Chapter 167: Checkmate

The sky was vast and filled with thick clouds.

A Dragon streaked across that sky at considerable speed, occasionally growling low as if holding back its anger.

Truly, what had happened earlier had infuriated him.

’Garph, that damned old man!’

He couldn’t believe what had just happened.

A human, just a human who hadn’t even reached Rank-A.

Yet Garph had treated him like an extremely noble being, even willing to ignore a Voidborn of such great value just to defend that human.

What on earth was he thinking?

Had the old man lost his mind?

’Or perhaps...’

The Dragon narrowed his eyes.

He remembered how Garph had bowed his head before that human.

Such conduct made no sense at all.

When he remembered that Garph was a Rank-S Dragon, and not only that, one of the very famous elders of the Qiezhuran Clan.

There was no reason for him to show respect to a human who was far weaker.

Unless...

’He must be hiding something.’

Yes.

That was the only explanation that made sense.

Garph must have found something valuable in that human.

And of course, the Voidborn that had escaped was part of his plan as well.

Thinking about it made the young Dragon growl again.

"Hypocritical old man!"

He picked up speed.

In any case, he couldn’t let this go.

***

"So, you’ve returned without bringing anything back?"

"..."

A voice rang out.

The young Dragon had returned to the dwelling of the Drazhuel Clan, and now he was standing before another Dragon.

Unlike before, he had taken on his humanoid form.

Both of his hands were at his sides, while his head was slightly bowed.

"Forgive me, Lord."

"Forgive you?"

The voice sounded once more.

"You said that you had succeeded in finding the Voidborn that escaped. You even asked several other Dragons for help in capturing it."

"Yet now you return empty-handed?"

"...That’s because Garph interfered."

"Garph?"

"Yes, the elder from the Qiezhuran Clan."

The young Dragon raised his head, then began to explain what had happened.

About the human who suddenly appeared with a goat girl and a Lunari, who even carried the Voidborn that had fled from the Drazhuel Clan.

And of course, about how Garph had chosen to protect that human instead.

The more he spoke, the harder it became to hold back his anger.

"He even dared to threaten me! Garph has truly lost his mind!"

"..."

"Lord, I’m sure he’s planning something. He may intend to use that Voidborn for the benefit of the Qiezhuran Clan!"

After saying that, the young Dragon finally fell silent.

He waited for an answer.

However, for a while, there was no sound at all.

The silence felt rather suffocating.

"...A human?" At last, the voice was heard again.

The young Dragon nodded, "Correct, he’s a Rank-B human."

"And Garph protected him?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

"..."

The young Dragon opened his mouth.

But no answer came out.

That was what confused him as well!

How could he possibly know what that damned old man was thinking?

"You don’t know?"

"...Forgive me."

"Hmm."

The figure before him seemed to sink into thought.

A Voidborn that had escaped.

A human who had suddenly appeared in the Dragon World.

And Garph, one of the Dragons who had most fiercely opposed the decision to invade other worlds.

It was quite an interesting combination.

Especially when Garph himself had decided to protect that human.

"...Are you certain he’s only Rank-B?"

"Of course! I checked him myself!"

"Then, what makes Garph respect him so much?"

"That..."

The young Dragon fell silent again, gritting his teeth slightly.

Why should he care so much about that human?

"Lord, I think that’s unimportant. In any case, that Voidborn should be returned. There’s no reason for the Qiezhuran to keep it!"

"Is that so?"

"...?"

The young Dragon lifted his head in confusion.

But before he could say anything, the figure before him spoke again.

"Who said that Garph wants to keep it?"

"..."

"According to your own account, isn’t he actually protecting the human who brought that Voidborn?"

The young Dragon flinched.

"That’s... True..."

Come to think of it, Garph had never tried to take the fox from that human.

He had instead...

’W-wait. What does that mean?’

The young Dragon frowned slightly.

Meanwhile, the figure before him let out a small laugh.

"Interesting."

"...Lord?"

"A human arrives in the Dragon World, snatches the Voidborn from our Drazhuel, and a Rank-S Dragon treats him with respect instead."

"That..."

"Don’t you feel there’s something strange?"

Of course!

That was exactly what he had wanted to say from the start!

The young Dragon quickly nodded.

"Yes! I’m sure Garph is planning something!"

"...Perhaps."

The figure didn’t confirm it right away.

He only leaned back calmly. For a while, he seemed to be weighing something.

Then, he asked.

"Where did Garph take that human?"

"To the Qiezhuran habitat, I think."

"Qiezhuran..."

The voice sounded low.

"What a coincidence."

"...?"

"Aren’t they about to hold a festival soon?"

The young Dragon fell silent for a moment.

The festival that the Qiezhuran Clan was going to hold.

A celebration that usually drew many Dragons, even from other Clans.

"Lord, are you..."

"That’s enough."

The young Dragon quickly closed his mouth.

The figure before him lifted his hand slightly.

"Go and rest."

"B-but, that Voidborn..."

"I’ve heard you."

"..."

"And if that human is truly in the Qiezhuran, then we don’t need to search for him across the entire Dragon World, do we?"

The young Dragon blinked.

Then, slowly, he began to grasp the meaning of those words.

A wide smile appeared on his face.

"Right!"

He quickly bowed his head.

"In that case, I’ll await your orders!"

"Yes, go."

The young Dragon didn’t dare say anything more. He turned around right away, then walked out of the room.

But before he actually left, he couldn’t help smiling.

’Garph, you damned old man.’

This time, he wouldn’t let that human escape so easily.

And of course, he wanted to see how Garph would keep up his arrogance when the Drazhuel themselves came to demand an explanation.

That old man, though very strong and old, wasn’t invincible!

The door slowly closed, leaving behind a low, crisp click.

Silence once again enveloped the room.

"..."

The figure who had just spoken with the young Dragon didn’t move right away.

He was still thinking about the report he had just heard.

"...What exactly did you find, Garph?"

He muttered in a low voice.

As one of the Dragons who was also very old, he had known Garph since long ago.

In fact, hadn’t the two of them once been rivals in a certain era?

That was why the Dragon couldn’t help himself. When Garph did something like this, a reason that was far from simple must lie behind it.

For a moment, there was no sound.

Then, a small smile appeared on his face.

"Very well."

His gaze lifted slightly.

"I think this festival won’t be boring."

He looked at the wooden chessboard. It was a kind of chessboard unlike the ones humankind had, because it had been made specially.

The Dragon carvings were modeled after the high-ranking Dragons of the Dragon World.

The figure picked up the two pieces on the southern side.

They were the Dragon King and the Dragon Queen. Then, the figure crushed both pieces into fragments.

"No matter what you’re planning, this is already checkmate."