their goodbyes to Zeurus, and departed.

After they left, Zeurus returned to his dragon shape, and ordered Irumera.

‘Irumera, you follow them.’

‘M-Me?! But, the law…?’ Irumera let out a shocked voice.

‘I’m not telling you to help them. Watch them from afar. As this is related to Ghrud, we are not entirely unrelated.’

He was simply tasked to follow Kyle’s group and watch over them.

‘However, you cannot directly talk with Ghrud. He has to come back out of his own accord, not influenced by us dragons. That is our law.’ Zeurus spoke that far and showed something that resembled a self-deprecating smile. ‘Law, is it…’

The law of dragons was transcribed by the Divine Dragon Valzed so as to introduce caution against their overpowering strength. That was not wrong, but Zeurus didn’t see it as entirely right and worthy of being followed strictly. However, it was far too late to change it now.

‘Younglings are easy to look down on humanfolk, and you are one of the biggest representatives of that trait. That is why I want you to go with them. So that you learn from them, and come back a wiser dragon.’

‘L-Learn? From humans? I don’t understand much about demons, but why is there such a need to care about such fragile and minuscule beings such as humans?’

To Irumera, humans were like ants, an existence he could crush with a single step.

‘You will understand it one day. Whether human or demon…and even dragon, we don’t share too many differences. That fate will laugh at all of us, shower us with absurdity.’

Coming from the strongest and oldest dragon currently alive, these words may sound fragile and senile, but the meaning behind them was far too heavy for Irumera to counter with anything.

***

‘That being the case, I’ll be observing all of you.’ Irumera grouped up with everyone in front of the World Tree, explaining the circumstances with clear exhaustion in his voice.

“I don’t mind, but…don’t pull us down, alright?”

Irumera’s face tightened up, being forced to listen to Seran’s cheeky attitude. However, Lieze smacked her fist into his head, so that case was resolved somewhat peacefully.

“Now, how should we even look for Ghrud…” Kyle started thinking.

If they couldn’t even find Ghrud, there was no trying to convince him either.

‘I do not know where Ghrud is hiding. At the very least, he has not left this Eddos country you call it. I was looking for him from time to time, but to no avail.’

“Oh? I thought you weren’t supposed to interact with him?” Urza asked.

‘M-My duty is to act as a guard! So I was going around gathering information! Not to mention that Ghrud is something like a younger brother to me…’ Irumera responded, but that last part was in an oddly quiet voice.

“However, that would mean we have to look around the entire country. Recklessly running around doesn’t always bear fruit.” Kyle was thinking to himself, but he couldn’t come up with any better conclusion.

“Um…I went ahead and gathered any information from the witnesses.” Erina carefully spoke up, taking out a map.

Written on the map were locations and times where the dragon was spotted.

“Ohhh, that’ll be helpful…Though, it seems to be rather irregular…Trying to guess his location will be hard just with that.” Kyle looked at the map, unable to find any connection between the locations and times.

“So, as an idea…we could ask the dark elves for their assistance? They are the ones who know the most about this forest. Wherever this Ghrud-san may be hiding, he must have left behind some traces.”

Kyle nodded after hearing about Erina’s idea.

“The dark elves, huh…I guess they would be our best bet.”

“The dark elves surely have their own share of troubles, so surely they would be willing to assist us.”

Kyle remembered Paserane and Roas.

“…If we’re going to search for Ghrud, we would most likely have to enter the territory of the dark elves, so we would have to interact with them eventually. If so, clearing up things immediately would probably be safer. So, let’s go meet the dark elves.” Kyle made his decision, and everyone immediately prepared for departure.

“…We should head out right away then.” Lieze gathered up all their belongings and looked in a certain direction.

“It will take us two days at least…It’d be great if we had a faster way of going.” Urza opened up the map, also looking in a certain direction as well.

“Yeah…If we could fly through the sky, we’d make it there in a heartbeat.” Kyle focused his gaze in a certain direction.

“So that we don’t run into any complications on the way, it’d be best if we could move as fast as possible.” Seran glanced in a certain direction, grinning.

“Indeed. On a side note, during our oath, I once asked to ride a dragon in an emergency situation.” Shildonia showed a fiendish smirk, as she looked in a certain direction—directly at Irumera.

‘……Get on.’

Receiving expectant gazes from the entire group, Irumera turned his back to the group.

“…Like a single lifeform.” Yuriga didn’t know if she should be impressed or bewildered.

“Ahaha…” Erina flashed a simple smile, as she was somewhat used to it at this point.

Like this, humans, demons, and dragons came together in their search for another dragon. Since the creation of this world, this was the first time humans and demons, as well as a dragon who most definitely remained neutral, worked together for a temporary ceasefire.

“Well, the job is about bringing home a minor dragon, so this is just all over the place.”

“Don’t say that…”

Shildonia didn’t hold back in her phrasing, earning a sharp retort from Kyle.

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