As soon as he finished reading the contents, Craig reflexively crushed the parchment in his hand as hard as he could.
　A crunching sound echoes in the place, but there is no regret on his face.
　You'll find something akin to abhorrence and hatred in there, and a voice filled with those emotions comes out of its mouth.

"...... God's puppet, you're on your way.

　It wasn't loud, but it was probably because the room was quiet.
　Brett looked up from the parchment he had been reading through, picking it up ear to ear.

　He tilted his head as he turned his multi-faceted eyes to Craig.

"What's wrong, father?

　The reason why Brett asked that question is because he seemed to be in a very bad mood, as well as the content of his father's muttered words, but most of all, he seemed to be in a very bad mood.
　It's a good thing that you're in a good mood (・・・・・・・) these days ...... especially since the bastard was expelled, especially since he was supposed to be in a good mood (・・・・・).

...... Well, I'll tell you this because it's also relevant to you: ......The dragon has been killed.
".................. yes?　A dragon is not that dragon, I don't think so, but it's not that dragon, is it?　It was even said to be the closest to God, that Red Dragon King.
"...... Yes, that's right about the Red Dragon King.
The "--never

　At the moment, Brett didn't scream because he simply couldn't even scream.
　That's how tremendous the impact was.

　It was about three years ago that I met the dragon called the Red Dragon King.
　The moment he saw her, Brett realized how small he was.

　At the same time, he felt something akin to excitement.
　How could a living thing go so far?

　Looking back, maybe that was the catalyst that led me to agree with my father's thinking.

　But that dragon, which seemed like it could never be defeated by a god, was killed.
　Who and how did it happen?

...... Father, is it ...... that killed the Red Dragon King?
"There was no mention of it, but ...... you know, the Red Dragon King was just before he set up his 'thing'. It's natural to think so.
...... I knew it, I knew it. ......!　You're a brave guy....

　Realizing the meaning of his father's earlier words, Brett blurts out a heartfelt abhorrence.
　But soon after, Brett raised his eyebrows.

...... But father, even if you are a brave man, is it possible for you to defeat the Red Dragon King?　To begin with--
Yeah, that's right. The fight between the Red Dragon King and the heroes was planned (・・・・・・・). That's why I dared to let the sacrificial child(・・・・・・) go(・・・・) just as the brave men were near (・・・・).
We all know that the brave man travels around, so we knew he would come to that area one day. Then that brave man would surely come to slay the dragon ......, but because we knew that, we were all ready to go.
"Yeah, I taught you about Soden, so you wouldn't be caught off guard by any chance. But 'this' was the answer.

　Brett tilts his head at his father, who shakes the parchment he's clutching as he says, "This," he says.
　It was just mentioned earlier that there was no record of who struck the blow, but--

This was sent to you by the king. What's more, it says that the dragon was killed three days ago.
"What ......!

　It was improbable in many ways.
　It's not every day that the king gives you something directly, no matter how much of a duke you are.

　If so, that's a big deal and above all, three days is no time.
　No matter how urgent you are, getting it here from King's Landing should be the best you can do.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about it from them ...... or even from them in the first place, but what exactly did it say?

　Craig sniffed again, perhaps realizing Brett's doubts, and sniffed again with a wicked look on his face.

It says that the dragon was killed and that there was a village near the mountain where the dragon lived. The dragon's death is sure to cause chaos in the area, but please do not let it disrupt the lives of the people in that village.
...... It's not ......, could it be ......?

　No way.
　I will ignore what the village was built for and how the villagers were treated, so you are forbidden to mess with it and take care of them so that they can live safely.

　It's a warning that you have a weakness in your hands.
　Don't get too carried away.

　But it was information that should never have leaked out.
　It looks like just an ordinary lonely village.
　You're not going to be able to get your hands on any of them.

It's a good thing that you're able to get your hands on some of the most important pieces of information that you'll ever have.　They know best what happens if you do that: ......!
No, ...... is not. Our governance is perfect. They didn't leave anything out, but the report of the reporter alone would have determined it.
...... is that a brave guy, too?
"No. ...... Told you so, didn't I?　Now you understand why he was able to defeat the Red Dragon King after seeing this. That's why the current king and I don't get along with each other. There is only one person I know of who does what the king says.
"...... princess--a saint!　But why ...... no, no way. ......?
Yeah, I was wondering how he escaped, but maybe he was saved by a brave man. And considering the timing, it's very likely that the brave man knew about the dragon by then.
"And the saints heard the story and defeated the dragon with it. ...... I see.

　It was a reasonable story.
　And that's certainly possible.

　The power of the saint is not fully understood here, but there was something that could be used by the dragon as well.

...... It's more and more painful that I failed to kill her. You should have killed it when you could without thinking about anything else ......?


That's just a matter of consequence. And if it weren't for the help of a brave man, you could have brought the head back (・・・・・・・・) for sure. It would have been more painful later on if you hadn't done it when you could have, right?
It's ...... indeed.

　Nodding, Brett's expression changed at about the same time as Craig's. And it was the same, and they both twisted their faces in an abhorrent way.
　Moreover, it was the same, and both of them twisted their faces in an abhorrent manner.

...... And they're really abominable,
Absolutely. But it's time for them to get their groove on. ...... And this one is not so bad, depending on how you look at it.
"And say?
That brave man would take the child he found. That's a definite fetters. And then we'd certainly not go far into the backwoods.
"...... I see, come to think of it, 'over there' is about to happen too,
"Yeah. I don't know what the saint will do, but as long as the ...... heroes don't go there, it doesn't matter. And that's the end of the line.

　The words were true.

　But to say they were from the heart, the expression on their faces betrayed that they were from the heart.
　It's a good thing that the brave man or the saint was killed.
　There is really no element that can be said to be good.

　But that won't change anything.
　If the abomination only grows, then there is no choice but to find the good part, even if it is forced.

　And it is also true that as long as the next one goes well, there is no problem.
　And as long as the brave men stay out of it, it can't fail anymore.

　There will be plenty of opportunities to avenge this humiliation later on.

Then it's up to you, my son. From the moment the little bastard turns out to be useless, you're the only one who can help.
Yeah, I'll take care of it. We'll do everything so perfectly that you'll think you were wrong to expect that piece of shit for one second. --We will avenge your mother's death (・・・・) and show her that we are the right ones.
"Oh, ...... Let's look forward to it.

　So they exchanged dark, stagnant eyes with each other, and smiled a twisted smile as they envisioned the time that would eventually come.