Because he had the coordinate book, the spatial transfer proceeded smoothly. After that, Damon
began cautiously gathering information on Zengart, and before long he had no choice but to be
astonished.
“Remarkable.”
The reputation of Baron Romain, now utterly transformed, was more than enough to astonish
Damon. It had been something he had done without much thought, but Zengart was living his new life
truly splendidly. Damon could not help but feel satisfied. From what he had investigated, there were no
signs that any other dragon’s hand had reached him, either. Ironically, that was precisely thanks to the
thoroughness of the deceased Russellent.
Having traced Damon’s movements, Russellent had not left a single guild member he interrogated alive. In
other words, he had sent every last person who knew Zengart’s secret to the afterlife. Gedenhide, who had
crossed over to Arcadia afterward, had also failed to notice Zengart because of that.
The true identity of Baron Romain had been perfectly buried as a secret known only to Zengart and Damon.
Once Damon grasped that, he came to find Zengart without delay, and thus they came face to face like
this.
“I see you got married?”
Zengart blushed and lowered his head.
“Y-yes, sir.”
“She looked quite a bit younger than you. You must have some talent. Well, your outer shell isn’t that old…….”
“It is all thanks to your grace, my benefactor.”
Seeing Zengart at a loss for what to do with himself, Damon let out a chuckle. If one thought about it,
the greater cradle robber was none other than himself. Recalling the age difference when he had met
Daphne, Damon shook his head from side to side.
“It should be fine now. We’re both over five hundred years old…….”
Zengart raised his head with a bewildered expression.
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“Nothing. In any case, you’ve done something truly impressive. Your praises are on everyone’s lips in Lorvain.
Just what did you do to earn such words?”
“It was nothing special. Since you gave me a new life, I merely worked hard so that I would not live it shamefully.”
“At any rate, it was very good to see. As expected, I really do have an eye for people.”
“Thank you.”
Raising his head, Zengart suddenly became serious.
“But the rumors have already spread throughout all of Arcadia.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Seeing Damon stare at him with wide eyes, Zengart was the one who became confused instead.
“You didn’t know? Rumors are rife across the continent that a black mage from Sebain is hunting
dragons with a Death Knight and a Bone Dragon in tow…….”
“The rumors spread that quickly?”
Seeing Damon’s incredulous reaction, Zengart was only then able to be certain. The mysterious black mage
who had set the world astir was none other than his benefactor. Because he was so famous, Zengart had
guessed it might be so, yet on the other hand he had had no choice but to half doubt it.
“You are truly incredible. To think you are hunting dragons, beings said to be so overwhelmingly powerful…….”
“They weren’t especially powerful. The ones I’ve caught so far were only small fry…….”
Watching Zengart’s jaw drop, Damon’s expression hardened.
“Leaving that aside, how has the world been turning these days? Since I was holed up in the north for nearly
a year, I know nothing of worldly affairs. That’s exactly why I came to you.”
Zengart smiled gently.
“Well, it is quite uproarious. I assume you know the reason why?”
“……….”
“The kingdoms of Arcadia are currently in an uproar. The rulers of renowned kingdoms have mobilized large
numbers of their royal guard knights to search for traces of Damon.”
Remembering how the Terbia Royal Guard Knights had chased after him, Damon narrowed his eyes.
“Why on earth are those bastards chasing me?”
Without wiping the smile from his face, Zengart continued speaking.
“It seems you didn’t know. They are looking for you precisely in order to draw Lord Damon over to their side.”
“To draw me over?”
“That’s right. At present, the clouds of war hang thick over Arcadia. It is because of Duke Perstein, who has
effectively seized control of the Croisen Empire. The conjecture that he will soon launch a war of conquest is
circulating secretly through the intelligence networks of each nation. That is precisely why they wish to draw
Damon in.”
“But why me…….”
At Damon’s incredulous question, Zengart tilted his head.
“You didn’t know? The power of the Death Knight and Bone Dragon you possess is easily worth more than
several knight orders. There are even rumors that they could contend with the Croisen Knight Order, the
strongest on the continent. What ruler of any kingdom would simply stand by and watch that? Moreover, the
interests of the three great powers are also entangled in this.”
Zengart explained the circumstances of the three nations: Terbia, Penslot, and Tezeros. Having heard that
although they currently maintained a taut balance of power, the scales would immediately tip if Damon joined
one side, Damon finally understood why the Terbia Royal Guard Knights had been chasing him. Realizing
everything, Damon clicked his tongue as if dumbfounded.
‘Tsk, tsk. Fools who know nothing.’
Of course, Damon had no intention whatsoever of being won over by them. He did not want to, but more
important than anything was the fact that he could not. Naturally, the forces he possessed could never be
called weak. The important point, however, was that they were of no help at all in a war between humans.
Because of the Sevenfold Prohibition Spell, Damon was incapable of killing itself. Nor could he mobilize the
Death Knight and Bone Dragon. Though he had not tested it, the very act of ordering them to kill might
activate the Sevenfold Prohibition Spell. Damon shook his head as if he found it absurd.
‘Idiots. The dragon invasion will begin before long.’
As he was lost in thought, Zengart told him something that caught his interest.
“Duke Perstein, the foremost power in Arcadia, is also frantic to draw Lord Damon in. From what I heard,
after you hunted a White Dragon in Laytona before, you left to collect the ransom, did you not?”
Damon quickly finished thinking and nodded hurriedly.
“I did.”
“Duke Perstein arrived in Laytona immediately after Lord Damon left. Anyone who knows anything is aware
that he is trying to win you over.”
“Is that so?”
Damon thought that this was actually for the best. In the current situation, the only person he could join
hands with was Duke Perstein. Only he could mobilize troops capable of standing against the dragons. Of
course, Damon could not be of help in a war among humans.
“That works out well. I was planning to go find him anyway, and now you say he’s been looking for me…….”
“Pardon? Are you thinking of joining hands with Duke Perstein?”
“That’s right. I have been thinking of joining hands with him for a very long time already.”
After staring at Damon for a moment, Zengart wore a sorrowful expression.
“Before long, all of Arcadia will fall into Duke Perstein’s grasp. He is invincible even now, and if Lord Damon
joins him, there will be nothing to stand in his way.”
A faint worry had settled over Zengart’s face. If Damon joined him, it would be no different from Duke
Perstein gaining an army of a thousand. With the deterrent against war gone, a war of conquest would surely
break out before long, and if that happened, all of Arcadia would certainly be swept up in the flames of war.
Though Lorvain was a trade city, it was located at a strategic point, so it would not be able to avoid the flames
of war either. Zengart could not help but worry. In the worst case, the happiness he had obtained with such
difficulty might be shattered to pieces.
But Zengart dared not say those words aloud. That was because all of his happiness had been obtained
because of Damon. As if he had guessed Zengart’s thoughts, Damon smiled deeply.
“Do you know why I’m trying to join hands with Duke Perstein?”
“……….”
“Because he has power. The power to fight against the dragons and orcs that rule Truvenia.”
Quick-witted Zengart immediately understood Damon’s meaning.
“Th-then…….”
“I, too, am a Truvenian. I have absolutely no intention of leaving my countrymen, who live in hardship as
slaves of the orcs, as they are. Moreover, a war with Truvenia aligns with what I seek. Therefore, I intend to
incite him somehow and make him invade Truvenia.”
“W-will that be possible? Duke Perstein is a very ambitious man. Persuading him will certainly not be easy.”
“If it cannot be done otherwise, I will make it happen even by borrowing the power of black magic. Even if it
is impossible, should I not at least try?”
A light of yearning flashed across Zengart’s face. What Damon had spoken of was something Zengart had
imagined countless times until now, but had ultimately dismissed as impossible. Liberating the people of
Truvenia, who lived in hardship as slaves of the orc race. Was it not the very thing he had longed to achieve
even in his dreams? Overcome with emotion, he sprang to his feet.
“Please allow me to take part. I wish to join the war even as a mere foot soldier.”
“It will be difficult…… You are old now, and you cannot even lift a halberd, can you?”
“I will lift one even if it takes every ounce of strength I have. If that is impossible, I will at least shoot arrows.”
Looking into Zengart’s eyes, which were full of longing, Damon reached out and patted him on the shoulder.
“Everyone has something they’re good at. Playing the part of a foot soldier doesn’t suit you, so how about
taking charge of supplies and logistics instead? I think you would do well.”
Zengart’s face brightened radiantly.
“How could I refuse? If you wish it, I will empty out my entire fortune and add it to the war funds.”
Damon nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Good. When the time comes later, I’ll contact you. You should devote yourself to your business as though
nothing has happened. There is a chance that a dragon chasing me might come looking for you, so everything
must be kept strictly secret. I’ll handle contact with Duke Perstein myself.”
“Understood.”
Damon, who had been about to rise, seemed to remember something and turned his head.
“Ah. And I’ll hand over some jewels, so sell them for me. In troubled times, the value of precious metals and
gold is bound to soar, so if you sell them now, you’ll get a good price. There are quite a few gold ingots too.
About twenty tons.”
A smile appeared at the corners of Zengart’s mouth.
“So this is the dragon ransom I had only heard of. Understood. I will convert it all into cash.”
“Good. Then guide me to the vault.”
Entering Zengart’s secret vault, Damon laid out a vast amount of treasure. In addition to the twenty tons of
gold he had received as Cartroy’s ransom, he had taken out a considerable quantity of jewels from Increasia.
Since every one of the jewels was a dwarven craftwork, Zengart could only gape.
“Now that I think about it, the richest person in Arcadia was Lord Damon. Even Duke Perstein likely does not
possess this much treasure.”
As if embarrassed, Damon gave a bitter smile.
“You’ve grown talkative too. They’re of no particular use to me, so sell them all off. They will be useful when
we invade Truvenia.”
“Leave it to me.”
“Then I’ll be going.”
After saying that, Damon stepped onto the magic circle installed in a corner of the secret vault.
“Take care. I’ll come by from time to time.”
“Please come often.”
Damon waved as if to say he understood, and his body was soon enveloped in radiance.
Flash.
Damon’s body vanished from the spot as though he had never been there. Zengart watched the sight for a
long while, then clenched his fist.
“To think you are planning something so tremendous—you are truly someone worthy of respect. The fact that
I met you is the honor of my life. And I believe that being able to serve you from now on is the greatest
fortune.”
As he murmured those words silently, radiance once again surged up from the magic circle. Sensing the
presence, Zengart hurried over to the magic circle. It was the phenomenon of something arriving through
spatial transfer.
“It seems you must have forgotten something.”
When the radiance disappeared, Zengart quickly bent at the waist. As he did, he thought that the one who
had arrived through spatial transfer must surely be Damon.
“You have returned. Gah.”
Startled, Zengart stepped backward. The one who had warped in was not Damon. A stranger he had never
seen before in his life was staring at him with an expressionless face.
A chill ran down Zengart’s spine. Because of what he had heard from Damon, he instinctively felt a sense of
danger.
“Wh-who are you? S-surely not a dragon?”
When the other party nodded as if to say that was correct, Zengart’s vision went dark. As Zengart edged
backward, the other’s cold voice reached him.
“I know that a Ninth Circle black mage came here a short while ago.”
Zengart grew even more tense.
‘No matter what happens, I must hide the truth about Lord Damon. No matter what torture I suffer.’
However, he did not yet know that dragons were experts in mental magic.