Chapter 7
Once upon a time, there lived an exceedingly wicked dragon.
Whenever the wicked dragon appeared, people screamed and hurried to escape.
This was because wherever the wicked dragon passed, nothing was left behind.
Fields were destroyed, houses crumbled, and livestock was devoured.
The tyranny of the wicked dragon did not end there.
It burned the elves’ forests and looted the dwarves’ treasures.
The Ardina continent was stained with sorrow, anger, and despair.
But just as the cries and lamentations of all races reached the heavens, the red dragon Gracis appeared.
To stop the tyranny of the wicked dragon, Gracis made a contract with a human.
That human’s name was Zigrid. He was a commoner with no special abilities.
However, Zigrid had one significant advantage.
He was braver than anyone else.
A human and a dragon.
A human the size of a dragon’s claw versus a dragon as large as a castle.
There was no way a mere human could match a dragon that wielded magic freely.
But with Gracis’s help, Zigrid did not back down.
Flames flew, ice erupted, lightning struck, and the ground split apart, yet Zigrid pressed on.
And finally, before the small human, the giant dragon fell.
Zigrid, having achieved great feats, established a nation in the place where the wicked dragon was defeated, naming the country “Grasis” to honor Gracis who aided him.
Moved by Zigrid’s sincerity, Gracis gifted him a new language and treasures, marking the beginning of the great Grasis.
—This is a tale.
I think the title was “The Adventures of Zigrid”?
For the children of Grasis, it was like a Bible.
Although it felt too much like an epic to be a fairy tale, and too much like a fairy tale to be an epic, the title “The Adventures of Zigrid” suited it well.
As far as I know, the content of “The Adventures of Zigrid” has some adaptations but is based on actual events.
Zigrid, having defeated the wicked dragon with Gracis’s help, established Grasis and named it after Gracis, and received a new language and treasures.
Because of this, Grasis came to use a unique language called “Granic,” instead of the royal language, Arkish, even though the Arkish, created by the Arkash Empire, already existed.
“Some enthusiasts say it was due to Gracis’s pressure.”
Otherwise, would there be a reason to use Granic instead of the well-functioning Arkish?
Whether true or false, it holds no significance now.
Grasis has fallen.
Soon, the number of those who know Granic will dwindle, leaving only a sentence in history books: ‘There was once a language called Granic.’
— “I thought it would be like that.”
“…Granic?”
I couldn’t believe that an Apostle could speak Granic.
I stared at the woman, who had a startled expression while tightly gripping her sword with both hands.
Her grip was awkward, and her stance was strange.
It didn’t even seem like she had any intention of attacking, but in that position, even if she swung the sword, it wouldn’t have any real power.
Recently, I figured out the identity of the swarming bugs… that is, those attacking me, were Apostles.
At first, I was skeptical, but upon closer observation, most of the attackers were familiar faces I had seen several times before.
After hearing the blacksmith’s words, I was convinced of their identity as Apostles.
The strange presence I felt must have been due to Edel’s blessing.
Realizing they could come back to life and return made it easier to understand their nonchalant attitude towards death and their endless numbers.
Of course, knowing they were Apostles didn’t change how I dealt with them.
I continued to slash, stab, and send them flying, just as I had before.
As I kept killing them, my infamous reputation spread among the Apostles, and the frequency of their attacks greatly diminished.
Later on, some of them seemed to give up and began acting strangely.
The most absurd was when one suddenly showed up and set a dining table.
I was genuinely taken aback… the saying “even dogs don’t bother you while you’re eating” from my previous life came to mind, so I waited until they finished eating.
In any case, the woman in front of me seemed to have heard of my infamous reputation. That’s probably why she was trembling like that.
Yet, I still didn’t understand why she had come all the way here; was she one of those who engaged in strange behavior?
“Do you know Granic?”
— “Granic? Grasis? Uh, what was it… I’ve heard a little!”
“Hm.”
It seems she hasn’t properly learned it.
I could only manage a simple conversation and listening.
I gazed at the girl for a moment, then swung my sword to shake off the remnants before sheathing it.
I had come here to gather a meal and offer some aid, recalling the taste of the Cockatrice I had eaten last time, but this time it wasn’t a bug; it was a person.
I picked up the severed head and carried it along with the torso as I headed home.
Due to my short stature, the Cockatrice’s corpse dragged along the ground.
If it’s a person and not an enemy, there’s no need to kill them.
***
“Is it… dead…? Right?”
—What? What’s going on? A gathering??
—Why did she spare you?
—What just happened?
—Wow, her voice is amazing.
—Her voice sounds so cute!
The Gravekeeper turned their back as they picked up the Cockatrice’s corpse.
The legs of the dragging Cockatrice drew a round arc in tandem.
When I heard the soft voice flowing from beneath the cape, Joanie’s chat froze for a moment.
There had been much speculation about the identity of the Gravekeeper.
They were said to be a swordsman who had achieved everything and lived apart from the world, or perhaps a magical weapon from ancient ruins, or maybe an undead, given their silence…
Among these speculations, some suggested that the small stature meant it might be a child, but that was often dismissed as foolish or absurd.
In the realistic world of Silia, it was unlikely for a child to possess such power.
In fact, most of the NPCs the players had encountered who were strong enough to be considered formidable were in their 20s, at the peak of their physical capabilities.
After that, as they aged, they would grow stronger, but those who couldn’t break past the wall of aging would fade away under the ravages of time.
Those were the players world knew of Silia.
‘But this is actually happening.’
I would need to see the hidden figure beneath the cape to be sure, but from the voice and build, it was hard to believe they were an adult.
‘Is it a polymorphed dragon? But does polymorph magic even exist in Silia…? Or perhaps a Dwarf?’
Thus, it was natural for these questions to swirl in Joanie’s mind.
—I’m asking for the 156,189th time how you did that.
—What are you doing not following her!
—What’s with the strange language?
“Oh, oh! I should follow!”
Joanie’s combat state had been canceled the moment the Gravekeeper sheathed their sword.
Regaining her wits, she dashed along the trail marked by the dragged corpse, answering the viewers’ questions.
“What I just did was Granic, the language used by the Grasis Kingdom.”
—Grasis Kingdom?
“It was a kingdom that fell a year ago. And here… the mountain where the Gravekeeper resides was once Grasis territory.”
Given that it was a kingdom that had fallen just a year ago, it wasn’t hard to hear the name Grasis.
Street vendors, passing travelers, and circulating rumors told the tale.
However, despite the ease of collecting information, relatively few players knew much about Grasis; most only knew that ‘there was a kingdom that fell.’
The reason for this was due to the nature of Silia Online.
Players starting Silia Online would find themselves alone in a town with a Liberi branch.
All players were given was the identity of a mercenary affiliated with Liberi and the blessings of Edel—there was no main story or main quest like in other MMORPGs.
It felt as if the game was saying, ‘You are now a resident of this world,’ without assigning any goals, leaving players to set their own grand objectives and embark on thrilling adventures through their own efforts.
Joanie liked that aspect very much.
“It’s understandable that not many people delve into the finer details.”
Especially those rushing to achieve the first clear wouldn’t have time to spare.
There were even pattern analysis teams dedicated to achieving the fastest clear, so they wouldn’t have time to spend on such things.
Of course, those interested would gather information and share it online, making it easy to obtain knowledge.
While those running at full speed might find time to become interested and seek out articles posted by other users or directly learn about Silia’s history, it had only been half a year since Silia Online was released.
With so much to do and many interests to pursue, unless one was a player who already loved that kind of thing, it would be easy to push it aside.
“Players speak in Arkish, the imperial language created by the Arka Empire. And Grasis was at war with the Empire until its fall.”
—Did the Empire destroy it??
“That’s not it, but it might have been one of the causes. Anyway… I was guessing that the Gravekeeper might not be from Grasis, right?”
A mountain located in the ruined territory of Grasis. A Gravekeeper hiding away and keeping a low profile. Graves that seem to hold a story.
Doesn’t it just give off a vibe that something is definitely there?
“If the Gravekeeper is hiding in the mountains because of the downfall of Grasis, then they probably don’t have good feelings toward the Empire, and using Arkish wouldn’t reflect positively either.”
But that’s only if it’s the case.
It could be for another reason, or they might not even dislike the Empire.
Believing in a low probability, Joanie rolled the dice, and it was just one of those stories where the dice landed on six.
“I was lucky, that’s for sure.”
Joanie felt grateful that her efforts to learn Granic weren’t in vain as she asked NPCs along the way.
—But most NPCs could communicate, right? The city folks in the old kingdom all understood.
—Sometimes there are NPCs who speak awkwardly. Are they also from the kingdom?
“I heard Grasis has been in decline for decades. They probably had been preparing for it beforehand. But I don’t know that much.”
If only those who had directly experienced it knew.
Joanie’s gaze shifted to the distant figure of the Gravekeeper.
—Usually, would one even think about learning a language?
—This is a victory of determination.
—Our leader is indeed impressive.
—You go, Joanie!
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Joanie chuckled at the friendly reactions in the chat.
“…But surely they won’t kill me just for following them, right?”
—Our leader is indeed impressive…
—Huh, She definitely seemed cool until a moment ago…?
—Let’s go Joanie
“Phew… Yeah! It’s do or die now!”
She couldn’t just turn back after coming this far!
Pumping herself up by slapping her cheeks, she hurriedly moved forward.
—
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