6-year-old Wise Man Wants to Walk in the Shade

Chapter 18 - The leader of the dragon tribe

After waiting for several minutes, the leader of the dragon people arrived, accompanied by the same dragon people and several other guards.

...Oops.

Something impressive has appeared.

He was overwhelmingly more well-built than any dragon people I'd seen so far.

His skin was covered in sparkling blue scales and was sturdy, and his well-trained upper arms were as thick as logs.

The jet-black horns on his head were also manly.

He looked like a real man among men, and to be honest, he looked pretty cool.

That aside, were he really only bringing along a minimum number of guards?

I used detection magic to sense our surroundings.

The results came quickly.

There was no one hiding nearby.

Detection magic is really useful, after all.

I could use it more often if I didn't have to worry about magical power.

The leader on his horse looked around us with a disgusted look, then clicked his tongue and turned back to his subordinates.

"Hey, what's going on?! You're just a brat against a human woman! You lost to a weak female, an inferior creature like this?! How dare you come to me and ask for my help...!!"

"Hii...!"

The subordinate screamed and trembled when he was yelled at.

"But, chief...! These guys are really strong..."

"Shut up! You're a disgrace to our clan! Looks like you need to be punished..."

The chief's voice dropped significantly.

The chief pulled out the large sword he had been carrying on his back.

The area was filled with a murderous aura that made the surface of his skin tingle.

Are they planning to carry out the execution here...?

The princess couldn't just ignore that――

"Please don't act selfishly."

"What did you say? That tone, are you kidding me?!」

"Tone?" the princess muttered, tilting her head.

It can't be helped, as she is very serious.

"It's fine. We didn't give in to threats. And the secret letter that the werewolf had is now in my hands."

The moment he heard the princess' words, the chief twitched his eyebrows.

"It contains important information for you. If you cannot obtain it, you will be on the path to ruin."

"Hmph! We can just kill you and take it from you."

"You have been cut off from communication for so many years, can you read the secret letter written in the werewolf's language? Even if there is someone at the base who can translate it, it will be too late by the time you return and listen to what they have to say."

The princess's remark must have been spot on.

The chief gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Fu... Kuhahaha! You really underestimated me. I hate being insulted more than anything.'

The chief laughed for a moment, then glared at the princess.

'The path to ruin? That sounds good. If our clan is being manipulated by humans, it might be better for us to perish.'

'Hey, chief...!'

The atmosphere around us became tense.

I popped my childish head out from behind the princess.

'Eh? Dragon-san, why would you lie like that?'

'...What?'

'Eh, Eddie-sama!'

Pretending to be an innocent boy, I looked up at the dragon-san with a smile.

'But dragon-san, you really do care about your friends, don't you?'

'...Ah?'

It's true that this chief has a short temper and a rough personality.

However, behavior and a person's true nature are not always directly related.

『Ryuujin-san, you only came with a few guards as the princess told you, right? Even though it's a dangerous time and you might have a fight with the werewolves, you kept your promise, right? That's to help the people who've fallen here, right?』

Normally, a person who is called a leader wouldn't be so defenseless.

Except when their friends are being held hostage like now.

『Ryuujin-san, the princess didn't come here to fight the monsters, she wants to stop everyone's fighting. So please listen to what she has to say. --It will be better for both of us.』

『Eddie-sama...』

『...Hmph. Even though you're just a human child, you're not afraid to talk to us. I find your courage interesting. But that's a different story.』

The chief drew his great sword from his waist and plunged it into the ground.

The princess stiffened in caution for a moment, but quickly straightened up. The chief dismounted from his horse and stepped forward in front of the sword.

"Very well. Let's hear what you have to say first."

"But first, please don't harm us from now on. And since you've heard this, can you promise me that you'll avoid any conflict with the werewolves?"

"Hey, human. Even though we've made some concessions, you're being too arrogant!"

"But without this information, we can't protect our race."

"...Hmph! All right, all right, I promise."

It was a quick decision, and a verbal promise.

I don't get the feeling he has any intention of keeping his conditions.

The princess must have thought the same thing.

She remained silent, brows furrowed.

I signaled to the princess with my eyes and shook my head.

It's a waste of time to negotiate any further.

"Hurry up. I'm impatient.'

The princess took out the secret letter from her pocket and told me exactly what I had instructed her to do.

'So... the werewolf armies are waiting on the east and west, surrounding our army.'

'The attack will begin at noon. Even so, it will lead to an outbreak of war between the werewolves and the dragonmen. To avoid that, return to your own army immediately and retreat to the north.'

'Hey. You guys, return to your base immediately. I'm giving orders to the whole army. We'll attack the werewolves in return.'

'...I was worried that he would say that, but as expected, he did.'

'If you were suspicious of us, that's easy. Since the secret letter didn't arrive, only one army will move. There's no way not to attack. Fuhaha! Let's outwit them!'

'If you two are fighting each other, the vampires will definitely take advantage of the opportunity and make a move. If that happens, both armies will--'

'I don't care about vampires! I'm going to destroy those damn werewolves!'

'But... you're the leader, aren't you? Are you out of your mind?'

The dragon leader rolled his eyes and laughed.

'Besides... I have to beat up those werewolves and get that thing... That thing, hee hee...'

The leader drools as he laughs and shakes his shoulders.

What's this all of a sudden?

Something's wrong, isn't it...?

'Chief...?'

The dragon leader's subordinates are also looking at the leader with a sense of confusion.

'That's right. Ah, ah, I'll get that thing... and get it. I'll get it and become the ruler of this whole area! I want that, that thing...!'

This could be...

I secretly narrowed my eyes, suspecting a certain possibility.

If what I'm thinking is correct, it's going to be difficult for the princess to convince this tribe leader.

Anyway, I'll observe a bit more and make a decision.

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