Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.
Only a few people knew about my history with him.
My forr teammates, a few high-ranking officials from the Leathlas Church, and the leaders of the Dragonkin tribe.
Erwen didn't know anything about it.
She only knew that a mage nad Dwarkey had died in the labyrinth.
'Could there be so connection between them?'
Hmm, that seems unlikely.
She didn't react this way when the Marquis told about the hidden mission to kill the Dragonslayer.
'...But she did look upset back then.'
No, she definitely looked upset.
Her lips were tightly pressed, and Alia even asked if she was feeling unwell.
She quickly left, saying it was nothing.
'I should have investigated further.'
I can't just ignore my companion's ntal breakdown.
I excused myself from Jun and cald Erwen down.
Then I asked her what had happened.
"I-I'm s-sorry... I-I suddenly..."
"It's okay. I'm not mad. I'm just worried. What happened between you and the Dragonslayer?"
"It's... it's a long story."
Erwen hesitated for a long ti before speaking.
"It happened when I was ten."
"Ten years old..."
Thirteen years ago.
A year after the war between the barbarians and the fairies ended.
That triggered a mory.
"Could it be... related to the Bloodbath?"
The terrorist attack on the fairy sanctuary.
The culprit was Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.
Over a thousand fairies had died that day.
And if my guess was correct...
"...Yes. My parents died that day. Protecting us... my sister, my brother, and ..."
"...I see."
Erwen had lost her parents.
Her uncle had adopted all three siblings and raised them with love, but the void remained.
Still, Erwen endured.
Her older sister, Daria, had tried to fill their parents' shoes.
But...
[That young lady is fated to follow in your footsteps.]
Fate had taken Daria as well.
The culprit wasn't the Dragonslayer, but another mber of Orculus, the Ruin Scholar.
"Damn it."
"I-I'm sorry... I-I was scared when I heard his voice. He's the enemy... but I have to fight him if I don't want to lose anything else... I-I'm afraid they'll take everything from again..."
It was understandable.
Trauma was like that.
Fear overwheld reason, and mories of the past resurfaced.
"I-I'm pathetic, aren't I...? I-I'm stronger now... I vowed to get my revenge... but I'm still so scared..."
"Pathetic? You're not. I'm the pathetic one."
"W-what? P-pathetic? You're not! You're amazing!"
Well, everyone has their own standards.
I had spent a lot of ti with Erwen, but I didn't know anything about this.
Or rather, I hadn't tried to find out.
[...I know I have a problem.]
When I first noticed her anxiety.
If I hadn't dismissed it as a stat issue...
[I understand how you feel. Losing soone you care about.]
When we returned to the city after Dwarkey's death.
If I had thought more deeply about her words...
I might have realized the true problem sooner.
But...
"Mister..."
I couldn't dwell on the past.
It was ti to solve the problem.
"Erwen."
She looked up at with teary eyes and grabbed my hand.
She was waiting for to say sothing.
I knew what she wanted to hear.
"Don't worry. The Ruin Scholar, the Corpse Collector, that damn lizard... I'll kill them all."
"...?"
I vowed, my voice firm and resolute.
"...Huh?"
That wasn't the reaction I expected.
"What? You don't believe ?"
I glared at her, and she flinched.
"N-no! I-I believe you! I do!"
Her voice lacked conviction, but I didn't press her further.
"..."
"..."
Her eyes, filled with anxiety, had cald down.
At least for now.
_______________________
I returned Erwen to her position and took a mont to think.
'...This is strange.'
Four mbers of our team had a grudge against the Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.
Raviyen, myself, and now Erwen.
And...
'Alia was in a similar situation.'
Well, Alia's case was a bit different.
She was the victim, not the aggressor.
The Dragonslayer had a grudge against her for robbing him and erasing his mories.
[If he rembers, he'll be furious.]
I was surprised when I heard about the timing of the incident.
It happened right after the first thread was severed.
'So Alia was helping from the beginning?'
It was a strange coincidence.
I chuckled and headed towards Jun's tent.
"Aaaaaargh!"
I heard a scream as I entered.
"K-kill ! Y-you promised! Aaaaaargh!"
"I believed you when you said you had confessed all your sins and found your true self. Or rather... I was deceived."
"I-I didn't lie!"
"Then why didn't you ntion the Dragonslayer? He's waiting at the base, isn't he?"
"Th-that's...!"
"You're still filled with malice—"
"I-I didn't know! I swear! They didn't tell anything! Aaaaaargh! Kill ! Just kill !"
The survivor, who had been screaming and thrashing, suddenly went silent.
Jun approached him and forcefully opened his mouth.
Blood was pouring out.
He had bitten off his own tongue.
"...It seems he lacks the virtue to find enlightennt."
Jun sighed and then healed the wound with divine power.
"...N-no! Please...!"
"Don't worry. I'll help you find your true self and guide you to enlightennt."
"...Demon! You're a demon! A demon!"
"...My, my."
Jun's smile didn't waver as he picked up an awl.
And...
"Ah! You're here."
He saw and quickly gagged the survivor.
"Mmm, mmm!"
"...Did you find anything?"
"Not much. Just that there are more troops waiting at the base than we expected."
"...More troops? How many?"
"Based on his testimony, it seems like twice our number."
"What? Twice?"
This is bad.
"Why didn't we hear about this from the others? Did they deceive us?"
"No, they wouldn't lie to us. They're loyal to the cause. They probably just... didn't know."
"...I see."
That made sense.
"But if that's the case, couldn't he be mistaken?"
"Yes, it's possible. But... he said he overheard it during a communication. Routine check-ins are usually handled by the base. If the Dragonslayer is there, his team would be there as well."
"..."
"What are your orders? We'll continue the interrogation, but if the enemy has twice our number, the mission will likely fail."
"Even if we succeed, the casualties will be significant."
"...Yes."
What should I do?
Should we push forward with the original plan, regardless of the casualties?
I contemplated for a mont and made my decision.
"Jun, stop the interrogation and call the team leaders."
"You want to hold a eting?"
"Yes."
Two heads are better than one.
Maybe they'll have so good ideas.
_______________________
Another leadership eting during the expedition.
I shared the information from the interrogation, and the team leaders started discussing the situation.
"Twice our number? That seems unlikely. The Dragonslayer's team is just a small clan."
"Even if it's just twenty more explorers, we can't underestimate them. We're not that large of a force either."
"Yes. They're not like the weaklings we encountered earlier. They're all elite."
"So you're saying we should abandon the mission?"
"No one said that. We're just brainstorming for alternatives. That's why Schuitz called us all here."
"..."
Kaislan cald down when I was ntioned.
Authority backed by strength demands respect.
"Anyway, if we continue with the original plan, the casualties will be significant, even if we succeed. Any ideas?"
I asked directly, and the suggestions ca pouring in.
"How about we ambush them near the base and whittle down their numbers?"
"That won't work. We'll miss the rendezvous ti with the main force."
"And they'll figure out what's going on. We'll lose the elent of surprise. They'll be prepared."
"Kala, do you have any better ideas?"
"...What about infiltration? We could use the survivor to gain access to their base. It might work."
"But if it fails, we'll all be captured. The mission will be a failure. It's too risky. We might as well—"
Ambush, infiltration, luring them out, assassination...
We discussed various strategies, but couldn't agree on a perfect solution.
But collective intelligence is a powerful force.
"Luring them out and dividing their forces seems like the best option."
"We can use their ssage stones."
We finally reached a consensus.
Well, it was split into two options.
"We should lure out the Dragonslayer and eliminate him first. We can deal with the base later."
Eliminate the Dragonslayer first.
"No, we should lure them out and attack the base. That's our mission."
Or prioritize the mission.
Both options had their pros and cons.
The forr would allow us to achieve two goals at once.
But...
"Akuraba, this isn't the ti to be greedy for achievents. Do you think they'll fall for it so easily? They'll alert their allies before they die."
"And there's no guarantee that the ambush will succeed. If they react calmly, our casualties will be significant."
"That's what I was going to say! Even if we win, we'll be exhausted. How can we attack the base in that state?"
If it failed, the mission would be a failure.
The latter option, on the other hand, guaranteed the success of the mission.
"Everyone, calm down. It's Schuitz's decision."
Jun intervened, and all eyes turned to .
'This is a tough one.'
It was the first ti in a while that I couldn't make a decision easily.
I knew what the rational choice was.
To prioritize the mission.
But...
"We focus on the mission."
I couldn't ignore the Dragonslayer.
"Good thinking! We'll be rewarded handsoly if we succeed!"
"Reward..."
I chuckled.
Akuraba sensed sothing in my laughter and cautiously asked,
"Schuitz, can you tell us why? I thought you would be more ambitious."
She was right.
If I had been alone, I would have chosen the forr option.
But...
"Because your lives are on the line."
"..."
"The less we fight, the more of us will return alive."
That's why I gave up on my greed.
That was the only reason.
"So, does that answer your question?"
"...Yes, it does."
Akuraba nodded, her eyes filled with understanding.
I let go of my last shred of regret.
'Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.'
It doesn't have to be today.
I'll get my revenge soday.
[We'll et again, Dragonkin.]
That vow will be fulfilled.
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