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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Hmm, they came faster than I thought?”
I could feel the presence of people outside.
Slowly picking up my sword, I stretched and took a stance.
Seeing me preparing for battle, the dragonkin also grew tense. With their mouths covered, they couldn’t give separate signals, so they just twisted their bodies and enthusiastically cheered for the dragonkin outside.
Finding their appearance cute, I smirked and immediately charged forward in sync with the door swinging open.
Thinking of knocking down the dragonkin in front of me first, I dashed forward and knocked him over, intending to strike his head with the side of my sword, but…
“…!”
“Beastman?”
Instead of a dragonkin, a beastman with impressive smooth black skin was lying under me, looking at me with terrified eyes.
“Daniel?”
And a familiar voice coming from the front.
“Eris?”
Eris, the elf, and even a small-statured dwarf next to her. I wondered what kind of combination this was, but the beastman pinned under me shouted.
“Get off me!”
“Hmm.”
It seemed he was reacting more intensely because he was embarrassed about being scared just now, and the dwarf made it worse by laughing.
“Seeing you being overpowered by a young human, I can tell your skill level.”
“Shut up!”
They didn’t seem to have a very good relationship.
I was curious about why this party had formed and was here, but Eris immediately rushed towards me.
Her warm and comforting scent and warmth.
Being a man, I couldn’t help but blush at the symbol of her fullness touching my chest.
But unlike me, who was having impure thoughts even in this situation, Eris hugged me tighter while sobbing slightly.
“I’m so glad, really glad.”
“Eris?”
“When I heard you went to the land of dragons, I was so worried. I was afraid something might have gone wrong.”
Indeed, entering here was no different from giving up one’s life.
Should I say it was a slightly flashy way of committing suicide?
“Especially since there were so many traps set up around, I was worried you might have fallen into a trap, but I’m relieved.”
“…Yeah, there were a lot of traps.”
Various skills were needed to survive in the Demon Realm Forest, and traps were ranked high among them.
Even when hunting ancient demons, most battles started with the use of traps.
Thinking it might create an awkward atmosphere if I mentioned that I had set the traps here, I just leaned more into Eris’ warmth.
Eris also put more strength into the hug, and the moment that seemed like it would last forever ended abruptly because of the dwarf and the sulky beastman.
“Oh my, if you’re going to do it, go to the bed.”
“I’ve heard humans are always in heat, but are elves like that too?”
“Wh-What are you saying!”
Eris, blushing, detached herself from me and shouted something at the two, but I could only fidget my hands in disappointment.
Was a woman’s embrace this comforting?
As a Sherpa who had lived in the Demon Realm Forest for 10 years, I had a truly rare experience that I didn’t know before.
‘Eris was able to avoid the traps because of the pattern of Artemis in her eyes.’
Honestly, I was surprised that the dragonkin came so quickly, but if Eris was here, the story would be different.
‘The dragonkin are probably still having a hard time coming here.’
The closer they got to this side, the more traps there were. Even the sensitive demons living in the Demon Realm Forest couldn’t notice these traps and couldn’t disarm them either.
Wishing for the well-being of the dragonkin who must be having a hard time, I led the three of them inside as if giving them a room tour.
“…”
“Oh ho? He’s not an ordinary kid?”
“Is that a Heretic Inquisitor?”
The dwarf and the beastman, who had been looking at me differently the moment they saw the bound dragonkin.
The dwarf called me a kid when he was even smaller, but anyway.
Since I didn’t have any tea to offer, I introduced myself right away, accompanied by the disappointed gazes of the dragonkin who had hoped to be rescued.
“Daniel McLean. I’m a 3rd-year student at Aios Academy.”
“Student? Hmm, a student caused this incident?”
“How irresponsible.”
The beastman crossed his arms, purring.
“How do you plan to handle the aftermath of causing such an incident? When you cross the Dragon’s Boundary, the jurisdiction over you belongs to the dragonkin, but this isn’t an issue that will end with just executing you.”
“…”
“You’re still young and inexperienced.”
“You seem to be unaware, but there’s no race as prideful as the dragonkin.”
No, but where did he get the nerve to speak casually to me? So I responded in the same casual manner.
There were numerous races on this continent.
There were many representative races we knew of, but there were also an incredible number of hidden races.
Notably, the Demon Realm Forest.
The ancient demons there were mostly beings that went beyond the scope of demons.
However, among them, the race with the highest pride was none other than the dragonkin. Just because they worshipped those damn dragons.
As if they were the younger siblings boasting behind a tough older sibling.
“Even if the Frisia Kingdom demands an explanation, the dragonkin will ignore it, let alone a normal student like me.”
“…”
“Responsibility? How will I take responsibility? I won’t.”
“What?”
From the beastman to the dwarf and even Eris, they all waited for my next words. In fact, this was a simpler problem than I thought.
“Wouldn’t it be enough to beat them up to the point where they can’t carelessly blab about it?”
Can an adult who got beaten up like a dog by a neighborhood kid go around talking about it? Especially if that adult held a high position like a knight commander?
There was a possibility of secretly taking revenge later, but they wouldn’t be able to openly take the kid to court.
They might say they’re protecting their honor, but to be blunt…
“It would be embarrassing as hell, right?”
The humans they looked down upon.
Moreover, if an 18-year-old student inflicted immense damage on them, it wouldn’t just be a problem for the inquisitors guarding the Dragon’s Boundary.
It would be a disgrace to the entire race.
The moment other races found out, the sound of thousands of dragonkin tearing their blankets would echo across the continent.
Rather, there was a high possibility that they would propose a backdoor deal with us to keep our mouths shut.
“Is that possible?”
“Yeah, it is.”
Of course, this was based on the premise that I had to inflict enough damage to make the dragonkin feel that way. Since the dragonkin had high combat abilities to match their pride.
As the staring contest between the beastman and me continued, Eris finally intervened.
“Stop it now. This isn’t a situation for us to fight among ourselves.”
“Ahem, I agree with this kid. He has already proven his skill.”
Stroking his beard, the dwarf pointed to the bound dragonkin with his chin.
“Not only the Heretic Inquisitor but he also cleared out this outpost alone? That in itself demonstrates his skill.”
“…”
“Don’t be narrow-minded just because he’s skinny. Are beastmen always like that?”
“It’s best not to provoke me too much.”
The two of them suddenly started fighting among themselves, and I sighed in exasperation.
Now that I was too tired to deal with them, I sat on the chair, and Eris cautiously approached me.
“If you have any injuries, please show me. I’ll heal you.”
“No, I’m not particularly injured.”
“That can’t be. The inquisitors and agents are warriors guarding the front line. As you said, they’re quite strong even among the prideful dragonkin.”
“But I really don’t have any.”
“Oh, come on. You don’t have to act tough.”
Then Eris suddenly started unbuttoning my dress shirt.
I had come straight here wearing my uniform, so I had taken off my cardigan and was only wearing a dress shirt, which was quickly unbuttoned.
“Wait, hold on.”
Startled, I stepped back and the chair fell over.
As I fell backward, the fully unbuttoned dress shirt fluttered, exposing my chest.
“…”
“I-I’m sorry. But you really don’t have any wounds.”
“I told you.”
I quickly got up, adjusting my clothes.
Eris was fanning herself with her hand, trying to cool her flushed face.
“There are rumors that elves have a strong sexual desire.”
“Hmm, when is the elves’ mating season?”
“Isn’t it always mating season like humans? I heard they’re called Erolves, not elves…”
“Who! Who on earth calls us that!”
The two non-human races, who had stopped fighting and were watching us, started offering their opinions.
I didn’t say much as I was trying to calm my pounding heart, but Eris reacted intensely.
“Elves don’t have a mating season! And Erolves? Where did you hear such a vulgar nickname…!”
“Doesn’t not having a mating season mean it’s always mating season?”
“Hmm.”
“Take it easy!”
While we were spending time chatting in our own way, I stopped the conversation of the three and slowly got up from my seat, picking up my sword.
“Let’s go.”
Finally, the eagerly awaited visitors with heavy backsides had arrived.
***
‘Damn it!’
Keyalmirec, the Heretic Inquisitor of the Dragon Fire Outpost, couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
The traps became more complex and varied as they approached the Dragon Horn Outpost. And yet, there was a strange mercy of not taking lives.
They were traps that really got on the nerves of the dragonkin, but they couldn’t speed up their advance.
In the end…
Even the High Inquisitor, who commanded all the inquisitors, had reached this place.
“Good work. Judging by the number of traps, I understand that you couldn’t carry out a swift suppression.”
At the High Inquisitor’s words, the other inquisitors frantically said it wasn’t so and that it was their own negligence, but they forcibly hid the smiles forming on their lips.
He acknowledged the enemy’s ability, not their incompetence.
This alone lightened the burden the inquisitors had to bear, but Keyalmirec, whose tail was dirty, couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
‘I can’t let the High Inquisitor have a conversation with the human.’
It would be better if he charged at the bastard the moment he saw him.
Yes, that way, he could block the conversation itself.
If he made an excuse that he acted out of a sense of duty, he would be reprimanded but it wouldn’t be treated as a big problem.
After all, the criminal was to be executed on the spot anyway.
And so, they reached right in front of the Dragon Horn Outpost, and the boy wearing a school uniform shirt was there to greet them.
“He’s not very old.”
The High Inquisitor stroked his chin and muttered, as if he had figured out the human’s age.
And Keyalmirec, as planned, immediately charged forward.
“In the name of the dragons, the heretic shall be executed!”
Keyalmirec, wielding a huge halberd, charged straight ahead. The other inquisitors shouted at him in surprise, but his halberd, which had already reached right in front, was swung down heavily.
His vision spun.
Keyalmirec couldn’t properly comprehend what had happened.
However, one thing was certain.
His face was buried in the dirt, his body was sprawled out like a frog, and the boy was sitting on top of him.
Keyalmirec tried to get up immediately despite feeling pain all over his body, but the boy’s sword pierced his hand and pinned it down like a nail.
“Aaaargh!”
“Are you ready to negotiate?”
The boy’s chilling voice echoed.
Keyalmirec was considered one of the most outstanding inquisitors in terms of combat ability, along with Zeronia.
Yet, he was being handled like a child and instantly became the enemy’s prisoner in front of everyone.
The other dragonkin couldn’t help but be flustered, but the High Inquisitor with a long white beard stepped forward.
“I am High Inquisitor Shalemas. Boy, what is your name?”
“What’s the point of knowing that? More importantly, what about my demands? Did you bring the information?”
Seeing Daniel snort, Shalemas slowly gripped his spear.
“Boy, you seem to be misunderstanding something. My conversation with you right now is simply out of curiosity. I have no interest in the lives of the captured dragonkin.”
At that moment, Keyalmirec felt Shalemas’ chilling gaze and shrank back.
“What can you do if we just push through here? Boy, you have admirable spirit but lack wisdom.”
“You’re the ones who seem to be mistaken.”
Thud.
“Aaaagh!”
Keyalmirec screamed, clutching the back of his hand.
Daniel’s sword was pulled out, and he slowly got up from on top of Keyalmirec and said,
“The fact that I’m talking to you right now is a kind of mercy. I’ll ask again, humans are turning into dragonkin, so you must have brought the reason for that, right?”
Daniel McLean’s bloodlust suddenly spread out. From the realization that he wasn’t an ordinary human to the urgent need to reevaluate who had the upper hand.
“Or else, you’ll all die here.”
Dragonkin had keen senses.
Even if it was only for a moment, they could all feel it.
To stop that boy, everyone present would have to engage in a desperate battle, risking their lives.
“…”
Shalemas swallowed his saliva and fiddled with his spear. Information? There was no way they had such a thing.
They had no intention of preparing it.
They thought it would end by just killing one human, so why bother preparing?
‘There’s no other way.’
Shalemas finally decided to make a decision.
No matter what happened here, they had no choice but to fight. They couldn’t just let that boy go.
‘He’s just one boy anyway. Even if we suffer casualties, we can handle it well so that rumors don’t spread.’
Just as he was about to charge with that thought…
A beastman leaped out from behind.
“I am Jaguia Blackplin, the captain of the Secret Claws under Lord Lizer, the King of Beasts. I demand the same information as this boy.”
What the black beastman took out was a document with the Beast King’s handwritten signature, and Shalemas couldn’t help but be startled.
A direct subordinate of the Beast King?
If they mishandled this, it could escalate into a war with the beastmen.
But it didn’t end there, and a dwarf approached, chuckling.
“Hoho, so you had the backing of the Beast King? No wonder you seemed nasty. Hey, I am Hatsim Velok, one of the Seven Hammers, a Master.”
Among the professions of the dwarves, the majority were blacksmiths. And among those blacksmiths, the ones who had reached the highest level were given the title of Master, limited to seven.
Since dwarves as a race tended to seclude themselves and focus on hammering, the name Hatsim Velok wasn’t well-known, but the Master’s emblem he was holding was clearly genuine at a glance.
“What in the world…”
Shalemas couldn’t help but be flustered.
From a direct subordinate of the Beast King to a Master?
But it didn’t end there either.
A beautiful elf slowly approached Daniel’s side.
Her mere appearance seemed to illuminate the dark surroundings with a faint light.
A sweet voice came from her modest lips.
“I am Eris Anen Seriere, the Guardian of Yggdrasil. I demand an explanation from the dragonkin regarding the current situation.”
The ruler of the elves was the queen.
But right below that.
The elves, who were as stiff-necked as the dragonkin, unanimously proclaimed their pride in this existence.
An honorable title that proved they possessed immense power, as they embraced all elves and protected Yggdrasil.
The Guardian of Yggdrasil.
Upon Eris’ appearance, Shalemas desperately tried to hold onto his consciousness that felt like fainting and looked at the boy.
Then who was that boy?
Who exactly was that boy who exuded an overwhelming bloodlust far greater than those three?
***
The atmosphere changed drastically after Eris’ appearance.
I thought the flow had turned in our favor, but the gazes were all fixed on me.
‘Ah, don’t tell me…’
I really don’t want to.
I really, really don’t want to.
But not only the dragonkin but also the beastman and the dwarf were looking at me, so I spoke softly as if whispering.
“Daniel McLean. Aios Academy… 3rd year.”
Ah, so embarrassing!
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LoL
Yeah,lol indeed
Well I mean it’s not like he could go, “Daniel McLean, a returnee from the future!”, he would have looked even more stupid.
He can just go By “Daniel McLean. The bandit of demon forest” it’s not like they would know
Lolol
Lmao