Chapter 21

“During an age when Ryukoku was much poorer than it is now, the country fought not only against the Moon Beasts, but also Makoku…”

Ark talked as if he was remembering it himself.

“Uh, how long ago are we talking about?”

“Hundreds of years ago.”

He wasn’t even born yet. He needed to stop being misleading.

“War costs money. Ryukoku’s military spending was enormous and the country was on the edge of bankruptcy. Even people from the palace who enjoyed living in luxury, started to feel worried. And so they started drafting Dragon Masters.”

Apparently, the management of dragons and Dragon Masters back then was quite careless, and there wasn’t even a Dragon Academy.

Only about half of Dragon Masters joined the military. Most of the others roamed free.

“Drafted… Are you saying they made all of the Dragon Masters join the war?”

“Yes. A very drastic measure.”

“But Dragon Masters are just people who happened to be chosen by a dragon. One could be a gentle little girl who wouldn’t hurt a fly…”

“Of course, there was resistance. In many cases, Dragon Masters were protected by their towns or villages. They often worked there as messengers.”

Dragons were much faster than horses and did not tire. That made sense.

Many Dragon Masters would prefer to be able to do peaceful work like that.

“So, what happened to the Dragon Masters who were drafted by force?”

“They fled… Of course, they did. These people hadn’t even been trained. How could they fight in a war? It was a horrible order in the first place. They were sent to kill other humans just because they had a dragon.”

“I agree. To be blunt, I would not want anything to do with someone who would order such a thing.”

“Well, that’s how desperate Ryukoku was. The treasury was empty and they didn’t have enough soldiers. As long as the war with Makoku continued, they needed money and people, or else they would lose. And what do you know, the perfect fighting force was sleeping right there. There was no way they wouldn’t take advantage of them. That’s what they likely thought.”

Many Dragon Masters who were supposed to be sent to the battlefield fled instead.

No one but Dragon Masters could be sent to chase after them.

But taking Dragon Masters away from the frontlines could result in the enemy pressing in and invading.

They were holding on somehow, but that line would be broken easily if the balance was lost.

“But they overcame the danger, didn’t they?”

After all, Ryukoku still existed. We were here.

“Indeed. However, that was just the beginning of the dark age. Yes, the beginning…”

Ark said with a knowing and ominous voice. But as we already knew, Ark wasn’t even born yet.

Dragon Masters who wanted to escape the draft went to Gikoku and Jukoku.

It is said that some of them even went to Makoku, who was the enemy. Shoukoku did not yet exist at this time.

This caused the balance of the possession of Dragon Masters to crumble.

As it was the ones who didn’t want to fight that escaped, Ryukoku’s fighting force didn’t actually shrink, and the other countries weren’t any stronger.

However, the ramifications for these defections were larger than expected.

After all, these Dragon Masters still worked as messengers or were used for transportation. Furthermore, the other countries were able to study the dragons.

How far could dragons travel? How much food did they need? Information that Ryukoku had kept secret was now out in the open.

And so Makoku started to gain an advantage in the war.

If this continued, the military and civilians would have to be united.

All citizens of Ryukoku would fight as soldiers.

Such plans started to be made.

“There are songs that remain of that time. It must have been horrible back then. …So, when the country was preparing to draft its own citizens, there was a coup in the Ryukoku Palace.”

“A coup?”

What was that? I’ve never heard of it before.

“Berzen Lucustra, who was only a general at that time, murdered the king. And he took control of the government.”

“…Lucustra.”

“Yes, the current dynasty. From what I understand, they do have the blood of the founding royal family, but he was just a general who wasn’t part of the succession. Though, they say he was a good fighter. I suppose that’s how he usurped the throne.”

The Queen’s face popped up in my mind.

Her ancestors had usurped the throne? I hadn’t known that history.

“Well, such things were not too uncommon back then. In any case, King Berzen rebuilt the kingdom rapidly. And this was when the country was ravaged by the fight with the Moon Beasts and with Makoku. There was hardly any food and so they would surely have suffered a famine if the war continued.”

“So, this king called Berzen led Ryukoku to victory in the war?”

“No. Makoku wasn’t in a good state either. Like Ryukoku, they also had to battle the Moon Beasts. But there was one thing that separated the two countries. At the time, the Shadow Moon Road went through the south side of Makoku, while it went through the center of Ryukoku. So, the damage to Ryukoku would be worse, right?”

“I see. It was before the Great Transfer.”

Unlike now, the Shadow Moon Road was farther to the south.

“No matter how hard they tried, it should have been Ryukoku that collapsed from the damage. However, there was a small tribe of people that lived in the mountains known as the ‘People of the Mist,’ who caused a rebellion. This was much to Makoku’s surprise. They would not have expected a group of shepherds to suddenly raise their standard against them.”

“I never heard of them.”

“You know that medicine you have to take to become a magician? It’s the People of the Mist who gather it. Though, they have since united with Makoku, and do not exist as their own tribe.”

“I see… So, Makoku was taken by surprise. And then they suspended the war?”

“Something like that. It was impossible to continue a war with two threats when you also had the Moon Beasts to deal with. And lucky for them, Ryukoku had a new king, so it was a good time to strike a bargain. And so both countries had the same interests, and a cease-fire agreement was reached. However, Makoku had one condition for Ryukoku.”

“Condition? What did they want?”

“The independence of Dragon Masters. They pitied the Dragon Masters that defected to their country. These men and women had wills of their own that must be acknowledged. They must be respected without any forceful drafts.”

“So, that’s what happened. …Huh? So Makoku’s condition was just for the Dragon Masters?”

“No, not at all. It was for their own country’s benefit. They just used the defecting Dragon Masters as an excuse, but they really feared the idea of all Dragon Masters being in the army.”

“I see.”

It was quite obvious, now that I thought about it. Seeing the Dragon Masters up close would have made it all the more clear.

They wouldn’t stand a chance if all of them were part of Ryukoku’s fighting force.

“So, that’s the Dragon Master Dark Age, huh.”

“The lives of many Dragon Masters were ruined during that time. By defecting, they had to leave their family and loved ones behind. Others were forced to join the army and many of them died on the battlefield. Nearly all of them were affected. That’s why it’s considered to be the first dark age.”

“…The first?”

“Aye. There was another dark age before we reached the present system.”

“Surely not.”

“But it is true. The Dragon Academy, patrons… Do you think all of this appeared out of nothing?”

“No… It’s always struck me as being very thoughtful, though.”

“Well, I will tell you all about it when there is time. All about the second dark age. After all, it was something built off the backs of countless Dragon Master corpses.”

Ark said with a sly wink.

That was when I realized it was already quite late into the night.

Thane and Marty were already sleeping.

No wonder it was so quiet. Also, this Ark guy. He talked too much.