I, Viretta, Am Going to Hunt a Dragon-Chapter 59

“If you leave it alone for just a little while, it becomes so tough that you can’t even eat it. I don’t know why such a creature that’s no use from start to finish even exists.”

Iola, hearing about the poor taste of dragon meat, scribbled away at her paper with an expression that was somewhat sulky, yet full of life.

A passage like “The taste of dragon meat: differences by part” appeared in one of the sections she wrote.

“That’s right. So, dragons are hunted mostly when the damage is significant, or when it’s a national project. But as far as I know, the dragons in the Root Mountain Range haven’t caused much loss yet.”

“Right. The mining areas aren’t heavily populated, so the local leaders must have evacuated the people quickly. My father also had the goods moved out as well.”

The dragon had made its nest not in the village, but in front of the mine.

The mine was located a little outside the village, to prepare for possible collapses or falling debris.

When the dragon made its nest, the head of the Root Mountain branch immediately evacuated both people and goods, so the actual loss of life was surprisingly low.

“But the secondary damage will probably be worse than expected. If refugees have come into the city, many people who got caught up in the conflicts may have more to worry about. I think this is something the country should handle.”

“That’s probably right. My father has been worried about it too.”

The aftermath of this was no small matter.

Even Viretta, who was treated like a child by the guild, knew roughly how the guild was being run.

Cadelon and the senior guild members had been moving back and forth between the mansion, arguing endlessly. With the servants and traders coming and going, it was impossible not to know.

“Our operating profits have dropped drastically, but that’s not the biggest problem. The secondary issues were much bigger, so it was noisy for a while.”

A 20% drop in operating profits was significant, but it wasn’t the biggest issue.

They couldn’t access the mine, so the price of minerals went up.

The price increase of minerals led to a rise in the overall cost of living.

The abrupt closure of the mining areas caused the local economy to collapse.

The collapse of the local economy triggered a chain of bankruptcies.

As the nearby villages went bankrupt, refugees flooded into the city.

People who lost their livelihoods turned to banditry.

All these events happened in a chain reaction.

No one was directly killed by the dragon, but the scale of the bankruptcies still claimed thousands of victims.

“My father also asked the palace to send out a force, but the ministers and other guild leaders lobbied against it,” Iola continued.

“Why?”

“They probably saw it as a good opportunity to weaken Medlit’s influence.”

The Medlit Guild had become too powerful after three generations.

Their primary product was minerals, but Medlit had expanded its reach and grown significantly.

The guild, founded by Calrin Medlit and prospered by Cadelon Medlit, now wielded the kind of influence that rivaled that of a small country.

Although the family appeared to be free-spirited with little regard for authority, the Medlit name was on par with high-ranking nobles in terms of influence.

The money they moved around, both domestically and internationally, was enormous.

Medlit dominated the economy of the large country of Fillion and had a reputation abroad.

Because of the wealth they had accumulated, many enemies had arisen to counterbalance their power.

Other guilds, small shops, and even nobles and officials in the capital saw Medlit as a threat.

Their lobbying efforts prevented Medlit from receiving aid, missing a crucial opportunity.

“The economy is so interconnected that if Medlit shakes, everyone will feel it,” Iola commented.

As she said, a massive disaster like a dragon was closely tied to society, culture, and the economy.

With the village near Root Mountain being wiped out, the security of the entire Eastern region was in jeopardy, and prices soared, causing many businesses to go bankrupt.

Medlit wasn’t the only one suffering massive losses. The royal family had likely experienced a major financial blow as well, and the Eastern region's security was in turmoil.

“True, but the biggest losses are ours. It seems like they might be hoping we collapse now.”

It was a competition on a national scale.

“Personal desires really do kill people. I’ll be sure to reflect that in my sociology thesis.”

Iola’s academic enthusiasm flared at the wrong moment.

Viretta scribbled a little more on the blackboard, detailing the current situation.

“That’s why I went ahead and quietly agreed to the engagement.”

“You actually made quite a fuss about it.”

“If I had gotten engaged without seeing his face or hearing his name, there wouldn’t have been a fuss.”

Even though she had complained to everyone around her, she hadn’t voiced any discontent to her father when the engagement was arranged. That much, at least, made her seem compliant.

Viretta remembered the moment when her father had arranged the engagement.

It wasn’t so much a noble sacrifice to revive a failing guild, but rather the fact that she was the only one who could fill in the catastrophic gap made her feel strangely delighted.

Had she gotten excited about the opportunity to become a hero? Or perhaps enjoyed playing the tragic heroine of the family?

It all felt so distant now, like it happened in a previous lifetime.

“...But are you going to break off the engagement? With your life on the line?”

Saffron, after a long pause, looked at Viretta with a ‘what kind of situation is this’ gaze.

“Well, yeah. If we catch the dragon, it’ll solve my father’s problems too.”

“If you fail and die, Medlit will lose both its ally and its daughter.”

Ranken, who hadn’t thought that far ahead, muttered in surprise. For him, who had expected an ambiguous failure and a pitiful return, this was a far too tragic end.

Ranken felt a pang in his chest, imagining Cadelon Medlit losing both his ally and his daughter.

The death that had seemed so lifeless when spoken by him now felt heavy and sticky as it came from Saffron’s lips.

Without Viretta.

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If Viretta dies...

“That doesn’t really concern me since it’ll be after I’m dead.”

Viretta lightened Ranken’s darkening mood with a carefree response.

Even if it was a flowery way of thinking, when Viretta spoke lightly, the worry seemed to vanish.

After all, she would likely flee before ever getting into such a dangerous situation, just as she always had.

Meanwhile, Saffron, still not fully influenced by Viretta, looked up with a complicated expression.

“Theoretically, that’s true, but it sounds... very irresponsible.”

“Once I’m dead, it’s up to the living to figure it out. Asking for consideration after death is a bit much.”

Viretta, with her hand on her waist, pointed confidently. Ranken, having lost his anxiety, couldn’t help but admire.

“You’re so self-centered, it’s almost refreshing.”

“Really... there are humans like this, huh?”

Saffron, a bit softened but with a much more blunt tone, shook his head.

Moslin, who had been observing their conversation, crossed her legs in the opposite direction.

“Well, I think that’s true. No need to think about what happens after death. As a warrior, it’s the best quality. So?”

“Hm?”

“So what’s next? You weren’t planning to just talk about the losses, right?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. The point is, hunting a dragon is unlikely to bring any profit.”

The more people involved, the greater the loss. Viretta scribbled numbers on the blackboard and asked:

“Iola, you studied records on dragon hunting, right? What did they say about the most recent dragon hunt?”

“According to the records from Fillion, 67 knights went out 16 years ago, with 21 deaths and 14 serious injuries, but they succeeded in hunting the dragon.”

Iola answered without hesitation. If it had been Viretta, she would have eyed him suspiciously, but since it was Iola, there was no doubt.

Given his memory, there was no reason not to trust him. The others took Iola’s words seriously.

“That’s an enormous scale.”

“That’s just counting the people who died in the successful hunt. The two previous smaller hunts both failed. I heard that one village was nearly destroyed.”