_________________________________________________________________
Name: Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor Level: 88 Job: Crimson-Scaled Dreadgiver
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Name: Saori Segawa Level: 84 Job: Shadow Warrior
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Party Leader
Name: Tasianna Marina Silverpond Level: 70 Job: Fae Whisperer
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Name: Ellaine Fiero Helvas Level: 58 Job: Magus
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Name: Grimnir Luedbrumdar Level: 65 Job: Blasthammer Gunner
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Name: Tamae Tsuji Level: 52 Job: Holy Priestess
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Name: Nishio Kudo Level: 60 Job: Six-Elemental Sorcerer
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Name: Misaki Kawano Level: 59 Job: Sniper
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Name: Kazumi Hoshino Level: 55 Job: Dagger Rogue
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Name: Kohaku Kobayashi Level: 58 Job: Water-Elemental Runeslayer
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Name: Yorshka Nordor Level: 131 Job: White-Winged Dragoon
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Wow, what a huge number of level ups! I can officially say that our ‘training arc’ was a success … Even if we kinda got roped into fighting a raid boss.
The aftermath of the rank B [Molten Core Rachonoid] raid battle had already commenced. Soldiers and guards brought the injured to white-robed clergymen for healing, setting up a temporary emergency clinic for them. The majority of adventurers celebrated the victory by dismantling the rachonoid corpses, pocketing the rewards for themselves, while the guild officials counted the casualties of their members and staff in addition to documenting compensation for recruiting hunters and mercenaries for this urgent Quest.
The nobles, on the other hand, were far more preoccupied with themselves to care for the destruction in front of them. The spider’s Territory had completely wrecked the land leading from Cedaraille to the dungeon, scorching it with a large lava scar that hadn’t cooled down one bit. The yellow glow during the night was … perturbing.
Yet, the nobles prioritized boasting about their achievements during the raid battle to other nobles and the Duke himself.
Speaking about the rachonoid corpses, the bodies of the rank Cs and lower were mostly ignored by the nobles, consequently making them a free-for-all and a first-come-first-served for the adventurers and soldiers. I even saw some commoners from the city sneaking out to scavenge materials. On the other hand, the queen spider was completely claimed by the Duke.
Very annoying if you asked me, considering Aurora and The Magical Biscuits did the heavy lifting for the first half of the fight. We literally prevented the spider queen from coming anywhere close to the city. At least we were guaranteed a “special” reward later on.
Jeez, I wanted to avoid getting entangled with the nobles, but I guess this was just inevitable. Maybe I should just be happy with the one eye, I complained to myself. The one eye I poked out of the rachonoid queen’s face with my tail was safely kept inside my storage.
“Please, Dame Yorshka, you must allow us to speak with the Heroes for a bit. This is a joyous moment that we must celebrate!” I overheard a knight say out loud, clearly some kind of noble. He was standing in front of Yorshka, who had taken the appearance of a human-like dragonewt with her wings out like my usual form, along with an entourage of other nobles.
“I apologize, Lord and Ladies. However, as their guardian knight, I must allow them to rest and recuperate after all the efforts they put into stalling the rachonoid queen before the glorious might of Greenveil’s nobles arrived to finish it off,” Yorshka replied courteous and respectful, a clear difference to how she behaved in private.
“Mhmm, that is understandable,” one of the discontented nobles agreed reluctantly, before noticing Saori, Tasianna, and me. “If a meeting with the Heroes isn’t possible, then we would like to request to introduce ourselves to those magically-talented, young lad—”
Yorshka’s wings immediately snapped wide open, looking like a curtain to block their eyes from us. “I would ask you to not try my patience, Sir. Or, are the words of a Knight-Captain of the Knights of Aurena not worth your consideration? Would you like a letter from the Knight-Commander or maybe even the Pope?”
That was the final hit, silencing everybody. Disgruntled, they began to leave, accepting Yorshka’s words.
We were currently resting in a makeshift camp, surrounded by Tasianna’s [Air Shield], which allowed air to enter while stopping sounds from escaping outside. Something only made possible by Zephira’s blessing on her catalyst.
“I still can’t believe Lady Yorshka was a dragonewt all this time,” Tamae suddenly stated, still baffled despite the fact that she had seen the dragonewt form back in the dungeon. “Lady Yorshka would always act as a shield for us whenever the nobles got too aggressive with their networking. I guess seeing the White-Winged Dragoon literally having white wings must have been a real surprise even for them.”
I still remembered Yorshka’s attack [Nordor Style: Silver Dragon’s Skyfall] creating a translucent dragon with her mana. From up close, the aura dragon appeared silvery, befitting the name, but, from afar, it wouldn’t surprise me if people believed it to be white.
“Sorry for not telling you guys about it. I recently learned that exposing a hiding dragonkin was considered extremely rude. I also gave a promise to her family not to say anything, and promises are something I can not and will not break,” I said when I first noticed Yorshka’s smell.
“It is fine. We aren’t angry, Hestia-san,” the quiet Misaki answered for everybody.
“Exactly, not like it did us any harm in the end, right? In fact, what a plot twist!” Kohaku commented. “More importantly, I would rather talk about how ridiculous your experience buffs are, Hime-sama.”
Yorshka’s killing blow granted everybody the right to the spider queen’s experience. Even if it had to be divided amongst us eleven equally, with [Hestia’s Retainer]’s experience boost, it barely matter.
While all of this was rosy and nice, there were a few issues this raid battle had caused us, or, more specifically, to me.
“I’ve sent Uno and the pack to scout out any adventurers or soldiers who might have seen you, Hestia,” Saori came over to me after cleaning her daggers, all drenched with the spider queen’s blood after being used as lightning rods. “Still, I don’t think it will help much even if I went to them and intimidated them into silence. We might be far away from the city, but you can still see it from here. That rachonoid was huge and a flying dragon isn’t exactly inconspicuous.”
Reaching the surface in time and stalling the spider until the support came from the Duke was only possible if Saori and I were at our full potential. We needed to be in our original forms so our racial abilities could be amplified by our higher stats. I also was quite tired after my fight with the slazzigula and using up all my scale-dust for the rocket boosters, so I needed any advantage I could get, especially during the night.
Adventurers saw me soar into the sky and roar in frustration after learning it was nighttime. That was how I somehow got 38 new followers for [The Light]. The distance between the dungeon to Cedaraille was probably larger than Central Park in New York City, and, although it wasn’t flat anymore thanks to the spider, it wouldn’t surprise me if a noble or two saw me transform back into a dragonewt.
It was a mistake on my end which probably exposed everything.
“The Territory and its spiderwebs should have hidden me, but … I have a bad feeling. Looks like the queen got her post-mortem revenge on me.” I shook my fist as I dramatically sniffed my nose.
“Well, considering the issue, wouldn’t it be best to ask the Duke and Dame Yorshka to help you?” Nishio suggested. “You can’t keep it a secret anymore unless you wipe the memories of everybody involved. Usually, if a secret like this were to be exposed, your first action as the CEO or president of a company would be to talk this through with your PR team. Not a single word gets out without the approval of the PR team if you’re a high profile, publicly-traded business.”
Misaki added to his advice. “Staying quiet is also an option. This world isn’t like ours, where the media and internet would flock towards any scandal and deconstruct it into atoms. It will probably spread inside a noble’s court, where your connections can help you gain more fame than infamy. It shouldn’t spread around too much among commoners, I think. There are no newspapers in this country.”
In response to Misaki’s words, Saori shook her head. “You are underestimating how powerful word of mouth is. Sure, there are not newspapers or the internet, but merchants and adventurers are powerful tools to spread information around. That is an issue. We were warned of dragonslayers, and I would rather avoid unnecessary trouble. Hestia, Nishio-san, Misaki-san, and Kazumi-san have some experience with corporate life due to their parents; their advice is good, but you should make your own decision. Aurora stands with you.”
“Correct, my life is yours, Lady Hestia,” Tasianna loyally stated.
“I’ve committed my sword in your service. I will aid you in any way I can,” Ellaine agreed with the others.
I then looked at Grimnir. Apparently, Yorshka let it slip that I was a dragon princess in front of Grimnir. He then met the students, noticing their relationship with Saori and how they were all speaking Japanese. He knew Saori and I were void-touched, people who could use [Space-Time Magic], so he asked us if we were otherworlders as well inside the dungeon.
Grimnir waved his hand in denial. “I’m not dumb enough to anger the Dragon Empire. I owe you my life, know that I won’t betray you as long as I have even a single shred of honor as a blacksmith and runesmith.”
He then sighed, looking depressed. “… Then again, not like my career as a blacksmith will go anywhere without a better hammer. Bladdarg, I can’t believe I forgot to loot that damn rock from that Danterno cultist.”
Oh shit! I completely forgot about that, too!
The moment I pulled it out of my storage and handed it over to Grimnir, his eyes lit up like light bulbs, as if he was finally seeing hope after so many years inside a cave.
I smiled. “You promised us some weapons, so I’ll expect you to return the favor.”
“Yes … on my honor.”
After saying that, I stood up and walked towards the Duke of Greenveil. He was accompanied by a lilac-haired noblewoman in a mage’s robes. Remembering what High Bishop Theodore told me, I was reminded that the Duke of Greenveil’s wife was his older sister.
The Duke gave out a long sigh in front of an armored young man in his twenties, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration after taking off his helmet. “I heard you say there was nothing to worry about not visiting the dungeon more often. To act as the dungeon master and maintain it. I trusted you back then because your father and family have been loyal to my house since Cedaraille was founded by my ancestors! Answer this, dungeon master, what in the Goddess’s name is this whole mess supposed to be?”
Ahh, the dungeon master is the Duke’s retainer. Makes sense.
The Duke’s expression was not good. Anger contorted his voice, raising it higher and higher the more he shouted at the cowering young man. From the [Terror Aura] he was exuding, my instincts were roused, telling me not to let my guard down around him.
Prior to the raid battle, Yorshka explained how each of the seven Ducal houses possesses artifacts from the era of the Leosfalt Kingdom’s founding, the kingdom preceding Artorias. Made from a B rank treant which once guarded the lands of Cedaraille, the bow “Everhunter '' was capable of creating mana arrows like Misaki’s unique skill while any damage it caused against weak spots would be amplified.
The Duke might be not as strong as Yorshka or Farron, but he wasn’t a slouch since he should be a mage in addition to being an archer.
When I tried to get closer to him, his knights, all nobles equipped with quality armor and weapons, blocked my approach and ordered me to go away. That was when the lilac-haired mage ordered them to “stand down” and “let me through.” The Duke, noticing me, ordered the dungeon master to step aside to greet me.
I curtsied out of respect, bowing my head not too low as Manuella and Ellaine taught me. “Hestia Atsuko,” I greeted them, to which the mage responded with “Theresa Angela Sirius” and the Duke with “Isaac Albreaus Greenveil.”
The mage then began speaking, “I am Duke Greenveil’s first wife. I have heard much about you from my brother, the Marquess of Firwood. Now, I presume you must have something to speak about with my dear husband, so I shall lend him to you, my lady. Isaac, I shall handle the cleanup.”
And with her consent, the Duke was “lent” to me. Seeing as our discussion would handle some sensitive matters, I suggested to the Duke that we speak inside our camp. His guards wanted to accompany him, but he stopped them and told them to guard his wife. Speaking of her, she took over the shouting of the dungeon master while also managing the water mages cooling the rachonoid queen’s body down. Officials from the adventurer guild were dismantling her corpse, and I could imagine how greedy everybody was for her materials.
I then turned to Duke Isaac. He had short green hair with a three-day-old beard, mostly uncombed as he just wore a helmet. He was slightly sweating, probably due to how the spider’s body was still exuding a tremendous heatwave, and bags were under his eyes to show he just woke up in the middle of the night.
His bow “Everhunter” was placed inside a bow sheath with a quiver attached to it on his back. His armor, while it looked quite sturdy, seemed more decorative and shiny than practical. Then again, Yorshka’s armor was also an eye-catcher, especially with the silver scales; however, I could believe it possessed a high defense rate. If it wasn’t considered rude, I would have used [Mana Eyes] on their equipment to peek.
“First, I would like to thank you for your indispensable aid, Champion Hestia. It was already deep into the night when I heard the news that that monstrous rachonoid had escaped the dungeon. While I was awake, you can guess that the majority of the nobles, including my wife, were already asleep. It took a while to organize them and the soldiers,” the Duke said.
Champion? Right, he and Count Helvas sponsored my IDs. He would know, of course. Let’s add Aurena into the mix.
“Thank you. It was Goddess Aurena’s wish for us to do so, and it would have been a tragedy if we hadn’t participated. I just did what was right,” I replied, staying humble.
“The Goddess, I see. Then I must give my thanks to her on my next visit to the temple.” The Duke then scratched his beard, thinking for a moment before continuing. “That was a fantastic kill, Lady Hestia. Powerful magic to break through the rachonoid’s sturdy shell before a perfectly-timed attack by the White-Winged Dragoon. Not to mention canceling her Territory without your own! Impeccable. I knew Dame Yorshka was impressive … but I see your Profile told no lies about your skills.”
The Duke showed his annoyance with our kill steal as he gave me a short glare, something I picked up on. So, in response, I shrugged. “Yup.”
After entering Tasianna’s air bubble, the Duke suddenly turned towards Ellaine, bowing slightly before greeting her, “Lady Ellaine, I am glad to see you healthy! When I heard from Newt that you were in Cedaraille with Lady Hestia, I couldn’t believe my ears. Your father hadn’t informed me you would, well, not prepare for the next semester.”
Hmm? Do they know each other?
Ellaine twitched when she saw the Duke, standing up immediately before curtsying. “L-Lord Duke Greenveil, I hadn’t expected you to speak here with Lady Hestia.” She then gave me a look, looking betrayed for some reason. What did I do? “W-well, you see, I have decided to become Princess Hestia’s retainer. I-I believe it would benefit our kingdom more if-if, uhm, I went with her. F-foster good relations, yes.”
“I see, a commendable effort. Ahem, Newt has already mentioned this, but Amelia would like to meet you again, if you have the chance or opportunity. I believe it would mean a lot for her. I would be thankful if you could, not as a Duke, but as a father.”
The Duke then began introducing himself to the students, Grimnir, and the rest of Aurora while Ellaine only nodded to his request, staying meek as he began thanking us for our work. Who is Amelia, I wondered, but I kept it to myself for now.
I began speaking with the Duke, explaining to him what had happened during our adventure in the dungeon. In particular, how Shiterno’s cultists caused this whole incident with a rebellion orb. Speaking of which, I probably should apologize to Aurena for shouting at her about it.
Hey, Goddess Aurena, if you hear me, I apologize for being so harsh back then … Nothing? Well, okay, speak with you later.
The Duke sighed, placing a hand on his face to massage his temples. “I know the Church of Danterno can be aggressive, especially with mages not affiliated with the mage’s guild, but I did not expect them to do something this ridiculous. The amount of mana polluting this area is unfathomable, not to mention in what a ravaged state the beast left everything! This will cost too much money to repair. What was the name of the person leading this congregation? The members? Any further information?”
“Keith Svonnweidher,” I told him, asking in the process to not punish his family if they were innocent if he could. Commoners with last names usually had an established family who served a noble house as a retainer, similar to Talon. Who knew what the Duke would do with this information, but I hoped innocent people wouldn’t be further dragged into this mess.
The Duke, seeming like a good guy, agreed to let the family off if they weren’t involved in Keith’s madness. At this point, I also mentioned the problem I had with my exposed identity, that adventurers and nobles might have seen me. The Duke confirmed that he saw me in my dragon form from afar, which was actually the reason why he ordered everybody to not attack anything but the rachonoids. Some nobles might not have seen me transform into a dragonewt, but he’d make sure the ones who did would stay silent with the royal family’s authority.
The issues with the adventurers weren’t something he could do anything about except by executing them. Adventurers were nomadic by nature, he couldn’t guarantee them not speaking up in another city or town. The soldiers, guards, and citizens could be controlled by his agents, either through bribes or execution. In any case, he’ll deal with it.
“However, Lady Hestia, this sort of information will leak out even if we enforce restrictions. If you wish to hide your identity this much then it will cost innocent lives, unfortunately. Considering you were that worried about a terrorist’s family, I cannot understand why you would wish to ask me to do this for you. Commoners or not, if they are innocent, then their life shouldn’t be taken that lightly,” the Duke argued, forcing me to flinch and reflect on what I was suggesting.
Wait, am I ordering these people’s death? Everything can be solved with a bribe, right? Hold on, where will this money come from? Urgh …
“Lady Hestia, if I may give you some advice. Considering your situation, it might be prudent to speak with Dame Yorshka how you should proceed. You wish to keep your true identity a secret, but your actions tell me otherwise,” the Duke suggested. “You did nothing to stay inconspicuous during the whole battle with your singing, white grace, and your spell. I am in your debt for giving it your all, but still. Your reputation will precede you, your Grace.”
Verdammt.
I looked over at Saori, Tasianna, and Ellaine, all looking worriedly at me. At the end of the day, I called off the Duke’s attempt to silence people. I didn’t want people to get hurt cause of my dumb mistake. If somebody were to pursue our party ‘cause of me, then, well, we would have to fight back.
To fight these threats, I needed to gain more strength. To protect my friends and also myself. Well, not like anything changed ‘cause of this decision. If the nobles started hearing about who I was, then I guess it was just another day where a foreign royalty visited their kingdom. They’d probably want to string me into their issues, so I just need to do the one proper thing when they try.
Say no, and kick them in the ass if they wouldn’t accept it.
Afterward, we talked about the rachonoid’s corpse. As the slayers and also a huge reason for why his city still stands, he was honor-bound to reward Aurora and The Magical Biscuits for our efforts. However, the Duke wanted to acquire all the pieces from the monster, stating he needed them to improve his armor while also furthering some of his plans to become the next Grand Duke of Economic Affairs.
This meant he would pay us in Davi, which caught Saori’s attention. Yet, a rank B monster’s parts! How could we let it go for money? We needed to equip ourselves, and we would soon have a blacksmith who could make it for us. In the end, I declined his request. The Duke had already anticipated it but he couldn’t help but feel saddened. He told us to visit him in two days for the reward.
“In fact, I wish to use this chance as a celebration. In two days’ time, you may choose your respective rewards, Lady Hestia. Heroes. Three days afterward, I wish to throw a ball to liven up everybody’s mood after this battle, where I will present to you your reward. As you must have noticed, a few of the nobles seem eager to meet all of you, and it would also improve your reputation. What say you?” The Duke invited us to a noble’s party.
Everybody looked at me.
“As we are your retainers now, Hestia-hime-sama, shouldn’t you be the one to give the answers?” Saori’s students said.
Assholes! They’re putting all the responsibilities on me!
However, I guess this was easier. Telling my answer now would avoid all the misunderstandings that would come out of it if everybody gave their individual answers. I looked the Duke right in the eye, smiled, and said …
“No, thank you. We have something more important to do.”
“Huh?” His eyes widened.
“You told me I needed to consult with Lady Yorshka, so I need to do that. It’s your own fault, Duke Greenveil.” My lips curled up, grinning wide like an innocent girl. As the Duke began to hide his face under his palms, I began to feel bad and decided to throw him a bone. “If you wish to save some money and time to regrow your land, I suggest you ask House Moreschi from Lecartiglio Duchy. Ask for Lady Severa or Lord Antonio to handle your plant problem!”
Good luck, Cernust. Get your future parents-in-law to love you!
AbyssRaven Hestia best wingwoman.
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Thank you for reading this chapter.
_________________________________________________________________
Name: Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor Level: 88 Job: Crimson-Scaled Dreadgiver
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Name: Saori Segawa Level: 84 Job: Shadow Warrior
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Party Leader
Name: Tasianna Marina Silverpond Level: 70 Job: Fae Whisperer
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Name: Ellaine Fiero Helvas Level: 58 Job: Magus
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Name: Grimnir Luedbrumdar Level: 65 Job: Blasthammer Gunner
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Name: Tamae Tsuji Level: 52 Job: Holy Priestess
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Name: Nishio Kudo Level: 60 Job: Six-Elemental Sorcerer
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Name: Misaki Kawano Level: 59 Job: Sniper
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Name: Kazumi Hoshino Level: 55 Job: Dagger Rogue
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Name: Kohaku Kobayashi Level: 58 Job: Water-Elemental Runeslayer
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Name: Yorshka Nordor Level: 131 Job: White-Winged Dragoon
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Wow, what a huge number of level ups! I can officially say that our ‘training arc’ was a success … Even if we kinda got roped into fighting a raid boss.
The aftermath of the rank B [Molten Core Rachonoid] raid battle had already commenced. Soldiers and guards brought the injured to white-robed clergymen for healing, setting up a temporary emergency clinic for them. The majority of adventurers celebrated the victory by dismantling the rachonoid corpses, pocketing the rewards for themselves, while the guild officials counted the casualties of their members and staff in addition to documenting compensation for recruiting hunters and mercenaries for this urgent Quest.
The nobles, on the other hand, were far more preoccupied with themselves to care for the destruction in front of them. The spider’s Territory had completely wrecked the land leading from Cedaraille to the dungeon, scorching it with a large lava scar that hadn’t cooled down one bit. The yellow glow during the night was … perturbing.
Yet, the nobles prioritized boasting about their achievements during the raid battle to other nobles and the Duke himself.
Speaking about the rachonoid corpses, the bodies of the rank Cs and lower were mostly ignored by the nobles, consequently making them a free-for-all and a first-come-first-served for the adventurers and soldiers. I even saw some commoners from the city sneaking out to scavenge materials. On the other hand, the queen spider was completely claimed by the Duke.
Very annoying if you asked me, considering Aurora and The Magical Biscuits did the heavy lifting for the first half of the fight. We literally prevented the spider queen from coming anywhere close to the city. At least we were guaranteed a “special” reward later on.
Jeez, I wanted to avoid getting entangled with the nobles, but I guess this was just inevitable. Maybe I should just be happy with the one eye, I complained to myself. The one eye I poked out of the rachonoid queen’s face with my tail was safely kept inside my storage.
“Please, Dame Yorshka, you must allow us to speak with the Heroes for a bit. This is a joyous moment that we must celebrate!” I overheard a knight say out loud, clearly some kind of noble. He was standing in front of Yorshka, who had taken the appearance of a human-like dragonewt with her wings out like my usual form, along with an entourage of other nobles.
“I apologize, Lord and Ladies. However, as their guardian knight, I must allow them to rest and recuperate after all the efforts they put into stalling the rachonoid queen before the glorious might of Greenveil’s nobles arrived to finish it off,” Yorshka replied courteous and respectful, a clear difference to how she behaved in private.
“Mhmm, that is understandable,” one of the discontented nobles agreed reluctantly, before noticing Saori, Tasianna, and me. “If a meeting with the Heroes isn’t possible, then we would like to request to introduce ourselves to those magically-talented, young lad—”
Yorshka’s wings immediately snapped wide open, looking like a curtain to block their eyes from us. “I would ask you to not try my patience, Sir. Or, are the words of a Knight-Captain of the Knights of Aurena not worth your consideration? Would you like a letter from the Knight-Commander or maybe even the Pope?”
That was the final hit, silencing everybody. Disgruntled, they began to leave, accepting Yorshka’s words.
We were currently resting in a makeshift camp, surrounded by Tasianna’s [Air Shield], which allowed air to enter while stopping sounds from escaping outside. Something only made possible by Zephira’s blessing on her catalyst.
“I still can’t believe Lady Yorshka was a dragonewt all this time,” Tamae suddenly stated, still baffled despite the fact that she had seen the dragonewt form back in the dungeon. “Lady Yorshka would always act as a shield for us whenever the nobles got too aggressive with their networking. I guess seeing the White-Winged Dragoon literally having white wings must have been a real surprise even for them.”
I still remembered Yorshka’s attack [Nordor Style: Silver Dragon’s Skyfall] creating a translucent dragon with her mana. From up close, the aura dragon appeared silvery, befitting the name, but, from afar, it wouldn’t surprise me if people believed it to be white.
“Sorry for not telling you guys about it. I recently learned that exposing a hiding dragonkin was considered extremely rude. I also gave a promise to her family not to say anything, and promises are something I can not and will not break,” I said when I first noticed Yorshka’s smell.
“It is fine. We aren’t angry, Hestia-san,” the quiet Misaki answered for everybody.
“Exactly, not like it did us any harm in the end, right? In fact, what a plot twist!” Kohaku commented. “More importantly, I would rather talk about how ridiculous your experience buffs are, Hime-sama.”
Yorshka’s killing blow granted everybody the right to the spider queen’s experience. Even if it had to be divided amongst us eleven equally, with [Hestia’s Retainer]’s experience boost, it barely matter.
While all of this was rosy and nice, there were a few issues this raid battle had caused us, or, more specifically, to me.
“I’ve sent Uno and the pack to scout out any adventurers or soldiers who might have seen you, Hestia,” Saori came over to me after cleaning her daggers, all drenched with the spider queen’s blood after being used as lightning rods. “Still, I don’t think it will help much even if I went to them and intimidated them into silence. We might be far away from the city, but you can still see it from here. That rachonoid was huge and a flying dragon isn’t exactly inconspicuous.”
Reaching the surface in time and stalling the spider until the support came from the Duke was only possible if Saori and I were at our full potential. We needed to be in our original forms so our racial abilities could be amplified by our higher stats. I also was quite tired after my fight with the slazzigula and using up all my scale-dust for the rocket boosters, so I needed any advantage I could get, especially during the night.
Adventurers saw me soar into the sky and roar in frustration after learning it was nighttime. That was how I somehow got 38 new followers for [The Light]. The distance between the dungeon to Cedaraille was probably larger than Central Park in New York City, and, although it wasn’t flat anymore thanks to the spider, it wouldn’t surprise me if a noble or two saw me transform back into a dragonewt.
It was a mistake on my end which probably exposed everything.
“The Territory and its spiderwebs should have hidden me, but … I have a bad feeling. Looks like the queen got her post-mortem revenge on me.” I shook my fist as I dramatically sniffed my nose.
“Well, considering the issue, wouldn’t it be best to ask the Duke and Dame Yorshka to help you?” Nishio suggested. “You can’t keep it a secret anymore unless you wipe the memories of everybody involved. Usually, if a secret like this were to be exposed, your first action as the CEO or president of a company would be to talk this through with your PR team. Not a single word gets out without the approval of the PR team if you’re a high profile, publicly-traded business.”
Misaki added to his advice. “Staying quiet is also an option. This world isn’t like ours, where the media and internet would flock towards any scandal and deconstruct it into atoms. It will probably spread inside a noble’s court, where your connections can help you gain more fame than infamy. It shouldn’t spread around too much among commoners, I think. There are no newspapers in this country.”
In response to Misaki’s words, Saori shook her head. “You are underestimating how powerful word of mouth is. Sure, there are not newspapers or the internet, but merchants and adventurers are powerful tools to spread information around. That is an issue. We were warned of dragonslayers, and I would rather avoid unnecessary trouble. Hestia, Nishio-san, Misaki-san, and Kazumi-san have some experience with corporate life due to their parents; their advice is good, but you should make your own decision. Aurora stands with you.”
“Correct, my life is yours, Lady Hestia,” Tasianna loyally stated.
“I’ve committed my sword in your service. I will aid you in any way I can,” Ellaine agreed with the others.
I then looked at Grimnir. Apparently, Yorshka let it slip that I was a dragon princess in front of Grimnir. He then met the students, noticing their relationship with Saori and how they were all speaking Japanese. He knew Saori and I were void-touched, people who could use [Space-Time Magic], so he asked us if we were otherworlders as well inside the dungeon.
Grimnir waved his hand in denial. “I’m not dumb enough to anger the Dragon Empire. I owe you my life, know that I won’t betray you as long as I have even a single shred of honor as a blacksmith and runesmith.”
He then sighed, looking depressed. “… Then again, not like my career as a blacksmith will go anywhere without a better hammer. Bladdarg, I can’t believe I forgot to loot that damn rock from that Danterno cultist.”
Oh shit! I completely forgot about that, too!
The moment I pulled it out of my storage and handed it over to Grimnir, his eyes lit up like light bulbs, as if he was finally seeing hope after so many years inside a cave.
I smiled. “You promised us some weapons, so I’ll expect you to return the favor.”
“Yes … on my honor.”
After saying that, I stood up and walked towards the Duke of Greenveil. He was accompanied by a lilac-haired noblewoman in a mage’s robes. Remembering what High Bishop Theodore told me, I was reminded that the Duke of Greenveil’s wife was his older sister.
The Duke gave out a long sigh in front of an armored young man in his twenties, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration after taking off his helmet. “I heard you say there was nothing to worry about not visiting the dungeon more often. To act as the dungeon master and maintain it. I trusted you back then because your father and family have been loyal to my house since Cedaraille was founded by my ancestors! Answer this, dungeon master, what in the Goddess’s name is this whole mess supposed to be?”
Ahh, the dungeon master is the Duke’s retainer. Makes sense.
The Duke’s expression was not good. Anger contorted his voice, raising it higher and higher the more he shouted at the cowering young man. From the [Terror Aura] he was exuding, my instincts were roused, telling me not to let my guard down around him.
Prior to the raid battle, Yorshka explained how each of the seven Ducal houses possesses artifacts from the era of the Leosfalt Kingdom’s founding, the kingdom preceding Artorias. Made from a B rank treant which once guarded the lands of Cedaraille, the bow “Everhunter '' was capable of creating mana arrows like Misaki’s unique skill while any damage it caused against weak spots would be amplified.
The Duke might be not as strong as Yorshka or Farron, but he wasn’t a slouch since he should be a mage in addition to being an archer.
When I tried to get closer to him, his knights, all nobles equipped with quality armor and weapons, blocked my approach and ordered me to go away. That was when the lilac-haired mage ordered them to “stand down” and “let me through.” The Duke, noticing me, ordered the dungeon master to step aside to greet me.
I curtsied out of respect, bowing my head not too low as Manuella and Ellaine taught me. “Hestia Atsuko,” I greeted them, to which the mage responded with “Theresa Angela Sirius” and the Duke with “Isaac Albreaus Greenveil.”
The mage then began speaking, “I am Duke Greenveil’s first wife. I have heard much about you from my brother, the Marquess of Firwood. Now, I presume you must have something to speak about with my dear husband, so I shall lend him to you, my lady. Isaac, I shall handle the cleanup.”
And with her consent, the Duke was “lent” to me. Seeing as our discussion would handle some sensitive matters, I suggested to the Duke that we speak inside our camp. His guards wanted to accompany him, but he stopped them and told them to guard his wife. Speaking of her, she took over the shouting of the dungeon master while also managing the water mages cooling the rachonoid queen’s body down. Officials from the adventurer guild were dismantling her corpse, and I could imagine how greedy everybody was for her materials.
I then turned to Duke Isaac. He had short green hair with a three-day-old beard, mostly uncombed as he just wore a helmet. He was slightly sweating, probably due to how the spider’s body was still exuding a tremendous heatwave, and bags were under his eyes to show he just woke up in the middle of the night.
His bow “Everhunter” was placed inside a bow sheath with a quiver attached to it on his back. His armor, while it looked quite sturdy, seemed more decorative and shiny than practical. Then again, Yorshka’s armor was also an eye-catcher, especially with the silver scales; however, I could believe it possessed a high defense rate. If it wasn’t considered rude, I would have used [Mana Eyes] on their equipment to peek.
“First, I would like to thank you for your indispensable aid, Champion Hestia. It was already deep into the night when I heard the news that that monstrous rachonoid had escaped the dungeon. While I was awake, you can guess that the majority of the nobles, including my wife, were already asleep. It took a while to organize them and the soldiers,” the Duke said.
Champion? Right, he and Count Helvas sponsored my IDs. He would know, of course. Let’s add Aurena into the mix.
“Thank you. It was Goddess Aurena’s wish for us to do so, and it would have been a tragedy if we hadn’t participated. I just did what was right,” I replied, staying humble.
“The Goddess, I see. Then I must give my thanks to her on my next visit to the temple.” The Duke then scratched his beard, thinking for a moment before continuing. “That was a fantastic kill, Lady Hestia. Powerful magic to break through the rachonoid’s sturdy shell before a perfectly-timed attack by the White-Winged Dragoon. Not to mention canceling her Territory without your own! Impeccable. I knew Dame Yorshka was impressive … but I see your Profile told no lies about your skills.”
The Duke showed his annoyance with our kill steal as he gave me a short glare, something I picked up on. So, in response, I shrugged. “Yup.”
After entering Tasianna’s air bubble, the Duke suddenly turned towards Ellaine, bowing slightly before greeting her, “Lady Ellaine, I am glad to see you healthy! When I heard from Newt that you were in Cedaraille with Lady Hestia, I couldn’t believe my ears. Your father hadn’t informed me you would, well, not prepare for the next semester.”
Hmm? Do they know each other?
Ellaine twitched when she saw the Duke, standing up immediately before curtsying. “L-Lord Duke Greenveil, I hadn’t expected you to speak here with Lady Hestia.” She then gave me a look, looking betrayed for some reason. What did I do? “W-well, you see, I have decided to become Princess Hestia’s retainer. I-I believe it would benefit our kingdom more if-if, uhm, I went with her. F-foster good relations, yes.”
“I see, a commendable effort. Ahem, Newt has already mentioned this, but Amelia would like to meet you again, if you have the chance or opportunity. I believe it would mean a lot for her. I would be thankful if you could, not as a Duke, but as a father.”
The Duke then began introducing himself to the students, Grimnir, and the rest of Aurora while Ellaine only nodded to his request, staying meek as he began thanking us for our work. Who is Amelia, I wondered, but I kept it to myself for now.
I began speaking with the Duke, explaining to him what had happened during our adventure in the dungeon. In particular, how Shiterno’s cultists caused this whole incident with a rebellion orb. Speaking of which, I probably should apologize to Aurena for shouting at her about it.
Hey, Goddess Aurena, if you hear me, I apologize for being so harsh back then … Nothing? Well, okay, speak with you later.
The Duke sighed, placing a hand on his face to massage his temples. “I know the Church of Danterno can be aggressive, especially with mages not affiliated with the mage’s guild, but I did not expect them to do something this ridiculous. The amount of mana polluting this area is unfathomable, not to mention in what a ravaged state the beast left everything! This will cost too much money to repair. What was the name of the person leading this congregation? The members? Any further information?”
“Keith Svonnweidher,” I told him, asking in the process to not punish his family if they were innocent if he could. Commoners with last names usually had an established family who served a noble house as a retainer, similar to Talon. Who knew what the Duke would do with this information, but I hoped innocent people wouldn’t be further dragged into this mess.
The Duke, seeming like a good guy, agreed to let the family off if they weren’t involved in Keith’s madness. At this point, I also mentioned the problem I had with my exposed identity, that adventurers and nobles might have seen me. The Duke confirmed that he saw me in my dragon form from afar, which was actually the reason why he ordered everybody to not attack anything but the rachonoids. Some nobles might not have seen me transform into a dragonewt, but he’d make sure the ones who did would stay silent with the royal family’s authority.
The issues with the adventurers weren’t something he could do anything about except by executing them. Adventurers were nomadic by nature, he couldn’t guarantee them not speaking up in another city or town. The soldiers, guards, and citizens could be controlled by his agents, either through bribes or execution. In any case, he’ll deal with it.
“However, Lady Hestia, this sort of information will leak out even if we enforce restrictions. If you wish to hide your identity this much then it will cost innocent lives, unfortunately. Considering you were that worried about a terrorist’s family, I cannot understand why you would wish to ask me to do this for you. Commoners or not, if they are innocent, then their life shouldn’t be taken that lightly,” the Duke argued, forcing me to flinch and reflect on what I was suggesting.
Wait, am I ordering these people’s death? Everything can be solved with a bribe, right? Hold on, where will this money come from? Urgh …
“Lady Hestia, if I may give you some advice. Considering your situation, it might be prudent to speak with Dame Yorshka how you should proceed. You wish to keep your true identity a secret, but your actions tell me otherwise,” the Duke suggested. “You did nothing to stay inconspicuous during the whole battle with your singing, white grace, and your spell. I am in your debt for giving it your all, but still. Your reputation will precede you, your Grace.”
Verdammt.
I looked over at Saori, Tasianna, and Ellaine, all looking worriedly at me. At the end of the day, I called off the Duke’s attempt to silence people. I didn’t want people to get hurt cause of my dumb mistake. If somebody were to pursue our party ‘cause of me, then, well, we would have to fight back.
To fight these threats, I needed to gain more strength. To protect my friends and also myself. Well, not like anything changed ‘cause of this decision. If the nobles started hearing about who I was, then I guess it was just another day where a foreign royalty visited their kingdom. They’d probably want to string me into their issues, so I just need to do the one proper thing when they try.
Say no, and kick them in the ass if they wouldn’t accept it.
Afterward, we talked about the rachonoid’s corpse. As the slayers and also a huge reason for why his city still stands, he was honor-bound to reward Aurora and The Magical Biscuits for our efforts. However, the Duke wanted to acquire all the pieces from the monster, stating he needed them to improve his armor while also furthering some of his plans to become the next Grand Duke of Economic Affairs.
This meant he would pay us in Davi, which caught Saori’s attention. Yet, a rank B monster’s parts! How could we let it go for money? We needed to equip ourselves, and we would soon have a blacksmith who could make it for us. In the end, I declined his request. The Duke had already anticipated it but he couldn’t help but feel saddened. He told us to visit him in two days for the reward.
“In fact, I wish to use this chance as a celebration. In two days’ time, you may choose your respective rewards, Lady Hestia. Heroes. Three days afterward, I wish to throw a ball to liven up everybody’s mood after this battle, where I will present to you your reward. As you must have noticed, a few of the nobles seem eager to meet all of you, and it would also improve your reputation. What say you?” The Duke invited us to a noble’s party.
Everybody looked at me.
“As we are your retainers now, Hestia-hime-sama, shouldn’t you be the one to give the answers?” Saori’s students said.
Assholes! They’re putting all the responsibilities on me!
However, I guess this was easier. Telling my answer now would avoid all the misunderstandings that would come out of it if everybody gave their individual answers. I looked the Duke right in the eye, smiled, and said …
“No, thank you. We have something more important to do.”
“Huh?” His eyes widened.
“You told me I needed to consult with Lady Yorshka, so I need to do that. It’s your own fault, Duke Greenveil.” My lips curled up, grinning wide like an innocent girl. As the Duke began to hide his face under his palms, I began to feel bad and decided to throw him a bone. “If you wish to save some money and time to regrow your land, I suggest you ask House Moreschi from Lecartiglio Duchy. Ask for Lady Severa or Lord Antonio to handle your plant problem!”
Good luck, Cernust. Get your future parents-in-law to love you!
AbyssRaven Hestia best wingwoman.
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