“Please come anytime.”
The day after the ceremony, we left the Crystal Palace, seen off by Lord Gaia with a gentle smile.
Athena Willness Earthlight Tomari
84 years old
Lv. 34
Dragon race – Dragonian
Dragon name: Earthlight Dragonian
Eos Willness Green
117 years old
Lv. 52
Dragon race – Hydragonian
Dragon name: Green Dragonian
Butler’s Guild: Valentia Dragon Kingdom, Dragunia
Butler’s Rank: G
Hunter’s Guild: Valentia Dragon Kingdom, Dragunia
Hunter’s Rank: G
This is Athena and Eos’s library entry.
Eos is a G-rank Butler and G-rank Hunter, but Athena isn’t registered with any guild, so I’m going to register her with the Hunter’s Guild.
I also need to complete the procedure for joining Wing Crest, so after this report, I have to go to the Hunter’s Guild.
Before that, I have to report to Emperor Folias at the Dragon King’s Castle to inform him of my engagement to Athena and that Mana and Eos have formed a Dragon Resonance Contract. I have a feeling something troublesome will happen again.
“How dare you! Even as a guest, a commoner is getting engaged to the daughter of the Holy Dragon Mother?! Do you think I would allow such a thing?!”
Yes, as expected, a problem has arisen.
In the Dragon King’s Castle’s Audience Chamber, that Duke Narlstadt Nizhægger started complaining about my engagement to Athena.
“If that’s the case, does that mean I, who married that commoner, am also not allowed to form a Dragon Resonance Contract with a Hydragonian?”
“Of course! Your Majesty, this is Amister’s prelude to invading Valentia! You should send the Dragonians to Amister immediately and have them take the King’s life, even if it means dying with him!”
Emperor Folias is holding his head, but his gaze towards Narlstadt is cold.
Emperor Reinhardt has no such intentions, and besides, both my engagement and Mana’s contract have been recognized by the Dragonian leader, so the Dragonians wouldn’t move.
“Duke Narlstadt, do you wish to destroy the country?”
“What are you saying! I am offering this advice out of concern for the country!”
“Duke Narlstadt, your premise is mistaken from the start. Firstly, they came to Valentia because they were invited by Lord Gaia. And since Lord Gaia has acknowledged Athena’s engagement and Miss Eos’s contract, it’s not an issue that outsiders can interfere with.”
“Furthermore, to conclude that this is an act of aggression by Amister is beyond short-sighted. If your logic holds true, it would mean Lord Gaia is also cooperating with Amister? If that were the case, how could you expect to gain the cooperation of the Dragonians?”
Duke Hertraikh and King Harut also spoke with exasperation, but Duke Narlstadt still didn’t seem convinced.
What’s more, he’s radiating killing intent towards me?
“Also, I cannot and will not issue an order to fight to the death with the Dragonians. Moreover, you said such a thing in front of Miss Athena, so you cannot escape punishment, no matter who you are.”
“Indeed. In the worst-case scenario, you may have to forfeit your head, but for the time being, you will be ordered to confine yourself to your residence.”
“T-to do that would only make Amister bolder! Your Majesty, please reconsider!”
Does this guy somehow want to be enemies with Amister?
Even with the Dragon Resonance Contract, the Dragonians will not lend a hand to the Dragon Knight Order without a just cause, and the contract also prohibits Dragon Knights from going into battle.
In the first place, there are no Dragonians in Duke Nizhægger’s territory.
There may be Dragonians operating in the labyrinth as Hunters, but probably only that.
These Dragonians are also aware that Duke Narlstadt is a person of interest, so there’s no possibility of cooperation.
“You are the one who needs to reconsider. I’ve told you repeatedly, Athena’s engagement and Eos’s contract are what Lord Gaia desires. To attack Amister based on that would, on the contrary, lead to the country being destroyed by the Dragonians. Before that, we would all be slaughtered by Lord Yamato here.”
I won’t do anything like that, you know?
“Duke Narlstadt, your arrogance, including your insults to a princess of another country, your slander against Lord Gaia and the Dragonians, and your monopolization of the labyrinth for personal gain, has reached a point where it can no longer be overlooked. Therefore, I will officially announce your punishment here and now. The Nizhægger ducal family’s succession rights are revoked, and you are ordered to confine yourself to your residence. You may decide who inherits your title, but you will not be permitted to be involved in anything else. Furthermore, you will not be allowed to leave your designated residence.”
“Y-Your Majesty!”
“Withdraw. This is an order. Also, Lord Yamato, I apologize, but please allow us to move to another location for the continuation of this matter.”
“Understood.”
Initially, we were scheduled to be guided to the royal family’s residential area, but because he was there, it became the Audience Chamber. Now that his punishment has been decided, I agree with moving the location.
So, we have come to the reception room in the royal family’s residential area, where we were taken the other day.
“Lord Yamato, Princess Manalies, Miss Athena, and everyone else, I apologize for causing you such unpleasantness.”
“I accept your apology. However, Your Majesty, that man will surely do something untoward. Is such a light punishment sufficient?”
“Even such a foolish man is from a ducal family. I cannot arbitrarily strip him of his title. Duke Hertraikh would agree, but making the wrong move could provoke a backlash from other nobles.”
Amister has strong royal authority, but Valentia doesn’t seem to.
Well, Emperor Folias only ascended the throne last year, so he’s probably being underestimated.
Duke Hertraikh is strongly supporting His Majesty, so it’s a relief that not all nobles are like that.
“However, this latest incident is truly excessive. To try and make enemies not only of Amister but also of the Dragonians is beyond sanity.”
“Is it possible that he has already obtained subservient magical tools from places like Solemne or Retisencia?”
Perhaps Duke Narlstadt, like the foolish Dragon King of the past, wants to enslave the Dragonians?
The Dragonians are well-disciplined in the Willness Mountains, so none of them have committed crimes.
However, it’s not as if no one has been subjected to subservient magical tools.
It seems a Dragonian traveling with their mate once stopped by Solemne, but during that time, their mate was killed, and the Dragonian themselves was subjected to subservient magical tools.
Naturally, the Dragonian was furious, and led by the then-living Ruby Dragonian and Sapphire Dragonian, several Hydragonians headed for Solemne.
Since one of the accompanying Hydragonians could use Temple Magic, the effect of the subservient magical tool was quickly removed. However, the Dragonian, enraged by the murder of their spouse and the violation of their own body, fully transformed into a dragon and alone pushed the Emperor’s Castle to the brink of collapse.
They eventually ran out of strength, but since then, Solemne has become a country to be feared by the Dragonians, and no Dragonians visit it.
It seems the foolish Dragon King ascended the throne after that, and the idea of using subservient magical tools on Dragonians was likely due to the incident involving the attack on Solemne.
Of course, it is also forbidden for Valentia, and this is a story passed down not only to the royal family but also to the nobles, so Duke Narlstadt should be aware of it.
Despite this, he treats Dragonians as domesticated beasts and may even be considering forcing subservience upon them, so it’s understandable that his sanity is being questioned.
“That possibility cannot be denied. However, there is nothing to gain by enslaving Dragonians; rather, it would guarantee their destruction, so I doubt he would actually go that far.”
Indeed. If they provoke the Dragonians’ wrath, it’s possible Duke Nizhægger’s territory itself could disappear.
“I’ve been wondering about this for a while now, but has the Solpre Labyrinth not been conquered yet?”
“Yes, as Princess Yuriana says, it is un-conquered. It has been determined that the Solpre Labyrinth has a total of 7 levels, but it is said to also contain many powerful monsters.”
There are two types of labyrinths. One has many levels, and the monsters get stronger the deeper you go.
The most famous un-conquered labyrinth is the Temerario Labyrinth in Libertà.
The current highest reached level is the 28th level, but at that point, it’s already a nest of P-rank monsters, and it’s certain that there are deeper levels.
Most labyrinths are of this type, but the other type has fewer levels, but only powerful monster species inhabit it, making it difficult to conquer.
There are only a few such labyrinths even in Helios Orb, but the Solpre Labyrinth is reportedly of this type. From the 1st level, you’re greeted by B-rank monsters, and in the 4th level, P-rank monsters like Lesser Dragoons are casually walking around.
The 7th level, which is the lowest, is said to be teeming with M-rank monsters, so normal Hunters wouldn’t consider trying to conquer it.
“That… is indeed impossible to conquer…”
“Yes. With a Labyrinth Core, Duke Narlstadt wouldn’t be able to act so presumptuously. However, breaking through levels where M-rank monsters normally reside is nearly impossible, and I believe the Guardian is an A-rank monster.”
Normally, Guardians are P-rank monsters, but there are records of some being M-rank and even G-rank.
This means the Solpre Labyrinth is one of the most difficult labyrinths even for Helios Orb.
It sounds interesting, and I’d like to go, but depending on Retisencia’s movements, I might have to return to Amister immediately, so I don’t have enough time.
The talk is that you can reach the lowest level in about two days at the shortest, and a few days at the longest. There are also several safe zones within the labyrinth where even O-rank monsters cannot attack.
I don’t know why there are such places within a labyrinth, which is said to be a living thing, but the hypothesis is that it’s to prevent humans from entering and becoming food if they are attacked by monsters while camping.
So, there’s no worry about being attacked by monsters, but instead, there’s the possibility of being attacked by humans.
The attackers are treated as thieves, so there’s no problem with dealing with them. You can also record where you were attacked using Hunter Magic Mapping.
What’s more, surprisingly, thieves can be identified through Quests, so their names can be found, leading to the revocation of their licenses, and even Temple Magic, which can seal Inn, can be used.
Questing is Hunter Magic, but it can also be used by those with Divine Eye Magic, so it’s not uncommon for people other than Hunters to use it.
However, since most users are also Hunters, thieves rarely target Hunters.
“However, even without a Labyrinth Core, Duke Narlstadt has been punished. Unless he is exceptionally foolish, he will not act rashly. Of course, we are prepared.”
Indeed.
And if there are preparations for Duke Narlstadt’s actions, there’s no need to rush to conquer the Solpre Labyrinth.
“Then, as originally planned, we will stay in Dragunia for a few more days and then return to Amister.”
“Understood.”
Eos will transform into a dragon and fly us back to Amister.
The Beast Carriage weighs less than a ton, but with 20 people on board, it exceeds two tons.
However, since Mirroring is applied, our weight is ignored if we move to the Mirror Room, so it won’t be much of a burden for Eos.
Furthermore, to prevent falling, if Eos and the Beast Carriage are secured with belts or something, there’s no risk of falling.
The Beast Carriage is about the size of a small truck but slightly larger. Eos, who exceeds 20 meters when in her Green Dragonian form, can easily carry it.
Moreover, Eos is the fastest among Dragonians and can fly to places like Float or Memoria in one day, which is incredible.
Next, all that’s needed is Athena’s spear, Eos’s hand axe, and the Armor Coat, but for that, we’ll have to rely on Ed and the others.
Well, the report is done, so I guess I’ll head to the Hunter’s Guild now.
