Tsuyokute New Saga (LN)

Around the time Kyle’s group was moving closer to the [Nest of Dragons], Minagi was present at Rinecol inside a cafe. It was a high-class, open-terrace cafe, with Minagi sitting on one of the seats, enjoying the beverage she ordered while gazing at the people walking down the main street.

Still, what a troublesome job this is…

She had her hood pulled over her eyes so that her surroundings wouldn’t be able to see her face, as she internally grumbled like that. Her actual duty was to protect Kyle’s group from the shadows. However, that would prove difficult while they were traveling through the forest, and she should be careful of any assassinations in town. Since she couldn’t do anything for the group right now, she was instead acting separately. Right now, her duty was to gather information and spread rumors.

At this very moment, she was acting as a pilgrim and faithful of the Goddess of Earth Cairys. She was going around to shrines and holy grounds, or so was her story, but that was nothing but a guise. There were two types of pilgrims. First, those who expect almsgiving from other followers of Cairys, used as traveling costs as they go around places, which is mostly done by average citizens. The other was the rich.

Minagi was the latter. She used her money for virtuous deeds, which acts as deep proof of her faith. Surely, it was the hobby of the rich, but many shrines in the area were welcoming her. In other words, as long as she was rich, nobody around would doubt her, and her clothes were the perfect disguise. She went around shopping, showing off her wealth while spreading rumors along the lines ‘Oh yeah, something like this happened’.

The rumors in question were mainly about Kyle, telling the story of him saving Princess Milena, how he managed to achieve great results in the Galgan Empire’s festival, and how he managed to defeat the strong monsters in the close vicinity of the forest. Making these stories spread naturally is quite difficult. Not to mention the results not being visible too easily, which made it a bothersome job.

However, Minagi was allowed to use all the money at her disposal, and since the rumors were 70% true, as well as 30% exaggerated, they were easy to believe since other similar rumors went around. As a result, Kyle’s name was spreading widely. At the same time, however, Minagi couldn’t find any great information regarding the Mera cult.

After paying the employee at the cafe a bit extra to brighten their mood, Minagi broke out a topic, seeing if she couldn’t catch anything, but the best she heard were the stories about the recent dragon activity.

Nothing at all in regards to the Mera cult…I guess I’m mostly done spreading the rumors at least. The best I can do is wait until they spread naturally…Though, I have to say…

Minagi sighed.

“Phew…What am I doing here, really? Well…it’s all Kyle’s fault.”

Minagi once again reminisced about how things ended up this way, and reached Kyle as the origin of it all. The main reason she ended up in this situation is that her original goal of coming to the Galgan Empire, the assassination of a royal family member, fell flat. As the client passed away, it was out of her control, basically bad luck, but luck was also part of one’s own skill. Just as Souga would always tell her with ‘Every failure results from your own inexperience’, she was forced to take responsibility.

Since she ended up in debt because of all the various preparations for the job that had now fallen flat, she was certainly saved by Kyle, but the job she was given in return was even more complicated. Acting as a guard was one thing, but when dealing with the Mera cult, filled with individuals who never appeared on the open side of the world, it was hard to grasp anything. Even more so since the target she was supposed to protect ran off to meet dragons.

I’d be able to understand it if he wanted to become a Dragon Slayer, but…what is he thinking?

Who in their right mind would go negotiate with the dragons? Of course, he seemingly saw himself with a chance at winning, but Minagi couldn’t help doubting his sanity, and there was a big chance that he wouldn’t even return. If so, Minagi would end up driven in a corner for good this time. She had so much more to say, but all things considered, he was the one who saved her when she was in peril, so she felt thankful.

The pay was great, and she wasn’t actually limited when it came to her own procedure, so she shouldn’t complain about her client. More than anything, he trusted her from the bottom of his heart. When failing at an assassination, it wasn’t rare for shinobi to lay down their own lives. And yet, Kyle was ready to put his life in her hands, giving her utmost respect. Despite being a sullied existence drenched in blood, he showed her a gentle smile, not shying away from her. Understanding that this came from the bottom of his heart, Minagi opened up to him.

For Minagi, who never had anybody to confide in besides her teacher and practically parent Souga, Kyle’s attitude felt fresh, and she found herself bewildered. Because of her occupation, she was mostly treated with disrespect, looked down on, or even met with hostility, she was still not used to Kyle’s—albeit calculative—smile.

Really messes with my motivation…seeing a smile like that…

Minagi sighed once again, albeit for a different reason compared to before. After that, she glanced down at the bag next to her, which she bought while gathering information. Inside there were the things she needed to complete Kyle’s second request. This was the main reason for her sigh. She sure wasn’t on board with it, but she knew that only she could pull this off. Right as she wanted to get up from her seat, a single male individual part of the crowd caught her eye.

That’s…?

Without moving her face or line of sight, Minagi closely inspected the man, analyzing every gesture even up to his breathing rhythm. He was a man in his 30s, his expression exhausted. He wore worn-out clothes on his body, plain and uninteresting, but something like white flour was seen on his legs and arms. From the shoulder bag, which also looked old and used, you could see working tools like a hammer poking out. At first glance, he looked like a stonemason of sorts, but Minagi immediately saw through that.

Judging from that way of walking, his prominent leg is his left one, and yet the sole of his right shoe looks more worn-out. He looks exhausted, but his posture is brimming with energy, and he’s constantly wary of his surroundings…He’s clearly trained as a spy…

Anything beyond that resulted from something Minagi herself couldn’t fully explain. The reason she had trust in this sensation was not only out of sheer luck, but rather based on knowledge and experience.

Weird…Something isn’t right.

She completely ignored her own situation, treating the man as someone suspicious. Normally, she would simply be on her guard, trying to stay away from that man. However, right now she was trying to gather information, and her intuition told her to follow the man. At the very least, she should figure out where he was heading. Thus, she began tailing him.

***

Kyle and his group finally reached the [Nest of Dragons]. As the name suggested, it was a resting space for all the nearby dragons. In the entire country of Eddos, or even the human continent, there wasn’t any place more dangerous. The more they approached the area, the greater their surroundings changed. From the high grass and large trees they were previously surrounded by, now they tread on small grass like a large plain.

Finally, the bigger change was that, the closer they got to the [Nest of Dragons], the fewer monsters they encountered. Especially when it comes to larger monsters, they completely vanished from sight. The monsters most likely understood that they could not cross this line. Thanks to that, the evident danger disappeared, but the tension rose astronomically. What stood out more than anything now was a single tree standing in the distance.

“I have to say…it really is huge.” Lieze let out a voice of admiration.

Structurally speaking, it wasn’t any strange tree, but the size in itself stood out the most. They were still quite a ways away from the tree, but the tip was visibly covered in clouds. The trunk could amass an entire city, and even the smallest branches could carry several family houses on top of them. As such a tree stood on a large grass plain, it couldn’t gather more attention.

“That is the world’s greatest magic tree, growing since the moment the world has been created. Most people call it the [World Tree]…and I have to say, it has grown over the past thousand years.” Shildonia looked at the three with a nostalgic gaze while explaining.

“So that’s the World Tree, huh…My mother held a staff made out of one of the branches, but to think I’d see it in person like this.” Urza showed an emotional reaction, as she was an elf who had a deep connection with nature, now standing in front of such a legendary existence as the World Tree.

“So, that World Tree acts as the nest for the dragons?” Seran asked, and Shildonia nodded.

“They are practically living like birds, using the crown of the tree as a nest to live in. Up in the branches, creating holes inside the trunk…it seems like they modified it for easier living.”

Just as Shildonia stated, there were small cavities inside the World Tree, most likely acting as small rooms or passages, the bigger ones being the size of a human town, allowing several tens of dragons to live in.

“Should we really approach it like this? If they attack us without hesitation…we have no way of fighting back, remember?”

This was a large grass plain with no place to hide. If a dragon were to attack them from the sky, they would be decimated, so naturally, Seran was worried. Lieze and Urza fully agreed, which is why they were even tenser.

“Yeah, no need to worry about that.” Shildonia denied that bluntly as always. “The leader of the dragons here, [Dragon King] Zeurus, has not changed since the days of Zaales. He’s one of the Ancient Dragons alive since the legends, back when the Divine Dragon Valzed was walking this earth. As long as he’s alive, he will lead them. So, he should be attempting to filter out our goal by coming here… I believe.”

“That ‘I believe’ of yours is worrying me greatly, but…whatever.” Kyle judged that his best bet was to put his trust in Shildonia, and kept on advancing.

“By the way, Erina, are you really coming with us? You already fulfilled your job of taking us here…”

Kyle walked out of the thicket, and right as the World Tree came into sight, he told Erina that she could go back now. She did everything he needed her to, and he wanted her to get home safely to her sick mother. He also already paid her the rest of the reward, but she still declined.

“Yes, please let me tag along until the very end. I asked someone else to take care of my mother, and…I want to help you all if possible. Well, I don’t know if I actually can.” Erina showed a weak smile.

She had already removed the fake paint from her face and hands, showing her pointy ears. She probably felt relieved at not having to hide it anymore, as she kept on smiling.

“However…”

“Well, it’s already too late at this point. They’re coming.” Shildonia pointed at the top of the World Tree.

At first, it looked like a bird soaring through the sky, but it kept on getting bigger.

“Don’t draw your weapons,” Shildonia warned Kyle and Seran, who reflexively reached for their swords. “Leave it to me,” she said and took a step forward.

And then, it came soaring downwards. Its skin was red like a scorching flame able to defend against any weapon, its fangs were as huge as sharp rocks, with ominous and sinister-looking eyes, its claws could probably slice through any metal armor, a tail that could mow down an army of people, and large wings that could travel hundreds of miles in an instant…it was a monster that surpassed human common sense. Simply by living and moving, it put pressure on all living beings around it. A single gaze into its eyes felt like receiving an absolute order, telling you and your entire soul about how much of a lower being you were. The king of mythical beasts—a dragon now arrived in front of Kyle’s group.

‘Humans…? Why have you come here.’

Although it was hard to understand at times, the dragon used humanfolk language to communicate. However, it was an intellectual voice. The expression of the dragon was hard to decipher, but Kyle felt a glimmer of shock and surprise in it.