The city of Fonkavun, Dragontan.
Within the city exists a strategically vital resource: Dragon Vein Wells. This peculiar town, tossed about by various plots and crises, was now enveloped in a tension and chaos unlike anything it had ever experienced.
The rumored meeting between Takuto Ira, leader of Mynoghra, and Pepe, leader of Fonkavun.
Though hazy, the rumor circulating among the common folk had plunged the citizens of Fonkavun into both confusion and unease, casting a silence over the city reminiscent of the abode of the dead.
The inhabitants of Fonkavun understood perfectly well that a massive horde of barbarians had descended upon their city, and that its elimination had been achieved with the aid of their allied nation, Mynoghra.
Yet, even so, the fundamental fear and anxiety rooted deep within their hearts could not be wiped away.
Specifically, it was the bewilderment of wondering, "What exactly have we gotten ourselves into?"
This sentiment had spread not only among the city's residents, but also among the soldiers who had supposedly fought alongside Mynoghra in the previous war.
"Hey... you hear about the meeting's counterpart?"
From a watchtower erected along the city's outer wall, a wolf beastman with keen eyesight called out to his colleague, as if plotting some scheme.
The human soldier who heard these words responded with a similarly deep furrow of his brow.
"The King of Ruin, Takuto Ira... is it?"
"Yeah, that's him. Why would he bother coming all the way to a place like this..."
"Well, it's probably because Pepe and Tonukapoli went over there to pay their respects first. Now it's their turn to return the gesture. Besides, there's the matter of the last war. The higher-ups probably have a mountain of things to consult about."
The topic the two soldiers were discussing was the impending bilateral summit.
That Pepe, a magic-user like Tonukapoli, had held a direct audience with Mynoghra's king was already a known fact among those who kept their ears to the ground.
An alliance is something to be welcomed.
The fact that the opposing king himself was coming to visit signified that they regarded Fonkavun as important and trusted them, and it was a clear demonstration of the strong bond between the two nations.
This was evident from how Mynoghra had shed their own blood to defend the city during the great barbarian advance.
...The only problem was that their counterpart was a being possessing power beyond imagination, and was an entity of evil.
"Even so, are you sure about this? We haven't allied with the wrong sort of people, have we?"
"Well, that is..."
The human man hesitated at the wolfman's question.
He had no basis on which to say no. Information regarding the nation called Mynoghra was kept classified as a top priority even within Fonkavun.
Moreover, since the alliance had only been formed very recently, a mere foot soldier holding no official rank couldn't really access any intelligence.
However, he did have vague, whispered reports confirming one thing: they were a terrifying opponent.
"Fonkavun and Mynoghra are, for now, allied nations. It's... probably okay. I want to believe that."
"Really, we all just want to believe that, don't we?"
At these words, which were almost a wish, someone suddenly interjected.
It was a clear, youthful female voice. They frowned, recognizing the familiar sound, then hastily turned around and saluted.
"Ah, Mayor Anterize!"
"W-why are you here?"
Standing there was a beautiful elven woman.
"Taking a... no, on patrol. A patrol. I wanted to see how everyone's working."
Anterize Antique.
With a slender figure, a bust that was perhaps a little too full, and most distinctly, her long ears and golden hair, the woman lightly waved her hand to signal the end of the salute, then smiled with a slightly tired expression.
Mayor Anterize was a rare individual who had come to Fonkavun from the conservative El-Nar Spirit Contract Union.
Of course, her uniqueness wasn't just in her background; she possessed extraordinary abilities, which was why she had, almost without anyone noticing, been appointed mayor of Dragontan.
Her sudden, out-of-place appearance had startled them.
The inhuman beauty peculiar to the elven race, and the gaze emanating from those two eyes pierced straight through the two sentries.
Being looked at by Anterize, someone who in a sense is an unapproachable figure they rarely exchange words with, the two of them can’t help but flush.
But remembering the fact that they had just been shirking their duties and engaging in pointless chatter, they hurriedly straighten their posture.
Not many days have passed since the recent great barbarian advance.
Even though minimal damage was achieved through the cooperation of Mynoghra and the efforts of the city’s defenders, they recalled that their actions had been far from acceptable.
“N-no… that was out of line, City Lord.”
“Our spirits had lapsed… We will accept any punishment.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Well, you’ve been working nonstop lately, and I understand how you feel. I’ve been thinking quite strongly lately how I miss the peaceful days… Wait, have there been any peaceful days since I became City Lord?”
The City Lord says this with a playful shrug.
Judging that she was going to let them off, the two scratched the back of their heads, trying to deflect as they probed for the true meaning behind her visit.
“Haha, no, we can’t look the City Lord in the eye. Even now, she has come all this way specifically to check on us and tighten our resolve.”
Currently, in the city of Fonkavun, citizens are leaving in succession.
This is the consequence of the fact that in the previous war, the defenders of Dragontan had proven almost useless, and that there had been no reinforcements whatsoever from the home country.
Citizens desire peace. That is a natural human emotion, one that cannot be restrained by reason alone.
What if a similar event occurs? What if the allied nations don’t intervene next time?
Thinking along those lines, it would be understandable if they chose to leave this place.
The watch soldiers knew this well too.
Their morale, frankly, was not high. The resolve to protect the nation’s people, which had certainly existed in the past, was now trembling unsteadily at its foundations.
Even as they observed Anterize’s mood like this, down on the broad avenue below, carts piled high with household goods were forming lines heading for the gates, as if to emphasize the point.
They didn’t know where these people were headed, but at the very least, it was certain that they had given up on this city.
Continuing to see such a scene every day would naturally sink morale to its lowest point.
It was only natural that the city governor would worry about the deteriorating public order and personally take the trouble to inspect and encourage the guards with her own feet.
But contrary to what they expected, Anterize let out a small laugh and answered, "That's part of it, but the truth is a little different."
"From up here I can see the whole city. Besides, this might be my last time seeing it, so... You know, I want to remember the city I managed with my own hands. There's no telling what'll happen from here on out."
It was an alarmingly dangerous and utterly unrealistic future. Though she spoke lightly with an almost joking air, neither of the two men failed to notice that her expression was slightly strained.
What meaning did that hold? At the very least, they lacked sufficient information to speculate. But from Anterize's attitude alone, it was abundantly clear that something was going on.
The two men exchanged glances, faces twisted with something indescribable.
They could not even imagine this city surviving.
The beastman guard, forgetting that without Mynoghra's aid this delusional scenario would have become reality long ago, timidly replied to the city governor, "M-My lady, please don't say such inauspicious things..."
"That's right. Scaring people like that—it's in very poor taste. Ha ha ha."
"By the way, why aren't you two fleeing?"
Leaning against the edge of the watchtower and gazing out over the cityscape, Anterize tossed yet another question at them.
The exodus of citizens was bad enough, but the departure of soldiers was considerable as well. Those who had given up on Dragontan, those hired to escort fleeing citizens—the reasons varied, and the city had been stretched just thin enough to maintain a bare minimum of security.
Of course, there was no rest to be had, and working conditions only continued to worsen by the day. The two men had not had proper sleep in days, and it had been ages since either had gone home. Beyond their guard duties, tasks piled up without end, and their earlier banter had been nothing more than a brief respite amid the grueling labor.
Fleeing would have been easier. At least the escort detail for fleeing citizens provided a psychological escape route. But the two men raised their voices just a notch and gave Anterize their answer.
"Ha ha, we won't run away."
"One way or another, we've both grown fond of this city."
The two had grown up in this city since childhood.
They had received much from it and experienced various joys and sorrows within its bounds.
Whatever the other citizens might think, they intended to see this through with the city to the very end.
Thanks to people like them, Dragontan still stood, having yet to meet its fatal collapse.
"Is that so? Then perhaps I might ask a small favor of you?"
At these words, Anterize smiled slightly with a hint of pleasure, but then her expression shifted to one of such seriousness they had never seen before.
Next, she made a request they could not have anticipated.
"...When you see the king of Mynoghra during the next conference, I want you to keep your spirits strong. And no matter what happens, do not show any sign of being shaken. This isn't about our position or our country's standing—though, honestly, that's part of it too—it is for your own sakes, the two of you who just said you loved this city."
Gulp... the soldiers swallowed hard.
In essence, she was telling them that depending on their actions, they could displease the king of Mynoghra and land in an extremely dire situation.
Indeed, a soldier's life was cheap.
Especially considering the current state of Fonkavun, there was no reason whatsoever for Fonkavun or Dragontan to show consideration for the rudeness of a single soldier.
They could just beheaded arbitrarily and that would settle it. That was diplomacy.
But just how dangerous and unpredictable was this existence? How terrifying was it truly?
For the first time, the two soldiers felt a chilling unease welling up from the depths of their guts.
"I heard from Tonukapoli. That the king of that nation exists two or three steps outside the reason of this world. That he is an aberration."
Of Fonkavun's citizens, only Tonukapoli and Pepe, who had conducted the conference in a city of Mynoghra, had actually met the Destroyer King, Takuto Ira.
Pepe possessed a sensibility quite different from ordinary people, so his testimony wasn't entirely reliable, but Tonukapoli's words carried immense credibility and trustworthiness.
The strength of these Fonkavun staff-bearers was widely known among their people. Practitioners of various forms of magic and sorcery—from communing with nature spirits and beyond—they commanded respect born of their proven skill and accomplishments, but were also regarded, at times, as something akin to mythical, yokai-like beings. Could one call such figures abnormal when, to an ordinary soldier, they might as well exist beyond the clouds? A creeping sense of crisis began to close in on the two, who had until now treated the matter as someone else's problem. They had finally come to understand that this was by no means merely a discussion between the powerful. "S-So it's that dangerous? Surely... surely the staff-bearer is exaggerating..." "Have you seen— Atou?" To their desperate question, Anterize offered neither confirmation nor denial, instead deflecting with a question of her own. That alone was enough for the men to grasp what the city commander was trying to tell them. The girl named Atou who had aided Dragontan's defense was not a being they could hope to comprehend. What the soldiers had glimpsed was her in battle. It was far from the city, visible only by straining one's eyes from the watchtowers, yet the image of her combat was seared into their minds. Glittering ice and snow. Tentacles lashing in every direction. The screaming death cries, and barbarian bodies flung skyward, broken apart—easily discernible even from that distance. The thunderous sounds of impact. It had all been far too vivid. At first, they had received reports from their superiors describing Atou as merely a subhuman resembling an octopus, but now those explanations rang hollow as meaningless misdirection. She could not possibly be some ordinary being. The girl named Atou was not someone they could ever hope to measure. Takuto Ira was that creature's master and king. Someone capable of commanding such a monster could not possibly be normal.
"I-I understand what the City Mayor is saying. I... don't have much confidence, but I'll make sure to keep my resolve strong and not do anything unnecessary on the day."
"Do your best. Well, I might be the one who screws up though."
With that final bit of playfulness, the City Mayor turned her gaze back toward the cityscape, as if to say it was nearly time.
That should have been the end of the conversation. But the man of the wolf tribe suddenly thought of something and called out to Anterize.
"Come to think of it, the City Mayor can use spirit arts, can't you? How are the spirits reacting?"
The elves possessed an extraordinarily high affinity with spirits.
They listened to the voices of those spirits and performed various arts and divinations.
It was precisely out of curiosity about how the spirits—non-material entities possessing an even greater sensitivity to mana—were reacting to the current situation that he asked the question.
"Huh? They all ran away."
She answered matter-of-factly, but her eyes were not smiling.
Spirits were a form of energy that existed throughout the world. Their existence was exceedingly faint, and in truth, they possessed very little of the instincts or will unique to living organisms.
And every last one of those spirits had fled. How should one express such a fact?
As he struggled for words, Anterize moved first.
"But you two aren't going to run away, right? You love this city after all! Right?"
Dragon Tank City Mayor Anterize Antique gripped their shoulders as she spoke.
The two soldiers broke into a cold sweat at her radiant smile, which seemed to say she would not let them escape, and trembled inwardly with the growing fear that perhaps they had made a terrible misjudgment.
………
……
…
The days leading up to the longed-for date felt as though far too much time had been spent in waiting.
The day I had prayed with desperate fervor would never arrive—how soon would it actually come to pass?
And so, the day of the meeting came shockingly soon.