Chapter 69

"Human troops are coming!!"

Upon hearing this news, the dragon people were thrown into a panic.

"That's right, the merchants seemed a bit odd today..."

"There were a lot of travelers on the road, more than usual... Could it be?"

It seemed that the agents of the nobility had been tailing the dragon people who were trading treasures.

If they were selling large amounts of treasure, it would naturally arouse suspicion. It must have been the noble whose ship was sunk who caught wind of it.

"...There's no choice but to fight!"

"Right! We'll fight to the bitter end!!"

The dragon people, armed with spears, ran towards the entrance of the cave.

This region was a direct territory of the emperor, close to the capital.

Therefore, the defense was handled by the Imperial Capital Defense Force, which was well-equipped among the imperial army. The Imperial Capital Defense Force not only had archers and crossbowmen but also units capable of using magic. They were the elite of the elite within the empire.

On the other hand, the dragon people could muster only about three hundred fighters. It was unclear whether they could transform into dragons like the priestess, but the outcome of the battle was already clear.

The priestess could no longer command the dragon people.

Only a dozen or so remained, but they seemed more on guard against the Shadow Knights that had appeared earlier rather than for the priestess.

Given the current situation, the dragon people had two options.

To fight a desperate battle in this cave or to escape to the sea. The latter, of course, meant abandoning the injured. The dragon people had chosen to stay here for the sake of their comrades.

But...

I could offer the dragon people another option.

I turned to Elysia and Selena.

They nodded quietly, as if to say they would leave the decision to me.

Then I slowly revealed myself, appearing before the priestess and the dragon people.

"– Humans!?"

As expected, the remaining dragon people aimed their weapons at me.

"Is, is this an imperial mage?"

"The ghosts earlier, they were this one's..."

The dragon people, with their spear tips pointed, slowly closed in.

But the priestess said,

"Wait! I can't believe a child like this would come to kill us... except for the three nearby."

Indeed, it seemed they could see us.

I nodded to the back, and Elysia and the others also appeared.

Elysia and Selena were intimidating enough, but the golem was especially imposing. The dragon people became even more wary.

But the priestess spoke again.

"You were the ones who defeated the ghosts earlier... right?"

"Yes. In this tomb, your comrades who were affected by dark magic were gathered. That's why the Shadow Knights were summoned."

"The corpses... they were all those who fell to the evil dragon. I heard that those who were exposed to the evil dragon's breath eventually died."

The priestess shook her head immediately.

"...Why did you help us?"

"It's just the way things turned out... maybe because we live with others like you."

"Are you saying that your appearance was also just the way things turned out?"

It wasn't just the way things turned out or out of sympathy. I had a clear intention.

I shook my head immediately.

"No, it's my decision. I want to add you to our ranks, which is why I revealed myself."

"Add us to your ranks?"

I nodded in response to the priestess's question.

"We live on Ars Island, far to the southeast. It's surrounded by the sea, and most of the inhabitants are demons. But we can't swim."

"Your skills in the water would be useful."

"Your efficiency in sinking the noble's ship was impressive. I want you to lend me your strength... I want you to come with me."

The dragon people burst into laughter.

"This is ridiculous! You want us to come with you!?"

"You're trying to lure us out of the cave to make it easier for the imperial army to fight!"

"That maid, and that woman in the good armor... Priestess, this one is definitely a noble's child!!"

Indeed, the dragon people didn't trust us.

One of them even asked,

"How are we supposed to get to that far-off island in the southeast? We can't escape from here!"

"You don't need to leave the cave."

The dragon people tilted their heads in confusion.

"Are you planning to take only the priestess?"

I shook my head in response to the dragon person's question.

"No. If I take anyone, I'll take everyone, but for that, I need you all to become my vassals."

"...Vassals? What's that?"

"To put it simply, I want you to become my subordinates."

"Subordinates, huh... You mean slaves. Priestess, this is unacceptable. Let's kill him quickly..."

As the dragon person spoke, the priestess interjected.

"Unfortunately... I must decline."

Selena exclaimed, "Don't you want to be saved!?" but I gestured to her.

"Wait, Selena. I don't intend to force anyone."

I said this and turned to the priestess.

"Of course, I respect your decision. But may I ask why?"

The priestess turned her body towards the entrance and looked out to the distant sea.

"...That evil dragon is our ancestral dragon. The ancestral dragon can sense where its kin are. It needs to remain dormant for a few years to regain its strength, but if we leave this place, the evil dragon will go into a rage. If that happens..."

The evil dragon will go berserk, in other words.

It wasn't that they doubted us, but they were concerned for the fishermen and others around here.

Selena immediately said,

"Then we should just defeat it! I will."

The priestess shook her head vigorously.

"It's not a foe that a few of us can defeat. That evil dragon once destroyed a country in the eastern continent in a single night. The surrounding countries united to seal it in a mirror, but tens of thousands of people died."

They didn't kill it but sealed it... which means they couldn't kill it. It was that powerful.

That's why the priestess continued,

"To prevent this, our ancestors, who were the children of the evil dragon, were mixed with humans and sent to this distant western land."

The priestess turned her gaze back to us.

"There is no way... Please, do not concern yourselves."

From her words, I could sense a sense of resignation.

If we hadn't come, they would all have been killed by the Shadow Knights. Even if they had overcome that, the imperial army would have come. They were already at their limit.

Before the reset, all the dragon people here were killed. Some managed to escape but were eventually killed... and a year later, all pirate activities would cease.

I nodded slowly.

"As I said, I respect your decision. We will leave..."

I intended to disappear, but more words slipped out.

"No, wait... I can release you to a place a little further away. If you promise not to reveal anything about us."

I was about to leave but ended up speaking my true thoughts.

In the end, it was also out of sympathy. Before the reset, they, like me, faced an unwanted death.

The priestess smiled slightly.

"Thank you. You must have tried to help us out of emotion. Your desire to make us your vassals must be out of concern for our lives and future... You are a very kind person."

It seemed she saw through everything, not just the magical reactions.

The priestess bowed her head.

"I am grateful. May the Heavenly Dragon guide you."

The priestess looked at the surrounding dragon people and headed towards the cave entrance.

The sound of horns and shouts echoed from the distance.

The Imperial Capital Defense Force would soon be upon them.

"Lord Alec..."

Selena whispered, as if to ask if this was the right thing to do.

On the other hand, Elysia said without changing her expression,

"Everything is up to Lord Alec."

Hearing this, I closed my eyes tightly.

My goal is to go to Mire. If the army comes and sees the treasure here, it will be clear that the dragon people were responsible, so I won't need to investigate anymore.

The evil dragon will remain dormant for a while, so there's no need to fight it unnecessarily.

"I don't need to help the dragon people here for my own sake... besides, the evil dragon is strong."

But I have powers I didn't have before the reset.

Moreover, the evil dragon will eventually regain its strength. It's unclear when, but from my pre-reset memories, it didn't move during my lifetime.

However, if left unchecked, it will eventually cause great damage.

If it hasn't regained its strength yet, now is the perfect time to strike. The stronger it gets, the harder it will be to defeat.

If I have the dragon people, who know about dragons, I can gain the knowledge to defeat it.

Of course, we might not be able to defeat it. But giving up because I can't do it myself... that would make me no different from my pre-reset self.

"...Wait."

The voice that slipped out made the priestess turn around.

"I will... defeat the evil dragon."

"You will...?"

"Yes, I need your help."

After a moment of silence, I continued,

"Now is the only chance... The evil dragon might be strong, but with your help, we can defeat it."

The priestess looked down.

Defeating the evil dragon is impossible... she must think so.

But ending things here is not what she or the others want.

Eventually, the priestess, still looking down, slowly spoke.

"We will... if there's any way, we want to resist this fate."

The priestess looked up and said directly to me,

"Please, let us... change our fate... Let us fight as well."

I nodded without hesitation at the priestess's words.