The Strongest in Our Neighborhood - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Our Neighborhood’s Strongest (102)
“Grandfather, please have some soup.”
Queen Olivia approached the Duke of Grand Junor, who sat dazed on the bed in the treatment room, and offered him soup that she had reheated.
The Duke of Grand Junor, who had been staring blankly out the window, looked at the soup she offered for a moment before asking.
“You said I collapsed and woke up after three days, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then the marriage ceremony for the Marquis must be over by now. I came as a wedding envoy, but I didn’t even get to see the ceremony itself.”
“Why does such a ceremony matter? Honestly, I thought you might never wake up, and I was terribly worried.”
“I did think I might die around the moment I lost consciousness. In any case, has the Marquis returned to his domain?”
“No, not yet. I think he’ll leave the day after tomorrow. He was supposed to leave the Royal Palace the day after the ceremony, but word came that the Kram Empire sent a congratulations delegation without being invited, so he’ll meet with them before departing.”
“The Kram Empire? Isn’t that the empire beyond the Crerarion Mountain Range, with virtually no practical relations with us?”
“That’s true, but the Marquis also happens to be the Lord of Sapphire Castle in the Kram Empire. Moreover, he went to the border region between the Kram Empire and the Bermuda Waters naval alliance with a dragon, defeated Sword Masters, and even forced a prisoner exchange. The Emperor of Kram doesn’t dare speak casually to the Marquis and treats him with official courtesy.”
For a moment, the Duke of Grand Junor’s eyes widened, as if half his mind had suddenly returned to him.
“The Kram Empire is a vast empire ten times larger than our Grand Junor, and you’re saying its emperor treats the Marquis with such courtesy?”
“Yes. I heard His Majesty speaking with the Kram Emperor myself, and while he used informal speech with His Majesty, he was respectful to the Marquis. Watching that made my stomach turn.”
“Hmm! Now that I think about it, it makes sense. The Marquis I personally experienced is a Grand Master—a realm spoken of as legendary. So the Kram Emperor must be acknowledging his supreme realm.”
“What? A Grand Master? The Marquis is a Grand Master?”
“And the Marquis—he might actually be a dragon taking human form for amusement. There’s a very strong theory in history that the Grand Masters recorded were actually dragons enjoying themselves in human shape. The Kram Emperor probably kept that in mind when treating the Marquis with courtesy.”
“The Marquis is a dragon, not human! Ah! No wonder. He spoke so casually to the Green Dragon! But at first he fought with the Green Dragon—if he were a dragon, there’d be no reason to fight like that.”
“At first he probably thought the Marquis was human. Then during the fight, he realized he was a dragon and stopped.”
“I see.”
“Truth be told, whether the Marquis is a dragon or human, what matters now is that he is a marquis of the Smed Kingdom. And he married Princess Angelina.”
“Why is that important?”
“Don’t you understand what that means?”
“Not really.”
“For however long he chooses to enjoy himself in human form, no nation will be able to invade the Smed Kingdom.”
……
“What mad king would invade a country harboring not one but two dragons?”
“That’s… certainly true.”
“So you must never make an enemy of the Marquis.”
The queen’s eyes widened suddenly.
“Yes? Ah! Of course. I understand.”
“If you become enemies with the Marquis, your father, the King of Grand Junor, will be in difficulty as well.”
“You’re right. I understand. I’ll resolve whatever ties I have with Orphiena. That should do it, shouldn’t it?”
“Cast aside your pride and go grovel. Don’t think of it as facing the human Orphiena—think of it as facing the human a dragon chose as a worthy companion.”
“Understood. If the opponent is a dragon, I can certainly set aside my pride and grovel.”
* * *
Gulp.
Hweinbarkman Polo, the King of the Smed Kingdom, swallowed hard without thinking as he watched the Crown Prince of the Kram Empire, Birok Tramus, enter accompanied by high-ranking mages, spirit masters, and knights.
Comparing the Kram Empire to the Smed Kingdom, the empire was roughly twenty times larger, and the difference in national power was immeasurable.
Had the Crerarion Mountain Range not stood between the two nations, the Smed Kingdom would have been reduced to a mere county of the Kram Empire long ago.
“Welcome. The Small Sun of Kram.”
King Hweinbarkman bowed in greeting, and Crown Prince Birok returned the gesture.
“The Crown Prince Birok Tramus of Kram pays his respects to the King of Smed.”
“It is a distant journey requiring five Spatial Movements, yet Your Highness has come in person! It is Smed’s great honor.”
“No matter how far, I had to come for the Marquis’s marriage ceremony. But where is the Marquis right now?”
“Ah, the Marquis said he would arrive with his bride, so there may be some delay. For now, please come inside.”
“Of course.”
“By the way, the Marquis mentioned that a gate connected to the Demon Realm has opened near Quardo Coast in southern Kram. The damage must be severe.”
“Sigh! That’s exactly what’s been giving me headaches.”
“Still, with the dragons mobilizing, surely it will be resolved soon?”
“My Father and I thought the same, but the demons coming through the gate are of considerable high rank, and they command high-ranking demonic beasts and magical creatures. Even with three dragons gathered, they haven’t been able to close the gate.”
“Three dragons gathered, and still? This is troubling—a gate connected to the Demon Realm must be closed as soon as possible.”
“The dragons have requested aid from an Ancient Dragon, so it should be closed soon.”
Then Jang Gain’s voice was heard.
“What? They requested aid from an Ancient Dragon? Don’t tell me a Duke-rank Demon came through the gate?”
When he turned to look, the Marquis was entering with his bride, Princess Angelina.
“Marquis Jang Gain. Congratulations on your marriage. I’ve only seen you through Communication Orbs before, and now I finally meet you in person.”
“Sending a congratulatory delegation would have been sufficient, yet Your Highness has come all this way in person. Either way, thank you. By the way, who told you that the Ancient Dragon had been asked for aid?”
“I heard it from His Majesty. But perhaps His Majesty heard it from the dragon?”
“Hmm, with the wedding taking up my attention, I hadn’t realized the situation had grown so grave.”
“Yes, I’ve only heard bits and pieces from my father through the Communication Orb, so I’m not entirely clear on the details.”
“Let me look into it.”
Jang Gain immediately retrieved a Communication Orb from his Subspace and contacted Noxscasarsis.
Moments later, light flickered across the orb’s surface, and the massive face of Noxscasarsis in his true draconic form came into view.
—Is that you, Kain? Did the wedding go well?
“Yeah. But why are you in your true form instead of your human shape?”
—I can’t maintain the frontline in human form, so I’ve stayed in my true body.
“Is it really that bad? Has a Duke-rank Demon appeared?”
—Not a Duke-rank, but a Marquis-rank Demon burst through. And it’s planted itself right at the Gate’s mouth, continuously summoning High-ranking Demons and Demonic Beasts.
“I heard there were three dragons, but the three of you can’t defeat a single Marquis-rank Demon?”
—We three could beat a Marquis-rank Demon on its own. But it’s formed a formation with Noble-rank Demons and Demonic Beasts acting as its escort, so we’re barely managing to keep it from breaking through the Barrier.
“I heard you called for an Ancient Dragon—when will it arrive?”
—It said it would come within a few days, but honestly, I don’t know when.
Jang Gain tilted his head as he listened to Noxscasarsis.
“Wait—you don’t know when? Is there some reason the Ancient Dragon can’t come directly?”
—Actually, I contacted Virus’s mother, and even though I explained how urgent this is, she said she’ll come when the time is right and told us to handle things on our own until then. Then she just cut off the communication.
“What? Shouldn’t she come right now via Spatial Movement and kill the Marquis-rank Demon?”
—That’s what we want, but Virus’s mother has other thoughts.
“What do you mean?”
—Virus’s mother seems to think this is a precious opportunity for us to gain special experience. After all, fighting a Marquis-rank Demon is something a dragon who lives nearly ten thousand years won’t encounter more than a handful of times in their entire existence.
“But what if you all die?”
—Just as I have a Scroll my father gave me, Virus and Tapaknaaru also have Scrolls from their mother. So if things get truly dangerous, we can escape to the mother’s Lair.
“Ah! Ancient Dragons have quite a unique approach to child-rearing. So if things don’t go well in the fight, you’re planning to flee to your parents’ Lairs?”
—We’ll fight as hard as we can, and if we really can’t manage, we’ll go to the Lair to ask for help. Once we reach that point, I’m sure they’ll come themselves to kill the Marquis-rank Demon and close the Gate.
Jang Gain paused to think after hearing Noxscasarsis’s words.
Even if a Marquis-rank Demon was nearly as formidable as a Duke-rank, having a place to retreat to if things grew dire made him want to test himself in battle.
“Noxscasarsis, would you mind if I lent a hand in closing the Gate? Now that the wedding is over, all that’s left is to return to my territory, but before that, I’d really like to fight a Marquis-rank Demon myself.”
—Even for you, a Marquis-rank Demon won’t be easy. It’s slightly weaker than the Duke-rank Demon you fought before, but it’s still monstrously strong.
“I’m not saying I’ll kill the Marquis-rank Demon—I just want to fight alongside you, and if things go wrong, we can all use Spatial Movement to escape to your father’s Lair together.”
—Hmm! That would work. And having you there would make it easier to maintain the Barrier than it is now, so it would help.
“I can’t perform Spatial Movement to your location, so come fetch me.”
—Understood. I’ll head out right now. Wait a moment.
After Jang Gain finished the call and waited for Noxscasarsis, Princess Angelina opened her mouth with a worried expression.
“My husband, why do you insist on going to such a perilous place?”
“Ah, it’s not nearly as dangerous as you think.”
“Not dangerous? I just heard them say the dragons are barely holding on with a Barrier.”
“But you also heard what I said about the Scroll. The Scrolls that Worm-rank Dragons carry are inscribed with a Spatial Movement spell that can instantly transfer the bearer to their parents’ Lair from anywhere. So we can escape anytime if things seem too dangerous.”
“But there’s no guarantee the dragon will perform Spatial Movement while keeping you with it, is there?”
“Ah, that Scroll performs Spatial Movement on everything within a fifty-meter radius of where it’s torn, so as long as I’m standing beside the dragon when it tears the Scroll, I’ll be transported with it.”
“Together? Then I’m somewhat relieved.”
“My lord, we shall accompany you and assist you.”
It was then that Aleingde Mir and Morona Valencia, who had been following Jang Gain, made this sudden request.
Jang Gain regarded them, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
“Hmm, the demons that appear there are beyond even the dragons’ ability to handle, so it will be extremely perilous.”
“How can there be growth without trials?”
“I may not be able to protect all of you. You will truly be risking your lives.”
“We will risk our lives.”
As Jang Gain was deliberating, light flickered in the space above the Royal Palace, and Noxscasarsis appeared in his true form.
“Kain, let’s go.”
“Wait a moment. These retainers of mine wish to accompany and assist—can you bring them along too?”
“Your retainers?”
Noxscasarsis swept his gaze across Aleingde Mir and the others, then shook his head.
“Kain, your retainers’ abilities won’t suffice against High-ranking Demons. The commanders of the Kram Empire’s knight orders and mage battalions stationed near the Barrier are far stronger.”
“Ah, I see. Then it’s best I go alone.”
“However, that elderly noble there should be fine to bring. Flarua Noid, was it?”
Upon receiving Noxscasarsis’s gaze, Flarua Noid lowered his head with a somewhat bewildered expression.
“Great one, I have no intention of following Kain to battle Demons.”
“Your human wars shed countless blood, which opened a Gate connecting to the Demon Realm—and we dragons are risking our lives to seal it. Yet you, a human, claim you don’t intend to fight Demons?”
“This happened because of the war between the Kram Empire and Bermuda, so those nations must bear the responsibility. What of their Sword Masters, Mages, and Spirit Masters? Shouldn’t this be their duty in the first place?”
“They are already fighting the demons alongside our dragon.”
“I—is that so? But even so, I have no intention of fighting demons.”
“If your nation of Grand Junor were to come under attack and find itself in peril, what do you think would happen if the dragon and the strong of other lands turned away?”
“That is—well… Ah! I understand. I fear I have been far too selfish. I shall lend my strength to aid Jang Gain in striking down the demons.”
The moment Flarua Noid acquiesced, Noxscasarsis clicked his tongue.
“Your human selfishness will become your own poison in the end.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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