kscans

Chapter 139 - Before the Decisive Battle, and the Summer Bird Among the Six

"Mash, let's evacuate the Earth Dragon Race to the surface temporarily,"

Myra said. She must have been 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 live on the surface. I think it would be better to return to Heilon and post a proper subjugation quest. In the worst-case scenario…"

She trailed off, closing her mouth.

"For people whose land is about to be stolen, the idea that there's another place for them to live is just a fantasy, I think."

Heilon was a large city. But I couldn't imagine it had the capacity to take in a hundred households, even temporarily. These things take a long time. The Earth Dragon Race, in particular, lived in a very specific environment. Telling them the world was a wide place seemed no different from telling them to go die, to put it bluntly. The world had all sorts of terrain—land, sea, mountains, rivers. And then there was the climate. A change in land meant a change in sustenance and a change in harvest. For the Earth Dragon Race, their territory was the great plains north of Heilon, and this place was likely their southern limit. That's why they'd locked us in a room and forced the situation on their own terms.

"Are you planning to fight, Mash?"

"Are you against it?"

The Chairman's request was no longer necessary. We didn't need to listen to the Earth Dragons' pleas either. We could leave the rest to Cyril and just pull out. But leaving things as they were left a bad taste in my mouth.

"No. If that is what you wish, then I will follow,"

Myra replied to my question, shaking her head.

"Are you taking my words as Laciel's words?"

I recalled my earlier conversation with Aira. Myra had been listening from behind, so she would understand the context of my question.

"No. It's because you are my hero."

There was no hesitation in her voice. Our eyes met. She didn't seem to be joking. I was the one who felt embarrassed, and I shifted my gaze to Couria.

"We can't do anything other than defeat the one Earth Dragon King. If we take it down, you can handle the rest, right?"

He nodded. Beside him, Cyril tapped his fingers on the desk.

The cavern was overflowing with so many people it was hard to believe they had all been here. They were luring the Earth Dragon King into the very place they lived to fight it. For them, who had their backs against the wall, we would evacuate the residents to the farm in preparation for the worst. I'd asked Cyril for his cooperation, and while he'd agreed, he hadn't looked happy about it.

"I'm against you fighting in the first place. I don't know how strong the knights here are, but I don't see how some guy who makes a big fuss just from falling into a hole can deal with a monster they couldn't handle with sheer numbers. If I have to deliver your corpses back to Longhorn Street, the Chairman will see me as incompetent."

Was he talking about Famu making a fuss? And he clearly didn't think I had any fighting ability. I thought so myself, so I couldn't blame him. Cecily was worried about her own strength, but I was obviously the weaker one.

"I may be weak, but my companions are strong, you know?"

"I heard about that from your friend Mizuki. Until just recently, three of your party members, including you, were F-rank, weren't they?"

He had me there. Mizuki must have used her ability to befriend anyone and told him. Come to think of it, my mind had been so full of Cecily that I hadn't even thanked the girls for coming to rescue us.

"They know how to make sparkling wine. Good stuff. If we help them out, we might be able to get it supplied to Longhorn Street."

"…That's assuming an emboldened Earth Dragon King doesn't attack the farm and cause a tragedy,"

he said, raising a hand in a gesture of farewell before walking off to help with the evacuation. In his place, the members of Levante gathered around. Led by Couria and several warriors, we headed off to check the designated battleground.

"Famu, Mizuki, Myra, Aira, thank you for coming to save me. I should have said that the moment I saw you."

Their expressions brightened.

"Master, I'm actually quite good at digging holes."

Famu looked proud, but it was a peculiar skill that, unless a situation like this arose, I couldn't imagine when she would ever use. Was it a trait of the dog-eared race? I'd never heard her mention it. She had a dark past. Unsure if I should broach the subject, and since she never brought it up herself, I had left it alone. Perhaps from now on, I could try to delve a little deeper.

"Did you dig it all by yourself?"

"She just started digging in silence, 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'd thought the underground was a lake, but it was a series of overlapping pools, like terraced rice paddies. Each pool was shallow, only about knee-deep. When I touched the surface with my finger, the water was ice-cold. Occasionally, a drop of water would fall from a stalactite above, creating ripples on the surface. I had wondered if wastewater from their daily lives flowed here, but the water was clear and had no smell. We followed the edges of the pools, making our way deeper into the cavern.

"We are heading north, toward the great plains,"

Couria explained.

"How are you telling the direction?"

Did he have a compass or something?

"We Earth Dragons can sense magnetic north. And thanks to our life underground, our ability to sense sound, vibrations, and the earth's heat, as well as our sense of smell, is superior to that of humans."

Famu also had an excellent sense of smell, but her ability was within the scope of what I could imagine. She wasn't capable of tracking a target by scent like a police dog. Were their abilities superior to the dog-eared race's?

"Could it be that you can't see?"

"The Earth Dragons that are creatures and monsters likely can't see, no. But we of the Earth Dragon Race do have our sight. In exchange, our other senses are better than humans', but inferior to monsters'."

Couria smiled and winked. I didn't need a wink from a guy, but I kept my mouth shut.

The cavern was a space about a hundred meters deep and probably less than twenty meters high. It didn't take long to reach the battleground. Since it wasn't a residential area, the torchlight was distant, leaving most of it in darkness. In the far wall was a stone door. The door was open, and several members of the Earth Dragon Race were bustling about. Thanks to the inherent racial abilities he'd mentioned earlier, they could likely operate without issue in this darkness.

"Beyond the door is a tunnel that leads to the great plains. Our knights have gone through that tunnel to attack and lure the Earth Dragon King."

"You don't know where it is, do you? Won't that make for a vast search area?"

I'd been doing nothing but asking questions, but I was ignorant about so much, it couldn't be helped. Whether he understood or not, Couria was humoring me. Unlike on the surface, the search area wasn't just a flat plane; depth was also a factor. Depending on the situation, we could end up wandering for days in search of the Earth Dragon King. In that case, we wouldn't make it in time for the caravan's departure.

"You need not worry. We have been continuously engaged in combat with the Earth Dragon King. Unfortunately, we are in a disadvantageous situation, being driven back into this cavern. But both we and it know each other's position. It is near this cavern. The battle has already begun, and Yanan and the others are feigning a retreat to lure it here."

The analogy might be poor, but I pictured it like submarines using sonar to track each other's positions.

"The walls of this cavern seem to be bare rock. Can the Earth Dragon King break through them easily?"

"Even the Earth Dragon King would find that impossible. That is why this place was able to serve as our line of defense. Originally, we planned to use this rock wall for a defensive battle, but now we are working to weaken it so it can be broken through more easily."

I see. So the Earth Dragon folk working beyond the door were preparing for that.

"Even if Yanan's unit successfully lures the Earth Dragon King here, it will still take time. Shall we return for now?"

Couria 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. We have prepared a room where everyone can relax."

Was that true? Considering they knew the Earth Dragon King's movements, it would be easy for them to track ours. Wasn't that why they wanted to separate me and Cecily from the others? The reason being to verify my claim that I could defeat the Earth Dragon King.

"Just in case, during the battle, I'd like to disperse something that can overwhelm the Earth Dragon King's sense of smell. Do you have anything suitable?"

"Understood. Our sense of smell will also be useless then, but we will prepare it."

"Let me confirm one more time. Do you really trust us?"

"For you, this place is a deathtrap. There is no escape. Someone with no plan whatsoever could not possibly remain so calm. If you were the only one who was composed, I might think it baseless, but all of your companions are convinced of victory."

We returned to the palace and were shown to a different room than before. It was a simple room, but chairs, a desk, and even beds had been prepared for our comfort. On the desk sat a bowl of fruit. Tea leaves were also laid out. 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 went over to where Cecily was sitting in a chair. I was about to lead her out of the room when I noticed the gazes of the other members fixed on me. Even if I took her out, I knew from past experience that everyone else would follow.

"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?"

My unspoken desire to redo our last sexual encounter seemed to have gotten through to her. Her response made me instinctively look to Aira for help, but she showed no intention of offering advice and was simply plucking grapes from the bowl on the desk.

"After we defeat the Earth Dragon King and return to the city."

"After we return to the city…"

For some reason, Aira repeated my words.

"Without Aira. Just the two of us!"

Cecily declared, and Aira's face fell into a look of despair.

"…Alright. Without Aira. Just the two of us."

Cecily nodded when I agreed.

"You can't be serious! After all the trouble I went through to give you advice, this is just cruel!"

Aira cried out.

"Sorry, Aira. I'll call you when we're done."

"You will not!"

Cecily instantly shot down my words.

"Also, I want to wash everyone's bodies. If anyone has injuries, I want them completely healed."

"To get rid of our scent, right? But I wonder if that's really 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.

"I wonder if the scent will transfer…"

"Before the battle starts, let's just scatter everything in this room. It might not even provide a shred of comfort, but still."

I sipped the tea. It was calming. I felt a little sleepy. Famu seemed to feel the same way, 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!"

The girls nodded at my words.