Gedenhide, who had emerged into the lair, hurried over to Morris. He was still trapped within the liches’ encirclement. Gedenhide looked at Morris with a strange smile.
“First, I shall escort you to Lord Verkis.”
A faint smile passed over Morris’s face.
“My thanks.”
But before Morris could even offer his thanks, a chilling radiance rose from Gedenhide’s hand.
Pazzzzzzt.
His duty was to protect his master’s safety with absolute thoroughness. Therefore, he could not overlook even the slightest source of unease. After all, the other party was someone capable of handling mana.
Gedenhide raised his blackened hand and placed it on Morris’s shoulder.
“You won’t need arms to deliver a message, will you?”
At the same time, a short scream burst out.
“Guh…….”
“You’ll need to walk, so I’ll leave your legs.”
Morris’s eyes bulged at the extreme pain. He had steeled his heart, but he could not help groaning at the agony that surged from both arms. Astonishingly, his arms had withered black, shriveling until they were little more than bare bone. It was the mark of having been struck by the hand of death, which dried up all life force. But even that was not enough for Gedenhide.
Crunch, crack.
Both arms, burned black in appearance, were torn from the shoulders. Yet not a single drop of blood leaked from the places where they had been ripped away. The instant he had been struck by the hand of death, even the blood flowing through his veins had dried up along with his flesh.
Morris’s face twisted horribly from the pain. Even so, there was no sign of fear in him, as if he were showing that his endurance and spirit were far from ordinary. His facial muscles trembling, he forced his expression back into place.
“T-The admission fee is a bit steep.”
Gedenhide silently stared at Morris’s face, then turned around.
“Follow me.”
Morris steadied his trembling legs and followed after him. He remained trapped within the liches’ airtight encirclement.
Because of the extreme pain, Morris could barely take each step. Yet in his eyes burned the desire to complete his mission no matter what happened.
This place was no different from a land of death. The one who had sent him to a place where he might die was, astonishingly, the lord he served. In one sense, it could be called a cruel order, but Morris instead clenched his teeth.
‘I will complete this mission, no matter what.’
He had prided himself on having a fair amount of endurance, but the pain in his shoulders was tremendous. It was the moment he fully realized the cruelty of liches, which he had only heard of before.
Perhaps he might never return. But to Morris, what mattered was not something as trivial as his life. Completing the mission—if it was for that alone, he could cast away his life with a smile.
‘With this, I will repay the grace I owe His Grace, Duke Pershtein. I believe in him. Even if I die, His Grace will take care of my family so they want for nothing.’
Morris was staking his life on a single order from Duke Pershtein. The extent of his loyalty to the duke was easy to imagine.
Quietly firming his resolve, Morris silently took steps toward where Verkis was.
The place Morris was led to was a massive wall that rose as if carved sheer. Bronze statues of giants stood lined up in a row, and in the center, two enormous statues of giants, each nearly ten meters tall, stood planted firmly in place. Even as his mind wavered from the pain, Morris carefully examined his surroundings.
‘It seems the statues in the center were cast from iron. What were they made for?’
As he silently looked around, a deep voice suddenly burst out from beyond the wall.
“So, what is your reason for wanting to see me?”
Judging by the way he threw out the question at once, it seemed he had already received a full report about Morris from the liches.
‘That saves time. No need to waste any.’
Morris began to speak his mind without hesitation. Though it was his first time in his life encountering a dragon, he showed not the slightest sign of being intimidated.
“I have come from Arcadia. Under the command of His Grace, Duke Pershtein, a man of power in the Krosen Empire, I have come to convey his will to you, the ruler of this place.”
When Morris addressed him without reservation as “you,” Gedenhide glared.
“You insolent wretch……”
But Verkis, beyond the wall, did not seem particularly concerned.
“Interesting. That a mere human of Arcadia has something to tell me…… Your master must be a fool if he thought you would be able to return alive in peace.”
“Whether you kill me or spare me is of no concern. My mission is only to deliver a secret message to you……”
Seeing him calmly say what he had to say even in a dragon’s lair, he was clearly a man with no ordinary nerve. Simply put, he could be called the person best suited for this sort of mission. Even if he were captured by the enemy, he would never open his mouth. After remaining silent for a moment, Verkis finally spoke. It seemed he had taken an interest in the secret message the man’s lord had sent.
“Very well. Let us hear it.”
Morris immediately began to reveal what was on his mind. It was a proposal from Duke Pershtein to Verkis, the actual leader of the dragons.
“My master’s proposal is simple. He asks that you come to Arcadia and kill one man.”
“What?”
Verkis, who had been listening, felt dumbfounded. A human dared to commission a dragon to commit murder? It was something he had never even imagined until now, and Verkis asked back haltingly.
“So… you are telling me to come to Arcadia and kill a mere human?”
“That is correct. But it is by no means a matter to be taken lightly. The human we are commissioning you to kill is the crown prince who will inherit the throne of the Krosen Empire, the most powerful nation in Arcadia……”
“………”
“His Grace, Duke Pershtein, has more than enough ability to remove him as well. If he were to give the order, knights who would brave fire and water would be as countless as grains of sand on the shore. But we absolutely cannot kill the crown prince. Because the crown prince’s death must never be connected to us, we are commissioning you like this.”
When Verkis’s voice came after he had gathered his thoughts for a moment, it was filled with anger.
“To think you would dare drag dragons into the petty power struggles of lowly, insignificant humans. Truly unforgivable.”
Yet even at the dragon’s anger-laced voice, Morris did not waver in the slightest.
“It would be problematic to view this as a simple power struggle. Because the crown prince is a man who intends to raise an army and conquer Truvenia.”
“C-Conquer Truvenia?”
“That is correct. Arcadia already possesses military power incomparable to the Truvenia that fell five hundred years ago. In other words, it is powerful enough that you cannot possibly take it lightly. The crown prince intends to mobilize the army on a grand scale, drive the dragons out of Truvenia, and make this place human territory once more. Therefore, you should see this as no mere affair of others.”
“………”
“But His Grace, Duke Pershtein, thinks entirely differently from them. His will is that humans should live in Arcadia, while dragons and orcs should make Truvenia their domain. For that reason, he has opposed war with Truvenia until now. But even that has already reached its limit. Before long, Arcadia’s soldiers will be summoned en masse for the conquest of Truvenia. His Grace, Duke Pershtein, dispatched me here in order to stop that.”
Morris’s words continued for nearly ten minutes. Most of what he said concerned the justification for why the crown prince had to be assassinated. After hearing everything, Verkis reacted as though it were absurd.
“I cannot understand it. This Pershtein is also a human, and yet he sends such a proposal……”
“His Grace the Duke said this would be a win-win game that benefits both sides. His Grace does not want war. Therefore, if the contract is established, it will be good for us and not so bad for you either. In addition, His Grace intends to pay a considerable amount of gold, silver, and treasure in return.”
Having finished speaking, Morris straightened his chest as if demanding an answer. It was as though he had said all he had to say.
Beyond the wall, Verkis quietly kept silent. If it had been the usual him, he would have killed Morris without a second thought. To a dragon who had lived for thousands of years, a human’s proposal could only appear transparent.
‘This fellow called Pershtein is probably aiming for the throne of the Arcadian Empire. He wants to have a dragon kill the crown prince and then seize that place himself—a power struggle unique to humans. Truly, the more I think about it, the more laughable it is.’
Judging by the situation, this Duke Pershtein did not seem to understand the dragons’ intentions. Namely, the fact that the dragons’ plan was, at its root, to exterminate the human race itself from every continent. No matter who ascended to the imperial throne of Arcadia, it had nothing whatsoever to do with the dragons. In the end, they were all merely beings that had to be killed off.
Thus, Verkis decided to ignore the other party’s proposal. Though before killing him, he needed to gauge Arcadia’s military strength to some extent through the human before him.
“It seems a proposal that needs no thought. I should interrogate you and learn about Arcadia’s military strength instead.”
Morris gave a bitter smile. He had already come prepared for that.
“I do not mind. There will not be much you can learn through me. I am not someone of particularly high rank. Therefore, even if you subdue me with mental magic, you will not be able to obtain much useful information.”
“………”
“Even if by some chance I return alive, I must retire to some remote countryside with my family regardless of my own will. This is something His Grace the Duke has ordered in advance. You may take it to mean that even if you bewitch me with mental magic, there is almost no possibility of my sending information to you. Therefore, I advise you not to entertain any useless thoughts.”
A strange light flickered in Verkis’s eyes.
“Interesting. You came even knowing that?”
“That is correct. His Grace the Duke’s command is more solemn than my life.”
Having finished speaking, Morris closed his mouth. He looked as though he would not open it even if his body were torn to shreds.
Verkis sank into thought once more. If he had sent him even after taking all that into account, this man called Pershtein was no ordinary figure. Just seeing how he made his subordinates regard their lives as blades of grass was enough to show he could not be taken lightly. Ordinarily, the most appropriate course would be to annihilate this arrogant human without mercy and then sink back into sleep. However, in Verkis’s mind, a rather ingenious thought was rising instead.
‘This works out well. I may be able to use this chance to gauge the strength of Arcadia’s humans.’
If it had been a few days ago, there would have been no need to listen to the proposal of this man called Pershtein. Verkis’s objective was solely the extermination of humans. But now, the circumstances had to be seen as slightly different. They had gained an unknown and powerful enemy named Damon. A formidable foe who had already taken the lives of two dragons.
Moreover, Verkis had no idea how great Arcadia’s military strength was.
In order to make a move against Arcadia, he first needed to ascertain the strength of the humans there. If he made proper use of the humans’ power struggle that had unexpectedly fallen into his hands, he might be able to significantly weaken their strength.
Because Verkis had studied the human race for so long, he knew human nature all too well. Humans were a race whose greed was astonishingly great compared to their short lifespans and frail bodies. Perhaps that was why they had dared to conceive of joining hands with dragons in order to deal with their fellow humans.
Verkis remained silent for quite a long time. During that time, Morris, beyond the stone wall, swallowed dryly and waited anxiously for an answer. Since his fate would be decided by the dragon’s reply, he could not help being tense.
Beside him, Gedenhide waited for the moment of execution, both hands filled with densely condensed mana
And so it was. He was there to annihilate Morris the instant Berkis's command came down.
'No matter how much I ponder it, there is no reason for Lord Berkis to let this insolent human live.'
Because Gedenhyde knew all too well the intentions of Berkis and the other dragons,
he harbored a certain conviction regarding the order that would be given. Needless to say, Berkis would clearly order the human
killed. However, Berkis's reaction was unexpected. At the low answer echoing from beyond the stone wall,
Gedenhyde could not help but be startled.
"Very well. Return and tell your master. Tell him I accept the proposal……."
Though he had guessed the order would be to kill, Gedenhyde had
been sorely mistaken.
On the other hand, a light of delight flickered across Morris's expressionless face. It was the very moment the mission upon which he had staked his life
was finally succeeding. Perhaps unable to contain his surging emotion, his voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
"I-I shall deliver such tidings without fail."
"But the deadline is far too tight. No matter how much I ponder it, I do not believe I can fulfill the promise by that date. We too require
time to prepare."
Tension rose upon Morris's face.
"But if it is not then, I cannot seize the opportunity. The Crown Prince must die before the eyes of many, and to do that, one must target only the moment when the Crown Princess Selection Ceremony takes place. And the one who kills him must be a dragon. Only then can
His Excellency Count Perstein seize control of the Royal Guard."
"By exploiting the anger toward the dragons?"
Morris nodded with a stiff expression.
"Exactly. Only then can His Excellency Count Perstein halt the invasion of Trubenia."
Hearing his words, Berkis's eyes flashed.
"If this Perstein fellow seizes control of the Empire and then decides to invade Trubenia once more,
would that not mean we have worked in vain? Is there truly a need to go so far?"
"It is not so. His Excellency the Count will immediately carry out his grand plan of unifying Arcadia the moment he seizes the Royal Guard. He intends to raise a mighty army and subjugate the surrounding nations in sequence,
making Arcadia into a single empire. In that case, would there be any reason for him to invade Trubenia?"
"......."
"Trubenia will remain the dragons' territory for all eternity. If you wish, I can even provide
a written guarantee."
Berkis finally reached a decision.
"Very well. But that date is still difficult. If your master possesses the ability, he will be able to postpone the date
somewhat."
"Th-then when?"
"Set it for one year after the promised date. I will dispose of that Crown Prince brat without fail
then. I shall name my price later."
Upon hearing Berkis's words, Morris's face brightened. Given Count Perstein's capabilities,
such a thing could certainly be accomplished. The dragon's voice continued, as if to extract a solemn vow.
"Dragons know the value of a promise. I trust your master too shall keep his word."
"His Excellency the Count is likewise one who knows the value of a promise. Please do not worry……."
Morris, overflowing with the joy of his successful mission. An order fell upon
Gedenhyde, who stood there with a bewildered expression.
"Send him on his way. Escort him courteously to where the ship he rode here on is……."
"Y-yes."
With eyes that said he had no idea what was unfolding, Gedenhyde grabbed Morris and pulled him along.
"Let's go."
Having achieved his objective, Morris was led out with a triumphant air. He looked as though he could not care less about having lost both his arms. Walking up the passage, Gedenhyde repeatedly
cocked his head to the side in puzzlement.
'Just what in the world is he trying to do.'
No matter how much he thought about it, since he could not fathom Berkis's intentions at all, Gedenhyde
was simply frustrated.
However, on the other side of the stone wall, Berkis wore a deeply satisfied expression.
"It has worked out well. I'll take this opportunity to use that Perstein fellow and have the Arcadian humans
kill each other off. If we dispose of the Crown Prince, that Perstein fellow will take the throne, and if he launches wars of conquest claiming to unify Arcadia, human strength will inevitably be drastically
weakened. I must seize that moment. By the time all the dragons awaken, we should be able to take Arcadia without difficulty. Humans falling for my scheme and inviting their own extinction are truly
laughable beyond words. Hehehe."
Unable to contain himself, a low sound of derisive laughter flowed from Berkis's dwelling.