CH 114

Chapter 114 – How To Handle Grand And Future Plan

“To think that you would break your word to me.”

“I truly am sorry, truthfully…”

“Well, that… makes me feel a little sorry for you.”

Grande throws me a pitying look as she chews on an oversized cheeseburger.

My stamina is at a low ebb due to daily exploitation. To be more specific, my strength and stamina have dropped to about 30% of their maximum value. Normally, I feel lazy to do ordinary tasks and movements. Also, my legs and feet hurt, in the sense of muscle pain.

“Love is heavy, you know.”

“You must have a lot of female partners.”

“It just happened.”

“Just happens. That’s a bit vague, isn’t it?”

“Don’t worry; I have enough to support them.”

“Are you sure?”

It’s unusual for a dragon to look at me with doubt in her eyes. I mean, you’re being fed by me right now, aren’t you? No, this is an apology for my promise and for neglecting her.

“So, Grande, how long are you going to stay here?”

“Hmm? Well, I don’t know… maybe until I get tired.”

“And in the meantime, you want to eat hamburgers?”

“Umu.”

Grande nodded as if it was natural. I see what you mean. Thank you for your predictable reply.

“I see. But, Grande. In the world I was in, there is a saying, If you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

“Homu?”

Grande tilted her head with an oversized hamburger in her mouth.

“In other words, those who don’t earn their living can’t be given a free meal.”

“Fumu? But I am a proud dragon. You want to make that dragon work for you?”

Grande looked down at me as she munched on the oversized cheeseburger. Yeah, there’s nothing intimidating or dignified about having ketchup and cheese on your mouth.

“Isn’t it because you are a proud dragon that you don’t take charity? If you just eat and sleep, you’re just the same as livestock… No, livestock is even better than that because they provide fur, meat, milk, and skin. Maybe you’re more like a pet.”

“A pet? What a way to talk to a noble dragon!”

Grande took the oversized cheeseburger out of her hand and looked shocked.

“In other words, I want you to work. I’m not saying that you have to sweat and toil from morning till night like us humans who crawl on the ground. For example, you can hunt down one or two large monsters like wyverns a day and bring them to me, or you can provide me with your scales that have fallen off, or you can provide me with a little bit of your blood if you don’t feel like going out for a while.”

“Fumu…”

Grande picks up the cheeseburger she dropped on the dining table (a connected block of wood) and brings it to her mouth while pondering.

“And there’s a lot of good food to eat besides burgers.”

Grande’s tail wagged in response.

“As long as you stay and work here, I will provide you with a variety of delicious food. This is not a deal where only one of us benefits. Let’s make it an equal deal.”

“Hmm… but… I wonder what my father and mother would say if they knew about this.”

“It depends on how you look at it. Is it not like a revival of the good old dragon customs your grandfather used to talk about? The dragon will reward those who give offerings with a little something in return. See?”

“Fumu, indeed… chew chew.“

The dragon, with a serious face, is pondering over an oversized cheeseburger… It’s surreal.

“Umu, fine. I’ll take you up on that deal.”

“I see; I’m glad to hear that. I’ve left it for three days now. Today, tomorrow, and the day after that, you can take it easy. Three days from now, you’ll have to work, okay?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Leave it to me.”

This is how the Grand Dragon Grande came to stay in Erichburg.

A grand dragon is a type of dragon that excels in the power of earth magic. If they wanted to, they could level out a small hill in an hour or so. If it’s just the ability to level the ground, it’s better than me, even though I have the mithril tool.

In addition to being able to fly, they can also dive into the ground. The scales are rock solid and very hard, and the weapons made from their horns, claws, and fangs are said to be powerful magic weapons that are tinged with earth magic. Armor and shields made of the scales are said to be very strong and resistant to earth magic attacks.

Eh? You said that the explanation is all about the material? I guess it can’t be helped. To humans, dragons were thought to be a kind of powerful monster, and when they were defeated, their bodies were processed into various things to make them useful.

In addition, their meat is very tasty, and their blood and organs can be used to make very effective medicines. For example, it can be used to make regenerative medicine to heal missing body parts.

“Jii…”

Actually, Isla has been quietly observing Grande from behind me for a while now. She didn’t participate in the conversation because I’m the only one who understands Grande’s language.

“Oh, Kosuke. I’m afraid of the way that One-Eyed girl is staring at me.”

“It’s okay, maybe.”

I gently turned away from Grande. I’m sure she won’t attack you and extract your flesh and blood. There is no doubt about it.

☆★☆

Today is the fifth day since I’ve returned. After making a promise of cooperation with Grande, who was eating an extra-large cheeseburger, I dragged Isla, who was giving Grande an enthusiastic look, to the strategy meeting room.

“Grande has agreed to my terms.”

“Really? That’s unprecedented.”

“Hmm. Kosuke is the first person who has ever fed and tamed a dragon.”

“Not a dragon slayer, but a dragon tamer, huh? As expected of Kosuke.”

Sylphy, Isla, and Sir Leonard all praised me. You can praise me even more.

” But… are you sure it’s alright? It will be a disaster if she’s going out of control.”

“Shouldn’t some safety measures be taken?”

Danan and Ms. Zamir seemed to be concerned. Their concerns were justified. If Grande suddenly went on a rampage with the intent to kill, Erichburg would certainly suffer a great deal of damage.

The attack from the 20-meter-long Grande’s huge body could easily destroy a stone house, and if someone were to get swiped by her thick, hard, and strong tail, they would be minced in a single blow.

And those evil horns. If she were to rush forward with those horns, the wooden gates of the city would be torn to pieces in a single blow.

“If that’s the case, let’s build a dragon house for Grande outside of Erichburg.”

“Dragon house?”

“Like a big doghouse.”

“A dragon and a doghouse…?”

While Sylphy makes a complicated face, Isla nods her head in agreement.

“It really shows Grande’s standing in Kosuke’s mind.”

“That’s not true.”

I tried to tell them it’s like a good old-fashioned dragon custom, but in the end, it’s just a matter of making her work in exchange for food… Well, it’s no different from pets or livestock.

The person herself (the genuine dragon?) is happy to eat a lot of delicious food. We’re happy to have Grande working for us. There’s nothing wrong with that since both parties are happy. Isn’t that good?

“Well, let’s leave Grande’s matters to Kosuke… The problem is related to the Holy Kingdom.”

“That’s right. I’ve heard that the Adel religion is not entirely monolithic…”

“In fact, the question is whether we can coexist with them. I believe it is impossible.”

Sir Leonard and Danan seem to be taking the stance that it is impossible to understand each other with those who follow the Adel religion. They have had their family members killed by the followers of the Adel religion from the Holy Kingdom. Their beloved wives and children were also killed. The other members of the group are similar to them.

“But as a practical matter, it would be impossible to eradicate every single person who followed the Adel religion.”

“I think so, too. It’s much easier to change Adel’s religion to suit our needs. Less blood will be spilled.”

Melty and Isla seem to think that it would be more beneficial to divide the Adel religion through Ellen and the nostalgia sect that Ellen belongs to. It seems to me that this is a statement made from the point of view that it would be more beneficial for us if the followers of the Adel religion fought each other and reduced their power rather than making peace with the people who follow the Adel religion.

“I agree with Melty and Isla. It’s another matter of whether we can work together or not, but if the followers of Adel are not monolithic, then taking advantage of their struggles is one effective move. The goal we need to achieve is to take back the Merinard Kingdom. I think it’s okay to fight and cooperate with the nostalgia sect as long as we can achieve that goal.”

“But, Your Highness…”

“If we continue to stubbornly refuse from the beginning, we may miss the opportunity to obtain it. Just as we were able to accept Kosuke, perhaps the nostalgia sect of the Adel religion, and the primordial teachings of the Adel religion that the nostalgia sect is pursuing, may be something that we can accept as well.”

Sylphy cites me to persuade Danan and Sir Leonard.

Indeed, I was almost lynched by the people of the Merinard Kingdom at first. I still remember that horror. Although we are now close friends and exchange words, my encounter with the inhabitants of this world was not a peaceful one.

“Mm… I can’t say anything if you put it that way.”

“This talk was also brought by Kosuke-dono…”

“It’s not that we’re going to stop fighting the Holy Kingdom at all. Our goal remains the same, which is to take back the Merinard Kingdom, and we have no intention of giving up on that. After we take back the Merinard Kingdom, we will probably have to fight against the Holy Kingdom’s home country. It’s impossible for me to completely get rid of my resentment and hatred towards the Holy Kingdom.”

Sylphy said with a stern expression.

“But we can’t keep fighting forever. We have to draw a line somewhere. That time will surely come. For that time… I think it is necessary to have a window to contact and talk with the people of the Holy Kingdom of the Adel religion.”

Danan and Sir Leonard pondered over Sylphy’s assertion for a while, then nodded.

“If Your Highness is so inclined.”

“If so, we can only be prepared for any eventuality.”

“Good, then we will make contact with the Adel religion’s nostalgia sect and negotiate with the Holy Kingdom. At the same time, we will prepare our defenses and focus on maintaining and developing the occupied territories. We will not expand our territory for a while. If the enemy comes to attack us, we will destroy them. This will be our policy from now on.”

“””As you wish.””‘

The entire top brass of the Liberation Army that had gathered in the conference room nodded to Sylphy’s words. Now, it’s time to get busy again.