2-1 Part 2
Ashley, Last in Line for the Throne
- The Evil Dragon and the Strange Book
-
Translator : PolterGlast
I dug silently. I simply swung my Shovel in silence
until the sun went down. I am a child of the Emperor, but this suits my
nature far better.
My heart feels at peace; it feels liberating. It is much
better than the suffocating court. There is also the dream of finding
unexpected treasures. Well... there are many days when I strike out, though.
Right now, I am excavating an old residence. A building is,
so to speak, a treasure chest; my objectives are almost always found indoors. I
finally dug up a window, so I kicked through the window of the excavated house
and entered.
My objective is books from another world. I lit my lantern
and searched for a bookshelf as a priority. Instead, I found a staircase going
down, so I proceeded, but it turned out to be a bust.
“Just one bad thing after another today...”
However, after a while, I noticed something strange. The
upper floor was as good as empty, but the lower level was awfully vast for a
residence.
I found a door. Curious about what lay beyond, I kicked it
open to find a long, endless corridor continuing deep, deep inside. There was a
vast hollow underground. From the perspective of the other-worldly study known
as Archaeology, this would likely be a major discovery.
I advanced through the dark corridor lined with white stone
pillars. The underground space, which seemed endless, apparently had an end. An
absurdly vast altar appeared before my eyes, and there stood some kind of
gigantic structure.
Is it a statue modeled after a god or something? I brought
my lantern close and touched the object, which reflected the light in blue.
Then, I felt a strange warmth.
“No... it can't be... is this...?!”
Be it stone or metal, would it possess the warmth of human
skin? Would it suddenly move, shaking the earth as it lifted its body?
It was not a statue of a god; it was alive. Was it because I
touched it? The gigantic creature sleeping underground opened its glowing eye
sockets and looked down at the intruder from high above. Today really is an
unlucky day...
『Do not worry. I do not possess a
hobby of eating humans.』
It was a Blue Giant Dragon. The dragon, massive as a
fortress, brought its dragon eyes and dangerous jaws close to the tiny human, Ashley.
I am not a very brave man. I panicked, thinking I would be eaten, but the other
party seemed to have no intention of doing so. According to his own claim, at
least.
『Ashley, I knew you would come.』
“Don't startle me like that. Or rather, how do you know me?”
『I saw you digging up the ground from
down here. Now then, Ashley, it is sudden, but let me give you a reward
for finding me.』
“A reward, huh? That depends on hearing your identity first.
Who are you?”
『Well asked. My name is Evil
Dragon Zirant. Well, just watch for a moment.』
He called himself an Evil Dragon, but I didn't get a
very ominous impression. In the first place, if he were truly an evil
existence, he would likely lie and call himself a God or a Holy Dragon. In that
case, is this dragon suffering from what is called Middle School Syndrome
in the language of the other world?
However, I couldn't believe it. The massive body of Evil Dragon
Zirant suddenly began to shrink. I rubbed my eyes multiple times, and Zirant
vanished; incredibly, only a woman holding a small book appeared in his place.
“Are you... Zirant?”
“Indeed.”
That wasn't all. She was the same as me. A woman possessing
the same Dragon Eyes appeared there, and I couldn't help but feel moved
and sense a kinship with her.
“I see... A giant dragon turning into a beautiful woman;
it’s just like the world inside a book from another dimension. ...No, you are a
bit too young to be called a beautiful woman.”
“I must thank you, after all. Here, take this. This is the Tome
of the Evil Dragon Zirant... It is a guidebook that will drastically grow
its owner every time the assignments written herein are fulfilled. From now on,
none other than I shall make you the Emperor...”
So an Evil Dragon can make jokes too. He says he will
make a Seventh Son who cannot even call himself a Prince—the lowest in
succession rank and shunned by his father—into the Emperor.
“I appreciate it, but it's impossible. Do you know what the
current Emperor calls me? An abomination. I am the stain of the
Imperial Family. The time I become Emperor will be the time this country
falls.”
“I shall overturn all of that as well. I guarantee it. If
you accept this book, your destiny will change. Now, take it, Ashley...
If you do not wish to end your life as an abomination, accept my power...”
However, this was right after that incident with Brother Georg.
The thought of refusing didn't cross my mind; I simply stared at the girl who
still retained an air of innocence, gazing into her blue Dragon Eyes.
There was something I had thought for a long time. That
perhaps I am not human. And that the person before my eyes is the very kin I
should be siding with.
I accepted the small book from her. That was the Tome of
the Evil Dragon. It was an object with a strange sensation, as if the hot,
strong power of Evil Dragon Zirant flowed into me just by holding it.
“Good boy, Ashley. Although, I am far from fully
revived, so I shall borrow your body for a while.”
I wanted to be of help to her, who possessed the same
appearance as me. Shortly after, Zirant rested her head against my chest
and wrapped both arms around my back, accompanied by a warm body temperature.
Then, she vanished. She vanished, and only the Strange
Tome, written with nothing but unreasonable demands, remained. Was it all
my imagination? I thought so, but the book glowing in the darkness denied that.
My life is one that could be erased at any moment anyway. A
life as the pawn of an Evil Dragon might not be altogether bad.
— Adventure —
- 【Head to the Adventurer's Guild】
- Completion
Reward: EXP 100 / Premonition
of an Encounter
- “Do
not be picky.”
— Exploration —
- 【Lap the Imperial Capital 5 times】
- Completion
Reward: VIT +50
- “Walk,
do not run.”
— Purge —
- 【Bury 1 Villain】
- Completion
Reward: EXP 200 / Shovel LV
+1
- “Put
an end to the breath of evil. Acquire the courage to execute justice.”
— Investment —
- 【Spend a total of 10,000 Crowns】
- Completion
Reward: EXP 1000 / Premonition
of an Encounter
- “Do
not waste money.”
Wait a minute, there are quite a few mixed in there that
make me want to retract my previous statement...
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