“You are so calm. Are you not worried?”
“Worried about what? What can a guy like that do to her? Although I didn’t travel with Lara for that long, I gave her all the training she needed. I doubt she would suffer physically or mentally just because of one ex-fiancé.”
“Yes, I mean Lara is different from before.”
“Yes, Lara prepared herself with the training she had with her family, and now she is mentally prepared from the heartache she endured with Glen Zenard.”
“I guess there’s a time when Zenard can be helpful.”
“No matter how stupid that guy is and how evil all his intentions were, you can’t deny the contributions he made.” There was no need to attach great significance to them either. “Furthermore, even in the unlikely scenario that she gets hurt, Hans is with her and I’m sure he will do a good job of comforting her.”
“It won’t cause them to break apart or anything, right?” Lyla said but she recalled how the two had looked before they separated and immediately took her words back. “No, there’s no way.”
“Well, if bad things happen one after the other and lead to the worst situation, I can just intervene.” Zich nudged Windur and said, “Whether it’s the duke or a kingdom, I can just turn them upside down.”
“I hope Grashane doesn’t do anything stupid. No, I’m sure that’s expecting the impossible. I will just have to hope that Hans and Lara share a stronger bond and relationship than we expected.”
“Whatever the case is, we’ll only know once Hans and Lara get here. Let’s not think about the matter and rest until then. Didn’t we accept the festival invitation to have a good time?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
Although it might not look like it, both Zich and Lyla had been looking forward to this festival. In the end, Zich got up from his chair and lay next to Lyla. He wrapped his arms around her waist and Lyla also snuggled closer to Zich. She asked, “What should we do first during the festival?”
“We don’t know what they will have yet. We should know once the festival opens.”
“I bet there will be a lot of tasty food.”
“Of course. Considering the scale of this festival, I’m sure vendors and merchants from other regions are all coming here to get their coins.”
“Then, we should try out all the foods first since it’s not every day you get to try so many different dishes in one place. I am going to stock up on all the delicious ones.” The magic box could store food and keep it fresh for a long time.
Lyla added, “Then, we can eat them during our travels when there’s a good view.”
“That sounds good. It’ll be even better if you add fine alcohol with it.”
“I should also look around for souvenirs. I’m sure it will be fun to look for accessories.”
“Was this not enough?” Zich grazed Lyla’s left hand and felt the ring’s hard surface on her ring finger.
“That’s different, you idiot.”
“I thought so.”
The two laughed with their foreheads touching.
“Ah, we should also listen to the performances. There might be a new version to the Tales of the Great Dragon Slayer, the Strength Hero.”
“...”
Zich’s smile disappeared from his face, and with a scowl, he asked, “Then, should we also check out songs dedicated to the Magic Hero?”
“Do as you wish, but I promise you that their numbers would be nothing in comparison to the songs dedicated to Zich, the Great Hero. So, before you seek a poet who sings of the Magic Hero, I hope that you will be able to hear one less song about the hero named Zich.”
“...”
Since Lyla was at a complete advantage on this topic, even Zich couldn’t find words to make a counterargument. Seeing this, Lyla laughed out loud. Like that, the two conversed for a while clutching each other’s hands tightly.
***
Wesker left the Yuras temple and returned to his lodging. Though he was one of the people collaborating to help this year’s festival, the Karuwimans didn’t lend a room at the temple to any of the collaborators. Perhaps the others didn’t mind, but Wesker was very peeved by the state of his accommodations. He thought the Karuwimans should at least offer people from such noble and esteemed births like him with a room inside Yuras. On top of this, the Pope and the Saintess had broken the promises they made to him—all because of a visit from a man named Zich.
Zich. He was the infamous dragon slayer who made a great name for himself by annihilating the Bellids. His name had spread so far that he was well-known even in the Miftil Kingdom which was located considerably far away from where the central event had taken place. Wesker clenched his fist tightly. Suddenly, someone knocked on his door.
“Come in!” Wesker spat out aggressively. A man opened the door and came inside. He looked to be about Wesker’s age and bowed his head.
“Ah, it was you. Please excuse my behavior just now.” Wesker apologized after seeing that his visitor was not of low status, but his tone and attitude were still far from a proper apology. Instead, his insincere words made him appear even more rude and arrogant. Yet, the man didn’t rebuke Wesker for it.
“No, it’s fine, sir.”
“Why don’t you take a seat first?” Wesker pointed at the chair in front of him and the man followed the order.
“I heard that you came back from your visit to the temple, sir,” the man said.
“Yes, I did.”
“How did your conversation go?”
“What is there to say? I simply went to confirm matters that have already been decided.”
“That’s good to hear. If you confirmed it with the Pope and the Saintess, I’m sure they’ll keep their word.”
“I did get confirmation from the Pope, but I couldn’t talk to the Saintess about work matters.”
The man scowled. “What do you mean, sir? Didn’t you make an arrangement to meet with them both?”
“We did make an arrangement, but the Saintess didn’t come.”
“I can’t believe they just broke the arrangement on their end. How dare they ignore the great Miftil Kingdom just because they defeated the Bellids!” The man’s voice became a bit rougher and his face turned red. Although he didn’t show it openly, the man seemed to be blaming Wesker slightly for not doing more against the situation and returning even after being ignored.
“I don’t think that was the case. No matter how high the Karuwimans’ reputation has gone up, they wouldn’t do such a stupid thing. This cancellation was just done under the agreed conditions.”
“By agreed conditions, do you mean...”
“Zich.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Sir, are you talking about Dragon Slayer Zich?”
“Yes. He visited Yuras at the same time I visited, so the Pope and Saintess prioritized meeting him as promised beforehand. Even so, the Pope only delayed my appointment for a short while, and we still met and conversed together. Considering these points, I can’t say that the Karuwimans looked down on us.”
“I’m glad to hear that, sir.” The man’s anger subsided after he realized that they weren’t being looked down on. Then, it was replaced with curiosity. “Then have you met that man named Zich?”
“We met. After I finished my conversation with the Pope, I waited without an appointment. I was lucky to meet him after he finished conversing with the Saintess.”
“How was he?”
Wesker said coldly, “Well, I can’t say for sure since we only shared a brief conversation, but from that short interaction, I’m certain that he’s an extremely imprudent man.”
“Did he act rudely toward you, sir?”
“I asked him to tell me about his achievements, but he curtly told me no and said that he was busy.”
“What an insolent brute...!” The man got angry as if he had been the one insulted instead. “Judging by his ill-bred behavior, it seems as if the rumors about his achievements and character have been completely distorted. How can a scoundrel like him be so highly praised?!”
“I also feel the same way as you do. Haven’t I told you before? There’s a high chance that their reputations have been grossly exaggerated.”
Wesker raised his voice as if he was the only one who knew the truth in a world full of lies. “There’s no doubt that he’s extremely skilled. Since it’s a fact that a legendary dragon was caught during the Bellid’s conquest, I’ll admit that he’s talented.”
To maintain the upper hand, Wesker acknowledged Zich’s achievement as if he was complimenting a child. He continued, “But I don’t think he’s as strong as what the rumors say about him, which praise him to the heavens like he’s some legendary hero. Is the reason why no one has ever been able to subjugate the Bellids or the dragon because one lacked skills? I’ve never heard of anyone or any forcefully fighting a dragon and losing because of their skills. Of course not, since there were no dragons to fight. It’s the same for the Bellids. Although they say he uprooted the Bellids, was he the only one who gained a victory against the Bellids? Not at all. As soon as a Bellid branch is discovered, whether it’s the Karuwimans, our kingdom, or any other country, we all rush toward their nest and obliterate them. The only reason why we couldn’t pull out their roots is that they were extremely good at hiding!”
Wesker raised his hand and clenched his fist. “If the dragon existed like a regular monster, our kingdom could have also caught the dragon. If we had known where the Bellids’ main base was, we would have erased them in a heartbeat. Thus, those people who’ve earned the honor of being Dragon Slayers or Bellid Subjugators received those titles not because of their skills but by luck. They were lucky to encounter enemies and increase their reputation to the skies!”
“Yes, I certainly agree!”
“Of course, it’s true that the Bellids destroyed the Brodstock Empire and some of the surrounding countries. It’s also true that their power was great enough to accomplish such a feat, but from what I heard, the Brodstock Empire was way too overconfident and only mobilized their elite army to defeat the Bellids. Although the Bellids are easily defeated once they’re caught, they still have a sizable force. Moreover, since that place was their main base, it was only natural that the Brodstock Empire would face a terrible defeat after sending a troop full of themselves.”
“Sir, your explanation has made me clearly realize the foolishness of the Brodstock Empire.”
“Since their elite troop was annihilated like that, the empire wasn’t able to block the Bellid attack against their main forces. Since the Bellids control monsters and the undead, they grow more powerful as they expand their area of control, and that’s how they were able to destroy the surrounding countries. However, their limitations were also clearly revealed in the recent war. As time went by, the advantage of their ambush disappeared, and they were eventually stopped when multiple countries united and fought against them.”
“Sir, you’re completely right.”
“In short, I think the Dragon Slayers and Bellid Subjugators, including Zich, are all overrated.”
“Sir, I have no doubts that you’re correct.”
“Anyway, since it’s true that they defeated the legendary dragon and conquered the world’s evil, the Bellids, I don’t want to discredit their merit. Yet, I would be lying if I say their reputations haven’t been greatly exaggerated when they were just lucky to be near the dragon and Bellids’ main base.” Wesker laughed darkly and said, “That’s why we have to earn a similar achievement as them.”
“Sir, if it’s you, I’m sure you’ll be able to do it.”
“Thank you, but you are well aware that your help is essential for that, right?”
“Of course, sir. That’s the reason why I’m here.”
“As you know, I was once engaged to Lara Browning, but not anymore. So I’m not in the position to ask anything of her. Blood is thicker than water, and even though she was expelled from your family, wouldn’t it be much more likely that she would listen to your request instead of me? So I leave it up to you,” Wesker said, looking at the man in the eye. “Feijadiru Browning.”