Chapter 139 - Before the Decisive Battle, and the Summer Bird Among the Six
"Mash, let's temporarily evacuate the Earth Dragon Tribe to the surface," Maira suggested. She was likely against fighting the Earth Dragon King. So was I.
"If it's truly temporary, I agree. But how long is 'temporary'?"
"That… I don't know. But it's not as if they can't survive on the surface. I think it would be better to return to Heilong and formally post a subjugation quest. In the worst case…"
She trailed off, closing her mouth.
"…For people about to lose their land, the idea that there's another place for them to live is just a fantasy, I think."
Heilong was a large city. But I couldn't imagine it had the capacity to take in about a hundred households, even temporarily. These things take a long time. The Earth Dragon Tribe, in particular, lives in a unique environment. Telling them the world is a wide place might as well be telling them to die, to put it bluntly.
The world has all kinds of terrain—land, sea, mountains, rivers. And then there's the climate. A change in land means a change in what you can eat and how much you can harvest.
The Earth Dragon Tribe's territory was the great plains stretching north of Heilong; this place was likely their southern limit. That was why they had locked us in a room and forced the situation on their own terms.
"Are you planning to fight, Mash?"
"Are you against it?"
We no longer needed to complete the Chairman's request. Nor did we have to listen to the Earth Dragon Tribe's plea. We could leave the rest to Siril and pull out. But that felt like it would leave a bad taste in my mouth.
"No. If that is what you wish to do, I will follow," Maira replied to my question, shaking her head.
"Do you take my words as Racshell's?" I asked, remembering my earlier conversation with Aira. Since Maira had been listening from behind, I knew she'd understand the context.
"No. It's because you are my hero."
There was no hesitation in her voice. Our eyes met. She wasn't joking. I was the one who felt embarrassed, so I shifted my gaze to Koolia.
"We can only defeat the one Earth Dragon King. Nothing more. If we take it down, can you handle the rest?"
He nodded. Beside him, Siril drummed his fingers on the table.
The cavern was so packed with people it was hard to believe so many lived here. They were luring the Earth Dragon King into their own home to fight. For them, who had their backs against the wall, we had to prepare for the worst and evacuate the residents to the farm. I'd asked Siril for help, and while he'd agreed, he didn't look happy about it.
"First of all, I'm against you fighting at all. I don't know how strong their knight order is, but I don't think a guy who makes a big fuss just from falling into a hole can handle a monster they couldn't deal with through sheer numbers. If I have to deliver your corpses back to Longhorn Trail, the Chairman will deem me incompetent."
Was Fam the one who made a big fuss? And he clearly didn't think I had any fighting ability. I couldn't blame him, since I thought the same. Cecily was worried about her own strength, but I was obviously weaker.
"I may be weak, but my companions are strong, you know?"
"I heard about that from your companion, Mizuki. I heard that until just recently, three of your party members, including you, were F-rank, weren't you?"
I was speechless. Mizuki must have exercised her ability to get friendly with anyone and told him. Come to think of it, I'd been so preoccupied with Cecily that I hadn't even thanked them for coming to rescue us.
"They know how to make sparkling wine. It's good stuff. If you help them out, you might be able to get it wholesale at Longhorn Trail."
"…That's assuming the enraged Earth Dragon King doesn't attack the farm and cause a tragedy."
He raised a hand in a gesture of farewell and walked away to help with the evacuation.
In his place, the members of Levante gathered around. We then followed Koolia and several warriors to inspect the battlefield.
"Fam, Mizuki, Maira, Aira, thank you for coming to rescue me. I should have said that the moment we met."
Their expressions brightened.
"Master, I'm actually very good at digging holes."
Fam looked proud, but it was a skill that, barring situations like this, I didn't see having much use. Was it a trait of the Dog-Eared Race? I'd never heard her mention it before. She had a dark past. I wasn't sure if I should bring it up, and she never spoke of it herself, so I'd avoided the topic. Maybe it was time to delve a little deeper.
"Did you dig it all by yourself?"
"She just started digging single-mindedly, so I called for help from the people at the farm," Mizuki answered.
We left the palace and headed toward the lower levels of the cavern. I had thought the underground was a lake, but it was actually a series of terraced pools, one overlapping the other. Each pool was shallow, only about knee-deep. When I touched the surface, the water was ice-cold. Occasionally, a drop of water falling from a stalactite above would create ripples on the surface. I'd assumed the wastewater from their settlement flowed here, but the water was clear and had no smell.
We followed the edges of the pools deeper into the cavern.
"We are heading north, toward the great plains," Koolia explained.
"How do you know which way is which?" I asked. Did he have a compass?
"We Earth Dragon Tribe can sense the magnetic north. Also, thanks to our life underground, our ability to perceive sound, vibrations, and the earth's heat, as well as our sense of smell, are superior to humans'."
Fam also had a good sense of smell, but her ability was within the realm of what I could imagine. She couldn't track a target by scent like a police dog. Were their abilities superior to the Dog-Eared Race's?
"By any chance, can you not see?"
"The Earth Dragons, the creatures and monsters, likely cannot. But we, the Earth Dragon Tribe, have our sight. In turn, our other senses, while superior to humans', are inferior to those of monsters."
Koolia smiled and winked. I didn't need a wink from a man, but I kept my mouth shut.
The cavern was about a hundred meters deep and less than twenty meters high. It didn't take long to reach the designated battleground. Since it wasn't a residential area, the torchlight was distant, and the area was mostly shrouded in darkness. A stone door was set into the far wall. It was open, and several members of the Earth Dragon Tribe were bustling around inside. Thanks to their innate racial abilities, they could work without issue in such darkness.
"Beyond that door lies a tunnel leading to the great plains. Our knight order has gone through that tunnel to attack and lure the Earth Dragon King."
"How will they find it? The search area must be vast."
I'd been doing nothing but ask questions, but I couldn't help it when I knew so little. Koolia seemed to understand and was patiently answering me. Unlike the surface, the search area here likely included depth, not just a flat plane. Depending on the situation, they could end up wandering for days in search of the Earth Dragon King. If that happened, we wouldn't make it back in time for the caravan's departure.
"There is no need to worry. We have been continuously engaged in combat with the Earth Dragon King. Unfortunately, we are in a disadvantageous situation, having been pushed back to this cavern. We both know each other's positions. It is near this cavern. The battle has already begun, and Yanan's forces are feigning a retreat to lure it here."
It might be a poor analogy, but was it like submarines using sonar to track each other's positions?
"The walls of this cavern seem to be solid rock. Can the Earth Dragon King break through them easily?"
"Even the Earth Dragon King cannot. That is why this place served as our line of defense. Originally, we planned to use this rock wall to mount our defense, but now we are working to weaken it so it can be easily broken through."
I see. So the workers inside the doorway were preparing for that.
"Even if Yanan's unit successfully lures the Earth Dragon King here, it will still take some time. Shall we return for now?" Koolia asked.
"Are you planning to lock us in that room where we can't use magic again?"
"I apologize for that. It was my mistake. I have prepared a room where you can all relax."
Was that true? Considering they were tracking the Earth Dragon King's movements, it would be easy for them to track ours. That was probably why they wanted to separate me and Cecily from the others—to verify my claim that I could defeat the Earth Dragon King.
"To prepare for the worst, I'd like to disperse something to overwhelm the Earth Dragon King's sense of smell during the battle. Do you have anything suitable?"
"Understood. It will disable our sense of smell as well, but we shall prepare it."
"Let me ask one more time. Do you truly trust us?"
"This place is a death trap for you. There is no escape. Someone without a plan would not be this calm. If you were the only one who was calm, I would assume it was baseless confidence, but all of you seem certain of victory."
We returned to the palace and were shown to a different room. It was simple, but furnished with chairs, a table, and beds for our comfort. Fruit was laid out on the table, along with tea leaves. Mizuki started to brew tea for everyone.
Only the members of Levante were in the room. I finally felt like I could relax, but this was no time to be at ease.
I walked over to where Cecily was sitting on a chair. I was about to lead her out of the room, but I noticed the others staring. I knew that even if I took her out, they would all follow, given what had happened before.
"Cecily, I want to talk."
I sat down in the chair next to her.
"About what?" came her curt reply.
"I want another chance."
"Fine, but are you planning to do it right now?"
I want a do-over of our last time together. My unspoken thought seemed to have reached her.
Her reply made me instinctively look to Aira for help. But she showed no intention of offering advice, simply plucking a grape from the bunch on the table.
"After we defeat the Earth Dragon King and return to the city."
"After we return to the city…" For some reason, Aira repeated the words.
"Without Aira. Just the two of us!"
As Cecily spoke, Aira's face fell into an expression of despair.
"…Alright. Without Aira. Just the two of us."
Cecily nodded when I agreed.
"You can't be serious! After I went to all the trouble of giving you advice? That's so cruel!" Aira cried out.
"Sorry, Aira. I'll call you when we're done."
"You will not!" Cecily immediately shot down my words.
"Also, I want everyone to wash up. If anyone has injuries, I want them fully healed."
"To mask our scent. But will that be effective against an enemy with a keen sense of smell?"
"I don't know, but I want to do everything we can beforehand."
As we were talking, Mizuki handed me a cup of tea.
"Maybe we shouldn't… the scent might linger…"
"Before the battle starts, let's scatter everything in this room. It might not do much, but it's better than nothing."
I took a sip of the tea. It was calming. I felt a little sleepy. Fam seemed to be feeling the same, as she was stretching.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. It seemed the time for battle had come.
"No matter what happens, the six of us will get through this together!"
At my words, they all nodded.
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