Chapter 95

Things are going surprisingly smoothly. I’m trying not to look suspicious, but a smirk keeps slipping out no matter what.

What I was most worried about originally were the Seven Dragons. Unlike the previous cycle’s Seven Dragons who were killed by Claire’s party of heroes a hundred years ago, this time around, they’re very much alive.

It’s tough even for our group, strong as we may be, to take down three ‘Dragons’ without any losses. Unless Beatrice has reached Swordmaster level and Aru has attained the peak of slaughter, it’ll be difficult.

Anyway, after putting things off again and again, Saleyr’s hero party finally arrived at Demon Forest. Just as I was pondering how to deliver them straight to Dragon King Endros without running into the Seven Dragons, I met Merlin.

Having easily won over Merlin, I’m now leading the hero party with Langwang towards Dragon King Endros’ lair.

Everything is unfolding exactly like last time. It’s a bit strange that they think they can defeat the Dragon King with just their current strength, but they’ll figure it out themselves once I set up the situation. One thing’s for sure – this combination managed to kill the Dragon King in the previous life, and Langwang ascended to become one of the Five Kings.

“Suoka, Yohan, there’s something I want to ask.”

Serious Hero Saleyr approaches Igor and me. With my purest, most innocent smile, I counter-question.

“Why do you ask, Saleyr?”

“You… I understand your grief over losing comrades to the Dragon King. And I get why you’d seek revenge because of it. However, entrusting our backs to someone whose skills we don’t know…”

“Aah, so you think we’re unreliable, huh?”

“To put it bluntly, yes. Of course, we’d still go fight the Dragon King even without you two, but having you guide us and entrusting our backs to you are entirely different matters.”

“I see. Makes sense when survival’s on the line.”

Rather, I’m surprised he’s asking now. If I were him, I would’ve questioned this the moment our partnership was decided. You trust people too easily. Though I’m not really human myself…

“However… let me make something clear. I, Suoka, am not a combatant. Just a guide. This guy Yohan will be the one hunting the Dragon King with you.”

“…Then, could we at least see Yohan’s combat abilities?”

“Not a problem. Langwang, there’s a nest to the north… why don’t you send a gust of wind southward?”

I preemptively suggested this, fearing the hero side might challenge us to a fight. Since Langwang doesn’t understand the concept of “sparring,” there’s a real risk of an actual bloodbath.

“Nya? Wind? Can you actually do that?”

“Warriors who can send ki over long distances are rare even on the continent… Impressive. Though, someone who hunts in places like Demon Forest wouldn’t be ordinary, I suppose.”

The cat scout Igor and spear user Victor react to my words. I shrug and gesture to Langwang.

“Hmph! Sending wind is easy!”

When Langwang pulls back his arm, his muscles ripple like surging waves. He’s expending too much energy before even reaching the Dragon King, so I quietly whisper,

“Don’t overdo it if you don’t want to destroy the entire forest.”

“Understood!”

KABOOOOM-!

Langwang throws his massive punch akin to Mount Taishan. An invisible force accompanied by wind rushes forth, creating an artificial hole in Demon Forest.

“!!”

The hero party simultaneously widen their eyes. Even the usually stoic Saleyr and assassin Katarina can’t hide their shock. I chuckle and pat Langwang’s back.

“So, does this satisfy you? As someone you can trust to cover your backs?”

“T-that’s incredible! Truly amazing! Even compared to the royal guard, your punch is unmatched!”

“Nya! Amazing! Incredible!”

This Victor daring to mess with our Langwang. Normally, I’d immediately silence him permanently by embedding a card into his neck, but there’s no need for me to dirty my hands when he’s going to die soon anyway.

As for the Dragon King… everyone here except Merlin will eventually die. The sole survivor, Merlin, wouldn’t even dream that it’s my doing.

“Praise! Feels good! Praise is good!”

“Haha, since the skill check is done, let’s hurry to the Dragon King’s lair. We’d be at a disadvantage against the Dragon King with dragon vision once night falls.”

“That’s reasonable. Monsters hidden during the day will start coming out at night. We should arrive as soon as possible.”

The hero agrees with my urging. I nod and point to the distant mountains.

“Right, it’s over there. If we hurry, we can arrive in time.”

“Where exactly on that mountain is the Dragon King’s lair?”

“The entire mountain. Nothing lives there except the Dragon King Endros. It’s also known as ‘Mount Endros.'”

Mentioning Mount Endros reminds me of Endros Cliff where I buried my brothers 400 years ago. That canyon was formed by Endros’ breath all those years ago.

After regressing, my first killing took place at Endros Cliff. Now I’ve chosen Endros’ Lair in Demon Forest as the location for my final murder. Though I’ve never met Endros personally, he feels strangely familiar, like a long-lost family member.

******

Continuously walking brought us to the entrance of a large cave carved with dragon motifs.

Inside the cave, everything was gilded. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t painted gold – the walls themselves were solid gold.

“Oh! So shiny! Cool, but excessive!”

“Yohan, do you even know what excess is?”

“Iroowel said! It’s bad!”

Ah, our pure-hearted Langwang doesn’t understand the beauty of greed. I’ll have to teach him when we venture into civilization later.

“Wow… every artifact here would fetch tens of millions of gold each on the continent! Still, we shouldn’t take them, right?”

“Taking them is fine!”

“Wha- Really? Eep…!”

“But your family lineage will suffer from a lingering curse on their backs for generations! Hahaha!”

“Eeek…!”

Merlin gasps at the sight of rolling golden artifacts before realizing it’s a joke. Who knew this silent old man had such a playful side?

Of course, I don’t know what would happen if these artifacts were touched. But there’s no such thing as free lunch in this world.

Surely Endros, who isn’t careless, must have set traps for intruders.

“Hyaa… Still, the Dragon King truly is the Dragon King, huh? These precious treasures are scattered around like trash.”

“They’re hundreds of times harder than the finest swords currently flooding the black market. Of course, Merlin, don’t get attached! Nya!”

“Igor, it feels strange… On the continent, acquiring even one of these artifacts would require a lifetime of savings. What a pity…”

Even after mentioning curses, Merlin keeps glancing at the artifacts with longing through his thick glasses.

“Well, who knows? After the Dragon King is defeated, we might be able to take these artifacts without any restrictions, haha.”

“Oh! That could happen! I must take some on the way back…!”

“Merlin, don’t act rashly. We haven’t defeated the Dragon King yet.”

“Yes, yes! Sorry for getting too excited…”

With one word from cautious Katarina, the previously excited Merlin deflates completely. His mage robe, which already covered his head, seems to shrink further.

Walking through the cave, I find myself thinking about Merlin.

That timid youth hiding his presumably round face under his robes… In the previous life, he was the one who cast magic intending to kill me.

The Merlin I remember wasn’t like that. He was rather… dense. Yes, dense. Despite maintaining his youthful appearance through magic, he’d occasionally stare blankly at distant mountains or respond awkwardly to children’s questions.

He was far from authoritative as the principal of Eden Academy. When his magical prowess reached unparalleled heights, he spent his days strolling in parks or playing with children, a kind old man.

Children pulling his cheeks would only elicit hearty laughter without any reprimand. That’s who Merlin was – the benevolent principal of Eden Academy…

“Are you suggesting selling the academy?! You traitor, Joker!”

“Merlin, don’t overthink it. I dislike meaningless killings. Think about the students!”

“Rather kill me! Eden Academy is where the seedlings of the continent learn history, the world, and people! Even if the current continent has been trampled by your Demon King’s Army, as long as Eden Academy remains, future heroes will arise to drive you Demon King’s Army away!”

“So, you expect us to keep such a dangerous facility intact from the Demon King’s Army’s perspective? Think carefully. I don’t intend to kill you and forcibly stamp approval either. Of course… if Merlin attacks me recklessly, things would be different.”

“Innooom-! Joker-!”

We ended up fighting a major battle afterward. Who would’ve thought he’d attack recklessly? Although I technically won, it wasn’t really a victory. Due to being caught in Merlin’s last magic fueled by his life force – Big Bang – I suffered convulsions until my execution on the guillotine.

In this life, I absolutely won’t fight him head-on. That pain was enough for one lifetime. If I have to kill him, it’ll have to be secretly.

Ideally… we wouldn’t fight at all.

“Something’s here. Wow, venturing this deep is a first.”

Walking through the gold-lined cave, we came upon a gigantic door carved with a dragon’s gaping mouth. Stopping in front of it, I pressed my ear against the crack.

All I could hear was oppressive silence. Carefully, I pushed the door. However, it was quite heavy, forcing me to call the others.

“Alright! Let’s all push this together!”

“Suoka, do you even know what this is before pushing it recklessly?”

“It’s not like we’ll stay here blocked forever, right? Even if the Dragon King is inside, you guys and Yohan can hunt him down, right?”

“Quite enthusiastic for someone who claimed to only guide us. How about you turn back here if you’re not participating in the fight?”

“…Cough. My only friend is slaying that Dragon King, so I should be here.”

“Friend? Only one? Was I Suoka’s only friend?”

“Exactly! Other than Yohan, where else would I have friends? Hahaha!”

Hero Saleyr has unexpectedly sharp moments.

If you survive, I’d have to kill everyone except Merlin, so how could I leave? Not like I can outright declare that either.

“Saleyr, stop and let’s help too. His words aren’t wrong. We should enter while we can find the Dragon King.”

Fortunately, spear user Victor takes my side. Ever since seeing Yohan’s punch, he’s been eyeing us, probably hoping to gain our favor and bring us back to the empire after this is over. While annoying, it’s helpful now.

“Nya! Victor’s right!”

“Igor.”

“I agree with his words. Let’s help Suoka push.”

“Katarina.”

One by one, they start helping me. Seeing everyone except himself at the door, Saleyr sighs and reluctantly joins us.

After pooling all our strength, we manage to push the door. Even iron doors aren’t usually this heavy, but this is Dragon King Endros’ lair after all.

GROAN.

With everyone working together, the initially immovable door slowly opens. Once we create enough space for someone to pass sideways, we stop pushing and enter. After confirming everyone’s inside, we close the door again.

If Endros isn’t here, we don’t want him knowing about the intrusion when he returns.

“Big. Huge.”

“Huge. Really huge.”

“Hyeeeuu… Incredible…”

“Nya! That looks like a bed!”

“Looks like a bed, but it probably is the Dragon King’s bed.”

“Can’t see the Dragon King. Seems like he’s not here. There’s no way to hide such a massive presence anyway.”

Appearing before us is a circular room where everything is abnormally large. A bed towering so high its end isn’t visible sits in the center. As we all stand with our mouths agape admiring the room, assassin Katarina speaks up.

“There are four pillars above the bed. Let’s climb up there.”

“Pillars? Why?”

“The basics of assassination involve striking when the target lets their guard down. The best moment is when the target is sleeping. If we wait up there, we can kill the Dragon King when he sleeps on the bed.”

“…Ah, convincing argument.”

Thinking back, Aru assassinated the empire’s emperor in the middle of the night in the previous life. Professionals really are different. I thought I knew a thing or two about assassination, but pros consider these things as soon as they see the room.

“I agree with Katarina. What do you think?”

“Me, me too! Katarina-sama is a veteran in this field…”

“I agree too. Katarina always proves reliable.”

“Nya! Agree!”

“No reason to argue. However, what if we’re discovered while hiding in the corners? We might end up attacked first.”

Only Saleyr nitpicking while everyone else agrees. He’s certainly meticulous.

Of course, with lives on the line, he has to be picky. Knowing this, Katarina points to the corner and continues.

“If you look at that corner, there’s a round conical pillar. As long as the Dragon King doesn’t look directly down from above, we can hide behind the pillar.”

“Hmm, that’s clever… Alright, let’s climb up. Ideally, we’d like to avoid leaving traces, but… Merlin, can you levitate us up with magic?”

“Um, possible! As long as there’s no magic detection device here…! But I don’t feel anything special!”

“Such confidence… Or has he been complacent in his supreme position for too long? Anyway, it’s fortunate for us. Alright, let’s climb up.”

Since I don’t have to take the lead, this is great. I simply follow along with the flow of their consciousness.

“By the way, who will pair up to hide in which corner? We should balance it properly, right?”

There are some key points I need to point out.

“Since we’re seven, I, Saleyr, will take one corner alone. Is that okay?”

“Of course! I’ll be with Igor.”

“Nya!? Why do I have to be with Victor?”

“Well, we work well together. In case we need to draw the Dragon King’s attention.”

“Then I’ll be with Yohan. The combination of assassin and charging warrior will be effective in finding the Dragon King’s openings. I’ll signal when to strike, so don’t move recklessly.”

“I’ll be with Katarina? Then what about Suoka?”

Ah, only Langwang cares about me. Truly a man of honor.

Now it doesn’t really help me much.

“No, I’m not a combatant, so I’ll just assist Merlin the mage. Is that alright?”

“Um, being with Suoka-sama…? Sure! Let’s hurry up and climb!”

For some reason, Merlin’s face under the robe turns slightly red. I don’t particularly care. We need to focus from now on.

Merlin absolutely cannot die. That’s why I stayed by his side. Langwang is sturdy enough to survive on his own, unlike the soft Merlin.

“Levitation!”

As Merlin chants the spell, our bodies float gently upward. We smoothly glide to the ends of the bed’s corners without any resistance.

The bed is so large that each corner is wide enough for one person to lie down. Hmm, one person. Two might be a bit cramped.

“Guess there’s no choice. Mr. Merlin? Lie down first. I’ll lie on top.”

“Huh? Ah… umm… sure… Be careful not to slip…”

After hesitating briefly, Merlin lies down first. I lay on top of him like stacking. Though there’s the robe and clothes between us, it’s not a pleasant feeling lying on top of a guy’s back.

Still, he’s surprisingly soft for a guy. Softer than most girls. It’s clearly felt even through the robe. There’s no trace of Langwang-like hard muscles. Though there is some discomfort nonetheless.

So this is why Saleyr chose to be alone earlier. Such a sly guy.

Twitch.

The small-framed Merlin keeps fidgeting. Well, he’d feel worse than me.

Embarrassed for no reason, I stroke Merlin’s green hair.

“Hiiiuu…”

Apparently more embarrassed by that, Merlin emits a dazed moan, brings his arms together, and buries his face in them. What’s with this guy getting so flustered? He’s not a girl or anything.

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