The man who sold the world (4)
As always.
It was not a very good idea to fall asleep relying on drunkenness.
It wasn’t until lunchtime the next day that I woke up and felt it terribly.
I wish it would have been better to stay up all night with open eyes.
Today is a weekday, so I should have gone to school, but…
I’ve caught an old dragon, so I’ll watch it for a day or so.
In fact, the post-processing is not yet finished.
As I left the room with that thought in mind, Ersa, who was just passing through the hallway, greeted me with a grin.
Seeing dark circles that are a little darker than usual, it looks like they’re taking a break after finishing up all night treatment.
“What, are you awake now? Can I get you a two-week dislocation medical certificate?”
“Yes, Professor! I’d like to ask you a favor.”
“Stay still…”
Persia, who doesn’t know when they followed, quickly agreed.
I dried it and headed to the restaurant.
The handmaiden said that she would bring food, but I had to feed all the summons anyway, so I decided to go there myself.
Sit down with a feeling that the ends of your body are still not moving properly.
The menu for haejang came out as if everyone had been waiting for it to die yesterday.
Thanks to you, it was a short while to finish the meal easier than expected.
As soon as I left the restaurant, my mood plummeted.
A ward building that is in operation not too far away with great success.
This is because the appearance of summoners injured in the battle with the Demon Dragon yesterday caught my eye.
As if the duke had risen much earlier than me, he was already comforting them directly.
After all, they are people who were injured because of the duke himself… I can’t help but think it’s heinous.
The duke finds me from afar and smiles embarrassedly.
He approached me coldly and suggested that we have tea in the garden.
There is still a lot left to talk about with him, so I have no intention of rejecting him.
Entering the garden that the Duchess of Welttern had personally maintained, we sat around a tea table next to the fountain and resumed the meeting.
It’s a garden only in the name, but it actually feels like a small forest.
It’s a duke’s facility, so the scale is no joke.
I didn’t openly control other people’s access, but…
A little farther away, on a large perch, one of the Duke’s representative summons, the Hippogriff, was watching.
If he holds up, it will be impossible to spy on him with a scouting pet.
“Did you sleep well last night? You’ve been shy since lunch.”
“… Yesterday there were a lot of casualties. Of course, it’s almost nothing compared to dealing with an old dragon. If you summon a black dragon, it may cause incomparable damage.”
The duke swallows the tea with a smirk when he stabs a spot that he hadn’t been able to point out yesterday.
Still, he doesn’t look like he’s worried about an answer.
Are you going to pretend to feel remorse now?
Even I, who was given a gift from the Count, can’t help but look at me with such a skeptical look, but how will other nobles react when they learn the secrets of summoning the Elder Dragon?
Whatever the circumstances, it is true that the duke brought in foreign powers and put the kingdom in jeopardy.
If done wrong, the country could be ruined in return for defeating Eshas.
Moreover, there have already been innocent victims.
In this way, we are no different from Russell.
The duke, who handed over the tea with a bitter expression, said in a subdued voice.
“Earl El Cloud. This is war. We must use all means to survive. If we had waged a civil war without summoning the old dragons, how much blood would have been shed? Einclad will eat you.”
“Even if you try to attract all the other great gates?”
“Even if you bring in all the other great families. Eshas has already taken full control of the palace and capital for a long time.”
I want to deny it, but I can’t.
In fact, despite the death of King Edwin II, nothing happened.
Evidence that Eshas already held all administrative and military powers.
Even if she reveals her atrocities, there is a high probability that the nobles of the capital will be attached to Eshas.
They’ve been parasitic by Eshas for a long time.
“The history of the Kingdom of Dracor is the history of Eshas. It’s safe to look at it that way.”
“Then the black dragon summons…”
“If you summon a Black Dragon near the capital, you can take the troops of each major family as a reinforcements. With Eshas’s permission, you can reach near the heart of it. I’m leaving it.”
Once you enter, you are successful.
At best, the calculation of annihilation was with the battle of the Mercury in mind.
Even if the Duke of Beltern had the entire transportation network in his hands, he couldn’t help but keep an eye out for moving large-scale troops…
If you use the card called Black Dragon Summon, you can easily pass through the gates.
The duke didn’t even make a risky gamble without thinking.
“But for that to happen, the Black Dragon must proceed to the capital…”
When Persia, who had been blowing teacups, hung up the other finger, the Duke replied immediately.
“That’s okay. The reagent you stole from Einclad… It’s a fragment containing the power of the Black Dragon. Once summoned, of course, I’ll go retrieve it.”
“Aha.”
How could it be that he was keeping an eye on the royal palace?
I can no longer object to having a plan like this.
As the Duke said, it is a matter of life or death from now on.
There is no alternative right now, and the situation can change at any time because of the Red Dragon and the Beneficial Dragon, so I understand for now.
I decided to point out the other side.
“And the next king, the dean with a little more legitimacy…”
“Do you think that person would do it?”
Steno, who was giving snacks to the little snakes, said with a grin.
In fact, I’m a little embarrassed to even say it.
The dean is not a great person to sit on the throne…
First of all, it is quite old.
Since it is such a powerful summoner, the lifespan itself may be considerable, but it is unlikely that they will get married and have children.
No matter how you put him on the throne, the problem of succession arises.
However, there is no way to bring the royal family out of the dungeon of the royal palace again.
He thought about hiding Elena’s identity until the end and making her the queen, but if Eshas disappears anyway, she becomes a scarecrow.
It is the greed of the Duke of Beltern that makes me a king and Elfriede a queen.
But it is also true that there are no other people.
If a seat is vacant, the person who sits first is not the owner.
“…”
“You can think about it slowly. And when it comes to distributing the corpse of the Demon Eye Dragon… I give you the most precious heart. Do you agree?”
A duke who takes care of me and changes the subject.
Come to think of it, the problem of distributing the corpse of the Magic Eye Dragon remained.
The Duke of Beltern promised a fair distribution to the families who participated in the war as volunteers.
All the factions, except me and Essha, gave a similar amount, so there was very little to take from Beltern.
“I’m fine, didn’t Esshas object?”
“Even if the guy who was watching in the capital objected. Beltern has this much influence.”
A small snoring duke.
The Duchess, who was beside her, also helped out with a few words.
“Besides, the corpse of the Demon Dragon is very unique. There were few complaints from other families as well.”
“Ugh.”
I suddenly remembered the pupils that had been embedded in the Demon Eye Dragon’s whole body.
The rare magic eyes that he had collected from all dimensions.
It’s a loot of little value to normal summoners, but it’s a great gift for necromancers who deal with the undead.
I can’t use it because I can’t easily strengthen my summons.
“Ugh… are you transplanting it? You’re doing something disgusting.”
“Because undead summons are actually dolls.”
Laurie, who was slightly embarrassed, and Persia, who responded coldly.
I looked down at the dragon’s heart on the tea table.
Although the name is heart, there is hardly any unpleasant feeling.
That’s right, not the whole heart, but the organs that generate magic power.
It looks like a lump of gemstone with a dark green color.
The Magic Eye Dragon was shooting white light until the end, but there was quite a lot of magic remaining inside.
“Wow. It’s prettier than I expected. But where did you put this?”
“Dragon Heart is the highest-quality reagent that can even summon SS-Rank Jinshin. It’s almost universal as an artifact material… It would be much faster to ask where it can’t be used?”
“…you’re good. You studied really hard.”
Persia sticks out her chest with a proud expression on Medusha’s pincup.
The demon king in his heart raised his voice after a while.
“Louis. Take it for now.”
“yes.”
There’s nothing wrong with taking it for sure.
When I put the dragon’s heart in the book, the duke stood up with a satisfied expression on his face.
“It seems that the urgent discussion is over. If you have more questions, please come to me anytime. Oh, I can also entrust the recruitment of other great families to me.”
“That’s right.”
Old dragons, except for the black dragon… Red dragons and winged dragons are also highly likely to be dealt with directly by the Demon King.
It seems that the Demon Lord is already designing a mock battle for the two dragons.
I left the gardens of Beltern with a heavy heart.
Elfriede, who was called by her father, stayed there and listened to various stories.
I decided to leave the duchy the next morning, having been unwinding from the drunken spirit that had not yet completely gone away.
There is still a leave of absence set by the academy, but it’s a bit funny to leave the Count of El Cloud and stay here all the time.
After returning to the Count’s Castle by train, I was able to rest comfortably.
Looking at Persia’s expression as if thinking, ‘What will happen to the countess if the master becomes king?’
As I lay down, preparing for a new mock battle, the guy jumped right next to me.
“You’re going to bed early today, sir.”
“Persia. Now you have your bed…”
I glanced at the small pet bed in the corner of the bedroom and gave him a pint glass.
An item specially prepared by the handmaiden who could not see my hardship.
A similar thing was installed in the dormitory of the academy, which was much larger than before, but it had no effect.
Persia shook her head, not looking at her with help.
“I’m going to sleep with my master.”
“Didn’t you say that you don’t need something like that?”
Medusha enters the war with a smirk as if to see it.
I sent my pleading gaze to Ethel, who followed silently, but he raised a finger and tried to burn the bed.
“Bed? No more…”
“No. I’m scolded.”
As always, I surrendered unconditionally, and I was greeted with a more devastating morning than usual.
The difficulty level of the mock battle increased without mercy, as if taking into consideration that Beltern would also save power in the case of the Pterosaur Dragon and the Red Dragon.
The maidservant conducts a close escort when it seems that the condition is not as good as when it was stretched after being in a high state.
Summons, who have been banned from entering a 5m radius, stand around with dissatisfied expressions.
Thanks to you, I thought I could get some rest now, but a guard with a familiar expression hurriedly ran from the gate.
He slowed down only when he reached the gate of the mansion, bowing stiffly and reciting Uncle Henry’s message.
“Lord, the captain of the guard said that an unusual guest was visiting…”
“A guest?”
If you see that Uncle Henry, who kicked out the Dimensional Watch, he’s definitely not an ordinary customer.
Still, the bell didn’t ring, so it seems friendly in its own way.
I quickly changed my clothes and went out with a feeling of trembling, and the gates of the castle came into my eyes.
I made you wait a little longer, but since you are an uninvited guest, I will bear with you.
Who was it that made it impossible to even pass through the gates?
As we climbed up the stone steps, much more gentle than Westwall’s, we saw dozens of people wearing hoodies.
They are all quite tall and have a strong physique.
I haven’t even revealed my face yet. The maid who was guarding me showed a puzzled expression.
“Ummm…”
“Why?”
“Sister, are you waiting? I’m here to meet you!”
leader of the ranks.
A woman who seemed to be the leader of the party greeted her with her hands flashing.
It was only then that I was able to figure out the identity of the opponent.
At the same time, I feel the blood in my body getting cold.
“Uh, sister?”
“Maybe an elf…”
“Uncle Henry. Throw them all out.”
An uncle who feels a kind of disgust and performs without delay while showing a bewildered expression when he gives an order.
As she pushed the uninvited guests with her spear in front, she cried out from below in bewilderment.
“Come on, wait. What are you doing?”
“What are you doing? It’s been 40 years since the Great Rebellion broke out.
At the time of the great uprising, they had a civil war by having a maidservant, but when Essha and the kingdom’s army pursued them, they were thrown out of the forest without hesitation.
How dare these bitches call her back again.
In my mind, I want to give orders to attack, not to kick them out.
You wouldn’t be unaware of that, but the guy in front of the castle gate was rather proudly raising his voice.
“Yeah, it’s only been 40 years. I ran right after the inauguration ceremony yesterday…”
“?”
“??”
Oddly enough, the language works, but the conversation doesn’t.
When I was unable to speak, the handmaiden intervened.
“Master. Please look at my face and have mercy…”
“… follow your heart.”
“Thank you. Everyone, please step back from the castle. Sooner or later, we will send someone, so only select a few representatives to enter.”
The handmaiden didn’t seem to have a good feeling for them either, and she had a harder tone than usual.
I descended from the wall as I watched them reluctantly retreat.