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Chapter 118

「Well, the point is, you don’t know anything about the hidden history of this world. So, to put it bluntly, dragons are basically—」

「To put it bluntly…?」

「They’re a race born between the Demon King and humans.」

「What do you mean?」

「Originally, dragons were created as the highest-ranking beings in this world.」

「But isn’t that still the case? When they transform into dragons, they become unstoppable, and even in human form, they’re formidable warriors…」

At that point, Lute shrugged and shook his head from side to side.

「It’s not like that originally. It’s not about comparing them to humans. They’re beings listed alongside the 12 Demon Kings, literally the highest-ranking calamitous individuals, akin to gods」

「Demon Kings…? The ones mentioned earlier. The ones that are said to be dormant within me…」

「That’s right. Originally, they were meant to monitor the world to prevent human civilization from progressing too far, and once signs were seen, to swiftly destroy civilization. By the way, Beelzebub, whom I devoured, was one of them. Now, back to the story—there was once a peculiar tale of a Dragon Princess who fell in love with a human man.」

「That’s a famous fairy tale. The Dark Evil Dragon and the Cook’s tale. Could it be…」

Ah, and Lute nodded.

「It’s said that what subdued the gluttonous Dark Evil Dragon, consumed by destructive impulses, wasn’t power or justice, but cooking and love.」

「And what was born between the Demon King and them?」

「Half-dragons… They’re the ancestors of the dragons here now. In other words, the Dragon’s Village… wasn’t supposed to exist, or rather, it’s something like a bug that couldn’t have existed in the system.」

「Well, the legendary Dark Evil Dragon was a monstrous being that could blow away mountains… so it’s understandable that humans couldn’t handle it.」

「Even if they had reproductive organs, dragons, as you can see, are proud beings. It’s unthinkable for them to choose a human, who is far weaker in power, as a mate.」

「I see. But dragons are known for their pride in their strength, right? Why would they lose their power? I mean, assuming the loss of power, why are they here today, in this place?」

At that moment, we reached a spot where the chain-link fence receded… a recess, you might call it? Anyway, we reached it, and as we ventured further in, a shining building with an oddly sleek exterior came into view.

「Now then… everyone, are you ready?」

The Seven Dragon Elders discarded their travel cloaks, followed by their upper garments and undershirts.

All of them, though old, were muscular, clearly formidable at first glance.

Even I, who had already pushed my abilities as a hero to their limits…

I really couldn’t say for sure how many of them I could handle if they transformed into dragons.

「Hey, Lute? What are you trying to do?」

As I was about to speak, Lilith restrained Lute with her hand.

「…I think it’s better for outsiders not to hear about dragon customs from you. My foster father is of the Earth Dragon Tribe. And since I was raised as the daughter of a dragon…」

「Yeah, that’s right. Even for you, it was classified information until recently. It would be odd for me to tell her about it.」

「…Alright, Cordelia Allston. Dragons are a proud race that adheres to strength.」

「Yeah, I know that.」

「Half of them are human, while the other half are from the core of the old world’s system… from the Demon King. Therefore, there’s no method to make contact with the system’s administrator, the Goddess… it’s just not possible. We dragons have maintained a policy of non-interference in the world as dragons for a long time, and yet we have continued to consider the injustices of this world. We are proud and attached to power, but none of us have a spirit of just bending and accepting the injustice we can’t do anything about.」

「They weren’t just silently accepting things?」

Lilith nodded in agreement.

「…The legends say so. At the end of a long, long time, we made a pact with the world’s administrator. The administrator wasn’t pleased with the current state of the world either… If someone appeared to entrust all the dragons to… they would set a time for a meeting. And that time is now.」

「But—Isn’t that just a legend? Like a fairy tale or something? How did we end up in a place like this—」

At that moment, I realized the foolishness of my words, but it was too late. Lilith snickered at me.

「…As long as it’s passed down orally, it becomes an absolute fact for us. Because—」

I interrupted Lilith’s words with my palm.

「Well, yeah. Dragons don’t lie… So, you could say oral tradition is essentially 100% trustworthy.」

「…That’s right.」

「And entrusting everything of the dragons, that basically means… it’s Lute, right?」

At that, Lute clapped his hands together.

「That’s correct, Cordelia. Alright, everyone, let’s begin.」

With Lute’s words, the bodies of the Seven Dragon Elders were enveloped in light.

「But, specifically, what does this entail? What are you all doing, Lute?」

「It’s disarming.」

「Disarming…?」

「The physical phenomena of this world are governed by status. It’s a phenomenon that can occur because of the assistance of nanomachines that are scattered throughout ourselves and nature… In other words, it’s supported by an invisible mysterious force.」

「So, what these people are doing?」

「Originally, dragons are like system bugs. The connection with nanomachines is actually fragile. Well, that’s why they can easily form connections and exert immense power, but…」

「So entrusting everything means…?」

With a solemn expression, Lilith nodded weakly.

「…If you want to change the world’s system, show the resolve of the dragons to entrust everything to the future. That’s the only condition set by the Goddess—the administrator.」

「But… If they disarm…」

「Ah, even though they’re dragons, they’ll be completely removed from the assistance of the system. They’ll only be able to exert a power weaker than that of a human child. They might even lose the power of dragon transformation altogether.」

「Proud dragons who cling to power… to be weaker than children?」

「…Cordelia Allston. That’s why it requires resolve. Each of the seven clan chiefs, the highest combat power of the dragon clans… must show their full resolve and trust. That’s the condition. The price to be paid for the momentary dialogue with the true god of this world.」

As we spoke, one by one, the Seven Dragon Elders collapsed.

Their power drained, they couldn’t even maintain the strength to stand… That’s how they collapsed.

「Don’t worry, everyone. I’ll make sure to take you back to the village.」

And then, the particles of light that had escaped gathered towards what seemed to be the entrance to the building.

Next, the particles, shining in seven colors like gods, were drawn into the door and disappeared—

—Except for the red one.

Upon closer inspection, that light seemed slightly weaker than the other colors seen before.

「It seems… it’s still lacking.」

With those words, a red-haired man, an acquaintance of Lute’s, discarded his coat and upper garments.

「Even if he’s the Red Dragon Emperor, he’s still getting on in years. It’s natural that his power would be lacking.」

Upon hearing those words, Lute nodded slightly.

「The elders are old and have little to live, so they all agreed willingly… But are you sure about this, old man? Your power won’t return.」

「In case of emergency, I’m here as a spare for the Red Dragon Emperor. And you’re asking that now?」

For a moment, Lute’s expression faltered, tears welling up—

Then, he bowed deeply.

「Please, take care of it. Your will won’t be in vain.」

In response to his words, the red-haired man made a puzzled expression.

Then, after standing frozen for a while—

「Hey, Lute… I’ve told you countless times to use honorifics since back then. Isn’t it unfair to do it at a time like this?」

Tears welled up in the eyes of the red dragon clan man as he nodded vigorously, continuing his words.

「Hey, Lute. I’m not asking you for anything. I don’t even have anything to entrust to you.」

With that, he lightly tapped Lute’s head with his fist.

「This is a promise. Change the world without fail. You can do it. So, I’m entrusting that to you.」

Wiping away his tears with his little finger, the red-haired man raised his head, and Lute did the same.

Then, the two of them smiled confidently, shook hands firmly, and that was that.