The prince’s Subjugation Army was following the Hero’s party, so we would meet them on the way back to the imperial capital.
“By the way, once we leave the forest, where will you go, Rishian? Is your home nearby?”
Kyle’s overly familiar question made me pause.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t given any thought to my next destination. The only place I could call home was the lair where I’d first opened my eyes.
Just then, a massive crash—KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!—shook the ground. There was no doubt it was the sound of Gerard demolishing my lair.
“…I did have one, but it’s gone now.”
“You don’t have a home to return to?”
A flicker of pity crossed Kyle’s face.
“In that case, why not come with us? We’re going back out to hunt the Black Flame Dragon anyway.”
“Yeah. If you have nowhere to go, stay with us. None of us really have anywhere to go now.”
Kyle and Elonen offered warmly, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled. I was the one who’d taken away the very place they considered home.
“I have no intention of joining your party. As soon as we exit the forest, I’ll be going my own way.”
“Hm… then tonight will be the last night we spend together.”
Elonen answered with regret at my unhesitating reply.
But I didn’t feel the least bit sorry about parting from the Hero’s party. If anything, I felt relieved.
It was time to plan my own life in the human world, free and unburdened.
We walked slowly along the forest path, and soon Gerard, having returned after destroying the lair, rejoined us.
“I wonder where the Subjugation Army is by now?”
Elonen asked over Kyle’s shoulder as he trudged ahead.
“I’m not sure. They should have caught up to us by now, right?”
I recalled what I’d seen in the mirror.
The prince’s army was trailing us at a not-too-distant distance—but as a large force, they moved much slower than the Hero’s party.
“Honestly, I told you not to trust the emperor’s words. He said he trusted only us, but behind our backs he planned to send an army. How shady.”
Gerard mocked Kyle’s father with Kyle standing right in front of him.
In truth, Emperor Perosen was both incompetent and cowardly. The Black Flame Dragon’s rampage had begun about ten years ago, and no effective countermeasure had been found. The dragon had come to dominate the western continent, causing untold death and destruction.
So Prince Kyle, the seventh son, had taken up the quest. He gathered companions and formed the Hero’s party.
And the day after the party returned to the capital and held an official departure ceremony to slay the dragon, Crown Prince Reynold gathered elite knights and sent the Subjugation Army in pursuit.
“But His Majesty will surely praise Kyle’s deeds. It was Kyle who located the lair and arrived first.”
Elonen forced a bright smile to comfort Kyle, but Kyle answered with a bitter expression, unconsoled.
“I don’t want credit for myself. It’s our entire party’s achievement that should be recognized. We deserve the rewards we were promised.”
Hearing Kyle’s words reminded me that I hadn’t finished the original story. I’d dropped it in the late chapters, unable to endure the drawn-out middle.
Each member of the Hero’s party had lost something to the Black Flame Dragon. They’d all been promised rewards by the emperor in exchange for slaying it.
But Emperor Perosen had broken that promise. Fearing the party’s growing power, he branded them criminals instead.
It was a cliché twist on the typical hero story—but I’d abandoned it in frustration.
“And before that, we have to track down the missing Black Flame Dragon and defeat it. Then His Majesty will have to acknowledge us.”
I wanted to tell Kyle the rest of the story: that no one would ever praise them, and that they should abandon this dragon hunt and instead seek some honest way to live.
But I wisely kept my mouth shut. No one would believe me anyway.
“The sun’s sinking. There’s nothing more foolish than wandering a forest at night. We should make camp here, eat dinner, and rest.”
Elonen stopped and looked up at the sky.
Sure enough, the sunset had dyed the forest in dusky gold. The party all obediently halted and began preparations for camp.
“We’ve run out of the provisions we brought. We’ll have to hunt for new food or go hungry.”
Elonen’s thunderbolt announcement made Kakaros slump his shoulders in disappointment.
“I don’t want to starve. I’ll go fish.”
“Is there fish here?”
I thought fish couldn’t survive in a miasma-ridden forest, so I was surprised.
“Water isn’t contaminated by miasma.”
Gerard scolded me as if I should have known. Kakaros glanced at me and tilted his head.
“Will you come with me, then?”
His offer genuinely caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected Kakaros to ask me first.
I couldn’t deny feeling uneasy around him in the party. Kyle had been friendly, Elonen kind, and Gerard unpleasant but tolerable.
But Kakaros—expressionless and taciturn—was an enigma. Referring to himself in the third person only added to the strangeness.
In the original, Kakaros was a minor character, present only to round out the party’s numbers. Besides his tracking skills, there wasn’t much known about him.
“…All right.”
Despite my reluctance, I nodded—assuming he meant no ill will.
“Very well. You two go, then. I’ll prepare dinner here. While you’re at it, refill the waterskin from that stream.”
Elonen entrusted me with the waterskin as he spoke.
Kakaros said nothing and walked ahead. I followed his silent back until we reached a waterfall.
Darkness was falling, and I couldn’t see any fish. Watching Kakaros’s silent silhouette, I opened my mouth.
“How do you plan to catch fish… ugh!”
Before I could finish, Kakaros spun around and drove his foot into my solar plexus. I flew backwards, slamming my back against a tree.
“What are you doing…!”
“Stay still. If you move, I’ll rip your heart out.”
Kakaros’s hand shot out toward my heart. His fingertips had grown claws as sharp as razors.
It dawned on me: Kakaros could transform into a beast.
“Please, explain what’s—”
Before I could plead, Kakaros pressed his face close to mine. I jerked my head aside as he brought his snout to my neck and sniffed.
“My senses are keener than an ordinary human’s. From the moment we entered the lair, I recognized the same scent I smelled when I first met you.”
My heart pounded wildly. The fine hairs on my neck stood on end.
His voice, words, and eyes had shifted dramatically from moments ago.
“Th-That’s… what you mean?”
“And your pulse is different from a normal human’s. I can feel a faint miasma seeping from your heart, even if you’re trying to hide it.”
Each time Kakaros spoke, his breath tickled my neck.
I swallowed hard and stole a glance at him. His eyes shone like yellow stars, the vertical pupils like a cat’s.
“I don’t know what you’re saying.”
I feigned ignorance. Kakaros gripped my chin, forcing me to face him, and stared as if he could see through me.
“I don’t care what ties you have to the Black Flame Dragon or what schemes you’re hiding. I trust Kyle’s judgment, so I won’t ask further.”
His unexpected words made me widen my eyes. I’d thought Kakaros wanted revenge against the dragon as much as the rest of us.
“All I care about is protecting my family. But if you try anything, I will tear your heart out while you’re still alive. Do you understand me?”
Kakaros’s claws dug into my flesh. Pain flared, and I involuntarily nodded.
“…I understand.”
Kakaros withdrew the hand pressing into my chest.
“I’ll catch fish. Do as you please—stay or go.”
I swallowed as I watched his back recede. I realized that Kakaros might prove to be the real wildcard.