Side Story 6. The Hero Said So (1) |
A peaceful afternoon in the palace.
Lexion, finally returning to the Empire after wandering the continent, was enjoying a leisurely tea time at Cantares’ invitation.
“The palace seems unusually quiet today.”
Lexion remarked, leaning back comfortably in his chair. Cantares, sitting across from him, answered.
“I think it’s because Sir Arendt has been dispatched again after a long while.”
It had been several days since Arendt left the palace.
With the usual commotion gone, the surroundings seemed somehow quiet.
Lexion nodded, seemingly convinced.
“Well, that’s true enough. That brat has a way of turning even a perfectly healthy person into a wreck.”
“I believe that applies to you as well, Lord Lexion.”
Lexion wasn’t this relaxed when he was with Arendt. He was irritable, and there were times when he’d get irritated and lash out. The sight of him sighing in resignation was practically routine.
“At the very least, I don’t want to hear that from you. Is there anyone who’s free from that bastard’s tyranny?”
Lexion snorted.
“It’s not like I don’t know his true identity, and it’s not normal for a mere human to joke around with a dragon like that.”
“That’s true.”
Cantares admitted readily. He’d been in a lot of trouble because of Arendt, after all.
“In any case, we should make the most of this peaceful moment. Who knows when something will happen again?”
“Indeed.”
Lexion gave a small nod, and the conversation came to a natural pause.
A natural silence settled between them. Lexion shifted his gaze and stared intently at Cantares.
Cantares, realizing the dragon’s single eye was studying him, asked with curiosity.
“…Is something the matter?”
“No. It’s funny to say this now, but…”
Lexion continued to speak, his gaze fixed on Cantares.
“You don’t resemble Khan at all.”
“Huh?”
Cantares asked incredulously.
“Khan” was also his nickname. However, the person Lexion was referring to wasn’t Cantares.
“Could it be the hero Khan… Are you referring to His Majesty the First Emperor?”
“That’s right.”
Lexion nodded, resting his chin on his hand.
“There’s no doubt his blood runs in you. But you really don’t resemble him at all.”
“If I may ask, are you referring to his appearance?”
Cantares’ curiosity piqued. This was the first time Lexion had directly mentioned the First Emperor in front of him.
“No. In fact, there are some similarities in appearance. He also had black hair and blue eyes. But his personality is completely different.”
“I see. Would you mind telling me more?”
“Hmm…”
Lexion pondered slightly. Then, after a moment…
“I suppose it’s a little easier now. Talking about the past.”
“Is it alright?”
“I’m reluctant to go into detail, though.”
Cantares asked, slightly surprised. Lexion waved his hand dismissively.
“But if it’s about him personally, then it’s fine.”
“What kind of person was His Majesty the First Emperor?”
Reassured by that answer, Cantares didn’t hesitate and asked directly.
“Honestly, I’ve been curious ever since the war.”
In the past, he had only the impression of him being a great hero chosen by the gods.
However, after experiencing everything, Cantares’s thoughts had changed somewhat.
The First Emperor, Khan, risked his life to record records about the Evil God for future generations, even while oppressed by the gods.
Furthermore, he strictly separated the roles of the imperial family and the temple, in preparation for a potential conflict.
Cantares spoke seriously.
“After all, our fight wouldn’t have been possible without him.”
“The fight you’re talking about… isn’t just about the Chernion Cult. “
Lexion snickered.
“You seem to have quite the eccentric streak, judging by the fact that you like that rude brat… But you’re quite calm compared to him.”
“What was His Majesty the First Emperor like? Was he similar to Captain Laius?”
Cantares, unable to contain his curiosity, pressed on. Lexion responded with a serious face.
“Not at all.”
“Huh?”
“Not at all. That guy…”
Lexion paused for a moment, as if choosing his words.
“Was very stupid.”
At that short remark, Cantares momentarily doubted his ears. Regardless, Lexion continued on.
“He was stubborn, simple-minded, and always grinning like an idiot. I guess you could define him as a loud, overly ambitious fool.”
The image of Khan, the heroic figure in Cantares’s mind, crumbled. Cantares, who had been stunned, stammered.
“I-Is that true?”
“He’s passed out more than once after drinking with strangers he met at bars.”
Lexion clicked his tongue, his head aching with the thought.
“He was a crazy guy who used my magic to cure his hangovers.”
Cantares, his lips quivering, stammered.
“…That, His Majesty the First Emperor knew about your true identity…?”
“He did. You’ve all suspected as much, haven’t you?”
Lexion put down his teacup and spoke simply.
“One of those tales was a ridiculous story about a dragon that he fought and defeated.”
“Don’t tell me that dragon was…”
“It was probably me. It’s the story about a dragon that fought day and night, so impressed he gave him a dragon bone as a token of friendship.”
Lexion briefly recalled that moment and let out a hollow laugh.
“Impressed? He was annoying, so I humored him for a bit, but I almost accidentally killed him.”
“Well, he didn’t seem like a bad guy, so I just healed him.”
“Oh my.”
A hearty exclamation escaped Cantares’ lips.
“Wasn’t he… incredibly strong?”
“It’s true that he was incredibly strong by human standards. I said that I almost killed him, didn’t I? Normally, I would’ve just kicked him out, but he got under my skin.”
“That was before the war. Before he even became truly powerful. He was able to fight a dragon like that even before he wielded the Holy Sword. I’ll give him that much credit.”
Lexion frowned disapprovingly.
“I also acknowledge his courage and foolishness, as a human, to attack a dragon.”
“How did that fight begin? Given your nature, Lord Lexion, I doubt you would’ve attacked a human first.”
The original tale was about the hero Khan defeating an evil dragon that had harmed humans, and even forging a friendship in the process.
But at this point, he began to doubt its authenticity.
As expected, Lexion nodded. “Isn’t that obvious? I didn’t like humans, but how could I have deliberately attacked them and caused trouble?”
“Then…”
“He started the fight.”
The reason was also quite absurd.
“He said he came to find a legendary herb in my territory to cure a child’s illness.”
“Of course, there was no such thing. It was a lie made up by the humans, and he fell for it and invaded my territory. How foolish.”
It might have been a truly heroic act, but from Lexion’s perspective, it must have been incredibly absurd.
A knight who believed a mere rumor and invaded his territory alone?
“What did he say back then?”
Lexion frowned, picking up a snack.
“He said he’d back down if I just handed over the herb. But I didn’t have anything like that, and honestly, I wanted to teach that arrogant human a lesson.”
“If such rumors were circulating…”
Cantares, who had been listening blankly, said in astonishment.
“It wasn’t just His Majesty the First Emperor who invaded, was it?”
“Exactly. The humans were so annoying that I scared them a bit, and before I knew it, they were calling me an evil dragon.”
“Ah…”
Cantares nodded vaguely, convinced.
It was the moment the story of the hero who fought the Evil Dragon was revealed.
“I didn’t want to bother explaining that I didn’t have anything, so I just beat him up a bit.”
“‘A bit,’ you say… Lord Lexion…”
“It was actually more interesting than I expected.”
Ignoring Cantares’s small exclamation, Lexion continued.
“And then, as I said, I almost killed him by mistake… so I healed him while he was unconscious.”
The hero, regaining consciousness and sitting up, spoke…
“You, it turns out that you’re a good guy!”
Lexion was dumbfounded by the sight of his sparkling eyes.
“Ugh… I need to train more. I didn’t expect to be so helpless. Hmm. That was a good experience!”
But regardless, Khan simply laughed with a childish expression. It was unbecoming of someone who had just risked his life fighting, nearly dying.
“If you’re feeling better, then get lost. And don’t ever set foot on this mountain again.”
“By the way, are there really no herbs?”
Lexion warned, but Khan didn’t listen at all. A headache was starting to creep up on him, and he rubbed his forehead and replied,
“It never existed. A panacea? Absurd. Now get—”
“But you just cured me. In the blink of an eye. Haha! I thought I was going to die!”
Khan thumped his chest and burst into loud laughter.
“Dragons are truly skilled in magic. So, that herb wasn’t referring to you? Have you ever healed someone like this before?”
“No. And get lost. If you don’t disappear immediately, I’ll kill you for real.”
“Hey, threats like that won’t work.”
Khan chuckled cheerfully and said jokingly.
“If you truly intended to kill me, you wouldn’t have transformed yourself into a human form. You could have easily blasted me away in your true form, wouldn’t you? The reason you cast the polymorph spell is because you have no intention of killing me. I was curious why so many people trespassed in your territory but were never killed, and I guess this is why.”
Khan sat down right next to him and began rambling on. Lexion was dumbfounded.
This was the first time he’d ever seen a human like this.
“Ah! I’ve come up with a good idea!”
Lexion’s gaze flickered faintly, and Khan clapped his hands together, his eyes sparkling.
“I need your help! You wouldn’t mind, would you? There’s a that’s girl badly injured, and your magic should be able to heal her quickly!”
With a bright smile, he reached out to Lexion.
“What’s your name? Could you consider it as doing a good deed and come with me?”
Lexion was left speechless.