Seiza

After finishing her conversation with the armored knight, Erica came to see Ferda.

Her features were familiar to him, but the decisive details were slightly different.

She was in a completely human guise, with no horns, tail, or wings.

It was a visit from ‘Eri,’ nominally a Platinum-ranked adventurer.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. The seizures have become less frequent, and I’ve recovered to the point where I can use a small amount of mana.”

For a human, it would have taken three years of nothing but mana cultivation to recover, yet she had healed in a mere three hours.

True to their nature as dragons who studied magic throughout their lives, they possessed healing abilities capable of treating even severe internal injuries like minor ones.

“I heard that not many adventurers participated in this incident.”

Erica was the first to bring up the uncomfortable subject.

“Yes. It seems so.”

“Those pieces of shit are being struck from the records and stripped of their qualifications as we speak, so don’t worry.”

There was no awkwardness at all in the way cheap profanity was mixed into her formal tone.

And what was there to worry about?

If he had not expected anything from them in the first place, there was no sense of betrayal either.

That was how all the greedy ones trying to get a head start behaved.

‘Still, this is supposed to be a village built to accommodate adventurers, yet only the vermin are causing trouble.’

Wouldn’t that make creating it meaningless?

Stripping their qualifications was one thing, but countermeasures were necessary as well.

“We’ll do what we can about the countermeasures. All you need to do, Regent, is lend us your name.”

“Will my name be of any help?”

“If the Blue-Eyed Tower Master and Waldrova’s husband join us, we can at least cut off the association president’s head.”

How could a mere human evade the influence of two dragons?

It was a serious problem that could not be solved even by mobilizing one’s connections.

“Anyway, this matter will only lead to harsh words, so let’s not mention it any further. There’s something else we need to face right now.”

Erica was referring to only one thing.

“Gokma.”

“Yes. The bastard we assumed had died simply because he never showed himself.”

Gokma.

Also known as one of Godwin’s Seven Calamity Stars, he was one of the seven retainers officially recognized by the Demon King, and one of the calamity-like beings who had wielded the deepest influence on the continent.

Of them, the most underestimated Calamity Star had been Gokma.

The circumstances had left them no choice.

He had lost his life to the kitchen knife of a newly awakened hero, so there was little objective material by which to judge him.

His death had served as the catalyst for awakening the demons’ vigilance toward humans, and they had struggled desperately to prevent the birth of a hero.

“I never knew Gokma could be this strong.”

“Is he stronger than the other six Calamity Stars?”

“There was no level at which they could be compared. At least, judging by what I felt just now……”

He might even be comparable to the Demon King.

But she did not say that aloud.

Erica herself was not certain.

She thought that judgment might merely be an excuse born from the fear and humiliation of having lost.

Ferda, too, recalled the appearance of Gokma that he had witnessed with his own eyes.

A body covered almost entirely by robes.

Beneath them was a slender body similar to his own, along with red eyes.

‘A white hand.’

The demons Ferda knew had black skin.

“Are Noblesse-class demons white?”

“No. Even the Demon King had black skin, as did his other retainers.”

“Gokma was different.”

“Yes. That was something I had been wondering about as well.”

Ferda remembered it clearly, and so did Erica.

The fingers protruding from beneath the robe had unquestionably been white.

“Perhaps that’s one of the reasons he was able to become so strong. If he used the power Godwin left behind and repeatedly transformed and mutated himself to maximize his own power……”

“That is possible.”

Though the truth was unknowable, Ferda agreed with her to some extent.

Hadn’t the dark elf named Linne been creating a potion capable of turning someone into a Knight-class demon in an instant?

They learned from the past and prepared to move into the future.

If given the opportunity, they would not hesitate.

That was how they ensured that humanity would never be allowed a next time.

“I don’t know why those people attacked Hestia Village. They don’t seem to have intended to destroy it simply because it was an eyesore……”

Gokma had sent fifteen wolf monsters to the village.

Yet the number of monsters he had unleashed to facilitate his escape had been four times greater.

If he had sent that number into the village from the beginning, dozens would have died and hundreds would have been injured.

That half-hearted attack must have been a probe.

If so, what had they been probing for?

It was difficult for them to understand why demons who wanted nothing but certain destruction would resort to probing.

“It would probably be best to build a wall first.”

Erica made that suggestion.

“Do you think the demons will come again?”

“Their methods suggest they probably won’t, but the people living there may think differently.”

“That makes sense.”

Right now, he had to look at things from the perspective of the public, not the leader.

In any case, an incident had occurred, and there had been casualties.

The corpse lying in the road could have been him.

A seed of anxiety had been planted in them.

If they stayed in this city, they would suffer that fate someday.

Before this winter ended,

perhaps tomorrow,

no, it could even be tonight.

It would be better to let them know that they were being protected, even if only for show.

‘They said manpower was always in short supply…….’

Building a wall would reduce the workforce available for the city plan.

The progress of the infrastructure would naturally slow as well.

It was a troublesome variable for Isabella, who was overseeing the city plan.

“Now that we’ve settled the city issue, shall we discuss the item I brought?”

Erica took something from her pocket and placed it on the table.

It was an amulet containing an orange gemstone.

“It is an anti-demon talisman.”

It was the item based on the concept she had mentioned before they formed their alliance.

Ferda had heard that it was still in the research stage, so he felt that this had come sooner than expected.

“We still need to test how much demonic energy it can block in the actual Demon Lands, but if our predictions are correct, it should be able to shield against ninety-five percent of the demonic energy that attempts to penetrate it.”

“So five percent still gets through.”

“Even that five percent would be an astounding achievement if we’re talking about the inner regions of the Demon Lands. It would allow humans to set foot, however briefly, in a place they normally shouldn’t be able to enter.”

“How long could someone endure it?”

“Three days if they’re willing to take the risk. The safe limit would be about one day.”

One day.

“Wouldn’t someone need time to detox after being exposed to demonic energy?”

“Our scholars at the Blue-Eyed Tower recommend resting for about a fortnight.”

“So you would have to work for one day and rest for fifteen.”

“Yes. It’s far too long.”

Adventuring was a profession in which the preparation period was normally longer than the actual undertaking, but a fortnight was still too long.

Exploring an area no one had entered before made it difficult to achieve results.

Above all, it encouraged overthinking.

‘Deep thought is poison in adventuring.’

When one had to embrace danger, there was no room for excessive thought.

The more one thought, the more naturally one became afraid, and fear led to depression.

Depression was a deadly poison that ended an adventurer’s life.

“An adventurer’s profession isn’t judged by efficiency, but even after taking that into consideration, this is not good. It would be wonderful if we could cut it down by about a week……”

“A week……”

Could there be a way to solve it?

He thought so, but Ferda soon abandoned the idea.

In any case, this was not something he could solve with his own abilities.

So he answered as follows.

“I’ll let Burnell know.”

“That genius scholar? The one who recently distinguished himself in Halim?”

Erica asked with an expectant look on her face.

It was the first time she had shown such anticipation upon hearing a human’s name.

“Do you think he could solve it?”

“He should be able to.”

Though he had no idea how Burnell would solve it, Erica did not question him.

‘If he’s someone belonging to Regent Ferda, he might be able to do it.’

His abilities ranked among the best not only of the humans his age, but of all the humans she had encountered.

She was even afraid that if she tried to look into his mind, she might see the shallowness of her own thoughts instead.

Erica believed Ferda possessed a wisdom all his own that she could not understand.

In truth, Ferda himself had no proper plan.

Ferda thought:

‘Burnell will figure something out.’

Ferda still did not understand how magical engineering worked.

Even the assistants who worked under Burnell understood only a handful of the things involved, so how could Ferda understand them?

Thus, the answer in his mind was that it was uncertain whether Burnell could actually accomplish it.

Still, Burnell was a genius of magical engineering. He would surely provide some kind of answer.

Only Burnell was worn down by that vague certainty.

* * *

Late at night, after all the work had been completed,

Ruri descended to Waldrova’s lair.

She was carrying a summary of the situation to discuss current affairs, as usual.

Her expression, however, was not its usual one.

She looked like someone going to face a prisoner locked inside an underground dungeon.

“Master, it’s Ruri. I’m coming in.”

She entered Waldrova’s lair through the small door beside it.

“Master, what I have to report today—”

Ruri’s words abruptly cut off.

The great dragon’s lair did not contain the majestic figure clad in red scales who was always there.

Instead, a small woman was kneeling with her armor removed.

“Why are you sitting in seiza?”

Looking down at her, Ruri asked in bewilderment.

“That……”

Waldrova answered in a flustered voice.

“Because Ruri will be angry……?”

“I’m not angry.”

“Really?”

“Only a little disappointed.”

Waldrova fidgeted with her fingers and lowered her head.

Those words sounded more painful than anger would have.

“But, Ruri……”

“Yes.”

“How did you know?”

“……I couldn’t have failed to notice after seeing Lady Waldrova’s conduct. That conduct made me think of the functions of your armor.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“It was obvious, but somehow it didn’t seem so. Lord Ferda doesn’t know, does he?”

“I see.”

Waldrova sighed in relief.

At the sight, Ruri’s expression grew slightly fierce.

“It is too soon to relax.”

Ruri took something out and showed it to her.

The Rumor of Calamity began.

“I looked through the records and found that you have been operating under the name Armor Knight.”

“U-uh, yeah……”

“You have already been working here for several months.”

“That’s right……”

Waldrova’s shoulders sank heavily.

“The vow of silence. How ingenious. If you had spoken, Lord Ferda would have noticed immediately.”

“It happened unintentionally as I went along……”

“Of course. There’s no way Lady Waldrova could have planned it so meticulously.”

Ruri sighed.

“Is what you are doing now human entertainment?”

“It isn’t entertainment. I’m helping these humans.”

……

That was right.

This could not be called entertainment.

Dragon entertainment generally referred to doing things that ordinary humans could not possibly handle.

Its main purpose could be said to be leaving behind a great achievement or infamy, then vanishing to display the greatness of dragons to future generations.

That was how it should have been,

but what dragon would disguise herself as a human and work as a laborer carrying loads at a construction site?

That was neither a great achievement nor mere entertainment. It was a laughingstock.

As a dragon’s maid, Ruri did not approve of it.

She wanted Waldrova to value her power and reputation a little more.

“Still……”

But without knowing any of those feelings, Waldrova smiled brightly and held something out to her.

“I worked hard and saved this much money?”

She proudly took out her pouch.

Inside were copper and silver coins mixed together.

Ruri felt her emotions boiling over.

She could have kicked items out of a warehouse and dragged them over, and still earned more money than this.

She found Waldrova’s pride in such a pittance displeasing.

This was something she ought to get angry about.

“Are you happy?”

“Yes. I’m happy.”

“What makes you so happy?”

“Because I realized I can make something without breaking anything.”

……

Hearing that, Ruri’s anger subsided astonishingly quickly.

Ruri knew.

Beneath that pure smile and casually tossed self-loathing lay an immeasurable abyss.

Only Ruri had looked deeply into that inner world, which was why she could both scold and pity her.

Her happiness was short-lived.

Waldrova’s head tilted toward the floor.

“But…… I ended up breaking something again. Is that all I can do?”

Waldrova scratched her cheek and gave a silly grin.

“How could that be? Lady Waldrova is the embodiment of power. You can do things far greater than that.”

Ruri put her arms around Waldrova’s shoulders.

Waldrova leaned her head slightly against Ruri.

“But people were afraid of me. Because I broke it again……”

“They were simply caught off guard. Don’t you know? Humans are foolish. Though they fear what is immediately before them, once they reflect on it, they will quickly realize your great deed and sing your praises.”

Waldrova lifted her head and looked at Ruri.

Her golden eyes were moist.

“Will they?”

“Why not see for yourself with your own two eyes? While wearing that armor.”

At Ruri’s words, Waldrova’s eyes widened.

“Can I keep doing that job?”

“You may.”

“Even though Ruri hates it?”

“How could a mere servant possibly stop her master’s will?”

She had reached this point, and she could not dare to do so.

‘If this trivial amusement can soothe her heart even a little and help her wounds heal…….’

How could she call it foolish and tell her to stop?

Even if it went against the dignity of a dragon, she would willingly endure it if it could make Waldrova a little happier.

“Then, then……”

Waldrova made one more request with an excited look on her face.

“Could I also become Mr. Ferda’s knight?”

Ruri already felt that her patience had reached its limit.

“Why do you want that?”

“Because…… then I’ll be able to see Mr. Ferda often?”

She spoke while fidgeting with her fingers.

“Don’t you already see him often?”

“O-of course I do, I see him often, but……”

Waldrova scratched her cheek as she answered.

“It’s just that he looked a little…… cool, because he was different from usual.”

“……Cool?”

“Mr. Ferda always treated me kindly, so I always thought he was a kind person. But……”

“But……?”

“The way he treated me a little coldly made it feel as though we had become strangers, and maybe because of that……”

Waldrova blushed.

Her face was no different from that of a woman.

“I guess it made my heart flutter?”

……

At that, fire instantly flared up in Ruri’s previously calm heart.

In her eyes, a light named responsibility blazed fiercely.

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“Assume the seiza position.”

“U-uh, yes?? Why?”

“I am beginning your sermon.”

The Rumor of Calamity truly began, and Waldrova’s complexion gradually turned pale.

She teared up with a pained expression, but those tears became material for yet another sermon.

* * *

As Ruri had told her, Waldrova returned to Hestia Village.

The same armor and the same pretense.

She went as the Armor Knight, without hiding her identity.

‘They’re looking at me.’

She could clearly feel their gazes.

At the same time, she could hear them whispering.

-The monster is here.

-The monster that kills people is back……

-Eeeek!

The phantom voices she sensed in those gazes persistently tormented her.

‘Should I just go back?’

Her legs, which had never trembled before any attack, shook before her fragile heart.

“Knight.”

The fog cleared, and she returned to reality.

A young girl boldly approached and stood before her.

That girl was the small child who had been captured by those nasty adventurers.

The child who had nearly been eaten by a monster’s jaws.

And

the child who had seen her as a monster.

“Th……”

The girl struggled to open her mouth and held something out.

“Thank you for saving me.”

It was a flower.

A common wildflower, the sort that people kicked aside when they walked through the forest.

Yet Waldrova held the flower as though it were more precious than anything in the world.

The girl’s smile, with its missing baby teeth, was beautiful beyond compare.