98 97. Last job.txt (1/2)

The formalities and minor preparations for the country were all completed by Snow.

Or, to be more precise, the Walkers seemed to have shared in the work. In the blink of an eye, the conversation was settled, and in the morning we were to leave Lauravia and head for the western villages.

Looking back, this is the first time I've ever left the Confederacy.

I look out the window of the carriage for a casual glance at the scenery outside.

I could see the white mountains in the distance against a background of young green plains. I had heard that the area outside the Confederacy was a frontier, but there was really nothing there. There were simple roads, but most of the landscape was uninhabited.

As I rocked in the carriage, I whispered to the reaper who was taking in the scenery with me.

The Reaper and I were forced to share a carriage with him. Snow was a little suspicious, but it was necessary.

''--Reaper. What was that about earlier ......?

What do you mean, earlier?

You looked like you were in a lot of pain. ......

Well, you know. It's just that... ......

The Reaper is pursued, and he narrows his voice down.

He doesn't want to be heard by the Walker family's chamberlain, who is playing the role of a groom.

'What do you call it ....... The 'murderous urge' to Rowen is that ......

You know, 'Murderous Impulse' ......?

Hearing those boisterous words, I keep my voice down too.

'Yeah. That's what happens when you suppress the 'murderous urge': ......

Is it hard to keep it down: ......?

'My body is in so much pain I feel like it's going to twist and turn. Maybe it's because I'm denying the meaning of my existence: ......

............

The Reaper is magic.

It is highly likely that it was also created only to kill the existence of Lowen Alais. To resist the magic of the body is to deny the entire existence of the ”shadow-loving reaper” (Grim Lim Reaper).

The pain is unknown to my non-magical self.

But the pain of denying oneself could not be considered light.

'It's okay, I won't lose. ......

The Reaper laughed and acted stoutly.

'Reaper?'

I will not let 'Kill Rowen' (・・・・・) get the better of me. I will not let anyone dictate my fate. I will continue to resist the false feelings. Because I am me!

Then he swore in a small voice, but with strong words.

The figure did not look like a child less than a year old. He was in direct defiance of the meaning of his own existence and trying to choose his own path. I respected his or her strength of will.

The words spilled out naturally.

Somehow, the Reaper's oath resonated deep inside me.

'...... Hmmm, no, it's not great. It's just a passing remark.

”Sell?　Who?

I think I'm a big brother.

What ......?

The unexpected name confuses me.

Call me a receiver, but I don't remember preaching that to the Reapers.

'It's not a clear statement, but it just flows in. ”I don't remember the words, but they just flowed in, screaming, 'Don't mess with your destiny,' 'Don't allow lies,' 'Don't make a mistake in your wishes. Those voices are more desperate, more sorrowful, more serious than anyone else's - that's why I believe in those voices.

Flowing into ......?

I quickly put my hand to the pattern on my neck.

If there's something flowing, it's from the 'curse' connection. If it's not just magic, but emotions are also flowing in, then I understand the meaning of the Reaper's words now.

But apart from the question of when I had those emotions, .......

So what I'm saying is also what my brother said: ......

My words: ”My words: ......

With that, the Reaper turned his eyes back to the scene outside.

The enlightened Reaper from earlier was gone, and it returned to its age-appropriate expression.

I thought I could believe what she was saying, if only for a moment.

I can't believe that the words I just said were only for the Reaper. It feels a lot more comfortable to think that the words now are those of the past me.

The past me might be furious.

I'm going to reevaluate my feelings.

To tell the truth, I don't have the same strong convictions as the Reaper. It's true that I don't like lies and disorder. But I don't have the will to go that far.

Then how did I achieve that level of will and for what reason did I say those words?

Don't mess with your destiny. Don't allow a lie.

And 'Don't make a mistake in your wishes'.

I kept thinking about it until we arrived at the western village.

I couldn't stop thinking about it.

In the meantime, time was passing and the carriage kept going through the plains.

◆◆◆◆◆ ...

It takes about half a day to reach the village to the west.

It's a much more solid village than I imagined. It feels like a frontier village, but it's about the same size as the city of Lauravian.

While greeting the people living in the village, we head to the mansion in the center.

We meet our client, the village chief.

The Walker family's attendants are playing an active role here as well. They handled everything from negotiations to contracts, so much so that I didn't feel like I was working on a request (quest) in a distant land.

In the meantime, although I was witnessing as the party leader, there wasn't a single deficiency that I could interrupt, so I was really just standing there.

It was immediately decided to leave for the defeat and leave the village chief's mansion.

Near the mansion, Rowen was playing with the children again. He must have been bored while the villagers were negotiating. He showed them his sword skills and received an exclamation of ”oh”. Rowen was in a good mood and was repeating one technique after another.

Leaving Rowen like that, I spread the map I was given on the ground.

I pull the Reaper who was playing nearby and decide to check the location together.

''-- Magic 《Dimension Multiple Expansion (Multiple)!

I'm a magic dimension.

Anyone who deals in dimensional magic doesn't need a scout.

And it's no wonder it's so hard to get lost.

I let my magic power penetrate the entire village, the entire nearby mountain, and even the abandoned castle I'm aiming for, and acquire information about its terrain. Working in parallel, I rewrite the old parts of the ground map with my right hand. I'll learn it once I see it, but I'll make it an accurate map for Snow and Rowen, just in case.

The Reaper next to me groans, ”Mmmmmm,” as she imitates me. However, it seems that her magic doesn't allow her to search as far as I do. I guess it's as far as the foot of the mountain.

Smiling and watching over it, I further expand the Dimension Multiple Expansion (Multiple).

Grasping the structure, I look for the dragon that has taken up residence in the castle. The castle is bigger than I expected. It's as big as the castle in Lauravia.

It was a castle with a huge withered garden that was distinctive.

This garden is three times as large as the castle in Lauravian, which I had visited before. The owner of this castle may have liked greenery.

With that in mind, I flew my magic even deeper into the depths.

Soon the dragon was found. It had fallen asleep on its throne in an imposing manner.

He sat down on his human throne and curled up on the top seat. There was a large amount of crops lying around the perimeter that must have been looted from the village. Nothing else is there.

It's not a pretty sight. In fairy tales, brightly colored dragons would often be guarding the gold and silver treasures, but this one has no shiny objects at all.

Ochre scales and a dirty body. With an abandoned castle that is about to crumble now, there are no treasures at all. The surrounding root vegetables add to its simplicity.

[Monster] Dravdragon: rank 26.

Apparently, we can 'watch' for monsters outside the labyrinth.

I'm relieved by the information that it has a rank of 26. If you look at it numerically, it's not my enemy, which is diving to the 30th layer of the labyrinth.

'Smoldering Dragon (Dravdragon) ......, discovered ......'

At the same time, Dravdragon opened his eyes. It might have sensed the magical power of dimensional magic.

However, the Dravdragon immediately closed its eyes.

He seemed to be used to it. Perhaps it was common for him to be able to cast this kind of search magic.

''Eh, eh, big brother ....... Where, where?''

The Reaper hears of my discovery and scurries around to ask me about it.

I had no choice but to use my magic to help the Reaper with his Dimension. This is a trick that ordinary wizards would not be able to do with each other, but with the Reaper and I, it was possible.

The Reaper and I are connected by a curse, and the attributes and qualities of our magic power are similar. We can at least share the 《Dimension》.

''Reaper, not that way. Spread it out to the north-northwest, ...... so and so.

Oh, this way. Oh, what a great castle!　We even found a big lizard!

I invite the Reaper's Dimension and manage to get her to confirm the dragon as well.

Seeing that the Reaper and I have confirmed it, Snow enthusiastically announces her departure.

'Hmm, okay. So that way. Well, let's go then. --Lowen Ares!

Rowen stopped interacting with the children when Snow called her to stop interacting with them.

Then, with a satisfied look on her face, she said goodbye and was sent off with a ”Good luck, Shishou”. Apparently, Rowen has the kids here call him 'Master' as well.

Thus, we walked into the mountains.

Normally, dragon slaying would require extensive preparations, but we are also lightly armed. All of the tools needed for the expedition are in our 'belongings', so we each only have one weapon with us.

Since we don't have any luggage, we can proceed quickly and easily.

While walking down the mountain path, I talk to Snow to review the information on the targets to be defeated.

''At this pace, it's really going to take us a day to finish ....... Defeating Dravdragon: ......

Well, that's what I'm going for.

'But it's a wonder that a dragon this close to us hasn't been defeated until today.

''It's no wonder. It's rather natural that the Dull Dragon has not been defeated until today.

Of course you're going to ......?

Snow doesn't stop walking and continues to speak.

''It's a dragon that's not worth it. The bounty is low anyway, despite being strong. That's why I've always had a surplus.''

Oh, really?

'Unlike other typical greedy dragons, they are not greedy anyway. It doesn't do any evil deeds other than taking the minimum amount of crops needed. The amount of that crop is also really minimal. Because of that, even if you defeat it, you'll only get a sparrow's eye reward. And yet the strength of the dragon itself doesn't change, so no one wants to defeat it.

Apparently, there is a good reason why it remains.

The country wants to get rid of it, but it seems to be a very low priority due to its lack of damage.

That means--.

Smart dragon.

No. They're just being clever.

My admiration for the dragon was denied by Snow's abhorrent voice.

'Little wise ......?'

'The other dragons are dead, so he's stuck in here with his pride. Little wise guy.

'Well, were there other dragons in the old days ......?'

''Yeah. There were three other dragons in the Confederate settlement. Well, they were all killed by brother Glenn. ......

Finally, when I mentioned Glenn-san's name, Snow swept his eyes slightly.

Because I was in a state of readiness for battle, the 《Dimension》 was sharpened. Because of that, I could tell that Snow had lied to me.

But that doesn't mean I'm not going to listen again.

It doesn't mean that my senses are one hundred percent correct, nor is it information that I particularly want to know.

'Those three animals were highly dangerous, weren't they?

'Typical greedy dragons. They burn villages, raid cities, eat people and steal treasures. They were quickly spotted and came with a large bounty. They returned many bounty hunters and knights, but they still died unceremoniously in the end.

'Man versus dragon. It's like a fairy tale: ....... No matter how strong a dragon is, it will lose at some point.

Yeah. Yeah.

Snow nods a little sadly and goes quiet.

Snow is a dragonborn (Dragon Newt). I wonder if the dragon's blood flowing through his body is a source of sympathy.

I avoid the potentially dark topic and let the matter at hand simmer.

'So, how do we fight this drav dragon?　From the documents, it looks pretty strong: ......

I'll go head-to-head. Maybe it'll end one way or the other.

'No, you may be right, but ....... More, like this strategy or .......

It's best to do so since everyone in this party is the vanguard.

Snow doesn't seem to want to go head-to-head, either.

I scratch my head at the imbalance in the party.

I see. If possible, I'd like someone who specializes in magic--

That's not necessary.

But my worries are quickly cut off by Snow.

I turn to Snow in surprise.

'What? Why ......?'

Well, uh, well, that's just--

Snow looked troubled, searching for his next words. I interrupted him with my momentum, but he didn't seem to have prepared a reason for it.

I'm also troubled by his reaction.

I know that Snow is planning to take me as his son-in-law. I'm sure that he wants to use me to ”make it easy” for him, although I doubt that he even has any fondness for me, let alone love me.

However, that doesn't mean he should interfere with the efficiency of the battle. So, I'll be able to assert my opinion clearly.

'Snow, don't bring your own convenience to work.

No. No?　Sorry, I didn't mean to. ...... Oh, are you mad at me?　You're not mad at me, are you?

When I'm a little harsh, Snow's attitude changes.

His sneering appearance is very similar to Glenn's. Although they are not related by blood, I can tell that they are brother and sister.

'No, I'm not angry. I'm not mad at you.

'Good. ....... Now, when I said you didn't need to do that earlier, I meant that there are enough good wizards in The Epic Seeker. That's right!　Shall we call Teri next?

'Yes. With Teyri in the room, the fight will be much broader: ......