Lorena and Olgis were not slow. In just a few days, they had already returned to Duanmu Huai's side once again. This time, however, Lorena's expression seemed somewhat tense and uneasy.
"War?"
"Yes…"
Lorena nodded.
"Right now, on this continent, a war between humans and dragons is underway. According to the information we've gathered, there is an evil dragon named Fafnir leading the dragon race, burning, killing, and plundering across the land. They believe that dragons are the supreme rulers of this world and that all other life must submit to them."
"I see… Then has no one tried to destroy it?"
"Legend has it that a knight named Siegfried went to slay the dragon, but there's been no news… most likely, he failed."
"What about Regnis and Manaria? No action from either of them?"
"The situation in Regnis isn't very clear, but Manaria seems to intend to focus on defense…"
"That's a foolish decision."
Duanmu Huai frowned. After hearing Lorena's report, he more or less understood what had happened to this fragment of the world. Clearly, Manaria had chosen to stand by, while Regnis had eventually become a subordinate of the evil dragon, fully igniting the great war between dragons and humans. Although he didn't know exactly how things ended, it was easy to imagine that it had not been a good outcome.
I have to change this ending as soon as possible…
"Is the situation that serious, Sir Knight?"
Seeing Duanmu Huai's grave expression, Lorena asked, and he nodded.
"Yes. I can pretty much guess what that evil dragon is trying to do. It wants to provoke hostility between humans and dragons in this way, then fan the flames and trigger an all-out war between the two sides."
"But, Master…"
Hearing this, Olgis spoke up curiously.
"It's only some dragons attacking humans, right?"
"That's true, but in practice, impressions between races are built up through encounters with individuals. People only see dragons slaughtering humans, but they don't see dragons stepping in to stop it. Naturally, they assume all dragons are equally cruel. Dragons see humans the same way — perhaps they meet weak, incompetent humans and conclude all humans are like that…"
At this, Duanmu Huai spread his hands and shrugged.
"Within humanity itself, each organization, each race, each nation also forms its first impressions of others this way. For example, Lorena — people form their impression of the Holy City and the Church through her, so she represents the Holy City's image when she's outside. At least through Lorena, people know the clergy of the Holy City are a very friendly group. That's good for future relations."
Hearing him say this, Lorena lowered her head with an embarrassed smile and straightened her robes. Duanmu Huai chuckled and pointed at himself.
"Like me — if I acted like a heinous criminal in front of the dragons, they'd probably think all humans were vicious villains."
"I see. But, Master…"
Olgis blinked curiously at him.
"Would the dragons even think you're human?"
"…"
Duanmu Huai's face went pale at her question. He stared at Olgis, momentarily speechless.
Betraying your teammate or scoring a critical hit… you really don't hold back.
"In any case… this problem needs to be solved quickly."
He decisively changed the subject; if they kept talking, he felt like his [HP] would drop to zero.
"But… how?"
"I'll talk to Anne and Guleya first."
Although strictly speaking, as an outsider, Duanmu Huai was not in a position to interfere in another country's internal affairs, right now the most important thing was saving this world and preventing the worst outcome. He had no choice but to change his thinking.
The next day at noon, the three gathered once more in the courtyard.
"Sir Knight, what story will you tell today?"
"No story today. I have something important to discuss with you two."
Duanmu Huai shook his head, then looked at Anne and Guleya. Seeing his serious expression, both girls were taken aback.
"Eh? Something important? Don't tell me you're going to confess to us?"
"What are you talking about? Can't you put something else in that head of yours for once?"
He rolled his eyes at Anne's remark.
"Seriously — I want to talk about the evil dragon Fafnir."
"…!"
Anne and Guleya froze for a moment, then their expressions turned solemn. Duanmu Huai fixed his gaze on them.
"Lorena and Olgis have been investigating these past days. We've heard that the evil dragon Fafnir is wreaking havoc across the continent — is that true?"
"This…"
The two exchanged a glance and nodded helplessly.
"Yes, it's true."
"And if our information is correct, neither Manaria nor Regnis has taken action? Why?"
"I don't know what my father is thinking," Anne sighed. Guleya lowered her head.
"Me neither… I believe my father doesn't want to see this situation, but the political climate among the dragons in our country is really hard to coordinate…"
"In other words, there are many dragons in Regnis who agree with Fafnir's views — that because dragons stand at the top of all life, they should rule over other races. Is that it?"
Duanmu Huai stared at Guleya as he asked. She curled up slightly and nodded uneasily.
"Honestly, Sir Knight!"
Anne quickly reached out to hug Guleya.
"It's not her fault — don't be so harsh on her!"
"Sorry, force of habit."
He waved a hand. The moment he opened his mouth, he had fallen into his role as an inquisitor, so his tone naturally became harsher.
"But do you understand the consequences if this continues? One wrong move and dragons and humans will be at full-scale war. Is that acceptable?"
"Eh?!"
Anne's expression changed dramatically, and even Guleya looked up at him in shock.
"Ahahaha… Sir Knight, isn't that a bit alarmist? After all, it's just one evil dragon…"
"But the dragons haven't stopped it."
He cut her off.
"If dragons don't stop it, humans will take that as support. That means, in their eyes, Fafnir's words are acknowledged by the dragon race. And so, to humans, all dragons are like Fafnir — trying to destroy and rule over them, enemies to be fought."
"That's… that's not true!"
Anne stood up and shouted.
"Guleya isn't like that! I know she's kind and gentle! She's nothing like that evil dragon!"
"Anne…"
Guleya looked at her with a pleased expression, but Duanmu Huai promptly poured cold water over the moment.
"Even if that's true, how will you convince others to believe it? Not to mention, at the academy, not all students are willing to associate with Guleya, right?"
"This…"
Both girls fell silent. It was true — like Duanmu Huai, Guleya was largely shunned at Manaria, mainly because of her identity as a dragonkin. She wasn't entirely without friends, but many students still kept her at a respectful distance.
"But… what do you suggest we do?!"
Anne, unable to think of a solution, turned her frustration on him.
"This isn't even a problem we can solve, is it?"
"Of course… not."
He shook his head.
"If you were just ordinary students, then sure. But you're both princesses — you represent not just yourselves, but your countries. Whether it's you, Anne, or you, Guleya, your people will watch your every move. Right now, with the evil dragon running rampant, your actions represent your nations' stance. And… I do have a way to fix this. In fact, although the invasion of the evil dragon is a disaster, it also holds… opportunity."
"Eh?"
The two girls blinked in unison.
"Opportunity?"
"That's right. If the dragons want to improve relations with humans, then they can take this chance to fight alongside humans against the evil dragon's army. That way, they can at least show humans that not all dragons share Fafnir's views — that dragons, like humans, have different ideas and positions."
He spread his hands.
"So, my idea is for Manaria and Regnis to jointly form an expedition to defeat the evil dragon. If they can destroy it, the whole problem will be solved. The dragon will be gone, relations between humans and dragons will improve, and everything will be fine."
At any time, the best way to resolve internal conflict was to find an external enemy. Just like during the Empire's Three Emperors War — if not for a certain vampire's selfless, internationalist decision to travel all the way to Altdorf to die, the Empire's civil strife might not have ended so quickly.
"This…"
Anne and Guleya were stunned by his plan.
"Will it really be that simple?"
"If everything goes well, yes. Or do you plan to wait until Fafnir attacks Manaria to think about this?"
"Eh? Fafnir will attack Manaria?"
Anne's eyes widened, but Duanmu Huai remained calm.
"Of course. Manaria is the most magically powerful nation on this continent, right?"
"Yes."
Anne nodded.
"Lord Seraph Manaria bestowed magic upon us, and under that power, our kingdom has flourished."
"Exactly. If I were Fafnir, I'd attack Manaria first. From a dragon's standpoint, once they destroy the strongest human nation, the rest of humanity will be at their mercy."
Hearing this, the two princesses' expressions grew ever more serious. They might look like girls of sixteen or seventeen, but as princesses — and not mere ornamental pawns for marriage alliances — they understood just how dire the situation was.
"I understand."
Anne stood up.
"I'll write to my father immediately and explain the situation."
"Me too."
Guleya nodded firmly.
"I'll contact my father and discuss a countermeasure."
"Then I'll leave it to you. Although the Holy City can't send troops for the war against the evil dragon, we will represent the Holy City and join the expedition against it."
Hearing the princesses' responses, Duanmu Huai finally felt some relief.
With his warning, at least… things shouldn't get any worse.
(End of Chapter)