Who is this Ghrud? A dragon?
It has nothing to do with you.
Shildonia asked a question, but Zeurus expression grew grim. He clearly didnt want to be asked about that.
Its already too late for that. Weve heard about it, so tell us the details.
However, seeing that Shildonia didnt let up, he sighed and continued.
Ghrud is the youngest dragon living in this area, and mygrandchild.
Grandchild?! Shildonia raised a shocked voice. Wait! Your only child should be arle. Are you saying that you kept one a secret?
No, my only child is arleGhrud is arles child. Zeurus explained.
Standing at the summit of all living beings on earth, dragons have a relatively low birth rate. A male and female dragon enter a reproductive period only about once or twice their entire lives, and if they find a partner, they give birth to a child. Zeurus only child was a female dragon, and Shildonia rembered that she had already passed her reproductive period.
However, that arle was supposed to have passed away during that incident way before the ti my real body was even alive.
Thats correctYou most likely didnt know either, but before she died, arle gave birth to an eggas a nto of her existence, you could say. Rembering the daughter that passed before himself, Zeurus eyes were filled with pain and sadness.
The existence of this egg was hidden from everybody who wasnt a dragon, which explained why Shildonia didnt know of this. Luckily, despite the weakened arle, the egg managed to survive, and it took thousands of years for it to hatch.
I cannot make any more offspring. So to , he is the final dragon inheriting my blood.
If he was of direct descent from Zeurus himself, that would make his blood the noblest in the entire dragon race. Of course, this was a story of a thousand years in the future, but Ghrud would eventually rise to beco the leader of all dragons living in the World Tree.
What youre thinking is absolutely correct. Eventually, he will rise to govern the dragon race as a whole. That is why Ive been training him ever since a young age. Zeurus showed a nostalgic gaze as he spoke of the past. He possesses the role of carrying our past and duty, the testant of Divine Dragon Valzed, and our responsibility to keep balance in the worldand as a result of that, he stopped coming back to the World Tree half a year ago. Zeurus had a distant look in his eyes.
So basically, he ran away from ho? Shildonia said in disbelief.
I wont deny that.
Then the dragon that has been spotted frequently in human territory was Ghrud?
Most likelyI simply taught him what is right and wrong, only the best for him in mind, and yet this happenedhe is barely 500 years old
Of course, you moron. If you just push logic and justice into a young childs head every single day, they wont be able to endure much of that. Shildonia argued. He must have too much stress built up. 500 yearsthat would be a young adult in human terms. Too much pressure made him explode, surely.
It may be a young adult in the eyes of a human, but to dragons, Ghruds age was even below that.
So the whole reason for this ruckus is a dragon running away from ho? You cant make this up, really. Seran said, not bothered at all.
Unable to bear with the strict treatnt at ho, he ran awaySounds typical.
Lieze ca to the conclusion that humans and dragons werent all that different.
And if he went to bars or started smoking, hed be an actual delinquent. Urza sighed, as her image of the dragons changed quite a bit.
And, you told this suspicious demon about Ghrud, is what Im guessing here. Shildonia put one finger on her brow, thinking.
I-IndeedI actually didnt plan on doing so, but
What kind of demon was it?
Yuriga had stayed quiet until then, now breaking into the conversation with a stern expression.
They called themselves Targ. Because they nad themselves without much hesitation, it gave them a friendly impressionand they talked a lot.
To a demon, a na was a big thing, so unless they were talking with a fellow demon, they would not drop their na this easily. Although it was in the presence of a dragon, that act alone was quite peculiar. While rembering his conversation with Targ, Zeurus expression grew grimr the longer it went on.
At first, we talked about trifling matters such as the weather or my healthand then they started to press further on certain topicsI dont know why, but in the heat of the mont, I told them about Ghrud.
He probably was lured around by the nose with so dirty techniques, grumbling about Ghrud in his half-absent mind.
When I told Targ about Ghrud, they seed oddly happy and leftBeing this careless, my age has taken a toll on .
Basically, this was the result of Targs talking skill, and the misinterpretation of Zeurus, assuming Targ to be an envoy of the demon lord. Though imperfect, the Demon Lord had been in regular contact with the dragons, so the trust from this fact dulled Zeurus ability to judge.
So, why do you just let Ghrud roam free? Hes your important successor, no? Kyle asked, to which Zeurus shook his head.
I cant bring a dragon who discarded their duty ho. I cannot get involved with the way it is right now. That is our law, Zeurus said with a resentful tone. If only he returns out of his own free willthat is why the best I can do is wait. Zeurus surely would be able to change the law if he wished, but that would an he used his influence for his personal interest, and that is sothing soone with power should never do.
Bound by law as alwaysSo, should we bring Ghrud back ourselves? Shildonia offered, to which Zeurus eyes opened wide.
What?
A dragon wont be able to bring him back, right? Then we will either convince him or drag him back by force. There would be no problem then, right?
That is trueHmmm Zeurus was hesitating, to which Shildonia followed up with more pressure.
Not to ntion that we cant ignore Ghrud any more than this, he has already negatively influenced the humanfolk territory. Dragons are supposed to keep balance in the world, no?
I got it. Zeurus nodded, to which Shildonia smiled at Kyle.
To Kyle, this was a very beneficial condition. It allowed him to create a debt with Zeurus. However, bringing back a dragon safe and sound, he had no idea how difficult that would even turn out to be.
However, I have a condition. That demon will be acting together with you.
Wha?!
Not only Kyle and his group, but even Yuriga let out a dumbfounded voice.
I dont know what goal this Targ demon has. However, if its involved with Ghrud, then it would lead to a fierce battle. If you have that demon with you, you might be able to talk things out, right?
That is true, but
Kyle looked at Yuriga, who also seed bewildered.
Of course, this would be a request I have from you, so you can decline if you want to, Zeurus asked Yuriga, who thought about it for a mont, and then slowly nodded.
My order from the Demon Lord-sama said to keep a friendly relationship with the dragons, so I cannot decline this request. At the sa tithis is a failure on our side. I cannot ignore any demon that would work against the will of the Demon Lord-sama.
Yuriga had no duty of listening to Zeurus request. However, her position forced her to help the dragons, and she couldnt afford to let this unidentified demon called Targ do as he pleased without any orders from the demon lord.
Not to ntionit appears I have so sort of connection with these peopleso if they were willing to.
Now Yuriga looked at Kyles group, seeking confirmation.
Well, the circumstances ask for it Seran seed sowhat okay at least.
Lieze and Urza had no objections either, and Erina said shed leave it to everyone, keeping up her sa attitude. However, Kyle was the only one who didnt agree with this. A feeling of anger and displeasure filled his chest.
I understand how you feel. However, we need as much help as possible for this incident. Shildonia guessed his feelings, calling out to him.
He knew that receiving help from a demon is a chance he could not discard. However, demons were the monsters who stole his hotown, his family, his friends, his comrades, his beloved ones, everything from him. His hatred for them had no bounds. If possible, he would have preferred to cut her down right now, and acting together was sothing he didnt want to accept.
Kyle, your face is scary. Zeurus-san is giving you a chance, so dont be like that.
Its as Lieze said, you need to adapt to the situation.
The only reason Kyle could hold himself back at this very mont is that his loved ones were with him. Hearing Liezes and Urzas voices, he felt his restless heart calming down, and his feelings coming back under his control.
Yeah, in this case, we should probably work togetherGot it, lets pair up. However, I dont plan on giving you any orders, so I wont listen to yours either. Were on equal terms, got it? Kyle sighed, and convinced himself that this would be fine, agreeing to move together with the demon.
That works best for . Yuriga nodded.
And once that was resolved, they imdiately said their goodbyes to Zeurus, and departed.
After they left, Zeurus returned to his dragon shape, and ordered Irura.
Irura, you follow them.
M-?! But, the law? Irura let out a shocked voice.
Im not telling you to help them. Watch them from afar. As this is related to Ghrud, we are not entirely unrelated.
He was simply tasked to follow Kyles group and watch over them.
However, you cannot directly talk with Ghrud. He has to co back out of his own accord, not influenced by us dragons. That is our law. Zeurus spoke that far and showed sothing that resembled a self-deprecating smile. Law, is it
The law of dragons was transcribed by the Divine Dragon Valzed so as to introduce caution against their overpowering strength. That was not wrong, but Zeurus didnt see it as entirely right and worthy of being followed strictly. However, it was far too late to change it now.
Younglings are easy to look down on humanfolk, and you are one of the biggest representatives of that trait. That is why I want you to go with them. So that you learn from them, and co back a wiser dragon.
L-Learn? From humans? I dont understand much about demons, but why is there such a need to care about such fragile and minuscule beings such as humans?
To Irura, humans were like ants, an existence he could crush with a single step.
You will understand it one day. Whether human or demonand even dragon, we dont share too many differences. That fate will laugh at all of us, shower us with absurdity.
Coming from the strongest and oldest dragon currently alive, these words may sound fragile and senile, but the aning behind them was far too heavy for Irura to counter with anything.
***
That being the case, Ill be observing all of you. Irura grouped up with everyone in front of the World Tree, explaining the circumstances with clear exhaustion in his voice.
I dont mind, butdont pull us down, alright?
Iruras face tightened up, being forced to listen to Serans cheeky attitude. However, Lieze smacked her fist into his head, so that case was resolved sowhat peacefully.
Now, how should we even look for Ghrud Kyle started thinking.
If they couldnt even find Ghrud, there was no trying to convince him either.
I do not know where Ghrud is hiding. At the very least, he has not left this Eddos country you call it. I was looking for him from ti to ti, but to no avail.
Oh? I thought you werent supposed to interact with him? Urza asked.
M-My duty is to act as a guard! So I was going around gathering information! Not to ntion that Ghrud is sothing like a younger brother to Irura responded, but that last part was in an oddly quiet voice.
However, that would an we have to look around the entire country. Recklessly running around doesnt always bear fruit. Kyle was thinking to himself, but he couldnt co up with any better conclusion.
UmI went ahead and gathered any information from the witnesses. Erina carefully spoke up, taking out a map.
Written on the map were locations and tis where the dragon was spotted.
Ohhh, thatll be helpfulThough, it seems to be rather irregularTrying to guess his location will be hard just with that. Kyle looked at the map, unable to find any connection between the locations and tis.
So, as an ideawe could ask the dark elves for their assistance? They are the ones who know the most about this forest. Wherever this Ghrud-san may be hiding, he must have left behind so traces.
Kyle nodded after hearing about Erinas idea.
The dark elves, huhI guess they would be our best bet.
The dark elves surely have their own share of troubles, so surely they would be willing to assist us.
Kyle rembered Paserane and Roas.
If were going to search for Ghrud, we would most likely have to enter the territory of the dark elves, so we would have to interact with them eventually. If so, clearing up things imdiately would probably be safer. So, lets go et the dark elves. Kyle made his decision, and everyone imdiately prepared for departure.
We should head out right away then. Lieze gathered up all their belongings and looked in a certain direction.
It will take us two days at leastItd be great if we had a faster way of going. Urza opened up the map, also looking in a certain direction as well.
YeahIf we could fly through the sky, wed make it there in a heartbeat. Kyle focused his gaze in a certain direction.
So that we dont run into any complications on the way, itd be best if we could move as fast as possible. Seran glanced in a certain direction, grinning.
Indeed. On a side note, during our oath, I once asked to ride a dragon in an ergency situation. Shildonia showed a fiendish smirk, as she looked in a certain directiondirectly at Irura.
Get on.
Receiving expectant gazes from the entire group, Irura turned his back to the group.
Like a single lifeform. Yuriga didnt know if she should be impressed or bewildered.
Ahaha Erina flashed a simple smile, as she was sowhat used to it at this point.
Like this, humans, demons, and dragons ca together in their search for another dragon. Since the creation of this world, this was the first ti humans and demons, as well as a dragon who most definitely remained neutral, worked together for a temporary ceasefire.
Well, the job is about bringing ho a minor dragon, so this is just all over the place.
Dont say that
Shildonia didnt hold back in her phrasing, earning a sharp retort from Kyle.
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