Chapter 109: Chapter 92: Do it Yourself!_1
It has to be said that Duanmu Huai’s decision to climb the social ladder was right. Upon learning that the deeds of the Evil Dragon might influence humans’ perception of the Giant Dragon, particularly after discovering that Greiya might be expelled from Manaria due to this, Ann immediately wrote a letter to her own father, discussing the rampant issues caused by the Evil Dragon.
Greiya also wrote to her own father in the same veign, to discuss countermeasures.
Luckily, responses came quickly from both sides.
Greiya’s father, the King of the Dragon Race, was also deeply concerned about the rampant desctruction caused by the Evil Dragon. After communicating with Greiya, he decided to personally visit the Kingdom of Manaria to discuss measures against the Evil Dragon. Ann’s father also agreed to the Dragon King’s request, and so they both agreed to hold discussions about defeating the Evil Dragon in the Manaria Royal City. Naturally, Ann and Greiya would participate and, Duanmu Huai would attend as a representative of the Cathedral Church – after all, he was a Sacred Knight.
Although he didn’t quite look the part.
However, the results of this meeting were … somewhat satisfactory.
“Dad is such a fool! A big fool!”
Ann stormed into the room, furiously slamming the door behind her. Looking at her raging demeanor, Duanmu Huai and Greiya exchanged helpless glances. They also understood why Ann was so infuriated.
Initially, the meeting went smoothly; everyone acknowledged the Evil Dragon as a threat that needed handling, and agreed to dispatch an army to deal with it.
But the composition of this army… became a significant problem.
The Evil Dragon Fafner was extremely powerful, which was indisputable, and a highly qualified and capable team was required to defeat such a beast. The problem at hand was, the kings of Manaria and Regnes, who were undoubtedly unable to risk their lives personally, for it was not a ruler’s duty.
So, who would they send?
If discussed from a capability perspective, Ann and Greiya were naturally the top candidates. However, being princesses, they could not put their lives in danger. To make matters worse, humans and the Dragon Race were arguing about the selection. From humans’ perspective, the Evil Dragon was a member of the Dragon Race, hence they should be the ones to clean up this mess. They should therefore send their best warriors.
But from the point of view of the Dragon Race, they believe the humans want to use them as a scapegoat to get rid of the Evil Dragon, hence reaping the benefits afterwards. Therefore, they believe that fairness should be maintained and Manaria should also contribute an equal number of excellent warriors.
However the human side was averse to this. They believed that the Dragon Race wanted to wipe out all of their top warriors. After all, unlike the Dragon Race, not all humans were strong. If all their strong warriors died in the battle against the Evil Dragon, wouldn’t that give the Dragon Race ample opportunity to boss them around?
Consequently, the meeting fell into a deadlock; both sides suspected each other of bad intentions and were unable to genuinely cooperate. The matter of selection was repeatedly delayed, and in the end, no agreement could be reached. Although Ann protested to her father, it didn’t yield any results.
In the end, the group returned to the academy without reaching any conclusions.
“My father is also under a lot of pressure. I heard that when he returned this time, many ministers expressed dissatisfaction toward him, believing that Regnes should not be actively involved in the dispute between the Evil Dragon and humans…”
Greiya sighed silently, at a loss for words.
“You don’t seem that surprised? Sir Knight?”
Looking curiously at Duanmu Huai, who was quietly sipping his tea, Ann asked with a puzzled expression. Duanmu Huai simply shrugged.
“It’s quite normal. Many problems will surface once politics are involved. This is why, in many stories, everyone is unable to cooperate until the crucial moment. Presently, unless the Evil Dragon simultaneously attacks Regnes and Manaria, it is unlikely that the two sides will sincerely cooperate.”
“But by then, it will be too late!”
“There’s nothing we can do.”
Duanmu Huai shook his head.
“Since no decision has been made, I plan to go myself.”
Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s decision, Ann and Greiya both stared in surprise at him.
“Sir Knight, are you planning to defeat the Evil Dragon yourself?”
“Of course, this was my original plan. If we could collaborate and take action together, the chances of winning would naturally increase. However, from the current standpoint, although Regnes and Manaria are allies, the relationship between the two isn’t exactly solid. Under such circumstances, even if a combined army is formed, it’s very likely to become more complex due to this fragile alliance. Hence, I’ve decided to subdue the Evil Dragon — after all, as a Sacred Knight, it’s my duty.”
At present, Duanmu Huai had already perceived that the Evil Dragon Fafner was most likely the final boss of this Fragmented World. He had initially hoped to collaborate with the two countries to ambush it. However, from the current situation, due to the conflicts and disputes between the two sides, cooperation seemed impossible. This was probably why a large-scale battle eventually broke out between humans and the Dragon Race.
Since he couldn’t rely on the two countries, Duanmu Huai was left only to rely on himself. As for whether he could win… he didn’t think it was much of a problem. During his studies at Manaria College, Duanmu Huai had collected many Magic Cards. Plus, being in the Fragmented World, he didn’t need to worry about the limits of the Subspace Heat. He could just push it to its maximum power.
If he can’t beat it, he can at least run away.
Moreover, during the previous meeting, Duanmu Huai detected a familiar aura.
Both sides were not at fault, but due to some unstoppable force, they were forced step by step into the abyss. This rhythm seemed like the work of the God of Trickery.
This was the primary reason why he decided to abandon the joint plan. The more complex the plan, the higher the chance of the God of Trickery’s involvement, and hence, the higher the probability of failure. Instead of wasting time on planning, directly attacking was the best strategy against such a schemer.
In simpler terms, no matter how fancy your moves are, a single hit can knock you down.
No matter how many variations you have afterward, they would be futile.
Duanmu Huai was a man of action. Or to say, a soldier who valued speed. On the day following the decision, he notified the student council that he had urgent matters requiring his immediate departure from the College. Of course, Duanmu Huai didn’t explicitly mention embarking on a quest to conquer the Evil Dragon. He merely said that the Holy City had messaged him, and he needed to return. The College didn’t give it much thought and instantly granted his leave.
After leaving the city, Duanmu Huai summoned the Metal Secret Dragon, prepared to venture forth. At that moment, however, he turned his attention towards the surrounding woods.
“Come out, you’ve been following me this far, what do you want?”
Hearing Duanmu Huai’s words, three figures emerged from the woods. Two cloaked figures resembling thieves were no one else but Ann and Greiya. Trailing behind them, as always, was Ann’s guardian knight, Owen.
“I guess I already knew, but I still need to ask, what do you think you’re doing?”
Duanmu Huai looked at them, exasperated, and began to question. Ann raised her hand.
“As you can see, Sir Knight, we too, want to go with you to annihilate the Evil Dragon!”
While saying this, she looked at Duanmu Huai, her eyes shining brightly.
“There shouldn’t be any issues, right, Sir Knight? After all, you have previously embarked on many adventures and always emerged victorious, right?”
“Well, in theory, yes. However…. ”
“However, are you two pampered princesses capable of adapting to the life of adventure outdoors?”
Duanmu Huai looked at Ann and Greiya, and sighed with resignation.
“I want to clarify beforehand, adventuring in the wild is not as romantic as portrayed in tales and novels. There’s no place to bath, hot meals are a luxury, there are no soft beds, and you might wake up to find your body covered in bugs and snakes. The forest is even worse, filled with mosquitoes and poisonous insects. To be frank, can you pampered princesses withstand such conditions?”
Having said this, Duanmu Huai looked at Owen standing behind them.
He was balancing a large travel bag in each hand and another one, bigger than himself, on his back. Nobody knew what they contained.
“Leave two sets of clothes and some dry rations, throw away the rest.”
Ann was taken aback upon hearing this.
“Then what about our books and makeup items for the road…”
“Of course, throw them away! Are you coming or not? If not, go back!”
Did they really think this was just a holiday trip?
Under Duanmu Huai’s stern gaze, Ann hesitated a bit, but finally nodded in confirmation.
Regardless, compared to clothes, books, and cosmetic items, saving the nation was more important.