"The Talented Dragon Hides Its Claws" ~ The Eldest Son of the Baron Family, Called Useless, is Actually One of the World's Strongest ~ - Episode 54

Before going to bed.

Suddenly looking at my hand, I saw that half of it was covered in silver scales.

Ryu knows those scales.

This is… a dragon scale.

The conversation with Bahamut crossed my mind.

That was when we were discussing the qualities of a hero.

“Let me tell you one last good thing.”

“Please tell me.”

“Perhaps the kid will evolve into a dragon type.”

“…Huh? If that theory holds, then you must have been human once too.”

The Dragon King fell silent, looking displeased.

“Do people lose their memories when they evolve into dragons? It feels like a cost of evolution.”

“……That possibility is high.”

“How about your subordinates? Don’t they have parents or children?”

“Not a single one is missing. Everyone suddenly appears on the floating island and just lives there leisurely. That’s all there is to it.”

“That’s already a done deal.”

“When am I going to evolve, anyway?”

“I don’t know.”

“At least I hope it’s when I die of old age.”

“Well, it might have been when I unexpectedly stole the vessel of my hero. Hehehe…”

“The Dragon King, who hails from the lowly creatures of the earth, seems to be quite the silver-tongued.”

“Do you… want to die?”

“When the brat becomes a dragon and visits the floating island, I’ll put him to work as my subordinate. Look forward to it.”

“Wrong, wrong. You’re the one who’s going to be my subordinate, you idiot Bahamut.”

Ryu rolled up his sleeves. Then, he noticed that the scales had not yet grown on his arms.

“For now, it’s just the back of the hand. Rather than evolving all at once, it seems like the physical vessel is gradually getting closer to the dragon species.”

My mind must be gradually leaning towards that side too. That’s why I couldn’t fully control myself today. Finally, it all makes sense.

Stopping or delaying evolution is impossible.

Somehow, the person understands it.

So, I have to look for another way.

Ryu pondered deeply.

“……Hmm, wait a minute?”

Bahamut mentioned the other day that he can transform from human form to dragon form, and supposedly the other way around as well. I think he said something about his soul being special or something like that. So, if I have a soul equal to or greater than his, wouldn’t I be able to do the same thing?

“However, doing that after losing my memories would mean nothing. So, I just need to acquire the means to store and maintain my memories during evolution. The time limit is until my entire body is covered in scales. This is the biggest gamble of my life.”

Since Ryu has mostly devoured the empire’s books, what’s next on his target list is…

“Either the Gran Federation, known as the heart of the continent, or the eastern island nation, the homeland of Kurikara.”

Since it seems we have at least a year or two of leeway, let’s carefully control our emotions while exploring our options.

At that very moment, an emergency meeting was being held in the imperial castle.

The host is the Prime Minister as usual.

According to the information that just arrived, it seems that the Western Front Army has achieved a complete victory.

“Wow”

“Just as Your Majesty predicted.”

“Was the power of the Count’s army unchanging?”

“Wait, hold on. Didn’t the hero show up?”

Everyone shifted their gaze to the Prime Minister.

“Three heroes appeared on the western front, and our army has defeated two of them. The remaining one is currently missing, but according to Lord Grace, it is highly likely that they have already lost their life.”

“Wow!!”

“To completely defeat a hero… as expected of the Marquis of the Borderlands.”

“In just one more month, we should be able to conquer the principality.”

“It seems like it would be better to send the governor early.”

The table was buzzing with excitement, but the moment the empress opened her mouth, a sharp silence fell.

“The fact that we have won the battle against the Empire and the Coalition of Dukedoms, which both possess a Hero, could be a significant advantage for our nation. First, with the Empire losing its Hero, half of the four major powers will no longer have a Hero. While we were at a complete disadvantage in terms of having a Hero, we were able to bring the Empire down to the same level. Furthermore, the Hero being easily defeated by the mid-sized Western Front Army will increase distrust towards Heroes

The empress took a breath.

“Due to the above reasons, we will award the Second Medal of Honor to those who have made remarkable contributions in this battle. No objections, right?”

“Ha!”

The Second Medal, as the name suggests, is the second highest medal.

If a barony is conferred, there is a high possibility of being promoted to a viscountcy.

By the way, the First Medal has only been awarded to a few individuals in the history of the Astoria Empire.

After that, they continued with the strategy meeting for the conquest of the fief, and the meeting was adjourned.

I am looking forward to seeing you again. Ryu Arden

The next morning.

“Oh, it’s unusual to see you wearing gloves, Ryu-sama.”

“It’s the recent trend of image transformation.”

“Even Lord Ryu is at that age, huh?”

“Even if a stingray tells me.”

“Wait, do you know my age? I thought you weren’t interested at all.”

“I know I’m young.”

“In short, it means you don’t know, right?”

“In other words, that’s how it is.”

I am now eighteen years old.

“Oh, four years older, huh?”

“No, I was born in spring, so I’m actually three years older.”

“It probably won’t change much.”

“It changes! A year is a big deal for girls!”

While we were talking, out of nowhere, a distinguished handsome older man appeared.

“Ryu-kun, you really don’t understand a woman’s heart, do you~?”

“Oh, Lord Grace. Good morning.”

“Good morning!”

“Yes. Good morning, both of you.”

“Starting today, we’ll be spending about a month conquering the fiefdom again, so please bear with me.”

“Likewise. That said, since all the cities will end up surrendering anyway, it seems we’ll just be riding in the carriage and marching lazily again.”

“That’s right. It’s a carriage journey under the guise of a strategy.”

The three met up with Charlotte and got on the carriage.

A long journey begins again from here.

“Hey, has the carriage gotten a bit old? I feel like it used to be more luxurious and splendid.”

“Ryu-kun broke it, didn’t he…?”

“Was it?”

“My fancy carriage got squished by a giant… Boo hoo…”

The strategy was progressing smoothly, and a month passed without any particular incidents.

The group arrived at the capital of the marquisate, but the Marquis Sel and his relatives had already fled, leaving only the abandoned citizens behind. All that remained was to wait for the governor and the army that would establish a new front with the Empire to arrive. It had been decided that the territory of the Marquisate would become part of the Empire, but the treatment of the marquisate’s citizens was still under discussion.

“What will you do after this is over, Ryu-kun?”

“First, I plan to continue the construction of the port town while helping my sister with her exam, and then head to the island nation in the east.”

“An island nation in the east? What are you going there for?”

“I’m thinking of going to negotiate a trade contract for wheat and other goods.”

“Eh, I didn’t hear about that.”

“I thought about it earlier.”

“Eh…”

“I thought that if we’re going to do it, it might be better to stock products from distant places to make the port town more lively.”

“Products from the island nation in the east, huh? Sounds tempting. I’m looking forward to going back.”

In this case, it usually starts with exploring the route, but since Lord Grace is also enthusiastic, it might be most efficient to let him handle it entirely.

“Oh, but before that, we have to go to the Imperial Castle to receive our reward.”

“Can I choose for myself? I would be troubled if they forced something strange on me.”

“In the case of the Empire, if you send the letter early, His Majesty will prepare in advance.”

“Then I’ll send it.”

“What will Ryu-kun have?”

“I’ll decide after discussing it with my family, but maybe money is the safest option.”

“Wow, this is so much like Ryu-kun.”

After heading to the capital for Lena’s exam and receiving a reward from His Majesty, should I go to the eastern island country after messing around with Estelle? Nah, going alone feels off, so I’ll invite Estelle. She’s probably free anyway.

The future route will be: the capital of the principality → Arden → Grace → the capital of the empire → the eastern island nation.

“Lord Grace. Do you have any delicious candy or something?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any right now, but there are a few recommended candy shops in the Margrave’s territory. Should I write you a recommendation letter when I get back?”

Thank you very much.

Should I buy a lot for my family and for my little elf?

At that moment, from somewhere,

“Uooooooh!!!!”

I felt as if I could hear a cry of joy.