kscans

Chapter 122 - 10. A Worry Removed

The head of the dragon, Baguild, had been dragged along the ground, its jaw bound with rope like a common criminal. Its enormous maw, a sight she had seen in nightmares, was now a wretched spectacle of broken fangs.

The black-clad army had departed for the subjugation only yesterday. She had heard that slaying a dragon, a beast boasting preeminent power even among monsters, normally took an entire week. And yet, there were zero casualties among the knights of her domain. For a disaster that had plagued her homeland for so long, the end was so anticlimactic it could be called abrupt. The implication was clear.

"Thank you, Prince Dagobard."

Lisabet bowed her head to the sullen, triumphant prince.

"...It couldn't fly, nor could it breathe fire. There's no pride in slaying a weakened dragon," Dagobard said, as if spitting the words out. "A few horse-dragons that were hit by its last-ditch, pathetic puff of air, which could hardly be called a breath, are feeling a bit unwell. That's all."

Despite reports that he had wielded his spear at the very front of the charge, there wasn't a single scratch on his black armor. The legion of horse-dragons lined up behind the prince also showed almost no signs of battle.

"Still, I find it fascinating that it was truly this effective," Maytyl said. "I wonder how a kingdom that suffers almost no damage from monsters managed to develop such a poison."

"Did you not say so yourself? That a plant found in the land where the dragon attacked was a poison effective against it. That country is nothing if not lucky."

"...That's true. It's the same as the information Biral's spies left in the kingdom obtained. But..."

Seemingly unconvinced, Maytyl fell deep into thought.

He really meant it when he said he would help my homeland...

Lisabet pictured the boy's face and felt her heart grow warm. It was Alfina who had arranged for her to meet with Craig before her return, but regarding that pollen, Ricardo had clearly held the decision-making power. Craig hadn't denied it either.

"With this, it's no wonder even the feeble knights of the kingdom could slay a dragon. We were made to be needlessly cautious. By all rights, we should have already taken the Royal Capital..."

"There's no doubt we were led to overestimate their strength many times over. But this brings up another issue. Their exceptional handling of the Castle-Eating Worms, and something..."

Lisabet realized their conversation was flowing in an ominous direction.

"Um, does this mean negotiations with the kingdom can resume."

"Magus Maytyl. We have the results for the horse-dragons."

Just as Lisabet was about to ask about future relations with the kingdom, a man in a black robe entered and whispered something in Maytyl's ear. The princess nodded with dissatisfaction.

"Just in case, observe them for another two days."

At Maytyl's instruction, the man in the black robe nodded with a "Yes," and immediately departed.

"How did it go?"

"The pollen had no effect on the horse-dragons. My prediction was wrong."

"Um, the results for the pollen..." Lisabet asked Maytyl. Dagobard grinned.

"It's simple. We fed the remaining pollen to the horse-dragons."

"A horse-dragon's body weight is one-tenth that of the dragon we defeated. We administered half the amount, but no... we mixed it into their feed and had them consume almost the entire portion, so it should be considered an equivalent dose. In other words, we gave them ten times the dose relative to their body weight. And even then, it had no effect on the horse-dragons."

"W-Why would you do such a thing?"

Lisabet was bewildered. That pollen was a precious substance that could only be obtained from the kingdom. Shouldn't they have saved it in preparation for the next dragon attack? And they had given it to the horse-dragons?

"It's simple," Maytyl said, as if admonishing a fool. "Horse-dragons and dragons are closely related creatures. A poison effective against dragons could potentially be effective against horse-dragons, don't you think?"

"...That may be so, but..."

Lisabet felt a weight in her stomach as if she had swallowed lead.

"This means the kingdom's poison has no effect on our horse-dragons. Kukuku, we've figured out the trick behind Craig's dragon slaying, and we've also learned that same trick won't work on us. With this, every last worry about invading the kingdom has been eliminated."

Dagobard laughed. Lisabet turned pale.

"H-How could you? The activity of the magic veins is subsiding, and we've even obtained a countermeasure against the greatest of monsters. There is no need to attack the kingdom, is there?"

"Are you serious? This is just like those who lack the aptitude. You say the magic veins are subsiding, but where is the guarantee that will continue?"

"W-Well... but, if that's the case, isn't it all the more dangerous to ruin our cooperative relationship with the kingdom?"

"Until now, that might have been true. But think about it. The kingdom is also experiencing monster floods in the west, though it's laughable to call an event of that scale a 'flood', and magic veins are appearing in the plains. It means that country is also experiencing abnormal fluctuations in its magic veins. You might be under a false impression, but we were not the ones who created the magic veins in the kingdom where the insects were sown. Manipulating magic veins is beyond human control. At least, it's impossible with our current sorcery."

"Ah..."

"Do you understand now? We have no idea what will become of the kingdom in the future, depending on how the magic veins fluctuate. What do you think would happen if monsters appeared in even half of the Empire's territory? Could that feeble country possibly handle it? Of course not. They would only have themselves to blame. But what would become of our country then? Needless to say, there's no guarantee our own magic veins would remain docile at such a time."

"..."

Lisabet fell silent. She recalled the peaceful image of the kingdom. If they were to suffer from monster attacks, how much chaos and damage would it cause? When that happened, it was almost certain that food exports to the Empire would cease.

"B-But, between the dragon slaying and their response to the Castle-Eating Worms our country released. Doesn't that suggest the kingdom has the wisdom to counter monsters?" Lisabet persisted nonetheless. The person who came to mind was that boy.

"Are you going to bet the lives of all our people on such a possibility? Hah. Then try and stop our army. If you can do that, then perhaps we'll acknowledge you as a negotiating partner."

Lisabet's words were dismissed out of hand. She looked to Maytyl, as if seeking salvation.

"Princess Maytyl, do you share the same opinion?"

"Well, I am certainly interested in the person who saw through the method for luring the Castle-Eating Worms and in this pollen. Say, Lisabet, you have an idea who the discoverer of this pollen is, don't you? Someone with no aptitude for sorcery."

Maytyl spoke as if she were discussing livestock.

"N-No, I was only told by Prince Craig..."

At this point, all Lisabet could do was remain silent.

"Hmm. Biral's report said it was likely someone familiar with the geography of the western region. I'd very much like for you, Dagobard, to capture him alive."

"I might bother if it were the Oracle Princess, but I have no time to waste on such vermin. The one who takes the kingdom is the one who will ascend the throne."

"Good grief. Speed is your army's only virtue. Try not to stumble."

As if Lisabet were no longer even in their sight, the two candidates for the throne exchanged cold smiles.