Chapter 30: Villager of the Magic Academy Part 3

After finishing breakfast, Lilith and I prepared to leave.

Traveling together.

I was carrying a long-distance travel backpack which had become a trusty friend of mine since the time with the zombie dragon.

The items we had obtained from our adventures so far, bags of rare gems and other fine goods, were sewn into Lilith’s and my undergarments.

And then, Lilith and I took a walk around the mansion together.

For the past few days, I had been cleaning this place up, so not even a speck of dust is left behind.

The mansion we received from the Dragon King.

We were already well prepared to leave it behind us.

Ever since I was twelve years old, it was four years since then.

When everything was said and done, this place had taken great care of me. When I thought of it that way, it was truly moving.

“hmm…”

Lilith looked at me, and receiving that gaze, I nodded.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Before we left our home, we turned around for one last look.

Then, I opened the door.

And at that point, I smiled.

Even though everyone from the dragon village was at the Dragon King’s castle last night, and we had a sumptuous grand farewell banquet. There were two majestic figures in front of me.

It goes without saying that one of them was our host, the Dragon King.

The other person was the red dragon who brought me to the village.

“Oh, old man!”

“Geez, no matter what happens, you never learn to use the right words. No, I feel like you used the use the proper words back when we first met…”

Sorry for the impolite speech.

No matter how much I got scolded, this habit hasn’t cured since Japan.

It’s not that I couldn’t correct it momentarily, but it never lasted long.

Especially, in front of a character like the old man here.

From a cheerful expression, the old man quickly turned it into a teary eyed one.

“Do come back…”

“In the end, this turned into a second home for me, huh…”

I shrugged as I continued.

“Yep, I’ll definitely come back.”

The old man hugged me with tears streaming down his face.

I also hugged him with all my strength.

And then the Dragon King called out to me.

“Are you really going? Because of the circumstances, I’ll say it, but…”

“Hmm? Because of the circumstances?”

“Even if the Hero of the North-Cordelia Orston becomes useless, and humanity faces a great danger from calamities…”

“Even then?”

“It has nothing to do with dragons like us… To be honest, I want you to stay in this village as much as possible. After all, I never got tired of watching you.”

Hearing that made me grin.

“Even though you’re the one who knows best that’s it’s impossible to stop me. The situation that entraps Cordelia, the calamities that threaten her, if she’s in trouble, I must go to her. Even in my second life… I haven’t experienced what happens beyond this point. That’s why I must enter the Magic Academy, I have to be next to Cordelia. So that I can deal with anything immediately, no matter what happens.”

At this point, the Dragon King also shrugged and grinned.

“Without a doubt. By the way, Lilith?”

When called, Lilith opened her eyes wide in surprise.

“Dragon King… called? He called… me? A person who’s merely an attendant to Lute, was called by the Dragon King? Directly called by name…?”

Nodding, the Dragon King said.

“You shouldn’t beat yourself down so much, Lilith. You’ve become strong. As proof, your hand now has five golden lines. The you right now is well worthy of speaking directly to me.”

“It’s an honor, is the best I can respond with in this situation.”

To such a Lilith, the Dragon King said with a grin.

“Won’t you alone stay behind? You are an excellent librarian, magician and an experienced warrior. I’m looking for tea-time friends outside of dragons, you know.”

“It’s truly an honor, however…”

“However?”

Whispering, Lilith said.

“I can’t leave Lute alone with that thieving, female hero.”

At this point, the Dragon King and the old man started laughing.

Having broke the tension, they were unable to hold it in and started laughing.

“Haha…Kukuku…Lute, looks like we can’t quite leave you by yourself.”

Various feelings emerged in my chest, but I simply replied with.

“To be frank, I’m having trouble dealing with Lilith.”

“As it should be. She’s an important teammate and is also an important party member for counteracting the demerits of forbidden techniques. Well, in various ways, my condolences.”

“To add to it, my childhood friend also has quite a strong personality.”

“Haha, that’s great.”

While laughing heartily, the Dragon King offered me his right hand.

Holding his hand, we squeezed each other’s hand firmly.

“Definitely come back, Lute, I want to meet that childhood friend of yours as well.”

Thinking for a moment, I grinned at his request.

“If Cordelia is fine with it, and if Lilith gives her the go-ahead, then sure.”

“Haha. The world’s strongest man, being weak against two women, it’s hilarious.”

“Yeah, that’s not helping.”

Then, the Dragon King fell silent and I too fell silent.

Everyone around us also went silent, and a breeze blew by.

“Let’s go, Lilith?”

“Hmm…”

When I took a step forward, Lilith held the hem of my jacket with her right hand.

Whenever we walk outside, Lilith always walks behind me, she holds on to either my cuff or the hem of my jacket and walks behind me.

I’m halfway to giving up since she doesn’t quit even after I told her so many times.

Then, turning around, I told the two of them.

“Dragon King? Old man? Keep a good look out for my real final test of the village, the True Dragon Gate, okay? I’ll let those fireworks fly some day.”

And then, without turning back, I took Lilith and I headed out of the village.

About thirty minutes after.

The Dragon King and the red dragon were having tea-time.

That said, since Lute himself asked them to keep an eye on the True Dragon Gate. They couldn’t just let the flow break there.

“It’s been… four years. He came like the wind, and left like a storm. Right, Dragon King.”

“He’s a drifter. His time here has finished, plus his old world is calling him back, so it can’t be helped.”

“Haha, agreed.”

The red dragon then tightened his expression and asked the Dragon King.

“By the way, are you truly intending to hand over the position of the next Dragon King to Lute?”

Thinking for a while, the Dragon King brought the herbal tea to his mouth.

“Half of it was to give him a place to belong to, maybe? Well, it’s more with an intention of having him return to have tea again.”

“So, you mean to say?”

“If I elected him as the Dragon King, whether he takes office or not, he’d have to return once to take care of the paperwork, right?”

“I see…”

“But, the other half of it, was also because he possessed the qualities needed to be the Dragon King. With everything said and done, he won against the strongest dragon, me, in the tournament.”

“Last year’s tournament, but Dragon King that wasn’t for real, right? Even from the stands, it was clear you were holding back. So regarding him as the next generation’s Dragon King, no one takes it seriously, you know?”

Without taking offense, the Dragon King agreed.

“Yes. That’s right”

However, the Dragon King went on.

“But that was when I faced the fourteen year old him.”

Seeing the Dragon King’s serious face, the red dragon took a deep breath.

“Then, if it was now, how about it?”

Shrugging, the Dragon King said.

“Well, I wonder how it would go? But, at least…”

“At least?”

“He is still just sixteen years old. He still has endless potential.”

Hearing those words, the red dragon let out a surprised face.

“That reminds me, the True Dragon Gate. The gate embedded into the borders to the netherworld, the Gate of the soul… was it?”

“Ah, built using Orichalcum, a tightly shut gate. By the way, it’s a relic left behind by the ancient dragons back when the village was completely surrounded by walls.”

“At present, the walls that used to surround the gate don’t exist anymore. However, the orichalcum gate didn’t crumble and stands tall next to the highway.”

The Dragon King laughed happily.

“According to the information I gave Lute, it’s a gate meant for those who wish to leave the village. To open the tightly shut gates, you need to smash it open. And if a person manages to smash it open, it means he truly gained the right to leave the village by his own will, regardless of the result, the person is free. He can leave when he wants and return whenever he wants.”

“Dragon King?”

“Hmm?”

“Is it possible for you to destroy the gate?”

“Hmm… that’s a difficult question. Well, for the time being it is something the previous Dragon King left me.”

“Something he left you?”

And then, the Dragon King laughed with great delight.

“There are about thirty people who have left the village. Out of all of them, about twenty became renowned heroes, right? Well, all of them have attempted to break the True Dragon Gate open.”

“However, out of all those, not a single one had succeeded… correct?”

“Well, it’s a messy story. Once dragonkind accepts a human, we really don’t want them to leave. We are strong people, and we are lonely people. For a person accepted by such strong people, for them to leave… it’s difficult.”

“Yes, I can understand that feeling.”

“If upon failing the True Dragon Gate challenge, and they are stupidly honest and return to the village, then it ends there. Even if they don’t return, the person will have regrets towards the village.

“Regrets is it?”

“They didn’t leave after finishing the formal procedures. If that’s the case, in his or her heart, the dragon village will always remain and, if that’s so…”

“And, if that’s so…?”

“They won’t forget the dragon village. The possibility that they’ll return someday is high. Then, we can have a fun welcome back party.”

“I see.”

“Well, if it’s Lute, he might be able to destroy the orichalcum gate’s weak point.”

Just then, a flash of light flashed across the village of dragons.

A loud thunderous sound followed by a massive shockwave.

A whirlwind similar to a sandstorm raged, and the Dragon King exclaimed.

About two kilometers ahead of him.

Just over the True Dragon’s Gate, about two hundred meters high.

-Pieces of orichalcum, countlessly and extensively were shooting towards the sky. No, they were dancing towards the sky.

Shining with spring’s bright weather, the ancient magical metal sparkled like a rainbow.

It was truly, like fireworks shining in the daytime sky.

“How brilliant. Forget the weak point, he completely blew up the gate itself!”

“Yeah, those are oversized day-time fireworks.”

The Dragon King and the red dragon exchanged a look, and raised the corners of their mouth in a grin.

“That last flash, it was the skill: Wrath of the Villager, correct? As well as the War Saint’s presence and various forbidden techniques- looks like he had to give it his all.”

“If he gives it his all, he can destroy orichalcum to such an extent… I can’t believe it.”

“Haha… Hmm… You really brought a ridiculous kid here.”

“Apparently, he’s called the world’s strongest villager.”

“The world’s strongest villager, huh. For bringing Lute Macklen to me, I must thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything. Everything was done by Lute by himself.”

Then.

The Dragon King and the red dragon, while watching the pieces of orichalcum dance in the sky like bright fireworks, kept waving their hands for a while.