"Hey, hey! Wait a sec!"
"I guess we can't ignore this one."
Ignoring Sieg's protest, I begin preparing my magic.
"Calm down! Let's discuss this peacefully! I'll sort it out!"
"No... it seems that's not necessary."
I stop preparing my magic and observe the state of the forest. There's no doubt that this is the Twilight Forest. However, the membrane that made the Twilight Forest what it is, is gone. The current Twilight Forest is no different from any ordinary forest.
"What happened? What's going on?"
That's the only possible explanation. It appears they've moved while I was fighting the Hydra.
"They left the forest..."
"We should assume they moved by teleportation. They must have a base somewhere else."
"No, no... we weren't fighting that long, were we...?"
"It's not surprising if they had already prepared. They were hiding, after all. It's only natural that they would have a place to evacuate."
Even so, it was too fast. What an alarming decision-making ability.
As I'm thinking about this...
"Hey! Look inside the forest!"
Sieg pointed into the forest. There were children lying down there.
"I'll check them out."
"It could be another trap."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Without a second thought, Sieg rushed into the forest and went to the children. After carefully checking the condition of the five children...
"They're all breathing! I can't find any external injuries!"
"They broke the law for us. They're surprisingly flexible."
"I don't know how you came to that conclusion..."
"They probably wanted to avoid any involvement with you so badly that they gave up their habitat and broke the law. They didn't even move when Loretta, the dragon-kin girl I saved, was abducted." ŗΆΝŎᛒĘᶊ
"That's a sad story."
"I think it's wise. Hey, let's take them with us quickly! They might catch a cold here."
Unintentionally, the mission was accomplished. Despite feeling a bit unsatisfied, I teleported away with the children.
"You've done well, Silver."
"I didn't do anything."
We took the children and returned to Orihime. The castle's staff took the children under their care and were nursing them. They'll wake up soon.
"It was because of you that the dragon-kin compromised. You should be proud."
"I don't feel proud."
"You seem dissatisfied? The mission was completed safely. Isn't this a perfect result for an adventurer?" Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NoveI~Fire.net
"I'm glad the children are safe. But now we have lost all clues about the dragon-kin."
"They are people who live in hiding. There's nothing we can do."
"The situation isn't easy enough to just give up and say there's nothing we can do. In the current situation where demons are appearing, knowledge from 500 years ago would be helpful. At least, I wanted to talk with the elder."
"Hmm, it seems like you're always thinking ahead. So, what will you do?"
Orihime’s question silences me for a moment.
I don't have that much time.
But if I withdraw now, I lose the chance to investigate the Dragon people.
Moving as Arnold is important, but I'm an SS-rank adventurer.
I have to think about contributing to the continent.
Henrik is pretending to be me in the principality.
I'll have him hold on a little longer. Fine and Sebas will support where he falls short.
"If you allow me... I want to investigate a bit more."
"Uhm, allowing an SS-rank adventurer to investigate freely within the country is a tough proposal."
What Orihime says is natural for someone who holds a national post.
A human weapon, jumping around the country in the name of investigation.
The citizens would start to wonder.
Isn’t the matter resolved yet? Unnecessary doubts will be raised.
"Well, Mizuho is a member of the continent as well. It would be problematic to deny cooperation here. I’ll permit it with my authority."
"However, try to minimize monster encounters. Don’t cause any harm. And don’t harm the Dragon people. They have some reason to hide. To pursue that, we must show sincerity to gain their trust."
Upon hearing my words, Orihime gives a cheerful smile.
Although she smiles, she will probably hear complaints from the ministers.
I shouldn't drag it out too long.
I leave Orihime's palace and return to the castle.
And I stop by the room where the children are sleeping.
"How are they doing?"
"They're still asleep."
"Just checking, are you angry?"
"Angry? Why would I be?"
"It's a rule that could be broken by just my presence, and they turned you into a bear. Aren’t you mad?"
"I don't think it was just your presence. They probably had to choose between survival and upholding the law. Besides, you can't equate adults and children."
"I see. That's good. Then, you can come along. We're going to find the Dragon people."
"Oh? What kind of wind blew this?"
"There are a lot of things I want to ask them. About the devils, for example."
"Since they participated in the war 500 years ago... Then, should we ask the children? They are our only lead."
"That wouldn’t help. I can manipulate memories a bit, but I can't mess with strong memories. However, children are different. Children's memories are always vague. They can't fully process information. That's why it's not hard to manipulate."
Hearing my words, Sieg doesn't look surprised, he just accepts.
It's difficult to erase the memory of the forest, but it's possible to add alterations that contradict the facts.
If it were me, I'd give the children false memories to confuse our side.
We shouldn't rely on them.
"So, what will you do? We don't have any leads."
"That's not entirely true. The Twilight Forest must have been a favorable location for the Dragon people. If we find places similar to that, we'll eventually get there."
"So, we're going to use our feet... Sounds tiring."
"Don't worry. We have a helper."
"Someone who'd willingly accompany you?"
With that, I smile underneath my mask.
1 day to Christmas..... and im in the hospital for some reason :(
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