Chapter 137 – Mutual Justice

The full moon shone a pale gold in the lonely, pitch-black night sky, illuminating the meeting of two people in a room within the palace of Elrond.

“I never could’ve thought that you and I would be sharing a drink again like this. I’m truly glad that you’re safe.”

One of the individuals was King Dragia, the supreme commander of the allied forces that toppled the Empire. In his hand was a glass of wine.

“Hahahah! There’s no way I’d die that easily!” Ze’ev laughed, tipping the wine in the glass into his throat with relish.

“As expected of the War Wolf. So?” (King Dragia)

“Mm? What do you mean by ‘so’?” (Ze’ev)

“You know what I mean. Why did you bring that unknown merchant?” (King Dragia)

King Dragia directed a penetrating glance at Ze’ev. However, Ze’ev showed no signs of agitation, simply returning an easygoing smile.

“You understand, right? Right now, there’s no one else in our way. It’s true that we encountered a light pocket and things have ended up this way. While we do need information on this end, there should be no need for us to have to rely on an otherworlder.” (King Dragia)

“Glug, glug… Ahhh~” (Ze’ev)

“Are you listening, Ze’ev?” (King Dragia)

“Yeah, I’m listenin’. I mean, why are you so against Hakumen? He’s a fellow garbel and all.” (Ze’ev)

“…He was quite shady. He had the smell and appearance of a garbel, but…” (King Dragia)

“Then instead of turning him away at the gate, why did you actually hear him out? If you weren’t gonna trust him, wouldn’t it have been better to just kick him out at the very beginning?” (Ze’ev)

Hearing Ze’ev’s question, he let out a ‘…hmm’ with a pensive look on his face.

“Perhaps because he was a silver fox?” (Ze’ev)

“Then do you plan to have that business meeting with Hakumen three days from now?” (Ze’ev)

“I had no such plans.” (King Dragia)

“See, I knew it.” (Ze’ev)

“No matter what world we get transported to, we still have this much power and influence in our hands. We’ll always be able to deal with it. The first matter of course is to stabilize our own position and lay down a strong foundation. After that, it won’t be too late to negotiate with otherworlders or outsiders.” (King Dragia)

“You were always someone who stuck to his own people, I guess. When I heard you were gonna join forces with the hurons to defeat the Empire, I must say I was pretty shocked.” (Ze’ev)

“That’s my line. When I heard that you, one of the Four Heavenly Beastmasters who was widely renowned as the strongest powerhouse of the kingdom of Agnidora, left the country to become an adventurer, I thought it was a complete nightmare. And right after you had been appointed to that position, no less.”

“Hahahaha! My bad on that!” (Ze’ev)

“But why? You still haven’t told me the reason.” (King Dragia)

“………..” (Ze’ev)

“Every time I saw you, I always asked why. But you always laughed and brushed it off. Isn’t it about time for you to tell me the reason?” (King Dragia)

King Dragia leveled an intent gaze at Ze’ev, as if saying he wouldn’t let him go this time. Ze’ev filled his cup with more alcohol, took a sip, and quietly spoke.

“I… wanted to see the world.” (Ze’ev)

“The world…?” (King Dragia)

“I was born and raised in Agnidora, and I didn’t know the first thing about the outside world. All I had ever known were the rules that existed in Agnidora.” (Ze’ev)

“That’s not something you should have to worry about, though. We must protect our own countries and the citizens who live there.” (King Dragia)

“….Do you remember, King Dragia? That day I was selected as one of the four Heavenly Beastmasters. Several huron adventurers had lost their way and ended up in Agnidora.” (Ze’ev)

“Hm? …Did something like that happen?” (King Dragia)

“…Ah, I see. To you, it’s not something that would have even stuck in your mind, I suppose.” (Ze’ev)

“What did you say?” (King Dragia)

Ze’ev had muttered that last line under his breath, so King Dragia couldn’t hear him properly.

“No, it’s nothing. Well, something like that happened, and you threw those adventurers into prison without even hearing them out.” (Ze’ev)

“I don’t remember, but it sounds like the obvious measure. They were hurons, no? They might have lied about getting lost in order to assassinate the king or some other important post.” (King Dragia)

“…A few days later, they were publicly executed, without even a trial.” (Ze’ev)

“What’s wrong with that? That should’ve been around the time when the Empire was at its most oppressive reign. Many hurons had given us a rough time. By that time, it was clear that if we showed them any mercy, it would surely backfire on us.” (King Dragia)

“You wouldn’t have known that unless you actually spoke to them!” (Ze’ev)

“…! …Ze’ev, what are you getting so emotional about? It was only a few hurons that were executed, no?” (King Dragia)

“Only… Only…? I learned what it meant to be an adventurer from those guys. They were the first to tell me how being an adventurer was the best profession. They opened my perspective to the freedom it brought—traveling the world, meeting all kinds of different people, and gaining different experiences.” (Ze’ev)

“There certainly was history like that. And even to this day, there are many garbels who don’t think well of hurons. But they can still talk and come to an understanding of each other.” (Ze’ev)

“Something like that is impossible.” (King Dragia)

“No, it’s possible! After hearing their stories, I was moved and wanted to become an adventurer after all!” (Ze’ev)

“So that’s what it was! Because of those guys… look what happened! You were deceived by those hurons, causing our country to lose a valuable military asset!” (King Dragia)

“I…! …I’ve seen a lot of things since I became an adventurer. I traveled around the world, met all kinds of people… There were tough and painful times, but… I had a lot of fun. I even made some great friends.” (Ze’ev)

“…Are you talking about Julaf?” (King Dragia)

“He was just another guy who became an adventurer because he had doubts about the way the hurons were running the Empire.” (Ze’ev)

“……..” (King Dragia)

“I know that deep down, you don’t really trust Julaf. Partly because he came from the Empire, but more than anything else, because he’s a huron, right?” (Ze’ev)

“…Of course. He certainly is a talented man, and the hurons trust him greatly. That’s why we had no choice but to use him to bring down the Empire.” (King Dragia)

“Haha, that’s quite blunt of you. I told you before, he’s my best friend, you know?” (Ze’ev)

“You’re just mistaken, that’s all. It’s okay for now. You fought together in the war, and you both still remain close because of that lingering sense of camaraderie. But that is all simply on the surface. Someday… Hurons will definitely try to eliminate us garbels. You said that I was someone who preferred to stick to his own people, but ultimately, the hurons are far guiltier of that very same tendency. When the heat of war has cooled off completely, the differences in race will come back strong. And then… another war will break out.” (King Dragia)

“Therefore, I will never trust the hurons… no, any other race. Nor any outsiders! This Empire will be a paradise only for us garbels!” (King Dragia)

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