Chapter 57: Friend, You Wouldn't Happen to Be...
No matter how furious he was, the man behind that male voice gradually calmed down. He knew that venting his anger now wouldn't change anything; instead, it would cloud his judgment of the situation ahead.
"Those lizards told me back then that the assassination would definitely succeed without any loose ends, so I let their people hide inside the merchant caravan and go over..."
A dragging sound came, indicating the man had found a chair and sat down. His voice sounded weary: "I didn't expect that Dragon Slayer to be so strong. Two Mid-Gold Rank, such powerful Bloodline Dragons, poisoned and ambushed, yet they still failed and died... Joshua van Radcliffe. Hah, if he follows the merchant caravan's trail and comes knocking, thinking it over carefully—I really can't do anything about it either..."
His hands clenched into fists, veins bulging on the backs. This matter seemed to bring him immense humiliation. The man, who prided himself on controlling everything, found it hard to accept such a reality, but his calm mind still began to think: "Now, the most important thing is to destroy all evidence linking me to the Five-Colored Dragons' secret dealings. Anyway, this line is no longer useful. Those foolish dragons seem to really be going to war with the Far Southerners and those elves. I should have cut ties long ago—this is a perfect opportunity."
Thinking this, the man couldn't help but feel grateful for his caution. All the merchant caravans under him were nominally affiliated with a western trading company he controlled but had no apparent connection to. Clearing himself of any involvement would be very simple. Even if Joshua came knocking, without evidence, there was nothing he could do.
Since the plan was set, action must be taken immediately. After pondering for a while, the man called for his steward, retrieved a secret magical communication device, and began issuing orders one by one.
Meanwhile, on the evening of November 7th, Year 832 of the Falling Stars, in the main city of Moldavia, at the Lord's Mansion.
On the surrounding streets, the crowd that had gathered due to the explosion had dispersed under the persuasion of the City Guard. Even the adventurers and mercenaries, eager for excitement, had returned to taverns and inns as the sky darkened, preparing for the next day's work or adventures.
The moon gradually rose. The light of the twin moons was so bright that even the unlit Lord's Mansion was clearly visible.
A silver-haired girl stood in the backyard, on the remnants of the wall scattered by the dragon's breath explosion. Under the moonlight, she kicked at the rubble with a somewhat sullen expression.
Ying was wearing a snow-white silk dress today, with a translucent crystal flower hair ornament pinned in her hair. Her fair wrists and calves were exposed, seemingly unaffected by the gradually chilling temperature as winter approached. The moonlight shone on her, as if draping her in a layer of silver gauze.
Of course, no matter what, she was a Divine Mechanism—how could she be afraid of the cold? However, this light, fluttering dress was not chosen by Ying herself. Joshua believed that a young girl should have some ladylike demeanor, so he had custom-made many light, fluttering clothes for her to wear daily, rather than double-breasted military coats, ladies' riding suits, white long capes with thick shirts, and other garments completely lacking in girlish aesthetics.
Quilted coats are definitely not something a normal girl would wear! That was the warrior's exact words.
"Master goes into battle without taking us again!"
Kicking a nearly oval stone fragment far away, she muttered softly. Ying turned her head, her silver-white hair spreading out. She complained to the black-haired boy standing nearby with a pained expression: "Brother, say something! Don't you have any thoughts on this? What reason do we have to exist as Divine Mechanisms? What reason do we have to live?"
"Sister, I don't have the mind to care about such things right now..."
The handsome youth covered his heart with one hand. Although there was no beating heart beneath his butler's uniform and skin, there was a rapidly spinning energy core. Lin, with a look of utter despair, performed countless complex mental calculations regarding the damaged Lord's Mansion: "Repair is more troublesome than rebuilding. This expense has to come out of the already tight liquid funds. The money we got from selling those White Dragon materials last time will have to be spent again... Ah!"
Covering his heart with both hands, the Divine Mechanism youth closed his eyes in pain, pursing his thin lips as if to keep himself from crying out in anguish.
When the Bloodline Dragon first unleashed its dragon breath and collapsed the wall, Lin and Ying, who were already nearby, came close. But clearly, the furious Joshua did not notice his weapons' expectant gazes. Instead, he flew straight into the sky, chasing after the two fleeing dragons.
In fact, one minute after the battle began, the old dwarf Moria, who was originally in the other mansion, came to take a look. He clicked his tongue, shook his head with a few sighs, and then returned to the other mansion, completely unconcerned about Joshua's safety.
In his view, rather than worrying about that monster who could fight evenly with an Ultimate Wild God, it was better to grind himself a cup of elf coffee that Claire had sent from the Far South to wake himself up. Recently, with a burst of inspiration, he had gained a new understanding of the structure and forging methods of rune plates. To solidify his inspiration into a real entity, the old dwarf still needed to work hard for a while. He didn't have time to care about people who didn't need caring.
Just as Lin took out a notebook and began scribbling with a frown, and Ying sat on a pile of wall rubble looking up at the moon, Joshua, Atanis, and Loranda leisurely walked over from outside the city.
Along the way, many citizens greeted Joshua, and the warrior waved back one by one. Some adventurers and mercenaries even applauded from afar to congratulate the Lord who had once again slain a dragon. Joshua did not hide his smile. Even the pain of having his home damaged was lessened by the joy of returning.
Behind the trio, city guards carried two huge dragon heads into the city. They would place these heads in the center of the square. By tomorrow morning, hired mages would process the materials accordingly. In the meantime, the citizens could admire their lord's achievements. Previously, when Joshua went to the White Dragon's lair to slaughter dragons, although it was widely praised by adventurers who happened to witness it, there was no particularly shocking physical evidence. These two ferocious Bloodline Dragon heads would surely elevate his reputation even further.
"...What a vibrant city. Usually in winter, people in the south hide indoors and try not to go out."
Watching this scene, Loranda murmured with emotion. He saw some young girls still wearing short skirts and short sleeves in the cold November weather and was deeply shocked: "Aren't they... cold?!"
Joshua curiously looked in the direction of the paladin's gaze, then shook his head in disappointment: "It's okay. The weather is still a few degrees above zero, not below freezing yet. No ice means it's not winter, at most late autumn."
And even if it froze, these northern girls would wear skirts until December and the early New Year blizzards. He didn't say that part out loud.
"Remarkable constitution. No wonder folklore books say the north often produces brave and skilled warriors..."
Muttering softly, Loranda saw the Lord's Mansion ahead, just as he imagined. The back wall had completely collapsed, and the backyard was a mess. But unexpectedly, a series of footsteps sounded, and two light figures trotted over to Joshua's side.
"Master, this is the list of losses."
The leading black-haired youth had bright golden eyes, a handsome face with slightly sharp features. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his shoulder-length hair was a bit messy. He came before the warrior and immediately handed the notebook in his hand to the sighing Joshua. Behind him stood a silver-haired girl with snow-white skin, hair reaching her waist, and eyes shimmering with firefly-like light. Although she looked very cute, her running posture was as bold as a boy's, completely unconcerned about the flying hem of her skirt or the crystal ornament about to slip from her hair... Her expression seemed somewhat displeased?
"Alright, I understand... Well done. Thank you for your hard work."
Patting Lin's head, Joshua messed up his already disheveled hair even more. He looked at the detailed records of losses and the repair costs in the notebook, sighed again, and closed it. The warrior naturally noticed Ying's slight sulkiness and realized he had once again hurt his weapons' feelings. He could only promise: "Alright, alright, this time it was my fault. Honestly, bringing you along would have made the fight much easier. I'll definitely bring you next time, okay?"
It was already a one-sided slaughter. Using weapons would have been too unfair to those dragons.
Before this thought could finish passing through his mind, No. 3's magical projection floated unsteadily over the Lord's Mansion. The artificial intelligence's external communication interface was expressionless, her long, sky-blue hair swaying as if real in the wind. Black wings extended from behind her slender waist, gently fluttering on either side of her petite body.
"Looks like nothing's wrong..."
Her gaze—a scanning spell—swept over the group before her. No. 3 muttered to herself, then floated unsteadily away, leaving the Lord's Mansion under everyone's watchful eyes.
Having recently replenished her energy with ample magic crystals, this artificial intelligence girl could now project herself over most of the city. She had grown fond of this strange mode of movement. According to No. 3, this non-optimal way of moving gave her a long-lost sense of pleasure, helping her soul, fractured by a millennium of solitude, heal faster.
Since she put it that way, Joshua could only let her be. It wasn't like they were short on energy. As long as she was happy.
"Another strange person," Atanis muttered, stroking his beard. The paladin beside him fixed his gaze on the fading magical projection and whispered to himself: "Ghost? Winged Human? Winged Human ghost? Intelligent undead? Could it be a Lich?"
In an instant, he came up with several guesses, then dismissed them all one by one. Finally, Loranda had a sudden realization: "Ah, a magical projection! No wonder it looks so much like a ghost but lacks negative energy or shadow aura... But where did a Winged Human come from?"
Before one question was resolved, a new one arose... This Lord's Mansion was truly diverse.
However, the paladin turned to look at the youth and girl who had quietly followed behind Joshua, the ones who had called him "master" earlier. He thought for a moment, then spoke slowly, with a serious yet hesitant tone: "Mr. Joshua."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Joshua, who was pondering which materials from the Bloodline Dragon and White Dragon to sell to cover the funding gap, responded instinctively, then frowned again at the notebook in his hand.
Loranda didn't notice this. With a solemn and somewhat awkward expression, he said to the warrior before him: "Although this might be your personal preference..."
Hearing this, Joshua turned his head, looking puzzled.
Pausing, the paladin glanced at Ying and Lin, then at the distant figure of No. 3. He took a deep breath and said softly: "Laying hands on children is against imperial law and doctrine!"
Joshua: "...Huh?"
(To be continued.)