Chapter 363: Fugitives, Usurpers (2)
Valda pressed both hands to Eugene’s neck and cheeks, checking his body temperature. The warmth and texture felt no different from usual, but she could sense an unknown energy beneath his skin.
Focusing on it as a mage would, the energy retreated deep into Eugene’s body as if annoyed.
“My condition is fine. Don’t worry.”
“It seems this unfamiliar, uninvited guest has taken a liking to your body.”
“It brought quite a useful gift as well.”
Eugene tapped the corner of his eye.
“Has your eyesight improved?”
“It’s changed. As a commander, it will be more than that. Any camouflage or ambush will be clearly visible.”
Eugene stepped back several paces and observed Valda—with a gaze that would have been rude from anyone but her husband.
“Perhaps it could be useful as a husband too.”
“What does that mean?”
Valda looked puzzled.
“For example, if we have children and you experience coldness in your extremities, I could manage it—massaging if it reaches your limbs, warming your hands or feet if it reaches those.”
“Eugene! What are you saying in front of others?”
This time her face flushed and she waved her hands. Eugene happily observed his wife’s temperature change.
Valda was a woman who wore her emotions on her sleeve. The thermal vision had gifted him the sight of his wife’s life pulsing along with her emotions. There was an indescribable tenderness in that.
“Oh! So that’s how an elf’s ears get hot? The blood rises from the base through the pointed tip and fans out like a snowflake.”
It seemed trivial yet was perhaps the most important knowledge. The national-budget expenditure to fight the dragon had been worth it.
*
While reinforcements arrived, those quick and brave enough conducted a preliminary survey of the cave. At its head was Homi.
“This isn’t an ordinary cave. It’s a dwarf mine. Very old dwarf remains, equipment, and mining tools have been discovered.”
The elves were startled by Homi’s report upon her return.
“Dwarves?”
“Why are dwarves here?”
But the dwarf-made equipment brought back by the scouts was clear evidence. Their weathered, relic-like appearance was virtually impossible to forge.
“Were there no dwarves among the refugees who fled to the Great Forest during the first era?”
At Eugene’s question, the elves looked at each other. Their expressions and reactions indicated they had no idea.
“This isn’t far from the Gold Sea. They said the plain was developed into farmland around the mid-second era?”
“That’s about right. Our ancestors were too busy simply surviving when they first arrived in the forest. They gained farmland during the process of completing Elenost and expanding outward from there.”
The elf with the most historical knowledge answered.
“Then there must have been a group of dwarves who participated in the great exodus of the late first era. They either came together from the start, or the elves arrived first and the dwarves came later.”
In the chaos of that time, many had fled to forests and mountains. One couldn’t definitively say that only the elves led by Ostir had headed for the Great Forest.
It was so long ago that even the centauresses didn’t know whether they were natives of the Great Forest or had come from outside.
“That’s entirely possible. At the time, relations between elves and dwarves weren’t bad. In surviving an unfamiliar place, they could rely on each other.”
Valda also agreed.
“But why are there no records? The elders in my village had nothing to say about dwarves.”
“Hypotheses can be plenty. In my view, it seems like a joint cover-up between the leadership and the dragon.”
At the questioning looks, Eugene elaborated.
“The situation was that the elves had led their people to the Great Forest as refugees. But the accompanying dwarf clan was annihilated by the dragon. What would happen if this news spread?”
“Everyone would fall into chaos.”
“And then?”
“They’d feel threatened by the dragon, be terrified…”
“The successful settlement could fall apart. Some would want to leave the forest, others would want to go deeper into areas beyond Elenost. They had already exhausted their resources and manpower to get this far and build. If the elves fractured in the middle of that?”
It was a situation where a nation had been destroyed, survivors barely gathered, and a new home being built. If deserters emerged en masse from fear of the dragon, the race itself could become refugees.
“But isn’t that an incredibly dangerous gamble? What if the dragon attacked?”
“The gamble succeeded, and that’s why they lived in peace and prosperity until the third era. The dragon had fed on the dwarves, and Elenost was far away.”
In hindsight, it wasn’t a bad choice.
“This is all just my conjecture. The truth lies beyond there… or perhaps in Elenost’s palace.”
“The capital tracks every village, even ones with fewer than twenty households. If dwarves had built a settlement this large, they would have known. If it had been destroyed overnight, they would naturally have investigated.”
The listening elves were perplexed, but Eugene’s theory didn’t seem particularly wrong.
*
While the elves discussed their respective historical knowledge in earnest debate, the Britainia knights and mercenaries were all excited.
“An abandoned dwarven mining city!”
“Just hearing about it makes one’s mouth water!”
Their eyes gleamed with desire.
-Dragons don’t actually have a habit of collecting treasure.
When they had heard Teresa describe dragon behavior at the dryad village, everyone had been disappointed.
“The dryad lady must have been misinformed. Dragons do love treasure! Dwarves have lots of shiny things, so the dragon raided them to take it. And filled its belly at the same time.”
“If dwarves built a settlement here, it wouldn’t be iron or copper. At minimum silver—possibly even a gold mine.”
Killing the dragon was one thing; acquiring gold and silver treasure would be the icing on the cake.
“If there really is treasure in there, to whom does ownership belong?”
Someone splashed cold water on the mood.
“Ownership? That would naturally…”
The words “those who discovered and explored it” didn’t come easily.
The elf army had been defeated and many chiefs had sided with Valda. Elenost’s remnant soldiers were returning to the capital, and Ostir and his royal guard were reported missing.
Eugene’s purpose in visiting the Great Forest had been the pregnancy potion recipe as his top priority. But seeing how things were developing, a bloodless takeover of Elenost also seemed possible. If that happened, the ruling power of the Great Forest would change entirely.
“Even if it’s within the elves’ national territory, this is a dwarven ruin…”
“When abandoned for this long, the ruins themselves become a kind of natural resource. Ownership belongs to the land’s owner.”
Cases like this were fairly common and sometimes caused territorial wars.
“His Majesty will take care of it properly, surely.”
“Yes. He’ll take care of it properly, so everyone maintain your current morale.”
“Hah!”
At Eugene’s sudden appearance, everyone froze.
“Don’t get your hopes too high—it could be a salt mine instead of precious metals. In the Great Forest, even that would be worth establishing a settlement for.”
“Ah, it could be salt.”
“Most importantly, all of this is only ours after we’ve defeated the dragon. Don’t let greed make you sluggish in body and mind.”
At the obvious statement, the knights saluted. Among them were several who had purposes more important than gold and silver.
-They say over ten new villages have been established in Britainia’s frontier. Most without owners.
-If I can land even one javelin throw at the dragon before His Majesty… I could become a lord like Lord Maquin!
Gold coins were spent and gone. But if one could receive even a small village and claim the life of a lord, that prosperity would be passed down through generations.
He was a king who always paid for even the smallest task—even abolishing the corvée of serfs. No further explanation was needed.
“With its most threatening tail severed, all the dragon has left is its size.”
“If we charge with the resolve to die, some will fall but someone will reach the dragon. Let us honor the fallen by driving our spears and swords home.”
The knights’ faces were solemn. So much so that one couldn’t believe they had been excitedly discussing spoils just moments before.
“We’re cheering for you, knights!”
“We’ll hold the camp and focus on treatment and resupply!”
The mercenaries had no intention of risking their lives fighting the dragon. Staying in the rear and accepting scraps was enough.
*
As night fell, a weary Alzhar arrived with the infantry.
“You’ve truly worked hard. In this battle, you are the number one contributor.”
Eugene personally went out to support Alzhar.
“Please, Your Majesty. I single-handedly burned through a mid-sized kingdom’s annual budget. If I couldn’t even do that, I’d deserve punishment.”
“The fact that the money was well spent—that itself is admirable.”
Knowing he had done well but requesting a bit of theatrical praise, Eugene happily obliged.
“You’ve done your part. From now on, rest and focus on recovering your stamina.”
Even Alzhar, who was hungry for merit, seemed to feel he had done everything he could on this expedition and quietly accepted Eugene’s decision.
“Night has fallen deep. What will we do?”
“We’ll camp tonight and enter the cave tomorrow morning.”
Everyone was fatigued from the pursuit and march, and night had fallen deep. There was a suitable camping spot a considerable distance from the dragon’s cave. Of course, even this didn’t reassure many mercenaries.
“Shouldn’t we put more distance between us?”
“Sleeping in the dragon’s front yard is a bit…”
But there was no other option.
“Then we either march through the night to the barley fields or set up camp randomly in the forest. Monsters could approach without us even knowing.”
Spending a night in thick undergrowth was unthinkable. Even if a warg bit them during sleep, they wouldn’t know until its fangs were about to pierce skin.
“Did you forget how the dragon turned tail when it saw His Majesty?”
“It’s severely injured too—it’ll try to hide as much as possible.”
The fact that their king was present with numerous knights also provided great comfort.
“Have the sentries each dig a small pit nearby.”
“Your Majesty, are you ordering field trenches?”
“No. A pit about one meter wide and long will do.”
“May I ask why?”
“Just in case. This dragon uses many strange tricks. When it attacked Ostir, its camouflage was indistinguishable from nature.”
On top of that, it wielded magical power.
Elite troops had been deployed as sentries, but Eugene wasn’t reassured. He wanted additional insurance to detect the dragon during guard duty.
Eugene gazed at the dark cave in the distance. Regardless, everyone had to sleep today. Charging in with exhausted knights was out of the question, and staying up all night worrying about the dragon would be foolish.
*
When everyone except the night watch had fallen asleep, Eugene walked through the camp with Maria. Because of the dragon’s blood dwelling within his body, his mind remained clear even with his eyes closed.
“Shall I prescribe a sleeping aid?”
Maria spoke with concern, but Eugene shook his head.
“No. If I take something like that, my body will be sluggish when I really need it. Instead of feeling sleepy, I’m full of energy.”
Eugene looked up at the moon.
“I’ll get used to it soon. You should get some rest. You’re irreplaceable.”
“You’re too kind. Your Majesty emerged from the dragon battle without a single scratch. I wonder if I’m of any use.”
“Having you as insurance lets me be bolder.”
“When you say that, I truly… Your Majesty?”
“Shh.”
Eugene’s face suddenly hardened, and he pressed a finger to his lips.
“???”
Maria, sensing something wrong, listened carefully, but apart from insect sounds, nothing seemed amiss. Eugene pointed toward one of the small pits nearby instead of answering.
Plip.
A tiny circular ripple appeared in the center of the water surface.
“…!”
Maria’s face immediately tensed.
Plip.
Another ripple spread across the water surface. Yet still no sound.
‘Well, look at that.’
Eugene let out a small laugh.
“I was only thinking of stealth matched to the night, but this家伙 is playing dirty. Approaching silently despite a size that would normally cause thunderous footsteps. Does it wield wind spirits?”
The pit dug to detect the dragon’s night raid turned out to be useful in this way. One truly had to see and hear much in life.
Eugene sent silent thanks to the great mind not present.
“Hey. Wake up.”
“Rise.”
“Hurry.”
Night watchmen maintaining blackout discipline patrolled. Eugene lay on the ground. The roar technique learned from Homi was useful in many ways.
Homi, sleeping without a tent, noticed something and ran over. Their eyes met, and Eugene gave her a thumbs-up before releasing a silent roar.
A subtle yet nerve-jangling threat that traveled across the ground, waking all the sleepers simultaneously.
-Prepare to deploy at any moment, then sleep.
Whether it was the cunning dragon’s night raid or a starving monster’s assault, this was the absolute basics of camping in such situations.
Before long, armed knights and soldiers were surveying the surroundings from all directions, battle-ready.
Plip.
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
Without any additional explanation, everyone noticed the change by looking at the ripples. The ripples had grown more than twice as large as when Eugene had first detected them. Yet still no sound.
Eugene received the Predator from Homi and mounted Mite. In the midst of that anxious silence…
“■■■!”
Attackers emerged from the darkness, charging fiercely.
“Attack on the left!”
“They’re lizardmen!”
A group of lizardmen from the area that worshipped the dragon as a god.
The species’ wrinkled feet grew tens of thousands of tiny hairs, aiding in wall-climbing and stealth. Their green skin helped them camouflage in the undergrowth.
It was an extremely stealthy ambush, but the army had been waiting in full battle readiness.
“Fire!”
Hundreds of crossbows and Vindicator ballistas welcomed the nighttime guests with maximum firepower.
Gukh—!
Keck—!
From all directions, lizardmen fell bleeding. Thanks to their tough hides, their bare skin provided protection roughly equivalent to gambeson.
In the wild survival competition, this was a tremendous advantage, but against a fully armored real army, they were helplessly pierced.
“Over there! Between those bent trees!”
A night attack didn’t always favor the attacker. Access paths from the forest to the campsite were limited.
If properly ambushed, retreat would be cut off and heavy casualties forced. But when prepared and ready to counter, the narrow defensive perimeter was advantageous.
Clunk!
A giant bolt from a ballista skewered three lizardmen at once. The gruesome sight was enough to demoralize even the lizardmen.
But they hadn’t come alone. For Eugene’s army, it was as if the goddess Banas herself had descended to lead the assault.
Boom! Boom!
The dragon, having concealed its presence through unknown means, entered combat, and its characteristic heavy footsteps echoed.
“■■!”
“■■!”
The lizardmen grew even more ecstatic, their faces radiant. As if their god was beating the drums of war.
Eventually, the dragon emerged from the darkness and roared. But there was no sight of humans panicking and scrambling from their tents.
“Kill them! Kill them all!”
“We’ll skin and roast you!”
The knights and infantry, already battle-ready, were slaughtering the lizardmen, utilizing the advantage of their home ground.
Thud thud thud thud.
And gradually, the sound of horse hooves—the kind that could give the dragon PTSD—was approaching.
Puuuk!
A scream of pain shook the forest. The dragon abandoned its loyal lizardmen and fled.
“Your Majesty!”
“Are you safe?”
Knights approached Eugene, who had been thrown back by the dragon’s rejection. No matter how powerful their lance charge, the mass difference from size was unavoidable.
Having prepared from the start, he had pushed off backward before being dangerously thrown.
“This time, was it the left arm?”
Eugene looked at the dragon, already vanishing in the distance, with a regretful expression. He had aimed for the chest, but the dragon had sacrificed its arm to block.
“A creature that knows when to give and when to take…”
Even though it had likely never faced a worthy opponent in its life, its survival instincts surpassed those of most mercenaries.
*
With the dragon having fled, the remaining lizardmen were simply annihilated.
“We’ll delay the cave entry. The standing force will take turns on guard duty. Knights, artillerymen, and other entry personnel will get an additional three hours of sleep.”
Given the situation, many had assumed they would charge in at dawn even if exhausted. But Eugene had no intention of rushing with an incomplete force.
“But Your Majesty, after the enemy’s night attack, to rest here as if nothing happened…”
“The lizardmen are wiped out and the dragon’s wounds have deepened. If they come again, we’ll welcome them the same way. Entry personnel must force themselves to sleep to recover more stamina. This is now our backyard.”
Eugene even urinated in the direction of the cave, as if marking his territory.
Separate from the rational judgment, everyone looked at their king with expressions of exasperation. His guts truly protruded beyond his body.