This was trouble. The dragon clan should not get dragged into the vortex of goblin infighting. Leopold pondered, concluding that no matter how he looked at it, this was a bad deal.
“...You want me to kill the high-ranking leaders of the Greystone Alliance,” Leopold finally spoke, his voice calm. “Do you know what that means for an outsider? Once I act, every goblin will view me as an enemy.”
Krag lowered his head. “I can provide detailed intelligence—the daily schedules of every leader, guard rotations, and the locations of escape routes.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Isabella's voice grew colder. “You want Leo to do your dirty work while you reap the benefits?”
Krag turned to Isabella, his gray-green eyes unflinching. “I don't want him to do my dirty work. I simply... do not have the ability to do it myself. I am only a Legion Commander; my every move is monitored, and I have no opportunity to get close to those leaders.”
“Why should we help you?” Isabella questioned Krag.
“I can provide you with the locations of the high-ranking members of the Dragon Slayers...”
Leopold narrowed his eyes, weighing Krag's words in his mind.
“We don't agree!” Isabella spoke first. “The Dragon Slayers pose no real threat to us. That organization isn't worth the risk of making enemies of all goblins.”
Leopold looked down. Isabella was right. To assassinate the high-ranking leaders of the Greystone Alliance based solely on a goblin Legion Commander's word carried too much risk. If they failed, or if Krag turned on them afterward, the three dragons would become public enemies of the entire Eisenberg Mountain Range.
“But...”
“There are no buts,” Leopold spoke slowly, turning to Krag. “Commander, I sympathize with your story, but we cannot accept this task.”
“...I understand.” His voice was a bit quieter than before. “I was inconsiderate, treating you dragons like assassins that can be hired at will. My apologies.”
Leopold had expected him to keep trying to persuade them, or even threaten them, but Krag backed down so cleanly and decisively. This actually caught him off guard.
“However—” Krag looked up, his gaze turning sharp again. “Since you don't plan to help me with that, I have a simpler request.”
“What request?”
“Destroy this arsenal.” Krag turned sideways, raising his hand to point at the rows of wooden shelves and cannons in the cavern. “Twenty dwarven cannons, three hundred barrels of gunpowder, and enough swords and armor to equip three regiments.”
“These items will be shipped to the Greystone Alliance's frontline outposts tomorrow.” Krag sighed. “If you destroy them, it will at least slow down the Greystone Alliance's war preparations.”
Isabella frowned slightly. “If this place is destroyed, you won't be able to escape responsibility, will you?”
“I'll probably be sentenced to death...”
“Then why would you—”
“Respected White Dragon, I can trade the location of the Dragon Slayers organization with you.” Krag bowed deeply to Isabella. “Please, at least let me buy some time for the peace faction!”
“I see,” Leopold walked forward a few steps, looking down at Krag. “You've been stripped of your power in the legion, haven't you?”
Krag's shoulders tensed up instantly. He didn't answer right away, but that brief pause was already enough of an answer for Leopold.
“...You are the Third Legion Commander of the Greystone Alliance, holding military power. If the Greystone Alliance truly wanted to wage this war, you should have been one of the most critical pieces.”
Leopold paced back and forth. “Yet you appear here now, completely alone, without guards, without messengers, and even having to negotiate with us in person... What does this show? It shows that your orders within the legion can no longer be sent out, right?”
Krag fell silent for a moment, slowly lowering his gaze. “...You are correct. Starting last winter, my deputy was replaced by someone from the Alliance Council of Elders. On paper, I am still the Third Legion Commander, but in reality, the military mobilization token is no longer in my hands.”
“In other words, you've been completely sidelined...” Isabella murmured.
Leopold lowered his head in thought, weighing Krag's sincerity, the threat of the arsenal, the intelligence on the Dragon Slayers, and... the possibility that this goblin infighting would eventually drag them in as well.
“Fine,” Leopold said, his voice quiet but firm. “The deal is struck. Pleasure doing business with you.”
Only after a long while did Krag slowly straighten his back and bow deeply to Leopold.
“...Thank you. I will remember this kindness.”
“No need to remember any kindness,” Leopold waved his hand. “This is a transaction, nothing more.”
Isabella stood by Leopold's side. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only gently held his hand.
“The headquarters of the Dragon Slayers is located in an abandoned mine pit in the northern part of the mountain range, about half a day's journey from the main city of Bratak.”
Leopold silently memorized every word. “How many people are at that outpost?”
“There are about forty permanent Dragon Slayers there, but their leader doesn't live at the outpost.” Krag pulled a folded piece of parchment from his coat and handed it over. “This is a rough structural diagram of the outpost's interior. I could only draw it to this extent from memory.”
Leopold took the parchment, unfolded it, and glanced at it.
“You drew it in great detail.” Leopold folded the parchment and placed it in his pocket.
“Now then, let the show begin!”
A patrolling goblin was yawning, rubbing his eyes.
“Yawn—so sleepy... The captain is really something, what's the point of guarding a crappy place like this...”
He muttered, switching the lantern to his other hand. Just as he was about to find a more comfortable position to doze off, he turned around and saw a pair of golden pupils.
His mouth opened—
“Mmph—” Before the goblin could make a sound, Isabella delivered a chop to the side of his neck, knocking him out completely.
Leopold gently laid the unconscious goblin in the shadow at the base of the rock wall and brushed the dust off his hands.
“...The patrol density is lower than I expected.”
“Because they've deployed most of their personnel to transport gunpowder.” Isabella lowered her voice, pointing toward the eastern side of the cavern. “There's movement over there.”
Sure enough, heavy footsteps and clanging metal echoed from the eastern side of the cavern. About seventeen or eighteen goblins were pushing a cart piled high with wooden crates, moving slowly along a laid track.
“Bella, are you ready?” Leopold took the initiative to hold Isabella's hand.
“...I'm ready.” Isabella squeezed Leopold's hand back. “Together!”
“—Once this batch of gunpowder is moved, we can secure all the artillery positions tomorrow.”
“The captain said that once the fuses arrive in four days, we'll blow up the North District first, then shell the castle.”
“Hehehe, let's see how those three dragons handle—”
Isabella's figure flashed through the darkness. The leading goblin pushing the cart felt a chill on the back of his neck, his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.
“A dragon! It's a dragon!” a goblin screamed in panic.
“What is there to panic about a dragon?” Leopold walked past him. With a tremor of the shadow beneath him, the goblin lost consciousness and fell to the ground.
The entire eastern loading area went completely quiet in less than two minutes.
“All done,” Isabella landed lightly beside him. “No one should have been missed.”
“That was fast, Bella.” Leopold smiled at Isabella.
“Yes, Leo!” Isabella smiled too, her ice-blue eyes rippling with a hint of warmth.
Leopold felt a bit dazed. Perhaps life in this other world wasn't so bad, at least...
But Leopold suddenly froze on the spot, the smile on his face stiffening.
“Hahaha! He's here again...”
“Hahaha, so stinky!”
"Leopold's" pupils constricted sharply. He found himself suddenly surrounded by faceless people.
“Hehe. ***, you're truly disgusting...”
Rate on N.U.
