The dragonkin believed in their god, and with that belief, there was no such thing as a kingdom, class by bloodline, or the name of a nation.
If you group the dragonkin by their race rather than their nationality, it was more accurate to consider them a theocracy compared to the monarchy of the Frisia Kingdom.
However, that god does exist, and currently, in a long slumber akin to death, the dragonkin are simply being left unattended.
Even so, they kneel and pray three times a day to their god.
They hope for the god’s rest while they sleep, wishing to be watched over and believing that their god has gone into rest for a great purpose.
If the National Border Guards are what protect the Dragon’s Boundary in the Frisia Kingdom, then the dragonkin have the title of Heretic Inquisitor.
This title is different from that of Heretic Judges; if there’s a dragonkin who doubts the dragon, they go to the Heretic Judges.
Matters related to other races are referred to the Heretic Judges.
Dragonkin are given the opportunity for trial, but those of other races who do not serve the dragon have already been determined as heretics, and for them, it’s solely judgment without any trial.
“Whew, may the breath of the dragon be with you today as well.”
With that simple breath, the Heretic Inquisitor, Zeronia, finished his evening prayer, slowly rising to begin organizing the day’s tasks.
Some laugh at this border area, but others praise it as the shield protecting the dragonkin; in truth, the ‘Dragon’s Boundary’ was neither a place to be laughed at nor one to be revered.
Boredom.
Yes, all this place was filled with was sheer boredom and monotony.
Sometimes, when a crazed human or criminal crossed over, they would play with them to find some mental peace, but that was the extent of their excitement.
As the sun began to set, it was time to light the lanterns, and Zeronia thought another day, just like any other, was coming to an end.
Thud, thud, thud!
Urgent footsteps.
The softly flickering lanterns were shaken violently.
Without even knocking, the agent who was like Zeronia’s limbs hurried into the Inquisitor’s room.
Normally, Zeronia would have spoken right away, but seeing the agent’s condition, he sensed it wasn’t an ordinary matter and waited for the report.
“J-Judge! There’s a human that has crossed the fence from the boundary! They injured two of our guards and are currently fleeing!”
“Insane.”
How dare a human?
Zeronia equipped his helmet and massive halberd, listening closely to the continued report.
“Fortunately, one of the two dragonkin managed to escape, and we’re investigating the human’s appearance and escape route…”
“I’ll go.”
Immediately stepping outside, Zeronia headed for the interrogation room, separated from the agents’ accommodation.
The interrogation room is usually a place where humans are captured and toyed with or tortured, so it was naturally distant from their accommodation or other work areas.
Because dragonkin have sensitive senses, they couldn’t endure the smell of human waste or blood near their living quarters.
With a harsh clang, Zeronia swung open the bars and faced a trembling dragonkin who looked bewildered, not understanding why he was in the interrogation room.
“Explain the situation.”
A simple command, yet the heavy voice caused the dragonkin to ramble in response.
Suddenly, the guard chief of the humans mentioned that their soldier was turning into a dragonkin.
Then, a man, who didn’t seem to belong to their ranks, broke through the fence and charged at them with a sword.
Things were jumbled, and though it gave him a slight headache, the confirmation was gathered.
“And the injuries?”
The priest beside him, applying bandages, replied to not worry.
“There are many injuries, but it’s not life-threatening. It seems he’s not a particularly skilled human.”
“…Is that so?”
In that moment, Zeronia felt a sense of unease, but for now, he pushed it aside. Capturing the human was the priority.
If they missed it and let it enter the dragonkin territory, not only would it be difficult to search, but he would also clearly bear the responsibility.
“Alright, for now…”
Just as he was about to tell the agent who followed to take action.
Thud!
A heavy sound echoed from outside.
The priest wondered if it was fruit falling from their tree, but the Heretic Inquisitor Zeronia immediately gripped his halberd.
That wasn’t a sound that could only come from falling fruit.
“Guards?”
He called out to the guards maintaining the interrogation room.
Only the harsh wind blowing heavy and the flickering shadows of the lanterns answered back.
“Guards?”
Crack!
As he called again, a sound of something breaking echoed.
Zeronia realized the seriousness of the situation and stopped the agent who was about to draw their weapon.
The opponent was clearly approaching.
Instead of going out to fight, it was wiser to wait for them to enter.
“Priest, step back.”
“Please, may the breath of the dragon be with you all.”
The priest, experiencing such an emergency for the first time, hurriedly clasped his hands and started to pray.
All the dragonkin present felt the suffocating killing intent slowly approaching from outside.
In the darkness, silence thickened the tension.
Not even a breath escaped, as if a ghostly enemy was about to strike.
‘Is that really a human?’
For a moment, Zeronia wondered if it could rather be something undead.
A small hole appeared in the damp wooden ceiling, and a rope with hooks flew in, wrapping around the neck of the agent beside Zeronia, pulling him upwards toward the ceiling.
Snap! Gack!
Suddenly subjected to hanging, the agent began to struggle mid-air.
Though dragonkin are generally similar to humans, they weigh double, yet he lifted him up as easily as catching a chicken, causing his head to bump against the ceiling.
“Hold still! Hold still!”
Unable to cut the rope with his halberd, Zeronia drew a dagger from his side, but the agent was thrashing so violently that he couldn’t get close.
As the agent slowly lost consciousness and began to froth at the mouth.
The tension on the rope suddenly released, and he fell down.
Guh! Hah!
Grabbing his throat and rolling on the floor was the agent.
‘Why?’
It was fortunate the agent survived, but why didn’t the assailant kill him?
No, more importantly.
“Wasn’t it outside?”
That suffocating intent had clearly pierced through the crack of the door into his skin, and it remained unchanged.
As he hastily swung the door open, hoping there was only one intruder.
Only a few fallen dragonkin appeared, and no other presence.
However, opening the door only felt like the killing intent intensified.
That mass of killing intent, Zeronia instinctively felt, was now behind him, and as he turned while swinging his halberd high.
“Ah, ah….”
The man wasn’t behind him.
To be precise, he was misunderstanding.
The mass of killing intent felt so significant that it was taken for granted that the opponent was right behind him.
But that wasn’t the case.
A bigger hole in the ceiling and the collapsed priest, the agent, and the fleeing dragonkin were there.
Though dragonkin could be tough to discern their age, Zeronia possessed some experience. Seeing no wrinkles on his face, he could tell he was young.
With black hair and a chilling air, he looked just like the grim reaper that young dragonkin often mentioned that harvests lives.
Every time he heard such stories, the earnest Zeronia would say.
‘What is there to fear when the dragons protect us?’
Yet, now, with a being similar to that before his eyes, a certainty enveloped him that as soon as he knelt and prayed, his head would already be gone.
“There are many injuries, but it seems you’re not critically hurt?”
He felt the priest’s words pierce through his heart like a boomerang, forming a self-deprecating smile on his face.
If it were math, the formula would be correct.
The numbers and signs necessary to enter were placed precisely.
Yet, the real calculation had gone wrong.
Having many injuries yet no threat to life is the opposite.
That would mean the opponent was skilled enough to inflict that many injuries but not to endanger his life.
“What is your purpose?”
In fear, Zeronia spoke with an authoritative voice. That was the only struggle he could make.
The man seemed to have the intention to talk, slowly turning to face Zeronia.
“Some humans are turning into dragonkin. Are you aware of this?”
A chilling voice.
His previously authoritative tone felt like a child’s play, as the boy’s voice provided a chilling sensation, reminiscent of being in the frozen wilderness.
“……”
Zeronia couldn’t respond.
At first, it was simply due to the dreadful killing intent and the tremble in his hand, but in truth, he truly knew nothing about it.
“Indeed, you don’t know.”
Like a judge delivering a death sentence.
As the words resonated softly in the interrogation room, Zeronia swung his halberd desperately, but…
He fainted without even grasping the situation.
*
Though the Dragon’s Boundary was quite extensive, the number of outposts was limited.
However, every outpost must have a Heretic Inquisitor assigned to it.
And late at night, through the emergency communication line for the Heretic Inquisitors, a man’s voice echoed.
It was news that the outpost at the front line, what could be called the Dragon’s Den, had fallen to humans.
“There’s only one condition: exchange of information and hostages.”
Surprisingly, the one who used the emergency line to convey all this was that very human.
