Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru Chapter 132: The Neomia Of Delusion II

Chapter 132: The Neomia Of Delusion II

We returned to the Garden.

The lady laid back down on the sa sofa that she had been in when I first saw her. The wall of guards around her was thicker than it had previously been though.

That was probably due to the hostility I was exuding.

Toto's eyes t mine.

For the briefest of monts, she gave an apologetic look. That only made even angrier.

「Well, where should I start? It's quite the long and tedious story」

The lady lazily took a pastry from the table beside her and ate it.

「Hmm, I suppose I should start with Lord Blue-Scale. Do you know how Rossian ca to its demise?」

「All I know is that Rossian was founded by that dragon」

Barfuru had said that no one knew the reason for its demise. I had naturally assud that it was because the dragon died. But Lord Blue-Scale is sleeping right here.

「If I were to recount the glory of Rossian, many nights would be required. But if I were to speak of its demise, one sentence would suffice. Rossian was founded by a dragon and perished at the hands of that sa dragon」

It's said that dragons are immortal creatures.

If there's a reason for why a country founded by a dragon would perish, it would be due to sothing internal rather than external. In the long history of the modern world, the strongest countries have always tended to collapse from within.

「It was caused by a single knight. A single terrifying man. In a sense, he single-handedly brought about the demise of Rossian」

「A knight?」

Co to think of it, soone had called Barfuru a knight before.

「The heroes' spearhead. That's what Elysium calls those expendable knights. They're people who toil in the shadows to bring glory unto others. So do it to pay for their cris, so to protect their family na, so to fulfill their duty, but whatever their reason, it's always a dark one. That ans that none of them are decent knights in any sense of the word」

I feel a strange sense of sympathy towards them.

「That knight's na is Deimos Zamongrea. And he’s the beast-headed man lurking in the city right now」

Zamongrea, the heroes' spearhead.

Zamonglass, the Scarlet Knight.

Is the similarity a coincidence, or is it sothing else?

「Is that Barfuru's na?」

「I'm sure of it. His blood slls the sa」

That bastard. So he’s actually a knight of Elysium, huh?

Then, that beast-like appearance makes perfect sense. It's a very simple connection to make. It's so simple that it didn't even occur to to make it.

No………that's not it.

So part of had refused to consider the possibility that Barfuru, the beast-like man who’s far too close with Tyutyu, could be an enemy.

I should have known better than to trust soone so easily, but I had forgotten.

「Zamongrea was sent by Elysium to bring down Rossian. But you see, no knight, no matter how strong, can slay a dragon. More than anything else, he himself understood that.

So,

What do you think he did?

You see, that man, he's an out-and-out killer. On top of that, he's unscrupulous. He takes no pride in battle. He's as far from a true knight as you can possibly imagine. Even the evil that Elysium dresses up with their sophistry of pride, justice, and holiness looks adorable compared to that man.

He’s a knight deed aberrant even among the most insidious of deceivers.

You see, that man, he only kills those he’s capable of killing. So, he killed everyone he could.

He killed everyone connected to Lord Blue-Scale. The entire royal line of Rossian, who had dragon blood in their veins.

When the family that it had built up was ripped away, Lord Blue-Scale went mad.

It thought that the people of Rossian, whom it loved, would all die in the sa way. If that was the case, then it might as well………………end it all with its own hands」

「Sothing’s not right」

I interrupted, a doubt nagging at .

「What a boorish man you are」

I ignored the lady's rebuke.

「You're still alive. You're also a person with the blood of Rossian in your veins, right? Or is the na you gave a false one?」

「I am without a doubt a mber of the royal line of Rossian. However, ever since I married into Neomia at the age of twelve, I have always considered this country to be my holand」

I have a theory.

One that explains why the lady survived when the rest of her blood kin died.

It would amount to an insult that would cost my life if I was wrong, but I voiced it without hesitation.

「You helped Zamongrea in his murder of the royal line of Rossian, didn’t you?」

「Yes, I did」

She replied bluntly.

The lady's expression hadn't so much as twitched and had remained perfectly natural.

「Rossian and Neomia were allied. But the relationship between them was never a good one. It's only natural. The founding of Rossian was brought about by the barbaric actions of Neomia. In Rossian, it was widely taught that Neomia was evil.

I was born from the womb of my dead mother. To my father, I was the hateful child who killed my mother. To my family, I was a sinister blood kin of a dragon who was born bearing death. To top it off, I was born afflicted with a deadly disease.

I was given in marriage to Neomia in order to die there. On the surface, it was to cent the alliance, but in truth, it was to give Rossian a justification for invading Neomia.

The King of Neomia, Nerapthis-sama saw through their ploy.

He was a wise, brave, and gentle man.

He explored the depths of this land's dungeon, found the holy communion, and used it to cure my illness. Saying that he did it to protect his country makes it sound so unromantic, but that was the type of love he had.

In that brief window of happiness, Zamongrea appeared before .

『Choose, lose your husband or abandon the family that abandoned you』

That was the choice presented to .

I chose my husband. I sacrificed the family that had abandoned . The dragon went mad, the country was destroyed, and………………that should have been the end of it. Laugh all you want at how simple-minded I was. I was but a child.

The enraged dragon ca to , the only one still alive. After burning half of Neomia's land in a frenzy of rage and destruction, the dragon issued a warning.

One year, two years and still, winter did not end. Snow and ice quietly killed the people. Spring of the fifth year ca, but the snow still hadn’t stopped. Starving, and resented by his people, the wisdom of the king showed signs of decline.

Following the counsel of nobles who had fallen into gloom, he lifted the seal on the holy communion. That’s a cursed blessing. The call of the moon of misfortune. A god defeated and stripped of its na by the King of Beasts. The source of all vampires.

The people were freezing and starving.

In the na of salvation, the king ate one after another. Those that “remained” after being eaten, went on to eat the others too. In one night, all the living disappeared from the capital.

The ravenous king of vampires. The nobles of ice who were his kin. The capital of death, Neomia.

The country and the capital had perished.

But I, the king, and this castle had remained. That was all I needed. I wanted nothing more. Though he had fallen, he was still the man I loved. No matter the way he treated , I didn't wish for anything else but to love him.

But then, that day ca.

The eighth year of winter. The night of two full moons.

A huge army from Elysium arrived in this land. And at its head was the detestable Zamongrea.

There were no more soldiers left in Neomia. Only the dead wandered its streets. The justification that Elysium gave was that they had co to kill the dead. To kill the vampires.

But they had miscalculated.

In Neomia, there remained those who had made their hos in the mountains. Through an ancient covenant, they were warriors who had sworn to protect Neomia from foreign enemies, the Endguard.

The fierce battle went on for four days, and on the fourth night, I went to them to advise them to flee.

They laughed in my face.

Laughing at the queen of a country is enough to get soone beheaded. Even so, they laughed as they replied.

They said that it was an honor for them to fight and die in the very midst of battle.

Please don't sully our honor, they had said.

They were such a bunch of incorrigible fools.

There were only nine of the warriors left. Just what could they do against an army of 20,000?

The outco was clear. The next morning, Neomia would be utterly destroyed. The capital would be razed to the ground and every last shred of its civilization would be snuffed out.

No, because that would awaken the dragon, the entire continent would go down in flas. Everything would be reduced to ashes.

In the end, people would perish through their own stupidity. I passed that final night laughing about that.

And so, dawn broke.

But then, the sun went down, the night deepened, and dawn broke again on yet another day. There was nothing but the unchanging, frozen calm.

Elysium's army had been wiped out.

All that had remained were the packs of white wolves roaming that field of snow. The end of the line of those who were once the Endguard.

You see, those n bore a curse. A curse of vampire hunting that had been etched into their blood in tis long past. That the descendants of those who hunted vampires would turn into wolves to protect them, I can only think of it as ironic.

However, even though the army had been wiped out and buried under the snow, Zamongrea alone had survived.

He slipped past , who was rejoicing at the peace and quiet, snuck into the castle, and confronted the king.

At the end of their deadly duel, the king was struck dead, and he too was………………at the very least, it looked to like they had exchanged mortal blows.

But now, he has beco a man-beast resembling those of Elysium, and has co to Neomia once more. Is his aim to take my head? Or is it to wake the sleeping dragon? Regardless of what it is, it can't be anything good」

The lady stopped talking and gulped down a glass of blood-red liquid.

After quenching her thirst, she turned to look directly at .

「Adventurer, I'm issuing you a request. Accept it」

「What does the request entail?」

「I want you to slay the man you call Barfuru. For the peace of Neomia and the slumber of Lord Blue-Scale, upon which the safety of the right continent hinges upon」

「If this is a request, then I assu there will be a reward?」

「A reward? Let's see. I shall spare that dark-skinned child's life. And I'll close my eyes to your many insolent acts」

「That's kind of cheap」

「What?」

The lady raised her voice in response to my words.

「I can't accept a request with such a cheap reward」

「What a heartless man you are. Aren't you afraid for that child's life?」

This is where it begins.

Negotiating under pressure.

「The mont Maria was taken hostage, I gave up on her life. If you want to kill her, feel free. But let give you so words of warning. You guys' lives are hanging in the balance」

「Against the 200 vampires in the castle, what can you―――――」

I drew my katana unceremoniously.

「From the very beginning, I’ve never valued my own life. My lady, you are so very inexperienced. Is your mature body only for show? If you think that you can manipulate people easily by taking hostages, then you're sorely mistaken. I know it's cliched, but it's laughable how shallow your thinking is」

With the katana in my hand, I honed my killing intent.

I felt presences around .

Before I knew it, I was surrounded.

However, having readied my stance, I'm faster. I can step in and cut off the lady's head before anyone can get in my way. After that, I couldn't care less if I got torn to pieces.

I made that image in my mind a reality that those around could perceive.

「Think wisely before you speak. And if you still want to kill Maria after all, then do it」

「How simple-minded. Do you think that beheading will be enough to kill ?」

The lady appeared utterly unfazed.

Seeing that, I chuckled.

「To think that you wouldn't notice imdiately upon seeing this katana, dragon blood must run thin in your veins. The blade of this katana is made from the claw of a woman who ate a dragon. Oddly enough, it has the sa qualities as the old ones. This weapon has even wounded Lord White-Scale's tail before, you know?」

Ever so slightly, the lady's face twitched.

I bared my teeth in a grin.

「Now, fighting evil with evil is the basic of the basics, but let's see if it works on you, shall we?」

I lowered my stance and built up the strength to launch my body forward.

Quickly and incisively, I will cut down any and all who get in my way.

Right now, I focused every fiber of my being on that alone.

「………………Haa, stop, let’s not do this. You're really such a foolish man」

The lady threw in the towel.

Inwardly, I was relieved, but I still couldn't relax. I had to make sure I didn’t ss up in the endga.

「Adventurer, what reward do you desire?」

「I want you to guarantee Maria's safety. Whether I live or die, return her safely to Lemuria. After that………」

I looked around.

I randomly decided on sothing that seed suitable.

「Give that candlestick over there」

I picked a candlestick that was on the table as my reward. It was worth about two gold coins.

The object itself is aningless, but the agreent to give it to has significance. The god of business can only bind a contract that involves goods or money.

「That's a cheap candlestick, you know?」

「I'm a die-hard lover of candlesticks, and I collect them from all over the world. So that's perfect」

That was complete bullshit.

I could have just asked for gold, but I couldn't co up with an appropriate amount on the spot, so I just went with the candlestick.

「Correction, if I die, you must give it to Maria. Without fail」

「What a remarkably eccentric man you are. Very well. Your reward is the safety of the child and this candlestick. In the event of your death, the candlestick will be given to the child. Is that correct?」

「Yes」

We had co to an agreent. Quickly, I took out the feather that I had hidden in my pocket.

Speaking quickly, I summoned that god.

「The sage of the night, the raptor of knowledge, Gravius. Share your wisdom with , your kin, and with your keen insight, determine what is fair in this shifting world of people」

On my shoulder, an owl alighted.

It was supposed to alight……

「………………Huh?」

……but it didn’t.

「Gravius-sama?」

I tried shaking and tapping the feather, but there was no response.

「Toto, what do you think he's doing? Do the adventurers outside enjoy collecting candlesticks and waving feathers about, I wonder?」

「If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say that he's attempting to summon one of the sister gods of Minerva to broker a contract」

「You foolish man. There's no way those dancing girls from the desert could co to a land locked away by winter」

To think that I was out of reception……

Please tell important things like this beforehand, Gravius-sama. This is the worst.

「Adventurer, essentially, you seek proof of our agreent, am I right?」

「Well, yeah」

「Toto」

「Understood, my princess」

Toto handed the lady a knife and a container.

The container was made of glass and looked similar to the ones used for the regeneration point. The lady cut her finger with the knife and let her blood collect in the container. The cut was pretty deep, but the wound closed in an instant.

She corked up the container and offered it to .

「Here, it's my blood. Take it as proof of our agreent」

I could take it, but……

「What are you suggesting I do with this?」

「It's simple. Should I break our agreent, drink that, beco a vampire, and take your revenge on 」

「That's………」

……a very risky proposition. I an, won't this thing take control of the mont I drink it?

Giving sothing like this as the proof of our agreent is troubling. It's troubling, but I don't think asking for sothing else is an option.

I really didn't expect to be unable to use Gravius-sama to bind the contract.

「So, what are you going to do?」

The lady cannot be trusted.

Now that Maria's safety is not assured, I can't leave Neomia to get help.

The situation is the worst, but even so, I have no choice but to fight.

I must defeat Barfuru, and depending on how things go, fight the vampires as well.

Can I win? Against that guy?

All by myself?

「I accept」

There's no point in hesitating.

It's aningless to ponder over whether or not I can win. What is needed is the determination to defeat, no, to kill.

After sliding the back of the katana across my thumb, I inserted its tip into the scabbard. With a rough clang, I sheathed it.

「I shall vanquish the man-beast of Elysium successfully」

「I'm looking forward to it. If worst cos to worst, this continent will be engulfed in dragon fire. Be honored. If you accomplish this, you'll have done the work of a Brave」

The scale of what she’s talking about is too big for to even begin to imagine.

Besides, I don't believe that the dragon slayers I know would be unable to stop Lord Blue-Scale. That could just be being simple-minded though. However, if the fight against Lord White-Scale was rely a ga to it, then a crazed dragon fighting for real should be………………it's no use. I can't picture it at all.

「Oh, now that you ntioned it……」

I showed the lady the palm of my left hand.

On it was a distorted V with a geotric pattern surrounding it. It was the crest of the Brave. Its summoning function had been disabled by Rana, who had burned it out after that ti.

「I’m actually a Brave recognized by the Gastolfo Braves」

I had nearly forgotten about it though.

「You should have shown that from the start, you fool. I would have treated you a little differently」

Just a little, huh?

In the end, is being a Brave sothing that grants any sort of credibility, I wonder?

「To begin with, you――――――」

A loud crash rumbled in the distance, interrupting the lady.

It was sooner than I had expected. There was no ti for to prepare or make plans.

I had to play it by ear. Just as an adventurer should.

「Well then, my lady, I'm off. Make sure you honor your end of the agreent. Otherwise, the number of beasts attacking Neomia will increase by one」

「I shall keep that in mind. Go on then. Show that you can fight as bravely as the Endguard. And then prove that you're better than them by surviving」

「As you command」

The vampires surrounding opened up a path.

Silently, I went into battle alone.

Just FYI: Deimos was a god in Greek mythology, a personification of terror (his na ans "dread"). He was the son of Ares and Aphrodite, and had a twin brother, Phobos(fear). He did not appear in any stories in Greek mythology, but he was a representation of the terror that’s brought upon humans by war. Interesting, isn’t it?

As for the term “the heroes’ spearhead”, the relevant aning is “the person, thing, or group that’s the leading force(in an attack)/any person or thing that leads or initiates an attack“. I could have used “advance troops” or “vanguard”, but advance troops is kinda long and vanguard is a term that’s already used for sothing else and can be confusing, so spearhead it is.

Did you go back and compare the lady’s story with the one Barfuru told way back when? There are passages that are the sa, but the key parts obviously differ. Still, isn’t it interesting how much of Barfuru’s story sorta followed the truth? And isn’t this an interesting spin on what seed like the classic werewolf vs vampire trope at first? I an, did you really expect that it would be werewolves protecting vampires from humans...

Such a bad-ass and well-planned mont ruined by being out of reception lmao. I laughed so hard when Gravius-sama didn’t show up. I just love how Souya always falls on his face in these kinds of “chess-master” monts and just does better when he wings stuff. Also, Gravius-sama was a dancing girl when she was alive, huh?

Well, what did you think about Barfuru’s true identity? And yeah, I’m sure you’ve guessed it, but we’re heading right into the climax of this volu! Stay tuned!