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「I-, I wonder… I don’t think he said something like that……?」
『I don’t ever recall you ask me to cooperate! You challenged me, beat me down, tied me up, then cut off my tail all at your own convenience, like the robber you are.』
「Don’t make me sound so evil!」

That being said, Inglis couldn’t deny it, she had given up any prospect of negotiation from the beginning, believing that there was no way Vufailbane would be willing to cooperate in such a request.

「Eh……D-, did I just hear something?!」

Lahti exclaimed.

「What did you mean?」
「No, something… like, something about not ever asking……is this, the dragon’s voice?! You didn’t hear this?!」

Lahti answered Rafinha’s question.

「I didn’t hear anything, you know?」
「Wh-, why only me? Inglis, you can hear it, right?」
「Y-, yeah… I didn’t think you can hear it too, Lahti……」

This was unexpected, but there was no doubt. Lahti had acquired the Dragon Roar by eating Vufailbane’s flesh too. It would have been possible to hear the voice of Vufailbane without the Dragon Roar. Or, if Vufailbane had made adjustments so that other humans would be able to hear his voice too, but then Rafinha should be able to hear it as well.

Inglis had no idea if Lahti’s power would be as strong as her’s, showing the same level of strength as Vufailbane, or not. However, Lahti ate at the same rate any ordinary person would, unlike Inglis or Rafinha, and yet he showed a glimpse of Dragon Roar. It seemed like he was compatible with it. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he was a Runeless? One couldn’t say for sure with just a single example.

「Hey, Lahti, what did the dragon say?」
「Again, he said that all Inglis did was knock him down, tie him up, and cut his tail, and she never asked him to cooperate!」
「……GLIS~? Don’t tell me that Mr. Dragon is actually a good person, and you just force him to fight you even though he didn’t want to?」
「Nononono, I didn’t do that, Rani! He was trying to eat me, you know? So…」
『As a matter of fact, you are right. That girl forced me even though I didn’t want any of this……』
「Mn……?! The dragon said 『she forced me even though I didn’t want to.』」
「Come on! Glis! Why did you lie like that?! It’s bad, you know……!」

Yoink! She pulled her ears tightly.

「Ouch ouch ouch! That’s not true! He is the one who’s lying!」
「Eeeh?!」
「I misjudged you! I never thought a Dragon God would tell such a lowly lie!」
『Hmph. Take it with a grain of salt. After all you’ve done to me, this much should be passable.』
「Is not! You will have to pay me back by fighting me with all your strength!」
『How many times do I have to say it? I will not fight you.』
「Muu……! You stubborn old…」

Beside the two, Lahti was interpreting the conversation to Rafinha.

「Apparently, as Inglis said, it was the dragon who was lying. And now he refuses to fight, after all.」
「I-, I see… Now, now, Glis. Why don’t you stop the bickering? We can get the tail either way, right? So why don’t we just thank Mr. Dragon and go back? Who knows, maybe this can be the start of a new relationship!」
「No, Dragon Gods aren’t something we can get along so easily!」
『You jest, little girl… I would have eaten you alive if you had nobody by your side.』
「……Don’t ever forget my warning. Lahti, you don’t say that one just now.」
「O-, okay…」
『Hmph……』

At any rate, I guess I’ll just have to give up for today and cut off his tail like Rafinha said.

「Then, I will take up your offer and see you as nothing more than…」

As Inglis was about to finish her words, she saw the figure of someone flying in the air. The pure white wings that sprouted from that figure’s back were the result of a Gift of an Artifact.

「Please hold on! Mr. Lahti, there is an emergency! Please return to the encampment now!」

It was Liselotte. She looked quite flustered and out of breath. She was very desperate, flying at her full speed. It didn’t seem to be anything ordinary.

「Mn……?! What happened?!」
「The residents who have been immigrating are causing a commotion! Mr. Luwin and the other Knights are trying to calm them down, but they are pretty enraged! I believe it’s best to have you talk them out, Mr. Lahti!」
「Eeehh?! G-, got it, I’ll be there! But, why would they……?!」
「I’m really sorry to say, but it’s regarding Ms. Pullum…… They still haven’t forgotten about her older brother, Mr. Hallim, so when they learned his relative is here, they……!」
「—! They want to chase her out?!」
「I-, if only that was all they asked……」

Liselotte’s words were all mumbled.

「They want to capture Pullum and execute her, is it?」
「……! Y-yes, exactly……」

Liselotte nodded painfully. However, this was not unthinkable. People had been gathering at the encampment recently one after another from the surrounding area. It was no longer just a base of operations for Inglis’ troops and Luwin’s Knights and the other survivors. The process of transforming the encampment into the new Lekrea town was about to begin.

Some of the people gathered were originally survivors of Lekrea, while others might have lived in other towns but had lost their homes and possessions due to Tiffany’s actions and had nowhere else to return. Everyone had their own circumstances, but what they all had in common was that they had seen firsthand what Tiffany, and by extension, Hallim, one of her henchmen, had done to their livelihood.

Tiffany was still a Hyrule Menace who came from the Highland, but Hallim was originally from a prominent noble family in this country. It was inevitable that his acts could be regarded as an act of rebellion and treason against the country. In such a case, it was not uncommon for his family members to be held responsible for his crime. It was not surprising that a family member would be directly affected.

The fact that people were flocking here was a sign of Lahti’s growing fame. However, that also meant that many people would see Pullum here. Pullum had been trying to avoid showing her face too much in public in consideration of the people, but that seemed to fail.

「F̲u̲c̲k̲! Why so suddenly?!」
「That’s cruel! We have to stop them!」
「It’s something we have to face eventually. Lahti, stay calm.」
「Y-, yeah! I know that!」
「And there’s more… The one who leads the uproar is Mr. Ian!」
「Wha?! Ian?!」
「Ian……?!」
「……! Why would he?」

Ian had kidnapped Pullum and taken her to Hallim, and now he showed up and made a scene! Even Inglis couldn’t immediately understand the reasons behind his actions.

「Either way, hurry up! We need to get back to the encampment quick!」

Liselotte was right.Inglis once again tied Vufailbane and decided to return to the encampment immediately with the rest.