“What should we do?” Zich asked Lyla.
She replied without pondering much about the matter, “There’s no reason not to go. I think it’s a good chance to see people we haven’t seen in a while too.”
It seemed like Lyla wanted to go. As Lyla said, Zich also didn’t have any reason to refuse and agreed. Thus, there was no need to think more about this topic.
“I understand. We will be going there.”
“Thank you!” The priest rejoiced. Then, his lips wavered slightly like he was going to request something more.
“Do you perhaps still have the dragon’s corpse?”
“I do.”
After defeating the dragon, the dragon slayers divided the dragon’s corpse amongst themselves. Since it was distributed according to contributions, Zich naturally received the largest amount.
“Could I ask how much you have left?”
“I haven’t used it yet. I’ve as much as the amount originally distributed to me.” Zich never lacked money, and he had the greatest weapon a person could have, which was Windur. Thus, he had no use for the dragon’s corpse.
“Then, could we rent it for a bit during this festival, sir?” the priest asked very cautiously, knowing the extreme rarity of the good he was asking for.
“It’s the Karuwimans we are talking about. Of course, I can lend you the corpse parts, but what are you all going to use them for?”
“There has been a suggestion to exhibit the dragon’s corpse during the festival this year.”
“That’s an interesting suggestion.”
The priest looked relieved to see Zich respond positively and continued, “The ones who did the most in our last war against the Bellids were the dragon slayers. Thus, we thought we should highlight the dragon slayers in our festival, and the best way to showcase their greatness was to display the dragon’s corpse as an exhibit. Some suggested building a model, but considering its massive size, it would’ve been difficult to carry the project out, and we might not be able to properly capture its intimidating and fearsome figure.”
“So, you are saying that the Karuwimans wish to recreate the dragon by collecting its corpse.”
“We are also going to ask the other dragon slayers’ opinions. But we can only officially start on our plan once you give us your permission, Sir Zich since you have the largest portion of the dragon’s corpse and above all, carry the most important piece, the head.”
“That’s true.”
“We will keep guard of it with our best security team. We are planning to use our best holy knights including Sir Weig.”
“Sir Weig is going to do it?” Zich was surprised to hear this. How could the Karuwiman’s greatest holy knight be standing for mere guard duty? Furthermore, it seemed Karuwiman’s other skilled knights were joining the act too.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t lend such a valuable item as the dragon’s corpse otherwise. Sir Weig and the others easily agreed to do the task. And although this is a bit more materialistic of us, we believe that if we exhibit the dragon’s corpse, more people would pay attention to this festival.”
“And I suppose that will increase the prestige of the Karuwimans even further.”
“It's as you say.”
“How honest of you all.”
“When I was ordered to look for you both Sir Weig and the saintess personally told me to not hide anything from you whether it was bad or good.” Lyla nodded while listening from the side. Unlike what one would expect from a personality like Zich’s, Zich didn’t hold negative feelings for a person if they honestly revealed their intentions to use him. On the contrary, if a person tried to secretly conspire against him, he would most likely retaliate.
“I understand. I will give you the goods.”
“Thank you so much sir!” The priest's face was all smiley, perhaps, because he was happy to hear that Zich would grant all their requests.
“But if you are planning to exhibit the entire dragon’s corpse, I suppose you would need other people to also collaborate.”
“Certainly, sir. We know who has which part, but we don't know whether people already used or disposed of these parts. But we are planning to gather as many parts of the dragon’s corpse as we can. As long as we have enough, we can fill in the missing parts with imitations too.” The priest returned with a satisfied look on his face. Zich and Lyla were left alone in their rooms again and they both faced each other.
“Yuras...it’s been a year,” Lyla said, recalling what happened a year ago.
“I still can’t get over the fact that I am going to Yuras again, especially with an invitation from the Karuwimans. It doesn’t feel real yet.”
“Do you say that because of what happened before the regression?”
“Yes, I had no other reason than war for going to Yuras then,” Zich said, and Lyla placed her hand on top of Zich’s hand which lay over the table.
“But it’s different now,” Lyla said.
“Yes, it’s different so you don’t have to worry about me. I just wanted to say it out loud.”
“Of course. You aren’t a Demon Lord anymore but a world-renowned hero.”
“Urgh,” Zich groaned. Lyla smiled brightly at him.
“When are we going to leave?”
“We still have some time, so there’s no need to hurry. We don’t have much to do anyway.” They had to go to Yuras much earlier than the time of the festival since the organizers needed enough time to assemble the dragon’s corpse. Yet, there was still some time before that.
“Let’s rest well today for now.”
“Yes, what should we eat for dinner?”
“Hm, I’m not sure. What did we eat yesterday?”
Although it was a conversation between a person who possessed the greatest strength in the world and a princess of an ancient empire who was also the greatest mage, their conversation was just like that between lovers.
***
It was raining. It looked as if somebody had pierced a hole in the sky and was pouring water through it. Or perhaps, as Bulington thought, the rain was Bellu’s tears. He was sure that his god was crying for the countless deaths of his followers and lamenting the great loss. Bulington stretched out his palms and watched as thick raindrops collided against his palms and split off. The shocks he felt in these collisions were like Bellu’s cries and sighs. To escape the rain and disguise himself, Burlington hid his hand inside his robes again. The warmth of the robe, heated by his body temperature, enveloped his hands. However, it wasn’t sufficient enough to suppress the cold air coming from his hand. Bulington walked around the city. Thanks to the pouring rain and late hour, there were no people around, and his feet stopped in front of a shop.
Crunch! He broke the lock of the store all too easily and went inside. The grocery store was full of flour, fruit, and vegetables that had not yet been sold on the shelves. He walked in and began sweeping all the fresh produce and goods on the shelves into his magic box. Then his hand suddenly stopped; he couldn’t believe that a cardinal of the great Bellids was stooping so low to steal food from a grocery store. However, it couldn’t be helped.
His faction, which had always offered him luxurious food, had basically been annihilated. The few Bellid survivors under his wing were also probably plundering necessary supplies elsewhere as well. Bulington took everything inside the store safe as well and went out. It was now time to rob another store. Suddenly, a poster caught his eye.
Flinch! He stopped his footsteps and stood in front of the poster. Even in a dim environment, Bulington was able to accurately read the contents of the poster using holy Bellid mana on his eyes.
“...Ha, haha, hahahahhaha!” He burst out laughing; it was an eerie laugh filled with anger and burning hatred. The heavy rainfall covered his laughter, so he purposely laughed even harder. Then he suddenly stopped laughing, and all expressions disappeared on his face. However, anger was still burning inside his heart.
The poster was a publicity stunt for the Karuwimans.
[A festival to celebrate the 1st anniversary of the Bellids’ defeat]
It was a title that automatically made him grit his teeth, and the content written below the title was also equally gut-wrenching. In particular, the anger soared to the top of his head when he read that people who played the biggest role in defeating the Bellids would be invited. However, one phrase caught his eye.
‘They’re going to display the dragon?’
Rip! He ripped the poster from the wall and looked at it more closely. It said that the body of the dead dragon was going to be restored and displayed to show the dignity and power of the dragon slayers, who played a significant part in the Bellids’ defeat. As soon as Bulington saw this, a plan hatched inside his mind.
‘Even though it might be unlikely, if I use that method...!’ If his plan was successful, he could raise the power of the Bellids and ruin the festival in one shot and drag the Karuwimans’ prestige into the mud. Moreover, he might kill those who were deeply involved in the conquest of the Bellids.
‘Especially that bastard! The guy named Zich!’ The so-called Strength Hero and the leader of the dragon slayers. Even though all the humans who participated in killing the dragon were called dragon slayers, Zich was so famous as a representative of dragon slayers that anyone who used the dragon slayer in singular form was referring to him. Moreover, he had also actively fought against the Bellids and played a crucial part in their downfall. In fact, according to reports, Zich and his subordinates had destroyed the main Bellid branch and killed their pope.
‘I must kill him if I have the chance!’ To announce the Bellid restoration and for revenge, he needed to kill Zich. Bulington slipped the poster into his arms and turned around. He needed to start making a solid plan from now on. Although he had lost almost all of his power, he was still in charge of the Bellid Western Branch. He still had useful knowledge at his disposal, and precious belongings from the Western Branch that he escaped with. He needed to think of a plan that best utilized these cards. Bulington disappeared into the darkness of the city.
* * *
Excitement was brimming in the city as people eagerly waited for the Karuwiman-sponsored festival to open again after a year. Those who still had memories of the last festival, which was held in commemoration of the Bellids’ defeat, were looking forward to the festival. Moreover, they expected the festival to be much bigger and more expensive than the last festival due to the rumors and sights listed on the posters.
Moreover, the last festival was held in a hurry since it was held right after supplies were considerably depleted from the war against the Bellids. However, this festival had been prepared with sufficient time and preparation, so it was bound to be much better than the first one. A huge crowd was gathering around the gate—from travelers who arrived early in anticipation of the festival, porters carrying items for the festival, and merchants who gathered in the hopes of making more money. The city was burning up in excitement and anticipation.
Zich and Lyla passed through the gate in disguises. Due to the last festival and the Karuwimans’ massive propaganda, many people in Yuras could recognize Zich and Lyla. It would be extremely troublesome to be noticed in a large crowd like this. Windur seemed to also agree with them—although it never changed shape unless it was in the mood, it now changed into an ordinary sword.
Although it was a little hard to disguise Lyla since she was supernaturally beautiful, she put down her bangs and covered her face. Both of their efforts were well-rewarded, as Zich and Lyla quietly passed through the gate without trouble. Soon after, the Karuwiman main temple, Yuras, appeared in front of them in its splendid grandeur.
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