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The Silver Mask and the Cursed Girl – Part 02

Hikaru had actually defeated a Black Dragon, the existence of which remained unknown. Similarly, he also slayed the White Dragon, but he had no intention of taking the credit for that.

During the battle with the White Dragon, the Four Eastern Stars didn’t notice Hikaru, but they knew that an Elemental Mage (Lavia) had helped them, and they felt that they couldn’t have won without her. Thus, they decided to donate Lavia’s portion of the reward for killing the dragon to Cotton-elka’s reconstruction.

“As you know, the Fire Drakon’s appearance has caused a commotion in the capital,” Freya went on. “The Adventurers Guild is keeping an eye on the situation.”

“Right.”

Hikaru was the one who brought the Fire Drakon to the skies above the capital. This was the one thing he really didn’t want anyone else knowing about.

“Is the king going to step down?”

“I doubt it.”

“What if the Fire Drakon returned? Can they handle it?”

“Apparently, research is being done on large-scale barriers.”

“To block the Fire Drakon’s attacks? Is that even possible?”

“I don’t think so.”

Freya chuckled in disbelief. Even from someone who worked with the regime, the king’s actions seemed ridiculous.

“Do you happen to have a negative opinion of the capital?” Hikaru asked.

“What?!” Freya waved her hands around. “O-Of course not.”

Hikaru stared fixedly at her.

“Um… I’m not sure if I can share this, but the Adventurers’ Guild is currently filing a complaint at the royal court.”

“A complaint? For abandoning Cotton-elka?”

“No, not that.”

Freya told Hikaru that an adventurer named Jillarte had been imprisoned in the castle under direct orders from the king. She was practically abducted.

“What’s this Jillarte person like?”

“A skilled Rank C adventurer, apparently. And a demi-human.”

“What race?”

Freya dropped her voice low. “A Half Dragon.”

A Half Dragon? Dragonfolk? Not drakon like the Fire Drakon, but dragon?

When Hikaru mixed up dragon and drakon, the Fire Drakon corrected his mistake grumpily. It said that dragons were beings associated with evil.

Are half drakons called Drakonewt, then?

“Have you ever heard of a race called Drakonewts? Hikaru asked.

“No.”

“Okay, then. So, why did you suddenly start whispering?”

“Well, I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Half Dragons are a bit special.”

“Special?”

“Are you familiar with the land to the south of Ponsonia?”

Freya briefed Hikaru on the geography and circumstances of the surrounding areas.

South of the Kingdom of Ponsonia lay a vast barren wasteland with sparse vegetation. As such, Ponsonia did not consider expanding its territory in that direction.

Nevertheless, the wasteland harbored forests and oases where about twenty demi-human species resided, such as Beastmen, Serpentfolk, Chelonians, and Half Dragons.

They formed a loose alliance, encouraging interaction to survive. Referring to themselves as the Confederacy of Einbiest, they had established self-governance in the unoccupied central territory of the continent.

“They have an alliance, but there’s a power structure among the races,” Freya explained. “For example, the largest race, the Beastmen, have the most say, while the minority, like the Ogrekin and the Ratmen, are oppressed.”

“Are Ratmen not Beastmen?”

“There’s this notion that weak Beastmen aren’t Beastmen.”

Hikaru couldn’t believe it. He thought that the weak banded together to oppose powerful nations, but even among the weak there were hierarchies.

“So, the current leader of the alliance is a Beastman, but up until twenty years ago, it was a Half Dragon.”

“I see. I guess Half Dragons are powerful.”

“It’s actually the opposite.”

“What?”

“Half Dragons are known as a cursed race, and are abhorred even within Einbiest. But the previous leader didn’t let that hatred get the better of him. He even worked to help the minority races.”

Einbiest sounded volatile at first, but Hikaru was relieved to hear that there were actually decent leaders.

“Jillarte is the daughter of the previous leader, Lord Kouga. His Majesty can’t possibly have a good reason for abducting such a person.”

Wow, the king is absolute trash. First, he tried to use Lavia as a weapon for war, and now this?

“I think the king is trying to break through a difficult situation,” Hikaru said.

“What do you mean?”

“There aren’t that many options available to a king who’s being forced by a Fire Drakon to relinquish his throne. Researching barriers for defense makes sense, but if he only needed to step down to solve the problem, even the nobles would oppose postponing his abdication.”

“G-Good point. As I recall, there are some powerful aristocrats among His Majesty’s opponents.”

“The only way to silence such aristocrats is to have some kind of accomplishment.”

“Oh! Is that where Jillarte comes in?”

“Yes. I have no idea how he’s going to use her, though. But if the previous leader of Einbiest was a person of character, I’m sure there are many who adore Jillarte.”

“I see… Um, Hikaru?”

“What is it?”

“N-Never mind. It’s nothing.” Freya forced a smile.

“Really? Okay, then.”

Freya’s thoughts remained a mystery to Hikaru, who was consumed by his own concerns.

Half Dragons… a cursed race. Do they have something to do with the battle between dragons and drakons?

When Hikaru first arrived in this world, survival was his sole objective, with little regard for the future beyond living alongside Lavia.

Hikaru had been resting for the past few days, with some money and free time on his hands. There was one thing that occupied his thoughts during this time—the spell for crossing worlds, the subject of research by Roland N. Zaracia, his body’s previous owner.

Roland was able to bring Hikaru’s soul to this world, but his research could only affect the soul; he couldn’t physically travel to another realm.

But there has to be a way.

Hikaru wasn’t the only one who came from another world. Serika Tanoue, one of the Four Eastern Stars, was likely also from Japan. If there was a way to travel from there, there had to be a way to return home. While Hikaru had not yet discovered how Serika arrived in this world, he was convinced that there had to be more than just Sorcery at work. This was especially true given the Fire Drakon’s mention of lost technology and a potent energy source called holy mana.

If Hikaru investigated the dragons and drakons further, perhaps he could uncover something more.

If asked if he wanted to go back to Japan, Hikaru wasn’t certain, but he did have regrets.

“Life will be rough for you. You may be clever, but you’re also reckless,” a girl had warned him. “Someday, somewhere, you might just suddenly die.”

If there was one thing he wished for, it was to see Hazuki once more.

---

Freya bid farewell to Hikaru with a smile, but her expression darkened as soon as he was out of sight.

She couldn’t bring herself to ask him whether he was involved in the disappearance of Count Morgstadt’s daughter.

She had her suspicions.

Hikaru had claimed to be studying on the day of the incident. The book he borrowed was outdated, while the one in the library was the current version, updated by Freya herself.

Freya confirmed Hikaru’s statement when he gave a perfect answer for her simple question. However, what bothered her was that his knowledge pertained to what was written in the latest edition, not the old.

Perhaps he just happened to read that part in the latest edition, or maybe he had heard it from other adventurers.

Freya needed only to ask to know, but she hesitated. Despite his young age, Hikaru was making remarkable progress as a rookie adventurer.

He had hunted Red Horn Rabbits repeatedly. He even helped Paula and her friends when they were attacked by Goblins.

These feats were not easy for rookie adventurers.

“I’m sure I’ll have another chance,” Freya muttered to herself.

She hesitated to ask and learn of Hikaru’s true nature, fearing that it might destroy their relationship.