The next day, three other dragon riders and I flew to the valley. The orcs had vastly enhanced their defenses since the last time I saw them. Their palisades snaked around like labyrinths, and, perhaps in fear of the flooding, they had constructed evacuation routes with moats and mounds of dirt. If they’d stayed here, they would definitely have been a problem. In fact, they might have intended to settle there permanently; they had also erected rows of longhouses.
But there was an even bigger difference. The orcs, who had swarmed in unnerving masses last time I was here, had left only a meager rearguard and disappeared. The vastness, might, and majesty of their defenses made the tiny numbers even more striking.
Those remaining soldiers hurriedly gathered the moment they saw the dragons overhead, but such a small force would be no threat so long as we didn’t get too close. We let them be and continued our scouting. As we’d discussed, I made sure a dragon was always posted above me before I carefully descended toward the forest. There was a chance they had simply pretended to retreat and were still lurking in the woods.
I did my rounds low and slow. At times, animals would jump out, spooked by the dragons, but other than that, the forest was quiet and still. Before I realized it, I had reached the edge, and the shadows of the trees were stretching out before me. The sun was already starting to sink. It had been midday by the time we arrived, so this was expected, given the season.
I looked for Rigel, who was also searching the forest. I immediately spotted him on Greilgon, his trusty steed with emerald-green wings. His backup’s dragon was black and gold, its wings decorated with a gaudy tiger pattern, the perfect landmark.
I waved at Rigel. After waiting for him to notice and wave back, I signaled for us to return to base. He immediately signaled back. With our hands, we let each other know that we’d seen nothing out of the ordinary. The orcs really were gone. They weren’t in the forest either. We could exchange detailed information once we returned.
When we touched down at the gate, Herbert gave us a warm welcome.
“As expected of the hero! Your tactics were splendid! To think you really could turn those orcs away with no more than the strength of the dragon riders! You have my admiration!” He hugged me and patted me on the back.
“I only made the suggestion. It is the dragon riders who made it a reality.”
I peeled him off of me, and for some reason, the gate garrison who were watching us cheered. Undeterred by my rejection, Herbert turned to Rigel and hugged him too.
“Splendid work, Rigel! You’ve redeemed yourself! The dragon riders now have a new claim to fame!”
Rigel immediately tried to shake him off but was confused to find that he couldn’t. Though he was slight of build, Rigel’s muscles had been trained in a way worthy of the captain of the riders. Yet he stood no match against Herbert. I later learned that in his mercenary days, Herbert had been renowned for his monstrous brute strength when swinging around a war hammer. Legend had it that he’d sent eight orcs flying with one swing.
Would the same thing have happened to me if I hadn’t possessed my hero’s powers? There was no worse way to die than being hugged to death by an old man. I thanked the mysterious entity who’d bestowed these powers upon me.
Herbert finally came to his senses and let Rigel go. And, while Rigel had sweated up a storm in the process, he held out his hand and they exchanged a firm handshake.
“Long live the hero! Our savior!”
“Hail to his name!”
“Glory to the dragon riders!”
“Cheers!”
If the orcs had marched on the gate, the garrison would have been the first to go. Hearing their cheers, I finally realized what had just happened. To me, it was my first victory since I came to this world, albeit a narrow one. To them, it was everything.
✦ ✦ ✦
A few days after we confirmed the orc army’s retreat, Rigel and I were led to the royal audience chamber, where we reported to His Majesty. By then, the orc rearguard had pulled out too, and the mouth of the valley was left completely vacant. Upon hearing this, the boy king lauded our achievements.
“Commendable work. I must say, you did a splendid job driving away such a large army with only meager losses! The dragon riders have renewed their past glory and shown their worth in a new era. No one would dare call you useless anymore. Our nation’s strongest shall always be the dragon riders.”
“You speak too highly of me, Sire!” Rigel said. “We owe it all to the hero’s tactics. We served as no more than his limbs.”
Despite his attempt at humility, Rigel’s shoulders were shaking in glee. The head of the Knights Templar, who stood by His Majesty’s side, looked down at him with a bitter look on his face.
What’s that man so angry about? From his expression, you’d think he prefers orcs to Rigel.
The head of the royal guard kept a low profile behind the king but, like His Majesty, looked relieved at the good news. The courtiers also patted their chests in relief. In the corner of the room, that mysterious old man with the sharp eyes stood like a statue, his expression unchanging. Never mind his emotions—I could hardly feel his presence. He was like a seasoned hunter lurking unnoticed by his prey.
His Majesty turned to me.
“As expected of a hero. You’re versed in strategy as well as fighting!”
“I am honored by your high praise.”
“Incidentally, Hero, would you care to lend me your wisdom and courage one more time?” he asked casually.
“Yes, so long as I can be of some use.”
When we met at the reporting ceremony, I had resolved to be of as much use to him as I could. Seeing him do his best to put on a brave act as he shouldered the fate of humanity, who wouldn’t feel the same?
I had made a promise to Liana too. Promises to the dead must be honored, no matter the world.
“As field marshal, I want you to end a territory dispute.”
Ugh. Despite my resolve, that was definitely going to be a pain. Maybe I can find a way out of this…
“Your Majesty, when you appointed me to my position, you told me to do my best not to get involved in any human conflicts. I am from another world—an outsider. If possible, I would like to stick to my initial policy.”
I’d somehow thrown together a totally plausible rationalization, but he immediately saw the flaw in it.
“It’s a bit late for that,” he replied. “I heard you brought quite a skillful end to the conflict in Morsharz. Without notifying me, at that.”
Okay, but I didn’t get involved because I wanted to. I was dragged into it.
“I can only say that the matter was a pure coincidence,” I said. “Luckily, those involved did not wish for conflict. The peace was achieved not by my power but by God’s design.” It would be too pathetic to say I was strung along by a woman, so I blamed it on God. He can’t argue with that, can he?
He could. “Then that makes the hero an agent of God’s will. I can think of no one better to suppress the conflicts.”
The king was making me out to be a messenger of God. No, I guess that was my original setting? As I racked my brains for some clever retort, His Majesty continued on with the same buoyant attitude. “No need to worry, the war has already been settled. All you need to do is show your face.”
“What do you mean it’s settled?”
What am I supposed to do, then?
“You are to clean up afterward. If I make you the agent of authority, then the victor can wield their power, and the losers will have an excuse to accept their losses. The peace treaties have already been established; all that remains is for my proxy to sit at their signing.”
I see. Then it wouldn’t be too much trouble after all.
“Very well,” I said. “Then I shall put an end to these unproductive quarrels in Your Majesty’s name. Incidentally, what region will I be suppressing?”
“Kerulgarz.”
Where had I heard that name before?
“What are you playing dumb for? Kerulgarz is just south of your own territory.”
And so, I was shipped off to Kerulgarz, a land devastated by civil war.