As we left the forest, the voices of the troops began to rise in celebration. Each and every one of them forgot their fatigue as they frolicked and rejoiced. Ahead of us, a massive mountain range towered, blocking our way like a wall. Even though it was still quite a distance away, I had to crane my neck to see its summit. It would not be feasible to cross these mountains on foot.
Of course, these cliffs were not the reason for the jubilation. Hands, waving gaily, pointed out the gate built into a narrow valley between the mountains. Commonly called Dragonjaw Gate, it was the sole passage through Dragonbone Ridge, the boundary between the worlds of orc and humanity. Our goal was finally in sight.
“Hear me, hear me! Keep your guard up! Those dogs are still hot on our scent!” Rigel tried to rein them in, but even he was unable to conceal the hint of relief in his voice.
As luck would have it, we managed to reach the gate without facing another attack. Dragonjaw Gate was more like a massive dam than a fortress. The Dragonbone Ridge was so huge by comparison that the gate’s true size was impossible to grasp from afar. Up close, it overwhelmed the senses with its sheer height and bulk. Rigel told me that the walls were approximately 1.2 kilometers across, forty meters thick at the thickest point, and a towering two hundred meters high. While the walls looked like slabs of concrete, they were actually constructed from stone, but one would have to go right up to them and peer closely to see the joints between the piled-up stones.
Snowmelt from the mountains pooled on the other side of the gate’s protective walls. If needed, the floodgates—carved with a massive water dragon, thus the name—could be opened, and the narrow pass would fill with enough water to wash away any encroaching army.
According to legend, back in the times when humanity ruled much of this world, a great magician employed giants to build this gate. While I couldn’t know the truth of the matter, it would certainly be a trial and a half to construct such a thing without magic. Maybe, just maybe, the magician had been an otherworlder like me—although one with skills that I most definitely lacked.
The strongest fortification of Dragonjaw Gate actually lay beneath it: a massive magic circle laid by that same great magician. Using the mana flowing through the earth, it covered the entirety of the protective walls with a barrier that blocked any and all projectiles. As a matter of fact, I was summoned here on top of that very circle.
This gate was probably the reason this world’s humans showed so little concern about the orcs. Protected by such a peerless fortress, they felt little danger. However, the fact that I had been summoned surely meant there was some crisis threatening humanity itself. Things were definitely not as peaceful as they seemed.
✦ ✦ ✦
The head of Dragonjaw Gate’s defensive garrison came out to greet us. His name was Herbert, as I recalled. Cordial and trusted by the guards, he was a living rags-to-riches story, a poor farmer who’d risen to success via his accomplishments in the military. I’d met him when I was summoned, and I found him to be a cheerful, sociable old man. I was surprised to see that his expression now was stiff.
“You’ve returned early… Where might Her Highness be?” he asked timidly after letting us in.
Herbert had looked after the princess with Rigel when she was young and was still one of her most ardent devotees. When we set out, he’d pleaded with me to protect her. I remember him saying something like “Her Highness has been blessed with a rare knack for strategy, but she can at times be oblivious to danger. A show of courage from the general may pep up the soldiers, but that mustn’t be taken too far… Oh, Hero! Please, protect Her Highness! Surely that is why God sent us his chosen. Please help her.”
Rigel remained silent. The reduced forces that had staggered back, the wagons full of the injured, the ragged priests, and, more than anything, the look on his face should have made it obvious what had happened. Still, Herbert needed to hear it to be sure.
He spoke in as cheery a voice as he could muster. “I see it now. Her Highness sent the priests home so she could take command of the pursuit. You can’t move fast with priests, after all! She’ll be back soon, won’t she? Shall I keep the door open for her? Once the gate is shut, it’s quite troublesome to—”
“Her Highness isn’t coming back.” Rigel cut him off, his voice tight. “They’ll catch up soon. Close the gate.”
“Then the princess is…”
“I’m ashamed to say.”
The two old men fell silent.