I couldn’t see what expression Roka was making behind me, but I wasn’t too disappointed. Judging by the pale face of the swordsman over there, it was clear that it wasn’t an expression I’d want to see anyway.
Anyway, I have no idea what’s going on all of a sudden. Maybe they know Roka? They don’t look alike, but perhaps they’re relatives?
“Why… why… we’re family! Is that facially challenged person more important than family…?”
Ah, facially challenged? For someone speaking while sniffling, they sure have a knack for hitting where it hurts. I could laugh it off, but poor Roka had to be calmed down from getting angry.
By the way, who are they really? If I’d met someone like that before, I wouldn’t have forgotten, so they must be someone new.
Roka’s long-lost family…? But Roka’s being so cold, it seems like they’re seeing this kid for the first time too.
“Are you relatives?”
I asked just in case, but the kid shook their head.
Shake shake, very firmly. Apparently, having wolf ears doesn’t make you family. The hair color is different too.
“Then neighbors or friends…”
“I don’t know them.”
This time, they answered before I could finish.
Luckily, I didn’t need to ask who they were. At Roka’s words of not knowing them, their eyes widened, and soon tears welled up in those round eyes.
“Y-you really don’t know me? I’m Kisea! Queen Kisea! I’m a super famous mercenary, you know! My sister is the most successful in our clan! H-have you really never heard of me?”
Queen… Kisea? Doesn’t ring a bell. Yurinel never mentioned them either.
I’m not that well-informed, so I’m not sure either. Roka looked at me as if asking who that person was, but I had no answer.
“Queen Kisea. They’re a somewhat famous mercenary in the northeast. One of the few masters you can hire with money, so they’re well-known among those with the ability.”
Then, an elderly lady finally explained who they were. I was startled when I saw her.
Sometimes, certain types of attire alone can indicate the wearer’s status.
As far as I know, that attire is permitted only to one person in the empire. Just by looking at the elegant and neat-colored empress attire, I could immediately tell who she was.
“Your Majesty, the Empress.”
“You recognized me right away. You’re the priest who healed our Ardein. I wanted to meet you, but there were too many people looking for you, so I planned to invite you later. But then I heard you went to the Citadel. However, it seems you haven’t gone yet?”
“I went and came back. Things over there have settled.”
A lot has happened, but it’s only been a few days. It seems a lot has happened here too in those few days.
The Citadel’s issues are over. They won’t happen again.
On the other hand, the problems here are just beginning, and it’s unclear how they’ll end. Fortunately for us, this Queen person seemed to have significantly reduced their hostility upon seeing Roka.
“Are you… on the empire’s side?”
“We owe Ardein a debt. So, are you going to fight or not?”
Roka angrily tapped the ground with her tail, and Lady Kisea couldn’t step forward strongly. It wasn’t that she was scared of Roka, but the idea of swinging a sword at Roka seemed uncomfortable.
“…Alright, I’ll stop then. The Church Country hired me, but I can just return the deposit. How could I swing a sword at family?”
She sheathed her sword, and her ears drooped. The once confident woman now looked as pitiful as a dog caught in the rain. She seemed depressed, her tail lacking strength.
Roka, too, seemed caught off guard by this situation, flinching as if electrocuted.
“Uh… you’re just going to leave?”
“I’ll go, little sister. Even though I won’t get the Church Country’s support anymore…”
“Hey…”
“I can’t save our kin groaning in the grasslands, but what can I do? If that’s family’s choice… wolves must respect wolves.”
Roka and I looked at each other without a word. As she trudged away with a tired expression, none other than Her Majesty the Empress stopped her.
“Wait a moment.”
Perk.
With her back turned, one ear stood up. Her Majesty cleared her throat and spoke.
“It seems there’s a story here. Let’s hear it in more detail. Come in and sit down. Tell us everything from the beginning. Maybe we can help.”
“But Your Majesty, that person…”
A knight who had been standing by, though I’m not sure what she was doing, opened her mouth but quickly shut it. She couldn’t withstand the Empress’s gaze.
“…Will you help?”
“Let’s hear it first.”
Maybe it’s because they’re kin? Roka also seemed concerned about the dejected Queen.
Her voice was still sharp, but her tone was friendlier than before. Clearly, this kid was strong against hostility but weak to kindness.
“Tell us your story first.”
“Alright, come in.”
“Your Majesty, then what should we…”
“Sophie Well. You’re useless, so bring four cups of tea. Sugar and milk too.”
Thinking about it, just a few months ago, I left the Hero Party to live a quiet life farming. Why am I suddenly seeing so many things happening?
Maybe it’s the Lord’s will for me to face some storms after living so peacefully. There’s a sign of new troubles brewing. My heart doesn’t want to hear this story.
But still, I have to listen.Sigh.I unconsciously sighed.
Not even a day after returning from the Citadel, it feels like something new is about to begin.
Chuckle.*
The ‘voice’ laughed. Everything is going according to plan.
Though the Death God Modrig is a bit of a hurdle, that’s a problem for the Three Divine Gods to solve. She hides in a quiet place, waits to seize the maximum benefit, and then hides again.
She might not need to hide anymore. Soon, she might possess the greatest advantage the Three Divine Gods couldn’t achieve.
-Why are you so lovable?
Watching Yanid, whose body was collapsing but slowly recovering, leave to carry out her orders, the Evil God smiled. She reached out and stroked Yanid.
It’s an old story. Those captured by the Hilrae Church for experiments always prayed. With nothing else to do, they prayed for anyone to hear their prayers.
This goddess heard those prayers. Even before the Dragon Heart was implanted in Yanid, the Evil God had taken a keen interest in this child. The most dangerous place is sometimes the safest.
No one, not even Hilrae, realized that the Evil God Oberta was hiding within Yanid.
Who would have thought? In the Hilrae Church’s research lab, overflowing with Saint Hilrae’s divine power.
The Evil God was secretly hiding there. This goddess is best at such things. She’s the goddess of thieves and bandits. Her followers generally do such things.
A god influences their followers, but sometimes followers influence their god. With her followers skilled in such areas, the goddess naturally became an expert in these matters.
-An ordinary body can’t withstand me. Even a part of me leaves scars on the face, and the body mutates into a monster. The end is collapse. But dragons are different.
So she tormented, tormented, and tormented again. Until the thought of death seemed preferable, she continuously hurled abuse to break the spirit.
Only then could she seize that body with minimal effort. A body that could withstand divinity.
The Three Divine Gods and Oberta have no physical form. It’s not that they prefer being formless.
There’s no body on earth that can withstand their divinity. In the process of ascending from human to god, their physical forms were destroyed. Of course, they’d prefer having a body.
Having both spirit and body versus having only one. It’s obvious which is better. If Oberta, already a god, gains her own body, especially a Dragon Chimera body, it could change the world’s balance.
-Now, break beautifully. And hand over your body to me.
The Evil God hummed and muttered to herself. Yanid’s body collapsing wasn’t due to the Hilrae Church’s failed experiments. It was because she was stuffed in a holy water tank.
The hidden divine power of Oberta inside continuously clashed with Hilrae’s divine power, causing even the half-dragon’s body to crack. That problem is gone now. So no worries.
With no further damage, the most balanced dragon body began to recover on its own. This body’s regenerative power was incomparable to a human’s.
And the brand Hilrae engraved? No need to worry about that. It was engraved on Yanid, not Oberta. When the Evil God takes over the body, it will naturally disappear.
[How delightful.]
However, in a place even she couldn’t hear, another voice muttered.
[It must feel great.]
The annoyed voice sank into the depths. This heart is mine, yet these riff-raffs are causing a ruckus, it thought.
Whether it’s the Hilrae Church, Yanid, or Oberta, to it, they’re nothing but heart thieves.
If you take the heart, you must repay with the body. Long ago, an evil dragon abandoned by its kin hid deep within. This body is mine.
An experiment that was bound to fail succeeded, and a being that couldn’t be created was made.
The merging of human and dragon traits. Even if Yanid is a distant descendant of dragons, it wouldn’t have been possible without her cooperation in the darkness.
I did all the work, and now Oberta wants to take the prize. It’s not a pleasant sight. But having waited for thousands, perhaps even more, years within the heart.
Waiting a little longer until the time comes isn’t hard for this black dragon. In the end, it’s slightly curious about who will have the last laugh.
