”Where should I start? …Do you know that we Dragonn deeply revere the Goddess?”
”…I’ve heard stories about how your kin were persecuted in the past and how the Goddess helped you resolve it.”
Alvin recalled Shinji’s words he had heard before and began to speak. Christina, who was well-educated, also knew about the Dragonn’s past and nodded slightly.
”That story is undeniable fact. However, even though the overt persecution has stopped, the accumulated resentnt remains. That’s why the Dragonn of the ti decided to leave human settlents and relocate. When deciding where to move, they consulted with the Goddess. And that’s how they built our village in its current location.”
The Dragonn are an extrely powerful species, often referred to as the “strongest species” due to their high basic abilities, surpassing humans and other beastn. Their “dragon factor” is exceptional, and it’s a source of pride for them. On the other hand, their exceptional excellence has earned them the resentnt of other species.
The reason for the persecution, which started from envy, was sothing the Dragonn of the ti vaguely sensed. That’s why they chose to relocate as a whole, hoping that by keeping a low profile, the bad feelings would eventually dissipate… This is a legend passed down in the Dragonn’s village.
Although it appears as if they were driven out of human living spaces when one only considers the results, it is not unreasonable to harbor resentnt. However, if the Goddess herself announces a new land and asks them to take on an important role, the story changes. Building a village and protecting that land becos an unshakeable honor.
”There’s a valley near our village that’s similar to Hateyama, and the Dragonn are monitoring and thinning out the ferocious monsters that erge from it. This is the Dragonn’s noble mission. …Since only a limited number of people know about it, please keep it confidential.”
”That’s right. It’s like Hateyama, and our village is located in a ridiculously dangerous place…”
”Even though it’s a dangerous place. However, thanks to the Goddess’s assistance, our village has never faced a crisis. Moreover, the monsters and plants that live in the valley can be sold for a good price. It’s not all bad.”
There’s no lie in Ichiro’s gentle smile. Even if others see it as a harsh environnt, to him, the village he was born in is a good place. His duties are the sa. For a dragonn, it’s not a burden but an honor.
Christina, who was raised in a noble family that values honor above life, shows understanding of Ichiro’s words. At the sa ti, she rembered a rumor that had spread among the noble ladies-in-waiting about the vibrant blue dye brought by the dragonn.
If the raw material for that dye can only be obtained from the valley Ichiro ntioned, it’s understandable that the quantity is limited, hard to get, and expensive. It’s likely that there are other specialty products, and the village wouldn’t have any financial problems.
”The goddess’s help still continues. But your people want a spirit user to co to the village. Has so spirit-related problem occurred?”
”That’s correct.”
Ichiro nods at Shinji’s words and continues the conversation.
”Our role as dragonn is to thin out the monsters in the valley and prevent them from overflowing outside. The goddess’s role given to the spirits is to manage the valley. That includes restoring the destroyed landscape, maintaining the environnt, and preventing abnormal growth.” Ŕ𝖆Νồ𝐛Èᶊ
”Hmm? But I heard that spirits and dragonn don’t get along well…”
”Well, to be precise, spirits have a hard ti with dragonn. They can’t make contracts with dragonn, and that’s a characteristic of dragonn. However, spirits prioritize the goddess’s orders. They won’t slack off.”
”That’s right. We’re all fulfilling our given roles.”
”…Yeah, that’s right. Personal feelings can’t be brought into the work, can they?”
”Yes… Al-sama is doing it properly.”
Among the group, the most emotional man (Alvin) slowly nods, and Christina smiles. If it were the old him, he would have panicked and said sothing reckless, but now he’s grown into a more composed attitude.
Anyway, there’s no reason for the dragonn to dislike spirits. Rather, they want to get along with the spirits, who have also received roles from the goddess. At the sa ti, they know that they’re disliked due to the unavoidable reason of being unable to make contracts, so they don’t try to force a close relationship and maintain a suitable distance.
The spirits know that they shouldn’t hate the dragonn who are deeply devoted to the goddess, but it’s the spirits’ instinct to feel uneasy around those they can’t make a contract with. Even if they suppress their emotions and fulfill their given role, they can’t be blad for not having a connection with them.
”Let’s get back to the topic… For our duties, the dragonn and spirits regularly exchange information. However, the spirits haven’t shown up to the etings for a while now.”
”That’s definitely strange, isn’t it?”
”Yes. The village head also said it’s the first ti sothing like this has happened. And there’s no way for the dragonn to contact the spirits in the village. If sothing happens in the valley, the spirits would imdiately let us know, so we didn’t feel the need to do so until now.”
Ichiro floated a self-deprecating smile, as if to say, “What a pathetic excuse for being unprepared.” They wonder why they didn’t notice it until now, but it’s true that even the slightest change would be imdiately reported by the spirits, and there was no need for the dragonn to ask questions for many years.
Because of this, an unspoken, vague anxiety is spreading throughout the village. There are voices saying they should go to the valley to search for the spirits, but ordinary spirits would flee if they sense the dragonn’s presence. And it’s not like they can take bold action to assert their existence in the dangerous valley or its surroundings. No matter how strong the dragonn are, they wouldn’t be safe if surrounded by the valley’s monsters.
”Do you want us to investigate the strange phenonon of the valley’s spirits with Shinji’s spirit?”
”That’s right. I’d like to borrow Shinji-dono’s power, if possible.”
Alvin’s expression was stern as he sensed their genuine distress from Ichiro’s deeply bowed head. He wanted to imdiately offer his help, but as the lord of Wolf territory, he couldn’t just nod along based on adventurer’s camaraderie alone.
”Sending Shinji… What does Chris think? If monsters like Hateyama spill out of the valley, it’ll cause massive damage. Considering that possibility, I think we should take on the task.”
”…But the scale of this issue is too big for one lord to handle. Which territory does the dragonn’s village belong to? We should dispatch Shinji-san and simultaneously contact the lord of that territory, and it’s a matter that requires a national report.”
The “Running Wolves” are not an adventurer party affiliated with the national adventurer guild, but rather a force wielded by the Wolf family. As a mber of the Wolf family, Shinji is also part of it. It’s only natural for them to be sent to other territories without prior notice, and to take matters into their own hands to solve problems in those territories, even if it ans stepping on others’ toes.
”I’ve already reported to the lord’s proxy. However, the response was bad, and… I felt like it would take ti for the ssage to reach the lord, so I ca here.”
”Was it so… I apologize.”
Christina listened to this conversation and understood why the lord’s proxy was slow to respond. The proxy’s evaluation was tied to their ability to govern the territory without issues. Even if there were no problems, if they didn’t take action and just spent money, they would be seen as wasting resources. At worst, the report from the village might be stuck in the lord’s proxy’s hands, Christina thought.
Christina was inwardly frustrated, wondering which family was governing this land, but Ichiro’s next words dispelled her thoughts.
”The dragonn’s village is located in a remote area even farther south of the southern city of Suur. The Zia family rules over it. The royal family of this country knows the role of the Dragonn’s village. Therefore, reports from the acting lord should be sent to the country――”
”T-the royal family?!”
Alvin, who had been maintaining a noble-like deanor, suddenly lost his composure and shouted, even though Ichiro was still speaking.
Hateyama is the national adventurer guild.
The valley is being monitored by the dragonn’s village.
In terms of the tiline,
The dragonn moved to a valley outside the country and built a village (at that ti, it was still an uncharted territory with no lord or king).
Years passed, and the country was unified, expanding its territory.
The Zia family discovered the dragonn’s village and learned about the valley and the goddess’s story. They made that land a royal territory, protected the village, and kept it a secret from the public.
And that’s how it is now.
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