Duanmu Huai realized he truly had no talent for conversation.
After that, Guleya completely shut herself off, following silently behind him without saying a single word. Hmm… it was obvious that there was nothing left for them to talk about.
But for Duanmu Huai, this was still a question that couldn't be avoided.
For as long as he could remember, the identity of hybrids had always been the most awkward—belonging to neither side. To be honest, the ones Duanmu Huai hated most were those idiotic couples who claimed it was "true love" and gave birth to half-breeds. If it was just humans mixing among themselves, fine, the differences weren't much. But once humans mixed with other races, that was another story entirely.
Someone like Guleya—if you called her a dragon, she wasn't fully dragon. If you called her human, she wasn't human either. Such a creature that pleased neither side and could not find a true place to belong was the most troublesome of all. In fact, even they themselves wavered endlessly.
Filin had been the same. And according to Filin, in her time, there had been many dragon-human hybrids. But why had they all disappeared now?
Simply put, they had been eliminated by nature.
Neither humans nor dragons would accept such dragonfolk. Their numbers were too small to form a true race of their own. Naturally, they were fated to slowly vanish across the ages.
For Inquisitors, hybrids had always been a headache. Some Inquisitors simply categorized them as xenos and cleansed them, clean and simple. Others used them as tools against Chaos and the alien. Some simply ignored them, leaving their life or death to fate, survival or destruction up to their own fortune.
Duanmu Huai still remembered, in that "future" he had glimpsed, Guleya had led Regnis in invading Manaria. That meant, in the end, Guleya still chose the side of the dragons. Although Regnis had quieted down for now after the evil dragon Fafnir was slain, Duanmu Huai would never naively believe that Regnis's dragons had truly surrendered.
And now, Guleya had acquired the Dragon Shout… this ability was certainly strange, even containing a kind of law within it. One thing was certain: once Guleya fully mastered the Dragon Shout, she would become a great threat to humanity. That was why Duanmu Huai needed her to be clear on her stance—was she on the side of humans, or dragons?
If Regnis obtained such a doomsday weapon as the Dragon Shout, would their attitude change?
Would they once again launch war against humanity?
This world fragment was under Duanmu Huai's control. Naturally, he did not want to see it plunged into endless war. But conversely, he would never allow any race within it to pose a threat to humankind.
Thus, until night fell, they said nothing. It was only when the two of them rested in a ruined forest clearing that Guleya finally spoke for the first time.
"I… really envy you, Sir Knight."
"Oh?"
Tending the campfire, Duanmu Huai raised an eyebrow and fixed his eyes on her. Faced with his gaze, Guleya hesitated, then continued.
"Because… you can declare your stance so firmly. But… I can't do that. I can't simply make a choice the way you can."
"Hybrids are like that."
Duanmu Huai stared into the flames and gave a cold snort. Guleya thought a moment before looking back at him again.
"Then, Sir Knight… may I ask… what stance do you wish me to take?"
"For me, it's simple. Of course, it should be humanity."
"Eh?"
Hearing how casually Duanmu Huai answered, Guleya was stunned.
"Why?"
"Because you and An are close friends. That way, you won't end up fighting each other. But more importantly…"
As he spoke, Duanmu Huai locked eyes with Guleya.
"I will never allow any race to threaten humanity's safety. Guleya, you've traveled with me for quite some time now, you should know—if I wished, I could destroy all of Regnis. And you also know that, even though the Evil Dragon King is dead, within Regnis the attitudes toward humans remain divided. Isn't that right?"
"...…."
Guleya wanted to deny it, but… the truth was exactly as Duanmu Huai said. In fact, in Regnis, the hardliners were the majority, while the pro-human faction was the minority. If not for the news of Duanmu Huai slaying the Evil Dragon King shocking them into submission, who knew what might have already happened.
And she also knew—the hardliners hadn't retreated out of goodwill. They had simply been terrified by Duanmu Huai's dragon-slaying might.
Moreover, Duanmu Huai's strength went far beyond that.
Guleya would never forget how terrifying that colossal metal warship spanning the skies had been. She could imagine that even all the dragons of Regnis would be annihilated under such overwhelming firepower.
She was not naïve, nor foolish. Though her quiet and withdrawn nature made her seem timid and slow to react, her mind had always been turning. She just rarely voiced her conclusions aloud.
In fact, this whole journey she had seemed shut down, but in reality, she had been thinking deeply about one question.
How could she prevent conflict between Regnis's hardliners and Duanmu Huai?
Both sides were racial supremacists. The hardliners believed dragons were destined to rule over all. Duanmu Huai refused to allow any race to threaten humans.
Just imagining such a catastrophic clash made Guleya shiver. She did not believe the dragons of Regnis could withstand Duanmu Huai's battleship. Yet she also knew the dragons of Regnis would never willingly bow their heads beneath mankind.
And now, the only thing she could do was…
"…Sir Knight, let's not go to the Greybeards."
"Oh?"
Duanmu Huai looked at her in surprise.
"You don't intend to learn the Dragon Shout?"
"…Yes." Guleya nodded. At first, she had wanted to learn the Dragon Shout because it was a lost culture. If she could obtain it and bring it back to her homeland, it would surely benefit the dragons greatly.
But after an entire day of thought, she realized this was actually a double-edged sword. The immense power of the Dragon Shout could be both a blessing and a curse. If the hardliner dragons obtained it, they would undoubtedly attack mankind again.
So in the end, Guleya's solution was… to maintain the status quo.
As long as she did not pass the Dragon Shout on, it would not spread among the other dragons. Rather than learning it and never using it, she chose not to learn it at all.
"Are you sure? The Greybeards summoned you."
"Forget it."
Guleya shook her head.
"I don't know why the Greybeards want to see me. But I do know—the Dragon Shout would not be a good thing for Regnis right now."
"So, you've decided not to learn it?"
"…Yes."
"Fine."
Hearing her decision, Duanmu Huai neither praised nor criticized it. He just shrugged.
"If you're not going, then just come with me."
"Sir Knight… you're planning to go to the Thalmor prison?"
"That's right."
At those words, Duanmu Huai's expression darkened.
Even if Guleya had made her choice, he still wanted her to personally experience it—what fate awaited xenos who dared to threaten humanity at the hands of an Inquisitor.
First, came the proclamation.
Night fell.
In the pitch-black sky, the Night Raven Blackstar hovered silently above. Below, a square stone fortress stood—that was Northwatch Keep, the prison the Thalmor used to hold rebels and captives. Though it was late at night, figures still moved about within. Many Thalmor soldiers patrolled with torches, proving the place was heavily guarded. No ordinary person could break in.
Of course, that only applied to ordinary people.
"There is only one mission."
Standing in the cabin, Duanmu Huai gazed coldly at the Night Sentinels clad in black power armor before him, his eyes glinting with icy light.
"Kill every xeno that isn't human. Leave none alive. This is the Inquisition's final proclamation to them!"
"…Is this really all right, Sir Knight?"
At his side, Guleya looked at him uneasily.
"If someone finds out, then…"
"Don't worry, Guleya. No one will know."
Duanmu Huai turned to her and smiled darkly.
"As long as we kill everyone who knows, then no one will ever know we were here…"
With that, he looked to the Night Sentinels and made a gesture.
"Move out!!"
At his command, several canisters shot out from the Night Raven Blackstar, crashing into the fortress below. A thick, fog-like sleeping gas erupted out, instantly engulfing the keep. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai fastened his helmet, then leapt down!
"Boom!!!"
The black reaper descended from the heavens, smashing heavily into the fortress wall. Stone thick enough to withstand catapult fire collapsed in an instant. The other Night Sentinels followed, landing all around the fortress.
By now, no one inside remained awake. Prisoners and Thalmor jailers alike had sunk into deep slumber.
"Perfect."
Staring at the unconscious Thalmor soldiers scattered on the ground, Duanmu Huai bared his teeth in a savage grin.
"Do it."
He gave the cold order.
(End of Chapter)