Chapter 386: All pieces in place

Grella led him a little farther away from the chaos engulfing the tribe.

As he walked through the settlement, he finally realized just how vast the entire tribe actually was. It was nearly twice the size of his village, perhaps even larger, considering he had yet to reach the settlement’s farthest end.

Then again, it was understandable. This was the only place where humans resided, largely because of their less-than-stellar reputation throughout the world. With nowhere else to go, generations of humans had gathered here and built a settlement large enough to accommodate them all.

"Come inside," Grella said as she pushed aside the curtain, or rather, the collection of worn rags hanging over the entrance of a hut.

Despite the chaos outside, Luke’s heightened perception immediately told him there was no one inside. It was not that he distrusted Grella. His instincts simply urged him to inspect every room before entering, a habit he had developed over time and had no intention of abandoning.

"Haah, a little peace," he muttered as he stepped inside the hut, finally putting some distance between himself and the commotion outside. The sounds of people rushing about and speaking hurriedly could still be heard in the distance, but they were far more tolerable than being surrounded by the chaos itself.

Grella poured some water from a clay pitcher into a round earthen bowl and extended it toward him.

Luke accepted it, his eyes naturally wandering around the hut.

The lack of a proper bed, the bundles of firewood stacked inside a simple basket, and the absence of anything resembling the lamps and furnishings he was accustomed to made the difference between their worlds painfully apparent. Everything here was far more primitive, relying on the simplest materials available rather than anything crafted for convenience or comfort.

’No wonder she was acting like a curious cat back then.’

The last time he had visited this place, Grella had been fascinated by nearly everything about him. His clothes alone had been enough to capture her attention, and the differences between their lifestyles had only made her curiosity more pronounced.

After a brief pause, Grella asked, "Do you want to eat something? There are..."

"Grella," Luke interrupted, his tone calm to not startled her. "There is something far more urgent than my hunger. So, will you sit down and tell me what exactly is happening here?"

Grella’s shoulders sagged.

She nodded quietly before sitting across from him. For several moments, she said nothing, seemingly struggling to arrange her thoughts into something coherent.

Luke noticed the change in her almost immediately.

Unlike the last time they had met, Grella was not blabbering or filling every silence with questions and observations. She was unusually quiet, her expression weighed down by something far heavier than simple concern.

Whatever had happened had clearly shaken her.

"Well, where should I start..." She took a deep breath, her gaze hardening slightly. "...Recently, something disastrous happened. Something that has changed our fate for the worst."

Leaning against the wall, she rested her hands on her lap, her fingers loosely intertwined.

"Recently, someone arrived and told us something. It is a fairly common occurrence..." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "...about dragons."

Luke drew in a short breath. "Dragons?"

She nodded. "This person knows things about every race, including dragons. He told us about newborns and their tendency to explore everything around them, much like our own babies. They crawl around, touch things, and wander wherever their curiosity takes them. Sometimes, they even cross boundaries they were never supposed to."

Luke’s brows furrowed.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

If dragons were involved, he had a feeling the situation was far more serious than Grella was making it sound. And now, the panic he had witnessed outside was beginning to make sense.

Grella sighed before asking, "Do you remember the wall you saw the last time?"

Luke nodded.

"The boundary that separates the other races from humans? What about it?"

That wall had always represented the relationship between humanity and the other races. It was more than a physical barrier.

It was a reminder of the distrust surrounding humans, a boundary built upon the belief that mankind was inherently savage and dangerous.

"Well, the person who visited us enlightened us about something. That isn’t simply a wall. It is part of a magical ritual, or something similar, that prevents both sides from crossing the border. So it isn’t just us who are forbidden from going to the other side."

"But why?" Luke asked almost immediately, his confusion evident. He paused and corrected himself. "I mean, why would they even want to come to this side when they look down on humans so much?"

Grella nodded. "I was the one who asked that question."

Her expression darkened.

"And the answer..." She lowered her gaze, her voice becoming quieter. "...sent a chill down my back."

She took a moment before finally relaying what she had been told.

"The ritual prevents higher beings from coming here and destroying us for fun or out of spite."

Luke understood why she had been so shaken. Knowing that stronger beings existed on the other side was one thing. Learning what those beings actually thought of humanity was something else entirely.

He leaned forward and gently squeezed her hand, offering what little comfort he could.

Grella gave him a faint smile before nodding. "I am fine. It isn’t as though he told us anything we didn’t already know. He simply reminded us of something we may have been overlooking for some time."

Luke let out a quiet sigh. "But why would he come all the way here just to warn you?"

Grella lowered her gaze, her faint smile disappearing as her expression hardened into a scowl.

"Because we have given them a reason to break that ritual and cross the barrier that has kept them sealed out for thousands of years."

Luke’s brows furrowed.

"What... happened?"

Grella drew a deep breath, as though she still found it difficult to put the events into words.

"Normally, all newborns of the dragon race are raised within their nests. But once in a while, they leave their nests to explore their surroundings. The dragon realm is far too vast for them to wander beyond their own domain, though..." She paused, her expression growing increasingly grim. "But somehow, this single newborn not only crossed its homeland, but also flew over the region ruled by the elves and eventually landed here."

She looked directly at Luke.

"Right in the same forest where you found me the last time."

"Huh?"

Luke stared at her in disbelief.

"Was the child strong enough to break through such an ancient ritual on its own?"

Grella immediately shook her head.

"No. The man told us that until dragon-borns reach a certain age, their presence is so faint that the barrier does not restrict them at all. That is how the newborn managed to cross it."

Her voice fell into a quiet murmur.

"And that is how a dragon newborn ended up here... in the land of savages."

Suddenly, a grim realization settled over him, but even then, Luke could not bring himself to accept it without asking.

"What... happened to that newborn?"

Grella’s hand slowly curled into a tight fist, her knuckles whitening as she fought to contain the emotions rising within her.

"The child was killed..." she said, her voice trembling with restrained anger. "It was trapped and slaughtered. Its cries were so heartbreaking that every mother in our tribe wept that day. And when the wailing finally stopped..."

She paused, her gaze falling to the floor.

"...the sky was lit by flames from far away."

Luke took a slow, deep breath.

At last, the pieces fell into place. The panic outside, the warning they had received, the ancient barrier, and the newborn dragon that had innocently crossed into human territory.

He finally understood what had happened.

And more importantly, he understood what was coming.

[Congratulations. Quest has been achieved.]

[Reward: 50% discount on all potions and weapons in the Shop.]

[500 GP]

"..."

Luke stared at the notification in silence.

The system was surely trying to indicate something here. Just like before, when it had rewarded him with a substantial amount of GP, it was now offering a discount on items in the Shop.

And this was actually a tempting opportunity.

There were several potions and weapons he had been eyeing for quite some time, and a fifty percent discount could save him a considerable amount of GP.

Yet, despite the tempting reward, Luke could not shake the feeling that there was something far more important hidden beneath it.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, the pieces had already begun falling into place. He had a growing suspicion about what the system was actually asking him to do.

Then, as if to confirm his suspicion, another notification appeared before him.

[The last stage of the floor: Save humanity from its inevitable annihilation.]

[Reward: ???]