Chapter 76

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“…Peace sure is nice…”

 

My morning routine. I was just on my way to ‘Fluffy Bouloire.’

It was as I advanced through the shadows of the underground waterway that such thoughts entered my mind.

 

“Peace is the best.” The outcome of that terrible fight had shown me that.

 

In spite of the ‘accident,’ the military exercise continued as if nothing had happened.

We could still expect Moon Beasts to wreak havoc on the Shadow Moon Road.

 

And getting attacked by some elite assassins was not an excuse for Dragon Masters to run away, instead of protecting the country.

 

“…Well, that’s what they said, anyway.”

 

They were probably buying time so they could get their story straight.

 

But it was also true that not a single Dragon Master had died.

And since it was determined that the attack could not be covered up, it was ultimately used as a trump card, diplomatically speaking.

 

The country officially sent its condolences to those who died in the attacks and used it as ammunition to denounce Makoku.

In order for their deaths to not become a waste, it was important to make it public so that it could benefit Ryukoku.

 

So they needed time.

There were talks between the palace and the Dragon Masters.

 

And the following scenario was constructed.

 

The Makoku attackers had come over the walls and entered the lodging facility, where they attacked the servants who had been temporarily hired.

Their aim was the assassination of the Dragon Masters, but as it was so dark, they attacked the servants.

 

The soldiers were then alerted and came out to fight the assassins. Thanks to their bravery, the matter soon came to a close.

 

Upon hearing this version of the story, the soldiers had expressions of disbelief. After all, they were also people who had been hired temporarily.

However, they were forced to assume that it must have been some other soldier who did it.

 

As for their reward for destroying the assassins, it was decided that ‘the darkness of night made it too difficult to determine who was there,’ and every soldier was rewarded equally.

After that, none of the soldiers made it their business to find out which of them had really fought.

 

As for the Right Hands that were actually there, four of them died in the black mist.

Fiver others died during the fight, resulting in nine deaths in all.

 

Only three out of the original twelve returned.

That was quite significant.

 

After we mourned the dead, the military exercise continued. But it was apparently not our lucky year, and we encountered many Moon Beasts.

 

That being said, apparently, getting us through the Makoku and Moon Beast attacks really helped build names for the veterans who oversaw us this year.

But that didn’t have anything to do with us students.

 

“Oh, you came.”

“Good morning, Mister Rob. I’m looking forward to working here again.”

 

“Aye, good morning. It’s good to see you back safely. Mira and Kuchino were worried about you.”

“Because of the attack? It finished while we were sleeping in our beds. I didn’t even notice that it was happening.”

 

“I see. Still, it’s a great relief. I’m sure you’ve already heard about what happened at the palace? It was terrible as well. It’s the only thing people are talking about now.”

 

The people of the Royal Capital sure liked to talk… Well, maybe they just liked to keep up with the latest information. 

 

“By the way, when I returned to the academy, I saw that they had blocked the road again.”

It was like during the opening ceremony. There were soldiers guarding the road that led to the academy.

 

“Well…everyone is starving for more news. But we rarely hear anything from the palace. However, students aren’t so tight-lipped, are they? As people knew what day they would be returning, they would probably try to wait for their return.”

 

“I’m surprised people have so much time to waste just to gather information. I feel bad for the guards that have to fend them off.”

 

“Well, that just shows how much attention this is getting. The Second-Years already have their dragons, and the First-Years will be next. As you are the students that survived the Makoku ambush, the competition over who becomes your Patrons should become even harder.”

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Ryusousha ha Shizukani Kurashitai