Hey.　If you come back after a long absence, what is this?　Why is this happening?

This is the "Heart of the Dragon" headquarters.

--The House of the Black Dragon.

Vaham has been flying all over the continent on Carpent's orders, researching and gathering information about world affairs.
Zeke, Alford, Eliza, and his butler, Sebastian.
Vaham is the fifth 'Heart of the Dragon', so to speak.
Then the sixth member, Nito, and the seventh member, Ichijo, were added to the group, making it the current 'Heart of the Dragon'.

But Vaham, mainly, does not count them as members.

When Zeke previously told Nito about the inner workings of the organization, he said, "The current number of members is four.
In other words, Zeke does not count Vaham in his count.

Because Vaham is primarily responsible for gathering information in the organization, rather than being a fighter, he is essentially not involved in the fight.
And Vaham's information is accurate.
That Greberg case was also gathered by Vaham.

And when Vaham returned to his headquarters after a long absence, he questioned the fact that Zeke and his father, Black Dragon Carpent, were in some kind of dispute in the great hall.

Eliza then answered the question.

''Let's just sit back and watch it now, because it has something to do with us.

Hmm....

How is this relevant?
Vaham wondered, but he didn't ask any more questions, but stared at him.

Vaham's appearance was human itself.
Unlike Eliza, Alford and the others, he is not clothed in any kind of robe, but is wearing a light, light jacket.
And short, upside-down red hair, darker than Alford's red hair.

--Vaham is a subhuman.

Red hair is not a characteristic of sub-humans, yes.
Most sub-humans have the same appearance as humans, but their physical status is the same as that of beastmen.
Sub-humans, also known as 'regression', are a race born of beastmen, but if a mother or father, or one of the ancestors had a human, it is rare that it is passed on to the descendants of the next few generations.
Hence 'ancestry', that's sub-human.

'Vaham, how's it going out there?　What's the Empire like?

Alford visited as he crossed his arms.

'There's no movement in the empire - it looks like they're waiting for something. From the looks of it, the war probably won't happen yet. We can't be too careful, but I suspect it's a long way off for the time being.

Well what else?

Vaham thus comes back periodically to keep everyone informed.
He is a vital part of the dragon's heart.

'Have you heard of the Jishi's bloodline?

Then, in response to Alford's question, Vaham gave an example and asked.

'As I recall I think I've seen that before in a demonic communication.

It doesn't seem to be particularly detailed, but Alford seems to know about the name, too.

''Ah, that's it. It's a mysterious religious organization called the "Blood of Charity". Well, they claim to be a charitable organization.

So?　What does it matter?

Well it's not quite the same as Ixos' belief in Adams, but that was a bad idea.

Then Vaham gave him an unexpected look as he said this.

'Oh no?　What does that mean?

Alford doesn't know the meaning of that look.
It is a name known only to those who seek to know the lineage of the Jishi.
Most of them are not interested in it.
What the public is interested in now is the topic of a charismatic person like 'Hero Nito'.

'Every group has its own bad rumors. Naturally, such rumors exist in the Jishi's bloodline as well. In fact, I've heard nothing but bad rumors. But that's not the point. This organization was established only recently, and it is growing at an alarming rate. I don't know what's going on inside the believers, but I heard a rumor that they are collecting beastmen. It's only a rumor, though, right?

'Nah, I see ... it's just like the Empire. So? ...what's the problem?　From what I've just heard, I get the impression you're no different than any other organization?

Alford had a question mark on his face.

'Well, I suppose so?　You are right to react. This is something only a well-informed person like me could understand. And I'm sorry to tell you all this, but they don't know what's really going on.

You don't know what it is?

Yeah. I followed Ankh Amadeus by accident, and I happened to find him. But I lost him. He knew I was tailing him and...

'Did he see you?　Are you kidding me?

Seriously....

Vaham was still a master at tailing this.
So much so that if he was followed, even Zeke wouldn't notice.

'But it failed for one reason. I basically rely on sight, waves, and ears to follow, but the most important thing is the waves. But I didn't sense any magic at all from him. And that's partly because of that.

Hearing the story, Alford had a serious expression on his face.
Eliza also listened to the story next to him.

The reason is that the equipment of "magic power inhibition" is a very valuable thing, and it's not something that can be sold at a tool shop in the area.
You need a certain amount of pipes to stock them.
If that Ankh Amadeus was wearing an equipment that inhibits magic power, then where did he get it?
Why would an organization like the one that has recently emerged have such a pipeline?
If you think about it, it naturally leads to the answer that there is someone behind it.

'I once asked a group of believers about Amadeus, if not him, and they said they didn't know anything about him. And they don't know anything about him. I guess they're trying to keep him quiet. Instead, what they came back with was something stinky like "The God of Life will save us". That's common in these religious organizations.

Apparently, Vaham was having a hard time with it.

'What I've found out is that the Bloodline of the Charity is an organization that was founded recently, for an unknown period of time, and it's expanding at an explosive rate that would be out of the ordinary. It's also thought that the believers are already scattered all over the continent. They're in countries and towns and villages. For what it's worth, they're actually working and helping out in the fields for free. It's pure charity. But it's unlikely that an organization like that would grow so big in such a short period of time. There must be an ulterior motive. But I don't see any of that "secret"...

As Zeke and Carpent continued to argue, Alford thought about Vaham's words.

'....Should we deal with it now?

'I don't know.　Maybe it's a python, eh?　I don't know about the faithful, but this Ankh Amadeus guy is a freak. That's when I followed him. For a second, I felt like I was being watched. And I'll never forget that moment of nausea I felt. I don't know for sure the first time, but I knew this guy was going to be bad.

....

First things first, hold off.
Alford answers that.
But it's Zeke who decides. And the Black Dragon.

But as it stands now, that's not going to happen.

'Who is the Kagetora?　What is a dragon's heart and what was it made for!　Answer me, father!

The black dragon looked troubled as his son confronted him.
'What's going on?' he asked, trying to figure out where to start.

Then the Black Dragon Carpent answers his son's question with a rough snort.
The expression on his face says 'it can't be helped', but it's still inevitable, as it's not just Zeke who's wondering, as it's not just Zeke who's wondering what's going on.

'Zeke, calm down a bit, I'll tell you everything without so much haste. That was my intention all along.

....

Zeke doubted even that word.

'Where do I begin?　But this organization, as I've said before, is about cracking down on those in power who run amok. It's an eradication of corruption and corruption. That will lead to peace. We support the world from behind the scenes. I won't lie. But I also had feelings for someone else. Kagetora, and my late wife, Viola.

Viola is also Zeke's mother.
But she's not in this world anymore.

Then Zeke looks down at those words.
The reason why Zeke joined this organization.
It has mainly to do with the death of his mother.

''It was hundreds of years ago. The Dragon King passed away, and I was just a misanthropic dragon at the time. I spent my days flying across the continent, killing humans who did evil. I protected the spirits and protected the elves, dwarves and beasts. In those days, the world was even worse than it is now, and the humans treated the races as if they were objects. All non-humans were demons. And those who interacted deeply with non-humans were heretics. That was the "human" of that time. But that is still the case in this era.

Carpent always had a difficult look on his face.
There were some things he didn't want to remember much.
That was how cruel humans were.

'To me, the Dragon King is a man to be worshipped. That has never changed. Before he died, he said to me, "Human beings are foolish. "Humans are foolish...

Then the black dragon gently closed his eyelids.

Carpent remembered the Dragon King's words.





o





　Human beings are stupid. Humans are a peculiar species that are not afraid to dominate others and even feel pleasure from it. But that does not mean that we can destroy them. Then we are no better than humans. We will watch over them and select them.

--Dostoevsky, an ancient dragon.

A dragon with scales bathed in magic all over his body and a white beard.
An old gray dragon was there.

There are three dragons in front of him.


◇The black dragon, "Carpent ze Bach

The Red Dragon "Hardy de Stein Van Gogh

◇White Dragon, "Tinker Gwyn Bell Bexinski,


Sorting?

Then Carpent, one of the three great dragons, came to him.

He said, "Yes, there are people who are planning to do bad things, and they will never cease. Yes, there are people who are planning to do bad things, and that will never cease. There are people who are planning to do bad things and they will never cease to exist.

But don't destroy the humans?　Is that the Dragon King?　You can't do that, man.　I think it would be quicker to kill me, don't you?

There was a part of Hardy that was fed up with the Dragon King's opinion.

''Hardy!　What a way to talk to the Dragon King!

Among them was the Black Dragon Carpent, who adored and worshipped the Dragon King.

Then the only female among the three great dragons, the White Dragon Tinker, answered.

''Dragon King-sama I cannot forgive a human. On that day, you saved me from losing my family and wandering, and although I have learned many lessons, I still cannot forget that one. I remember that day every day....

White Dragon Tinker had a dark past.

''Tinker, endure it. There is no other way. The power of our dragons is great. If we were to release our power, humans would die and the world would collapse. It could even destroy the world. But that is why we must find a way to do it. Killing the humans is the easy part.

Then the White Dragon Tinker made a powerful appeal.

''Master Dragon!　Humans betray each other!　When we reach out to them, as my brother Gwynn did, they don't understand!

No, Tinker we destroy the humans and the balance of the world hangs in the balance. And when it does, they will emerge. "The Watcher will sense the signs and will appear before them to prevent a breakdown in stability. We are the strongest species, but even we are no match for the observer. Don't overestimate your power. If you are arrogant, you will be the one to destroy yourself.

In those eyes of Dostoevsky, there was a warning and a concern for Tinker.
That's why he wanted Tinker to live a happy life, not trapped in revenge.

And the world after he left this world.
The Dragon King thought that even the world was like his own child, just like the three great dragons.

Then, gradually, the Dragon King closes his eyelids.

"I'm a little tired.......let's get some sleep for a while.......

''Dragon King....

The black dragon was afraid to say goodbye.
The dragon's life span would come suddenly.
There was no sign of it, and even the dragon himself didn't know it.
Until the last minute....

Carpent the Hardy and Tinker and Tinker the two of you are joined forever. The bond is eternal. I will always be watching over you. Do not forget what I have to say.　There is always a ceiling to everything. No one can go beyond it... if we get arrogant and forget ourselves, we will get our asses kicked. I once saw the end of the world. It was a man. He was overcome by power and lost his senses, but he did not know what to do with himself.

The Dragon King's words gradually begin to break off.
And then they gradually lose their power.

"He was also ... a fool, but an unfortunate one. I ... felt sorry for him ... and I realized that he was a fool, but he was unhappy. All the same....

The Dragon King felt pity for a person.
And even though he was angry with that person who had wronged him, he even wanted to save him.

''But still........''

At that moment, the Dragon King's words were cut off, and for a moment, they were unheard of.

A sudden parting of the ways.
But they knew.
A dragon's farewell begins abruptly, and to them, this was a natural thing to do.

Then, with his last ounce of strength, the Dragon King said a final farewell to the three great dragons.

"I ... hate ... humans ...

...What?

The Black Dragon Carpent was immensely disappointed.

When the Dragon King finally muttered that, the three great dragons widened their eyes.
Up until now, the Dragon King had told them to abandon their hatred for humans, and that was what he had told them.
He had told them that even if they held on to their hatred, the only thing waiting for them was destruction, and that there was nothing to be gained.
That's why I've told them to watch and select, to give each of them a role to play.
And despite their struggles, they believed his words.
But.........

Dragon King... sir?

Carpent was puzzled.


The three great dragons sensed it, and then they couldn't understand.
That was why they were confused to the point of being speechless.

''What the hell is that... you're the last one to say that to yourself...''

The Red Dragon Hardy turns his anger on the Dragon King while biting his grief.

''Stop it, Hardy........''

But! .....

Hardy couldn't say any more beyond that.

'Even though you've lived this far, and even with your beliefs, humans are still something to hate...'

Tinker turned his cold gaze on the unmoving Dragon King and said.

''Tinker........''

Carpent doesn't know what to say to Tinker.

Each of them are separated from the other.
For the first time, the three dragons, who had grown up and trained in the same place before, turned their suspicions to the one they had believed in that day.

But then, Carpent still believed in the Dragon King.
He remembered the Dragon King's words well once more, and then he understood the Dragon King himself in his own way.
And he realized that the Dragon King himself was also a weak-minded man.

But that wasn't something to despise, in fact, it was something to respect.
Even though he hated it, the Dragon King was aware that it was a sin, and he tried to walk a path that he was not ashamed of.
The Dragon King who was trying to teach it to him again.
Carpent ze Bach, the Black Dragon, continued to adore the Dragon King afterwards.

And the Red Dragon Hardy, who could not understand the philosophy of Carpent and the Dragon King, but he still continued to love and respect the Dragon King, who simply liked him.

And the White Dragon.
She has since disappeared.
She did not tell Carpent or Hardy where she was going, and for hundreds of years, she has not been seen again.





o.





　Afterwards, I followed the teachings of the Dragon King, watching over the world and sorting out the humans. And then I met Kagetra. His magic was powerful. I wasn't even close to him at the time. And I asked him. "With such power, why don't you understand?" And.........but Kagethras were only immature. Immediately he understood My words and realized their sin. I preached to Kageta and her companions, showing them the sins of mankind. Then Kagethras immediately accepted my words. It wasn't out of fear. It was not out of fear, but because he was powerful. He could have just killed me if he didn't like it. But he didn't.

To Carpent, Kagetra was the first person he had ever met who could be trusted.

'No one listens to the words of a dragon,' said Carpent. "No one listens to the words of a dragon," said Carpent, "but he was a man of power, and yet he did not use his power for selfishness, but for righteousness. He was truly a man of valor.

The Black Dragon adored Kagetora.
But he didn't want to talk about the connection afterwards.

''So, when was The Heart of the Dragon born?''

Zeke asked, satisfied with his father's explanation.

'Shortly after that. When the Kagethras returned to the old Durmscales Empire, they were praised for their retreat from me, and with that one incident, they began to make a name for themselves in the world. Then, before long, they had been called. 'Heart of the Dragon'....

What does that mean?

After that incident, the concept of dragons, which until then had been the absolute power in the world, has changed. The meaning of this is that the heart of the dragon is in their hands. I had heard this one day from Kagetola himself. But he said he was unwilling to use this name. So the Kagetora's put another meaning to this name. 'Those who gave their hearts to the noble black dragon'... how about that?　Strange man, isn't he?

....

Upon hearing the story, Zeke still had questions, though not darkly.
What kind of person was Kagetola?
Zeke could see that.
A brave man ... he must have been a picture-perfect good man.
And he had the will, and he had the power to change the world.
But according to Nito's story, Kagetra was no longer in this world, and the Heart of the Dragon should have become a thing of the past.

''Then why is the name of this organization now 'Heart of the Dragon'?'''

....

But for a moment, even though he had spoken that much, the Black Dragon was reluctant to speak.

''It's because ... a tragedy happened ...''

A tragedy?

....

The Black Dragon didn't know if he was thinking, or if he was uncomfortable talking.
Then the Black Dragon explained from here again, so that Zeke and the others could understand.

'Kagetora is dead.

....

Zeke can't say anything about the black dragon's sad expression.

''But I do not know any of the details of that. I haven't seen Kagetora since I learned of it. He said he was a metahuman, but when he didn't show himself, no matter how long I waited, I began to suspect that he was really dead. It was so sad that I was willing to move on with that thought. But as time goes by, this indescribable sense of powerlessness remains. That's why I wanted to at least cherish what he left behind... the will that Kagetola left behind. He has been doing the same thing you are doing now since the war with the Empire. He kept peace in the world by eliminating the power that was running amok. I succeeded his will and established the current Heart of the Dragon.

So... it's not for your mother?

'Of course, it's for Viola's sake. And for your sake, too. I thought that in order to never again produce victims like Viola, we need someone to support this world from behind the scenes again. As a result, I had something in common with the Dragon King's teachings of "watch over and select". That is why I established this organization.

The Black Dragon Carpent still calls humans stupid.
Just as the Dragon King was, that doesn't change.
So why did he choose a human as his wife?
Zeke is half dragon and half human.

Black Dragon Carpent ze Bach.
He still had a secret.

'I know what you think, don't I?　You say it's stupid, but you wonder why he chose a human woman?

But Zeke and the others did not answer that question from the Black Dragon.
They were silent and waited for the black dragon's argument.

''That's because........I realized that the difference between the races is only a trivial matter. The concept of 'race' that even Dragon King-sama was concerned about. But when it came to the fact that we are all the same life, I surprisingly arrived at that commonplace answer.

Alford, Eliza, and Zeke.
The three of them are not satisfied with the answer.
If anyone uses power for personal gain, these three are the ones who will cut him down.
That's why these three men need to understand these words more than anyone else.

If you are concerned about your race, you are the same as the people you despise. Not for that reason, but in any case, we should look at each and every one of them, regardless of their race.

After all, it's not three people who are convinced by this argument.
There are many that say the same thing.
As if they have realized something, for example, those possessed by justice often say the same thing as this Black Dragon.
But that was fine, that was what the black dragon said.
The long-lived dragon had finally come up with this simple answer after a long life.

'Zeke, you don't have to understand. "Zeke, you don't need to understand, you are on your own path, Alford, Eliza, Vaham, you all are on your own. This is simply my idea. I will not force you to do anything.

Then to Zeke, who remained silent, the black dragon also cut off the conversation.

'That is the end of the story. Vaham, I would like to hear about the information you say you have obtained. What did you say........

"It is the blood of the merciful."

Vaham replied as he moved forward.

Finally, Zeke asked a question, as if he had remembered.

Father what do you mean by the word 'observer' that you mentioned?　It's like...

But Zeke couldn't make an analogy beyond that.
Then Carpent answered at last.

'That's the Dragon King's ramblings. "It's not a matter of concern. The Dragon King likes to tell fairy tales and unreliable stories that he doesn't know where he heard them. The word "observer" could be used to describe a "great being" who, according to the Dragon King, manages the balance of this world and appears when its stability is shattered. I have often heard this term referred to. But, as I said, it's unreliable and, to begin with, a fairy tale. It's an old story now, but...

Then the black dragon, who was about to become nostalgic, stopped there and re-partitioned the scene.
By that time, Zeke's doubts had already disappeared.

''Now then, we will have a regular meeting! --

The meeting then took place.
The item on the agenda was 'The Bloodline of the Charity.

It was the name of a religious organization that wriggled in the darkness.