Heroes and Their Qualifications (8)
Dragon Kingdom is the city of dragons.
Located at the western edge of the continent, Dragon Kingdom possesses a vast expanse of land that one would hardly believe belongs to a single nation. Roughly half of its territory is made up of rugged mountains. The Empire considered these expanses, comparable to the Frontis mountain range, to be uninhabitable for ordinary life forms. More accurately, it would be right to say that attempts at colonization had failed.
Before dragons settled in the west of the continent, humans had tried to conquer the land of Dragon Kingdom. However, their attempts over several centuries frequently ended in failure.
When the pioneers headed to Dragon Kingdom, the harsh mountain ranges seemed to reject human habitation with their brutal climate. Relentless gales that felt as if they could tear one’s skin apart blew ceaselessly, and strange thunderclouds and heavy rains that ignored the geographical feature of being high-altitude areas occurred frequently.
If one descended from the mountains due to the difficulty of survival, they would often become a meal for the wyverns inhabiting the mountain passes. If the wyverns were feared and dwellings were established in the distant plains, then the earth dragons digging through the land would sweep them away to their deaths. And to move away from both the mountain ranges and the plains? That too was impossible. The rest of the land was a desolate, lifeless wasteland.
Humans had failed to dominate the western continent.
Yet, if the pioneers had been supplied with sufficient troops and resources, the rulers of Dragon Kingdom today might not have been dragons.
The Empire had enough weapons and resources.
But the Empire judged it impractical to colonize the west.
The money going into the pioneer groups and the continuous resources needed to manage the new territories. And the profits that would come from using that land. It was a simple matter of weighing the costs and benefits.
Thus, entangled in complex interests, the ruler of the western continent remained undetermined.
It was only much later, when dragons reduced the numbers of wyverns and earth dragons, that the land became habitable for life forms. The dragons, transforming into the image of the humans who had brought about their downfall, established a nation.
That was the beginning of the country of dragons.
A nation forged by dragons themselves.
Dragon Kingdom.
Despite its deep history and the various events it had endured, Dragon Kingdom had grown. Yet, there were still parts that remained uncolonized.
The east and south, which had developed rapidly through some interaction with humans. The west, which had a relatively stable climate that facilitated growth. And the central part of Dragon Kingdom, the Dragon Capital, where the first Dragon King had settled. Each of these regions had developed to a state where ordinary humans could live without difficulty.
But the north was different.
Various life forms hidden among the fierce mountain ranges and the still vicious climate.
The landscape had not changed, no matter how many years had passed.
It felt as if it was saying that no one could dominate it.
Even the mighty dragons had a space that they could not fully control.
When taking the form of a dragon and soaring through the skies, the powerful gales would sweep them away, making it impossible to fly properly. They would often be overpowered by the smaller, swarming wyverns as they staggered in the wind. The few wyverns that survived the dragons’ attacks displayed a surprisingly strong force.
If they transformed into human form, the wyverns would gracefully ascend and disappear into the heavens.
Using bows or magic might have improved the situation, but for dragons unaccustomed to human form, even that was a difficult task.
If you weren’t a half-dragon born in human form, then colonizing the northern territories was impossible.
Of course, given enough time, even in dragon form, some progress in colonization might have been possible. However, the wyverns reproduced and increased their numbers faster than they could be killed.
That’s why the majority of the northern part of Dragon Kingdom remains uncolonized.
An area with a harsh natural environment and hardly any law and order, a veritable no-man’s-land.
A place where ordinary humans hesitate to set foot, and even dragons do not bother to seek out.
In this uncolonized northern territory, a woman stood tall.
*
At the peak of a mountain where even the wind seemed to freeze, there was a woman.
She wore light armor that covered only her upper body and part of her lower body, and bandages that concealed her exposed torso. She leaned on a sword, the blade of which looked to be well over a meter long, her gaze fixed intently on something in the distance.
Her short, red hair gave her an unbalanced appearance, almost as if she weren’t human.
The woman, standing motionless like a stone sculpture, seemed to be on guard as if she was wary of something.
Her name was Bella.
She had maintained her immobile stance for so long that dust had settled on her red hair, which must have been quite irritating, yet her posture remained undisturbed.
But all that surrounded her was a desolate clearing and sporadically placed rocks.
In this empty clearing, what could Bella possibly be on guard against?
Asking anyone would likely yield no easy answers.
Her expressionless face might have seemed at rest, but her flawless stance exuded the aura of a warrior in the midst of battle. Yet, no matter how much time passed, her posture did not change.
Would the moment for Bella to move ever come?
Or could it be that she was already dead?
It was a moment that invited such thoughts.
“…Now.”
Bella drew her sword from the ground. That’s when it happened. Something flickered in the sky.
Dark and thick scales, a figure resembling a dragon.
It was a wyvern.
Three wyverns targeted Bella, swooping down from the high skies.
Bella, standing motionless in her place, was perceived by the wyverns as easy prey, ripe for the hunt. If a wyvern were to dive down and collide with her, she would die without even uttering a final gasp. Surely, she would make for a fine meal.
That’s what the wyvern thought as it contracted its body to prepare for a steep dive. In the moment before the dive, to ensure a successful hunt, it glanced around to pinpoint the woman’s location one last time.
But Bella was no longer on the ground.
How could a mere human move so swiftly?
Sensing something amiss, the wyvern spread its wings to glide and survey the situation.
With a crude sound, its head was severed.
All three wyverns were decapitated simultaneously.
The woman’s sword had cut through the thick hide and bone, severing the necks of the wyverns.
The wyverns had been high in the sky, so how had Bella, who appeared no different from an ordinary human, reached such an altitude?
The reason was simple.
She had wings.
She had leapt into the air, spreading her wings as she rose.
This was possible because she was a half-dragon.
With wings tailored to her human form, Bella had launched herself from the ground with a powerful kick, unfazed by the strong winds, and headed straight for the wyverns. Then, with her sword, she had decapitated all three wyverns.
She had sensed the wyverns’ intent to hunt her from afar and had waited in an immobile stance until they attacked. Reading the moment they were about to dive, she struck first.
If she had not leapt at the exact right moment, she might have been counterattacked instead.
But her sword, a secret technique that could be unleashed without assuming any stance, even in the midst of the air.
A slicing strike that cleaved through the void. Bella, whose swordsmanship was among the best in the Dragon Kingdom, performed a divine feat that left the wyverns with no chance.
Thud, crunch.
The heads and necks of the wyverns fell to the ground.
With a swift motion,
Bella landed safely on the ground as well.
Her red hair was now dyed even darker with the blood of the wyverns. She was breathing heavily, but there was no sign of fatigue. Instead, her expression was one of disappointment for not being able to slay more.
The woman—Bella—had come to this place with the purpose of wyvern eradication.
She had taken on the task of wyvern extermination for the sake of the citizens living in the north.
She had once gained fame by staying with a party of heroes, so it wasn’t that she was short on money.
Her relationship with the Dragon King wasn’t good, but this wasn’t about trying to mend it.
The woman simply wanted to become a hero.
She wanted to be a champion.
That’s why she was laboring in the north without accepting any compensation.
To become a hero, one must kill all the evil that threatens the safety of the citizens.
If you kill all the wicked, you can become a hero.
A true hero, different from those unworthy of the title.
Such was her twisted thinking.
Bella assumed her stance.
She had spotted another flock of wyverns in the distant sky. Far more than before, perhaps about a dozen.
And once again, she maintained her immobile stance.
Waiting to kill the next evil.
* * *
I’m screwed.
That thought escaped into words. I had scoured the vast lands of the Southern District and still found no information on Bella. All I had to show for it were unreliable eyewitness accounts and a few rumors.
I was heading back to my lodgings empty-handed.
And the sun had already set, and it was about time for fatigue to pour in, yet I hadn’t even managed to leave the Southern District.
It was as good as saying the whole day had been wasted.
But then again, wasn’t I tasked with this job?
Anyway.
Why was there no information on Bella?
I had been sneaking around shops, gathering intelligence. This time, with Valkvogel present, I was able to collect information twice as fast.
Yet, I found nothing about Bella in the South.
The only somewhat useful information was from a few months ago.
Back when I was struggling in The Great Forest. It’s hardly reliable.
Given Bella’s personality, she wouldn’t move quietly. So why were there no sightings? If she was flaunting her whereabouts, that would be one thing, but it’s not like her to move so stealthily and quietly. Why, how come.
“…Maybe she just wasn’t in the South?”
Valkvogel had said that.
It’s a logical explanation.
If there’s no information in the South, then Bella must be somewhere else.
It’s obvious. It’s just that my head understands, but my heart doesn’t.
It can’t be the West or the East, and certainly not the Dragon Capital. Not the South either? Does that even make sense?
That leaves the North. The idea that Bella is in that harsh land.
The worst-case scenario is that she might be outside the Dragon Kingdom, but… that’s too far-fetched to consider.
Anyway, the North….
If I go to the North in my current condition, it could be really dangerous.
Especially if I need to conserve my strength and then encounter a flock of wyverns, well, I probably won’t last.
So, I made a decision.
To head North.
But not right away.
If I were to head to the North immediately, all my recent agonizing would be for naught.
I’ll set out for the North in about a week.
After checking the contents of the letter addressed to me, I decided to set out.
I needed to prepare thoroughly, so that amount of time was necessary.
If I wanted a proper rest, that would be the right thing to do.
By then, Cecilia should be back in shape, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
And as long as I’m a bit careful with Nicola, it should be fine.
Anyway, it doesn’t seem like Nicola is planning to actively pursue me right now, so there probably won’t be any surprises.
With that in mind, I returned to my lodgings.
It was dawn when I arrived successfully.
Valkvogel had fallen asleep at the entrance.
Cecilia would naturally be asleep too.
I wasn’t strangely sleepy.
I felt like I could sleep, but it wasn’t like I was dying to… It felt like my health was deteriorating in real-time.
And somehow, my headache seemed to be getting worse.
But still, it should be fine.
I’m still healthy. This much shouldn’t be a problem.
I brushed it off like that.
