Side Stories: Chapter 21

People wanted to get up close to the dragon. Due to the dragon’s enormous size, it was better to look at it from far away, but when people saw something interesting, they tended to want to get as close as possible and even touch it. However, people had to stop once they approached a specific distance as there were lines around the dragon.

Yet, these lines only signaled to people that they must not pass over a specific area and didn’t have any sort of power to stop the people. The fully-armored, intimidating Miftil Kingdom knights were the ones who truly stopped people from getting closer. Though the knights looked fearsome and severe, people thought their presence was natural for guarding something like the dragon. Yet, even these knights weren’t the only ones guarding the dragon. There were forces dispatched to surrounding buildings and knights disguised in casual clothing surveying the situation. The one in charge of commanding all these guards was Wesker. He stood in front of the dragon while armored from head to toe.

‘This is the dragon,’ Wesker thought. He didn’t show it outwardly, but his admiration and astonishment for the dragon were the same as the general public. Even though he experienced first-hand how great the dragon was buying a piece of its body for a steal from Lara, that was child’s play compared to the completed replication of the dragon from the Karuwimans.

Still, it was the corpse of a dead dragon. People instinctively felt fear from the dragon’s gigantic and immense appearance, but they didn’t run away in fear. After all, how could a corpse pose any danger to humans? Knowing that this giant corpse would soon regain its explosive, lively days, Wesker wondered, ‘Will I be able to beat it?’

The sight of the dragon’s body overwhelmed him slightly, but Wesker quickly shook his head. He told himself, ‘Don’t be silly, Wesker Grashane. Of course, you can beat it.’

It was even a danger that humans had never encountered. There was no way he wouldn’t be able to accomplish what others had already done.

‘Furthermore, even if we can’t deal with it on our own, it’s okay.’ All the dragon slayers were gathered here. If Wesker and his subordinates fell into danger, the dragon slayers could help them out. Furthermore, they were at the Karuwimans’ main base, and there was an overflowing number of skilled priests here including the Pope, the Saintness, cardinals, and so on. As long as he didn’t die an instant death, he wouldn’t have to worry about losing his life.

‘No matter how strong a dragon is, I can hold out until reinforcements come,’ Wesker thought. Nonetheless, he would be able to gain the title of a dragon slayer. Even if this was an undead dragon, it was still a dragon after all.

‘There’s a low risk of danger while I have many things to gain.’ The fear that tickled his heart gradually disappeared—no, he forcefully repressed it and filled it up with imaginations of people showering him with cheers and praises. He could vision the scene of his glory again right before his eyes.

Simultaneously, Wesker knew that he needed to be on high alert especially at a time like this. So, he went through his plan all over in his head again.

‘There’s nothing missing.’ He did everything he could. Did any of the Karuwimans or the others notice his plan then?

‘No, there’s no sign of that.’ Wesker thought of his collaborator’s warning of Zich. Wesker also thought he should be on his guard on Zich and carefully observed him. Yet, Zich showed no special movements; all he did was thoroughly enjoy the festival with his companions. His collaborator noticed the same thing.

‘Did I hide my tracks perfectly? Or did that guy become soft from peace?’ Wesker thought it didn’t matter either way as long as there was no one hindering his plan.

“Marquess Browning,” Wesker said to Fejiadiru standing next to him.

“Yes, Duke Grashane,” Fejiadiru said and lowered his head.

“Prepare the knights again. We can’t fail until the end.”

“I understand.” Fejiadiru approached the other knights again and made sure they were alert. Wesker watched this and looked back at the dragon again.

***

The dragon was presented right in front of Yuras. As time passed, the crowd in front of the dragon grew bigger and bigger. Not only was the dragon displayed there, but there were important events scheduled to happen around the area so it was natural for people to gather there. High-ranking officials from many countries had already taken their seats in the VIP section near the Yuras temple.

Many people were talking amongst themselves, but a majority of the crowd stood fixated in front of the dragon and gaped at its greatness. People had heard a lot about the dragon’s appearance, but it was different seeing it in person. As the participants of the festival had gathered already, the central figures of the festival—the dragon slayers—finally began to show themselves. Special seats were also arranged for them and people cheered them on.

Some people stared blankly, some waved their hands, and some smiled. Though they all showed different responses, there was a sense of pride on all of their faces. The cheers reached their peak when Zich led his companions to the center stage. Zich was the representative of the dragon slayers, the contributors to the massive task of annihilating the Bellids and defeating the dragons. His name and fame were above everyone else’s.

Zich leisurely got to his assigned seat. He sat closest to the Pope’s seat and he could see the people and the dragon all at once. Next to him, Lyla, Hans, and the other companions sat down.

“They restored it pretty well.” It seemed like Lyla was also quite impressed with the dragon’s restoration.

“Come to think of it, isn’t it your first time seeing a dragon in its perfect form?” Zich said.

“It’s my first time as Lyla.” Serpina had seen one, but that wasn’t her. So, it was her first time seeing one.

“Well, you were very deeply asleep at that time.”

“Even while I was sleeping, I gave you all the help I could. Don’t talk as if I was a lazy bum.”

“But I never said it like that?”

“So you want to go that route?”

Zich and Lyla chatted calmly while huge crowds looked at them with piercing eyes.

Whoooooo! They heard the sound of a bugle. Whether the people were chatting or admiring the dragon, everyone stopped what they were doing.

“It’s starting,” Lyla said softly.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! The bells in the city began to ring in unison, and the people cheered loudly. The bugles rumbled loudly, and the drums heightened people’s emotions. The knights of the Miftil Kingdom guarding the dragon slowly pushed the crowd away. After they pushed the crowd a sufficient distance away, a new line was formed to create a boundary. Then an empty space appeared in front of the dragon. The bugle made a louder sound, and the interval between the drum beats got shorter and shorter.

Then the music stopped, and the ringing bells also stopped. When only the roar of the crowd could be heard, a priest climbed up a high platform and shouted loudly, “We will now start the first anniversary celebration of the Bellid conquest!”

The crowd cheered louder than ever before. Inside the space they created, holy knights with their spears raised high entered from one side, and priests with their staffs raised high entered from the other side. They stopped in formation in front of the dragon, and with the sound of a bugle, the head of the Karuwimans, the Pope, appeared with the Saintess. People madly cheered for the Pope and the Saintess, and they waved their hands toward the people with a kind smile. When the Pope and Saintess sat down, the event officially began.

Lubella put on her work smile and looked at the square. Her eyes shifted toward the troops of the Miftil Kingdom standing guard. She looked at Wesker especially carefully. ‘There’s a possibility that he might be up to something.’

She heard from the others about Wesker as well.

Since he might interfere with the event that the Karuwimans were hosting with so much effort and care, Lubella naturally felt anxious. She wondered what he was planning, and if he really was planning something, she thought about investigating his movements. However, she couldn’t hastily order an investigation because of his high status. Moreover, there was another reason.

‘It’ll be okay since Sir Zich is also staying quiet as well.’ Lubella thought if Wesker’s plan was a dangerous one, Zich would already be making his move to solve it.

‘There are talks about how his senses might have dulled because peace made him soft, but there’s no way that’s true.’ Lubella couldn’t imagine that ever happening to Zich. Anyway, Lubella thought that since Zich was staying still, Wesker wasn’t going to interfere with the festival. Even if he was, it was going to be a very trivial event. Lubella slowly erased the worries in her mind and decided to focus on the festival.

The festival was slowly heading for the climax. People enjoyed the huge event by clapping, laughing, and cheering. It was the same for those in the VIP seats.

Hans was also enjoying the event while talking to Lara who was sitting next to him.

‘What?’

Then his eyes moved towards the dragon for a moment. Was he mistaken? It felt like the dragon’s claw had moved slightly. ‘Wait, there’s no way.’

Since Zich had already killed it, there was no way that a reconstructed corpse could move. ‘Is an external force at work?’

Although the dragon wielded tremendous power, it was now just a corpse. It could have been influenced and moved by external forces such as strong winds or shaking of the ground.

‘But I didn’t feel anything like that…’

Then, at that moment—

Zing! Hans clearly saw the dragon’s finger move.

Tap! Hans sprang to his feet. This might be a very trivial phenomenon caused by some coincidental reason that he couldn’t think of, but Hans’ instincts were telling him that there was something very unusual about this movement.

“What’s wrong?” Lara didn’t seem to have noticed; it was the same for the others. They all looked up at Hans with questioning looks when they saw him stand up. Hans tried to explain what he saw, but he was already one step too late.

Ziiing!

“Oh, ohhhhhh!”

“Woooow! The dragon is moving!”

“Woahhhhhhhh!”

The dragon’s legs, which had been standing upright without moving, began to slowly move up. The people seemed to think this was part of the festival and happily enjoyed the sight. However, the Karuwimans hosting the event were flustered.

“Was that part of the event?”

“I-I don’t know. I’ve never heard of it.”

“I mean, do we even have the technology to move the body like that? Doesn’t that seem more like the Bellids’ undead inst….”

“…”

“…”

The speaker, the listener, and the people around them all immediately closed their mouths. An ominous feeling began to possess their hearts.

“No way!”

Kieeeeckkkkkkkk! The dragon roared in a strange and grotesque voice. At the same time, Bellu’s energy spread all around its surroundings, and people’s faces turned as white as sheets.