Chapter 605 – Dragon Raid (3)
I leave the accommodation feeling a little excited.
The distance gradually gets closer.
Not long after, you see a group of people walking from the opposite direction.
Priests wearing white priestly robes.
In the center of it all, a woman approaches with a majestic gait.
Hair as white as snow, cool eyes that make you feel chilled just by looking at them, a small and pointed nose, and pursed red lips.
The power of the absolute in an expressionless face.
She looks like a princess.
In reality, the Empress.
The gaze of the hero who saved Russia, which was once driven to the brink of destruction, reaches me.
I walk towards her.
She also walks towards me, and soon we face each other at a distance of only 1 m.
She was the one who opened her mouth first.
“It was you.”
Boris speaks with a hint of knowing me.
It was unexpected.
I heard that you don’t have any interest in what’s going on in the world, so I thought you didn’t know either.
“Do you know me?”
When I ask that, she smiles and nods her head.
“As is widely known, I am not particularly interested in what is going on in the world. But I still tend to know what I need to know.”
In other words, I was included in the information that I needed to know.
It’s quite an honor.
“But it’s surprising. “I didn’t know that you were the one who borrowed my Snow Bringer.”
“You must have been very embarrassed.”
“I would be lying if I said no. “The guy who had never left my side his entire life left me, even if only for a moment.”
She takes a step closer and looks up at my face and asks.
“Can you tell me? “How did they take him away?”
Borrowing the power of an existing being by perfectly shaping its form through magical power.
In a way, this was my secret weapon.
And the secret weapon is more effective the fewer people who know about it.
But she was an exception.
Even to get Snow Bringer’s help when she needs it.
“When I used magic to shape the Snow Bringer, he became interested and latched on to it.”
“Hoo… “If it were to arouse this friend’s interest, its shape must have been very similar to the main body.”
“Well, at first all I heard was the sound of a baby.”
“Hehe…, There is no need to worry too much about words like that. “This guy is picky about praise.”
“Is that so?”
The light smile is very impressive.
Is it because his facial expression doesn’t change so much that he looks more dramatic?
She suddenly returns to her original expression and asks me.
“I heard they are planning a dragon raid. Is this true?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Hmm… “You have a rather large liver.”
It makes sense to think so.
There has never been a single person who has ever planned to hunt a dragon.
The same goes for Francis Myer, the only Dragon Slayer.
If a black dragon had not appeared in a dungeon that could not be discovered due to the lack of accuracy of the crack meter at the time, even he would not have had the thought of hunting the dragon.
“It’s a bit complicated, but I think it’s worth a try.”
“It’s worth a try… ?”
“The dragon I found this time is still young.”
“It means it’s not ripe yet.”
“That’s right.”
The same applies to any living organism.
In an immature state before becoming an adult, anything is immature, weak, and fragile.
The same goes for the dragon, which is said to be the supreme being.
The skin, claws, teeth, and breath are all very weak compared to an adult.
Of course, it still doesn’t change that he’s quite strong, but the party members gathered here are all great characters.
If the party is at a level where even collecting them can be considered a miracle, wouldn’t it be worth targeting?
“Seeing as you called me, I guess the opponent is a red dragon.”
“You’re right. “When dealing with fire attribute monsters, there is no dealer as powerful as Mr. Boris.”
“Hmm…”
Her dissatisfied gaze turns to me.
“Please refrain from using the title Boris. “It’s a bit uncomfortable to hear because it’s my adoptive father’s name.”
“Ah.”
“Just call me Irina. “If you have been recognized by my friend, you are worthy of calling my name.”
Yes.
This woman’s real name was Irina, indeed.
She was, to be exact, Irina Borisovna Orlova.
When translated, it roughly means that she is the daughter of Boris of the Orlov family.
Boris, the head of the Orlov family, one of Russia’s leading political families, is her adoptive father.
From what she heard, he took her in as his adopted daughter after she was abandoned in front of her house when she was young.
It is said that the word ‘Boris’ itself contains the meaning of ‘glory of war.’
In her own way, she gave her highest praise for saving her country from her monster.
But she didn’t seem to like that name very much.
Just because it’s her father’s name?
Or are we not getting along well?
I don’t know.
I don’t even want to know.
“What is the composition of the party?”
“We’ve gathered people who are exceptional even among the S-class, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“You managed to bring them together.”
“My name is to kill dragons, so I have to do at least that.”
“Is that true too?”
Irina nodded her head as if she understood.
Soon she looks at me and says.
“Honestly, I’m not interested in dragon raids or anything like that. “I wouldn’t know if he appeared on the land I protect.”
“… ?”
I was puzzled.
If you have no interest in Dragon Raid, why did you come this far?
When I asked with her expression, she answered.
“You are the reason that makes me move. “I was curious about who Snow Bringer is interested in other than me.”
In short, the reason you came this far is only because of me?
Ask her.
“Does this mean you won’t participate in the raid?”
“Well.”
Irina shrugs her shoulders with an expressionless face.
“At first, I thought about going back just after seeing the face…, I’ve changed my mind a bit now.”
“If it had changed…”
Her light blue eyes turn to me.
“I think it would be a good idea to join forces with you. I will join too.”
I shake my shocked heart and breathe a sigh of relief.
For a short period of time, I thought a lot about what I should do if it goes back to that way.
I have a plan B, but aren’t all plans like that?
B is worse than A, and C is worse than B.
The same goes for the dealer she thought of as her alternative.
She is the strongest dealer against fire attribute monsters.
No matter how similar someone is, they won’t be able to exert as much power as her.
She asks as she sees me looking relieved.
“Are you surprised?”
Are you surprised?
Then you don’t look surprised.
She smiles, trying to hide her irritated feelings.
“Yes, a little.”
“I apologize if I was surprised.”
Meanwhile, Irina takes a step closer and narrows the distance.
One of her white, cold fingers brushes the tip of my chin.
“It’s a little…, It was a face that made me want to bully, so it made me feel playful.”
“…”
A face that makes you want to bully.
It’s the first time I’ve heard that in my life.
“Now then, let’s take a look at the faces that will go on the raid together.”
She passes by me with a strange smile on her lips.
* * *
It wasn’t easy to leave my home country after such a long time.
When I said I would go somewhere for a while, I got tackled from all over.
Who will fill the holes that will arise while you are away?
But I didn’t care.
They don’t know.
The fact that he is only protecting this land to repay his debt and not because he has deep affection for this country.
If I had a lot of debt left, I might have taken their word for it.
But not now.
The end of the long repayment process is just around the corner.
She felt that a freedom unparalleled before was coming to her.
So I ignored it.
-“I absolutely cannot allow it.”
Even the words of my adoptive father, who blocked my outside world with a voice like frost.
Instead of using the family’s private plane, he booked a ticket directly at the airport and boarded a flight to Rome.
It was my first time going through this process, but it wasn’t difficult.
The moment I showed up at the airport, all kinds of people stopped by and took care of me.
I belatedly received a call from the Orlov family saying they would not allow me to leave the country, but the airport, which thought for a moment, soon sided with me.
The hero of the country’s salvation and the family to which the hero belongs.
Isn’t it clear which side’s influence is stronger and where to line up?
That’s how I left Russia and arrived in Rome.
Without any personnel watching over me, accompanied only by my friend Snow Bringer.
And then we faced each other.
The person I was so curious about.
“It was you.”
Surprisingly, it was a familiar face.
A name that came naturally to my ears, even though I didn’t have much interest in the world.
‘Kim Do-jin…’
A sturdy body and a somewhat gentle-looking face.
I liked the way he was polite to me but never seemed servile.
At the same time, it was even announced that they would hunt dragons.
When he asked me to participate in the raid, I felt playful for a moment and made fun of him.
It was the first time in my life.
Why did you show such mischief to someone who wasn’t a Snow Bringer?
When I returned to the lodgings the priest showed me, he spoke to me.
『I guess I liked him quite a bit.』
She asked.
“Why did you think that?”
『Look in the mirror. Just by looking at your expression, you will get the answer.』
Curious about his words, she stood in front of a full-length mirror erected on one wall of the room.
A face that looks no different from usual.
But there was just one thing different.
Right at the corner of the mouth.
The corners of the mouth, which had always maintained the letter 一, are slightly raised.
『I think it was a good choice to let him meet you.』
Satisfied with his words her, she also nodded her head in agreement.
“I agree.”
It was the first time.
The person who arouses this desire to do something.
Thinking that maybe she would make another friend, she quietly waited for the evening to come.
