Jared and Laurentz entered the town, maintaining a safe distance from each other as they searched the semi-demolished buildings for anyone who didn’t escape or was left behind injured.
“Anyone there?”
“No luck, I don’t see anyone on my side. How about you?”
“Nobody on my end either. That’s strange…”
“Strange? If there are no injured people, it means the residents managed to escape, right?”
“That’s true… but it feels off somehow.”
The strangeness wasn’t the absence of stranded or injured people, but something felt wrong with the town itself.
Jared signaled to Laurentz, and they proceeded further into the town’s center. As expected, not a soul was found, neither in the collapsed buildings nor in those still intact.
“You finally noticed the oddity… There’s no sign of an escape.”
“What do you mean?”
Even if a Dragon Species attacked, humans might try to retrieve something when fleeing. Valuables or mementos are good examples. Not everyone prioritizes possessions over their lives, but so far, there’s no indication that anyone took anything. Of course, it could be argued they didn’t have time. Still, something felt wrong.
There were other oddities. Not a single drop of blood was spilled.
When Magical Beasts attack a town, everyone flees. Self-defense forces might confront them, but they are only a fraction of the residents. People wouldn’t stay in a dangerous area solely trusting the self-defense forces. In a panic, some might flee desperately. Some would fall, others would get injured while trying to escape, and some might even die. That’s what a Magical Beast attack entails. Jared had witnessed such unpleasant scenes many times.
However, this town, despite being attacked by a Dragon Species, far more fearsome than Magical Beasts, showed few signs of the attack. Buildings were collapsed, and the ground was shattered, indicating a rather large Dragon Species had rampaged. But that was all.
“Maybe they detected the danger beforehand and managed to escape? I truly hope all the residents are safe.”
Laurentz offered a guess to explain the strangeness, but it still didn’t feel right.
“If the residents are safe, that’s all I care about. Let’s keep moving. If they are safe, I want to confirm it.”
The unease about the entire town was undeniable. But if the residents were safe, that was what mattered.
The two reached the town’s center and frowned. It must have been a beautiful town once, with shops lining the streets and a plaza featuring a fountain and flowerbeds. It might have been a place of relaxation for the residents. But everything was destroyed.
“This is terrible… Is this the work of a Dragon Species?”
“I’ve never seen anything this bad, not even I.”
“Should we consider it a blessing that there are no apparent human casualties?”
“I don’t know.”
As they were about to proceed through the plaza towards the back of the town,
“Jared! That’s an incredible amount of blood!”
A vast expanse of blood lay before them. Red liquid pooled like a lake on the cracked ground. Upon closer inspection, red splatters were visible on the debris of buildings.
“Could it be that there were many casualties?”
“No, that’s not it. This is the blood of a Dragon Species. Touch it, you can feel the magic.”
Jared pointed it out, and Laurentz cautiously touched the blood, presumably from the Dragon Species.
“…I can feel magic. You wouldn’t know just by looking, but it’s quite potent. It’s definitely not human.”
Many Magical Beasts capable of using magic have more potent magic than humans, not just Dragon Species. While the potency of magic doesn’t directly correlate with strength, Magical Beasts are called so, not just beasts, because they possess magic. Humans, on the other hand, have weak magic. Even Magicians with immense Magic Power are no exception. The reason for such a stark difference between humans and non-humans is unknown, but it was incredibly helpful for judgment in situations like this.
“The Dragon Species must have been injured. It might be more likely that it came to this town seeking refuge from something that wounded it, rather than appearing to attack people.”
“That’s bad luck for the residents.”
“Indeed. Let’s hurry and find them.”
Jared and Laurentz ran, leaping over the large pool of blood. Their pace naturally quickened with the desire to find and protect the residents as quickly as possible. The town was surrounded by forests, with some areas cleared for farmland. The Duke Alway’s territory was developed, with roads connecting all towns, yet it still felt quite rural. To Jared, who lived in the Capital City, it felt like nothing more than a forest-covered town.
Following the trail of blood, presumably from the Dragon Species, they passed through a field.
“There they are!”
Beyond the farmland was a cleared area, likely for cultivation, with felled trees. They spotted residents gathered there. Exhaling a breath of relief, they approached the residents. However,
“Don’t come any closer!”
The first words from the residents were a rejection. Jared and Laurentz stopped abruptly, raising both hands to signal they meant no harm.
“Adventurers again! You do as you please, that’s enough!”
Their caution, however, did not dissipate. Worse, they were mistaken for Adventurers. Young men aimed their spears, tips pointed at Jared and Laurentz.
“We’re not Adventurers!”
“I’m Jared Murphy. I’m a Magician dispatched from the Mage Association. I heard this town was attacked by a Dragon Species and just arrived. If anyone is injured, I will tend to them!”
“I’m Laurentz Herring. I’m his companion.”
“Can we believe that! Magicians become Adventurers too! Who knows what you’ll do!”
Their anger stemmed from something they must have experienced with Adventurers, as the young men’s anger was palpable. The residents behind them watched with fearful eyes.
“Don’t lump us in with barbaric Adventurers! We are proud Magicians!”
“Then show us proof you can be trusted!”
Proof was difficult. They hadn’t received any documents from the Mage Association. Normally, papers would be prepared to confirm with the client, but this was an urgent request from Duke Alway, so they hadn’t received any.
“You don’t have anything to prove it?”
“Unfortunately, no. What should we do… You must really resent Adventurers. If you do anything foolish, you’ll be impaled.”
“I absolutely want no part of that! To be killed by the residents we came to help, not the Dragon Species, is unthinkable! Wait, let’s hand over our student IDs.”
“Student IDs?”
“It will clearly show our identities! No one would forge a Royal Academy student ID, so it’s undeniable! You don’t have yours, do you? The school rules state students must carry their student IDs at all times!”
Many would have thought only a few followed such rules, but Jared actually had his. He took out his student ID from his pocket and threw it towards the young men along with Laurentz.
“…Oh. What, student IDs? Huh, you guys are Royal Academy students… Wait, Aaaagh!”
“What’s wrong!?”
“These guys, no, wait, these are the sons of Count Herring and Baron Daum!”
Seeing the reaction of the young men, Jared understood Laurentz’s intention when he suggested showing the student IDs. While their identities were indeed listed, he had thought it would only increase suspicion, changing their claim from dispatched by the Mage Association to students. But Laurentz’s goal was to reveal their noble status. While being from a Baronial Family might not have had much effect, the name of a Count Family carried weight. And, as Laurentz had predicted, it worked.
“W-what do we do? We pointed spears at nobles! Or rather, we’re still pointing them!”
“How should I know! Do we lower our spears?”
“It’s too late! We’re finished…”
No, it was too effective. The young men holding their spears were flustered to the point of pity, and some even despaired, realizing they had intended to harm nobles.
“As I said before, we came to help. We won’t punish you for pointing spears at us! Don’t underestimate us!”
“We want to talk. For now, we want you to understand that we are not your enemies. And we want to meet the person in charge—the mayor. We want to know what happened.”
“…Understood. We will explain everything. However, please do not use magic here. The women and children are frightened.”
“We promise.”
“I also swear I won’t use it.”
As the young men sighed in relief at Jared and Laurentz’s response,
—Guaaaaaaaargh!
A rumbling growl echoed from behind the residents.
“Wh-what was that growl!”
“A Magical Beast, no, that’s different—could it be!”
Jared pushed aside the young men trying to stop him and moved through the residents.
“No way, you’ve got to be kidding me.”
Behind the residents, in an open space, lay a Dragon Species, bleeding profusely from its abdomen to its back. The residents were desperately trying to staunch the wound with towels.
