We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 902

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

Nighttime Confrontation

We proceed along the ridges, relying only on the light of the moon and stars. However, with dragon energy residing in my eyes, I can see the scenery as if it were daytime.

Pretending to stretch, I look around with my dragon-energy-infused eyes.

“You’re hiding well, aren’t you?”

Despite my efforts, I couldn’t pinpoint the figure tailing me. To conceal oneself so skillfully in the middle of fields with few hiding spots was impressive. This individual was clearly no ordinary divine soldier.

Divine race members possess far superior physical abilities and arts compared to humans, so anyone of divine race status is a formidable opponent; one cannot afford to let their guard down. Nevertheless, having dealt with various races, I believe I can objectively assess an opponent’s strength. This infiltrator possesses at least the skill level of a high-ranking demon. A dragon race warrior could win if serious, but it also means the opponent is strong enough to require a serious effort from a dragon race warrior. I would likely lose if I let my guard down.

So, how should I attack this skilled infiltrator? Should I ask Yunyun for a surprise attack? No, an opponent on par with a high-ranking demon might detect Yunyun’s presence even when she disappears. Masters are sensitive to killing intent and hostility directed at them. Even if Yunyun’s appearance is unseen, she would likely be detected if she got too close.

“So, what do we do?”

I walk, contemplating. Fortunately, the infiltrator has not shown any signs of attacking, only following me. They are probably just suspicious of my actions leaving the longhouse in the middle of the night and want to monitor me. After all, Guildia may see us as a nuisance, but they likely don’t perceive us as formidable enemies trying to thwart their arbitrary actions. Besides, I am human. While Mistral, a dragon race member, might be a different story, they probably wouldn’t go to the trouble of a surprise attack to eliminate a human like me.

“Does that mean they underestimate me and have let their guard down, even if they are skilled?”

Even if they recognized my race by my appearance, they wouldn’t know my actual abilities. I haven’t even proclaimed myself the Dragon King yet. With that in mind, I continue my walk, searching for suitable terrain nearby. Ahead, along the ridge, I spot a large, suitable tree. It’s an old tree with widely spread branches and leaves, looking like a place to rest in the shade during a break from farm work. Its trunk circumference appears quite substantial.

“Elnea, walk towards that tree.”

Yunyun seems ready to make a move as well. Separating from me, she heads towards the old tree first. I continue towards the old tree, as if casually observing the fields and gazing at the night sky. The one following me also appears to be moving, albeit slowly. Naturally, I continue walking towards the large old tree. Upon reaching the side of its thick trunk, I casually glance upwards and walk around the circumference of the trunk. Inevitably, I disappear from the infiltrator’s line of sight, hidden by the trunk.

“Now!”

I activate Spatial Jump.

“Ngh!?”

Tension runs through the infiltrator. It’s only natural for them to panic when the human they were tailing moments ago suddenly disappears, even their presence vanishing. The infiltrator reveals themselves from the side of the ridge and quickly circles the trunk of the old tree. However, there is no sign of me, not even a trace of my presence. The figure, having lost their advantage as an infiltrator, takes up a defensive stance at the base of the old tree, surveying their surroundings. They cautiously look around and stare intently at the tree’s branches spreading overhead. But still, my figure is nowhere to be seen.

However, I am the one hiding on the branches of the old tree, looking down at the infiltrator’s situation. So, why couldn’t the infiltrator find me? It was because Yunyun, who had moved ahead beforehand, had cast an illusion on the tree branches with Spirit Arts.

“Now, who are you?” I hold my breath and look down at the infiltrator. My dragon-energy-infused eyes clearly reflect the figure of the person warily guarding the base of the old tree. Indeed, it’s not one of the divine race soldiers who came to capture us during the day. He was a young man with blue hair, dressed in dark attire that would easily blend into the night. The man reaches for the hilt of the sword at his waist and leans his back against the trunk of the old tree, surveying his surroundings. Then, he speaks into the night.

“Come out, kid. I know you’ve sensed my presence from the start.”

Oh? Did the man tail me knowing I had noticed him? No, that’s not right. It’s a bluff. He’s trying to intimidate me by pretending to know me well and to unsettle me by implying this situation is not disadvantageous to him. But such petty tricks won’t work on me. He leaned against the trunk of the old tree fearing a surprise attack from behind, but that’s exactly what we wanted.

“Ares-chan?”
“Leave it to me, leave it to me!”

Ares-chan is always by my side. And Ares-chan is a Spirit Tree Spirit. Following the will of the Spirit Tree Spirit, the great tree moved. Plants moving with their own will. Its branches and leaves extend, attacking the man at the base from above!

“What!?”

The man is astonished by the unexpected attack. Nevertheless, he reacts quickly and evades the branches of the old tree that are attacking him from above. Just then, the undergrowth rustles. The man reflexively draws his sword and turns towards the rustling undergrowth. But alas. That was Yunyun’s diversion. The moment the man’s attention was drawn to the sound from the undergrowth, I used Spatial Jump to position myself behind him, his back now exposed. I reach out to restrain him. But even here, the man’s reaction was swift. Dodging the multiple surprise attacks, he escapes my grasp. Not only that, he counterattacks.

“Cross over.”

The moment he utters a powerful word, the man disappears from my front. Immediately after. Feeling a strange sensation behind me, I quickly duck. A sharp slash passes through the space where my upper body was just a moment before.

“Could it be, Spatial Jump using Divine Arts!?”

I’m stunned by his incredibly fast reaction and the unexpected counterattack using such a technique. But I can’t afford to stop moving due to surprise. I rise from a crouched position, straightening my upper body. As I do so, I thrust a palm strike imbued with dragon energy. It’s an attack aimed at the slight opening in the man’s stance after he swung his sword. However, the man utters another powerful word again.

“Cross over.”

The next moment, the man is outside my range. A seamless Spatial Jump using a short divine utterance. But when it comes to Spatial Jump, I am not inferior. Immediately after the man teleports, I also initiate Spatial Jump, aiming to attack him from behind. I unleash a kick towards the man’s back, who must have thought he had gained distance. The kick aimed at his flank prevents him from uttering another divine utterance. Still, the man reacts with abnormal speed to my Spatial Jump and kick. He twists his body and blocks my kick with his firmly tensed left arm.

“Ngh!”

But my kick is no ordinary human kick. It’s a heavy blow imbued with dragon energy, capable of crushing rocks! The man’s expression contorts as he takes the full force of the kick. It seems he also imbued divine power into his arm to receive it, as it didn’t have the power to break bones. Nevertheless, his left arm must be rendered unusable. Without stopping my movements, I transition into an unarmed Dragon Sword Dance. I don’t wield swords in either hand, but the forms of the Dragon Sword Dance, which uses the entire body, are still intact. Using my leg, which was used to block, as a pivot, I leap and deliver a double kick. While still airborne, I twist my body and cleave the air with a hand strike. Dragon Arts do not require “powerful words.” As long as the dragon energy can be manifested through intent, the art can be activated. A sharp blade of air attacks the man.

“Scatter!”

While his stance is broken by my double kick, the man utters a divine utterance and swings the sword in his right hand. The sword and the blade of air collide, deflecting my attack. The man then speaks another powerful word.

“Cross over.”

Another Spatial Jump by Divine Arts! I instinctively brace myself and try to track where the man has flown. But he appears in an unexpected location. Far on the opposite side of the field, far beyond the reach of both his sword strike and my Dragon Sword Dance. So, is his next move a long-range attack using Divine Arts? I stay alert, ready to react to any movement the man might make. But his next action catches me completely off guard.

Abruptly, the man sheathes his sword and raises his right hand above his head. He then speaks words not imbued with divine power.

“Wait. I have no intention of fighting further.”

A surrender declaration? No, I can’t let my guard down. He might suddenly attack, luring me into a false sense of security.

“I can’t believe what someone who tails me in the middle of the night says.”

If I wished, I could also fly to the other side of the field with Spatial Jump. Maintaining the dragon energy needed for Spatial Jump, I carefully observe the man’s movements. Sensing that I haven’t lowered my guard, the man takes his next action. He suddenly sits down on the ridge.

“You can restrain me if you wish. But listen. I have no intention of fighting.”

“You expect anyone to believe you have no intention of fighting after wielding your sword mercilessly?”

If I hadn’t reacted correctly then, I would have been cut in half, my upper and lower body separated. Yet, even now, his declaration of “no intention of fighting” is completely untrustworthy. Then, the man smirks at the corner of his mouth and surprises me again.

“No, you’d probably dodge something like that, wouldn’t you? Am I right, Elnea Eris, the Eight Dragon Kings?”
“!?”

How does this man know who I am!? Not only my name but also my title as Dragon King! I haven’t declared myself the Dragon King since arriving at the village. I haven’t done anything to prove my identity. Yet, the man knew who I was. Could it be that my presence was deduced from Mistral’s existence? Even so, Mistral hasn’t declared herself the Dragon Princess. In that case, the man shouldn’t be able to confidently say, “You are the Eight Dragon Kings Elnea Eris.” Yet, if the man truly knew who I was, it would mean this divine race member knows a lot about Dragon Peak and the human kingdom. Otherwise, he would find it odd for a human like me to hold a dragon race title.

While I scrutinize the man with suspicion, Yunyun stealthily approaches him from behind. It seems the man, despite knowing about me, hasn’t noticed Yunyun’s presence yet. Or perhaps he noticed Yunyun’s presence but is prepared to be restrained as per his words? In that case, he should be able to be restrained at any time, depending on the situation. I confirm the situation, take a small breath, and question the man.

“Why do you know me?”

In response to my question, the man, still smiling, says something unexpected again.

“I am Guen. A former subordinate of the God of War, Wender. I am currently a guard attached to Guildia.”
“A subordinate of Wender-san!?”
“Former. He abdicated. You know that, don’t you?”

The man who called himself Guen speaks of us as if it were obvious. But that is astonishing. If Guen was truly Wender-san’s subordinate, then Guen knowing about us doesn’t add up. I first met Wender-san during the battle to defeat the Demon King in early spring. We became acquainted after that, but Wender-san crossed Dragon Peak and entered Ruilala’s territory after the Demon King’s defeat. We ourselves confirmed this very recently. In that case, when did Guen learn that Wender-san and I were acquainted? Could it be that Wender-san is secretly investigating the demon race’s country and Dragon Peak under orders from the Divine Race’s Emperor!?

Did Guen think mentioning Wender-san’s name would make me let my guard down? However, given the temporal and spatial discrepancy between Wender-san’s actions and Guen’s information, I not only couldn’t trust Guen but also began to harbor doubts about Wender-san. Then, Guen, perhaps sensing my suspicion, continued.

“You should know too. Wender-san is the Thousand Eyes God of War.”

Wender-san can use a divine art that allows him to share his vision with those around him. While it can be blocked by those with strong mental defenses, like the Demon King, the art of being able to view the perspectives of many people is highly versatile. Wender-san was knowledgeable because he used the Thousand Eyes Divine Arts and gathered information from the perspectives of many people. So, was it due to Wender-san’s Thousand Eyes Divine Arts that Guen knew about us?

The man nodded deeply while sitting, answering my question.

“Those who can obtain information through Wender-san’s Thousand Eyes are not limited to Wender-san himself. Those like me, who are strongly influenced by the art, can conversely obtain visual information from Wender-san’s perspective.”
“…And that’s how you knew about us?”

“Yes,” the man says with a smile. “Wender-san and I can share vision even when separated by great distances.”
“So, Wender-san was pretending to travel and secretly investigating the demon race’s country and Dragon Peak!?”

The various information Wender-san saw is being fed to the Divine Race Empire through this Guen. Knowing the horror of this, I shudder. Yunyun, who is stealthily positioned behind Guen, is also astonished. However, Guen laughs off my suspicion.

“Fool. If that were the case, do you think I would casually mention my relationship with Wender-san? He is, without a doubt, the supreme God of War. But he has now left the Emperor’s side.”

Wender-san refused to follow the Divine Race Emperor’s invasion plans, hence returning his position as God of War. However, he wished to stop the Emperor’s rampage, which is why he is crossing the demon race’s country to prevent the invasion plans, as we heard directly from Wender-san. But now, I doubt his words. Were Wender-san’s words true? Did he enter the demon race’s country with a hidden agenda, deceiving us? However, Guen defends Wender-san and tells me Wender-san’s true intentions and the truth.

“I will ask you. What kind of person is Wender-san, who has left the Emperor’s side?”
“What kind of person…?”
“Wender-san is from this village. So, what kind of people are all the villagers here?”
“That would be… vassals of Alex-san and his family, who are descendants of the Fighting God?”
“That’s right. And what is necessary for Alex-san to return as the Fighting God?”
“The Soul Spirit Seat held by the ruler of the demon race… I see!”

Finally, I understand Wender-san’s true objective.

“Wender-san is trying to gather information about the ruler of the demon race while traversing the demon race’s country. And he intends to bring that information back for Alex-san and the others?”

The desire to stop the Emperor’s rampage is real, I believe. But more than that, Wender-san’s loyalty was directed towards Alex-san from the beginning. Wender-san rose to the rank of God of War for Alex-san’s sake. And the reason he so readily relinquished his position as God of War, stating he could not obey the Emperor’s tyrannical rule, was because he had already decided that Alex-san was his true lord. Wender-san has been working with Alex-san, his friend and liege, from the very beginning.

“Are you convinced now that I know about you? I could fight you, but if we were to go all out, it would put both of us in a difficult position, wouldn’t it?”
“Speaking of which. I understand your relationship with Wender-san, but I haven’t asked why a former subordinate of a God of War is guarding a noble like Guildia.”

Apparently, Guen also does not wish to cause a commotion here. Guen, still seated, without any sign of resistance, says to me.

“Let’s just turn a blind eye to each other here.”

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