Both father and daughter’s voices melded together, forming a single whole. The strength drained from Tio’s body as she gradually calmed down.
“Our claws exist to tear down walls, and destroy the malice within.” Kharga let go of his daughter and gazed into her eyes. This was important. It was the last lesson he would ever teach his daughter. The power of their words calmed Tio’s anger, and she slowly regained the solemnity dragonmen prided themselves on.
“Our fangs exist to bite through our weakness, our anger and our hate.” More blood dripped from Tio’s mouth. She bit through her lip again to remind her of who she was.
“For when we forget our compassion, we are no more than beasts. But so long as we wield the sword of reason—” Kharga lightly touched the blood on Tio’s lips. The blood she’d shed were the tears of her heart. Gently, Kharga wiped them away.
Tears welled up in Tio’s eyes. But she didn’t let them spill. Hatred and anger eroded one’s heart. To give in to such impulses was to be weak. She turned her negative emotions into tears, but she didn’t let them fall. To do so would be betraying her pride as a dragonman.
Dragonmen were strong, kind, and above all, noble.
Now of all times, she couldn’t forget those words. Not when her father was in front of her. Not when her people, when her mother had fought to the death to defend their pride as dragonmen.
Tio sucked in a deep breath, and nodded to her father. These were the words her mother, her father, and all of her people had lived by. The words they’d taught her.
“We are dragonmen!” She shouted that at the top of her lungs. Kharga hugged his daughter again. This time he knew it truly was the last time. However he had nothing to worry about anymore. Tio had grown into a splendid woman.
“Tio, listen well.”
“What is it, Father?”
She knew their time together was coming to an end. She desperately held back her tears and looked up at her father resolutely.
“Our true enemy, this world’s true enemy aren’t the people attacking us right now.”
“...Our true enemies are the ‘gods’ of the church, aren’t they? They are the ones who made this world so twisted.”
“That’s right. I did everything I could to destroy them, but... I wasn’t fast enough. Because of that, we dragonmen will perish here. We have no choice. You know why, don’t you?”
“I do. Because if we do not, the people of this world will remain twisted. The only way to end this war is for our race to vanish.”
Her heart sank as she spoke those words. Kharga nodded solemnly.
“The gods are not only powerful, but cunning as well. But they are not all-powerful. And evil will never reign forever. One day, eventually, someone will appear who can strike them down. Of that I am certain. Tio.”
“Yes, Father?”
Kharga gave Tio his last order, both as a king and as a father.
“Live.”
“But... Father. You said we—”
Her father had just impressed upon her how important it was that the dragonmen race perish. Kharga smiled triumphantly. It was an expression Tio had rarely seen.
“I’m no fool. I knew with how powerful my enemy was that I would need a backup plan. Dragonmen will indeed perish tonight... in the eyes of the world at least. Far from the continent, I’ve created a hidden village. Along with a secret path the gods will never discover. My father, along with a few chosen people area living there already. Until the time finally comes that we can overthrow the gods, they will stay hidden there.”
“Grandfather’s over there!? But Father, you said Grandfather had died... Ah, I understand now.”
Adul Klarus, the previous king, and Kharga had been aware of the enemy ever since the world had begun to change. They had made sure to take various precautions in case the worst happened. But most of them had been undone. At first glance it seemed simple coincidence, but they soon realized that the gods’ meddling was behind everything. Soon after, Tio’s grandfather, the strongest red dragonman alive, supposedly died in battle against an unknown threat without even leaving a corpse behind.
However in reality he had feigned his death, and headed to this hidden village. That had been Kharga and Adul’s final ploy, the last card they could play to make sure dragonmen never truly vanished from the world. And by feigning his death, he made sure no one would be looking for him.
Tio was glad her beloved grandfather was still alive, but at the same time sad because she knew what this meant for her father.
“Father... you’re not coming, are you?”
“I can’t. I’m the current king. Without my death, this war will never end. And besides...”
“Besides?”
“I could never leave Orna all alone on the battlefield.”
Tio smiled weakly at that. Kharga tenderly stroked her hair and spoke his parting words.
“Tio, you are the pride and joy of Klarus line. You inherited my black scales, your mother’s wings, and your grandfather’s fire breath. Live strong my daughter. You have your own black flames, and the fierce flames of the Klarus family to protect you.”
“I will. I promise, Father.”
Having passed on his wife’s dying message, Kharga handed Tio over to Venri and flew off toward his final battlefield. Venri had been briefed on the plan ahead of time, and led Tio down the secret path. Just before she vanished inside, Tio looked back for one last time.
She saw a majestic black dragon tearing through the battlefield, his flaming breath so powerful it sundered the earth below.
Throughout the battle, the dragonmen had taken great pains to avoid killing the invaders. Though most of the world had turned against them, a few members of each race had believed in the dragonmen, and stayed behind. Kharga and the few remaining dragons fought only to give those people enough time to escape.
They refused to give the gods the satisfaction of watching people of the same race kill each other. Even on the verge of annihilation, they protected their citizens. No matter how painful their despair, they refused to give in to anger and hate.
Kharga’s breath parted his enemies and his defiant roar rang out through the heavens. It was a challenge to the gods sneering down from up high, a resolute cry that their pride as dragonmen would never be sullied.
“Mmmgh.” A faint groan could be heard from inside one of the rooms of an eastern-style wooden house. A beautiful young woman, the person who had emitted the previous groan, rolled over in her sleep. Had anyone seen her in that moment, they would have been instantly smitten.
Her disheveled black hair and exposed cleavage made her look bewitchingly seductive. On top of that, her exposed legs and plump butt were sexy enough to blow away any man’s self-control.
She must have been seeing a nightmare, as her body was covered in sweat. However, that only made her more alluring. A sheen of it covered her breasts and thighs, enticing the viewer.
“Hmph. I have not had that dream in a long time. Five hundred years later and still I see them in my dreams. It seems I have yet to truly grow up.” Tio heaved a sigh as she straightened out her crumpled clothes. Then, ignoring her gloomy thoughts, she threw open the door. Sunlight flooded the room. A bright blast like that was powerful enough to wash away even the worst nightmares.
Tio looked out at her village. In the past 500 years, it hadn’t changed at all. Kharga had chosen to put it on a bountiful island far off the continent’s coast. The soil was well-suited to farming, and the island was populated by wyverns and wild animals. The dragonmen that had survived the tragedy and their offspring had lived peacefully here for the past five centuries.
It was a far cry from her old home, but it was good enough to house the few hundred dragonmen that lived here. Tio stepped onto her porch and heard a voice call out to her.
“Good morning, princess. Were you having a nightmare?”
“Mm, good morning. It was a dream about the past. I have not had a dream like that in ten years. P
erhaps it was a message from my mother and father from the other world. A reminder not to forget them.”
Venri, who looked to be rather old now, gave Tio a concerned look. However, Tio just winked playfully at her. Enough time had passed that she could joke about their deaths now.
Venri smiled awkwardly. She had intended to comfort Tio, but it looked as though that was unnecessary.
At first she had followed Tio around as her bodyguard, but now it was Tio who usually looked after her. On top of that, Tio’s strength had far surpassed her own. In both physical and mental strength she was unparalleled. Only Adul, the village chief, could hold a candle to her anymore.
Had the dragonmen kingdom not been destroyed, Tio probably would have gone down in history as one of their greatest queens. That she never became one was one of Venri’s greatest regrets. She put such gloomy thoughts aside and changed the subject.
“Would you like to have breakfast? I could get you something if you wish.”
“Hmmm... Breakfast does sound good... Hm? Where’s Grandfather? I do not sense his presence in the house...”
“Ah, Kartos-sama called for him earlier this morning. He has yet to return.”
“What? Old man Kar called for him? This early in the morning?”
Old man Kar, as Tio called him, was one of the village elders, and as old as Adul. He had the rare job “Observer” and was skilled at detecting the flow of mana. Of course even for someone like him it wasn’t easy to track mana somewhere as far as the mainland. Unless the usage of mana was so massive that its repercussions could be felt even on the island, it drained months of mana to scry mana usage across the continent. The scheduled scrying was only a month ago. Which means whatever old man Kar sensed was massive enough that it could be felt even here. Tio felt a, not exactly ominous premonition. It was more as if she could sense a change was coming. She said goodbye to Venri and ran off to Kartos’ house.
When she arrived, she saw a few of the other elders were also there. There was a tension in the air, and Tio’s heart began to race.
“You came too, Tio?”
“Indeed, Grandfather. I had this vague feeling that something was off. And judging from everyone’s expressions... something has happened on the continent?”
Adul smiled wryly and nodded at his granddaughter’s astute deduction. He had a thick mane of red hair and looked far too young to be called “grandfather” by anyone.
“It would seem the Holy Church, or rather the gods have summoned forth some truly odd guests. Quite a few of them too. One of them possesses a great strength. According to Kartos’ divination, he holds the job, ‘Hero.’”
“Hero...”
Divination was one of Kartos’ job’s skills. It allowed him to discern the job of anyone he specified. Tio narrowed her eyes and mulled the word over. Hero was a job she had never heard of.
“This is a turn of events we cannot ignore. This must be investigated. I was thinking we should send Aroyce out again to—”
“I will go.”
Aroyce was skilled in covert action, and blended easily into crowds.
For better or worse, Tio stood out. Her looks were of course conspicuous, but she also carried herself like royalty. Both her mannerisms and her speech were a dead giveaway. She could hardly pass for an average citizen. Hence why others more suited to the task had gone on previous scouting missions. Until now, Tio had been content to hear their reports.
Until the time was right, the world was not to learn of their existence... That was the village’s most important rule. If the humans ever learned dragonmen still lived, they wouldn’t rest until the clan was wiped out for good. For all those reasons, it was unwise for Tio to go to the mainland.
Though the kingdom of Klarus was no more, the villagers still called Tio “princess.” Tio understood very well her influence in the town. Which was why she had taken the law very seriously. For her comrades, her parents, and the world, she couldn’t let the dragonmen be destroyed. She hadn’t left, despite how much the village had bored her.
And yet, now she stated that she wanted to go. The elders all stared at Tio in shock.
“...Tio. Do you realize what you just said?”
“Yes, Grandfather. I understand all of the risks. But I still wish to be the one to go. Let me handle this investigation.”
“Why do you wish to go so badly? Why not let someone more suited to the task handle it?”
“I have this feeling. Grandfather, this development is going to change the world. Something inside me is telling me I have to go. If you try to stop me, I will force my way through. I absolutely have to see this through.”
“......”
It was rare for Tio to be this stubborn. The elders were still staring at Tio in shock, but for a different reason this time. There was a fierce determination burning in her eyes.
Adul met her gaze, and after a long staring contest, shrugged. He nodded his assent.
“Very well. You may go, Tio. See the world for yourself. However, make sure not to draw the gods’ attention. And as the law states, you will go alone. Do you understand?”
“Completely. ...Thank you, Grandfather.”
The other elders voiced their opposition, but Adul talked them down. In the end, they agreed to let Tio go.
The next morning. The sun had yet to rise. Tio was standing atop a cliff in the corner of the island.
The news that she would be going on the investigation this time had spread like wildfire. Starting with Venri, a procession of people had come to voice their protests. But in the end they were unable to change her mind, and she started packing for the trip.
The island was a fair distance from the mainland. Most dragonmen had to exhaust their entire mana supply to reach the continent. Even Tio, who had more mana than most, would have a hard time making the trip. The flight took nearly a whole day, which was why Tio had decided to leave early in the morning.
The entire village had come to see her off.
“P-Princess. Are you sure you won’t change your mind? If anything happened to you...”
“She’s right! At least take some guards with you!”
“Yeah, take me! I’ll protect you even if it costs me my life!”
Even now Venri hoped against hope that she might be able to convince Tio. Aroyce, the village’s veteran scout, offered to join Tio despite knowing the rules. Some of the other young men also offered to come along, blushing at their own boldness. Many of the other villagers tried to convince her not to go as well.
All of them cared deeply for her well-being. She was loved by the entire village.
“I understand your feelings. And I apologize for causing you such worry. But just this one, I am afraid I must have my way.”
Her determined voice quieted the protests. Tio cast her gaze over the villagers. She looked them in the eye, challenging them to test her resolve.
“Venri. I know just how much you care about me. You have been by my side even longer than Grandfather has. You are like another mother to me. I beg of you, please let me have your blessing before I depart.”
“Prin...cess...”
Tears leaked from Venri’s eyes. No words could have made her happier.
“Aroyce. Look after my grandfather while I’m gone. Fufu, of all of my suitors you were the strongest. I can count on you to handle things while I am gone, right?”
“How can you call me strong when I haven’t even been able to scratch your scales even once? However, I could never refuse the woman I love. ...You never did play fair.”
Aroyce couldn’t bring himself to refuse after Tio smiled at him. Especially since she was trusting him to look after things.
Despite being over five hundred years old, Tio had never slept with a man. Most dragonmen were married long before they reached her age. However, no one had been able to clear Tio’s requirements. In order to become her husband, a prospective suitor had to— “I-I’ll beat you one day, Princess! And then I’ll finally... Y
ou have to stay safe, for me!” prove they were stronger than her by beating her in a fight. It was a simple enough requirement, but one that was nearly impossible to fulfill. For Tio’s strength had surpassed even Adul’s. Ever since the day she’d watched her parents die, Tio had devoted herself to training. At some point she’d grown so strong no one else could match her.
All of the young men who wished to wed Tio, including Ristan who was barely more than a boy, tearfully tried to stop her from going.
Tio was strong, kind, and noble. On top of that, she was beautiful and wise. Over the centuries every young dragonman had tried to win her hand in marriage. But none of them had managed to so much as scratch her scales. Tio was so tough that she had long since forgotten how pain felt.
“Seriously, what a bunch of hopeless men. I appreciate your concern, but... words can no longer stop me. Feelings alone are not enough. Strength alone can achieve nothing. You need both, or you can never hope to change my mind. I am going. And if you wish to stop me then prove you have the strength to drag me back. Maybe someday... one of you will be able to do manage that. Fufufu.” Tio chuckled and brushed off the men who were trying to stop her. After being told all that, there was nothing they could say back.
“My comrades. My beloved people. Watch me.” Everyone’s gaze focused on Tio. She addressed the village with all the solemnity and majesty of a real queen.
“I do not know what awaits me on the continent. Nor do I know what the future holds. However, the winds of change are blowing. Something big is happening. And I know that I must confront this change directly. But fear not. Believe in me. Believe in your princess.” —In the strongest dragonman alive, Tio Klarus. Everyone unconsciously took a step back. The force of her determination had cowed the crowd. No one uttered any more words of complaint. As one, they villagers bowed their heads. They had decided to put their trust in Tio.
Her eyes full of tenderness, Tio nodded to the crowd. She waved one last time to Adul, transformed into a jet-black dragon, and leaped off the cliff.
Sandwiched by the white clouds and sparkling ocean, Tio cut through the wind. She was finally on her way to an unfamiliar land.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 3 Page 27
